We're nearly at the end...

Chapter 78:

Two days later Alice, Peter and Remus returned to the main school leaving on James, Lily, Marlene and Sirius in the hospital wing. James was still barely speaking to anyone. Lily had tried to talk to him several times but he'd pretended to be asleep. Lily was growing irritated. She ignored the achining in her body and climbed out of bed. She sat on the side of James' bed. "Oi Potter… I know you're awake. I want to speak to you," Lily demanded.

"Evans – go away," James groaned.

"I need to…"

"What? Say that you were wrong? Say that you're sorry? It doesn't matter. You don't matter… Holly's dead…" tears fell down his face, "and it's my fault because I cared about a girl who doesn't want to be saved, a girl who'd rather trust a death eater than me… For a clever girl, Lily Evans you can be mighty stupid."

"Potter – I didn't know," Lily cried.

"You didn't know – I TOLD YOU! I told you not to trust him," James shouted.

"He was trying to protect me… I wasn't the target…" Lily cried.

"No – you're right… I was… because I am so easily predicted… James Potter… the boy who saves the muggle borns… James Potter… the one who likes Lily Evans… James bloody Potter…"

"He's my best friend," Lily replied.

"He's also a death eater but don't take my word for it – I'm only the guy who would willingly die for you," James whispered, "just go away Evans… Please?"

James was the last to leave the hospital wing. He spent about two weeks in there because he didn't want to face the world. The other Gryffindors came to visit – all except Lily – to tell him what was happening in the school. Exams had been cancelled for the second years so they had very little to do now that classes were over. They told him that there had been several articles in the paper about the attack. There were questions about security. Parents were petitioning for more security at Hogwarts. One parent had even suggested that they should have a security troll. James almost laughed at the idea of a troll but he somehow failed to show his friends any response. "When are you coming out jim boy? We miss you man." Sirius complained.

"Yeah the room's a tip without you – Sirius' and Pete's socks are everywhere," Remus joked. The boys spent hours in the hospital wing trying to cheer him. Alice was the one that had the most effect on him. She would come into the room, smile sadly, take her shoes off and lay next to him. She'd hold his hand and they would just lay there staring at the ceiling. One such occasion she felt she needed to break their silence, "you really hurt Lily."

"I know."

She frowned, "she…"

"I know – but I don't know what she wants… she hates me… I'm just being the guy she thinks I am…"

"James you could never be the guy she thinks you are," Alice said turning her head to look at him.

"I don't know… I can't… I can't like her… it's dangerous."

"I know…"

"Someone died because I like her and I couldn't stand the sound of her screaming… the second I heard her I knew I had to save her…"

Alice lay listening to him.

"I can't do that… I can't allow people to die because I can't stand the sound of her in pain," James frowned angrily, "its weak."

"It's not weak…" she whispered.

"It is… I stopped thinking the second I realised she was in pain… I can't do that… I won't do that…"

At the beginning of the last week of school, Madam Pomfrey forced James to leave the hospital wing. James didn't know where his friends were so he walked up to the common room. It was empty. He looked out of the window. He could see them down by the lake. "James…"

He turned, "Evans," he replied coldly.

"I'm sorry James…"

"Evans – quit it… you don't like me… you hate me… this doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything – I was wrong about you," She replied.

"No, you weren't… sometimes I can be a nice guy but so can Severus and he's a death eater… you hate me, always have… that's not going to change now." He turned to leave, walking up the stairs towards his dorm room.

"What if I want it to change?" She shouted after him.

"Too bad – I don't."

James tried his best to join his friends. They had a ton of fun down by the lake. They even swam. His eyes would drift to Lily and he'd have to remind himself that he couldn't like her. James flew a lot. It gave him a chance to think about everything without everyone else interfering with his thoughts. But even that secret place was stolen from him when the other Gryffindors came to watch him fly. He resolved himself to spending time on his own in his secret garden; the one place no one would ever find him. It was as he was lying in the garden he had an idea. He ran up to the room of requirements and marched past it three times; I need books to help me become an animagus.

The door appeared. He pushed it open and walked into the room. There was a single table with a pile of books in a pile. He picked up the pile of books and returned to his dorm. He safely hid them in his trunk before going to find his friends.

At breakfast on the last day of term there was an article in the daily prophet that caught everyone's attention; MASS BREAKOUT OF AZKABAN AS DEMENTORS LEAVE THEIR STATIONS! Breaking news, as dementors leave their posts at Azkaban prision, twenty five prisoners were able to escape. At present we do not know the names of the escapees nor do we know the reason why the dementors have left their stations as the guards of the prison.

"And so the war begins," James said quietly, shocking his friends as he puts down the paper and looks up at his headmaster, catching his eye. He shook his head sadly at the old man. "It'll only be a matter of days before the ministry tells us that we are at war."

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One more chapter and then we'll be starting on year three... :)