Chapter 9 - In which Lily breathes

James was walking around, muttering to himself. He wondered why he hated his brother so much. Was it really because their father loved Al so much more? Or was there something else?

He didn't always hate Al. Sometimes, he had loved his brother dearly. He remembered when they were younger, they'd gotten along well enough. He'd loved the Al that always had a twinkle in his eyes, that joked and cared deeply about everyone. But this piece of Al showed itself rarely. Then there was the piece of his brother he hated the most, this dark, twisted side that hated James back with a fury.

In the end, James had no idea who his brother was, and his brother had no idea who he was.

"I need a place to be alone, I need a place to be alone…" James kept on muttering to himself. Finally, the door to the Room of Requirements appears. James was surprised to find that the door was locked. "Well, fuck," James said.

He sat down outside the door, his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. Somebody was in there already. And he had a feeling he knew who it was.

~*~*~

"This is bad, this is bad, this is so bad…" Scorpius said over and over.

"Would you mind shutting up?" Al asked. "I have to make sure I have everything. Invisibility cloak, check. Elder wand, check…"

"Corpse, check. Bewitched twelve year old, check…"

"Shut up," Al repeated. "I want to hurry up and get this over with."

"This is so bad, this is so so so bad…"

"I finally figured out what spell it is I need to use," Al said.

"Well isn't that just fucking fantastic?" Scorpius said, pacing around the room.

"It's the killing curse," Al replied. "Avada kedavra. I thought about it, and I realized that if it has the power to rip a soul out of a body, it has the power to put it back in. Does that make sense?"

"No, it does not make sense. Nothing fucking makes sense. Oh, man…" Scorpius continued pacing around the room.

Al covered Lily Evans body with the invisibility cloak. The younger and much more alive Lily stood over her, the elder wand in her hands, and her eyes very unseeing.

"I'm so glad I just went to the bathroom, because otherwise I would definitely piss myself right now."

"Get a grip on yourself," Al said. "Alright do you have the stone."

"Yeah, it's right here," Scorpius said. "Oh, shit shit shit…"

"Okay, call her."

Scorpius was shaking, badly. "Uh, Lily darling, perhaps you should come out here. I can't ravish you unless your spirit's in the room with me…"

Al sighed. "Please don't talk to my grandmother like that."

"Seriously, Lily, get out here or your fucking lunatic grandson is going to kill me."

Lily Evans' soul rose. She had just enough time to say, "What's going o…" before Al tapped the younger Lily on the shoulder and said, "Now."

The younger Lily pointed her want at the older Lily's corpse and said, "Avada kedavra."

The older Lily's spirit flushed forward, flying towards her bones. A stream of smoke came from out of the younger Lily's mouth, circling the bones as well. There was a green flash, a flash so great and so bright Al felt almost blinded for a moment.

"It's happening," Al said.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Scorpius replied.

~*~*~

James had the very unsettling feeling that something had just happened. He stood up and banged on the door of the Room of Requirements.

~*~*~

The green light subsided and the younger Lily fell to the floor. Al stepped over her and bent down to take the invisibility cloak off of the other Lily.

~*~*~

James kept on banging on the door. "Al! Open up! Open up!"

~*~*~

Al pulled the invisibility cloak off of Lily.

~*~*~

"Damn it!" James said.

~*~*~

"Oh, shit!" Scorpius said.

~*~*~

James was screaming

~*~*~

Lily was breathing.

~*~*~

James was crying.

~*~*~

After so many years, Lily was breathing.

~*~*~

"Lily?" James called. "Lily, are you in there?"

~*~*~

Lily opened her eyes.

~*~*~

"She's in there," James thought to himself. "I know she's in there."

~*~*~

Al fell to his knees. He was crying.

~*~*~

"What the fuck's going on?" James thought to himself.

~*~*~

"What's going on?" Lily asked, her voice hoarse.

~*~*~

James got up and ran, ran as fast and as far as he could.

~*~*~

"You're alive," Al said to Lily. "You're alive."