A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It just took me a while to write this chapter. I am currently working on a few other projects that will hopefully be posted in the next couple of months. Please enjoy this bit in the meantime!

Sarah

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters.

Chapter Three

Rini was the first to speak.

"Uh, why did the lights go out?"

"Lumos," Sirius said next to her. He caught a glimpse of her in the wand light. She turned to look back at him. Her eyes were wide as he felt her hand rest on his arm. He tried to flash a small smile, anything to reassure her so she would kindly let go of him. Her hand had become a hot iron on his arm. He couldn't help but be acutely aware of her touch. The rapid beating of his heart would not calm down.

The others had followed suit. Four other wands had ignited, illuminating the room. Sirius stood, breaking their physical contact, causing Rini to jerk her head in his direction. Her arm rested in the spot in which he had just sat. She followed him with her eyes as he walked to the center of the room, perplexed. He didn't usually shy away from her like that. What was up with him?

"Reckon we should go and see what's going on?" he said to James and Remus.

"Uhh…yeah," James said, nodding his head.

"We're coming too," Rini announced, springing to her feet. She walked forward to join the boys.

"We are?" Renee asked.

"Yes," Rini pressed. "We are."

"Oh, fine then," James said, pulling his sister's arm. "Come on if you must."

The six of them left the media room and entered the pitch-black hallway, illuminated by their wands. Rini clutched her wand tightly, but was the only one not using it. Spooky dark hallway or not, she was still underage.

She trailed behind Sirius and James, whom were both in front. Every time that she bumped into his backside, Sirius wondered what he had done in a past life to deserve such torment. When he didn't feel her for a minute, he looked back, his wand pointed in her direction. He caught a glimpse of her leg as she disappeared into a room off the hall. The rest of them followed.

She was standing in front of the one window, a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Rini, what's the matter?" James asked as he approached.

She said nothing, choosing to point with her free hand instead. With everyone else behind him, he peered through the glass. Floating above the trees, in what had to be the main part of the Muggle village, was the Dark Mark.

"Shit," Sirius swore under his breath. His grip on his wand tightened.

The two siblings looked at each other in disbelief. This was their home. It had always been safe. They had grown up without fear here. The Muggles in the village had always been a part of that. They still knew plenty of the teenagers that resided in the houses beyond their grounds. They had played with many of them in their days before going to Hogwarts.

"Right," James said. "We're going to have to help out the Muggles. I can't sit around and do nothing."

Remus looked at Sirius, then at James, and said, "Of course. We have to do something."

James turned to his sister as they all moved back into the hallway. "Rini, you're going to have to contact Mum and Dad."

"Why do I have to do it? I want to go with you."

"Listen," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, "I need you to stay here. Mum and Dad would kill me if anything happened to you, and I can't be worried about protecting you out there. It's too risky."

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms. "I hate it when you're right."

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm just that amazing."

"Oh, shut up."

"Prongs, we need to go," Remus interjected.

"Right," James said, turning his head back in Remus's direction. "Let's go."

Before heading toward the entryway, he gazed at Lily and Renee and added, "Make sure to keep my sister alive, okay?"

They continued down the hall, leaving the girls behind them. Sirius glanced over his shoulder, taking one last look at Rini. He couldn't understand it, but for some reason, he wanted to drink in all of her—to permanently sear the image of her into his mind. There was an ounce of fear in the pit of his stomach. He did his best to qualm it, but he knew that they were about to enter the Dragon's Den. He didn't know if this would be the last time he would see her, but if he were to come back in one piece, he knew that there would be another challenge waiting for him. He was at the precipice of two different paths for his future, and he was at a loss at what to do.

The girls made their way toward the library after they watched the boys disappear from the hall. Lily plopped down on an armchair as Renee and Rini headed over to the small fireplace, nestled in one of the corners. Rini quickly scribbled a note as sparks flew out of Renee's wand. There was a small blaze by the time Rini had finished. She handed it Renee, who took it and sent it zooming into the flames. It vanished with a puff of green smoke. How long it would take to reach her parents—Rini had no idea. She didn't even know where the dinner was being held. It was all up to luck now.

It was silent as they sat there, waiting for something to happen. Renee and Rini sat by the fire warming themselves. There was no word back yet. Rini expected one of her parents to pop out of the fire place any second. There was a stillness to the room. No one wanted to admit it, but all three of them were also listening for footsteps or the breaking of a vase in the hall. Nothing that they had learned at school could have really prepared them for this.

Lily had tried to preoccupy her mind by snatching a book from one of the shelves. It sat on her lap, her eyes staring blankly at the page, rereading the same line over and over again. The carousel never stopped turning. Her foot kept fidgeting.

It could happen to them, too. Her parents were Muggles. They had no way to defend themselves against wizards like this. She thought about the torture that they were going to be forced to endure. Whenever she had thought about the world outside of the school's stone walls, she knew it was bad, but she never fully grasped what was at stake. How could she sit here in relative safety when there were all those people with no way to defend themselves? She regretted not insisting on going too. James wasn't the boss of her.

Before she became conscious to her actions, she was standing, wand gripped in her outstretched hand.

"Lily, what are you—"

"I'm going out there," she said before pulling the black hair scrunchie off her wrist with her teeth. She gathered her hair and held it in place with one hand as she grabbed the hair accessory with the other and wrapped it around her ponytail, careful to not set it on fire accidentally with her wand pressed into her palm.

"But James said—"

"I don't care what he said," she shot back at the other two. "He's not my mother."

"I know, but—"

"Look," she said. "This is just something I have to do. I can't sit here while my people are being tortured and killed—and don't you dare think about following me." She looked at Rini directly, hoping that the message would drive itself home.

Gripping her wand so tightly that she was afraid that she may snap it in half, she marched out of the library with unbridled determination on her face and a giant storm of terror in the pit of her stomach.

James dove behind a bush, a violet jet of light grazing his hair as his palms hit the hard ground. Cursing, he wiped them against his jeans. He turned and shot back a stunning spell from around the corner as Sirius crashed into him.

"Watch it, Pads!"

"Well, seeing as we're under attack right now, I think that is going to end up being quite difficult."

"Where's Moony?"

"He was right behind me, I swear," Sirius said. "Ah there he is," he added as Remus came crawling over to them. He stopped resting on his knees, doubled over in attempt to catch his breath.

"Okay, why did we think this was a great idea?"

"It's not about that," James said, frowning as he dodged another spell.

"I know, I know," Remus said. "I was pointing out the fact that we didn't exactly have plan for when we actually got out here."

"Think we should split up?" James said as he was fixing his slightly askew glasses after casting his last spell. "Try to confuse them?"

"You know if you really wanted to confuse them, Prongsy," Sirius said with a grin, though it was hard to tell in the darkness. "You could just transform. Now that would really perplex them."

"Do you actually think this is the right time to be making jokes right now?" Remus snapped.

"What's life without a little fun?"

"You call this fun?"

"I mean it's not boring, is it?"

Remus shook his head, rubbing his temple with his free hand. Those two sure knew how to pick the greatest times to act childish. What was next? Using pranks to fight the Death Eaters?

"I think it could work," Sirius said. "It beats staying here like sitting ducks."

"Fine," sighed Remus. "We can try it, but if I get killed, I'm going to come back and haunt you all."

"Right," James said, crouched down, peering around the corner. "On my count, we go."

"One."

Sirius gripped his wand tighter, readying to spring up.

"Two."

Remus licked his lips. All he could here was the hammering of his own heart.

"Three!"

Lily's heart was pounding as she jogged down the stone path that led to the center of the village. She knew that what she was doing was extremely risky. Going out into a dangerous situation like this alone was not ideal, but she could not have sat in that house for another moment.

As she drew closer to the houses, she slowed to a walk. She chewed at the cuticle of her thumb as she pushed forward. Her shoes echoed against the pavement as she rounded a corner, the view of the village blocked by a large stone wall.

What had she been thinking, coming out here alone with Death Eaters possibly crawling around every corner? She thought that she might have been able to catch up with the boys if she had hurried along enough. There hadn't been a huge amount of time between both departures, maybe ten or fifteen minutes. However, she hadn't caught the slightest sign of them anywhere. For that matter, she didn't see evidence of a single soul. It was too quiet. She should have come across someone—anyone by then. She hadn't seen so much as a rogue housecat. There was something eerie about the stillness of the night as she peered up at the night sky to see the waning moon and stars glowing back at her.

This was stupid. What was she going to be able to do on her own anyway? She could have only hoped to find the boys in some way, but that was proving to be quite difficult. She had no way of communicating with them or even knowing where to find them. She sighed, turned around with a new desire to head back washing over her, when a scream penetrated the still night. Lily whipped her head back. It had come from a neighboring house. Without hesitation, she rushed into its direction and into the open palms of mortal peril.

"I can't believe her," Rini said, standing up after a long moment of silence. "I'm going to go after her."

"Hang on," Renee said, also rising to her feet. She outstretched her arm, holding Rini back. "We need to stay here, you know, where it's safe."

"I don't see why everyone else gets to see all the action when I have to sit here and wait like a good little girl."

Renee sighed. "You'll never learn, will you? People are in mortal danger, Serena."

Rini made a face. "Ugh, do you have to call me that?"

Renee pushed her back. Rini lost her balance, falling down into her seat. She hit the cushion with a soft plop. She stared back at her friend, scowling.

"I will if it is the reason you start listening."

"Why are you making this out to be such a big deal?" Rini said, jumping to her feet. She swayed a moment, the blood rushing to her head.

"My parents are thinking of moving back to France," Renee said in a whisper so soft that it was almost inaudible.

Rini lowered herself slowly onto the couch next to her friend. "Wait. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she said, lifting a hand to her face. She started rubbing her temple. "You-Know-Who is gaining power. They're scared shitless, and I don't blame them. I'm scared too. They're actually there at the moment, visiting my grand-mere. They're not going to be happy when they return and find out about this."

"Why haven't they gone yet, then?"

"I think that they are waiting until I finish Hogwarts this year or at least until I'm in the middle of my final year."

"Oh so after this year—"

"Back to France." Renee said. "Je ne sais pas quoi faire."

"Anglais, s'il vous plaît."

"Sorry," Renee said, shrugging. "I don't know what I am going to do."

"You could stay."

"That's the thing," she replied. "I don't know if I want to with everything that's been going on."

Rini flopped back in her seat. "We can worry about that when the time comes. Right now we need to focus on getting through tonight."

"What a bright idea this was, wasn't it?" Sirius grumbled before shooting back a curse.

"Don't look at me," Remus said as he crouched behind the wall next to Sirius. They had gone about twenty feet before they were bombarded again. "This was Prongs's idea."

"I swear to God that if we get through this, I'm going to kill him."

They had no idea where James was now once they had separated as a diversion tactic; they lost track of him. They could only hope that he was okay as they fought off their own enemies. There was no way that they could go find him, not at the present moment at least.

Sirius thought of the girls back at the manor and hoped that they were safe. There were protections in place, but being raised around the Dark Arts, he knew that those could be easily broken. His mind flashed to Rini and her smile that could bring one to his own face and his stomach sank. He quickly pushed the thought of her out of his brain. He couldn't think about her. That would be—well, nothing good could come out of thinking about her. They were friends, sure, but nothing else. The fact that he was even considering more in the back of his mind was disturbing enough.

He should be thinking about this moment, not allow himself to be distracted. Though he would be loath to admit it, she did make a beautiful distraction with her chestnut brown hair and porcelain skin drawing him in along with that mischievous grin that made her high cheek bones all the more obvious.

Remus said something, but all Sirius could hear was white noise. It was killing him not knowing if they were all right. He couldn't rid himself of the unease he felt. In any case, the Potters would kill him and James if anything happened to their daughter. Spoiled little princess.

"Pads, are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?"

"I said that we should probably try to meet back up with James. Three wands are better than two. And don't you go making a dirty joke. Now is not the time," he added, spotting Sirius's now open mouth.

"Oh, you're no fun."

Remus shook his head. "How can you think like this when all of us are in mortal danger?"

"Just who I am, love," he said with a wink as they began to crawl along the other side of the wall.

"Let's get out of here and find James."

Lily sprinted up the stone stairs leading up to the house. Her feet pounded against the pavement as she reached the open doorway. She pushed the door slightly forward gingerly. She couldn't see anyone in the threshold. She took a minute to steady her breaths before moving forward and into the house.

James dashed behind a house as a flash of green light brushed past his shoulder. He inhaled sharply. That had been close—way too close. He clutched at the stitch in his side from sprinted across somebody's garden. His eyes flicked upwards at the rear windows. It was dark. No one seemed to be home. They had picked the best night to be out.

James had been about to throw back a stunning spell when he felt a warm vibration in the pack pocket of his trousers. He frantically wiggled a square mirror. Sirius's face stared back at him when he peered into the glass.

"Prongs, where are you?"

"Uh, behind some house…not sure what street this is."

Another jet of light came out from around the corner, hitting the edge of the stone, blasting it off. James covered the top of his head before shouting "Stupefy!" with his wand pointed out blindly.

"I'm a little busy right now, Pads," he said through his teeth, his voice slightly strained.

"This wasn't the best idea, you know."

"I'm aware," James snapped as another spell missed him, hitting a nearby tree and knocking off several branches. "You don't have to rub it in. Gotta go."

James shoved the mirror back in his pocket. He could hear Sirius's voice coming through the fabric, but his words were indistinguishable. James didn't care. He had bigger worries. He took another deep breath before trying to make a break for it on the other side of the house.

"What now?" Remus asked as Sirius put the mirror back into his back pocket.

"Guess we're on our own," he replied. "It's gotten a bit quiet. Do you reckon that the coast is clear?"

Remus brushed some dirt off his arm. "Could be. Could also be a trap."

"There you go, Moony. Always looking on the bright side."

"You're impossible, you know that."

"But you love me anyway."

"Shut up."

The night was suddenly still. An owl hooted in the distance. All signs of life had ceased to exist. The wind had picked up a little, rustling some fallen leaves. Sirius strained to hear for the sound of footsteps. When none came, he stood taller.

"I think they might have moved on. Let's try to make a break for it. Find James."

"Yeah. Let's go—"

He was cut off by a high-pitched scream piercing through the crisp night air. They glanced at each other, Remus mouth open, the end of his sentence lost to the abyss. Their heads moved in the direction of an old-looking house behind them from which the sound had originated.

"It came from that house."

"We should go check it out."

"Right."

The two young men were now on their feet. They sprinted in the direction of the house, unsure what would be on the other side of the door.

Lily moved forward cautiously as she crossed over the threshold. The entryway was empty. A vase had been knocked over. Lily cautiously stepped over the broken glass.

"Lumos," she whispered.

She couldn't see past the edge of light emitted from the tip of her wand. Her heart hammered in her ears. It had to be this house. She was sure that she had heard the scream had come from here.

As though to answer her internal questions, a distressed cry came from the floor above her. Her fingers flexed against the thin willow in her hand. She closed her eyes briefly and swallowed the newly formed lump. She heard the scream again and recoiled. A long breath escaped her lips. She had to do something—there was no choice. She couldn't just walk away.

Leaving her fear behind her, she started to ascend the staircase. She went up slowly, deliberately. She stayed on her toes, afraid to make too much noise as she moved across the slowly decaying floor boards.

Lily managed to reach the landing without detection. The screaming grew louder as she moved down the hallway. She paused when she reached a door that had been left slightly ajar. She listened for a moment. The screams were coming from the other side. She flinched, clutching her wand before trying to peek through the small crack.

A tall woman was standing over a young woman holding a small child. Her raven hair was pushed back behind her ear, revealing the twisted smile upon her face. She felt sick in the middle of her stomach. How could someone take such pleasure in causing innocent people such pain? It was unconscionable. The victim's sudden pleas yanked Lily back to the present as she watched on in horror.

"Please stop. No more."

"Shut up. Crucio!"

Lily closed her eyes as the woman's face twisted into agony. The Cruciatus Curse—one of the three Unforgivables. She had learned about them—read about them—what they do. She knew that using one could land you with a one-way ticket to Azkaban. She had learned all of that, but nothing, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw that night.

Her hands shook as she listened to the screams. She knew that it was more than possible that she was going to receive a taste of the spell first-hand. What could she do?

She took a step back, running through the spells that she knew in her head as the woman's screams echoed in her ears, and then quickly subsided. There was a flash of green light and then nothing. In shocked silence, she pressed down harder on one of her feet. The floorboard creaked from under her, the sound reverberating through the old house.

"Who's there?" the woman screeched, turning around. Lily had no time to flee as the door blasted out with a flash of violet light, sending her flying backwards. She slammed into the wall behind her, landing on the floor.

"Looks like I came across a little mouse," the woman cackled. Her voice was cold, uncaring.

Lily, still dazed, rolled over onto her back. Through hazy vision, she could see the tall and thin woman. Her long dark hair swayed behind her as she closed in on Lily. Standing in front of Lily, she raised her wand. Her beautiful face twisted into a malicious smile.

"Perhaps, I should teach you a lesson about snooping," she said. "Crucio!"

Lily could do nothing about the screams that escaped from her mouth. She had never experienced pain like this before in her life, not even that time when she was six and broke her arm falling down the stairs. Every inch of her body was on fire. The flames consumed her every thought. Tears fell from her eyes as she lay on the floor, writhing in agony.

"Had enough?" the woman taunted. "All you have to do is beg for mercy, and it will all be over."

Lily clamped her mouth shut. She wasn't about to give that person that sort of satisfaction. She didn't deserve it. As much as the pain made her want to scream, she wouldn't let her body give into that desire any more. That's what truculent woman wanted.

"No?" she said coldly. "Well perhaps we need to be taught another lesson."

The pain stopped. Lily felt as though she had been holding her breath to suddenly be reminded how to breath. She never had time for her brain to register that she had to fight back or perish. The woman raised her wand again. Dark purple light flooded her vision for a second and then everything went black.