A/N: HI!!!! Merry Christmas. Here is your present. I hope you like this chapter and I am sooooooo sorry it took so long to update. I wrote most of the chapter in a notebook, then I lost the notebook, and when I found the notebook I got writers block, then I finished it and had to retype the whole thing. It was rather annoying but here it is. I am soooo sorry for the wait. And a special thanks to all my reviewers ( I love all 71 of your reviews):
Tiger Girl- Sorry I took so long but look I updated. Aren't you so happy
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Ink Spill- Lookie I updated. I hope you like it J
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Cinnamon- THANK YOU THANK YOU THAK YOU. I LOVE YOU.(NOT like the bear). I owe you one. Tell me if you ever post a story. Lookie I updated, aren't you proud of me!!!!!!!! The curse of Los Alumnos will not be released upon me.
*starborn* - I hope you didn't die. 'cause then you wouldn't be able to read this chapter. I hope it is enough to rehabilitate you.
lilykat- I feel sooooooooooo special. WOW:: blushes:: I'm glad you liked it. And I hope you like this chapter.
Harrystwin- Thank you, thank you, thank you
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Golden.Slumbers- Thanks for the suggestions. I love them. And I will try to take them to heart. Please feel free to tell me any suggestions. I hope this chapter is okay.
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Snufalufagus- I wrote more, I wrote more, U wrote more. Read now, read now read now, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Tigra and Loup- Thanks I hope you like this chapter. And for my name I have just said and heard it so many times it seems to fit.
mori (aka mimi/frankie)- WOW what an interesting story. U should write fanfics! Any who. I am so glad you and your friends like my story. J Merry Christmas. Enjoy LoTR
koneko- the one and only. I updated, not that you haven't read this already, but yeah. Merry Christmas, and enjoy LoTR, we have to get together sometime. Call me I GOT A CELL PHONE!!!!!
Elf-cat- Thanks for liking it, and well her mom is just… ummm… preoccupied.
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Myrtle- Thank I hope you like it. And don't wory Lily will be all right… eventually .
Starborn- I'm sorry for not updating but it is here now.
Oh yeah
Disclaimer: Santa didn't bring me the rights to Harry Potter for Christmas, so practically everything you read doesn't belong to me.
Fading Lily(From the last chapter)
"Lily, look at me." Remus said softly but firmly, knowing Lily was never able to look him in the eye and lie to him. "What happened?"
(On to the story)
"I'm fine." Said Lily, her voice barely audible. She did not look at Remus, but at her hands. 'I can't look him in the eye and lie to him; he knows that. And he is using it against me.' Lily closed her eyes as a fresh wave of dizzy heat and about of shivers raked her fragile body.
"You're lying." He stated simply.
"I know." Lily responded, her words softer still, and her eyes remained unopened. She felt incredibly dizzy, like the world was giving away beneath her. Then she lost conciseness, falling back into James's arms.
James looked around shocked for a moment, silently asking what he should do. Sirius was just gazing at Lily first shocked and then he seemed lost in a memory while Remus just sat there is shock, disbelieving the situation in front of him.
James looked back at the unconscious girl in his arms. He lifted up his hand and brushed a stray curl away from her flushed face. As he did de felt the heat of her forehead on his fingertips, and rested the back of his hand on her burning forehead. He had to pull his hand back immediately.
"She has a really high fever." James said, more to himself than to his friends. Suddenly, everything his mum had done for his fever a few weeks ago came back to him.
"Remus, get up!" James practically screamed to get his friends attention as he gathered Lily in his arms, lifting her off the seat. Remus stood up and moved out of James's way and James laid Lily down on the seat. Then, with Remus's help, they took her cloak off and placed in under her head as a pillow.
"Sirius!" James added pushing Lily's air out of her face, "go to the snack cart and get a could pumpkin juice." Sirius just sat there, deep in thought, studying Lily and not acting at all like his normal crazy self.
"Now!" James yelled, snapping Sirius's mind from wherever it had been, back to the future. Sirius stood up and quickly ran out of the compartment and down the hall to find the snack witch.
"Ok, Remus, since she has a green shirt under this, we need to get this black shirt off of her." Together they managed to get it off.
"Oh My god." They both muttered in disbelief, taking in all the injuries covering this poor girl.
Her shivering arms were almost completely black, blue and yellow, the bruises extenuated by her deathly pale skin. There were scattered cuts, and scars on her arms, which were practically skin and bones. They were almost scared to look at her back, but never the less they sat her up, her body resting against James's chest, examining the damage. All the skin, that the tank top wasn't covering was either scarred bleeding or bruised.
"Bloody hell." James uttered in disbelief. "Remus," James picked up Lily, carefully cradling her in his arms. "Spread out Lily's cloak." Once that was done James gently laid Lily back down and took his own cloak off and put it over her as a blanket. At that time Sirius burst back into the compartment with the bottle of ice-cold pumpkin juice and handed it to James, who set it down for a second.
"Remus, give me your cloak." James said as he knelt beside Lily, lifting up her head, as Remus gave the cloak to Sirius, who slid it under Lily's head as a pillow, looking, shocked at the state of her injuries.
"Meow." The kitten whined, nuzzling James's knee.
"Here you go kitty." James cooed, setting Isis by Lily's head. Isis immediately began to nuzzle Lily and lick her face, softly making meowing noises.
James smiled softly at the kitten and the redhead. He was amazed at how she could deal with all this pain, and still look so peaceful as she laid there, no dreams disturbing her conscious.
James picked up the cold bottle of pumpkin juice and began rolling it slowly over Lily's forehead, cheeks and neck; hoping it would bring down her fever, at least until they got to Hogwarts. Her stayed like this, rolling the cold bottle (It had an ever cold charm on it) over Lily. Slowly moving the bottle down her arms and up her forehead and back again. The kitten continued to nuzzle her, and Sirius was studying Lily and James, the prankster doing something he had never seen him do before. Remus had sat next to James, and Peter was still sleeping.
James stopped for a moment to check and see if her temperature had gone down. He laid his hand gently on her forehead and then moved it down her cheek, noticing her temperature had gone down a little. Then Lily began to stir.
Remus who had his eyes closed felt Lily moved and jumped slightly. While James continued to stroke Lily's cheek while saying softly "Its O.K. shhhh."
Lily opened her eyes and felt, for a split second, an electric shock where James hand had touched her, but it was instantly forgotten. She looked up into his warm cinnamon brown eyes and her looked down into her amazing green ones.
"James?" She spoke softly, trying to find her voice.
"Yes, Lily" he replied.
"Lily." Remus said slowly, concern etched in his features.
"Remus." She said tenderly, turning to look at her friend.
"Meow." Isis added.
"Isis, hello kitty." Lily murmured. As she looked at the cat a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but her eyes held nothing but dead sorrow.
"Thank you." She said softly looking back at James.
"No problem Lils." Another small smile flickered across her face at the mention of the nickname that Remus had given her.
"I have some chocolate Lils, it will make you feel better." Remus said.
"Okay Remus, thanks."
"Sure Lils" and he went to go get some from his bag.
"Lets sit you up." James said, lifting her torso as she used her legs to push her self up against the wall on the end of the compartment by the window.
"Here," said Remus, holding the chocolate out for her. She took it thankfully and gave James and Remus a small smile. They both smiled back at her.
'See I can play happy. Especially when you aren't asking me about my father.' She thought as she ate the chocolate, its warmth spreading through her body.
"Remus, this is wonderful, thank you."
"Your welcome Lily."
"Ummm, Lily what happened? Who…"Sirius faltered slightly. "I mean what happened to you?" Asked Sirius, finally speaking concern etched in his features. Lily adverted her eyes, which darkened even more, and the smile left her face.
"Lils…" James and Remus prompted.
But before Lily could be questioned any further the compartment door opened revealing two boys, standing around 6 foot. One has greasy black air that hung a little past his chin and a hooked nose. The other had white blond hair that hung past his shoulders, and was tied back in a ponytail by a black ribbon. Their names were Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy.
"Look what we have here." Luscious drawled while Snape's eyes flicked over to Lily. "A Potter, Black, Lupin, Petigrew and… a filthy little mudblood."
James looked at Lily, who had cast her eyes down and lowered her head as Malfoy snickered at her.
"Good little Mudblood, you know your place. You worthless piece of filth."
"Go to hell Malfoy!" James said getting up, Remus and Sirius standing up behind him (Peter was still sleeping).
"Ohhhhh look Potter's got a girlfriend, a mudblood. Tsk Tsk Tsk, I really thought even you had enough sense to know not to associate with that filth. But I guess you don't even know that. Disappointing Potter, even for you."
James had enough. He stepped forward before any one could stop him (A/N: not that they would) and punched Malfoy. Picking up on the action Sirius pointed his wand at the both of them and muttered something under his breath, turning their hair gold and their skin scarlet 'GO GRYFINDOR' was flashing on their foreheads. Then, Remus shoved them out sharply and James closed the door, making sure to run over Malfoy's foot in the process.
James knelt down next to Lily, slipped a finger under her chin and raised her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Don't listen to anything that git says. You're not a mudblood. It doesn't matter that your parents are muggles; you are a great witch, the best in the year. Certainly better than Malfoy." He said gently
"Yeah, I guess…" Lily said uncertainty
"How long have you been dealing with him?" Sirius asked cautiously after studying her face.
"I upset him on the train the first year and it's been like that ever since." Lily admitted. Glad to get something off of her conscious.
"We are going to get Malfoy, for what we has done to you." James promised.
"I think a little prank is in order here." Sirius said. "James get out a quill and some paper and start planning, Remus think about the best timing for a prank in the opening feast." Then he turned to a bag Lily had not noticed before. "And lets see what will we need." He poured out various vials of potions and his cauldron and started picking up one after another, muttering different things and than turning to James who had been talking with Remus and muttering some more. After a while the emerged with big smiles on their faces, even Remus had a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
"We got it covered Lily Flower, anything for you." Sirius said as he poured ingredients into his cauldron.
"Thanks guys." She said aloud while thinking 'this is the one time Malfoy
actually did some good. They forgot about asking me what happened.'
"Oh, by the way Lils." Remus said softly while mixing two potions. "You never told us what happened." The other two stopped and watched her cautiously. She cast her eyes down before looking up at him. Meeting his eyes sadly as she replied.
"Remus… I'm…" she started "He…" she said even quieter, only Remus heard "I can't" She said a little louder, now close to tears "But I will, when I can. Please Remus, wait till I can, please." A single tear slid down her face.
Remus could tell this was hurting her too much, but he didn't want to cause her more pain.
"I'll wait Lils, don't worry."
It tore James apart to see her cry. 'I will do something, anything I can, to help ease her pain,' he promised himself. Because for some (A/N: "UNKOWN") reason her pain was like his pain, his heart broke with her tears.
Sirius started rubbing her back softly, this seemed familiar, the tears, the pain, but he didn't want to remember.
"Here Lily," James said, grabbing a little more chocolate and handing it to her.
"This always makes me feel better and Remus swears by this chocolate," he said as he lifted up her head and shoulders and sat cross-legged with Lily's head in his lap. He massaged her temples while the chocolate melted in her mouth. 'This feels so good, so right, so perfect,' was her last thought, free of her father, before falling into a dreamless sleep.
"Lily wake up." Lily's eyes opened to Sirius's soft gentle whispers (A/N: Thx Dorkyprincess). Her eyes blinked open and she focused on his face, and forced a smile on her own. "We are almost there, you might want to change Lily Flower."
"Thanks Sirius." She pulled herself out of James lap and gathered her uniform. Sirius watched her carefully and gave her a small smile before she left. As she walked out of the compartment she saw Sirius pull something out of his pocket and suddenly something exploded.
Lily ran out of the compartment and a few compartments down before she heard Sirius's loud voice screaming "WAKE UP JAMSIE-POO! WAKE UP REMMIE!!!" She smiled softly, but the smile disappeared when she heard James yell:
"Sirius, you are going to pay for that! Yeah, you better run, 'cause I'm gonna kill you!!"
***FLASHBACK***
"You are going to pay for that you freak." Her father laughed cruelly. "Yeah you better run, 'cause I'm gonna kill you, I swear I will."
Then he started beating her violently. Blood ran all over the floor and Lily's tears streamed silently down her face and blood filled her mouth as she bit her tongue to hard, in an effort to keep from screaming.
***END FLASHBACK***
A single tear slid down Lily's face as she ran to the bathroom, desperately trying to calm herself.
'No one saw you crying. You are fine. Try to forget it. Pull yourself together; come on Lily. Get it together, its okay.' She told herself.
She straightened her robe and walked back to the compartment. A tiny smile graced her lips as she saw the three boys. James had white hair and blue skin and Remus had red hair and green skin. Peter, who was just barely waking up had yellow skin with daisies and butter-mellows.
Lily raised her eyebrows as they all looked at her. Sirius, unlike the rest, was looking at Lily strangely, his gaze shifted so he no longer saw her, like he was lost in a memory. But before his friends noticed he returned to normal and smiled reassuringly at her.
'Almost like he knows' Lily thought. But for some reason his smile made her feel better. She gave him a small smile back and he nodded slightly before turning and looking back at his friends.
Peter finally really woke up and looked at Lily. "Who are you?" he asked rather rudely "And what happened to your face."
A/N:I sorry it took so long. I will really try to update faster; I promise, a new years resolution. It takes a long time to transfer stuff from a notebook to the computer,
I sorry. And I guess I was hinting at something w/ Sirius, you can guess what it is if you want. Well thanks for putting up with me and
Merry ChristmasPlease review. I gave you a present will you give me one?