ARC I
- 04 -
ACTION
Malfoy Manor
Somewhere, UK
January 2000
"For the love of – hurry up Potter!" Lily was not having a good night. Indeed, she was feeling sweaty and out of sorts. Then again being nearly three months pregnant, doing taxing magic (when she really shouldn't be doing so) and "working" with the second largest child of the seventh year. How did he ever become prefect; she still didn't know. Then again Potter was a touch better than Black who used to turn her hair green any time she used to walk the halls with Severus.
"Darling I'm done." Potter quipped with his equally lopsided grin. "Those charms should hold. Oh my, getting handsy – Evans, what was that for?"
She glared; giving him a rune stone that would transport him to HQ should this mission go bullocks backwards. "It's your last resort, now let's go."
"Blood magic?" Potter paled as he whispered that.
"No reason not to fight dirty." She retorted. "How long do we have for those wards before anyone realizes we're not supposed to be here?"
"Fifteen minutes. This way, I remember the layout Padfoot gave us." Potter muttered. "Still, blood magic?"
"Shut up Potter, there's no time."
And there really wasn't. Their mission this time was a bit trickier than normal. The Order had heard that The Bastard had captured a few soldiers from a muggle ally group. Apparently, an agent named Hawkeye needed rescuing. No one was apparently available to do the deed apart from her and Potter.
Alice was with Frank doing some research on magical plants and how they could help in their war effort. Black and Pettigrew were still recovering from the last Bastard Muncher's raid. The rest she didn't know. Lupin was doing some negotiations with some werewolf tribes in Wales and the rest; were back-up – in fact Moody was somewhere outside the boundary lines of the Malfoy's Manor – hiding in plain sight.
They only got into the Malfoy's lair through some intelligence from a spy on the inside of the Bastard Muncher's inner circle named Opheodrys. At least that was the code name of the spy.
She followed cautiously behind Potter only to realize with some growing trepidation they might be followed as there was a squeak to her left.
"Silencio," Potter hissed towards the noise and both of them paused. They saw a house elf gagging on words and caught it too late to see the little creature snap its fingers. "Shit."
"Time's up." Potter grabbed hold of her wrist as he dragged her behind him towards the dungeons. She didn't press or protest. Fear was suddenly clawing up her throat. She brushed her stomach with her wand hand as they raced down a few corridors and down a set of stairs. The duo quickly made their way towards the dungeons, the goal of their operation.
Lily realized quickly that there were some nasty wards. "Wait before you get your head severed."
Potter paused in his tracks and watched as she stepped forward, waving her wand in complicated movements. They heard noise at the top of the stairs. This time she was the one to pull Potter behind her as they escaped through the small window of magic she had made through the dungeon wards. Firelight automatically lit the hall dimly as they duo realized with growing horror.
"Dementors."
The cold was damning and without warning Lily felt her magic beginning to react. Magic, was definitely an odd thing; sort of living if she could place the feeling. It seemed to centre on her stomach where the tiny life she cocooned in her womb disagreed with the monsters before them. She immediately put her wand hand towards her stomach as she tightened her grip around Potter's hand.
"Expecto Patronum!" she bit out. Her words seemed to echo and it looked as if Potter had done the same thing. The creatures – two of them circulated the dungeon had immediately honed in on the duo. The creatures loomed over them. First there was nothing but mist which did discourage the two creatures a little but it wasn't enough. Lily gritted her teeth; both of them gripped each other's hand tighter. The mist wasn't going to be enough, she needed a stronger memory.
"Expecto Patronum." James' voice was tight with strain as he repeated the words. The mist that had been forming around his wand surged forward in a charge. The proud stag, complete with antlers lessened the dark and frost from the air. Sighs could be heard from the dungeons. Lily closed her eyes and felt Potter step closer to her side. She used that movement to comfort herself. It reminded her of similar warmth that had been so quick yet beautiful even in its brevity.
The elegant creature that had sprouted from her wand joined the stag in a menacing leap. James nearly dropped her hand if it wasn't for how tightly she clenched at his hand. It was rare to have such a powerful creature for a Patronus. Then again, it was also rare to have a North American mountain lion of all creatures to represent one's spirit.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side." James said shakily. "Hey, I see some movement to the left."
Lily didn't even let go of his hand as both of them shakily stalked towards the direction James saw movement. They found two agents in the second last stall close to the dark creatures. Using their wands, they directed their patroni to round the dementors towards the door they just came through. They did this without speaking almost as if reading each other's minds. When that was accomplished, Lily immediately went to work on breaking out the last two remaining agents.
"Alohamora," she whispered as the lock to the dungeon opened. It was interesting knowing that stronger wards could have been applied. This had been too easy – then again; the dementors may have gotten stronger due to the many souls they fed upon. James she saw was already becoming paler. "Is one of you Hawkeye?"
"If you're asking gorgeous," a light haired man with cloudy blue eyes looked up at her as he held on to the other agent, a young man with blond hair curled up at his chest. "And you're asking yes?"
Lily assisted the agent up along with the young man in his arms. Even though weakened due to the dementors; Agent Hawkeye was still keen minded and surprisingly strong. Although Lily could see the sturdy, stocky agent's legs shake.
"Thanks." He nodded to them. "You're Evans?"
Lily arched an eyebrow. "Yes."
"And this one's Potter."
He had eyed them as they got himself and the younger agent through the door. Lily was reminded that their allies probably had gotten files of them. Hawkeye must have remembered them somehow.
"This is going to get tricky." Potter muttered, he'd remained outside the cell keeping an eye on the dementors. "They've got only one entrance from what I can see coming in here. If we don't want to use your last resort, we'll have to break out some other way."
"Whatever we decide to do, we don't have time. I see shoes." The weakened agent nodded towards the dungeons' entrance.
"Get your stone Potter, hold on to one of them and we'll activate them at once." Lily said.
"No, better get all three of you safety first. Those dementors will come after us as soon as we activate whatever your stones will do because we'll have to cancel the Patronus." James pointed out.
"The stones can only take up to two people; you'll have to take one of them as well." Lily argued.
"I'll cancel my Patronus after you get to safety first." The brunet male insisted.
"Nons – "
"Whatever mumbojumbo you're going to do; now's good." Hawkeye interrupted. Lily forced down the bile of her throat. Hawkeye forced the one he was holding on to into her arms. She turned to her silvery, misty creature who soon disappeared, held back only by the stag in front of it.
Shakily she spoke the words she needed to in order to activate the rune stone. It was just at that moment she saw in horror as Potter put up a shield, screaming Protrego as a spell hit it in blinding light while Hawkeye fell unconscious.
Unnamed, Hidden Infirmary
Undisclosed, UK
January 2000
"YOU BLOODY IDIOT!" Lily had never felt this way before for Potter. She was immediately by his side the moment the black haired menace woke up enough to take her berating. "YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"
"EVANS!" Potter barked back. "I'm alive and you're loud."
She could have smacked him. Five days – five full bloody days. Both he and Hawkeye had only managed to escape after battling through a dementor attack, getting tortured by one of the LeStrange's for an hour! If for Madeye's help and quick thinking at distracting the enemy – they wouldn't have been able to use the rune stone at all. Thankfully James had been conscious enough to get Hawkeye and himself out. Apparently blowing up a chimaera and causing damage to the east wing of a supposedly impenetrable manor was enough of a distraction.
She didn't know the full details but what she did know as enough to understand that at one point they had cut James' skin with a spell that was meant to feel like a razor slitting across one's body a thousand times. Poppy, Alice and a muggle doctor had taken days to get it back to normal. Then there was Hawkeye who had just woken up; and remembered everything. Apparently James had made sure to shield Hawkeye each time someone made to hurt him. At least that's what the American said.
She was feeling so emotional. She blamed the hormones as Alice delicately put it. Lily also thought she was feeling horny to add to the distress. And unfortunately, while she worried at Potter's bedside – she realized how handsome and fantastic the man was.
"Sirius?"
"Getting tea."
"Remus?"
"Still on mission."
"Hawkeye?"
"Awake, getting supper."
"Peter…"
"Don't know."
James sighed and leaned back against the pillows closing his eyes again. Lily also leaned back in her chair, fiddling with the hem of her sweater. He had really just only woken up thirty minutes ago – she really should get Alice or Poppy.
"Why are you still here Evans?" James opened his eyes staring into her soul. She didn't have an answer for him, her mouth set in a thin line. He looked so drawn. He was never muscular or as handsome as Tony yet looking at him she couldn't help the flutter in her chest. This was the boy who had relentlessly and determinedly tried to get her attention for years.
"I wanted to be here when you woke up to thank you." Lily replied after a while, clearing her throat, wringing her wrists.
"You're also lying." James said. He was looking at her wrists directly and she shuffled in her seat, not looking into his eyes. She fought back the tears in the back of her eyes. This felt so familiar except, there wasn't a corpse this time around. "Lily?"
"Well then," she said softly, looking defiantly back at him. "I am truthfully glad you are alive and thank you for saving us. Just try not to do it again."
She stood up then, backing up and away from him. She watched the boy who stared back at her as she retreated back through the door of the makeshift infirmary. Their eyes locked and for the first time there was a current of something there. No more words were exchanged.
James watched her go. If she had turned around she would have seen the gaze mixed with equal parts hopefulness, love, resignation and sorrow he threw at her retreat.
Unnamed, Hidden Infirmary
Undisclosed, UK
January 2000
Two days later…
"Looks like your girl is pregnant," Hawkeye or as he told James – it's Clint – said casually as he sat on the chair beside him. "I heard about it through the older nurse."
James who was going to be discharged soon looked at the other man in shock. They were in his room shuffling cards in a deck. Clint had just sat himself down in the chair and pulled out the playing cards telling James he had to learn the muggle game, poker.
"Pregnant?"
"Yes."
"What? How do you know this?" James asked surprised. The muggle shrugged.
"If one knows how, those amazing ledges outside this place's windows when it isn't closed properly are great places to hear things." Clint stated. "Also that old nurse for all her talk on confidentiality, she's a regular gossip."
James wrapped his mind around the idea that the redhead he loved was pregnant for a moment. Quietly digesting the information before realizing it didn't matter when or how it occurred. He got the "how" aspect; thank you very much. If Lily was pregnant then this could complicate his plan to actually court her. However, it would only get complicated if he didn't accept both her and the child. He thought about it, any child Lily had who had her beautiful green eyes and brain would be wonderful regardless of the scum who left her. He was resolved. Always would be whenever it came to Lily Evans.
"Right," James nodded slowly. "Have you seen the others?"
There were only three others he could have been talking about. Hawkeye took a sip of water from the bottle he had with him. "Sirius is with his brother – apparently Regulus' a turncoat. Remus isn't having much luck with either the Wales or Scottish groups you are trying to recruit. Peter has been keeping a low profile."
James snorted. "Peter and staying low to the ground is normal. He never visited?"
"Once."
"The rat." James growled. "What are your plans after this?"
"Not much, wait for further instruction from the boss."
The duo spoke at length, even going through with a few rounds of poker and even blackjack. All games James lost except for the last two when he figured out Clint's tricks. In the back of his mind, he crafted a courtship plan tailored to a certain redhead who seemed completely unaffected by James' charms.
Hogsmeade Flat
March 2000
She had had to move houses from Godric's Hollow to out here in the near open. Hogsmeade wasn't exactly a danger zone but it was close to Hogwarts. It was close to Poppy even though she preferred to be closer where Alice and Frank would be. Like clockwork as she placed the plate of food on the table she had prepared, her floo chimed in. It was still Alice who was the only one who knew of the residence change apart from the Headmaster.
"Here you go." Alice said pushing the lily flower with a scroll of parchment wrapped delicately around the stem into the redhead's hands. "Fantastic, you made biscuits and tea!"
Lily blushed prettily as she saw the flower and eagerly unrolled the scroll.
Lily,
I am glad you enjoyed those sonnets. It took us a while to find them and you can thank Hawkeye too. I hope you are resting well. I look forward to your next missive.
James
Alice grinned at her slyly when the redhead looked up at her friend bright eyed and happy for once. "I never took you for a romantic."
"Oh quiet." Lily grumped although not seriously. Her feelings had quite changed startlingly when it came to the brunet male with wild flyaway hair. In fact his image had started replacing Tony in her dreams more recently. It was also difficult to say no to a man who made her his mission. Indeed, he had wooed her with all sorts of poetry accompanied by a lily flower since the beginning of February. She had gotten mad, of course, but it was more out of embarrassment than anything to do with James. Yes, she was most definitely embarrassed by her feelings for James.
"You really should consider meeting him." Alice uttered as she took a drink of tea with a bright smile. She was starting to show and had recently gotten married to Frank. That marriage had caused quite a stir for the Longbottom family. Of course, that never bothered them. Frank would sometimes accompany Alice to visit Lily; bringing with him plants to test for Lily's potions experiments. She was no Potions Mistress but what she did do with those plants was quite startling. In fact improving some recipes Severus had once shown her when they were still friends back when they were in fourth year.
"Perhaps," Lily replied pursing her lips. "I just don't feel it necessary to show him my voluptuous state of womanhood."
"You're pregnant," Alice laughed. "Not fat."
"Shut it you."
"My dear I'm in the same position."
"Ah but you're married." Lily sighed. She was currently sketching another rune schematic that could possibly be inscribed upon steel. The schematic could then be used to stop muggle electronics from fritzing out. After all, computers and the device called the internet were becoming frequently used by muggles. It would problematic if someone found out about their community.
"You could be as well Lily," Alice murmured. "He loves you. He loves you more than that model."
"To be fair," Lily groused. "Tony didn't want to have his memory erased."
"However, can you say he'd make a good father or even stayed behind to look after you and your child should he have found out?" Alice asked.
"We'll never know that." Lily replied.
"You took the choice away from him." Alice stated. Lily pursed her lips. She wouldn't in good conscious put Tony through something as traumatic again.
"My goal is to stay alive. At least see my child grow up and if he happens to want to know his father, then I will tell him the truth." Lily replied.
The pair had had this conversation far too many times to count. As they were at a stalemate something changed the uncomfortable silence that had been gathering in the room. There was a loud bang outside towards the backdoor. Alice and Lily looked at each other quickly.
Another bang and a hiss of words; Lily looked up to the wall clock beside her refrigerator. It wasn't really a clock. It was a ward watcher. She used it specifically to set up temporary yet strong wards any time she had had to move. They would show if anything was wrong. Unfortunately, the black parts on the watch showed that three out of her nine ward schemes had now fallen.
"Shit. We're compromised." Lily growled. Within moments the witches cast as many spells as they could to collect all the books, parchments and research they could. There wasn't much time and thankfully, a saving grace, Lily hadn't done anything to serious or heavy in terms of her current research. The items collected were being stowed away into the only thing worth of value Lily owned; a tired looking suitcase with specialized expansion spells in it. She had everything there.
The ward watch was already three quarters blackened by the time they put the research items away. They would have to activate the rune stone but as the pair of witches attempted to port-key themselves out. They realized with growing horror -
"Anti-portkey or apparition wards have been placed." The ward watch showed a line of red at certain intervals replacing certain wards Lily had in place. There was no more time.
BANG!
The back door opened and magic flew about the little flat. Outside they could hear screaming and the pair of witches could see from the kitchen window fires outside. The town of Hogsmeade was under attack.
"Well, well." A dark menacing figure came into view. Both Alice and Lily watched in horror, their backs towards the window and Lily's suitcase clutched in one hand. "Looks like you lovelies have been hiding your states of indecency. Unsurprising since one of you is a mudblood and the other the last of a failing line. It will be a pleasurable time taking the dirt out of your stomach mudblood."
"Not on your life Rosier." Lily hissed. She recognized that voice anywhere even if it was behind a white mask and black cloak.
"Silencio," Another figure joined them effectively quieting both her and Alice before they could speak further. The two women stared at each other in horror. "Rosier, we must not play with our – captives – after all we will have all the time in the world to do with them what we will."
Just as the two figures would have surely gotten to them – a black, menacing creature leapt from the shadows and attacked the one who cursed the two women. Rosier was too shocked to put a spell out before he was thrown backwards and towards the door frame of the tiny flat. There was an unmistakable crack as the wizard slid down, body slack. He was still alive; just badly unconscious.
"Lily, Alice," Frank Longbottom looked ashen. "Hurry, come this way. Ah, finite incantantem."
"When did we first kiss?" Alice hissed as soon as she could speak, wand pointed. Without batting an eyelash the other man replied. "The first of November, third year in a closet beside the kitchens."
The brunette woman took hold of Lily's hand and pulled her towards Frank with a rush. The dark creature that attacked the death eater who cursed them had ripped the death eater's wand hand apart from the wrist. The man wasn't crying in pain as he was already unconscious. The blood Lily saw made her want to throw up but there wasn't any time.
Frank waved his wand and muttered the spell to disillusion himself and his companions as they made it safely down the ruined corridor of her flat to the back door. The creature that had attacked could still be heard as well as shuffling. A man's voice soon spoke. Lily imagined it sounded familiar except not a moment later Frank procured a spoon.
"Portkey, it'll take us to safety." The two women nodded following suit as Frank uttered the word 'den'.
Marauder's Den
Somewhere, UK
"Oh thank Merlin," someone yelled as Lily began vomiting after landing. "Hush my love, Mooney, oh balls, thanks, here take this love, it will help!"
She downed the potion handed to her. It soothed it her stomach cramps instantly but didn't soothe the cold she felt. She clung to the person holding her as someone whispered evanesco. Tears she didn't know she was crying smothered her face in sorrow. Death was so close; had been so close and it was only because of Frank and that creature.
"Oh Lily, I have you." Strong arms wound around her, soothing fingers running up and down her spine while soft lips seemed to whisper over her brow. She had never felt so lost before, so cold, so very cold.
She inhaled the scent of her protector. He – for most undoubtedly her current protector was male – smelled of wood, freshly laundered clothing, fresh air, the funny hair product that never really tamed his hair and mint. "James." She whispered. "My dear, dear, dearest James – oh my dear love."
And that would be that. This was the moment that cemented them together; James Potter and Lily Evans. They would be forever one – as equals, lovers and parents – to the end of their days.
Author's Note: Currently traveling and doing something slightly stupid when it comes to updating that'll be really expensive on my phone bill but c'est la belle vie. That said, thank you so much for the reviews, follows and faves! More please since this one chapter hasn't been beta read and I'm sure I could have developed certain parts of this chapter more; feedback would be amazeballs. A bientot!