The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

Alright, Potter?

Lily stared at James, her green eyes wide and face pale so that the freckles across her nose stood out twice as much as usual. 

They were sitting on the couch in the Trophy Room Passageway, facing one another, their legs tangled up around each other, leaning against opposite arms of the couch. James had just finished telling Lily everything that had happened during the full moon at the Shrieking Shack, including the story about the watch, and Peter's Unbreakable Vow - or as much as they'd been able to extract from him for information, that is. 

"Sirius was ready to kill him," James said with a sigh, "You know Sirius, how dramatic he can be, he was instantly holding his wand to Peter's throat."

Lily shook her head. "Poor Peter. I told you lot there was something going on with him, I could just feel it..." She was near to tears. "I wish Sirius wouldn't be so harsh with him, he needs to be loved, that's all he needs..."

"Yeah," James murmured. He looked down. "I don't know what to do. I mean, obviously we have to figure out a way to rescue Peter from You Know Who, but I don't know how."

Lily pursed her lips. "Maybe it's something that needs to be brought to Dumbledore."

"Maybe," James replied. Then, "But last year if the rescuing had been left up to Dumbledore and the Resistance then I'd still be in Voldemort's clutches, wouldn't I? Still be being tortured..." his eyes got sort of faraway, "Or else mercifully dead."

"Don't say that," Lily shivered.

James looked at her. "It's true, though. I get it Dumbledore's the most powerful wizard in the world and that he's the only one Voldemort is afraid of and all of that but I feel like maybe Dumbledore sort of... doesn't act when he should."

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Like maybe the academics of it sort of distracts him from just doing what he ought to do. He gets too caught up in having to know every facet of things," James went on, "When all he needs to do is ruddy kill the son of a bitch."

Lily nodded slowly, "Maybe."

James looked back down at his hands again, picking at a loose thread on the couch.

"What is it that you think needs to be done, then?" Lily asked, "About Peter?"

"We need to get my watch back from Voldemort so he doesn't have control over Peter," James replied, "And we need to fulfill his Unbreakable Vow so that he isn't bound to Voldemort by it any longer, so that the magical contract is nulled and Peter's freed."

Lily nodded slowly, "And what is it that the Unbreakable Vow is for that would need fulfilling?"

James's eyes very carefully stayed trained on that loose thread. "From what we could get from him, Voldemort wants him to bring me to him. Because for some reason Voldemort thinks that I know about Mopsus and his life clock."

Lily's eyes had widened. "Absolutely not." Her voice was sharp and a bit shaky. She shook her head violently, and drew her legs up, standing up and pacing about the room, "No - no - no." She turned and looked at James, wagging her finger, "Don't you even think about it."

He looked up at her.

"You are not allowing Peter to bring you to him," Lily said, "I know that's what you're thinking you have to do and I -- NO. Abso-fucking-lutely not."

James smirked at this.

"I mean it, James Charlus Potter," Lily said.  She crossed her arms over her chest sternly and set her jaw as straight as she could, although it quivered just a wee, and stared down her nose at him.