AN: thanks for all the reviews. And I'm really sorry I didn't update sooner, but you'll get more frequent updates now, checkpoints are over, and my cousin is back at his house in Mumbai!!
I've also made a slight change to chapter fifteen. Please read that again, it's a small detail, but it is a bit explanatory.
Thank u to all the reviewers.
And thank u to Jegan for the plot.
SEVENTH YEAR ROLLER COASTER
CHAPTER 16: dreams
James tossed and turned in his sleep.
"Lily!" he screamed, "Lily… no don't! Get off her! Lily…? Lily?! Leave her alone! Let her go
! Lily! Lil--."
"Prongs wake up!" said Sirius, shaking him violently, "wake up!"
James rolled off the bed.
"Ouch!" he said, waking up to see Remus and Sirius staring down at him.
"What's wrong?" asked Remus.
"Yeah Prongs, you were talking in your sleep. Screaming more like" said Sirius.
James sat up.
"I saw her" he said breathlessly, "I saw Lily. And Hugh. He was hurting her, that bastard! He was hurting her!"
"Its okay Prongs, it was just a dream" said Remus soothingly.
"No it wasn't!" insisted James, "it was for real, I'm positive. He's beating her now. I'm--," he stood up abruptly and began rifling through his trunk, "—I'm apparating there right now." He scooped out his invisibility cloak.
"Prongs mate, look. Don't do anything stupid which you're going to regret--." Began Sirius.
"I'M GOING TO REGRET IT IF I DON'T GO NOW!" yelled James, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DAMN CALM ABOUT IT?! LILY'S PROBABLY GETTING HURT RIGHT NOW, AND ALL YOU GUYS CAN DO IS STAND THERE AND SAY IT WAS JUST A DREAM?!"
"It was just a dream James," said Remus sternly, "you're not a seer, nor are you a legilimens. You're tired, you're nerves are unstrung; you're angry, and heartbroken. It's all due to nerves. Now sit down and listen to me. You cannot leave Hogwarts again. You'd be expelled. And you remember what Dumbledore said. Lily would not want you expelled James. Stay here for her sake. We're getting her in the spring holidays, and that's final."
James said nothing, just glared at Remus resentfully, dropped his cloak into his trunk and collapsed onto his bed, drawing the curtains around him.
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Three weeks passed by in complete agony for Lily. Hugh beat her, punched her, kicked her, and tortured her every night. Every morning he'd expect her to be her normal self. Her wrist and nose were still healing, but her bruises never had a chance to fade away. Her parents never came to visit, Marge was obnoxious, and she had no one to talk to, no one to go to for help. In short, life was hell. Pure hell.
'One more week," she thought miserably, 'one more week and I'll be out of here'
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James, Maggie, Sirius, and Remus had planned Lily's escape in detail.
"We should do it after eleven" said Maggie, "everyone will be asleep by then"
"And its better night because Hugh will definitely have someone watching her in the day" said Remus.
"We'll do it right at midnight, when she's legally seventeen and all," said James, "I suppose we could send a message using that paper bird, right moony?"
"Yes, I think we can" he said, "Send it now"
James procured a piece of parchment, and wrote something down with his quill. He folded the sheet into a tiny bird, waving his wand at it in complicated movements. The bird flew away through the common room window.
"Right, that's done," said Sirius, "now we're going to bring Lily to James' house, lie low for a while, and then before spring vacation ends, Lily and James go to spring a divorce from Hugh."
"Uh huh" said Maggie.
James leaned back in his chair, savoring the though of having Lily to themselves in six days.
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Lily opened the window and let in the paper bird. Hugh had just left for work, or whatever he did that made him come home completely drowned in alcohol. Marge wouldn't be here for another half- hour. She unfolded the bird.
Lils,
We'll come and get you at midnight on your birthday. We'll apparate in. I don't think you'll need to pack anything. See you soon. Love you.
James
Lily smiled for the first time in weeks. Just six more days, six more days of this hellhole and she'd be free. No more being abused. No more going to sleep at night hurting all over. No more Hugh. Lily was bubbling with happiness. She tore the note into miniscule bits, stowing them inside her pocket. Six more days, and she'd be back where she belonged.
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Six days later…
James was overjoyed. Tonight they would be rescuing Lily from that bastard Hugh's house. Just a few short hours left…
The spring vacation had begun yesterday. Remus, Maggie, and Sirius had all met up at James' house.
"You're happy, aren't you?" asked Sirius, coming up behind him.
"Yeah," said James, "I can't wait to see Lily again. And get her free from Hugh"
Sirius shook his head, "mate, you've fallen in deep"
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"Oof!" Lily had the wind knocked out of her as Hugh punched her in the stomach. He slammed her into a wall and pinned her there, digging his nails into her neck and arm, drawing blood.
He'd already slapped her repeatedly, her cheeks were full of red finger marks, given her a black eye, split her lip, broken her healing nose again, and twisted her wrist.
He banged her head against the wall, and blood began to flow, mingling with the tears.
"Stupid freak!" he yelled, banging her head against the wall again. Lily's world went black.
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AN: there are a couple of things that need to be explained:
James' parents are dead, so he's all alone in the house.
The dream that James had wasn't a premonition or whatever. He's not like Harry in that way. It was, like Remus said, due to tension and nerves.
So, hope you liked it. PLEEEEEASE review, even though I don't reply. I think this story will have about one or two chapters left, maximum three. So don't give up on it now!!
Blue.
