"How come nobody ever told me the bloody car could fly?" Lily asked, leaning out the window to get a good look at the ground far, far below them.
"Consider it payback for not telling us about the Cloak," Fred said, drumming his hands on the wheel. "Besides, Ron and Ginny don't know, either."
"And get back in here," George said, pulling her back by the skirt of her dress. "Car might be invisible, but people will still be able to see your head if they happen to look up."
"Besides," Fred added, "you're the one who said you can't talk because you 'need to stay in character.'"
"Right," Lily said, rolling the window back up. "Err- how long are we going to be stuck in here?" It helped to have the window down, but she didn't want the twins to complain about the cold; she didn't much like being cooped up in a tight space for any amount of time.
"About three hours," Fred said, still drumming on the steering wheel.
"Knight Bus would be faster."
"How do you expect us to sneak Katie out of there on the bus?"
"And do you really think the glamourous Ms. Black would be caught dead on the Knight Bus?"
"I guess not."
"Then quit your whinging, would you?"
"Can we at least listen to something else?" Lily asked, leaning forward and reaching for the stereo (only to have her hand slapped away by George).
"I'm driving, I pick," Fred said.
"I could drive!"
"A car is a bit more intensive than a broom, Lily."
"They both fly!"
"The answer is 'no.'"
"Oh, come on!"
"Would you stop it?"
"Oi!" George said, pointing to a faint set of lights in the deep, dark forest below. "I think that's the place."
"Buckle up," Fred said, taking the car into a sharp dive.
"With what?" Lily said, balancing herself by placing both hands on the back of the front seats. "There's no belt back here!"
"Just don't die, then," George suggested with a shrug.
Lily almost opened her mouth to protest but closed it just in time to avoid biting her own tongue off as the car made a hard landing with the ground below.
"Sorry about that," Fred said, rubbing the back of his head as he turned the engine off. "Haven't gotten the hang of parking, yet."
"Right," Lily said, leaning out the (now open) window again, trying to find any sign of life through the dense foliage around them. "Where's the house?"
"That way," Fred said, pointing ahead of them. "Not too far of a walk. Should see it after a couple of minutes. Got the Cloak, George?"
"Think I dropped it out the window, actually."
"What?" Lily asked, leaning between the two front seats and scanning the floor in complete horror.
"He's joking, Lily," Fred said with a sigh. "Shouldn't you get in character, now?"
"Right," Lily said, heart still beating quickly. "You two wait outside. I need some quiet and a couple of minutes."
"If you say so," Fred and George said together, moving out of the car in unison.
Lily leaned her head back against the seat and took a deep breath. Granted, she hadn't met Ms. Black for very long, but what she did witness was enough to at least build an assumption: arrogant, prudish, and a completely terrible person. Plus, it helped that she was the mother of Malfoy, and that meant her attitude must have rubbed off on him in some ways. She opened her eyes again.
Ms. Black adjusted and fixed her hair in the rearview mirror before placing a black mask on her face, hiding the top half of it. She held her shin up high as she exited the car, ignoring the presence of the two peasants waiting nearby.
"You're still wearing your trainers," George said, jogging to keep up with her quick stride.
"Walk through a forest in heels?" she said, scoffing and pushing the heels she was carrying into Fred's hands. "I think not. No, I will suffer this indignity for a while longer."
"Well, she certainly sounds snooty enough," Fred said, shrugging at his brother.
The Irish woods were thick and dark, but, occasionally, Ms. Black could see a little light flitting in and out amongst the trees. At first, she thought it might have just been her imagination, or, worst case scenario, a fairy trying to lead her astray. When she tried to walk off the path, deciding to not trust it, the light swooped down in front of her, bopping her right on the nose, before flitting back to the trail she was supposed to be following. After that, Ms. Black supposed she could take the hint, even if the sniggering of the twins behind her ruffled her feathers.
"Cloak on," she said as they approached the glowing house. "And no noise, either of you."
"The heels, Lily!"
"Oh, very well," Ms. Black said, and, with a wave of her wand, Swapped the trainers she was wearing for the heels Fred was carrying. "Keep a hold on those. I don't much fancy trying to escape in these."
She followed the bobbing, moving light to a large clearing, where a bright manse was sitting atop a small hill, the lights streaming down and illuminating an orchard. More fae lights were darting in and out, around and between the smaller trees. The light that was guiding her flew to the nearest one, plucked a bright blue fruit, and then came back, gliding straight towards her and dropping it straight into Ms. Black's palm.
Then, the light dimmed a bit, revealing the tiniest woman she'd ever seen. She was wearing a little green dress, her bright yellow hair almost as long as her body, and she wasn't at all certain if she should trust the devious, delighted smile on her face one bit. One hand on her back, the other on her head, looking over her shoulder in a pose straight from a fashion magazine.
Ms. Black might have ignored the self-important little thing, but Lily'd read enough about the fae folk to ignore the possibility of earning their ire.
"You're very pretty," Lily said, giving the fairy the compliment it was most definitely fishing for. She hoped to leave it at that, and moved to hand back the berry, but then the fairy was laughing and flying off again, and when she looked back down, the one, single fruit had multiplied into three.
She knew better than to refuse a gift from a friendly fae, and she popped one of the Fairy Apples in her mouth. The small thing held a surprising amount of juice inside of it, tasting sweet and cool, a calm feeling spreading through her body as she swallowed. Even still, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as she ate the second one.
Strictly speaking, people weren't generally supposed to eat Fairy Apples. That witches and wizards harvested the fruits at all were just for potioneering purposes (and, really, the harvesting was more along the lines of "pleasing the faeries that tend to them and hope they leave you gifts"). Legend had it that consuming Fairy Apples, while likely to increase one's magical power, would result in transforming into a fae creature yourself should you consume even one bite too many.
That accepting the little trio of berries incited a swarm of faeries to deliver her a constant stream of them only heightened her nervousness. Shoving another sweet into her mouth every few steps, in between spewing compliments to the assortment of fae that presented themselves to her to remain on the devious little things' good side, she picked up her pace and arrived at the manse in no time flat. After her last swallow, she was starting to feel a little tingly all-over, and was certain her height dropped an inch or two (although that could easily be her morphing abilities reacting subconsciously).
"Lily!" George hissed before she could knock. "Hair!"
"What?" Lily said, blinking stupidly at the empty space.
"Green! Hair!"
"Oh," Lily said, voice a little squeak. She crossed her eyes and forced it to the black of Ms. Black, taking a deep breath to force herself back into the proper mindset. "Stay near me. I'll find out where she is, and then you can go get her."
"Got it," Fred said as she raised her hand to knock. "We'll pull your hair when we've got her, so you know it's us."
Ms. Black nodded just as the door swung open, a small, bowing, timid House Elf waving her inside.
"Narcissa Black," the elf said in a gravelly voice as she stepped inside. "Welcome, welcome. This way, this way."
Ms. Black didn't nod at the elf, because there's no way she would ever show such a thing even the slightest amount of decency. The entry way to the Bell Manor was also definitely less impressive than what she was used to, even if it did have a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling that Lily found to be extremely gaudy. She followed the House Elf through a door on the far wall, where she could hear faint, orchestral music through the thick wood. She took a step inside the ballroom as the House Elf held the door for her, bowing lowly again.
The first thing that stood out was that, for what was supposed to be such a fancy party, there were fewer people here than she would have expected. She thought there might be a hundred people, at the least, but they weren't even quite hitting three dozen.
The second thing were the masks they were all wearing. Sure, it was a Masquerade, but some of the mask presented were twisted and frightening skulls, covering the entirety of the faces of those wearing them. As Lily watched and moved slowly around the circumference of the circular room, she noticed a few individuals with smaller, regular masks watching the larger ones apprehensively. As she stood at the door to the foyer, one couple passed by her, taking their leave of the evening.
"Waste of time," she heard the woman grumble.
"Ah, well," the man said with a heavy sigh. "It was meant to be a smaller affair, after all. The wedding will be more grand, surely?"
The woman scoffed, throwing a scarf over her neck as her husband placed a heavy coat over her shoulders.
"I would hope so," she said, not even glancing at the House Elf who was opening the front door for them. "The Minister was invited, after all."
Then the ballroom door was closed, cutting her off from listening any further. Ms. Black raised her chin high again, observing that the rest of the skull-less individuals seemed to similarly be making their leave, and then grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby floating platter. Then, she started making her way around the circular room, staying close to the edge and listening for any signs of Katie. She had to stop herself from humming along to the music; that was a Lily thing, not Narcissa Black.
She stopped near the masked forms of Mr. and Mrs. Bell, sipping at her champagne as she tried to listen in (and deciding she very much so liked the bubbly beverage). She waved at one of the skull masks, a beautiful redhead that was trying to motion her over. Hopefully that bird could take a hint better than she could.
"I thought she'd be here by now," Mr. Bell said in his deep growl, his mask hiding his bearded face.
"She'll come," Mrs. Bell said. "Be glad she isn't, yet. We still have a few stragglers to rid ourselves of before we can begin."
"Right," Mr. Bell said. "You still want to go ahead with all this rubbish, then?"
"She is not one of those- those freaks, Hermann. I will not stand for it any longer."
"He's over twice her age, Marge. Surely we could find her a better match than Nott."
"He's been widowed a long time," Mrs. Bell said, sipping on her own drink while Lily's belly roiled in anger. "He'll make a fine match, Hermann."
"Surely the son would make a better-"
"We're not having this discussion again," Mrs. Bell said sharply. "She'll be marrying Nott, and that's that."
"Where is Nott, anyway?" Mr. Bell grumbled just as Lily started to slip away.
"Upstairs with Crouch and Malfoy," Mrs. Bell said dismissively. Lily followed her stare to where Bertha Jorkins was standing alone, conversing idly with another guest, a glass of champagne going untouched in her hand. Lily thought there was something off about the way she kept nodding her head.
"I think I'll go check on Katherine," Mr. Bell said, taking a single step before Mrs. Bell caught his arm.
"She can wait, Hermann," she said, dragging him in the other direction. "We have a few more introductions to make."
"Right," Lily grumbled to herself, setting her empty glass on a nearby platter before striding quickly back towards the foyer, her heels clicking angrily on the immaculate tile.
She thought the House Elves might try to stop her when she tried to move upstairs, but they didn't so much as look at her. One even bowed! She walked all the way up to the third floor before Fred and George finally piped up behind her.
"Where are we going?" Fred whispered.
"What happened to the plan?" George said.
"New plan," Lily countered. "We're getting her out of here now, even if we have to check every room manually."
"We should split up," Fred suggested.
"No," Lily hissed. "I won't be able to find you if you do. Just stay with me and we'll- get back!"
The three figures around the corner failed to notice her companions, but they didn't at all react adversely to her presence, so she maintained her visible distance just down the hall, where she could just make out their conversation.
One was clearly Lucius Malfoy. Even that skull mask couldn't hide his trademark hair, and he was still holding that stupid little cane with the stupid little silver topper. The other two, she wasn't quite as sure. The large man with a bit of gray in his hair she guessed was Mr. Nott (and the thought of what they were trying to force Katie into with him made her want to vomit).
The third, she had no earthly idea. He wasn't wearing a mask, so his pale, freckled face was open to the world, and his straw blond hair was long and slightly gnarled, as if he hadn't bothered to brush it in a long time. As she watched, Lucius Malfoy handed him a vial that seemed to be nearly empty, except for a thin strand of brown.
"You're the backup plan, Crouch," Lucius said, not bothering to keep his voice low. "We've learned everything we can from the girl. Get back to Hogwarts and wait. Use the Floo in my office so you aren't seen."
"I think it's too late for that," Nott said, nodding in her direction.
"Narcissa might not be with us," Lucius said coolly, "but she won't hamper our plan. She knows what the consequences of crossing our Lord would be."
"I hope so, Lucius," Nott said. "For your sake. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must see to my blushing bride-to-be."
Lily watched Crouch head the opposite direction, feeling sick and nauseous as Nott made her way past her. She hoped, for Katie's sake, that Fred and George knew to follow. Just in case, she held both hands behind her back, waving one to give them the hint that they hopefully didn't need.
"Narcissa," Lucius said with a not unfriendly nod. "You aren't supposed to be here."
"I couldn't help myself," she said, trying to force her voice back to the pompous air of the older woman.
"You're not wearing the proper mask," Lucius said, coming closer.
"I thought I wasn't supposed to."
"It wouldn't have hurt." He was standing right next to her, now.
"I've been hounded by reporters since our divorce was publicized," she said, pushing a lot of bitterness into her voice. "I didn't think it would do to find the proper mask published in the paper."
"No, perhaps not," Lucius said, a twitch of a smile appearing at his lips. "There's no need to be jealous, my dear. Not when we're alone."
Lily had to stop herself from cringing when Lucius placed a hand on her cheek. Her skin was crawling and she definitely wanted to be sick.
"Control yourself, Lucius," she said, pushing his hand away. "It would not do to give our little game away." She just wished she knew what the game was; she was starting to feel very confused.
"How is Draco?" Lucius said, his posture visibly relaxing. "Is he well?"
"Well enough, given that his father is ignoring his existence," Narcissa said. "Potter is giving him no end to his grief."
Lucius just nodded once, his voice subsequently filled with sorrow. "It is for his own good. He'll be safe this way, should we fail."
"Why, in Merlin's name, would we ever fail?" Narcissa asked, raising an eyebrow her former husband couldn't see.
"The boy has a knack for foiling our plans, even if he is an idiot," Lucius said. Lily almost bristled at that one. "If we fail tonight, we only have two more opportunities to grab him. No, ignore that- you aren't supposed to know."
Lily took a big risk, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him close when he tried to turn away.
"You can trust me, Lucius," she said. "I can protect Draco better if I know."
Lucius chewed the inside of his mouth, and Lily wondered if she pushed it just a bit too far.
"I cannot offer you the details," he said at last, his voice thick. "I apologize."
"Lucius-"
"I know," he said, wrapping both his arms around her. "I know, but I can't. I'm sorry."
Lily almost did vomit when he pressed his lips to hers. Thankfully, her clear revulsion helped to sell her next line.
"You do yourself ill, sir," she said, pushing him away and trying not to lose her lunch then and there. "I believe you have a fiancé whose needs need attending to."
"It won't be too much longer, my dear, I promise," Lucius said, attempting to hold her again.
"You've made your choice," she said, pushing him away again. "Now, we have to live by it."
"Very well," Lucius said, lips forming a tight line as he pulled back. "You should go, then. Doubtlessly, the boy will be here for his girlfriend soon. Once the wards on the girl's door detect entry, we'll grab her."
The boy? Oh, that's me, right.
Wards? On- wait, on Katie's door? Oh, they were waiting for me.
Wait.
This is a trap?
"Where is the girl's room?" she asked, heart beating quickly.
"Down the hall," Lucius said, pointing the direction Nott went. "Best avoid it on your way-"
The rest of his sentence was cut off by Lily pulling out her wand and hitting him with a stunner. She left him there on the floor as she turned and moved as quickly as she could towards Katie.
"Stupid heels," she said, kicking them off her feet when she nearly stumbled.
She was running after that, hoping to find some sign of Katie's room so she didn't need to check random doors. Her sign was an open one, an unconscious Nott laying slumped against the door opposite, with three voices loudly arguing inside.
Lily expected to see signs of life in the room. She expected to see Quidditch posters, she expected to see Katie's favourite albums lined on shelves, she expected to see dirty clothes spread all about. In short, she expected to see her own room. Instead, the walls were bare, and all Katie had on her shelves and her desk were thick, untouched tomes for strictly academic purposes.
"I'm not going with them," Katie said, her voice trembling just a bit as her eyes locked on to Lily. "Please, don't hurt them. They're just trying to-"
"It's just Lily," George said, a hint of agitation in his voice.
Lily shook her head and ran her hands through her lengthening, reddening hair. She even gave herself a light flick on the nose to get her features back to normal. She expected a little squeal of glee from Katie, but was instead met with a furthering glower.
"You shouldn't have come," she said, looking between the three of them.
"We can argue later," Lily said before Fred or George could speak. "I've just learned that they were waiting for me and that they have wards on the door. We need to move."
"They wouldn't have put wards on my door," Katie said disbelievingly, pulling away from Fred and George when they tried to pull her under the Cloak.
"Trainers," Lily said to Fred, catching them a moment later and sitting against the wall to pull them on.
"I hate to tell you this way, Katie," George said, pulling her a bit harder. "But your house is filled with Death Eaters."
"Not to mention they were going to marry you off to Nott," Fred added, pulling her other arm.
"What?" Katie said, pulling free again. "No, they weren't. They just wanted me to break up with Lily."
"Tell that to Nott," George said. "We just stunned him right outside your door. Was planning to make a little visit."
Katie snorted and crossed her arms, and Lily finally noticed she was wearing her own little ballgown. "He's just an escort. Mum wanted me downstairs ages ago to 'present a unified front,' but I wasn't having it."
"Katie," Lily said, hopping up from her seat. "We don't have the time for this. Your parents are courting Death Eaters. They were going to marry you to Nott. They took you from school in the first place as a trap for me. We need to go."
"They wouldn't have-"
"He's here!"
Lily whirled to the door, raising her wand, but was moving too slowly. A Death Eater in full cloak and mask was standing at the door, own wand pointed at her chest, another one right behind them. She panicked when she saw a hint of light appear at the tip of his weapon.
And then the Death Eater behind them stunned him, and he collapsed to the floor.
"Wotcher, Lily," the Death Eater said, pulling her hood and mask free to reveal the redheaded woman from before.
"Tonks?" Lily said, blinking stupidly and lowering her wand as the auror flicked her own nose to return herself to normal. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that," Tonks retorted, leaning out into the hall and looking both ways. "Thanks for ruining my op. Dumbledore could have at least mentioned he was sending someone else. Almost blew my cover when I saw you- I mean, Narcissa Black? Really? Did you do any planning before you came in here? You're lucky Death Eaters aren't known for their cunning, or they'd have remembered the woman is currently in Italy visiting family for the Holidays."
"Your op?" Lily said, blushing at the reprimand. "What are you-"
"Later," Tonks said. "Weasleys and Bell, under the Cloak and stay quiet. Lily, at my side. We're breaking you out of here."
"I'm not going to- stop grabbing me!"
"Katie, you just saw a Death Eater!" Fred snapped. "Your parents are dark wizards! We need to get you out of here!"
Katie pursed her lips, staring at the crumpled man on the floor, but allowing herself to finally be pulled under the Cloak.
"Got your wand?" Lily asked as she joined Tonks at the door.
"Dad's got it," Katie said, reluctantly. "Said I'd only get it back if I- err-"
"Renounced me entirely," Lily guessed, moving in unison with Katie as they entered the hall back-to-back, Lily facing towards the stairs, Tonks towards more endless rooms.
"You really did stun him," Katie said as they moved again, voice quiet right in front of Nott's unconscious body.
"Told you," Fred whispered back.
"No talking!" Tonks hissed. "Merlin, we don't want them to know you're-"
"Duck!" Lily shouted, sweeping her wand in a long arc as she crouched.
Two Death Eaters appeared from around the corner, and Lily yanked the rug out from under them just as they sent two scarlet blasts in their direction. Tonks crouched at her side half a second after, raising her one wand and rolling the two up in the carpet. Lily took the next step, swiping her hand to the right and sending the pair flying out the window.
"Bit harsh, don't you think?" Tonks said, hopping back to her feet.
"They're blood supremacists."
"Fair enough." Tonks hurried to the corner, where the stairs were, and then quickly ducked back behind cover just in time to avoid a bright green ray. "We might have a little problem."
"I've got it," Lily said, not hesitating to step out into danger. She could see the Killing Curses die at the leading Death Eater, four more behind him.
They want me alive, Lily thought with relief. It was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off, and she crouched again to avoid a stunner, and then flicked her wand downwards, turning the steps to a slick, steep surface. A few Death Eaters managed to grab on to the railing to avoid slipping down, and Tonks stepped back into view to cast a Shield Charm and protect her from any jinxes (although one still cut the skirt of her dress, to her dismay). Lily tapped her wand to the former top step and smiled.
Then, she ignited the oil, and the fire roared as it spread all the way down to the ground floor, in one, swift motion.
"Remind me not to cross you," Tonks said, flicking her wand right and toppling the Death Eaters over the rail to avoid them burning. One of them swatted at their robe, trying to put out the flames, as they fell, but Lily didn't get to follow their path for long as they fell out of sight.
"That one was inspired by the dragon these buggers made me fight," Lily said, not feeling an ounce of guilt.
"Fair enough. How do we get down, now?"
"Like this," Lily said, not hesitating again as she jumped straight over the balcony.
She thought a lot about what she could have done to prevent her terrible fall from the mountain, most of it done in the wee hours of the night when all she wanted to do was fall asleep. It haunted her dreams that the solution was so simple.
Spongify, she thought, wand aimed straight at the ground.
The hard tile turned soft, and they rippled as she landed and bounced safely, just maintaining her foothold to prevent herself from falling.
"Stop him! Get him!"
Lily chose her old fallback and grew a stone wall from ceiling to floor to block the set of curses coming their way. Just as she heard a loud boom from the other side, sending plaster and chips of stone tumbling her way and shaking and cracking her barrier, Tonks landed next to her.
"You could have warned a girl," she said, raising her wand.
"Sorry," Lily said, gritting her teeth and trying to mend her wall as it was shaken by another blast.
"What's the plan, Lily?" Tonks asked. Lily felt, rather than saw, the three others land nearby.
"We have to get to the car."
"The car? You drove here?"
"More-or-less," she heard George say.
"I can't hold this much longer," Lily said, her wall shaking again, the cracks spreading further.
"You shouldn't even be here."
"Is now really the time?"
"Into the ballroom," Tonks said, raising her hand. "We can get out through the kitchens." And then, without another word, a silver wolf burst from the tip of her wand and flew through the wall.
"What was-"
"Move!"
Tonks shoved Lily though the open door (and she assumed the twins or Katie was responsible for that) just as her wall fell. Tonks then slammed the door shut right after, and Lily grew a new wall right in front of the doors. Tonks was moving quickly, shoving Lily to forward to keep her moving.
"That's not going to-"
She was interrupted by a pop as a hooded Death Eater apparated into the room. Lily just moved quickly enough to stun him, but then more were popping in, and, try as they might, they were vastly outmanned. Lily cast a quick fumos, shrouding the entire room in a thick, acrid smoke.
Lily and Tonks stood back-to-back once more, deflecting spells and sending their own out, but Lily was really starting to feel the exhaustion settle in. A Diffindo made it past her Shield Charm, cutting into the strap of her dress and into her shoulder, and she could feel the blood drenching the rest of the soft material.
"We need cover!" Lily shouted, swearing when another curse slipped past her side and singed her left side.
"We need to get you out of here," Tonks said.
"I'm not-"
"Find the other kids and get them out of here," Tonks said, shoving Lily again and getting the two of them moving towards the far wall, pulling them both out of the way of a bright purple flame.
"But-"
"Moody will have gotten through the wards by now," Tonks said. "Should be able to Disapparate right out of here."
"Moody?"
"Lily, just go, I don't have the time to-"
Tonks and Lily were both knocked off their feet by a strong gust of wind, the smoke clearing and whirling around them. Lily growled as she rose back to her feet, wand raising with her, only to be met with about twenty Death Eater wands levelled at her chest.
"Surrender," the voice of Quirinius Quirrell said through his hood and mask, a shiver running down Lily's spine at the distant memories. "Resistance is pointless."
"Says you," Lily said, wishing her hands weren't so sweaty. She glanced behind her, complete despair filling her at the sight of Fred, George, and Katie not being invisible, her Cloak displaced and halfway across the bloody room.
"Our Master does not wish to spill the blood of our own kind," Quirrell said. "Stand down, and you will be allowed to-"
Lily honoured that request by attacking.
She shot a stunner.
He turned it into canaries, which then soared back to attack her.
She froze the canaries solid, her gust of cold wind rushing towards him.
He breathed fire from the tip of his wand.
She resisted the urge to make her little wall and instead shot a jet of water.
He controlled the water into a nice, sealed little orb.
She moved to transfigure the water into air, only to be disarmed by a watching Death Eater.
He pushed the globe into her, encasing her in the freezing water. Then, he levitated both it and her into the air. It should have been easy enough to swim out of. No doubt, they were just waiting for her to do exactly that. Tonks was even pushing her way through her own set of attacking Death Eaters, Fred and George assisting from the side, to retrieve her wand.
Lily thrashed and struggled, her brain panicking and forgetting every little thing she learned about swimming. The panic only worsened when the water began to heat up. She tried to scream, but that only let out the breath she'd been holding, and the scalding water rushed in to fill her mouth. She could hear the laughing in her head all over again as her cousin shoved her into the pool.
I'm going to drown, she realized. I'm going to drown and they're going to cook me alive. Lily couldn't hold it anymore, and she gasped, trying desperately to get some air, only for the water to settle further into her chest and for her vision to grow darker. She tried again to push towards the edge of the water, but it was getting so hard to move her limbs, and the burning pain in her lungs only fueled her need to breathe.
And then she was falling, hitting the ground hard with all the loose water, and coughing and spewing water from her mouth. Her arms were shaking as she tried to push herself off the ground, but somebody was grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.
"We're going to need a long talk," Sirius said grimly, blocking a curse with a quick Shield Charm.
"S-Sirius," Lily sputtered between coughs and gasps for air.
"Shut up. Get to the twins, and get out of here."
"But-"
"Not another word, Lily," Dumbledore said, stepping up to her other side. "Do as Sirius says."
It was then that Lily stopped coughing or gasping long enough to take a look at her surroundings. Sirius and Dumbledore were with her, Flitwick was now dueling Quirrell, driving him and two Death Eaters back to the foyer, Moody was fighting several Death Eaters furiously at Tonks's side, Lupin was near the kitchens entrance, Pomfrey was crouched in front of Katie, defending her from everything, the Weasley parents were forcing their children away from the battle and towards Pomfrey, and there were more Order members she didn't recognize, as well.
"Go!" Sirius ordered, pulling her halfway to her feet.
"But how do we-"
"I believe it is time to use your gift," Dumbledore said sternly, taking a step forward and drawing his wand. Lily could see the remaining Death Eaters panicking, a few even scrambling straight for the nearest exit. "The wards are down. Apparition is more than possible."
"Right," Lily said, scrambling fully to her feet and sprinting towards Katie.
"Remember to focus!" Sirius shouted after her.
Lily's sodden sneakers squelched and squeaked as she ran, and slid to a halt right next to Katie, digging into her bra for the little slip of paper. Katie was staring at the carnage around her in complete disbelief, but Lily found she simply didn't have the time to sympathize.
"Read this," she said, placing the barely usable parchment into Katie's hands.
"I don't understand," Katie said, paying the paper only a cursory glance. "I- I just wanted them to-"
"No time, Katie," Lily said, grabbing her arm.
"Go, Potter," Pomfrey said, rising to her feet.
Lily squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She always splinched herself in some way before, even if it was just by leaving behind an article of clothing. She couldn't afford a mistake this time.
12 Grimmauld Place, she thought, picturing the sitting room, the exact place Dobby brought her when she needed help. 12 Grimmauld place. 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Lily, I- I don't- why are they doing this?"
12 Grimmauld Place.
The two girls popped out of existence.