She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Dark Attack

"Hope I come out at the right gate this time." I said, as we headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.

"You will," Lily assured me, as we carried me stuff down Diagon Alley. I had new everything, including new robes, straight from Madam Malkin's. "'Hogwarts' doesn't actually sound like much else, does it?" Lily asked me.

"No, probably not," I agreed, as we stopped to say goodbye to Hagrid, who still had some shopping to do.

For some reason, something made us all look up at the sky.

Three black shapes suddenly came out of nowhere. One landed in front of Ollivander's, and caused a huge explosion. People began screaming, and running, as a fire was started.

"Death Eaters!" Someone yelled.

"Dark wizards!" Another voice yelled.

The second black shape landed in front of Madam Malkin's, causing even further chaos, and I knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"Lily!" I cried, as the third shadow headed straight toward her.

"Em!" She grabbed my arm.

Dumbledore suddenly appeared, straight between me and Lily and the black shadow.

Lily and me gasped silently, as the black shadow seemed to stop where Dumbledore stood. Lily and I clung onto each other, as the shadow hovered in front of Dumbledore, before it vanished right before our very eyes – but the chaos the other two had left did not go away.

"Death Eaters here, in Diagon Alley!?" A woman was sobbing.

"What next?" A man with a bright purple robe muttered.

Dumbledore turned to Lily and I, and said: "Girls, go back to Hogwarts quickly now." He didn't need to add that we would be safe there, but both Lily and I knew. "Go to your dorms." He added.

"Yes headmaster." Both Lily and I said.

We gathered together my things, and hurried through the Leaky Cauldron toward the fire place. There was no room for error now.

Lily went first.

"Dumbledore's Office!"

I followed behind her, careful to take a breath before I stepped into the fireplace.

"Dumbledore's Office!"

I spun through many fireplaces, until I fell out in Dumbledore's office.

Lily caught me around the underarms, and made sure I wouldn't fall over.

"Em, are you okay?" She gasped. "That was scary!"

"You're telling me…" I replied, breathing hard, my heart still pounding. "Lil, I think they were after me…in Knockturn Alley…a Death Eater named Lestrange grabbed my arm…" Lily's eyes widened.

"Come on," She said, taking up an armful of my new stuff. "We should head back to Gryffindor Tower, like Professor Dumbledore said!"

"Yes." I agreed, checking my pockets (pocket watch check, wand check) and then gathering up my stuff.

I glanced at the Pensive on my way out, and it seemed like it was taunting me, egging me on to come and take a look, but I didn't.

I just headed straight to the common room with Lily.

***

By evening, everyone at Hogwarts knew about the attack on Diagon Alley. The entire school was buzzing.

Lily and I were sitting together in the common room by the fire, heads bent low, talking in hushed whispers, when the Marauders burst in through the portrait hole, and both Lily and I turned to look at them.

"Hey Evans, Em." James said, hurrying over to us. He mussed up his hair a bit. "Did you guys here…"

"About the attack on Diagon Alley?" Sirius finished up for him.

"Yes." Lily and I said in unison. We sighed. "We heard."

"Say, where did you two go today, anyway?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, Lily, you went running out of the Great Hall like that…" Peter trailed off.

"So…where did you go?" James asked.

Lily and I exchanged a glance.

Then she said: "Diagon Alley."

The Marauders looked shocked.

"But that's not all…" I said, tired all of a sudden. "There's more, and it ain't good…"

The Marauders immediately sat down on chairs around us.

"What happened?" James asked, looking mainly at Lily.

"Well," Lily began, looking like she wondered where to start. She glanced at me helplessly.

"Dumbledore wanted me to go to Diagon Alley today to look for school stuff," I supplied. "We travelled by Floo Powder, which was a first for me,"

"Right, and you came out one grate too far," Lily jumped in.

"In Knockturn Alley." I remembered. "Mr. Borgin saw my name on my scarf, and went all weird when he saw my last name was Pax, I don't know why…and then as I was running out of Borgin and Burkes, a Death Eater named Lestrange – don't ask me how I know it was him – grabbed my arm…"

The Marauder's eyes were all wide, and they were staring at me and Lily in shock.

"But Hagrid managed to find her, and rescue her in time," Lily said.

"Thank God." Sirius murmured. "Lestrange of all Death Eaters…"

"But then those three shadows came just as we were leaving," Lily went on, quietly. "There were three of them, and the first two smashed into Madam Malkin's and Ollivander's, respectively…"

"Places that I'd just come out of," I cut in, and Remus paled even more so, if that was possible. "Then the third one came straight at us…"

"Straight at you, you mean," Lily reminded me. "I didn't know what it wanted with her! But then Dumbledore got in the way, and the shadow stopped, like it was afraid of him or something…"

"And then it just vanished." I finished up. The Marauders were staring at Lily and me, in total shock. I sighed. "Guys, I dunno what's going on. First Snape and Bellatrix…now all this? It doesn't make any sense…"

"Well," Remus said, recovering first. "These sorts of things seem to have developed a strange interest in you, Em…"

"Do you think they're all connected?" I whispered. "I mean…don't Snape and Bellatrix seem…as likely to become Death Eaters as anyone?" And then I cringed, remembering that Lily had once been friends with Severus Snape.

But, to my surprise, she appeared to be agreeing with me, and was nodding.

"It is a possibility." Remus said, thoughtfully. Then he looked right at me. "We're just going to have to keep a closer eye on you then. Okay?" He asked me.

"Okay." I squeaked. "But if the dark forces are really after me…Sirius, I made the first move on Bellatrix when she confronted me because she insulted you. I don't want you guys to be…"

To my surprise again, Sirius laughed. "Don't worry Em – we can take care of ourselves!" He said, placing a hand on my arm.

To his surprise, I suddenly flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. "You had better, Sirius Black!"