A/N: I am utterly surprised that absolutely no one is an Emerson fan. Kidding, he's hatable, and that's how I wanted him. lol. anyways, I thought I'd just go out right and say it, as nearly everyone that reviewed wanted to beat Emerson into a bloody pulp. He will not be tortured horribly by this event---yet. I promise it will come up later. Just be patient! Alright, that said. We have two lucky assholes to dedicate this chapter to. First, Jonathon, an asshole that reminds us that occasionally they come with endearing qualities. But even those get old, and turn them into super-assholes. Second, to Casey, who is a mean asshole that deserves painful torture akin to the kind Emerson deserves! Now that that's out of the way, please read, and as always, please review.

Chapter Seventeen: Unexpected Patients and Hospital Visits

The whiteness of the hospital wing always shocked James Potter, especially when he woke up in the bright early morning, the smell of antiseptic potion mixed with something James only ever smelled in the hospital wing.

He looked around the room, but found it dizzying and out of focus. He reached for his broken glasses and attempted to hold them up to his face so that he could have a look around the room.

A big, billowy white figure stood in front of him, surprising him into dropping what was left of his glasses.

"I suppose we'll need to mend those." stated Madam Rider as she picked up the fragments. "How are you feeling this morning, Mr. Potter?"

James rubbed his eyes in an attempt to see. "I feel alright, a little dizzy and groggy. But I feel okay."

"Nothing a little rest won't take care of then." She poured James a thick emerald potion. "Just take this, dear."

James scrunched his nose. "That's not anything that's going to make me fall asleep and never wake up, is it?"

Madam Rider gave James a stern look. "It is for the dizziness and grogginess you were speaking of, you've suffered a severe concussion, and I think it might help. Now after you've rested a while, I'll bring in the many tokens of concern sent by fans or friends, there was just too many to leave them all in here. And maybe by tomorrow your team and friends will be able to come and see you."

James smiled brightly and drank the potion, it dribbled down his throat slowly, and the thick substance made him gag. When he had finished, the nurse was gone, leaving him to the emptiness of his room.

"Now Ms. Evans, you've lost a lot of blood and suffered a traumatizing event. You need to just lie back and rest, and drink this."

Ms. Evans? Lily. James began to panic. Why was Lily just the curtain next to him? What traumatizing event had she suffered? He barely remembered why he was here, but he was pretty sure Quidditch brawls wouldn't involve Lily.

"How is James?" he heard her ask, in a tired, weak, sedated voice.

"Mr. Potter is recovering, as you should be."

"I'm suffering from a broken nose, James's head was broken. There's a difference in recovery. How is he? Is he awake yet?"

Perhaps due to just being frustrated with the situation, or perhaps in an effort to bring ease to Lily, Madam Rider pulled back the white curtain separating the two hospital cubicles.

"See for yourself. Now the two of you, no detailed conversation… you both need rest." with her words she walked away.

James and Lily could do nothing but stare at each other, Lily in surprise, James in wonder.

"How are you?" Lily asked, her lips trembling, and she was threatening to cry.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine, I've taken some horrible potions. Real wretched ones. My mother always says the more terrible they are usually means they work better, so I should be up and running in a few hours." James smiled and Lily let out a small laugh.

"I was so scared, and so sorry." whispered Lily. "Emerson just…beat your head in."

"So that's why I have a headache." replied James, rubbing his head. "Right charming boyfriend you have there."

Lily frowned. "Ex-boyfriend."

James could barely contain his utter happiness and excitement. Sure he was in the hospital and suffering from possible brain damage, but Lily was single and in the bed beside him!

"And, are you sad about that?" asked James uncertainly.

"No." she stated. "I broke it off with him shortly after I saw you…and I guess you can say he broke it off with me too." she attempted to laugh but only ended up clutching her nose in pain.

James jaw dropped. "He did that?" James could barely manage the words, anger was building up in him and the strong desire to hex Emerson into a million pieces was apparent.

Lily smiled slightly. "Well no one breaks up with Emerson Burton, according to him." Lily studied James for a second. "Don't be too furious James, and don't try to kill him either. I just want to forget him. I want to forget me and Emerson Burton ever happened."

Although inside he was burning, he remained cool like Lily had asked and he smiled. "Well you can try."

Lily smiled back at him and she turned to look at the ceiling. "James, I think that might have been the worst relationship I've ever been in."

"Well of course. He cheated on you and ended up being abusive." replied James.

"It's not that. Well it is. He did all that, we've broken up and still, I feel like I've lost nothing. I'm not too hurt that he cheated on me, although I'd like to know why. And I don't really think he meant to hit me, so I can't be terribly angry with him. I just don't like him as a person anymore, it's just his characteristics, so I'd just like to forget him. There was no love in our relationship."

They were quiet for a few minutes and a sudden tiredness swept over James.

"Bloody hell. Clara swore she wouldn't give me any sleeping potion. I hate this stuff." He smiled at Lily. "You might not be here when I wake up, so good night."

"I'll be here." Lily replied, but not until the potion had taken it's affect on James and he was completely passed out.

"Did you hear, Emerson Burton broke up with Lily Evans..."

"I heard she was a right prude."

"Boys like that should never go for those brainy chicks."

"Yeah, he broke up with her and then she ran into a wall and broke her nose due to shock."

As Ellie, Allison, and Lily made their way to the Great Hall for lunch the next day the typical casual gossip surrounded them. This time however, it was about Lily and made it all the more painful to hear.

"Now that last one we walked by the most ludicrous. Why the hell would you walk into a wall?" asked Ellie, shaking her head.

Lily just looked at the ground. It had been like this all morning, and she wasn't liking all the things that were flowing around, as the only part that seemed to be right about any of them was that she and Emerson had broken up and she had broken her nose.

"What I don't understand." started Allison as they walked to the Gryffindor Table. "Is how there was six of us not including Lily, and one of Emerson, and yet it's his lone version that gets spread around the entire school."

Ellie sighed. "Well he probably went and told everyone as soon as it happened. He wouldn't want bad rumors being spread about him, after all."

"He's a git." mumbled Lily as she took her seat.

"Who, Peter?" interrupted Sirius. Lily shot Sirius a glare and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Guess not." Sirius smiled annoyingly at her anyways. "Anyways I have some news that might brighten your day. That wench is going to let us all see James this afternoon, and he should be released tomorrow."

Lily smiled brightly. "That's excellent. He shouldn't be missing too many of his classes anyhow."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's the real reason you're excited about James coming back."

A slight blush formed at Lily's cheeks. "James and I are just friends. Friends. We probably always will be."

"Well you're probably right. You might need to add 'with benefits' to that though." retorted Sirius cheekily.

Lily flicked a carrot at Sirius. "Prat."

The group of Marauders, Lily, Ellie, Allison, and Jacob all swiftly moved from their last classes of the day and rushed to see James in the hospital wing.

A broad smiling James, who was propped up by some pillows, greeted them while reading a Quidditch supply magazine, he was surrounded by an array of sweets, gadgets, books, magazines, and flowers.

"Well Prongs has a few admirers." Sirius said as he rummaged through the piles of sweets.

James smiled. "Check out the cards, some of them are right funny."

Peter picked up a gigantic card that was full of pink and red hearts and opened it.

"To James Potter, I hope you feel better and don't worry, you're still the Quidditch star of my heart." Peter started to laugh as everyone else joined in.

"Jamsie, I thought you were the Quidditch star of my heart!" squealed Sirius in a shrill, girlish voice.

The others continued to giggle, but when they received a threatening look from Madam Rider they immediately quieted, still looking around with laughter in their eyes.

"So how are you doing?" asked Lily.

James looked up at her for a moment, looked her over with a quick glance and smiled. "I'm fine, how's your nose doing?"

"It's better, I think." she answered.

"That's good." replied James. A silence followed where each person was anticipating someone else to speak again.

"Who ended up winning the match?" asked James as he played with the hem of the hospital sheets.

The Gryffindors beamed brightly.

"We did, of course." said Remus. "We caught the Snitch five minutes after you were taken away."

James nodded. "How's my broom…I sort of fell off it, and it went flying."

"Well." started Sirius. "It needs some work, but nothing that Quidditch repair kit you have can't fix."

James sighed. "I lost it over the summer, guess I'll be going on a trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies tomorrow."

Remus shook his head. "There is no way you are…" He took a look at the puzzled expressions on Allison, Ellie, and Jacob's faces. "Professor McGonagall would never let you."

"Oh right. We have a Hogsmeade trip coming up this weekend though, don't we Lily?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "I posted the notes around the towers yesterday."

"Even Slytherin?" James asked, eyes brightly shining as he talked to Lily. When they had a conversation, he felt like she was the only person in the entire world and that only she could see him.

"Of course." smiled Lily. "Don't worry about anything, James. You just get better."

"Or what?" teased James.

She put on a stern, McGonagall-like face. "I'll report you to Dumbledore for abusing powers." Lily hadn't realized it, but all eyes except James's were staring at her in shock.

James laughed however, and Lily began to giggle, soon everyone else joined in, somewhat confused.

"Is that laughter I hear?" came Madam Rider's domineering voice. "You all need to leave Mr. Potter alone now, he needs his rest and he'll be back with all you trouble makers shortly."

The group looked at each other and shrugged.

"Guess we better be going." started Jacob. "See you around, Potter, don't strain yourself."

"Is anyone taking notes for me?" asked James. "I know Sirius probably is."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter before giving James a pat on the head. "Right mate, Remus and Lily have you covered."

"What about NEWT Astronomy, they aren't taking that." James replied. "You have that class with me."

"I still have no clue why you took that." wondered Remus aloud.

"Because of the constellation Sirius, of course." insisted Sirius.

"Not you. We know you're self-centered, I was wondering about Prongs." replied Remus with a smile.

"Like I said, the constellation Sirius." Sirius insisted again.

"I didn't have anything else to take." informed James. "You all better go, Rider keeps sticking her head in here, and I don't want her to give me a shot or anything." James laughed.

One by one they followed each other out, but to James's surprise Lily waited, telling the other to go ahead.

She approached his bed with an uneasy, yet gracious air.

"James, I just want to tell you again how sorry I am, I should have listened to you, I—I feel like this is all my fault." she burst into tears, shocking James. "This is all my fault and I am so sorry."

She looked away, peering out the window, biting her bottom lip, crying silent tears. She felt James softly touch her hand, he caressed the top of her hand with his thumb until she looked at him. Their eyes met and James smiled lightly.

"Lily, you cannot feel bad about this, I won't allow it. It isn't all your fault, Burton is an arse, you can't control that. You are so amazing, and gracious, and kind, and wonderful, you had nothing to do with how I ended up here. We are captains of Quidditch teams, you can't expect us to get along, and admittedly, you can't get us to get along seeing as we are both in love with the same girl." James paused, but remained looking into the depths of Lily's eyes. "Don't feel guilty, Lily, not in times like these. With all that's going on in the world, with Voldemort rising—little things like this are nothing."

He gave her his bright, reassuring smile and Lily could not help but smile—however faintly—back.

"Madam Rider is coming." whispered Lily, in a quiet voice. "I better go…get well James. I miss you."

James nodded. "Those gargoyles are pretty scary at night aren't they?"

Lily broke into a watery laugh and turned to leave, knowing that James knew she wasn't just talking about the frightening décor of the Heads Common room that always seemed a little less terrifying when with company.

Lily Evans 4 Life, Carbon Monoxide, iluvDuckies29, hpgirl7777, lilhottchik08, the-girl-named-kittie, Galasriniel, Snail-Sama, Prongs is mine, bananasluggand starlight1234: Thanks for reviewing and continue to read!

chikichiki: Thanks, I greatly appreciate my loyal fans:)

taiora-itis: well seeing as this is chapter 17, and it isn't Christmas yet…I'm expecting around 50 chapters. I plan to update more as I have more time. Maybe twice a day!