The Seven Year Itch

Chapter 7

"Homework: Please read pages 78-90! Class dismissed."

Lily got up, yawning. She threw her books into her bag, traipsing out of the Charms classroom.

"Only one week left!" Dorcas yelled enthusiastically.

"Yeah, great," Lily murmured. "And I have so much homework this weekend-"

"Doesn't matter! One week until the holidays!"

***

After spending her whole weekend in the library doing her homework, Lily found herself sitting in Defense Against The Dark Arts. Potter was already ten minutes late.

"Typical," Lily snorted, laying her head on her desk. She was feeling sick and considered going to the Hospital Wing when Professor McGonagall stormed into the classroom.

"Your defense lesson won't take place!" she declared seriously.

"Why?" a Ravenclaw girl asked. McGonagall hesitated for a moment.

"Professor Potter is... not feeling well," she said. Lily was surprised at the strange expression on her normally strict teacher's face.

"I think I'll go to the Hospital Wing," she murmured to Dorcas and Julie while they trailed out of the classroom. "I'm feeling sick." With that, she staggered away.

Madam Pomfrey gave Lily a potion against the sickness and forced her to go to sleep. Lily didn't mind that much; after learning the whole weekend, sleep was exactly what she wanted and needed.

She was woken by voices talking quietly. She glanced at the clock at the wall and saw that she hadn't slept more than thirty minutes.

"...No problem. If you want to-"

"Where should I go?" Lily recognized the voice at once. It was Potter's. "They were the only family I had left."

What's he talking about? Lily wondered, astonished at his depressed voice.

"I'm sorry, James." That was Dumbledore. Lily couldn't see them, as Madam Pomfrey had drawn curtains around her bed.

"I know," Potter said bitterly. "Everyone is."

Madam Pomfrey joined Potter and Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, James," she said, just like Dumbledore. "Dragon pox at their age! I'm so sorry."

Lily frowned. That sounded as though someone in Potter's family had died... or rather, the rest of his family.

"If you need help with the funeral, James," Dumbledore said softly, "you can come to me any time. After all, I knew your parents well."

Parents?! Lily gasped. It went silent. Lily quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, in case Potter or Dumbledore checked on her. But they didn't.

"And this is not only about the funeral," Dumbledore continued quietly. "If you want to talk, or you need help with something, you can always come to me."

"Thank you."

Lily heard the door of the Hospital Wing being opened and closed. Had they left?

"Stop feigning sleep, Evans," Potter said coldly. Lily slowly opened her eyes. He was standing at the end of her bed. Lily stared at his strangely contorted face. Was it mourning? Anger? She couldn't tell.

When he didn't say anything else, she opened her mouth to offer him her condolences, but refrained from doing so as she remembered his words. I know... Everyone is.

Lily knew from past experience that knowing other people were sorry didn't really help one to feel better. Nothing could help to cope with this pain.

She was full with sympathy for him. What was she supposed to say? Her throat was hoarse; she didn't think she could say anything even if she tried. He stared at her for a few moments, then turned on his heel and stormed out of the Hospital Wing. Tears ran down Lily's cheeks as long-forgotten feelings came to the surface again.

***

Lily left the classroom with mixed emotions. It was Friday afternoon and they just had had their last lesson in this term: Defense Against the Dark Arts. Potter had been teaching again. Lily hadn't told anyone the reason why he hadn't been teaching on Monday.

"Who are you going to take to Slughorn's party tonight?" Julie asked her.

"Me, of course," Adam said, coming up behind them. Lily rolled her eyes. She had indeed planned to take Adam with her, but she hadn't asked him yet. And he was talking about it as though it was self-evident. Sighing, she shrugged it off.

***

Later that evening, Lily was at Slughorn's party, sipping at her wine. Slughorn was talking to her and Adam, telling them something about an old student of his who was now the editor of the Daily Prophet. Lily was bored out of her mind when she saw Potter, leaning against a wall, staring into his glass as though it held the solution to all his problems. Then, suddenly, he placed his glass on one of the silver platters that a passing house-elf was carrying, and left Slughorn's office. Lily's mind was made up in a second.

"Excuse me," she said, "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Sure, Lily," Slughorn said good-naturedly, continuing to talk to Adam, who was trying his best to not look bored.

Why was she going after him? They despised each other, after all.

She found Potter in a hallway, where he was sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the wall. He looked at her when she approached him, but didn't say anything. He tore his gaze away from her and stared in the opposite direction. She was about to go, when-

"Has anyone you've known ever died?" he asked suddenly.

Lily swallowed. She had feared that he would ask that question.

"Yes," she said after a few seconds. "My... my mother died of cancer when I was in my second year at Hogwarts."

There was a silence.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "It must be horrible... losing your mother at such a young age."

Lily nodded, a lump in her throat.

"Compared to you, I was rather lucky. I had both my parents until I was grown up and had left Hogwarts."

Lily shivered. His voice wasn't sarcastic-just bitter.

"My whole family just fell apart after Mum died," she said.

Why the hell am I telling him this?

"Fell apart? Why?" he asked, looking at her.

"Well, Dad's working all the time. When I ask him if he wants to do something with me, he just gives me money and tells me to get a few new clothes. And Petunia, my sister-"

"You have a sister?" he asked. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yes, but-I don't want to bother you with that stuff."

"You're not bothering me," he said. "Just tell me."

Lily shrugged and sat down next to him.

"Well... we used to get along great, but then I got my Hogwarts letter. She's a Muggle, you know. She always thought it was kind of weird, going to a school where magic is taught. But she never said anything when Mum was still alive. Mum and Dad were so proud when I got my letter; we've never had a witch in the family before. After Mum's death, Petunia and I-kind of grew apart. And now, we're not really talking anymore. Apart from insults, that is."

"Do you miss her?" James asked. Lily was surprised. When she had told Dorcas how Petunia had called her a freak, Dorcas had become angry and called Petunia a few very foul names. When she had told Julie, the blonde had been sympathetic and told her not to listen to her sister.

"Yes," Lily whispered, her throat burning. "Yes, I miss her, even though she's so horrible at times. That's weird, isn't it?"

"No," James answered. "Not at all, Lily."

Now she felt the burning sensation in her eyes too. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her crying. Bending down her head, she sighed heavily. She felt a tear making down its way down her nose.

"Here," James said, handing her a hanky.

"I'm such a wimp," she said apologetically, wiping away the tears. "You just lost your parents and here I am, blubbering because-"

"It's OK," he said softly. She turned her face back to him; their noses were almost touching. His face came nearer and she found herself closing her eyes. She felt his breath tickle her skin when-

"Lily? Lily!"

Her eyes snapped open. James had already stood up. Feeling incredibly stupid, she got up as well.

"There you are!" Adam said reprovingly, walking up to them.

"Yeah, we were just talking about the DADA-homework," she said, hoping he wouldn't see her blushing in the rather dark corridor.

Adam stared at her and Potter in turn.

"He didn't give us any," he said slowly, pronouncing every word as if to make sure she would understand him. He probably thought she was going crazy. Not that she blamed him.

"Yeah well-that's the point," Lily said quickly. "I mean, erm-I asked him why he didn't give us any and asked him if I could do any work in advance during the holidays."

"Right," Adam said, looking back and forth between them. "Do you want to go back to the party now?"

"Er-no, I'm tired," she said. "I'd rather go to bed now."

"All right," he said, "I'll walk you back to your common room."

"Good night," Lily said to James.

"Good night, Lily, Blume," he answered politely.

***

"What the hell was going on?" Adam screamed for the thousandth time.

"Nothing!" Lily screamed back for the thousandth time.

"But why the hell do you ask Potter if you could do any work in advance? Since when do you let Potter tell you what you're supposed to do?"

"I just asked him what we're going to do after the holidays!"

"Yeah, right," Adam said sarcastically.

"Well, then don't believe me," Lily said heatedly. "I don't care. There wasn't anything between me and Potter because-"

"Because what?"

Lily gave a cry of frustration and stormed away.

"What's the matter?" Dorcas and Julie asked in unison when Lily stalked into their dormitory.

"I fought with Adam."

"Why?"

Lily didn't answer. Instead, she buried her head in her pillow.

Of course everything had been a misunderstanding. She and Potter hadn't been about to kiss each other. Both of them had been sad, that was all.

But why, why, didn't she feel anymore like she hated Potter?