CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
WHEN YOUR BROTHER SUCKS BUT YOUR PARENTS RULE
It's late evening before Al opens his eyes. All the rest of our family have gone to dinner and bed, but James and I have stayed by his bedside. Our parents have been told and are on their way. But Al wakes up just before they arrive.
"Al, Albus? James, wake up!" I exclaim, shaking my brother who had dozed off with his head on my shoulder. His sits up with a start, and Al's eyelids flutter.
"Lily? James?" He says and I hug him tightly, my head on his chest.
"Oh, you're awake. I'm sorry we haven't been talking, I'm so sorry. I was stupid. You're my brother and I need you and I- I was s-so scared." I sob. I feel James' hand on my back and Al's hand on my head, patting my hair in an akward/comforting way.
"Um- Lil - I need oxygen to, y'know ... breath." Chokes out Al and I pull back quickly. I wipe my eyes with a shakey hand.
"Sorry, sorry. I just-" I trail off, stopping myself from crying again. Merlin, at the start of the year I hardly ever cried, now I've turned into weepy central.
"You feel guilty from getting with my best mate and lying to me and then choosing him over me." He states with raised, questioning eyebrows. There's no anger in his voice, no emotion at all, but I can tell he's still mad at me. Swallowed up by my guilt again, I barely notice my parents walk in.
"I -I ..." I have lost the ability to speak under my brother's accusing glare. Surprisingly it's James who jumps to my defense.
"Hey, Al, Leave her alone, will you. She told him to leave, Mate. Caleb was here, and she told him to go. She feels bad enough as it is." He tells Al, even if a little reluctantly.
Al's glare lessens and he looks at me questioningly. There's a split second of akward silence, then my Mum rushes over and kisses all over Al's face while my Dad chuckles under his breath.
"Mu- Mum, Mum! Get off, ugh!" Albus swats at her, but he's grinning.
"No. I. Will. Not. You. Silly. Careless. Boy." She tells him, punctuating each word with a kiss. Then she sits down in the seat across from mine on the left side of Al's bed. Dad sits next to her.
"So ... at least you won the game." Jokes my Dad and my Mum hits him on the side of the head. He rubs his right ear and scowls, "Ow. That was a joke, Gin."
"Well I didn't find it funny." She says.
"Relax, Mum, I'm fine. No harm done." Say Al and Mum frowns.
"I would hardly call a couple of broken bones and being unconsious all day being fine. Honestly, you could have died, did you think about that, huh?" She asks, annoyed - but not really at Al.
"Mum, It wasn't my fault." He tells her, astonished that she would imply that.
"Yeah, Mum, that bludger came out of nowhere." Insists James and Mum rolls her eyes.
"Yes, well, pay better attention next time, that's all I'm saying."
"But why would I have been paying attention, the game was over." Points out Al, and my Mum frowns to herself.
"OK, I suppose you're right. I'm sorry, I'm just upset you're hurt I guess. I'll try to calm down the "overprotective Mother" stuff."
"Good, coz you're doing my head in." Jokes Albus, "Let's change the subject."
"Ok" Says my Mum. Then she turns to face me and raises one eyebrow, " You asked Caleb to leave?" It's a statement but she asks it like a question. I open my mouth with a pained expression on my face. Merlin this is a horrible conversation to have. It's akward, but my Mum doesn't seem to notice. She's never been very good at subtlety.
"Um, yes?" I say.
"Why? I thought you really liked this boy, what changed?" She asks. Obviously she hasn't grasped just how serious Al was about ignoring me because of this.
"Mum ... can-can we talk about this later? Alone." I ask gesturing to my Dad and brothers, who I really don't want hearing this conversation.
"No, darling, we can't. Your brothers and your Father don't mind, just tell me." I can tell she won't let it go so I sigh.
"Well ... I just -um- didn't think, taking into account recent circumstances, that it would be a good idea to have Caleb here when Al woke up. And I was in a weird mood." I tell her, putting it as nicely as I can. Basically, I was a bitch but my Mother doesn't need to know that.
"Oh, so you haven't dumped him then?" Al asks, looking mad again.
"Dumped him? Why would she do that?" Asks my Mum incredulously. Then it seems to dawn on her, "Oh please don't tell me that you've been ignoring him and your sister for the last two weeks?!"
Albus scowls, reluctantly nods, and mutters something about us deserving it under his breath. My Mum looks livid.
"I haven't dumped him. But I thought about it. When you fell, Al, I just ... I felt so guilty. And I wouldn't be surprised if he dumps me, I was that rude to him." I admit. Everyone stares at me with different looks on their faces: My dad's face is half sympathy, half I-wish-I-was-anywhere-else-but-here, James' is unreadable but I think it might include a tad of regret, Al's is a bit happy and a bit guilty and my Mother's is just pure outrage.
"Lily Luna Potter! Have I not taught you anything? Ignore your brothers, they're idiots most of the time anyway-"
"Hey!"
"-and do what your heart tells you."
"But my heart wants Albus to not be mad at me, to talk to me again. And I just- just- gahhh." I am lost for words to describe how I feel.
My Mum turns to frown at Al. And then she begins a short rambling speech that leaves everyone shocked.
"I know all of you kids - your cousins too! - don't tell us adults everything that goes on around here. Whether it's because you think we are just not cool, or you know we'd be mad, I don't know. But the fact remains that I am your Mother. I know my children as well as they know themselves and I don't know what you boys are doing, because you know deep-down that shunning your sister is wrong. I know I've taught you that much. I know that you have probably done things you aren't proud of, kept secrets from each other, lied, and I know that that won't be ending any time soon. But your sister apologised and told the truth and that's all she can do. Now get over yourselves and apologise to her because you have been horrible to her recently and now you have managed to guilt her into sabotaging something that makes her happy. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Say sorry." She says, in her low, "I'm deathly serious" voice.
My Dad and I look at her with our mouths hanging open whilst Al and James look at the floor guiltily. James is the first to look up, looking straight at me.
"I- I'm sorry Lil. I don't even know why I was mad. I guess I just didn't like the idea of you growing up, lying to us. But I understand why you did it now. We were awful and quite frankly hypocritical and I really am sorry. I'm not going to pretend to be happy about it, but I don't mind if you go out with Caleb ... he's not so bad." He says. He looks uncomfortable but I can tell how genuine he's being. I reach out and hug my brother for the first time in months and, after a few seconds of stunned silence, he hugs me back.
"I forgive you." I tell him. There is an akward silence after we break apart and everyone except me looks at Al expectantly. Finally he opens his mouth.
"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. But I still feel I was right. I don't forgive Caleb, I will never approve of your relationship, and he is nothing to me. But I won't ignore you anymore because you are my little sister and I love you, even if you have made the worst descision of your life." He mutters blackly. My Mum glares at him, with sadness hidden behind the anger.
"Albus, I am very dissappointed in you. I would have expected you to be a little more forgiving, but I can see we aren't getting anywhere. Your Father and I have to go back now, We will come back and see you in the morning. Get some rest. I love you all, Goodnight." She says, then she stands, kisses us all on the forehead and walks to the door. My Father pats both of my brothers on one shoulder and walks to the door.
"Lily, can I talk to you out here for a minute." He asks, and I nod, wondering what he wants to talk to me about. My Mother looks at him confused. "Just go up to McGonagal's office and wait for me, Gin, I'll only be a minute." He tells my Mum and she smiles, kisses my cheek and walks away. My Father and I stand outside the Hospital Wing door and he casts a spell to make sure that the boys can't here us.
"What is it Dad?" I ask him, wondering if he's going to pull a James and give me a row about Caleb.
"Well, I had something I planned on giving you for your birthday, but with ... everything, I kind of forgot. So I brought it now." He tells me with a small chuckle. I give him a wry smile and pretend to look around.
"Is it an invisible present, Dad?" I joke. My Dad laughs like I just told the funniest joke he'd ever heard and pulls a tiny rectangular box out of his pocket. Then he waves his wand and it grows bigger. He hands it to me.
Curiousity takes over and I pull the lid off quickly. I gasp. I look up at him in shock and he smiles.
"I never planned on giving you this, but I know you can be trusted." He tells me. I can't say anything back, I'm in shock. Because inside this big, blue box ... is the invisibility cloak.
"I-I -"
"I remember when you used to love it, back when you were little, and I used to have to hide it from you. Recently you've grown up a lot. I thought it was time you got it. Besides, if James can be trusted with the map, then you, Little Miss Responsible, can most definetly be trusted with this." He informs me. I suddenly get my words back.
"James has the map? The Marauders Map? Since when?" I ask, wondering when Dad gave it to him.
"Since his 2nd year. He doesn't know that I know he has it though. He "borrowed" it from my desk drawer and I just ... let him keep it. I figured that if I haven't heard about anything major then he's probably not getting into too much trouble." My Dad jokes. I scoff at the comment but say nothing, "Anyway, I trust you enough to keep this on one condition."
"What's the condition?" I ask, clutching the cloak to my chest incase he takes it away.
"Promise me you won't use it to- um - visit your - um - Caleb at night." He coughs, evidently uncomfortable. I feel myself turn scarlet.
"I -um- won't. I promise. Honest." I say, making it clear that I have no intetion of doing that.
"Okay, I belive you, Honey. I better go catch up with your Mother now." He kisses my cheek and goes to walk away then quickly turns around, "Oh, one more thing : If you are going to break the rules ... try not to get caught." He winks and then he's gone, leaving me laughing behind him. Merlin I love my Dad.
Okay, sorry for how long this took. But what do you think? Good, bad? I promise there will be more Caleb in the next chapter, but in this one I just wanted to show some of you James-haters that he wasn't all bad. He's just very protective and extremely proud. But hey he came through. Hating him less now? I hope so!
Love you alll xx