I Loved You More

Chapter #28

Crucial Concentration

"Anyway, he said that he's in love with me and that he would die if he couldn't have me," concluded Tara indifferently, after updating the girls on the latest episode of her dramatic love life.

"Who's this again? Darren or Gideon?" asked Lily.

"Toben," said Tara. "Stay with me here!"

"I'm trying but I can't keep track of all the poor blokes you crush," cried Lily. "I don't know how you do it."

"Sometimes I mess their names up--that doesn't make them too happy," laughed Tara. "But really, it's not that hard. I never have more than one--"

"--or two--"

"--or six--" added Summer.

"--at a time," finished Tara, ignoring them.

Lily exchanged grins with Summer and Di.

Her friends were helping her relax a little, although even as she laughed about Tara's countless admirers, there was a tense patch in her head, secretly stabbing her with anxiety. She tried to imagine James as Prongs, antlers edged with silver moonlight, galloping around Hogsmeade with Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail, having nothing but carefree fun. She hoped it would calm her but instead, it made her restless and uneasy.

Without thinking, she stood up.

"I'm starving. Anyone want to go get a snack with me?" she asked.

"You mean sneak down to the kitchens?" Summer lifted her eyebrows.

"Yeah, but this time, we won't get locked in a room with James and Sirius." They both laughed at the memory. "We have enough time before curfew."

"I'm not hungry. I think I'm gonna turn in," said Summer, yawning. "See you in the morning."

"I'll come, then." Tara jumped out of her seat and led Di and Lily to the portrait hole.

"Do you know where the kitchens are?" asked Di, once they had slipped out and started down the dark hall.

"Oh, yeah. James showed me once when we were patrolling the corridors," Lily replied quickly, disregarding her friends' suggestive "ooh" in response to this statement.

Their footsteps echoed eerily, moving through each patch of light swimming around the torches. Lily guided them down a few flights of stairs and they were strolling along a corridor when a voice coming from a large portrait attracted their attention.

"How the hell do you know anything about this?" hissed the voice.

Lily, Tara, and Di looked at each other. Then another person--a female--spoke from behind the portrait, which displayed a long empty table.

"He told me! Why does that matter? Are you coming or not?" She sounded excited and irritable at the same time.

The girls slowly approached the portrait and pressed their ears against the canvas.

"Are you sure they're doing it tonight?"

"Positive. They might have even started attacking already. I dunno! But if we're going, we have to hurry so make up your bloody mind!"

"Who else knows about this? They'll probably get us caught...."

"You going to do this with me or not?" demanded the girl hurriedly. "It's our only chance. We've got to prove ourselves to him."

There was a pause. "Fine, fine. Let's go."

Before the girls realized what was happening, the portrait was slid to the side and two people rushed into them, knocking Di and Tara to the ground.

"What the hell--?" sputtered the boy.

Lily recognized him as Arturus Wilkes, a stocky, tense sixth-year in her potions class, but her eyes flew to the dark, beautiful girl beside him with a strong chin. She had drawn her wand and had it pointed at Lily, who also stood staring. She wore a threatening smirk on her face.

"Quick. Back inside," she said swiftly, keeping her heavy-lidded eyes on Lily as she jerked her head toward the hole behind the portrait.

Wilkes immediately bent down and seized a handful of Di and Tara's robes. He heaved them up and hurled them into the hole, which led into a tiny passageway.

Lily glared furiously at Bellatrix. "What are you doing?"

Bellatrix smiled maliciously. "I think you've heard too much, you nosy little mudblood. Get in there."

Still holding her wand in Lily's face, she moved around so that they were between her and the passage.

"What were you talking about? Is Hogsmeade going to be attacked?"

Bellatrix ignored her. "Silencio!" Lily was unable to make a sound. "Get in there, mudblood, and I'll clear things up for you. I promise."

Lily tried anxiously to think of a plan of escape, but she couldn't do anything with Bellatrix's wand practically up her nose....And she could not leave Di and Tara.

She backed into the passage. Bellatrix followed closely, letting the portrait slide back into place.

There was a torch flickering on the wall, casting an unsteady glow upon Wilkes, who stood over Di and Tara, clutching three wands. The two girls were, huddled on the ground, bound by thin cords.

"What the fuck are you two playing at? You trolls think you're Death Eaters or something?" demanded Tara viciously.

Wilkes kicked her in the side, as Bellatrix laughed in a high-pitched cackle. Lily flinched. She thought longingly of her wand, deep inside her pocket. If only Bellatrix would take her eyes off her for one second....

"Actually, yes, we are!" he declared triumphantly.

"Rubbish!" shouted Tara, squirming to rid herself of her bindings. "Don't you touch me!"

"I'd be quiet if I were you, Liem," said Bellatrix darkly.

"Oh, yeah? What are you going to do?" Tara snapped.

"Tara, stop." Di shot her an imploring look.

"That's right," Bellatrix nodded, smirking. "Listen to Kendel. She knows what the Dark Lord can do."

"What's that supposed to mean?! You're not the fucking Dark Lord!" yelled Tara. "You're just a pathetic little--"

"Silencio!" cried Bellatrix again and Tara was instantly cut off.

Lily swiftly dipped her hand into her pocket and took it out again in the split second that Bellatrix turned to Tara. She felt the smooth, thin wood in her palm, gripping it fiercely.

"Now," said Bellatrix with a satisfied sigh, "that I have the chance, I shall explain, as I promised to. Arty and I are going to join in on a particularly large attack on Hogsmeade tonight." She drew herself up proudly. "So clearly, you've meddled with the wrong people. If you so much as whisper this to another soul, I can guarantee you will not live to see the light of tomorrow."

She glanced at Wilkes, who was shifting anxiously. "Shall we make our point?"

He raised his eyebrows at her, incredulity seeping into his features. "What? You mean--?"

"Yes, I mean it, you idiot!" barked Bellatrix. "Now unbind one of them. How about the one with the mouth?"

Wilkes was now looking extremely uneasy. He hesitated for another moment then flicked his wand at Tara.

Lily's stomach flipped over. Whatever they were going to do to Tara was going to be seriously dangerous.

She had to concentrate....

The cords around Tara vanished. She began to sit up.

"Do it now, Arty!" shrieked Bellatrix.

Wilkes, his eyes wide with fear, stared down his wand at Tara. He opened his mouth. "Crucio!"

Di gasped as Lily braced, her heart thumping heavily in her chest. Concentrate!

Nothing happened.

"You worthless coward!" Bellatrix hissed, outraged. "Watch her!" She shoved him toward Lily, approaching Tara, who had climbed to her feet.

Lily struggled to focus but she had begun to panic...Concentrate....

Bellatrix pointed her wand straight at Tara's heart, her eyes blazing with hatred. "CRUCIO!"

Tara collapsed onto the stone floor, writhing and squirming in violent anguish, her face contorted in pain, as her mouth opened, letting out long, silent screams.

Lily tried to breathe steadily, so that she could focus on the spell, but the sight of Tara jerking helplessly, the dull sound of her limbs hitting the floor with each twitching jolt, the immense urgency of the situation were crowding her mind, blocking her concentration...overwhelming her.

Come on! Concentrate!

She squeezed her eyes shut and raised her wand. Stupify! she thought firmly.

A jet of red light flew from the tip of her wand right into Wilkes. He went rigid and slowly fell in a heap on the floor next to Tara, who, miraculously, stopped writhing. Bellatrix looked at Wilkes, distracted.

Then she turned to Lily, her face flushed with rage, and aimed her wand once more. "Crucio!"

Lily had ducked down to snatch the wands from Wilkes's limp hand. She narrowed her eyes at Di, forcing herself to concentrate once more. The cords around Di disappeared.

"CRUCIO!"

Lily was hit with the curse just as she flung the wands to Di.

She was swallowed in a wave of white hot knives, digging mercilessly into her body. It consumed her, blacking out all her senses, enveloping her in excruciating pain. She was drowning in it....

Make it stop... I'm going to die....

Then...it stopped.

The torch up on the wall came into view. She was lying on top of Wilkes but she couldn't move. Every inch of her body ached.

"Di?" she whispered.

"Right here, Lil." Di's pale face came into focus above Lily's. "Can you move?"

Lily sat up gingerly, wincing at the sparks of pain still jabbing at her body. Slowly, she looked around the dark passage. Bellatrix was lying near Wilkes, stunned. Tara was in a heap beside her.

Lily's stomach seemed to deflate with a sickening speed.

"Is she--is she all...?" she croaked.

"She's fine...just unconscious," assured Di.

Lily sighed in relief. "What do we do?"

"Get help. Quickly," said Di shortly.

She Lily up and they used Wingardium Leviosa to lift Tara's body. With their wands raised, they directed her into the shadowy corridor and started toward McGonagall's office.

"Do you think there's really going to be an attack in Hogsmeade?" Lily asked, hardly daring to even think about it.

"I don't know, but they were up to something. We just have to tell McGonagall everything right away," said Di. Her voice was hard and rather distant. "I wouldn't doubt that they work for Voldemort. They used an Unforgivable."

Lily nodded, her throat going dry. She looked back up the corridor, around Tara's hovering body, and jumped. A dark, hunched figure was approaching in steady strides. They pulled out a wand.

"Silencio! Silencio!"

The Silencing Charm once again disabled Lily's voice and upon a brief glance at Di, who suddenly looked stricken, she saw that she could no longer speak either. Her mind raced in alarm but she had no time to figure out who was in the shadows ahead. With another flick of their wand, they had brought Tara to the ground.

Lily and Di both started forward, rushing to their friend's side. But before they could reach her, Lily's foot caught on something and she flew headfirst into the floor. Di landed beside her.

Lily lifted her head as the hunched figure bent over Tara and rapped her on the head with his wand. Starting with her head, Tara's body gradually became transparent, so that Lily could only vaguely see the outline of her body if she squinted.

Suddenly, there was the sound of hobbling footsteps from behind Lily.

"AHA! Students out of bed!"

Lily craned her neck to see Filch hurrying toward them, croaking and looking gleeful, with Mrs. Norris at his heels. She scrambled to her feet. He could not see Tara and she could not tell what was going on...Panic was seeping through her. Lily glanced at Di to see that her eyes were still glued on the person standing calmly over Tara's body.

Lily followed Di's mesmerized gaze and saw that the light of Filch's lantern had illuminated a face with a large hooked nose and menacing black eyes.

"What do you little trolls think you're doing?!" Filch screeched. "I'll have you strung up in the dungeons for this! Mark my word--"

He was cut off when a stream of red light hit him in the chest and he tumbled to the ground, the lantern sliding from his grip and smashing as it collided with the floor, just missing Mrs. Norris.

Lily and Di turned back toward Snape, pulling out their wands. His wand was already aimed, his shadowy face set, and his mouth open.

"Imperius!"

All of a sudden, there was nothing to worry about. Lily stopped thinking, stopped caring about anything. The emptiness in her mind was so peaceful, so relaxing....

Just follow him...

Lily couldn't think of a reason not to obey that little voice echoing inside her head, so she began to walk, beside Di, following the black-robed boy ahead.