"Hey where's lily?" James sat down next to peter in the great hall. Lunch was half way over and she wasn't there.
"Mcgonagall came to get her earlier." sirius answered, grabbing a dinner roll and putting it onto his plate.
"Do you know why?" For a moment James was concerned she was in trouble for not doing her head duties last night. He had only wanted to help her. He would feel horrible if she had gotten in trouble.
"No idea, mate."
As soon as he finished his sentence mcgonagall strode by.
"Excuse me, professor." he called, making to follow her until she turned around
"Yes, potter?"
"Do you happen to know where lily is? I heard she was with you." it wasn't accusatory, just curious
"I don't know if i should tell you that, potter. She might not want you to know. I must respect the student's privacy." she turned around and went to leave again
"Is something wrong? Is she hurt?" mcgonagall turned around and he thought he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes. It worried him.
"Please, tell me, professor. I promise i won't tell anybody else. I just," he paused a took a deep breath "i need to know she's okay."
Mcgonagall seemed to mull this over for a moment and eventually sighed and spared a quick glance around them. She leaned in a bit
"I had to escort miss evans to a hospital in the city- because her father has been admitted for a heart failure." she finished quickly after seeing james's face when she said she had taken lily to the hospital. No, lily had done her time in the hospital this year.
"Is she alright?" he asked. Lily had gone through enough and she certainly didn't need this right now.
"She's as can be expected, i suppose."
"Professor, i mean, i know it's a long shot, but is there any way you would consider letting me go see her instead of going to class? I usually wouldn't ask but i know she's been through alot lately and i just want to be there for her."
"I'm sorry, potter. No." she apologized like she actually meant it.
"Please professor. I don't mean to beg, i really don't. I know she's always been close with her dad and right now she's there with her sister and things between them have always been a bit, well, choppy, to say the least. I just want to check on her. I won't ask again, and i know this is a bit forward, but i think you should let me go. Just this once."
"I told you- i'm sorry." she paused for a moment before continuing "There's absolutely no way i can tell you that lily evans is visiting her father in the cardiology unit on the fourth floor of Heanor Memorial Hospital, do you understand?" james knew it was entirely unlikely and nobody was going to believe him but he could have sworn that after she said that she winked at him behind her spectacles. She turned with a snap of her robes and walked towards the staff table once more.
…[...[]...]...
Thirty minutes later james stood on the fourth floor of heanor memorial hospital. He had taken one of the secret passages to hogsmeade and apparated from there. He walked up to a woman at a desk.
"Excuse me?" he asked "do you know where i can find george evans?" she didn't answer. What must have been a full minute later he tried again
"Excuse me-"
"Are you family?" she didn't even look up from what she was doing
"No, but-"
"Then i can't tell you."
"Please, i'm-" a voice interrupted him
"James?" he turned around
"Lily!"
"Okay then." he heard the woman behind the desk sigh
"What are you doing here?" lily asked, throwing her arms around his neck. He embraced her back
"Mcgonagall told me. Are you okay? How's your dad?" he let go of her and took a step back
"They said they don't know if he'll make it." there were tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, lil." he hugged her again
"He's not-" she choked back a sob "he's not dead yet."
