Author note: Seems I forgot to mention I borrowed a line from Buffy with the 'shortage chair' thing. I didn't even know I put it in there! Sorry 'bout that.
Also the last chapter and this chapter are pretty angsty and I know I didn't really give a warning for it, but there are people in this story that aren't in the books. Sorry again!
Chapter Thirteen: Aftermath
"Lily, please wake up," she heard James' quavering voice whisper in her ear.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open and the first thing she noticed wasn't James clutching her hand. It wasn't even him kissing her knuckles, or even that it looked like he had been through a train wreck, with his hair sticking up every which way and his eyes bloodshot. What she noticed, no, what she felt first was the sickening ache in her heart of loss, pain, and extreme sadness.
In a sleep-roughened voice Lily spoke faintly. "Why does it feel like my heart's breaking?"
James, who had turned her palm around and began kissing it, lifted his head up, frowning deeply at Lily. "You-you don't remember?"
Lily's green eyes searched James' room and she sighed, biting her bottom lip. "All I remember is wanting to sleep with you and crawling into your bed. I just wanted you to hold me," she said breathlessly.
He took a deep breath, once again kissing her palm. "Lily-um-that's not what happened last night. Echo is-"
A sinking feeling came so swiftly that Lily gasped and struggled for air.
"LILY!" James cried out lifting her up and patting her on the back.
Tears clung to her eyelashes and dripped slowly down her cheeks. "Oh God-she's dead and Ari too."
"What? No-Lily, Ari's alive, she's the one who-" James paused and looked deeply into the Lily's eyes.
"Th-the one who what James?"
"Ari is being charged with Echo's death. They're having a hearing first thing in the morning."
It took a second for those words to sink in.
Could this really be happening?
"Ari's NOT a murderer and why in the bloody hell are they having the hearing so damn soon. They haven't had the time to study the case!"
James lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Lily's rumpled red hair. "They found Ari at the scene. It seems after Echo had been-um killed Ari fell down into bed next to her with her hand covering the pillow."
"That doesn't make sense! If the murder had any intentions of getting away with it they would have fled the scene. God, why are you telling me this?! How did she die?" Lily demanded her voice verging hysterics.
"I told you Lil, she was murdered."
"Yes! Murdered supposedly by Ari, but with what?"
"Ari smothered her with her pillow."
Lily snapped her eyes towards James, fire roaring to life within her. "Don't you say that! Don't you put Ari's name in front of that sentence ever again," Lily gritted out as her tears flowed more freely moistening her dried cracked lips.
"I'm sorry," James bowed his head ashamed. "Dumbledore brought the idea up that it could have been the Imperious Curse. I'm pretty sure they're going to check everyone's wand to the last spell they did. They didn't tell me for sure though."
"What if it was someone else outside the school?"
James sighed and pulled his hands away from her running his fingers through his own hair. "Lily, when's the last time someone broke into Hogwarts?"
"Never, so then it has to be someone at this school."
James nodded. "And all the fingers point one way."
"JAMES! Why do you keep saying that?"
"Because, Lily you need to be ready for it. Ari IS going to be convicted, she IS going Azkaban-there is no question about it."
"What if she was under the Imperious?"
"Even so, there's about a ninety-nine percent chance we won't find the wand."
"But it's not good enough! It's not fair. They're only giving her a day to collect evidence."
"Lily, her fingerprints are all over the place and where were you when growing up explained that nothing in this world is fair, nothing!"
Lily's lower lip trembled as she stared at James. "Weren't you her friend? Don't you even care?"
"I care Lily, a lot in fact, but right now-I-I know this may sound selfish but I just want to be next to you and I figured that denial was allowed to 'the best friend'," James sniffled.
A knock James' bedroom door jolted them both. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Dumbledore has called everyone to the Great Hall," Sirius spoke gently as he looked at Lily. "I'd ask how you're feeling, but then I could guess."
Lily smiled and turned into James' shoulder, sobbing.
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"As you come in I ask that you place your wands in the spell box next to Professor Binns. The box is charmed to tell Professor Binns the last few spells that were cast on the wand, " Dumbledore's voice boomed over the loud rising chatter of confused students.
"I can't believe this is happening," Peter whispered. With his lower lip trembling and tears streaming freely down his face he looked more of a mess than Remus did, who hadn't spoken since he'd found out.
Peter went up to place his wand in the box. "Professor Binns it isn't going to make a difference that I broke my original wand a couple days ago is it?"
Sirius snorted. "The ever-clumsy clod Peter!"
The ghost shook his head and frowned. "Hmm, if it had been any other time you'd be getting a months worth of detention Mr. Pettigrew for that very last spell," Professor Binns commented.
"Yes sir," he whispered biting his lower lip to stop the trembling.
Sirius frowned as he placed his wand in the box.
"Go ahead," Professor Binns said.
"What spell was that Peter?" Sirius asked.
"Spying on the girls showering-recorded all of it and then brought it back to me," Peter grinned half-heartedly. "Right now it just doesn't seem as great as it had been."
"Yeah."
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"The following students need to stay. Miss Evans, Mister Potter, Mister Black, Mister Pettigrew, Mister Lupin, and Mister Snape," Dumbledore declared as he dismissed the rest of the students.
"Professor, can I see Ari?" Lily asked softly.
"Yes," he spoke, his voice said as he lifted his hand motioned.
Lily turned to Ari walking towards them in a daze, her hands bound behind her back and her feet shackled.
"I'm afraid she's in permanent shock and what I mean by that is that she's retreated from the present time of her life into her mind," Professor Dumbledore informed.
He walked carefully towards Ari and patted her shoulder before turning back towards them.
"We haven't found a wand with the Imperious on it, of course the chances of actually doing that were slim. I, however, would like to try an advanced form of Occulemency that allows us to decipher what went on her in her mind while she did it." Dumbledore bowed his head and clasped his hands together before looking back up. "Lily, as her friend I'm giving you the option to do this."
Lily jerked her gaze up. "But I-I don't know-"
"I'll be performing it. I want to make clear though that you'd be in her mind. You wouldn't just be reading it. It's a bit like Astral Projection."
"Why me?"
"Because you deserve to know. I will be going in with you so as to direct you, but you will only hear my voice. What you see, I see."
"Okay," Lily shook her head.
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It was only a matter of seconds before she was inside of Ari's mind. Thoughts started pouring achingly clashing with Lily's.
"Ah!" Lily cringed bending down and clutching her head.
"It's not supposed to be like this," Lily heard Dumbledore's voice whisper. "Tell me what you hear. I can only see what you see."
"I-I can't! It's all confused-her thoughts aren't straight, they're jumbled."
"Okay, I'm going to take you back a couple of days in her thoughts. You will be in her memory section."
Lily gasped as she saw everything speed up. Images flashed by her and her stomach dropped as she tried to make the objects visible. She jerked to a stop.
"Tell me what you can make out."
"Okay…everything is clear now."
She heard Dumbledore sigh. "This is how it should be. Something important happened to Ari that cut her thought process making them jagged and not full."
Lily paused as she saw Ari with herself and Echo, smiling in the library. She frowned as she watched Ari jolt then gasp, her eyes widening in pain.
"Are you okay," Lily saw herself asking Ari.
"Fine, just a little headache."
Lily watched Ari get up from the table and walk towards the fiction section of the library where she placed the book back into its slot. Ari sighed, paused and stared at it with a lost look in her eyes.
Ari's memories started to become choppy and unrecognizable again.
"Tell me what you hear," Dumbledore's voice boomed.
"All I hear is-I'm going to kill my best friend," Lily gasped. "It's not true she couldn't have known."
Lily closed her eyes and shook her head. "No!"
"LILY! Hey, you're back," James whispered rubbing her back.
"Professor tell me it's possible for thoughts to be implanted in to someone's mind. It just didn't feel right-that last thought."
Professor Dumbledore sighed. "It's possible. Enemies have been known to do it to cover their tracks."
"So it was the Imperious then."
"It would be my guess."
Lily smiled. "So she doesn't have to go to Azkaban."
"Lily, I'll tell the ministry what occurred her and I'll do my best, but I don't know how good it will be."
"She deserves to die. Azkaban is just too nice for her," Snape whispered softly.
Remus turned, glared, and spoke for the first time since the murder. "What the hell do you know Snape? You know nothing! I loved her so much-I knew her. She wouldn't have done something like this!"
"Do you think I care that you loved her? Do you know how much I loved Echo? She was everything to me and-and now the one person that should be here isn't because of that-"
"Shut-up! We all know she didn't do it," Sirius yelled.
Lily nodded. "We know. You're saying these things because you're just hurt Severus. I know that you loved her. Every time I saw you two together you both were beautifully happy. You made her so happy and she loved you 'til her last breath."
"How do you know? You guys weren't even talking," he growled, tears starting to form in his eyes.
Lily's tears streamed down her face as she walked towards Snape. "She was one of my best friends. I can tell when she's happy. You should take that knowledge that she loved you so much-take with you and don't ever forget what you did for her because falling in love is life. You helped her live."
Snape stared at Lily his vision blurring. Lily watched as he struggled and she went forward, wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He cried freely welcoming her comfort.
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"And they fall for it every time!" Peter screamed, laughing hysterically.
"I'm very pleased with your work. Surprised even, going for the pain is always fun," Voldemort sneered. "However, you business is not finished. One stills lives."
Peter nodded. "I understand."
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"Given the evidence of the circumstances she is to serve life in Azkaban," the Ministry of Magic declared.
Lily gasped. "No! She was under the Imperious. It's been proven."
"The only thing that has been proven is that she clearly went insane. I will allow Miss Agripa's friends to say their goodbyes. Case dismissed."
Lily ran towards Ari and hugged her tightly. "I love you! We're going to get an appeal. Don't worry. We are going to get you out!"
She kissed her quickly on the cheek and walked towards James. "There's no need to say good-bye. We're getting her out."
Peter bowed his head. "I-I still need to-it's not that I don't believe you Lily, I do it's just-"
"It's okay, I understand. Remus, I assume you want to too?"
Remus just stared down at the ground in a daze before he walked over towards Ari. "I love you," he whispered in her ear wishing she would come out of her coma-shock and hear him. "I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner."
Remus pulled back and went to catch up with the others. Tears forming in his eyes once again, "I need to get out of here before I-"
Sirius nodded. "Lets go. We're going to get you out Ari! Don't worry!" He hollered to her. "Peter, come on."
"I'll be right there," he said as he walked up to Ari and hugged her.
He grinned evilly as he whispered in her ear. "You're friends think you did it and they'd be right wouldn't they? They're laughing because the whore finally went crazy. They say good riddance, let her rot, but you see, I have more compassion than that," Peter sneered.
He reached into his pocket and slipped something into her hand.
"It's rat poison for when you get into your confinement," Peter whispered in her ear as he handed her the vial, then patted her on the arse. "Drink up."
To Be Continued…
Well, I'm sorry if that was confusing too. I tried not to make it like that, but it just happened. I hope everyone was pleased with it and again I just wrote it. I'll make corrections later. I updated so quickly because of the length in time it took to update with the last chapter! :LOOK DOWN:
The idea of going into Ari's head was from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Weight of the World along with the book scene. I'm sure I used a few other things from Buffy I just can't recognize them.
Another line I used, "And they fall for it every time," I'm not sure who said this, but I know it's from a movie.
Lily's speech to Snape about helping Echo live was inspired by Here on Earth, but was in my own words.
Next chapter: Chapter Fourteen: Interpretations