Rising from Embers

RISING FROM EMBERS
by shiiki

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A/N: My very cool, very awesome beta jamc got back to me at a perfect time. So it's really thanks to her that I can offer up this chapter as a Christmas present to all of you. Happy Christmas, everyone!

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CHAPTER TEN

A New Nightmare

February, 1977

As the month wore on, January blending smoothly into February, things settled back into a normal routine of classes, Quidditch and Head Boy duties. The fourteenth of February rolled by, a Hogsmeade weekend.

In truth, James hadn’t planned anything this time. He wasn’t quite sure how Lily would react if he asked her out on Valentine’s Day, even if his intentions were innocent. However, by chance, they were the only two seventh-years in the Gryffindor common room on that day.

Sirius had landed both himself and Peter in detention, much to the latter’s disgust. Remus was in the dormitory, sleeping off the after-effects of a transformation. Alice and Dorcas had gone out to do some shopping.

As a result, it was just James and Lily occupying a table in the corner, separated by a couple of books. The weather outside was lovely: the sun was out, and the snow-covered grounds glittered appealingly. James ached to go flying, strolling around the lake, anything besides trying to study in the common room, whose fire was starting to feel sweltering hot. James leaned back in his seat and pulled irritably at his collar.

Across the table from him, Lily seemed to be getting restless too. Her feet were tapping on the ground, and she glanced out of the window every few seconds. Finally, she laid down her quill and sighed.

‘All right?’ asked James nonchalantly.

‘Yeah. I don’t feel much like revising, though.’

James wondered if Lily would really mind very much if he suggested they take a walk into Hogsmeade after all. He watched her eyes rove out the window again, and decided to risk it.

‘Why don’t we leave it for today, then? Aren’t you itching to get out a bit? We could take a walk, go into Hogsmeade a bit. Just so our muscles get working a bit.’ He looked at her hopefully.

Lily considered this. Another glance out the window.

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll get my cloak.’

‘Me too,’ said James, his heart singing. ‘Meet you down here in a bit!’

Ten minutes later, they were on the path to Hogsmeade, and James’s spirits were high. They hadn’t even had to pass Filch, who was busy growling at Sirius in detention, no doubt. The sun lit up Lily’s hair, turning the coppery strands to gold. James gazed at it surreptitiously, trying to imagine what it would be like to run his fingers through it. Lily chattered away easily, sounding happier than she had been for a while. James felt she appreciated being out in the clean winter air after staying indoors for so long.

James stayed carefully away from Madam Puddifoot’s or the Hog’s Head this time, remembering the mishaps of the past two times he’d been to Hogsmeade. He glanced at Lily and suddenly recalled her asking about a connection between Padfoot and Madam Puddifoot; the thought of it made him snort in laughter and caused Lily to stare at him in alarm.

He was about to explain the joke to her when it suddenly didn’t seem very funny after all. In fact, his high spirits seemed to have evaporated on the spot. Lily’s face darkened too into a frown, her eyebrows furrowing.

Then there was a mind-numbing chill. The sun seemed to go out as though someone had said ‘Nox’ in a candle-lit room. James could see all the passer-bys felt it too – everyone turned stone cold at the same instant, eyes turning wide with fear. Lily’s hand tightened around his arm, but he could feel no pleasure about it.

Two Dementors were coming down the main street of Hogsmeade. James’s hand immediately went to his wand, his heart sinking.

Oh shit.

~ * ~

We’re under attack. Oh my God, we’re being attacked. This can’t be happening.

The thoughts raced through Lily’s mind as she gripped her wand tightly in one hand and James’s arm equally hard in the other.

Don’t panic, don’t panic, you learnt how to deal with this before.

Could she do a Patronus Charm? She’d succeeded in class, but that was a different matter – here, in front of a real Dementor …

All around her, people were starting to panic, screaming and yelling and sobbing and running in all directions.

‘Expecto Patronum!’ A magnificent silver hound leapt out of James’s wand and charged at the nearest Dementor. It backed away uncertainly.

‘Get behind me!’ ordered James. Students all over the streets started flocking to him, looking desperately for directions. Lily let go of his arm, and immediately felt herself being jostled away from him by the crowding students.

‘Expecto Patronum … Expecto …’ A few metres away from her, Lily saw Chris Berguise’s Patronus flicker and die. He was so close to one of the Dementors – she noticed with a sickening jolt that there were more of them. It advanced upon him …

It was all she could do to summon a happy thought – to focus on the thought of her parents alive and with her … but the Dementors were sucking all thoughts of her parents out of her mind, except for the terrible moment when she had learnt they were both dead …

Crying in the common room. Nightmares that kept her up all night. Her friends’ sad faces grieving for her. James …

The image of his face, eyes bright with concern, stood out in her mind, clear and sharp. Desperate, Lily focused on it.

‘Expecto Patronum!’ she yelled, and her Patronus, a sleek silver tigress, shot out of her wand. It circled the Dementor surrounding Chris, and the Dementor quickly backed away from him.

The feeling of euphoria at her success barely lasted five seconds, though. There were so many Dementors, and so few people around who could cast a proper Patronus at all, let alone in the presence of a cold soul-sucking monstrosity. They had to get away, back to the safety of Hogwarts, but the Dementors were coming down the very path they would have to take to get back. Their escape was blocked.

‘Lily!’ James was back by her side. His warm breath grazed her ear. ‘Do you remember that secret passage I showed you last time?’

She searched her mind frantically. ‘The one behind Zonko’s?’

‘Yes! Get as many people back through there as you can. I’ll hold these off as long as I can.’

‘But –’ She couldn’t just leave him to deal with everything! James interpreted her hesitation and rebutted her fiercely.

‘I’ve got other ways to get out of here, go! Everybody, follow Lily, come on, she’ll take you back to school!’

He hadn’t left her much choice. Lily tightened her hold on her wand and waved out to the students on the streets. Chris had made his way to her side and was helping her guide them.

‘Where are we going?’

‘Secret passage.’ She hoped she could find it again.

There were more prefects now, and they were helping to round up students to follow her. Lily led them into the alley between Zonko’s and Scrivenshaft’s, into the clump of trees behind Zonko’s. The two almost-interwoven trees were there, looking just as they had when the Marauders had shown it to her before Christmas. Lily yanked at a branch. To her relief, the trees inched apart to reveal the carefully hidden passage opening.

‘In here! You’ll end up on the second floor outside that tapestry next to the Charms classroom. Get a teacher, before it’s too late!’ she said as she sent Chris with the first wave of terrified students.

She herself remained outside the tunnel, watching anxiously. Prefects continued to lead groups of students in, and the stream of students was trickling smaller, once almost everyone that had been following her had gone through. But there had to be those who hadn’t managed to get away.

And James. Lily felt sick with worry. What was happening back there?

~ * ~

James counted ten Dementors. Not exactly an army, but enough to do severe damage. His Patronus was a help; it was swiftly leaping in circles around them, keeping them huddled in a group. If he could stay strong enough to hold them back until everyone had escaped, he could find his way back to the castle easily; he had any number of secret passages all over Hogsmeade.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t only Dementors he had to worry about. Masked men were appearing, all clad in hooded black robes. Death Eaters, thought James with a chill. And worst of all, that tall, thin, bald man with a skull-like head and slits for eyes who had just Apparated like a blast of cold air …

James found himself wondering if he was actually going to get out alive.

~ * ~

Three figures were approaching at a run. One cloaked, chasing after two girls in front of it. Lily called out her Patronus and sent it charging at the lone Dementor. The silver tigress leapt at it … and the Dementor stumbled.

Lily stared, puzzled. Dementors didn’t have feet, did they? Didn’t they glide?

Then the Dementor brandished a wand.

Oh my God.

It wasn’t a Dementor. Lily’s heart nearly stopped. A Death Eater.

‘Lily – run, go in!’ cried Zinnia Prewett. ‘Seal the entrance!’

Zinnia arrived first at the tunnel and dashed in. Lily ducked in with her, as she saw the Death Eater aim a curse at them.

‘Protego!’

The green light blasted right through her Shield Charm, however, and Lily realised without a doubt that it could only be the unblockable killing curse. She swerved to her left, and the light missed her by inches.

Zinnia! No, please, miss her!

There was a dull thump in the tunnel. Lily’s heart gave a lurch. Zinnia couldn’t be …

‘Get in here,’ she screamed at the other girl. She didn’t seem to hear her. Sick with fear and dread, Lily rushed out and grabbed her and yanked her in.

‘Get your filthy hands off me,’ snarled Drucilla Malfoy.

‘What have we here?’ drawled the Death Eater. ‘A little Mudblood.’

She was almost petrified with fear, but she had to seal the passageway entrance. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she realized she had no idea how to close the gap between the trees. And even if she did, there wasn’t anything stopping the Death Eater from re-opening the passage.

‘You’re not getting past.’ She tried to sound brave. She couldn’t let the Death Eater get in; he’d be loose in the school. But if he killed her, she wouldn’t have much choice. There had to be a way to seal the entrance and keep him out. She and Drucilla had to do something – but the sickening thought that Drucilla was probably on the Death Eater’s side crossed her mind, and Lily realised she was one against two. And one of those two was a Death Eater, who had no qualms about using any kind of Dark magic against which she was virtually defenceless.

He’s already killed Zinnia, she thought in terror. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, unless she came up with something fast. Think!

‘Oh, I shall, eventually,’ laughed the Death Eater, in response. ‘Not before some fun, however.’ He twirled his wand lazily in his hand, mocking her. Lily didn’t care – she was thinking fast. She needed something solid between her and the Death Eater, something she could put a strong Locking Charm on …

‘Correbellus!’

‘Protego!’

The beam of light reflected off her Shield Charm and collided with the wall, chipping off a chunk of rock.

The wall! The roof!

If it caved in … it would block the way. And with something solid, she could seal it, like a door of some sort …

‘Crucio!’ snarled the Death Eater, in the time that she hesitated, looking at the rocky cave roof.

Lily aimed her wand at the ceiling and cried ‘Reducto!’ a split second before the Cruciatius Curse hit her and forced her to redefine her definition of pain.

The Death Eater must have expected Lily to aim at him, and was caught unprepared, for he stumbled backwards, alarmed. The curse lifted, and Lily rolled away, panting. Her whole body was aching. But she didn’t have time to rest or catch her breath: the ceiling was dissolving into boulders and crashing down around her. The walls crumbled, debris tumbling down. Fighting the ache in her muscles, Lily pushed herself to her feet and started to run.

‘Colloportus!’ she yelled as she raced away from the falling cave-top, praying that her Charm, plus the layers of rock falling, would be enough to seal the entrance properly. To protect Hogwarts.

‘Impedimenta!’ The beam of light struck her, unexpectedly, from within the tunnel. She had forgotten about Drucilla Malfoy. Horrified, Lily found herself moving in slow motion. The disintegrating tunnel was just upon her, and she couldn’t get out of the way. She could hear the rumble of the collapsing debris as it engulfed her. It was going to kill her.

Something large and heavy sent her crashing to the ground. Lily’s face hit the floor, hard. She had the uncanny feeling of having been in a similar situation. Images flew through her mind, flashes that were too fast for her to catch.

Impedimenta! It had happened before. Impedimenta, and then pain.

A pop and a bang. The spell stuck in her head.

Impedimenta, she heard over and over again, the words echoing in her ears. Only now someone laughed cruelly.

A sharp fragment connected with her head. Blinding pain. Everything swam before her eyes.

Mum, she thought, is this what happened to you?

And then the world dissolved into nothingness.