Unexpected Visit

The month of November flew by for Severus and Lily. More so since Lily had become more and more curious about her father with his life growing up, as they were so similar. Both kept away from others, only main difference was that Lily had her father who loved her very much. He found it amazing how much strength his daughter was showing with each passing day, even during the full moon that had struck in early November, and again early in December. During that week, a few letters had arrived for her. She had been too weak to respond, but Severus had read them with a hint of amusement in his voice during them. One had been from Draco.

Lily,

Mother told me that Tonks wrote saying that Severus and you are back home already. Is everything going okay? Mother insists that it is probably due to how this is the last year before we start school and that Severus wanted to be able to spend more time with you and not splitting his focus between teaching and you. Do you think mom and me can visit sometime? That or you and Severus come visit us?

Draco

When Severus had finished reading that letter as he sat beside Lily's bed he noticed the weak smile she gave at how Draco had been eager to visit. They had talked briefly deciding that it should be fine for them to visit, so long as they first made sure that it was not too close to the full moon.

"Because if he or his mother found out, they would shun me?" Lily asked her father as her smile fell, her pale face drawn with a hint of a flush in her cheeks from a minor fever.

Severus nodded with a saddened look on his face. "Yes, because there has never been one like you so they would not know how to react." He said as he found himself hoping that Narcissa and Draco would at least be able to see past the affliction that Lily suffered with. "Though no need to worry on that." He said setting Draco's letter on her nightstand as he then reached out brushing some of her long hair out of her face. "Do you want me to cut your hair?" he asked since it seemed she liked to wear it close to the same length as his at times.

Lily weakly shook her head before smiling a little. "No, I want to let it grow out before I start school in the fall." She said before glancing at the other letters on her father's lap. "Who are those from?" she asked as her father looked down to the letters and chuckled.

"One is from Harry, the other two are from your hyper friend Tonks." He said shaking his head. "Which would you like me to read first?" he asked as Lily thought for a moment before saying that she wanted to hear Harry's first. So, Severus obliged.

Lily,

Is everything going alright? Are you enjoying how you are not at the school now? Charlie said that one girl in his year, a Hufflepuff, has been driving near everyone in the school insane since Severus and you left. And that it seems like she was on the war path last week for some reason.

"War path?" Severus mumbled as he had not thought the clumsy Hufflepuff would go that far, but maybe something else had happened to set her off.

If I can sneak away I plan to visit you around Christmas. I can't wait until September first to see you! Is there really nothing that can be done to put me back with you and Severus? Do your frequent illnesses have something to do with why I was forced to leave? Because it seems like after I was forced to go live with the Weasley's that you started to fall ill more and more. What is causing it? Please tell me!

Harry

Severus looked up at his daughter as he could tell from the look on her face and in her blue eyes that she was very upset. He knew it was because of the same thing with Draco and his mother. That she could not tell anyone why she was ill so much and why no one could visit her during those times. Yet he was sure if the Weasley's pried into it and found that he did not ever take her to St. Mungo's when she was so ill that they might say the insufferable old man remove his daughter from his care.

"Will it ever get easier lying to them?" Lily asked after a moment as she looked away from her father to the wall on the opposite side of her bed only for a single tear to roll down her pale face.

Severus reached out and wiped away the tear as he felt a deep pang of sadness at seeing how much this hurt her. "I cannot say for certain." He said hating that he could not assure her without lying to her, something he wished to avoid.

Lily had shifted so she was on her side with her back to him. "I want to get some sleep…" she said barely above a whisper, her voice quivering slightly.

Despite his want to stay there, Severus knew that was the hint that she wanted to be alone. He sighed, placing Harry's letter on top of Draco's on the nightstand before placing the two unopened letters from Tonks beside the other two. "I will read the other two to you later after you get some rest." He said as he saw Lily merely gave a tiny nod. Turning his back to her, Severus headed to the door, as soon as he opened it, Xander rushed into the room only to go straight to the bed and curl up beside Lily. 'At least she won't be alone.' He thought to himself as he walked out, quietly closing the door behind him.

Xander waited until Severus had closed the door before he stood back up and walked around so that he could see Lily. He stared at her with his clear blue eyes, eyes that seemed to not fit the small cat. As he watched her sleep, the corners of Xander's mouth pulled up, hinting at a smirk as he could see that Lily was distraught.

/

For the last few weeks leading up to the day students were allowed to go home for Christmas, all the others in her house had avoided her, not that Tonks cared. She was worried about her young friend, the daughter of the Potions Master who had taken a sudden leave from teaching and took her back home. She had only gotten a few short letters from her friend saying that she was ill and that she was having to rest a lot. Just what was going on? 'If Lily has not sent a letter or if it is another one of her really short responses I am going straight to Professor Snape's house to check on her!' Tonks thought since the Christmas break was to start that day but where she planned to check the post before she left.

Rushing to get around, Tonks found herself tripping over the hem of her own jeans only to catch herself on the frame of her bed before she sat back down to put on her shoes and pull on her robe. Ignoring the looks from the others in the room she took off out of the dorm to the common room to see that a lot of the house was already preparing to leave within the next hour or so to get to the train and head home. She had done her packing the night before in a rush, not wishing to risk missing anything, like her wand.

Once she was sure everything was there after checking, Tonks turned from her trunk and rushed from the dorm, ignoring the looks she was getting from the others in the dorm and even those in the common room. She ran to the Great Hall to see the post was already there. She rushed, tripping several times and hitting her knee on a few benches as she tried to rush to the owl that she recognized as the one she had sent with her last letter to her young friend. Ignoring the snickering from some of the others at her clumsiness, and the pain in her knee she removed the letter with one hand and with the other she snatched a piece of toast from one of the platters on the table and offered it to the owl. She didn't pay any further mind to the owl as she rushed to open the letter.

Tonks,

I don't know if I will be able to see you during your break. I have been sick again so dad thinks I should rest.

Lily

'Sick!?' Tonks thought in shock as it seemed that Lily's health was beyond frail. 'But there is no mention of Professor Snape taking her to St. Mungo's…' Tonks thought in panic. 'I'll kidnap her and take her there if he is refusing to allow her proper treatment!' Tonks was beyond frustrated, to the point that she didn't even have it within her to eat breakfast. 'Don't worry, Lily! I will get you to the hospital so you can get treatment and maybe find out what is wrong that has been draining your health so much.' Tonks swore as she left the Great Hall to wait in the Entrance Hall for it to be time to head down to the station.

/

Severus sat in the living room after having put Lily to bed just a short while before. She was at her healthiest now due to how it was between the two full moons that were to occur during the month. 'I have to find a cure so she can be free of this curse…' he thought, closing his eyes. Deep circles were under his eyes due to how he had barely slept even though he had taken a leave from teaching to take care of his daughter. He was trying to spend as much time as he could with her, but at the same time when she was healthy but resting he spent every moment he could trying to research how to cure the partial curse she suffered from.

'What more can I do to help her?' he thought to himself as he was beyond distraught at the thought of not being able to do enough to help her. 'All I want is for her to be healthy. And for her to be able to live a normal life once she starts school at the start of next term.' He thought as he was borderline desperate to cure her before she started school. 'If anyone were to find out about the affliction she has…' he did not want to even finish that thought. He knew no one on the staff knew besides him and the insufferable old fool. But even with her secret being safe, he could see it on Lily's face that she was suffering with trying to keep this from her three only friends.

A few days ago, he had passed her room where she was sitting up at her desk, the first time she had been able to in the last few weeks all due to how the bouts with the monster trying to force its way out of her becoming worse and worse even with the potion. But there had to be something that he was missing. Some key component. 'I will find it!' he thought as he heard a faint sound only to open his weary onyx eyes to see that it was Twinkle setting a hot cup of tea on the table.

It was a brief second before the small house elf noticed that Severus had opened his eyes as she jumped slightly since she had thought he was asleep. "Master Severus!" Twinkle squeaked in surprise as her hazel eyes were wide. "Twinkle was just fixing master some tea. Master looked like he was needing some warm tea to help with master being so worried about Mistress Lily." She said as Severus found himself being thankful for the small house elf.

"Thank you, Twinkle." Severus said as he went to reach for the cup of warm tea only for Twinkle to pick it up and move it to his hand. "Though do you think after I finish this cup that you could make me some strong coffee?" he asked in a weary tone.

"For another long night, Master?" Twinkle asked as Severus nodded at her. Something that led to the small house elf having a worried look on her face. "Master Severus, if it is not out of my place…maybe master should try getting a little sleep soon." Twinkle said with a hint of hesitation in her small voice. "Mistress has started to notice that master is not sleeping well, and it worries her." Twinkle said as her bat like ears drooped ever so slightly.

Severus looked down into the contents of the tea as he saw a hint of his reflection in the light brown surface. His face was even more drawn than ever before, unless one counted when he had been a student in school. All due to how he had spent countless nights avoiding sleep during his fifth year to prepare for some of the exams. Though now it was a different matter. He was a desperate man. Desperate to save his daughter all because he was fearful that with the full moons getting worse and worse for her that she would not survive it.

"Master?" Twinkle asked as she remained by him as she looked up at him with wide hazel eyes.

"I will try to rest." Severus said looking up from his tea to the house elf to see her smile ever so slightly. "Though, I was wondering something about her birth parents." Severus said only for the smile that had been there only a few moments before to disappear.

"Why does master wish to know?" Twinkle asked as she had her suspicions that Severus knew about Lily's true parentage.

"I know who they are. One was a friend of mine and Harry's mother when we were kids as we grew up together. Only thing was she was a muggle. And her father is the one who passed the ailment onto Lily." He said as Twinkle's ears drooped so they were completely angled down to her small shoulders. "I need to know more." He said as it was a plea for the small house elf to tell him, not an order. All due to how he had seen through memories what Twinkle had been through once she was dismissed by the man who had passed this curse to his child.

"It…it is not a happy time, it may upset master." Twinkle said as tears were welling in her large hazel eyes, the light from the fire making them seem to gleam.

"I know it isn't, but maybe there is something in that time of Lily's life or before she was born that may help us save her." He said as a few tears found their way down Twinkle's face.

"Very well. Twinkle will tell Master."

/

Tonks sat in her room fuming over how her parents had picked her up, going so far as to physically stop her from going straight from the train station to where Lily lived with her father. Though the night before, Tonks had talked with her younger cousin and found out that Lily had been sending letters very similar to him. She could not help but worry more with that new revelation into how she fears that something may be very wrong. 'Just what is going on? Why hasn't mom or Aunt Narcissa gone and checked on Lily?!' Tonks thought as she stood from her bed and started to pace around the room. 'Several letters all saying that Lily is barely recovering from something only to fall ill again…' she thought as she became fearful that Lily may be terminally ill with something.

'I don't care what anyone says, today I am going and checking on her myself!' Tonks thought as she glanced at the clock on her night stand to see that it was just before seven in the morning. It would be sun up in about an hour. 'No matter what, I am going today!' she thought as she went about getting ready for what may be a long day.

/

Severus lay in his bed ignoring the hour as he knew it was early in the morning due to how the pale light was starting to show through his window. 'I never knew it went that far…' Severus thought as he kept thinking over what Twinkle had revealed the night before. A bit into what may be a key factor in why Lily seemed to be getting worse at times. 'I knew it was always seen as taboo for one with the werewolf affliction to have a child, but none in current times even know why. Yet from what Twinkle said she had once overheard Lupin saying…' He thought as the small elf's face appeared before his eyes as he could see her as she had been the night before. Hazel eyes wide, her small body trembling slightly.

"Master must understand…that Twinkle heard something she was not meant to. Something between Twinkle's former master and mistress before mistress Lily was born." Twinkle had hesitated there almost like she was unsure if it was alright for her to speak of it. Though after only a few minutes that had felt like hours to Severus, Twinkle had continued. "It is due to how the affliction could kill. The one that is born with it may be unpredictable…a monster…" Twinkle brought her small hands up to cover her face as she let out a hiccup sob. "But mistress Lily is nothing like that! She is kind…she is gentle…" Twinkle sobbed. "B-but Twinkle's former master believed what Mr. Dumbledore told him. That mistress Lily would become the most loyal servant of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…"

'That damned old fool!" Severus thought as he remembered Dumbledore having told him the same thing at one point. Saying that so long as Lily grew up knowing love she would not follow the dark flip side of her destiny. However, something about what Twinkle said did not add up. 'But what…' he thought to himself in frustration.

/

Lily was falling through darkness once again as she tried to scream but it was choked to nothing before it could find her lips. 'Dad!' she thought desperately as she tried to move but she found that she was unable to even move a finger. 'I don't want to be lost to the darkness…' she thought as a few tears fell down her face.

"Why not just give up?" a soothing voice asked from within the shadows. "You know it will be so much easier once you accept what is meant to be your fate, child." There was silence for a few minutes before the voice continued from what seemed like all directions as Lily continued to fall deeper into the darkness. "Just accept the creature that lies dormant inside of you, and everything will be as it was meant to be."

Lily felt her decent into the darkness slow as a figure appeared before her, falling right along with her, though she could not make out any of their features due to the deep cloak they were wearing. "I won't!" Lily yelled as she felt her falling slow. "I will not let the wolf in me define who I am!" she yelled only for the hooded figure not far from her to laugh, a high-pitched laugh that had a hint of a hiss in it.

"In time, you will. You will see that accepting it and coming to me is the only for you and your father to survive in this world."

Lily jolted awake as she sat up gasping for breath after a single scream had escaped her lips. Her blue eyes were wide in obvious horror, as she did not even register when her father rushed into the room and sat on the edge of her bed, placing his hands on her shoulders as he was calling her name. But Lily was staring straight through him.

"Lily!" Severus called in desperation, lightly shaking her as that seemed to snap her out of any remaining parts of whatever dream she had been having. "What happened?" he asked as he kept his hands resting on Lily's small shoulders, feeling her trembling under his hands.

"I…I saw something…" Lily said as she glanced to the side, worried that her father would dismiss her nightmares as nothing.

"What did you see?" Severus asked barely above a whisper, almost afraid that if he spoke any louder that he might scare his daughter.

"A figure…" Lily whispered as she closed her eyes. "And darkness…" she whispered since she was sure her father remembered all too well that there would be weeks on end when she had been very little that if he turned out the light before she fell asleep that she would start screaming in horror.

Severus shifted, pulling Lily close into a hug as he could feel that she was still shaking. "It is alright. It was just a nightmare." Severus whispered trying to reassure his daughter that everything would be fine. Though he felt himself doubting because of all that had been happening since the morning when she was found in the Divination classroom unconscious. But it did not matter what may be happening since he would protect his daughter no matter what tried to harm her.

After that, Severus had gotten Lily to go back to sleep, as she was already starting to show signs of the approaching full moon. The color was slowly draining from her skin, as she was looking borderline frail. 'She has not eaten much in the last couple of days…' he thought as he could not help but worry about that. Even with how each time he would bring that up or try to get her to eat more she would smile insisting she was fine. 'One skill I wish she had not learned from me…' Severus thought as he walked over to the door to go out of Lily's room after tucking her back in. 'How to mask her pain.'

Severus had gone back to his room, intending to try and get some sleep, but it eluded him. So, he went downstairs, after dressing in dark blue jeans and a Slytherin green sweater. No sooner had he gotten to the kitchen, Twinkle placed a fresh cup of dark black coffee on the table at his usual spot. "Thank you, Twinkle." Severus said in a low tone as he walked over to the table as he sank into his chair, grabbing the cup of coffee, inhaling the scent for a brief second before taking a drink.

"Is mistress still sleeping?" Twinkle asked, her hazel eyes wide with her concern for Lily. More so when Severus nodded.

"She is already being effected by the approaching full moon, and she woke earlier screaming." He said before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Another nightmare?" Twinkle asked as her ears dropped ever so slightly.

"I am not so sure anymore. They seem to be too violent to be nightmares." He said sipping at his coffee while he thought how to explain it better to the house elf. "This morning she woke screaming, and was not exactly awake but clearly terrified. I had to shake her and call her name several times just to try and get her to respond." Severus said as he sat down his cup of coffee only to rest his elbow on the table and bring his hand up to his face. "I don't know what to do. She seems to be getting worse but I can't take her to a doctor because of what they would do if they find out about what she is."

"Do not worry, Master Severus." Twinkle said in a hesitant tone as she was trying to comfort him. Though Severus did not lower his hand. "Twinkle knows that master will find a way to save Mistress Lily from the wolf."

"At times, I doubt that I will be able to. She is getting worse with each full moon that passes. The one a few weeks ago, I thought she was not going to make it…" Severus' hand tensed as he slightly clenched at his face.

Twinkle had been about to say something only for a chime to sound through the kitchen. Severus lowered his hand as his eyes shot to the doorway leading to the living room. Someone was trying to come through the floo network, which he had been keeping closed. "Twinkle, go upstairs and stay with Lily." He said since he was not sure who would be trying to come through at this hour, but he was not about to take any chances. No sooner had he stood, Twinkle vanished with a pop as he knew she would be upstairs now with Lily to protect her should the need arise. Grabbing his wand from the holster he had on his arm under his sweater he slowly made his way to the living room. Once he was before the fireplace, he saw the last person he expected to be trying to call on him that early.

Tonks.

With a heavy sigh, he lowered his wand and shook his head. "What is it, Miss Tonks?" he asked, keeping the formality that was between them mainly when he was teaching. Though he was sure he knew what this was about. His daughter.

"Please let me through, I want to see Lily since it has been a while." Tonks said in a slightly demanding tone.

"She is not awake right now." Severus said in a matter of fact tone trying to deny her entrance under those grounds.

"I can wait." Tonks said showing that she was willing to wait in the floo network as a head in the flames until Lily woke.

'Damn it!' Severus thought. 'If I just put out the fire and cut off the connection she will probably still come to the house by apparating or getting her mother or aunt to bring her which is the last thing that we need right now.' Though while he was thinking, he could see the determination in Tonks' eyes becoming more and more pronounced. "Lily is actually not feeling well today, so it would not be a good day to visit."

"Let me visit her." Tonks said as there was a hint of the threat that Severus was worried about.

"Fine, but just so you know you still may not see her." Severus said opening the connection as Tonks' head vanished only for her to come through seconds later.

"Why would I not be allowed to see my friend?" Tonks as she straightened, glaring at the terrifying potions master.

"Because she is not feeling well." Severus said in a low tone, wishing that Tonks would just leave soon even though she had only just gotten there.

"Then why haven't you taken her to St. Mungo's?" Tonks demanded in an equally low tone as her glare hardened.

"She is my child, I will care for her how I see best." Severus said, as Tonks was about to say something more only for a frail voice to come from the stairs.

"Tonks?" the weak voice called as both Severus and Tonks looked toward it to see Lily near the bottom of the stairs staring toward them. There were faint circles under her blue eyes, showing she was on slight lack of sleep. Her pale blue night dress hung slightly from her right shoulder due to how she had lost some weight in the last few weeks. Her skin pale and slightly drawn around her face, except for the faint flush in her cheeks hinting a small fever.

"Mistress, you should get back to bed." Twinkle spoke in a worried tone from where she was beside Lily.

"Lily…" Tonks whispered in shock, as she almost didn't recognize her friend due to how she looked far more frail than she had just months before. Though her shock faded quickly into rage as she drew her wand and trained it on Severus. "You have not been caring for her! That much is obvious by the way she looks!" she growled barely above a whisper. But before she could even do a single spell to ensure that Severus would not stop her, he had already raised his own barely whispering the spell to disarm her as her wand flew into his hand.

"You do not understand, so you best back down now, Nymphadora." Severus said in a low dangerous tone as he stepped toward her whispering a single spell that sent Tonks flying back onto the floor as he continued toward her. "I should have done this when we left the school to avoid this." He said raising his wand once again to point it at Tonks who was starting to sit up.

But before he could do another spell, Lily was over in front of Tonks, her small arms wrapped around her friend like she was trying to shield Tonks. "NO!" Lily yelled in a forceful tone, one that seemed odd coming from her due to how frail she looked physically. "Don't wipe her memory of her visit!" she begged as she glanced back at her father who still had his wand raised.

"Lily, if she leaves knowing your condition now, she may contact someone to come and take you away from me." Severus said as he hoped he could get that through to his daughter. "And I won't let anyone take you from me."

"She won't!" Lily insisted as she continued to hug Tonks to shield her, knowing that her father would not do the spell so long as doing so risked Lily being caught in the spell as well. "Maybe we should tell her the truth so that she can understand." Lily suggested as her tone changed, almost hesitant.

"The truth? What is going on? Aren't you just sick with some form of chronic flu?" Tonks asked, her eyes wide in confusion.

"Not exactly…" Lily said hesitantly as she leaned back to look at her friend in the face. "But before we decide, if we tell you, can you please not tell anyone what is wrong with me?" she asked as she knew her father was standing only a few feet away ready to wipe her friend's memory if she did not agree.

It took a few minutes before Tonks sighed and nodded. "Alright, I promise." She said as Severus turned and pointed his wand at the fire, doing a spell to completely cut off the floo network. Tonks was not sure if it was to insure no one showed up unexpected and heard what was about to be said or if it was to insure she would not be able to leave too easily before he could obliviate her memory if they felt it necessary.

Twinkle walked over and helped Lily up once she unwound her arms completely from her friend as Severus stepped closer and helped support Lily as he helped her over to the couch where he put a blanket around her after positioning her so that she was half sitting half laying. "You should have stayed upstairs, you know your strength is touch and go right now." He whispered as Tonks stood and walked over, sitting on the couch by her friend's feet as Severus moved to the arm chair as he ordered Twinkle to get them some tea.

Once Twinkle was gone from the room, Tonks spoke up, hating that they had said they would tell her what was going on only for them to sit in silence. "So, what is wrong with Lily?" she demanded, her eyes going from her friend's drawn face to the stern face of Severus.

Lily looked down as Severus took that as she wanted him to start. "Lily is suffering from a unheard of version of lycanthropy?" He said as Tonks was wide eyed.

"WHAT!" Tonks yelled after several minutes of sitting there, completely stunned as she shifted so her back was to the arm rest, eyes on Lily. Though that small gesture was taken by Lily to mean that her friend was now afraid of her. Something Tonks realized when she saw tears brim in Lily's eyes and her slowly draw her legs up under the blanket putting more distance between them. "Lily…" she said but when her friend did not respond, she looked back to Severus. "But how can she have lycanthropy?" she asked thinking that surely that could not be right as Severus was not one, she could not be sure about Lily's mother, but maybe she had been bitten or attacked at one point?

"That is why the case is so odd." Severus said in a hesitant tone. "It developed not long after she turned eight years old, shortly before Harry was taken from us." He said as he saw his daughter draw her knees up more, hiding her face behind them as her thin arms went around her legs. "But so long as she is given the wolfsbane potion, she does not change, but she does fall very ill during the full moon, even becoming near comatose at times." He said as Tonks was staring at him, but not at him.

'The full moon…' Tonks thought as she was thinking back on all the times Severus had turned her away from being allowed to visit Lily, the delayed responses in her letters, when she always seemed weaker. All of those had been around the full moon. She sat there, dumbstruck for several minutes coming to terms with it as she shook her head to clear it. "So that is why you won't take her to the hospital…" she whispered, her eyes locked on Severus as he nodded.

"Yes, because it would put her in danger since I doubt anyone would keep quiet about finding out there was an unregistered half werewolf right under the Ministries nose." He said as he stood from his chair and moved over to Lily's side, kneeling on the floor and resting a hand on her back.

"That is true. More so since she is the first like that in history." Tonks said as she was still shocked, yet astounded at the same time. "But how is it that she is a half werewolf?" she asked only for Severus to shake his head, in a way cutting that question off as one that he would not answer that for now. After a short silence, Tonks spoke again. "Would it be alright if I talk alone with Lily?" she asked as Severus seemed to hesitate before nodding as he knew there was no way even if she wanted to, for Tonks to leave with his precious daughter. So, Severus stood and walked from the room to check on Twinkle and the tea in the kitchen.

Lily remained where she was, bunched into a slight ball on the couch even as Tonks moved closer to her on the couch and reached out for her. She jumped slightly when she felt Tonks rest her hand on her shoulder. Looking up she saw that her friend was not far from her, smiling slightly as she was looking at Lily in the eyes.

"So, this is the secret you have been keeping from everyone?" Tonks asked with a small hint of sadness behind her smile.

Lily looked to the side slightly as she nodded. "I had wanted to tell you for a while, but…" Lily trailed off, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"But you were afraid?" Tonks asked as her smile fell, sadness still evident in her expression when she saw Lily nod. "Because you were afraid that I would turn my back on you?" again Lily nodded. Seeing that was the reason that her friend had been suffering alone and afraid of others knowing, Tonks felt like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart.

"You, Draco and Harry are my only friends…" Lily whispered. "I couldn't handle the mere thought of what would happen should any of you leave me because of what I am. Because I am a monster…"

Tonks stared in shock at Lily, but when she registered half a second after Lily had called herself a monster, Tonks' arms shot out and wrapped around Lily pulling her close, so that she was forced to her knees on the couch in her friend's arms. "You may be many things, Lily." Tonks whispered. "But one thing you are not is a monster." She declared as she held her friend close, almost afraid that she might break. "You have the purest heart and soul of anyone I have ever met. You see the good in people, and put others before yourself." She said since that is exactly what Lily had done just a short while ago. When she had jumped in to protect Tonks without any thought for her own safety.

Lily felt herself too shocked for words as she leaned more into her friends embrace. For the last year, she had been locked away, isolated. Only seeing her friends on a rare occasion, being told she was a dangerous monster. Too dangerous and unpredictable to be allowed out of her father's quarters when they had been at the school. Then kept away from her friends for their safety during the times when she fell ill. That and how she had been afraid they would abandon her if they found out the truth. But she was beyond relieved that fear had been put to rest at least with Tonks. The relief she was feeling was so great that she began to cry into Tonks sweater she was wearing.

Tonks sat there hugging Lily close, even rubbing circles on her back as she did not care that her friend was crying into the front of her sweater. It would dry. She knew she would not trade helping her friend for the first time in so long for anything. Nothing else mattered besides how Tonks wanted to be able to see Lily smile again. The way she had a few times since they became friends. A true pure smile from her heart.

For several minutes, they stayed like that, but Tonks soon shifted, to gently push Lily out of the hug ever so slightly so they could look each other in the face. The trails from Lily's tears were still there on her pale face, her eyes showing signs of being bloodshot from the tears. "Lily…" Tonks said making sure she had her friend's full attention. Once she was sure she did she continued. "I am not going to abandon you." She said in a determined tone as she could see the surprise on Lily's face. "You are my best friend, and in truth, I love you like the little sister I never had." Tonks admitted with a smile.

Lily felt like her breath caught in her throat at hearing how Tonks really felt about her. She had in truth felt the same way for some time, but she was not sure what the feeling was completely. All because it had felt different than the love she felt for Harry before he was taken away, and different from the love she felt for her father and Twinkle. She looked down for a second trying to recompose herself as the feeling of shock faded, and she felt herself being over taken by a new emotion. One that Lily had thought was gone since she had been faking it for so long for the benefit of her father and Twinkle. Happiness.

"I feel the same way." She said in a small voice before she leaned forward throwing her arms around Tonks in what she had meant to be a fierce hug, but she did not have much strength to put into doing so. She felt her friend's arms go around her as she could not help but smile, relieved that she was not going to lose one of the few people that meant more than her own life to her.

/

About half way down the stairs, Xander sat staring through the railing facing toward the living room. His blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the scene that he had watched pass. Though as he sat there, there was a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips, only evident by the small twitch of his whiskers. Everything would fall into place in time, as the one with Lily would now place a crucial part, but not as much as the others Lily held close to her heart.

/

A/N: I have finally finished the chapter! I am very sorry that this took me so long. Things in my life have been up and down, as last month lost a very dear family member and have been getting over that and slowly returning to my writing. This chapter was nearly complete when all of that happened but I figured it best I not return to writing this chapter until I was in a much better state. Though I want to thank HoneyBear84, and NatNicole for their reviews. Also, everyone who has been following this story. I really do appreciate everyone who is giving this story a chance. Also, I think this is the longest chapter so far! Not for sure but if not it is a close contender. And for this chapter, I want to see if anyone can guess what is going on with Xander from recent chapters and this one. If you have any guesses leave them in your reviews. I will try to update again soon so long as things work out as I also need to update my other active stories on here.