Chapter 10, The Funeral
"I'm so bloody tired I feel like I could sleep forever, what time is it?" Lily grumbled checking her clock that read 12:30 in bright red, then toppled over again letting last night's events float in her mind. She fell back asleep and didn't wake up until she was bouncing up and down on her bed.
"Petunia go away, I'm really tired," but Petunia continued to bounce. "Mom, Petunia is annoying me!" Lily shouted.
"Petunia, leave Lily alone! She went through a lot last night!" Mrs. Evans shouted back, Petunia jumped off the bed and walked out of the room scowling.
"The great blonde bucktoothed bimbo," Lily murmured under her breath turning over.
Lily couldn't get to sleep after that, she kept on turning and tossing, and every time she failed to sleep. She decided to go downstairs and get something to eat.
"Our little hero has shown herself at last," her father joked as she walked into the room. Lily gave a faint smile in return. "Are you up to going out tonight, you know to a restaurant to celebrate last night? You can wear pants too," her mother said, a smile playing on her lips.
"Okay."
"Good I'll go ask the Potters," her mother said running off to the nearest phone.
"Daddy, why are we going out to celebrate, what did Lily do?" asked Petunia from the corner of the couch.
"She saved many lives last night, while risking her own," her father said to Petunia.
"I didn't save Scarlet's," Lily said glumly peeling a clemintine.
"Yes, but she's in a better place now, is she not?" her father said, "That reminds me, Scarlet's mother said she wanted you to give the eulogy at her funeral, it's three days before you leave."
"Okay."
"The Potters are coming to our house at seven, seeing as how they can't get hold of a car. It's five now, c'mon everyone, upstairs," Mrs. Evans said pushing the girls up the staircase.
When Lily was sure her mother was in Petunia's room, she crept downstairs and started to watch the television. When she heard the doorbell ring she ran to answer it. The Potters were all standing there smiling, "Er… hi, I'm Lily Evans, come in," she was blushing a bit because she hadn't bothered to brush her hair and she was still in her pajamas. "I'll go and fetch my mum, make yourselves comfy," when she finished she ran up the stairs and threw on a pair of black pants and a white shirt. She combed her hair and came down in five minutes, still putting her hair into a pony on her way down.
"I don't think I ever met a girl who could get ready to go out in five minutes, and still look stunning."
"Well I don't know about the stunning part, I've always been a fast dresser, I can't help it," Lily clapped her hand to her head, "I've forgotten, Mum the Potter's are here!" Lily shouted.
"Lily how many times do I have to tell you, you do not yell, you come and get. Hello, I'm Violet Evans," she informed the Potters, "and this is my husband Steve, Steve," she couldn't spot her husband anywhere.
"Someone call," Lily father said coming into the room.
"Steve, where were you, the Potter's are here."
"Ah, then I assume you already met my daughter Lily, and this is Petunia," he said pointing to a blonde, bucktoothed girl.
"Pleasure," Mrs. Potter said holding out her hand. Lily and Petunia took it. Lily saw that her eyes were hazel as she shook her hand, and Mr. Potter looked exactly like James, but his eyes were blue.
"This is my son James Potter, I'm William, and my wife Pattiecha, and James's friend Sirius Black," Mr. Potter introduced.
"Lily I didn't know you lived next door!" James exclaimed running to her, Lily side stepped.
"What d'you mean, you continuously annoy me from your window, not to mention a few days ago when I kicked both you and Sirius in the shins," Lily gave a little snicker.
"Hey, wait mum how're we going to get there, I mean there are eight people to transport in one car?" asked Petunia.
"Mrs. Potter is going to charm the car to fit more people in it dear," her mother answered kindly.
"Shall we go?" asked Mr. Evans walking toward the door.
After Mrs. Potter charmed the car they all got in. There was so much room that you could fit at least five other people to the eight that they had. "Would you like the radio on, or-"
"Turn it on mum, it'll be better." Lily said from the back seat. Halfway through the first song something clicked in her mind. When it finished she asked, "Mum, do you have a piece of paper and a pen?"
"Yes, Lily, what for?" said her mother passing back the paper. Lily was the only one in the very back row. She started to scribble something really fast.
"The thingy- and the thingy- with the thingy," was her reply from her daughter.
"What?"
"The eulogy thingy magigy."
When they got there, Lily put down the paper and pen and got out. "Look it's snowing! You know I've never seen it snow so much in one Christmas season," Lily exclaimed dancing around in circles, with her face toward the sky.
"C'mon Lily let's get inside." Her mother said; Lily obeyed, but her face never left the sky until they were inside.
"Don't you just love the snow?" Lily asked dreamily. "It makes everything so clean and innocent, and pretty."
"Like you," James said to her getting a glare in return.
"Just because you kissed me last night, or the other time before, doesn't mean I can't ignore it," she said and followed the girl, who was showing them to their table. Once they sat the waitress handed out the menus and told them that her name was Valerie and she would be back soon to get their orders.
As soon as she left she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, and what she saw made her scream. "Smurf!" she yelled and jumped form her chair and gave him a big hug. "I haven't seen you for ages, where did you go?" Lily asked realizing him from the hug.
"Er… Smurf?" asked Sirius from across the table.
"He was a really small kid who always wore blue," she said quickly, "So, where have you been?"
"We moved to America when you left for your school. Do you know how big that place is?" he explained with an American and British accent slurred together.
"Forget about how big it is, look at how big you are. Never thought such a tiny kid could become so big, and look you're not wearing blue," Lily's father joked. Everyone gave a small chuckle.
"Who's everyone else?"
"Oh, right sorry Stuart," Lily apologized.
"I think I like Smurf a lot better."
"Okay, sorry Smurf, this is my mum and dad, Petunia is the same old same person, you'll see her when she gets back from the bathroom. This is Mr. and Mrs. Potter, our neighbors and James, their son, and that's Sirius Black his friend."
"So what brings you to come here, I mean the only time the Evan's ever come here is to celebrate something, unless. Are you engaged to Sirius, Tree?" Smuf asked Lily accusingly.
"Tree?" James asked at the mention of a funny nickname.
"Yeah, green eyes, trees are green," he told James.
"Oh."
"No we're not going to get married, but James wishes. Ow, what was that for?" Sirius asked after James stepped on his foot very hard. Everyone was smiling very widely. "Well, it's true he does."
"Padfoot don't make me hex you," James muttered threateningly into his ear.
"Fine, fine, besides my feet still hurt from last time. You know you should be and Auror."
"Sirius stop talking," Mrs. Potter said from Sirius's other side.
"Oh, right, sorry."
"Okay…. So Lily got any boyfriends yet?"
"Nope, never have and never will."
"Why?"
"I've got my reasons, what about you?"
"Yeah, her names Ellie, but she lives in the states."
"That's good. Why are you two so quiet? Usually you're bouncing with energy."
"What do you want us to say hello how are what's- Hey lookie Petunia's back!" yelled Sirius at the top of his lungs.
"Padfoot don't shout now everyone's looking at us, and I'm particularly hungry since you didn't bring back food for me when you went for a snack five minutes before we left."
"Sorry but I didn't know that you wanted food."
"How could you not know, Mums been starving us, and what's so funny?" James just noticed that Lily and Smurf were snickering.
"Nothing, nothing."
"Why do you call each other Prongs and Padfoot, and don't you call Remus Moony, and what's his names- Peter- Wormtail," Lily asked.
"Well, we…uh…we…."
"Can I take your orders now?" The waitress saved James and Sirius from having to say anything.
"Well, I'll be going see you around Tree," Smuf said getting up from the chair and put it back at the table that he got it from. Everyone ordered, but the Potters had a hard time, because they kept shouting at their menus, like they were expecting to see food appear magically on the table.
After a few more laughs and arguments between James, Lily and Sirius their food came, and everyone dug in. When Lily finished a man who was about her age tapped her on the shoulder and asked "Would you like to dance?"
"Sorry, I don't dance," was the reply he got, so he turned around looking very downcast.
"Why didn't you dace with him? He looked awful sweet," her mother asked.
"That's because-" James started but remembered what happened last time he answered that question for her.
"Potter, do you remember what happened last time you answered that question?" Lily asked threateningly. James nodded in response.
"Then I would suggest that you don't again this time or I will do what I did to you last time, with one exception. This time I will wait until you die completely."
James gulped and Sirius was sitting next to him smiling, whenever they fought it was very entertaining to him.
"You know Lily, I've never been able to get James to behave," said Mrs. Potter.
"Oh, it's simple, you just need to show him just how much damage you can do to him. Like the other day he put a bucket of dead fish above the door so that when you opened it, it falls on you. I went over and kicked the both of them in the shins so I don't think anyone will be seeing dead fish above the door for a long time." Lily was grinning very widely as she explained.
"Why is your sister so quiet?" Sirius asked.
"She hates me, one, and two, she's afraid of me," answered Lily.
"Why is she afraid of you?"
"Because I'm a witch."
"She's sixteen though, and she's still afraid?"
"Yep, but it's better that way, I mean at least she isn't annoying or very talkative around me. Actually she loves to talk, and gossip, that's all she ever does when I'm, not around."
"Well, let's get going. It's Christmas tomorrow, you're going to want to be up early, right girls." They all walked out to the car. Lily's mother turned on the radio, and Lily started to bite her lip. He favorite song was on and she had no control to stop herself from singing. She sung so quietly that only James could hear her, but only just.
"Thank you for the wonderful night Violet, we'll see you later," Mr. Potter said getting out of the car once they reached the houses.
"Night Lily," James and Sirius said together getting out of the car.
"Night."
Once they all got out of the car Mrs. Potter put the car back to its regular size. Lily crawled into bed, and then someone threw something at her window. She got up, a little mad because she was tired and opened it, only to be greeted by James's face. "You have a nice voice," he said kindly.
"I was just about to go to sleep, couldn't you wait until morning to give me that compliment?" Lily said on the verge of shouting, when she heard a jingle of sleigh bells and a jolly laugh. "What was that?"
"That my dear Lily was Santa, or as I like to call him, Jolly ol' Saint Nick."
"He exists?" she said disbelivingly, "How come I never heard him come by before?" she asked turning to stare up at the stars.
"Ah, he comes to those who he feels needs to believe a little more in fantasy, and who are a little depressed during Christmas."
"How do you know that?" she asked turning to look at him.
"I know what I know," he said earning himself a puzzling look from her, " I asked my mum and dad," he said like it was obvious.
"Ohhh… okay….Night." Lily closed the window and getting into bed. She could hardly believe that Santa came to her house.
"Thanks mum and dad, this is great!" Lily said excitedly when she saw her parents gave her a video camera, "I'll charm it the second I get back to school so that it'll work there too! Here I got you something," she handed them a package wrapped in brown paper.
"Oh, Lily this is wonderful!" her mother couldn't hold her excitement in when she saw that Lily gave them a blanket that changed from a violet, to a lily, and then to a petunia. "Here, Petunia, I got you one to, 'cept the background is changeable for what ever mood your in." Lily handed the package to her sister who looked a little sad that her parents were more impressed with her sister, than hers.
"Here," she said sadly handing Lily a present. When Lily opened it, she saw two things, a picture frame, and a silver necklace with little lilies around it.
"Petunia, this is beautiful, thank you." Lily was completely awed; Petunia usually never gave her anything for Christmas.
"Well, c'mon, breakfast," Lily's dad said stretching.
"Wait, dear, there's still once more present. Now who could this be from, it's addressed to Lily," she handed her the package, Lily was burning up inside so fast she thought she was going ten degrees higher with every second.
"Who's it from?" her father asked. She opened the card, but all that was inside it was:
I hope you like.
Lily opened it and found another picture frame, but there was a picture in it moving. It was a picture of James and Sirius shouting at the girls, looking like gingerbread men. Lily smiled. "I know just who this is from."
"Who?"
"Who do you think can make a moving picture but a wizard, James. What's this?" something was shining on the ground because of the way the sunlight hit it.
"Wow," was all Lily could say when she saw the locket. It was shaped like a circle, and had a bight green lily in the center.
"Open it, see if there's anything inside," her mother urged. Lily obeyed, and found James and her dancing around in Hogwarts' Great Hall. The picture was moving, and it went from them dancing to them kissing under the mistletoe. Lily looked on the other side and found, in the same tiny writing as was on the card before:
Do you like? Look on the back.
Lily closed the locket, and tuned it over to the back. There was a line from the book Princess in Love:
'It doesn't matter. What matters is that I meant what I wrote. And I thought you did, too.'
'Of course I meant it.'
'Then why did you freak out like that today at the Carnival?'
'Well, because… because…I thought…I thought you were making fun of me.'
'Never'
The words were playing over and over again, like a little screen was projecting them. Lily put it on, and tucked it under her shirt, smiling she got up for breakfast.
"Lily, did you make those poor boys look like gingerbread men?" her father asked smiling when he saw the picture moving.
"Yes, a while ago. It was fun, you should do that to dad sometime mum," Lily was smiling so wide her mouth was hurting.
"We'll see." She started handing out pancakes to everyone. Lily noticed that she made a little of everyone's favorites, chocolate chip for Lily, blueberry for Petunia, raspberry for her father, and peach for herself.
After everyone ate Lily had to go straight to her room and finish the eulogy for tomorrow. Lily could hardly concentrate, she wanted to scream or do something just to get the anger and the sadness out. She couldn't though, because she never cried, Lily Evans does not cry, ever she kept thinking trying to push the pain away.
She went to her window and opened it then stuck her head out. She felt like she was suffocating. "Where's my CD's, I need to listen to something loud."
She was rummaging around until she found her Evanescence CD. She raised the volume so that she couldn't hear her mother yelling at her to lower it. She sat down on her bed and started to write, stopping here and there to shout out the lyrics to the song. When it was finished, she went downstairs to get something to eat.
"Why do people keep eating out my Clemintines?" Lily yelled taking an orange, which in her opinion, tasted funny and walked back up the stairs to her room.
"Mum are we going anywhere today?" Lily shouted, she didn't know if her mother was upstairs or downstairs so she just shouted.
"Yes," was her answer.
"Where?"
"To the mall to get you something to wear to the funeral tomorrow."
"Okay," she shouted, but when the door closed she walked to her window and saw that the latter wasn't propped up by her window.
"Great, looks like taking a walk is out-a the picture," she said glumly.
The day wasn't eventful, she went out, and bought a black turtleneck shirt, to go with the black pants she already had.
The next day Lily changed so slowly, she could barely get the comb through her hair without it taking two minutes. She made sure that her locket was swung around so that the locket side was on her back, she hadn't taken it off since.
Lily kept throwing things at James's window until he answered.
"What?"
"Do you have a duplicate of the gingerbread men pictures?"
"Yes."
"Can I have it?"
"Yes."
"Why are you all dressed up, and in suites?" she asked James, who was handing her the picture, she couldn't reach it though.
"We're going to the funeral too," he was reaching more out the window.
"Urgh, don't go anywhere, I'll be back in a three seconds," Lily went in her room and looked for something, "found it! You can't hide from me Clarence, oh no you can't."
"Clarence?"
"I have a pair of tongs in my room that I have to use sometimes to get things," explained Lily reaching out the window and grabbing the picture.
"Thanks," She said taking the picture. "Er… James, thanks for the locket," Lily said then shut the window quickly.
When she went downstairs, she saw her family waiting downstairs for her. "Wow, this has to be a first, you're all waiting for me," Lily joked.
"Ready?" her father asked as she was getting in the car.
"How ready can you get when you're going to a friends funeral?" was Lily 's reply closing the door.
When they got there Lily saw a lot of her old classmates, and some people who she guessed were Scarlet's family. She was handed a paper of what event was to take place at a specific time and place. She saw that she was scheduled to come up and speak at 9 o'clock, only fifteen minutes until she had to go up.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around she saw a sooty James grinning back at her.
"You- why are you covered in soot? You didn't-"
"No I didn't travel by floo powder, Sirius pushed me into the fire place, are you feeling okay, you look like you're going to faint."
"Yes, yes, where is he?" Lily asked standing on her toes looking for Sirius.
"Food, need I say more?"
"Nope, well I'm on, Hasta leugo,"
"Huh?"
"Spanish for 'see you later'," Lily smiled, as she walked onto the platform.
"Why do you all look sad?" Lily started many heads looked up to reveal tear stained faces. "Scarlet is looking down upon us and wondering 'why are all these people sad, don't they realize I'm in a better place.' She may have died young, but with every life that is taken from this world, a new life is brought. Sure she left at the age of seventeen, but her sprit is still living on inside of you, every single one.
"Scarlet died a very brave woman, risking her life to save mine. She was my best friend and I promise to her that I will avenge her killer if it's the last thing I do, but for now let us not cry, let us remember the funny times, and memories of her. After all, isn't that the point of a memorial service, to remember, like the a few days ago we make two boys look like human gingerbread men-"
"Yeah took us forever to get the gum drops and shaving cream out of our hair, and the honey made everything worse!" Sirius shouted making some people smile.
"Yes, thank you, thank you," Lily said taking a bow, and walking off the stage.
"Great speech, very nice, literature has always been your strong point," her father congratulated her.
"Yes, jolly good speech, said so much!" James said, "thanks for mentioning us."
"I have to go do something, I'll be right back, 'k," Lily walked back to the casket, and took out the picture she got from James earlier this morning, and placed it in her cold hand. "Goodbye, we'll all miss you," she whispered, then turned and walked out the door. She could feel the tears burning to come out, but pinched her nose, and closed her eyes. Lily found that in if you pinch your nose it makes it harder for the tears to come out. She counted to ten before she opened them.
"Why did you pinch your nose and close your eyes?" James asked walking up to her.
"It helps when you don't want to cry, I don't know why, but it works," explained Lily.
The car ride home was silent, as a matter of fact the rest of the day was silent. Lily pulled out pictures of Scarlet and herself the entire day, smiling at the memories. When Lily left her room she took her cloak and went into the backyard, up to the fence that separated her and Scarlet as children.
"Which one was it again?" Lily asked herself pushing on the fence boards, until one finally opened. The space was just big enough to fit Lily in, as she slid through. She walked to the middle of the yard and sat down, the ground was hard, and as cold as ice, but she sat there all the same. She didn't how long she sat there starring in to space, until someone said," Are you planning to stay out here and freeze yourself to death, because you've been out here for ten minutes already."
Lily just stared, hardly noting that James was talking to her.
"Why don't you come in and-"
"See the bird bath over there James, we would play hide- and- go- seek, and she used to hide behind it and snicker because she thought that I couldn't see her, though I could, I just pretend like I couldn't."
Lily voice sounded like she could crack any moment. "See that corner, the left one, I hit my head there when I was five because I slipped on the mud. Scarlet went and called her mum, and I was out cold for two days. I remember what I was thinking. What if I never see Scarlet again? What if I never got to play all the games we used to play? What if…. There were so many what if's that if I were to tell you all, it would have taken the rest of the day."
Lily had never moved her head, nor her eyes, she was just staring, talking, and barley feeling the pain the cold was giving her. "I miss her, I wish that he never… that I never…this funeral today was the closure to everything I feared in that coma, everything."
James was starting to get a little scared, Lily was ghostly pale, and she started to stand and walk toward the fence, "See this board James, it's lose we would sneak into each others yard. The day before I had to leave for Hogwarts, we promised each other that we would always be best friends and never die without the other, like blood sisters. She's dead, the only one that kept most of my sanity in check, and now she's gone. If my family go to, no one is going to be able to keep me sane for long, not even Rin." Lily walked to the rose bush in the right corner of the fence, and picked a rose, then walked to the left corner, and placed it down in the very spot where she hit her head, "good- bye, I'll never forget you."
James was too shocked to say anything; he just stood there dumbfounded. Lily walked back to the gate, as if she was just talking to herself, and slid back through the gate. James stood there for about five minutes, before he went back inside to absorb what she has said, she was going to go insane if her family was gone. It was her way to grieve.
