Chapter Eighteen: The Friends Betrayal
"I can't believe you call yourselves friends," James whispered harshly. Lily moaned slightly and shifted uncomfortably on the bed. She was terribly hot again. Her gown clung to her and made her feel like she was on fire again.
"We thought that we were doing what was best for you and Lily," Sirius defended.
"You both were hurting," Remus said.
"Lily chose to drink the potion that first time," Alice said quietly. "She chose to forget you."
"You made us believe you drank it, too," Sirius reminded him.
"So, what? She starts to come out of it and you panicked?" James asked angrily. Lily knew without looking at him that he was glowering at them. She felt him place a damp towel on her forehead, cooling her.
"We thought you had taken it, too," Sirius said.
"We wanted to keep things the same," Remus defended. "We panicked."
"We never wanted to hurt her," Severus said quietly. He was a little further from the others. Lily felt anger boiling up in her. He above of all of them should have been looking out for her.
"I don't want to hear it!" James said, his voice rising a bit. "You could have killed her, you idiots. You can't force someone to take an amnesia potion. The drinker has to drink it willingly. If you had read your potions book a little better, you would know that. You might as well as poured every poison known to man and wizards alike down her throat. She would have faired better. How long until the new potion wears off? I have to wait longer now, or try to brew the antidote. How could you do this?"
"James, we thought we were doing the right thing," Sirius said. He sounded like he was drifting away from Lily's consciousness. Lily tried to hold on but exhaustion consumed her and she faded back into a dreamless sleep.
Three days she remained unable to wake, just on the brink of consciousness. She feared that she would be trapped forever in this semi-coma state. Sometime she caught snippets of conversations, but she could never hold on for too long. When the fevers would come, she could count on James to be there to cool her with a cloth on her forehead, or wiping her face. As she became more aware of her body, she could feel him holding her hands, and more so when he pressed his lips to her hand or face.
If it wasn't for James, she probably would have preferred to stay in this in-between death and life state forever. She knew she couldn't be hurt while she was out like that, and she couldn't hurt. Lily hated the fevers the most, though, and she struggled with them, as if they were a monster threatening to consume her.
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