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D/c: I do not own Harry Potter or anything really in this story except for the plot.
Chapter Eight: Left Behind
Vacation had waned away and the summer was moving quickly to a close. Each party had returned to their respective homes after their weeks relaxing at the country club and, to James's dismay, Lily had not yet decided to love him. In fact, she'd gravitated more toward Severus than ever.
Staying at the country club had helped coax her slightly out of her quiet reservation, but it was only when the Evans's returned home that she became herself again. Now with a few weeks left in August, Lily was finally able to separate herself from the confusion of the world. In this way, she could cope and heal.
Annabel and Todd were pleased to find that when Lily decided to emerge from her room --and appearances were become more frequent-- that she interacted and helped around the house quite happily. Not even Severus had made her so happy.
"Hey mum?" Lily skipped into the kitchen an hour or so before lunch, snapping Annabel out of her deep thoughts. "Oh, hi daddy," she grinned, swooping down to kiss Todd on the cheek, and then her mum.
"Hi, sweetheart," Todd smiled softly, folding up his newspaper. "How are you?"
"I am fantastic," she answered honestly, smiling at them both. "Do you guys think we can go to Diagon Alley tomorrow? I just got my letter."
Todd glanced over at Annabel and sighed. "We need to talk, love," he told Lily gently as he pulled her onto his lap.
"What's wrong?" she asked, eyes immediately darkening with worry.
"Nothing's wrong," he assured soothingly. "We just wanted to make sure you're happy."
She sighed in relief. "Of course I am," she nodded, giving him a smile.
"And you like being home with us, right?" Annabel joined in softly.
"Well sure I do, mum," Lily nodded again, looking confused.
Todd sighed and looked at her carefully. "Sweetheart, we think it might be best if you stay home this year."
Lily froze as the words sank in. "Stay home? You mean not go back to school? But I have to!" she insisted. "I can't stay home! I'm starting my NEWT courses this year!"
"We just want to keep you safe, Lily," Annabel frowned. "You've been so happy away from all the distractions of school."
"Distractions? You mean Potter, don't you?" She stood up and crossed her arms.
"Not only him," Todd protested. "Ever since they all left, you've been so much happier."
"All of them? So you mean Severus? My boyfriend is the reason I didn't seem happy? Is that what you mean?" she scowled.
"No, that's not," Todd frowned. "We just think it's best if you aren't exposed to that sort of thing anymore."
"I can't stop using magic," Lily answered bitterly. "It's dangerous, and I'm still underage. Hogwarts is the only place I can go to use my powers." She didn't raise her voice, which remained monotone and detached. Once her parents made up their minds, nothing could be done to change the matter.
"We're really sorry, sweetheart," Todd answered softly. "We think it's best."
"We'll enroll you in your old school if you want," Annabel added, trying to smile. Were they making the right choice? It was too late to turn back now. "You'll be with your old friends again."
"No…" Lily answered quietly, face blank and void of expression as a feeble knock sounded at the door. "I don't want that," she mumbled, going to answer the door. "Severus!" she gasped at the sight of her boyfriend, moving quickly to support his frail figure.
"I'm ok, Lily," he mumbled weakly, nearly collapsing against her for support. Bruises adorned his face and there was a rapidly bleeding cut on his arm. "It's not that bad,' he insisted, trying in vain to straighten up to walk. His shaking legs only buckled once more.
"Oh, Sev," she whispered sadly. "I'm so sorry. Here, we'll go up to my room and fix you up, ok?"
"No magic," he insisted firmly. "Not allowed…" his voice was hoarse.
"No magic," she agreed, helping him slowly up the stairs. He was moving stiffly, which Lily deduced was from the bruises on his back and torso that she couldn't see.
"Here we go," she murmured gently to him, letting him lay down on the bed. "I'll be right back. Stay conscious."
He groaned in response and she hurried from the room. After a few minutes, Lily returned, carefully carrying a small bowl of water and a few cloths. In silence, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed and dab the wet cloth on his arm. Once she cleaned it and could see where the cut started and ended, she held a dry cloth against the wound to stop the bleeding.
"How can he be so horrible?" she asked quietly, looking down at him.
"He was drunk again," he answered bitterly.
"It's not even noon!" she declared in surprise.
Severus sighed. "That's good old dad for you."
"He's wretched," she scowled. "You should stay here for a while. It's not safe there for you."
"I'll just be in the way until school," he protested. "You have better things to do with the rest of your vacation."
Lily sighed and moved the cloth to check his gash. "I don't know if my vacation is going to end this year, Sev…" she started gingerly cleaning his arm with the wet cloth again before replacing it with the dry one.
"What do you mean?" he inquired softly.
She frowned deeply. "Mum and Dad think it's too dangerous for me to go back to Hogwarts. Some rubbish about wanting me to be happy."
"Why can't you be happy at school?!" he scowled. "I don't want to go back without you!" Who knew what would happen then?
"I know, Sev," she sighed. "I want to go back more than anything. But I'm afraid they've made up their minds. There's really no way to change it."
"Well maybe you can convince them," he pressed. "They want you to be happy, right? Maybe if they know you aren't happy away from school, they'll send you back during the year."
"I hope so," she nodded slowly. She didn't know how she could be happy away from the world she loved so much anyway. "You should get some rest so you can heal, Sev. I'll tell my parents you're staying until school starts."
He looked ready to protest again, but he wanted whatever time with her that he could get. "Thank you, Lily," he smiled gently up at her.
She nodded and leaned over to kiss him. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he murmured, closing his eyes.
"Night," she whispered quietly and slipped out of the room.
"James, please. This is hard enough already…"
"What do you mean you're not coming back?! You're already here! Why can't you come?" James demanded, looking slightly panicked.
"I can't just go. My parents are waiting to bring me home," Lily whispered out, looking past him at the gleaming red train. "Write to me, ok? I want to know every stupid thing you do this year."
The black haired boy managed a weak chuckle and nodded slowly, letting her say goodbye to the rest of her friends. Once she had and they'd all left, James tugged her into his hold, wrapping his arms around her thin frame.
"I'm going to miss annoying you," he confessed quietly. "You take care of yourself, ok? If you ever need to work on your magic, you can go see my parents."
"Thank you," she murmured, hugging him back just as tightly. "I'm going to miss yelling at you all the time," she laughed softly, pulling away.
He nodded and held her a moment more, and the whistle blew. "I'll send a letter as soon as I get to school," he promised before hurrying to the train.
She watched before turning and locking her arms around Severus, hugging him as though her life depended on it. "Please don't cross James this year. Stay out trouble."
"I'll do my best," he promised, pulling away to kiss her deeply. "I love you," he mumbled as the train's whistle blew again. "I'll write to you every day," he vowed, stealing one more quick kiss before boarding the train.
Lily lingered on the platform as the conductor checked the doors and boarded. She wrapped her arms around herself and watched sadly until the train disappeared from view around the bend.
A/n: Ok, so I didn't update the day I told you guys I would, but things got busy again. Sorry, but here it is. Please review! =) Hope you are enjoying it so far!
