A/N: over a year! i am so sorry guys! shit just got in the way - graduation, college, drama, my own novel - and the fanfictions were lost along the way. i reread the previous chapter and found some incongruities, but i will not change them just now. really...it doesnt matter. just a small goof. anyhoo, read on...

Chapter 9

Lily crawled back into bed. Still she could not sleep. Her confusion over the two boys was leaving her chest heavy. Her worry over Ashleigh was quickening her pulse. Her pain at being left by her family made her heart sick. She stared at the ceiling, her mind going over what Sirius had said, what she had thought. What she wanted most was for that complication to not have happened. She envisioned the wall of the common room with a massive sign that read: Here, Lily and Sirius both betrayed the man they loved. She did not regret it - she had made the decision after all, no matter how clouded or lust-filled she was, she had made it, and now had to live with the consequences.

She had not noticed anything was wrong until she tried to roll over. And found she could not move.

8o8o8o8o8

"Lily!" There was yelling and hard knocking on her door. "Lily - it is almost noon!" Normally, both James and Sirius would sleep until well passed noon, but Mrs. Potter had seen fit to wake them both because they had a guest. But their guest had not crawled out of bed yet; both boys knew Lily to be awake by eight-thirty every morning, regardless of when she went to bed, or when she needed to be up. But it was well passed then, and she was nowhere to be seen. "Lily?" James's voice slacked slightly.

"EVANS, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" Sirius called, banging hard. He was becoming annoyed now.

"Sirius - watch your language!" Came Mrs. Potter's light call from the kitchen. She was not worried about Lily sleeping so late, but she did not know the Muggle-born like the boys did.

"Alohamora," Sirius said, pointing his wand at the door.

Lily was staring at the ceiling, her legs placed in a seemingly comfortable way, arms behind her head, cradling it, back slightly arched. She wore the same shirt and shorts as she was when Sirius had left her. In fact, at first glance nothing seemed amiss. Except that she was not breathing, nor moving.

"Lily?" Sirius was the first to breathe her name once the two had entered the room. James was speechless, instead running for the girl. James put his hand on her stomach and shook lightly. Sirius was behind him now.

"Mrs. Potter! Come quick!"

8o8o8o8o8

St. Mungo's was a dismal place, Ashleigh Rider decided. Sure, it was clean, and yes it constantly smelled lightly of honey and jasmine - but, that did not mask its purpose. A hospital. Ash was not a fan of hospitals, in fact, he steered clear of them the best he could. Something about sick people bothered him; seeing them, hearing them, speaking to them. So this was only the third time he had been in St. Mungo's. But he had to see Lily.

Lillian Evans and been admitted into the hospital after being poisoned with her own concoction. Oh, sweet irony. Her findings on the brilliance of Stonewort had been sent on to a potions magazine publisher, though had not yet gone to print. (Not until they editor had made sure her findings were correct, of course.) So few knew of its properties and uses in connection to the Muggle-born. And yet, what she thought was merely water at the birthday party had been a paralytic poison, one that, were she left alone for a few more hours would have frozen her body completely, until it reached her lungs, and stopped her heart. Had she gone home, and been alone all weekend, she would have died.

A chill went down Ashleigh's spine as he made his way down the hall. He was risking a great deal, visiting like this. But Alia could not come, and she needed to know Lily was alright. Ashleigh, if seen, could explain away his being there as checking on his grandmother, who everyone knew to be dying of spattergroit. He did not plan of ever visiting the hag, but she would be a decent scapegoat for the time being.

He arrived at Lily's door. It was closed, but he did not bother to knock. He did not want to be seen hovering outside her door. He opened it and slipped in, not looking around the room before he closed the door.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ah, Sirius is here, Ashleigh thought bitterly just before he turned. And James and Remus as well. A party then.

"I have come to visit." Ashleigh returned with the obvious answer, his eyes matching Sirius's for a moment. They then travelled to Lily and his expression softened instantly and he moved for her - but a body blocked his path.

"Leave, Slytherin." James was in his way, his dark eyes like stone.

"James," Ashleigh said, looking straight through him. They were about the same height, Ashleigh was slightly taller. The blue eyes were still soft, both from Lily's state, and understanding the worry in James's face. "I have come to see my friend. Please, let me by."

"Prongs, let him go," Remus said softly from the corner. "He can't do anything with us here. He wouldn't dare."

Ashleigh was somewhat annoyed that he had been let go - for James did begin to move out of the way - only because they would kill him before he could hurt her, and not because they trusted him. That would come it seems. He went to her bedside, across from where Sirius still sat, and where James was sitting now. He touched her hand gently. "Has she woken yet?" He asked them in a quiet tone.

"Briefly, yes." Remus answered when the others would not. "They put her to sleep again, until all of her organs are back, and she can eat again. She should wake soon."

"And her family?"

"They visited for a few hours. You missed them by an hour or so." Remus said. Though his tone was trying for neutrality, Ashleigh could tell that he was annoyed that her parents had not stayed.

"I shall visit them later, then." He whispered, hand moving to pet her head.

James began to move to stop him, eyes flashing, but Sirius stopped him. "How did you know she was here?" Sirius asked in a stiff tone.

"Rose sent me an owl." He answered. He was too distracted to care that he was approaching a dangerous territory.

"Rose? Sent you an owl?"

Oh, damn. Ashleigh's hand fell and he stood straight, looking at the two boys. Their faces were calling him a liar. "Yes. The moment she heard, I believe. She sent me a message with Lily's owl. It always knows where to find me." He did not care, anymore. For all they hated him and everything they believed he was - they were also on Dumbledore's side.

"But why you?" It was Remus's turn to jump into the interrogation.

"Because she is my friend, Remus." He was not bothering with the use of last names here. Here, he saw them as equals, brought together for care of the woman on the bed. The woman whose eyes were open.

"Would you stop attacking him?" Her voice was scratchy, quiet, and tired, but all four of them heard her easily over their own words.

"Lily," James touched her upper arm lightly. "How are you feeling?"

Ashleigh knelt beside her, touching her arm as well.

"Annoyed by how you are treating him," She answered. Her green eyes were dark from her ill health, and her skin was without any coloring at all. She looked as sick as she was. "Can you not fight anymore?"

"Yes, of course," James replied, clearly just placating her.

Her head moved to look to Ashleigh. "Hey," She said, smilingly slightly. "If they bother you, let me know; okay?"

Ashleigh chuckled and brought her hand to his mouth. "Yes, my lady." Sirius looked like he was going to puke. James looked like he was going to murder the King of Slytherin. "Do you know who did it?" He said, turning to the Gryffindor boys.

Her expression darkened, but it was James who answered. "No," He said flatly. "Why - do you?" He asked in an accusatory tone.

Ashleigh gave him a flat look that clearly said "no." Aloud, he answered, "If I did, you would know already, Potter."

Moments later, Healer came in and shooed the boys away so he could take a look at Miss Evans. They stood in silence outside for a bit before James and Remus left to find coffee. It was around ten o'clock in the evening now, and neither of the boys had slept since they had gotten there; James and Sirius had been there for two days. Unfortunately, only Healers and the like could Summon things within the hospital, so James and Remus were forced to go on an actual hunt.

Ashleigh and Sirius stood awkwardly for a beat. "Sirius, I lied to you in there."

Sirius was alert instantly, oddly surprised at this admission. "You know who did it then?" He asked in a dangerous tone, guessing easily.

Ashleigh felt a wand poking into his back. "You cannot tell James, not yet. He cares too much, he is too irrational. I wrote to Dumbledore already; he knows."

"Who is it then?"

"Malfoy." Ashleigh breathed, whispering now. Before Sirius could ask how, he answered that as well. "He made himself appear as Amos Diggory at your little party. He remembered what Lily had said in potions class months ago, and figured it out with Slughorn's accidental help." Sirius looked murderous, but Ashleigh grabbed his arm. "You mustn't seek revenge, Black. Not yet, not now. They need you in there. She is so broken, even if she won't admit it; her pride is gone. And James's love is lying ill. You cannot leave them to be a hero. Even if you love her, as I do."

Sirius was about to reply that he did not love Lily Evans, but found that to be a lie. He did. Not as James did, of course, but as one would love a little sister. He saw, too, that Ashleigh's words were truth. "Fine," He breathed. "But I will not hesitate again, Rider. If he tries again - "

"He won't. He has already succeeded in turning her own genius against her. That is what he wanted."

"How do you know this?" He asked, peering suspiciously again.

"I am the King of Slytherin, Black. There is little that does not cross my path."

8o8o8o8o8

My Dear Narcissa,

I am sorry for not writing to you sooner. I arrived home four days ago, safely and healthy. I heard you ran into a little weather trouble. It is a good thing that Lucius was there when you landed; warm, dry arms are a good thing after such an experience. I do hope you have not taken ill from the rain, though I know your constitution to be sound enough to handle it. My business took me away from my desk, so again I apologize for waiting so long to return your letter.

I would love to drop by for tea this Sunday. Father and Mother have already sent an owl to your home accepting the invitation as well. Will Lucius be joining us as well? It will be nice to see old friends again, I fear my travels abroad have given me a rather dismal view of the French and their social gatherings. Too much cheese and wine - I definitely think it should be removed from your list of possible honeymoon locations. By the way - my family and I cannot wait for the wedding - June 3rd is coming fast!

My Grandmother is improving, thank you for the inquiry. She is out of her room and safe and sound in the comfort of a more homey environment.

Please give my regards to your parents and sister.

Sincerely,

Ashleigh Rider.

Ashleigh sealed the letter and attached it to the outstretched leg of the family owl. It felt odd, writing in lies and code, and yet thrilling. He sent the owl off and leaned back in his chair.

It had been two weeks since Cissa had left him in France. She left a day early because they both decided that she not being able to be away from Lucius any longer would quell any questioning about why she and Ashleigh were both vacationing in the same country at the same time. Although jealousy flooded his entire being as she took the train to Calais (and a mass-transit flight wizard-style back home; she had not yet taken an Apparition test), he knew that it was for the best. He also knew that, back on English soil, she was not his Cissa anymore.

And June 3rd was going to take her away forever. It seemed Lucius was not going to take any chances that she would leave him once school ended. And what was even crueler was the letter received from Lucius, before the one from Narcissa, telling him of the set wedding date, and asking him to be the best man. Lucius was an evil bastard.

Although he had told Dumbledore of the young Malfoy's guilt in the poisoning of Lily Evans, no evidence could be taken as proof. And, since Ashleigh could not be used as a witness, or even mentioned within court proceedings, the case against him was dropped. He heard from Dumbledore that it took Hagrid, Remus, and Sirius to keep James from running off and killing Malfoy right then. James eventually gave in and promised to not hang him by his genitals from the whomping willow, as he had planned.

Lily, meanwhile had returned home after four days in St. Mungo's. She was in full health, and making up for lost homework time. She wrote back in forth between James and Sirius and Remus more than she ever had before, she mentioned in her last letter to Ashleigh. "I find my affection growing for them," she had written in that letter. In his return, Ashleigh pointed out that her that "them" was actually a "him." He could imagine her flushing with both embarrassment and denial at the comment.

8o8o8o8o8

Summer flowed on. Ashleigh wrote to Cissa only rarely, because too much correspondence would be considered both suspicious and indecent. Lily found herself separating further from her parents even more, and, soon, she was sending and receiving letters more than once a day with James Potter. She was invited to tea on one Sunday afternoon in early August with the Potters. Before she left, James kissed her. And that was that. He never asked her to be his girlfriend; it took one kiss and a lot of schmoozing for her to give in. If one were to ask when they started going out, each had their own answer: Remus would say there was no beginning; Sirius would say when James's head came out of his arse; James would say when he kissed her; and Lily would answer when he was graced by God.

Neither Sirius nor Lily had told their friends about the evening in the Common Room, and neither planned to. Their banter back and forth continued without a hitch. Lily found herself with one big-headed boyfriend, and three very different, and very protective brothers. Cait had written to her only once, and only to tell her she and her family were moving to Germany. Lily would miss her, but not greatly so. Despite being alone at home, she was happy. Her only worry came with the last year of Hogwarts coming up fast. She did not worry about the work load, or the tests. But, instead, the future. Protected, they were, within the castle walls, shielded from most of the problems the Lord Voldemort was beginning to case. And her attack was proof that that safety was beginning to wane. She had a circle of protectors, but still. James always spoke of a family, a home, a life with her. What if things became worse?

What would happen to their family if Lord Voldemort's power grew?