It was only the middle of October, but teachers were already giving as much
homework as if it were near exam time. I had four tests the next week, two
quizzes, and an essay due. The teachers obviously didn't care that my
social life happened to be in shreds; they just increased the workload.
It was Friday but knowing I had that much to do, I couldn't relax. After Transfiguration, our last class of the day, ended Severus caught up with me and asked, "Want to visit Hogsmeade together this weekend?"
I sighed. "I have so much homework, I don't think I can."
"I suppose you're right. I should work on my homework, too."
He paused for a minute and then began digging in his bag for something. "Here," he said finally, pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "It's for you."
"Thanks. What is it?" I asked, beginning to unfold it.
"Don't open it here. Don't you have a special place to open your love letters?"
I grinned. "Thanks. Were you bored in Transfiguration class?"
He laughed. "How did you know?"
* * *
Now I no longer felt comfortable staying in either the common room or the dormitory. I couldn't stand all the glares my direction. So I decided to find somewhere new to study. There was always the library, but there was always the chance that my new enemies - how strange that sounded; no one had ever hated me before - might be there.
I thought of an idea as I walked towards the Slytherin common room. I quickly ran ahead and upstairs to the dormitory. I gathered up all of my schoolbooks and supplies and threw them into my bag." I hurried back downstairs and out of the common room, glad I had avoided meeting anyone.
I walked outside, the cool autumn breeze blowing on my face. After walking a bit, I found a spot on the grass to sit down. I laid my books around me and began studying. It was quite pleasant. I should this more often, I thought to myself. There were no distractions, no people - just me and my homework and the fresh air.
After an hour, my mind started wandering. I remembered Severus's letter and pulled it out of my pocket. I unfolded the parchment and began reading.
"My darling Lily,"
Oh no! A gust of wind tore the paper from my grasp and sent it spiraling in the air. I jumped up and grabbed for it, but I lost my balance and fell. As I slipped down the slope, my right ankle hit a tree root and my leg collapsed under me. Crumpling into a twisted heap on the ground, I heard the bone give a sickening snap and several seconds later the stabs of agony shot through my leg.
I couldn't even yell, the pain was too much. I tore at the grass with my fingers and gasped in pain. Automatically, I reached for my wand in the pocket of my robes, but my desperate fingers felt cloth, nothing more.
The horrible truth washed over me. I had left my wand by my books. After finishing answering dull questions for History of Magic, I'd started practicing the spells we had just learned in Charms. When I thought of the letter, I had placed my wand next to me. On the ground.
What would I do? I wailed. If only I had my wand! I could shoot sparks into the air, I could summon an owl to tell Madam Pomfrey to help me. Oh, there were so many things I could do! And I didn't have the wand!
How long would I lie in a pitiful heap on the ground? How long could I survive the pain? Soon it would grow dark and I would still be here, on the cold earth. It was a Friday afternoon so no classes would walk this way tomorrow.
"Help!" I screamed hysterically. "Someone help me!" I let out a long scream, shrieking at the top of my lungs.
All I heard was the wind.
As if taunting me, Severus's letter lay face-down ten feet away.
I closed my eyes and tears trickled down my face. After a while, I opened my eyes and was shocked to see how dark it was. A new emotion flooded through me - pure fear. I did not want to spend all night lying on the ground, helpless and in pain. Though my hoarse throat burned, I screamed again. I screamed and screamed until my throat felt like it was on fire.
At least now I have something else to think about besides the pain in my leg, I thought sarcastically. The pain in my throat.
I tried dragging myself up the hill, but I could not move my leg. I tried again.
Suddenly, I stopped. What was that noise? I thought. Could it possibly be -- ?
I screamed again. "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppppppppppp!"
I listened. Yes, there were definitely people near. My heart beat rapidly with hope. I screamed again.
Suddenly I saw the silhouette of a group of people in the distance. It got bigger and bigger. I waved my arms frantically and yelled.
Then I stopped dead. It was James Potter and his friends. I cringed. Why, of all people, did he have to be the one to find me? Why?!
They came closer. "Lily!" James exclaimed and ran forward. His friends hung back, by his command I guessed.
"Lily! What happened to you?"
Why did he have to look so pleased? Couldn't he see I was pain?
"My leg," I said stiffly, "is broken. If you wouldn't mind, I need to see Madam Pomfrey before I die of pain."
"Oh, Lily!" he said. Was he trying to sound sympathetic? Must be hard, I thought, since he'd never been a kind person in his life.
"James, stop exclaiming, help me!" I cried out in exasperation. "I've been lying on the ground for hours in pain. This leg needs to be fixed!"
"I'll take you to the hospital wing," he said and kneeled down. "Look, I'm going to carry you, so be careful."
He put one hand under my back and the other under my knees. "Ow," I winced as he lifted me up.
"Sorry about that," he replied and adjusted me in his arms. "Is this ok?"
I scowled at being so close to him - and knowing that he savored every second of carrying me in his arms - but replied, "I think I can stand it."
"Good," he said. "Now we just have to get all the way up the castle." He began to take careful, slow steps, making sure I didn't move too much.
"Wait!" I called out. "What about my things?" I motioned to my books and wand lying on the grass.
"Oh, they'll get them," he replied nonchalantly and, indeed, his friends were picking them up.
"Oh, is that yours?" he asked, motioning to something on the ground with his foot.
It was Severus's letter. My voice caught in my throat. "I--" I began. "I - it's not mine," I said quickly. I didn't want James to read what Severus had written to me.
James kicked the parchment and it became airborne, gliding on the breeze. I watched it drift towards the lake. A sudden draft pulled it above the waters, where it hung and then fell in.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, realizing I hadn't even read it.
James looked at me. "You said it wasn't yours."
"But - but that's littering!" I lied hastily.
"No, it isn't," he said with a smile. "The giant squid will have it for dessert."
I sighed and resigned myself to being carried. Actually, now that I thought about it, it wasn't so bad lying in his arms. If I ignored the fact my leg hurt like crazy and it was James's arms I was lying in.
His friends tagged along behind us, but I noticed they gave us a lot of distance.
"Why don't you like me?" James asked softly.
"What do you mean?" I replied, taken by surprised.
"Don't pretend it's not true," he said in a low voice.
Was James hurt? I wondered. I wanted to laugh, but of course I wouldn't. If he dropped me, I would be worse off than I was before.
"You know very well why," I replied brusquely.
"But Lily--" he protested.
I remained silent.
James carried me up to the castle. But instead of walking through the castle gate, he turned and stepped into the shadows under a tree.
"James?" I asked. "This isn't the way--"
"I know," he said. Suddenly he lifted me up and kissed me hard on the mouth.
I felt frozen. Stunned, I stared at him. Then anger flooded through me.
"How dare you do that to me?" I shouted.
"Shh," he whispered. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."
He was threatening to drop me, I thought.
I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it again.
It was Friday but knowing I had that much to do, I couldn't relax. After Transfiguration, our last class of the day, ended Severus caught up with me and asked, "Want to visit Hogsmeade together this weekend?"
I sighed. "I have so much homework, I don't think I can."
"I suppose you're right. I should work on my homework, too."
He paused for a minute and then began digging in his bag for something. "Here," he said finally, pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "It's for you."
"Thanks. What is it?" I asked, beginning to unfold it.
"Don't open it here. Don't you have a special place to open your love letters?"
I grinned. "Thanks. Were you bored in Transfiguration class?"
He laughed. "How did you know?"
* * *
Now I no longer felt comfortable staying in either the common room or the dormitory. I couldn't stand all the glares my direction. So I decided to find somewhere new to study. There was always the library, but there was always the chance that my new enemies - how strange that sounded; no one had ever hated me before - might be there.
I thought of an idea as I walked towards the Slytherin common room. I quickly ran ahead and upstairs to the dormitory. I gathered up all of my schoolbooks and supplies and threw them into my bag." I hurried back downstairs and out of the common room, glad I had avoided meeting anyone.
I walked outside, the cool autumn breeze blowing on my face. After walking a bit, I found a spot on the grass to sit down. I laid my books around me and began studying. It was quite pleasant. I should this more often, I thought to myself. There were no distractions, no people - just me and my homework and the fresh air.
After an hour, my mind started wandering. I remembered Severus's letter and pulled it out of my pocket. I unfolded the parchment and began reading.
"My darling Lily,"
Oh no! A gust of wind tore the paper from my grasp and sent it spiraling in the air. I jumped up and grabbed for it, but I lost my balance and fell. As I slipped down the slope, my right ankle hit a tree root and my leg collapsed under me. Crumpling into a twisted heap on the ground, I heard the bone give a sickening snap and several seconds later the stabs of agony shot through my leg.
I couldn't even yell, the pain was too much. I tore at the grass with my fingers and gasped in pain. Automatically, I reached for my wand in the pocket of my robes, but my desperate fingers felt cloth, nothing more.
The horrible truth washed over me. I had left my wand by my books. After finishing answering dull questions for History of Magic, I'd started practicing the spells we had just learned in Charms. When I thought of the letter, I had placed my wand next to me. On the ground.
What would I do? I wailed. If only I had my wand! I could shoot sparks into the air, I could summon an owl to tell Madam Pomfrey to help me. Oh, there were so many things I could do! And I didn't have the wand!
How long would I lie in a pitiful heap on the ground? How long could I survive the pain? Soon it would grow dark and I would still be here, on the cold earth. It was a Friday afternoon so no classes would walk this way tomorrow.
"Help!" I screamed hysterically. "Someone help me!" I let out a long scream, shrieking at the top of my lungs.
All I heard was the wind.
As if taunting me, Severus's letter lay face-down ten feet away.
I closed my eyes and tears trickled down my face. After a while, I opened my eyes and was shocked to see how dark it was. A new emotion flooded through me - pure fear. I did not want to spend all night lying on the ground, helpless and in pain. Though my hoarse throat burned, I screamed again. I screamed and screamed until my throat felt like it was on fire.
At least now I have something else to think about besides the pain in my leg, I thought sarcastically. The pain in my throat.
I tried dragging myself up the hill, but I could not move my leg. I tried again.
Suddenly, I stopped. What was that noise? I thought. Could it possibly be -- ?
I screamed again. "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppppppppppp!"
I listened. Yes, there were definitely people near. My heart beat rapidly with hope. I screamed again.
Suddenly I saw the silhouette of a group of people in the distance. It got bigger and bigger. I waved my arms frantically and yelled.
Then I stopped dead. It was James Potter and his friends. I cringed. Why, of all people, did he have to be the one to find me? Why?!
They came closer. "Lily!" James exclaimed and ran forward. His friends hung back, by his command I guessed.
"Lily! What happened to you?"
Why did he have to look so pleased? Couldn't he see I was pain?
"My leg," I said stiffly, "is broken. If you wouldn't mind, I need to see Madam Pomfrey before I die of pain."
"Oh, Lily!" he said. Was he trying to sound sympathetic? Must be hard, I thought, since he'd never been a kind person in his life.
"James, stop exclaiming, help me!" I cried out in exasperation. "I've been lying on the ground for hours in pain. This leg needs to be fixed!"
"I'll take you to the hospital wing," he said and kneeled down. "Look, I'm going to carry you, so be careful."
He put one hand under my back and the other under my knees. "Ow," I winced as he lifted me up.
"Sorry about that," he replied and adjusted me in his arms. "Is this ok?"
I scowled at being so close to him - and knowing that he savored every second of carrying me in his arms - but replied, "I think I can stand it."
"Good," he said. "Now we just have to get all the way up the castle." He began to take careful, slow steps, making sure I didn't move too much.
"Wait!" I called out. "What about my things?" I motioned to my books and wand lying on the grass.
"Oh, they'll get them," he replied nonchalantly and, indeed, his friends were picking them up.
"Oh, is that yours?" he asked, motioning to something on the ground with his foot.
It was Severus's letter. My voice caught in my throat. "I--" I began. "I - it's not mine," I said quickly. I didn't want James to read what Severus had written to me.
James kicked the parchment and it became airborne, gliding on the breeze. I watched it drift towards the lake. A sudden draft pulled it above the waters, where it hung and then fell in.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, realizing I hadn't even read it.
James looked at me. "You said it wasn't yours."
"But - but that's littering!" I lied hastily.
"No, it isn't," he said with a smile. "The giant squid will have it for dessert."
I sighed and resigned myself to being carried. Actually, now that I thought about it, it wasn't so bad lying in his arms. If I ignored the fact my leg hurt like crazy and it was James's arms I was lying in.
His friends tagged along behind us, but I noticed they gave us a lot of distance.
"Why don't you like me?" James asked softly.
"What do you mean?" I replied, taken by surprised.
"Don't pretend it's not true," he said in a low voice.
Was James hurt? I wondered. I wanted to laugh, but of course I wouldn't. If he dropped me, I would be worse off than I was before.
"You know very well why," I replied brusquely.
"But Lily--" he protested.
I remained silent.
James carried me up to the castle. But instead of walking through the castle gate, he turned and stepped into the shadows under a tree.
"James?" I asked. "This isn't the way--"
"I know," he said. Suddenly he lifted me up and kissed me hard on the mouth.
I felt frozen. Stunned, I stared at him. Then anger flooded through me.
"How dare you do that to me?" I shouted.
"Shh," he whispered. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."
He was threatening to drop me, I thought.
I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it again.
