Repercussions
Summary: An act of James Potter's chivalry performed in the name of Lily Evans leads eventually leads to a rather painful scenario in the Hospital Wing with a bottle of Skele-Gro.
A/N: After some fun with Scorose, I'm glad to return to some good old Jily!
Main prompt: Skele-Gro
Optional prompts:
1. (word) permeate
8. (song) "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato
10. (word) revenge
Enjoy!
It was the typical day-before-the-day-before the heated Gryffindor against Slytherin Quidditch match: snide remarks in the hallways, taunting jeers on the way to Thursday classes, and, of course, the hexing, which Slytherins often instigated and Gryffindors retaliated with. All in all, a general mood of upcoming competition permeated the entire castle.
Poor Laila Patil, the petite Gryffindor Seeker, had already just narrowly dodged a potentially handicapping Conjunctivitis Curse, which had hit her girlfriend, Mary MacDonald, instead. Laila had grown into a raging, untameable creature of temper, sending some extremely harsh words that had forever tainted the victims' innocence and a handful of well-aimed Bat-Bogey Hexes.
As Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Chaser James Potter was a prime target for aforementioned hexes and jeers. His fellow Marauders had decided to play his Laila, declaring themselves his bodyguards. This led to a highly pissed off boy with raven hair even unrulier than usual and glaring hazel eyes behind glasses frame and indignant cries of, "Padfoot! Geroff! Sitting on me will not shield me from any hexes, and as one half of our team's Beaters, you should be worrying about yourself, too!"
The incident involving Lily Evans, James's love interest for the past four years, had caused James's level of "pissed-offedness", as Padfoot called it, to skyrocket.
Avery and Mulciber, the two lumbering, menacing Slytherin Beaters, with their brutish size a definite method of intimidation, had decided to approach Lily and her friend Marlene McKinnon.
James had been on his way to Charms when he heard Lily's voice. "Now, listen, Avery," she began sharply. "Whatever the bloody hell you do to demoralize our House, it won't damn work, because we are all far, far better than you could ever hope to be. And you can't do anything to me, either. Nobody, not you, not goddamn Lord Voldemort is ever going to hurt me by calling me a 'filthy Mudblood', and I don't give a Flobberworm what you think. So, please, just go before I decide to hex you."
James felt a surge of pride at Lily's prim response. She never let anything the Slytherins said ever get to her. Lily Evans was strong, so very strong. And he loved her for it.
Ah, love, such a strange force, so powerfully potent and so simply unique that nothing, not even the strongest of spells or potions devised by even the cleverest minds could ever recreate it. James Potter never felt entirely sure on the topic of whether or not he loved Lily Evans in this way; all he knew was that he was certainly attracted to her: her magnetic personality drew him in, his heart soared every time she looked at him – an event that was growing more common, now that he thought about it – and something, something beautiful that caused his heart to inflate and yet contract at the same time, something that sent this feeling, this lovely feeling, coursing through even the tiniest of his capillaries and almost bursting out of his fingertips, something that pulsed in his toes so very distinctly and almost made him crumple to his feet, jolted through him every time he shared a moment with the girl.
Let's just say he fancied her.
And those particular feelings led to his rather chivalrous action of stepping into the fight unfolding before him.
He reached the scene just before both had whipped out their wands. Upon seeing James, Avery turned his attention to his Gryffindor nemesis. James, too preoccupied with examining Lily, completely missed the soundless spell the Slytherin had shot at him.
And then James's leg gave way and squelched beneath him as the rest of his body collapsed on it.
Lily gasped in horror as Avery and Mulciber walked away, guffawing throughout their escape of the scene.
But Lily, being her fiery self, didn't want a thing to do with that. She silently aimed two Full Body Bind Curses at the two retreating figures, smirking to herself as they went rigid and toppled over.
And then she turned her attention straight back to James, gazing at him anxiously. "You okay?"
At that, James grinned. "Far more than okay. Those spells were absolutely beautiful. I just want to see the looks on their faces."
"Well, judging by the fact that your leg appears to be boneless, I don't think you'll be able to actually get up and see them for yourself anytime soon. And," she continued, cutting him off easily, "the hospital wing's the other way."
James made a face at her before allowing Lily to help him up.
They chatted easily in their way up, Lily displaying far more physical strength that she seemed to possess in her pale, skinny arms. At the end, Lily even commented, "You know, Potter, you're not as bad as I thought you were," and James couldn't help but grin goofily as Madam Pomfrey pulled him into the Hospital Wing and exclaimed in a way that was both horrified and motherly about how these children got into the worst injuries and how they would all but collapse into death without her.
"Dammit," James muttered for the umpteenth time. The Skele-Gro – which was the most disgusting thing he had ever tasted, he was quite sure – had taken effect, and now his leg was rife with sharp pains as his bones grew back in an accelerated manner.
It was so awful, it was probably worse than the snarkiest rejection he had ever faced at the fair hands of Lily Evans.
Lily. The way she had held him up, so very close to her own body. Her musical laugh, the way she tucked an auburn flame of hair behind her ear, the way she had immediately identified the problem with his leg moments after the curse.
His leg. His damned leg.
James began to seriously question the idea of amputation – it really couldn't be worse than this – but then he shot that idea down when he realized that he wouldn't be able to play Quidditch.
A soft knock sounded at the door. Madam Pomfrey hurried over to open it, revealing Lily Evans and motioning her in.
Lily immediately approached him. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," he grinned that adorable lopsided grin.
"So," she began, "how's your leg?"
James winced in response. "In extreme pain."
"You know," she started again, "Avery and Mulciber used to really get to me. I never really showed it, but after everything that happened with Sev–" her breathing hitched, but she plowed on. "After everything that happened to Sev, I grew out of it. I just thought, their words didn't matter to me anymore. Yes, I'm a Muggle-born. But I'm a damn good witch. I'm up high, and they can't touch me. I'm up on a skyscraper, and they're stuck inside a manhole to the sewers. And guess what? I don't give a damn about Avery and Mulciber and the rest of them anymore." She smiled at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, that didn't have much point."
James locked eyes with her. "Lily, you can tell me anything," he said seriously.
She looked away and bit her lip, and with that the moment was over.
"So," Lily began, slightly awkwardly, "d'you think the Slytherins'll try some sort of revenge plot during tomorrow's match? I mean, Avery and Mulciber are some terrifying Beaters."
"They won't get a chance for the tiniest fraction of a second. We are going to crush them, you mark my words."
Lily laughed again at that. She smiled at him for a while, and he smiled back. "You know, Potter, I think we could be good friends." And with that she got up and left, pausing only at the door to tell him that she'd drop off his homework tomorrow.
James smiled like an idiot, his mind off the pain for once. Because the painful repercussions of that curse ended being completely, utterly, and wholly worth it.
A/N: Annnd scene! Did you like it? I'd love to hear all of your thoughts, comments, and constructive criticisms in the reviews!
Ink on!
Lil' Quill