Overprotected

Chapter 38: Shock – Luke's Dead

It took a week for Lily's body to physically recover enough for her to even hope to note her surroundings. James was sitting beside her as she laid still for a whole hour without a single shudder and then gradually opened her eyes.

"James?" she asked, slightly dazed as she tried to focus on his face.

"Lily, I'm here."

"James!" Her eyes sprung open and a look of terror spread across her face as she took in her surroundings. She began to look around wildly, and then she started to shake, even more violently than when the boys had first discovered her. "NO! You said you wouldn't bring me here, Luke; you said you wouldn't!"

James immediately got on the bed next to her and put his arms around her.

"Lily, I'm here," he soothed. "It's going to be alright, Flower."

Lily fell silent, but her eyes would not stay still. Her breathing was still hitched at an abnormal rate, and James had maneuvered himself so that Lily was half sitting up, cradled in his arms. Without changing his position or letting go of Lily, James pulled out the black dog that was always in his pocket.

"Sirus," he called to it, glancing down at Lily, "you need to come down here."

No questions were asked on the other side; Sirus just dropped the connection and presumably headed off.

The sudden voices had caught Madam Pomfrey's attention, and she came rushing out of her office. When she noticed that Lily was conscious, she tried to move James who was still attempting to sooth Lily.

"Mr. Potter, please. If she's awake, we need to do what we can to help her so that she doesn't suffer any lasting damage."

James didn't respond; his whole being was focused on Lily.

"Don't you want to help her?"

"He is helping her." Sirus had just arrived with Remus in tow, and it had only taken him two seconds to realize what was going on. "Peter wasn't in the Common Room, James, but Remus was with me."

"What do you mean, Mr. Black?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "This cannot possibly be helping her; she needs professional treatment."

Sirus didn't answer; he, too, was already completely focused on Lily.

"They know what they're doing, Madam Pomfrey," Remus said, drawing the nurse's attention away form the three on the bed.

"And how do you know, Mr. Lupin?" Madam Pomfrey was getting worn out now, and she was afraid that the boys were only hurting Lily while trying to help. "Have you had better training than I have?"

"This has happened before." Remus took a deep breath, not sure how much he wanted to let her know. "Sometimes, when her body or mind has gone through a lot of trauma, she goes into – almost a kind of shock, exactly like now. This is the only way to get her back."

"How long does it take?"

"It's hard to tell, depends on how bad the shock is and where she is. Familiar settings are easier because she feels safe."

"You can't move her, Mr. Lupin. That I will not allow. She's been cursed; she needs to stay here."

"Then will you let us help her at least?"

"Go, if it will help her, but please get me if it becomes worse."

Madam Pomfrey reluctantly went back into her office as Remus turned toward the bed where Sirus was now holding Lily. As Remus sat down, Sirus relinquished his charge, and Remus took Lily into his arms.

"We've got you now, Lils," he said quietly, rocking her in his arms, holding her close. "You're safe with us. They can't touch you."

The three boys passed her among them, each trying what he could think of to calm her and end the shock. At times, it seemed like it was working; Lily's eyes would settle on a fixed point, and her breathing would slow down to an almost normal rate. However, as soon as the boys went to breathe a sigh of relief, she would be worked up again, whimpering and pleading with Luke to not put her here.

"What is that from, anyway?" Remus asked quietly one time as she began again.

"From what she told us," James answered in the same hushed tone, as Sirus was holding Lily at the moment, "over Christmas last year, when her parents died, she did something and made Luke promise not to bring her to the Hospital Wing. He did anyway, and this happened when she woke up. He didn't say that, but the signs were the same as they always are. I wonder if Luke had ever seen her like this before that."

"I doubt it," Sirus replied wearily while handing Lily back to James. "It's when she's scared and upset; he always does his best to make her feel secure and protected."

"And we don't?"

However, James' last words were drowned out by Lily's scared cries, and his attention was suddenly bent wholly on her.

"Lily, Flower, Luke isn't going to abandon you. He can't. You're safe, and protected, and we're going to make sure of it." James tried all he could think of to sooth her, the looking up at Sirus and Remus, he whispered, "Lily, I'm sorry to have to hurt you again, but…Luke's dead."

The words had their intended effect. Lily immediately began to cry and collapsed onto James. She was worn and hurt, but the impact of what he had said drove her out of shock.

"I'm sorry, Flower," he said gently while handing Lily over to Remus. "I never want to hurt you."

"Was that necessary, James?" Sirus asked hotly as he and James walked back to Madam Pomfrey's office.

"You can't think that I enjoyed that!" James exclaimed in reply. "I didn't want to hurt her. She knows he's dead when she's herself. It was just shocking her out of shock. Mate, she wasn't getting any better. P-"

James was forced to halt mid-sentence as Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. She swept them up in her wake as she walked briskly by them.

"I refuse to allow this to go on any longer. If Miss Evans is still in shock, she needs professional help, which you cannon provide."

Both James and Sirus had tried desperately to interrupt Madam Pomfrey during this little speech, but it was to no avail. Finally, they were able to get a word in.

"She is okay."

Madam Pomfrey turned around to look at them for the first time. She seemed to stop and almost let a look of relief cross her face. However, she then took on a more reserved look and continued toward the bed.

"I highly doubt that she's okay, but it is a relief that she is out of shock. However, I'm sure you must understand that she'll still have to go through much treatment."

James and Sirus curtly nodded and fell silent as they came in sight of Lily. She was curled up in Remus' arms, her head buried from sight.

"Flower?" James reached out to touch Lily's shoulder, and he found she was shaking. Her body twitched as they made contact, and he pulled his hand away.

"Is she still crying?" he mouthed to Remus.

Remus shook his head. "I just think she's in a lot of pain."

Madam Pomfrey was beginning to shoo them out, but all three were hesitant to leave the aching girl. Remus began to get up but only to make room for James next to Lily. Sirus continued to stand over them, as if on guard.

"If you want to help her, you could go to the Headmaster and tell him that she is awake," Madam Pomfrey said shortly, clearly getting irritated with the boys. "It's the only good you can do now."

The three looked at each other for a minute, as if weighing their possible actions. Then James nodded curtly and stood up, Remus following suit. Sirus led the way out of the Hospital Wing – not a single one daring to look back for fear they'd never be able to leave. Lily tried desperately to watch them go and call out, "Don't leave me," but the pain was too great. She couldn't even struggle as Madam Pomfrey forced her to drink a Dreamless Sleeping Draught. Darkness came quickly.

* * * * *

"They want to question her," James spat out while he and Remus followed Sirus to the Headmaster's office. Things in the corridor were heating up moment by moment while just the opposite was taking place in the Hospital Wing. "That's the only reason they'd be sending for Dumbledore."

"She can barely speak, James," Remus said, more calmly then he felt. "They know exactly what condition she's in; they know she can't do it."

"Then why get Dumbledore involved?" Sirus had turned around to face them and was now walking backwards. His stride alone conveyed his clearly angry he was.

"I suppose they have to. She was tortured. Dumbledore may know more on the subject than Pomfrey does."

Remus finished and shrugged, trying desperately to keep in control of his emotions while James' face hardened.

"They'll save her, James," Sirus said firmly while turning back around to face front once more. They have to. He couldn't let any doubt enter his mind.

They stopped in front of the Headmaster's office soon thereafter, and Sirus went in to convey the news, having been sent most recently – and therefore, knowing the password. James and Remus waited in the corridor in dead silence, each too afraid of what his thoughts might hold to try to express them. In due time, Sirus returned, and the other two turned to him in urgent expectation.

"'Go back to your Common Room, Mr. Black. I will be there shortly,'" Sirus quoted bitterly. "How are we supposed to sit around when we know what they're going to do to her?!"

"She won't talk to them, not unless we're there," James said with fierce determination. "She barely told McGonagall what happened over the summer."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get back there!"

They started sprinting back to the Hospital Wind all at once. Why it was not simply enough to walk quickly, none would have been able to say; they all felt the need to run. Madam Pomfrey looked up sternly as they burst through the door, and that was the first time they made an attempt to calm themselves – upon realizing what they were doing.

"Her condition has not changed in the past thirty minutes, boys."

"You can't question her!" Sirus burst out without listening to what the older woman was saying while James said, "She won't tell you what happened."

Madam Pomfrey turned to the boys fully and just waited for them to finish, displaying much more patience than she felt.

"She wouldn't even tell us what had happened the time Malfoy had cursed her," James was still saying passionately.

"We're not planning on trying to get any information today, Mr. Potter. There are other reasons as to why I might want to talk to the Headmaster. I just gave her a Sleeping Potion. I have experienced the Crucio Curse before."

"You don't know what she's going through."

"When I say that I have experienced the Crucio Curse before, I mean, Mr. Black, that I have had the curse performed on me. Perhaps not as badly as Miss Evans, but I do have first hand experience in this respect." Madam Pomfrey saw the tree boys' expressions of near confusion, so she chose to elaborate. "I worked in St. Mungo's for my internship, and there was an attack on the hospital my third day. While I was helping to treat and protect the patients there, some masked wizards came into my ward and began to shoot spells all over the place. I was caught by a Crucio Curse. I still do not know who they were, why they were there, or what they wanted, but I know I have first hand experience. I know the pain she went through; I know the sate of instability that her mind is in. Hogwarts will do everything to heal her, and that includes not asking her questions before she is ready to answer them. Please, trust me, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, we know what we are doing."

The story finally seemed to settle the minds of the three, and they just glanced once at Lily then quietly turned to walk out of the door.

"Thank you," Remus said as they were leaving, and he was speaking not just for the trust they had in her but for the new found respect with which she had endowed them.

* * * * *

Peter was in their dormitory when James, Sirus, and Remus had finally followed everyone's instructions and gone back there. As the three boys collapsed through the doorway, he almost jumped up out of his skin and looked up nervously.

"She wasn't supposed to get hurt."

James turned quickly to the fourth Marauder and gave him a peculiar look. "Of course not, Peter. No one is supposed to hurt her; no one should be allowed to hurt Lily."

Peter shook his head like James didn't quite understand what he was saying.

"No, she wasn't supposed to get hurt," he insisted, almost apologetically.

This caused all three of his friends to look up at him from where they had thrown themselves wearily in various corners of the room. There was a new tone in his voice, but no one seemed able to place it.

"Where have you been all week, Pete?" Remus asked carefully. "You were running with us from Hogsmeade, but it seems like we haven't seen you since."

"I got left behind," Peter replied, sounding suddenly small and cornered. "I couldn't keep up. Then I couldn't find you."

"Did you check the Hospital Wing?"
"I went in for a while, but no one was there. I couldn't be there; I couldn't watch her. She wasn't supposed to get hurt!"

With that, Peter ran out of the room. The other three watched him leave in confusion but couldn't do any more than look at each other in wonder.