LILY POTTER AND THE CHANGE OF TIME
Warning – This is the sequel to Harry Potter, Time Traveler. If you have not read, Harry Potter, Time Traveler, I would highly recommend it as this story will get very confusing. You may not recognize many of the characters and may have no idea what is going on if you do not read it.
Summary – Harry Potter is supposed to be dead. But thanks to the Book of Time and a little time traveling back in his fifth year, he is now alive. Now Lily must overcome the obstacles of being a typical teenage witch and finding out where time got changed because you never want to mess with fate. Sometimes it does not always come out for the best…but yet…sometimes it does.
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the Harry Potter world. They all belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However, while I do not own their names, the characters and the personality traits of Lily Potter, Eddie Weasley, Daris Malfoy, Christof Nott, as well as Asher Lazard and Robyn Andrews all belong to me.
Chapter 17 – Back in the Hospital Wing:
"C'mon, Tiger, I think we've seen enough here," Harry whispered as everyone left to into the kitchen for some cake. "Let's get out of here."
"Sure," Lily whispered as she followed Harry back outside into the yard before taking off the Invisibility Cloak and opening the book.
"It was right after that that we had to move from Godric's Hollow, right?" asked Lily knowingly, pointing to the white house behind her. Harry sighed and nodded. "Ginny was there."
"I noticed," said Harry, trying to keep her voice neutral, though there was a definite edge to it. Lily decided to drop the subject as the topic of Ginny always set Harry into a swing of different emotions. "Alright, enough of this; I didn't realize how dangerous this could be. It's not like using a Pensieve. If Voldemort had known or found out that we were there…" Both Harry and Lily shuddered outwardly at the thought. "But, I do need to head back to your fifth year quickly; some more research I have to do. I want you to take the cloak and head to the hospital wing. It should be empty and hopefully you'll manage to keep out of trouble. I'll meet you there when I am done."
"Sure," said Lily shrugging as she took the cloak from him. She wanted to help Harry with his research but found herself too tired to even argue with him about it. Instead, Lily just took a step towards her father and grabbed a hold of his arm as he opened the Book of Time.
"Nine!" said Harry firmly as he flipped to the second page after thinking of a number.
"What do you have to do research for?" Lily suddenly blurted out curiously after she had let Harry's words sink. She noticed how Harry's sparkling emerald depths suddenly became this dark green color and clouded over for the briefest of moments. Lily immediately regretted asking, already knowing the answer.
"I have to do research in order to change things back to the way they used to," he said solemnly. Lily bit her lip and looked her feet, which were now shifting uncomfortably.
Lily simply did not understand herself or her reasoning. She knew that she wanted Harry alive with her all the time and they deserved a happy life. But, why couldn't she just tell him this? Why couldn't she just work up the courage and tell Harry that she wanted him to stay?
'Because you're a bloody coward,' Lily thought furiously to herself. 'It's because you know what will happen if he does stay. Damn that bloody prophecy!' But, slowly, very slowly, Lily felt her resolve begin to crumble.
"Harry?" Lily called out timidly and quietly, but he did not seem to have heard her because he shouted; "Remus Lupin's office!" Lily was about to call her father's name again, but she was already swirling in colors, her feet being pulled off the ground. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to faint or get sick again. But, she did not have to wait long becauseee she soon landed on the stone cold floor with a loud thud and she heard Harry give a painful grunt from beside to her.
"Are you okay Tiger?" Lily heard Harry ask worriedly. She had not yet opened her eyes, but was shaking her head to shake away the dizziness she felt.
"Fine," she muttered before slowly opening those emerald stones and studying the scene around her. "Where are we?"
"We're in your fifth year; in Remus's office," explained Harry as he got to his feet. Lily followed his motion and brushed off the dirt from her robes. Harry looked around quickly before looking urgently at her.
"Now, remember what I told you," said Harry, "head to the hospital wing and stay there. It should be empty. Go straight there; I don't want you wandering around the school. Is that understood?"
"Alright," said Lily impatiently, rolling her eyes. Without another comment, as she wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and over her head before completely disappearing from Harry's sight. She opened the office door and tip-toed out, not wanting to catch any unwanted attention.
"Be careful, Tiger," she heard Harry whisper. Ignoring him, she continued walking quietly to the hospital wing, safely hidden under her cloak. Lily slowly made her way to the hospital wing and the doors made a tiny creak when they opened. Peeking her invisible head inside, Lily noticed that three of the beds were taken. She groaned in annoyance; Harry said the place should be empty! It was not until she looked back inside that she realized who was lying in the three beds. Her jaw dropped.
There were three people in the room; two were unconscious in the hospital beds. In the way corner of the room laid Remus; sleeping with an empty goblet (that she presumed had been filled with Sleeping Draught) at his bedside table. Then, to her horror, lying in another one of the beds on the right side of the room was herself; Lily Potter. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully but when she looked at the look on the other person's face; Lily knew that this was not the case.
Eddie was the third person in the hospital wing and he sitting in the bed beside her own. Lily's heart broke when she studied his face saw a look of complete anguish; he looked absolutely devastated and even she could not ignore the tears that were welling up in his eyes and threatening to spill over his cheeks. His face was so pale that even his freckles were invisible against his fair skin. Eddie's old, normally, warm chestnut eyes were clouded over, full of sadness, depression, and regret. His pale lips were curled into a sad frown and trembling dangerously. Finally, his fists were clenched tightly at his side as he stared blankly at her sleeping form before him. Lily frowned, knowing and understanding why Eddie was so upset; this had to have been the time last year when she was suffering under the Sueno Curse.
Out of nowhere, Lily gasped and was startled by an anguished cry. Looking at her best friend nervously, she saw that he had buried his face into his pillow and had let out an infuriating scream, finally letting the tears fall.
"Not Lily!" he shouted furiously into the pillow. "Not my Lily!"
Lily's eyes widened to the size of saucers; filled with shock, astonishment, hope, and even a little bit of flattery.
'His Lily?' Lily thought to herself. 'When was I ever his?' Lily clenched her teeth for a moment, a nervous knot lurching in the pit of her stomach. She could not understand why her breath had suddenly quickened and why her palms had become so sweaty. Lily told herself that it was just nerves, anxiety, anger, or maybe a mixture of all those emotions. Deep down, she knew that it was more than that as she watched Eddie clutch a pillow tightly to his chest, staring at the above ceiling.
Lily's thoughts were broken when Eddie gingerly got off of his bed and walked over to Lily's; standing over her and watching adoringly before carefully glancing around the hospital wing, as though he were about to stick his hand into the cookie jar. Happy with the fact that he and his unconscious best friend were quite alone, Eddie turned his gaze softly back on to Lily's sleeping form, letting out a shaky sigh.
Lily could not help but notice a strange, weird, and intense look in his eyes. It was something she had seen only once there, and it was the same look that he had given her when she was dancing with him on the stage at the Halloween Ball of that year. Lily did not know what it was or what it meant; she did not bother to think about it at that precise moment because she was too busy watching Eddie kneel down at her bedside and grasp her hand tightly and affectionately in his own.
"Lily"" Eddie whispered, "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I've got to tell you something important. I…I can't let you…d…die without knowing something."
His voice trailed off. Lily wanted to shout for him; to show him that she was there and that she would be alright in the end. She desperately wanted to hug and comfort him. It absolutely destroyed her to see Eddie this way. His eyes were so blank; so lonely. It truly broke her heart. Did he really think that she was going to die? She wanted to reach out to him and tell him everything but she was also more intrigued as what he had to tell her. What was so important?
"I never hated you," whispered Eddie. Lily noticed that he was still holding her hand tightly; stroking her knuckles with his thumb. "You were right. I was only being a jealous prat because you were spending all of your time with Harry instead of me. I regret everything I said to him and I had no right to say anything like that to him. But my biggest regret is how we let this stupid argument ruin the strong friendship we had."
Lily's heart melted as tears continued to slide down his cheeks; his face scrunched up in ultimate pain. She jumped for a moment and was distracted when Madame Parks walked into the hospital wing, looking at Eddie with concern and sympathy. After watching him for a moment, Madame Parks silently backed away, backed into her office so not to disturb the two teenagers.
Lily turned back to the scene before her and her heart pounded painfully against her ribcage and her breath quickened in a panic as she watched Eddie take his free hand, his other still clutching her own, and brushed a soft strand of blonde hair out of her face and tucked it gently behind her ear. Lily felt her face heat up as he sighed and traced his hand down from her loose strand of hair and stroked her cheek.
"Lils?" he whispered softly; so softly that Lily knew that she must have resembled a sunburnt tomato. "I can't lie to you. That's not the full truth. There's something else you need to know." She pleased to see that she was not the only one in the room blushing. "Lily, I honestly don't know when these feelings started…but…"
He hesitated and Lily's stomach was making motions that she had never felt before; it seemed as though it was twisting and spinning in circles, like she had been riding her Firebolt for about a thousand years. She felt sick, but yet she felt anxious, excited, and nervous all at once. It was just a toxic array of emotions that she had never felt before. Then again, no one had ever spoken to her like this either before; ever. Lily watched anxiously, trying not to breathe so loudly; Eddie or Madame Parks might see or hear her.
"Lils, I really, really like you," whispered Eddie, not taking his eyes off Lily's sleeping face. "I mean…I'm crazy about you. You're my best friend and I would do absolutely anything for you…and now…"
Lily's stomach completely dropped, right along with her jaw. Did Eddie mean what she thought he meant? Was what Robyn said had been true all of this time? Did Eddie actually like her in that way? But, before she could even contemplate the issue any further, the door to the hospital wing swung open and she turned, expecting to see Harry; and Harry stood there, except it was not the one she was expecting. Fifteen year old Harry Potter walked in and stared at Eddie with a look of confusion and horror.
Curious to what had Harry so horrorstruck, Lily whipped around and mirrored Harry's reaction; astonishment and disbelief struck her veins and bones and she was rooted to the spot. Eddie's face was leaning closer and closer to her unconscious form's face. Lily's eyes continued to widen to the point where it looked as though those emeralds were going to pop out of her head.
Was he-? No, Eddie would not! Would he?
Eddie's face came closer and closer to her own. Lily stared at him, refusing to blink. It looked as though some kind of invisible force was pulling Eddie closer and closer to her sleeping form. Sucking in breath so fierce she nearly started choking, Lily watched as her best friend slowly kissed her gently and tenderly on the lips, before pulling away softly. There was a big, shocked, goofy smile on his lips. Lily stared at him tenderly with him wearing a look as though he were on top of the world.
So, Robyn had been right. It had been true. Eddie had cared about her and liked her much more than a friend and it quite literally, left Lily unable to stand. She could feel her knees buckling beneath her and she had to keep her ground in order not to get caught. Unfortunately for her, Eddie's words and actions were not enough. To her horror, he continued as he buried his face into her bed sheets.
"Lily, I can't do this," whispered Eddie, sounding anguished and desperate, breaking Lily's heart even further. "I can't live without you. Even if you do survive this, I can't tell you how I really feel. You'll just curse me with the Bogey Bat Hex. I have to keep this to myself and that kills me. It kills me that you won't be here. Please, Lily, come back to me…I think we could have something so great together…no one would have to know if you didn't want them to…just come back to me…"
Lily stared at him wide-eyed. It seemed like she had forgotten how to breathe. Lily was in total disbelief. This is truly how Eddie felt about her? He liked her? Hell, both his words and his actions confirmed it. He had kissed her, hadn't he? Unable to process the information that she had just witnessed, Lily seemed to be having some kind of nervous breakdown. She was so wrapped up in her panic attack and watching the scene in front of her that she nearly screamed out loud when she heard someone clear their throat loudly. Turning around with her hand clamped around her wand, and seeing Eddie also jump too at the corner of her eye, she saw an angry looking fifteen year old Harry Potter in the doorway. Lily had completely forgotten he was there. There was no emotion in his bright green eyes; his face was completely impassive while Eddie looked uncomfortable and flushed. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Eddie took a deep breath.
"H-Harry?"
"Eddie…"
"How long have you been standing there?" asked Eddie nervously. Harry continued to just stare at him with an indifferent, unemotional look in his eyes and his jaw was set and firm. Lily notice Eddie gulp.
"Long enough," said Harry simply. Even his voice had no emotion to it.
"Harry…" Lily knew that Eddie was going to launch into a long explanation or an apology of some sorts. But, Harry put up a hand to stop him.
"Stop," said Harry and Eddie obeyed. "Just stop. I saw what you did."
"I didn't do anything," said Eddie, trying to lie but failing miserably. Lily could not help but grin; he was always such a bad liar.
"How could you stand there and say that you didn't do anything?" said Harry in a stern, slightly angry voice. It reminded her very much of the same voice Harry used when she was in trouble. Lily's heart immediately went out to her best friend. "My daughter lays there dying and you have the nerve to take advantage of the situation and ki-?"
"Harry, I'm not going to argue with you," said Eddie, shaking his head. "I can't believe you'd say that about me? If you've been standing there the whole time, then you know how I feel about her. I could never take advantage of her or the situation. Yes, I kissed Lily…but it's because I'm crazy about her; not because I'm taking advantage of anything. You know that."
"Eddie, this is not the appropriate-"
"Harry," muttered Eddie, looking directly at Harry. Lily could not help but notice the impatience that settled into his tone of voice. Lily watched him earnestly, silently rooting for her best friend. "I'm going to say this as respectfully as possible. No matter whom you are, Lily's father or not, you can't stop my feelings for her. They'll never stop growing; even after she's…gone." Eddie's gaze shifted to Lily for a mere moment and turned back to Harry. "And besides, it wasn't like it was a real kiss or anything. She's not awake to kiss back or realize what's happening. Now, if you don't mind, I want to be alone…far away from all of this."
Lily was staring at Eddie in a way she never stared at him before. Even Harry was looking at him with admiration. With those words, Eddie strode across the hospital wing, brushed past Harry roughly as he went past the doorway and stormed down the corridor. Harry watched him the whole time, completely astonished.
Lily let a gulp before turning to look at fifteen year old Harry, waiting for the explosion that would be known as the infamous Potter temper. His eyes were fixed on the door Eddie had just stormed through and he kept clenching and unclenching as he took deep, shaking breaths. Finally, letting out a breath the resembled a sigh, Harry turned his gaze on to the sleeping Lily in the hospital bed. Running a hand through his hair, he quietly walked to the side of the bed and looked down at his unconscious daughter.
"Why Eddie?" he muttered, as if Lily was able to hear him. "Why did it have to be my best friends' son? Why couldn't it be somebody I didn't trust or approve of? That way I could forbid you to see him. Why did he have to be the one to fall in love with you?"
Lily's heart, lungs, and stomach all seemed to do a coordinated somersault when Harry said these words. Once again, she found it extremely hard to breathe. However, she immediately calmed when she saw fifteen year old Harry reached out and caressed her cheek with his thumb before turning away and walking towards the door. He stopped at the door and turned around to look at Lily again.
"I love you, Lily," was all he said before leaving and closing the door behind him. Lily stared at the spot where Harry had left, her feet cemented to the ground, her eyes not blinking. She seemed almost petrified. She could not move, think, see or hear; it seemed as though all five senses had completely shut down to the point where she did not even hear the door open or see thirty-six year old Harry walk into the hospital wing looking for her.
"Tiger?" Harry called out in a loud whisper. "Are you here? Where are you?"
Lily still seemed to be frozen to the spot.
"Tiger?" Harry called again. "You had better be here, Lily Julia Potter! I swear if you're not in here, you'll be grounded from that racing broom until you're fifty-five! Lily, where in the bloody world are you?" At the sound of Harry calling her name, Lily finally jumped slightly and ripped the cloak off her shoulders.
"Sorry, Harry. I'm here," she said hastily and apologetically. Harry turned to her, relief written all over his face and concerned emeralds.
"Thank Merlin," he whispered in relief so that Lily could not hear him. "Why didn't you respond the first time I called?"
"Oh, it was just…nothing," muttered Lily, going slightly red. Harry raised a suspicious eyebrow and looked around the hospital wing, trying to figure out what could have entranced and embarrassed Lily so much and at the same time. Finally, he saw the sleeping form of Lily in the bed and his eyes slowly widened in realization.
"Is this when-"
"Yes, this was when I was under the Sueno Curse," interrupted Lily in a monotone of voice.
"Was Eddie-"
"Yes, Eddie was here", muttered Lily, going even redder. Harry realized by the sever blush of her cheeks that Lily saw everything that had happened between her and Eddie and his response to it. He frowned slightly, but Lily did not seem to notice because she had suddenly became very interested in her feet. Harry gave a weak grin. He did not want to go into this conversation about the events that had just occurred; Lily was clearly embarrassed and confused enough.
"C'mon Tiger, I got everything I needed here. Let's go home," he said, patting her encouragingly on the back. Lily nodded anxiously. She wanted to go home and think things over because apparently, she was having a severe change of heart; not just about Eddie, but about Harry too.
'Maybe things can change for the better if you just let them,' Lily thought to herself as she grabbed Harry's hand and they returned back to their present time.
A note from the Jitterbelle. Despite the fact that it was not nearly as long as the previous chapters, this chapter was a pain in the butt to revise because I had to keep copying and pasting from the original story. So frustrating! But, nonetheless, the next chapter is where the action starts kicking in. Please enjoy the story and don't forget to leave loving and inspiring reviews! :)
Coming in Chapter 17 - Lily's is starting to have a change of heart…not only about Eddie but about Harry's presence as well…
