A/N: well, sorry for forgetting about this! I've been kind of busy. Well, enjoy chapter three... the sad, devastating, emotionally wringed-out-to-it's-every-last-drop, chapter
Chapter3
"Ms. Evans, you know that the muggle families cannot make it through the barrier at platform nine and three quarters." Lily nodded, having known the fact and not seeing how it mattered "Well, the Death Eaters took the opportunity, to take out all the impure Families and their children at Hogwarts, however," he patted her shoulder smiled at her somberly, "You seemed to be the last one out to your family and when the-" she watched his lip twitch, angrily. "-the Massacre occurred, you were just beyond the barrier. The spell they used was brutal, and It blasted out the wall, you were right there, and well, you're in a right state."
Lily heard what he said but the meaning of it kind of skidded over the top of her head. She was lost in this explanation.
"So- why am I here, Sir?" she asked.
He looked at her blankly for a second, daring himself to answer the question, but instead he decided he would walk circles around it. "Well, you needed a place to stay after you woke, so we decided to take you in. My wife was your healer at St. Mungo's, and My son, says that you were a good friend of his," James turned pink in her peripheral vision,"No one seemed to be coming for you, so we volunteered, happily."
"No one-" she stopped, realization dawned on her "What? They've- they . . ." Hot tears bubbled up in her eyes blurring her vision, she stopped them right away. "They can't be-" Surely this was a joke.
Mrs. Potter found her voice again, "They are."
"Oh," there was a silence then Lily burst into tears, her world had been flipped upside-down and then it booted her out the door into space. "Mum!" she cried, "and Dad, and-and- Petunia!"
"No." Mrs. Potter said, Lily looked up hopefully, "Not Petunia," she was still frowning, "However, she has refused to come pick you up, and she- well, she wrote a letter." Mrs. Potter reached over on a bedside table, and handed Lily the letter she picked up.
Lily read it over slowly three times before it began to sink in, and by the fourth time, it was too tear stained to read. However the idea was clearer than her print: Petunia wholly blamed Lily for her parents death. She never wished to see her again, and she asked politely for her not to come to the funeral, which would be held Saturday the 6th of July.
"What day is it?" Lily asked, determined to go to the funeral no matter what her sister said about it.
"Sunday, the 29th of June" Mrs. Potter said slowly. Lily nodded. She had blacked out for 3 whole days.
Lily Sat the letter down, It was quiet for what felt like an hour, she seemed to dictate the mood of the room unknowingly. "Do you think I could have a moment alone?" she asked. Slowly everyone wandered out of her room, until only Mrs. Potter and James were left, James seemed reluctant to leave, and Mrs. Potter had something to say.
"If you need us, we'll be just across the hall, darling." she said. "James!" she whispered urgently. "Oh, and before I forget, if you would like, I'm sure James could show you around the house later. Also, this is your room, we had it made up just for you."
She closed the door with a quiet click and Lily was left alone looking around the elegant room. The room was large with three wide windows, only one of which was open, the bed was bigger than her one at home, with a canopy, and there was an Armoire on the far wall, beside a door.
Lily decided to put off thinking, and felt a need to get p and move. She pulled her legs out from under the covers to look around, but when she went to stand, her knees almost buckled, her legs shook involuntarily, and she ached all over. She was wearing a hospital robe, and she could see bruises and marks all over her arms and legs.
She made her way slowly and shakily toward the door, and opened it to find a shining bathroom with a wall length mirror showing the refection of a beat, skinny, pale young girl, with messy unwashed red-hair that stuck up in odd places, and green eyes glowing from their bloodshot state. A large bathtub shone behind her, with a few less taps than the prefect's bath, and about half the size. It looked very inviting, with voluminous warm towels hung up beside it already. Who was she, a dirty, smelly, mussed-up young woman, to refuse a bath at this point?
When she emerged with a small cloud of steam from the bathroom, fresh, and clean, smelling of Vanilla bath salts, soaps and shampoos, she opened her armoire and expected to see- well- an armoire full of her clothes. Instead, it seemed endless it went far beyond the wall. It was just a bottomless charm, she knew but she wondered faintly if Narnia was somewhere back there. Most of the clothes that hung on it's walls were not hers. They were her size, but much more expensive looking, most of them were dress robes, and gowns. Finally she found some of her own relatively plainer clothing, and emerged from the wardrobe fully dressed, looking as if she could take on any day, and only feeling mildly better.
No smile could have penetrated to her teeth even if it were the most sparkling and wonderful one in the world. Not today.
She did not know what to do next, she was quite hungry, and was sure she hadn't eaten in days. Everyone was in that "room across the hall," so she figured she would find them and see when the next meal would be. But when she walked out into the hallway, James, who was sitting in a chair next to her door, sprung up, and said "Lily." which made her jump violently.
He ran his hand through his hair nervously, and apologized several times. "It's okay," she croaked finally, having never seen James flustered or worried. Silence settled around them for a long moment while no one thought of anything that could be said.
"Er-" He was terrible at being nervous, "would you like that tour?" she couldn't think of what he was talking about, but then she remembered that this was his house, and realization came. Better to get it over with, she thought and maybe she could ask him when the next meal would be.
"Okay, so," he clapped his hands and looked around. She had never seen him go so long without smiling. It was disconcerting "We are on the 3rd floor. There are three floors and a basement. The top two floors are all bedrooms..." they walked and he talked about all the random things in and about the house. They reached the first floor by means of a large staircase in a wide hall that James called "the Ballroom" and Lily called "Stunning" which echoed despite her quiet crackly voice. To the east was the dining hall and to the west, "some other boring rooms that hardly ever got used," in the back was the garden, it was beginning to get dark out. Lily's stomach grumbled very cruely while they were looking outside. James looked over and then smiled, his characteristic, knowing smile, and then he lead her through a door to their left, into which he called "the Kitchen." But Lily didn't see any stove or fridges. She saw about fifty house elves that all stopped and bowed when they entered.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, and she almost hugged him. Her last bit of self-respect, and weakness of limb held her back.
AN: This is my favourtie story I've ever written, so if you don't REVEIW I'll keep it all to myself.
