Chapter 12 (Trouble Begins)

He slowly found his strength and stood up. He walked in a direction he knew not. He thought he could do this. He thought he could make it. He could find some muggle place to heal himself but he didn't. He collapsed on a familiar street, though he wasn't sure where he was.

"Caroline…..I hate you." He murmured as his eyes closed. "I hate you, Wormtail."

James Potter woke up after four days and didn't recognize the room he was in. He tried to sit up but his whole body ached. He couldn't find his glasses. He still felt nauseous and weak. He walked towards the door weakly and swung it open.

"Ah, James." He recognized the voice of Mrs. Evans. "You are awake!"

A haze came towards James's eyes. He was feeling weaker already. His wounds were healed by magic, Lily must have done that. She was a good witch but she was no match for dark magic.

He tried to hold on to the door but he couldn't understand the distance between the door and himself. He crashed on the floor and groaned as he heard Mrs. Evans shrieked.

"James!" She shouted. "Lily, come quickly."

Lily Evans came running up the stairs and helped him up.

"Hey, Lils." He smiled weakly.

"Hi." She smiled back, helping him back on the bed.

"My glasses?" He said, "I can't see without my glasses."

"Yes." She said, "I have them."

She brought the glasses to him from his cupboard.

"Here." She handed them to him and sat down next to him.

"I'll get you something to eat." Mrs. Evans said, hurrying downstairs.

"Am I in your room?" He asked, looking around. "Did you send a message to Padfoot? And, Lupin?"

"I did…" She started to say.,

"Rainie!" He remembered Adriana Black. "She was…"

"She came by." He told him. "To see you."

"She did? And Padfoot?" He asked, "He is okay? And Moony….The full moon is…"

"Can you calm down, James?" Lily stopped him. "Please. You need to rest."

"I am resting." He said, quickly. "My wand? Did you find my wand?"

"I didn't." She shook her head, "But, you can a new one when you take Rainie to get school supplies."

"Yeah." He said, "Where is Padfoot?"

"Dumbledore sent him somewhere." She said, "I don't know where. But, he came to see you yesterday and he said he'll be back tomorrow."

"Is someone with him?" He asked.

"He said Remus would go with him." She said, "Leaving Peter at your house with Rainie."

"NO!" He sat up so fast that his head hurt.

"What happened, James?"

"Take me to her." He begged. "Please, make some tonic. Something….I have to go, I can't…."

Lily didn't understand what came over him. He got out of the bed and this time held the dresser to stabilize himself.

"James!" She almost shouted. "Sit down."

"I have to go, Lily." He tried to walk towards the door. "I have to go."

"You can't go like this!"

"But, I have to….." He grabbed the chair.

"James?" Mrs. Evans stopped him. "You can't go. You are sick."

"But, Mrs. Evans." He objected. "Rainie is in danger!"

"What danger?" Lily asked.

"I can't tell you." He whispered, tears welled up in his eyes. "Not before I talk to Sirius."

Lily was shocked. She had seen James happy, ecstatic even. She had seen James upset. She had seen James tired. She had seen James angry. But, she had never seen James Potter in tears.

"I will go." She came near him. "I will go to Rainie and stay at the house till you get better or Sirius comes."

"No, I can't let you do that…"

"I will go." She repeated, firmly. "My mom is here….She will take care of you. I will take care of Rainie."

"Okay." He sat down on the chair as he could no longer stand. "Okay…okay."

"You will be okay, James." Mrs. Evans said, "She will be okay."

James nodded.

"Lock the door from the inside. Do not let anyone inside." He said, "No one!"

"Not even Padfoot?" She asked, "Moony?"

"Them, of course." James told her.

"Okay, mom….I'll pack a bag and you take care of James." She turned to Mrs. Evans, "Professor McGonagall will come by after a few days in the afternoon and she'll heal James."

"A cat." James said, "It will be a tabby,"

"What?" Both Lily and Mrs. Evans thought he was talking nonsense.

"Professor McGonagall travels through the muggle world in her animagus form."

"Oh…." Lily nodded, "Really? I didn't know."

"A cat. If a cat is at your doorstep." He told Mrs. Evans. "Let it…..Let her in."

Mrs. Evans nodded as Lily disappeared in Petunia's room where she had been living as James had been unconscious in hers. She often didn't understand magic but she trusted this boy. She hadn't known him for a long time but she liked him. He was a nice boy for her daughter. The way he was caring for the little girl who was thrown out of her house (The little she knew about Adriana Black from Lily), she felt that she trusted him.

"Lie down, James." She said, softly. "I'll bring up some soup for you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans." James smiled at her, weakly.

He drank little of the soup Mrs. Evans brought him and soon fell asleep. He didn't realize when Lily left. She left a scribbled note for him. "James…"

He shook his head softly, deep in his sleep.

Don't do this!" He screamed, "Let RAINIE go! GO! DON'T TOUCH HER!"

"James! James!" Mrs. Evans came running up. "What happened?"

Professor McGonagall was with her. She stopped her.

"You can't wake him." She said, "He has to live through it."

"But, he is in so much pain." Mrs. Evans said.