His Greatest Wish, by AndromedaMarine
45. Road to Recovery
A/N: If you missed my "author's note as a chapter" update on July 22nd, here's a brief recap as to why this chapter is a bit (read: almost three months) late. Real Life reared its adorable and vicious head and my motherboard fried. No data was lost, but I just couldn't access my laptop for a few weeks. I have a new laptop now, and all the files are back where they're supposed to be. Because of that latest episode of the "Laptop Dies at Least Opportune Time" show, the last 6 chapters will be spaced pretty close together, culminating with chapter 50 going up on December 11th. Never fear! Chapter 45 is here.
James Potter remained in a coma past Pomfrey's deadline, and was taken to St. Mungo's on Saturday morning. Rose, Petunia, and Eileen had spent one night at Hogwarts, but Lily didn't say much to them through their comforting, and they were required to return home to their jobs and in Petunia's case, university. Past the first day following the assault, Lily didn't talk to anyone except Severus, and only sparingly. He could see her struggling to move past the trauma, trying to grasp and accept that she'd been violated in the worst possible way; he remembered her words, her hysteric words that she felt filthy because of it, that she blamed herself for the whole thing.
He barely recognized the broken girl curled in silence on the bed, uninterested in the schoolwork brought up every evening by their friends. For the first time in his strange life he was truly at a loss for what to do.
Remus took over Sev's Prefect duties with Alice, while Sirius called off the next few Quidditch practices on Lily's behalf. Despite the attempts to keep it under wraps, when Lily, Sev, and James stopped coming to classes rumors exploded, and eventually the story emerged about how the dreg of Gryffindor tried to rape their Quidditch Captain and champion. Many older Slytherins laughed about it, but with Regulus in a position of authority and more than willing to report them, the callous japes ceased. Hogwarts reeled a bit with the news, and those who hadn't bothered to care about James before now condemned him. Some of the ruder students tried to sneak into the hospital wing to see Lily, and they were given detention for interfering with her recovery.
Lily barely spoke, even to Sev, who stopped asking how she felt after she stopped answering. She gradually went through the backlog of schoolwork, and practiced her spellwork Nonverbally to avoid saying anything. After a couple of weeks of this pattern Lily abruptly told Severus she wanted to go to classes again, but that she wouldn't be sitting in the front anymore, and she wouldn't participate if it wasn't required. Her grades kept her at the top near Sev, but she'd withdrawn, unwilling to draw attention to herself anymore.
Sev slowly began to realize she felt unworthy for having failed to save herself from James Potter.
The Circle was understandably excited when Lily was discharged from the hospital wing halfway through February. If Lily didn't want sympathy she didn't show it. Instead she welcomed the comforting hugs impressed upon her by her friends, Alice, Frank, and Sirius especially. Remus, though, she embraced the longest. He'd sat with her when Sev needed to sleep or shower, providing silent comfort more often than not. She didn't say anything to him because she didn't need to; their understanding of James's motives was deeper than the rest of their friends.
After Remus, Renly hugged her. He was still a relatively new addition, but he'd assimilated into the Circle almost flawlessly, and despite his tall-skinny twig-like frame, he did hug rather nicely. "We're all glad you're back," he said, careful not to assume that she actually felt any better.
Thankfully, the attack didn't leave her wary or flinching of all men; she'd been comfortable amongst them for years, and most of her friends were male. But Sev warned them all regardless to check themselves before approaching Lily, and especially to refrain from touching her unless she initiated it. This system worked well, and Lily knew that if she required comfort, all of them were willing to provide it, as long as she let them know.
Severus followed his own advice for the most part, but it was hard. He would catch himself reaching for her hand on autopilot, and had to actively remind his brain to ask for her permission first. He hoped that because of their unique relationship she would soon tell him to act normally around her again, but after a while it felt like he was waiting in vain.
Apparition lessons continued as usual, and Lily rejoined them after her discharge. She couldn't concentrate very well, though, and despite encouragement and advice, only Apparated once over the next month, which resulted in a Splinching of her left arm. The Splinching left her shaken and silent, and Sev could tell how much she was struggling to keep her emotions under control.
"Hey," he said when Twycross dismissed them on March fifth, "let's go up to the Astronomy Tower and get away from everyone for a bit."
"Okay," Lily replied automatically, still pale from her ordeal with Apparition. She took his hand out of habit when he reached for hers, and they left the Great Hall after Sev briefly said something to Remus.
The Astronomy Tower was deserted. Sev conjured a bench and guided Lily to sit; she stared out over the battlements without a word, lost in her own little world. Sev sat beside her. "Are you still having nightmares?" he asked.
Lily didn't reply for a moment. "I asked Alice not to tell," she revealed. "It's stupid, really. It's been over a month now and he still manages to invade my dreams when I least expect it. Sometimes I'm a little apprehensive to go to sleep."
"Lily—" he gently grasped her hand and smoothed his thumb across her skin.
"I don't want you to worry, Sev, you shouldn't have to anymore."
"Of course I do, though," he rebuked. "I love you more than I love myself and certainly more than anything else in this world. You are my other half—what hurts you hurts me. I thought you knew that."
Lily heard James' terrifying drawl. "All you'll be is a used cunt. Who wants another man's leftovers?" She wiped away the tear crawling down her cheek, but not before Severus saw it.
"His words are nothing, Lily. Nothing."
"They hurt, though," she whispered, and withdrew her hand from his to hug herself. "They hurt a lot for being nothing."
Sev tentatively put his arm around her and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't involuntarily move away. "Words will hurt longer than physical injuries, believe me, I know. But dwelling on them won't make them hurt less, and the last thing you need is to give him more power over you, unconsciously or not."
"I know that," she snapped. Her face fell. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that like that."
"I want you to heal at your own pace, sweetling," Severus soothed, ignoring her apology, "but I also want to help you. I have an idea that might help."
Lily looked up at him.
"When I first brought you to the hospital wing, you fell into a restless sleep. And when you woke, you were in such distress that I performed Legilimency and poured my happy thoughts into you, and it calmed you, like your memory pendant calms me." He paused. "I want to you to share the memory of what happened to you with me, to lessen its strength, and help teach you how to overcome it, and then lock it away. Whenever it feels like too much, I can do the same thing I did in the hospital, and calm you." Lily's silence weighed on him as he began to think this the true test of the trust between them.
"Will it hurt?"
Sev frowned. "Only if you fight it."
"It was awful." He let her speak, careful not to interrupt. "It's not something I want you to see, let alone experience. But if you think it will help…please. Do it."
"Now?"
Lily nodded, holding back tears.
"Okay." He tucked one leg up on the bench and had her do the same. "I need you to actively remember the attack. Ready? Legilimens." Lily gasped and Sev brought his hands up to steady her head. The memory washed over him, every emotion feeling like his own. As James Potter's words were relived in both their minds, Sev barely managed to keep his anger from crossing their bridge, though the fear, shame, and guilt came full force from Lily. "Keep remembering," he told her, trying not to hate himself, "but now I want you to imagine pushing the memory into a locked room."
But it came back in full force instead, sending Lily into tremors again as the trauma returned. Abruptly Lily pulled away from Severus and took in great, heaving breaths. "I can't," she managed. She'd broken the bond before Sev had a chance to calm her.
Severus didn't bother hiding his own tears. "Do you believe him?" he asked, distraught. "Do you believe that I don't want you anymore because of what he did?"
Terrified of everything, especially her own answer, Lily distanced herself physically. "It's hard not to."
Sev felt a wave of anger for Potter, but he kept it inside. "Even after everything you know about me?"
Silence.
"I will never leave you out of anger, or pain. I am yours, I always have been. I not only love you, I am in love with you, and nothing James Potter did will change that. You are still my perfect Lily. I will do whatever is required for as long as I have to, for you to believe that again." He fought down the urge to pull her to him, not knowing what effect it would have on her fragile emotional state.
Lily looked over her shoulder at him. "I know. I'm sorry, Sev. I just want to be alone for a while."
Sev took a deep breath. "Okay. You know where to find me." Before he realized he should stop himself, he leaned in to kiss her, and felt his stomach drop when she flinched away, guilt instantly infusing her features. He left without another word, using all his willpower to keep his emotions from bursting out and wounding Lily any more. He needed to be in control of himself, since tonight was the full moon, and he'd be spending it again with Remus and Sirius.
Lily actively avoided nearly everyone, including Sev, for three full days afterwards. It strained on everyone, Sev most of all. She seemed to come back to herself at breakfast on Wednesday morning when she sat between Sev and Sirius at the Gryffindor table, and began piling her plate with food. Sev had spent the last three days in silent misery, so when Lily asked him for help with the Transfiguration essay due that week he hastily agreed. The Circle gave them space in the Room of Requirement, so after Lily pulled out her books and supplies, he finally asked.
"What happened?"
"Hmmm?"
"Why have you been avoiding everyone since Saturday? I mean—I know I shouldn't have—" he abruptly stopped when he saw Lily freeze.
She glanced at him and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry. I needed time alone to put my head on straight again. It hit me up on the Astronomy Tower that I haven't had much true alone time since we were kids. I'm always with you, my family, our friends…and in the aftermath of—of what happened, no one has given me any true space." She reached for his hand and rubbed the skin between his thumb and index finger. "I really appreciate that you respected my decision not to talk to anyone, but I'm very sorry I didn't explain what I needed before I went off the deep end."
Sev lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I want to apologize for trying to kiss you without asking if it was okay. I worried that affected your decision to withdraw for a while."
Lily paused. "It did, actually. I want to apologize for how I reacted to that."
"It's no use if we both feel guilty."
She rubbed her face with her free hand. "I suppose not, but my reactions are just shot, and my instincts feel wrong. I know he hasn't ruined me, but sometimes it feels like he got pretty close."
"I will tell you that you're perfect until you believe it, and then I'll continue telling you, because it will never be a lie."
Lily blushed, and cast her gaze to the Transfiguration text on the table.
"I…I realized when I left that you broke the Legilimency connection before I had a chance to share some calming memories with you. Would you…would you mind if I tried again?"
She looked around the room, noting how many of their friends were present. "Not right now. I feel fine at the moment."
Sev frowned, unsure, but acquiesced to her decision. "All right. But if you're still having nightmares I don't want it to be because we didn't try to suppress them."
"Okay."
After that their conversation changed tracks to Transfiguration, and Sev helped Lily with the essay giving her trouble. The next day was Remus's seventeenth birthday, so after all their classes and after dinner, the Circle threw a party for him in the common room, that lasted well past curfew, much to McGonagall's chagrin when she broke it up near midnight. The Saturday following that was the next Gryffindor Quidditch match, wherein they played and barely beat Hufflepuff with their reserve Chaser in Lily's place. While Sev felt bad about the win without his partner, she joined them nonetheless in the party that followed, which again lasted past curfew, and had to be broken up by their Head of House around two the next morning.
In mid-April Dumbledore sent Severus a note inviting him to his office for a meeting with himself and Siger Holmes. Curious as to what this was about, Severus mentioned it just to Lily, and when the time came he made himself present at the Headmaster's office. Giving the password, he moved onto the revolving staircase and knocked on the door when he reached the top.
"Come in," Dumbledore said from inside, and Sev pushed the door open.
Siger Holmes stood in front of Dumbledore's desk while Dumbledore sat behind it. He walked to greet Severus, firmly shaking his hand. "Good to see you, Severus."
"Good to see you too, Mr. Holmes."
"Please, call me Siger."
"Siger. Though I'm not sure why I'm here."
"I shall answer that," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet. He made no motion to shake his student's hand, especially after how he'd handled Potter in January. This was the first meeting he'd called with Severus since then, and the slight awkwardness between them showed. "I have been in correspondence with Mr. Holmes for the past several months. In fact, he contacted me just after the attack on the Ministry."
Sev's brow furrowed. "Then this is about the Werewolf Registry."
"Yes, it is."
"Minister Bagnold has had a freeze over the Registry and its effects since she took emergency office, but she needs official sponsors to rescind it completely. I have offered my services and support, but there needs be more than one powerful family behind the legislation," Siger explained. "Professor Dumbledore suggested you."
"What should be required of me?" Sev asked diplomatically. While he greatly respected Siger Holmes and his family, Dumbledore was a different matter entirely.
"Challenging current laws is expensive, unfortunately, and I can only put up so much of my family's estate against it. You are seventeen now, am I correct?"
An eyebrow went up. "Yes."
Dumbledore cut in. "St. Mungo's wishes to release the Wolfsbane Potion to the public, with your name on it."
Sev couldn't keep his jaw from dropping. "They're done with the clinical trials?"
"It seems so, yes. The last test, I believe, was the group of Ministry employees left injured in December. Only one was infected fully, though it was not Dolores Umbridge. They have been doing the parchmentwork for the last few months."
Sev carefully hid his inappropriate disappointment about Umbridge.
Siger continued. "Now that you are seventeen, I believe that means you have also come into the Prince Trust vaults. With your name on the Potion, as well as your support to take down the Registry, both financially and morally, it should be enough combined with my own efforts to successfully strike down Umbridge's injustice."
The Prince heir allowed himself a smile. "I would be honored to be a part of it," he said with savage pleasure, before turning his hard gaze to the Headmaster. "Sir, might I ask what did happen to Umbridge?"
"The injuries she sustained left her with some wolf-like characteristics, and she will prefer her meat bloody from now on, but she was not turned."
Like Bill Weasley, Sev thought to himself. Serves her right.
"She was released from St. Mungo's a few weeks ago, but was not allowed to return to work at the Ministry. She is on paid leave until they determine what to do with her, according to Minister Bagnold."
"I see," Sev replied with no small degree of satisfaction. "Siger, please owl me with the details at your earliest convenience." He shook Holmes' hand again. "If you would both excuse me, I need to get back to my homework. I'll say hello to Renly for you."
"Thanks, and I will," Siger said, bemusement on his face. He was not familiar with the falling out between the Headmaster and the student, and as such didn't quite understand why Severus was being so formal.
The Gryffindor glanced at Dumbledore and left without saying anything to him. The news about the Werewolf Registry would be well-received amongst his friends, as would (he hoped) the news about Umbridge. As awful as she was, Sev agreed with Remus that no one should have to suffer through that. He found most of them in the library, minus Regulus who was helping Peggy Striker practice for her defense final in an empty classroom, and Jackie, who was at a Quidditch practice.
"I just had a meeting with Dumbledore," he said as he sat down at the big study table, "and your brother," he finished, speaking directly to Renly. "Siger says hello; I'm not sure if he's going to visit you later."
Renly, clearly surprised, put down his quill. "Siger's here? Oh, I'll bet it's because of the Werewolf Registry. He's been working on that for months."
"He asked for my help. I said yes."
"That's excellent!"
"What?" Sirius asked.
Sev glanced around, but Madame Pince was nowhere nearby. "Siger Holmes and I will be sponsoring the legislation to rescind the Werewolf Registry. Come to think of it, Peter, I could use your help if we actually need to draft something for the courts."
Peter beamed.
"And—this is the greatest—Remus, St. Mungo's is almost ready to release the Wolfsbane publically. They're talking about doing it this summer."
Remus almost knocked over his inkpot, but Sirius caught his hand before he could damage any of Pince's precious books. "Really? That's awesome!"
"They're putting my name on it as well, since I'm finally of age."
Lily's face shone with pride.
"I uh, I also learned what happened to Umbridge."
Everyone at the table tried speaking all at once, as if they were in the Room of Requirement, until Alice shushed them and checked again for the librarian.
"She wasn't turned, but she'll be a lot more wolfish than before. Preference for raw meat and whatnot." He fought back a smirk for Remus's sake.
The reactions were mostly positive, and though Sirius looked mildly disappointed, he was the only one.
"That must be a relief for her," Peter said to widespread agreement.
"She probably didn't react well," Remus pointed out, "considering how she feels about anything even partially inhuman. Did anyone actually get infected?"
"Yes, though Dumbledore didn't say who. I doubt whoever it is wants anyone to know, anyways."
"I'm glad no one else was infected, then," Remus stated, and went back to his homework with a smile on his face.
Conversation died down after that, though Peter and Sev discussed some of what might be required if they did need to get into the legal aspect of it.
Siger's owl came the next week, detailing the full extent of what they were going to do. Sev read it with Peter in the Gryffindor common room, well after dark, when everyone else was in bed. The Monday following the start of summer holidays, Severus and Siger would be meeting at Siger's office in the Ministry to go over the process and how long it would possibly take.
"I'm sure it won't be a problem to bring you on as a consultant," Sev said, studying the letter and making some notes at the same time. "In any case, it would be good experience for you later."
"I'm just glad we're able to help out Remus in a more substantial way."
"This combined with the Wolfsbane finally going public means this year is really the year for werewolves. It feels like a sort of savage justice." He grinned.
Peter put down his own quill. "How's Lily doing? I mean really, how's she doing? I know she puts on a bit of a front when with everyone. I think she's the most open and genuine with you, though. We're all still worried about her."
Severus glanced up and caught Peter's sincere gaze. "She's not doing as well as she'd have everyone believe. Sometimes she just needs a good cry and I hold her when that happens." He sighed. "I'm running out of ideas on how to help her heal, and the one good one I had she hasn't let me try yet."
"Whenever you need to vent, just let one of us know. What James did was an attack on both of you, not just Lily." Peter turned back to his parchment, leaving Sev to stare at him with a little bit of wonder.
At the beginning of May the day of the Apparition test finally came, and the seventeen year olds congregated in the Entrance Hall to walk down to Hogsmeade as a group, where the test would be held. Professor McGonagall led them, with Twycross trotting along beside her, and Professor Sprout bringing up the rear. Severus, Lily, Frank, Remus, and Sirius were the only ones in the Circle of age, and Sev could tell that Lily was a nervous wreck. Since the Splinching, she'd only Apparated three times more, which was still better than many of the other students, but she'd lost her left arm the second time, an eyebrow here, a pinky finger there, and the sensations had put her off.
They went alphabetically, without regard for House. Sirius went first in their group and passed, but Lily…Lily Splinched again, this time losing her entire right hand. She dissolved into tears as they fixed her, realizing she'd failed the test, and ran back up to the castle before Sev could stop or catch her.
Severus impatiently waited for his turn while Sirius went after Lily. When they finally called his name he walked as quickly as possible to Twycross, barely listened to his instructions but for the destination, and turned on the spot as soon as he heard the words "you may begin." It felt like ages, but sixty seconds would have been a generous estimate as for how long it lasted. Twycross and McGonagall insisted on checking for Splinching when he reappeared at the starting point, which he reluctantly agreed to. They found none, Twycross handed him his license, and Sev immediately Apparated to the Hogwarts gates. From there he sprinted up the long rolling hill towards the castle, mentally berating himself for not asking to practice more with her when she'd obviously been doubtful and nervous about the test.
He had one foot on the steps leading up to the castle proper when he heard Sirius call his name from down by the lake. He didn't even stop to assess, he just sprinted towards him and found Sirius sitting by Lily's side while she stared out across the lake in silence, and a sad look on Siri's usually grinning face.
Sev crouched and rested a hand on Siri's shoulder, letting him know he'd arrived. He silently switched spots with him, letting Severus take over, and quietly went back to the castle in his unwillingness to disturb them. Severus said nothing, only holding her as she leaned into his side.
"I'm such a fool," she murmured, "to think I could get through this by myself."
"You haven't been alone."
She sighed. "At night I am always alone."
Sev hugged her, his heart breaking a little. "Can I share a memory with you? It's a happy one."
Lily nodded against his chest, and he called up his memory of their first night together beneath the stars, hunting for the constellations taught to them by Sinistra. He put his fingers to her temple and after a Nonverbal Legilimens he felt her relax against him.
They stayed like that for at least an hour, and before long they heard the voices of everyone coming up from Hogsmeade. "Are you okay to go up to the castle?" he asked softly.
"In a few minutes," she replied. Indeed, a few minutes of silence later, Lily got to her feet, gazing out over the Black Lake while Sev stood up. They walked back up the hill to the castle hand in hand, no words passing between them.
Lily sunk herself into her studies, seemingly ignoring everything except the upcoming exams, and the Quidditch final, in which they would be playing Ravenclaw. Regulus was of the same mind, with his O.W.L.s looming.
Finally the day of the Quidditch final arrived and Lily stepped out onto the pitch with her team, to face off against Ravenclaw. Afterwards she congratulated Jackie on her win, and joined her classmates to study for the following week's examinations, though she couldn't help but feel a little angry at herself for losing the Cup.
The train pulled out of Hogsmeade on the last Saturday in June, carrying an exhausted set of students back to London. Regulus and Emily quietly discussed the O.W.L.s they'd just completed, while Sirius and Jackie snuck off mid-ride. Lily stared out the window at the trees and hills speeding past, not noticing when Alice left for her patrol shift, nor when the lunch trolley stopped outside their compartment. Severus bought her food, but she ate nothing, lost in her thoughts. They were an hour outside London when the compartment door slid open to deposit Peggy Striker into the already-crowded carriage. Regulus had left to patrol a few minutes earlier, but Emily knew the girl and motioned for her to sit beside her, which shuffled the rest of the bench and resulted in Alice sitting on Frank's lap.
"Hey Peg, what's up?" Emily asked kindly.
Peggy shrugged, her shyness taking over now that she was in a compartment with so many people she didn't know, and only one she sort of did. "I was looking for Regulus."
"He just went on his patrol; he'll be back at half-past. Do you want to wait here for him to get back?"
"Sure."
Emily glanced around the compartment until she caught Peter's gaze and made the universal expression for well, don't just sit there!
Peter cleared his throat and quietly introduced himself to the tiny Slytherin. "I'm Peter," he said, extending his hand to shake hers. "Your parents were part of the prosecution against Umbridge, weren't they?"
Peggy nodded, grinning; clearly the news about Umbridge's fate had gone through the school, leaving good vibes in its wake for all those who were her victims. He and Emily kept her distracted until Regulus came back from his patrol. Peggy talked to him for a few minutes outside the compartment, before giving him a brief hug and disappearing down the corridor to gather her things before they pulled into King's Cross.
"What was that about?" Sirius asked when Regulus closed the door behind him with a soft snick.
Regulus shrugged off his outer robes. "She wanted to know if I could recommend her to Andromeda and Ted as a babysitter for Dora if the need arises during the summer."
"Oh that's lovely," Jackie commented.
Shortly the compartment became the embodiment of chaos as everyone tried to get into their Muggle clothes before the train even began to slow going into London, and the result was Alice and Remus tripping over each other in the middle of everyone, and a descent into laughter.
Severus felt his heart lighten a little when he saw Lily laughing along with everyone else, even if just a bit.
When the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into King's Cross and deposited the students on Platform 9¾, Rose embraced Lily as soon as she exited the train. Eileen did the same with Severus, while Petunia went to meet Cordon.
"How are you?" Rose asked her daughter.
"I'm fine," Lily insisted. "I just want to go home."
"Of course," Rose replied. "Do you want to say goodbye to your friends before we join the queue?"
Lily shook her head. "I did that before we got off," she said softly as she followed her mother to the growing line to get back onto the Muggle platform, Sev and Eileen a few paces behind.
"Petunia!" Rose called, and her elder daughter returned a few moments later with flushed cheeks.
"I invited Cor over for breakfast tomorrow," she said breathlessly, "I hope that's all right."
"Of course it is," Rose said, giving a small smile. Lily stood in front of her, either uncaring or unmoved by the conversation behind her. Severus withdrew from his mother with a quiet word and went to wrap an arm around Lily's shoulders. She leaned into him.
The car ride home was quiet and peaceful. Severus could have done Side-Along Apparition with Lily, but thought it might not go over well with her since she hadn't passed the test. As such nobody mentioned her failure, for which she was thankful, and a few hours later they pulled into Ottery St. Catchpole.
Cordon came over the next day and joined the Evans and Prince families for breakfast. Lily participated in the conversation when Sev subtly encouraged her to, though it was clear she had a long road ahead until she regained her old ferocious personality, if at all. Finally Lily excused herself to go back to bed, as she hadn't slept well and desired a bit of a nap.
When they heard her door shut with a soft click, Cordon leaned back in his seat and forcefully blew air from puffed up cheeks. "My mum works at the hospital," he said, "and I have half a mind to visit her tomorrow and worm Potter's status from one of his Healers."
"Please do," Sev replied darkly. "I would like some assurance that he's down for the count for a long time."
"If I could go to St. Mungo's I'd happily remove his bollocks," Petunia said with a casual air.
Rose began choking on her tea, rescued only when Cordon thumped her on the back. "Pet—Petunia!"
"What?" Petunia shrugged, popping a cube of pineapple into her mouth. "We're all thinking that's the least he deserves. Cor, can you sneak me in?"
"I don't think Muggles can get into St. Mungo's," Eileen answered. "And besides, it would be illegal to mutilate a patient, no matter how awful he is."
Petunia grumbled and went back to her breakfast, wishing she could do more to help her little sister overcome what had happened to her.
As summer progressed, so did their lives. Severus and Siger, assisted by Peter, put forth their sponsorship to repeal the Werewolf Registry, and within a few weeks it was repealed in its entirety, and new protections went into place for all so-called "half breeds," which would have otherwise met their end at Umbridge's hand. The next day, the owls brought the Prophet, and on the front page was the spread about everything Werewolf from the past several months. It documented the rise and fall of the Werewolf Registry, and mentioned the final release of the Wolfsbane Potion, complete with short biography about its creator. The Lupins were able to move back to their home, though Remus quite enjoyed the huge estate belonging to the Prince line. Eileen was so pleased with the House Elves that she contracted them to remain with the Manor for as long as they felt well treated. Sev and Lily took advantage of their ages and practiced magic, and Sev coached Lily with Apparition until she could do it without so much as losing a fingernail. Shortly thereafter, Sev went with her to the Ministry, where she passed the test and received her Apparition license, and their parents gave them permission to Apparate to King's Cross come September first.
With August came the booklists for their final year at Hogwarts. Along with Severus's list came a reinstating of his Prefect status, and with Lily's came her Quidditch captaincy badge, which she had passed off to Sirius for the remainder of the previous year sans the final. She still felt bad for having lost the first Cup of her captaincy, but knew that dwelling on it wouldn't do anyone any good, especially herself.
In the end Cordon did manage to get to St. Mungo's, and reported back that the Healers didn't know when Potter would wake. The damage inflicted had been quite extensive, to hear the Healers talk about it. This satisfied Sev immensely, and was even more so when Cordon also mentioned how Potter's parents were reported to only visit occasionally, as Dumbledore had shown them every single bit of evidence against their atrocious son, though with him still unconscious they couldn't ream him for it.
Lily slowly got better. By the final days of August a new brand of normal had been established. And even though it had been less than a year, Lily would sometimes ask Sev to talk with her about it whenever she felt overwhelmed by something or had suffered through another nightmare.
Sev thought about asking McGonagall about utilizing one of the old, unused married wings on nights when Lily was especially distressed. It would be a blessing, since the Room of Requirement was usually occupied by Circle members, and it was not guaranteed to be empty at any given moment. (Frank and Alice liked to disappear from the tower for midnight trysts.)
One thing was certain in Sev's mind: Likely would never encounter James Henry Potter again.
A/N2: Current schedule has me posting 46. Comeuppance & Closure on September 19th. Keep in mind though that that is also Rose City Comic Con weekend and I will be in attendance at that. Just sayin'.