a/n- In this chapter, part of a song is used. The song is by Faith Hill called "There You'll be." I'm not a big fan of her, but the words of the song fit with what I needed. I don't own it. Just thought I'd remind you. There is also a biblical verse. That isn't mine either.

Chapter Three: An Incidence of Healing

The next two days passed by in a whirlwind. Jack and Lily were busy with their head duties and resting up before go back to their training at the ministry. They hadn't seen much of their parents since the term began. Jack was used to this however. Ever since he stopped being a member of their class, he rarely got the change to talk to them accept on the weekends.

Harry loved teaching. He found that it was truly his calling and silently wished he had stumbled upon it sooner. The orphanage was all set to open. Ginny had been very busy with all the preparation and much to Harry's dismay, they hadn't seen each other since she left his quarters very early on the day after their arrival. They did have plans to go out together on their fist actual date this weekend. Jack and Lily had assisted him in getting his classroom together and they were planning on setting in on a few of his lessons just to see how he did in the beginning before things got too busy.

On the third day Jack spent most of the morning in McGonagall's office talking to her about Qudditch and their plans for the year. He took a short walk around the grounds before he headed back to his dorm to see Lily. He had left her in bed asleep that morning and hadn't seen her at breakfast. When he got there he found their dorm empty. There was a note on his bed.

Jack,

I went for a walk and some fresh air. I won't be long- Love, Lily

He tossed the note back on his bed and looked out the window at the afternoon sunshine. It was only by coincidence that his eyes fell on the site of Lily and Harry's graves. Neither of them had been taken down yet. They were on the east corner of the property, on the edge of the forest. He saw the shadow of a person standing there, though he could not really see the persons face. He knew exactly who it was and he left his room at a run. The trip down to the grave site was all a blur. He passed students on their way to and from class; it was a weekday after all. They all looked at him strangely but none of them stopped to ask him what was wrong.

Once he got outside and ran across the seemingly endless distance to the small graveyard he slowed his pace not wanting to scare her. She was wearing dark jeans and one of his old hooded sweatshirts. Even from behind he could see her hands were covering her mouth and her shoulders shook with soft sobs.

"Lily," he said placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her around. Her face was red from crying and when she saw him she only cried harder. "You really shouldn't be here," he continued hoping she would say something.

But she said nothing. She simply collapsed in his arms and continued crying. He held her close and against his better judgment, looked back at the grave with her name on it. It gave no birth date and no death date, but then again Harry's grave didn't have his dates on it either. The stone read:

Lily Elizabeth Potter

Cherished Daughter

Beloved Girlfriend

Irreplaceable Friend

"For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace."

In the left hand corner of the stone, there was another inscription.

In my dreams
I'll always see your soul
Above the sky
In my heart
There always be a place
For you for all my life
I'll keep a part
Of you with me
And everywhere I am
There you'll be

With love- Jack, Andy, Kyle, Brandon, Joe, Brad, Mea, Dylan, and Christy

He recalled all to well the morning of her funeral. Those words seemed so formal to him both then and now. Rather ironic because he never thought of Lily as a formal person. How could one sum up all she was by those simple words? She was so much more than the grave marker gave her credit for. He had stared at those words through the entire ceremony. He couldn't remember a single thing anyone had said. He just remembered after everyone had left that he and Harry stood over the grave for what seemed like forever. Neither one of them said anything to the other. Harry was the first to leave allowing Jack time to say goodbye on his own.

His mind snapped back to reality when Lily finally spoke for the first time. "I'm so sorry Jack," she said clinging to the front of his robes. "I put you through this. I put my father through this. I put your family through it too. I caused so many people so much pain. No matter what I say or do I know I'll never be able to make it right."

"You didn't do anything. It was Malfoy who did this to us and never forget it!" He said pulling her away to look her in the eye. She looked at him her tears and he knew she wasn't buying what he was telling her.

"None of you should have to deal with this. You should be spending your time having careless fun with your friends. You shouldn't be worrying about being with me all the time out of fear that I can't handle being alone! It makes me feel so guilty because I know I'm holding you back from doing all the things you're entitled to do. You deserve so much better than me, and there is nothing I can do to change the way things are," he shook his head and tried to get her to stop and let him speak but she kept going. "I feel so lost. I feel like a part of me was taken away and I can't get it back. I feel like a totally different person sometimes," she declared throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Nothing has changed," Jack tried to convince her.

"Do you remember that huge fight we had last year after Allan died? When I was so upset about killing those death eaters."

"Yes," he said curious to see why she had brought that up again. They usually avoided talking about it.

"Do you remember when you told me that you looked into my eyes and didn't know what you were seeing?"

"Yes, I remember." he also remembered how much he had regretted saying that after it was too late to take it aback.

"What do you see in my eyes now, Jack?" She challenged standing up straight and looking him in the eye.

He took a moment to gaze into the endless depths of her electric eyes. He placed a hand on her cheek and with the pad of his thumb brushed away some of the moisture that had fallen from her eyes. "I see fear. I know you're scared because you don't know what's going on and you don't know how to control it," he paused for a second before he went on. "But I also see the same girl I have been in love with for years. The same girl I would die to protect."

"I don't want you to die protecting me, Jack, and you shouldn't have to feel that its your job to protect me. Maybe it would be better if we just back off and I let you life a normal life for once. I don't want you to resent me for holding you back years from now when you look back on all this and realize just all that you've missed out on."

He stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds and then pulled her to him, crushing her frail body against his strong chest. "I know what you're trying to do and I won't let you do it. I am not letting you push me away, Lily Potter! There is no place I would rather be than right her with you, I've told you that! No one blames you and no one ever will! And there is no need for anyone to forgive you."

She stood there in his arms as tears fell from her eyes silently. "What if I can't forgive myself?"

He had to take a deep breath after hearing that bold statement. What was he supposed to say to help her through this? He had never felt this way about something before, and therefore he couldn't relate to what she was going through. But he did know someone who could help her, someone who had felt this way before.

He felt her go limp in his arms and had to hold on to her tight in order to keep her from falling to the ground. He scooped her up in his arms effortlessly and began to walk swiftly back to the castle. Once inside he didn't even bother taking her back to their bedroom, he walked straight for the hospital wing. Classes where letting out for the day and students where staring at him with Lily in his arms. They looked confused and worried as he continued down the hallway staring straight ahead. He saw his brother Andrew leaving their mother's transfiguration classroom.

"Jack, what is it?" Andy asked looking at Lily concerned.

"I need you to go and get Harry for me. Tell him that I need him in the hospital wing right away," Jack said as he walked passed his brother quickly. Andrew gave him no reply. He simply did as he was told.

Andrew walked down the hallway and up two flights of stairs to Harry's classroom. He found his godfather sitting at his desk in an empty room reading something and smiling.

"Jack sent me to tell you that he needs you in the hospital wing. It's Lily," he said simply not finishing the comment completely.

"What happened?" Harry asked as the smile dropped from his face and he stood up abruptly knocking over his chair.

"I don't know. I got out of class and ran into him in the hallway carrying Lily in his arms. She was unconscious and looked like she'd been crying." Andrew said all this very fast as Harry ran past him through the door and to the hospital wing.

Harry approached the doors to the wing and found Jack walking back and forth nervously. "Jack, what happened?" Harry asked frantically.

When Jack turned to see Harry he grabbed his shoulders and looked at him desperately. Harry couldn't believe how upset he was. It almost seemed as if he was desperate for something. He spoke in a raspy voice, "She passed out…I came back from McGonagall's office and she left me a note saying she went for a walk. I founded her standing by your graves crying hysterically. She said things…I don't know what to say to her anymore…Harry you've got to help her! Tell her how much we love her and that all of this is not her fault!"

"She thinks this is her fault?" Harry repeated astonished.

"Yes…she says she can't forgive herself for the pain she put us through. She thinks she's holding me back. That she's preventing me from having fun because I worry about her. She says I deserve more than she can give me. God, Harry…you have to tell her that's not true. I'd die if something happened to her," Jack shook Harry's shoulders slightly to enforce his point and then half sat half fell into the chair by the hospital wing doors. He sat there in silence with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

Harry placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly. "I'll do what I can Jack," he said in a low voice as he walked through the door into the hospital wing.

He saw Madame Jefter sitting on the edge of a bed taking someone's pulse. It took him a minute to see who it was. Lily was still unconscious and very pale. He walked over to the bed and Madame Jefter motioned for him to sit in the chair placed on Lily's right hand bedside.

"I don't know what else I can do, Professor. None of my potions seem to help her with these nightmares she keeps having, or the other attacks. She is just going to have to fight this off on her own," she said shrugging her shoulders and standing up. She returned Lily's hand which she had been holding to monitor her pulse back on top of her stomach and walked to the other side of the bed closer to Harry.

"She's not alone," Harry said confidently as she turned and left them alone.

"She should wake up in a few minutes. Come and get me if there are any problems," she said before leaving them in peace.

He sat by Lily's bedside for what must have only been about a half hour, but for him the time dragged by endless. The gentle raising and falling of her chest was the only movement her body made. Her lips seemed to share in her body's paleness and the circles under her eyes were deeper than he had ever seen them.

Harry recalled all the times he had spent in this room in all his years of Hogwarts. He remembered being in here after his final battle with Voldermort, and feeling so glad that everything was over but at the same time feeling extremely guilty about all the people that had died along the way. He somehow felt that he should have been able to save them.

"Where am I?" asked in an unsteady voice from the bed drawing Harry out of his day dream. He took her hand and held it tight.

"You're in the hospital wing. Jack brought you here and sent his brother to get me. He said you passed out while you two were outside," she nodded as he finished his statement. She stared up at the ceiling showing no intention of talking about the incident, so he tried a different approach.

"Did I ever tell you why I became an auror," Harry asked when she gave no verbal reply to his first statement.

She shook her head again, "No, why?"

"I wanted to run away. I wanted something to take my mind off all that had happened and forget about all my feelings. So I threw myself into my work and made sure I was always away from those I loved. I guess I just thought I'd loose myself in it. I did it partly to make sure they were safe. Trouble seemed to follow me wherever I went and I had already caused my friends so much pain over the years. I wanted to give them a break. So I left. I know I hurt them by leaving, especially Ginny, but I told myself I was doing it for their own good," he said seriously looking her in the eye.

"Why are you telling me this, Dad?" she wondered looking puzzled.

"Because I don't want you to make the same mistake, Lily. I don't want you to shut out the people who love you, because in the end they're all you have. I wish I had done a million things differently. I wish I had told Ron and Hermione the truth all those times they asked me what was wrong. I wish I had trusted Ginny enough to let her help me. I wish I'd never left her and broken her heart along with everyone else. It was your mother that showed me how stupid I was behaving, but by then it was already too late to undo all the hurt I'd caused. I wanted to keep everyone safe, and that meant keeping the people I cared for the most in this world as away from me as possible. Or so I though. I did it to you too. I pushed you away when the going got tough because I thought you'd be safer without me around."

"How can I not feel guilty about all that's happened? I see the look everyone gives me when they see me in the halls. I know the pain I caused everyone!" She played with the edge of her blanket avoiding his gaze.

"You are just going to have to accept that there are some things in life that are out of your control," he answered solemnly. "You can do your best to shut out me and your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron as well as the rest of their family. But you won't be able to shut out Jack. He won't let you."

"I know," she said, defeated.

"He loves you so much, Lily. I've never seen anyone love someone as much as he loves you. Let him help you, and don't feel guilty about it. Think about how things would be if the situation where reversed. Wouldn't you want to help him? Wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to take his pain away? I know you would. Let him do the same for you. Promise me you will not shut him out?"

She nodded her head after taking his points into consideration. She sat up in bed and propped herself up against the pillows behind her back. Harry smiled at her and asked, "So what do you want to do now?"

"I want to see Jack," she said assertively.

Harry stood up and kissed her forehead. "That's my girl! I'll go get him. He's waiting outside." Harry walked toward the door and found Jack sleeping in the chair he had left him in. The castle was beginning to grow dark as the sun dropped lower in the sky. They had missed dinner.

Harry walked over to Jack and woke him up by timidly shaking his shoulders, "She's asking for you," he said as Jack's eyes opened slightly.

At the sound of Harry's statement, Jack jumped to his feet and headed toward the door. He stopped before going inside and turned back to Harry. "Thank you," he said simply but with a great deal of emotion.

"Just take care of her for me, okay," Harry said with equal feeling.

"I will," Jack promised. He took a step forward, swung the door open and stepped inside. Lily was still sitting on the bed, but she was staring at the door waiting for him to enter. When she saw him her face broke into a huge grin and she held out a hand to him. She didn't say a word, but then again she didn't have to.

He half ran to get to her bedside and instead of taking her hand he sat down facing her and held her entire body close to his. She returned his embrace with as much energy as she had in her. They sat there for a while holding each other before she said anything. "Jack, will you do me a favor?"

"Anything," he said pulling way and taking both her hands.

"Get me out of here."

He nodded and got up from the bed. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. She swayed dangerously and he steadied her by placing and arm around her waist. Thinking better of the situation, he simply took her in his arms and walked toward the door.

"I think you like carrying me, Jack Weasley," she stated as she wrapped her own arms around his neck and settled her head on his shoulder.

"I guess you're right," he admitted as they once again made a spectacular of themselves walking through the halls of Hogwarts back to their dorm. Jack carried her to their door in complete silence and once inside he walked towards his bedroom.

"I take it I'm sleeping in here again tonight," she asked mischievously.

"You think I'd let you sleep anywhere but with me," he asked her as if it was the most absurd thing ever mentioned.

"You think you've got me wrapped around your little finger, don't you," she said as he set her down on the floor next to his bed.

"No, I think you've got me wrapped around your little finger," he said before kissing her on the tip of the nose and then the lips lightly.

"I think I'll take a shower before bed. Is it okay if I use yours?"

"Sure, but why don't you take a bath instead. My mum gave me some of this bedtime bath bubble potion that's supposed to help you sleep easy. I haven't even used it yet."

"That sounds nice. Maybe I won't be keeping you up with my dreams tonight then," she said as she took a step away from him towards the bathroom. He stopped her from walking any further by catching her slim wrist in his hand and pulling her back to where she had been in front of him.

"You've got to stop thinking that I don't want to stay up with you. I love you and I want to be there for you when you need me, okay?"

"Alright," she answered as she stood up on her toes to kiss him before leaving for the bathroom.

He walked over to the linen closet, got the bottle, and entered the bathroom through the open door. The water in the large tub was flowing and Lily was standing with her back to him trying to get his sweater off her back. He swore he heard her moan in pain as she showed difficulty in removing the sweater, so he immediately walked over to help her, and as he did he noticed bruises along her ribcage.

Once the sweater was over her head he turned her around to face him. "Love, did you have a dream or something last night?"

She now looked like a small child who had just been caught eating cookies before dinner. "When you went to bed last night I couldn't sleep so I went into the living room and read for about an hour. I ended up falling asleep out there, having the dream, and rolling off the couch. That's what woke me up. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Jack. It just didn't seem to be that big of a deal. I've been having them for awhile now."

"Lily, if something happens to you and it causes you pain then it's a big deal. Have you been sore all day long?" He knew she had been, but he wanted her to admit it to him.

"A little," she said with reluctance.

"Then I guess this bath should help," he said turning around and pouring the potion into the tub with was now becoming covered in purple bubbles and the room filled with the scent of lavender. He turned back to her and watched as she unzipped her pants and lowered them over her hips with difficulty. They were bruised as well.

"Let me help you. Turn around," he told her as he went to unhook her bra.

"I think you just like undressing me," she said after moving her long black curls out of his way. He successfully unclasped the bra and cast is aside with the pants and sweater. He leaned down and kissed her shoulders and neck lightly.

"And just what's wrong with that?" he asked before kissing her one last time and leaving the bathroom. "Don't fall asleep in there, Potter," he teased as he closed the door behind him. He walked into the living room to retrieve a book he wanted to read and saw his father sitting there by the fire.

"Hey Jack," Ron said as he noticed him standing there. "I wanted to check on how you guys were doing. Andy came by for dinner with your mother and I instead of going to the Great Hall with everyone else. He told me what happened."

"Lily's taking a bath. She apparently had another dream last night when she fell asleep out here. She's pretty sore but I think she'll be okay."

"That's good," Ron said as Jack took a seat across from him.

"Yeah, whatever Harry said to her today really most have gotten through to her. Wish I know what they talked about."

"I know what he told her," Ron revealed, "I've just been to see Harry. He's very upset about what happened today. He wants to have both those graves taken down."

"I think that's a good idea," Jack replied. "What did he and Lily talk about in the hospital wing?"

Ron paused to gather is thoughts for a second before answering Jack's question. "Harry told her that he didn't want her to end up doing what he did. He regrets leaving behind all the people who loved him and needed him. I'm not saying that he wasn't there for us when we really needed him, but he missed out on a lot of wonderful things that happened in our lives. He regrets that now looking back."

"I can't imagine leaving my best friends like that. To me, it would see easier to deal with difficult situations if I had the people I care about there to help me," Jack thought out loud.

"That's just the thing, Jack. Harry didn't just leave behind your mother and I. He left behind your Aunt Ginny was well," Ron revealed.

"I know there was something going on with them. Were they that serious?" Jack repeated a little bit confused.

Ron nodded. "They got together for the first time for a really short period at the end of our sixth year. Then Harry and your mum and I went to look for what we needed to defeat you know who so he broke it off. When the job was done they got back together for a little while but it didn't last either. Right after the Final Battle he and I joined the auror department, but he was always more serious about it than I was. He started being gone out of the country all the time. No one really knows what happened between them in the end. Ginny told me once that Harry told her they were just headed in two separate directions. She still had a year left of school and then she wanted to get some more education past that. Harry was knee deep in auror business by then and things just weren't working out. Their relationship unraveled really fast. Everyone thought they'd get married the summer after Ginny graduated because they seemed to really hit it off. Once Harry left to live in America they didn't see each other at all. The last time he saw her was when you were born. He came to see us a few hours after your mother gave birth and he and Ginny spent some time together. Things seemed awkward between them." Ron stopped talking when he realized that he'd been rambling.

"Wow, that's surprising," Jack muttered in deep thought. Of all his father's siblings he saw Aunt Ginny the least. She lived in America for as long as he could remember and until recently she almost never came home.

Ron began talking again before Jack could ask any questions. "The point is Harry now knows that he made a mistake. They're working things out. I know they've got a long way to go and I can't tell if they'll ever get back what they had, but they are trying. Harry doesn't want the same thing to happen with you and Lily. Don't let it, you hear me? No matter what she says or does…don't let her push you away. I promise you she'll try."

"That's never going to happen. Do you know if Harry would mind if I told Lily about this?"

"I don't think he'd care. I'm surprised neither of you haven't heard it from some member of the family."

"I think we both kind of knew there used to be something there between them especially the way they've been acting lately," he restated. "But no, we never knew the details."

"Well, I guess that's all I really had to say. You'd better check on Lily and I've got to get back to your mum," Ron stood up from his seat and walked toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, son."

Jack sat there in silence staring at the fire for ten or fifteen minutes. The bedroom door behind him opened and Lily padded across the floor and sat down next to him. She was wearing a pair of her old boxer shorts and his t-shirt which completely covered the boxers and ended just above her knees.

"You smell nice," Jack observed as she walked up.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she crawled onto his lap.

"Yeah," he said reassuringly as he pulled her closer to his chest and rubbed her back gently with both hands. "I'm ready for bed. What about you Miss Potter?"

"Sure," she said standing up and taking his hand. He followed her to his bed and spent the night holding onto her as tight as he possibly could without waking her up. He wondered how life could seem so incredibly perfect and so completely screwed up all at the same time.

Harry made the trip across the grounds to the new orphanage later that night after pretty much everyone had gone to bed. He'd sent an owl to Ginny after he visited Ron and asked her if she had time to see him tonight. He just got the response a few minutes ago and made his way over. The building was build about where Hagrid's old hut used to be before it was destroyed during the war. As he approached the front door to the house looking structure the front door opened and Ginny stepped out into the night air.

"Hello," she said happily once he began walking up the steps leading towards her.

"Hey Gin," he replied. Neither of them said anything as he made his way up the stairs and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly pulling her body to his. He sighed almost in relief as they stood there in blissful silence for a few minutes. He finally pulled away slowly and looked down at her. "Thanks, I think I needed that."

"I'm just glad it was me who opened the door and not one of the other employees. They would have been in for quiet a shock," Ginny joked before kissing him on the cheek. "Are you going to come in or do you want to stand out here all night?"

"Let's go in," he said laughing in spite of himself. No matter what kind of mood he was in, she always seemed to cheer him up. He couldn't believe how stupid he was to walk away from her. He knew he had a lot of making up to do.

They entered the house into a cozy and welcoming front room with many chairs and toys littering the floor ready to fill some child's life with much needed happiness.

"This is amazing, Gin," he said in awe as he looked around.

Ginny beamed back at him. "Thanks," she said leading him down the hallway. "It did turn out to be everything I wanted it to be and more. I'm staying upstairs for now until I can find somewhere in town. There are three nannies living here at the moment but I'm looking for some more so that I don't have to stay here once the kids get here. Unfortunately, my job is more about keeping this place running and less about the kids. I need to find some more funding."

She lead him through the large kitchen and into the dinning room which had a large table where everyone who lived there could eat meals together almost like a family. After that they went into a parlor which had several sofas and a roaring fireplace reminding him of the Gryffindor common room. She sat him down in the sofa closest to fire.

"Is something wrong?" She asked when Harry didn't say anything after a few minutes. Harry took a breath and let it out slowly. Closing his eyes and trying to find a way to tell her what was on his mind. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said before he had the chance to comment.

Harry shook his head and took her hand firmly in his. "No, this is what being in a relationship is all about. Telling each other what's going on. I just…oh I don't know. Things just haven't been going as well as I thought they would. Lily had that incident on the train. Jack's worried to death about her. She just isn't getting any better and I don't know what to do. I need to find out how Malfoy is controlling her like this."

Ginny squeezed his hand and used her other hand to lovingly move some of his hair out of his eyes. "You can't expect things to get better overnight. Lily's going to have a rough road ahead of her."

"I know….I just don't like seeing her suffer like this. I wish I could do more," he stated distantly.

"There's something else isn't there. Did something happen today?" Ginny asked perceptively.

Harry had to chuckle at her insight before he grew serious again. "Today after class was over, Andy came running into my classroom saying that Lily was in the hospital wing. Apparently she took a trip down to the graves this afternoon. She was pretty upset."

"Oh no," Ginny said quietly. "Is she alright?"

Harry shook his head no. "She and Jack had a discussion down there before she passed out. She told him that she blames herself for all the pain everyone is going through. She thinks he should be out having fun with his friends and on taking care of her."

Ginny nodded her head knowingly. "I see," she said softly.

"Yeah, like father like daughter it seems," he said uncomfortably.

"Did you talk to her?" Ginny asked.

He nodded. "I was there when se woke up in the hospital. I told her she needed to keep the people she loves close to her. I think she finally got it in the end. Gin, you should have seen Jack outside when I came running up. He was so upset."

"I'm sure he was."

Harry had arrived at the topic he had come here to talk to her about and turned to face her. "It just makes me remember how stupid I was. Seeing Jack like that, it's like seeing the other side of everything I've done. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I wish I had done a lot of things differently. That's what I told her today in the hospital wing."

She smiled warmly at him and took his face in her hands. "Harry, we can't go back in time and write the wrongs. All we can do is try to help Jack and Lily through this by telling them about both of our mistakes so they don't fall down the same misguided path."

Harry took her hands in his and looked at her seriously as if trying to read her mind. "Why do you keep saying we both made mistakes? I'm the one who left. You asked me to stay but I left anyway."

"You may have left, but I didn't exactly go after you either. I could have. But I was hurt and my ego was wounded. I let that get in the way of my feelings for you. I should have gone to America and made you see that you belonged at home with us with my family, and with me. But I didn't. Instead I stayed away and let you think that you were right in separating yourself from me."

"I'm still sorry," he said looking down.

"I'm sorry too," she said kissing his forehead forcing him to look up at her. "Jack and Lily will be fine if they know they've got a support system. I'll be there to help them, and you."

Suddenly he knew he was able to say the one thing he'd wanted to say since he first saw her. He pulled her to his chest and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

"I love you too," she said bringing her arms up around his neck and putting their problems aside for a few minutes at least.

The following Monday was the true beginning of the term for Lily and Jack. This was the week they started working at the ministry again, and it was also the week that Lily would start her job at the hospital. They left the castle long before any of the other students rolled over in their beds.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jack asked as he took Lily's hand and led her out the hallway to their dorm room. They were both dressed in their black traditional auror robes and carried duffle bags over their shoulders.

"Yes," she replied smiling up at him trying her hardest to reassure them both. In the last few days since the incident out by the graves, Lily had been more open about her feelings and had begun to allow people to take care of her.

They walked through the halls and out the front doors into the misty morning. Layers of fog hung over the grass on the vast and beautiful grounds of Hogwarts. They walked to the gates and were about to apparate when she suddenly turned around and stared at the gravesite.

"You said they bewitched some girl's body to look like me," she stated, her voice foreign to her own ears as well as Jacks.

"Yeah," Jack replied flatly.

"I want someone to take up the body and find out who she is. Send her back to her family. Whoever she is, she deserves to lie in her own grave."

"We'll do whatever you want," he said as a gentile breeze blew several strands of her hair into her face. He gently brushed the hair aside and she turned to look at him again.

"That's what I want," she said nodding her head.

"Then that's what we'll do. We'll talk to someone at the ministry about it today," he said lovingly.

"Okay. Than I guess we'd better go," she said taking a deep breath.

"Yep, they'll be waiting."

Her voice was somewhat resentful this time. "They always are," she said dropping her gaze and taking her hand as they apparated to their destination.

a/n- well, there it is. Please tell me what you think! As for the future of this story, I have big plans. There may even be another story beyond this one. But please understand that I have a live outside of the story and updates will be slow at times. Thanks for all the reviews I've received so far! They keep me going!