Disc.: My plot, the rest is not.

Chapter Thirty Five

"Mum, please don't embarrass me," Theron begged as he headed toward the door. Lily grinned and used her finger to cross her heart. He rolled his eyes.

"I promised you, Ther," Lily reminded him as he opened the door. "Caroline! Welcome!"

"MUM!" groaned Theron as Lily swept the girl into a hug before turning to Elena.

"So nice of you to come to dinner, Elena," Lily grinned.

"So nice of you to have us, right Caroline?" Elena pressed. Caroline smiled.

"Where's the wee baby?!" Caroline asked excitedly. Theron took her by the hand and led Caroline off toward the playroom where his dad played as a small boy, the place where Pagda, the house elf, had Gentry playing.

"Really, I'm glad you invited us to dinner," Elena offered with a smile as the two of them headed into the drawing room. "I know Caroline sad to see you guys go."

"You guys are both always welcome to visit us at the flat," Lily shared. "One of these days, maybe I'll actually get around to getting a fireplace installed and hooked to the Floo Network, then the kids could visit each other any time they want."

"That's probably for the best that they can't," Elena pointed out as Theron and Caroline returned, carrying Gentry. They were talking quietly, heads close. "They're getting a little... too... close. If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, ah, I get what you're saying," Lily agreed. Caroline giggled at something Theron said, snuggling the baby.

"They're about the age Scorpius was when you fell for him, yeah?" Elena asked. Lily nodded.

"In all honesty, they've basically just hung out here, talking and playing chess, snaps, and with the baby. They've spent a lot of time with the baby," Lily glanced over at Theron and Caroline laughing at Gentry's spit bubble blowing.

"She's always wanted a brother," Elena explained with a small smile. "I could give her plenty, but that was something I never could."

"Well, now, technically, she has one," Lily whispered.

"Yes, but you're leaving tomorrow," Elena reminded Lily as dinner was called.

"So, maybe, Caroline can come and stay with us in the city," Lily offered. "The two of them can join Tina and Sarah in adventures of Gentry sitting."

"Your son and my daughter, sharing a house... at night? Do you want to be a young Granny?" Elena teased. "No, it'd be great to let her come for a week or a weekend, or something. I just wish I could tell her that Gentry is her brother."

"Why don't you?" Lily asked as they took a seat. Elena gave her a dirty look.

"I just can't," she hissed as Caroline kissed the baby's cheeks and reluctantly handed him off to Pagda.

"Caroline, how would you like to come and visit Theron, Gentry, and me in the city?" Lily asked as Draco sat down. Draco raised an eye brow slightly.

"Oh my gosh, can I really?" Caroline asked excitedly. She looked to her mother. "Mum? Can I? I'll be ever so helpful! I promise! I'll even change dirty nappies and do my own laundry!"

"If you want," Elena nodded once. Caroline squealed loudly, causing Theron to flinch.

"I'm so HAPPY!" Caroline squealed again. "Oh, Theron, we're going to have so much fun-"

"Sarah and Tina will be there to help watch Gentry while I'm at work," Lily pointed out gently. Caroline nodded.

"I like Sarah. We're dorm mates back at school," Caroline added. "Tina's sometimes a bit bossy. But she's pretty nice most of the time."

"We'll leave in the morning, so be ready, dear," Lily grinned.

After dinner, when Elena and Caroline had gone home, Narcissa had retired to the garden with Gentry and Theron to watch the lightening bugs, Draco called Lily aside, to join him in his library. Lily sat, staring at the man who looked almost painfully like an older version of her beloved. He checked his watch a few times.

"Draco?" Lily finally asked.

"I was hoping that the healer I'd called for would be here," Draco muttered.

"So, I take it, Marshall wasn't down for it?" Lily joked as the fire flared bright green and Marshall stepped out scowling at Draco with a second healer with him.

"No, definitely not," Draco chuckled.

"You came?" Lily asked Marshall brightly.

"I shouldn't have," Marshall frowned. "But I certainly wasn't going to leave you in these two's hands." Lily embraced him tightly.

"You've always been the very best towards me," Lily breathed.

"Not good enough, though," Marshall groaned as she pulled away.

"I'm-"

"Let's get started," Draco cut in, glaring at Marshall for a moment. Marshall sighed and glanced away, as the second healer, an older man, focused on the fire. He turned.

"Okay, Mrs. Malfoy, have a seat here," he advised gently. Lily nodded, sitting on the chair. Draco sat down next to her, slightly facing her.

"I think this is a bad idea," Marshall piped up.

"Your opinion has been noted," Draco shared. "And I have to agree, but this is what Lily wants."

"Let's start counting, m'kay? The sooner we get through this, the better," Lily offered with a smile.

"Does your husband know what you're doing?" Marshall asked her. Lily glanced away. "Didn't think so."

"You know, Marshall, it's my right to-"

"And no one's denying that, Lily, but this isn't like rewinding a tape and putting it back in the drawer," Marshall implored. "You're going to have to reexperience every last wound placed on you. Some of them go deep."

"He can't hurt me more than I've already been hurt," Lily frowned and glanced away.

"You don't know that. You don't know what he erased," Marshall growled.

"I'm doing this," Lily snapped.

"Maybe you should talk to Scorpius first-" Marshall implored.

"Lily, he has a-"

"Ten! NINE! Eight-" Lily counted quickly.

She found herself alone in the room again, the white of the room duller than previous. She glanced around, frowning at the long shadows that seemed to wisp out of view when she turned to look at them. She headed down the aisle, stopping at the filing cabinet that held a whole drawer of bad, blocked memories. She tried to ignore the burnt mark left behind from the dropped and shattered memory. She flinched at the echoing of drawer as she opened it.

"I hate that you made me be here," Lily grumbled. She looked around. "I don't want to be here alone."

She tapped the glass balls with her finger, long strings of gore stretching between her finger and the balls. She scooped up two of them, balancing them in her hand. She glanced around, looking for something to use to clean them with. Something caught her attention, her head jerking to just miss the shadows of her mind. She lost hold of the two balls, both of them flying into one of the filing cabinets. They left a mark before they crashed to the ground and shattered.

If Lily thought that one memory, cleared of the dark magic and made to rush back to memory was bad, it was nothing, a walk in the park, to two memories crashing down on her. The dark magic twisted and tormented her, amplifying every moment. Lily fought to remain on her feet, gripping the filing cabinet tightly to remain from being sucked under by the pain and intensity.

"This is going to feel so good," the minister's voice whispered through the room.

"NO!" Lily screamed, releasing the hold she had. She clamped her hands over her ears, to block out the sounds of his lusty grunts and her screams for help.

"I like it when you fight me. I like when you struggle," his voice edged up.

"Ugh, no," Lily cried out shaking her head with the memories.

"Yeah, Lily. Fight me. Fight like tha- oh, oh, ah-" he belted out a cry with his orgasm. Lily pitched forward, cutting her hands on the shards of glass. The blood on the shattered gals bubbled and smoked, searing Lily's hands. She wiped her hands off on her shirt, pulling the shards out while she heaved and ached at every muscle memory.

"One-two-three..." Lily gasped each number, coughing up blood and wiping it away. Her stomach clenched in desire to purge, she ached everywhere he'd been. She found herself falling backwards, slamming hard against the floor.

"You're getting blood everywhere," the healer yelled out. "You're getting her blood on you."

"Shut up!" Draco yelled at the other healer. "You're useless!" Lily could hear them, and slowly she could feel herself taking claim again on her body.

"No more, never again!" Marshall yelled at her, shaking as she came around. "I swear to Merlin, Lily! I can't do this anymore." He was trembling, tears running down his face.

"I-" Lily croaked out quietly.

"No, no, Lily. I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry. I am. I want to support you in every way possible, but I can't watch you kill yourself to prove a point, to gain your memories. It's obvious that he's done something to prevent you from regaining them. Enough is enough," Marshall yelled at her, his voice shaking. "I can't do this anymore, can't see you die on me over and over again."

"Marshall, easy man," Draco urged calmly, placing his hand on Marshall's shoulder.

"No, Draco. No. I can't stand by and watch her kill herself over this," Marshall jumped up away from Lily. "She's obviously not going to be able to stop herself, you need to. Make her do an unbreakable vow to never, ever do this again."

"I can't-"

"Yes, yes you can, Draco. Don't give me that crap," Marshall screamed at him. He looked down to Lily, still gasping for breath. He dropped to Lily's side again, grabbing up her hand in his. He glared at Draco. "Do it, now."

"I can't be here for this!" the other healer tossed a pinch of powder and jumped into the flames.

"Marshall," Draco warned.

"Do it," Marshall growled. "Do it now, Draco."

"I don't think-"

"I don't give a damn what you think, Draco," Marshall snapped. "She's going to end up killing herself. What happens next time she tries to do this and none of us are there to bring her back?"

"Okay," Draco sighed. Lily's hand was limp in Marshall's hand, her breathing shallow. She dipped in and out of conciousness. "But she's going to need to agree to the vow."

"Up, Lily, up," Marshall commanded, sliding his arm up behind her and helping Lily to her knees. She pitched forward slightly but Marshall kept tight to her. "Lily, you're not going to do this anymore."

"Marshall," Lily protested weakly. He reached across, wiping the blood from her face. "Marshall, are you bleeding?"

"No, you are," he said calmly. "But it's going to be okay. Draco, bind us."

"Are you-"

"Draco, if not you, find someone who cares whether she lives or die!" Marshall barked at him. Draco scowled but stepped forward, wand drawn.

"Don't you dare question whether I care about this woman," Draco growled.

"Prove it," Marshall held their clasped hands up.

"Fine," Draco touched his want to their hands.

"Lily, do you promise to stop unlocking these memories, to preserve your life and sanity?" Marshall asked.

"Marshall," Lily moaned softly. He shook her slightly, still holding tight.

"Lily!"

"I will, I promise," Lily whispered. A think chain of fire licked out from the tip of Draco's wand, slithering around their hands until it bound them and burned bright.

"And will you stop seeking whatever the minister has done to you," Marshall asked.

"I will," Lily promised. Her voice was a little stronger. A second chain of fire shot out from Draco's wand, binding them.

"That's should be enough," Draco put his wand away begrudgingly. It was obvious from the look on Draco's face that he'd not wanted to be party to any of that.

"Lily you understand that this means that if you try to unlock those memories again, we will both die," Marshall explained gently as he cradled her face.

"Yes, I understand," Lily nodded once. She frowned, touching his face. "This is my blood then?"

"Yes," Marshall wiped his mouth off on his sleeve, smearing the blood. "You can't do that again, Lily. I nearly wasn't able to bring you back. You stopped breathing. Your pulse stopped. You can only die so many times before you stay dead."

"I just- I don't know. They're such awful things, the thing he did to me," Lily cried into her hands. She looked to Draco. "Please, let them find him and kill him. He's a sick, sick man. There's no way my mother would have gone to him willingly."

"Lily-" warned Draco.

"No, Draco. He like the fight. He liked when I tried to fight him off. It brought him sick pleasure to hold me down while I screamed and fought. No sane, healthy person does that," Lily wept. Marshall wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her to her feet.

"Tea?" Narcissa asked quietly from the door, making the three of them jump.

"Mum," Draco's voice reflected the surprise.

"It's not my place to question what any of you are doing, but for the love of Merlin, please, Lily," Narcissa took Lily's tiny hands in hers. "Think of your sons. You could leave them motherless. I've seen how it hardens a boy to lose his mother. They need you."

"Gran," Lily threw herself at the surprisingly strong woman. Narcissa wrapped her arms around the woman.

"As a mum, I know you would do anything for your sons," Narcissa comforted. She turned her own wrist over to show three thin, almost invisible scars on her wrist. "I've been there."

"I just want him to leave me be," Lily sobbed.

"Sometimes the best thing to do is just let go of all the pain and torment," Narcissa suggested. She held on to Lily a moment longer.

"How? How do I let go of all that?" Lily begged to know.

"For one, a shower and a good night's sleep," Narcissa urged. "Go on up, and I'll be up in a bit with some warm tea and fresh biscuits." Lily nodded, sniffling as she traced the fresh mark on her wrist. Narcissa watched her for a moment before turning to Draco and Marshall. She pulled out a square of parchment, handing it out to Draco.

"They've failed," Draco murmured, reading the letter silently before handing it over to Marshall.

"Merlin, I had hoped-"

"We all did," Narcissa nodded. "I should take her some tea."

"Here's some potion to add to it. She'll sleep soundly," Marshall fished a crystal phial out of his pocket. "It's the least that I can do at the moment."

"You mean, beyond the Unbreakable Vow?" Draco asked coolly.

"That's probably going to be the only thing that saves her from herself," Narcissa murmured as Marshall headed over to the fireplace. "Thank you for coming, Marshall."

"I love her, what can I say?" he replied with a simple shrug before tossing a pinch of floo powder into the flames, turning them green and him disappearing in the fire.