Chapter 14

James went to visit Lily everyday she was in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey kept her unconscious while deciding if her cure was working. But he was constantly edgy. He hated hospitals, as Sirius knew too well. In the third year Sirius had managed to curse his own nose off and James had refused to visit him for the whole two weeks he was in the Hospital Wing. Had it been anyone else but Lily, James would refuse to go to the Wing now.

But as it was Lily, he had been to see her everyday along with the Gryffindor Girls and even Sirius. Once there had been a very awkward moment when James had found himself alone with Ellis and Sirius, all three of them watching the unconscious Lily in silence. He had tried a few brave attempts at a conversation but was met with only one word answers.

"Nice day," he said cheerfully.

"Yeah,"

"I guess,"

"What you got next?"

"Lunch,"

The third day after the disastrous potions lesson and James ran up to the infirmary to find Lily up and awake. In fact she was fine. Except for one thing:

"Hi Lily, what's that?"

"James is that you? Where are you?" her head was turning wildly as she tried to see where he was. He took her hand and said:

"I'm here. What's that white stuff?"

"It's called cotton wool. It's a muggle thing. Madam Pomfrey swears by it,"

"Why is it on your eyes?"

"To stop me using them. My eyes got burnt pretty bad too, so she's put some stuff to try to fix them as well,"

Though she couldn't see him she could feel James tense up as she mentioned her injuries.

"Lily I'm......."

"James don't start. Please? It wasn't your fault," she told him. He looked away guiltily. Despite himself he began to apologize but was cut off by the matron who came bustling into the room.

"Ah Mr Potter, I'm afraid you'll have to leave now. Miss Evans needs rest,"

"But Madam Pomfrey-" they both started.

"No. OUT!"

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Desperately trying not to think of the enormous dinner being served several floors below her, Lily was trying her hardest to be let out of the hospital. She could hear Madam Pomfrey writing a few feet away, and was trying her as much as possible. She tried clicking her tongue as loud as she could until the nurse snapped at her. So she then moved onto whistling tunelessly. After being snapped at again, she started to tap her long nails on the metal bedstead. It echoed all around the silent room.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. She found Potter's attachment to Lily touching but it was beginning to make Miss Evans restless. She simply could not let her go yet. Her eyes were still badly damaged and her skin was still red and raw.

"Miss Evans, you may try to annoy me for as long as you want, but I will not be discharging you today. So stop it!"

Lily tried to glare in her general direction but the nurse's comment had got her thinking. Why couldn't she leave yet? She felt fine, and apart from her eyes there was nothing physically wrong with her.

'I bet my eyes are fixed, if only she would let me take this wool off,' Lily thought. Turning over she drifted back to sleep.

Hours later and she awoke, straining her ears to try to hear any movement before struggling up. Carefully she peeled of the pads covering her eyes. Everything was blurry and slightly faded, but at least she could see. Stumbling she walked over to a mirror, feeling dizzy from the head rush caused by sleeping for three days.

When she looked into it she could not believe what she saw. No doubt it was just another 'Hogwarts thing' like the false stairs or the doors that weren't really there. This was just a mirror that showed a horribler version of you. Hardly daring to touch it, she stretched a shaking hand towards her face where the mirror showed scars and angry red burns. Her eyes were no longer their usual vivid green, more a watery grey; and she could feel every bump and ridge in her face exactly where the mirror showed them to be. Gasping, her knees gave way and she collapsed onto the floor.

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James was bored. He had done his Head Boy duties and was now wandering around the castle. Glancing at his watch he saw hat it was still before midnight, thinking that he could go to see Lily. Humming he wandered up several flights of stairs to the Hospital Wing. It was dark as he got there and thankfully there was no sign of Madam Pomfrey. He had learnt from previous experience that she did not take kindly to people sneaking in her hospital in the middle of the night.

"Lily," he whispered. "Lily?" Muttering to his wand a small light flickered at the tip so he was able to make out where her bed was. There was an outline of where she had slept but she wasn't in her bed. Madam Pomfrey obviously hadn't let her go yet as she would have already remade her bed. He scanned around the room until his eyes rested on a small heap on the floor. Rushing over to it he immediately realised that Lily must have collapsed again. Looking around he saw the cotton wool discarded on the floor beside them and the mirror above them. She must have got curious as to what she looked like and tried to use the mirror. With some difficulty he pulled her up and carried her back to her bed. As she was still unconscious he lay her down and settled the covers around her, before conjuring a miniature lily and placing it on her pillow.

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The next day James decided to visit Lily after breakfast. Wondering if she would remember anything of the night before he wandered up and into the infirmary. Only when he got there he saw no sign of Lily, her bed had been made and her robes were gone. 'Strange' he thought. He hadn't seen her at breakfast and it wasn't like her to miss a meal.

"Lily?" he shouted, "Madam Pomfrey?" When there was no answer he ran into the nurses office but she wasn't there either. "MADAM POMFREY?"

"Can I help you Mr Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked coolly.

"Er.......yeah. I was looking for Lily,""

"So I gathered,"

"So........where is she?"

"I'm not sure that is any of your business Potter," she replied but seeing his distress at finding Lily had disappeared proceeded to say "Madam Pomfrey has taken Miss Evans to London. There she will go to St Mungo's and see a specialist about her burns,"

"Oh,"

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"Lily's in St Mungo's?" Mia asked in disbelief.

"Madam Pomfrey couldn't cure her?" Isabelle asked.

"There's a first time for everything," said Ellis.

"But she can cure anything!"

"Obviously not burns," James replied.

He had left the hospital to tell Lily's friends what had happened to her. They obviously hadn't known either, as they were just as amazed as he was.

The day trickled by, much too slowly for eight of the Gryffindors who were desperately waiting for news of their friend. James was sitting alone in his room watching the clock tick and waiting for dinner.

'It's a depressing game' thought James 'Watching your life tick by but doing nothing about it.'

Finally the clock hands edged onto 6 and he stood up. Hearing a noise downstairs, he frowned and crept silently down the stairs. Hardly daring to believe what he saw he called out:

"LILY?" he asked, his voice trying not to shake. She jumped at the noise and turned round.

"James!" she ran over to him and hugged him tightly. "Look! They fixed my face!" she said just like an excited child. Her eyes had returned to their usual brilliant green and were twinkling. It's good to have Lily back, James thought.

He couldn't help it. She looked so happy he leant over and kissed her. This seemed to improve her already good mood and she kissed back passionately. His hand that had started on her neck slipped over her shoulder and stayed there; until he felt a small round mark on her skin. Pulling the collar of her robes out the way, he ran his thumb around the scar.

"They've missed a bit," he told her.

"I know. I asked them to,"

"Why? Why would you want scar yourself for ever?"

"Well........call it a souvenir!" she grinned.

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Thank you for reading! Thanks to BurningIce22, Lilypad-7879,cagedphoenix, firewalker32 and certified-weirdo for reviewing chap 13 and to everyone else who has reviewed this. KEEP GOING!

Love Leo