Chapter Thirteen

Lily's eyes widened and her head spun in the direction of Sirius' voice.

"Sirius!"

"Save it Lily," Sirius growled, as he spun on his heel and stormed out of the common room. Lily's confused green eyes settled on James again. He looked down at the redheaded beauty and shook his head. He kissed her on top of her head and left the common room to find Sirius. Once he was gone, Lily collapsed on the floor in tears. She had messed everything up again, and this time, she had no one to run to. Why was love so confusing?

Over the next few days, Lily stayed holed up in her room. She didn't come out for any reason, except to use the bathroom. James noticed her absence and he was concerned. He realized Lily was not leaving her room, not for classes, or showers, or even meals. Was she eating? He wondered. This prospect only made him worry more. He made a few attempts to get Lily to come out of her room. Each and every time, he was either brutally berated and sent away, or ignored completely. Despite his efforts, Lily refused to come out of her room. Eventually he gave up, deciding that when she was ready, she would come out. She had to eat sometime. Right? James kept telling himself this, but it was of no consolation. It seemed like Lily was going to stay locked in that room forever. And that was exactly her intention. Until she received an owl from Dumbledore, explaining that if she did not return to her classes by the end of the week unless excused by Madame Pomfrey, she would be stripped of her Head status. This certainly drew Lily out of her stupor. Slightly. The following Thursday morning, Lily dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She made no effort to look nice. She threw her hair up in a messy ponytail and put on a t-shirt and sweatpants. She avoided the Great Hall and went straight to McGonagall's classroom and took a seat in the back of the room. A little while after Lily took her seat in the classroom, students began filing in, including James and Sirius. Sirius completely ignored her presence but James did a double take upon seeing her. Though he was glad to see that Lily had emerged from her cave, he was shocked at her appearance. Was this the same funloving beautiful Lily Evans that was at his house over Christmas? The same Lily Evans that he had dated happily for three months? This bummy girl with the dark circles under her eyes, was this the Lily Evans he loved. Lily saw James nudge Sirius and nod in her general direction. Sirius glanced at her. She thought she saw a glimmer of sadness, but it was quickly replaced by anger. Sirius focused on James again and shrugged turning away from the both of them. Lily had a vague idea of what had just gone down. James probably said something about her appearance and Sirius pretended like he didn't care. But Lily saw that glimmer in his eyes, and she knew that he wasn't saying all he felt.

Lily didn't speak at all during the whole period, or through the entire day. Lily Evans had become a mute. As soon as classes were over, she went back to the Head Dorms and locked herself in her cave again. This routine went on for weeks. Lily occasionally showed up in the Great Hall during meals, but James noticed that she wasn't eating enough. He watched her during the rare occasions that she was there. Sometimes James had a suspicion that she only showed up in the Great Hall to show that she was alive. She didn't really eat enough to make a difference in the fact that she was losing weight rapidly. The most she would eat at breakfast would be a few grapes and a bite of toast. Though she piled her plate high, she only pushed the food around to create the illusion that she was eating. James knew her tricks. Lily didn't even bother to use magic to cover up the ever darkening circles under her eyes. James was truly worried, and he knew that Sirius was too. He just didn't want to share it. Sirius caught James watching Lily push her food around. Lily looked up at him and attempted a smile, which James was about to return.

"Come on James," Sirius said, glaring at her and getting up out of his seat. James turned his attention to Sirius.

"Padfoot-"

"Come on," Sirius demanded. James got up and followed Sirius out of the Great hall. Somehow the fact that when Sirius dissed her it didn't hurt as badly as when James did it.

AN: I know! Short, sucky, and late. Sorry! I know I promised twice a week, but I can already tell I wont be able to do that. I got a full time job. My updates will only come once a week the most! Sorry! And those of you waiting on Just Friends, Right? I will be updating that sometime soon, but at the moment I have completely forgotten what I was going to do! I will remember, I promise!