Chapter 5: Illness
Disclaimer: I do not, and will not ever own any of the characters recognisable in this story. Blah blah blah. You know the score.
Author's Note: right, people, this is the chapter where it gets angsty, and there are actually signs of a plot. So please, beware!
"I cannot believe Luke make us do this!" Lily exclaimed bitterly.
"I can, he's always been a bastard," James growled. "Still, this just tops it all off. It's a bit out of proportion to the crime," Remus complained.
"At least Jamie's getting more experience of doing things the Muggle way," Sirius said, attempting to force some humour into the situation. He realised he had failed as the other four turned to glare at him.
"Honestly, Sirius, do you think there is anything funny about this? We have to clean the sodding great hall again!" James exclaimed.
"And Luke, the evil sadistic fuck, even managed to top Headly. Bloody Hallowe'en feast," Lily muttered.
Luke had been unexpectedly furious. He had raved wildly at them for some time, and James had only made things worse by telling Luke he could not take a simple joke. They had been banned from the Hallowe'en Feast, and the preceding Hogsmeade weekend, which took place on the following Sunday, and had then had to clean the Great Hall and the kitchens, without magic. No magic meant that they had to do all the washing up themselves, but first they had to get all the tableware into the kitchen – by hand. This had all been before Luke had realised his girlfriend had dumped him.
"Oh, my back aches," Sirius moaned.
"I know, lets make this a competition of Gryffindor bravery," James said brightly. "The next one to complain gets dunked into the washing up water."
"Ok," they all agreed. It would certainly make things more interesting and they were sick of the sound of moaning.
For a while there was silence, as no one could think of anything to say that was not a complaint. But Sirius could never be silent for long, and soon began, "Merlin, I hate -," before cutting himself off. He looked around guiltily, hoping none of the others had heard.
"Was that a complaint I just heard?" Remus asked innocently.
"No," Sirius said angelically.
"I think it was," James grinned. He and Remus grabbed Sirius and frog-marched him to the sink, while Lily and Peter moved plates out of the way.
"Noo!" Sirius wailed loudly, as he was lifted into the sink, struggling wildly.
"Here, wash his hair," Lily grinned, pouring washing up liquid onto Sirius' hair and rubbed it in.
"Not my hair!" Sirius yelped, splashing at Lily, who was laughing.
"What do you think you are doing?" demanded an angry voice from behind them. The three relatively dry Gryffindors spun around to find Professor Dunworthy behind them.
"Err…giving the dog a bath?" James grinned hopefully.
Dunworthy couldn't help but laugh. "Make sure you do it thoroughly then," he said. "And once you've cleaned up the mess your 'dog' has made, you can go. The Hall is clean, and you've done a lot of work in here too. I'll explain to Luke." Privately, Dunworthy thought that the punishment had been far too harsh for the crime, and although he knew Luke had felt embarrassed, he could not help but wonder if the punishment had been given because of problems within the Potter family. He was well aware that the three bothers did not get along.
"Thanks, Professor," they chorused cheerfully.
"Hurry up, now," he said, laughing again at the soapy Sirius.
So it was that ten minutes later, the five were walking back through the darkened school towards Gryffindor Tower. "I really like Dunworthy," Lily said happily. "He has a good sense of humour."
"And he let us off," Remus added shrewdly. Lily glared at him.
"I still can't quite believe Luke did that," Sirius said incredulously.
"Bastard's probably asleep now," James said sorely.
"He should be, it's midnight. Oh, midnight on Hallowe'en, Muggles have all sorts of myths about this time," Lily said.
"Do they?" Remus asked, always curious for more knowledge.
"Yeah, ghosts and stuff."
"It is a bit creepy here now, it's so silent," James said, looking around.
"It'll be even creepier if we meet Mrs Norris, so lets hurry," Sirius said, shuddering.
They began to move more quickly through the dark and silent passages of Hogwarts. As they passed a shadowed alcove, a dark-robed figure stepped out silently behind them and muttered a few words in an old tongue. He then backed away, laughing silently.
"Did you just feel something?" Lily asked, shivering.
"Like what?" Remus asked.
"Cold; something cold," Lily said slowly.
"No," they answered, before hurrying on.
*****************
Frank, who was shaking her desperately, woke Lily next morning. "What the hell!" she shouted at him, not pleased to be woken.
"You're going to be late if you don't hurry, and I can't wake any of the others," Frank said angrily. "I didn't choose to wake you first, you know, I do value my life."
"Thanks, Frank, sorry I yelled," Lily said contritely, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "I don't know why you couldn't wake the others though."
"You try, then," Frank said huffily. He stood waiting, half dressed, as Lily slid out of James' bed and went to Remus' side.
"Remus," she called, shaking him. "Remus!" He remained quietly asleep, breathing deeply even after Lily shook him so violently that one of his arms flew across the bed. "He's not going to wake up. I'll try Pete, and then I'll get the water," Lily said, beginning to look nervous. Remus was the only riser out of them all, and should have been up hours ago. When she tried to wake Peter, she got the same results. He appeared to be in a perfectly normal sleep, but could not be woken. "That's it," Lily said, trying to sound calm, but her voice was higher than normal. "Aqum." A jet of water shot out of her wand, directly onto Peter's face. "I'm so glad Flitwick finally taught us that."
Nothing happened. Lily and Frank waited anxiously for something to happen; for Peter to even twitch; but he remained completely motionless. Lily repeated the charm over the other three boys, and when nothing happened, she turned her pale face towards Frank. "This is weird. They should have woken. I don't like this," she said tightly.
"What shall we do?" asked Frank, now looking openly frightened.
"Go and get Luke, tell him it's urgent. And if he won't come, get 'Rion. Just them," Lily said, feeling better for having given the orders. Frank ran off immediately, and while he was gone, Lily paced about the room, periodically stopping to shake one of her friends. Every time she did this, and they didn't wake, she turned away with an angry noise, not liking to feel so helpless. What was taking Frank so long?
Finally the door opened and Luke entered, looking angry. "I mean it, Lily, if you lot are having me on again you'll be suspended."
"I don't think they are, Luke," Orion, who had entered after, interrupted, before Lily could reply with her own angry words.
"You seriously can't wake them?" Luke said incredulously, looking for the first time at Lily's pale face.
"You try," she said bitterly. Luke went around the room, trying to wake the four boys, but met with as much success as Lily and frank had. For a long moment, the four conscious people stood completely still, unable to process the extraordinary events. "My God," Orion said softly, disbelievingly.
"What do we do now?" Lily asked, visibly shaking. She, Orion and Frank looked at Luke, who seemed to be unsure of the responsibility placed on his shoulders.
"We get a Professor, of course. I'll go and find Dunworthy, or Dumbledore or McGonagall or someone, and Frank, can you go straight to get Plastare? You two stay here to make sure nothing changes." He and Frank left hurriedly, and Orion sat down on Frank's bed.
"C'm'ere, Lils," he said, and Lily rushed over to give him a fierce hug. "It'll be ok," he said soothingly. "It's probably just some trick by the Slytherins."
Lily looked up at him with bright eyes. "Have you ever heard of anything like this?"
"Well, no, but…"
"Exactly."
**************
Dunworthy had as little success waking the four boys as Frank, Lily and Luke. He had waited, wracking his brains to think of what might be wrong, until Madam Plastare arrived and transported them to the Hospital Wing.
Dumbledore was waiting for them when they arrived there. "Thank you, Keith," he said. "I suggest you go to lesson now. Those fifth years will be causing trouble. I will, of course, keep you informed." Dunworthy left, looking worried. "Luke, Orion, I would suggest that you too go back to class. It will help to take your minds off things. Mr Longbottom and Miss Evans will be following you shortly." This left Dumbledore alone with Lily and Frank. "I suggest we leave the experts to their work," Dumbledore said lightly. "Would you lead the way to my office, Miss Evans?"
Soon they were all comfortably seated in Dumbledore's office. "Would you please run through the events of this morning?" Dumbledore enquired. "Be careful not to leave out even the slightest detail."
"It was just like any other morning. I was a bit surprised when I woke up that Remus wasn't awake, he usually is; but apart from that, nothing was wrong," began Frank. "It wasn't until I had to wake them that I realised something was wrong. It's usually pretty easy to wake Remus and Peter, but none of them stirred so I tried Lily."
"I woke up, and then I tried to wake them, but nothing happened, so I poured water over them," Lily continued, "'Cos that usually works, but still nothing happened, so we got Luke and 'Rion, and they got Professor Dunworthy."
"And there was no sign of anyone having been in the room?"
Lily thought for a second. "No," she said.
"And you've had no… fights with anyone recently?"
"Only Luke, and it couldn't have been him, or he wouldn't have fetched anyone."
"Hhm." Dumbledore thought for a moment, and the others waited nervously for his thoughts. "It would appear they are in some sort of enchanted sleep, and if so, there is nothing to worry about. But I cannot see why anyone would choose to do that in favour of, say, a curse or hex? And I do not see, Miss Evans, why you have been spared."
Lily had been thinking that herself. "What will you do," she asked.
"Keep them in the Hospital Wing until we can find a way to wake them. It also means we can keep an eyes out for changes. I will not lie to you both, this is very disturbing. It has no motive, and no apparent effect." Seeing the worried looks on both their faces, he said kindly, "I would suggest you both go back to class. It will distract you somewhat."
"Thank you, Professor," Lily managed, as she left the office on shaky legs.
****************
Later that week, the boys still could not be woken, and Dunworthy anxiously asked Dumbledore's opinion. The two men were meeting in the Headmaster's office with McGonagall, who echoed Dunworthy's enquiry. "I am very much afraid to say," Dumbledore said solemnly, "that I do have an idea of what is wrong. If I were right, it would answer questions such as why Lily has apparently been spared, as well as why it is impossible to wake them. If I am correct, it is very, very serious."
"What is it?" McGonagall asked, her face paler than usual.
"I would rather not say until I have conducted some more enquiries," Dumbledore replied. "I will know in a few days, but in the meantime rest assured that Viola Plastare is doing all she can."
"Albus," Dunworthy said heavily. "Is it truly serious?"
"I'm afraid so."
There was silence in the room for a long time as the three teachers let the implications of this sink in.
******************
Classes that day provided no distraction for Lily, nor did they on any of the subsequent days. She was inattentive and often carelessly rude in class, but most teachers cut her some slack; they too were worried about the four boys in the Hospital Wing. Headley and Malfoy, scenting weakness, came down twice as hard on her, provoking many bitter arguments.
"But you can't give me detention!" Lily cried angrily at Headley on the Thursday after the boys had failed to wake up.
"Why not?" Headly asked in mock sympathy.
"Because I… because …you know perfectly well why not!" Lily yelled in exasperation. The true cause of the third years' disappearance from lessons was being kept from the rest of the students, although all the family members knew, as did the staff.
"I have no idea why," Headly said, grinning.
"Fine, if you're going to be like that I just wont come. Cant you at least postpone it until this is over?" Lily pleaded.
"You now have two detentions, Miss Evans, and you will serve them tonight and tomorrow," Headly said with iron will.
"The I'll just have to skip class to do what I need to do now," Lily said and rushed out of the room.
The younger Slytherins were also taking advantage of the situation. It was rare to find one of the third year Gryffindors alone, and they fully intended to capitalize on it. They taunted Lily continually; hoping to provoke her to a fight, and even succeeded a couple of times. Orion rescued her from both injury and punishment on the first occasion, but the second saw blood drawn on both sides, with Lily, Malfoy and Snape all sustaining injuries, as well as all three of them being reported to the Headmaster. Dumbledore was lenient with both sides, but warned Lily not to let herself be provoked again.
All together, it was a very hard week for everyone who knew what was wrong. Luke, Orion and Steve were all very concerned, and by the end of the week, the parents of the four boys had been contacted. Lily did no even have Quidditch to keep her occupied, as with three players missing, it was barely worth practising. Lydia, who had been entrusted with the secret by Orion, was very sympathetic, and promised Lily that if there was ever anything she might need, Lydia was there for her.
Lily spent all her free time in the Hospital Wing, just staring at her sleeping friends, or talking to them, even thought she knew they could not hear her. But the feelings of despair and helplessness were overwhelming, and on the Saturday evening after the Hallowe'en Feast, she could not face it. She begged Orion and Lydia to play Quidditch with her, and the three traipsed out to the Quidditch pitch. After a long and tiring game of tag, they made their way back inside. Trailing behind the others, Lily was the only one to hear the mocking laughter from coming from behind a statue. She spun around angrily, and out from the shadows stepped Professor Malfoy.
"Ah, Miss Evans, where are your friends? Of course, I forgot, they're in the Hospital Wing," he said smoothly. Lily snarled at him, baring her teeth. "Was it you who cursed them, I wonder?" Lily stood as taut as a bowstring, barely able to restrain herself from attacking him. "Or maybe it was Lupin? With his er…affliction, I wouldn't be surprised."
This last taunt was too much and Lily flew at him, fists flailing wildly. Alerted too late, Orion and Lydia raced back to pull Lily from the Professor, but not before she had landed a stinging blow on his face. "Oh, Christ," Orion muttered.
Professor Malfoy glared at them, his usually pale face red with anger. "Come with me," he commanded, dragging Lily by the arm towards the Headmaster's office, Orion and Lydia following helplessly in his wake.
"Butterscotch," Malfoy muttered, before pulling Lily up the stairs. He rapped loudly at the door, which was promptly opened by Dumbledore.
"Miss Evans, Mr Black," Dumbledore said calmly, completely ignoring the Professor. "I was just about to come looking for you." He ushered them into the office, where Luke was already sat with Dunworthy, and shut the door on Professor Malfoy and Lydia. "We have discovered what is wrong with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter."
Lily sat down, shaking suddenly. "Yes?"
"It is very, very serious. Much more than I originally thought. And you too are in great danger, Lily."
A/N: Cliffhanger, hehe. What could possibly be wrong? I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible.