Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.
Note - Here is my next update. Now is the time where I'll start to really delve into the parent issues that Lily feels. And we'll of course have a little sibling conflict, some guilt, a Quidditch match, and terrible injuries. Christmas break should be coming for the Hogwarts students within a few chapters, so be ready for the drama. Read, and let me know what you think.
Slytherin's Potter
Chapter Fifty-Five: Blacking Out the Guilt
When November came, it was swift. Instead of dragging out the time until the match against Gryffindor and Slytherin, Lily found it swooping down on them faster and faster. Not that she minded. Lately she had other things on her mind.
Jace was still avoiding them. Well, not really them. He was avoiding Lola. Whenever Lily was away from Lola, he was happy to be around. But he was still tightlipped about what she had done to piss him off. And according to Lola, she didn't know and she didn't care. Lola was content to spend any time away from Lily with Hugo. In fact, Lily found that Hugo and Lola were almost inseparable. But then again, she and Scorpius had spent a lot of time together at the start of their relationship too.
Another thing was that Hugo was spending more and more time in the Slytherin common room. That wasn't what had Lily worried. It was that she got the feeling that he was being turned into an outcast by Albus and Rose. Hugo never mentioned it, but that was what had Lily thinking. Hugo rarely spoke about Rose or Albus when they were grilling him. And Lily was sure that they were behind him staying out his own common room.
Brunt and her group of hostile governors were also causing more trouble. Brunt had taken Williams's place, and was now sitting in on every Potion lesson that Lily taught. She shadowed Lily each time she moved to help someone. And thanks to a 'necessary' observation, the Hogsmeade visit that they planned for the last weekend of October. The only result was a bunch of pissed off students.
And she had yet to get a response back from Draco about the letter she'd sent to him. It almost made her nervous. And then . . . there was Scorpius.
Now that Lily and Scorpius had both admitted that they loved each other, Lily found mind coming to one subject. Sex. Now that she knew she loved Scorpius, sex was the only other "milestone" for them to hit. Lily always thought that when she loved a guy, she'd be ready . . . but that had been wrong. She still wasn't sure if she was ready for that.
"So, you found out what's up with Jace yet?" Scorpius asked as he and Lily sat on the couch in the common room. "It feels kinda weird without him around as much."
Lily shrugged. "No clue. Something to do with Lola though," she sighed as she glanced over at her best friend, who at that moment was sitting on the lap of her cousin, their lips connected.
"I'm sure it'll blow over soon," Scorpius assured her.
"Hopefully it ends by the match next week. Last thing we need is a downer at our victory party," Lily joked lightly.
"Is Hugo coming to that, by the way?" Scorpius asked he began to play with a strand of her hair.
Lily nodded. "Yeah. As he claimed 'anytime Rose or Albus get beaten is a time for a party.'" Then Lily smiled. "Besides, I don't think Lola would let him skip the party."
"I doubt he'd skip a party she'd be at anyways," Scorpius laughed.
"Ok, I have a question!" The couple turned their heads as Lana came to sit on a chair next to the couch. She looked at them seriously. "Is it wrong to take the virginity of a guy that you know you'll never love?"
Scorpius groaned. "I don't want to hear about my sister's sex life, Lana!" he complained.
Lily ignored him. "Is Justin wanting to?"
Lana sighed as she nodded. "Yeah, he does. And I was ok with it until I found out that he was a virgin, and until Rex joked about how Justin has been saving it for the one he was 'madly in love with.' So, would it be wrong of me?"
"Can I leave?" Scorpius asked.
"Well you have two options," Lily told Lana. "You could tell him that you don't think you two should, although if not handled correctly, it could lead to a breakup. Or you can have sex with him, assuming that he's ok either with the fact that you aren't in love with him, or on the basis that he wants to have sex with the girl he loves, even if she doesn't love him. Either way, you've gotta talk to him."
Lana leaned back against the chair. "I don't know. Maybe we should break up. I mean, I never thought Justin and I would last, and I'd hate to lead him on."
"Can you discuss this somewhere else?" Scorpius demanded.
Lily smacked his shoulder, and Lana rolled her eyes. "Oh, can it, Scor," Lana muttered.
"Excuse me for not being fascinated by my sister's sex life," Scorpius grumbled.
"I'm not fascinated by yours and Lars's, but you guys still talk about sex around me!" Lana retorted. "And I never really need to hear that Lars felt up Ashley Anderson, or that you've slipped your hand up Lily's skirt."
Lily raised an amused brow as she looked at her boyfriend, who was obviously avoiding her eyes. "Well, it's nice to know that I'm a subject around the common room when I'm not around."
"Not the common room, just the guys," Scorpius argued. Then he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Well, you're not a subject either-,"
"It's ok, Scor," Lily laughed. "It's not like I don't talk about you with my friends."
Now Scorpius looked at her with interest. "You talk about me?"
"Well not to Lana. I don't want to subject her to listening about her brother's love life," Lily teased.
"Yet I'm forced to listen about hers," Scorpius muttered.
"I don't ask you to listen," Lana retorted.
On the day of the Quidditch match, Lily was slow to open her eyes. She felt too comfortable and too warm to even want to get up. But the pressing knowledge of the match forced her to at least open her eyes. The first thing that met her eyes was an expanse of bare and broad chest. Lily sighed and closed her eyes again, snuggling closer into the warmth that Scorpius provided.
"Babe?" Scorpius's groggy voice.
"Hmm?" Lily hummed in response.
"We gotta eat before the match," he whispered.
Lily groaned. "Why?" she mumbled.
She felt his chest vibrate against her as he chuckled. "Because I don't want either of us playing on an empty stomach," he replied. Then he began to shift under her, forcing Lily to open her eyes again and move. She laid on her back as Scorpius sat up. The blanket fell slightly, giving Lily an open view to his broad and muscled back. She brought a hand up to brush against the skin of his back, drawing small and unknown shapes. The muscles under her fingertips twitched once, but then relaxed under her touch. Scorpius turned his head to look at her with a smirk.
"You're not getting up are you?" he chuckled.
Lily smiled. "We have time. Besides, I think it'd be better if we waited a bit before getting up. I think I hear someone getting up, and I'm sure you don't want me rolling off your bed half naked," she teased.
Scorpius growled and twisted to hover over her, his arms holding his weight above her. His face nuzzled against her neck, his hair tickling her cheek. Lily giggled quietly, but it turned into a slight moan when Scorpius's lips closed around a bit of skin on her neck. Lily wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Hey, Scor?" Lars's muffled voice pervaded through the thick fabric of the curtain around the bed.
Scorpius pulled away from her. "What?" he yelled back, irritation in his voice.
"What time do you want us at the pitch this morning?" Lars asked.
"After we've all finished breakfast. Aren't you eating with us?" Scorpius asked.
"Yeah, but I gotta talk to Ashley afterward. I'll make it quick." Then there was a pause. "By the way, I'm the last one in the room, Lil. You can get up in a minute."
Lily rolled her eyes, but after a moment, she could hear the almost inaudible sound of a closing door.
Scorpius sighed as he moved away from her completely. "Come, babe. Let's eat and then kick some ass."
"It sounds fun, but it also sounds like work," Lily joked after a yawn.
"There are pros and cons to everything. Now, let's go," Scorpius urged. Then he playfully smacked her blanket-covered thigh.
"Ow," Lily yelped, although it hardly hurt. She glared lightly and weakly at her boyfriend as he pushed aside the curtains and rolled off the bed. But then, knowing there was no way she could avoid it, she too got up from the bed. She picked up the clothes from the day before, and when Scorpius had stepped into the bathroom, she slipped off his shirt, which had become her nightshirt, and slipped on her previous outfit. Then she stepped over to the bathroom door.
"Hey, baby, I'm going to go and change really quick. I'll meet you in the common room," she called to Scorpius.
"See ya then," he yelled back.
Lily left the room, and quickly made her way to the girls' stairs, and walked into her and the other fifth year girls' dorm. The other girls had gone, most likely to breakfast. Lily decided to forgo a shower, after all, she'd shower after the game anyways. So she quickly dressed into her uniform, although not bothering with the tie or robes. She picked up her broom, slipped on a pair of shoes, and made her way out of the room.
As he said, Scorpius was waiting for her at the stairs. He was dressed nicely in his uniform, his collar popped up. His hair was ruffled around his head, making an irresistibly cute mess. His own broom was in his hands.
"Ready?" he asked with a smirk.
Lily smiled at him. "To crush Potter? Totally."
Once the game had begun, Lily kept her eye on Potter. This was technically her last match against him, and she didn't trust him at all. It would be just like him to try and showoff, going out with a bang. And Lily would be damned if she fell for some trick of his.
"And Pritchard takes the shot, but Hugo Weasley catches the score attempt. The score is still twenty to twenty, an even match up and tie. Both teams have old and new members, making this a close match. And it's only the beginning," Elizabeth Peakes announced to the crowd. "Although it seems to me that the Slytherins have the advantage in the end. Not only do they have the fastest and more advanced brooms, but they have Lily Luna as a Seeker, who has become a Hogwarts Quidditch legend. Some even say that she outshines her father by having an undefeated streak throughout her school years so far. But will this be the end of that streak? Will Albus Potter be able to pull through and catch the Snitch first?"
Not likely, Lily thought. She was not about to let him beat her. He hadn't yet, and he wouldn't now.
"And Rose Weasley has the Quaffle. She swerves past Pritchard, and passes it over Higg's head. Lucy Weasley catches the Quaffle out of the air, but it's popped out of her grip by Malfoy. Higg's take it in his grasp and flies around Jordan, making his way to the goal posts."
Lily risked a glance at the action below her. She watched as Lance flew down the field, and took the shot at the left goal. But Hugo was quick and kicked the Quaffle away, and into Lucy's grasp. Lily turned away. Part of her was proud of her cousin's skill, but her competitive nature hated it. If they wanted to crush Gryffindor, they would have to take Hugo out, or at least injure him.
Potter flew by Lily, and then swerved to a stop, looking at Lily with narrowed eyes. Lily glared mildly at him, untrusting of his actions.
"You've turned our Keeper against us," he stated, his voice flat. Lily kept silent. "Your captain beat the hell out of one of our Beaters. How else do you plan to pick apart our team?" Albus demanded.
Lily scoffed. "We don't give a damn about taking your team apart. We know we can beat you with your team fully intact. We've done it before, dozens of times. Hugo turned against you because he started to see the horrible boy you are. Cody got his ass kicked because he pissed off my boyfriend on a completely different topic from Quidditch. Get over yourself, Albus, and stop assuming that everything we do is about you."
"I hope you understand what you've done to Hugo," Albus snapped. "You've not only made him an outcast in his own House, but you've also made him a disappointment to his parents. You've put him in the same pitiable position that you put yourself in."
Lily felt a pang in her stomach. Parents. It was obvious that Ron hadn't been exactly . . . ecstatic with the small changes he'd seen in Hugo. And she was sure that he was going to hate what Hugo had done to his looks. Lily didn't care that she was no longer accepted by some of her cousins and Albus and James. After a small bit of time, she'd lost all care about that. But parents . . . they were the worst to disappoint. Guilt about that still hadn't left Lily.
But Lily kept from showing any emotion to his words. "I don't consider my position pitiable," she spat mildly. "I consider myself lucky. I'm free of the Potter shadow. Unlike you, I've become my own person."
Albus looked ready to retort, but before either of the two Seekers could blink, a Bludger screamed by, smashing into Albus's shoulder. The collision resulted in a sick crunch. Lily watched with wide eyes as Albus rocked on broom, his left arm lifeless. Backing away, Lily flew away, not wanting to be anywhere near the Bludger that had just rendered Albus partially disabled.
"And Albus Potter takes a nasty hit! His arm looks pretty bad. A good shot from Lars Goyle."
Lily climbed higher into the air, trying to create distance between her and Albus, while also trying to forget what he'd said. She wasn't ruining Hugo. She was letting him be whoever he wanted to be. If he had decided that her friends' way of living wasn't for him, she'd have respected that.
"And Albus Potter takes another hit! This time by Tanner Zabini. Looks like Slytherin wants Potter out of the game. But Potter seems to be ignoring the pain, and he's staying firm on his broom," Elizabeth Peakes commented.
Lily refrained from glancing down where the "action" was taking place. She kept her eyes looking for the Snitch. But that glint of gold was no where to be seen in the sky or air around her and the pitch.
"And a Bludger hits Hugo Weasley. That looked painful, but he's still on his broom and in the air. But Higgs takes the chance for the shot, and he makes it! Forty to twenty, Slytherin's lead!"
The game kept going, and it was obvious that it was coming down to not who could score the most, but who could knock out the most members. Miley Jordan didn't last long, and she was knocked from the air easily by a single Bludger. Lance had taken one to the side of the head, resulting in a quick black-eye. And when they had called a timeout to check on him, he claimed that he couldn't really hear from one of his ears. Tanner and Roxanne had "crossed bats" and had accidently hurt each other. Tanner had a few broken fingers, and Roxanne's hand turned red and swollen. Potter had taken the most hits, but to Lily's surprise, he was still on his broom. Rose had taken a nick to her shoulder, making her play with her left hand. Lucy had thrown the Quaffle at Bobby Pritchard, hitting him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. He only threw up once when he reached the ground.
"And Malfoy makes the shot! It's now a hundred and twenty to ninety, Slytherin still in the lead. This is a brutal and close match!" Elizabeth said in excitement.
Lily kept circling over the pitch, watching for the Snitch, and watching Albus with distrust.
"And Hugo Weasley throws the Quaffle to Lucy. Lucy tosses it to Rose. Rose tosses it back to Lucy, but her bad arm makes the toss shaky . . . and Malfoy picks it out of the air. He takes off, swerving past both Weasley girls, he gets closer to the goal . . . Oh! And Malfoy's hit by a Bludger! He drops the Quaffle, and it's grabbed by Pritchard. He takes the shot and makes it, but Malfoy looks bad!"
Lily stopped midair, and she quickly looked down to see Scorpius hunched over, curled in on himself. Instinct had her flying down in a dive toward him, her heart filled with worry. A whistle rang through the air.
"And Madam Hooch is calling a timeout as she heads over for Malfoy. It seems the rest of his team is as well."
Madam Hooch reached Scorpius first, she grabbed his shoulder and angled him down to the ground. By the time Lily reached them and the others on the team, they were on the ground. She jumped off her broom and rushed to her boyfriend.
"Are you ok?" Lily asked quickly.
Scorpius hissed as Madam Hooch touched his side. "I'm fine," he spat out through gritted teeth.
"I'm feeling at least three broken and cracked ribs," Madam Hooch countered. "You can't play with this. We need to get you the Hospital Wing."
"No!" Scorpius argued. He pulled away from her and took his broom from Lance. "I'm fine, let's play."
"Malfoy, I'm warning you, it's only going to get worse if you play with those ribs like that!" Madam Hooch warned.
"Don't care," Scorpius muttered.
Lily stopped him though, standing in front of him. "Are you sure about this?" she whispered.
Scorpius nodded. "I'll be fine. I'll make it through the game, I promise. I'll go to the Hospital Wing straight after."
Lily looked a bit skeptical, but then she nodded. "Ok. I'll go with you."
Scorpius smirked. "It's a date," he mocked dryly. But he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Let's finish this game."
So the Slytherins each mounted their brooms again, and took off in the air.
"And the game is back on, and Malfoy is still playing. What a resilient guy," Peakes commented.
Lily sighed as she climbed through the air. Part of her was still worried, but she knew that she couldn't stop him. After all, she would have stayed in the game as well. But she would be dammed if she made him play for too much longer. She'd find the Snitch quick.
But lucky wasn't on her side. After another twenty minutes of searching, she saw no sight of the Golden Snitch. She was beginning to fear that it had flown completely away from the pitch.
"And Pritchard passes the Quaffle off to Higgs! Higgs moves past Rose Weasley, and tosses it over Lucy Weasley's grasp. Malfoy catches the Quaffle, but he's flinching, most likely due to the injury he just received. But he's continuing down the pitch. He makes it to the goals. He takes the shot and . . . Hugo Weasley catches it! He quickly tosses it to his sister, but Higgs intercepts the pass! He throws the Quaffle and he makes it! Higgs is moving like lightening in this match, despite taking a hit from a Bludger."
Lily practically paced on her broom . . . until a twinkle near the crowd caught her eye. Like a flash Lily was gone, moving toward that sparkle, that was getting more golden as she came to it.
"And Lily Luna is zooming across the field! I think she's seen the Snitch! Potter is moving after her, but it looks like he's too far back to catch up!" Peakes announced.
Lily didn't bother looking back and see how far or close Potter was. She kept her eyes on what she could see was obviously the Snitch. She followed it as it flew higher up, then zigzagged down low. She reached out her hand, trying desperately to grab it. She lunged forward slightly, closing her hand around empty air. She steadied herself, and then did it again. This time she felt the fluttering wings of the Snitch under her clenched fingers, and she brought her hand up high.
"And Lily Luna has caught the Snitch! Slytherin wins with three hundred points!" Peakes cheered.
Lily smiled as her teammates and House began to cheer loudly, and she began to descend to the ground. But she didn't make it before she heard gasps, dismayed cries, and Scorpius's voice.
"Lil, move!"
Then there was pain. And then there was darkness.
"I think we'll need to contact a parent. It's been over a day," a voice spoke in a low tone.
"Well there was quite a bit of damage to fix. It takes time," another voice, a bit more stern and motherly, retorted.
"Still, I'm sure that Ginny and Harry need to know."
"Brutal and bloody sport. I can't believe it's legal."
"If she doesn't wake up today, then we'll have to contact her parents. If she does wake up, then we'll see if she still wants us to."
"I doubt she will. Lily's headstrong. Like her mother."
"And her grandmother," a new voice spoke with a small chuckle. "She reminds me more of her each day."
Silence, and then footsteps. More silence, and then another round of footsteps. Lily felt a little confused as the darkness around her no longer had voices. But then again, she'd been confused since she could begin to hear them. Who did the voices even belong too? They sounded familiar, really familiar, but her brain wasn't putting faces to them.
"I swear, if that Malfoy boy comes around again, I'm going to lock him in a separate room! That's three times in thirty minutes!" the woman's voice exclaimed.
But that name she spoke struck a cord with Lily's mind. Scorpius. He wasn't here? What had happened? She remembered that he'd gotten hurt during the game, and he promised to get his ribs fixed . . . but what about after that?
"And I expect he'll be around again in ten minutes. That boy has been worried sick," one of the men's voices commented.
"He's been preoccupied since it happened. He was even distracted during my class," a different woman spoke.
"Well because of him I've had to lock the door. Otherwise he'd be in here, and he'd never leave!"
"I don't doubt that," a rich voice laughed.
"So how bad was the damage to her?"
"You haven't heard, Katie? Students have been talking about it since it happened."
Suddenly a memory hit Lily. Katie . . . Katie Bell! Professor Bell! That was the voice of one of the women in the room. But who were the others.
"I even had to explain it to my morning class. They all demanded to know what was wrong, especially Miss Pritchard."
"I've only heard rumors," Professor Bell replied.
"Well, she was bleeding quite badly when they brought her in. Her skull was cracked near the back. Her jaw and nose were broken. My guess is that her jaw broke when the Bludger turned her head sharply, and her nose must have broken on the fall."
It hit Lily again. A Bludger! She had caught the Snitch . . . and then something had happened. Painful, but then that was all she could remember. But a Bludger? The game had ended, why would a Bludger hit her?
"She had multiple bruises and gashes over her body because of her fall and landing. Her wrist was shaken and sprained, a few broken fingers, and her shoulder had popped out of place. Normally they would be easy things to fix separately. But since I have to fix them at the same time, . . . it's a slower process," the other woman, who Lily was now thinking was Madam Pomfrey, explained.
"The poor girl," Professor Bell murmured.
"And I'm sure that Mr. Thomas received the proper punishment?" one of the men asked.
"I assure you he did. He has detentions until Christmas, and he won't be going to Hogsmeade until next term either," someone replied. Was that Professor Brown?
"What about Albus?" Professor Bell asked. "It's apparently common knowledge among the students that he had put Cody Thomas up to it."
"I talked to Albus. He claimed that he meant for Cody to try and take Lily out before the game ended. It had been an accident," Professor Brown replied.
"And when we both talked to Cody, he claimed much of the same, and that he hit the Bludger before Lily had caught the Snitch," another voice said.
Lily felt a red fury run through her. Albus. Why was she not surprised that he would try to attack her unawares? She was sure that it wasn't an accident, and she hadn't even heard what others were saying yet.
Tired of being confused on who was talking around her, Lily forced her eyes to open. Above her was a tiled white ceiling, and light flooded into her eyes, blinding her. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds before her eyes adjusted. She closed them for a quick reprieve before opening them again. She tried to move her arms. Her left one hurt terribly, and there was something thick wrapped around it. That was the bad wrist she'd heard about. So she used her other arm, which felt heavy and sore, and did her best to move it and prop herself up. It was a fail, but she gained some attention.
"Lily? Are you up?" Soon Madam Pomfrey's face was above hers, worry written in her expression.
Lily opened her mouth to speak, but her throat cracked and burned at the effort, and only a squeak came out.
Madam Pomfrey looked away. "Could two of you help to prop her up?"
Quick footsteps, and then Professor Slughorn and Professor Longbottom appeared at each side. Then hands carefully slid under her, and began to lift her back. It hurt. It hurt badly. But Lily kept her lips closed. Soon she was sitting, her back against the head of the bed, which must have had a hundred pillows to support her. Then she could see everyone in the room. All the beds seemed empty, and close by stood Professor Brown and Professor Bell.
"Drink this, Lily," Madam Pomfrey said, holding a glass of water to her lips.
Lily complied, and the water felt like a cool comfort to her throat. She sighed. Her throat still felt scratchy, but it was better.
"Lily?" Professor Brown came closer. "Lily, would you like us to contact your parents?"
Lily started to shake her head, but her jaw shot a pang of pain through her nerves. So she opened her mouth carefully to speak, but that hurt too. "Can you Floo Astoria and Draco?" she whispered roughly.
Everyone but Professors Slughorn and Brown looked surprised at her request. "Of course," Professor Brown assured. He looked over at Professor Bell. "Professor Bell, could you Floo Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?"
She nodded. "Of course. I'll be quick." Then she headed for the door.
"How do you feel, Lily?" Professor Longbottom asked her.
"Sore," Lily spoke slowly, her jaw hurting with every move it made. Her head pounded harshly, her left arm was heavy, her shoulder felt off, and there was a painful pressure on her nose.
"That's to be expected. Because of the extent of your injuries, they'll be slow to heal," Madam Pomfrey told her. "But your cuts, scrapes, and bruises are beginning to disappear."
Lily carefully licked her lips. "Where's Scorpius?" she whispered.
There was a round of chuckles. "Mr. Malfoy has been attempting to check on you ever ten minutes," Professor Brown told her.
"You have a very insistent boyfriend, Lily," Madam Pomfrey grumbled.
"I'm sure he'll be back soon. When he comes by, we'll let him in," Professor Slughorn told her.
Lily let her eyelids fall slightly. She wasn't really tired, just kind of exhausted. But after all that had apparently happened to her, she thought that she was allowed to feel however the hell she wanted. She glanced down at her body. The blanket now only covered her legs. She had been dressed in a large, light blue shirt. It hung around her loosely. The sleeves went to her elbows, and on her left arm, she could see thick bandages that went from her fingers to past the sleeve. Her other arm had a few light and fading splotches of yellow and grey. The disappearing bruises. If her arms looked like this, she could only imagine what her face looked like.
"Do you have a mirror?" she asked hoarsely.
Professor Longbottom picked up a handheld mirror from the bedside table, and he held it up for her. Lily looked at herself, and she tried not to flinch. There were dark circles under her eyes, probably because of her nose, which was a little oddly shaped, and still a deep bluish-grey color. Her jaw and right cheek were dark bruises, but they looked to be fading quicker than the bruise on her nose.
"Wow," she mumbled.
"You took quite a spill," Professor Longbottom told her.
"You got a Bludger to the back of your head. And your landing was from pretty high up, and it was awkward when you landed," Professor Slughorn continued.
Lily sighed. She'd already assumed so after listening to them. Professor Brown came to sit on the edge of her bed. "You've become a popular topic around the school. A couple of the governors have been wanting to speak with you, and you've received quite a few gifts from friends, fans, and admirers." Normally, Lily would have turned her head to look, but she didn't want to risk the pain. "Quite a few people are outraged at what happened."
"As are the staff. That hit was uncalled for," Professor Longbottom said with a scowl.
"Rightful punishments have been administered. Mr. Thomas is in trouble," Professor Slughorn assured.
"I don't blame him," Lily whispered with a rasp. "I'm sure it wasn't his idea."
But none of the adults said anything about her words.
But after a few quiet minutes, they didn't have to worry about talking, because the door was pushed open a bit roughly, catching everyone's attention. Lily was a bit relieved to see Astoria and Draco rushing into the room, Professor Bell closing the door behind them.
"Oh, Lily, sweetheart!" Astoria cried when they stopped by the bed. The professors each moved, giving them room to move closer to Lily. "Are you ok?" Astoria questioned.
"I'm ok," Lily whispered.
Draco came to her other side. With gentle movements, he pushed hair from her face. "It looks bad, Lily," he murmured.
"It is bad, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Brown admitted.
Astoria looked upset over that, and moved closer to fuss over Lily. Draco moved to stand with the teachers. "And the boy who did this was punished, yes?" he demanded.
"Rest assured, we took care of it," Professor Brown told him.
"I want to know exactly what's being done later," Draco told him. But then he moved back to Lily.
Astoria was putting a glass of water to Lily's lips, so she took a drink. Again, the refreshing water was cool on her throat. "I'll be ok, really," she tried to assure them.
"I know you will," Draco said softly. "Professor Bell told us what the damage was."
"Do you feel ok? Do you need something?" Astoria asked.
"No, I'm fine," Lily told them. "I just knew that they wanted to contact an adult for me, so I told them to contact you. I knew you'd want to know, and I wanted you here."
"We'll stay until you can get out of this bed," Astoria said with a sad smile.
Draco chuckled. "We'll stay as long as you want us too," he corrected.
Lily smiled, ignoring the pain in her jaw. "Thank you." She looked at Madam Pomfrey. "How long until I can get up?"
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Well, with how many bruises you have, and with how bad they are, they might take time to heal. And your bones won't heal properly until the bruises leave. But I did fix your skull, which was the first thing I did. Your jaw only had a small break, so it should heal first and quickly. So, personally, I'd like to keep you here until they're all fixed. But once some of the bruises on your legs fade, and they aren't so sore, you can probably get up and go to classes," she told her.
"How long will that be?" Lily asked quietly.
"Well perhaps some time tomorrow, or the morning after at the latest. But, if you decide to get up, we'll have to take serious precautions so that nothing happens that can make your nose or arm worse. Probably a small face guard, and thicker bandages on your arm," Pomfrey listed.
Lily sighed and closed her eyes. "Perfect," she whispered.
She felt a hand on her hair, and she smelled Astoria's floral perfume. "Why don't you just rest, sweetheart? The more you rest the faster you'll heal," Astoria murmured.
"We'll be here when you wake up," Draco assured. She felt his hand on her good one, his touch light, like he was trying not to hurt her. "You should sleep."
Lily couldn't argue. Her body had listened, and she had fallen asleep.
When Lily woke up again, she felt better. Her limbs felt less sore, although there was still pain where bones had been cracked, broken, or popped out of place. But when she opened her eyes, she was happy to see some of the others standing and waiting around. And Draco and Astoria really had stayed.
"Lily!" Lola squealed when she noticed that her eyes were open.
Everyone looked toward Lily, and began to move toward her. Scorpius moved to stand next to the head of the bed. A scowl was on his face, but she recognized the worry in his eyes. Instantly, she felt his hand in her hair, gently moving his fingers through it.
"Hey, beautiful," he whispered. "How do you feel?"
Lily licked her lips, which felt really dry. "Fine," she whispered back.
"Don't worry, cuz. I punched Cody in the nose for this," Hugo assured.
Lily smiled, biting back the pain in her jaw at the action. She was happy to see that even Jace was there, although he was far away from Lola. "Really, I'm fine," she tried to assure. She looked at Draco and Astoria. "How long have I been sleeping?"
Draco looked at his watch. "Oh, a few hours. Not too long. But these kids wanted in, and I thought you'd like to see them," he told her.
"You were right," Lily replied.
"Mind if I have a Chocolate Frog, Lil?" Tanner asked as he looked over the gifts and candies she'd been given.
"Go ahead," she mumbled quietly. Tanner heard her though, and pulled two out from the large pile.
"Good thing you're up. Scor was going crazy," Lars joked.
"Sod off," Scorpius muttered, although there was no embarrassment on his face. His eyes were still locked on Lily, and her eyes were frequently on him. "We were updated on the extent of the damage. I'm going to kill Potter and Thomas," he hissed.
"Leave Cody alone. I doubt it was his fault or idea," Lily murmured. "Besides, I'll get better."
"We heard you might have to wear a face guard though," Lola said with sympathy. "That sounds horrid."
"I'll deal with it," Lily said with a suppressed laugh in her cracked throat.
"Brunt tried to come in to see you," Scorpius whispered.
Lily looked at him sharply. "For what?" she demanded.
"Wanted to wish you well on behalf of the governors. And I think she wanted to talk more with you," Scorpius told her.
"Probably to leak another story out to Rita Skeeter," Hugo spat. Then he sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, his finger intertwined with Lola's. "So, do Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry know what happened?"
"Probably not. Professor Brown didn't say that he wrote to them, and I didn't ask him to," Lily replied.
"Do you want one of us to?" Lola asked curiously.
"No, don't bother. I'm sure that Uncle Neville will eventually write to them. I just want it to be quiet for as long as I can keep it that way," Lily whispered.
"We can leave and let you sleep," Lana offered.
"No," Lily said quickly, rubbing her thumb along the hand that Scorpius had placed over hers. "Stay. I don't think I'll sleep again for a while, and being alone would be boring."
"I didn't plan on leaving anyways," Scorpius retorted.
Again, ignoring the pain, Lily smiled.
The next morning, Lily found herself alone with Draco and Astoria, which didn't at all bother her. She like the company while her friends all had classes. Astoria fussed over her, making sure she ate and got plenty to drink. She was careful to check over her bruises, which were taking forever to really fade. But Lily was happy to tell them that her legs were feeling a little less sore every hour, showing that she would be able to get up and move maybe that night. But unfortunately, she was also right about something else.
Neville had written her parents.
It was probably mid-afternoon, and Lily had taken to moving her legs as she sat on the bed, hoping the soreness would soon soothe and disappear. Draco was eating a licorice wand that someone had given Lily, and Astoria was checking the bandages on Lily's arm.
"I forgot how peaceful the Hospital Wing was compared to every other room in Hogwarts," Draco mentioned with a chuckle.
"Are you hungry, Lily?" Astoria asked curiously as she secured the last bandage around Lily's shoulder.
"No, I'm ok. Thank you, though," Lily replied.
That was when the doors burst open, and Lily was shocked and a bit dismayed to see her mother and father hurrying in, Professor Longbottom behind them.
"Lily, sweetheart, are you ok?" Ginny cried as she came closer to her daughter. Astoria and Draco quickly moved away from the bed, giving Lily's parents room to stand by her.
Lily felt a quick run of betrayal as she glanced at Professor Longbottom. He wrote her parents, and he had known she didn't want them to know. Part of her had known that he would write to them, being loyal to old friends and all, but another part of her mind still resented him a little for doing it.
"I'm fine, Mum," Lily mumbled.
"The bruises on your face say differently," Harry argued gently.
"Do you need anything, honey?" Ginny fussed.
Lily sighed. "Why don't you go deal with your son, who issued the attack on me?" she demanded quietly, yet loudly enough that they could hear her.
"We were told about that, and also how Albus meant for Cody to try and knock you down during the game. Now, we're not thrilled that he wanted his sister knocked out, but we do understand that it's how the game goes," Harry replied.
Lily scoffed, fully ignoring any pain she felt. "And you believed that crap? I didn't believe it when Professor Brown told me that, and I don't believe it now. And I'd bet that Professor Brown doesn't believe it. He was angry that I beat him again, and he attacked me for it. But just like James, he did it without getting his hands dirty," she hissed.
"Lily-,"
"No!" Lily cut her father off. "This was why I didn't want anyone to write to you guys! I knew that you weren't going to see things how they really were. Albus was a saint, and Cody just misunderstood him. I was just a victim to an accident. I knew you'd see it like that! Because heaven forbid the Saint Potter boys ever do anything wrong!" she exclaimed, biting back a flinch at the pain in her jaw and nose.
Both of her parents looked away from her, and Lily saw unshed tears in her mother's eyes. Despite her best efforts to push it all away, an angry guilt tore apart her heart and chest. She looked away as well, and caught sight of a corked and familiar potion sitting on the bedside table.
"Draco, can you hand me that potion?" she asked quietly.
Draco stepped forward to pick it up, but he hesitated before giving it to her. "Lily, are you sure that you want to drink that?"
Lily nodded. "The more I rest, the quicker I heal," she said mockingly. Draco uncorked the potion, and she took it with her good hand. With a quick flick of her wrist, she had swallowed a mouthful of the cool liquid. And immediately, her mind felt heavy. So she closed her eyes, laid back, and let sleep drift her away. And before succumbing to sleep, she only hoped that her parents would be gone . . . along with her guilt.
