Looking at Bellatrix Black before him, James couldn't believe he had actually been scared for a moment.
"All right, Bellatrix," he said. "That little sound of yours was cute and everything, but why don't you just head on back to your common room before we need to go get a teacher."
Bellatrix laughed. It was really, really creepy, and sent shivers up James's arm.
"You know, I would, Potter," she said. "But I was really planning on causing a little damage tonight. I was hoping that you would be with my dear cousin instead of this one--" she pointed at Lily.
"You know that we're Head boy and girl, and we do the patrols at night," Lily said.
Bellatrix seemed to pretend that Lily hadn’t even spoken at all. “But, you know, it’s quite all right. The mudblood will do, I suppose.”
“Excuse me?,” James said. He felt his eye twitch.
Lily rolled her eyes and began walking towards the end of the hall. “All right then, I’m going to get a teacher,” she said. But before she could reach the stairs, a jet of purple light flew past her and hit the wall near the staircase.
“What the--” Lily said nervously, quickly stepping back.
Where just a second ago there was a staircase, there was now a completely solid wall. Bellatrix had blocked the exit.
"You're crazy!" James shouted. "Off your rocker! You'll be expelled-"
Bellatrix laughed again. James couldn’t help but be a little nervous now. What was she trying to do? Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lily move closer towards him.
“Like I said, Potter, my intentions were to cause trouble tonight,” Bellatrix explained. “If that means getting expelled, then so be it. There are bigger and better things than Hogwarts.”
“Like what? Azkaban?” James asked.
“Let’s just say I’m not really concerned with that right now. But there are things worth going to Azkaban for. And even if I did go, it wouldn’t be for long. He would come for me.” Her face was strangely serene.
James had no idea what she was talking about, but Lily gasped quietly. “Oh no,” she said from under her breath.
“Yeah, your little girlfriend knows what I’m talking about. Good mind, that one, even if it is such a waste.”
“Look Black, either explain what the hell you’re on about or let us out of here, because I honestly don’t have time to stand here and listen to you ramble like a crazed--”
James stopped as Bellatrix took out her wand and twirled it around her long, pale fingers.
"I'll tell you what I'm on about," she said softly. "Things are changing, Potter. Dumbledore, this school- it'll all be gone in a little while. You'll be stupid if you don't join our side. He will take it all. He is the future. You can stay here with all your little friends, doing good and pretending that you’re saving the world, but in the end, none of it will matter.”
At first James was confused, but now, he knew exactly what she was talking about. He, along with most of the people that he knew had chosen to ignore the disturbing news that had been coming out of the wizarding world lately. And there was only one person that was responsible- Voldemort. Some regarded him as a joke, others simply as a loony that St Mungo's needed to get their hands on... but they couldn't deny the fact as the months passed, there were more deaths, and more sightings, and more confusion...
"Yes, that's right, Potter," Bellatrix said. She could tell he finally understood. "My master."
"You have really and truly lost it," James said shakily. He always thought that Bellatrix and her unfriendly posse were mean and probably slightly mad, but in a fairly harmless way. He wasn't willing to show it to Lily, but he was nervous now.
"Bellatrix, put your wand down," Lily said, in a slightly maternal voice. "I don't understand what you're trying to--"
"I didn't say you could speak to me, filth," Bellatrix hissed.
James raised his wand at her. But before he could even think of a spell, he felt Lily's hand grasp his wand arm.
“Please, don’t, James,” she begged him. Her brilliant eyes were glassy and her voice was unsteady. “It’s what she wants.”
No matter how hard James would have liked to hex Bellatrix out of oblivion, he knew that Lily was right. Fighting her would be giving her the satisfaction of knowing that she had gotten to him. He relaxed his arm down, but Lily didn’t let it go.
“Come on, Potter. Fight me.” The dark, cold hall was illuminated by the tip of her wand, casting eerie shadows over them all.
“No,” James said firmly. He wanted to pull Lily and run, but he couldn’t. He didn't know what he was going to do.
“If you won’t fight me, then I’ll have to make you,” Bellatrix said, and before James had realized what she was doing, she raised her wand and sent a stream of hot red sparks in his direction.
But it wasn’t James that had been hit; it was Lily. James’ heart froze as he saw her panicked face illuminated by the light, a deep gash appearing on her side. She was clutching it with her tense fingers, blood trickling from between them. Bellatrix was laughing.
Bellatrix didn’t even see it coming. James had hit her with such a curse that the wind had been knocked out of her, sending her flying down the corridor. James glanced at Lily, his eyes cold with rage. He ran next to her, his back to Bellatrix. She was hurt, she was barely standing, and he had to help her, but Bellatrix wasn’t out for long.
She sent a purple jet of light at him that James’ wasn’t ready for. But instead of hitting him, it was deflected by Lily. The hand not clutching her deep cut was holding her wand. Even with her injury, Lily’s aim was impeccable. James stood up and ran at Bellatrix.
They began to duel. He was very fast, but so was Bellatrix, and she was so obsessed with the Dark Arts that he knew that she had more knowledge about dueling. She sent a curse at him, but it missed by inches. He missed his next one as well. Finally, she hit him in the shoulder, causing white hot pain to sear through his arm. He ignored it, but it was hard to keep going after that hit.
James’ wand flew from his hand to a hundred feet behind him. Bellatrix was advancing on him, and his shoulder continued to throb. There was nothing he could do.
From behind him, Lily tried to curse her again, but this time she had missed, and she had done nothing but make Bellatrix angrier.
“That is the last time you interfere,” Bellatrix hissed at her. She raised her wand, and, as if in slow motion, James saw her point it straight at Lily. Her thin mouth had opened and was starting to bellow out an incantation.
James ran at her. He had to protect Lily, at all costs. Wandless, defenseless, his only choice was to stop that curse from hitting her... she was too weak.
James’ legs did his thinking for his brain, and he ran in front of Lily. He created a barrier between Bellatrix’s wand and Lily’s body, and caught the full force of the curse, square in his chest.
“JAMES!” He heard Lily scream. It was pain beyond anything he had ever felt, like a thousand flaming torches burning into him. He felt dizzy, his vision went blurry, his legs couldn’t support him anymore. He collapsed, and everything was black.
All Right, Evans? by anglophile
Chapter Notes: Again.. I am SO sorry for the delay in this chapter. It's partially my fault, but also it just didn't go through like ten times, I don't know why... anyway, this is my last post before I leave for college (tomorrow!!) so as soon as I get settled I will update. Thanks for being patient and so wonderful!