InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "PWN3D!i!i!"

CHARACTER: Lily Potter née Evans.
SETTING: .
TYPE: First-person sample.
WORD COUNT: +
OTHER POSTS: Here and here [ parabolical ].





CHARACTER: Lily Potter née Evans.
SETTING: Canon, June 1980.
TYPE: Third-person RP sample.
WORD COUNT: 900+

With the summer sunshine peeking through the gaps in the trees in the backyard of the cottage and laughter and boisterous horseplay regularly joining the sounds of the birds, one would have no reason to think the day held any danger. Lily preferred it that way. To have these afternoons where everyone gathered at the cottage could forget about the daily danger they all lived with was a blessing, especially as Voldemort had become a very personal threat to Lily and others since the prophecy had been made known.

Yet again, she found herself grateful that she'd insisted that the house, frontyard and backyard all be included in the coverage of the charm that was keeping them safe from Voldemort and all his Death Eaters. It meant that they could still have times like these while hidden away, even if those gatherings were limited to those they trusted most with the information of their location. These treasured times with their 'family' and friends were small spots of brightness in the dark.

Leaning down, one hand resting on her stomach, she pulled two empty plates close and placed them on the tray floating silently beside her. Despite the lack of strenuous effort any of it required, as well as Lily's protests that she liked to keep active and occupied even with her stomach the size of several dragons eggs at this point, James was already loading up the tray with anything deemed 'heavy' between shots at Sirius in their multi-man play-duel. The male protectiveness didn't end there – not that it ever did lately, really – as she reached for the third plate, only to have Peter refuse to let go of it.

"Come on, Lil, let me take it all inside," he said, halfway out of his seat before Lily rested a hand on his shoulder, not pushing him back down, but away from the table.

"I can handle a floating tray, Wormy." It only earned her a worried look from him, which she tried to divert with a ruffle of his hair and a reassurance. "I'm pregnant, love, not incapacitated. Now go play."

"Lily."

Looking up, Lily fixed a playfully severe look on Remus. "Now don't you start up too. Go on, shoo, the both of you."

It always warmed her heart to see them be concerned, even if she thought it was nothing. She supposed it was mostly a male thing, that awkwardness with pregnant females and the instinctive urge to overcompensate, but she also knew part of it came from them all being so close. Usually, it was she fussing over them, so she supposed this was loving retribution in their minds.

With a quiet sort of gentlemanliness, one that spoke of manners that were a surprising contrast to the antics he was known for, as well as manners far better than the good breeding that purebloods would insist they had in the same breath as they abused their house-elves, Sirius turned away from colouring James and Frank's hair green and silver to levitate a stack of plates onto the tray before Lily could even reach for them.

He flashed her a brief grin before turning his attention back to Alice, who had retreated to the sidelines, a hand similarly on her stomach, to distract Sirius, James and Frank from their efforts. It would be where Lily would join her in a few minutes, at which point they would surreptitiously begin adding to the chaos with a few well-cast spells.

"All depends on the bribe," Sirius announced in reply to Alice's teasing, then ducked behind her chair to avoid Frank's retribution. "And no, I won't take the luxury of your company. Lily's the only witch in my life."

Unable to help herself at the free-flowing amusement at the idea of Sirius Black, unrepentant and uncontested lover of ladies, being a one-witch man at this point in his life, Lily paused in her efforts and laughed right out loud.

"Too right I am!" she said, dropping a quick kiss to the top of his head before walking – well, more like waddling – to the end of the table. "Perhaps I ought to stick a sign to you saying so, to keep all these other birds in line. A very long line it would be, but it would be a line just the same."

"What's the matter with you, Padfoot, insulting my lady wife like that by implying she would be with more than one bloke?"

James, clearly not to be outdone, or perhaps just to be sure he earned a kiss as well to keep himself well ahead of Sirius, aimed at Sirius' leg, well clear of Alice's chair, levitated the last of the dishes on the tray, and then bounded over to Lily, just as Sirius' leather trousers completed the transformation to a floral print.

"How sweet," she murmured with a soft laugh as James' lips met hers, the laughter gaining volume when he cursed and whirled on Sirius to exact retribution for the flower now sprouting from his ear.

Shaking her head, Lily directed the tray toward the open back door of the cottage, the destination of the kitchen counter in sight, and went to sit next to Alice.

It was going to be an eventful evening to be certain, and Lily couldn't wait.




CHARACTER: Lily Potter née Evans.
SETTING: Parabolicalverse.
TYPE: Third-person RP sample.
WORD COUNT: 1,330+
NOTES: Dialogue you recognize isn't mine!

Four days. Four days since she'd been murdered. Four days since she'd found herself alive again. Four days in which Lily sometimes wasn't certain which end was up in this mad world where their entire world and all that had gone on in it was entertainment for Muggles. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were both revered and mocked, just as everyone else from their worlds was depending on what one read or saw. There were groups of people choosing sides in a war they didn't even dream was anything more than a story.

Sometimes, all she could do was laugh. It was either laugh and poke fun, or sob. Anyone who knew her would know she wasn't exactly slow to tears, and usually unashamed of that because it was real emotion, just as any other, but Lily sensed if she went about weeping for being dead while being alive, she'd get a few odds looks and awkward pats from those who thought her barmy for crying over something that had been undone. But it wasn't just the dying, but all she and James had lost that night, all their son and others had lost following that night, a loss that had built and built.

That's what the walks were for, the trips to the corner store with the excuse that cooking the Muggle way was enjoyable sometimes or the strolls to the closest park and back with the excuse the scenery was lovely. Any excuse that put her where others weren't going to see her go quietly to pieces when it all simply became too much, then pull herself together and slap back on her brave face for everyone and see to those who really needed the attention and love and care, like Sirius.

But she couldn't hide the nightmares that came on that fourth night, lingering into the early hours of the next morning.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Time for bed, my dearest loves, time for bed," Lily said, hair sweeping down off her shoulder and around her face as she bed over the two, her smile bright.

"But Mum, we're not sleepy," James said with a playful roll of his eyes as he scooped Harry up, grinning down at the toddler before passing him to Lily

Sweeping Harry into her arms and tucking his head against her shoulder, Lily nodded and turned for the door. "Mm, yeah, that's why you'll be yawning right about-"

James tossed his wand on the sofa, then stretched out across it, letting go of the predicted yawn in a lazy way that said he wasn't much fussed by her knowing he was tired.

"-now," Lily finished, threw him an airy kiss and started out the door and up the stairs. The downstairs door flew open and the turned, biting back a scream as she clutched Harry closer. James darted out into the hall at the same time that dark-robed figured swept into the house. Voldemort.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

She'd barely reached the top the the stairs when she heard those chilling words –

"Avada Kedavra!"

– the death knell of the other half of her heart. She couldn't bear to turn and look, not just in retreating for Harry's sake, but in seeing James looking no more that asleep.

Look, look there and see the end, face what blind faith led you to.

The voice was hers, in her head or filtered in the house, she wasn't certain, but it was there and it shouldn't be.

But she turned and looked. Voldemort seemed paused in time for a moment as she did, as her gaze fell upon James on the floor. His eyes were open, staring unseeing, but the fear on his face was softening in death. He'd look peaceful by the time anyone found him.

Your Jamie's dead. No more. And you could have prevented it if you'd been a little more insistent.

She turned away and dashed into Harry's room, piling boxes and a chair against the door as fast as she could manage without her wand. It was too late to summon Sirius even if she had her wand – she could hear Moody now in her head, rather than her own voice, telling her what a fool she was for letting her guard down even in her Fidelius Charm-protected home – but perhaps she could get them both out the window under the steam of some wandless magic. Even if she broke something, she'd crawl to the edge of the property and get Harry to safety.

The door blew open behind her, scattering her futile block, and she turned, confronting the harsh reality of that noseless pale face, those blood-red eyes that glowed in an impossible fashion and the lazy smirk his thin lips were twisted into, and she knew it was too late to escape. It left her one option alone – begging.

He won't listen, you're mad if you think he will, you'll die and Harry will have no one.

Lily ignored the voice, dropping Harry into the crib. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" The tears had started, fear and panic and the sick sense of knowing that she would likely not live through this.

"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now."

He doesn't me~ean it! This is the end for you, Lily Potter, the very end. Of a sorts.

Lily squared herself in front of the crib, fighting back the instinctive urge to reassure Harry, who screamed in the crib behind her. "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –-"

"This is my last warning –-"

How was Voldemort here? No one could be here, find this place, unless the Secret-Keeper had told them, and she knew Wormy would never have done that.

Wrong! Wormy did! James died and you'll die too because Wormy betrayed you, you bleeding soft hearted incompetent, and then he killed twelve Muggles to frame Sirius, to ruin Harry's life in every way before he'd barely learned to say 'Uncle Wormy'.

That wasn't right. This wasn't how it had gone. Sirius wasn't framed for anything at all, that hadn't happened yet – and how did she know that?

"Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please –- I'll do anything –-" she sobbed, a last desperate plea to a man with only a fragment of a soul – Horcruxes, imagine if you'd known that, none of this would be happening, you blubbering nit – to spare her child.

"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"

This was the end. She knew it was and she knew it wouldn't hurt. Her body would fall to the floor while Harry screamed in fear, relaxed at first as though sleep, while her son wondered why she wouldn't wake up and tend to him

But it wasn't over. Sirius would find them. He would.

Wrong again! Look, look over there.

The draperies in Harry's room blew out toward her, though the window wasn't open. Time had slowed, Voldemort poised to act, but the words not yet delivered. The draperies ruffled, almost parting but then overlapping, as if teasing her, outlining the thin – too thin – frame of a person.

Sirius won't find you, he's gone, you absolute twit, gone where no living person should ever be, and it's all your fault too, for not trusting your own judgment, you're to blame, you are.

"Lil, help me, Lil, please."

It was Sirius' voice, weak and raspy and full of agony and he was calling to her from just behind the draperies, begging to her to save him.

This wasn't right either-

"Avada Kedavra!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lily bolted upright in bed with a sobbed scream.





CHARACTERS: Lily Potter née Evans, James Potter.
SETTING: Parabolicalverse; September 2005 (2008).
TYPE: Thread/log sample.
LINK: Completed log.

CHARACTERS: Sirius Black, Lily Potter née Evans, James Potter.
SETTING: Parabolicalverse; September 2005 (2008).
TYPE: Thread/log sample.
LINK: Completed log.

NOTE: All bolded characters in thread/log samples are ones I played or NPC'd.