Days in Avalon
Chapter Twelve: Vision of Love?
James sat by the window in the hospital wing staring out at the grounds as students tried to savor the last bit of fall before winter finally set in. He watched as a group of third years walked around the lake, while a variety of other students played around and told jokes to each other. It was hard to believe that it had been a little over a week since his best friend's accident on account of him.
Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the bludger hitting her in her side and the large rock striking her in the head. The sight of her falling nearly eighty feet in the air was enough to scare him straight.
(One week earlier…)
James was able to fly out of the rockslide as he slowed to a stop in safer air. He knew Andy was right behind him when they started off, but when he turned around he could still see her trapped in the sea of oncoming rocks.
"Hey come on Star! Is that the best you can do?" shouted James with a smirk. James knew that Andy was a great flyer, but under the mockery front he was putting on, he was more than a little concern about her well being.
Suddenly with out warning, he saw the black bludger smack into her, causing her broom to veer off course. The next thing he saw was the large rock striking her in the back of her head and her body going limp.
"ANDY!" screamed James. He quickly pulled out his wand and shouted a charm to slow her down. The jet of crystal blue light shout out of his wand and pelted toward Andy's falling body. But instead of hitting her directly, the spell only nicked her causing Andy to slightly slow down. Sirius, Remus, and Peter witnessed James's attempt to save Andy, and couldn't believe that it didn't work.
Sirius and Remus instantly flung themselves on their brooms willing them to go faster before it was too late. As Andy neared the ground, it looked as if she would hit it at a suicide speed. That is until Sirius grabbed a hold of her just a couple of feet from the ground, while Remus helped steady Sirius's broom, as well as Andy.
As soon as they landed gently on the ground, they set her down and noticed the large gash on her forehead. James landed next to them and rushed to her side.
"Andy? Andy, are you okay? Come on Andy open your eyes?" said a very panicked James. There was no response coming form her at all. The four boys stood around their fallen classmate in shock, each wondering the same exact thing. 'How could this have happened?'
"Come on guys, we need to get her to the hospital wing," said Remus snapping out of the trace.
"Put her on my broom. I can get her there faster," said James as he got up to retrieve his forgotten broom. Sirius and Remus nodded in agreement and helped pick Andy up and sat her up on James's broom.
"Wormtail, grab Sparky's broom," grunted Sirius as he tried to balance her limp body on the broomstick. Peter nodded vigorously, while stuttering something incoherently.
James mounted he broom and placed a firm grip around Andy's waist to keep her from falling off.
"We'll meet you there. Just be careful," said Remus as he went to reclaim the Quidditch items and his broom. James nodded in response and sped off toward the castle for help.
'Please let her be okay,' he thought.
At the same time, Lily had gone back to the library to read some more.
"Hey Lily," said Kelly finding her friend indulged in one of her favorite books.
Lily gave a simple "Hi" without taking her nose out of her book.
"So…how'd it go?" asked Kelly, eager to get down to business. Lily looked up from her book, a bit surprised at what Kelly had said but quickly recovered.
"She'll be okay. She's just trying to get over the feeling of acting like a complete brat," said Lily jokingly.
"Where is Andy by the way?" said Kelly looking around to see if she was hiding between some bookshelves.
"Urgh, the Marauders decided to play a little game of Quidditch with the school's set. So Andy went after them to get it," sighed Lily as she began to pack up her book.
"Oh. Nice friends, eh?" replied Kelly sarcastically. Lily couldn't help but chuckle at her remark.
"Felicia is still a little bit upset, but I think she'll be fine. Karen went back to Hufflepuff. She said she had to meet up with a couple of girls. I guess she's still a little disturbed, yet," explained Kelly.
"Ahh…so what do you want to do, now?" said Lily.
"Not sure. Guess we could go back to the common room before dinner starts," said Kelly. With that, the two friends set off towards Gryffindor tower.
"So what do you think will happen with this whole Felicia digging Blackie thing?" said Kelly, at a loss for a topic of conversation.
"Not really sure. I suppose the same thing will happen when Andy was going out with Potter," said Lily a little uncertain.
"So I guess we can expect Andy playing the role of the stubborn best friend who is set on her own beliefs," said Kelly with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not sure if I follow," said Lily at a complete loss.
"Oh come on Lil. I'm talking about they way you acted with Potter. You ever hell bent on proving that James was nothing but a complete jerk who takes pleasure in seeing others become victims of his pranks," stated Kelly in a matter of fact tone.
"Well he is," said Lily as if it were obvious, as they climbed the staircase to the next floor.
"Lily…come on. Okay sure, he can be a prat at times. But he's a guy. They're all like that. But Andy is right. I mean if you talk to him for a bit, he actually is a nice person," said Kelly.
"Well that might be fine and dandy for you and Andy. But as far as I'm concern, nothing will change my mind about James Potter," said Lily in a tone that put an end to the subject. At that precise moment, the girls heard screaming and shouting coming from the staircase.
"What the devil?" said Kelly as she and Lily rushed to investigate what was going on. As they looked down the many staircases, they saw someone with very untidy black hair flying his broom through the halls of the school.
"What does he think he's doing flying that thing in here?" spat Lily thinking that he was only doing in to show off.
"Don't know. Who's that he's holding?" said Kelly noticing the person sitting in front of him.
Lily noticed the figure too and recognized the blonde haired person on James's broom. It was then that she also noticed she wasn't really moving, but slumped over a bit. A wave of panic and fear fell over Lily as she realized something was really wrong.
"Oh no…Andy!" stated Lily, before she ran off to chase after James.
"MADAM POMFREY!" shouted James when he flew into the hospital wing. At the sound of someone shouting her name, the school nurse came rushing in from her office.
"What in the world? What happened?" asked a startled Madame Pomfrey.
"She hit her head on a rock," said James as he climbed off his broom.
"Has she moved or said anything?" asked the nurse hastily as she quickly checked over Andy.
"No," said James worriedly.
"Quickly. Help me bring her to a bed," said Madame Pomfrey as she took one of Andy's arms, while James took the other. They carefully carried her to a nearby bed and laid her down. At that moment, Lily and Kelly rushed into the hospital wing out of breath.
"What happened?" gasped Lily. But before she could get an answer Madame Pomfrey interrupted.
"I'll ask that you all step outside, while I tend to Ms. Starmenter, please," said Madame Pomfrey in a harsh tone that wasn't to be messed with. Soon James, Lily, and Kelly found themselves outside the hospital wing waiting to hear word about their friend.
"What happened, James," said Kelly at a loss. James, who had been staring at the floor reliving everything that had happened just a few minutes ago, came out of his daze and was confronted with two very worried and very ticked girls in front of him.
"Me and the guys were playing a game of Quidditch, when Andy showed up," said James softly.
"What happened, Potter," growled Lily, having an idea as to where this story was going, and not really wanting to beat it around the bush. James began to feel that now all too familiar feeling in his stomach, every time he saw Lily, now mixed with the feelings of fear, anxiety, and regret. He cleared his throat and started up the tale again.
"We got into a fight and I challenged her to a race. Everything was fine until that boulder started to fall," sighed James.
"Boulder?" said a surprised Kelly. James nodded in response and continued on.
"Andy blasted the thing to save me. The next thing I know we're caught in a rock slide," said James still not really able to believe what had happened. At that moment, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had turned the corner and began to walk toward the small group.
"You mean to tell me that she's in there because of you?" said Lily, aghast and disgusted. Seeing the look in Lily's eyes, James was momentarily speechless for the first time in months. All he could manage to do was nod in response, ashamed and appalled with himself.
Lily, forgetting that she was a school prefect and a somewhat goody-goody, took everyone by surprise when she lunged at James with malice in her eyes.
"Lily NO!" shouted Kelly as she made an attempted to hold back her friend. Remus jumped into action as well and helped pull Lily away from James.
"LET ME GO!" grunted Lily as she tried to break her classmates restraints.
"I knew I should have never let her fly off after you," she growled at James who was in complete shock as to what she had just done. As Lily began to calm down a bit, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came down the hallway and entered into the hospital wing. As they passed the group of Gryffindors, McGonagall gave a very stern and haunting look, particularly directed toward the boys who were there.
"If I ever see you near her again, I'll make you wish you were never born," stated Lily coolly to James as she went off a little ways to regain her composure.
James sighed deeply and shook his head, trying to erase the memory of the prior week's events. Finding that the scene outside was not all that pleasing, he looked over and saw his fallen friend laid up in bed still unconscious. She kinda reminded him of that one muggle movie he had seen once where a woman was in a hospital bed with her head wrapped in a white headdress. She still had a few bruises on her arms, but other than that, she was peacefully sleeping.
James got up from his spot on the window and took a seat in the chair next to her bed. He hadn't really had a chance to see her since Lily's threat against him. Practically day and night, she was surround by at least one of her friends, making it nearly impossible for him to see her. He happened to get a lucky break when Karen left to go and retrieve something from her room.
See her just lying there felt so surreal to him. Night and day, he was plagued with visions of that dreadful day and how he had been so foolish.
"Come on Miranda. Please wake up," said James softly as he took hold of her hand. "I'm so sorry," he sighed as he put his head down and felt a tear slide down his cheek.
"What do you think you're doing?" spat a voice from behind James. He shot out of his chair, startled by the outburst from Lily. He quickly ran his hand through his hair, in attempted to cover up wiping away his tear.
Lily stood there staring at him with her arms folded. If looks could kill, then James would be a pile of ash right there on the spot being succumbed to Lily's fiery glare.
"I thought I told you…" started Lily.
"Ease up, Evans. I just came in to talk to her," said James as he held up his hands in defense.
"Haven't you done enough damage," spat Lily.
"Since when did you become her keeper?" replied James in the same tone Lily had given him. After over a week of having to deal with Lily Evans's remarks, James could now feel his self-restraints deteriorating. "You know for years now, you've been hovering over her like she some porcelain doll. She's a big girl, Evans. She can take care of herself!"
"Yeah, and look where she ended up," said Lily motioning toward Andy in the bed. "In a hospital bed because she thought your life was worth saving!"
"You don't think I know that!" yelled James. "You think I feel good, knowing that someone I consider my sister is lying in that bed unconscious because of me? If I could take it all back I would in a hear beat!"
"Oh really? Then why did you force her into chasing after that stupid toy?" screamed Lily. While the two rivals continued on with their shouting contest, Andy's hand began to move slightly along with her eyelids.
"I don't know. I just wanted to make her feel better," said James quickly. "She said she felt left out. So I wanted to make her feel like one of the guys again."
"But she isn't 'one of the guys'!" screeched Lily.
"I know that! It just…I mean," stuttered James until he sighed heavily, "you wouldn't understand."
Lily sneered in disgust. "Typical Potter answer. You know you are the most self-centered, pig-headed jerk I've ever met!"
"Oh really?" spat James.
"Yeah!" replied Lily, as she got right up in James's face.
"Urgh…will you two please quit bickering. All your squawking is bound to wake the dead!" groaned Andy as she stared to come around.
"Stay out of this, Andy," said Lily before she and James realized who had spoken. Forgetting their argument, they turned back toward their friend's bed and sure enough they saw Andy beginning to stir in her bed.
"ANDY!" screamed both of them as they rushed over to her side.
"AH…GEEZ! Could you keep the decimals down a bit," groaned Andy as she squinted her eyes in attempt to accommodate the brightly lit room. "Urgh, my head."
"How do you feel?" said Lily awkwardly.
"Hmph…like a hundred elephants and hippogriffs did the hustle on my head. What happened?" winced Andy.
"Y-you don't remember?" said James a little confused and worried. Andy scrunched her face trying to grasp what had happen, but everything seemed so fuzzy.
"Andy what's the last thing you remember?" said Lily trying to sound calmly.
"I…I remember being in the air," said Andy as visions started to come back to her. "I was flying, but I was…chasing something. I was chasing the Snitch. Wait that can't be right."
"No, that's right Andy," said James a little too excited. "You were chasing the Snitch."
Andy turned to her raven-haired friend with a puzzling look on her face. "Did…did we get into a fight?"
James's face fell a bit, but he nodded in response.
"I remember the Quidditch box and I went after you and the rest of the guys," continued Andy. "Then we got into a row and you wanted to prove me wrong. So…Rem…let the snitch out and…and we went at it. And then…you caught it." Andy strained a bit trying to sort out the fuzzy images that kept flooding her mind, until one object came back fully clear.
"The boulder. It was going to flatten you like a pancake," recalled Andy. "The rockslide. We got caught in a rockslide and then…oh," winced Andy as she grabbed the back of her head. "The pain. I remember something slamming into my head and…nothing."
"One of the rocks hit you and knocked you out cold. You've been out for little over a week now," said Lily helping her friend fill in the gaps.
"A week!" said a very shocked Andy. "Wait…I was like a hundred feet in the air."
"Yes," said James, not sure where she was getting at.
"So if I fell…how come I'm not…you know…pushing up daisies?" said Andy.
"Well…I tried to slow you down with a charm, but it only nicked you…and slowed you down a bit," stuttered James. "Sirius and Remus were closer than I was. So they grabbed you and stopped you before you hit bottom."
"Excuse me? I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong," said Andy a little baffled. "You said who grabbed me?"
"Remus and Sirius," said James plainly.
"Sirius? Blackie?" said a confused Andy. James nodded in response. Andy couldn't help but sit there in complete shock.
"What's going on here?" said Madame Pomfrey as she came over to investigate. "Ms. Starmenter! You're awake."
"She just woke up a few minutes ago," said Lily.
"You gave us quite a fright young lady," said the nurse as she began to check over her patient.
"Ms. Evans, would you be so kind as to go and inform Professor McGonagall that Miranda is awake. Oh, and Potter, would you step out for a moment while I check her over," said Madame Pomfrey, more as and order than a request.
"Hang on a sec," chimed Andy. "Before I woke up, I heard you guys arguing."
"It was nothing," said James smoothly. Andy simply gave him a look and ignored his comment.
"Don't give me that Jay. Look I know what you guys were fighting about, and I want to tell you to knock it off," stated Andy in a stern tone. "Lily, don't blame James, alright? It wasn't his fault or mine. It was an accident."
"Yeah but…"said Lily.
"Lil! Just let it go. It was nobody's fault. Please?" said Andy in a timid voice.
"Alright," said Lily after taking a moment to think it over. After that, she and James left the hospital wing to allow the nurse to do her magic.
The next day, Andy was up and eager to get out of the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey would check in on her every couple of hours or so to make sure nothing else was wrong. She had giving her a couple of headache potions to relieve the pain from her concussion and also removed the white headdress from her head.
The moment all her friends found out that she was awake, they came down from their dorms and flooded her room. Lily, Felicia, Karen, and Kelly practically took up residency at Andy's bedside, to make sure her friend got the rest she needed. Felicia and Andy had completely forgotten the whole episode before the accident and began to talk as if nothing had transpired.
Although she enjoyed spending time with her friends, Andy was quickly becoming irritated with their constant nursing habits.
"Would you lot quit fussing over me! I'm fine," growled Andy as her friends readjusted her blankets and pillows, and asked if she wanted anything.
"Andy you have a concussion," stated Karen as if it were obvious.
"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean I'm paralyzed or anything," said Andy as she tried to find a comfortable position in the bed. Lily, Kelly, and Felicia began to lean forward in order to help her out.
"Touch me again, and I'll put wart powder in all you beds. Now back off," growled Andy as she found a comfy spot.
"Knock, knock," said James as he walked into the hospital wing.
"What do you want," growled Felicia as she got up from her spot on the bed.
"Down Felicia," said Andy as she pulled Felicia down again. "I told him he could come. What's up Jay?"
"Actually, I brought some others who wanted to see you," said James with a grin as he waved his had to call someone forward. At that moment, Remus, Peter, and Sirius came walking in with armfuls of cards and gifts from the team, and other admirers.
"Hey guys!" said Andy brightly as she gawked at her presents. "Wow, thanks!"
"Gifts for everyone's falling Star," said Remus cheekily. Andy and some of the other girls couldn't help but giggle at the statement.
"Remus come here," said Andy as she waved her hand forth.
"What is it?" said Remus a little lost.
"I just want to thank you for saving me. You really are a good friend," said Andy as she sat up a bit more to give him a hug. Remus began to blush profusely and turned away shyly. It was then, that Andy noticed Sirius standing practically on the other side of the room. There was a slight awkward moment that filled the room until Sirius broke it.
"Yeah, well I guess I should get going," said Sirius as he began to make his way to the door.
"Hold on Blackie. I've got something to tell ya too," said Andy.
"Sparky, you don't…"
"Oh would you shut up! Look I know there is a lot of bad blood between us. But…I do want to t-thank you," stuttered Andy. She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Thank you…for saving my life, B…Sirius," said Andy in a meaningful tone. Everyone in the room watched in astonishment at what was going on.
"Yeah…well…I couldn't really have let you fall," said Sirius. Feeling he was becoming too mushy, he began to say the first thing that popped in his head.
"I mean, come on, if you had died, or something I would have been sent to prison. Although it would be nice to get away from your sarcastic and vindictive personality," said Sirius trying to pass off a very poor compliment.
"Thanks…I think?" said Andy a little confused as to what he was getting at.
"I hope that I'm not interrupting anything," said a voice coming from the doorway. All of the students turned an found none other than Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway wearing his blue robes with stars and crescent moons stitched on them.
"Professor," said all of the students at the same time. Each of the students wore an expression of bewilderment to see their headmaster in the hospital wing.
"I was wondering if I might have a few words with Ms. Starmenter. That is if her honor guard permits me too," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. All of the girl's ears turned a slight shade of red as they all nodded in agreement, not wanting to defy their headmaster.
"I'll talk to you later, Andy," said James as he left the hospital wing with the rest of the group.
"Well, Miranda, I must say you certainly know how to get everyone's attention. But then again, I would expect nothing less coming from the granddaughter of Andrea Callaway," said the wise professor as he took a seat next to her bed.
"Uh, thank you," said Andy, still a little surprised to find her headmaster visiting her. In the four years she had been at Hogwarts, she had only talked to the headmaster on a few occasions. One of them being the first time she met him at her grandmother's house, and the others being sent to his office on the rare occasion that she had been caught playing a prank on one of the students.
"Umm, professor I don't really mean to be disrespectful but, I was wondering," said Andy choosing her words carefully.
"Wondering why I've come to pay you a visit," finished the professor. Andy simply nodded.
"I've actually just come from informing your family that you have awaken and that you should be released from the hospital wing within a few days. But I've also come to bring you word from your grandmother."
"My gran?" said Andy a little confused.
"She wanted me to inform you that although she is highly disappointed in your reckless behavior, she is proud of you none the less for saving the life of your friend. As is the whole school and especially your house for that matter," said Dumbledore with a smirk.
"Professor about James. It wasn't his fault," said Andy quickly.
"Why would one presume that Mr. Potter was at fault?" said Professor Dumbledore.
"Well…I guess because…I mean, didn't James say that he caused the accident," stuttered Andy.
"Yes he did," said Dumbledore calmly.
"But it wasn't his fault! If it was anyone's it was mine. I shouldn't have use that charm to destroy the boulder. Professor, please don't punish James or the rest of the guys," said Andy quickly.
"Miranda," said Dumbledore, raising his hand to calm Andy down. "No said that it was. Now as for a punishment, I believe that this whole experience has been punishment enough for everyone."
"So…you're not going to kick him or the rest of the Marauders out?" said Andy.
"I do not see for the need for such measures at this time," said Dumbledore with smirk and a sparkle in his eyes. "Now I suggest that you get some rest, while I go and see Madame Pomfrey. Feel better soon, Ms. Starmenter."
"Thank you, professor," said Miranda. With that, Dumbledore gave a small bow to Andy and made his way to Madame Pomfrey's office.
'Rest? I've been in a coma for the past week, and he wants me to sleep?' thought Andy as soon as she saw Dumbledore enter the nurse's office.
"I've got to get out of here, before I go insane," said Andy to herself as she climbed out of bed and made her way to the closed doors.
While Professor Dumbledore was inside with Andy, the rest of the groups decided to head back up to the common room to work on some homework that was due soon. All expect for two students…
"Hey, Potter. Can I talk to you for a moment?" said Lily.
"Uh…sure. I guess," said James, a little take back by Lily's forwardness. Suddenly that all too familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach was slowly growing again.
"Look Potter, I want to apologize," said Lily with some difficulty.
"Excuse me?" said James, not sure if heard her right. 'She's apologizing to me?'
"You heard me," said Lily as she looked straight into James hazel eyes. "I want to apologize to you about before. I shouldn't have went off on you like that. Although you did sort of cause the accident. I was just worried about my best mate is all," said Lily with some difficulty.
Knowing that that was the best sort of apology Lily could come up with under these circumstances, James accepted it.
"Thanks Evans. You know, Star's lucky to have a friend who cares about her as much as you do," said James with a smile. Lily couldn't help but smile and blush at the comment and at the look James was giving her.
"Thanks, Potter. That was…really sweet," stuttered Lily as she started to feel a little uncomfortable with the situation. "Well I guess I should get going."
"Yeah, me too," replied James not wanting to add any more to the awkwardness. "See you around, Evans."
With that, Lily turned around and began to make her way back up to Gryffindor tower. James couldn't help but be mesmerized by the flowing locks of auburn hair that bounded down the hall.
'Get a hold of yourself mate. This is crazy! Why would I check out Lily like that? It's not as if I fancy her or anything.' thought James. "Padfoot's right. I need to stop hanging around Andy. I'm starting to sound like a girl," said James to himself as he turned and headed toward the library.
Unknown to anyone, the door to the hospital wing had been opened a crack allowing Andy to over hear and see the conversation between James and Lily.
'Did he just check Lily out? He did it again! Why on earth would he do that, unless,' thought Andy until the idea struck her. 'No way. James and Lily?' Andy lend against the door to the hospital wing and contemplated the thought of James fancying her best friend.
"Oh my god that's it!" said Andy aloud to herself with wide eyes. "That's why he's been acting so strange around her," she said as she recalled all the times James had acted strangely whenever Lily was near.
"James likes Lily! James and Lily. Lily and James," said Andy a couple of times trying to picture them together as a couple. After a few moments, Andy came to the conclusion that they did make a pretty cute couple.
"I guess opposites really do attract."
Disclaimer I don't own anything. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.