Chapter VIII
He Cares
((James's POV))
The article was passed around in Potions that morning, and Lily was nowhere to be seen.
Pansy told all of the professors that Lily couldn't make it, and they all nodded solemnly. I felt terrible; I wanted to comfort her, but she hated me and most likely wanted me to stay away from her.
She wasn't at lunch or dinner either, and she wasn't in the Hospital Wing. Sirius told me I was acting moronic for even trying to go in there, but Madam Pince had these excellent potions for depression. I assumed she was just staying in the Gryffindor Tower.
I patrolled the halls by myself that night; Lily wasn't in the Common Room when I went in. I could hear her sobbing in her bedroom, though.
When I returned that night, she was sitting, still in her school robes, in front of the fire, one leg drawn up to her chest. She was staring blankly at the flames, and her green eyes flickered in my direction when I walked in.
I drew in my breath. "Lily, I'm not going to try and bother you, but I just want you to know that, well, I'm very sorry." She stared at me in the same way she was staring at the fire just moments before. "Everyone was really worried about you today, including me. I—well, good night." I began walking for my bedroom, and it was silent until my hand was on the doorknob.
"Don't go," she said quietly.
I turned around and looked at her; she was watching me, her eyes brimming with tears. I walked back and sat next to her on the sofa, taking her hand and realizing it was as cold as the snow outside.
"They…they killed"—her throat caught—"ch-children. How c-could they do that? Don't th-they have ch-children here? D-Do they have any dec-cency?"
I could tell she was trying not to cry, fighting it with everything she had, but I brought her head down on my chest and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Lily. Just cry."
She wept into my robes, making them hot and wet. I stroked her hair, noting how soft it was, my hand still linked with hers in her lap. She didn't seem to mind that I was holding her, and she cried until she fell asleep. I lifted her off the couch easily and took her to her bedroom (it was very tidy) and set her on the bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. Lily didn't seem to want to take her arms from around my neck, but I pulled away until they dropped onto the bed.
"Good night, Lily," I said quietly.
"Shhmungdaglefeh."
I chuckled a little and closed the door.
((Lily's POV))
I woke up, sunlight streaming through my window. It was the weekend, but no Hogsmeade trips were to be made until the next week. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, recounting the previous day's events. And then I remembered.
I slowly took a shower and dressed, putting a drying spell on my hair and pulling the thick waves up into a ponytail. James was nowhere to be seen; he was probably cleaning up because he'd just had Quidditch practice. I didn't want to see him. He had probably gone and blabbed to everyone that I'd cried into his shirt for nearly an hour the night before.
He was changing this year, though. So maybe he didn't. I didn't want to think about it.
I found Pansy and Rose down in the Great Hall. They asked if I was doing all right and told me that they had taken the homework from yesterday. I thanked them distantly, trying to forget.
I didn't see James anywhere in the halls, only at meals, where he sat down the table, talking to the other Marauders. He wasn't in the library where my friends and I sat, working on our homework. I only saw him that night, when we were patrolling the halls together. I didn't speak much, and neither did he. Well, until we reached our Common Room.
"Look, James," I sighed, stopping. "I just…you know, wanted to—to thank you for, well, uh…"
He grinned a little. "You're welcome."
And I was surprised to realize, when I lay thinking in bed that night, that James had not asked me out for two days in a row.
A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I think you'll like it. :)