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James walked down the empty corridor in his tear-soaked robes, completely oblivious to the world around him as he relived the afternoon's events over and over in his mind. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't realize that he was no longer alone in the hallway.
"I've got you right where I want you, Potter." A cold voice whispered.
James whirled around, whipping out his wand, to face Snape. "Expelliarmus!!!" He roared.
But he was too late, "Protego!" James wand flew out of his hand, sending him spiraling through the air. "Impedimenta!" James froze just inches from the ground as Snape murmured the word. Snape laughed a horridly, a sneer growing on his face. "How'd you like that, Potter? A taste of you own medicine. But just you wait; I'm not finished with you yet, not even close."
The curse began to wear off, but as James hit the ground he groaned, "Rictusempra!"
Snape fell to his knees, doubled up in laughter as James dashed to his side and grabbed his wand out of Snape's clenched fist. Pointing his own wand at James, he muttered in-between bouts of laughter, "P-petri-petrificus To- totalus!"
James fell to the floor, rigid as a board, locked in the body-bind curse. As the tickling curse began to wear off, Snape rose to his feet and pointed his wand at James. Muttering incantations under his breath causing gashes to appear on James face, sending blood spurting onto the shining floor. "Like that, Potter? Like being the helpless victim? It's nothing more than what you deserve, you arrogant," blast "stuck-up," blast "worthless," blast "Quidditch freak." He aimed his wand at James' head, only to pull it away when voices echoed down the corridor. Scowling he gave a few swift kicks to James' side and strode down the hall, leaving his prey helpless on the floor.
James lay their, futilely struggling against the invisible bonds. "Please," he prayed, "Please let the voices turn down this corridor, don't let them continue down the hall." Sure enough, the voices became louder and louder as they approached James' mangled form. When a scream pierced the still air, James breathed a word of thanks, and then slipped out of consciousness.
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"Sirius! SIRIUS!" Lily's frantic voice filled the Gryffindor common room.
"What is it this time, Evans?"
"Sirius..James..Hospital wing..unconscious.." she gasped.
"WHAT?"
Maren stepped forward. "Sirius, some third year girls found James on their way to lunch, he was lying on the floor, unconscious, locked by the body- bind curse with gashes in his face and blood on the floor. Madam Pomfrey thinks he was in a duel, but no one knows because he hasn't wakened yet."
"It was Snape, I know it was," Sirius bolted towards the door as the girls trailed behind him. Storming into the Hospital Wing he yelled, "Madam Pomfrey!"
"Hush! I have sleeping patients!" She reprimanded him with a look of disregard.
"Madam Pomfrey," Sirius hardly bothered to lower his voice, "we want to see James."
"Mr. Potter is still unconscious," she surveyed the group with a look of distrust, then seeing the tearstains on Lily's face, she sighed. "Alright, but only for a few moments."
"Thank you," Lily murmured, moving towards the bed. She hesitated when she saw that curtains had been drawn around the bed.
Sirius, on the other hand, ignored the curtains and strode in. "Hey Potter, you decent?"
Maren walked in after him, dragging an anxious Lily. "Hey James," she whispered.
"I can't believe he let Snape do this to him," Sirius spat out, clearly disgusted.
"Maybe he didn't have a choice,"
"Maren, James can handle Snape,"
"Snape would have killed him if he had had the chance; those girls showing up were the only thing that stopped him."
A horrified gasp came from the shadows where Lily was standing.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "You have no idea what he's capable of,"
"Hey, I've seen him in action,"
"Not as much as I have," turning his attention away from Maren, he murmured to James, "I can't believe he did this to you, you think he'd have shown some mercy, after all, you did save his life."
"What?" Maren piped up.
"Nothin'" Sirius replied coolly.
"Tell me!"
"Uh, let me think about that, no."
"C'mon" she wheedled.
"Oh gawd, take it outside you two!" Lily shoved the arguing pair out of the curtains, leaving just her and James. "Oh, James!" She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
His eyelids fluttered, "Lily?"
"Hey," she smiled. "You're awake."
"Where am I?" He asked groggily.
"Hospital wing, what happened? Madam Pomfrey thinks you were in a duel."
"Oh God, where's Snape?" He groaned.
Her expression harden, "So it was Snape, was it? What, did you start picking on him again? Well, you certainly got what you deserved-"
"No!" he cut her off, "You don't understand, I was walking in the hall, Snape snuck up behind me and attacked me, I tried to disarm him, but he was too quick. He put the body-bind curse on me, blasted gashes in my face, then kicked me in the side." He winced in pain and in embarrassment. Lily could tell it was hard for him to admit his defeat to her. "The last thing I remember was someone screaming, and then, I was here."
"James, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I accused you," her face softened as more tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's not your fault, I would have said the same thing," he took in a sharp breath.
"James, I'm sorry about before as well, is it, I mean, I understand if you can't, but, is it possible that you could ever forgive me for what I said?"
"Lily, I forgave you the moment I walked away from you, it's impossible to stay mad at an angel." He went on as her cheeks began to match her hair, "It was stupid for me to think it would ever work out, it was more my fault than yours." He gave out a small cry; the effort from talking was taking toll on his pained chest.
"Oh! It's hurting you to talk! This is all my fault, I should go."
"No," his hand grabbed a fistful of her robes. "Please, don't go, I understand if you want to be somewhere else, but," he gave her a sheepish grin, "I don't want to be alone."
She smiled, "Would you rather Sirius come in instead?"
"No, I mean, if you want to go you can, but I'd rather it be you that stayed."
"Shh, don't talk; I'll stay, as long as you promise to sleep." He nodded, then closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep that she was sure he deserved.
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"Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey gently shook Lily's shoulder, "Miss Evans, you should return to your dormitory now."
Lily opened her drowsy eyes and watched as Madam Pomfrey changed James' bandages for the third time. Most of his wounds had healed, their were no longer gashes across his cheeks, his skin was as unembellished as it had been before the attack, except for a thin scar that ran up the side of his stomach; the place that had been the brutal target of Snape's foot. That was the only wound that would never heal, that and the wound to his pride.
Yawning, Lily stretched her arms above her head and rose to her feet, grabbing her belongings. "Will he be ok?"
"He'll be fine, Ms. Evans, now return to your dorm."
"He asked me to stay with him," she spoke hesitantly.
"Miss Evans, I am completely aware of that, but you are not ill so you have no place in this wing. Now go to your dormitory or suffer the consequences."
Sighing, Lily turned to leave, casting one more glance at her sleeping friend. As her eyes settled on his peaceful form, her heart fluttered. Unsure of what that could mean, she abruptly turned to leave and thankfully headed up to her dorm.
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James walked down the empty corridor in his tear-soaked robes, completely oblivious to the world around him as he relived the afternoon's events over and over in his mind. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't realize that he was no longer alone in the hallway.
"I've got you right where I want you, Potter." A cold voice whispered.
James whirled around, whipping out his wand, to face Snape. "Expelliarmus!!!" He roared.
But he was too late, "Protego!" James wand flew out of his hand, sending him spiraling through the air. "Impedimenta!" James froze just inches from the ground as Snape murmured the word. Snape laughed a horridly, a sneer growing on his face. "How'd you like that, Potter? A taste of you own medicine. But just you wait; I'm not finished with you yet, not even close."
The curse began to wear off, but as James hit the ground he groaned, "Rictusempra!"
Snape fell to his knees, doubled up in laughter as James dashed to his side and grabbed his wand out of Snape's clenched fist. Pointing his own wand at James, he muttered in-between bouts of laughter, "P-petri-petrificus To- totalus!"
James fell to the floor, rigid as a board, locked in the body-bind curse. As the tickling curse began to wear off, Snape rose to his feet and pointed his wand at James. Muttering incantations under his breath causing gashes to appear on James face, sending blood spurting onto the shining floor. "Like that, Potter? Like being the helpless victim? It's nothing more than what you deserve, you arrogant," blast "stuck-up," blast "worthless," blast "Quidditch freak." He aimed his wand at James' head, only to pull it away when voices echoed down the corridor. Scowling he gave a few swift kicks to James' side and strode down the hall, leaving his prey helpless on the floor.
James lay their, futilely struggling against the invisible bonds. "Please," he prayed, "Please let the voices turn down this corridor, don't let them continue down the hall." Sure enough, the voices became louder and louder as they approached James' mangled form. When a scream pierced the still air, James breathed a word of thanks, and then slipped out of consciousness.
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"Sirius! SIRIUS!" Lily's frantic voice filled the Gryffindor common room.
"What is it this time, Evans?"
"Sirius..James..Hospital wing..unconscious.." she gasped.
"WHAT?"
Maren stepped forward. "Sirius, some third year girls found James on their way to lunch, he was lying on the floor, unconscious, locked by the body- bind curse with gashes in his face and blood on the floor. Madam Pomfrey thinks he was in a duel, but no one knows because he hasn't wakened yet."
"It was Snape, I know it was," Sirius bolted towards the door as the girls trailed behind him. Storming into the Hospital Wing he yelled, "Madam Pomfrey!"
"Hush! I have sleeping patients!" She reprimanded him with a look of disregard.
"Madam Pomfrey," Sirius hardly bothered to lower his voice, "we want to see James."
"Mr. Potter is still unconscious," she surveyed the group with a look of distrust, then seeing the tearstains on Lily's face, she sighed. "Alright, but only for a few moments."
"Thank you," Lily murmured, moving towards the bed. She hesitated when she saw that curtains had been drawn around the bed.
Sirius, on the other hand, ignored the curtains and strode in. "Hey Potter, you decent?"
Maren walked in after him, dragging an anxious Lily. "Hey James," she whispered.
"I can't believe he let Snape do this to him," Sirius spat out, clearly disgusted.
"Maybe he didn't have a choice,"
"Maren, James can handle Snape,"
"Snape would have killed him if he had had the chance; those girls showing up were the only thing that stopped him."
A horrified gasp came from the shadows where Lily was standing.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "You have no idea what he's capable of,"
"Hey, I've seen him in action,"
"Not as much as I have," turning his attention away from Maren, he murmured to James, "I can't believe he did this to you, you think he'd have shown some mercy, after all, you did save his life."
"What?" Maren piped up.
"Nothin'" Sirius replied coolly.
"Tell me!"
"Uh, let me think about that, no."
"C'mon" she wheedled.
"Oh gawd, take it outside you two!" Lily shoved the arguing pair out of the curtains, leaving just her and James. "Oh, James!" She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
His eyelids fluttered, "Lily?"
"Hey," she smiled. "You're awake."
"Where am I?" He asked groggily.
"Hospital wing, what happened? Madam Pomfrey thinks you were in a duel."
"Oh God, where's Snape?" He groaned.
Her expression harden, "So it was Snape, was it? What, did you start picking on him again? Well, you certainly got what you deserved-"
"No!" he cut her off, "You don't understand, I was walking in the hall, Snape snuck up behind me and attacked me, I tried to disarm him, but he was too quick. He put the body-bind curse on me, blasted gashes in my face, then kicked me in the side." He winced in pain and in embarrassment. Lily could tell it was hard for him to admit his defeat to her. "The last thing I remember was someone screaming, and then, I was here."
"James, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I accused you," her face softened as more tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's not your fault, I would have said the same thing," he took in a sharp breath.
"James, I'm sorry about before as well, is it, I mean, I understand if you can't, but, is it possible that you could ever forgive me for what I said?"
"Lily, I forgave you the moment I walked away from you, it's impossible to stay mad at an angel." He went on as her cheeks began to match her hair, "It was stupid for me to think it would ever work out, it was more my fault than yours." He gave out a small cry; the effort from talking was taking toll on his pained chest.
"Oh! It's hurting you to talk! This is all my fault, I should go."
"No," his hand grabbed a fistful of her robes. "Please, don't go, I understand if you want to be somewhere else, but," he gave her a sheepish grin, "I don't want to be alone."
She smiled, "Would you rather Sirius come in instead?"
"No, I mean, if you want to go you can, but I'd rather it be you that stayed."
"Shh, don't talk; I'll stay, as long as you promise to sleep." He nodded, then closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep that she was sure he deserved.
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"Miss Evans," Madam Pomfrey gently shook Lily's shoulder, "Miss Evans, you should return to your dormitory now."
Lily opened her drowsy eyes and watched as Madam Pomfrey changed James' bandages for the third time. Most of his wounds had healed, their were no longer gashes across his cheeks, his skin was as unembellished as it had been before the attack, except for a thin scar that ran up the side of his stomach; the place that had been the brutal target of Snape's foot. That was the only wound that would never heal, that and the wound to his pride.
Yawning, Lily stretched her arms above her head and rose to her feet, grabbing her belongings. "Will he be ok?"
"He'll be fine, Ms. Evans, now return to your dorm."
"He asked me to stay with him," she spoke hesitantly.
"Miss Evans, I am completely aware of that, but you are not ill so you have no place in this wing. Now go to your dormitory or suffer the consequences."
Sighing, Lily turned to leave, casting one more glance at her sleeping friend. As her eyes settled on his peaceful form, her heart fluttered. Unsure of what that could mean, she abruptly turned to leave and thankfully headed up to her dorm.
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