Shattered Part II

The snow was falling gently outside Lily's bedroom window, she sat on the window seat with her knees drawn up to her chest and watched as it blanketed the landscape.

Three weeks. Three long weeks. She almost thought that school wouldn't end for Christmas…that she would be stuck in Hogwarts with Lysander. Every day she had to look at him and try not to let her true emotions show, heartbreak, betrayal and a deep seemingly endless sadness, instead she would put on her best mask of indifference and stalk past him as if he wasn't there.

Why couldn't she just hate him? She had tried. She had tried so hard to put aside all their years of friendship, and her love, and hate Lysander for hurting her…for breaking her heart…yet she couldn't hate him. Not really. She still loved him.

Lily hissed in pain and realized she had been digging her nails into her arm. She had discovered that physical pain was much easier to deal with than emotional. Her fingers traced the white lines on her wrist...if Hugo hadn't found her in the Girls Bathroom, she had Moaning Myrtle's shrieking of 'suicide' to thank for that, then she would have probably hit a vein.

From then on everyone treated her as if she was made of glass that could shatter at any given moment…which was probably true. She hugged the pillow she was holding tighter to her chest. She always thought of herself as strong…so why was she falling apart like this, over a boy no less.

Three soft knocks on her bedroom door snapped her from her thoughts.

"Lily, please come out," Albus said as he knocked at his sister's door once more. He got the sound of something hitting the door as a response.

"Still nothing?" James asked as his brother joined him in the kitchen, Al just shaking his head.

"Where are mum and dad?" Al asked as he made himself a cup a tea and one for Lily (hopefully she'd at least let them give it to her.)

"They had this thing..." James mumbled and Albus rolled his eyes. Never count on James for reliable information. "I tell you, if I ever see that kid again..."

The fire suddenly roared into life and both Potter boys heads turned towards it. If looks could kill, Lysander would have been dead the moment he arrived in the Potter's grate.

For a brief second, all three stood still. Then James pushed up his glasses, Albus crossed his arms and Lysander prayed to whatever deity would listen that he would leave the Potter household without serious injury. James was broad shouldered and well muscled from many years of playing beater for the Gryffindor Team and Albus, whilst not as physically imposing as his brother, could easily incinerate him. It would be a miracle if Lysander left with nothing worse than a black eye.

"You've a lot of nerve showing up here." Albus growled.

"I just want to talk to-" Lysander began but was cut off by James.

"If you think you're going anywhere near her then you've got another thing coming." James's tone held more rage than Albus's and Lysander felt himself shrink under the gazes of the Potter boys.

"I just want to talk-"

"Don't you think you've done enough damage?" James snapped.

"Please! I just want to apologize!" Lysander yelled so he wouldn't be cut off again. There was a long moment of silence that seemed, to Lysander at least, to stretch on for years.

"You think that you can just waltz in here, apologize and Lily'd just forget everything you did to her?" James's voice was dangerously low and even Albus looked at him fearfully.

"N-No!" Lysander could sense that things were going rapidly downhill and quickly tried to salvage what little he could of the situation "I just want to say I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt her! I was angry and it kinda…slipped out…"

James took a step forward, his hands balled into fists and Lysander felt all the blood drain from his body, but Albus caught his older brother's arm and said:

"No, James."

James turned to look at his brother, his chocolate eyes wide with anger and confusion.

"Al, he hurt Lily. You're just going to let him get away with it?" There was a hint of accusation in James's voice.

Albus didn't get to reply, a voice broke in before he could open his mouth.

"What's going on?"

All eyes turned to the kitchen door where Lily stood, one hand rested against the doorframe as if to steady herself. All three boys stared at her as if she were the most bizarre creature they had ever seen. Albus recovered first

"Why-" he began

"I heard yelling…I wanted to know what was going on." Lily stated, Lysander noticed that she was deliberately trying not to look in his direction, he expected as much. Then she turned her gaze to him, and she was visibly shaking with restraint, he expected it was the restraint not to do him physical harm.

"Get out." Her voice was cold as she gave the order.

"Lily-" he began

"I said get out!" Lily snapped before she fled from the kitchen and back up the stairs, to her room presumably.

The two Potter boys glared at him once more and he raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm leaving…but tell Lily I'm sorry…she deserves that at least."

"So…how'd it go?" Lorcan didn't even look up from his myriad of notebooks, that he was scribbling in furiously, when Lysander entered their bedroom.

"She told me to get out and I'm pretty sure her brothers want my head on a spike." Lysander replied, flopping onto his bed with a groan of frustration. He'd spent so long planning what he was going to say to Lily when he finally mustered the courage to talk to her and he'd failed. Miserably.

"No." Hugo's response was short "I'm not letting him go near her, Lor."

Lorcan grimaced, he'd expected this reaction to his request but he pushed on none-the-less.

"Please, Hugo, I don't like what he did either but let him have a chance! Just let him talk to her." His voice was pleading.

Hugo's scowl deepened "Did you see what she did to herself, Lor? Have you seen her wrists?"

Lorcan grimaced at the thought of the white lines that now criss-crossed Lily's wrists; the memory of her breakdown was fresh in his mind.

"I'm asking you this because you and Lily are my friends and Lysander's my brother…I don't want us to be like this. Hugo, just one conversation and I promise I will never ask anything of you again."

"No, Lor, I'm not letting him hurt her again." Hugo said stubbornly before turning to leave. Lorcan grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving

"For me…would you do it for me?" Lorcan asked. Hugo paused for a second before he turned back to face Lorcan "Please."

Hugo gave a sigh and turned to look at Lorcan once more, he knew he would kick himself for it later…but he had to admit that he hated the situation between them as much as Lorcan did.

"Fine." He relented "But if he hurts her, I'll kill him."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Lily felt as if she were being led into a trap. Hugo's hand was guiding her towards an empty classroom and the look on his face was one of deep thought and…uncertainty?

"What's the matter?" she asked. Hugo glanced down at her and shook his head.

"Nothing." He replied a little too quickly "Just thinking."

Before Lily could ask about what, Hugo had opened the door to the classroom and pushed her gently inside, before closing the door behind her. It took her a few seconds to register what had happened before she began to bang on the door.

"Let me out, Hugo!" she yelled "This isn't funny!"

"You think you got it bad? I was dragged in here at wand point."

Lily spun on her heel to face the only other occupant of the room, and the one person she really did not want to see. Lysander. Leaning against a desk just a few metres away from her.

"You." She growled.

"Over a month of avoidance and that's all I get? One syllable?" he asked, pushing himself off the desk.

"Oh…I'm sorry. Jackass."

"Very funny, Lily." Lysander replied.

The tension between them was thick enough to slice with a blade, Lily crossed her arms and fixed Lysander with a look of such loathing that Lysander wanted to crawl into some hole and die. He didn't, instead he spoke.

"I never got the chance to say, at Christmas, that I'm so so sorry for what I did Lily…I don't know if that makes a difference but I just want you to know that."

Lily turned her head away, her expression didn't change. Lysander internally grimaced; this would be a lot harder than he ever imagined it to be.

"Lily…I'm sorry, ok? I don't know what else to say to you. I am incredibly sorry. I'll do anything if you'd forgive me." Lysander pleaded.

"You're lying. Everything you say is a lie." Lily spat.

Lysander gawked at her.

"What?"

"You lied to me…I-I thought you cared about me."

"I do!"

"No you don't!" Lily yelled, Lysander could see that her eyes were getting moist "If you really cared then you wouldn't have said what you said! You would have believed me when I told you about your girlfriend! You wouldn't have-"

Lily turned away and began to shake silently, trying to reign in her emotions. She could feel a sob building in her throat but she wouldn't let it out. She wasn't going to give Lysander the satisfaction of seeing her in such a state.

Lysander bit his lip and approached Lily before wrapping his arms around her. Lily stiffened at first but soon relaxed in his grip.

"I'm so sorry Lily." Lysander muttered into her fiery red hair. She hiccupped in response and her breathes came in sobs.

"Y-You said y-you h-hated m-m-me." She managed.

"I don't Lily. I've never hated you. I was angry and sad and I said a lot of things I didn't mean. You are one of the best friends I've ever had and…I…I really like you Lily."

Lily pulled away and turned to face Lysander with a look of shock and perhaps…a little hope, her chocolate eyes were red-rimmed and puffy and she had tears rolling down her cheeks but Lysander still thought she looked very pretty.

"W-What?" she asked, afraid that she was hearing things.

"I really like you Lily." Lysander repeated slowly "I guess I never knew how much…until you were gone."

"B-But…you s-said…" Lily trailed off.

"I didn't mean any of that." Lysander assured her "I…uh…I'm not really good at this stuff but I really do like you Lily."

Lysander moved forward and before he could react Lily and thrown herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down so she could kiss him. Lysander stood shocked for a moment before wrapping his own arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

Unknown to them, however, they had an audience.

"I told you that would work." Lorcan whispered triumphantly.