Chapter Seven: The Plot
By Natali K. A.
Just as James Potter had hit the ground, he had registered a lot of people running toward him and one voice above the din of the crowd that he recognized. She had been just the fifth to meet him, though by then he was out cold, blood gushing from the wound in his stomach.
The previous year, Lily had taken a special lesson with Madam Pomfrey for a project from Defense Against the Dark Arts. She had studied old, ancient spells of healing and cures long forgotten. Though she had never memorized any of the long, complicated-dangerous-spells, she seemed to know it by heart when she uttered one of the spells. Bending over the fallen man, unable to worry just yet, she pressed a hand against the profusely bleeding cut.
"Lily," said a gentle voice, pushing her hand away. "Let me."
She removed her hand from the most severe injury to one on his arm, bleeding nearly just as much. The ground around them was smeared with blood, all one bright red mess. Her favorite cloak was ruined, though she didn't spare a thought for it. Her prayers all went toward his recuperation.
The potion they'd made-meant to harden his skin against cuts, bruises, and scrapes-had done what it was intended to do. He skin felt leathery beneath her fingers, skin she knew was softer than eider down.
"We need to get him to the medical tent, Miss Evans," McGonagall said, placing a hand on her student's shoulder. "You must release him."
Lily's emerald green eyes met the eyes of her headmaster, across from her and applying pressure to the lesion that might kill him. She hadn't realized until then that she was crying.
"Headmaster… Will he…?" Her voice wouldn't let her complete the sentence. Some part of her hoped that so long as no one mentioned it, the problem would just go away.
"I cannot say, Lily," the man with the half-moon spectacles replied somberly. "I'm not sure whether a major organ was punctured or not." With that, he stood, James levitating before him.
From the ground, the redhead watched them disappear. Her eyes strayed to the bright red liquid on her hands. It hit her then. He might die, while the other two champions walked away with minor scratches.
They hadn't finished whatever was going on between them, had barely started. She wanted to continue. What if she never got the chance?
"Lils, come on," Betty said, trying to pick her up from the ground. "You have to wash yourself off."
But Lily shook her head and rose, ignoring the comments and questions thrown at her. Somewhere along the way, she thought Horace might have stepped in front of her, but she only sidestepped him and continued.
There were a lot of people running around the tent wildly, trying to save a life they hadn't thought they'd have to save. Dumbledore was helping, pouring different liquids into different vials.
Surprisingly, no one tried to stop her, for which she was thankful. Perhaps it only seemed natural that she be there, next to James. Whatever it was, it allowed her to walk to the bed where he lay and pick up his hand. One of her hands rose to brush his hair out of his eyes. The pallor of his skin was frightening.
"I'm here," she whispered, kissing his forehead. "You'll be fine."
*~*
Bloody fuck, my head hurts. I must've drunk like mad last night to have a hangover this bad, James Potter thought. Slowly, it sunk in that something wasn't right. He was too stiff and his very bones hurt.
Trying to move his fingers, he found that someone's hand was clutched in them. It was then that he popped an eye open, then closed it quickly, the light bothering him. Slowly, he tried again.
I must be dead, he thought grimly, if Lily Evans is next to my bed holding my hand. That or near to it.
Lily, who had been staring out a window, turned to face him suddenly when she felt the pressure on her hand.
"James?"
He tried to make a noise, but his voice was dry and unused to functioning.
"Shh, I'll get you some water." She stood and made to retract her hand, but he held on firmly, not quite ready to let his fantasy slip from his grasp.
She looked at him oddly, covering his hand with her other hand. Lily sat back down and moved the chair beside his bed closer so that she was leaning right over him.
"You were stabbed," she told him. "From the marks on your abdomen, they speculate that because of the potion, the knife didn't enter where the man had intended but instead slid along your skin until the angle was correct for entrance. Just two more inches to the side and you would have been dead on the spot.
"Or if not, you would have bled to death before anything could have been done for you. As it is, I don't think you'll be playing Quidditch for quite a few months."
He gave a short, jerky nod and tried to clear his throat.
"How long've I been out?" His voice didn't sound like his own.
"Five days this morning."
"My parents…?"
"Arrived the same day. I sent them to go sleep a little. They've been by your bed the entire time. I'll go fetch them."
"No." He took a deep breath, realizing it hurt him to do so. "No, stay. Little while longer." He looked into her eyes. "You're here."
"Of course I'm here. You-I…" Her words faltered. "I've never been so afraid in my life. Don't you ever do that again."
He smiled weakly, squeezing her hand. "Didn't do it on purpose."
"No matter. You're forbidden from volunteering in any more Triwizard Tournaments, James Potter." She gave a little sigh and turned her face away. "I broke up with Horace. I didn't see the point anymore."
"Josette?"
"Hooked up with Horace. Figures she wasted her time on a man that will probably die anyway." She grimaced. "Tell me you didn't shag her, James. I couldn't stand it."
"That would constitute as cheating on you."
"We weren't-aren't-dating. You're not bound to me."
"That's what you think. I'm more bound than you could ever imagine."
His parents chose that moment to open the door and exclaim over their son. Lily waved goodbye and left the room, feeling as if she was intruding on something.
"Where has that lovely girl got to, James? Your girlfriend? She was in here just a moment ago," his mum said, littering kisses all over his face.
"She'll be back. You can meet her properly then."
*~*
The creak of the door roused Lily from her musings. She whipped her head around to find James at the door, leaning on a crutch.
"Are you mad? You just woke this afternoon!" she hissed, jumping up. "I'll take you back to the medical wing right now."
"I let it slip to the nurse that I'd be escaping, and she assured me that it was perfectly alright. If she's asked though, she'll be furious and concerned about the state of my health," he told her, opening his arms to her. "I wanted to see you."
She practically ran into his arms, careful not to hurt him. With inquisitive fingers, she pushed aside his robe until she found the gash on his stomach. A scar had formed.
"That looks so painful," she gasped, running her fingers along it carefully.
"It's a scar to boast of," he said proudly, puffing out his chest. "What a story to tell my children, don't you think? I'll be a hero."
She covered the gash again, snaking her arms around him and looking up at him. "You're already my hero. Don't do any other heroic stunts, please. It's not worth it."
"But you said it yourself. I wouldn't die."
"I was wrong. You could have quite easily died."
"Your potion saved me."
She poked his chest. "If your stupidity hadn't gotten you into this tournament, I wouldn't've had to make that potion." She released a shaky sigh.
He tipped up her chin and kissed her. "You were scared."
"Naturally! Do you blame me?" she asked, haughty. "You weren't the one crouching over a still body, warm blood on your hands, your clothes, your face…" She buried her face in his chest. "You lost so much blood."
Hearing the tears in her voice, he hugged her tighter and placed his lips against her temple. They stood like that for a few minutes as Lily sobbed, finally. She had not cried since he had fallen to the ground.
"We'll talk about what happened later," he told her softly, pulling her face away from his wet robes. "Now, Lily. Many women can cry and still look gorgeous. You're not one of them, sweetheart."
Lily laughed, wiping little droplets away from her eyes. "You're so cruel."
"Love me, Lily," he whispered, slowly backing her up against the very table where they'd brewed his potion. "Give in."
He made it sound so good and so tempting that she did just that-she gave in. Their lips met and melded together, hands ripping off each other's clothing. It seemed to them that, without a single word spoken, they were now together. (Literally, though that was not meant as a pun.)
The other students from the three schools agreed. But how did they ever find out about what happened in that empty classroom, you ask?
Ah. But that's just it. It's who spotted them that made it so juicy.
Shutting the door as quickly and quietly as possible, Josette gave a depressed sigh. After all these months, that Potter hadn't slept with her. Yet on the very same day he wakes up, he's sticking his prick into that red-haired whore.
She stuck her nose into the air, heading for the Dining Hall. Very well. She'd show them both that no one made a fool of her.
In French, one of her friends asked, "Where have you been? Dinner began ten minutes ago."
"I was busy," Josette explained.
"With Horace?"
"No. Spying on Potter and that redhead."
Her friend smiled evilly. "Ah, I see now. Have your plans changed then?"
"Yes. Horace no longer serves his purpose to make Potter jealous. I'll have to hurt him some other way," Josette mused, smiling. She changed the topic to the newest robes from the designer Jadelle.
*~*
At the Hogwarts table, Sirius and Remus changed places with someone in order to sit next to Betty and Ashley.
"Where's Lily?" Remus asked.
"No idea," Ashley shrugged. "She'd told us that she'd be at dinner tonight since James had woken up."
"We went to see James just now and he's not there," Sirius informed them, smirking.
"What do you mean he's not there? He has to be!" Ashley exclaimed. "He died for thirty seconds just five days ago!"
"The nurse hinted that he might be out," Remus chuckled. "Just thought you should know the whereabouts of your mate and not worry your pretty little heads."
Betty humphed. "Figures they'd shag soon as they could." Her eyes caught a glimpse of Josette, that French girl James had been dating off and on, as she sat down with her friends. "Why is she late, do you think?"
But none of them knew the answer, nor did they spend much time trying to figure it out. After all, food was to be eaten.
And Sirius did nothing better than eat.
*~*
A/N: Here I am, even though I've a mountain load of homework to do. Ah, my devotion! My dog, Papito, is equipped with a brand-spanking new sweater and looks just too adorable!
This chapter? Yeah. Mindless fluff, because I'm too lazy to come up with what I really had in mind. Next week you'll find out why he was nearly murdered.
Ah, the suspense!
Buh-bye, my lovelies!
NKA
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