Chapter Nineteen: The Awakening
The light poured in from the window, falling across Lily's face warmly. Her eyelids fluttered and slowly she opened them. She blinked and looked around. Her arms felt like that they were made of lead, her left one bandaged, the right one was being held by James. He had his face down on the bed next to her hip; his glasses were on the bedside next to her. Lily thought back to when she had sprained her ankle and tears slipped down her face. If she had known that love would have ever felt like this, she would have stayed far away from it.
Lily slid her hand out of his and climbed weakly from the bed. Her feet touched the floor, her legs momentarily unwilling to hold her. She waited a moment and the feeling of weakness passed. She left the hospital wing silently, dressed in her school clothes, her gown abandoned on the bed. It was early, much earlier than anyone else in the school would have been up.
She headed to the showers and then down to the kitchens to get something to eat. It had been days since she ate, and she was remarkably hungry. The house elves were thrilled to have her in their company and bombarded her with food until she was far too stuffed to eat anymore. They offered to send some up with her, but she told them no and then thanked them. She looked at her watch and realized that classes would start soon. She headed down to the dungeon to wait on Professor Slughorn, certain that she would have a lot of work to make up. He looked a little startled as she walked in the class room.
"Are you sure you are well enough to come back to class?" Professor Slughorn asked. Lily smiled weakly.
"I am sure," she said. She looked at her bandaged hand, holding it up. "I am just a little lame today. Plus, I don't want to get any further behind in my studies."
"Understandable," the professor said. "You are my best student; I doubt that you will have a hard time making up any work. If you wish, you can start on this one. It will take a few days."
"What is it?" Lily asked taking the sheet of parchment from him.
"An antidote… for amnesia potion," Professor Slughorn said softly. "Apparently someone has been brewing illegal Amnesia potion. This is an insurance policy"
"That is terrible," Lily murmured as she read over the ingredients.
"If any of my students can brew the perfect antidote, it would be you," Professor Slughorn said. Lily smiled warmly at the little walrus-looking man.
Lily set to work, lighting her cauldron near the window. She glanced out the window to see the sun light peeking through darkening rain clouds. She had gathered all of the ingredients and was starting to work on the potion. Lily took her robes off, placing them over a chair as she stood their in her school uniform.
She glanced at the parchment, and grabbed a small blue-glassed bottle of some fouling looking venom. It was funny how some antidote had some pretty poisonous substances in it. She careful doled out three droppers full of the venom. She placed the bottle on the table as the door slammed opened, crashing violently against the stone wall. Lily jumped, startled, and looked up as James stood there, Remus and Sirius behind him. Severus and Peter were behind them.
"What in the hell do you think you are doing?" James shouted at her. Lily's eyes went wide and her mouth parted slightly.
"What are you talking about?" Lily cried out. James looked furious, his clothes and hair more mussed than usual. He was breathing hard, nearly panting.
"I woke up to find you missing! We have been looking for you everywhere!" James shouted. He was shaking and he raked his hand through his hair. Lily was trembling at the sheer ferocity of his words and volume.
"I…" Lily stuttered.
"I have been running all over this castle looking for you!" James shouted. "How can you just up and leave without a word or anything?"
"I…" Lily stuttered. She stepped back slightly.
"How can you do that to me, damn it?! I was worried about you!" James shouted again.
"I, uh…" Lily said. She wetted her lips nervously. James closed the distance between them in a heartbeat.
"I don't care if you don't remember why I need to do this," James growled. He slipped his arms around her, pulling her hard against him. He buried his hands in her hair and covered her mouth with his, his tongue breaching her lips and tentatively touching hers.
He increased his pressure against her, increased the intensity in his kiss, holding her tightly to him. He held on until he could no longer stand not to take another breath. He pulled away from her slowly, looking into her face, praying for a change in the way she looked at him. Confusion set into her eyes. He felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach, like a ton of icy cold lead.
"James…" Lily said slowly. She put her fingers to her now bruised lips and turned her back on him. She looked out the window. She could feel the discomfort of the room.
"Lily, you have to remember," James practically begged. Sirius, Remus, and Peter joined James in the classroom. Severus hung back at the door, leaning against the frame of the door.
"I am brewing an antidote," Lily began quietly. Her back was still to them. "It is meant to combat the effects of Amnesia Temperado. Professor Slughorn really needs me to focus all of my attention on this."
Lily turned back not to James but the potion bubbling in her cauldron. She heard James retreat from his place near her and she could feel tears slipping down her cheeks. She was careful not to let a single one drip into the antidote. She didn't want him to know that she remembered everything.
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