"I absolutely can't believe this." James sighed, looking through a stack of doc uments a mile high. His work had been neverending once he had decided to run for Minister, the elections to be held in early spring.
"Hmmm?" Lily asked distractedly, watching the late November wind wave the bare tree branches through the window.
"It's that blasted Death Eater again!"
"The same one that's been popping up since the Hogwarts attack?" Lily asked, snapping to attention, thoughts of trees leaving her mind.
"YES! And we are absolutely nowhere on her! It's driving me mad! All we know is that it's a petite female! The blasted creature gets away before we can catch her! She's too smart for most of the Aurors on her trail! It's infuriating. She's a one-woman demolition crew! Almost as bad a Voldemort himself."
"Hmmm." Lily said again, returning to her listless tree watching.
"Why do they even say you get a vacation if they have no intentions of
actually letting you stay home?" James muttered. "I mean, I'm supposed to get
the entire month of December off for all the crap I go through for them, and
here I am, getting my winter clothes out to go Death Eater hunting."
"WHAT?" Lily asked, dropping her book.
"Do you completely ignore me these days? I've been complaining for the past
quarter hour!"
"I'm sorry, I've just been...distracted." Lily said absently, her mind
already drifting.
James gave her an odd look. "When are you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Lily asked innocently, both knowing she was far from it. "So
is it that woman Death Eater you're going after tonight?"
"Yes, Snape said there's a meeting tonight, and it's assumed she'll be there.
He hasn't actually seen her yet." James said, hiking an eyebrow as Lily
exhaled in what appeared to be a sigh of relief.
"When are you leaving?"
"In an hour. The meeting's supposed to be at nine, so we should come in
towards the end of it."
"Good luck." Lily said quietly, wrapping her arms around him before walking
out of the room. "Let me know when you leave."
"Yeah." An hour later, as agreed, James found Lily in the living room.
"I love you, James." She hugged him tightly, as if afraid when she let go it
would be forever. "I really do."
James grinned in return. "I really love you too."
Well isn't this fun? I'm soaked to the skin, I'm cold, my stomach's growling
so loudly they'll probably hear me twenty yards away, and my leg is cramping.
Nice. James wasn't in a good mood to say the least as he crouched in the
forest, awaiting the operation to begin. It would be his sole responsibility
to get the little heathen who was killing people left and right. FINALLY!
There was a rustling sound, then suddenly a figure broke out into the small
clearing where he was camouflaged. James immediately began his pursuit,
relentlessly chasin the woman. He figured she could only run so far.
Especially since she didn't have a wand in her hand. This was great, a piece
of cake. It would have been too, if he hadn't have tackled the woman. If he
hadn't hauled her to her feet. If he hadn't have asked her name as he jerked
her around to face him.
If she hadn't answered 'Lily Potter'.
Lily cast her eyes down, not able to meet James's gaze.
"Oh Lord, why, Lily? Why did you do this? What did I do?" James asked, shaking her. Neither of them was sure if he was intentionally gripping her arms hard enough to leave bruises.
"James, I-"
"Nevermind, we can talk about this later. Take my cloak and run that way." James jerked his head towards the west. "That's the nearest break in the apparation field, so you can disapparate. You'll feel it when you get there." James settled his cloak around her shoulders, drawing the hood around her tightly to conceal her features. "Dear God, Lily, you've really done it this time."
Lily started to dash in the direction he pointed her until she heard another voice.
"So you got the little vixen, did you, Potter?!" It was Amos Diggory, jogging up next to her.
"Lily, go." James said gratingly.
"I...can't." She hung her head. "He'll see you letting me go. You'll get in trouble."
"Hit me or something. Then he won't notice if I let you go."
"I can't hit you...I'm....I'm sorry. I know that doesn't cover it, but-"
"POTTER! Let's take them to headquarters! We got fifteen!" Amos cried excitedly. Lily resignedly pulled her hair over her face to block most of her features.
James looked ready to cry, and Lily really was.
When she sniffed, Amos sneered, still not knowing her identity. "Awww, the littlest Death Eater is sad she got caught."
Lily straightened her spine. "If one has to submit, it is wasteful not to do so with the best grace possible." When she lifted her hand to draw her hood more tightly to her face, her wrist was caught in Amos's brutal grip. Lily resisted the urge to whimper when she applied pressure to her bones. Through her hair, she saw him drop her wrist with disgust, and stroll away.
"I'm sure you can handle the b*tch on your own, Potter!"
Once Diggory was little bit in front of them, James slowed his pace for Lily. "Are you alright?"
Lily nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me? You knew that we were going to this meeting tonight! I told you, you little idiot, but you still came!"
"So you're just assuming that I'm a Death Eater?" Lily asked bitterly, wiping her eyes.
"Well, aren't you?" There was no denying he hope that flashed in his eyes.
Lily swallowed, not answering.
"If you don't tell me now, they're going to make me take you to Headquarters. You'll be interrogated and God knows what else! Lily, I can't stop them. When they find out who they are, they'll completely remove me from your case. If you don't tell everybody that you're not a Death Eater, then you'll go to Azkaban. And with the reputation you have, you will be very lucky if you don't get the Kiss. Please, please, tell me what you were doing there!"
"What's holding you up?!" Amos shouted.
James looked at Lily, awaiting an answer.
"I can't." She whispered.
"She kicked me. Maybe broke something!" James shouted to Amos. Dear God, but Lily was up to her neck and sinking.
To run where the brave dare not go
Lily had never seen James so mad directly at her. It wasn't something she enjoyed. When they neared a clearing, James spoke. "When we get out there, relax, and I'm apparating immediately. You won't be able to. Hold on tightly, or you'll be splinched."
"Alright." The second they stepped foot in the clearin, James apparated to the office. Unfortunately, Diggory went with them.
"Let's take her straight to Fletcher." Amos said eagerly.
"Yes." James agreed, hoping to get her out of public sight. That was achieved with amazing ease.
"You got her! Most excellent! This will look marvelous when you run for Minister." Fletcher exclaimed happily.
"No, I'm afraid it won't." James said quietly.
"Why?" Amos asked, puzzled. Lily hesitantly lowered her hood and brushed her hair back.
"Oh. My. God." Two men said.
"Hey, Fletch, I heard that James caught-HELL! LILY?!" Sirius shouted as he camed into the office.
"Shut up." James hissed.
"Lily can't be that Death Eater!"
"Lily, is this just some sort of mistake?" Fletcher asked kindly.
"I was at the meeting." Lily said.
"But are you a Death Eater?"
James hoisted her sleeve, revealing nothing but her skin. "Look! No brand! She's not a Death Eater! Let's let her go."
"We can't do that, Potter, and you know it." Fletcher said softly. "You-Know-Who might have spared her the branding since he would have known that you would have noticed it. She's not cleared yet."
"Lily, tell us why you were there." James demanded, shaking her again.
"I can't." Lily said sadly.
"Just why the hell not?"
"It will hurt you. I don't want you to be hurt."
"I can take care of myself, I won't be hurt. But I can guarantee you won't be able to take care of yourself if you get thrown in prison. And I can also guarantee chances are you won't make it out alive."
"Sirius did."
"But Sirius isn't a woman. If you don't tell us why you were at that meeting, they'll but you in a holding cell until your trial, where you will be found guilty, then shipped to Azkaban for the rest of your life."
"Please don't make me tell you." Lily whispered, hanging her head.
"Lils, you have to tell. Please." Sirius said, walking to her. "Azkaban is a terrible place. Especially for women."
Lily shook her head again. Fletcher sighed. "You have no idea how sorry I am to do this, but you will be taken to a holding cell in five minutes. You will be there until your trial, which is usually two weeks. When you are found guilty, you will be taken by portkey to Azkaban. I'll leave you two to say goodbye. James, you know the routine. I'll let you take care of her."
"Yeah, Fletch. Lily? Tell me."
"I can't."
A sad look fell heavily on James's face as he lifted his hands to take out her onyx earring studs. "No jewlery is allowed in the holding cells." He explained, gently wiping away a tear that fell out of Lily's eye. Anger crossed his expression as he saw the ring finger on each hand taped with black tape. She had watched him tape his ring countless times so that he could still wear it. His anger evaporated though, when he saw her hands shaking, her face trying bravely to hide the fear lurking in her eyes.
Lily suddenly hugged him tightly, tucking her face in his shoulder. "Please don't be mad at me, James. I did this because I love you."
James just picked up her other hand to untape it and slide the rings that he had given her when Harry and Dominy were born and on their first anniversary.
The white strip of skin that hadn't been exposed to sunlight made her hands look bare. She started shaking so badly that Lily had to sit down.
"Lily, calm down or you'll make yourself sick."
"I can't calm down." She answered, rubbing her arms that had suddenly lost circulation.
James sat next to her, gathering her into his arms, where she stayed until there was a knock at the door in a couple minutes. "You have to go now."
"I'm going to be sick." Lily moaned.
"No you're not. You're going to be just fine." James corrected, lifting her to her feet, then directing her towards the door.
"I thought terrible things would happen to me in there." Lily snapped, but the terror she felt sanded the edge from it.
"There's my girl. I would reccommend not talking to anybody in there."
Lily nodded, wiping away her tears again, praying she was doing the right thing. What was the saying, 'better to remain silent and be thought the fool than to speak and remove all doubt'?. Well, maybe this was sort of the same thing. James's imagination could run wild, but it was pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't know exactly why she was there. Lily kissed James. "I love you."
She felt nervous when he didn't answer right away. As it turned out, she didn't even get one as the guard opened the door, taking her arm. "Time to go now. Sir." He nodded politely to James, then started leading Lily away.
Lily craned her neck a few feet away to see James putting her rings on his pinky so they didn't get lost. Her mind stayed peacefully blank for a few minutes, until after being led down a series of corridors, she was at a very heavy, steel-looking door.
"Magic won't work in here, unless us Aurors use it. We have special spells put on our wands that let us use it in an anti-magic area. Just so you won't try anything." The guard spoke.
Lily still wasn't thinking much of anything, until the doors opened, revealing a bulky sign. Men's Ward Her mind then started racing, millions of worst-case scenarios flooding her brain and causing her vision to blur. She must have been swaying pretty heavily because the guard stopped. "You okay?"
"Lookie, Jed, we got us a pretty little pup in here now." One prisoner called, leering at her.
"Oh God." Lily groaned, praying for divine intervention. The guard took that for a 'yes' and started walking again. Lily kept her eyes focused on the ground, hoping to avoid any other comments, but by the time another door was opened, she was blushing very deeply, and trying to rid her mind of very scary mental images. She had never been so relieved as when she saw another sign. Women's Ward.
Lily was shut into a small cell. Tiny, actually, but looking on the bright side, at least she wouldn't have a roommate. Lily wrinkled her nose at the site of the small cot and the dingy sink. Deciding she didn't have a choice, she flopped onto the caught, hoping it was somewhat clean. It was quite a change from the comfortable bed she slept in everynight. With James. But James Avenue wasn't a path she wanted to go down at the moment, she would only be more miserable.
"Well, looks like we've got us a regular piece of royalty here, ladies." A woman in the cell to the right of hers said.
Lily, deciding to take James's advie, didn't respond.
"Don't pay attention to Thom, she harrasses everybody." A rough voice said to her left.
"Thom?" Lily questioned.
"Thomasina, but if she hears you call her that, she'll beat you up at exercise period. I'm Billie."
"Billie?" Lily asked in bewilderment. Were these men or women here?
"Yep. So, you a Deathie?"
"Death Eater?" Lily asked.
"Yep."
"Er, I'd rather not talk about it."
"Sure. Just a wonderin' if you would be takin' the trip to Az. I'm not a serious threat, so I'll be spendin' my term here. Only Deathies and serials go there nowadays."
"Right. Mundungus said I would have a trial in two weeks most likely." Lily offered.
"Mundungus? As in Fletcher? You must be a pureblood's daughter if you get a trial. I didn't even get one. Went straight to the sentencing for me. Killed my husband, the cheatin' b*stard he was."
Lily's eyes widened. This was a nightmare. A husband-killer on one side, God knows what on the other.
"So...what's yer name?" Billie asked.
Lily, not seeing any harm in answering, said, "Lily Potter."
Billie burst into laughter. "Sweetie, I doubt that goody-goody society twerp of a wife James Potter has would land herself in this place."
"That's what this twerp and her dear Jamie thought too." Lily muttered quietly.
"Honestly, who are you that you wrangled a trial? They're pretty rare these days, crime all over the place."
"Really?" Lily asked in astonishment, not believing that people got into that much trouble.
"Yep, the little chickadee's had a sheltered life." Thom cackled. "Most definitely one of the purebloods."
"I'm muggle-born." Lily said quietly.
"And I'm James Potter." Billie grinned. "You have to have some well-placed strings to pull to get a trial, and mudbloods don't have those strings."
"No, I don't suppose they do." Lily said quietly, resting her head on her knees in a position that she knew reduced herself to looking like a twelve year-old. She stayed like that for awhile.
"Lils?" A deep voice asked outside her cell.
"Sirius?" Lily asked, wiping away her tears. Sirius took out a key, and he and Serenity stepped in.
Serenity was crying, and she hugged Lily. "Sirius came and told me what happened. Or what he knew anyhow. Lily! How could you do something so stupid!"
"I had to. I didn't mean to get caught. I was trying-oh nevermind! What's that?" Lily looked hopefully at two duffelbags they were both carrying.
"I went by your house and got you some clothes and toiletries. There's sheets and your pillow in here too. And some cups and plates. I would've brought you some silverware, but Sirius said they wouldn't allow it. I practically had to seduce the guard to allow the china in."
"You brought me china?" Lily asked in shock.
"We thought it would be best if you were a home-like atmosphere. It's the same ones you use everynight for dinner." Sirius explained, setting a bag down. He saw Lily's sad look. "I know how you're feeling, Lil. You'll get through it. You have people that love you. I didn't have that, and I made it. James is trying everything he knows to get you out. Right now he's in the process of blackmailing, bribing, and buying off anybody he can to get you out."
"Really?" Lily asked hopefully.
"Of course, silly! You didn't think he'd just let you go to jail did you?" Serenity asked. "He'd sale everything he owned to get you out."
"You guys are the very best!" Lily said, her sobbing starting in earnest as she hugged them both. "I couldn't ask for better friends! Plates!"
"Sirius, I'm thinking sometimes your stupid ideas are actually good." Serenity said dryly.
"I told you she would like plates."
"I love them!" Lily managed to compose herself slightly. "Thanks for visiting me. I feel so much better now."
"Of course you do. The Sirius Black called on you." Sirius said haughtily.
"Sirius, could I talk to her alone, please?" Serenity asked her husband.
"Sure, Serry, I'll be waiting at the door so those guys don't harrass you again on the way through."
"Men's ward." Lily and Serenity spoke at the same time, grimacing.
"Lillian Marie, you have to tell somebody what you were doing at that meeting. Or you'll never seen James and Harry again."
"I thought you got visitors at Azkaban on Sundays."
"You'll never see them outside of your jail cell again!"
"Right. Serry, if you knew what I knew, you would know that I'm doing the right thing. If James knew why I was there, it would break his heart."
"Lily, if you did something bad, he'll forgive you. He loves you enough to threaten the Minister of Magic with everything he's got, he'll forgive you. Don't destroy your relationship. Did you know that when you're sent to Azkaban that divorce is automatically granted because Azkaban only give life sentences?"
"I can't. Please, I don't want to talk about it."
"Then I have to go to work. Lils, think about this. If you don't tell James, you WILL lose him. If you do, you still have a chance at your happily ever after."
"No, I don't. Either way, I've lost it."
"Lily, did you ever hear the quote, 'happiness is not a state to arrive at-but a manner of traveling'? Margaret Lee Runbeck, a muggle, said that. Think about it, Lils. I'll see you later."
Lily watched as her best friend walked out of the women's ward, her blonde hair bouncing, causing some of the women to sneer at her. "Oh, Lord." She groaned, flopping onto her cot, then getting back up to examine the contents of the bags. After replacing the prison sheets with some from home, along with her pillow, she set out her plate and teacup on the wall-table next to the bed. She nearly started bawling when her hands met the cool silver of the framed picture of James and Harry with their brooms, muddy from playing quidditch. In a leather pouch her rings jostled around. Lily assumed either Serenity seduced, Sirius conjoled, her James threatened them into letting her have them back.
"Well bless my soul, did they forget the lace curtains and wedgewood hutch?" Thom asked sarcastically.
"I was more upset about not bringing the marble fireplace, but I'll have to rough it." Lily snapped back.
"Good one, Jean."
"My name's Lily."
"Suuuurrreeee. We'll call you Jean."
"That was Sirius Black! One of my best friends!"
"Sirius Black isn't married."
"Yes he is! He eloped with Serenity Nightingale in October!" Lily felt that she was quickly losing her grip on sanity. Taking a deep breath, she calmly sat on her caught, picking up the picture of James and Harry.
"I bet she's a stalker." Billie said. "She's even got a picture of James Potter and his kid. The wife is conveniently not in it."
"Hey! I thought you were on my side!" Lily was unspeakably hurt. She fell into silence, deciding her mind was a more intelligent conversation than she would receive with the ill-mannered women she was with.
"Definitely a pureblood. She even sulks like one."
The guards brought breakfast in a few hours later: burnt toast without topping, milk, and some half raw/half burnt bacon. "Well, doesn't this look tasty?" Lily muttered.
"The princess doesn't like our five star dining!" Thom laughed, reaching through the bars to snag a piece of Lily's bacon.
"You reallys shouldn't be eating that. It'll make you fatter than you already are." Lily said, sharply slapping her hand. Thom dropped the bacon reflexively, and Lily scooted her cot to the middle of the cell. "That is incredibly rude. Honestly, to steal a stranger's food!"
"You tell her, Lil." Remus laughed, waiting for a guard to unlock her cell.
"REMMIE!" Lily hugged him tightly when he stepped in. "It's so good to see you!"
"It's very good to see you too. It would be even better in a different situation."
"It would, wouldn't it?" Lily sighed, taking a bite of her toast. "Do you want some? I don't think I can eat this stuff anyway."
"Aren't you the polite hostess?" Thom asked.
"Shut up. It's not that bad." Remus said, taking a bite.
"It tastes like something James would cook." Lily said wryly.
Thom looked highly insulted, making Lily laugh happily.
"Nice to see you're in a better mood now." Remus smiled gently.
"Much better. So, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in a month!"
"I got fired. Again. But McGonagall hired me to be your substitute until you get out. Malfoy's in prison too, so he can't complain yet."
"That's wonderful! Maybe he'll stay there and you can keep that job."
"I'm only there until you come back, Lils. That's all."
"But-"
"No buts. I like teaching, but the kids make it hard when they know I'm a werewolf."
"Heathen creatures." Thom sneered.
"You're one to talk." Lily said sweetly. "At least Remus knows how to read. And speaks proper English."
About fifteen minutes later, as Remus was ready to leave, he stood by the cell door. "If these broods give you any more trouble, let me know and I'll visit them on a full moon."
"Okay!" Lily smiled, then hugged him. "Thank you for being such a good friend."
"And I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't tell you this. You have to tell James what happened. He can fix it. You just have to let him know what to fix."
"Remmie, I can't tell him. I just can't." Lily said sadly.
"Bye, Lil, I'll come and visit next Saturday." Remus bent down to kiss her cheek and wink at her before leaving.
Lily was killing time by putting her hair into an intricate bun that afternoon when Thom woke up from a nap. "Just waiting on Potter to come and rescue you?"
"Something like that." Lily murmured.
Lily was finding that prison could be a very depressing place to do. Just sitting there hour after hour. But it appeared that she had it better than most people. She had a memory album that Remus had brought her, filled with pictures from Hogwarts, and pictures of after she and James were married.
"Yep, the kid's a stalker, Bill." Thom said, watching Lily look at the picture of baby Harry napping with James. "She must have busted into his house for these."
"Thom, mind your own business." Lily snapped, glaring at her.
'9:59:55, 9:59:56, 9:59:57, 9:59:58, 9:59:59, 9:59:60, 10:00'. "FINALLY!" Lily sighed out loud. The boredom was suffocating her, and she was forcing herself to wait until ten before she went to sleep that night. Already in her pajamas, she crawled in her caught, hoping she could sleep for awhile to occupy time.
"Oh look, the object of your obssession is coming to the women's ward! He's probably going to sentence you personally, right this minute!" Billie said with relish.
"How do you know that?" Lily yawned, knowing they were most likely joking.
"We have a code for James Potter. He's not hard on the eyes, you know. An owl hoot mean James Potter or Amos Diggory."
"How very, very, sad."
"Almost as sad as you getting yourself into this mess, then refusing to let anybody help you." James said, putting a key into the lock of her cell.
"Er, hi, James." Lily said, stading up. James looked exhausted.
He put his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her. "Lily. Listen very carefully. Don't talk until I tell you too. Got it?"
Lily nodded yes.
"Good. I have spent all day trying to get you out of jail, even until your trial. I have looked through files, racked my brain for every mention of somebody, and used that to black-mail them. I have offered to hand over the deed to Stonehaven. I can't let anybody get you let out. Which is a little strange because usually Fudge will cave under any kind of pressure. I have went to everybody. And through my excellent eavesdropping abilities, I've heard people talking about you. An appalling amount actually think you are a Death Eater. They want Death Eaters in Azkaban so their toddlers are safe. Lily, what I'm saying is that if you don't tell me what you were doing there, you will go to Azkaban in thirteen days. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, yes I do."
"Then what were you doing there?"
"I'm not telling."
"GOD DAMN IT LILY!" James suddenly yelled, shaking her, then lowering himself to her eye level. "I know you're not stupid. So I know that you think you have a good reason for this, you're not one to act irrationally. There isn't any reason good enough for you to go to Azkaban. Who are you protecting?"
"You."
"WHAT FOR?"
"You will be really sad if I tell you. And you'll feel guilty, like you could have stopped it."
"Lily, what if I promise not to feel bad or guilty?"
"You're lying." She said flatly.
"Do you love me? Because I really love you."
"Of course I do."
"If you love me, why are you willing to just throw away our relationship? Because if you go to Azkaban, we can't have a relationship. Do you know why? Because couples automatically become divorced by law when one or both go to Azkaban. Because I could only see you three hours once a week. And that brings up Harry! Your son! Who will spend the rest of his life without a mother he just got back! And the third reason is because you won't live a year in there, Lily! I've seen that place. You will be broken just like the millions of other people who went in there. You think this is bad, this is Heaven compared to Azkaban. I KNOW you're not guilty, and allowing yourself to be sent to Azkaban isn't noble, it isn't for a good cause, it's most definitely not protecting me, it's SINGING YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT!"
James's face softened as he pulled Lily to him. "You will just be hurting me more. I'll be wondering who you loved enough to protect, to kill yourself for, to leave me all alone for the the rest of my life. I'll feel guilty everyday, thinking that if I hadn't been at work, I would have been with you, and I would've noticed your strange behavior earlier. I need you, Lily. Please don't let yourself be taken away from me."
"James, I don't WANT to leave you! But everyone will just think that you had bad judgement in marrying me, a muggle-born. But if they find out...well, you most likely won't ever get to be Minister. It'll ruin your whole life. I don't want your life to be ruined. You can get married again. And have a new life."
"NO! I am not going to get married again. I married you, and you are the only person I will ever marry. Remember, it's forever, no backing out. NEVER BACKING OUT! And Lillian Marie BERTHA Potter, you are backing out like a coward."
"How in the HELL did you find out that-that-that NAME of mine?" Lily sputtered.
"I black-mailed Petunia. Now, back to the subject, Lily, I've changed my mind. I'm not going to let you go to Azkaban. I'll be here every spare moment I have, relentlessly hounding you to tell me. You'll crack."
"No I won't."
"Yes you will. Remember, I get all of December off. And between doing everything else to get you out, I'll be here. I'm not going to let you do this to us. I won't. Just remember, as soon as you tell, you get to go home." James taunted. He leaned down to kiss her before retreating to her cell door. "And to give you an extra incentive, you'll only be served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
Lily hated peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and James was fully aware of it. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"
"I can and I am. If things get to desperate, I'll even do the cooking myself."
"NO!"
"Do you want to tell me?"
"No."
"Alrighty then." James stepped back towards her, half expecting to be beat within an inch of his life with whatever she could find. He tenderly put his hands on the sides of her face. "I'm only doing this because I love you. And you can't go to Azkaban."
"But I will."
"No you won't." James said confidently, his attitude seemed completely changed from when he first came. "Because you're scared. You don't want to go. And the Lily I know drags her feet if she doesn't want to do anything. If you would have really wanted to go, you would've told me to go to hell by now, then hit me with your cot."
"Go to hell, Potter." Lily muttered half-heartedly.
"You'll get out in one piece yet, my sweet."
"You're entirely too cheery."
"You put me in such a good mood. The mere site of you has me practically floating."
"What did they give you?"
"Unfortunately not your pardon. Please tell me."
"NO."
"Damn. I'm going to try to find somebody else to harrass and threaten and bribe. I will be back bright and early at oh, say, four o'clock sharp."
"I thought you said early."
"In the morning, my sweet. Then I'll be back after a day's harrassment."
"You can't come that early!"
"Oh but I can. I am an Unspeakable, not to mention an Auror after all." James leaned down to kiss her again before leaving. "Don't have too much fun without me."
"Oh don't worry, I won't."
"Lily, you do realize your trial's tomorrow, don't you?" James sighed two weeks later. He had gotten absolutely nowhere with Lily.
"Yes, James." It was the same answer he got everyday.
Then he would ask, "Are you going to tell me yet?"
"No."
"Lily!" James sighed today, flopping onto her cot. He had came earlier today, so everybody was wide awake to watch their display. "This has got to be the most ignorant thing you have ever done in your life!."
James seemed to think about something for awhile. "Do you want to go to Azkaban?"
"Not necessarily, no."
"Good. Then drink this." He pulled a flask out of his robes. "Let's make this as easy and painless as possible."
"What is that?" Lily asked warily.
"Veritaserum. And you are going to drink it. Fletcher, Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Diggory are all out there. See?"
Lily looked out, and the five mentioned men were standing there, waiting.
"They have the special Auror voice recorders. You are going to tell me what really happened, got it?"
"No. I'm not taking that, and you can't make me."
"Yes you are, and yes I can. I have permission from your doctor saying you have no medical difficulites, from your next of kin, moi, giving my full permission, and ta da, the head hauncho himself."
"James! No."
"Lily! Yes." He mocked. "Now are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
"The way where I don't drink that."
"That wasn't an option. Drink it."
"But I-"
"Lily, either you drink it, or I sit on you and pour it down your throat."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"I wouldn't?"
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