The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

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Lily's hand hurt, and she clutched it close to her chest, as she allowed Ali to move her gently toward the bed again. Lily was shaking slightly from the adrenaline that had flowed through her during the fight. It was now wearing off and in place of that rush, she was suddenly feeling quite cold and weak. She tumbled into the bed and felt as though she had collapsed there.

Ali smoothed back Lily's hair and hovered nervously, looking around at the destruction of the little room. Broken glass and bits of wall cluttered the floor and the marks of deflected spells dotted the walls like puffs of ash, blackening the neutral wallpaper.

"Whatever happened here?!"

On edge, Ali turned quickly, wand ready, and found it aimed directly at Sirius Black's chest.

Sirius looked down at the wand poking into him, grinned, then looked up at Ali. "Am I in trouble or are you just happy to see me?" Ali lowered her wand as Sirius's grin only widened and James came shoving 'round from behind Sirius.

"Evans!" he cried, seeing the room in shambles and Lily laying on the bed, still quite a ruffle from the fight. James ran over and reached for her hand, which made Lily yowl in pain. He jumped back, hands raised, "Wbat'd I do?"

"My hand!" Lily sobbed, a combination of the pain from the broken hand and the relief of seeing James washing over her. The rush was certainly over now, and she started to cry in earnest as the realization that she was okay and the battle was over sank in. Shock rippled along her nerve endings like an icy breeze, and she shivered.

"It's broken, I think," Ali supplied to the panicked expression on James's face.

"Who? How?" He asked. Lily beckoned him closer with her good hand and James stepped up. As she collapsed against him, he enveloped her in a hug and held on as she pressed her face into his shoulder.

"A mediwitch. Or at least someone who looked like a mediwitch. Marlene and I came up here to see Lily and they were dueling - then Marly went after her..."

Sirius was wide eyed in the doorway, taking it all in as Ali spoke. When she'd finished, Sirius drew his wand from his hair, and said, "Which way did they go?"

"Round to the left, but --"

Before Ali could finish, Sirius was bounding out the door. She looked helplessly at James, who started to move to go after him, but Lily clutched at James's shirt with her good hand. "No, please don't. Don't go yet, James."

James's mouth moved like a confused fish for a moment, his mind fighting over whether to go and help capture the person who'd hurt Lily Evans or else to stay and fulfill her wishes. But Lily's green eyes shone up at him and he nodded and held her closer.

Ali hesitated, then, deciding they needed a moment alone, she said, "I'll go find a real mediwitch - to help with Lily's hand."

James nodded.

"Thank you, Alice," Lily said feebly.

Ali darted from the room.

"Has anyone reported this attack to the Ministry, do you know?" James asked Lily, releasing her from his embrace. His voice switching from his usual tone to one that surprised Lily with how official it sounded. It was clearly a voice he'd been perfecting over the weeks of working at the Ministry, the voice that James the Auror would one day use, rather than James the mischievous love of her life.

"No, I very much doubt so, unless Marlene's done..." Lily replied.

James nodded in a very official manner and quickly cast his stag patronous - a flick of his wrist was all it took to do it now, and Lily marveled at the glowing apparition of the stag that stood there in the room, glowing pale white-blue. "Mr. Underhill," James said, addressing the patronous, which stared at him intently as he spoke, "There's been an attack at Mungo's, following an ambush..." James paused, looked to Lily.