"Lily, please. She really misses you and I know she wants to talk to you, so could you just-?"

"No, Mum. She's had her chance. You've been trying to get me to talk to her all summer, and for what? She never stays in the same room with me for more than few minutes, and she still never calls me by my name. Just 'Freak' most of the time. Can you please try to understand that this treatment wasn't my idea?" Lily rolled her eyes as her mother berated her on the platform.

"I understand, Lily, most likely better than you do. But I can never accept it. No mother can be content with her daughters not speaking." Mrs. Evans was tearing up. Lily hated to see her mother cry. It was unnatural, like a kind Lucius Malfoy or an ugly Iris. She turned away and instead focused on searching for her friends through the diminishing crowd. She decided that they must already be on the train, and made a mental note to swat the girls for not waiting for her.

"I'm not asking you to accept it- I just want you to stop badgering me!" Lily snapped at her mother, turning around to face her.

"I'm sorry if I'm 'badgering' you." Said her mum in a hollow voice, drying her tears with a tissue.

"It's ok mum, I didn't mean it like that." Lily said remorsefully, casting down her eyes.

"It's fine, dear." Her mother smiled at her, brushing strands of bright red hair from her daughter's face. "Remember that I love you and your father too, and even Petunia does."

"Mum-"

"And study hard! Write to us, ok?"

"Mother-"

"And follow the rules! I don't want to hear anything bad-"

"MUM!"

"What is it, dear?"

"The train's moving! I've got to go!"

"Oh. Good-bye sweetheart! Be sure to thank Mr. Dumbledore for helping us with protection! I love you!" Mrs. Evans blew her daughter a kiss as Lily ran for the train, lugging her bags behind her.

"Bye, mum! I promise I will. Love you too!" She waved back at her mother, who was waving her hanker-chief. Lily threw her bag through the closing doors and jumped in after it.

Bending to pick up her bag, she felt a horrid pain in her skull, and felt a burning sensation spread over the back of her head. She tried not to move, but the world was hazy in the pain. She heard a scream, and knew that it was hers. Suddenly, she heard someone wrench the train door open. She stumbled forward and tripped over her bags, crashing into the wall face-first. She heard something snap in her ankle and felt her wrist twist around. Then, she tasted blood and everything went black.

"Lily?" James Potter stood over the now unconscious Lily, horror spelled all over his face. She was splayed on the floor, one leg pinned beneath her, and the other crushed beneath her trunk. One wrist was trapped under her, and the other was painfully twisted against the wall. He couldn't see her face. Her hair fell, dripping with blood, over her shoulders, hiding her face. He could just see the tip of her nose, and the blood-puddle forming on the ground near what he supposed was her mouth. He bit his lip, unsure of what to do. He made up his mind. Picking up the heavy trunk in one hand, he waved his wand with the other.

"Locomoter Lily!" He muttered, waving his wand over at her unconscious form. She rose into the air, floating upright. Tilting her head to the side, he changed his mind. With a wave of his wand, the trunk began to float beside him, about waist-hight. He trained his wand on Lily, and she floated into a horizontal position that made her look like she was sleeping, or stunned. With a flick of his wand, she floated over to him, and he twitched his wand one more time before catching her in his arms, bridal style.

"Potter." Snape opened the door of a nearby compartment. "What are you-" His sneer died mid-taunt. "What-?"

"Snape, you're looking bat-like today. Crucio anyone lately?" Asked James mockingly, shooting an ugly look at Snape.

"What happened to her?" Asked Snape, looking shocked.

"She fell. What's it to you, Snivellus? Mad that someone else got there first?" James sneered.

"Give her to me." Said Snape, holding out his scrawny arms as if to take her.

"No way, Snivellus! Why should I? Got any death-eater pals with you? Gonna make me hand her over?" asked James, acting fake-scared, and beginning to back away.

"I'm her best friend!" Said Snape fiercely, stepping closer.

"Yeah, try was." James glanced quickly at Lily's face. There was blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, and he could feel the blood flowing from her skull soaking the sleeve of his robes. She was paler than death.

"Who cares what you think?" Jeered Snape, angrily. "Now give her to me!"

"You called her a you-know-what!" James turned around to walk away.

"Give her to me!" Snape followed James before he had taken even one step.

"Why should I?" asked James, turning to face Snape, Lily swinging in his arms.

"How do I know you didn't do this to her?" Demanded Snape angrily, folding his arms and glaring.

"Are you blind and stupid, Snivellus?" James pointed with his wand toward the doors of the train, scarlet with her blood, lifting Lily's head so that Snape clearly saw her bleeding tresses. Snape flinched.

"Give her to me." His voice was quieter now, and he stood in James' way with his wand drawn. James lost what patience he had left.

"Locamoter Lily!" James said again. She rose gracefully from his arms. He walked up to Snape and punched him in the face. Snape fell back, clutching his now broken nose. Lily landed safely back in his arms, and he looked down at her, relieved.

No one else was in the hallways yet- perhaps they were settling in their compartments. They ran into no one as James walked with the unconscious Lily in his arms. He reached the back compartment finally, and waved his wand to open the door.

"Prongs!" Sirius grinned over at James from the window seat. He was lying lazily with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him.

"Padfoot!" said James, with a smile. "Long time, no see." Everyone laughed. Sirius had been living at James's house that summer. Remus was reading a small tightly rolled up scroll, sitting on the seat next to the door on the right. Peter was sitting in the seat on the left of the door, copying a piece of parchment in Remus's handwriting.

"Hey so what's-" They all stopped their happy greeting when they saw Lily. Remus immediately got up from his seat and James laid Lily across three seats of the four.

"Hey guys, have you seen Lily? Snape said-" Iris stepped into the compartment, and she gasped.

"What happened?" asked Kylie, aghast, as she stepped into the compartment beside Iris. James explained the situation, explaining what he had seen happen to Lily.

"Ok." Said Iris, regaining her composure. "Have you written to Madam Pomfrey yet?" She asked, kneeling beside her friend.

"In progress." said Remus, indicating a piece of parchment he was writing on hurriedly.

"In the mean time, shall we exchange formalities?" asked Sirius.

"Why not." responded Iris.

"Me first." Kylie smiled. She hugged Remus quickly, so that he could keep writing. She progressed to hug James, shake hands with Peter, and slap Sirius. Then she nodded at them all and sat between Peter and Remus on the left.

"Me next." Iris sighed. She hugged James, shook hands with Peter, clapped Remus on the shoulder, and slapped Sirius. She made to sit down, but there was no room for her. Lily took up all of the seats on the right but the one that James occupied, and Peter, Kylie, Remus and Sirius took up the four seats on the left side.

"Where am I supposed to sit?" She asked. Sirius grinned evilly and patted his lap, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "No way." She shook her head at Sirius, standing her ground.

"Why stay here?" asked Remus, opening the window for his tiny owl. "We can go and visit people on the train as soon as we get a reply from Madam Pomfrey. Deal?"

"Someone has to stay with her." Replied Iris, stubbornly. "I'll do it." She nodded decisively.

"No, dear lady!" exclaimed Sirius theatrically. "You must come with us handsome explorers!" He fluffed his hair and everyone laughed.

"I'll stay." Said James.

"NO!" Everyone said at once, loudly.

"What?" Asked James, offended.

"If she wakes up and sees you, she'll freak." Said Iris.

"She doesn't trust you." Added Remus.

"She'll think you're trying to take advantage of her." Kylie quietly suggested.

"She'll think you're just trying to get lucky!" Said Sirius, trying to keep a straight face.

"Whatever. You all want to stay?" James raised his eye-brows.

"No." They all replied.

"Well, that's that then." He said.

"Now, wait a minute, James!" Iris frowned. "That's not right. We need to handicap you somehow."

"What do you mean?" Asked Sirius curiously. "Like, breaking his leg?"

"Sort of." Said Iris, frowning at him. "More like evening the odds. See, say we left them along, and Lily woke up. James would have the upper hand, because he's not injured. So, if he tried something- not saying that he would-" She added as James opened his mouth. "Just say he did, Lily would not be at a total loss, and she would have a chance to protect herself."

"I see." Said Remus, after a long pause.

"So how do we do this?" Asked Kylie.

"Knock him unconscious?" Suggested Sirius.

"No, stupid." Iris rolled her eyes. "The whole point of him being here is to watch Lily, just in case."

"Take his wand." Said Peter, who had been very silent up till then. He was still writing.

"You've been quiet, Peter." Said Iris. "What are you doing?" She leaned back and closed her eyes for a minute.

"Nothing." Peter muttered, stowing the parchment out of sight.

"I'll tell you what he's doing." Said Sirius, stretching eloquently.

"What?" Asked Iris, curiously.

"Yeah, what's he doing?" Kylie joined in, leaning forward and putting her elbows on her knees. Sirius remained silent.

"Tell us! What are you waiting for?" Asked Iris impatiently.

"I'm waiting for James to ask me what Pete's doing." Said Sirius, a playful smile curling his lips. Everyone laughed.

"Huh?" James looked up. He had not been listening. "What?" He asked.

"Ok, he's asked 'what', that counts, tell us!" Iris said.

"Nope, I think I'm going to milk this a little longer. Someone explain to him what we're talking about." Sirius leaned back contentedly. Everyone groaned. Iris rolled her eyes.

"I'll take care of this." She stopped leaning against the wall of the compartment and stood directly in front of Sirius. She looked deep into his eyes. "Tell us." She said persuasively. He opened his mouth, and then closed it.

"You're good," He told her, nodding. "But not good enough." And then, with one swift moment, he hooked his foot behind her ankles, tripping her. She landed in his lap, and before she could do anything about it, he had her trapped. "Now I'll tell you about what Peter's doing." He grinned at the struggling Iris and continued. "He's copying Remus's summer transfiguration essay." He was going to say more, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Madam Pomfrey's reply. Remus jumped up and let his tiny owl into the compartment. The owl was staggering under the weight of an envelope. Remus opened it at once.

"Remus,

Lily will need to be attended at the school. As the journey takes roughly six hours, I have given you two potions. The blue one will awaken her from her faint and replenish some of the blood she has lost, and should be taken upon the arrival of this owl. The purple one will desensitize her to the pain, and make her sleep. She should remain unconscious and immobile during the remainder of the journey, to avoid further damage to her person. I'm confident that Iris can handle this.

Madam Pomfrey." Remus read aloud.

"Ok then, hand over the potions." Iris said from Sirius's lap.

"I don't see how-" Remus began. Iris rummaged for a minute before there was a bright flash of light and Sirius let her go with a yelp. "-you can attend to her from Sirius's clutches." He finished. Everyone laughed. Iris shoved James out of the seat in front of Lily and bent over her, her eyebrows crinkled in concentration. Her eyes narrowed, she took the parchment envelope from Remus and extracted two small flasks from it. One was full to the cork of deep purple potion, the other a tiny bottle of sky blue liquid. Iris detached a small note on the blue bottle.

"'Iris- please give her the whole of the blue potion, and try to make her take all of the purple at once. Thank you, Madam P.'" Iris read aloud. "Well, ok." She emptied the contents of the light blue bottle into Lily's slightly open mouth. Lily's eyelids fluttered and she took a deep breath. Her green eyes opened and she widened them, taking in her surroundings.

"Wha-What?" She blinked and tried to sit up, and then fell back with a gasp of pain.

"Lily, you had a little accident." Said Iris calmly, putting away the empty bottle.

"Yeah, thanks for the update." Groaned Lily, closing her eyes and frowning.

"Lils, this is no time to joke." Sirius rolled his eyes and sat back, occupying the entire left row of seats, as everyone had had vacated their seats to see Lily when she awoke.

"Yeah, Lily. Seriously. Please stay still. I have to give you some medicine." Iris licked her lips and examined the potion bottle.

"No way. No way in hell." Lily shook her head painfully.

"What do you mean?" Asked Remus quietly, locking his tiny owl in an equally tiny cage.

"She's scared of magical medicine and stuff like that." Kylie leaned her head on Remus's shoulder.

"Are you serious?" Asked James, fascinated.

"No, she's Kylie." Muttered Remus mildly, hugging Kylie to himself. Everyone chuckled at the worn-out joke.

"Not what I meant." Replied James. "Lily, best friend of Iris, who wants to be a Healer, is afraid of medicine?"

"Uh-huh." Said Iris, re-reading Madam Pomfrey's note.

"Yikes." Whispered James, raising his eyebrows.

"Lily, you seriously have to take this stuff." Lectured Iris. "Madam Pomfrey said that you had to keep from injuring yourself any further. Please, for me?" Iris made a puppy face, but Lily shook her head.

"I got this." James walked over from behind Iris to where Lily could see him clearly.

"Don't you dare touch me!" She warned. He cracked a smile and was about to put his left hand on her shoulder when- "What's that?" Asked Lily sharply, indicating James's bloody hand.

"Your blood." said James, blushing.

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She forced him to look into her eyes.

"No." He mumbled. "I kind of ran into Snivellus."

"Prongs! You ran into he-who-does-not shampoo?" Sirius asked, in mock shock. Everyone laughed again.

"Don't change the subject." James warned, and brought his hand down on her shoulder. He didn't move his hand or squeeze her shoulder or anything, but she was still. Her mouth was open long enough that Iris poured the potion into it, and she slept.

Hey guys, thanks for reading! Also, please review to let us know what you thought. We need suggestions and props and stuff!

This fic is brought to you by Rashelleah95 and ihearthp96. Enjoy and see you next time!

~Rashelleah95 & ihearthp96