Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Unconsciousness was driven rudely from his reach, and he mourned its loss.
Liquidized fire replaced his blood, and James clenched his mouth and shut his eyes as he waited for what seemed like eternity for the curse to pass. It did eventually, leaving him gasping for breath on the cold steel floor as raucous laughter filled the air.

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Lily clenched her fists in frustration, desperation. The wave finally passed, and she had to calm the rushing in her ears to hear what Voldemort was saying.
The evil creature had stood up from his makeshift throne, and addressed the mob of Death Eaters with triumph.
“—And we, my loyal Death Eater’s, we will defeat and conquer Dumbledore’s pathetic army, we will kill all those muggle-loving weaklings! We shall destroy the Ministry of Magic! We shall WIN THIS WAR, and take our rightful place—”
And then…
Laughter.
Peals of mirthless laughter, soft at first before slowly and steadily growing louder and louder. James was facing his death.
His doom.
His eternal damnation.
…And he just laughed…
Lily was certain that James had finally lost his marbles. That he had gone around the bend. He was a loon, a crazy, .a quack.
His laughter rang out loudly, clearly in the shocked, deadly silence of the room, but it held no maniacal undertone, only a slightly mocking edge. But above all, it held triumph.
Utter and complete triumph.
It was the laughter of a man who had nothing to lose, the laughter that said he had nothing save it, and only it. The laughter of a man who could be beaten, bruised, and broken in body, but not in spirit.
The laughter died down to the occasional chuckle. He coughed, spitting up blood before turning to look at Voldemort with a grim, twisted smirk on his face before he spoke with a rasping breath,
“You, my dear Tom…will never win this war. You will never defeat Dumbledore. You will never prosper against the mudbloods. You will never defeat the will and determination of the Order. And most of all…you will never-do you hear me Tom?-you will never defeat me.”

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Surprisingly, there was no immediate retaliation. James tensed, expecting a curse—any curse to sweep through his being.
But there was nothing.
Only a slightly pleased smile that twisted Voldemort’s lips. And somehow, James found that much more terrifying.

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“You, there! Servant, come here!”
Lily’s focus snapped back from James to Voldemort and his pointing finger. Slowly, ever slowly, the crowd around her drew away and Lily looked about desperately for an escape, hoping in vain that he was calling to another. However, the Death Eater’s had slowly receded, and she was left all alone in front of him. All of the Death Eaters’ attention was focused solely on her, and she could do little.
Voldemort’s eyes gleamed with triumph, and she felt the panic rising slowly within her, burbling, and causing her to feel nauseous. He had found her out, seen through her ruse, and now she was going to die…
Voldemort beckoned her closer to the platform, and when she did not move several hands pushed her into action. She stumbled, landing at Voldemort’s feet in a bow, James staring at her though half-glazed eyes a mere few meters away.
A wand was thrust under her nose, and she stared into the triumphantly cold eyes of Voldemort. She took it on instinct, not believing her great luck—to think, Voldemort had just given her a weapon, and—
Voldemort smirked, gazing at the silent crowd with pleased eyes. “Now, my dear and humble servants! I will give you the honor of destroying Potter with me! Come here, girl! You are the one who has been chosen!”
Lily stared at the wand in her hand with mounting horror, then glanced at where James was. They wanted her to…?
“Come servant! You shall destroy him!”
…They did.
“This girl, pulled from my own ranks shall receive the honor of the greatest of magnitude. This girl—this girl! Her name shall be repeated in history for the rest of time, and for being so loyal, I reward her with this! I give her the opportunity—the privilege!—to interrogate and kill JAMES POTTER…!”
The crowd roared its approval, but the sound faded from her ears and all that Lily could hear was Voldemort’s words echoing in her head.
…kill James Potter…killJamesPotter…KILLJAMES POTTER….
And as tempting as this offer would have been twenty-four hours ago, now…
Now…
The utter irony of it all did not escape her.
She was there to save him, and now she was there to be his executioner.
And there was only one word that Lily could think of to explain her tangled and twisted emotions accurately.
Oh bugger.

The Order of the Phoenix.net

24 Hours - Part 7