Standing There By You
Ch. 40- Unknowingly Unconscious
Disclaimer: No own, says Val. Also don't own a couple of Dulcis's lines she bestowed upon me. Thanks!
You guys are amazing... Record response! I luv ya all, you don't know how much this fuels me to get through the rest of the day. I can't thank you enough, and my ecstasy has reached an ultimate high upon realizing I'm peaked 1,000 : )
-Psst... Congrats Romulan Empress for being the big 1000!
-Also, I'm trying to condense the review responses, so a big thank you to everyone... I still responded to all of the reviewers, I just shortened them down to one-liners. Ish. Except for the first two, of which I found reason to write incredibly long paragraphs for.
Curiousknowitall- You know, I really don't feel like battling with someone via a site that I so very much enjoy, so review if you want to, don't review if you do not. If you convince your friends not to review, then so be it, but let me just ask, what would you have done in my situation? You threatened me and said without reason that I was bugging you all in one review, both of which I found highly offensive, so what was I supposed to respond back? I'd type more but I don't want to take up too much space, so if you'd like to e-mail me you can- I'm elenya2 at aol, and it's my s/n as well.
RavenSiriusBlack- A lot of people on the site consider several things when clicking onto a story- the title and summary being two of the most prominent ones. I'd love to help you recruit reviewers, but I really think if you increase the quality of those two aforementioned things, then you'd get reviewers on your own. You're a very flamboyant person, and I respect that without a doubt, so don't change your style, but just consider changing the way you... produce it. It's a relief to see 'professionally done' (for lack of a better term) stories, so just give it that extra flair and you'll be on your way.
Misakichi1- It's so great you understand, and still add inspirational words in : ) Your reviews are always some of the greatest!
ImperishableStars- Lol, interesting review. Whoda whada yesda. You captured the essence perfectly.
MissBlueAngel- I'm happy you're happy : )
RomulanEmpress- Woo!! The very incredible reviewer that randomly landed as number one-thousand! I'm glad it was you, you're an awesome reader : )
Emps- Yes, Grace's family is very loveable : )
Gaby-Black- Yay, glad you liked your name ; ) I'm happy you're so happy I updated, talk to you soon!
Padfootz- Hehe, robe-sleeve. Sirius is always full of himself, just more so sometimes than others. : )
Limbo-gal- Keep it up, I shall : ) Glad you like it!
Sblomie- Ooh, glad I could make you giggle : ) Ah, hope your beanbag chair's comfortable, hehe. Yay, I get to be Watson! He's awesome.
Khamisn- Wow, glad you like it so much : ) Ah, the suspense of Fluent...
Californiagurl- Aw, that's sad, I'm sorry you and your friends are being separated. It really sucks, doesn't it? Well I'm glad I could make you laugh, and take a break from that evil thing called school : p
Celebrean- Sorry to hear about your friend : ( Well, I hope the pasted coin helps entertain you, hehe. Ah, Dumbledore's not evil, don't worry. Thanks for taking the time to read my 'whole' story!
Ieyre- Who knows? I sure don't. He's a crazy guy, he is.
SuperHiperChit- Yes, plot's good. Maybe she was fighting with him, you just didn't see it. : )
Espergirl04- Hmm... I can't think of the name of that song, but it's pretty popular. It's old, too. I think it's on a commercial? Oh well, sorry I confused you last response : (
WoW-Girl- Ah, but I am quite an unpredictable girl, am I not?
Molly- Hehe, glad you liked the greyness. Hmm... As for the rest of your review, I'm keeping my mouth shut.
BlueSeal- Ah, mating geese. We should start a club!
RubyMstar- Glad you like it : )
Dulcis Caelum- Phlegm. The hamster will come soon, promise. Hopefully. No I swear, it will. I think.
Kita- Yep, chinchillas rock. They'll be mentioned more in a few chapters : )
Dreamlessnights- Whoops, sorry you broke something. Tried to update soon : )
Sapphire039- ::Sigh:: Rather unfortunately, Julie's last name is Taylor (nothing against that last name!) not that it's bad at all, it's just boring : ( But oh well, I was young and excited to post my first chapter, what can I say. Oh and thanks for the sympathy, too, I appreciate it.
Lanette- Glad you enjoyed it : ) And no, I can assure you, Fluent is not high.
Secret Lily- Ah yes, Sirius is quite a good character to work with. Laughter is awesome, isn't it?
Kawaii-cherryblossom-saku- Wow, glad you like it so much : ) Yeah, Sirius and Remus were disappointing.. but oh well. Yep, I'm going word-for-word by JKR, but in fifth year I'm going to do the part JKR wrote from a different perspective. Don't worry, she'll say the squid line just for you!
Sallymander- One of the best fics? Aw, you're much too kind : ) Hehe, and yes, we do have to love James and Sirius.
Ninde Annare- Thanks for all the wonderful words of encouragement!
L.M. Robertson- Hmm.. suspicious reviewers constructing thoughts of their own? Alas! The idea is simply barbaric!
DobbyGirl- Wow, I'm glad I could make you review so very enthusiastically : )
Rach- Hmm.. Well I could toy with you, but I won't. Nope, no Sirius and Grace. They get along, but not like that. I updated quickly (or at least tried to), thanks for the motivation!
Windowseat Wonderer- Hehe, glad you thought it was 'Marauderish'. Honestly, I don't know if I could ever be a Marauder... it's so hard to come up with different pranks all the time! And I'm just writing... imagine if I actually had to perform them. And Lily... Random... or was it?
Purplereader- Of course I'll be your friend! Ooh yay, tied for favorite author? I'll take it! Congrats on making call-backs, that's awesome!
Manny2003- : p
StrawberryLove-sama- Hmm... fluff... maybe this summer? That should only be one or two chapters away, so you won't have to wait too long.
Oliverwoodschic- Yes, he's very cool. Just like you, for reviewing! Hehe.. I'm lame, I know.
Suji- Woo! I'm so happy you're back : ) Oh you're so lucky, I wish I could travel too. Lol, don't worry, your review wasn't harsh! It gave good advice, and I can always use some of that!
Blonk- Yay, it's always nice to see new reviewers : ) I'm glad you think it's 'wicked' (hehe, awesome word)... hmm... the crazy mind-set of Fluent...
FreckledIrishMaiden- Ugh, I know whatcha mean. School is incredibly draining. Good luck on getting your temps, I've got mine now but I've yet to take the classes...
Shadowfax3614- Ooh, I'm very surprised too. Ah yes, and very sorry about the lj not containing any recent info on this story... hehe, whoops.
Mistyrious- Ah, sadly enough, I didn't get you meant forty chapters until you actually wrote it out for me : )
EvilExpressions- Funny? Moi? Ah, you're much too kind m'dear (or m'boy, I'm not sexist.) Glad I could make you laugh!
Dracapotter12- Kind words are always appreciated, and miraculously, they help me to write much, much faster ; )
Since I'm 'condensing' just imagine a huge thanks a million at the end of each response : )
Please excuse this philosophical moment. Christine: Good luck with your angry Physics teacher, and always remember, shoot for the Mohawk, even if you miss, you'll still land among the bow ties.
James let out a deep sigh as he rolled over onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling. "A day of freedom," he said happily. "We can probably get more, you know, with the reign we hold over Fluent."
To his left Sirius repeated his slow-paced actions, stretching out his arms and tucking his hands behind his head. "Oh, definitely. He's frightened of us, you can tell."
"Mmm-hmm," James agreed, grinning now at the ceiling. "Letting us skip all day, though, I never thought those words would come out of his mouth."
Remus glanced over at his lazy friends, from the spot where he was neatly fixing his tie. "We've still got classes, you know," he reminded them, before shaking his head and side-stepping into the bathroom.
Sirius groaned. "Yeah, we know." He shifted from his comfortable position and swung his legs over the bed, hopping off the soft mattress and onto the hard wooden floor.
Trouble was, he didn't stop hopping.
"What are you doing?" James made a face, tossing a pillow at his presently prancing friend. "You look like an idiot."
Sirius stopped, a confused look settled on his face as he stared down at his feet. "I'm not doing anything," he claimed.
"Right," James rolled his eyes, stepping off his bed as well. He began towards the bathroom. "I think you're a little- hey..."
His legs seemed to have taken a life of their own; with each stride his thigh bounded forward and the other forced back. He paused, terrified, and dropped a befuddled gaze to his feet.
"What on earth are you doing?" Remus questioned, looking over them with a bemused expression from his spot between the doorframe.
"I don't know," James and Sirius answered simultaneously. They turned to stare at one another, in attempts of discerning this odd occurrence. James slowly shrugged a shoulder, before lifting a leg to try and resume his regular pace.
This, however, only led to another bout of frolics, and Remus erupting into louder laughter. "Sorry," he chortled, "I've just never seen you skip before."
"We don't skip," Sirius bit back testily, barreling at his legs with a sudden fit of frustration.
James shook his head, glaring down at his recently animated kneecaps. "Yeah, real men don't skip," he agreed haughtily.
A loud yawn sounded from a curtain-concealed bed, signaling Peter had finally awoken. "Real men don't skip?" he mumbled sleepily, poking a torpid head between the bed hangings. "But I thought you said you were skipping detention today?"
"That's a different kind of skip, Peter," Sirius snapped his reply. "Professor Fluent said we could skip class and right now we're referring to it as our recent display of effeminate actions as we frolic around the room!" He said the last part loudly and with obvious irritation, causing Peter to tremble slightly at the rebuke.
"Eh, calm down, Sirius," James said, reaching out a hand to lean against the bed. "I'm sure it's just some side-effects of one of our Animagus experiments, or something. Let's go to Pomfrey, she'll be able to clear it up before classes."
Sirius grudgingly agreed, and Remus had to hold back a cascade of laughter that threatened to be released as the two boys leaped out the doorway.
---
"You're nutters," Grace said dryly, shaking her head at Lily in-between bites of her apple.
Lily smirked and nodded curtly. "That kind of attitude is the exact reason I didn't tell you."
Julie grimaced slightly and looked between her two friends. "Sorry Lily, but I'm going to have to agree with Grace on this one. I didn't even know they had P.O.W.L.'s."
Lily shrugged. "Well when the real test does come around, I'll bet you'll both be wishing you took the Pre Ordinary Wizarding Levels as well."
Grace raised up her apple. "I'll take your word for it."
Lily was about to respond, when a peculiar sight caused her to lose track of what she was saying. Julie and Grace turned around to see what she was staring at, and had to conceal their mouths quickly to prevent a bout of loud laughter from tumbling out.
---
"Lucky most people aren't up yet," Sirius whispered, as he and James gallivanted across the corridor and towards the hospital wing. "Can you imagine what it'd do to our reputation?"
James gave an involuntary shudder. "I don't even want to think about it."
The two boys sprung along the corridor, but as soon as they came within a close proximity to the destination, their professor stood before them and blocked their way.
"Ah," he sighed, smiling broadly at the two. I do hope your enjoying yourselves."
"Er, yeah," Sirius said shortly, peering around Professor Fluent to view the hospital wing. "Do you know if Madame Pomfrey's in?"
"Well yes, but," he flashed them a mirthful sneer. "I don't know what you'd want her for."
James spoke up quickly. "Just wanted to ask her a question." He didn't want their professor to become suspicious- they had come too far with the Animagus experiments to allow him to catch them in the illegal act.
The professor watched as the two boys made to walk ever so slowly, so that their pace came out as just a casual prance. "I wouldn't bother if I were you," he spoke loudly to their retreating backs. "Nothing can deter those skipping spells."
James and Sirius froze mid-spring. "Skipping spells?" Sirius repeated, glancing wearily back to their professor.
"Well yes," Professor Fluent tilted his head to each boy in turn. "You two seemed quite happy about it when I informed you last night."
James squinted in suspicious confusion. "All you told us last night was that we could..." His eyes widened as he recalled his professor's words. "But... but no, you meant miss detention, you know, ditch, not show..."
"All I said," the professor's silky words taunted, "was that I granted you permission to skip all day. I never once mentioned not attending detention."
A horror-struck look passed Sirius's face as he realized what his professor had concocted. "No," he said hurriedly, "no, we don't want your permission. We're fine walking, thanks-"
"Oh but you see, I do not care if you'd like it or not," the professor interjected. "Now I suggest you hurry- ah, skip- along, and consume a very large breakfast. Skipping takes a lot out of you, I've heard."
Sirius's eyes darkened and he scowled loudly, stomping his foot onto the ground. This, however, turned into a twisted form of a half-skip, sending him bounding to the right and tumbling to the ground. Through gritted teeth, he hissed, "I hate Fluent."
---
"Is anyone looking?"
"Stop laughing!"
"I think the coast is clear..."
"I said, stop laughing!"
"All right, go, now!"
Sirius hit Remus on his way inside the Transfiguration classroom. "If you don't stop laughing I'll make you skip for a week," he threatened, before cautiously following James into the classroom.
Professor McGonagall was facing the board, but when she heard them scrambling towards their desk, she turned around with a highly arched brow. "Should I be prepared for one of your schemes, boys?"
"We wish," Sirius grumbled, resting in his chair after he and James had skipped their speediest to the far end of the room, where their seats were located. Luckily they had arrived in the classroom before anyone else could- actually, they discovered it to be quite the quick alternative to walking.
Professor McGonagall kept a suspicious eye on the two boys as the class filed in, but when nothing exploded or shot out of the desk for the first five minutes, she turned away and concentrated once more on teaching the class.
"Er... Excuse me, professor?"
The austere teacher paused mid-lecture and glanced around the room, to find Grace beckoning her with a raised hand. "Yes, Miss Shadron?"
Grace peered down at her large text, before raising her gaze back up at the teacher. "Well, the ink on my book's a bit blotchy and I can't read it all that well..."
The professor nodded curtly. "There's a few extra reference books by that back wall- Potter, bring her that one on the edge of your desk."
Grace and the two girls beside her smirked as James's face paled. "She's lying!" he exclaimed. "Look, her book's perfectly fine!"
"No it's not," Grace retorted matter-of-factly.
"Did you tell her?" James hissed at Remus.
Remus waved his hands, trying his best to conceal a quickly spreading smile. "No, no, I swear I didn't."
"Mister Potter!" Mcgonagall called sharply, "If you could please bring Miss Shadron a book within this century, we could get on with the lesson."
James opened his mouth and closed it, glancing side-ways at Sirius for some sort of an excuse. His friend only shrugged and shot him a pitiful look in return.
James shifted in his seat, to gesture properly at his teacher. "Well you see, professor," he began slowly, "My leg, it's really been bugging me lately, you know, Quidditch and all, and it's really not such a good idea-"
"Mister Potter," the professor screeched, "if you do not get up and retrieve her book this instant, I'll make sure you have detention for three months at least, and that means no quidditch, or anything of-"
"All right, all right," James replied hastily, holding his hands up in surrender. With one more grimace at his friends, he heaved himself out of his chair and reached across the desk to grab the book. His eyes determined and focused on his destination, he braced himself and straightened his shoulders.
And so he skipped. And he skipped, with pride.
Julie giggled as pumpkin juice sloshed down the side of her cup. "Cheers!" she and her friends chorused jubilantly.
Grace sighed with contempt, glancing down to her plate of half-eaten crumpets and cakes. "Today was a wonderful day, wasn't it?"
"Sure was," Lily agreed with a smile. "Although, I was a bit disappointed when the class stopped laughing at Potter and Black, and joined in with them instead."
"Yeah," Julie agreed, glancing behind her as a pair of first years pranced down the Hall. "Who knew they could even make skipping a fad?"
Grace rolled her eyes. "Anything's possible with the," She made an exaggerated gasping noise, "Marauders."
"Hey," Lily smiled slyly, "you seem to be quite fond of one of those," she mocked Grace's previous gasp, "Marauders."
"Speaking of which..." Julie motioned with her eyes and a smirk above Grace.
"Hi," Remus smiled down at them.
"Hello," Grace replied, scooting over to make room for him. She patted the bench. "Pop a squat."
Remus ignored the confusing term and sat down next to her. "Hey, mind letting James and Sirius know I didn't tell you about the skipping spells?" He rubbed his shoulder, frowning. "They haven't stopped pummeling me since this morning."
Grace squinted an eye. "But you did tell me."
Remus's lips tweaked as he shrugged a shoulder. "Does it matter?"
"No," Grace laughed. She smiled sympathetically and lifted a hand to pat his shoulder. "Oh, it must've been torture."
Remus frowned. In all truth he had put up a mini-shield charm and had been protected from their sporadic wallops for the past several hours.
"Oh yes..." Remus hung his head pitifully. "Horrible pain, really."
Lily rolled her eyes and motioned to Julie. "Wanna go upstairs? These loons are making me nauseous."
Julie laughed at this statement, and then at Grace's expression. "All right," she said, gathering her bag. "Let's go, before you receive some pummels from Grace as well."
---
It was a rare thing to be by one's self in Hogwart's, and Julie treasured this moment as she clambored around the empty dormitory; currently she hovered above her trunk, after walking from one side of the room to the other, casually mulling her options as to what she should do with this spare hour on her own.
She decided with a heavy sigh and soft plop onto her covers, that she was bored out of her mind. Just as she figured she'd be better off finding Grace or telling Lily to hurry out of the shower, a series of light tapping noises caught her attention.
The light clicks rose in volume once more, disrupting the warm tranquility and peacefulness of the room and causing her to shudder slightly. Collecting herself, Julie walked up to the mysterious noise, and was met with a pair of eyes shining like two glowing orbs through the window, the murky atmosphere of the storm concealing the rest of the entity. Cautiously, she crept closer, and let out a sigh of relief as she found herself nose to nose with a carrier owl. She hurried to let it in- the poor thing was drenched, looking thoroughly spooked and storm tossed.
The gray owl darted into the room, flying in circles above the beds to dry its feathers. Julie watched with amusement for several minutes, until finally it ended its flight and landed on Lily's pillow. Julie peered curiously at the letter the owl was clutching tight it its beak, wondering who her friend could be receiving mail from. With an excited start, she realized it must be her P.O.W.L. results, and reached out to examine the letter.
The owl hopped back a few steps; an obvious act that meant he knew Julie wasn't the proper recipient. "Oh, it's okay," Julie cooed. "Lily's told Grace and I both that we could open this as soon as it arrived, she won't mind."
The carrier owl stared back, its eyes wide and suspicious. Slowly, she reached out a hand to open the letter, but retreated it quickly when it gave her knuckles two swift and painful pecks.
"Ow," Julie cried, waving her hands to ease the stinging pain. Groaning, she looked back at the owl. It was plain she was fighting a losing battle. "Fine," she resigned, standing up and walking across the dormitory. She cupped her mouth and yelled into the bathroom, "Lily, your P.O.W.L. results are here! Do you mind if I open them?"
An excited squeal sounded underneath the loud patter of the shower. "Go ahead!" She shouted back happily.
Julie turned back to the owl. "See?" The animal gave an indignant hoot, dropping the letter on the bed and flying up onto a high bedpost; either he wanted to make sure the appropriate owner received the letter, or he was delaying his trip back into the thunderous storm.
Julie shook her head at the owl, before turning back to the letter. She hoped all of Lily's hard work had paid off- for her friend's benefit, and her own as well. If Lily had performed any less than above average, she and Grace would hear about it all summer.
Julie tore open the envelope, and slipped out a three-fold letter. She started to read it, but after only scanning the first line, found it wasn't Lily's test results at all. Not wanting to dive into anything private, Julie began to fold it back up, but froze when a startling string of words she couldn't escape caught her eye.
---
"What's going on?"
Julie jolted with surprise for the second time that night. Lifting large round eyes, she glanced up and was met with Grace's smiling and curious figure. It only took a second for Grace to figure out something was terribly wrong.
"What is it?" Grace asked, bending over to read the letter clasped loosely in Julie's trembling hands. She began to read.
"Oh wonderful, it's from dear old Petunia," Grace observed. Her light expression darkened, however, as she read on. "...Nothing you can do will bring them back... What?" Grace looked up at Julie. "What's that supposed to mean?" Julie nodded her head, motioning shakily for her to read the rest of the letter.
The sound of the shower shutting off and Lily scrambling around on the slick tile was heard from behind the thin bathroom door, and in an instant she appeared, hurrying out with a towel wrapped around her hair and tying on a yellow bathrobe.
Her excited smile faded, however, as she noticed the strange look on her friends' faces. "What's wrong?" Lily asked, a worried frown etching her features. "Are my grades really that horrid?"
Julie blinked, looking between Lily and the letter. It was then Lily viewed the stiff and long, recognizable cursive that lay across the crisp white paper. "Lily..." Julie began softly, "Your parents... When did- how..."
A frightening calm spread over Lily's face. "Oh good," she said, grabbing the letter from Julie and tossing it haphazardly onto a dresser. "I thought it was something serious."
Grace and Julie turned to look at one another, shocked, and then back at their friend. Each girl's gaze was held mesmerized.
"Dumbledore," Grace breathed, clasping a hand over her mouth. "All of those requests to his office... the way you've been acting..."
Lily raised a brow. "What are you on about?" she asked, laughing lightly and tucking some fallen red locks back under her towel.
Julie frowned uneasily. "Lily, the letter says... Your sister's talking about-"
"Please," Lily interjected, smiling a little wider than normal. "The letter's rubbish. Petunia's crackers, and Dumbledore's just an old fool that doesn't know what he's talking about." Her smile grew to a chillingly toothy grin. "That's it. Everything's fine."
Her friends' stares lingered, as Lily turned around to pull out a drawer, humming softly as she sorted through several articles of clothing.
"Lily," Grace spoke up once more. "I don't think the letter's a fake, I-"
Lily stood up abruptly, spinning to face her friends. "Listen," she said, waving a nightgown at the pair. "With all these people and their wacked out ideas, I don't need you joining in on them too."
Julie shifted warily. "We're not against you or anything, just... I mean, the letter-"
"That damned letter!" Lily shouted, backing up angrily into her dresser but not caring. Her hair brush clattered to the floor, and a bottle of Sleekeasey's tipped over, the clamor only adding to the pandemonium ensuing in the dormitory. Julie staggered back, clapping a hand over her mouth. "What is it with you two? Won't you give it up?" Lily stared back at her friends, who grew restless under her glare. "I know them- I know my parents, they'll come, you all, you just-" she grew flustered and began to wobble slightly, grasping the dresser to steady herself.
"Please Lily," Grace said, her tone a bit desperate. "Don't get angry, just talk to us... Tell us what happened..."
"Nothing happened!" Lily exclaimed, her expression and actions becoming quickly hysterical. "I know them... My mum, right now she's knitting some sweater that's going be too big with uneven sleeves, and dad'll be reading the evening paper, because they've probably just had pork and potatoes and now they're waiting for dessert to cool, we always have whipped-"
"No," Julie said softly, shaking her head and lifting a hand to rest on Lily's shoulder. "They're not... they can't be, Lily they-"
Lily shoved Julie's petite hand off her shoulder easily, her eyes shifting around the room as if in search of some sort of an answer, or proof... any proof. "Fine," she raged, her eyes still searching aimlessly and then finally landing on Petunia's letter. She panted a sigh of relief, holding up the parchment with a sort of twisted glory. "I'll write her!" she proclaimed, "I'll write my mum, and she'll tell you, she'll tell you herself," with one last defiant look she was out of the room, before Julie or Grace could stop her.
---
The birds that had scattered across the Owlery floor flew away and hooted angrily as Lily shoved right through them, intruding on their peaceful slumbers and midnight meals.
She felt around hurriedly for a quill or something to write with, and with a thankful sigh, found an old quill stuffed into the deep pocket of her bathrobe. She turned Petunia's letter to the blank side, and scribbled a quick note addressed to her mother. Grabbing the nearest owl, she banded the hastily folded letter onto it, and tossed it out into the sky.
Lily watched the disgruntled owl fly off, smiling with triumph and leaning against the neighboring wall to await the reply. It would only be a matter of minutes now, and then everyone would have to believe her.
---
"Lily," Grace called, racing into the Owlery. The huge sigh she heaved came out as a sign of relief, finally sighting her friend. From Grace's strained gasps and the view of Julie clutching her side, it was clear they had raced all over the school after her.
Lily didn't remove her eyes from the sky, staring eagerly out into the infinite darkness and decreasing rain. "I've written my mum," she informed them curtly. "You'll see, when her reply comes. You'll see."
Horrible expressions of pity came over her two friends' faces, even strong enough to pull away Lily's intense gaze. "I don't care if you believe me," She said shortly. "I know, and that's all that matters."
A few moments of silence followed this statement. Large exhales and soft hoots from the owls were the only things to puncture the hushed air, until Julie spoke up softly. "A reply's not coming back, Lily," she whispered. "It-"
"It will!" Lily exclaimed, teetering away from her previously calm demeanor. "Why can't you two see that!?"
"Because- because they're not going to- they, they're dead Lily!" Grace finally burst out, stepping up with one large stride and stopping only right before her friend.
Lily remained undeterred. "They're not."
Julie shook her head. "But Dumbledore, he said, Lily," she said, looking at her with an undeniable glance of sympathy.
It was all too much for her. "And how would you know?" Lily shouted, angrier than she'd ever been with her friends. "How can you be so sure of yourselves?"
"We saw him," Grace stated firmly. "On the way here. We saw him coming out of his office, and he told us, he told us Lily, we-"
"I told you he doesn't know what he's talking about!" Lily screamed. An owl flew off beside her, nipping angrily at her ear for disrupting the peace. In a furious motion, she whipped off the bird and further exclaimed, "I know my parents! I know them! They always come back, they've never broken a promise, and she said she'd arrive later! She said it!" Lily stamped her foot irately, sending a cloud of hay and dust into the air.
"They're not, Lily!" Grace shouted back, her insistent voice quite near reflecting the volume of the infuriated girl before her. "They're gone, Lily, and you've at least got to acknowledge that!"
Lily shook her head furiously. "No," she yelled back hoarsely. "I won't, because it's not-
She cut off abruptly as a light noise sounded on the ground, an unnoticed owl swept above it and landed to perch on a stone column beside them. Three pairs of eyes fell onto the object; a hastily folded stark white paper layered with hasty scribbles and stiff, long cursive writing.
Face coated with relief, Lily bent down to pick up the fallen letter. Her delighted expression slowly changed into that of anxious fear, however, as she noticed it was the same post she had sent out. She turned the paper over and over again, searching for any hint of a reply. "But- but this," she started, her voice raspy with desperation, "this is the same letter... It was returned... why- how?"
Grace and Julie lowered their eyes to the crouched girl that relentlessly tore through the letter, until she finally looked up to see their glossy stares and frowns etched deep with pity. Lily stared back blankly, not noticing the letter fall out of her grasp and float to the ground, or her knee digging deep into the rough straw and stones. She shook her head, paying little attention as small wells released and streaked across her face. "Well that's all right," she struggled to keep her strong tone, "I'll just talk to her over break. We're supposed to go shopping, you know, and my dad, he-"
Grace raised her eyes to gaze at her friend. "Lily..."
"You know," Lily continued on, either ignoring or not hearing her friend, "you know, I haven't seen my mum since Christmas Eve?" She squinted thoughtfully at the letter. "We had to spend the rest of the holiday at Aunt Claire's," she gazed up at her friends, "she's the one that lives down in Surrey. I was waiting for them to come home, but then they called to tell us their car broke down, that they'd be home in an hour."
Julie sniffed softly and stepped quietly towards her friend, nestling into some of the rough straw beside her. Lily paused in her story, looking around with narrowed eyes of confusion as she struggled to recall the rest of that night's events. She spoke up softly. "I waited," she murmured. "I waited, I swear I did," her eyes wandered from the letter, to Grace, and finally Julie. Wide eyes stayed staring at her sniffling friend. "But they never came home."
The statement was moreover for her own conviction, rather than her friends, as Lily realized with a sharp intake of breath the amount she had concealed from herself for the past several months.
"I'm sorry, Lily," Julie whispered, her tone hushed. Grace nodded silently beside her, her previous defiant stance replaced by a limp and feeble one.
The slam of realization was too astounding; the block she had built up released rapidly in an uneven flow of tears. Sobs soon took over the young girl's body, shaking her frame and face as she cradled her head in violently trembling hands.
The anguished girl vaguely noticed as another figure joined her on the ground, and the one already there scooted closer. "Everything's going to be okay, Lily," Julie's throaty whisper assured.
"But how?" Lily choked, her lament tears still flowing soundly. She lifted a glistening face; her eyes glowed with the salty liquid, prominent against her drained and pallid expression. "I shouldn't have let them go- I shouldn't have complained so much that day... This is my fault, I should've-"
"It's not," Grace told her in a gentle, yet adamant tone. "You couldn't have done anything to prevent it."
Lily nodded slowly, a struggling gasp sounding as memories of her parents and the last time she had seen them flew through her mind, and the relentless sobs continued.
"Just don't worry about anything," Julie said, inching closer and wrapping her in a tight one armed hug.
Grace followed suit, securing the side of Lily's that was left unprotected. She agreed, nodding softly. "We'll make sure everything turns out all right."
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