The Flower Grows chp3
Sequel to The Flower's Story
Love heals-it heals those who recieve it and those who give it.
-Anonymous
James turned back to her slowly, not daring to hope. Not daring to hope that what he felt wasn't a dream. He lifted up her hand and enclosed it completely within his own, and waited, just one more moment, one more...
Lily sucked in a deep breath as if she had just surfaced from an overdue time underwater and slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light and focused on James.
"I thought you asked me that question already." She whispered playfully, attempted a smile in her weakened state. James returned it ten fold.
"Yes, but this time I have a ring."
"Really? Is it pretty? Can we tell people too?"
"If you want…is it pretty? What do you think I can't buy a bloody engagement ring? Please Lil after all this time do you still think me incompetent of-" James saw a tear trickle down lily's cheek as he slipped the ring onto her left ring finger "Lily what's wrong? Are you all right? Do you want me to get a medi-wizard?"
"No, James. No I'm fine." Lily said grinning at his minor pissy fit, and gestured for James to help her sit upright. Once she had sat up straight and taken in her surroundings, her eyes settled on James once more, but this time her grin was no longer apparent. "But, you're not all right."
"Lil, what happened was an accident. Dumbledore told me that under the stress from work and loneliness your powers spiraled out of control and took on some of…Slytherins more…characteristic traits. But I'm not going to let that happen again."
"Neither am I. James I could have killed you, and you know it." James sat down on the hospital bed stroking her hand in reassurance. "But you didn't-"
"I'm going to give up the powers." The stunned silence hung in the hair over the two of them for what seemed an eternity. James let go of Lily's hand and looked at her in confusion.
"You couldn't-what do you mean?" his face had a slightly confused look about it that Lily usually found attractive…but this time it made telling him this harder.
"James." Lily reached for him but he pulled away and backed off the bed, ruffling his already strewn hair. She hated that lost look on his face, it pained her to see his eyes form a look of now hurt confusion.
"It's not possible Lily, to give up your heritage"
"James, I'm not giving it up…your right that would be impossible. But there is a way I wouldn't have to be reminded of it every day. A way I could protect you, and every one else I love." James shook his head furiously not wanting to believe what he was hearing.
"Lily this is a gift we have, we were blessed with a gift-"
"A curse James" Lily interrupted "You have to understand that for me it's always been a curse and it always will. I mean honestly, think how many fights have we had over this? We almost lost each other because of it, once." He knew she was referring to the only time during their relationship where it had seemed to be completely over.
"Lil, just because we've had some arguments over our powers doesn't mean you have to give them up completely!"
"But James, don't you realize that it's not your powers we ever fight about…it's mine. Because of the horrible line of blood that is seeping through my veins and frightfully my soul my personality changes. And knowing what I have inside of me is just making it worse. And worst of all I've hurt you and I've hurt Remus in the process…the next thing you know is I've killed someone and their shipping me off to Azkaban…"
"I won't let that happen-"he was pleading with her now, if he let her do this…forget the one thing that truly made them different from the rest of this world…truly connected them…he would be the only one left. But the truth in Lily's words stung him deeply. She knew what her powers potential of danger were more than anyone else.
"No James…" she reached over slowly to the opened drawer in the bedside table on the opposite side of James. "I won't let it happen."
"You have to clear this with Dumbledore you know…" his excuses were feeble now, but he would try anything to get her to change her mind.
"No I don't, and you know that." She handed him her wand and smiled at him as his eyes grew with the reality of her decision.
"Why me?"
"Who else? You were with me through it all." She smiled grimly
"No I wasn't. I haven't been there for you this past month Lil." James sighed "If you do this, I'm going to quit-"
She leaned over and kissed him gently. "I love you four eyes, and your not giving up your dream of becoming an auror because of me. And now that I won't have these awful powers to worry about you have no reason to think of coming home to a house blown up. "
He smiled and pointed the wand at her "I love you carrot-top...now tell me what to do"
Arthur and Molly's wedding had gone beautifully. The garden they were married in was hung with white linen, white roses floated through the air magically, and white snow had been magicked in also, although it disappeared before it reached the floor to prevent a mess. When Sirius and Tasha returned to St. Mungo's with cakes and pastries of all kinds to tempt James to leave the room, they found James sitting in a chair next to Lily's bed talking to a pale looking red-haired girl that had a curious grin on her face.
"Lily!" Tasha threw all the cakes she was holding into Sirius' arms and ran towards Lily (which was quite difficult as she was wearing a tight slipped off white gown with extremely high heels). Lily grinned as Tasha hobbled over and embraced her friend that she had not seen for over a month. Tasha had tears in her eyes while she looked her friend over, although pale Lily looked rejuvenated and alive. As if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, or a curse had been taken away.
"Oh Lil, we were so worried, the medi-wizards said-" she shuddered "They thought for the worst. But I knew you'd pull through."
Lily rolled here eyes knowing her friend had probably given in to the fact she would never wake up again. "Thanks for your confidence…how was Molly's wedding?" Tasha then went into a huge description of the decorations, the dresses, what people were wearing, what they weren't wearing…and all the while Sirius stood by the door shaking his head and rolling his eyes at his girlfriends odd remarks. 'Oh but Lil he looked like a ruddy pig with wings in that suit, you should have seen it' He dumped the pastries and cakes and get well cards onto a chair and motioned to James that he wanted to talk outside. James took a glance at Lily and winked walking toward the waiting rooms with Sirius.
"So how is she?" he asked knowing that James was still worried deeply about her, and didn't exactly feel like discussing the ups and downs of Molly and Arthur's wedding.
"Oh she's going to be fine…she always has been…always will be…" James looked away from Sirius knowing that he could read the real feelings beneath his fake expression of relief. He saw a couple walking through the doors of St. Mungo's returning to the muggle world holding hands and smiling at each other.
Sirius saw a gloom settle over James, he put his hand on James' shoulder stopping him from walking any further.
"What happened?" he pulled him over to a pair of chairs pushing him into one not prepared to take any more bull shit. They both sat down as James ran his fingers through his disheveled hair.
"It's over…and I'm engaged."
Sirius stared at him in confusion…how could their relationship be over when they were engaged. He didn't know whether to congratulate or comfort his friend. James saw the confused look on Sirius' face and gave a weak chuckle.
"Our relationship isn't over Padfoot obviously if we're engaged, it's just…you know the powers we told you about?" Sirius nodded listening aptly to James "She gave hers up. Said it was hurting Remus and I too much to keep going with them…but did she even stop to consider how this is going to effect me? No, never…its all her her her."
"Wait…how'd she get rid of them? Isn't that impossible?"
James shook his head and sat back in his chair taking a deep breath. "Apparently when she found out she had Slytherins powers an uncontrollable fear took over as she has said herself. So she had searched and searched for a way to block powers…or to forget a certain aspect of her life…." James gestured for Sirius to finish his sentence
"Her powers! So she blocked them?"
"Technically I blocked them as it was me waving her wand at her and extracting the memories." James reached in his back pocket and pulled a small green glowing gem out. "But this gem…if she used her powers in any way at any given time, that moment is extracted from her mind and put in here. She's also forgot anything to do with my powers. This little thing right here is all the memories having anything to do with Lily's powers. So it, I suppose you can say, put a stopper in her powers, so if she has any resurgence of anger or loneliness this will prevent her powers from resurfacing."
Sirius took all this in slowly "So what would happen if the gem was broken."
"Everything would return to her, but much stronger as it has been gaining energy and idling away for a period of time."
Sirius took the gem away from James and looked inside its transparent emerald glass. Hazy moving pictures could be seen inside playing the scenes out inside themselves.
"So…her powers have been gathering energy while we've been away, have they?" Sirius scoffed "I knew I've been a distraction to her but this is just plain insulting!"
James smirked "No you git, while they are inside this gem they'll be gathering energy…biding its time I suppose you can say."
"Well if lily feels that it's for the best…and she obviously has you and Remus in mind with this decision, you'll just have to trust her on it."
"I do trust her, and I understand that she's worried…but I can take care of her, I know I can." James put his head in his hands resigning to this awful fact. "And it's not just the fact that I'm now extremely worried about her…I now feel like I'm alone. I'm the only one left who has these sort of powers."
"Ah but that's where your wrong prongs m'darling. For you shall always have your dear padfoot to keep you company." Sirius ruffled James' head as he looked up at him. James pushed his hand away and threw Sirius a devilish smile.
"You think that's suppose to cheer me up, eh? Maybe if you were a dog permanently I could consider you mans best friend, you get what I'm playing at…m'dear." Sirius shoved James out of his chair with a playful grin.
"Oh shut it Prongs, lets go get some tea."
"So who did look like a ruddy pig with wings at Molly and Arthur's wedding?"
Sirius laughed, happy that James was converting back to his old self. But a thought dampened his mind as they stepped into the tea room.
"James, you need to hide that thing." He gestured toward James right hand where he was fiddling with the gem that held Lily's powers.
James looked at Sirius "Oh Bugger, your right…"
"No comment from the bleedin peanut gallery, thank you."
"I made no such comment, but you are right…we need to hide this. If some one got a hold of it and…broke it her powers would come rushing back and…"
"Danger…listen, How about you give it to me and I'll stop by dumbledore's-"
"No. Lily said specifically that she did not want Dumbledore to know she released her powers, so nix that idea." James looked at the gem that seemed to be glowing brighter then when it had formed not half an hour ago.
"Gringrotts."
"Sorry?"
"You have to put it in Gringrotts, theres no safer place. Give it to me I'll open a high security vault this afternoon after I explain everything to Tasha and- Oh bloody hell…Tasha doesn't know about all this!"
"Oh for fucks sake." James handed the gem to Sirius and dropped the cups of tea into the nearest waste can, running for Lily's room.
"Blimey Lil, this ring is beautiful. Can I?" Tasha motioned to take the ring off of Lily's hand so she could examine it closely. Lily nodded grinning in simple pure satisfaction. The ring was beautiful, James seemed to have captured the very essence of Lily in it. The band itself was white gold, as Lily herself never really liked the vibrant color of pure gold. There was a large diamond in the middle that was circled by minuscule emeralds echoing the exact color of Lil's almond shaped eyes. And as Tasha was turning the ring over in her hands she noticed inside, an inscription that fit onto the band with remarkable precision, Of course, magically inscribed. 'Love means me, love means you.'
Tasha put the ring back on lily's finger looking at her with a worried expression. "Are you feeling all right Lil?"
"Of course, James told me the doctors said it was only a concussion…but lucky I hadn't stayed asleep longer, right?" Lily smiled at Tasha and without noticing the confused look on her went bent to ogling at her ring.
"But…Lil, what about the whole po-"
"What about the whole 'all of us staying single forever' bit eh?" Sirius exclaimed making lily laugh.
"Sorry Sirius I'm afraid the ladies of Hogwarts have successfully disbanded the Marauders and moved forward with our evil plan of making the men across the world…domestic." Sirius gasped playfully, humoring lily so she wouldn't expect a difference in character as Sirius had just interrupted Tasha's unknown folly.
He and James strolled into the room giving knowing glances toward eachother as they went to sit next to the girls. But as Sirius gave Tasha a kiss on the forehead he also gave her a look that clearly stated asking about Lily's powers was a big no no.
"You owe me an explanation later" she whispered to him as he pulled up a chair beside her.
"You'll get it, just forget about it now" Sirius whispered back as his arm slid around her back and rested on her shoulder line.
"So when does the doctor- sorry, medi-wizard say that I will be out of here?" Lily grinned as her fingers entwined with James'.
"Tomorrow." A voice from the doorway replied. Remus strolled in with his hands in his pockets and a smile that did not match the three gashes that streamed across his face. "Lil, you're still referring to them as doctors eh? We need to get you better acquainted with the ways of the wizarding world. As I understand you've only known about it what…since you met me? And that's how many years?"
"Don't you mock me sir." Lily said trying to grin as she took his hand and pulled him closer to her to examine the cuts that will eventually be scars. "You should put some potion on those, I'll Have"
Remus stopped her by kissing her forehead and sitting down next to Tasha "you're not the medi-wizard today Lil, you're the patient so I would appreciate no advice from someone who has suffered a very severe head injury…you never know what will come out of someone in that position…" she grinned, now for some reason…being truly happy to be awake.
"I'll be waiting outside for you alright?" James took Lily's hand and kissed it, she smiled back at him as he walked out of her hospital room. She looked around the room one last time checking to make sure she had everything. She went to the bedside table and looked inside the drawer to retrieve her wand…but it wasn't there. She looked around and spotted it at a table under a mirror across the room, she never liked the mirrors in the wizarding world, they always seemed to get cheeky with her, or even cryptic at times.
"That was a brave thing you did dear." This one decided to say.
"Yea alright." Lily murmured brushing the comment off as she grabbed her wand and turned to leave and join James. "And you can't even notice the mark, but your lucky vanity doesn't concern you. As a mirror I find its one of the top priorities of this gen-" but Lily hadn't the patience or the curiosity inside her to stay and listen to the dusty old mirror. That was one factor of this world she had never grown accustomed to; taking advice from inanimate objects.
"Ms. Evans?" Lily was ten feet away from the door when she heard a small voice call out to her, she closed her eyes and wondered what papers she hadn't signed for her release and turned around with a grimace. But the sight in front of her was much more pleasant than medi-wizards requesting signatures.
"John! John how wonderful to see you walking…how are you feeling?" Lily walked over to the young man and gave him a small hug that didn't completely cross the medi-wizard/patient boundary.
"I'm better, thanks to the potions that you prescribed." He smiled at her "Ms. Evans…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted the last time we spoke. I was very rude and I-"
"You don't need to apologize john-"
"No! I do need to apologize and to say thank you."
"Thank you? Why?"
John shifted his position on the cane he was using "I met your friend…Remus? He helped me with a few things and he said he'd come back to visit again."
Lily grinned and made a mental note to thank Remus. "He's a good man Remus, and he copes with it every day."
"Yes well in my world…its not as big a problem as it is in yours."
"I know…werewolves are fictional for muggles…I used to believe that too. Well I must go John, hopefully we won't have to meet again under these circumstances. Feel better."
"You too, I heard you were in here for a few days." John shifted his position on his cane once more and turned hobble back into his room. Lily looked back at him once more and as she stared at his injured leg found it hard to remember why she had been in St. Mungo's in the first place.
A/N: I know it's taken awhile but things are positively insane, as life goes. So enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that is the genius of JKR!