A/N Reviews! I'm so very happy! Emrisah, Tamsididi, and every one else! Cookies to you all! I know y'all don't like it when characters die, but eventually I may have to kill someone. (Peeks from between fingers.) I got out of school recently so I should have more time to write. The delay is due to the fact I was kicked out of my room for a week and couldn't use my computer. On to the story!
Chapter 10: I Wish With All My Heart
Word of the attack spread through the school like wild fire. Everyone suspected Slytherins did it but no one knew why. Only the sixth year Gryffindors knew even close to the actual story.
"It's been two weeks and she hasn't woken up yet! I can't stand it!" Hannah looked again at her calendar. "Halloween is come and gone; and I'm still dealing with the fact that it's all my fault!"
"Look, I know it's killing you. But we're all suffering." Lily said irritably. James had tripped her into a puddle earlier that day leaving her rather irate.
"Hannah, no one blames you. It's not your fault that Snape is the scum of the Earth and that he has a heart of ice." Andromeda said dryly while flipping through a magazine.
"Dear Merlin! Have you two no compassion? It's my fault that my cousin is practically dead! You're reading a magazine!" She pointed accusingly at Andromeda then at Lily. "And you're complaining about a boy who's in love with you and you're to stupid to realize you're meant for each other!"
"Potter is the—
"We know already Lily so quit bitching!" Andromeda angrily turned a page. The girls continued to sit in silence, pointedly ignoring each other.
The Marauders had over heard the conversation and winced in unison.
"Ouch!" Sirius looked forlornly at his girlfriend. "This has them really bent out of shape. She hasn't kissed me in a week."
"I hope she wakes up soon. It just isn't the same with out Jen." Aden scribbled something on his parchment. "What's the fifth property of merdona root?"
Everyone shrugged.
"If Jen were here she'd know." Aden grumbled.
Remus stared out the window. Snow was just starting to fall onto the frozen ground. November11, two weeks was a long time. There were rumors that St. Mungo's wanted to take Jen. 'It's a good thing Poppy doesn't easily give up her patients. Tomorrow's the full moon, so I guess I'll be joining her for a while.'
"It's the full moon tomorrow." James said quietly to Sirius. "This is killing him more than any of us."
"I bet you ten galleons he tells her the second she wakes up how in love he is." Sirius and James shook hands.
In the Hospital Wing.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jen let out a blood-curdling scream and shot up in her bed. Madame Pomphrey ran out of the nurse's station to see what the problem was.
"Nooo…" She fell back and lay still. Poppy checked her over and sighed. "Well it's a start." And she began to administer potions.
"It's Midnight lets head out." James covered Aden, Sirius, and himself in the invisibility cloak. They made they're way out to the grounds and over to the whomping willow.
Sirius changed into the dog and playfully dodged the flying branches.
James transformed into his shining white stag and bucked.
Aden held his breath and became a majestic tiger. 'I'm still not used to the whole transformation thing.' He thought as the three friends ducked into the passage at the base of the wildly thrashing tree.
When they entered Remus was already undressed and minutes away from morphing into his inner beast. He sent a grateful look toward the animals gathered before him and waved. His face contorted with intense pain, and his back arched. His bones extended and hair sprouted all over his body. Remus' ears and nose lengthened, his nails sharpened and he let out an almighty howl. Remus Lupin had become Remus the lupine.
Andromeda and Hannah were sitting in the Hospital Wing the next day trying to figure out why Remus was out cold in a bed. Didn't he go to his mother's house? And how in the name of Merlin did he get all those bruises and cuts?
Andromeda looked to Jen's bed and gasped. She had her eyes open and looked rather confused.
"MADAME POMPHREY! She's awake! She's awake!" Hannah looked quickly from her friend to her cousin.
"OH MY GOODNESS! Jen!" Hannah ran over to her and gave her a bone-crushing hug.
"Ouch! Hannah get off that hurts!" Jen said after a moment of trying to figure out who she and Andromeda were. "How long have I been here?"
"Close to two and a half weeks." Andromeda said lightly hugging her friend. "We'll go get the others! Madame Pomphrey is going to tell us to leave anyways."
"Yeah. So we'll bring more people to interfere with your recovery." Hannah smiled widely and winked. She and Andromeda walked out of the room leaving Jen to her thoughts. 'Whom are they talking about?'
After Madame Pomphrey had gone Fabian Pruett strolled in and found Jen. He had short curly black hair, blue eyes, and his Ravenclaw badge shone in the sunlight.
"Hi Jen! How are you feeling? I ran into your friends and they said you had woken up." Fabian smiled.
Jen blinked a few times trying to remember who he was. He looked familiar but she didn't think she knew him.
"I'm sorry. I can't seem to remember very much. Who are you?" She blushed, ashamed that she didn't remember such a good-looking boy.
"Oh." He said slightly taken aback. "I'm Fabian Pruett we're in Arithmancy together."
"Hello Fabian! Sorry about my lapse of memory. How've been doing?"
"Actually I needed to talk to you about something." He cleared his throat. "The prefects have decided that there's going to be a Christmas ball."
"Really? I thought Hogwarts didn't hold balls."
"Well, we're hoping to make something of a tradition of holding occasional balls…It's going to be on the night before everyone leaves for break and I was wondering if maybe, if you know, you would go with me?" It was his turn to blush.
Jen was stunned into temporary silence. She could go with him, what was the harm? She was about to say yes, but there was something at the edge of her mind stopping her. Wasn't there someone she…But shouldn't she wait? 'Blasted missing memory! Just go with him!'
"Sure Fabian, I'll go with you."
"Really? I mean that's great! Thanks!" He smiled and left. Unbeknownst to either was that their conversation was not oh so secret.
Across the room a certain boy was pretending to be asleep, that certain boy was a certain wolf, and that wolf was wishing the night before had been much worse.
Andromeda and Hannah came in but Jen couldn't figure out who all the other people were. The other girl squealed and rushed over, she squeezed Jen and squealed again.
"I'm so happy you're awake! They wanted to send you to St. Mungo's and everyone thought you wouldn't make it…" Lily's smile faltered. "Jen why are you looking at me like that? Don't you recognize me?"
"No?"
"It's Lily! You know, one of your best friends?" Jen shook her head. "Do you know who they are?" She waved at the boys standing around Remus' bed.
"I'm sorry, I don't! I don't even remember why I'm here. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, and what in Merlin's name am I wearing?" She looked in horror at the pajamas she had on.
"All of you, out!" Poppy shooed everyone out. "Both them can leave tomorrow morning if you don't come back!"
"What do you mean both of us?" Jen asked. She hadn't noticed there was another bed occupied.
"Why Mr. Lupin of course." Madame Pomphrey replied. "He arrived early this morning. Now I told them I'd let you go tomorrow so you need to take these potions and rest."
'Mr. Lupin? Who's…' Everything came rushing back to her. The day in the Library, Snape and Malfoy attacking her, the spell, Remus. 'Oh my god, Remus! What if he heard Fabian! I can't believe it. This is awful!' She got out of her bed and slowly made her way toward Remus.
"Remus? Are you awake?" She moved over a chair and sat down.
"Yeah I'm awake." He rolled over to face her. "Why are you out of bed? A person doesn't go into a coma for two weeks and start walking around!"
"I feel just fine, thank you. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" She said with a slight edge.
"Oh…My owl got caught in the Whomping Willow and I went after it."
"That was stupid! Well I'm glad you're okay."
"You are?"
"Of course I am!" She punched him lightly. "Can I borrow your notes for the time I was asleep?"
Remus laughed. "Always thinking of school are we? Yeah you can borrow 'em. I would think you'd want to borrow Lily's though."
"I would but she won't let me anymore."
"Why not?" He asked intrigued.
"The last time I borrowed her notes I decided to have a little fun. In all the margins I wrote Lily loves James, and L&J forever, and other things like that."
"Angelic Jenny had the gall to do something like that?" when she nodded he laughed.
"I'm more devious than you think Lupin."
"I doubt that." He teased.
"Just wait I'll dig up something on you, something good." She smiled. "Whatever secret you're hiding I'll find it."
"You don't have to do that, I believe you." Remus said fearfully.
"What are you so afraid of?" She said slyly. "Now I really want to know."
"Get into bed now! Miss. Darrenger you may feel fine now but you won't later." Madame Pomphrey scolded.
"She didn't remember me! Why didn't she remember any of us?" Lily paced in front of her fellow sixth years.
"She remembered me and Hannah." Andromeda said weakly from Sirius' lap.
"No she didn't, you saw the look she gave us when we walked in. It just took her a minute, I'm sure her full memory will be back in no time." Hannah said.
"You owe me ten galleons James." Sirius said smugly.
"I do?" James had been contemplating when Lily looked better: when she was angry or when she was frustrated.
"Yeah, he said he wasn't going to say anything." Sirius replied.
"Oh yeah. I wonder why." Aden looked between his friends and sighed.
"Are you going to let me in on this?"
"Later, when there aren't female ears in the room." James chuckled.
"I'm going to go for walk." Lily said. She went through the portrait and headed for the Quidditch pitch. Interested, James decided to follow her.
Lily went straight for the school brooms and selected one. She mounted it and hovered uneasily above the ground. She went up a couple feet and screeched.
James laughed. He hadn't meant to, but it was just to amusing. He grabbed his broom and surprised Lily from behind.
"It looks like you could do with some lessons." He struggled to keep the smile from his face.
Lily turned sharply and nearly fell off her broom. "Potter."
"Yes?"
"What are you doing here? I came out here to be alone."
"Why the sudden interest in flying Evans?"
"I wanted to know how." She said barely audible.
"What?"
"I wanted to know how because everyone seems to love it so much. And it's the only class I've ever failed." James chuckled.
"Lily Evans would admit that she failed a class, I feel honored fair maiden." He swept a magnificent bow. Lily wondered how he could keep his balance like that.
"So are you going to teach me to fly or what?" Lily said impatiently.
"You're actually going to let me?" James asked incredulously. She nodded. "Alright then. First lesson, you're sitting to far up. You want to be centered." She moved to the center.
"Okay that's good. Next you need to grasp the handle firmly. That way you can steer without losing control." Lily immediately began to tip forward. James quickly righted her broom. "Grasp firmly but don't push down on it."
Lily looked as if she wanted to take notes. James could almost see her fingers twitching for a quill.
"Are you ready to start flying Evans?"
She tipped uncertainly. "No!"
"Alright then. Why don't I give you another lesson tomorrow after classes?"
"Okay, but you better not try anything."
"Scout's honor." He put a hand over his heart.
"Good, see you tomorrow," She laughed slightly. "James." Lily landed, tripped over the broom, and put it away. James hovered for a while, and then did a few laps around the pitch.
"You're not going to believe what I have to say." Fabian said smugly to his best friend Jason.
"Are you sure about that?" Jason put on a pair of glasses the size of two teacups. "Professor Trelawny says 'I am gifted with the inner eye!'"
"Stop goofing off. This is serious!"
"Fine tell your oh so serious news."
"You know the Christmas ball? Well I got a date."
"So soon? Who is it?"
"Jen Darrenger." Fabian said smugly.
"Wait a minute. Isn't she like in love with Remus Lupin?" Everyone seemed to know except for him.
"She had a temporary memory loss that helped to further my cause." Fabian replied slyly.
"That's low Fabe. Don't you think you should do something about it?" Jason looked at him earnestly.
"When did you grow a conscience?"
"I didn't. I have a lot in the betting pool, you don't want me to lose money do you?"
"She can probably do something worth a lot more than your twenty galleons." They exchanged looks of amusement.
"You never know what's behind a bookish exterior!" Jason laughed.
"If we're talking about bookish exteriors then Lily Evans should be in this conversation."
"Yeah but you know what James would do if anyone 'moved in on his territory.' If you know what I mean?"
"What are you boys talking about?" Alyssa Renda Jason's girlfriend asked.
"Oh you know, this and that." Fabian said casually.
"Just discussing the upcoming ball. Which I look forward to going to with you." You'd never know Jason had been talking about other girls only moments before.
Lily Evans awoke to find a white rose lying on her pillow. Curious, she picked it up and found a card attached to the stem. It read:
You are exceptionalYou are inimitable
You are distinctive
You are matchless
You are irreplaceable
You are rare
You are brilliant
You are special
You are extraordinary
You are incomparable
You are excellent
You are beautiful
You are my everything
You are unique
Closer than you think,
Your Secret Admirer
A/N So what did y'all think? 2,597 words! Who do you think sent the poem? The conversation between Fabian and Jason is what I think male conversations would sound like. If there are any guys reading this I need feedback! The whole story is going to move more towards James and Lily real soon, and I know the next chapter is going to confuse you. A lot. Oh and to clear things up, once again, her name is Andromeda not Andromeada. Please notice the difference in the italicized portions. Thank you.
Poll: What is your FAVORITE quote? My favorite quote is 'I reject your reality and substitute my own!' Said by Adam Savage from Myth Busters.
I'm leaving Saturday Night to go on a mission trip for a week so there will be a bit of a delay…Whatever, we're all going to be reading The Half Blood Prince so no one will notice. Right?
Much Love, Celina K2