DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Clearly, I am not that amazing. JKR is the sole person in the planet who has that amount of amazingess.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by a comment my freshman chemistry professor made, regarding lime green jello and hospital food. Now, without further ado...





Chapter 1

Of Breakdowns and Jello





"Ugh…"

This was not what needed to be happening right now. Actually, this needed to not be happening until after Christmas, after NEWTS, after graduation. There was simply too much to do, what with school work, her friends' on going social dramas, and picking up the slack of all the prefects who blew off their nightly patrols. The former two were no problem, she'd had six years to learn how to balance those two, but her seventh year brought the responsibilities of Head Girl. She'd even been managing balancing the third with everything else until a few weeks ago. It seemed that a few of the prefects decided it would be fun to use their patrol duty to catch up on some 'much needed' physical contact. Upon finding this out, instead of scolding them, being the too nice person she was, she relieved them of their weekly duties. She was firm believer in doing things yourself if you wanted them done right. It turned out, however, that three patrol duties a week, two of them solo acts, were just a little too much, even for the infallible Lily Evans. She had considered asking for help once or twice, but James had been so busy with Quid-

POTTER! He was the reason she was stuck here! He was the reason, that instead of writing her 18 inch essay on the differences between a Patronus and a shield charm, or instead of helping her best friend Alice Prewett through her latest beau problem, she was in the hospital wing, being unproductive and a burden.

They'd been doing so well, too well in fact. The Head Boy and Girl hadn't fought since the second week of classes; it seemed that a truce had been made between the two. Eventually that truce had turned into a friendship, which, much to Lily's chagrin, pulled both her and Alice into regular 'jam sessions,' as the boys liked to call them, with the Marauders. It was after one of these jam sessions (Lily liked to refer to them as "Everyone-let's-piss-around-so-we-don't-have-to-do-our-schoolwork" sessions) that the aforementioned fight had occurred.





The Marauders thought it would be a splendid idea to spend the afternoon playing Exploding Snap in the Heads' Common Room, apparently the acoustics in the Gryffindor common room "just weren't right to get that perfect snapping sound, Lily dear." Realizing she didn't have the energy to waste on a fight with one Sirius Black, she simply grabbed her books, said a few words to Alice, and walked up to her personal sanctuary.

After casting a silencing charm on her room, Lily dropped her books onto the table right next to her door, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. She loved the smell of her room; sometimes it was the only thing that could calm her down, get her to take a few moments to herself. It reminded her of fresh cut grass in the summer, the summers before Hogwarts, when Tuney still spoke to her, the summers that, although she'd never admit it to anyone, she missed more than anything. Her older sister hadn't spoken to her in a year and a half, and hadn't acted civil in almost 4 years. Lily was a freak. She went to a freak school, had freak friends, and could never dream of being normal. A tear slid down her cheek as she thought of those carefree summers, but she quickly wiped it away. Lily didn't cry. She was the strong one, she was the girl that everyone turned to for help, Lily never broke.

She opened her eyes again, and looked around the room that offered a privacy she would never take for granted. It wasn't an overly large room, nothing grandiose about it. Her bed was the same from her past six years, a simple four-poster with scarlet curtains and bedspread, and the softest pillows she'd ever rested her head on. Her desk was directly across the room from her bed, something Alice had insisted upon. She stifled a laugh at the memory of the day she moved into her Head room.

"I think I'll have the desk right here, right next to my bed." As Lily said this she flicked her wand, moving the desk adjacent to her bed.

"No, absolutely not! Lily, you can't put your desk right there, I won't have it." With a little more force than necessary, Alice sent the desk to the opposite side of the room. "I know you. If your desk is right next to your bed, there's not stopping you from waking up at two in the morning with some obscure reason that you need completely re-write your Defense essay, and jumping into your desk and spending the entire night on it. Remember our goal this year, Lily? Our goal to have a FUN and EXCITING, NON WORK FILLED seventh year? Remember that?"

"I remember it! I do! And who's to say that if my desk is on the opposite side of my room that I still won't wake up with that obscure reason?" With another flick of her wrist, the desk was sent back its place by her bed. Lily knew exactly what Alice was hinting at with her whole argument, but she was hoping that Alice would just let it go.

"Because, Lily darling, if your desk is right next to your bed, you'll have no trouble getting up and doing it. However, if little miss sleepy pants has to walk to get to her desk, there's a much slimmer chance of her actually getting up and doing it." Alice stuck her tongue out as she said this, knowing that she was going to win the argument.

"No-"

"Don't try to argue you're way out of it. The desk is going over here-" she flicked her wrist again "-and it's staying there." Finishing her sentence, she muttered something under her breath and grinned. "Go ahead, move it."

With those words, Lily knew what Alice had done, and she knew that there was no way that desk was being moved unless Albus Dumbledore himself came into her room and removed Alice's trademarked Permanent Sticking Charm.

Shaking her head, Lily came out of her reverie. Not now, she thought to herself, I have work I need to get done! At this point in her life, Lily knew what falling into a memory meant. She needed a reprieve from her work, and fast. Rationalizing that a twenty minute power nap would do her no harm, she curled up in her four-poster, and fell asleep without even shutting out the midday sun.





Lily was in Charms class; it was the day of the weekly oral quiz. All of the other students' questions thus far had been relatively easy, and Lily was positive that she would easily pass this quiz. Without even a hint of nerves, Lily walked to the front of the class for her turn.

"Miss Evans, kindly demonstrate the proper wrist movement for a Levitation Charm."

Oh, Professor Flitwick, how cute. This questions is easy, she thought to herself. A first year could answer this question!

"Why Professor Flitwick this is the correct movement." Lily made to move her hand, but her arm simply flopped around. She attempted again, hoping no one had noticed that failed attempt. Again, her hand just wiggled around at her side.

"Lily…" Professor Flitwick was knocking on his desk, growing impatient. She tried again, hoping that this time her hand would actually coordinate.

"Lily…" Flitwick's knocking was growing louder, more impatient, he was even calling her Lily! She knew how to do this, she really did!

"LILY!"

Lily sat bolt upright, only to have her forehead come in contact with none other than James Potter.

"OW!" They both reeled back, James to the middle of the room, and Lily onto her pillow, as they clutchd their foreheads in pain. Lily was seeing stars at the moment, and took a few minutes to register that James was in her room, when he should be downstairs playing Exploding Snap with his friends.

"What're you doing up here, James? You can't possibly be bored of Exploding Snap after just ten minutes. What about the acoustics?" Lily was slightly irritable after being woken up from her nap, after all, she still had another ten minutes to relax before starting her essay!"

"Actually, Lily, I came to bring you some dinner." He gestured to what looked like a tray filled with shepherd's pie, corn, and a chocolate éclair – her favorites.

"Oh, thanks James! But I'm not that busy that I can't come down to dinner with all of you later! I just needed some time to work on my essay for charms. I'll be down around five." She got out of her bed and walked across the room to her desk - her desk that was missing a very important pool of sunlight. Her eyes widened in horror.

"WHAT TIME IS IT?!"

"You see Lily, that's why I brought you dinner. It's nearing eight o'clock." Even in the dimly lit room, James could see her eyes darkening. Surely she couldn't blame him for letting her sleep?

Surely she could.

"EIGHT O'CLOCK! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?" She began panicking. 6 hours, wasted to sleep. Six hours she could have spent doing her Charms essay. Six hours she could have spent studying for her Defense exam in three days. Six hours she could have spent – Lily, stop. You can do this. Make a list. She had an hour before she had to cover Emmeline's rounds. If she started right now she could probably get about 6 inches-

"Lily! Breathe! You need to breathe. You'll be fine!" James couldn't understand the way she always freaked out over things like this. She needed the sleep ; he'd been watching her slowly sinking herself into a horrid state.

"Fine? You think I'll be FINE?! Maybe I would've been fine. Maybe, if instead of playing your insipid, childish, games, if instead of worrying about the state of your messed up hair, or that stupid red ball you seem to love so much, maybe if you'd had the sense to wake me up, I'd be fine! But no. Now I'll be up all night! I guess it's a good thing I had such a long nap!" She couldn't understand why she was taking it out on James, he really hadn't done anything wrong. But why, oh why didn't he have the sense to wake her up before?

"WHY didn't I wake you up? WHY? I'll tell you WHY. Because I've been watching you – you're killing yourself! You're not a super hero. You can't do it all, Lily! You're already taking a ridiculous course load, you never breathe. Don't think I haven't noticed all of the extra help you're giving Flitwick and Slughorn. You are NOT their personal slave! And for God's SAKE, woman, learn to say NO! Alice is a big girl, let her take care of herself!" He was done. If she wanted a fight, she'd get a fight. He'd been tiptoeing around her for the past few weeks, knowing that one wrong move would set her off. But damnit, he wasn't just going to let her use him as a personal outlet.

Lily simply rolled her eyes. If only you knew about all of the work I do. Flitwick, Slughorn, and Alice? I've been dealing with them since second year. Lily was thankful he hadn't called her out on picking up two extra nights of patrolling duty. She was surprised he hadn't noticed her missing on Sunday and Thursday nights, but apparently he really had been caught up in everything Quidditch.

"And don't think I don't know about you covering for Emmeline and Amos! You can't keep doing this to yourself, Lily! Everyone has their limits, and I think you bloody well exceeded yours about fifteen miles back!" He was fuming. Did she think he was an idiot?

"Don't you pretend to know my limits, Potter!" She spat the name out, knowing full well how James would react. She was beginning to feel a little light headed, but that was to be expected. It had been so long since she'd had a good yell at Potter and her lungs must have not been used to it.

"You're right, Evans. You're exactly right. Because I guess you're perfect. I guess you can do whatever it is you want, and piss off to everyone else. You are Lily BLOODY Evans. Woman extraordinaire, A student, best friend to all. Oh yes, and always, without fail, LETS EVERYONE WALK ALL OVER HER." With those words, he pivoted, determined to be the one who ended the argument.

Clearly he had forgotten what fighting with Lily Evans was like.

"WALK ALL OVER ME?" She didn't let everyone walk all over her. She could say no, she could. She was just nice, and empathized with people. "I most certainly do not let people WALK all over me! I'm RESPECTED. And at least-" Why was the room wobbling like that? "-at LEAST-" Seriously, it needed to stop spinning like that.

When Lily faltered over her words like she did, James turned around. The face that was usually so red when inflamed with an argument was pale and almost jaundiced.

"Lily?" She seemed to have stopped breathing. "Lily?"

The weak spell that Lily experienced was her only savior from a painful impact with a cold, stone floor.





That insipid James Potter. If he had just woken her up, or had just let her be to do her work, she'd be able to go back to her room. She wouldn't be stuck, laying in a bed that was too white, surrounded by a room that was too clean, eating Madam Pomfrey's infernal lime green jello.