Lily Chapter 35: Pasts, a harry potter fanfic

Lily

Chapter 35

Lily awoke when the sun was a mere red glow on the horizon. Her pillow was wet with tears, and it took a while for her to remember why.

Lily's mother closed the closet door and faced her daughters. "There. No monsters. No bogeymen, no evil wizards, no bad guys."

"No guys with knives?" Petunia piped up.

She sighed in exasperation. "I swear, I'm going to kick your friend's mother for letting you watch that movie. No guys with knives."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." She knelt between her daughters' beds. "Good night."

"Can you please tell us a bedtime story?"

Petunia rolled her eyes. "Speak for yourself. I'm too old for that stuff." She pulled the covers over her head and didn't say anything else.

"Well, I'll tell you a bedtime story, anyways, Lily. Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was afraid of a lot of things. She didn't even want to go to sleep at night, because she was afraid of the dark! This little girl was always afraid of something. Rain...thunder...snow...even sunshine! Then, one day, that changed."

"What happened?"

"She met her guardian angel."

"What's that?"

"A guardian angel is an angel who protects you. Everyone has one. Remember when you were about to spill that juice on the table the other day, but your hand missed the glass? That was your guardian angel, moving your hand away."

Lily's eyes went wide in the darkness. "Really?"

"I like to think so. So, this little girl who was afraid all the time saw her guardian angel one day, and the angel said, 'You don't have to be so frightened of everything. I'll protect you from the world.' Then, she bent over, kissed the little girl on the cheek, and disappeared. From that day on, whenever the girl got scared, she just remembered that her guardian angel would protect her."

Petunia sat up. "Rubbish. There's no such thing as guardian angels!"

"Yes there is!" Lily shrieked. "Mommy says there is!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Enough! Don't fight, be nice to each other."

"All right," they both grumbled, retreating to the pillows.

Mrs. Evans stood up and gave each of them a good-night kiss on the cheek.

"Mommy?" came Lily's muffled voice. "Are you my guardian angel?"

"I suppose I am."

Lily blinked back some tears. Her mother had been so nice...she had never done anything to deserve it! She punched a pillow in anger. It was all her own fault that her parents had been killed! If she hadn't gone to Hogwarts, if she hadn't been born magical, Voldemort would never have gone after them..."to hurt my heart first," she whispered bitterly, quoting Dumbledore. "He's doing a good job."

Being a fourth year, Lily thought, wasn't much different than being a third year. The work was harder, of course, and she had a different dormitory, but there honestly wasn't a lot of change. She still had to put up with Sirius's abysmal Charms (he had just turned her hair green), she still had to suffer through Gilderoy's self-righteous commentaries every afternoon, and she still had to act normal when Peter was in the room.

Professor Lollio was back in action, seeing as there was an end-of-the-year dance looming in the near future. Noticing that her previous matches were a complete disaster, the hyper little professor had re-paired everyone for Herbology partners.

"Aaaaaaall riiight, claaass! I thiiiink that weeeeee'll have...Miiiiister Loooooockhart with Miiiiiss Raaaaaaaaaaamsey,all riiiiiight?"

Eurydice's eyes suddenly dilated with a very frightened look. "Him?"

Gilderoy, at least two feet shorter than she was, linked his arm in hers and leaned his head against her upper arm. "That's all right, don't be shy. I know you love me!"

Eurydice was pale as she shook her arm as though a dangerous bug was crawling up it. "A-actually, I don't."

"I can understand denial. I'm just dazzling."

"Aaaaaaah, young loooooove." Professor Lollio gazed with satisfaction at the match she had made. "And Miiiiss Freeeeeeese..." Juno glared daggers at her. "Youuuu and Miiiiister Luuuuuuupin." Juno glanced over at Remus, gave him a quick, head-to-toe appraisal, and nodded, satisfied. "Neeext, Miiiister Peeeeetigrew and Miiiiiiss...Eeeeeevans."

Peter walked across the greenhouse to Lily and smiled. "How are you, Lily?" as professor Lollio continued mismatching the students, and a general hum of conversation arose, he leaned in and whispered so that only she could hear. "Said my name lately?"

Burning rage doubled over in her chest, confined by the pressure of the curse. But she didn't speak...she couldn't.

"Miiiisss Mclelaaaaand and Miiiiister Blaaaaaack." Sirius, much like Eurydice had, went pale as Molly chattered over to him.

"You have GOT to be kidding me." He sighed and stuck two wax earplugs in his ears. "Here's my emergency kit."

"Fiiiiinally, Miiiiiisteeer Potter and Miiiiss Paaaaalmer." That little girl (Melissa) who still had a crush on James literally hopped over to where James was standing, still in shock. "Aaaall riiiight, goooo aheeeead wiiiith your claaaaaass."

Peter pulled Lily's chair out for her before she sat down. "I'll cut the roots." He brushed her hand none-too-gently aside as it reached for the knife. As he cut the roots, he spoke in a low voice. "Remember the last time Lollio played matchmaker? Pretty wrong, wasn't she?"

"Shame we never got to find out about you and Chantel," the curse said. The words made her stomach churn, and tears sprang from her eyes. At first, it confused her that she could cry, but then, she realized that it was perfectly natural that she cry at the mention of Chantel.

"There, there...it's all right." He took out a small handkercheif, reached across the table, and wiped her eyes. "We all miss her." There was a horrible shine in his eyes...pretended tears!

He had put the knife down to wipe her eyes, so she grabbed it with as much urgency as she was allowed. "I'll chop the roots now..." His name was on the tip of her tongue, but wouldn't make it out. "I'll chop the roots now." She cut very slowly and carefully, so that the class would end before Peter got a chance to get ahold of the knife again.