WHO: James Potter, Lily Potter, & some Ministry men
WHAT: Lily's not following the rules.
WHEN: Today, day after the tattoo deadline
WHERE: Potter residence

"How the hell did I learn anything?" James Potter muttered to himself, dragging his old Hogwarts trunk down the pavement of his street. He would have apparated straight onto their porch, but with the trunk from his father's attic, James didn't want to risk smashing a hole into the wood with the force of his landing.

Or something like that. At any rate, he'd appeared in the closest designated apparation spot and trudged along, looking over a scroll of transfiguration parchment from third year. It contained no notes, just scribbles and random chattering between the Gryffindor men (they even called themselves men way back then), and James was beginning to realize that this whole 'teaching' thing was going to be a bit harder than he believed.

First years were terrified of everything, second years thought they knew something, and third years had a new sense of entitlement with Hogsmeade visits---any students above third were just going to be threatened with being turned into a ferret, that was all---

He dropped his trunk at the end of the stone walkway to their front door, as the sight of the door wide open and a very familiar shrieking coming from it made James' heart stop. Forgetting their were surrounded by muggles, James flung out his wand and rushed into the house, shooting off a patronus for help.

"Lily!" he screamed, trying to find her---it was easy with how loud she was being.

"-----is fucking ridiculous! If Voldemort wants to find me, he's going to do it, and no stupid tattoo is going to stop him! I'll let you put that thing on my hand when hell freezes over, so you had better not hold your breath!"

The wizards both flinched at the name of the Dark Lord coming so freely out of her mouth, but neither faltered in their stance as they faced Lily with their wands out. She had taken a likewise position, the hand that they desired so much clenched in a death grip around her own wand, and her livid face giving the impression of someone who could explode if not handled with care. Unfortunately for these burly Ministry wizards that had been sent after her, they were more interested in getting what they wanted than keeping the peace, and that was not making her any more apt to oblige them.

"Mrs. Potter, must I remind you once again that you are in defiance of the Ministry of Magic and the Minister himself!" one of them yelled. She hadn't seen a redder face since the last time she'd talked to Vernon. "You will drop your wand and let us administer you the tattoo or we will do it by force, but either way, you will be given your marking!"

"What don't you understand by the words LIKE HELL I WILL!"

Lily could hear James just barely over her own voice, but didn't bother to call back to him. It wasn't like he wouldn't be able to follow the sounds, and she really couldn't afford to take her attention off of these two buffoons for a second. They looked ready to tackle her--actually, that probably wasn't too far from the truth.

"Hey---HEY!"

James skidded into the living room, eyes wide with confusion. It took him a moment to realize that there weren't death eaters cornering his wife, ready to kill her. It was ridiculous that the thought passed through his head so quickly, but when you were so deeply involved with the war, the optimist in you got kicked to the curb and you always thought the worst. The color of the robes was what made him realize that these were ministry officials, and as his mind caught up to the speed he'd burst in here, everything became clear.

He put his hands up in a dismissive wave, ready to start shoving these men out of their house---with his wand or with his bare hands, it didn't matter. This was private property, this was their house, there was no way the ministry could think that this was legal, this was---the thought that they may have the right, that they had warrants to enter the homes of muggleborns was absolutely terrifying--

"Don't you---" James couldn't finish his sentence as he was shoved in the gut--by the official's fist or a spell from his wand, he couldn't be sure. He doubled over, nearly all the air knocked out of his lungs, and he craned his neck upward to glare, "Don't touch---her!"

If there was one thing Lily had not been expecting, it was that these men were actually so serious about the force part of this. She let out a gasp and her concentration on the men was lost all at once as she dropped to her knees beside her husband. "Jesus Christ, James---" she muttered, before turning her eyes to glare daggers at the two Ministry men. "How the fuck dare you!"

This was so beyond anything that she had ever expected out of the Ministry. If there had been any question in her mind after they had burst into her home that the Ministry was no longer under the Ministry's control, now Lily was absolutely certain. They should not be allowed to do this, to come in, to harass her---but they should really have not been able to fire spells at her husband for merely walking into the room and trying to defend her. This was completely unbelievable, and completely terrifying. Voldemort had gone so much further than they had ever imagined he would be able to.

Lily's hand tightened on her wand again as one of the men stepped towards her, towering over them. There was a triumphant smirk on his face that was frightening to her in a way she couldn't quite describe. It was almost sadistic. "Now, Mrs. Potter, I would really suggest that you give me your hand."

She felt the blood boiling in her veins, and before she could think better of it, Lily spat at the man's feet. "Fuck off," she hissed.

There were times when James had felt utterly useless to protect his wife, but this time there was a heavy, heavy difference. With death eaters, flinging spells and hexes that could kill was fair game; they were sending those before you could blink, it was the only way to survive. James had been unhinged more than once in the Order battles, going home disgusted with himself but knowing that it had been necessary at the time.

But right now---he couldn't fling a stunning spell at this ministry official. Well, he could, but that would gain far more trouble than either of them needed. The Order was already having its issues with trust, they needed to make allies they could trust and to keep things as low-key as possible. James' eyes jumped around the room, trying to think of something, anything that could prevent this from happening.

"Get out of my house," he snapped, pushing himself up to his full (even if not that tall) height.

"Mr. Potter, you're of pureblooded status, one of the proudest in the wizarding community---"

"And you're treating my wife like shit!" James exclaimed, moving to stand in front of Lily, "Give me one too, then! I married her, I'm just as---targeted as she is!"

"No, James----" Lily stood up with him and pushed herself back in front of him. Her tone was amazingly calmer than before, although there was still a razor-sharp edge lurking just below the surface. A carefully controlled anger that she was barely keeping a handle on. "Don't say that, don't do that."

She wasn't going to stand for them putting a marking on her, but even more than that, she wouldn't stand for them putting a tattoo on James. Not because they were trying to mark her. She was not about to allow him to do that for her.

"I'll let them mark me ten times over before I let them touch you."

Lily turned back towards the Ministry wizards, her hand still on her wand, afraid to leave it for even a second in case they decided to fire off another spell at them. Not that she could hope to defend herself without being thrown in jail--she didn't have that much faith in the Ministry anymore--but that didn't mean that she wouldn't do it if they went too far. If they attacked James again, there was no promising what she would or would not do. "This is between the Ministry and I. And you can bully all you want, but I'm still not bloody budging."

This shouldn't feel like a last stand, this shouldn't feel like they were going to start a battle. This was their living room, this was their home, and the ministry was causing such a fucking ruckus that it was going to ruin any memories they might've had in here and--

Well. They did have those two death eaters posing as death eaters lounging about here last year. That kind of tainted things too, but they had survived it.

They'd survived it. The thought rang throughout James' head as if he'd been up in a bell tower, announcing the time to the entire world. This was nothing. A tattoo was nothing compared to what they've been through. James had the carving of the dark mark in his arm, scarring that burnt when Voldemort was in close vicinity, this---they would get through this, and if the officials hadn't been so rough, maybe he could have talked to Lily in a calm manner, to try and get her to see that they were going to survive this mess, no matter the long and nasty road they took, they were going to---

His epiphany-like thoughts were interrupted when one of the officials moved quickly and managed to separate James from Lily with a quick grasp of his arm. He struggled against the strong hold, his wand knocked to the ground.

"GET OFF HER!" he shouted, hoping that the patronus he sent had reached some Order members and they came and blew these mother fuckers up---taking rash action right when he was about to fucking---"GET OFF!"

Lily had seen the man coming, but it had happened so fast that she hadn't been completely aware of what was happening until she felt her back scream in protest and all the air leave her lungs. By the time she registered either of these feelings at all, there was already one of the burly Ministry men on top of her, pinning her easily to the ground and snagging her wand from her hands before she could think up a good spell to blow this idiot into the wall.

"WHAT THE BLEEDING FUCK!" she screamed, despite their close proximity. She hoped she made his ears bleed, the stupid fucker. "THIS IS AGAINST THE FUCKING---NO, STOP IT, I'M NOT GOING TO---"

Lily gritted her teeth together suddenly, the muscles of her now wandless hand fighting fruitlessly against his, which had to have been two times the size of hers, and about ten times stronger. She finally opened her mouth to scream again in protest as he pried her clenched fingers open, nothing coherent, but a scream that portrayed exactly the anger and frustration she was experiencing. She had never felt more fucking defeated than when she felt the wood of his wand point shove into the back of her hand--she knew he was doing that harder than necessary, how dare he--and heard him hiss out his incantation.

Her hand felt like it was suddenly on fire as red tendrils jumped out of the end of his wand and moved to nestle themselves under her skin. She bit the inside of her cheek to resist from screaming, to resist giving them that much more of a victory, but as they burst back through to put lines of burning color slashing through the back of her hand, she couldn't help it.

Lily's voice lowered to a hiss as the feeling finally subsided and the man, triumphant smirk and all, finally stood up and let her go. She glowered at him furiously, her left hand coming up to nurse her right, which still tingled in the magic's aftershock. It was too bloody bad that he had her wand, or she would have---she couldn't believe they'd just---

"See, that was easy."

The official's grip slacked against James' arms, and he quickly turned to shove him further away, but the man had disapparated with a loud and menacing crack. James nearly lunged at the other one, but he too was gone with the ear-shattering sound (could you learn to make your disapparation noise terrifying like that or was it just your nature?) and the clank of Lily's wand dropping to the ground. Staying upright for a moment, staring at the blank space the official once occupied before kneeling down beside Lily.

He didn't hesitate in reaching for her hand. James' heart ached terribly for his wife, he wanted to find those men and burn a tattoo into their foreheads and just---he couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything, and that was what killed him the most. But he couldn't let that show, and James let out a breath and gently rubbed the mark.

"Let's go put something on this," he muttered, feeling the utmost defeat. This should not have competed so well against the death eaters attacks they'd been in, for worst experience. The ministry was supposed to be on their side, or at least--it wasn't supposed to blatantly ruin any hope its people might've had for it.