She's Not Lily (Harry Potter/ Severus Snape fan fic)

Ch. 22 Worth Fighting For

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Tonight was the final feast of the school year before term starts again on September 1. I was finally released from the infirmary today and haven't seen Harry, Mione, or Ron since the battle. It hurt that they never visited me in the infirmary; my only visitors were Dumbledore and stupid, stupid Severus. I think the only reason that Harry or anybody else, for that matter, didn't come to visit was Dumbledore's doing. That crazy old man seems to be rooting for Severus and me to be together. I can't help but laugh as I picture Dumbledore and McGonagall having sleepovers. They would probably be knitting socks and braiding each other's hair while gossiping about who they want to see in a relationship.

Making my way down the stairs, trying to remove the funny yet disturbing thought from my mind, I notice that most pictures are put back in their rightful place on the walls. Flinch was putting what seemed to be the last picture back on the wall. The creepy-haired but bald caretaker turned to look at me with a scowl that always seemed to be on his scary-looking face. The only time I have ever seen him look happy was when Umbridge was here. Who knew what happened to her? I bet no one cares; everyone wanted her dead more than Voldemort. All Umbridge only had to enter the classroom for the students to faint, vomit, develop dangerous fevers, or spout blood from both nostrils.

Everyone seemed to rush as I passed them in the corridors; no one even glanced at me as I was dogging everyone from their playful pushing and loud laughs. I noticed Luna hanging up a piece of paper on the grey stone walls. She carefully smoothed out any bumps in the paper before hanging the next piece up.

"How come you not at the feast?" I question Luna, trying to be quiet enough not to startle her.

"I have lost all my possessions. People have been hiding them." She tells me in her soft, musical voice, pointing to the picture now on the wall.

"That's awful," I tell her with shock laced in my voice. I can't believe how calm she is after losing everything.

"Oh, it's all good fun, but as this is the last night, I do need them back." She tells me while hanging up another picture on the stone walls.

"Well, I could help you find them if you want," I tell her, putting my pale white hand on her shoulder for comfort.

Luna sticks up another picture before turning back and shaking her head no. She turns around to smooth out the paper and looks at me again with eyes full of pity.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, Lily," Luna tells me before grabbing my left hand comfortingly.

The memories from that night flashed before my mind. I could remember the pain I felt, and I tried to rid that from my mind. I looked down at her pale hand around my mind and looked up at her to see in her eyes that she thought I was fragile. My hand finally got released from her grip, and she moved back with the papers.

"Are you sure you don't need any help looking?" I ask her while following closely behind.

"That's alright," Luna said, her soft musical voice chiming through the empty corridor. "Anyway, my mum always said the things we lose to find a way to return to us in the end."

We finally stop, and I see her look up and stare. I follow her gaze and notice a pair of red and white Converse hanging from a stone archway at the end of the corridor. I couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle that I was trying to hold back but failed miserably.

"If not always in the way we expect," Luna tells me with a slight smile. "I think I'll just have some pudding."

Luna waved and walked down the corridor until she started skipping, making her curly blond hair bounce back and forth with every skip she took. I let out another chuckle before following slowly behind her. I couldn't help but let my mind wander to what Luna told me, that things we lose always find a way back to us. It made me think of Severus and how he told me he would wait for me after he told me that my legs finally collapsed on me, and he carried me back to the infirmary with a very panicked Madam Pomfrey at the doors. Severus made up a story about how I tried to go on a walk, then I collapsed, and I was lucky enough he was there to find me. After that, I got a scolding from Madam Pomfrey and was put on bed rest.