Chapter 8 – Can't think of a chapter name. So its Chapter 8 lol

"Hey Nan, what's wrong?" Lily had just walked in to kitchen to find Pat sitting up at the table her head in her hand, and sobbing, there was a letter in front of her, which now had tear drops splattered all over it.

"Oh its nothing dear really, I'm just being silly." Pat sat upright wiping away the tears from her cheeks with a tissue, quickly folding up the letter and putting it back in the envelope and faking a smile.

"Nan it's hardly nothing, you're sitting there crying. What's wrong? What does that letter say?" Lily asked with concern in her voice and worry was now evident in her green eyes, as she looked from her Nan to the letter then back to her Nan.

"Oh it's just a letter your great aunt Mary sent, about the loss of your parents, nothing to worry your pretty head about my dear." Pat said this looking anywhere but into Lily's eyes, which made Lily know that her Nan was lying about what was in that letter, but decided to let it go and make herself some toast.

"So what have you got planned today? It's such a lovely day you can't stay in all day."

"Oh, I'm going to James's house again, his got a pool so were gonna go swimming and stuff." Lily said this taking a bite out of her toast.

"Oh that's nice, will you be home for dinner? I was going to cook a roast."

"Umm yeah I'll come back for about 7 for dinner. If that's ok Nan." Lily looked over at the window and saw a tweedy brown old tapping at the window with a letter in its mouth. Opening the window Lily took the letter out of the bird's mouth as it gave a hoot and flew off into the sunlight.

Lily sat back down at the table and opened it knowing that it was from Hogwarts telling Lily what books she would need for her next year at school. But the envelope seemed a little thicker then it usually was and peering into the envelope Lily pulled out a shiny red badge with a 'P' on it.

"I'm a prefect…Nan I'm a prefect." Lily jumped up from the table now abandoning the rest of the contents waving her shiny red badge at her Nan.

"Oh Lily darling that's brilliant…Oh how wonderful. Your parents would have been so proud. I'll have to make some chocolate éclairs for desert now… Oh a prefect!" Pat kissed Lily on the forehead, beaming with pride. But the words about her parents tugged on Lily's heart 'they would never know that I made it as prefect.' Lily thought bitterly, now looking at the badge with resentment.

Lily could imagine the joyful looks on her parents faces, the hugging, jumping around the room with joy, and kisses, then her mum declaring that they would have to have a Chinese meal to celebrate, the happy event, which made Lily's happiness disappear as soon as it had arrived.

Not wanting to let her Nan see how upset she was Lily put on a pair of emerald green flip-flops, and started to walk towards the door.

"I'll see you tonight Nan." Lily yelled as she shut the front door and slowly walked down the street.

Instead of walking directly to James's house Lily stopped off at the park, her solitude, and the place that she hadn't been to what seemed like an eternity. Taking a seat on the swing and kicking off from the ground Lily let the warm summer breeze blow her hair behind her and onto her face, and letting the felling of sadness take over her whole body.

Lily was swinging away not noticing anything about the world around her. Lily was oblivious to children's screams as they played, and oblivious to the families around her. The sadness, which had taken over Lily's body, was now disappearing and slowly being replaced with the feeling of guilt. Lily was feeling guilty that she hadn't spent more time morning over her parents, it seemed more like Lily had just moved on with her new life and forgotten all about them. It had been two weeks since the funeral and she still hadn't even been back to her family home, or been to the churchyard to where their graves were. Lily wasn't aware of the time or aware that there were now people starting, all she knew was how guilty and miserable she was feeling inside.

"Hey Padfoot, Lily hasn't come round yet has she?" James asked after taking a shower and now looking over his Hogwarts letter and noticing the time, it was now half twelve and James was feeling a little worried Lily was never late for anything. In fact Lily was the most organised person that he knew, he could only remember once or twice where Lily was rushing last minute to finish off some homework.

"Nah not yet, maybe she got caught up at home or something…you know she's got the perfect badge maybe she's celebrating." Sirius said this logically to James putting another card on the card pyramid he was making. Thinking that Sirius was right James sat down opposite Sirius and pulled out the exploding snap cards.

A few singed eyebrows later, James looked back up at the clock. It was now one thirty and still no sign of Lily.

"I think I'm going to go and pop round Lily's and see if she's ok." James said getting up and walking towards the door, worry was evident in his eyes. It wasn't like James to worry this much over small things like people not turning up on time. But for some reason that James couldn't explain he had a feeling that something was wrong in the bottom of his stomach and couldn't take it anymore.

Lily was still swinging away, remembering the time when her parents had decided to have a BBQ party because they had just brought a new BBQ that they wanted to test out. Lily's parents would make up any excuse for a good party with family and friends. The whole of the garden was busy with children playing skittles, swing ball, and running all over the place playing tag, while the adults sat down on garden chairs drinking wine or beer and talking among themselves, every now and then getting up and playing a game of swing ball or skittles with the children.

The whole garden was alive with merriment and Lily could remember see in her mind the whole party before her.

"Ahh Ken I totally agree, not a BBQ without the ribs." Sam said putting down a large tray of ribs on the table, before picking up his pint of beer that was sitting on the table, taking a mouthful before putting it back on the table and walking away to the shed to grab a blue and white stripped pull out chair.

"So how's Danny boy these days?" Sam asked Ken as he came back to the table and started to pull out the chair ready to sit on.

"Oh his good, brilliant at the ol' footy now, you should come watch him on a Saturday morning." Ken replied back now helping himself to another rib from the pile.

"Oh I do love a good game of footy, let me know the time and I'll come down and watch, if you'll excuse me I think I'm ready for a refill. You want another?" Sam picked up his pint glass once more and drained the remaining beer before heading off to the kitchen for a top up. Coming back to the garden Sam had gone straight over to the chair, which he had just assembled and sat down.

To Sam's shock the chair folded it's self back up, and now he was squashed in the chair with a look of utter shock on his face, and the laughter around him was intensifying. After the laughter had died down Rose walked over to where Sam was stuck and pulled the chair apart freeing Sam, who now had a proud look on his face.

"And didn't spill a drop." Sam laughed taking a mouthful of his beer standing up then lightly kissing his wife.

"Nothing more criminal then wasting your beer wouldn't you say?" Sam said sitting down on a wooden chair and looking at the fold out chair with a look of distaste.

Later that day a seven year old Lily was standing on the grass and getting ready to throw a ball at the awaiting skittles. Releasing the ball Lily watched as all of the skittles fell to the ground, and jumping up into the air in Joy as Rose walked over to Lily.

"Fancy a game of swing ball?" Rose asked her daughter before walking over to the garden table to put down her wine glass.

"Yah!" Lily squealed rushing over to the swing ball set and picking up the two red plastic bats from the floor and handing one over to her mum.

"Go on Lily, show us what you go kiddo." Sam had shouted from the table, and Lily gave a broad smile before striking the ball.

Five minutes later Rose and Lily were still hitting the ball to and thro. Just when Lily had thought that she was going to win the game Rose hit the ball with force, and then the string and ball went flying off the pole towards the talking adults sitting at the garden table.

Next thing there was a yell of shock as the ball landed in Sam's pint glass, making Sam jump up in shock and covering him, the chair and a bit of the table in beer. Rose was standing next to Lily laughing hard, and wiping tears from her eyes, as Sam just stood there in shock for a moment, before realising what had exactly happened.

"Thanks dear always wanted a beer bath." Sam shook his head.

Lily had many funny and happy memories of her parents; there were hardly any sad times. Sam and Rose loved to have people round for dinners, go out to parties, and spend any spare time that they had with the girls, taking them to the park or playing with them in the garden. They both lived to help everyone around them, and nothing was ever too much for them.

Lily was disturbed from her thoughts when she heard a voice calling out her name.

"Lily. What are you doing here? I thought you were coming around for a swim." James had seen Lily as he walked along the road swinging away in her own little world. There was a look of pain and sadness in her eyes.

"Oh. Hi James, I'm sorry I just lost track of time." Lily put on a fake smile and jumped of the swing to join James.

"Lils what's wrong?" James asked softly looking down at Lily in the eyes. "And don't say nothing I can see that there is." James interjected as he saw Lily start to look at him as if there was nothing wrong.

"It's just, I just…I feel guilty, I mean, my parents, there not going to see anything that happens in my life from now on, and since the funeral I feel like I haven't thought about them as much I should have. I mean I haven't even been back to the church yard or our family home." Lily said all of this looking down at her feet, rather then looking James in the eye, with her eyes filling with tears. James automatically pulled Lily into a hug and guided her over to a spot on the grass under an oak tree, and motioned for her to sit down.

James just sat there with Lily's head resting on his shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders protectively, while she let out the tears, which she had been holding in throughout the morning.

"Shhh Lilly, they wouldn't want you to sit about not living your life." James whispered gently, trying to calm the sobs.

"But…But there's a difference living my life and forgetting about them." Lily said this between her sobs.

"Lils, look at me." James put two fingers under her chin, so that Lily was now looking straight at him. "Lily you haven't forgotten about them, you could never forget about them. Just because you have been happy and having fun doesn't mean that you have forgotten them. As long as you keep them in there you will never forget them. Ever." James said this softly and putting his hand onto Lily's heart and was staring softly into her eyes. "And if you want we can go buy some flowers and go to the church before we go back up to mine."

"I just love them so much, it's just hard to think about them, I just can't bare to think of al the things that they are missing." Lily let out another sob and James pulled her back into a hug, making circular movements on her back and shhhing noised to calm Lily down.

"I know it's hard, but I bet they are looking down on you and smiling on everything that you have achieved, and thinking about how proud they are that you are their daughter." James said this softly, which only made Lily cry more into his shoulder.

Ten minutes later and Lily had stopped crying, and James sat with his arm back around Lily's shoulder as she leaned her head onto James's shoulder, Lily had the feeling of protection and warmth that she always felt whenever she was close to James.

"I'm sorry James, I always seem to be crying into your shoulder." Lily let out a small laugh, breaking the silence, which had settled between them.

"It's not a problem I'm starting to get used to it. Beside I'm not going to complain since you've been crying into my shoulder you haven't been yelling or hexing me" James laughed looking over at the families with their children in the park.

"Well how about we find you some flowers then." James said getting up from the grass, and smiling. James looked down at Lily holding out his hand to help her up and walking along the road to the florist.

Soon Lily and James had arrived at the graveyard and walked straight over to where the graves of Rose and Sam, that was in the shade of an old tree. James gave Lily's hand a squeeze as she looked down at the white marble tombstones with tears in her eyes, before she let go of James's hand and knelt down on the ground between the two graves. Knowing that Lily needed a little bit of time alone James walked away and sat down on a bench, which was looking over at the countryside around the church.

Lily had placed a selection of sunflowers on each of the two graves, for some reason sunflowers seemed to be the flower which reminded her most of her parents. Lily guessed it was because they were bright and cheerful looking, much like her parents had been.

"Mummy, Daddy, I miss you so much! I'm sorry I haven't been her sooner but – its hard, I guess I never wanted to come to reality that you were gone and that you weren't going to be there for me anymore. I did what you asked daddy, I gave James Potter a chance…and…. and you were right, his not as bad as I though he was, in fact his the one that has helped me through all of this. I made school prefect, too. I just wish you were here to join in the celebrations. I love you both so much." Lily wiped the tears from here eyes with the back of her hand and stood up looking around for James.

Lily spotted James and walked over, he looked like he was deep in thought looking over at the hills and trees all around him. James head was resting on his arms and a small smile was playing on his lips. He looked extremely cute to Lily at that moment at time. 'What no James potter is not cute, your just thinking that because your upset. Yeah that's it.' Lily thought to herself as she went and stood next to the bench.

"Hey Lils." James stood up and hugged Lily who mumbled thanks into his shoulder, before James took her hand and they walked away from the churchyard; Lily took one last look over her shoulder at the headstones before they were impossible to see anymore.

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Really couldn't think of a chapter title for this one, was gonna go with memories but I dunno I didn't like it lol, so if anyone else can think of a better title? Well enjoy. Lorna x