Overprotected

Chapter 37: The Unforgivable

James went back to the Hospital Wing that night under his invisibility cloak. The few hours that had passed between leaving the place that evening and the time when Sirus, Remus, and Peter had gone to bed were excruciating, and he snuck out as soon as he thought everyone was asleep. He was wrong however.

"They'll do everything they can for her," Remus said quietly from his bed as James was bending over his truck.

James didn't answer, instead just grabbed the cloak and the Marauder's Map, and disappeared silently from their dorm.

Lily was tossing fitfully when James took a seat on her bed, and her body was wreathing in silent agony. He took note of the sheer number of vials above her headboard as he stroked her hair out of her face, trying desperately to comfort her. She began to whimper and moan, at times almost letting out audible words, and at the same time tears trickled their way down her ashen face. As best he could, James quietly wiped away the salty liquid, his heart wringing with every second of her pain.

The Headmaster then made his entrance, and Madam Pomfrey came quickly out of her office at the sound of his heels clicking on the floor. James chose that moment to melt back against the wall, but he thought he saw Lily's eyes flicker open as he rose from the bed. He barely got away in time for Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey to arrive at the fitful girl's side and for the old wizard to begin examining her.

"She's worse than I had hoped, Poppy," he said standing up.

"What did you expect, Albus? It's the Crucio Curse. Stronger wizards and witches have lost their minds from what she has suffered. It's a miracle that she is as well as this. Her body is still going through aftershock, and the last traces of the curse have yet to wear off."

"I had rather hoped that the symptoms could be attributed to something else," the Headmaster replied with a sigh. "I could have come sooner."

"There's nothing you could have done. It has to run its course."

There was a lull in the conversation as both adults looked down upon the patient, and James took the opportunity to comprehend the information he had just obtained.

She had been tortured again: that much he had known from the moment he had picked up her cold, listless body form the snow, but someone had used an Unforgivable on her! Although he had never seen one in person, both of his parents had told him more than enough of their effects, and he was filled with dread. Damage could be permanent; she could wake up with no memories, no knowledge of who she was, who he was, who any of them were; she would have to live with the physical pain forever, she could be mentally unstable, or she could never wake up at all. The last idea was so horrifying for James that he almost sunk to the floor and only avoided the action by grabbing onto the chair sitting next to him. It moved slightly, but no one appeared to notice.

"They were in Hogsmeade, you said, when the boys brought her in?" James dimly heard Professor Dumbledore ask.

"That's what they said, found her half buried in the snow, violently shaking, barely conscious. I can corroborate to the last two; she was the same way when they brought her in."

"And they don't know who did this to her?"

"No. We can only wait until she is coherent and her body has recovered enough to let her mind function normally."

"Will she be able to tell us?"

"As of now, there's nothing to indicate that she won't recover fully – not saying anything about the trauma she will have to deal with. She should regain her mind completely, and then the appropriate measures can be taken."

Professor Dumbledore didn't say anything more and just stood there a minute with Madam Pomfrey before following her back into her office. James waited for their departure before going back over next to Lily.

"I love you, Lily," he whispered, brushing her damp hair away from her face. "Please come back to us."

* * * * *

The walk back to the Gryffindor Tower was a long one because all James had to occupy his mind with was the conversation he had overheard. His concern and the worry he felt was almost enough to drive him out of his mind, and he couldn't get the picture of Lily's pained face out of his head.

When James got back to the Tower, he luckily found the Pink Lady still in her frame, and after one look at his face, she didn't say a word in reproach for his waking her up. Without another word, he climbed through the Portrait Hole and then dragged himself up to his dormitory. No one woke up when he walked through the door, and James was even able to note that it seemed like Remus had finally gone to sleep. However, that did nothing for James. He slumped back against his headboard and watched the sunrise in much the same manner as he had watched it set the evening before.

* * * * *

James didn't sleep the whole night, and he was still staring blankly out of the window when Sirus woke up the next morning. At first, he wasn't sure if his friend was awake – or had just fallen asleep sitting up – but one look at James' face told Sirus he was awake and had been for a long time.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Sirus asked, concern for his brother immediately filling his voice.

"Since two." James' voice came out a harsh whisper. It was cracked and rough, like he didn't anticipate using it for a while.

"Why, James? What happened?"

"He saw Lily," Remus put in quietly from the other side of the room. He hadn't been able to sleep last night either, after his conversation with James. Instead, after the other boy had left, he had laid in bed, listening to the night sounds. He had heard James come in at two and slump back against the headboard. Remus watched the sun rise too, knowing that James had just learned what Remus had assumed.

"Madam Pomfrey lied to us," his voice flat, emotionless, bearing much the same tone that Lily would use to tell the story later on. "Their main concern is not treating her hypothermia; it's getting her mind back. She was tortured with a Crucio Curse."

Here, his voice broke, and he finally collapsed in the bed, not longer having the strength to stay up against the headboard. Sirus was furious as he listened to James tell the rest of the conversation he had overheard while in the Hospital Wing, and Remus' worst fears were confirmed. It was one thing to think someone had suffered that much; it was quite another to know

"We have to go to her!" Sirus exclaimed fervently. "She needs to know we're there."

"I sat with her for over an hour, Sirus. She's in so much pain, she can't comprehend anything. It physically hurt me to watch that for so long, and to know that it's constant… I barely survived, how will she?"

"She was cursed once already by Lucius Malfoy; she can survive this," Remus assured, though he was worried out of his mind. That won't help now, though, he reminded himself. Stay positive, for James sake, if nothing else. "Let's all go down to the Hospital Wing when Peter wakes up. We can be there for Lily and for each other."

The other two agreed and waited for the fourth Marauder to wake up. He eventually did, and supporting one another, they went down to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey didn't want to let any of them in, but when confronted with the knowledge they each held, she wordlessly allowed them to pass.

James, Sirus, Remus, and Peter each took seat around Lily's bed, and they stayed with her all day. It was painful for all of them to watch, but they were strong for each other and for Lily, seeing as she was suffering more than they were. In their own ways, they each let her know they were there, speaking to her, touching her, or jut letting their presence say it all.

"I know you want to stay with her – and would stay all night – but I must request that you leave." Madam Pomfrey had come up beside the bed as the sun was sinking. "We're doing everything we can for her, but we need to be able to treat her for anything to have any effect."

James looked around at the other three then down at Lily and nodded. Without a word, they rose and departed, walking right past Professor McGonagall without seeing her.

"How is she, Poppy?" Minerva McGonagall asked, coming to stand beside the bed.

"She hasn't shown any signs of improvement," Poppy answered as soon as the four boys were safely out of earshot, "but she hasn't gotten any worse. I'm still hoping that her mind won't be damaged beyond repair when she finally wakes up. There's nothing to indicate that it won't, but you know the way magic works."

Minerva looked down at Lily for a moment in silence. "My heart breaks for those four boys. They care about her so much. Can't you do anything for them?"

"I tried to conceal the truth from them, about the Crucio Curse, but somehow they discovered it. It's not doing them any good to sit here and watch her battle the pain all day, but I can't keep them away."

"How long until she's fully conscious?"

"It's impossible to tell, but I'm hopeful that it will be within the week."