I know it's been a while and I'm sorry, my wrist is still messed up. However, soon I am getting surgery and I'll be home for a while, so I'm counting on having plenty of time to write. I hope you enjoy this though. Let me know what you think and if there are any suggestions or things you want to see included.
Thanks to my reviewers from chapter 11:
Cosmopolitan: thanks so much for the feedback. I like hearing that!
Heaven and Earth: Thanks!
Truefairy lights: I can understand the tiredness, believe me that's fine. Thanks for taking the time to let me know that you enjoy it though.
Sarcastic spastic: I love these amazingly long comments that you leave me that we can kind of converse through. There will be a lot of those sweet things like you said between Lily and James because I am such a romantic and since I don't have that I like to dream . With McGonagall, I didn't know that was going to happen, the characters just took me away, but I'm glad you liked it. My wrist is not yet better, but I am dying to write. I promise to take it easy though and thanks for the advice.
Emma-J-Riddle: I'm glad you liked this chapter. I hope you like this chapter too and thanks for asking about my wrist.
Gather round guys…story time!
Lily was still out from her classes, but the good news was that she was recovering. She was becoming more alert and less dazed, she wasn't complaining of a headache as much, her leg was almost to the point where she could walk without the crutches and her wrist was all healed. The only thing that still bothered her was her ribs. She was very sore, and even when she laughed it would hurt her quite a bit.
James ran into the Head's common room and saw Lily sitting at the couch working on her homework. She looked up, surprised and startled by the anxious look she saw on James's face. She moved over and motioned for him to sit on the couch next to her.
"What's wrong?"
James took a deep breath and said, "It's nothing bad, I just wanted to tell you that Dumbledore plans to expel Cantore. He thinks that keeping him around is a threat to your safety because now he must now that more people know, and Dumbledore feels that you shouldn't have to deal with that, especially considering all that's happened to you already." James reached for her hand and held it, "And I have to agree with him. You deserve the best, Lily, and Dumbledore reckons that you would be a lot safer without Cantore around, and he said he would see to it that Cantore would not bother you. Are you okay with all that?"
Lily sat back, a bit taken aback by everything she had just heard. She was a bit leery of angering Chris more, but then she thought about everything. She didn't deserve that, and if Dumbledore told her that he wouldn't bother her again, then she trusted he would keep his word to the best of his ability.
James took her silence as a sign that she was still hesitant so he explained more, "Dumbledore also told me that Cantore wouldn't be getting in any other trouble other than leaving the school, and no one at school will know because an excuse will be given for his absence. So Lily, what do you say?"
Lily looked up at James and nodded. James gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and was in the midst of getting up, when Lily pulled him back down gently.
"James, there's something I need to do before he leaves though. I need to confront him, one last time. But before you interrupt, just listen. I want you to be there, under the cloak, so we can avoid anything else from happening. Please James, you need to understand that I need to do this, and I know I'm asking for a lot by asking for you to go, but I'd be a lot less scared."
James looked at Lily, stunned. Lily was a lot stronger than he had initially imagined. Here she was broken emotionally and physically, and she's looking to confront this guy.
Lily clarified, "I can't let him win and have the last word. If I let him leave like this with the last thing him knowing is that he hurt me enough to break me, then he'll know he won. But I don't want him to think that he has. I want to show him I'm a lot stronger than he gave me credit for. It's something I have to do for me."
James nodded in admiration. He was in love with one amazing woman.
"So, what's the plan?" asked James.
Lily gave a small smile and began to relay to James how she wanted this to happen.
XXXXX
Lily was at the top of the stairs to Dumbledore's office leaning on her crutches, waiting for Chris to arrive. When Chris reached the top, Lily stepped out from the shadows right in front of him. He took a step back, surprise etched in every line of his face. Lily glared daggers at him.
"Surprised to see me?" Lily asked in an icy tone that even sent chills up James's spine as he was hiding under the cloak.
"Lily, I-"
"Cantore, don't you dare use my first name. Only friends have that right, and you certainly are not one of my friends. And, don't give me more of your crap, because I'm sick of it," Lily said.
Chris was stunned into silence. Lily shook her head and let out a deep sigh.
She looked up at him, "Listen, I didn't come here to lecture you. I'm not even going to bother wasting my time with that. I came here to let you know that you underestimated me and I'm going to be fine without you. You didn't love me, because you don't hurt the people you love like that. And even though I have the chance to curse you into oblivion, I'm not going to. I'm going to part from you and your hold on me, while hoping that you find something worthwhile."
Lily was about to walk away when she pulled something out of her pocket. She held it tightly in her hand, and walked back over to Chris. She took his hand, put the object she had been carrying into his hand, closed his hand.
"I don't want those, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to keep them, but I honestly could care less about it," she said, and then walked off, leaving a stunned Chris standing in front of Dumbledore's office.
James stood there a bit stunned himself. He had been sure that Lily was going to hex Chris into next week, but she had surprised him. Lily had stepped up and been more mature and admirable than he could have ever imagined. She stood her ground and managed to win, while keeping her dignity and making herself higher by not succumbing to rash and inappropriate behavior. James ran to go after Lily and make sure she was okay.
He found her walking down the hallway. He took off his cloak and walked next to her.
"You never cease to amaze me, Lily."
Lily looked at him, caught off guard with a puzzled look on her face.
James smiled, "The way you talked to him and showed him you were the better person. Just the way you handled the whole situation. It was really something."
Lily blushed but just shrugged not really knowing what to say.
James was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, when Lily looked over at him. She noticed the way his messy hair fell in his face, right in front of his eyes, and she noticed his hazel eyes, deep in thought, and right at that moment she felt her stomach flip with just those thoughts.
Finally, James spoke, "What was it that you gave Chris, Lily?"
"It was a bag with all the things from our relationship. Cards, notes, roses…little things like that," Lily replied.
James nodded, content with her answer and the two walked back to their common room, thoughts of each other filling their minds.
I think this is a good place to end this chapter. There's one thing though, I know this story is moving kind of slow because I drag the days out, but the next chapter is going to be the same day, only it's a confrontation with someone else. I just want all this to happen before she goes back to classes…well this is the plan anyway, it could change in the process…I'm sorry if you really have a problem with the long stretch out of days, since this is chapter 12 and still the beginning. Let me know what you think about it though. I'm looking forward to some feedback before I post the next chapter. Good night everyone.