So this one is really long. And it's kind of sad, but I don't want to give away too much, so just read it and tell me what you think! –please ^_^

CHAPTER 8: Rest Assured

Lily turned on the facets in the Prefects bathroom, tears still burning her eyes. The hot water steamed up the room in grey colors; her feet were slowly covered as the water filled the pool she sat on the edge of. It felt so calm and tranquil like not even the most recent news could penetrate the fog. It seemed to wrap it up, shadowing it. Her lungs filled up with the humid air.

Lily stood up sliding off her clothes and letting them lie in a pile on the floor. Her dark red hair hanging around her face. For a few seconds Lily stood at the edge of the tub, her toes hanging over the edge. Finally she took a deep breath plunging into its depths. Her whole body submerged.

Her hair swept around her face under the water in graceful waves. Once out of air Lily tilted her head back rising up so her hair hung heavy behind her. She swam to the center where water was still spilling from a facet like a water fall. She stood under it, the water so it hot it was almost scolding her body, but it felt good as it trickled down her back and off her hair. It ran down her face. Lily let it wash everything away.

With just the slightest move the water no longer washed over her face. Lily ran her hands over her face before brushing them over her hair. She took another deep breath letting the steam fill her lungs then sank under the water's surface. The water filled her ears drowning out the noise. All she could hear was her heart beating the familiar steady beat.

She came back up just in time to see Moaning Myrtle glide out of a toilet.

"Ah, James as been looking for you." Myrtle said. "And I thought I heard crying up here."

"Did you tell him I was here?" Lily asked sinking under the water.

"No, but I think his friend might have."

"Which friend?" Lily asked closing her eyes.

"How should I know?" Myrtle shrieked. "I just thought you'd want to know." She plunged back into the toilet dramatically. Lily swam just beneath the surface until she reached the edge.

Maybe if she could just hold it together long enough to tell him to leave her alone then she could get back to falling apart. She pushed herself out wrapping the towel around her. Being nearly completely dried off Lily pulled on the extra pair of shorts she brought and a tank top.

The door banged open startling Lily so much that she fell back into the tub. When she came up James was standing there, his back to her with his hands covering his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I heard that you got a letter and then ran off. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Lily whispered trying to forget the letter.

"Are you, um, you know dressed?"

"Give me a second," Lily answered climbing back out of the water and wrapping her towel around her. "Kay, you can look." James turned to her. Lily was sitting on the ground her legs pulled up to her chest. Her tank top was drenched and clinging to her skin under the towel.

"So what happened? What's wrong?" James asked kneeling next to her. Lily shook her head.

"Nothing. I-I'm fine." But James wasn't believing her.

"Lily, come on you can tell me." He was being so nice. Lily was torn, in the last few weeks with detentions and being forced to work together in Defense Against the Dark Arts they'd had to act civil to one another to the point it wasn't acting. This proved it.

Lily's mouth opened, her chin quivering, as she struggled for a way to tell him. A tear trickled down her cheek. James reached up placing his hand on her face, wiping the tear away with his thumb. She closed her eyes under the touch.

"Lily?" he asked gently. Lily took a deep breath opening her eyes.

"My mom." She began fighting the tears, "Sent me an owl this morning."

"I know," James said encouraging her to go on. He moved his hand from her face to her knee, squeezing gently. Lily took another unsteady breath.

"And, um, she said," Lily tried, wiping her eyes, "That um," she paused looking over his head as if the words might be there, easy and lighter than they felt on her chest.

"That my dad had a hear attack this morning." She said fighting the words as if that might change them so they weren't true any more. Tears were blurring her sight. "And he's at the hospital. A-and the d-doctors don't think he'll m-m-make it the night." Lily shook her head. She didn't want to be crying in front of James, but she was and she couldn't stop.

"He c-can't die. James. He can't. He's my dad. I don't want him to die." Lily sobbed. "I l-l-love him. He can't die." James pulled Lily to him then, wrapping his arms around her. He didn't seem hesitant, but like he knew that was what Lily needed.

Lily wrapped her arm around his waist, while his were at her shoulder. He stroked her hair. She wiped her eyes with her other hand. But her tears were still soaking James's shirt.

"It'll be alright Lily." He whispered in her ear squeezing her shoulder. "It'll be tough, but it'll be okay." He promised. She wanted so badly to believe him.

For a long time they sat on the floor, him reassuring her while she cried. Although the sun had been setting when Lily first came in, but it was now completely dark out, the crested moon reflecting on the water casting a strange light throughout the otherwise dark room.

Lily felt exhausted, but she wasn't sure she could handle explaining the owl to her friends. Not yet. Lily had finally stopped crying so just lay in James's protective embrace. There she felt like everything really would be alright.

"It's getting late," James murmured. Lily nodded sniffling. "Are you still awake?"

"I'm awake." Lily whispered. Just barely, but she was awake.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be." She said softly. James pulled the towel more closely around her, like a make-shift blanket.

"Do you want to go to the dorm?" He asked. "You don't want to be out past curfew."

"I'm not ready to tell anyone yet." Lily answered shaking her head.

"Well, you sound tired," he paused, "I have an idea. Here can you get up?" Lily nodded and stood up.

"Um," James looked around. Then he walked around the corner to the door, reappearing with his bag. He put the clothes Lily had come in into the bag, using reducto so they'd fit. Then he transfigured a piece of parchment into a blanket. He came back taking the towel off Lily's shoulders. Then he swung the blanket in the towel's place.

"Okay, is that good?" James asked her. Again she nodded, a small smile on her lips. He was being so nice. "Kay," James pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket. He unfolded it then pulled out his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said tapping the parchment. Writing scrawled out across the page. Lily wasn't able to see what it said because James quickly unfolded it scanning the inside.

"Look." He said to her pointing to a spot on the page. As Lily looked closer she realized it was a map. And he was pointed to two dots with their names written beneath it.

"This is amazing." Lily said, "But Hogwarts is unplottable."

"Unplottable, yes." James agreed. "But this is a map of the castle itself. The grounds and nothing else. Look Hogsmeade isn't even on here." He said indicating the edge of the map.

"And then what about the dots?" Lily asked.

"They're people. Showing exactly where they are in the castle."

"Exactly where they are?"

"Yeah. Look, here we are in the prefect's bathroom," he pointed to their dots. "And see there's Filch and Mrs. Norris." He said pointing at them in a first floor corridor. "And over here in the Gryffindor Common Room are my friends Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail." Sure enough where he pointed were the names Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. James was quiet as he traced a path.

"Okay. We'll have to take a few shortcuts so we don't get caught. But it looks pretty clear." He said finally.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked.

"Just this place I know." He said. "Mischief managed." He tapped the map again.

"Where is it?" Lily asked.

"You'll see. Now let's go." He grabbed his book bag going to the door. Lily followed behind, hugging the blanket to her. He led her to a passage way Lily didn't know about. It was a tight staircase that let them out in a corridor. Lily couldn't recognize the floor, what with the bad lighting and sleepy eyes.

"Wait here." He said. He walked back and forth in front of a wall then a door appeared. James held the door open for Lily.

Inside the room were a few windows, two couches set up in an L with pillows and a blanket on each. There was a fireplace crackling in front of the couches giving the room some light and warmth. A small table stood between the couches and the fireplace, it was clear except for a box of tissues. There was another table standing in the corner between the two couches' arms. It had a lamp that was giving off a little bit of light and a small radio.

The room reminded Lily of the Gryffindor common room. It even had a large rug and stone walls. Only this one didn't have books or tables. As Lily stepped deeper into the room she saw a door against a side wall.

"What's in there?" Lily asked James, who had closed the door.

"Go find out." He suggested. So Lily went to the door. On the other side was a bathroom, with a sink, toilet and drawers. She pulled open the top drawer to find a pair of dry clothes. They were her size and just right for bed. She put them back.

"What is this place?" Lily asked.

"It's the Room of Requirements." James answered. "Few people even know it exists, but here it is. It changes depending on the needs of the person."

"How did you find it?" Lily asked circling the room.

"Well, the first time Filch was after Padfoot and me so it turned into a broom closet. The second time we came looking for it, but we couldn't find it. Then it just appeared when I needed a toilet."

"Nice."

"Well that is the basic purpose of this place."

"I'll be right back." Lily said. She went back to the little bathroom, closing the door behind her. She washed her face and changed into the pajamas. She felt a little better having dry clothes to be in.

"Thanks for doing all this for me." Lily said.

"You're welcome. But really I don't mind."

"Well thanks anyway." She sat down on a couch sinking into the pillows. Her eye lids felt heavy.

"So are you and your dad close?" James asked.

"Yeah." Lily answered. "What about you and your dad?"

"He actually died a few years back."

"I'm sorry." Lily said.

"It's okay."

"How did he go?" Lily asked.

"Um," he said hesitating. "He was an auror. And he had left to go arrest a death eater and he just never came back. They never even found his body. But I still have my mum. She's pretty great."

"That's good." Lily said cuddling into the pillows and closing her eyes.

"It is." The fire's soft crackling filled the silence that followed. It was peaceful. Lily was nearly asleep when James crouched down beside her. She peeked at him with half closed eyes.

"It's going to be hard. And there will be times that you feel like the sadness is never going to go away. Two years ago he died. And I still miss him." James whispered. "But your true friends will be there for you. And it gets better." He brushed some of her hair out of her face. "I want you to remember that." He said. Lily just nodded so he stood up.

"James." Lily breathed.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want him to die."

"No one ever does." He said. Lily knew he meant that no one was ever ready for a loved one to die. To leave them forever. "But I promise you it will be alright. Not at first, but it will be. Eventually."

Lily felt oddly alone as she laid there on the couch. Even though she could hear James's breathing nearby. She tried to imagine what it would be like when her father really did die. What it would feel like when she got that letter from her mum. Lily's eyes began to burn as more tears welled up inside of them.

Hesitantly Lily got off her couch. James sat up seeing her.

"Come here," he offered opening his arms. She felt so weak but she moved into his arms.

"He hasn't even died yet." She said.

"It's still hard knowing its coming." James assured her. For much of the night they talked quietly until Lily finally fell asleep in James's arms.