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Chapter Five – Antidote…Or Not?

James was not feeling very well. He had been about to go to Charms class on Monday but as he had walked past the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had seized him and made him lie down.

Despite his protests that he was fine, she had kept him there. He mostly slept because he had lately been feeling very tired and was burning with fever.

He had been in the hospital wing for three days now. It was Thursday.

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Madam Pomfrey was worried. Very worried. One of her patients, James Potter, had gone into a coma. Under very strange circumstances.

He had been fine the day before, burning with fever, but fine apart from that. His symptoms suggested delayed poisoning, but she didn't know what to do.

She had been trying all of her healing potions and charms, but they were so far, ineffective. She had to hurry. James Potter did not have much time left.

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James did not see the quiet visitor who sneaked into the hospital wing at night because his deep sleep of the previous few days had slipped into a coma.

At the sight of him lying there, deathly pale and unmoving, the visitor snickered and if they were not wearing a hood that covered their face, you would have been able to see their unmistakable expression of glee.

"The process is nearly complete," Snape whispered, gazing at the barely perceptible vibration of the heart monitor that was charmed to follow James' heartbeat. "Soon, Potter," he said, with a sneer twisted with hate. "Soon."

Leaving a note on the James' pillow, beside his head, Snape left.

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Lily Evans was jubilant. The antidote was finally ready! And not a moment too soon either. It was Friday morning, and they had to cure James before night fell.

"Are you sure this is right?" asked Sirius, staring dubiously at the lumpy brown glop in the cauldron.

Holding his nose, Remus peered closer. "It seems right," he said finally. "But what can we do if it isn't? We have to give it a shot."

"It's our only hope of curing James," added Lily, praying fervently that it was the right antidote.

They set off towards the hospital wing, carrying a corked bottle of the antidote.

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"Is she still there?" hissed Lily, cramped in her position.

"Yes," said Remus, sounding annoyed. Lily thought he glared at Sirius, but it was too dark to tell.

"Sirius, this is all your fault," groaned Lily, as a mop poked her in the back.

Sirius bristled, or at least, Lily thought he did. "Well, excuse me," said Sirius grumpily. "I just said the coast was clear in the hospital wing; how was I to know that Madam Pomfrey would come out of her office a second after we came in?"

Remus shifted, and a bucket somehow fell on his head. Removing it wearily, he said, "Yes, and now we're stuck in the hospital wing broom closet."

"Why do hospital wings even have broom closets?" pondered Lily.

"Because they need to sweep the floor," replied Sirius in a 'duh' voice.

"Yes," agreed Lily, "but it isn't very hygienic, is it? Dust could be raised and it isn't practical when there are sick patients, right?"

"Yeah, but if they didn't sweep the hospital wing, it would get dirty and fill with plague-carrying rats who would infect all the patients and make them sicker than they are and eventually rats will rule Hogwarts," countered Sirius. "So the hospital wing broom closet is vital for the survival of the school and in the long run, the human race as well." He nodded, looking proud of himself.

Lily looked disgruntled at this dead end in the debate. Remus looked incredulous.

"You're arguing about the importance of hospital wing broom closets when we have an antidote to deliver?"

"Just passing the time," mumbled Sirius, looking at what he could see of his feet.

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"Will she ever leave?" groaned a very stiff Lily three hours later. "We've been in here forever!"

Sirius was practically hyperventilating. "Oh my God, this closet is getting smaller by the second! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! Dear Merlin, I can't breathe! There is no oxygen in here! We're gonna DIE!"

Remus slapped Sirius across the face. "Calm down," he said sternly and Sirius turned down the volume of his whimpering.

"Guys, I think…she's leaving!" cried Lily excitedly. Sirius and Remus crowded around her, trying to get a look through the crack in the door.

In a rush, they tumbled out of the closet, Lily vowing that she would never again sit in a broom closet for three hours with Sirius and Remus. She quickly spelled Madam Pomfrey's door shut.

Rolling up her sleeves, Lily said grimly, almost to herself, "Time to get to work."

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"Wasn't my fault."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"You just had to go and pull out the cork, didn't you?"

"I was just trying to help!"

"Because of your help, we now have the antidote all over our clothing!"

Lily, Sirius and Remus were covered in brown gunk. Hair, clothes, faces, everything.

"How much of that antidote does James need again?" asked Remus worriedly, spitting out some as he spoke.

"Only a drop," Lily replied, wiping off some of the antidote from her mouth. Looking at it in distaste, she amended, "Only a lump."

Just then, Sirius coughed out a large amount of the lumpy brown glop. He pointed excitedly at it where it lay on the floor. "Look, Moony, my spit is brown and lumpy!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Padfoot," he said without any effort, for indeed, his mouth was so used to forming the position to say it that it was now default.

"Back to business," said Lily, trying to get back on track, "we must scrape off a bit of this antidote and somehow make James swallow it. With me?"

They nodded and commenced to task.

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"Something should be happening…right about…now," Lily said, reading the instructions in the tattered book which belonged to a 'Half-Blood Prince'.

Just then, a piece of paper beside James' head glowed blue. Lily picked it up and Sirius and Remus read it over her shoulder in disbelief.

Evans-

My potions book had no doubt informed you that a reaction will take place now. But I am afraid I cannot let that happen.

After all Potter has put me through, I feel I am justified if I say that I don't want him around anymore. I am not foolish enough to attempt to murder him but when an opportunity to prevent his recovery comes by, I can't let it slip past.

If I am correct, Potter was given the addled Felix Felicis on a Friday night, so he will perish on a Friday night. This Friday night, to be precise.
There is one thing that might have saved him, and that thing is not a potion, it is a charm. Though it is doubtful that you, Evans, are Potter's- well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Unlikely though it was that you would find this spell and even more unlikely that you would consent to carry it out when you found out what it involves, you are intelligent for a Mudblood, Evans, and I couldn't have you finding the cure.

You may recall a potions book nearly decapitating you one Sunday morning. That was the potions book I had planted in your dormitory to lead you on a false trail. A wild Hippogriff chase, if you like. Away from the rightful cure.

Did you look carefully at the ingredients in the so-called cure? I doubt it. As you should know if you are at NEWT standard, the combination of Acromantula venom and dragon blood makes a powerful healer. However, when combined with unicorn tail hairs, a rather complex reaction takes place which changes the purpose of the potion completely.

Guess what, Evans? Your precious antidote is a Hiccuping Potion.

As if on cue, Lily, Sirius and Remus began hiccuping violently. James' breathing was shallower than it was before.

So I guess you have been…how do they say it?…ah, yes, punked. James Potter is as good as dead. Unless you can find the other cure, Evans. Good luck with that. Not.

-The Half-Blood Prince

PS. Did I mention that I win?

PPS. Na-aa-na-na-na-aa-na!

PPPS. Haha, you suck.

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"This is not good."

"You're telling me."

"What the bloody hell are we supposed to do now?"

"Oh my God, you said 'bloody hell'? Three cheers for Lily Evans!"

"Shut up, you great idiot! What the bloody hell do we do now?" repeated Lily, feeling panicked.

"I don't know, but we don't have much time left," said Remus agitatedly checking his watch.

"How much exactly, Moony?" asked Sirius.

"Ten minutes," he whispered, sinking into a chair.

"Argh! What do we do? What do we do? What do we do? What do we-?" Sirius was running around the room like a headless chicken, sounding as if he was saying the same recording again and again.

Just then, they heard a muffled pounding sound coming from Madam Pomfrey's office. "Let me out!"

"Uh-oh," muttered Lily. "Gotta hurry. Think, Lily."

There is one thing that might have saved him, and that thing is not a potion, it is a charm.

A charm?

Charms were her area of expertise in magic. Had they covered any healing charms in Charms class?

Though it is doubtful that you, Evans, are Potter's- well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?

Potter's what, exactly?

…even more unlikely that you would consent to carry it out when you found out what it involves…

What wouldn't I consent to carry out? It's just a bit of magic, right? I mean, it's not like I want James dead, or anything…

Wait a minute…healing charms…on Monday…consent to carry out…think I hate…James …you, Evans, are Potter's-

That couldn't be it, could it?

"…certain that he were my one true love, and he were only a moment from death, then I'd place my wand hand over his heart, invoke Amora Primus, and kiss him…"

What are the odds of that? It hasn't been done successfully since the thirteenth century! How am I to know if it will work now?

Looking at her watch, Lily saw that she had two minutes. She would just have to chance it. There was no harm in trying.

Lily took a deep breath and placed her right hand over James' heart. It was barely beating at all. She only vaguely registered the stunned looks on Sirius and Remus' faces when she said:

"Amora Primus."

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"Miss Evans!"

Lily jumped away from James and blushed bright red as she saw the hanging jaws of Sirius and Remus and also the stunned look on Madam Pomfrey's face.

"Miss Evans," spluttered Madam Pomfrey, finding her voice again, "I am afraid I cannot have you visiting the patients, much less…" she trailed off.

"In any case, Mr Potter is in a coma and you might have-"

There was a barely heard blip from behind Lily.

All four of them spun around in delighted disbelief as the heartbeat monitor showed a steady, healthy heartbeat.

"Miss Evans, I personally don't believe in fairytales like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White," whispered Madam Pomfrey, "but well done! He is still very ill, but we hope for a recovery. He should be up and running by tomorrow morning, so don't abandon hope."

She shooed Lily, Sirius and Remus out of the hospital wing.

Lily didn't even have time to come to terms with that fact that James Potter was her- that she and James were…well.

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It was Saturday night and there was still no sign of James. Lily was worried sick, but whenever she saw Sirius and Remus, they looked like they were about to laugh. Lily did not see what was so funny.

She had tried five times to visit James but Madam Pomfrey would not let her in, and her voice sounded haggard extremely worried. This did not make Lily feel any better.

After lunch had ended earlier, she had stormed up to the Gryffindor common room and heard Sirius and Remus muttering something like 'she's a great actress' when they saw her and fell silent, looking like they were holding in laughter again.

Now, as she sat at dinner, Lily had almost abandoned all hope, not forgetting the way Madam Pomfrey's voice had sounded when she had tried to see James in the hospital wing.

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Sunday morning. If Lily was worried before, now she felt like there were Hippogriffs bouncing around in her stomach.

Crash.

Lily looked at the jug of pumpkin juice in front of her. She also looked at the pumpkin-juice drenched owl in front of her.

Strange, but the owl wasn't carrying a letter or a package.

Stranger, it was wearing black sunglasses.

Strangest of all, it opened its beak and began to sing in a deep voice she recognized as James'…

'Her eyes are as green

As an emerald queen's,

Her hair is as red as a fire,

I wish she were mine, she's really divine,

This girl that I desire.'

A joyful laugh burst out of Lily's mouth as she turned towards the doors of the Great Hall. There was only one person, one person in all of Hogwarts who would send her an awful singing Valentine.

And it was towards this person that Lily ran.

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Winky: Like it?

Dobby: Almost finished, just the epilogue to go, now!

Winky: Please, please, PLEASE review!

Dobby: Praise, constructive criticism, corrections, even flames are accepted!

Winky: Just…review, okay?

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