Who: Lily, James, and Severus What: Lily's return Where: Hospital Wing When: Backdated to the 1st of March Status: Incomplete log with subsequent threading Rating: PG
I’m a mistake. Bits and pieces seemed to jump in Lily’s mind as she wrestled with the dark. I’m a Mudblood. That terrible cackle was always in the back of her mind and it caused her to shift restlessly in her delirium. While she wasn’t aware of anything going on around her, she was still moving, shifting, and crying out. The whole incident kept playing over in her mind and she began to wonder if she was trapped in some kind of terrible outer plane where she was just tortured over and over again. There was Bellatrix, cutting her hair away, carving the words in her arms, shouting that terrible curse…
“Please… please…” The words were said out loud as she tossed her head from side to side.
This time, instead of the insistent laugh, she heard something else. It sounded strange, as if they were speaking underwater. But she could still make out the voices and they sounded familiar. Her brows furrowed together as she tried to concentrate on the voices as if they were her life line.
“Madam Pomfrey, why can’t I stay? Snivellus gets to!” Snivellus… She knew that voice. The more she concentrated on it, the more she came to realize the things happening around her. She wasn’t lying on the cold floor, but it was soft…warm. And someone was holding onto her hand. Her fingers lightly tightened around the hand and she felt as if she were trying to run through a thick stew. She knew where she had to go, but it felt like a struggle to get there. She almost gave up, but knew she couldn’t stay where she was, always reliving that day…
Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked. It was so bright. She moaned, the sound echoing through her head and causing her head to explode.
“Merlin I feel terrible.”
Fingers tightened exponentially for a minute before they quickly loosened and he was leaning over her, running his other hand down her face and helping her to come out of it with a whispered 'Lily, it's okay; you're safe.'
James's indignant whining in the background caused Severus to almost flinch, but he was determined to direct his full attention to Lily as she was coming out of it. The hospital wing was fairly empty except for Lily and the two boys, with Madam Pomfrey busying about trying to get Potter to calm down and leave, but the other boy wasn't having it.
"Look, I'll clean out your jars and things for a whole week!" James pleaded, following on Madam Pomfrey's heels as she went over to check on her young ward. When she noted that Lily seemed to be coming out of it, she went over to Lily's free side and started preparing Pepper Up as well as some blood replenishing potions and something for the pain that the poor girl would no doubt feel in her arms and head.
"There now Miss Evans, let's get you awake and taking some potions, dear." She gave Severus a gentle look, prompting the boy to lean back but not let go of Lily's hand. Madam Pomfrey then wiped at Lily's forehead with a cool flannel and felt around for any other injuries, while trying to gently waken the girl.
James watched with contempt as Severus didn't let go of Lily's hand, but then his gaze flickered back down to Lily and he kept his mouth shut, leaning from behind the Healer in the hopes that Lily would catch a glimpse of him first.
“I don’t want anything.” No, she really didn’t. She wanted to sleep, but ones without dreams and without thinking about what had happened. But really… what had happened? Now that she was awake she couldn’t quite place what she had been thinking about, just this strange sense of dread. She recognized the voice of Madam Pomfrey and she looked around. Her eyes seemed to follow her voice, shaking her head in response to taking any potions. She knew the ones that were meant for her would taste terrible and her mouth felt dry enough as it was.
Her head turned to the side and saw Severus sitting by her side, her hand in his. “Severus…” She smiled and reached out to touch his face, but she caught sight of her arms. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at the word scrawled across it. Trash. How did that get there? Who had put it there? She gingerly touched the word, finding that it wasn’t just written there, but scrawled.
“Dear Merlin, what happened?” Her eyes turned once again to Severus, a look of panic in her eyes. She turned to look at Pomfrey as well when she saw James standing right behind her. Her eyes grew even wider when she saw him. Him and Severus in the same room? She glanced between the two, wondering if they were actually able to be civil.
“Why am I here?” she asked slowly. She had a notion, an idea, but every time she tried to think of it, it seemed to slip from her grasp. She felt this knot start to work its way into her stomach and she wished this was just another dream to wake up from. This time she would wake up in her own bed in the Gryffindor girls dorm, Molly throwing things at her curtains to wake her up. Please let it be a dream, please let it be a dream. She shut her eyes again as if that action would make it so.