Author's Note: Two chapters in one day! Yay! So Siriusly loving Snape left me a review that made me so happy I wanted to post another chapter! She even sent her friend the link and had her read it too! The Sky's the Limit left me a lovely review too! Thanks you two! Getting such quick positive responses made my day! So, this chapter is your present! It's kind of short and really depressing but I felt it was important to explain the emotions that led to Lily locking away her words and becoming mute. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Broken

"Lily."

For a wild, crazy moment I let myself have the insane thought that it might be my mum calling my name. It took only a fraction of a second to realize how completely stupid that thought was. My mum would never speak again. Besides, the voice was distinctly male.

"Lily," the boy said again.

I didn't move from where I lay on the cold grass. I didn't even open my eyes. I wanted to scream at the guy to go away and let me suffer alone but I didn't have the will to even move my mouth.

"Lily, Professor Dumbledore sent me to get you. It's 8:00. You missed dinner."

I continued to remain perfectly still. His words meant nothing. The turned to static the moment they reached my ears.

"Oh Lily," the boy sighed sadly.

It was then that I realized who he was. It was James Potter. How strange to think that not long ago he'd been one of my biggest problems. Now my small quarrels with him seemed so insignificant.

I didn't so much as twitch when a hand went under my head, an arm slipped under my legs, and I was scooped into his arms. I wanted to bite and scratch and shriek at him to let me go but I lacked the strength to do more than hang limply in his arms as he cradled me against his chest and began walking.

James didn't speak as he carried me even though I'm sure he knew that I was awake. I was grateful for that. Yes, somewhere amongst all of my shock and pain I found it in myself to be grateful.

The funeral was horrible. It was the worst experience of my entire life. I stood as frozen as an ice sculpture as I watched them lower my mother's coffin into the earth. I'd barely made it through the viewing and the service.

My spirit had broken when I'd looked down at my mum's dead face. It was cold and empty in death. Her expression seemed stern, so much different than the way I remembered it, always with a warm smile and a sparkle of joy and love in her twinkling green eyes that were exactly like mine. Her skin was white, drained of color. Someone had painted her lips with lipstick the color of blood. I shuddered at the gruesome thought and chocked back a sob.

I wanted to embrace my mum again. Her arms always felt so safe, so comforting. I wanted to see the loving look she always had for me, no matter how angry or frustrated she was with me. I wanted her to kiss me on the top of my head and tell me that no matter how old I got I'd always be her beautiful little baby girl. I wanted to feel her gentle fingers braiding my hair as she gave me advice.

I missed my mother's understanding. I missed her smile. I missed her voice. I missed her love. I missed everything about her with such a deep ache that it seemed to fracture my very soul.

My dad hadn't looked at me once since mum's death. He hadn't spoken to me or acknowledged my presence at all. There'd been no greeting, no words of comfort, no mourning together. It seemed like he couldn't even stand to look at me.

My sister made it very clear that she blamed me for our mum's death. I was a freak and if I hadn't been born she wouldn't have died. I was beginning to wonder if Petunia was right. If I was a witch they might never have targeted mum. If I wasn't here then she might still be alive.

I loathed myself.

"Mum," I thought as I watched her coffin disappear from view. "I'm sorry. I wish you were here. You'd understand what I'm feeling right now. You always did."

My lips trembled and I thought about the insignificance of words. My mum couldn't hear them. Words were useless. They couldn't describe my agony or my sorrow. All they could do was understate them. I hadn't been able to speak since I'd screamed at Professor Dumbledore. I wasn't sure why that was. Was it the shock? Was it all of those horrible painful emotions that had been slammed into me all at once? Was it the fact that I found words so useless and meaningless? I didn't know. All I knew was that the words hovered just out of reach, my mouth able to form them but my voice unable to put any force behind them.

Everything blurred and I panicked for a moment before I realized that it was tears distorting my vision. I made no attempt to wipe them away as they slipped down my cheeks. Maybe mum could see them wherever she was and knew that they meant I missed her.

They were finished lowering the casket now. It was lying deep in the earth. My mother's body was being locked away all alone in a cold dark box deep beneath the ground. It seemed terrible that those who die do so alone. The only thing that truly remained of them was the lingering handprint of their love on the hearts of those whose lives had just changed forever.

It was a horrible thing to bury my mother. It carved deep scars into my heart and plunged my world into a wordless darkness.

I was utterly broken.

End Note: So what did you think? Still doing well? Anything I need to work on? Was this too much angst? Don't worry the entire story isn't going to be like this, things start to happen soon and James comes in next chapter! Woooo! I love James in this story. Anyways, please leave a review! I love to hear from you guys!