Hey all Pupparoux here, OK in case it isn't clear this is Lily and James's 7th year at Hogwarts. So once again, as always, thank you all so much! You rock! YAY!

Lol. SO SAT's are Finally OVER! YES! But exams have started. YUCK!

So here's your chapter. I hope you like it. I'll try to update again ASAP.

Thanks.

R&R

Hmm…lots of you think that Lily's Gram is a witch…I thought I should clear this up…author giggles evilly to herself…but not until Later chapters…MUAHHAHAH lol.

P.s I don not own anything related to The Harry Potter franchise. Well duh, why would I be writing here if I did right? All hail the genius that is J. K. Rowling.

Right onward! ;) Pupparoux

Here we go, I hope you like it.

Chapter Five: Outbursts and Hot Tempers

Lily closed the door to her room and walked slowly down the stairs. Half way down she met Chris, who briskly walking up them two at a time.

She looked at him questioningly.

"I…was just coming to check on you two," he said awkwardly, glancing at his watch. "It's been over a half hour…"

Lily shook her head. "You really don't have to worry about it," she said.

Chris eyed her suspiciously; making sure that nothing had changed in her appearance since she had gone up the stairs with James.

Lily sighed. What would make him believe me? "For your information," started Lily who was just struck with a brilliant idea, "I have informed James that I am not going to have sex until marriage! So unless he is planning to marry me…he's not getting anything from me."

Chris opened his mouth to say something back but Lily cut him off with a quick "shhhsh!"

Then she continued down the stairs, through the kitchen and into the living room. Lily walked behind a fancy oriental screen and found herself facing her grandmother's bed. Marie Evans was lying upon it; her eyes open, staring into the fireplace. Lily slowly walked toward her.

"Gram," she asked. "Gram can you hear me?" she took a few steps closer.

Her grandmother didn't respond. Lily sighed heavily, dragged a chair next to the bed and sat in it. She took her grandmothers' hand and they sat together in silence, watching the fire.

Marie gave a great sigh and Lily looked over and she couldn't help noticing how her grandmother's appearance had changed since the last time she had seen her. Instead of her face being round and happy, it was sunken around her cheeks and eyes, like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Her green, luminous eyes, the same eyes that Lily had inherited, were no longer lively; they were dull and lacking that certain sparkle of life. Her body had also gotten thinner and she seemed smaller and more child-like, helpless and hungry.

Lily closed her eyes; she couldn't bear to see her grandmother like this. Not when she knew how strong and vibrant her Grandmother had always been. After a half hour Lily found herself drifting slowly asleep. Her head started to droop and she slumped in her chair.

The fire issued a faint pop.

".Il plannifiait de les attaquer. Son prochain plan est de tuer... de tuer..." Lily's grandmother burst out suddenly and quietly in French to the fireplace. The fireplace issued another faint hiss as a breath of faint wind stirred the flames.

Lily shifted in her chair, not opening her eyes.

"Oui, oui, L'arrêt d'autobus à Fort et Long... J'y étais quand ils sont venus d'en arrière. Ils savaient qui j'étais, je ne pouvais pas m'échapper.." Marie continued.

Lily jerked upright in her chair and looked at her grandmother, who was still mouthing things to the fireplace.

"Gram?" Lily began, startled. "Gram, I don't speak French."

Her grandmother's eyes shifted from the fireplace to her granddaughter. "Well I wasn't talking to you, was I?" snapped Marie. The fire issued another faint pop. "Drats…" Marie shook her head and looked over at Lily, as though seeing her for the first time. " Lily dear!" she exclaimed. "Were you here long?" asked her Grandmother, again looking into the fireplace.

Lily was taken aback by the sudden change of her Grandmother's disposition.

"Uh…no, only about a half hour or so…" started Lily slowly; she looked into the fire also. There was nothing there, only the warm red-orange glow of the burning wood.

"Gram?" started Lily, uneasily. "Whom were you just talking to?"

"What? I wasn't…"

"You said something in French…I didn't understand it, but you said something."

"I don't think I did, maybe I was talking in my sleep, or maybe you were dreaming…" suggested her Grandmother.

"Possibly…" Lily thought about it, and shrugged. "So how do you feel?" she asked her Gram.

"Not to brilliantly actually." Said Marie, turning her face to Lily. She wrinkled her nose. "Every thing I eat tastes extremely salty, so I've basically stopped eating. I hate the taste."

"You really should eat Gram," said Lily.

"I know… I know," said Marie, turning her face away and looking into the fire. "Well, if they ever made anything decent to eat...not that rubbish they call soup."

"I'll cook for you one night alright Gram?" asked Lily, trying to get her Grandmother to promise to eat.

"That would be nice dear, thank-you. You were always such a remarkable cook."

"And I've got another surprise for you," said Lily.

"Really?" asked her gram through a yawn.

"Yes…"

"Well that's nice dear, do tell me what it is," she yawned again.

"I've brought…" Lily started.

"You know what I would really like, Lily?" she asked.

"What's that gram?" asked Lily patiently.

"Well other than to meet one of your boyfriends, I would really love to hear you play the piano again…" she yawned a third time, her eyes drooping and her voice becoming slower and slower.

Lily nodded. "I will gram," she whispered softly. Lily looked across from the bed to the opposite side of the room. Against the opposite wall there stood a beautiful, rich brown upright piano. It had been passed down from Lily's great grandmother. It had large clubbed feet and real ivory keys. Lily loved the piano, ever since Marie had taught her how to play her very first scale.

"I can do both those things for you, gram…" But Marie didn't hear what Lily said; she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

Lily looked at her grandmother's peaceful sleeping form and said a silent prayer, closing her eyes.

"Tomorrow then, gram." Said Lily quietly, opening her eyes.

From the front of the screen, Lily heard the front door open and two people walk into the house, letting in the cold February air. She heard a familiar sound of clicking heels on the tile and knew exactly who had just come in.

Petunia and her boyfriend, Virgil…or was it Vernon? Lily could never remember.

Lily and Petunia were as different as the flowers for which they were named. Lily, with her bright, flaming red hair, had always been hot-tempered, stubborn, and passionate; while Petunia, with her short dark hair, had always been of the cooler disposition. They had always been the best of friends when they were younger. But all that changed when Lily turned eleven and received her letter to Hogwarts.

Petunia didn't like things to be out of the ordinary. And when she found out her own sister was…different, it made an inescapable rift between them. A rift that had gotten bigger and bigger the past six years…though they both ignored it and tried to act as though nothing had changed and they were still the same little girls.

Lily got up and walked into the kitchen, unnoticed.

There was Petunia, her short, wavy, dark hair glistening in the light overhead, with her red stilettos, and little polka-dotted dress. Her long neck extended to look at everyone in the room. She eyed the younger boys apprehensively, as though they were going to jump on her and steal her precious shoes. And there was Vernon, a beefy boy, standing in the corner, looking around uneasily.

The stairs creaked and Lily saw James begin to emerge from the darkened hallway into the kitchen Lily edged along the wall toward him. Half his face was hidden in shadow and he looked somewhat different…He had on a different shirt and his hair was wet. Lily only noticed his wet hair because it was neater than normal. She smiled to herself.

"Hey…" he started, looking into her face and smiling. "How's your gran?"

Lily sighed. "She's alright." She said. Lily couldn't bear to tell James how she felt about her grandmother not eating and her outburst in French to the fireplace.

"You alright?" asked James, putting a hand on Lily's shoulder and looking deeper into her eyes.

Lily looked away from the penetrating depths that were James' eyes. She didn't want him to see the inside of her soul, she was afraid of what he would find there and his gaze made her feel as though he could see her innermost thoughts.

She swallowed a growing lump in her throat and looked up, avoiding James' eyes. "Yup. I'm just fine. C'mon I'll introduce you to my sister." She took James by the hand and led him into the kitchen.

Lily walked with James over to Petunia. She let go of James' hand and pulled her sister into a hug.

"Petunia!" exclaimed Lily. "I've missed you."

Petunia awkwardly patted Lily on the back.

"Yes…I can tell" she started. James caught a note of something indistinguishable hidden in her voice. He also noticed that Petunia was eying him beadily from over Lily's shoulder.

When Lily let go of her sister she said, "Petune," Petunia winced. Lily smiled. "I would like you to meet my boyfriend James Potter. James this is my sister Petunia,"

James stuck out his hand. "Hello. Nice to finally meet you, Petunia." He paused and then added, "I've heard so much about you." He thought it would add depth to his and Lily's "relationship".

Petunia looked at James' out stretched hand with distaste. "Does he go to that freak place you call a school?" Petunia threw over her shoulder at Lily.

"It's not a freak school. But yes, James goes to Hogwarts," said Lily evenly, her smile slipping a few notches and her posture stiffened.

The kitchen got quiet. Everyone looked at Lily, James, and Petunia in the middle of the room.

"Right..." Petunia sniffed, and didn't take James' out stretched hand.

James put it down and looked around foolishly. Lily pushed angrily passed her sister and stood beside James. "How dare you…" she started quietly, raising herself up.

"Don't bother Lily," said James quietly still looking at the floor. "I understand completely…" he finished in the same quiet tone looking up into Petunia's eyes. Though this time his voice had sharp note to it, one that none but Petunia heard.

"No!" said Lily indignantly. "She has no right to treat you like that…"

"Petunia!" exclaimed Terry. "That is not how we treat guests in this house!"

Petunia just shrugged her shoulders, raised her perfectly tweezed eyebrows and rolled her eyes. She took Vernon by the hand and led him to the kitchen table. Joe and Ben quickly stood up and gave them their seats.

Lily shook her head. She couldn't believe Petunia was still acting like this. Lily wanted to walk up to Petunia, give her a good slap and tell her to stop acting like a spoiled child.

Lily must have really looked murderous because James put a hand on her arm, as if to hold her back and Aunt Jean called "Dinner!"

"Don't waste your time," said James easily in Lily's ear over the clatter and scraping of chairs as everyone stood up to get their plates.

James' breath was warm and comforting on Lily's cheek and neck. It took away some of her anger toward Petunia. Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"She still shouldn't act like that toward you, or anyone."

"Everyone acts like that toward someone else. Wizards act the same way toward muggles." James said taking a step closer to Lily as one of her aunt's squeezed passed to get napkins.

"Not all wizards." Corrected Lily, pushing James away, no longer liking their closeness. She turned and walked away.

James shook his head as Lily walked away from him and to the hallway leading upstairs. He knew something was bothering her, but he also knew that she wouldn't tell him until she was ready.

So, he thought, until then no use worrying about boiling potion. He smiled to himself. He grabbed a plate, a napkin, and utensils. Then he loaded his plate with some delicious food and went to sit down with the aunts who were beckoning to him.

Ok and thus ends the latest installment of A Dying Wish By Pupparoux. YAY! the crowd goes wild ok well reviews please I really appreciate them. This might be the last chapter for a while because of finals. But I will definitely try to get another one up before July.

P.s: I'm no French major; actually I take Spanish, so I had a friend (or 2) do this translation for me. And though I trust them with my life, Looney and Wacki(buddi), if anyone speaks French and finds something amiss, please tell me.

Gratsi!

Ok leave some love!

And until next time…

Keep a sharp eye ;)

Pupparoux