James just stared at her for a second before he realized that the problem was not going to fix itself on its own. He almost tripped over his numb feet as he went over to put Harry in the cradle at the end of Lily's bed. He darted across the room and slammed his hand on the door knob and twisted it up and down. It was locked. He frantically emptied the pockets of his robe and groaned remembering a previous conversation he had with a Healer.
"Sorry Mr. Potter, we are going to have to ask you for your wand," the Healer said.
"Sure, no problem, just show me to my wife!"
Liza. That had been the Healer's name. James assumed that she was Lily's designated Healer as she had been at all of their appointments. He reached for the buzzer on Lily's bedside table and pressed it. Nothing happened. He flipped it over to find that the whole back had been torn off, revealing the wires inside which were all damaged in some way or another.
James looked over at Lily. He sighed slightly as he saw her chest moving slightly in an awkward pattern. How long would she last like this? He groaned as he checked her weakening pulse. There was no doubt that this was a set up. Something was done to Lily when she was giving birth. 'Or the medication was tampered with that Liza gave her to help Harry stay healthy inside of her,' James thought.
He clenched his fist as tears began to stream down his face. Why was this happening to him? His hand slid into his back pocket and he pulled out a square mirror. He always carried this mirror around with him. But...would Sirius have the other one? It was his only chance. James raised the mirror in front of his face and called out to Sirius.
No one came into view. James threw the mirror onto the bed with frustration. "James?" called a weak voice.
James' head snapped around. "Lily?" he asked, holding her hand.
Lily tried to breath in more air. "Why is everything moving?" she asked.
"Are you alright?" James asked her urgently.
"I can't....breath...." her eyes closed again and her hand fell out of James'.
James put his hands to his head. "What am I going to do?" he asked angrily.
Lily was still breathing. He had sometime, but there wasn't anything he could do. So he spent his time ripping the drawers out of the cabinets searching for something to use. The floor was soon littered with spilt potions and strange sharp tools that James didn't even want to think about what they were used for.
He ran across a slip of paper in one of the filing cabinets and stopped his aimless rampaging to read it.
Mr. Potter,
Hope you are having fun with your family, I doubt you'll get to spend time with them again. Don't' worry, you'll have plenty of time to say good by to her. There is no way to get out and no potions present in the room that can cure your helpless wife. She killed herself, that day that she tried to save her son, we had nothing to do with it. Ta!
-Liza
James pocketed the note, figuring that if he ever got out he could have it finger printed. The note did clarify one of his suspicions, the medication to save Harry was hurting Lily and he had no idea how to stop it. He looked longingly at the mirror on the bed. Why wouldn't Sirius answer?
He tried again and called into the mirror. Nothing happened. James jumped as he saw Lily's hand move. He had to keep her awake, no matter what. He went over to the sink and dampened a washcloth to place on Lily's forehead. James pulled her long red waves away from her face and over her left shoulder. He changed the dirty sheet that was laying under her and replaced it with a clean one that he had thrown on the floor earlier. He changed the washcloth frequently and held Harry in his arms.
"See? This is your mother, Harry..." James started. He introduced them and talked to Harry about her, but after a while he found himself talking about Lily for his own benefit.
"She looks beautiful every second of every day, even now as we speak. I used to stare at her during History of Magic, wondering what she was thinking about and why she tortured me with her amazing body swaying temptingly in front of me. The first time we kissed was amazing. I remember being speechless after that kiss..." James laughed as tears rolled down his face and fell onto Harry's. "She loves you, you know. Even though she has never held you in her arms she loves you. She loved you before you were born, before you were conceived. She loved you without even knowing she loved you. She loves everyone in this world. That's just the kind of person she is. She loves everyone..."
James looked down at Harry and found his big green eyes staring at him. James smiled. "You have her eyes. You will always have her eyes, a memory of the love she had for the world. You could always tell who she loved by how her eyes looked. You have her eyes and her love for the world," he said.
He adjusted Harry in his arms so he could place him safely into Lily's. James moved her arms so that they were coiled around her son. He saw her arms tighten slightly around Harry as she felt him being placed in her arms.
James gently tried to shake Lily awake so she could see her son. She stirred slightly, but did not awaken. Her breathing was starting to return to normal, or at least it seemed it was. He found himself suddenly exhausted, but he knew he couldn't fall asleep. What if Lily needed him?
His eyes wandered to the window that was in the room. He walked over to it and tried the lock, not expecting anything to happen. It moved easily and unlocked. James was afraid to open the window. There was something wrong with it. He drew in a breath and opened the window, clenching his eyes shut. Nothing happened. Maybe it was sensitive to touch. He grabbed one of the sharp objects on the floor and tossed it out of the window.
Bad idea.
The sharp object came hurtling back into the room, puncturing the wall on the opposite side of the room. At least he used his common sense and hadn't stepped out of the window. But, he was still stuck here with his son and dying wife.
He heard Lily let out a gasp. James whirled around and saw that her eyes were open and looking at Harry. Tears were running down her face as her hands touched his face lovingly. "Is this our son James?" she asked, barely over a whisper.
James nodded as he rushed to her side. Lily cried even harder. "What's wrong?" he asked as he stroked her hair.
"It's a shame that someone so beautiful will have to grow up without a mother to care for him," she sobbed as she touched his face.
James shook his head. "You'll be fine Lily," he said.
"Don't you lie to me James Potter! You know that I am going to die, you know it," she cried angrily looking at him.
"No you're not Lily, you are going to be perfectly fine," he assured her.
"Then why do I feel like shit? Don't lie to me James!" she screamed.
"We are all going to be fine," said James.
"Then why aren't we? I can't breath, this room is torn apart, Harry is going to grow up without a mother, and you are going to die without a wife," she sobbed.
James shook his head again. "We'll get out of here," he said.
Lily closed her eyes. "She told me you know," she said.
James stared at her. "Who told you what?" he asked.
"Liza. She told me that I was going to die. She told me that she wouldn't let us out of this room," Lily said.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me before?" James yelled.
Lily wiped the tears from her eyes. "She threatened me James," she said.
"With what?" he asked her.
"She said that if I told you she would make me watch you and Harry die. She said that she would make me kill you both and then she would set me free," Lily cried, avoiding James' eyes.
"Do you still have your wand, by any chance?" James asked her.
Lily shook her head and pointed to the floor by her bed. "She snapped it in half and threw it down there," she said.
James picked up the two pieces along with a role of spell-o-tape. "James, it won't work, she took part of it with her. She made escaping from here impossible. Why can't you accept that?" Lily asked.
"You mean you want me to do nothing and let us all die?" he asked.
"No, but there is nothing to do, nothing can get us out of here," Lily sobbed.
"Where is our hope? What happened to holding on until the end? What happened to trying everything before giving up?" he screamed.
Lily cried harder. "I don't know James! I just want to go home and watch Harry go to Hogwarts and feel your lips against mine again!" she screamed.
James threw himself at the door to the room again. The glass broke and repaired itself again. He stood up and rubbed his shoulder as he kicked over a filing cabinet. Harry started to cry from all of the noise his father was creating. "James, what are you trying to do?" Lily screamed.
"I don't know!" James replied as he continued to destroy the room with angry tears rolling down his face. "All I know is I love you and want to save you from this...this...freakish place that we are in!"
Lily's sobbing echoed throughout the room as James sat on the floor with his head in his hands. "James, get up here!" she yelled from her bed.
James looked at her helplessly and pulled himself off of the ground. He dragged his feet over to her bed and flopped down on it. "I'm so tired," he moaned into the pillow.
Lily drew in a shaky breath and began to sing.
"Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is fallen
You have come to journey's end
Sleep now
Dream-of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore
Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again
And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the west..."
Lily saw James fall off into a deep sleep. She placed Harry between them and kissed his forehead lovingly as he slept. She scooted down on her pillows and looked up at the spotted ceiling. She sang to herself:
"Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping"
She closed her eyes and let her exhaustion consume her.
The door quietly squeaked open and a tall slender shadow was cast in the room.
"Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home," the man standing in the doorway sang as he stepped further into the room. "It is time for you all to come home," the man smiled as he tucked his long white beard into his belt before grabbing his wand.
A/N- No idea how many chapters are left, but hopefully I will be able to take this whole story when I finally finish and condense it into half the amount of chapters. As I said, this fic will start to move really fast. Leave me a review!!
Song was 'Into the West' from Lord of the Rings Return of the King.