Note: Last chapter I used the part where the Killing Curse hits the locket Regulus gave Emma the same way that an arrow hits the acorn-thingie Wendy is wearing in the book, Peter Pan.

And…OMG, last chapter was all No One's P.O.V!

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 EIGHTY-SIX

Sacrifice

There was pain from my arm and leg, possibly I had resprained both. I opened my eyes to find myself lying atop some rubble, and my sprained ankle was caught underneath a heavy wooden beam. I wasn't sure what had happened, except that I had Apparated back to Perth to save the boys…and they'd been being tortured by the Death Eaters. Then more Death Eaters had appeared…

Remus! Sirius! James! Where were they!?

I cast my gaze around, and then tried to get up – but the pain in my leg and the fact that it was trapped stopped me from doing this. I raised myself up on my elbows, my right hand clutched painfully tight around my wand, and looked around.

The four stunning spells had done more damage then they should've, and I wondered if it had something to do with mine and Remus' Bond. I remembered seeing a lot of red light, and feeling a strong magic coursing through me…from both sides.

Wait…did this mean that Sirius had something to do with it as well?

Oh, wouldn't it be just great if I really was Bonded to both of them? That'd just make the Love Triangle – Possible Square – just fine.

Not.

A sound from my right – a groan – made me look. A figure with messy black hair was rising from the rubble, a large bloody wound to the side of his face from shattered glasses.

I gasped. "James!" My voice came out in a hoarse rasp, and made my hand fly to my throat in alarm.

James looked around, saw me, and got up immediately, hurrying over to me. "Emma?" He cried, in a voice that was just as raspy as mine. He knelt beside me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "But my leg is caught…"

James looked. "Okay…hold on a second…" Swish and flick! "Wingardium Leviosa…there, can you move it?" I dragged myself forward, and James let the beam fall back down where my leg had been. "Don't look at it." He warned me.

I looked. "Oh my-!" I gasped, feeling the blood draining from my face.

"I said don't look!" James said crossly. "You…" He broke off.

We both looked to our right, and saw a hand clawing its way out of the rubble, covered in blood and dirt. A voice seemed to be calling from within the rubble. "E-a! Em-a!!"

James and I exchanged a horrified glance. "Sirius!" We both cried, and James hurried over to where Sirius was trapped, with me limping along after him. We both raised our wands, and began levitating the things off of him, tossing them aside carelessly.

When Sirius was free, James dragged him out and I gasped. There was a lot of blood on Sirius, staining his now pale face, and his clothes were torn and still bloodier.

My heart began to pound. Sirius looked half dead, but we knew he was alive because he had called…he'd called to me.

I was kneeling by then, my leg too sore to hold my weight anymore. "He's not…dead, right?"

"No," James shook his head. "Padfoot, mate, can you hear me?" He asked worriedly.

"E-ema…" I heard Sirius say, and leant down closely, to be able to better hear him. Not that I really had to, since there wasn't any sound from around us except for Muggle police and ambulance sirens in the distance. "I-I'm s…sorry…"

I blinked, and his dark eyes found me. They were full of regret and remorse and…something else. Was it fear?

I closed my eyes, so that I wouldn't have to look at him. "Why did you do it?" I whispered, afraid that if I spoke any louder then the tears I was holding back would escape.

"I-I didn't…she d-did…I n-never…"

"We can talk about it later." I said firmly, tears swimming behind my eyelids.

"E-Emma…please don't…h-hate me…" Sirius' voice was pleading, and I opened my eyes, staring into his with my own glassy, tear-filled ones.

Sirius and I stared at each other for a long time. "I don't hate you." I said finally.

"Okay, this is great and all guys," James said, and I looked up again. James' glasses were reflecting the moonlight. He was standing up straight, and looking around. "But we need to find…"

There was a sudden cry from somewhere to our lefts, and we all looked (Sirius sat up fast) and saw Lestrange standing there, holding Remus by his neck. A silvery knife glittered in Lestrange's hand, and the blade of the knife was pressed against Remus' throat.

"Remus!!" I shouted, and made to stand up. I got about two steps when I half staggered, and was half pulled back by James, who had his wand out but wasn't saying anything. For fear of Remus' life.

A few more Death Eaters had survived the explosion, and were standing on either side of Lestrange. But my eyes were glued on Remus – my Remus – and as I watched, Lestrange pressed the blade to Remus' throat and drew some blood.

James' arms tightened around me instantly, as I made to throw myself forward again. "Remus!" I yelled again, and his eyes found mine.

"Emma – stay back!" He called, before crying out softly as the blade was pushed further into his neck.

"Stop!" I yelled, half sobbing, and struggling with James. "Please, don't, I'll…I know what you all want!"

Lestrange looked at me. "Are you willing to give us what we want, then?" He asked, and pressed the blade even tighter into Remus' neck. I knew it was going to scar.

"Yes!!" I shouted, sobbing fully now. "I-I'll come with you…to where…to where he is! Just please let Remus go!"

The Death Eaters laughed mirthlessly – they had obviously pinpointed Remus as my weakness long ago and, now, they had finally succeeded in breaking me. "Good," One of them called. "Come here then!"

James' arms tightened even more around me, like a vice. "Emma, no!" He hissed in my ear.

I ignored him. "Let R-Remus go!"

Lestrange pressed the blade still further into Remus' neck, and both Remus and me yelled. "You are in no position to be giving orders, Pax." He told me in a deadly voice.

I nodded, shaking from head to foot now. "F-fine then…James, let me go!"

But James held on, and now Sirius had gotten up – I could see now that he was bleeding from a large wound in his side – and come to my side. "Emma, no, I won't let you do this!"

"You don't have a choice!" I fairly growled, and struggled free from James. I turned, purposely not looking at anyone.

Sirius grabbed my arm. "Emma, wait!"

Oh God, he sounded like Regulus!

Remus' cry of pain pierced into my mind again. My heart began pounding. They had Remus! And I began yelling: "They have Remus, our best friend! They're going to kill him!!" God knew how protective I already was of my werewolf, I couldn't let him die like that!"Now let me go Sirius Black, SOME THINGS ARE WORTH DYING FOR!!!!"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I stepped back, and Sirius let go of my arm, stunned.

I turned back, unable to look at him any longer, and started toward the Death Eaters. Each step drew me closer to a terrible fate, I knew, but I kept on walking.

When I reached Lestrange, one of the others nodded to him, and he let Remus go.

Remus and I rushed into each others arms, neither of us able to stand as we sank to our knees.

"Emma, don't do this!" He said quickly.

"I love you." I whispered into his ear, as tears spilled down my face.

And a rough hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, tearing me away from Remus, and making me stand on my injured leg.

"We have the girl, now let's go!" The Death Eater known as Avery shouted triumphantly.

This was it – I was going to be taken to where Voldemort was and…then what? I remembered what Regulus had said: Emma, you have to get away from here…if you knew what…if you knew why the Dark Lord was after you…

I had no idea why, but Regulus seemed to know…oh Regulus, I wish I had've taken your advice but, at the same time, I'm so glad I didn't. Because I got to save my friends, whom I love. James, Sirius, Remus…I hoped that Lily, wherever she was, was safe too.

For some strange reason, I wasn't scared.

The locket from Regulus – the one that he'd said would burn through anyone who wasn't a pure-blood…did that mean what I think it meant? – was swinging from my chest now and, as I watched, it grazed against the hand of Avery.

He let out a howl like he had been burnt and, a second later, as he tore his hand away from me, I saw why. I huge black burn mark was still smouldering on his hand and, with a sudden shock, I realised that Avery must not be a pure-blood! A half-blood, definitely, but the locket had just proven that Avery was no pure-blood.

Oh my…

Avery staggered back – his mask had fallen off – and now he was staring at me in horror because his hand was starting to turn black, and there was a moment of stunned silence.

The locket fell back against my chest, where it settled itself quietly against my skin.

I turned to look at Sirius – and then the storm broke out.

At least two dozen or so Ministry members – possibly even Aurors – appeared with resounding whip-like cracks all around us, and they yelled: "STUPEFY!!" At the same time James shouted: "DUCK!!!!"

James, Sirius, Remus and I threw ourselves onto the ground as the red spells zoomed over our heads, crossing in mid-air, rebounding into the darkness…

Then…

"The girl!" Shouted Rosier. "We must get the girl or the Dark Lord will make us pay!"

"STUPEFY!!"

I raised my head and looked up in time to see the spell from James' wand hit Rosier square in the chest. Then Remus, one hand clutched to his bleeding throat, grabbed my hand (that and my ankle gave a painful throb as I was yanked to my feet) and we ran toward James and Sirius, ducking spells and occasionally – but not often – using ones of our own to avoid being hit.

Just then somebody grabbed my arm, and I turned to see Lestrange, his eyes alright with something that reminded me of fear – fear of what Voldemort would do if they came back empty-handed, I guess.

The locket wouldn't work on him – he was a pure-blood, I knew enough about the wizarding families to know that, the Lestranges were pure-bloods like the Blacks, Weasleys, Potters and Longbottoms – so instead I pointed my wand up at him and shouted: "FIRA!!"

Gold and silver fire snaked quickly from my wand and wrapped around Lestrange's arm, he screamed and let goof me, but a second later another Death Eater had appeared at his side and pointed his wand at me.

"STU-"

There was a sudden uproar from somewhere nearby, and a voice cut the Death Eater off mid-sentence. "It's Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore!

The Death Eater and Lestrange – whose entire arm was now bleeding and pussing rapidly – both swore, and a spell zoomed past them and hit the Death Eater who had James by the throat.

"James!" Lily's voice shouted, and she ran to him, her red hair flying.

There were a dozen or so cracks – the Death Eaters were Disapperating – and Lestrange and the other Death Eater turned on the spot quickly and vanished, as I stumbled back and turned, grabbing Remus as I did.

We both held onto each other, me pressing his neck against my shoulder to stem the bleeding, as we both sank to our knees, exhaustion and pain overcoming all our other senses.

As I blacked out, I saw Dumbledore standing amidst the pile of rubble, the Elder Wand in his hand, and his piercing blue eyes trained directly on me.