Chapter Thirty-Six:

St. Mungo's

Sirius and I sat together on what was left of the porch outside. All around us, people were digging up bodies buried in the debris from the explosion. Two officials from the ministry were towering over us, demanding we answer questions.

"And did you recognize anybody else?"

I scrunched up my face, trying to remember as many faces as I possibly could. "I remember two of them were called Alecto and Amycus..." I said, remembering the woman death eater who had pushed me down the stairs.

"Do you remember their last names?" they asked, scribbling down the names I had just given them.

I shook my head apologetically and then winced, reaching up to rub the back of my head. Earlier, a pile of rubble from the explosion had fallen on my head, knocking me unconscious. It had taken several minutes until Mrs. McKinnon had managed to wake me up. And when I woke up, ministry officials were flocking the place, digging through the rubble, trying to find people.

Mrs. McKinnon was very annoyed when two ministry officials had demanded to speak with me and Sirius alone. But I agreed, eager to help in any way that I could. Sirius, on the other hand, seemed less enthusiastic. He just sat there quietly, allowing me to answer all the questions.

"Ms. Evans," the ministry official repeated, "do you remember their last names?"

"Carrow," somebody behind me answered. "Their names are Amycus and Alecto Carrow. They're brother and sister."

"Dumbledore!" the ministry official said in surprise, hurrying to write down the names. "Always a pleasure to see you, but these questionings are really supposed to be done in private."

"We need these two to give us as much information as they can," the other official said.

"These two were kidnapped and trapped in a cellar for days. They were tortured and starved. Then they had to defend themselves against a band of trained death eaters. And they just survived an explosion. What these two need is to go to St. Mungo's." Dumbledore kept his voice calm and level, but there was something fierce and scary in his voice. The two officials must have also heard it because they shrunk back under his angry and piercing gaze.

"Of course, of course," the ministry officials said, backing away.

"Come on, Lily. Sirius." Dumbledore commanded.

"Can you walk?" Sirius asked, helping me up.

I winced. "My ankle hurts," I told him.

"It's swollen," Mrs. McKinnon said rushing over to help us, watching me anxiously. "It's probably broken."

"I'm more worried about that bump on her head," Mrs. Meadowes said, appearing beside Mrs. McKinnon.

"I have a bump on my head!" I exclaimed, reaching up to touch the back of my head. "Well, I guess that explains the head ache."

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Get them out of here quickly," Dumbledore ordered Mrs. Meadowes and Mrs. McKinnon. "Go straight to St. Mungo's. James is already there with his parents." He gave them a small smile. "And your husbands are also there. They're fine."

Mrs. Meadowes and Mrs. McKinnon exchanged relieved looks.

"Come on," Mrs. McKinnon said, leading us away from Dumbledore. "We need to get you lot out of here before the press shows up."

"How's James?" I asked as they helped me across what used to be the front yard.

"He's quite distraught. His father was hurt pretty badly and he's worried about you two," Mrs. McKinnon replied.

"How hurt was Mr. Potter?" Sirius asked sharply.

"He'll be fine...Charlus isn't as young as he used to be. I told him he should have retired years ago. A man his age shouldn't have to be worried about matters like this. He's done so much good already," Mrs. McKinnon told us, shaking her head.

"He's scared to leave his position...you know old Crouch is quite ruthless. I say he's getting just as bad as the death eaters. I don't think Charlus wants Crouch leading the aurors," Mrs. Meadowes said.

Sirius nodded. "He told me that if he ever retired, he wanted old Mad-Eye to get the position."

"Mad-Eye's good," Mrs. Meadowes said approvingly.

"That's all very interesting," I said, "but how is James? Is he hurt?"

"He's got a small concussion, but he'll be as healthy as a hippogriff by tomorrow," Mrs. Meadowes assured me kindly.

As she said this, though, the pounding in my head returned, and I clutched it in pain. The flashing lights and shouting weren't helping as we went through the gate and the press shouted our names, asking us questions. Sirius held up his hand, trying to block the annoying flashes of light.

"Press," Mrs. McKinnon muttered angrily before firmly grabbing my shoulder. The next thing I knew everything went black; I was pressed very hard from all directions; I couldn't breathe; my eyeballs were being forced back into his head. It was like being pushed through a very tight rubber tube. And then after a second, it all ended, and I was standing in a light colored room.

"Padfoot! Lily!" James shouted. He was seated on a bed, healers examining him.

"You alright?" Sirius asked anxiously.

"Small concussion...Mum says she can fix it up by tomorrow."

"And your dad?" I asked as healers hurried forward to check the bump on my head and examine my swollen ankle.

"He's okay. Mum said she was going to go check up on him," James told us.

"How did you acquire your injuries?" a plump little witch asked me. She smiled at me kindly, waiting for me to answer.

"Well, I heard something snap in my ankle when I was pushed down the stairs...and a piece of rubble fell on my head..." I explained, blushing slightly.

"She's lost a lot of weight," another healer told the plump witch.

"Well, that's fixable," the plump little witch said. "We'll just give her a few potions...vitamins...have her eat a few healthy meals...she'll be healthy in no time."

"And the ankle?" I interjected.

"Fixed by tomorrow," the little witch promised me, "but it'll be a rough night for you."

I shrugged. "I've had worse."

She smiled at me sadly. "Yes, you have, haven't you."

"It looks like a concussion," another healer, who had been examining my head, said.

"We can fix the concussion easily, but the bump might be there for a few days," the witch told me.

I nodded. "Okay."

"Sirius!" I heard somebody shriek. I looked up to find a tiny witch with the same bright hazel eyes as James. She was rushing toward Sirius, tears coming down her tiny face. She wrapped her tiny arms around Sirius, silently bawling.

"Hey, Mrs. Potter," Sirius managed to say through her right grip.

"Oh, thank heavens you're alright!" She sniffed, smoothing out his tangled hair. After a moment, she straightened up, and looked at me. "Oh, Lily, dear, are you alright? I was just speaking with your mum...she seemed so distraught..." she said, hurrying over to me.

"My mum's here?" I gasped.

"On her way up," she promised before turning to the plump little witch. "How are they doing?" she asked, sounding more like a worried mother than a trained Head Healer. Then again, these were her kids that they were talking about.

The plump little witch smiled. "Nothing too bad..."

Mrs. Potter, who had made her way to James, looked relieved. She smiled at her son. "This family has a bad habit of getting kidnapped by death eaters. Let's try not to let that happen again. Okay?"

James grinned. "I'll try."

I woke up to the sound of Sirius snoring. Annoyed, I sat up, and glared at him.

At the foot of my bed, I recognized the shape of my mum's jacket. She had forgotten it on her chair when the Healers told her she had to leave. Although I wanted her to stay, I was so drowsy from all the potions they had given me that I couldn't even argue as she kissed me goodbye.

I peered down at my bandaged ankle. I wondered if I could walk on it yet.

"Only one way to find out," I muttered, carefully climbing out of bed. Wincing, I limped all the way to James's bed, and slowly climbed into it. I felt better than I had in days. I had finally been able to take a shower, and Mrs. Potter made sure the Healers had brought us a gourmet meal. I had seen my mum! Even Petunia had sent me a get-well card! And Dumbledore had promised to bring Marlene, Dorcas, and Remus to come see us. Peter wanted to come too, but apparently without James and Sirius there to protect him, some Slytherins had landed Peter in the hospital wing, sprouting tentacles all over his face.

I laid down next to James, and turned to face him. Our faces were barely an inch apart, and I watched him sleep for a second. Slowly, I brought my hand to his hair, and ran my fingers through his soft, messy locks. It was still a bit wet from the shower.

"That feels good," he murmured, not opening his eyes.

"I didn't mean to wake you," I told him, bringing my hand back down to my side.

"I'm glad you did," he said, opening his eyes. I smiled, staring into his bright, hazel eyes, smelling his minty breath. My hand automatically went to the emerald necklace around my neck, and I touched it, remembering the Christmas gift James had given me all those months ago.

"You're wearing the necklace I gave you," he breathed before closing the space between us. I felt his lips brush up against mine, and I yanked him closer, kissing him hungrily. His mouth was so warm, the feel of his lips softer than I remembered. He tasted tentatively with his tongue, and I opened my mouth, letting out a small moan.

My hands travelled down, and I began unbuttoning the pajamas he was wearing. Suddenly, though, he stopped me, grabbing my hands.

"Sirius," he muttered, cursing under his breath. As he said this, I realized Sirius was no longer snoring. I peeked over to Sirius's bed, and found him propped up on his elbows, watching us.

"Well, don't stop on my account," he said, grinning.

"You're disgusting," I told him.

"Says the girl in bed with my best friend," Sirius retorted, the corners of his lips twitching. I felt my face burn, and buried my head in James's chest. James laughed, wrapping his arms around me.

"Good night," I said, snuggling into him.

"Thanks for ruining all the fun, Padfoot," James grumbled, kissing the top of my head, careful not to touch the bump on my head.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius muttered, already falling back asleep.