Cry by Aerin

Disclaimer: I assure you, JK Rowling did not write this.

Thanks to my wonderful beta shellebelle!

____________

James was asleep. Or rather, he was, before something big and wet hit him in the face. "Mrmh," he mumbled.

"Get up, son," his father's voice whispered in his ear. James turned over. Sirius was still snoring away loudly in the bed over to his left. He blinked at his father, then pulled the blanket over his head.

Alexander Potter dragged the blanket off. James glanced at the clock, and then hid his head under the pillow. "It's bloody six in the morning," James mumbled. Gah. He was already awake.

"James, it's important."

The tone in his father's voice made him sit up and reach for his glasses, knocking several textbooks to the floor. Sirius made a shrill gagging noise and turned over, still asleep. "What's going on? Does this have anything to do with You—"

His father's hand muffled James' mouth. The other hand picked up James' glasses and settled them on his nose. "Get dressed. Bring your wand. And the Invisibility cloak."

James was still curious. What? Why? he attempted to say, but something that sounded like "Mghtmwhy.." tumbled out of his mouth.

"I'll explain later." His father looked him in the eye squarely.

_____________________

The two Potters were huddled under the cloak in the greasy pub at Knockturn Alley. James' stomach was churning; he hadn't had breakfast, and now it was close to lunchtime. The sky was a forbidding gray; unusual summer weather. The noise of drinks being ordered and patrons muttering to each other filled the small tavern. Most of them were wearing long black cloaks and kept their faces covered, despite the heat.

James shuddered a bit, and his father smiled at him underneath the shadow of invisibility. There was so much noise around them they could carry on a conversation without being noticed. "All right, James?" his father asked.

James nodded. "What's this about anyway?"

His father sighed and rubbed his temples. "There was another attack last week. The Prewetts."

James winced. Richard Prewett was a Gryffindor Chaser that he had known very well. "All of them? The entire family?"

Alexander Potter nodded grimly. "I'm sorry, son. My partner went down as well. The Auror Division isn't doing too well nowadays. Too many things to do, to keep track of. Too many anti-Muggle activities are springing up. Dangerous. We need as many good Aurors as we can get."

"So what are we doing here?"

His father's tone was serious. "I had an anonymous tip that some of You-Know-Who's followers were meeting here."

James could feel his stomach tighten. "What are we going to do?"

"See if they show up, and try to catch them in the act. If we can, we'll knock them out and bring them to headquarters."

"I mean—what do you want me to do?"

Alexander Potter looked James in the eye. "James—have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"

__________________________

Petunia gave Lily a harsh look. "You'll be right here, right?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, Pet. At two o'clock. Here."

Petunia muttered something about weirdoes and their places. "You better be standing here, and not pop out of nowhere like last time. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Lily glanced at the Leaky Cauldron, where Petunia was eyeing the space between the bookstore and record shop suspiciously. "Well, I didn't know that I would 'pop out', okay?"

Petunia gave her a glare and stepped on the gas, leaving Lily standing outside the Leaky Cauldron.

"Thank you so much for your help," Lily muttered, walking in.

She tapped the brick into Diagon Alley and smiled as the gateway appeared before her. She never tired of seeing the magical street and the shops. Lily made her way to Flourish and Blotts, said hello to several students who were from Hogwarts and doing their school shopping as well.

The sky was a very peculiar color for late summer, and soon Lily had her bags filled with new schoolbooks and supplies. She checked the parchment over. "Now, let's see…I have everything except…"

A sudden gust of wind blew the parchment out of her fingers, along with several new quills and rolls of parchment. Lily cursed, dipped her hand into her pocket, quickly decided she didn't have enough to buy replacements, and ran off after the quickly escaping supplies.

She raced down Diagon Alley, narrowly missing Peter Pettigrew. "Sorry, Peter!" she called back, her bags thumping against her legs. Lily grabbed a stray quill and a roll of parchment. The wind was picking up, however, and the list and several more quills were still flying away.

Lily cursed some more as she ran down an alleyway, gasping for breath as she picked up the last roll of parchment. The list fluttered down another turn. "This better not be a bloody joke," Lily muttered. She had attended Hogwarts long enough with Potter's infamous gang to expect sudden pranks.

The alley was dark, and silent. Lily was very much alone, and she slowed her step as the list stopped at a cobblestone.

"Is—anyone—here?" Lily asked cautiously.

A footstep rang behind her. Lily whipped around, her auburn hair flying. She barely caught a glimpse of a shadow. "Potter?" she asked angrily, but it didn't hide the panic that was coursing through her veins. "Black? Is this your idea of a joke?"

No answer. The alley was very dark, and the shadows seemed to be everywhere. Lily spun around. Another shadow crawled out of sight.

Lily could feel her hands shaking and willed them to stop. "Potter! You can come out now! This isn't funny!"

Lily whirled around. The shadows looked like they were closing in.

"Who's there?" she asked, drawing her wand.

The silence was deafening. The only sound she could hear was her rapid heartbeat. Quickly, she grabbed the list, and ran around the corner. It led down another dark alleyway, and another, and another…

The dank buildings and the smell of fear closed in upon Lily. Shadows flittered in the dark corners, and the cheerful, bustling streets where she had been shopping had long disappeared.

Lily was very sure she was no longer in Diagon Alley.