A/ N: Here you are, one more chapter for your enjoyment. I hope your
tears have dried from the previous chapter and are ready now to read this
one. I think there are three of four more chapters and the Seventh Year is
done, don't worry, the story doesn't end there, you will see these
character for much longer, I expect this story to be quite long.
Disclaimer: See previous pages, I don't want to write it anymore.
Chapter 17 ~ Road to Recovery
Lily sadly looked around the room. She was bored and lonely. She knew that her friends were in class and wouldn't come to see her until much later, but she didn't even have a book to keep herself entertained.
She wondered what James was doing, why hadn't he come to see her? She asked herself. Maybe he really didn't care for her. She had hoped that she had been mistaken and that James was really telling the truth and cared for her. But she had been awake in the infirmary for three whole days and he still hadn't made his appearance.
She didn't want to ask the others about him. She didn't want to look as if she was desperate for his presence. But she had noticed that the others didn't mention him either. Has he taken up with Jezebel? Are they a couple now? Is that why the others don't say anything about him?
Lily hated being bedridden. Not being able to move around, go to class, take care of her duties. Know what was going on.
She wanted to be among the midst of things. She what was happening around the school. See James.
She eagerly looked toward the door when she heard it open. She felt disappointment when she saw Dumbledore enter the room. But smiled at the kindly Headmaster.
"Hello Miss Evans, feeling better I hope." He said with a smile.
"Much better thank you." She responded. "Good. Your parents have been informed. The train has been dispatched to London, an agent from the Ministry will meet them at King Cross Station and perform a temporary charm to allow them to cross the barrier. They should be here by the end of the day."
"Thank you. Have you told them yet? That I can't walk." She hesitantly asked.
"They know. But not the details of your accident, if you want to disclose it to them it is your choice."
Lily quietly nodded.
"You better rest, students will be out of class in an hour and your friends will soon be here."
Lily smiled and watched as Dumbledore walked out of the room. Will James come this time?
An hour later Lily smiled as she saw the group of five marching into the room.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Emma as she sat on the bed next to Lily.
"Much better. My parents are arriving this evening."
"Oh jolly good, how are they getting here?" Peter wanted to know. He stood at the foot of the bed looking at the nice arrangement of lilies and ferns, it had a note attached to it with a 'Get well soon' but it didn't have a name.
"Hogwarts Express." Replied Lily.
"How are they getting through the barrier?" Asked Remus in confusion.
"A Ministry agent will perform a charm to let them cross it."
"Hmmm.I didn't know that could be done." Exclaimed Sirius.
"Neither could I but it seems that they can do so." Said Lily.
"Well I got to tell James about this he might know, his father works in the Ministry after all." Said Sirius.
An awkward silence followed this comment. The others turned to glare at him and Lily looked at him with surprise. Sirius cleared his throat and continued as if nothing had happened.
"Do you know if Dumbledore will give them special rooms, I expect he will. Maybe they will move you to their quarters as well."
"Where is he?" Lily silently asked.
The group turned startled looks on each other. What could they tell her?
"We don't know, Dumbledore spoke to him this morning and he hasn't turned up to class or lunch." Said Remus.
"Why hasn't he been here?"
"Don't you know?" Asked Sirius. Lily shook her head.
"Lily, he was told not to come, that it would agitate you and they couldn't risk further damage." Said Katie.
"He has an invisibility cloak, he could've sneaked in." Lily said.
"Maybe he hasn't thought about it, he has been too quiet lately." Mused Emma.
"Maybe he has done so, and we haven't noticed. He would be invisible after all." Said Sirius.
Lily shrugged. "If he hasn't come yet and tried to talk to me then he obviously doesn't care. Let's talk about something else."
The others looked at each other, a silent message passing among them. They will give James a good talking to this evening.
They talked for a while until they noticed Lily falling asleep, they quickly said goodbye and left her get some rest.
"We really need to talk to James, he needs to come and see her." Exclaimed Katie.
"I wonder what happened this morning. It's not like him to miss a whole day of lessons." Said Remus in a worried tone.
"We'll find out soon enough. Let's go to the Tower, see if he is there." Said Sirius.
After two hours of looking all over the castle and not finding him they slowly marched into the Great Hall.
"Where could he possibly be?" Asked Peter in exasperation.
"He has to be here for dinner, there is no way he could keep going without food." Said Sirius.
The Hall quickly filled with students looking for dinner. When everybody was sitting Dumbledore stood up and waited for the Hall to fall silent and turned to listen to him. The Gryffindors quickly noticed that James wasn't present.
"Thank you." Dumbledore said as the Hall finally quieted. "As some of you have noticed one of our students is not among us this evening. James Potter received distressing news this morning. Last night his father attended a party with his daughter and her husband. There was an attack and everybody present was killed. James has gone home to settle his father's estate. Let's all pray for those who were lost and hope that his family gets through this dark times. If you want to write to him, you are encouraged to do so. Now, because of special circumstances, we find ourselves with no Head Students. New Head Students will be chosen and I will name them tomorrow morning. Now, bon appetite."
Students sat in shock after the news that they just received. Especially a small group at the end of the Gryffindor Table.
The Gryffindor Table was quite subdued the next morning. Now two of their members were gone and nobody knew if they would ever be back.
Several owls were sent that morning to an estate in Sussex with letters and flowers. Owls also arrived with the Daily Prophet and students eagerly read the news of the tragic event.
Terror at the Ministry of Italy
Last Sunday was the annual Ministry Convention hosted this year by the Italian Ministry of Magic. 16,000 representatives of Ministries around the world were present along with our own representative Aliaster Potter, advisor to Britain's Minister of Magic, who was accompanied by his daughter Lady Elizabeth Perioni and her husband Count Giovanni Perioni. The gala started with a sumptuous dinner followed by a dance. It was during the second dance of the evening when the unexpected happen.
A cloaked group of wizards apparated in the middle of the ball room wands in hand. It was too late for the enforcement unit, they were the first to be killed. It was a matter of minutes until all those present were killed.
According to Ministry reports, all the exits of the building had been blocked by a spell. The guests were trapped with no way to turn.
The Italian Ministry has been crippled, not only did it lost it's enforcement unit but 100 members, including the Minister himself. Ministries from all over the world have sent their own enforcement units to help in the investigation. Our own Mr. Bartamus Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, will travel to Italy early next Wednesday to lead his group of Aurors.
It is believed that the attack was headed by the new menace, Lord Voldemort. The familiar mark signaling his attacks floated above the ruined building.
The article was read by all the students. Including the closed knit group sitting at one end of the table.
"Poor James. Do you think he will return?" Asked Katie with tears sliding down her face.
"I don't know. He needs to take care of things at home, I imagine his mother will be devastated but maybe the presence of the twins she will feel better." Said Remus in a monotonous tone.
"Do you think we should tell Lily." Asked Emma with a worried expression.
"I don't know if it would be a good idea. She is depressed now, I don't think these news would do her any good." Said Peter.
"But she would like to know." Urged Katie.
"Maybe we should discuss it with Professor Dumbledore. Lily will leave Hogwarts soon as well to get treatment and she won't be exposed to news of the magical world." Replied Sirius.
"But the muggles must have noticed. A building doesn't collapse on it's own." Exclaimed Emma.
"Father wrote that the muggles were made to believe that an undetected leak in the gas was the culprit." Said Remus.
"How can that create such devastation?" Asked Katie.
"Don't ask me, I don't know anything about muggle gas." Remus retorted.
"We are getting agitated, let's settle down and think of what we can do to help James and Lily. Both need us right now." Said Emma.
"Sorry." The group replied.
As students stumbled out of the Hall walking toward their respective classes, a small group met around a bed in the hospital wing.
"Hello Daddy." Said Lily as she opened her eyes to find her father leaning over her.
"Hello Princess." He said with a choked voice.
"Where is mum?"
"I'm here Hun. How are you feeling?" A voice said from the foot of the bed.
Lily turned her head and smiled when she saw her mother standing by her father.
"Much better."
"That's good. You must rest now. We will be with Dumbledore. Yell if you need us." Said Mr. Evans after he kissed Lily's forehead.
Lily nodded and turned to kiss her mother's cheek when she approached the bed.
Lily was soon asleep and the Evans were led to a small office at one end of the infirmary.
"Come in Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans." Said a gray haired man with long beard from behind a large desk. Mr. Evans and Mrs. Evans reluctantly entered the room and took two seats in front of the old man. Who was he they asked themselves.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts." The old man said with a kind smile.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you sir, our daughter speaks highly of you." Said Mr. Evans as he shook Dumbledore's hand.
"I'm pleased to finally meet you as well, it has been a pleasure having your daughter here with us." Said Dumbledore.
"She has enjoyed her time here." Mrs. Evans replied.
"We are very sorry for what has happened to Lily. But her circumstances are quite special." Said Dumbledore.
"What did happen?" Mr. Evans asked.
"The details of the accident are unknown to us. We have not asked Lily for fear that it would agitate her and further damage is done."
The Evans nodded their understanding. Dumbledore continued.
"What we do know is that Lily fell from the stairs causing some damage to her spinal cord. Bruises and bleeding was quickly repaired but we are afraid that magic cannot help with the damaged caused. According to Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse, damage to the muscle caused some indentation to the bones surrounding the cord. The brain cannot receive the impulses her nervous system sends. We thought that muggle technology could be more helpful to her than magic can. Magic can only relieve some of the swelling but not all without causing further damage. We could try St. Mungos magical Hospital in London, their healing charms are more advanced than those available here and some are still in experimental basis but I thought that you should make that decision."
"Would this magical hospital be able to help her?" Asked Mrs. Evans.
"I'm not sure, they would need to do further exams and review with the board on the different ways to help her. You can try a muggle hospital if you feel more comfortable. As I said, it is your decision."
"How long do we have to make this decision?" Mr. Evans queried.
"You can take your time, but I think that Lily wouldn't like to stay in bed much longer." Said Dumbledore.
"You are right, she wouldn't." Smiled Mr. Evans. "We will think on it, we shall give you our decision by tomorrow."
Dumbledore nodded and watched as the couple returned to the infirmary to join their daughter.
The Evans spent the whole day in the infirmary. They were joined later that evening by Sirius and the others.
"How have you young people been?" Asked Mr. Evans after all the greetings were over.
"Oh, we've been better." Said Katie with a sad smile.
"Where is James? I haven't seen him since I got here." Said Mr. Evans with a wary look.
The others turned to look nervously at each other. Lily quickly responded.
"He has to take care of some things Daddy."
"Hmph, fine thing to do. He should be here with you." He snorted.
"Well, he isn't in the school Mr. Evans, he had to go home for a while." Said Peter cowering behind Sirius. Mr. Evans really scared him.
"What has he done to be sent home?" Asked Mr. Evans with a lift of his eyebrows.
"Especial circumstances." Said Sirius.
"Oh really?"
The young people nodded. They turned to look at Lily who was looking at them with worry and confusion. The girls quickly sat on the bed and started gossiping about everything that had happened in school that day while the boys quietly motioned the Evans to follow them out of the room.
The Evans were intrigued, what had happened?
The corridor was empty and silent. There were benches lined up against the wall. Remus motioned the Evans to sit, as soon as they had done so, the boys sat.
"I'm sorry we couldn't give you any details, but Lily doesn't know you see, and we don't think it would do her any good to worry." Said Remus.
"What is wrong? What is it that Lily doesn't know?" Asked Mrs. Evans.
"James' dad and sister were killed two nights ago. He was sent home to take care of his father's estate." Said Sirius.
"Oh no! Poor Susan." Gasped Mrs. Evans.
Mr. Evans frowned. "Do you know how it happened?"
The boys nodded. Sirius continued.
"There was a Convention for the Ministry in Italy. Mr. Potter was sent as the representative for the Minister. Elizabeth and her husband live in Italy so they went along with him to the party. There was an attack and everybody was killed. James received the news from his mother yesterday morning. By the time we were done with classes he was already gone. We didn't find out until Dumbledore told us before dinner."
"Oh dear! Do you think we should tell Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked turning to her husband.
"The boys are right. We cannot tell her, she will get agitated and we cannot risk further damage. We are going to have to keep her in the dark. At least until we know for sure what will happen to her. There is nothing that she can do now. Susan will take care of her family, she is a strong woman." Replied Mr. Evans.
"Oh and to think that we saw Aliaster just four days ago. He was so excited that he would see his daughter." Sighed Mrs. Evans. Silent tears started to fall from her eyes.
"He was a great man." Said Mr. Evans putting his arms around his wife, trying to comfort her.
Inside the room, Lily let her friends talk, but a thousand questions invaded her mind. What had happened? Why did James go home? Why did her friends trying to prevent her from knowing?
Emma was in the midst of her tale about an explosion during Potions class in which several Slytherins ended up falling asleep when Lily decided that it was enough. She wanted to know what had happened to James.
"Where is James?" She blurted out.
Katie and Emma looked at her with surprise. Then a mask seemed to settle on their faces, closing their feelings to her.
"Oh, you heard Peter, he had to go home for a while." Said Katie with a wave of the hand.
"Why?" Lily asked.
"Why?" The girls asked.
"Yes, why? Did he do something to get himself sent home?"
"Oh no, he has been quite saintly, quite boring really." Said Emma.
"Then why?"
The girls looked at each other, finally Emma shrugged and Katie responded.
"Family trouble."
"What kind of family trouble?"
"Oh you know, the usual kind of trouble family gives you."
"What happened?"
"One of the member of his family fell sick and they fear for his life." Emma blurted out. It was the best excuse she could come out with that would satisfy Lily.
"Which one?"
"Which one what?"
"Which family member got sick. Honestly you two don't seem to be paying attention." Lily snapped.
"Well, we don't know. He received an owl during breakfast and Dumbledore wanted to see him and by the time we were out of class he was already gone." Said Emma.
"Hmmm.are you sure you aren't trying to give him an excuse for not coming to see me?"
"We swear. He is really gone home. We don't know if he will return at all. The Professors are sending him lessons and the assignments. He will have to finish the year doing home study." Said Katie.
"Poor James. It must have been somebody very close to him to be sent home." Said Lily.
"Yes, somebody very close." Replied Emma.
Lily closed her eyes while Katie and Emma looked at each other with a sigh of relief. They had to make sure they told the boys what they had said so that Lily wouldn't get suspicious.
Some minutes later they heard the door open. Lily had fallen asleep, the potion Madam Pomfrey was giving her to repair muscle damage made her sleepy.
The girls quietly tiptoed to the group coming into the room and motioned them to keep silent. Among hurried whispers they told the others what had happened while they had been gone.
Lily slept peacefully without knowing that she had been lied to. And without the knowledge that in a large estate in the country, a young man was looking across a lake thinking of her.
The Evans had decided to give St. Mungos a try. If magic medicine could not help Lily, then they planned to look for the best specialist in the field among muggle London. Thus it was that one week after Hogwarts Express took James to London and brought back the Evans, it was now returning to London with Lily and her parents.
Unlike the scene a week ago in which only Professor McGonagall had stood on the platform waving James goodbye, now a small group of students waved and waited until the train was out of sight.
Lily settled back on the seat. Her legs were covered with warm blankets as she peered out the window looking at the scenery. The witch that always served the candy was attentively bringing refreshments for Lily and her parents.
"This is a nice train. Seems a bit odd though." Said Mr. Evans.
"How so?" Asked Mrs. Evans. Lily turned to listen to their conversation.
"Well I expected something different. I don't know flying carpets maybe, the horseless carriages seem more like it."
Lily laughed. "That would be scary wouldn't it daddy. Imagine looking out your window and watching hundreds of horseless carriages passing in front of the house."
"Yes I can see what you mean." Said Mr. Evans with a smile. He had missed his Princess' smile. "What about those flying carpets then?"
"They are against the law Daddy. Muggle objects cannot be tampered with magic. Just in case they fall into muggle hands you understand."
"Yes, I see. Boy, magic is not as easy as I thought." Said Mr. Evans.
"No it isn't."
The train continued on its way. Lily fell asleep, soothed by the rhythmic movement of the train.
The Evans kept guard on their daughter for the whole ride. Why did it have to be their Lily who had to go through this calamity? They were also planning to send a note to Susan Potter.
"Poor Susan. How do you think she is doing?" Mrs. Evans asked as the train swiftly entered into London.
"She is doing fine. She has her son with her now. They will get strength from each other." Replied her husband putting her arms around her.
"When do you think we should tell Lily about it?"
"As soon as she has gotten through this. She has enough to worry about, she doesn't need further worries. You will see, soon enough she will be running and dancing, just as she used to do."
"Oh I hope so."
"Don't worry, our daughter is strong."
They watched the city pass by the window in each other's arms. They would get the best that money could buy for their daughter and she will walk again. It was a promise they meant to keep.
Disclaimer: See previous pages, I don't want to write it anymore.
Chapter 17 ~ Road to Recovery
Lily sadly looked around the room. She was bored and lonely. She knew that her friends were in class and wouldn't come to see her until much later, but she didn't even have a book to keep herself entertained.
She wondered what James was doing, why hadn't he come to see her? She asked herself. Maybe he really didn't care for her. She had hoped that she had been mistaken and that James was really telling the truth and cared for her. But she had been awake in the infirmary for three whole days and he still hadn't made his appearance.
She didn't want to ask the others about him. She didn't want to look as if she was desperate for his presence. But she had noticed that the others didn't mention him either. Has he taken up with Jezebel? Are they a couple now? Is that why the others don't say anything about him?
Lily hated being bedridden. Not being able to move around, go to class, take care of her duties. Know what was going on.
She wanted to be among the midst of things. She what was happening around the school. See James.
She eagerly looked toward the door when she heard it open. She felt disappointment when she saw Dumbledore enter the room. But smiled at the kindly Headmaster.
"Hello Miss Evans, feeling better I hope." He said with a smile.
"Much better thank you." She responded. "Good. Your parents have been informed. The train has been dispatched to London, an agent from the Ministry will meet them at King Cross Station and perform a temporary charm to allow them to cross the barrier. They should be here by the end of the day."
"Thank you. Have you told them yet? That I can't walk." She hesitantly asked.
"They know. But not the details of your accident, if you want to disclose it to them it is your choice."
Lily quietly nodded.
"You better rest, students will be out of class in an hour and your friends will soon be here."
Lily smiled and watched as Dumbledore walked out of the room. Will James come this time?
An hour later Lily smiled as she saw the group of five marching into the room.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Emma as she sat on the bed next to Lily.
"Much better. My parents are arriving this evening."
"Oh jolly good, how are they getting here?" Peter wanted to know. He stood at the foot of the bed looking at the nice arrangement of lilies and ferns, it had a note attached to it with a 'Get well soon' but it didn't have a name.
"Hogwarts Express." Replied Lily.
"How are they getting through the barrier?" Asked Remus in confusion.
"A Ministry agent will perform a charm to let them cross it."
"Hmmm.I didn't know that could be done." Exclaimed Sirius.
"Neither could I but it seems that they can do so." Said Lily.
"Well I got to tell James about this he might know, his father works in the Ministry after all." Said Sirius.
An awkward silence followed this comment. The others turned to glare at him and Lily looked at him with surprise. Sirius cleared his throat and continued as if nothing had happened.
"Do you know if Dumbledore will give them special rooms, I expect he will. Maybe they will move you to their quarters as well."
"Where is he?" Lily silently asked.
The group turned startled looks on each other. What could they tell her?
"We don't know, Dumbledore spoke to him this morning and he hasn't turned up to class or lunch." Said Remus.
"Why hasn't he been here?"
"Don't you know?" Asked Sirius. Lily shook her head.
"Lily, he was told not to come, that it would agitate you and they couldn't risk further damage." Said Katie.
"He has an invisibility cloak, he could've sneaked in." Lily said.
"Maybe he hasn't thought about it, he has been too quiet lately." Mused Emma.
"Maybe he has done so, and we haven't noticed. He would be invisible after all." Said Sirius.
Lily shrugged. "If he hasn't come yet and tried to talk to me then he obviously doesn't care. Let's talk about something else."
The others looked at each other, a silent message passing among them. They will give James a good talking to this evening.
They talked for a while until they noticed Lily falling asleep, they quickly said goodbye and left her get some rest.
"We really need to talk to James, he needs to come and see her." Exclaimed Katie.
"I wonder what happened this morning. It's not like him to miss a whole day of lessons." Said Remus in a worried tone.
"We'll find out soon enough. Let's go to the Tower, see if he is there." Said Sirius.
After two hours of looking all over the castle and not finding him they slowly marched into the Great Hall.
"Where could he possibly be?" Asked Peter in exasperation.
"He has to be here for dinner, there is no way he could keep going without food." Said Sirius.
The Hall quickly filled with students looking for dinner. When everybody was sitting Dumbledore stood up and waited for the Hall to fall silent and turned to listen to him. The Gryffindors quickly noticed that James wasn't present.
"Thank you." Dumbledore said as the Hall finally quieted. "As some of you have noticed one of our students is not among us this evening. James Potter received distressing news this morning. Last night his father attended a party with his daughter and her husband. There was an attack and everybody present was killed. James has gone home to settle his father's estate. Let's all pray for those who were lost and hope that his family gets through this dark times. If you want to write to him, you are encouraged to do so. Now, because of special circumstances, we find ourselves with no Head Students. New Head Students will be chosen and I will name them tomorrow morning. Now, bon appetite."
Students sat in shock after the news that they just received. Especially a small group at the end of the Gryffindor Table.
The Gryffindor Table was quite subdued the next morning. Now two of their members were gone and nobody knew if they would ever be back.
Several owls were sent that morning to an estate in Sussex with letters and flowers. Owls also arrived with the Daily Prophet and students eagerly read the news of the tragic event.
Terror at the Ministry of Italy
Last Sunday was the annual Ministry Convention hosted this year by the Italian Ministry of Magic. 16,000 representatives of Ministries around the world were present along with our own representative Aliaster Potter, advisor to Britain's Minister of Magic, who was accompanied by his daughter Lady Elizabeth Perioni and her husband Count Giovanni Perioni. The gala started with a sumptuous dinner followed by a dance. It was during the second dance of the evening when the unexpected happen.
A cloaked group of wizards apparated in the middle of the ball room wands in hand. It was too late for the enforcement unit, they were the first to be killed. It was a matter of minutes until all those present were killed.
According to Ministry reports, all the exits of the building had been blocked by a spell. The guests were trapped with no way to turn.
The Italian Ministry has been crippled, not only did it lost it's enforcement unit but 100 members, including the Minister himself. Ministries from all over the world have sent their own enforcement units to help in the investigation. Our own Mr. Bartamus Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, will travel to Italy early next Wednesday to lead his group of Aurors.
It is believed that the attack was headed by the new menace, Lord Voldemort. The familiar mark signaling his attacks floated above the ruined building.
The article was read by all the students. Including the closed knit group sitting at one end of the table.
"Poor James. Do you think he will return?" Asked Katie with tears sliding down her face.
"I don't know. He needs to take care of things at home, I imagine his mother will be devastated but maybe the presence of the twins she will feel better." Said Remus in a monotonous tone.
"Do you think we should tell Lily." Asked Emma with a worried expression.
"I don't know if it would be a good idea. She is depressed now, I don't think these news would do her any good." Said Peter.
"But she would like to know." Urged Katie.
"Maybe we should discuss it with Professor Dumbledore. Lily will leave Hogwarts soon as well to get treatment and she won't be exposed to news of the magical world." Replied Sirius.
"But the muggles must have noticed. A building doesn't collapse on it's own." Exclaimed Emma.
"Father wrote that the muggles were made to believe that an undetected leak in the gas was the culprit." Said Remus.
"How can that create such devastation?" Asked Katie.
"Don't ask me, I don't know anything about muggle gas." Remus retorted.
"We are getting agitated, let's settle down and think of what we can do to help James and Lily. Both need us right now." Said Emma.
"Sorry." The group replied.
As students stumbled out of the Hall walking toward their respective classes, a small group met around a bed in the hospital wing.
"Hello Daddy." Said Lily as she opened her eyes to find her father leaning over her.
"Hello Princess." He said with a choked voice.
"Where is mum?"
"I'm here Hun. How are you feeling?" A voice said from the foot of the bed.
Lily turned her head and smiled when she saw her mother standing by her father.
"Much better."
"That's good. You must rest now. We will be with Dumbledore. Yell if you need us." Said Mr. Evans after he kissed Lily's forehead.
Lily nodded and turned to kiss her mother's cheek when she approached the bed.
Lily was soon asleep and the Evans were led to a small office at one end of the infirmary.
"Come in Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans." Said a gray haired man with long beard from behind a large desk. Mr. Evans and Mrs. Evans reluctantly entered the room and took two seats in front of the old man. Who was he they asked themselves.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts." The old man said with a kind smile.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you sir, our daughter speaks highly of you." Said Mr. Evans as he shook Dumbledore's hand.
"I'm pleased to finally meet you as well, it has been a pleasure having your daughter here with us." Said Dumbledore.
"She has enjoyed her time here." Mrs. Evans replied.
"We are very sorry for what has happened to Lily. But her circumstances are quite special." Said Dumbledore.
"What did happen?" Mr. Evans asked.
"The details of the accident are unknown to us. We have not asked Lily for fear that it would agitate her and further damage is done."
The Evans nodded their understanding. Dumbledore continued.
"What we do know is that Lily fell from the stairs causing some damage to her spinal cord. Bruises and bleeding was quickly repaired but we are afraid that magic cannot help with the damaged caused. According to Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse, damage to the muscle caused some indentation to the bones surrounding the cord. The brain cannot receive the impulses her nervous system sends. We thought that muggle technology could be more helpful to her than magic can. Magic can only relieve some of the swelling but not all without causing further damage. We could try St. Mungos magical Hospital in London, their healing charms are more advanced than those available here and some are still in experimental basis but I thought that you should make that decision."
"Would this magical hospital be able to help her?" Asked Mrs. Evans.
"I'm not sure, they would need to do further exams and review with the board on the different ways to help her. You can try a muggle hospital if you feel more comfortable. As I said, it is your decision."
"How long do we have to make this decision?" Mr. Evans queried.
"You can take your time, but I think that Lily wouldn't like to stay in bed much longer." Said Dumbledore.
"You are right, she wouldn't." Smiled Mr. Evans. "We will think on it, we shall give you our decision by tomorrow."
Dumbledore nodded and watched as the couple returned to the infirmary to join their daughter.
The Evans spent the whole day in the infirmary. They were joined later that evening by Sirius and the others.
"How have you young people been?" Asked Mr. Evans after all the greetings were over.
"Oh, we've been better." Said Katie with a sad smile.
"Where is James? I haven't seen him since I got here." Said Mr. Evans with a wary look.
The others turned to look nervously at each other. Lily quickly responded.
"He has to take care of some things Daddy."
"Hmph, fine thing to do. He should be here with you." He snorted.
"Well, he isn't in the school Mr. Evans, he had to go home for a while." Said Peter cowering behind Sirius. Mr. Evans really scared him.
"What has he done to be sent home?" Asked Mr. Evans with a lift of his eyebrows.
"Especial circumstances." Said Sirius.
"Oh really?"
The young people nodded. They turned to look at Lily who was looking at them with worry and confusion. The girls quickly sat on the bed and started gossiping about everything that had happened in school that day while the boys quietly motioned the Evans to follow them out of the room.
The Evans were intrigued, what had happened?
The corridor was empty and silent. There were benches lined up against the wall. Remus motioned the Evans to sit, as soon as they had done so, the boys sat.
"I'm sorry we couldn't give you any details, but Lily doesn't know you see, and we don't think it would do her any good to worry." Said Remus.
"What is wrong? What is it that Lily doesn't know?" Asked Mrs. Evans.
"James' dad and sister were killed two nights ago. He was sent home to take care of his father's estate." Said Sirius.
"Oh no! Poor Susan." Gasped Mrs. Evans.
Mr. Evans frowned. "Do you know how it happened?"
The boys nodded. Sirius continued.
"There was a Convention for the Ministry in Italy. Mr. Potter was sent as the representative for the Minister. Elizabeth and her husband live in Italy so they went along with him to the party. There was an attack and everybody was killed. James received the news from his mother yesterday morning. By the time we were done with classes he was already gone. We didn't find out until Dumbledore told us before dinner."
"Oh dear! Do you think we should tell Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked turning to her husband.
"The boys are right. We cannot tell her, she will get agitated and we cannot risk further damage. We are going to have to keep her in the dark. At least until we know for sure what will happen to her. There is nothing that she can do now. Susan will take care of her family, she is a strong woman." Replied Mr. Evans.
"Oh and to think that we saw Aliaster just four days ago. He was so excited that he would see his daughter." Sighed Mrs. Evans. Silent tears started to fall from her eyes.
"He was a great man." Said Mr. Evans putting his arms around his wife, trying to comfort her.
Inside the room, Lily let her friends talk, but a thousand questions invaded her mind. What had happened? Why did James go home? Why did her friends trying to prevent her from knowing?
Emma was in the midst of her tale about an explosion during Potions class in which several Slytherins ended up falling asleep when Lily decided that it was enough. She wanted to know what had happened to James.
"Where is James?" She blurted out.
Katie and Emma looked at her with surprise. Then a mask seemed to settle on their faces, closing their feelings to her.
"Oh, you heard Peter, he had to go home for a while." Said Katie with a wave of the hand.
"Why?" Lily asked.
"Why?" The girls asked.
"Yes, why? Did he do something to get himself sent home?"
"Oh no, he has been quite saintly, quite boring really." Said Emma.
"Then why?"
The girls looked at each other, finally Emma shrugged and Katie responded.
"Family trouble."
"What kind of family trouble?"
"Oh you know, the usual kind of trouble family gives you."
"What happened?"
"One of the member of his family fell sick and they fear for his life." Emma blurted out. It was the best excuse she could come out with that would satisfy Lily.
"Which one?"
"Which one what?"
"Which family member got sick. Honestly you two don't seem to be paying attention." Lily snapped.
"Well, we don't know. He received an owl during breakfast and Dumbledore wanted to see him and by the time we were out of class he was already gone." Said Emma.
"Hmmm.are you sure you aren't trying to give him an excuse for not coming to see me?"
"We swear. He is really gone home. We don't know if he will return at all. The Professors are sending him lessons and the assignments. He will have to finish the year doing home study." Said Katie.
"Poor James. It must have been somebody very close to him to be sent home." Said Lily.
"Yes, somebody very close." Replied Emma.
Lily closed her eyes while Katie and Emma looked at each other with a sigh of relief. They had to make sure they told the boys what they had said so that Lily wouldn't get suspicious.
Some minutes later they heard the door open. Lily had fallen asleep, the potion Madam Pomfrey was giving her to repair muscle damage made her sleepy.
The girls quietly tiptoed to the group coming into the room and motioned them to keep silent. Among hurried whispers they told the others what had happened while they had been gone.
Lily slept peacefully without knowing that she had been lied to. And without the knowledge that in a large estate in the country, a young man was looking across a lake thinking of her.
The Evans had decided to give St. Mungos a try. If magic medicine could not help Lily, then they planned to look for the best specialist in the field among muggle London. Thus it was that one week after Hogwarts Express took James to London and brought back the Evans, it was now returning to London with Lily and her parents.
Unlike the scene a week ago in which only Professor McGonagall had stood on the platform waving James goodbye, now a small group of students waved and waited until the train was out of sight.
Lily settled back on the seat. Her legs were covered with warm blankets as she peered out the window looking at the scenery. The witch that always served the candy was attentively bringing refreshments for Lily and her parents.
"This is a nice train. Seems a bit odd though." Said Mr. Evans.
"How so?" Asked Mrs. Evans. Lily turned to listen to their conversation.
"Well I expected something different. I don't know flying carpets maybe, the horseless carriages seem more like it."
Lily laughed. "That would be scary wouldn't it daddy. Imagine looking out your window and watching hundreds of horseless carriages passing in front of the house."
"Yes I can see what you mean." Said Mr. Evans with a smile. He had missed his Princess' smile. "What about those flying carpets then?"
"They are against the law Daddy. Muggle objects cannot be tampered with magic. Just in case they fall into muggle hands you understand."
"Yes, I see. Boy, magic is not as easy as I thought." Said Mr. Evans.
"No it isn't."
The train continued on its way. Lily fell asleep, soothed by the rhythmic movement of the train.
The Evans kept guard on their daughter for the whole ride. Why did it have to be their Lily who had to go through this calamity? They were also planning to send a note to Susan Potter.
"Poor Susan. How do you think she is doing?" Mrs. Evans asked as the train swiftly entered into London.
"She is doing fine. She has her son with her now. They will get strength from each other." Replied her husband putting her arms around her.
"When do you think we should tell Lily about it?"
"As soon as she has gotten through this. She has enough to worry about, she doesn't need further worries. You will see, soon enough she will be running and dancing, just as she used to do."
"Oh I hope so."
"Don't worry, our daughter is strong."
They watched the city pass by the window in each other's arms. They would get the best that money could buy for their daughter and she will walk again. It was a promise they meant to keep.