The shock rendered Scorpius motionless. He seemed to be able to do nothing but stare at the huge pile of books. He took a tentative step forward, "Lily?" he whispered. There was no answer. He took another step. He scanned the books, and then he saw it. It was Lily's small hand resting on the top pile of books. That small hand launched Scorpius into a frenzy.
He began throwing books left and right, trying desperately to reach his friend. He never noticed the other students that arrived. The librarian came screaming around the corner, but he took no notice of it. He just knew he had to get to Lily. He just kept calling her name, hoping for an answer.
Others seemed to realize someone was under there and they began to move the books along with him. Within minutes, Scorpius could see Lily emerge from books, but she wasn't moving. His heart was beating so fast, he felt like it was going to erupt from his chest. He leaned in and shook her shoulder.
"Lily!"
She didn't respond. "Lily! Lily Luna Potter, you will answer me! Do you hear me? Wake up!" He shook harder. He looked at her closely. Bruises were already forming on her arms, and even a few on her face. Scrapes covered her legs and arms. She had been lucky. She had been hit by hundreds of books, but the sturdy table they had been sitting at had kept the book case from crushing her. He held her hand, as far as he was concerned, no one else existed at this moment.
He noticed something wrong with her hair. He reached to stroke her hair, but his hand came back sticky. It took his brain a full minute to register what he was seeing. Blood! Shit, she had blood everywhere! By now, students were surrounding him and teachers were fighting to get through the crowd. Scorpius did not give them a chance to break in, he hauled Lily up himself and he began running to the hospital wing.
She was so small, so light. He could feel the blood from her head soak his arm and drip down. He ran faster. Bursting through the doors, he ran straight to Madam Pomfrey. He was in a panic as he followed the directions of the medi witch.
At one point, someone tried to pull him away from Lily's side. He couldn't even remember who it was, but one look from him, and they backed away quickly. No one bothered him. Lily's family came to check on her, but Scorpius just sat, stony faced, watching the rise and fall of her chest. He was sure they wanted to ask questions, but one look at his face, and they left him to his silent vigil.
It grew dark outside, but he just sat holding her hand. He was waiting for a sign that she was OK. That was all he needed. He had not realized how much her friendship had come to mean. They talked almost constantly. She was his confidant. He couldn't imagine his life without her smiling laugh. Merlin, when did I get so mushy. But one more look at her bruised and battered face, he knew that it was all true.
Somewhere in his mind, he knew she was fine. But he also knew that until she told him she was fine, he was not going to believe it.
Before long someone came in a placed a hand on his shoulder. Something about it made Scorpius look up. He turned and there was none other than Harry Potter. Harry looked at him with concerned eyes. He gave another squeeze before sitting down. With a flick of his wand, a table appeared between the two. On the table there were piping hot plates of food and ice cold pumpkin juice. Without talking, the two began to eat dinner. It seemed to breathe new life into Scorpius. He looked at Harry.
"I expected to see you earlier, well you or her mum."
Harry nodded. "We heard from Poppy awhile ago. She said it wasn't nearly as serious as her fall earlier this year, so we trusted her. Lils doesn't like the attention, so we didn't want to embarrass her."
"But I bet she would still want to see you after this."
"Well, we wanted to give her a chance to wake up before we came barging in. We only wanted to come if she wanted to see us. Like I said, she doesn't like the attention for getting hurt."
Scorpius understood. Despite her personality, Lily didn't like attention. She preferred that others got it. He looked at Harry. "So then why are you here sir?"
Harry leaned back, looking at Scor. "I got a floo call from Poppy. Seems no one can get you to leave her side. Albus, Blain, and Rosie all came in trying to pull you away, but they couldn't get you to respond to a thing they said. They were worried about you and thought maybe you would talk to me."
Scorpius looked over at Lily. He watched the rise and fall…rise and fall. He found himself talking. "She looked right at me, she called my name, and I couldn't help her. All of a sudden the books were falling, and before I could get to her, the shelf was coming down. She would have pushed me out of the way, but I couldn't get to her. I need to know she is OK."
Harry was quiet for a minute. He really was a lot like his daughter. "You know I love Lily. And…you must keep this next part to yourself…Lily is probably the most talented of my children. James and Albus are very talented wizards, but Lily is amazing. I haven't seen someone with her aptitude for complex spells before. Well except her Aunt Hermione. My question is, what makes you think she would have been able to save you if the positions were switched?"
Scorpius was startled by the question. Of course Lily would have done something. She wouldn't have let him get hurt. The thoughts must have been written across his face, because Harry nodded. "I know what you're thinking. Lily would never willingly let you get hurt. But, would you willingly let Lily get hurt?" Scorpius was already shaking his head. "No, I know you wouldn't. I told you you had my trust that day on the train platform. Do you know why?"
Scorpius shook his head. "Lucius is not a nice man. He never was. When I was growing up, he scared me, but I stood up to him."
Scorpius interrupted, "That's because you are brave. I mean everyone says it. That's why everyone in the Potter family is in Gryfindor. They are all brave. That isn't something unusual for you."
"Yes, but you see, real bravery is doing something you know is right, even though it scares you. I saw you on that platform. You were…wary…of your grandfather. You know what he is capable of, and yet you stood in front of my daughter. You placed yourself in his path so that Lily would be safe. That is when you earned my trust."
Scorpius looked down at his hands. "But I failed your trust this time. She got hurt."
"You failed nothing. There was nothing you could do when all the books were falling. But from what I understand, you were there in the middle of it trying to help her. You were calling her name and throwing books off of her, trying to get her out. When you realized she was bleeding, you rushed her to Poppy. You have stayed with her ever since. How did you fail her? She is going to be alright because you were quick to get her help. We cannot always keep the people we care about from getting hurt, but we can do our best to help them. Do not blame yourself for her hurts. Lily would hardly appreciate it."
Harry fell silent. Scorpius sat quietly, soaking in his words. They made sense. He would never let her get hurt, but he could not keep her from getting hurt. And he had helped her. She was going to be alright. Suddenly, he felt a weight lift from his chest. He smiled at Harry. "Thank you. I needed to hear it."
Harry smiled. "Everyone needs to be reminded of it from time to time. You are a good friend to her. I expect to see you sometime this summer." Harry leaned over and kissed Lily on the forehead. With a gentle wave, he was out the door.
Scorpius sat holding Lily's hand. He may have felt better, but he was still going to wait for her to wake up. That little piece of him still needed to know she was fine. He felt himself start to doze in his chair. He decided to rest his head for just a moment. He lay his head down on the bed so he could still see the rise and fall of her chest. He closed his eyes and listened to her breathing.
He was asleep within minutes, still holding her hand. Madam Pomfrey looked at the two little figures. He had been so distraught when the young girl had been brought I that she had not the heart to send him out to wait. She saw intertwined hands and she smiled. With a casual lick of her wand, a blanket settled on the sleeping boy. With one last smile, she walked back into her office, leaving the two young friends to sleep, comforted by each others presence.