Lily awoke to a throbbing head and back. She tried to raise herself off the bed, but the pain that seared through her back caused her to fall with her face in her pillow. She heaved a slow sigh which echoed strangely around the nearly empty Hospital. It was dark, with only faint moonlight streaming in through the windows.
A light flashed on and, seconds later, the nurse of Hogwarts came bustling out of her quarters. She was still tying a long dressing robe of lavender silk around her rather thick frame when she made it to Lily’s bed.
“Oh dear, don’t move!” warned Madam Pomfrey needlessly to Lily. “Your back was hit with a Severing Charm. I applied an ointment to it to replenish the blood and close the wound.” As she talked softly, she pulled the large cotton shift off of Lily’s back and gathered it around her shoulders. With a cloth soaked in very warm water, she began to remove the ointment.
Lily jolted slightly at the feel of the hot water, and then when the distinct feel of the cloth was gone, she gasped at the feel of something warm trickling from the centre of her back. “Madam Pomfrey? What is it?” she asked in response to the elderly woman’s gasp.
The nurse replaced the wet cloth over the long cut on Lily’s back before removing herself from the bed. She rummaged around through the shelf next to the bed before she pulled out a purple paste-filled bottle. She opened this and Lily’s nose was assaulted with a rather moldy smelling fume. She wiggled her nose to no avail and tensed herself waiting for the sting of the ointment on her back. She was right to do so. Madam Pomfrey seemed to be trying to be as gentle as she could as she dabbed the stuff on generously. Lily reiterated her question and the nurse answered this time.
“Well, what ever charm was used on you, it wasn’t a normal Severing Charm. This is the first time I have redressed your cut and the wound opened again. I just hope that soon enough it will close, even if it leaves a faint scar.”
“How bad would the scar be?” asked Lily.
“Well, you would have to take care of what style of robe you wore from then on; you would have to cover up a thirteen inch white line down your back,” said Madam Pomfrey gently.
Lily gasped. She regretted it as sharp pinpricks of pain shot up and down her spine.
“Thirteen?”
“Yes my dear, thirteen inches,” said Madam Pomfrey with a bit of humor in her voice. “Thankfully, you weren’t hit with any other terrible curses, just that one. Mr. Potter,” she continued, speaking slowly, “on the other hand, didn’t get off so well. The effects of a very strong Imperious Curse were on him, though he seemed to have thrown it off. Also, another curse I am quite unsure of remains, which causes him much pain.”
Lily snapped her eyes open at the mention of James and turned her head to look at the person in the bed next to her. James was also lying on his stomach, his black hair tousled against the pillowcase. His face, bare left shoulder and arm were facing Lily with the same sort of purple paste on them. Lily fought back tears as she watched his eyelids twitch slightly as if he was experiencing a bad nightmare.
She watched as Madam Pomfrey redressed James’s own cut, with the same effect. Lily watched as the cut reopened and a drop of blood hit the floor. She winced as James jolted from the sting of the potion. He rubbed his head in the pillow and soon his eyes fluttered open. He gazed wearily at Madam Pomfrey, who sat on his bed, before saying groggily, “Who won the match?”
Lily was puzzled, but the nurse chuckled.
“Thinks he just woke up after a Quidditch injury,” said the matron to Lily’s wondering look. “Silly thing. He’s spent so many times in this wing because of Quidditch that, really, what other excuse could there be?” She continued to redress the wound on his shoulder.
When she was sure they were set, she walked over to Nikeia’s bed. “Now, James, keep facing Lily while I check on Miss Nikeia.”
James was confused for a moment, but then remembered that Nikeia’s chest and torso were covered in bandages. He did as he was told, but more so because he just wanted to look at Lily.
“How are you?” he asked gently.
She started to shrug, but thought better of it. She just raised an eyebrow. “If this cut doesn’t heal the way Madam Pomfrey wants it to, then I’ll have a scar thirteen inches long down my back.” James winced and asked about himself. She told him what the nurse had told her.
“She doesn’t know what type of curse hit me?” he asked. Lily shook her head as much as she could while lying on her stomach. Lily lifted her head carefully and asked Madam Pomfrey: “What is wrong with Nikeia? Is she any better?”
From over James’s bare back, Lily could see the woman shake her head. “Her cuts are very bad, and I am pretty sure that the Cruciatus Curse that was used on her was merciless. She looks as if she is struggling very hard. I don’t know when she will wake up.”
All three were silent as Madam Pomfrey changed Nikeia’s bandages, levitating her up from the bed in order to get the bandages around her back. When that was done, she came back over to between Lily and James and gave them each a dose of Dreamless Sleep potion. Painless and calm sleep came over them and they drifted into darkness.
She tossed and turned in her bed”even while staying perfectly still. Near death still. She could just barely feel her body; she felt nothing in her torso. Where was she? Was she still alive? She must be, for she didn’t think this would be how death would feel. She wondered if she could wake up, but searing pain crossed the threshold of her mind, and she gave up on that idea. A whimper echoed its way over the small conscious part of her mind, but nothing escaped her lips. She tried to draw a deep breath, but the same pain slashed across and through her, and she slipped back into complete unconsciousness.
The next time James and Lily woke, they looked up into the faces of three their friends.
“Oh Lily!” cried Josey, as she clutched at Lily’s hand from her spot kneeling on the floor.
“Good morning, you two,” said Remus, smiling.
“Yeah, welcome back to the land of the living,” Sirius greeted with an attempt at a humorous remark. It worked. The two bed-ridden students smiled. Sirius gave James a small slap on his uninjured shoulder and then walked over to Nikeia, where he sat in the bedside chair and turned his back on them all.
“Poor guy,” muttered Josey. “He’s broken up over Nikeia. I hope he can pull out of it soon.” She turned her gaze back to Lily and commented on her cut. “Madam Pomfrey told us: thirteen inches? Let’s hope it’ll heal right; I wouldn’t be able to live with a cut that big on my back. Try to imagine having to pass up so many good dresses because the back is cut too low.”
Everyone chuckled at Josey’s priorities, and she looked slightly offended. “It would be an absolutely terrible thing! Stop laughing!” Needless to say they didn’t listen, and laughed harder. Josey sighed but reluctantly joined laughing.
“Oh,” started Remus when he stopped laughing. “Dumbledore wants to talk to you two, and he told me to get him when you awoke. Do you feel like talking about what happened?” he asked kindly.
Lily and James looked at each other. Lily’s eyes seemed to say “Well, sooner or later.” James nodded their answer and Remus took off.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned following the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
“Ah, good afternoon James, Lily. How are you feeling?” asked Dumbledore kindly. His aged face seemed interested as he learned of the probable thirteen inch scar, and the terrible pain. When asked whether he could still feel the pain, James replied that he did hurt, but he felt well enough to talk. Dumbledore conjured a very comfortable chair for himself and two less-comfortable-looking chairs for the other two students. Before he gave the two Heads the go-ahead, he looked to Sirius. “Are you going to join us, Mr. Black?”
Sirius was silent for a moment, and then turned his hard hospital chair so he was able to glance easily at them. He nodded to the Headmaster, but kept his gaze on Nikeia’s face and her hand in his.
“Very well, James, Lily, please...” He inclined his head and the two bed-ridden students looked at each other once more. James started the tale, Lily taking it up soon afterward. Dumbledore nodded throughout the tale, and Remus remained silent and attentive while Josey was the emotion of the group, gasping and clutching Lily’s hand. Sirius’s face remained stoic, though everyone could tell that he was paying very close attention.
“I wonder who the Death Eaters were,” said Remus when the tale was over.
“I bet it was Malfoy, and the two Blacks. They were the worst when it came to the Dark Arts here at school. Maybe one of them was Snape,” said Sirius quietly. Everyone repositioned themselves to look at him. “Snape always has his nose in a Dark Arts book, and my cousin Bellatrix is just as terrible. Regulus always was the special and loved one of the two of us, so it would make sense that he would be the one to follow the footsteps of evil.”
James had to admit that he was surprised the Sirius had spoken so much. But then again, he knew that Sirius had a troubled childhood. Sirius had figured that he would be sorted into Slytherin like the rest of his pureblood family. Then he had met James on the platform, and the feeling that they would be very good friends one day was mutual. They were nearly inseparable after that, especially when they both became Gryffindors. Through their Marauding and pranking, they became as close as brothers, so James understood Sirius’s mind nearly as well as Sirius himself. Of course, there were times when no one knew what Sirius was thinking.
“Now that I think about it, I think Sirius is right,” said Lily, coming to Sirius’s side, figuratively. “The builds seem right, and there was definitely a women who had a rather, well, cackling laugh. I can remember hearing it when something happened to one of us.”
“Hmm,” mumbled Dumbledore, “well, it troubles me greatly that Voldemort”and I commend you for fighting him so bravely and exceptionally”somehow made it onto the school grounds. He is a very great wizard, but the protections must’ve been tampered with for anyone to get through them.”
“What about a shortcut? If one of the Death Eaters was Regulus, then possibly he led them to one,” Remus suggested.
James threw him a look from behind Dumbledore as if saying “You blimey idiot!” Remus seemed to understand for he bit his lip.
“Do you know of any such shortcuts, Remus? James? Sirius?” asked the Headmaster, looking to each young man as he said their name. The three looked at each other, before talking deep breaths and nodding.
Lily marveled at the way they seemed to be able to understand what the other was saying without speaking. She figured that seven years in each other’s company must have something to do with it.
“We do know of a few. The most accessible ones would probably be either the one in the Shrieking Shack or the one in the cellar of Honeydukes,” admitted James regretfully.
“Thank you for your honesty. I think it would be a good idea to place enchantments on these shortcuts so that Voldemort and his henchmen will be unable to enter the school or grounds again. I do admit that I know that there are secret passages, but I have yet to find all of them. I feel that that should be left to...well, you four,” said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. “Once this is done, we shall lift these enchantments, I think, and forget about the shortcuts under them, hmm?”
He once again looked toward the boys and gave a slight smile. Everyone chuckled. James and Remus were glad that Dumbledore hadn’t let anything slip about the real reason for the passage under the Whomping Willow.
“And now that you have spoken to me, I believe it will be a very good idea to allow Madam Pomfrey to see to your wounds. I hope that you are soon back in your classes and able to carry out your Head Duties.” With an uncharacteristic, and yet so characteristic, wave, Dumbledore left them.
“Blast. I was enjoying my Head Duty-free moments.” James sighed and let his head fall back onto his pillow. Lily reached onto her table, or tried to.
“Josey, do me a favor and grab something from up there and hit James with it, please.”
Josey did as she was told and grabbed a box of Beans, but by then James had buried his head under the pillow, laughing.