Haha, I have a snow day today. Isn't life grand? I think so. Anyway,
here is the eighteenth installment. Only two more after this..tears.
Oh, and kudos to Courtney, who I hope is reading this. And as always, thank you to my reviewers-you're the best.
Chapter 18
"Sirius?" James asked, peering into the white light. When his eyes came in focus again, he saw the face of his best friend. "Sirius!" He immediately lept out of Lily's arms, sending her sprawling ungracefully.
Sirius extended his hand down the hole and helped James up. Lily grabbed the dead lovage and threw it up. Both boys reach down for her and pulled her up.
"I'll ask for the details later," he said slyly, glancing back and forth between the two. Lily blushed.
"Padfoot, it's Malfoy," James quickly explained. "He locked us up."
"I know, I overheard him talking to this one," he said, motioning them out of the shed. He kicked the body of a girl lying on the ground. She had obviously been standing guard over the shed, but now she was out cold with a nasty red welt on her forehead.
"You killed Narcissa!" squealed Lily.
"I did not. I tried to Stun her, but she blocked me. So I hit her over the head with that rock," he said, pointing to a heavy and painful looking stone sitting several feet away.
"They're enacting the Catharsis," said James.
"What's this Catharsis I keep hearing about?" Sirius frowned. They began walking toward the castle, and Lily began explaining how Malfoy wanted to purge the school of Muggle-borns and people loyal to them.
"Why are you wearing a nurse's outfit?" asked James.
*
Luckily, Amorbane Wine didn't take a full moon cycle to mature. It took about five minutes to make under a flame. Lily did it herself under the careful supervision of the boys. She drank half of it and fainted. Luckily James caught her. Sirius and James carried her up the two floors checked her into the hospital wing. Later that day, the two boys craftily switched the Wine with Snape's evening pumpkin juice. By the end of the day, twelve people had checked out of the hospital wing and did not come back.
*
The third day of Lily's treatment she woke up to the bright hospital wing. It was a lot cleaner than she last remembered: all of the beds were taken up and some cots were on the floor, but they had emptied out the rest of the quarantined classrooms. The white sunlight came in and seemed to cleanse her.
On her beside table was a lovely green lovage plant, not dead at all. Lily understood why it was called such now. It was forgiving when you forgot to water it, refused to give up when shut out of the sunlight. Its roots ran deep and were not easily moved. It had no thorns and no sharp edges. The water nooks and flutes in its small vines would support you if you were thirsting to death. It thrived in any environment.
Lily put her frail finger next to the plant. Tendrils of green came upon it and snuggly cuddled her finger. It released her when her hand grew weak. On the pot, there was a note: Feel better, James. She smiled.
The bed next to her had Snape in it. He was more like dead lovage than anything: shriveled, crippled and ultimately beaten into submission. He slept. His greasy hair had been washed and it didn't look so bad. His hair almost looked like James' when it wasn't slicked.
"Hey, you're up," said Alice, approaching her from the door. Her friendly face was no longer laden with red. "How's it going?"
"Good," said Lily with a smile. "Weak, but I'm not in pain. Do I have scales?"
"Just a little one above your eyebrow."
"That's okay then," Lily said with a weak smile.
"You'll be free to go in a day or so, as your muscles get better."
"Sure." Alice's keen eyes spotted the lovage plant.
"What a cute plant," she said affectionately. "'From James'."
"Oh Alice, the things that happened-" Lily sat up quickly and spurted forth the words. Alice pushed her back down.
"Calm down. James told me."
"Oh."
"I think the question is, do you love him? I mean, not including the love potion."
"I thought I wouldn't. I thought I'd just keep on hating him, but I'm not sure."
"You never hated him."
"Well," Lily winced. "Maybe not. But I could never stand him. I never loved him. I don't know if I do know or not."
"You like him."
"Yes. I like him. I will admit to that."
"Alice, dear, your time is up," called the nurse on duty. It wasn't Pomfrey.
"Just a minute, Madam," Alice called back.
"Who's that? Where's Madam Pomfrey?"
"On a bit of a vacation. She and Madam Pince are good friends, they've gone out on a broom tour of Salem in America."
"That's nice. She deserves it."
"I'll see you later, Lily."
"Bye, Alice." Lily couldn't help but miss Alice's pause as her eyes traveled over Severus.
"He had the pox, too," said Lily quietly. "Side effect of the Love Potion."
"Right." Alice left without another word.
*
Her next visitor was her official rescuer.
"Sirius!" Lily exclaimed and hugged him. He turned red and shoved a Chocolate Frog into her hand. He pulled the guest chair up next to her.
"How is your health?"
"Excellent. I'm out of here tomorrow."
"Great." There were a couple of moments of pleasant silence as Lily watched him curiously as she ate her Chocolate Frog. He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands apprehensively.
"Er, um, how is James? I mean, he's not traumatized from nearly dying or anything, is he?" she asked, wiping her mouth.
"James? Nah. It won't be a near death experience that'll traumatize him."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the spell's off, isn't it? You won't need to hold back anymore."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"We had this discussion before, remember? All right, I admit I didn't know all the facts. Now I do. And James doesn't know what to think. And I still believe you aren't fond of him."
"What's your point?"
"Make it clean. Humane, like the guillotine."
"What?"
"The rejection, of course. Don't leave him like Nearly Headless Nick."
"Sirius, I think you're exaggerating. I'm not going to chop off his head."
"Well, it's going to hurt him just as much," said Sirius. "I've got to go, my time's up."
"Already? You only just got here."
"I'll see you when you're well, okay?"
"Yeah, I guess I'll see you, Sirius."
*
Oh, and kudos to Courtney, who I hope is reading this. And as always, thank you to my reviewers-you're the best.
Chapter 18
"Sirius?" James asked, peering into the white light. When his eyes came in focus again, he saw the face of his best friend. "Sirius!" He immediately lept out of Lily's arms, sending her sprawling ungracefully.
Sirius extended his hand down the hole and helped James up. Lily grabbed the dead lovage and threw it up. Both boys reach down for her and pulled her up.
"I'll ask for the details later," he said slyly, glancing back and forth between the two. Lily blushed.
"Padfoot, it's Malfoy," James quickly explained. "He locked us up."
"I know, I overheard him talking to this one," he said, motioning them out of the shed. He kicked the body of a girl lying on the ground. She had obviously been standing guard over the shed, but now she was out cold with a nasty red welt on her forehead.
"You killed Narcissa!" squealed Lily.
"I did not. I tried to Stun her, but she blocked me. So I hit her over the head with that rock," he said, pointing to a heavy and painful looking stone sitting several feet away.
"They're enacting the Catharsis," said James.
"What's this Catharsis I keep hearing about?" Sirius frowned. They began walking toward the castle, and Lily began explaining how Malfoy wanted to purge the school of Muggle-borns and people loyal to them.
"Why are you wearing a nurse's outfit?" asked James.
*
Luckily, Amorbane Wine didn't take a full moon cycle to mature. It took about five minutes to make under a flame. Lily did it herself under the careful supervision of the boys. She drank half of it and fainted. Luckily James caught her. Sirius and James carried her up the two floors checked her into the hospital wing. Later that day, the two boys craftily switched the Wine with Snape's evening pumpkin juice. By the end of the day, twelve people had checked out of the hospital wing and did not come back.
*
The third day of Lily's treatment she woke up to the bright hospital wing. It was a lot cleaner than she last remembered: all of the beds were taken up and some cots were on the floor, but they had emptied out the rest of the quarantined classrooms. The white sunlight came in and seemed to cleanse her.
On her beside table was a lovely green lovage plant, not dead at all. Lily understood why it was called such now. It was forgiving when you forgot to water it, refused to give up when shut out of the sunlight. Its roots ran deep and were not easily moved. It had no thorns and no sharp edges. The water nooks and flutes in its small vines would support you if you were thirsting to death. It thrived in any environment.
Lily put her frail finger next to the plant. Tendrils of green came upon it and snuggly cuddled her finger. It released her when her hand grew weak. On the pot, there was a note: Feel better, James. She smiled.
The bed next to her had Snape in it. He was more like dead lovage than anything: shriveled, crippled and ultimately beaten into submission. He slept. His greasy hair had been washed and it didn't look so bad. His hair almost looked like James' when it wasn't slicked.
"Hey, you're up," said Alice, approaching her from the door. Her friendly face was no longer laden with red. "How's it going?"
"Good," said Lily with a smile. "Weak, but I'm not in pain. Do I have scales?"
"Just a little one above your eyebrow."
"That's okay then," Lily said with a weak smile.
"You'll be free to go in a day or so, as your muscles get better."
"Sure." Alice's keen eyes spotted the lovage plant.
"What a cute plant," she said affectionately. "'From James'."
"Oh Alice, the things that happened-" Lily sat up quickly and spurted forth the words. Alice pushed her back down.
"Calm down. James told me."
"Oh."
"I think the question is, do you love him? I mean, not including the love potion."
"I thought I wouldn't. I thought I'd just keep on hating him, but I'm not sure."
"You never hated him."
"Well," Lily winced. "Maybe not. But I could never stand him. I never loved him. I don't know if I do know or not."
"You like him."
"Yes. I like him. I will admit to that."
"Alice, dear, your time is up," called the nurse on duty. It wasn't Pomfrey.
"Just a minute, Madam," Alice called back.
"Who's that? Where's Madam Pomfrey?"
"On a bit of a vacation. She and Madam Pince are good friends, they've gone out on a broom tour of Salem in America."
"That's nice. She deserves it."
"I'll see you later, Lily."
"Bye, Alice." Lily couldn't help but miss Alice's pause as her eyes traveled over Severus.
"He had the pox, too," said Lily quietly. "Side effect of the Love Potion."
"Right." Alice left without another word.
*
Her next visitor was her official rescuer.
"Sirius!" Lily exclaimed and hugged him. He turned red and shoved a Chocolate Frog into her hand. He pulled the guest chair up next to her.
"How is your health?"
"Excellent. I'm out of here tomorrow."
"Great." There were a couple of moments of pleasant silence as Lily watched him curiously as she ate her Chocolate Frog. He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands apprehensively.
"Er, um, how is James? I mean, he's not traumatized from nearly dying or anything, is he?" she asked, wiping her mouth.
"James? Nah. It won't be a near death experience that'll traumatize him."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the spell's off, isn't it? You won't need to hold back anymore."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"We had this discussion before, remember? All right, I admit I didn't know all the facts. Now I do. And James doesn't know what to think. And I still believe you aren't fond of him."
"What's your point?"
"Make it clean. Humane, like the guillotine."
"What?"
"The rejection, of course. Don't leave him like Nearly Headless Nick."
"Sirius, I think you're exaggerating. I'm not going to chop off his head."
"Well, it's going to hurt him just as much," said Sirius. "I've got to go, my time's up."
"Already? You only just got here."
"I'll see you when you're well, okay?"
"Yeah, I guess I'll see you, Sirius."
*