The inferi crawled towards them, looking grotesque and unnatural as they closed in on Cassie, James and Lily, surrounding them and forming an inescapable circle. For once even James looked a little scared as the horrifying mass limped towards them.
“Now would be a great moment for a bright idea Lily,” said Cassie as she shot spell after spell into the huddled bodies, each one different as she searched for some way to stop the bodies.
“I can’t think of anything!” screamed Lily as one inferius lunged towards her, its hands clawing at her robes. “I don’t know anything about them!”
“Inferi,” muttered Cassie over and over again as she tried to remember her Auror training. “Fire! They hate fire!” she shouted as she remembered something Moody had mentioned.
James immediately shot tongues of flame at the bodies surrounding him, successfully making them back off a little. “We need to get out of here!” he cried. “You two go first and I’ll hold them off as you Disapparate!”
“Go Cassie!” yelled Lily, effectively forcing Cassie to Disapparate. As she did so, one of the inferi clutched at the air where she had been moments before. James grabbed Lily’s hand as the corpses converged on them, their fires only just keeping them away. “There are too many!” she screamed to James, brandishing her wand frantically.
Suddenly the inferi began to crawl away, lumbering between the trees and abandoned houses and James and Lily watched them in shock.
“What happened?” Lily asked quietly.
“I’m not sure but we need to get out of here before whatever’s coming next arrives,” replied James, looking about him alertly as he kept his guard up. The pair of them turned on the spot, expecting to feel themselves sucked into the air. Nothing happened. They were still in exactly the same place, the trees standing like lonely and withered crones, leaning in as the wind whispered secrets in their ears; the houses still stood and watched them, the air of abandonment which hung around them leaving James and Lily with an eerie prickling on the back of their necks.
“He must have been expecting that,” murmured Lily as she held her wand out in front of her, preparing to fight.
Suddenly a pale face appeared from the darkness, its blood red eyes glowing in anticipation and James’ grip on Lily’s hand tightened. “Well, you fought well,” Voldemort said. “I hope you enjoyed my little test, especially you, Lily Potter.”
“What do you want?” challenged James.
Voldemort laughed, a high pitched laugh which resounded through the trees. “I want both of you to join me; yes even you Lily. As I said last time, I’m sure I can make a… special exception for someone of your talent.”
“We will never join you!” cried Lily fiercely. “We told you that once before!”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” he said, “minds can easily be changed. I need only remind you that rather a lot of lives hang on this decision, yours included.”
“We would rather die than join you!” replied James, making Voldemort laugh again.
“You never learn! All of you are so… foolish. Do you truly think that you stand a chance against me? Lord Voldemort? Look around you Potters. Your Ministry is in ruins-”
“The Ministry hasn’t fallen to you yet though!” interrupted James.
“But it will soon. Dumbledore and his pathetic attempt at fighting back are being picked off by my Death Eaters, Muggles are dying in their droves – I’m sure you both care deeply about that – and I am the most powerful wizard here! It really wouldn’t hurt for you to join me,” he said, his voiced laced with menace. “And if you don’t… well I have no issue with killing the pair of you,” he continued, holding his wand out deliberately.
A burst of red light shot from James’ wand as they began to battle for survival, Voldemort retaliating almost instantaneously with numerous Killing Curses which flashed green as they raced towards the young couple, illuminating the trees with their unnatural glow.
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“I can’t believe it,” Sirius said numbly the night after they visited Lily and James in their house in Godric’s Hollow.
“Sirius, do you think that we ought to be doing what they are?” Cassie asked quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“Well Lily and James have got married, bought a house together and now Lily’s pregnant. I mean, they even have a cat! Don’t you feel like they’re sort of… I don’t know, leaving us behind? They seem so mature now…”
“Do you want to get married?” Sirius asked as he pulled Cassie close to him, lying her head on his chest and wrapping his arms around her, feeling, not for the first time, that marrying Cassie would make him truly happy for the rest of his life.
“I don’t know, I mean I love you and I do want to get married but I’m happy the way we are at the moment.”
“Well I certainly don’t plan on leaving you any time soon,” Sirius said with a grin, “once we’re out of this mess we can start our own family. Plus, Lily already had that cat, so I don’t think it counts my love. You have an owl anyway.”
“I suppose so!” Cassie laughed, before pausing for a second. “I know,” she eventually agreed sleepily, yawning as she did so, “it’s not exactly the best time to begin a family.”
“Anyway, I swear Cassiopeia Jones, as soon as this is all over I am going to buy the biggest ring you’ve ever seen and you’re going to be mine forever,” he said as he kissed her, feeling her smile against his lips. “We’ll have so many children you won’t know what to do with them and you’ll be bankrupt every time the Hogwarts term starts!” Sirius said, smiling down at her happily and wondering how he’d ended up with her.
“Good, I’m looking forward to it,” she said, her breathing slowing as she slipped into sleep, unconsciously snuggling even closer to Sirius as she snored.
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“Merry Christmas!” James beamed at them as Cassie and Sirius hung their coats up, stamping the snow off their shoes before following Lily through to the sitting room, Daia trying to trip them all up as she wound between their feet, both of them seeming to be completely recovered from their lucky escape a couple of months before.
“It’s so lovely to see you!” she smiled, hugging Cassie and Sirius happily, the bump of her stomach beginning to get in the way.
“You’ve put a bit of weight on Lil, you might want to watch what you eat,” Sirius teased, receiving a light slap on his head in return.
“You’re one to talk Padfoot,” Lily said dryly, poking Sirius’ perfectly flat stomach. “You’re so fat I can barely get my arms around you.”
“I think that I’d actually say that I’m wasting away,” he said, collapsing on the sofa dramatically. “I’m looking forward to stuffing myself with food today.”
“So no different from normal then,” Lily said as James sat beside her, laughing at the expression on Sirius’ face.
“I’ve been thinking,” he announced, “maybe you ought to take up your job again instead of living here off James’ parents’ money and lounging around all day doing nothing while people out there are dying and whatnot,” he said with a smirk.
“Oh gee Padfoot, I’d love to do that but I’ve got two problems. One is that we’re actually full-time members of the Order and the other is that you’re being a hypocrite because that’s exactly what you do,” she said with a laugh.
“Me?” Sirius said, holding his hand to his heart and looking offended. “I am hurt Lily. Don’t mind me while I crawl over here into this corner and cry,” he said, making them all laugh.
Their Christmas lunch was delicious; Lily had cooked an enormous roast turkey with hundreds of different types of vegetables, jellies and sauces piled onto the table. Cassie and Sirius had arrived with a couple of puddings in tow, and Lily had made yet more. After eating enough to last them a lifetime during the first course, feeling as if they would explode from the amount they had eaten, Lily waved her wand, the dirty dishes being replaced with clean ones for their pudding. An enormous trifle floated over from the side, closely followed by a rich chocolate fudge cake, a Christmas pudding, a white chocolate cheesecake and a sponge Yule log.
“How do you expect us to eat all of that?” James exclaimed, even him and Sirius defeated by the meal.
“Are you sure you don’t want any of it Prongs?” Cassie asked. “I made a white chocolate cheesecake especially for you… and me too, because it’s my favourite dessert.”
“Well I suppose I could manage a bit… maybe a small slice,” he said as Lily prepared to slice it up. “Serve me first Lily!” he cried as Lily sighed. “James we have guests!”
“Yeah but Cassie will eat it all before I get any!”
“James can go first,” Cassie said, rolling her eyes with Lily.
Lily marked out a slice with the knife. “Is this enough?” she asked.
“No a bit more.” Lily adjusted the knife. “More… more… Merlin Lily, I said more!” Lily handed him a bowl with nearly a quarter of the cheesecake in it. “That looks great, thank you darling,” he said with a smile.
“Are you sure you can eat that Prongs?” Sirius mocked.
“Yeah I am actually. What are you having?”
“Some of everything,” he said, before devouring the desserts, James following his lead.
“That was delicious,” Cassie said, feeling a little queasy as she finally finished her meal, the bowl in front of her empty. They retired to the sitting room, lounging on the chairs and sofas as they digested their meal, trying not to be sick.
“I’ve got a game we can play,” Sirius said.
“Can we open our presents first?” Cassie asked, eyeing the large Christmas tree in one corner, festooned with tinsel and baubles and sparkling in the light.
“Yeah,” James said as he went over to the tree and pulled out two of the few remaining presents, checking the labels. “Yeah, these are yours,” he said, handing one to Sirius and one to Cassie before sitting down again.
“We have two for you as well,” Sirius said, Summoning a pair of brightly wrapped presents which floated through the air towards them. “This is for you Lily,” he said, giving Lily one, “and this is for you,” he continued, giving James the other.
Sirius and Cassie opened their presents first, beaming happily as they saw what James and Lily had bought them. “It’s brilliant, thank you!” Cassie grinned as she looked at her two new jumpers and cloak.
“Yeah I thought you’d appreciate that Padfoot,” James said, as Sirius sniffed the cologne he had been given. “It’ll stop you smelling of wet dog, if you know what I mean,” he smirked.
Lily and James opened theirs then, Lily gasping in delight when she saw the silver necklace and bracelet that they had bought her, a tiny red ruby wrought in a silver snowflake dangling from the end of the pendant, and similar ones on the bracelet. “It’s beautiful!” she said as she hugged both of them tightly.
“Wow thank you Padfoot, Cassie!” James said as he looked at his broomstick care kit in awe. “I’ve been running out of polish recently and I really needed some more,” he said gleefully.
“Well now you have some,” Cassie said with a laugh before they began to play various party games, making fools of themselves among friends as they laughed merrily, arguing and fighting when they got too involved in the games, a common occurrence.
“No! You ran out of time!” cried Cassie. “You can’t have the last one!”
“Yes we can!” shouted Lily. “I got it didn’t I? I didn’t hear James call the time!”
“Put it back in the bowl Lily!” James replied. “Cassie and I are going to win!”
“If you don’t let us have it I’ll lock you out of the house,” threatened Sirius.
“Fine, I’ll just stay here then! You cannot have Morgana Le Fay; Lily didn’t guess her in time!”
“Yes I did!” she cried, the argument raging on, each pair determined to win; another one broke out half an hour later when Cassie swore that she knew the answer to one of the trivia questions.
“How do Muggles power their lights?” read out Sirius, turning the card over and smirking at the answer.
“That’s not fair!” James yelled. “Lily’s a Muggle; she’s obviously going to know the answer!”
“Well maybe you would too if you paid attention!”
“To what? I never took Muggle Studies.”
“You tell her Prongs!” Cassie said. “This question won’t count and it’ll serve you right for keeping Morgana when you should have put her back.”
“You can’t still hold that against me!” Lily cried as the game continued.
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