Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Padama or Drama Queen. For reasons she will see…
Flower Tears and Marauder Fears
Chapter 11: Reasons to Hate Pink
Lily sat on the hospital wing's bed as Madame Pomfrey the 1st hummed slightly while examining her… amazing color change. Sun slanted in through the tall windows as other nurses tended to what looked like a few students who had turned themselves into geese. Lily watched in amusement as one of the geese attempted to fly away from the potion the nurse was holding, the nurse caught the goose nimbly and was soon holding a very disgruntled looking young girl by her arm.
"Well, My dear." Madame Pomfrey said gruffly, drawing Lily attention back to her "It looks like the culprit of this prank new their charms."
Lily nodded tiredly; she was still cooping with the fact that James would have pranked her in such a way. Knowing that the culprit was good at charms convinced her more firmly that James was a heartless prat.
"Even if I can't completely believe that" Lily thought to herself.
"Who ever performed this charm set a permanent …. Calling card, shall we say." Madame Pomfrey said lightly with a slight trace of awe in her voice, but distaste greatly overwhelmed it.
"A calling card?" Lily asked horrified "You can't mean…"
"You will not have to stay permanently pink but you may however have traces of the charm after I've removed it. A pink streak in your hair or bands of pink on your arms" She finished emotionlessly going over to the large medicine cabinet by the door to her office, after rummaging inside she pulled out a large bottle.
Coming over to Lily she pushed the bottle into her hands, "I want you to drink all of this" she said firmly as she saw Lily's eyes open wide "Unless you'd prefer to stay such a vibrant color?"
Sighed tiredly again she gave the doctor a tiny glare before pulling her legs up under her and reading the label on the bottle.
"Mettle's Color Remover!" It proclaimed hosting a small plant that looked suspiciously like a mandrake "Any magical color disappears within the hour of drinking a full bottle." It promised wickedly.
Lily hesitantly untwisted the lid and looked inside the liquid was a marsh green and she could distinctively see small chunks floating in the liquid. Sighing again Lily screwed the lid back on and set her head in her hands.
"PINK" Lily thought in disgust "the color that haunts my dreams, and the reason I lost my favorite sibling."
Flashback
A girl with long, flowing, fiery, red hair sat sitting on a swing by a shimmering lake. Her face hidden behind a large book, her hair pulled out from her face by a bright pink clip that matched the sun dress she was wearing. The blazing afternoon sun reflected on the water, as an older figure stole across to the girl. She looked up to see the man approach.
"Dad!" she exclaimed loudly letting the book fall from her hands for the first time in hours "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly when she saw the desperate look on his face.
"Lily, your mother's in the hospital." Her father stated tiredly as he sat on the swing beside her "It seems the cancer's won."
"WHAT?" Lily asked loudly "I thought…" she trailed off at the look of defeat plastered on the man's creased face. His tawny brown hair was mussed as if he had continuously been running his fingers through it.
"She's not going to live much longer." He said finally closing his eyes
"I want to go see her" Lily demanded and dragged her father out of the swing.
Lily's dad drove her to the hospital, when they arrived Petunia was sitting by the bed in a plastic chair holding their mother's hand. The room hosted many pictures and posters urging hope in bright pink letters with the pink breast cancer seal for her mother's condition.
The small family sat in the small brightly colored room for over 4 hours before the woman lying in the bed dyed in her sleep. After having a quiet discussion with a doctor their father led them silently to the car. Holding back Lily untied the pink ribbon from her hair and placed it in her mother's hand.
"I love you" she whispered softly.
Petunia and Lily climbed silently into the backseat as their father climbed into the front. As they were driving down a deserted street a figure dressed in black appeared suddenly in front of the car.
Lily's father swiftly turned the wheel forcing the car to swerve out of the person's way. The sickening thud off a body against car and the crunch or metal impounding against wood as the car crashed into a tree.
Lily and Petunia dragged themselves out of the car, their Dad had come out on their side and was ushering them behind him. The man was lying crumpled on the ground but was slowly dragging them self up. The black cloak they wore swirled around them in a sudden wind and their hood hid their face.
"Muggles" The voice hissed in a deep voice that sounded female "And Mudbloods" It sneered cruelly the hood turning to face Lily "You will learn not to get in the way of those higher than yourselves"
"The only thing you are higher in is malice" Lily yelled her voice firm and calm despite her terror, she had slipped from behind her father and was now in front of him her wand poised. Her first year at Hogwarts had taught her that Purebloods were arrogant and often violent. There wasn't a possibility that she would allow that hatred on her family.
"Brave, little one" It commented quietly "Or incredibly stupid. I do not care for anything you may have to say. You are worthless dirt. And you will pay for your ignorance."
Lily's wand was whisked from her hand in with a careless flick of the wrist as the figure then raised her own wand.
"Avada Ke –"The figure yelled firmly
"NO!" Lily's dad yelled just as a blinding flash of pink light shot toward her, Lily was pulled roughly aside. Looking up from the ground where she landed she saw her father lying on his back Petunia shaking him by his shoulder.
"Dad?" Petunia shrieked "Dad come one" she put two fingers to his throat for a pulse and collapsed crying on his chest.
The figure stood in a bright pink cloak their face still hidden by a hood, the way in which the figure lightly ran a hand down her cloak indicated to Lily that Pink may have been their favorite color.
"I will see you again, little one" the figure said quietly with a cool smile, a puff of smoke surrounded her and she was gone.
End Flashback
Lily shook her head furiously to get the images out of her head. For years after that night when she had lost both her parents – and Petunia – she had nights filled with dreams of flashing pink lights and rooms. She had burned that cheery pink sundress and donated all her pink clothes. She refused to wear it, and avoided it at all costs. Now she had better control over her hate, she would no longer shudder when forced to touch something pink but still refused to wear it. Petunia had drawn away from her believing that she was to blame for their father's death and Lily had lost one of her best friends.
Shaking her head again Lily looked down at the bottle still cradled in her hands. Taking the cap off, she took a deep breath and lifted the bottled to her lips. She had barely gotten any of the peculiar liquid down her throat when the hospital wing doors crashed open and Remus walked in carrying a girl with hair a shade darker than Lily's.
Madame Pomfrey rushed to help as he lifted her up onto a hospital bed.
"What happened?" She demanded putting her hand on the girl's forehead and looking suspiciously at Remus.
"I don't know, she just disappeared and then appeared again like this." He said worriedly his eyes looking down at the girl, his brow creased with anxiety.
"Does she normally appear like this?" Madame Pomfrey inquired harshly.
"No, she usually has black hair, amber eyes, and pale skin" he replied running a hand through his neat hair.
Lily let the bottle slip from her hands, as she looked at the girl on the bed something was familiar but she couldn't place it until just now.
"Remus?" she said shakily, drawing Madame Pomfrey's attention as well as his "Is that – Are you sur- "
"It's Amber" he said steadily.