Hello! Hello! Enjoy reading~
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Lily opened her eyes, slowly. It was already noon and the bright sun rays had flooded into the clean and white Hospital Wing. She saw the paper folded and scented lilies on the table by her bed, carefully arranged with a couple of colorful cards.
"You're awake." Remus said.
"Am I?" Lily hoarsely responded.
An uncomfortable silence heavily hung in the air.
"I want to talk to Dad." She said.
Everyone glanced at the letter, clutched in James' hands.
"You will Lily, you will." He said.
Just then, the bell rang and one by one, they walked out.
"Why didn't you tell her?!" Remus whispered furiously.
"It's too early! Losing her mum is bad enough for her. She can't handle that she practically lost both of her parents..." James fought back.
"James! She would want to know. It'll be worse if she finds out herself and you never told her."
"I'll tell her when the time is right."
"When is that?"
"When she gets her strength back." He said defiantly.
"You're being too protective James, too much for her own good. She's not a baby. She has a right to know." Remus responded.
"You don't know what it feels like to lose a parent! It changes your whole life!"
"Look, I know too well about life changing tragedies." Remus said heatedly, thinking about the werewolf bite, his baby sister dying and his mom running away. "You can't just ignore it and try to hide away from it."
"Which is why I WILL tell her. I just think this is all for her own good."
"I know, I know…" He replied. "It's just that… Well, just remember what I said James." With that, he rushed off down the corridor.
James stared at Remus' back, distressed.
"I can't believe him. I thought he cared about Lily." He said.
"Well, Prongs, I have to kind of, sort of, just a little, teeny bit, agree with Mr. Moony." Sirius remarked carefully.
James shot him a surprised glance but stayed silent.
Sirius continued. "I'm not trying to side with Remus… I just think… Well, she is 16 years old."
"I got to go get my Potions book… Left it in, um, bathroom last night." James mumbled. Sirius couldn't help but notice the bright blue book, with the faded title "Advanced Potion", sticking out from the stack of books that James was carrying.
As James aimlessly wandered off, thoughts and images raced through his mind. Lily looked so frail, so lifeless yesterday; how could she ever handle the news that both of her parents were dead? But what Remus said stuck to his mind. A problem doesn't go away if you ignore it. It did seem reasonable to listen to Remus. He obviously had the more unfortunate life out of the two and he knew Lily better, because he's been one of her best friends for a long time. As he pondered, he found himself in front of the Potions classroom.
~*~
Potions passed slowly and Transfiguration passed by a little bit quicker and it was time for dinner. To everyone's surprise, Lily had come out for dinner. She was gravely silent, slowly chewing on her food, keeping her eyes glued onto the plate.
"Lily, are you feeling okay?" James asked.
She nodded and went on chewing her food.
Remus was unusually quiet also. When he got done, he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. James followed him quickly.
"Remus!" He said, when they were out of earshot, in the corridors.
"Yea?"
"Look, I thought about what you said. I'll tell her tomorrow morning."
"You're a good friend James. A friend doesn't shield one another from the reality; they hold on to each other's hands and walk through life together."
"Since when were you so thoughtful?" James chuckled.
Remus laughed and went on his way.
~*~
The morning that James dreaded the most came. He walked into the Hospital Wing, surprised that Lily's bed was empty. Worried, he ran back to the Common Room, the Great Hall and finally stuck his head in her dorm. Girls squealed and giggled at the sight of James Potter in their dorm.
"James! What are you doing here?" One of them asked.
"Where's Lily?"
"Isn't she still at the Hospital Wing?"
"No."
"Well I don't know then. Want to help me pick out my outfit for today though? I can't decide between pink—"
"Thanks!" He shouted behind him as he raced out.
An idea struck him. 'Of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier?!' He ran back into the boy's dorm, now breathless and pulled out the Marauder's Map and peered around, looking for Lily Evans.
"Damn it…" He muttered, clearing the map.
He walked quickly to the Great Hall, in hopes of finding Shay or Minnie there. Luckily, he spotted them going over Charms notes.
"Where's Lily?" He asked them.
"Professor Dumbledore just told us that she left to go back to her family for a week."
"WHAT?!"
"We didn't know about it either. It was really sudden. Dumbledore told us that they connected her house to the Floo network just for this time." Minnie said gently. "I think it it's best for her though. She needs to be with her family… Hold on, you didn't tell her?"
"I was planning to this morning!"
"Oh no…"
~*~
Lily stepped out the fireplace that they hardly used. The house seemed so empty and forlorn.
"Dad?" She called.
There was no answer. She called out louder, running into every room of the house. When she realized nobody was home, she called her aunt who lived a few minutes away.
"Hello? Aunt Eli?"
"Lily?"
"Yes."
"Oh honey! You must be devastated—"
"Do you know where my father is?"
"Don't you know? He didn't get released from the Royal London Hospital yet."
Lily was speechless. After a long silence, she spoke. "London Hospital?"
"Yes dear."
"B-but, why?"
"Well the local hospitals can't handle his critical state. They needed better technology from a major hospital."
"Critical state?" Lily still had no clue.
Just then, her Aunt realized that she didn't know. "Lily, I'm coming over right now. I need to talk to you in person." And she hung up.
Lily put the phone down gently, a tear rolling down her cheeks. Critical state? What was that supposed to mean? She was so afraid. She wanted to be in someone's arms. It surprised her that that someone's arms she wanted to be was not in heaven, a hospital, or anywhere near. That person was in Hogwarts.
~*~
That Saturday morning, James sat in front of the fire, contemplating on what he should do. Shay and Minnie shared a couch, holding their books, but their eyes weren't moving. Sirius and Peter played a quiet game of Wizard's Chess after putting a silencing charm on all the pieces. Remus was pacing back and forth, stopping every few minutes, sighing.
"Look James, what are we doing here? We can't do anything. One of her family members will tell Lily probably. Let's go pull a prank or something. It'll take your mind off this matter." Sirius suggested.
James merely ignored him after throwing him a look of annoyance in his direction. After another half an hour, James suddenly rose, making everyone jump. "I've decided."
"What is there to decide?" Sirius asked, annoyed about James's response earlier.
"I'm going over there. I'll ride on my broom with my invisibility cloak, follow the railroad tracks until I get to London then go to her house."
"Do you know where she lives?" Remus asked.
"Ermm, no… But don't you Shay? I bet you've visited her loads before." He said hopefully.
"Yes I know where she lives." She squeaked out. "But James, you could get expelled for this."
"It's a weekend. Nobody would notice I'm gone. I know that the prefect meetings are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings"
"What if some teacher asks where you are?" Sirius asked.
"Tell them some kind of an excuse. You're good at it." James responded impatiently. "Now where does she live?"
Shay sighed and told him the directions and James sprinted upstairs to get his stuff. Soon he was back, dressed in a thick black cloak, the invisibility safely hidden in his pocket and his broom in his hands.
"Look, I think it'll be better if I leave from the Quidditch Pitch by myself. You guys stay here. I don't want to be too suspicious.
"All right." They agreed.
"Tell her I said hi." Remus said.
"Yea, me too." Several others said.
"Good luck." Sirius said softly as the portrait swung shut.
~*~
Lily wandered aimlessly throughout the house, wanting desperately to hold on to someone. She passed by her parents bedroom where the door was slightly open. She stopped, closed her eyes and stepped in. She breathed in the familiar smell of her mother's perfume and the scent of the air freshener. A wave of nostalgia took over her as she staggered to the neatly made bed. She sat on the edge, stroking the cotton sheets, looking at a framed picture of her parents. Tears silently running down her face, she just sat there, unaware of the minutes passing by. Several minutes later, she heard the door swing open and her aunt's voice calling her name.
"I'm coming down right now." She said, walking down the stairs.
Aunt Eli was already sitting down on the couch and looked at Lily sympathetically as she sat down by her.
"Lily, I'm very sorry about your mother." She started.
Lily stayed silent and Aunt Eli continued.
"Do you know how she passed away?"
"No." She said softly.
"Car accident. She and your father were driving home from dinner. It was raining and dark and a drunk driver swerved in their lane and your father stepped on his brake. Their car skidded off the road and hit a light pole. It was a really bad crash Lily. We all thought both of your parents were dead."
"Oh…"
"But your father escaped… barely. Right now, he's alive."
Everything was silent. They could hear the soft drips of the tap water in the kitchen.
"I thought you knew." Aunt Eli said slowly.
"I never finished reading the letter." Lily merely said. "Can we go see him right now?"
"Of course honey." She responded, putting her arm around Lily.
They drove about an hour or so to the busy streets of London and stepped inside the warm hospital. A nurse showed them to Harold Evan's bed.
Lily stared blankly at her father. He had a nasty cut above his eye and a black and blue bruise. There was an oxygen mask helping him breathe and a heart monitor beside the bed. Its beeps were slow… but they were regular and steady beeps.
"Dad?" Lily said incredulously. She said it a little louder.
"He can't talk dear." A kind voice said to her.
Lily looked up and saw a young doctor, adjusting some tubes.
"I'm Doctor Nina Kole. You can call me Doctor Nina." She said kindly. Offering her hand. Lily shook it. "Your father can't talk right now. But he can hear what you're saying."
"When is he going to be all right?"
"Well he's certainly improving. His breathing has become more regular, same with his heartbeats. We found a couple of ribs broken in his body, a lot of fractured bones but no head injuries. We'll have to see about when we can start talking. He certainly can't walk around until the broken bones heal, which will take the minimum of six months."
"I see…" Lily said hoarsely. She grabbed her father's hand and felt it softly squeeze hers back.
~*~
"Aunt Eli where's Petunia?" Lily asked, while eating dinner at a local restaurant down the street.
"She was on a trip to Russia with Vernon. Her flight back was schedule for next week, but she managed to get one for tomorrow as soon as she heard the news."
Lily nodded slowly in response and ate her dinner. She remembered the last dinner she had with her mother. It was vegetable stew with some pumpkin loaf. She looked around the small restaurant and saw a woman slowly sipping some vegetable stew. Lily felt her eyes sting with tears again and she shut them, tightly and dabbed the corner of her eyes with her napkin.
"Oh dear, Lily. Are you all right?" Aunt Eli asked.
"Yea I'm fine." She answered.
They finished their meals in silence.
~*~
James followed Shay's directions and finally stepped off his broom in front of the Evan's house. He knocked but there was no answer. 'She must be in some hospital with her dad.' He guessed. He went inside anyway when he found the door wasn't locked. Flipping through pages in the yellow book and calling the major hospitals around the area, he found the one where Harold Evans was in. He grabbed Lily's baggage that was left by the door and set off again.
It was hard weaving in and out of people in the crowded reception area of the hospital. After peering over a nurse's shoulder and studying the list of patients and their room numbers, he finally found the room where Harold Evans laid. Surprisingly, Lily wasn't there but there were two chairs drawn by the bed. James put down the baggage, hid his broom with his invisibility cloak below the bed and fell asleep as soon as he slumped down in a chair, tired after trip that took the whole day.
~*~
"James?" Lily whispered, gently shaking him.
James opened his eyes and saw a pair of green eyes staring back at him. "Lily!" He exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?"
James eyed Lily's Aunt and just said "I just came to see if you were all right."
Lily furrowed her eyebrows but softened. "Aunt Eli, this is James Potter from my school."
"Hello James."
"Hi. Nice to meet you."
"Look I have to go." Aunt Eli turned to Lily. "I left the kids with John. I should go check on them. I'll be back tomorrow. I heard your grandparents are coming tomorrow in the afternoon also. I'll see you then Lily. Nice to meet you James."
"Bye" They both said.
"So." Lily said. "Want to tell me what you're doing here?"
"I told you, I just wanted to see if you were okay." He repeated.
"Dumbledore let you?"
"Erm… He doesn't know about it."
"How did you get here?!"
"I flew… with my invisibility cloak on."
"Do you know how much trouble you'll get into? You'll get at least a month of detentions!"
"It's okay Lily. I don't care." James said quietly.
"Not to mention at least seventy points taken away!"
"I don't—"
"You're a prefect for god's sake James! Think of what examples you're setting for the younger ones!" Lily yelled as quietly as possible. She muttered the last words. "You never know… You might even get expelled."
"Lily, I told you. I don't care about the consequences… It'd be worth it." He said softly, reaching out and touching her cheek. "I came to see you."
Lily responded by falling into his arms. The familiar tears flowed down her cheeks again. "Thanks James." She said, muffled into his thick robes. "I'm sorry. I should've… I-I'm just glad you're here."
"I'd go anywhere for you my flower."
"Bloody hell I miss her." She said frustrated. "And now, I can't believe it… Dad's almost gone."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"You knew?"
"Yes. Sirius told me from the letter. I just… thought you weren't ready for the news yet."
"Oh. It's all right I guess. I found out soon enough anyway. Plus, I can't do anything to help him."
They spent the rest of the night by Harold Evan's bed, soon falling asleep after awhile.
~*~
The next morning James went back reluctantly. The trip back was terrible. It was windy and rainy but he made it back safe, only with a red and stuffy nose and a mild case of fever. He checked his watch, discovered that it was currently time for lunch and went back inside. After a hot shower, he found his friends waiting for him in the Great Hall.
Relief was written on the Marauder's faces but soon turned to fear as they saw Professor McGonagall approach them, her lips in a thin line.
"Mr. Potter!"
"Y-yes?"
"Where were you for the Prefect's meeting last night? Did I not make it clear during lunch yesterday that there was a Prefect's meeting?"
"Um, yes ma'am." He murmured. Feeling small under her glare he managed to say that he had a bad headache yesterday.
"One more meeting missed, Potter, and you're handing in your prefect badge!"
"Yes ma'am." He muttered, keeping his eyes down.
With a huff, she stormed away. The breath that he held was released.
~*~
A week later, Lily came back. Her father was still recovering and she certainly looked a lot better. She had to work very hard to catch up in her classes, but caught up in no time. April flew by and most of May was spent in preparing for the exams. As time flew by, Lily seemed to be back to her old self. Her father was released from the Hospital, but had to live in a wheelchair until he could get crutches.
It was later than 10 pm in the common room and everyone was asleep, except Lily and James, who were both studying for the exams. Suddenly, a paper plane hit her in the hit and was followed by a laugh from the messy-haired boy.
"Why did you do that?" Lily asked.
"Just because. No reason." James answered.
"Every action has a reason." She state as a matter-of-a-fact.
"Fine. Why am I wearing black slacks? Why not my gray ones?" He asked.
"Because it was lain in your drawer before your gray ones and therefore, it was easier to pick that one out." Lily stated.
"Why was that one placed on top of my gray ones?" James asked.
"Because the house-elves washed that one first."
"Why's that?"
"Because you wore those before you wore your gray slacks."
"And why's that?"
"The same reason you're wearing black ones right now." Lily said.
"So it's like a cycle. I'll always wear these black pants, say, every five days."
"No. Maybe you feel depressed and feel like wearing black and decide to wear black. Something like that." She said.
"All right then." He said, getting up from the couch. He did a cartwheel. Lily laughed. "Why did I do that?"
"To prove your point." Lily said. He looked defeated.
Then, after a few seconds, he grabbed her and kissed her on the lips. Lily's stomach did a rapturous flip and her body surged with exuberance. She closed her eyes in chimerical pleasure. She couldn't breathe. When he drew away after what seemed like an eternity to her, but was actually a mere few seconds, Lily's eyes fluttered open to meet James'. He stared in her green eyes.
"Now was that just to prove my point?" He asked softly.
Lily responded with a stronger kiss.
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Yay! They finally kiss! Haha, aren't you happy? I think just one more chapter and this story will be over... How sad! But I had the best readers ever... You know, reaching +400 reviews would make me REALLY happy! -wink-
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Lily opened her eyes, slowly. It was already noon and the bright sun rays had flooded into the clean and white Hospital Wing. She saw the paper folded and scented lilies on the table by her bed, carefully arranged with a couple of colorful cards.
"You're awake." Remus said.
"Am I?" Lily hoarsely responded.
An uncomfortable silence heavily hung in the air.
"I want to talk to Dad." She said.
Everyone glanced at the letter, clutched in James' hands.
"You will Lily, you will." He said.
Just then, the bell rang and one by one, they walked out.
"Why didn't you tell her?!" Remus whispered furiously.
"It's too early! Losing her mum is bad enough for her. She can't handle that she practically lost both of her parents..." James fought back.
"James! She would want to know. It'll be worse if she finds out herself and you never told her."
"I'll tell her when the time is right."
"When is that?"
"When she gets her strength back." He said defiantly.
"You're being too protective James, too much for her own good. She's not a baby. She has a right to know." Remus responded.
"You don't know what it feels like to lose a parent! It changes your whole life!"
"Look, I know too well about life changing tragedies." Remus said heatedly, thinking about the werewolf bite, his baby sister dying and his mom running away. "You can't just ignore it and try to hide away from it."
"Which is why I WILL tell her. I just think this is all for her own good."
"I know, I know…" He replied. "It's just that… Well, just remember what I said James." With that, he rushed off down the corridor.
James stared at Remus' back, distressed.
"I can't believe him. I thought he cared about Lily." He said.
"Well, Prongs, I have to kind of, sort of, just a little, teeny bit, agree with Mr. Moony." Sirius remarked carefully.
James shot him a surprised glance but stayed silent.
Sirius continued. "I'm not trying to side with Remus… I just think… Well, she is 16 years old."
"I got to go get my Potions book… Left it in, um, bathroom last night." James mumbled. Sirius couldn't help but notice the bright blue book, with the faded title "Advanced Potion", sticking out from the stack of books that James was carrying.
As James aimlessly wandered off, thoughts and images raced through his mind. Lily looked so frail, so lifeless yesterday; how could she ever handle the news that both of her parents were dead? But what Remus said stuck to his mind. A problem doesn't go away if you ignore it. It did seem reasonable to listen to Remus. He obviously had the more unfortunate life out of the two and he knew Lily better, because he's been one of her best friends for a long time. As he pondered, he found himself in front of the Potions classroom.
~*~
Potions passed slowly and Transfiguration passed by a little bit quicker and it was time for dinner. To everyone's surprise, Lily had come out for dinner. She was gravely silent, slowly chewing on her food, keeping her eyes glued onto the plate.
"Lily, are you feeling okay?" James asked.
She nodded and went on chewing her food.
Remus was unusually quiet also. When he got done, he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. James followed him quickly.
"Remus!" He said, when they were out of earshot, in the corridors.
"Yea?"
"Look, I thought about what you said. I'll tell her tomorrow morning."
"You're a good friend James. A friend doesn't shield one another from the reality; they hold on to each other's hands and walk through life together."
"Since when were you so thoughtful?" James chuckled.
Remus laughed and went on his way.
~*~
The morning that James dreaded the most came. He walked into the Hospital Wing, surprised that Lily's bed was empty. Worried, he ran back to the Common Room, the Great Hall and finally stuck his head in her dorm. Girls squealed and giggled at the sight of James Potter in their dorm.
"James! What are you doing here?" One of them asked.
"Where's Lily?"
"Isn't she still at the Hospital Wing?"
"No."
"Well I don't know then. Want to help me pick out my outfit for today though? I can't decide between pink—"
"Thanks!" He shouted behind him as he raced out.
An idea struck him. 'Of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier?!' He ran back into the boy's dorm, now breathless and pulled out the Marauder's Map and peered around, looking for Lily Evans.
"Damn it…" He muttered, clearing the map.
He walked quickly to the Great Hall, in hopes of finding Shay or Minnie there. Luckily, he spotted them going over Charms notes.
"Where's Lily?" He asked them.
"Professor Dumbledore just told us that she left to go back to her family for a week."
"WHAT?!"
"We didn't know about it either. It was really sudden. Dumbledore told us that they connected her house to the Floo network just for this time." Minnie said gently. "I think it it's best for her though. She needs to be with her family… Hold on, you didn't tell her?"
"I was planning to this morning!"
"Oh no…"
~*~
Lily stepped out the fireplace that they hardly used. The house seemed so empty and forlorn.
"Dad?" She called.
There was no answer. She called out louder, running into every room of the house. When she realized nobody was home, she called her aunt who lived a few minutes away.
"Hello? Aunt Eli?"
"Lily?"
"Yes."
"Oh honey! You must be devastated—"
"Do you know where my father is?"
"Don't you know? He didn't get released from the Royal London Hospital yet."
Lily was speechless. After a long silence, she spoke. "London Hospital?"
"Yes dear."
"B-but, why?"
"Well the local hospitals can't handle his critical state. They needed better technology from a major hospital."
"Critical state?" Lily still had no clue.
Just then, her Aunt realized that she didn't know. "Lily, I'm coming over right now. I need to talk to you in person." And she hung up.
Lily put the phone down gently, a tear rolling down her cheeks. Critical state? What was that supposed to mean? She was so afraid. She wanted to be in someone's arms. It surprised her that that someone's arms she wanted to be was not in heaven, a hospital, or anywhere near. That person was in Hogwarts.
~*~
That Saturday morning, James sat in front of the fire, contemplating on what he should do. Shay and Minnie shared a couch, holding their books, but their eyes weren't moving. Sirius and Peter played a quiet game of Wizard's Chess after putting a silencing charm on all the pieces. Remus was pacing back and forth, stopping every few minutes, sighing.
"Look James, what are we doing here? We can't do anything. One of her family members will tell Lily probably. Let's go pull a prank or something. It'll take your mind off this matter." Sirius suggested.
James merely ignored him after throwing him a look of annoyance in his direction. After another half an hour, James suddenly rose, making everyone jump. "I've decided."
"What is there to decide?" Sirius asked, annoyed about James's response earlier.
"I'm going over there. I'll ride on my broom with my invisibility cloak, follow the railroad tracks until I get to London then go to her house."
"Do you know where she lives?" Remus asked.
"Ermm, no… But don't you Shay? I bet you've visited her loads before." He said hopefully.
"Yes I know where she lives." She squeaked out. "But James, you could get expelled for this."
"It's a weekend. Nobody would notice I'm gone. I know that the prefect meetings are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings"
"What if some teacher asks where you are?" Sirius asked.
"Tell them some kind of an excuse. You're good at it." James responded impatiently. "Now where does she live?"
Shay sighed and told him the directions and James sprinted upstairs to get his stuff. Soon he was back, dressed in a thick black cloak, the invisibility safely hidden in his pocket and his broom in his hands.
"Look, I think it'll be better if I leave from the Quidditch Pitch by myself. You guys stay here. I don't want to be too suspicious.
"All right." They agreed.
"Tell her I said hi." Remus said.
"Yea, me too." Several others said.
"Good luck." Sirius said softly as the portrait swung shut.
~*~
Lily wandered aimlessly throughout the house, wanting desperately to hold on to someone. She passed by her parents bedroom where the door was slightly open. She stopped, closed her eyes and stepped in. She breathed in the familiar smell of her mother's perfume and the scent of the air freshener. A wave of nostalgia took over her as she staggered to the neatly made bed. She sat on the edge, stroking the cotton sheets, looking at a framed picture of her parents. Tears silently running down her face, she just sat there, unaware of the minutes passing by. Several minutes later, she heard the door swing open and her aunt's voice calling her name.
"I'm coming down right now." She said, walking down the stairs.
Aunt Eli was already sitting down on the couch and looked at Lily sympathetically as she sat down by her.
"Lily, I'm very sorry about your mother." She started.
Lily stayed silent and Aunt Eli continued.
"Do you know how she passed away?"
"No." She said softly.
"Car accident. She and your father were driving home from dinner. It was raining and dark and a drunk driver swerved in their lane and your father stepped on his brake. Their car skidded off the road and hit a light pole. It was a really bad crash Lily. We all thought both of your parents were dead."
"Oh…"
"But your father escaped… barely. Right now, he's alive."
Everything was silent. They could hear the soft drips of the tap water in the kitchen.
"I thought you knew." Aunt Eli said slowly.
"I never finished reading the letter." Lily merely said. "Can we go see him right now?"
"Of course honey." She responded, putting her arm around Lily.
They drove about an hour or so to the busy streets of London and stepped inside the warm hospital. A nurse showed them to Harold Evan's bed.
Lily stared blankly at her father. He had a nasty cut above his eye and a black and blue bruise. There was an oxygen mask helping him breathe and a heart monitor beside the bed. Its beeps were slow… but they were regular and steady beeps.
"Dad?" Lily said incredulously. She said it a little louder.
"He can't talk dear." A kind voice said to her.
Lily looked up and saw a young doctor, adjusting some tubes.
"I'm Doctor Nina Kole. You can call me Doctor Nina." She said kindly. Offering her hand. Lily shook it. "Your father can't talk right now. But he can hear what you're saying."
"When is he going to be all right?"
"Well he's certainly improving. His breathing has become more regular, same with his heartbeats. We found a couple of ribs broken in his body, a lot of fractured bones but no head injuries. We'll have to see about when we can start talking. He certainly can't walk around until the broken bones heal, which will take the minimum of six months."
"I see…" Lily said hoarsely. She grabbed her father's hand and felt it softly squeeze hers back.
~*~
"Aunt Eli where's Petunia?" Lily asked, while eating dinner at a local restaurant down the street.
"She was on a trip to Russia with Vernon. Her flight back was schedule for next week, but she managed to get one for tomorrow as soon as she heard the news."
Lily nodded slowly in response and ate her dinner. She remembered the last dinner she had with her mother. It was vegetable stew with some pumpkin loaf. She looked around the small restaurant and saw a woman slowly sipping some vegetable stew. Lily felt her eyes sting with tears again and she shut them, tightly and dabbed the corner of her eyes with her napkin.
"Oh dear, Lily. Are you all right?" Aunt Eli asked.
"Yea I'm fine." She answered.
They finished their meals in silence.
~*~
James followed Shay's directions and finally stepped off his broom in front of the Evan's house. He knocked but there was no answer. 'She must be in some hospital with her dad.' He guessed. He went inside anyway when he found the door wasn't locked. Flipping through pages in the yellow book and calling the major hospitals around the area, he found the one where Harold Evans was in. He grabbed Lily's baggage that was left by the door and set off again.
It was hard weaving in and out of people in the crowded reception area of the hospital. After peering over a nurse's shoulder and studying the list of patients and their room numbers, he finally found the room where Harold Evans laid. Surprisingly, Lily wasn't there but there were two chairs drawn by the bed. James put down the baggage, hid his broom with his invisibility cloak below the bed and fell asleep as soon as he slumped down in a chair, tired after trip that took the whole day.
~*~
"James?" Lily whispered, gently shaking him.
James opened his eyes and saw a pair of green eyes staring back at him. "Lily!" He exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?"
James eyed Lily's Aunt and just said "I just came to see if you were all right."
Lily furrowed her eyebrows but softened. "Aunt Eli, this is James Potter from my school."
"Hello James."
"Hi. Nice to meet you."
"Look I have to go." Aunt Eli turned to Lily. "I left the kids with John. I should go check on them. I'll be back tomorrow. I heard your grandparents are coming tomorrow in the afternoon also. I'll see you then Lily. Nice to meet you James."
"Bye" They both said.
"So." Lily said. "Want to tell me what you're doing here?"
"I told you, I just wanted to see if you were okay." He repeated.
"Dumbledore let you?"
"Erm… He doesn't know about it."
"How did you get here?!"
"I flew… with my invisibility cloak on."
"Do you know how much trouble you'll get into? You'll get at least a month of detentions!"
"It's okay Lily. I don't care." James said quietly.
"Not to mention at least seventy points taken away!"
"I don't—"
"You're a prefect for god's sake James! Think of what examples you're setting for the younger ones!" Lily yelled as quietly as possible. She muttered the last words. "You never know… You might even get expelled."
"Lily, I told you. I don't care about the consequences… It'd be worth it." He said softly, reaching out and touching her cheek. "I came to see you."
Lily responded by falling into his arms. The familiar tears flowed down her cheeks again. "Thanks James." She said, muffled into his thick robes. "I'm sorry. I should've… I-I'm just glad you're here."
"I'd go anywhere for you my flower."
"Bloody hell I miss her." She said frustrated. "And now, I can't believe it… Dad's almost gone."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"You knew?"
"Yes. Sirius told me from the letter. I just… thought you weren't ready for the news yet."
"Oh. It's all right I guess. I found out soon enough anyway. Plus, I can't do anything to help him."
They spent the rest of the night by Harold Evan's bed, soon falling asleep after awhile.
~*~
The next morning James went back reluctantly. The trip back was terrible. It was windy and rainy but he made it back safe, only with a red and stuffy nose and a mild case of fever. He checked his watch, discovered that it was currently time for lunch and went back inside. After a hot shower, he found his friends waiting for him in the Great Hall.
Relief was written on the Marauder's faces but soon turned to fear as they saw Professor McGonagall approach them, her lips in a thin line.
"Mr. Potter!"
"Y-yes?"
"Where were you for the Prefect's meeting last night? Did I not make it clear during lunch yesterday that there was a Prefect's meeting?"
"Um, yes ma'am." He murmured. Feeling small under her glare he managed to say that he had a bad headache yesterday.
"One more meeting missed, Potter, and you're handing in your prefect badge!"
"Yes ma'am." He muttered, keeping his eyes down.
With a huff, she stormed away. The breath that he held was released.
~*~
A week later, Lily came back. Her father was still recovering and she certainly looked a lot better. She had to work very hard to catch up in her classes, but caught up in no time. April flew by and most of May was spent in preparing for the exams. As time flew by, Lily seemed to be back to her old self. Her father was released from the Hospital, but had to live in a wheelchair until he could get crutches.
It was later than 10 pm in the common room and everyone was asleep, except Lily and James, who were both studying for the exams. Suddenly, a paper plane hit her in the hit and was followed by a laugh from the messy-haired boy.
"Why did you do that?" Lily asked.
"Just because. No reason." James answered.
"Every action has a reason." She state as a matter-of-a-fact.
"Fine. Why am I wearing black slacks? Why not my gray ones?" He asked.
"Because it was lain in your drawer before your gray ones and therefore, it was easier to pick that one out." Lily stated.
"Why was that one placed on top of my gray ones?" James asked.
"Because the house-elves washed that one first."
"Why's that?"
"Because you wore those before you wore your gray slacks."
"And why's that?"
"The same reason you're wearing black ones right now." Lily said.
"So it's like a cycle. I'll always wear these black pants, say, every five days."
"No. Maybe you feel depressed and feel like wearing black and decide to wear black. Something like that." She said.
"All right then." He said, getting up from the couch. He did a cartwheel. Lily laughed. "Why did I do that?"
"To prove your point." Lily said. He looked defeated.
Then, after a few seconds, he grabbed her and kissed her on the lips. Lily's stomach did a rapturous flip and her body surged with exuberance. She closed her eyes in chimerical pleasure. She couldn't breathe. When he drew away after what seemed like an eternity to her, but was actually a mere few seconds, Lily's eyes fluttered open to meet James'. He stared in her green eyes.
"Now was that just to prove my point?" He asked softly.
Lily responded with a stronger kiss.
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Yay! They finally kiss! Haha, aren't you happy? I think just one more chapter and this story will be over... How sad! But I had the best readers ever... You know, reaching +400 reviews would make me REALLY happy! -wink-
