(A/N I know that last chapter wasn't much of a cliffy, but I figured I'd be kind to all of you. Thanks for all the reviews! And Musicizdbest, thank you for the info! Oh my god! Yes! Oh wait…June 21st? AAAAH, so far away! But I'm glad the darn thing is finally DONE!)
"I wasn't brave, Professor. I just stood there, I tried to run twice and then I just stood there. I was weak. And I didn't even notice that my wand was gone until it was too late, so I was weak, and I was stupid." Lily said, her voice dripping with venom.
"Lily, you were wandless, and bound by magic, that isn't cowardly. Besides, you were challenging them the entire time 'Bring it on' you said, then you TAUNTED them. They were fully prepared to kill you and you egged them on. I'm not sure if that was extremely brave, or what." Remus said.
"Lily…" Sirius started, then closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.
"This is entirely my fault." James said simply.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Listen, Potter, not everything is about you. Unless you had some mystical hand in making sure I was born a mudblood, don't get your knickers in a twist."
Sirius' eyes flashed, and he grasped her right wrist, managing to avoid her wounds. "Don't you ever call yourself that, do you hear me? Never."
Lily was slightly taken aback at Sirius' intensity. "It makes no difference. I am what I am, I'm not ashamed of being muggle-born, so what does it matter what it's termed? Anyway, that's a bit beside the point. When can I get out of here, Professor?" Lily asked, pointedly avoiding Sirius' eyes.
"Poppy said you should be able to leave in a day or so, the bruises and cuts will still be there, my dear, but they shouldn't hurt as much." Dumbledore said kindly.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I'm suddenly fragile? I can handle the little bit of pain these bruises inflict." Her emerald eyes shone and she looked almost murderous, but mostly just determined.
"Don't go all macho Lily, I know you aren't made of glass, but you can still feel pain." Kaleb said, dryly.
"Never said I couldn't, love. Feel it? Yes. Tolerate it? Even more." Lily said, wishing for the absence of all of these people.
"Well, Miss Evans, I believe Poppy will have our heads if we do not allow you to rest now. You may leave tomorrow. Sleep well, Miss Evans." Dumbledore rose from his seat and gestured that the others leave as well.
"Drink this, Miss Evans." Pomfrey said kindly, and Lily found herself drifting away after the green stuff was forced down her throat.
She leaned back, and became rather limp, all the tension having left her body.
"She looks so different when she's asleep." Sirius commented.
"Very...calm. Like she doesn't have to fight the world anymore." Remus agreed.
James leaned over, and trailed his fingers through her hair. "Sleep well, Lily." He said softly, and kissed her forehead.
He stood up straight then, and Kaleb commented, "She'd have Avada-ed you if she was awake when you did that."
"Probably." James said, smiling.
The quartet left the Hospital Wing, leaving their battered friend to sleep.
The following evening the Marauders and Kaleb could be found in the Gryffindor Common Room, bored out of their minds and worried just as much.
"So. Boring. With. You. Twerps." Kaleb groaned, accentuating each word with a small explosion courtesy of her wand.
"Why don't we just talk about it? We're all thinking about it, all stewing over it, so why don't we just talk about it?" Sirius asked, fiddling with a ring on his finger nervously.
"Fine. Let's talk about it. Let's begin with the obvious. Who could hold that much against Lily? Who would do this to her?" James asked, making his hair stand on end even more by continually running his hand through it.
"Oh wise up, Potter. You heard the things they were saying, any pureblood with a superiority complex and a couple of friends who were the same could have done it." Kaleb drawled. "And I'm not saying just Slytherins. All of that stuff about bad wizards only coming out of Slytherin is complete crap. Half of Voldie's followers are former Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs."
Sirius' eyes widened at this.
"Oh don't look so shocked. Just because Hufflepuffs are loyal, doesn't mean they can't be loyal to that evil Git." Kaleb elaborated.
"And they're obviously fangirls of Jamie's. They were mentioning him an awful lot for it to be unrelated." Remus added.
"Yeah, like that narrows it down. Pureblood girls, in pretty much any house, that have a thing for James. That's only every pureblood girl in Hogwarts." Sirius said, aggravated.
"Have you heard? That freak Evans got beat up, and it's about time too. I was getting really sick of that loser strutting around Hogwarts like she belongs." Jennifer said, talking loudly to a group of "popular" fifth years.
Kaleb's eyes turned dark, she gritted her teeth and ground out, "Oh no she did not."
Remus' eyes widened. "Kaleb, chill."
"No way, not this time. Harris is getting what's coming to her." Kaleb said darkly. Kaleb stood up, shoulders back, and strode forward as a predator stalking prey.
Her blue eyes gleamed and she said silkily, and angrily, "Harris."
The blonde stood up, and turned to face Kaleb cockily. "Like, ew. What do you think gives you the right to talk to me, Brandon."
With no hint of humor or restraint, Kaleb's fist flew forward, and crashed into Harris's jaw, sending the ditz sprawling on the floor.
Jennifer sat up and spat blood onto her hand. "What the hell was that, Brandon!"
"That was for daring to say anything at all about Lily, you two-bit tramp." Kaleb said dangerously. "And I will not hesitate to do far worse than give you a bruise if I ever hear of you doing it again. Do you understand?"
Harris blushed angrily, and moved to get up.
"No, just stay on the ground, it's where you belong, isn't it?" Kaleb sneered.
(A/N I am so sorry about how long this took! I'll be better, I promise!)
"I wasn't brave, Professor. I just stood there, I tried to run twice and then I just stood there. I was weak. And I didn't even notice that my wand was gone until it was too late, so I was weak, and I was stupid." Lily said, her voice dripping with venom.
"Lily, you were wandless, and bound by magic, that isn't cowardly. Besides, you were challenging them the entire time 'Bring it on' you said, then you TAUNTED them. They were fully prepared to kill you and you egged them on. I'm not sure if that was extremely brave, or what." Remus said.
"Lily…" Sirius started, then closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.
"This is entirely my fault." James said simply.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Listen, Potter, not everything is about you. Unless you had some mystical hand in making sure I was born a mudblood, don't get your knickers in a twist."
Sirius' eyes flashed, and he grasped her right wrist, managing to avoid her wounds. "Don't you ever call yourself that, do you hear me? Never."
Lily was slightly taken aback at Sirius' intensity. "It makes no difference. I am what I am, I'm not ashamed of being muggle-born, so what does it matter what it's termed? Anyway, that's a bit beside the point. When can I get out of here, Professor?" Lily asked, pointedly avoiding Sirius' eyes.
"Poppy said you should be able to leave in a day or so, the bruises and cuts will still be there, my dear, but they shouldn't hurt as much." Dumbledore said kindly.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I'm suddenly fragile? I can handle the little bit of pain these bruises inflict." Her emerald eyes shone and she looked almost murderous, but mostly just determined.
"Don't go all macho Lily, I know you aren't made of glass, but you can still feel pain." Kaleb said, dryly.
"Never said I couldn't, love. Feel it? Yes. Tolerate it? Even more." Lily said, wishing for the absence of all of these people.
"Well, Miss Evans, I believe Poppy will have our heads if we do not allow you to rest now. You may leave tomorrow. Sleep well, Miss Evans." Dumbledore rose from his seat and gestured that the others leave as well.
"Drink this, Miss Evans." Pomfrey said kindly, and Lily found herself drifting away after the green stuff was forced down her throat.
She leaned back, and became rather limp, all the tension having left her body.
"She looks so different when she's asleep." Sirius commented.
"Very...calm. Like she doesn't have to fight the world anymore." Remus agreed.
James leaned over, and trailed his fingers through her hair. "Sleep well, Lily." He said softly, and kissed her forehead.
He stood up straight then, and Kaleb commented, "She'd have Avada-ed you if she was awake when you did that."
"Probably." James said, smiling.
The quartet left the Hospital Wing, leaving their battered friend to sleep.
The following evening the Marauders and Kaleb could be found in the Gryffindor Common Room, bored out of their minds and worried just as much.
"So. Boring. With. You. Twerps." Kaleb groaned, accentuating each word with a small explosion courtesy of her wand.
"Why don't we just talk about it? We're all thinking about it, all stewing over it, so why don't we just talk about it?" Sirius asked, fiddling with a ring on his finger nervously.
"Fine. Let's talk about it. Let's begin with the obvious. Who could hold that much against Lily? Who would do this to her?" James asked, making his hair stand on end even more by continually running his hand through it.
"Oh wise up, Potter. You heard the things they were saying, any pureblood with a superiority complex and a couple of friends who were the same could have done it." Kaleb drawled. "And I'm not saying just Slytherins. All of that stuff about bad wizards only coming out of Slytherin is complete crap. Half of Voldie's followers are former Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs."
Sirius' eyes widened at this.
"Oh don't look so shocked. Just because Hufflepuffs are loyal, doesn't mean they can't be loyal to that evil Git." Kaleb elaborated.
"And they're obviously fangirls of Jamie's. They were mentioning him an awful lot for it to be unrelated." Remus added.
"Yeah, like that narrows it down. Pureblood girls, in pretty much any house, that have a thing for James. That's only every pureblood girl in Hogwarts." Sirius said, aggravated.
"Have you heard? That freak Evans got beat up, and it's about time too. I was getting really sick of that loser strutting around Hogwarts like she belongs." Jennifer said, talking loudly to a group of "popular" fifth years.
Kaleb's eyes turned dark, she gritted her teeth and ground out, "Oh no she did not."
Remus' eyes widened. "Kaleb, chill."
"No way, not this time. Harris is getting what's coming to her." Kaleb said darkly. Kaleb stood up, shoulders back, and strode forward as a predator stalking prey.
Her blue eyes gleamed and she said silkily, and angrily, "Harris."
The blonde stood up, and turned to face Kaleb cockily. "Like, ew. What do you think gives you the right to talk to me, Brandon."
With no hint of humor or restraint, Kaleb's fist flew forward, and crashed into Harris's jaw, sending the ditz sprawling on the floor.
Jennifer sat up and spat blood onto her hand. "What the hell was that, Brandon!"
"That was for daring to say anything at all about Lily, you two-bit tramp." Kaleb said dangerously. "And I will not hesitate to do far worse than give you a bruise if I ever hear of you doing it again. Do you understand?"
Harris blushed angrily, and moved to get up.
"No, just stay on the ground, it's where you belong, isn't it?" Kaleb sneered.
(A/N I am so sorry about how long this took! I'll be better, I promise!)