Title: Surrender (And Become Love's Prey)

Pairing: James Potter/Lily Evans

Lily Evans was supposed to be in the Ministry Atrium, preparing to leave for the Bonding Hunt. Instead, she was leaving the lift into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

She trembled from nerves, but was determined.

Now an Unspeakable, Lily was well established in her career. She had received her Double Mastery in Charms and Potions. She was on the rise. Rare ingredients and experiments were at her fingertips.

Not only that, but she finally believed James Potter.

She believed him.

Unlike her parents and sister, he wasn't going to stop loving her. James wasn't going to forget her. She had tested it for the five years since graduation from Hogwarts. He still sent her letters, bouquets, and invited her to meals.

In Hogwarts, Lily hadn't been able to believe him.

James and Sirius Black and the other Marauders fought with Severus Snape all the time. So when James had suddenly shown an interest in her, Lily had been so sure that it was a prank. She was positive that if she agreed to a date, James would stand her up and publicly humiliate her.

Not even James Potter would spend eight years on a prank.

She had wondered, after her falling out with Severus, if James might actually be sincere, but with the growing distance between her and her family, Lily hadn't been willing to take a chance.

Now, though . . . now she was taking the biggest chance of her life, gambling her entire future on James Potter's love for her.

She had signed up for the Bonding Hunt. It allowed purebloods to legally kidnap a bride or groom. Whoever caught her won her hand in bonding. She was terrified someone else would catch her before James did.

But after denying him for so many years, Lily felt compelled to show that she not only trusted him, but she wanted him enough to participate in the Oldest Bonding Ritual in existence.

It was the same way James's distant ancestor Godric Gryffindor had caught his bride.

"Evans, how are you?" Sirius asked, feet kicked up on his desk.

Sirius was James's brother in all but blood. Lily knew that James trusted him with everything. That was the only reason she was willing to do what she had planned.

Lily unDisillusioned the thread of her magic, which she had woven and tied around her wrist earlier for this very reason. Whoever possessed it would have an advantage in tracking her. She was entrusting it to Sirius, believing with all her heart that James's trust in him was well-placed; he could give it to James for her.

The loud sound Sirius's feet made when they slammed against the floor drew more attention than Lily would prefer.

"Evans?"

She untied the thread and then tied it around Sirius's wrist.

"Tell James," Lily said, eyes burning, "to hurry."

Sirius's hand shook as he cast a protective shield over the thread of her magic, face pale.

"I don't want to kill anyone," Lily said.

She had never wanted to kill anyone; that wasn't the type of person she was. However, the Bonding Hunt existed before the Ministry and its laws. Any spell could be used during the Hunt. Any spell at all.

"I will kill as many people as I have to so that James is the only wizard who lays hands on me."

"Be brutal. Be more vicious than Voldemort ever was. If anything happens to you before James captures you-"

A warning chime sounded through the Ministry.

"I have to go," Lily said.

She had five minutes to get to the Atrium, and then everyone who signed up to be Hunted would be Portkeyed to an unknown location. From then on, only their own wits and power would save them.

Sirius sprinted for the nearest Floo as Lily stepped back into the lift, shoving people aside in his rush.

"Hurry, Sirius. Please, hurry."

Lily knew how desirable she was to purebloods wanting to add New Blood into their bloodline. And that wasn't even taking into account her physical appearance, which appealed to many. The ruby and emerald jewel-tones of her hair and eyes had rumors spinning where she was called "little treasure."

"Everyone, grab ahold of the rope! You'll have a ten-minute head-start once you reach your destination. Then those wishing to Hunt you will be Portkeyed to the same destination," a Ministry employee stated, gesturing to the long winding rope on the floor.

She grabbed ahold.

Lily landed in a clearing of a dense forest. She didn't wait a second before running into the trees, casting charms on herself one after the other to make her silent, mask her smell, and so on.

Six minutes later, during the mandatory head-start period, Lily got hit with a bone-breaking curse from behind. Her left leg screamed pain at her and she went down hard.

A wizard with dark hair stepped out from behind a tree; it wasn't James.

"Well, well, look what I've caught."

Lily hissed in pain as she stared up at the wizard who had attacked her from behind when she was supposed to be safe. The Hunters were to arrive to the sound of the Hunting Horn. It hadn't been blown.

"Cheater," she spat.

Rabastan Lestrange tutted. "Ah, now, now, Miss Evans, there's no need to be a poor sport."

Groaning in pain, Lily cursed the Lestranges for having Magic Sight. Her charms and anti-detection spells were a joke to him; he could see and hear right through them.

"You should have stayed out of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement if you didn't want to flaunt your participation in this year's hunt."

It had been a calculated risk, but tradition said Lily couldn't tell James herself of her intention to participate. Success in this endeavor depended entirely on Sirius taking James the thread of her magic.

Lily threw a dark impotence curse at Rabastan while he was busy gloating.

The smirk on Rabastan's face turned to one of rage as he yelled, "How dare you?"

"You might want to go take care of that," Lily said, "because it's the Black family specialty. It'll be permanent in five minutes."

His wand shook, the tip pointed right at her heart.

Lily smiled, cruel and biting, and demanded, "What'll it be, Master Lestrange? Revenge against me and impotence for life, or a desperate attempt to reach a Healer at St. Mungo's in time?"

"You'll regret this," Rabastan snarled.

He spun on his heel and Disapparated.

"No, I won't," Lily said to empty air.

Even knowing he had been a Slytherin, Lily had not expected that of him or anyone. To cheat in the Bonding Hunt was unforgivable. Lily wouldn't be surprised in the least if he made it to St. Mungo's in time, but the Healers failed to remove the curse before it became permanent.

Mother Magic was never amused by those who defied tradition in such a dishonorable manner.

Her left leg throbbed with pain. It was definitely broken, perhaps shattered; thankfully, the bone hadn't erupted through her skin. Unfortunately, she was not well-versed in healing magic beyond the most basic of spells. She cast an immobilization spell on her lower leg, to prevent the now-sharp bone ends from tearing through her skin, and wrapped it up tightly. She was likely going to have to have the bone Vanished and Regrown.

Ugh. Skele-gro.

With the numbing charm Lily had placed on her leg dulling the pain, she used the closest tree to help her stand. Hypothetically, the wrap and immobilization spell would hold, but her focus on them could fail if something distracted her. She could end up seriously injured, perhaps crippled, if she ran on it and the spells failed.

Since running wasn't safe or feasible anymore; she would just have to trust James would find her quickly and pray none of the other Hunters had Magic Sight or other such gifts.

A branch cracked behind her.

Lily spun on her good foot and curled her lips in a sneer.

Rodolphus Lestrange came through the trees, demanding, "Where's my brother? I was sure he would get here first."

"At St. Mungo's, where he belongs."

"Aren't you a tricky, little treasure?"

Rodolphus licked his lips and eyed her in a manner that was all-too-disturbing. She felt like she needed a shower.

"What are you even doing here? You're bonded!"

She kept her wand pointed at Rodolphus, and as much weight off her injured leg as possible. It was frustratingly difficult. If he cast at her, dodging wasn't currently an option; she would have to count on her knowledge of shield spells and hope she knew one that would block whatever he sent her way.

Rodolphus was conventionally attractive, but his magic was repulsive.

"Bellatrix has proven barren and I need an heir. I can easily have her assassinated after I subdue you, little treasure."

Lily shuddered. No. Absolutely not.

"Use the Reproduction Ritual if you want an heir that badly!"

Rodolphus chuckled and took a step closer; he smiled patronizingly at her and said, "Why should I? It's her duty to provide me an heir. I want one the fun way."

Agony lanced up Lily's leg as she accidentally leaned weight on it. For a moment, she went light-headed. She had to get away from Rodolphus. If she passed out from the pain . . . she didn't want to imagine the horrors that would befall her.

Lily didn't know the area well enough to Apparate within the assigned boundaries; if she left, her participation would end.

After giving a thread of her magic to Sirius to pass to James, leaving before James even arrived with the rest of the Hunters would be the most heartless of taunts. She couldn't flee for medical attention or safety after just giving James hope that he hadn't wasted the past several years wooing her. She would have to hold Rodolphus off.

James hadn't taken a single witch on a Courtship Date since he first expressed interest in Lily. He hadn't even been in a gossip column with a witch.

She would not give James hope only to viciously crush it.

The Hunting Horn sounded: long, loud, and deep.

"Imperio!" Rodolphus said.

No shield could block the Unforgivables.

To dodge the yellow light of the spell, Lily let her good leg fold under her. Her injured leg jarred; she screamed so loudly that nearby birds burst into flight.

"Stop drawing attention!"

Her hand shook with pain as she pointed her wand at Rodolphus and spat, "Crucio!"

The red light of the spell collided with his chest. He shook lightly and then laughed.

"Pathetic," Rodolphus said, "absolutely pathetic. Have you ever cast Dark Arts at all? You have to mean them!"

Lily had always excelled at following instructions and learning from her mistakes. So she visualized what would happen to her if Rodolphus succeeded in Imperiusing her. Then, she cast the spell again.

"Crucio!"

Rodolphus fell back against the tree behind him; he spasmed as if he were being electrocuted. Ragged cries ripped from his throat one after the other. It was the most horrifying sound Lily had ever heard in her entire life. She knew she would have nightmares about it.

Hurry, James.

The sound of thundering hooves echoed through the forest.

Lily's heart raced. He had come. With less than fifteen minutes' notice, James had come.

She had to get out of the way. He would land on her and trample her unintentionally at the speed he was traveling. She had to time it just right, so that Rodolphus didn't recover in time to attack her before James arrived.

When the hoof beats roared like a rockslide, Lily Levitated herself into the nearest tree.

A magnificent stag leaped into sight and charged straight at Rodolphus. Before he could react, James impaled him on a magnificent rack of antlers.

"Nghg!"

Rodolphus's wand slipped from his hand and fell to the forest floor as James thrashed from side to side, ripping Rodolphus's chest apart. With blood dripping down to his fur, James yanked his antlers free. He pawed at the ground as Rodolphus slumped down dead.

Lily covered her mouth with one hand, but couldn't look away. All she could think was that she was grateful James couldn't be prosecuted for killing during the Bonding Hunt. It was said Godric Gryffindor slayed over ten challengers in his quest to capture Isolda le Fay. What was a mere single death in comparison for the history books?

Then James turned, rearing to a stop at where Lily had collapsed to the ground when she dodged the Imperius Curse. He pawed at the spot with his left-front hoof; it had a string of magic tied right above it. The stag eyed the area and Transformed back into James. It was James as Lily had never seen or felt him before. Even in human form, he prowled like a feral predator.

His magic was primal.

James cut his hand, smeared blood on the thread of her magic, and then looked right up at her as a glowing red line stretched from his hand to her heart.

As soon as James's blood magic spell touched her, all her anti-detection spells failed.

James was already Levitating himself up the tree. When he was beside her, he swished his wand; a net crafted of his magic fell on her. It was as light as a feather.

"I captured thee," James said, his voice nearly a wild growl.

She was unbearably grateful James was the wizard who spoke those words to her—and not either of the Lestranges. She would have killed them before they could touch her, as long as she was conscious and in control of herself.

Lily tilted her head to the side, flashed her neck at him, and vowed, "I surrender to thee."

James's magic net sank into her skin and twined with her own magic, bonding them together at a soul-deep level. Tears pricked her eyes as she felt his inferno of love for her.

"Lily," James said, voice all gravel.

He kissed like he had been fasting for a decade and she was the sustenance that would miraculously save him from a slow, savage starvation. Lily kissed him back just as hungrily, mind desperate to escape what might have been. He had arrived in time; that was all that mattered in the end.

When James pulled away several minutes later, his eyes flicked over her body, pausing on her wrapped leg.

"The thread you gave me turned black before we were even brought here. Someone attacked you with Dark Magic. And then I heard you scream right after I arrived by Portkey. Merlin, Lily, I thought—"

She grabbed James by the face and stared right into his eyes, which were almost gold with raw emotion, and said, "He didn't touch me. Neither of them touched me."

James's head fell forward onto her shoulder, sending her hands up into his hair. He shuddered against her and said, "Thank Merlin!"

"You're the only wizard I want to touch me, James," Lily confessed, before kissing his hair.

James's breath hitched. He picked Lily up carefully in his arms and held her close.

"You're safe. I captured you in the Bonding Hunt," James said, awed.

Lily stared at the growing pool of blood on the forest floor as James Levitated them back down from the tree. It was dyeing the grass. Lily averted her eyes from Rodolphus's corpse. The smell was so pungent that she gagged on it.

"I would have killed him if you had taken any longer."

"What?" James asked, stunned.

She knew why he was so surprised. Lily wasn't fond of violence; it had always upset her. Not even night terrors or guilt or thinking of Rodolphus's family in mourning would have saved his life if James had taken any longer. She would have killed Rodolphus before he could cast the Imperius Curse at her again.

Some things were worse than death.

Lily stroked James's cheek and brushed her thumb over his bottom lip. He had come and saved her from having to make that choice. She wanted more kisses. She wanted more everything. She wanted him.

"And," Lily whispered, dark and throaty, "I would never have regretted it."

For she was James's, by choice, and no one else could have her. No one.