Chapter 26: Safe Haven
Lily awoke and sighed. She was still in this foul-smelling dungeon. She hated being here and not being able to do anything. She wondered what Dorcas and Remus were doing. She missed them so much. If only she had had one more chance to say good-bye.
She looked over at Sirius. He had moved over to where Karen was sometime during the night and lay there with an arm around her waist. She had her face pressed into his chest as if it would protect her from the whole world.
That was the way Lily used to be with James.
She looked over at the messy haired boy. He was using his arm as a pillow. He looked so innocent when he was sleeping, looking nothing like the mischievous boy she knew when she was at Hogwarts, or the extraordinary man she knew now. He was so different from when he was fifteen. Maybe Dumbledore had known what he was doing when he had made James Head Boy.
Suddenly the boy she was watching stirred and opened one of his eyes.
"Please, tell me that we are not in Malfoy's dungeon and that was all a dream."
"Sorry, but we are in Malfoy's dungeon," Lily said, leaning back against the wall.
"Great," James muttered, sitting up.
"Did they hurt you after they took me away?" she asked.
"No, just brought me down here," James told her.
"You know it would have been a lot simpler if you told the Auror Office that you knew where I was," she noted, "you are training there."
"You think they would have believed me?"
"I thought everyone was supposed to pay attention to James Potter?"
This made James smile.
"That was at Hogwarts. Now people expect me to listen and be quiet. It's different out there. I don't know it all anymore."
"No one does."
"You seemed to have it figured out pretty well. Well, your life anyway. Not how to get out of here because if you had known a way, you would have done it already."
"James, you're rambling."
"Sorry."
Lily laid back and closed her eyes. She sighed as she tried to think of a way out of Malfoy Manor; she didn't want to be there much longer.
There was a rustling sound that made Lily open her eyes. She looked over to see Karen sitting up slightly and removing Sirius' arm from around her waist.
"Hey, guys," she yawned. "Anything happen while I was asleep?"
"Yeah, I think a spider crawled across the floor," James replied.
"I'll take that as a no," Karen said, "Why do you think they wanted to capture you, Lily?"
"I don't know," Lily answered, "It's odd. They didn't even ask me any questions yet."
"That's because they're trying to wear you down, so you'll tell them everything," Sirius supplied, rubbing his eyes.
"How do you know?" Lily asked.
"Hello, raised by Death Eaters," Sirius replied.
"What do you think their next move will be?" Karen inquired.
"I don't know," Sirius said. "It depends on what they want."
There was silence. The direness of the situation weighed heavily on the group of young adults. How were they supposed to get out when there seemed to be no way out?
"Against the wall, all of you," a gruff voice called.
The four friends looked at each other before moving up against the wall. The lock clicked. Something scraped across the floor and then the door was slammed shut. They turned around to see two plates of food on the floor and a glass of water.
"Is this what they've been doing? Slipping food in through the door?" James asked.
"Yeah, I've gotten a plate of food once a day," she said.
"Are you sure this isn't poisoned?" Karen asked, bending down to look at the food.
"I'm pretty sure I would be dead if it was," Lily retorted.
"Well they put two plates in this time," Karen observed. "So we can each have one. One for the boys and one for the girls."
James and Sirius looked at each other.
"No, that's ok," James said. "You can have it."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked. "You can't not be hungry."
"I know what you're trying to do," Karen stated, "If you don't eat then neither will we."
"Yeah, you need your strength just as much as we do," Lily said.
"Just eat it alright?" James said, crossing his arms.
"You are going to eat, even if we have to shove food down your throats," Karen threatened.
James rolled his eyes. "You're not going to let this go are you?"
"No," Lily said.
"Fine," James huffed.
Karen handed him a plate and he sat down with Sirius. Lily kept a watchful eye on them.
"What are you staring at?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, you're supposed to be eating," James said.
"You're not eating," Lily stated.
"Eat," Karen demanded.
James sighed and Sirius rolled his eyes. They both picked up a few pieces of food and began chewing.
"Happy?" Sirius asked with his mouth full.
"Very," Karen replied.
When they finished eating the very unsatisfying meal, Lily laid her head against the wall and slipped into a dreamless sleep.
"Lily, get up," a voice said, pulling on her arm.
Lily opened her eyes and saw James pulling on her arm. She stood up and James immediately pulled her behind him, pushing her up against the wall. Karen was scowling from behind Sirius.
"Men," she mumbled.
The lock clicked for the second time that day. In the doorway stood Bellatrix.
"Alright, where's the Mudblood?" she asked venomously.
James pushed Lily up against the wall so that she could barely breathe.
"Where is she?!" Bellatrix shouted. She looked around the room.
"Are you hiding her?!" she sneered. "Rodolphus, Rabastan, get them so I can get her."
Rodolphus and Rabastan stepped into the cellar. When they reached Sirius and James, they yanked them away from Lily and Karen. Karen automatically jumped in front of Lily.
"Move, you stupid girl," Bellatrix snapped impatiently.
"If you want Lily you have to go through me," Karen argued as Sirius and James were struggled against Rodolphus and Rabastan.
"Karen, just move," Lily whispered.
"I'm not letting them take you," Karen muttered.
"Such a waste to spill pure blood," Bellatrix sighed.
She flicked her wand and Karen was writhing on the floor. Sirius and James pushed harder against Rodolphus and Rabastan. "Leave her alone!" Sirius cried. "Leave her alone!"
Bellatrix laughed cruelly.
"Oh, do you love her, dear cousin?" she taunted. "Do you love her enough to take her place and let her watch you be tortured in her place? Do you love her enough to die for her?"
Karen screamed louder.
"Stop! Stop it!" Sirius shouted.
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. She lifted her wand and Karen breathed deeply. She grabbed Lily's arm and started to pull her away.
As Bellatrix did this, James broke free of Rodolphus. He elbowed him and Rodolphus fell to the ground. Quickly he grabbed Bellatrix's wand and cast a curse at her. He turned to Rodolphus and Stupefied him. Lily and Sirius moved over to Karen to make sure she was ok while James dueled with Rabastan.
"Drop it," someone hissed in James ear. A knife pressed into his throat and he slowly dropped the wand. Rabastan grabbed it and awoke Rodolphus. Rodolphus grabbed Lily while Rabastan pushed Sirius up against the wall.
"If this one is so eager to go with her, then go with her you shall," Bellatrix spat. She pushed him over to Rodolphus and he pushed Lily over to Bellatrix.
They pulled Lily and James out of the room, leaving Karen and Sirius alone with Rabastan. Lily and James were taken upstairs to a room full of people. James thought some of them looked like they were not a day over seventeen.
Lily and James were pushed down on their knees in the middle of the room. A circle of people surrounded them.
"Now that we have our guests shall we begin?" Bellatrix laughed. "I'm going to ask you this once. Who's your spy?!"
"Go to hell," James spat.
Bellatrix ground her teeth together.
"Not the answer I was looking for. What about you, Evans? Do you know who it is?"
"No, and if I did I wouldn't tell you," she replied calmly.
"Very well, you will pay for your mistakes," Bellatrix said just as calmly.
Lily readied herself for the pain she knew would come, but she was being pulled backwards by a masked Death Eater.
Bellatrix smiled evilly.
"Now for all those who want to join the Dark Lord's army, you have to know how to perform the Unforgivables. You have to put all the hate you feel into the curse or it won't work. For example."
She pointed her wand at James. He cried out in pain.
"No!" Lily screamed. "Leave him alone! Leave him alone!"
"All you have to do is tell me who the spy is and I'll take the curse off," Bellatrix stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Who is it?"
"I don't know! I don't know! Please, just leave him alone!" Lily begged trying to get to James, but the Death Eater held her back.
Bellatrix lifted the curse.
"Well, Potter, do you know who the spy is? I want to know right now," Bellatrix demanded.
"I'd rather die than tell you," James said breathing deeply.
"You don't seem to be in much of a position to be arguing," Bellatrix sneered. "Now tell me!"
"Leave him alone! Please! Don't hurt him!" Lily cried.
"Oh, would you shut up!" Bellatrix shouted. She pulled James to his feet and pushed him over to the masked Death Eater. Grabbing Lily by her collar, she pushed her into the center of the circle.
"Who wants to have a go at the little mudblood?" Bellatrix asked the crowd. About a dozen hands rose in the air.
"No! You touch her and I'll-"
"You'll what?" Bellatrix interrupted James. "You're not in a position to be making threats."
"James, don't," Lily pleaded.
"You there," Bellatrix said, pointing her wand at a young boy. "You have a go."
The boy smiled evilly.
"Crucio!" he yelled.
It didn't hurt as much as when Bellatrix performed it, but pain still seared through Lily's body. She writhed on the floor. She thought she heard James yelling something, but she couldn't quite make it out. After what felt like hours and a few dozen people cursing her, the pain lifted. She felt a foot nudge her in the side.
"You really are pathetic," Bellatrix sighed.
"Don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!" James screamed.
Bellatrix just rolled her eyes.
Lily didn't want to move; she felt like she couldn't move. She would have been perfectly content to stay where she was, but someone grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. They pushed her down the stairs.
"Stand back against the walls, you two," a gruff voice said; Lily was too weak to identify it.
The door was opened and Lily was pushed inside. She would have fallen, but two arms wrapped around her. She buried her face into his chest. She didn't want to come out. Not when it hurt too much.
"What happened to her?" Sirius asked, as he laid her on the stone floor.
"Bellatrix was teaching kids how to torture people," James explained. "She used Lily."
"James, don't go, please," Lily pleaded, gripping Sirius' shirt.
Her vision was coming and going; she knew she was going to have to sleep to regain her strength.
"Don't go."
"I'm right here," James tried to calm her.
He gently removed her hands from Sirius' shirt and pulled her to his chest.
"It's ok. I'm not going anywhere."
Lily clenched his shirt and buried her face into his chest. She never wanted to move ever again. The last time hadn't been as bad, but now. . . .she could still feel the pain. She closed her eyes. At least for now, James could be her safe haven. That was her last thought before she drifted into sleep.