THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, YOU MUST READ THIS!

THE NAME OF THIS STORY WILL BE CHANGED AS OF SUNDAY 20th OF JULY 2013 AND THE NEXT CHAPTER'S POST.

THE NEW NAME WILL BE: "THE RAIN WILL FALL".

Disclaimer: I will never own Harry Potter, or any characters you recognise, only any OC's and most of the plot in this story. The representation of characters and plots that do not belong to me are my opinions only and no offense is intended towards any rightful owners. This will remain the same for the rest of this story. I will be doing no more disclaimers but, the fact that ai do not own Harry Potter will remain the same.

Now that's taken care of: ON WITH THE STORY!

"Somewhere all my darkest dreams are gathering

It's not enough to save the day

I can't escape my nightmares

Dreams have shown me who I am

A danger to myself

Trickster, feared, far from revered

So I must fear as well"

-Nightmares

Chapter 9

Alice's POV

"Alice!"

I groaned and snuggled deeper under my covers, trying to ignore Marlene's shaking of my shoulder.

"Alice!"

She sounded quite irritated now. As my mind began to clear itself of sleep, I realized I needed to get up. It would be unfair to Marlene not to. And very selfish of me.

"Alice!" Marlene hissed, shaking my shoulder even more roughly than before, reminding me how exhausted she was as well.

"I'm up," I mumbled, pushing my cozy blankets off of me and giving a small shiver as the cold air hit my skin.

"How is she?" I yawned.

"She's better than usual, I think she might even fall asleep again," Marley murmured.

I rubbed my eyes, and swung my legs over the side of the bed, dragging my duvet with me, I made my way over to where Mary was sitting. She had her covers pulled up to her nose, reveling only her chocolate brown eyes which were wide with fear and her long dark brown hair, which was falling from the tight French braid she wore at night. Hopefully this would be the second to last night Marlene and I had to get up, the full moon was tomorrow, meaning Madam Pomfrey would be able to harvest the last of the ingredients needed to brew her potion for a dreamless sleep. And that would hopefully save Mary from the torment of her nightmares. If it didn't though, I would still get up every night to take care of her. And I wouldn't complain either.

"Good night Marley," I called to the blonde, who was climbing into her own bed, a look of relieved exhaustion on her face.

"G'night," she murmured back, her voice already slurring with sleep.

Clambering up onto the bed, I sat next to Mary, one arm around her shaking shoulders and the other holding my blankets around my own cold body.

"Hey Mary, honey," I whispered.

She looked at me with wide frightened eyes, and didn't reply.

"Let me see your beautiful face," I whispered, I had learnt long ago, it was better to treat Mary like a scared child, when she was scared, she needed motherly comfort.

Slowly the blanket moved down to tuck under her chin.

"Now can you give me a smile?"

Mary just continued to stare at me. The pain I felt in my heart was reflected in her eyes.

I wanted to punish the people who had broken her in this way. Mary, sweet Mary, who would try so hard just to make someone's day a bit better. Mary, who gave Peter her only quill to stop Professor McGonagall from giving him another detention. The girl, who was quietly as kind hearted as Lily, as fierce as Marlene, and as loyal as James. Mary never tried to stand out as Sirius did, most people thought she was shy, or a bit odd. She had a knack for knowing exactly how someone felt, and going out of her way, to make them feel better, if they were sad or angry. Often she would say something that far surpassed her years, and in her own quiet way was, in my opinion, as wise as Dumbledore.

Quirky Mary, whose favourite subject was Divination, and who judged people's lasting relationships by their star signs. At first we scoffed when she claimed to actually see things in the swirling mist inside the crystal balls; when she exclaimed over tea leaves and astronomy charts. Now we would ask her things like whether or not she thought it would rain during the Hogsmeade trips, and she was never wrong in her answers. Perhaps she had a perception of the world, that was different to my own, or perhaps she was a type of seer. Whichever it was it only added to Mary's extraordinary personality.

Mary was a Muggleborn, but she was practically raised by her grandmother, who was also a Muggleborn witch. Her father had left her mother for a younger woman when Mary was four. Her Mother hadn't taken it well, but it was only when he returned a year later, with the news that his new wife was expecting that she lost it. Mary who remembered that part of her childhood with unusual clarity, had told us in third year after some prodding and encouragement, the horrible story. It started with her mum visiting the pub after work, leaving Mary with their neighbor until later and later each night. Then she stopped going to work altogether, and began to drink at home. Often Mary went without dinner, because her Mother would simply not make anything, and there was no food in the cupboards, and at five Mary was not the best in the kitchen. Mary stopped going to school, because her mum couldn't pay the fees and so stayed at home by herself most days. Mary had recounted with revulsion, that her Mother often brought home strange men, after being at the bar all day. Then six months after her Father's visit, her Mother began to hit her. What began with neglect turned to abuse. As the drinking got worse so did the abuse. Finally after three long months of little food and violent abuse, her Mother in a fit of rage came at Mary with a knife. The scream, that was the result of a knife in her back, was heard by the same neighbor who used to care for Mary after school. The police found Mary passed out in a pool of blood and her Mother dead, after she turned the knife on herself.

Mary had gone to live with the Gran she had never met after her Father's new wife refused to care for her step-daughter. Numerous counseling sessions and her Gran's loving care had helped Mary all but forget her troubled past, until her attack in fifth year. Dumbledore had explained to Lily, Marlene and me that, the attack had reawakened all the fear she had felt as a child. It had reopened old wounds. And just as those wounds began to heal, Lily and James' attack had torn Mary open again.

"Alice?" Mary's quiet voice jolted me from my thoughts, "I'm sorry, I should be strong like you and Remus, Marlene and Lily," in true Mary fashion, there was no hint of self-pity in her voice, only a sadness, as though she thought she had disappointed me.

"Mary, honey, you don't have to be sorry. You're my friend, I will always look after you."

She leant her head on my shoulder. Her body relaxing a little.

"Thank you Alice," she said simply.

I knew she was talking about more than what I had just said. We sat in silence for a while, I took the opportunity to look at the stars out the window. Mary shifted slightly, then,

"I-I think I can go back to sleep now," she said hesitantly.

"Are you sure Honey? I don't mind staying up with you," I said in concern.

"No, it's alright, they're just dreams," her chin jutted forward slightly, the stubborn gesture reminded me of Lily. For some reason this made my eyes prickle with tears.

"You see Mary, you are strong, you're so brave. If it was me I would be much too scared," I spoke softly, but the truth in my statement rung out.

"I am scared, but sometimes you have to decide when it's ok to be so scared all you want to do is curl up into a ball and cry, and when you have to say, 'no, I'm not going to be afraid!'. Sometimes, you have to decide not to be frightened," Mary said wisely.

I squeezed her tightly for a moment, then retracted my arm, taking her hand instead.

"You're a true Gryffindor Mary. Don't forget that. Everyone is allowed to be scared, and everyone is allowed to have times when all they want to do is cry, but it takes a true person, to stand up to their fears. And that's what you're doing Mare. But, if you do wake up and you...you decide that it's ok to be scared, then wake me up alright!" I gave her a stern look, that made the corners of her mouth turn up slightly.

"Thanks Alice," she whispered.

I stood up from her bed, and like my Mother did to me when I was very young, I pulled the blankets up to her chin and kissed her forehead; tucking her into bed.

"Good night, Alice," those beautiful, huge eyes, looked different to when I had first seen them earlier. They were still deep with pain and sorrow, but a sparkle had reappeared, chasing away some of the storm clouds of fear.

"Good night Mary."

I crouched beside her, still holding her hand in mine, until her eyes shut and her breath evened out into the deep relaxed pattern of sleep. Tucking her hand under her covers, I quietly padded past Lily's empty bed and Charlotte Lark's full one. Charlotte was our room mate and resident slut of Gryffindor, her and her best friend Lexi (Alexis) detested the rest of us seventh year girls, especially Lily. Both girls had long ago given up sleeping through our "disturbance of beauty sleep" as Lexi called it or "noisy bitches, hating on those better than them" as Charlotte did, and had cast muffling charms on their bed's curtains.

Rolling my eyes internally, an effect they had on me every time they entered a room, I climbed into my own bed. My thoughts turned to Lily and James, Merlin, may they be alright. James, at least, should have woken up by now, and the fact that he hadn't only served to stress everyone else out even more. Marlene had said as we walked back to the Common Room with Peter, that when they woke up she was going to have a little chat with them about how stupid they were.

"Damn selfish of them, making us all so worried!" She had fumed, making Peter chuckle and me smile. We both knew that if—no, when they woke up Marlene would probably cry out of relief.

I fell asleep with a small smile on my face, convinced, that even though all around us it thundered and the rain fell, one day, the clouds would clear and the storm would pass.

James' P.O.V

The swirling darkness had a tight grip on my consciousness, it loomed at every corner, drowning me in the black. Lily's screams haunted my sleep, blood dripping and shadows waiting to pounce. Sometimes the heavy blanket that was dragging me down seemed to lift and I would hear voices. Marlene, Alice, Peter, Madam Pomfrey, Remus, Mary, Dumbledore, Minerva, Mum. All of them seemed to call out to me.

"...Lily...James...attacked."

"...Lasting damage..."

"Sirius...have to...James wouldn't want...starve yourself!"

"...Please...scaring me...Sirius!"

"He's...asleep...should...woken...now..."

"...Parents...notified..."

"...Jamesie...not like Charlus...please Lord...him back...James."

"Can't...this...anymore...need...back...!"

"...full moon..."

Was this another form of Death Eater torture? Would I be doomed to listen to my loved ones voices, forever stuck between life and death? Only to hear their screams echoing with Lily's, to see Lily's body wracked with tremors over and over again? To feel that hopelessness, and desperation that was caused by watching someone you love suffer and being helpless to save them. The pain caused by that wound hurt more than my ribs and head or my leg and the many sparks of pain on my arms, from the cuts and gases. As I lay there, with Mulciber's maniac laughter ringing in my ears, and the guilt gnawing at my heart, I relived the whole experience over and over again. The knowledge that I had failed to protect my Lily, was a knife digging deeper and deeper into my heart.

It was my fault. That certainty rang through my entire being. Lily had jumped in front of me. She had taken that curse for me. If only I had not been so weak. I would not be weak again. I would not let them hurt her again. I would defend Lily with my last breath. If I was going to die, then it was going to be for her or Sirius or Marlene. If I was going to die it would be for someone I loved.

Coherent thoughts swam among muddled images, emotions, memories. Lily laughing with Alice. Remus smiling at Mary over a book. Lily, a small wrinkle in her forehead as she read over her Transfiguration essay. Sirius grinning evilly as he replaced Marlene's quill with one that would misspell every word, as she was about to start a dreaded Potions essay. Marlene chasing Sirius around the Head's Common Room. Lily running towards me after the Quidditch match. Peter convincing Slughorn we were waiting for Flitwick to ask about a nonexistent Charms essay when really we were trying to break into the Staff Room. Sirius almost falling off his broom because Marlene stole his bat and sent a bludger at him, because he insinuated girls couldn't play Quidditch. Mum, smiling proudly when I got Head Boy. Lily her nose crinkling as she laughed with Zonko only minutes before the attack. The attack. I was forced to watch it replay again.

And then all the bad memories, Remus and Sirius yelling at each other over the prank Sirius pulled on Snape in fifth year. Every single, 478 times that Lily said no to me. Sirius' bloody and bruised, almost collapsing on my doorstep during last year's Summer. Lily yelling she hated me. Peter catching Sirius snogging the girl he liked. Losing the Quidditch cup to Slytherin, in First year. Dad's funeral. Finding my Mum kneeling in the wardrobe, Dads Quidditch jumper in her hands, crying. The argument after our Defense OWL, Lily telling me I was as bad as Snape and that she would rather date the Giant Squid. Lily blood pooling around her, lying mangled after being thrown against the wall. Mulciber advancing on her. Those bloodcurdling, heart breaking screams. Dragging myself towards her, but being too weak to continue.

Lily.

Instead of recoiling from the memory as I had every other time, I imagined it was a picture, I imagined I was bringing my fist up to smash it. Then I hurtled into it with all I had. Pushing through the sickening self loathing, and nauseating pain. Until the image shattered. A light sparked. I pushed harder fighting to get closer to the light. Suddenly every image, memory, emotion that had plagued me snapped and vanished. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. My eyes snapped open.

Someone groaned, with a start I realized it was me. My head pounded with pain, and my right leg and ribs burned. Blinking hard, I tried to lift my hand to search for my glasses. It felt like it weighed a ton, I groaned again. Lugging my arm up and letting it drop to the side and fumble along the table for my glasses, managing to knock many unnamed objects to the ground. I tried to think past my pounding headache, Where was I? Why was it so dark? Was I a prisoner? Where was Lily?

"Lily!" I tried to yell, but it came out more like a guttural groan. My throat was so dry.

I tried again,

"Lily!" It sounded like a word this time, but was raspy and quiet.

"Lily!" I croaked. Panic was beginning to grip me, what if she was dead!

"LILY!" It was a proper yell this time, but my voice cracked and when I tried to yell again, I only managed another raspy croak.

"James?"

I croaked in reply, having not located my glasses, I was unable to see much of the silhouette that spoke to me.

"James!" Sirius threw himself at me, making me wince and groan, if the bastard rebroke my ribs...

"You absolute idiot!" Sirius yelled, making my head thump harder and more painfully. He, thankfully, got off me, making it marginally less painful to breathe.

"Do you know how worried I've been! And how stressed out Marley and Remus are! You're Mum is a mess! You stupid berk! I thought you were going to die!"

Sirius ranted on about what a dick I was, while I tried to stop breathing so deeply, in an effort to stop the pain in my ribs, when that didn't help, I considered stopping breathing altogether, but decided Sirius would kill me if I died on him.

I tried to ask Sirius where Lily was, but all I could do was croak. And he ignored me.

Frustrated, I tried to reach up and shake his shoulders and demand he listen to me, my arms selfishly decided not to respond.

"Sirius..." I rasped finally.

He stopped his speech mid sentence, I still couldn't see him, due to both the darkness and by lack of glasses.

"Water," I croaked.

"Aguamenti."

A cool glass was pressed to my lips and blessed water was trickled down my parched and swollen throat. Sirius filled the glass twice more before I managed to painfully nod my thanks.

"Is Lily ok?" I demanded hoarsely, squinting at Sirius' blurry and shadowed face.

"Lumos," Sirius lit the lap beside the bed, the light made my head spin.

"Lily!" I demanded more forcefully.

"She's...fine Mate."

There was just the slightest hesitation before he said fine, it was almost imperceptible, but I picked it up.

"Tell me!"

"She, she hasn't woken up yet, but Madam Promfrey fixed all her injuries," Sirius said.

I frowned, but then Lily was worse off than me, if I was only just waking up...

"I suppose she told you she healed all my injuries too," I grumbled.

"Yes, she did," Sirius' voice answered after a pause.

"She missed a rib. Mate, can you pass me my glasses?" I asked, tired of squinting at him.

Wordlessly he handed over my repaired glasses, using one leaden hand I pushed them onto my nose. I blinked as the world came into focus, as I suspected I was in the Hospital Wing. I caught sight of my Best Mate,

"Gah!" I yelled.

"What?" Sirius demanded immediately.

"What's wrong with your face?"

"My face–" he began in confusion, "Oh very funny Prongs!" He said sarcastically as he realized I was joking.

"Where is Lily?"

Sirius pointed off to the right, and if I painfully turned my head I could glimpse her red hair splayed across a white pillow.

"Is she alright, truthfully?" I asked fixing Sirius with a hard stare.

He didn't meet my eyes for a second, but then gave me an intense stare,

"Physically she is about as good as you, but until she wakes up," he paused glancing around the room, before meeting my eye again, "until she wakes up we won't know if their is any long term mental damage."

A cold stone of dread settled in my stomach. I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears that pricked at them. I really had failed her...

If Lily was mentally damaged, she might not remember who she was, she might not remember me. The selfish thought clung to me, if Lil didn't remember me, she wouldn't love me, I would have to start all over again. But more importantly, Lily could be brain damaged, it could be as minor as forgetting how to tie a shoe, to the point of insanity, where she wold be incapable of speech, or coherent thought. And that would land her in St. Mungo's, permanently. That could not happen! Please Merlin, may she be alright!

"You ok Mate?" Sirius was watching me closely.

I was saved having to answer by Madam Pomfrey bustling in.

"Oh you're awake, Mr Potter, I was beginning to wonder..." The young matron muttered, before turning her stern gaze to Sirius, "Mr Black, I have allowed you to stay in this Wing for a week now. Potter is in good hands, he is awake now, you can see he is perfectly alright. Now please remove yourself, I need to tend to my patients. And that is easier without an obnoxious, irritating and distracting boy, dogging me!"

It seemed she had gotten to know Sirius past the charming exterior.

"I'm wounded Poppy!" He proclaimed dramatically, but his eyes were on me, his concern easily read in his grey eyes.

"Go Sirius, there's nothing you can do here," I said gently, wondering if he had stayed here the entire time, a week Pomfrey had said.

They say time flies when you're having fun, but apparently it also flies when you're unconscious. And let me tell you, that is not fun.

With one last calculating, but concerned gaze at me, and a glare at Poppy, Sirius turned on his heel and strode away, the Hospital Wing doors shutting quietly behind him.

"You gave us all quite a scare there Mr Potter. Black is a good friend, he spoke hardly a word to anyone. His poor girlfriend had to beg him to eat! Followed me around, he did, making sure you were looked after properly.

I had to chase everyone from curious Ravenclaw first years to loud, Quidditch players out." She glared at me like this was my fault, " Seems you've got quite the amount of admirers Potter, I had to be very strict on visiting hours." She said.

For the first time I noticed the piles of cards, Honeydukes and Zonko's products that were heaped at the foot of my bed and on the bedside table.

"Mr Pettigrew especially liked the licorice wands," Madam Pomfrey said with a small smile, noticing my surprised gaze.

"You should have seen the blonde girl, yelling at a gaggle of giggling Fifth years. She was concerned you were going to be slipped love potion. Lectured them about how you had a girlfriend, and that it was Lily Evans and unless they wanted to get on the wrong side of her wand then they had better scamper off. The poor things looked terrified, Miss Evans, must be quick with that wand of hers," she chuckled as she went about prodding my leg and various other parts of my body with her wand.

"Poor Remus, I'm afraid this month's moon will be hard on him," she continued, switching topics easily, "He looks so exhausted, extra Prefect duties and covering for both the Head Boy and Girl, is hard on him. He's a good boy that one. Doesn't deserve..." She muttered, prodding my rib with her wand, causing me to suck in a breath.

Clucking her tongue she frowned and waved her wand in a complex swirling motion before jabbing me in my sore ribs.

"Ow!" I complained, but even as I did the pain began to lessen.

She frowned at me, before bustling over to a cupboard,

"Take this, it'll help with the pain, and this, will out you back to sleep until morning."

She stood over me as I took the pain relief, then handed me the other potion.

"Will Lily be alright?" I asked again.

"Miss Evans will be fine, drink your potion boy."

"Are you sure she's ok?" I frowned doubtfully.

"Yes, now drink up!" She said firmly.

With one last slightly disbelieving look at Madam Pomfrey and a concerned glance at the splay of red hair on the pillow in the neighboring bed I gulped down the foul concoction. I hoped that Lily was not subject to the same nightmares I had been, and I hoped those nightmares would bugger away from me now too.

Madam Pomfrey clucked a bit more, removed my glasses from my face and with a wave of her wand turned off the lights. My eyes began to feel heavy as the potion took it's toll. Turning my head, I focused on Lily's red hair, which was just a blur of colour amongst the black, grey and white. As my eyes slid shut, I heard the light pitter-patter of rain falling. Then I was falling, into the darkness of sleep.

A.N. Thank you to all you amazing people who are reading this. And an extra special thank you to anyone who followed/favourited me or this story. Extra huge thanks to Guest:Emmaline, Michaelarules2013, Witty Eagle Proud Ravenclaw, GoMaraudersandLily (sorry wouldn't let me put the dots in for some reason) and the Guest for reviewing it's you who inspire me and make me want to update!

PLEASE REMEMBER THE NAME OF THIS STORY WILL CHANGE TO "THE RAIN WILL FALL" AS OF THE NEXT UPDATE!

REMEMBER TO REVIEW!

-Infinity Lily