Night had fallen by the time they exited the hotel. Fewer people roamed the streets, tourists having already retired to their rooms for fear of what the darkness might bring. James held his wand at his side, not bothering to keep it hidden as no one paid them any attention and secrecy was the last of his worries. He noticed that Lily had copied him, her hand clutched so tightly around the thin strip of wood that her knuckles were white.
He didn't know exactly why they had decided to do it, why they hadn't simply packed up their things and disappeared, gone back to the order and the relative safety that they shared in numbers, why they hadn't even called for help. All he knew was that no matter where they went or how far they ran it wouldn't be over, it would never be over for them until they were dead and strangely enough it gave him a feeling of freedom and power.
They would find a way to make the death eaters show themselves and they would fight them. And after that, no matter the outcome, he would be with Lily. Perhaps they were on a suicide mission, as they walked avenues in search of what exactly he didn't know, but he did know that they would find it. He could feel Lily's free hand in his own, soft and familiar, hot in his.
It didn't take them long to reach a more desolate section of the city, one that he could only assume to be the slums of Paris. Roads and alleys overflowed with garbage. Homeless people sheltered under cardboard boxes, leering at them as they passed, as if they were heading into a spider's web. And James couldn't help but think it himself. What he couldn't decide was whether they were the spiders or the flies.
They saw no sign of being followed as they continued walking, if only to feel as if they were doing something but he certainly hadn't expected too. No death eater was stupid enough to follow with the possibility of being seen but he could feel it, the hum of magic surrounding them in the dark, growing stronger as they drew into another empty street. The streetlights had long ago been extinguished, he guessed mostly by vandals with rocks. Not even a rat stirred in the gutter.
James glanced at Lily and found her looking back. She nodded at him, as if responding to his thoughts. It was time. They crossed to a building, the windows of which had been boarded over, bricks crumbling from the foundation, and pressed their backs to the wall so that they could see everything from one end to the other. He could hear car horns blocks over, the sound of music and laughter from a club. A door slammed. A woman screamed. He felt as if they were in an entirely different world. He squeezed Lily's hand briefly, feeling the responding pressure as she returned the gesture and then he let go.
James removed his jacket casually and draped it over a pile of rubble. He felt more than one pair of eyes watching him as he did it, as he rolled up the sleeves of his button down shirt, the same one that he had been wearing the day that he had asked her to marry him. He turned back to her and stared into her deep green eyes, seeing himself reflected in them. Lily smiled, not in a grim way as if preparing herself for battle but in the way that she reserved just for him, lighting up her whole face, shining at him. Happy.
They didn't count to three. They didn't have a signal that had them both moving at the exact same moment, that had both wands sweeping through the air simultaneously as if they were one person, as light exploded from each and flooded the street, illuminating the abandoned, graffitied buildings. He had a split second to think about how it must feel to be old and beyond any imaginable use, to just be there because no one could be bothered, before the magic took affect.
There were four death eaters, none of whom wore masks and all of whom were only too familiar, bringing up memories of previous battles, those times surrounded by their friends, this time alone. These people were nameless bringers of the horror that Voldemort represented, each of their faces displaying mingled feelings of anger at having been uncovered and delight at the job that they were about to do, the pleasure that the deaths of the Potter's would bring to their master and the glory that would be bestowed upon them. A long moment of frozen silence passed and James could feel his heartbeat pounding in his throat, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He looked at the death eaters and they looked back at him.
"So where's Lestrange?" he asked casually, as if enquiring after an old friend. "I was so looking forward to seeing her again but I suppose Voldemorts not too happy after her screw up last time."
The death eaters growled. He had dared speak their masters name, dared mock the dark lord and his followers.
And a moment later it was as if someone had pressed play and everything happened at once. Six people fired curses at each other. The spells mostly collided, some exploding on impact, others rocketing off course and ricocheting off of buildings, sending dust and bricks raining down on the people below who jumped out of the way to avoid being hit and at the same time, a loud cracking sound could be heard not ten feet away and an old, balding man appeared out of the darkness. James recognized him instantly as the man with the little blonde girl from the cafe but he was no longer dressed in muggle clothing. Instead he wore robes of an electric blue color that reminded James of Moody's magical eye. He winked at them.
Distracted by the new arrival, the death eaters spun around, shooting curses at the old man instead and James took his chance. With a flash of brilliant light, the largest of them went flying, crashing into a building opposite and falling to the ground in a heap, sending dust clouds up around him. James didn't know that he would ever be getting up again.
The old man drew level with them and flicked his wand carelessly over his shoulder. Chords shot out and wound themselves around one of the other death eaters, who gave a cry of rage as he was bound tightly, his wand dislodged from his hand and rolling away under a stack of old boards .
The last of them started forward angrily, shooting curses at each of them in turn, forcing them to dive out of the way. He was putting up a good fight, spells shooting from his wand one after another, hardly giving them time to think. They retaliated in good measure, sending their own spells back, three against one instead of two against four.
Lily hit the death eater between the eyes and he immediately began sprouting tenticles on his arms and face but he jumped right back into the battle like an overgrown squid. How long he could possibly hold out on his own James didn't know, as he reflected a hex that had been directed at him, but he knew it was only a matter of time. The spell flew back towards it's maker, who avoided it in turn and it collided with a nearby building that burst into gold flame. He didn't want to know what it would have done it had it hit it's intended target.
More cracking sounds broke through his subconscious and he looked up to see more death eaters appearing alongside their fallen friends.
James took them in.
A young, dark haired boy stood in his death eater get up, but he didn't look as if he wanted to be there at all though he held his wand at the ready. There was no anger or burning desire for glory in his expression and as he stared at Lily and James and the old man who fought his mates, a look that James had seen a million times appeared on his face, a look of mingled curiosity, and then a glimmer of recognition . It took him several seconds to realize who the boy was and why he looked so familiar. They had only met briefly during their school days but he knew the boy's brother better than anyone. This boy was his brother's brother.
James had no desire to fight Regulus Black and as if reading his mind, the younger boy lowered his wand.
"JAMES!"
Lily's voice tore through him like a knife and he spun towards her, wand raised, prepared to defend her, but it wasn't Lily that needed help. He saw the look of triumph on the face of a dark haired death eater that was built like a tank and a moment later he felt the burning pain in his chest and the blood pouring between his splayed fingers. The world blurred and he heard Lily scream.
He was falling. His head hit something hard but it didn't hurt him, the pain in his chest radiating through him, stronger than any other feeling. Lily's face swam into view above him. He couldn't make out the expression on her face but he tried to smile reassuringly before the darkness pressed in on him.
I REALLY ENJOYED WRITING THIS CHAPTER, IT WAS FUN. SEE YOU ALL SOON.
