Tears of a Lily

Summary: It's been three years since James Potter was captured by the Death Eaters and presumed dead. Three years since Lily Evans was engaged to be married. What happens when he returns, barely alive and wakes up with no memory of who he is?

Author's note: I apologize for the lateness. School's taking a toll on my free time. Special thanks to my beta, silvereyesangelwings for agreeing to co-write this fic. Love ya girl!

Disclaimer: I don't own those you recognize.

Chapter 3: Third Times always the Charm

Lily couldn't believe her eyes.

"Sandy…"

Cassandra steadied Lily and helped her to a chair. "Sit down, Lils."

"How can this be happening?" Lily exhaled shakily. "I mean, is it really-------"

Cassandra nodded her head as new tears formed in Lily's emerald eyes.

"Who else can it be, Lily? The scar, the eyes, the glasses… I wonder why Sirius didn't recognize him?"

"He was covered in muck and blood when he came in…"

Lily held back a sob before adding:

"When he wakes up, he might not even recognize us…"

"I know." Cassandra found she was crying too. "But what matters is that you were able to save him. You saved James. You, and Sirius, and Frank." She wiped away her tears and put the glasses into Lily's hands. "He's alive, Lily. You never gave up in believing that. Now here he is." She tried to give her green-eyed friend a winning smile.

"You're right." Lily returned Sandy's attempt at a grin with one of her own. Her expression suddenly hardened. "And I know who gave him that gash on the chest."

Cassandra stiffened. "Who?"

Lily stood up and gently traced a finger on the bandage covering the slash. "A gash like this is caused by the Sectumsempra hex. When I treat people who are rushed in here because of a Death Eater attack, some of them have wounds just like it."

"And?" Cassandra prompted.

"Only one Death Eater has Sectumsempra as a signature move, Sandy. One guess."

Cassandra Rayne's eyes blazed with suppressed firepower.

"Severus Snape."

&&&&&&&

Adela set down a pot of stew along with some shepherd's pie on the table and wiped her brow. She twirled her wand and magicked three place settings.

Even from inside, she could hear Remus' exclamations of caution as he and Crystal played a one-on-one game of Quidditch in the backyard of Potter Manor.

DING!

"SCORE!" came Crystal's triumphant yell.

"Crystal! Don't swerve like that! You'll fall! And your mother will strangle me even if I manage to survive the hexes your grandmother will curse me with!"

'That's fifty to ten!' Remus sighed to himself as Crystal obeyed his request.

"Real brooms are much more fun than toy broomsticks!" She said as she dove for the Quaffle and prepared to hurl it through one of the score hoops once more.

Remus braced himself for another humiliating bout on his Keeper abilities.

"Lunchtime!" Adela called from the kitchen door.

Remus exhaled a sigh of relief and took out his wand from the pocket of his robes. He flicked it in Crystal's direction and the Quaffle soared out of her hands and into the small storage crate set on the ground.

"Can we play again after we eat?" Crystal begged as she swooped in carefully next to him.

"I promised your mother you would take a nap after lunch, sweetheart."

"I won't tell her you played Quidditch with me!" Crystal's eyes were twinkling mischievously. Remus' heart ached. He had seen that look so many times on James' face.

"Grandma will let us." His goddaughter was saying as they landed in the middle of the garden and ambled into the manor.

Remus took both their broomsticks into his arms and stowed them in a cabinet.

"Nice try, baby. That argument will only work with your Uncle Sirius. And what have I told you about promises?" he asked as he took her hand and led her into the dining room.

"Promises should always be kept." Crystal recited.

"Very good. Now, I made a promise to your mother that you would take a nap after you eat lunch. I wouldn't be keeping that promise if we continued our game, which you won, hands down."

Crystal suddenly looked up at him. "Mommy was a good Chaser, right? Next time, I want to try playing Seeker, just like Daddy."

Remus felt his heart ache once more as he nodded.

"Wash your hands, please." Adela winked at them both when they entered the dining room.

Remus opened the door to a bathroom and lifted Crystal up so she could reach the taps on the sink. The way her eyes glowed reminded him so much of the friend he lost.

"You don't know how much we all miss your Dad, Crystal."

&&&&&&&

"I'm going to ask Chloe to take my shift." Lily picked up her clipboard and her Quick-Quotes Quill and walked out of James' ward.

Cassandra hurried out after her. "Wha--- where are you going?"

"To find Snape." Lily replied in a final tone as she walked down the empty hallway.

"Lily! Hold on! Think about what you just said you were going to do!" Cassandra ran ahead, blocking Lily's progress.

"You're proposing to find a Death Eater who nearly murdered your fiancée! What will you do when you-------"

"I won't kill him! I just want to ---- " Lily answered, continuing to move so Cassandra was forced to walk backwards.

"Lily," Cassandra pleaded. "I know how you must feel. I don't want you to be the next one ending up like James! Snape's a Death Eater, Lily! Who knows what he'll------"

Cassandra's sentence died on her lips when she saw Lily's eyes fill with tears once more.

"James was nearly killed by the Sectumsempra hex. Snape can't do anything more hurting to me that's worse than trying to kill someone I love."

Lily wiped her tears before looking at Cassandra right in the eyes.

"Please, Sandy. You have to understand why I want to do this."

Cassandra finally nodded. "I'll break the news to Sirius and Remus. Adela too. I'll tell Derrick over dinner tonight."

Lily nodded once before placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Will you tell Crystal?"

It was Cassandra's turn to weep silently. "No. Not yet. Moreover, I want everyone there when I do tell her. You, Adela, Remus, Derrick, and Sirius."

Lily nodded again.

"Be careful, Lily." Cassandra pleaded.

"I will." Lily promised.

"I'd better go find Sirius." Cassandra managed an encouraging smile. She watched Lily go to sign off early before taking a deep breath and heading for the waiting lounge. She found Sirius seated on one of the lounge's squashy armchairs, thoughtfully twirling his wand in his fingers. His handsome features lit up in a smile when he saw her, but the smile faded when he took in her facial expression.

"Frank's gone back on duty. I stayed to wait for Lily's assessment report." He said in a rush as he came over to her. Cassandra nodded.

"What's wrong?" Sirius demanded.

Cassandra pulled him past the bewildered lady at the lounge's desk and out the hospital door.

"Sandy? What---what are you---- Tell me what's going on!" Sirius took hold of his friend's clammy hand on the front of his Auror robes.

Her face was drained of all color when she turned to face him.

"We need to go back to Potter Manor. There's something you all should know."

Sirius nodded. A moment later, he and Cassandra Disapparated on the spot.

&&&&&&&

"That was a delicious lunch, Adela." Remus commented as he used his wand to flick the soap and sponge to life and wash the luncheon dishes.

"Thank you, dear." Adela was putting away the leftovers.

Crystal had obediently gone into her room for her nap, to Remus' immense relief. He had tucked her in and gone back down to help Adela clear the table.

"You two sounded like you were having a lot of fun playing Quidditch." Adela said, amusedly.

"We spoil her too much. Cassandra would have a heart attack if she finds out we let Crystal play on real brooms. She has her parents' knack for playing Quidditch. Believe me; I wasn't letting her win while we were playing."

Adela laughed at his expression. "Then it's good that you didn't use the bludgers yet."

Their talk was interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the front door.

"It's certainly early for Lily or Sandy to be back----"Adela murmured as she and Remus went into the front hall.

Cassandra and Sirius came in, looking distressed and confused respectively.

"What's the matter?" Remus asked, as Sirius closed the door behind them.

Cassandra looked at each of them in turn before exhaling a breath she realized she had been holding.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Adela sat down in an armchair. "Wha--what do you mean, Sandy?"

"Good news." Remus answered for them all.

Cassandra put down her things on a small coffee table before saying:

"James is alive, and he's been found. He's at St. Mungo's."

Adela turned pale and clutched at the fabric of her chair.

"James? My son is alive!" she was smiling through tears as she leapt up and grasped Cassandra's shoulder.

"Please… Is he-------?"

"That's the bad news." Cassandra guided Adela back to her chair before turning to face Sirius.

"The man you and Frank found. That was James. You didn't recognize him because of all the blood on his face. Remember Lily called me to do an article on him so we can help find his family? She was finished with the assessment report by then. I found a scar on his cheek. It was the one James got during fifth year at Hogwarts. I found his glasses in a pocket of his coat. And his eyes. There's no mistaking them…"

Sirius and Remus looked dumbstruck. Adela's tears continued to flow as Cassandra ploughed on with the rest of her difficult story.

"James suffered so much. Lucky enough, Lily was able to stem his wounds in time and give him a Blood-Replenishing potion. She says his wounds show that he was used like a guinea pig. For torture purposes."

Adela let out a strangled sob. Cassandra found her own eyes were wet also. She looked over at the two Marauders who both had expressions of mixed fury and sadness on their faces.

"Lily found the gash on James' chest to be the work of the Sectumsempra hex."

Sirius looked like he was about to throw something. "Sectumsempra?" he snarled.

Remus placed a staying hand on his shoulder. "Hold on. Before we jump to any conclusions, we should go to St. Mungo's and find Lily."

"She won't be there." Cassandra said, quietly.

"Wha---- No! Sandy, please don't say she---" Sirius got to his feet.

"She did. She went to find Snape."

&&&&&&&

A very bewildered Chloe agreed to take Lily's shift after her hasty explanation of an emergency. It wasn't exactly a lie.

Lily Disapparated to the entrance of Knockturn Alley and took a moment to compose herself. The sight of James' battered body seemed to be imprinted on her eyes. She rubbed them vigorously and focused.

Knockturn Alley's shabby stone archway loomed menacingly in front of her. Lily shook off the chill that usually accompanied her when she had to go down this particular part of Wizard London. Her fear wasn't important. What mattered now was finding the man—no, the monster--- who nearly killed her fiancée.

A cloaked figure ducked into a side street in Knockturn Alley's labyrinth of cobblestoned paths. The batlike effect of his movements on his black cloak was a dead giveaway to Lily Evans, who had grown up knowing the oily-haired, hook-nosed git.

"That was fast." Lily thought. "I expected to take all day in looking for him. Turns out my hunch was right. Or does he want me to find him…?"

She followed the figure as quietly as she could, taking care not to knock over anything that would reveal her presence. She bit her lip to keep her sadness away at remembering that James was the one who taught her this particular Auror skill of following fugitives.

The cloaked figure left a trail of blood in his wake. Lily gritted her teeth and followed it.

&&&&&&&

The cloaked figure in question ducked into another side street, hoping he was already safe. With his wand, he tried to siphon off the blood that coated his hands. Moving Potter's blasted body left so much of the man's arrogant blood on his clothes and hands. He would have to throw out the robes he was wearing.

A soft scratching noise made him look up. Panic flooded his senses. An Auror must have followed him here! And he had walked straight into a dead end!

He begun to turn on the spot, to Disapparate, when a familiar voice called out;

"Expelliarmus!"

His wand flew out of his hand and he was knocked backwards into the brick wall that made up the dead end of the side street.

His hood had fallen during the impact of his drop to the ground. His face was now revealed.

Severus Snape.

He struggled to rise, to look for an escape from his attacker. When he saw who it was, his heartbeat wouldn't let him do more than sit up.

"Lily…" He breathed.

"Severus." She spat.

His heart hurt at the scathing way she said his name. She advanced toward him, pointing her wand directly at his face, his wand in her other hand.

"You nearly killed James!" she yelled, her voice echoing within the side street.

"It was on the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's orders! I--- I …" He tried to think of a way to explain.

"And I bet you volunteered for the job of finishing off James after all the years Voldemort's used him as a dummy for cruel pain?!" Lily felt her anger boil up within her.

"P---Potter…." Snape managed to say. "He—HE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME! Don't you understand, Lily?! I ----- I…" He stopped when he saw her crying. Crystal tears flowed from her beautiful emerald eyes. He was causing her this pain. He was the one making her cry…

"Lily, please…. Forgive me…" he clutched at the front of her robes. "Come away with me…"

She wrenched away from him, her wand still pointed into his face.

"Come away with you?" she echoed, not lowering her arm. "I'd sooner die, Severus."

&&&&&&&

Sirius and Remus had immediately begun searching for Lily as soon as they made Cassandra and Adela promise to stay at Potter Manor with Crystal.

The two Marauders had split up to search Wizard London and ended up back in Diagon Alley.

Remus clutched at a stitch in his side.

"We haven't searched Knockturn Alley yet. It's not somewhere anyone would want to go alone."

"Except a Death Eater. " Sirius hurried after him.

"Maybe we should have searched there first." Remus' voice was panicky.

"Then, I take it this is the last time we ask Mundungus Fletcher for information?" Sirius finally caught up with him.

"It seemed like a good idea to ask him where Snape is! He's the Order's underground information source! And if I may I remind you, Padfoot, it was you who said that if we find Snape, maybe we'd find Lily. If we actually find him before she does, all the better!"

Sirius set his mouth in a grim smile. "I'd love to use our old tricks on Snivellus again." He and Remus got out of range of a Non-Apparition spell around certain shops in Diagon Alley and Disapparated.

They Apparated outside the entrance of Knockturn Alley and ran into the dark street as fast as their tired legs would carry them.

"Lumos!" Sirius muttered. His wand tip lit up. Remus followed suit.

They checked every side street and shop they happened to pass. At Borgin and Burke's, the shop owner gave them both a haughty look, which Sirius returned in kind.

The two Marauders were about to turn down one alleyway when voices from a corner side street made them stop to listen.

"P---Potter…" Snape's oily-voiced plea seemed to carry to where they were standing. "He—HE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME! Don't you understand, Lily?! I ----- I…"

Remus grabbed his companion by the sleeve of his Auror robes and Sirius found himself unceremoniously dragged for the second time that day.

"Moony—what--- That's them!"

"Shhh!" Remus pulled him along and they both hid behind the corner leading into the side street where the voices were coming from.

"Lily, please…. Forgive me…Come away with me…"

Remus suppressed the urge to throw up. Judging from the way Sirius had turned a sickly shade of green, he was doing the same.

"Come away with you? I'd sooner die, Severus."

"Please…"

"Get away from me!" Lily cried.

"I think this is where we come in." Sirius spoke up.

"Right." Remus replied.

"Though you have to admit, " Sirius panted as they ran to Lily's rescue. "After everything we did to Snivelly at Hogwarts, Lily was one who did the thing that hurt him the most."

"And that would be?" Remus asked.

"Reject him. If memory serves me right, this would be the third time she turns him down.And third time's always the charm."

"When were the first two times she turned him down?"

"First one was during our Hogwarts days. The second one was on the night after she and James got engaged."

They reached the scene just in time. Snape had Lily cornered against a wall.

Sirius shot out a spell that blasted Snape off his feet. He fell with a thump on the cobblestones.

"Lily!" her two friends cried. She looked up in surprise.

"What are you-------" she began to say as she let Remus pull her out of Sirius' line of fire. In their haste, she dropped Snape's wand.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Sirius roared, making Snape's attempt to get up futile. "You're not going anywhere, Snivellus!" he ran forward.

With a bellow, Snape lunged for Sirius and knocked him to the ground with sheer force. He snatched up his wand and turned to give one last fleeting look at Lily.

"DON'D MOOBE!" Sirius yelled at him, trying to staunch a bloody nose at the same time.

"Let him go, Sirius!" Remus was supporting Lily, who was looking paler than usual.

Snape Disapparated in a haze.

"How did you two ----" Lily started to ask.

"Sandee dold ud." Sirius said through the handkerchief he was holding to his nose.

"I have to remember to thank her." Lily smiled.

"Led's ged oudda here." Sirius said.

"Yeah, come on. People are coming." Remus cocked his ear, listening to the footsteps growing louder behind them.

The three friends quickly made their way to a place where they could Disapparate and quickly did so.