I sat up, my hair falling in front of my face, my body uncomfortably hot under thick, musty blankets. I was in the guest bedroom. Of James’ house. Of James’ manor. Of Potter Manor. A mansion. I swung the blankets back and jumped out of bed. I was in a pajama shirt and some pajama pants that Mrs. Potter had lent me.
–Honestly, Lily, it’s all right to stay here for the night. It’s already almost midnight and I doubt you’re in any condition to Apparate,†Mrs. Potter had said. I shut my eyes and shook my head. I’d sent an owl home, and the response came back within the hour, with my mother’s eager consent. They had agreed that I could stay and scheduled some time to get tea and talk about James and I. James looked sheepish. Sirius looked amused. I was scared. The last thing I wanted was for my mother and Mrs. Potter to strike up a friendship. What would a friendship like that lead to? An arranged marriage? Premature wedding plans? Talk of a shared grandchild?
I’d dreamed of Sev. I’d thought of Sev for the first time all summer, laying in the big bed in the guest room at James’ house. I’d dreamed of how he tried to take me to You-Know-Who. I dreamed of James saving me. I dreamed . . . and I cried.When I woke up, and remembered where I was, I felt guilty. My parents were home, unprotected. I was here, safe. They were home, in danger. I got out of the covers and stood by the bed, gazing out the window. Three figures in black hoods paced in front of the house. Death Eaters.
I got dressed quickly, pulling on my pants, and my boots. My jacket was in the hall, but my cardigan was warm enough. I gathered my tangled hair into a side ponytail and raced down the hall, trying to recall which room was James’. I found what had to be the right one and threw open the door, only to see a half-naked Sirius Black snoring on the bed, surrounded by empty bottles of Firewhisky and Muggle magazines.
Once my initial embarrassment was gone, I found a shirt and pants on the floor and tossed them, with all possible force, onto Sirius’ bare back. He jerked awake, blinking and groaning.
–Lily! I take it I’m not supposed to tell James about this?†he called softly, laughing.
–I don’t have time to cover how much of a prat you are, Black. There are three Death Eaters surrounding the Potters’ front door. Get up, get dressed, and get moving,†I hissed. –Which room is James’?â€
He raised an eyebrow. –One to the right.â€
I slipped out the door, as Sirius rolled over and stood up. James’ door gave easier than Sirius’ did.
James Potter lay across his blankets on the bed, wearing a t-shirt and boxers. His face was up, sweat beads thrown into light by the glow of the moon from the window. His bare feet hung off either side of the bed, and his mouth was slightly open. His hair was messy as ever, and I felt an intense need to stroke it, make it lie flat. I moved closer, watching James asleep, wishing I didn’t have to wake him, when suddenly the door flew open and Sirius came in, buttoning his pants. He was wearing tennis shoes and a jacket, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes.
–PRONGS!†he hissed, jumping on top of James. –Let’s MOVE. We have a PHOENIX SITUATION on our hands and EVANS IS WATCHING YOU SLEEP.â€
I hit him in the side, and he stumbled off of James’ back as James moved, twisting as he sat up so he could stare us down. –What in the name of Merlin’s pratty brother are you doing in my room?†He glanced at me. –Especially you . . .â€
I fought a giggle and stared desperately at Sirius. –Explain?â€
–Death Eaters, mate.â€
James jumped from his bed and grabbed the nearest jeans. –Sirius get Millie and wake up my parents. Then contact Headquarters using the basement fireplace. Evans, come with me.â€
It was then the face appeared in the window. It wasn’t really a face. How could it be? It was a hood, a hood with a mind that had been robbed by prejudice and bloodlust. The hood had a hand, and the hand had a wand, and the wand had a spell that shattered the window and flew past Sirius’ head.
It was the heat of the moment. James shoved Sirius through his bedroom door into the hallway, then swung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to the floor as another spell left a crater in the hallway wall. Sirius was waiting around the corner, wand ready, and James pushed me behind him, between the two boys. I pulled my wand out of my pant pocket and tried to breathe regularly. Quietly. James put a hand on my shoulder.
–You’re gonna be fine,†he whispered, and I shuddered, wishing I could have his arm around my shoulder again. This was fear like I’d never felt before. This was a crushing, distracting fear, a fear that made me unable to breathe for the weight on my chest.
Sirius looked over his shoulder at James, over my head. –Do you think they’re in?†he whispered.
James glanced down the hallway behind us. –We’ve got to alert the Order. C’mon.â€
Then the hood appeared behind Sirius, and I felt a scream bubble from my lips, finally free. Sirius kicked the hood in the groin, and the masked figure proved to be a woman as she stumbled back, barely distracted by the move that would have incapacitated a man.
–COUSIN!†she screamed, the hand she’d been pushing off of the doorjam falling to her side. Her wand hand came up, and a red curse flew at Sirius. He fell to the ground, twitching and grunting. James yelled.
–STUPEFY!†he screamed, and Sirius stopped twitching, his eyes opened, and I helped him to his feet.
The woman deflected the spell, but Sirius had already pulled me around the next corner, James stumbling after us as a spell shattered the glass of one of the many family photographs.
Sirius leaned back, panting. –Bellatrix.â€
James nodded.
More footsteps came into the corridor we’d just left, and I heard murmuring, and an out-of-place cackle. Sirius recovered, and I followed James at a jog down the stairs, towards his parents’ wing.
Two Death Eaters were coming in the front doors. We sank so we were crouched on the landing, counting on the darkness and the stillness of our bodies to keep us undiscovered.
–Did you see something?†the taller one said.
–Yah, the ghost of a real Potter. Come to help us . . . fix . . . his blood traitor descendants,†the shorter chuckled. –Come on.†They proceeded down the hall, underneath us, towards the kitchen and the back door.
We scurried down the remaining steps and across the foyer to the door to Mr. and Mrs. Potter’s rooms. I went first, then Sirius came behind me and James shut it behind us, locking it with a quick charm.
–I’ll get Mum and Dad,†James told us. –Sirius, get the signal. Lily, follow.â€
We moved down the hallway, James pushing past us to show the way. Sirius went in one of the first doors, and James led me to the double doors at the end.
The Potters were sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms. I held back, while James raced forward and nudged his mother awake. They spoke quickly, then she pushed her husband awake and they got up. James led me back into the hallway.
–Lils . . .â€
–James.â€
–I’ve got to get you home. You aren’t prepared for this sort of thing, and I don’t want -â€
–Please, James, the last thing I want is for you to protect -â€
Sirius appeared then. –Called ‘em.â€
James nodded, then took me by my shoulders. –Lily, can you Apparate home, please?â€
I felt weak. I felt victimized. I felt like my entire body was a weight, that I needed to crumple into a ball and move into a corner or under a table. –Yah, sure.â€
I spun, but all the spinning did was make me fall. James caught me, and helped me stand up. –To the fireplace, then,†he whispered, while Sirius patted me on the back. He didn’t see me shake my head. I wanted to stay, I couldn’t leave James here, to die, when I needed him or . . . how could I be this selfish? I grabbed his hand, and felt six years of forced hate fall forgotten behind us. He stared at the contact, not speaking, just staring. What was this between us? This was hardly the time to be thinking of such things. I shook my head.
Using James as a support, we ran back the way we came, and we waited by the main door for Potters’ parents to appear by our side. –Lily, are you alright?†Mrs. Potter asked, brushing my stray hairs to the side of my face.
James shook his head. –She’s having a hard time . . . we need to get her out of here.â€
I glared at him and tried to stand up again, only to fall against the wall, my hand in a fist. –No. No. I don’t want to leave . . . until the Order gets here, you need me. I’ll be fine, James.†So much for chemistry. The frustration bubbled back up. As fearful as I might have been, in dueling, I was surely his equal. In wit I was his match. I didn’t need him for anything but bravery, and the only way to get bravery was to stand my ground. –Please, James, let me help.â€
He opened his mouth to protest, but his father put his hand on his shoulder. He shut his mouth then, and Mr. Potter nodded to me. –Stick with James, Lily, and don’t let your guard down. They’re here to ‘correct’ our blood traitor ways. Your blood status is no secret. The last thing I want is to see you hurt, but if you insist on staying, I can’t change your mind.â€
I nodded, taking a deep, shuddering breath, feeling strength return to my body in one breath of James’ musk at my side. –Let’s go then.†I slid my hand back into James’, pulling my wand out of my pocket and positioning myself next to the door into the foyer.
Mrs. Potter swung the door open, and one-by-one we crept along the wall to the living room, trying not to hit our heads on the portraits hanging in the hall.
–My masters! My masters! What have you been doing to Millie’s masters?†I heard a small voice scream. –They is good people! They is doing nothing bad to Millie! Why is you hurting Millie?â€
–Listen, elf, where do your masters hide in this big place? Where do they hide their friends?†a deeper voice hissed. –I’ve can’t say I’ve ever tasted elf before, but I bet it’s stringy. Like frog legs.â€
James’ grip on my fingers tightened. His wand hand shook. Mrs. Potter covered her mouth with her hand, and I saw her eyes were wet.
–Sirs, sirs, Millie is not knowing where her masters have gone, but please, Millie is doing nothing wrong, Millie is doing nothing to deserve punishments!†This declaration was followed by a growl, a squeal, and a crunch, then the whimpering vanished. James’ shoulders fell, and Sirius shook his head angrily.
–Some help that maggot was,†a familiar woman sneered. Bellatrix. –Can you smell them, Greyback?â€
Mr. Potter started pushing us all back, fear making his face wild. That name was unfamiliar to me, but the other four looked haggard.
–I smell four blood traitors . . . and something nasty . . . like a Mudblood,†he hissed, and I imagined bloody fangs curling over thin lips in a sneer of disgust and bloodlust. I abandoned any pretense of coolness and buried myself in James’ chest. His arm tightened around my body, and I wished I could feel safety. Here, of all places, the spot I’d imagined coming to all summer as a refuge.
It was then the front doors blew open with a BANG, and un-hooded wizards poured in, led by Minerva McGonagall, the Scottish heroine and my favorite role model.
Death Eaters scrambled to their feet in the living room, and the Potters raced to join their allies before Death Eaters overtook us. Sirius made it to the group first, then Mrs. Potter. I came out of the narrow hall and into the foyer, only to stumble over James’ foot and fall flat on my face, just as one of the hoods caught up with me. I smelled blood, and the sour, feral musk of a wild animal, as a huge hand caught the back of my shirt. I couldn’t help myself. I screamed, and James turned, only to have more wands come up on either side of me and my attacker.
The voice Mr. Potter called –Greyback†came from the hood holding me. –Well, if it isn’t the Mudblood.†He pressed his nose to the back of my neck, and I almost screamed again. –Silencio, filth,†he hissed.
–LILY!†James yelled, and the Order had their wands on the Death Eaters.
–Everyone, calm, or your pet here gets it,†Bellatrix sang. She pulled back her hood, and I saw wild curls dancing over a thin, drawn, face, with black eyes alight with insanity. –Avery mentioned seeing a Mudblood fitting your description today, pretty. Guess you didn’t get away after all.â€
I shivered again as Greyback chuckled. –Normally I wouldn’t want blood like this in my body, but the lovely young ones are always such a treat.â€
I watched James, fear making my emotions run wild and my imagination run even wilder. I wanted him to save me. He was so brave - why couldn’t he save me?
His wand was ready, his cheeks running with tears, his restraint waning. Sirius had a hand on his shoulder.
–Let us have Ms. Evans back, Madam Lestrange, and when Dumbledore gets here, your end of this deal won’t be so rotten,†McGonagall called. Her Scottish timbre was music to my ears.
–Albus Dumbledore? Here? This is a house raid. It’s hardly important enough to bring the big man himself upon us,†one of the hoods, a male, protesting.
Greyback growled again, and his grip on both my arms tightened. –Everyone drop your wands or I get my first taste!†He then pushed his hand against my throat, thrusting my head back onto his shoulder, running his tongue along my jawbone. I tried to scream. I tried to escape. But I was going to die.
Then the crack. A man in the middle of the room, a swish and a flash, majestic robes spinning as the tall form landed in the centre of the foyer, his long beard shining in the evening glow, his half-moon glasses reflecting the faces of everyone standing around him. His wizards’ hat was askew, and his boots were dirty, but he was Dumbledore, and I was no longer going to die.
–Bella, darling, kindly have your dog release the girl,†he said softly, wand at Bellatrix’s heart.
Greyback’s head swung away from my mine, to stare greedily at Bellatrix, who stood studdering. If even her master was afraid of this man, then she knew she stood no chance.
–Fenrir-â€
He spat at her, the hot saliva grazing my ear as it struck Bellatrix’s foot. Then he tossed me over his shoulder and went tearing back into the living room, out the living room window . . . the air was fast past my ears, but he was human, and James could catch up.
As we crossed the Potters’ back field, I knew living was impossible. It had to be. I was alone with a monster, and I didn’t have my wand anymore.
Greyback dropped me at the treeline, and I tried to run, but he pinned me.
–Why did the Potters have you? What a sad betrayal. Surely they knew we’d be after them! For saving that Muggle family with the Mudblood daughter in Surrey . . .â€
Mum. Dad. Petunia! The wedding . . . I was going to die . . . and James’ family . . . had saved mine? I was the only Muggleborn I knew of in my area. The Death Eaters had gone after my family!
A shape flew overhead, and I remember praying it was James on his broom, just before my fear became too much, and I passed out.
The Stag and the Doe by grangergirl35
Chapter Notes: This chapter was really hard to write . . . and I haven't updated this story in forever because of that :) I hope you like it! If there's any inconsistencies I'm sorry;( Remember to review! Happy summer everyone!
Chapter Endnotes: Please review with opinions, please oh please! And corrections, if you have any!