A/N: I've left you waiting a long time for an update so I've split this chapter in half so you can have the first part now. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think. Many thanks to all those who have already reviewed and to everyone who continues to read and support both me and this story.
In Emerald Eyes
Chapter 14- Muddled Minds
Lily stood in the middle of the deserted common room, shoulders slumped and feeling dejected. The portrait swung marking the flight of Remus Lupin from the room and the creaking masked the footsteps of the boy coming down from the seventh year dorms.
"Lily?" came a voice from behind her, "Are you alright?"
"No not really." Was her watery response as she turned to face James; tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked concernedly as he walked towards her.
"I can't do up the buttons on my shirt. I can't put on my own tie because of this stupid cast on my arm." She held up the plaster cast that encased her arm from elbow to wrist. "I can't ask Tia to do it because I told her that I didn't need her help and could do it myself and she's gone to see McGonagall now anyway. I asked Remus but he just went bright red and literally ran away from me. And now… now I'm crying in front of you of all people because I can't dress myself, because these painkillers are making me emotional and drowsy and I just want to crawl back into bed and go to sleep!" Lily sobbed the last part of her ramblings while furiously trying to rub away the hot salty tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Come here." James said simply after listening to her tirade with a soft, sympathetic look on his face. Lily took a step towards him and he gently wiped her tears from her cheeks with a sleeve of his jumper. He took hold of the flaps of Lily's shirt and smiled at her encouragingly before buttoning it from top to bottom, keeping his eyes on the task and occasionally glancing at her wet face. Lily's shoulders were still shaking as he took the red and gold striped tie from her unhindered left hand. He turned up her collar and tied a windsor knot around her neck, pushing it up to just below her open top button. He put her blouse collar back in place then took the other piece of material she was holding in her fist. He placed her potted arm in the cream coloured sling then lifted the loop over her head so her cast was held up across her chest.
When he was finished he opened his arms to her and Lily closed the gap between them, she laid her head and free hand on his chest, her face to one side, her fingers fiddling with his jumper. James placed one hand between her shoulder blades and the other lightly cradled the back of her head.
When the tremors quaking her slender form had died down James tilted his upper body back a little so that he could see her face.
"Alright?" he asked her in a rich, smooth voice, searching her face with a reassuring smile.
Lily nodded and drew a last shaky breath before giving a quavering "Yeah" and a tremulous smile.
"Good." James said, he pressed a prolonged kiss to the top of her head and then looked her in her slightly puffy eyes. "Go get your bag and we'll go to breakfast, shall we?" Lily nodded again and a minute later, she was back with her school satchel. James took it from her and shouldered it before picking up his own from at his feet and slinging that across his body too. "Let's go." Lily smiled at him and they left for the Great Hall, James helping her through the portrait hole on the way.
"Morning." Their friends greeted them from the other side of the long table. Remus looked embarrassed and a little guilty; he pushed a cup of coffee towards Lily in an obvious peacemaking gesture.
"Thanks." She said with a smile after she had stirred in a spoonful of sugar and taken a sip.
"What're you having to eat Lily?" James asked as he poured himself a goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Toast I reckon; easy to eat with one hand." The others laughed and James grabbed a slice from the stack.
"Lemon curd?"
"Please. But no…"
"No butter," he interrupted, "yes I know." He said with a long-suffering sigh and a roll of the eyes as he spread the sticky concoction onto the bread. Lily was still surprised by just how much James did know. Kinda of creepy if you think about, kinda stalkerish. Kind of romantic…yeah, or kind of cree-
"Thanks James." She said picking up the breakfast that had just hit her plate and taking a bite. "Mmm, delicious." James looked up from buttering his own toast and gave her a sweet smile. Are we talking about the toast or the boy? Lily mentally shrugged at her question, both. "I miss marmite." Lily said staring moodily at her almost empty plate and dipping her finger in the yellow stuff coating the toast, examining it carefully before sucking it off thoughtfully. The boys gave her confused looks at her seemingly random and nonsensical statement but Tia who had stayed in Lily's muggle home numerous times over the years simply rolled her eyes.
"She's obsessed with marmite!"
"What's mar-mite?" James asked breaking the word into two long syllables as if testing how they felt as they rolled on his tongue.
"It sounds like a pet's name, you got a cat we don't know about Lils?" Sirius asked.
Lily laughed, "No! It's a type of sandwich spread. I do have two hamsters called Branson and Pickle though."
"Brandon and what now?" James asked looking even more confused."
"Branson and Pickle, it's another muggle thing. Anyway I have marmite on toast practically everyday for breakfast at home, I miss it."
"What does it taste like?" Peter inquired, for once interested in the topic of conversation, any mention of food and he was suddenly enthralled and eager to converse.
"I don't know."
"You eat it every day and you don't know what it tastes like?" Sirius asked incredulously.
"Well it's hard to explain, it doesn't really taste like anything"
"It's disgusting!" Tia told the boys wrinkling her nose at the thought. "I don't know why she likes the stuff; she's practically addicted to it."
"It is not disgusting! And I am not addicted; it's a perfectly healthy obsession thank you very much. They do say you either love it or you hate it though."
"I'm definitely coming down on the hate side of things."
"You don't know what you're missing James- don't listen to her." Tia stuck her tongue out at Lily who returned the childishgesture. "You'll have to come round in the holidays, you can try it then."
"Sure." Wait did I just invite a wizard to my house? A James shaped wizard? Oh, Petunia is going to throw a fit! I wonder what Dad will say…
"Did you hear that James, she just as good as asked you to meet the parents. Careful mate, I hear her Dad is a veritable rottweiler when it comes to Lily and boys"
"I did no such thing." Lily admonished, blushing at the implication of Sirius's sentence. "Besides, my parents would love James."
"Yeah; it's the sister you've got to watch out for." Tia added, distaste colouring her voice. Lily's brow instantly furrowed, her expression darkened with memories.
"What about the sister?" Sirius asked intrigued.
"You'll see." Lily told him, James rubbed his hand in calming circles on her back as he took a bite of jam covered toast. Lily smiled and her expression brightened. "So… who's the invalids dedicated slave for today?" she grinned as the boys across from her all looked terrified and ran off throwing excuses over their shoulders. Tia shook her head and gathered her stuff before following them out of the door to lessons.
James held his wrists out to Lily with a soppy grin on his face, "Bring on the shackles baby." Lily laughed and smacked him on the shoulder with her good hand.