Voldemort took a step towards Lily, and her heart beat so fast she thought it might explode. Was this truly the end? Was Lily going to die just like Cedric?
"Stay away from her!" Harry yelled.
Voldemort turned to him.
"Of course, where are my manners?" He grinned, and with the wave of his wand. Lily and Harry were released from their bonds and Lily was freed from the spell keeping her silent, "I would not deprive you of the chance to die in a duel."
Harry and Lily were thrown their wands. Harry ran over to Lily who met him halfway and shaking, they grabbed onto each other with their free hands.
"How sweet." Voldemort cackled, "The Potters are going to die together, just like their parents."
Harry was breathing so loudly now, Lily clutched onto his arm tighter, in fear he might recklessly attack Voldemort. He didn't.
"But first, before the death, we get to the fun part!" Voldemort declared and pointed his wand at the twins.
With a wave, their wands flew out of their hands. Lily gasped and looked at Voldemort. She slowly tried to push Harry back a bit, in hopes of shielding him, but he was trying to do the same to her. They reminded side by side.
"I'm with you, Harry." Lily promised in a whisper, "Until the very end."
"Crucio!"
Lily fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Her screams pierced the night. Harry fell to her side, trying to hold her as a source of comfort, but she didn't even realize he was there. All she felt was pain. Then, as quickly as it had started, the pain stopped. Lily shook on the ground.
Harry pulled her closer to where their wands had fallen.
"As fun as this had been." Voldemort said, "I believe it's time for the Potters to die! The sister first, then Harry!"
Harry grabbed their wands and jumped to his feet. Lily staggered up to stand by his side.
"You won't hurt her!" Harry yelled, "I won't let you!"
"What a shame you don't have a choice."
"Har-" Lily began to say, but she was cut off.
"Avada Kadavra!" Voldemort yelled, wand pointed at Lily at the same exact time as Harry jumped in front of her and yelled a spell of his own, "Expelliarmus!"
A bright light appeared, and ghostly figures began to emerge from the light, as Harry held the spell in balance. Lily's eyes widened as she saw Cedric emerge from the light.
"Please take my body back to my father." Cedric told them.
Harry opened his mouth to say something, possibly even to apologize but Cedric interrupted.
"It's alright. The others want to see you two as well." He said, before stepping back.
Then a figure of an elderly man emerged from the light. He looked at the Potter twins and gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Then a woman appeared. She had red hair and wore a sad smile.
"Mum." Lily breathed.
"Lil." The adult Lily said, "Harry."
Harry's eyes filled with tears as he struggled to keep the bond between the wands going.
"Your father's coming." Their mum said, "Hold on until then, we will cause a distraction and you can slip away."
"Mum." Harry croaked.
There were a thousand things the Potter siblings wanted to say to her, and to their dad, but there was no time. Just as the image of James Potter emerged from the light, it intensified. Lily was blinded, but she felt Harry pull her down next to Cedric's body. Harry summoned the cup and they disappeared, taking the port key back to the outside of the maze at Hogwarts.
Music began to play, a light and airy tune that made Lily begin to sob. Harry hugged her closer.
"What? What's going on- oh." A voice said.
Someone screamed. Then, it was deadly quiet.
"My boy?" A man's voice called out timidly, "Where is he? Where's Cedric? Where's my son?!"
The shouts and screams began then, and the tears of the spectators began to flow. Someone tried to pry the Potters away from the body of Cedric.
"No!" Harry protested.
"Harry." Dumbledore's voice said calmly, "You and Lily-"
"No! He's back! Voldemort's back!"
A few people nearby gasped in shock.
"I'll take care of the Potters, Dumbledore." Moody said, lifting them off the ground, and pulling them along.
There was so much chaos and commotion that Lily couldn't think straight. Her head was pounding and her entire body ached. They entered Moody's office and the door closed.
"Sit." Moody commanded.
The Potter twins sat together, holding each other like the other was their life force- like they'd be just as dead as Cedric if they let go.
"He's back?" Moody asked.
"Yes." Harry whispered.
"You saw?"
"Yes." Harry answered.
"What was it like?"
There was a silence.
"Awful." Lily mumbled.
That was an understatement. There was no word to express the emotions of the experience.
"How many were there? Death Eaters, in the cemetery?" Moody asked.
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but the slightest bit of realization hit Lily. She tugged at his arm. He glanced at her before realizing what she meant.
"I- I didn't say that there was a cemetery, Professor." Harry said.
Moody turned slowly, wand drawn.
"Do you know how hard it was?" He asked, "How difficult it was to enter you into the Triwizard Tournament, Harry? And Lily, once I found out he wanted to kill you too, I had to make sure you would be in the cemetery. I had to find a way. Memory charm worked nicely."
"You put me in the maze." Lily said quietly.
"Yes. And impersonating Mad Eye Moody- that was no easy task either."
"Who are you?" Harry asked tiredly.
Their wands were too far away to reach. He had the upper hand.
"Barty Crouch." The imposter stated proudly.
"Jr." Harry added, as he recognized the features of the man slowly morph.
"Do you know how much he'll reward me?" Crouch asked, pointing his wand at Harry, "How much he'll reward the man who killed the last Potters..."
He opened his mouth to say the spell, and as Lily flinched and closed her eyes, the door to the office broke open. Her eyes shot back open and she saw Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall storming into the office. Crouch was disarmed and pushed into a chair.
Lily and Harry didn't let go of each other.
"Veritaserum." Dumbledore instructed Snape, who moved quickly to get the potion.
Snape handed it Dumbledore before his eyes fell onto the Potters. His usual stony demeanor was replaced with the slightest hints of fear and concern. Crouch was force fed the potion and began to laugh manically.
"He has returned!" Crouch grinned wickedly, "The Dark Lord will win!"
"Where is Alastor Moody?" Dumbledore demanded.
"The chest." Crouch replied, gazing over at a large black chest in the corner of the room.
McGonagall marched over to it and unlocked it.
"The Dark Lord will come for you." Crouch said, looking at Harry and Lily, "He won't stop til you're both dead."
"Enough!" Snape demanded.
The world began to swirl around Lily.
"Take them to the hospital wing." Someone said.
A pair of hands began to try and coax Lily away from her brother.
"No." She mumbled in distress, "Harry..."
And the world went black.