A/N: I am deeply sorry. I haven't updated in almost a month…I admit, I kind of forgot about this story. Please accept my humblest regrets.

Blaming

What happened to James? What happened to him? Why can't I remember?

Lily struggled with her muddled thoughts as she slumped farther and farther into Dumbledore's chair. McGonagall, the Minister, and Dumbledore stood on the opposite side of the desk, conversing in hushed voices. Every so often, one of the adults would glance over at her.

They're talking about me…

Of course they're talking about me! Lily chided herself, I was the only one with him, they probably think I did it!

Sure enough, the adults broke off, looking at Lily curiously.

"Miss Evans, are you sure you don't remember anything, er, suspicious?" McGongall asked, not quite looking Lily in the eye.

"I told you," Lily replied, frustrated, "I don't remember a thing!"

"But surely," the Minister, Arnold Pitwalker, said, wringing his handkerchief in his hands, "You must remember something; a face, a spell, a fight, anything."

"No, I really don't."

"Albus…"

Albus Dumbledore's bright blue eyes stared into Lily's vivid green ones. He sighed and turned back to the Minister.

"Miss Evans has told us three times now that she doesn't remember what happened to Mr. Potter, Minister, and I choose to believe her."

The Minister groaned, annoyed with the situation at hand.

"Albus, in case you haven't realized, the Potter family has always been one of the ministry's main benefactors. If Charlus's son…" he paused and coughed into his handkerchief, "Well, if anything happens to the boy, Charlus and Dorea will be very upset indeed…"

"Yes, Minister, I am very much aware of how much money you have gained from the Potters. They've donated rather generously to this school, too. However, I am not nearly worried about the money as I am about saving a student's life. We must find out what happened, and how to help Mr. Potter, not worry about the money the ministry will lose should the worst happen."

The Minister nodded. "Of course, I am just as worried about the boy as you. But surely, Dumbledore, you can't believe that she," he nodded towards Lily, "doesn't remember what happened. Surely…"

"Minister, I assure you, Miss Evans is telling the truth. Now, I do believe you have a ministry to run."

The minister muttered mutinously under his breath. He strode over to the fire, cast one last glare at Lily, and stepped inside. There was a green flash and a harsh yell:

"Ministry of Magic, Britain!"

And he was gone.

Dumbledore turned to Lily.

"Miss Evans, will you please step outside for a moment?"

Lily nodded numbly and left the room.

The Minister thought it was me. But it wasn't! Was it?

Lily desperately tried to remember what had happened.

Didn't we fight that morning? Did I do something I shouldn't have?

As Lily struggled with her nonexistent memory of the night's events, she heard a faint mumbling from behind the door. She moved closer to comprehend what was being said.

"Albus, as much as I hate to admit it…"

"You think Lily did something to James."

"Well…yes. Albus, you should see how she used to fight with him! Horrible quarrels, they've each had their own share of trips to the hospital wing."

"But not anymore."

"Well, no. Lately they've almost seemed friends. But you can't deny it, Albus, Lupin even said he saw the two of them leave the common room at the same time, they were together, no witnesses; it is rather suspicious."

"I saw nothing in Lily's eyes or mind."

"Could she have wiped her own memory?"

Lily heard Dumbledore heave a sigh.

"It's possible. I just can't see Lily Evans doing something like that."

"Nor can I, Albus, but nobody suspected that Tom Ri-"

"Enough, Minerva. I have a letter to write to Charlus and Dorea, and there is a young girl waiting for you outside."

"Yes, Albus."

Lily jumped back from the door hastily as she heard footsteps coming closer. When McGonagall exited the room, Lily was sitting patiently on the floor, against the opposite wall.

"Come, Miss Evans. Professor Dumbledore has instructed you be taken to the hospital wing for observation."

Lily spotted James Potter the moment they entered. He was lying motionless on the bed by the window. His usual expression of happiness and mischievousness was gone; his face was blank. Remus, Sirius, and Peter sat around his bed, all with equally blank expressions.

Sirius met Lily's eyes. (And Lily wondered, almost smiling to herself, when he had sobered up.) He glared at her, and Lily realized, painfully, that he, too, blamed Lily for his friends' current condition.

"Sit down, Miss Evans," McGonagall ordered.

The nurse came bustling in. A new girl, just graduated from St. Mungo's Teaching School, named Madame Pomfrey. She hurried over to James, checked his pulse, and shook her head.

"Will he be alright?" Remus asked her.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head, "I have no clue what spell was used on him, or how to revive him. He doesn't seem to be getting any better, but his condition is not worsening, either."

She pulled a potion bottle out of her pocket and poured it down James' throat.

"You know not what caused this?" McGonagall asked.

"I don't. I've never seen anything like it, actually. But Dumbledore has requested that if his condition worsens, he be shipped to St. Mungo's. But I doubt even they know what this is. I've consulted forty-two magical medical textbooks, and I have no inklink of what caused this."

"Ask her."

Lily turned to see Sirius standing now, pointing menacingly at her.

"Mr. Black…"

"You can't expect me to believe that she had nothing to do with it! She hates him! She's always hated him! She would do anything to get rid of…"

"Mr. Black, that's enough!"

"Don't you bloody tell me to stop, it was her!"

"OUT!" Madame Pomfrey hit Sirius sharply on the head, "The three of you, OUT!"

Sirius, Remus, and Peter exited the Hospital Wing reluctantly, Sirius still glaring at Lily, as if he could murder her with his eyes.

"Now, Miss Evans, I want you to get some rest." Madame Pomfrey ushered McGonagall out of the room, and Lily laid down on the bed.

I didn't hurt him, she thought, before dozing off to sleep.

"So, you play Seeker too?"

"Not really. When I was younger and I played with my cousins in my backyard, they would always force me to play Seeker, because nobody else wanted to, and I was the youngest."

"Well you're actually pretty good at it."

"Thanks."

……

"You go there a lot?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Every house elf knew your name, that you won the Quidditch cup, and all your favorite foods."

……

Blood was running down James' face. He glanced at Lily, and weakly muttered her name.

"James, James, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

He widened his eyes and gave a weak, shuddering gasp, before slipping to the floor.

"James!"

……

Blood was all over her hands…what was she going to do? All this blood, and James unconscious…blood. There was blood everywhere. Too much blood. Too much…

Lily Evans woke up screaming.