Chapter 32: Crippled and Crushes

Lily sat in the stands as the Gryffindor team practiced one last time before the next game. James was being a hard ass, to put it nicely. He was having each person practice making goals, and if they missed he made them run a lap around the pitch, each time they missed it was the lap and five push ups added to that.

Sirius had gotten rid of his cold, and had turned in the Herbology essay late, and was currently sitting on his broom shouting at James. It was not the first time, and it was not only Sirius who had taken their turn to yell at him. This time it was because James was telling him to sit in front of the goal post and take a turn as keeper, even though he sucked at it and was a beater.

"I'M NOT..." Sirius shouted.

"YOU ARE!" James shouted back cutting him off. There was some choicy words thrown in by Sirius as he told James why he wasn't going to risk sitting in front of the post. Lily sighed looking at her watch. James had dragged them out of bed at five in the morning for an hour of practice before lessons, now they were out for the second time. Right after dinner the team had been forced out, it was nearing eight. The team was exhausted. Even James, Lily could see, was tired. He'd pushed himself into running laps himself and was horse from all the screaming.

Lily was getting sleepy and irritated at her boyfriend.

"GET YOUR ARSE OUT THERE!" James hollered.

"MAKE ME!" Sirius yelled back.

"DON'T THINK I WON'T!"

"YOU FOUL GIT!"

"GO!"

"NO!"

"THEN YOU CAN RUN LAPS!" James threatened. Lily sighed loudly banging her head on the wall of the back row of benches. The sky was darkening, clouds threatening tomorrow's weather. Lily's friends had left a while ago.

Lily stood up going to the front of the stand. Sirius was shouting some more, while most of the team was landing. James was shouting at them, unheard over his friend.

"JAMES!" Lily called. He barely heard her over his own roaring. He looked over at her. In that moment of distraction Sirius hit the bludger causing it to soar straight at James. Fortunately he heard the ball hit the bat, with reflexes so quick he looked back, and dodged in a matter of seconds. But it was too late, the bludger made contact with James.

"JAMES!" Lily shouted, but this time it wasn't to get his attention, it was because he was falling through the air, quickly, toward the earth. Without thinking Lily bolted down the stairs to the ground where James lay crumpled on the ground.

"James!" She said again not believing her eyes. Then there was Sirius. Still flying in the air with his wand pointed at the ground. Her knees hit the grass, every fiber of her being praying he was still alive.

"Move!" one of the other boys demanded pushing the other's out of the way. He too knelt down beside his slightly mental captain. In a very professional muggle fashion he used his fingers to check for a pulse.

"Is he okay?" Lily asked desperately. The boy didn't respond as he began giving orders to take Potter to the hospital wing and get McGonagall. She sat in the grass as they hulled his body off. Behind her Sirius landed.

"You." Lily began turning to him. His eyes widened.

"What the hell where you thinking! Hitting the bludger at him!" She shouted. And he just took it.

"For all we know he could be dead!"

"He's not dead." Sirius said in an oddly dead voice.

"How do you know?"

"Because! If he were dead McGee over there would have said so. He wouldn't be getting him to the hospital wing." Lily wasn't sure if this was the truth or if the boy's name was even really McGee.

"You did that to him." Lily glowered.

"Yeah. I also saved his neck."

"LIAR!"

"Fine don't believe me! I don't care." Sirius said following his team back up to the castle.

"You almost killed your best friend! How could you not care?!" Lily shouted at him walking beside him.

"Lily," Sirius sighed closing his eyes, as if trying not to blow up at her. "Listen to me." He stopped turning to her, "I didn't mean to hit him. Okay? But he bloody well deserved it. Shouting at us like that. Now, stop yelling at me. He'll be fine. He's a Potter, they're tough."

Lily watched as he moved ahead fighting his way through the crowd. By the time Lily found the strength to continue the trip up to the castle, much less the Hospital wing, the team had disappeared inside. The grass squished under her shoes as she walked over it.

In the Hospital Wing his team crowded the bed while Madam Pomfrey worked, fixing his wounds. Sirius stood in the door way watching.

"I'm sorry." Lily apologized before entering the room. Sirius just nodded.

"Does this mean you forgive me for the Mary thing too?" Lily couldn't help but smile as she shook her head.

"No."

"Well I'm sorry about that." Sirius said.

"She's going to want me to pick sides." Lily warned him. Sirius didn't say anything so she continued. "I'm going to pick her side."

"So are we friends?" Sirius said.

"Of sorts." Lily agreed.

"Even if you are on her side?"

"It will be hard until she forgives you as well." Sirius nodded. The group around his bed left after Madam Pomfrey told them he would be okay and what exactly happened.

"Isn't it amazing that even after he bullies them and pushes them, they still show up when he's hurt?" Lily asked after the last of the team passed.

"It doesn't really surprise me to be honest. He's a good captain most of the time and we love him." Sirius replied entering the wing. Lily walked with him.

"He broke his leg." Madam Pomfrey told them.

"He won't be able to play at the next game."

"What?" Sirius demanded.

"I won't allow it. Even with magic it needs some time to heal. No Quidditch game Saturday." She repeated. "Ten minutes and I want you out." She turned and left.

"We're doomed." Sirius muttered.

"No your not." Lily disagreed looking down at James who was sleeping. Or unconscious.

"Yes. Yes we are." Sirius repeated.

"You said you saved his neck." Lily said remembering what he'd said at the pitch.

"What?"

"You said that yeah, it was your fault, but you saved his neck." Lily repeated.

"Oh. Yeah, I used that cushioning spell." Sirius said.

"Well thank you, I guess."

"He's not just your boyfriend, you know. He's my best mate. I wasn't just going to let him fall."

"Well still. Thanks."

"Yeah. Yeah. We don't have to hug now do we?"

"No."

"Good. So," he took a deep breath, "I'm going to go to bed."

"Good night." Lily said as Sirius left the wing. She sat down on a near by chair, thinking about both how helpless and weak James looked and the NEWTS that she wasn't ready for.

"Ten minutes are up." Pomfrey said. Lily just nodded leaving. "You can come back in the morning." was the last thing she heard before she reached the dorm. It was only eight thirty so while most of the Quidditch team showered and went to bed, other students hung out or studied for exams. None of her friends were there, so she made herself comfortable on the floor and got to work on finishing the overly romanticized book Ivy had given her.

It couldn't hold her attention though. So while the main character ranted on and on about her love for the vampire-werewolf-wizard-guy and how much she couldn't bear to be without him, Lily thought about how horrible the book was. She also thought about the other couples at Hogwarts. Like Mary and Sirius, even though there relationship was over; Ambre and Remus, how their relationship hadn't even started yet; Ivy and the Prince Charming she was looking for.

"Hey." A girl said startling Lily. She looked up to find Ambre sitting on the coffee table in front of her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, um, I was just...Your fine." Lily managed.

"What's that your reading?"

"Howl. Ivy let me borrow it when I was sick."

"Oh, I read that one. How do you like it?"

"I don't really."

"Me neither. It was too far fetched and pathetic. I mean the way the main character goes on and on about that guy. She should have some self respect right?"

"Right." Lily agreed.

"I'm sorry. Is something else bothering you?" Ambre asked.

"Well, um actually James is in the Hospital wing." Lily told her.

"Sad! What happened?"

"A bludger hit him during practice."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine. He's leg his broken, but I guess he's lucky. Sirius saved him with a cushioning charm."

"He fell off his broom too?" Ambre asked shocked. Lily nodded. "I'm sorry. At least he's going to be okay though right?"

"Yeah. Right." She agreed.

"Does anyone else know?"

"His team mates. And maybe his friends if Sirius has talked to them."

"I saw him come in actually. So I'm sure they know." Ambre said.

"Oh, Ambre,"

"Yeah?"

"You got that letter around Christmas right?" Lily asked.

"Yeah. I totally forgive you."

"No, I actually wanted to thank you for the gift. And helping James get the pictures. You're a great photographer." Ambre smiled.

"Thanks. He actually was helping me as well."

"With what?" Lily asked happy to have something to talk about. Ambre shrugged, clearly embarrassed.

"What did he do?" Lily asked again. Ambre bit his lip.

"You know how I like Remus?"

"Yeah. I think it's really cute."

"Well, I heard that he doesn't date. Ever. But I just really wanted to, know him, I guess. It sounds so pathetic. Worse than that book." Ambre admitted indicating Howl.

"No. It's cute, but how did James help you?"

"This sounds so stupid." Ambre warned. "I don't know how he did it, but he got Ivy to let Remus tutor me." Lily thought back to Ivy asking Remus to take over the tutoring.

"I don't think Remus knows what's going on to be honest." Lily said.

"What do you mean?" Ambre asked.

"I think James and Ivy are doing it without his knowledge."

"So, Remus' helping me, because he wants to be with me?" Ambre asked slowly.

"Yeah. And I think he likes you too."

"It's a little confusing. But I think I get it." Ambre said.

"Yeah. They did the same thing to James and me. Pushing us together all the time. But your case is different. You like each other." Ambre almost laughed.

"It makes it easier I suppose." Ambre agreed. Lily looked up in the general direction of the dorm.

"I'm tired. Do you think the others are asleep?" Lily asked.

"I doubt it. But I wouldn't know. I'm not a seventh year. Besides, they're your friends, you'd have a better chance at guessing than I would."

"That's true. Unfortunately, I'm with you in doubting that they're asleep."

"Why don't you want to go up there?" Ambre asked.

"It's not really that I don't want to be up there. More like there's far too much drama to deal with."

"Oh." Ambre said understanding.

"Yeah."

"Well good luck. If you go up there anyway."

"What do you mean if I go up there? Where else would I go?" Lily asked, truly curious and not trying to sound rude at all.

"I don't know. I just heard that you don't always sleep in the dormitory."

"Where do you hear that?" Ambre shrugged before answering.

"I've been hanging out with your friends. I hear things." Lily raised her eyebrows, wondering what kind of things. Lily thought back to the times she hadn't slept in her dorm. There was the time her dad died, and the when she fell asleep in the bathroom.

"It's only been twice." Lily said.

"Yeah. But still. Were you with James?" Lily looked over at her shocked.

"That's personal information."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's none of your business." Ambre shrugged.

"Alright then. I think I'm going to bed." The girl stood up going up to the dorm. Lily followed after a few seconds.

Opinions on Ambre anyone? Really, I'm suddenly curious to know what you reviewers think of my characters...If that hint wasn't subtle enough, REVIEW! PLEASE! If you weren't all so far away I'd be groveling down on my hands and knees. Hmm...maybe not, I would much rather just start on the next chapter...hehe dot dot dot...