Lily in the Shadows

Chapter 19 (Edited)

Draco jolts awake, reaching for his wand. A figure hovers above him holding onto his shoulders. After a moment of panic, he realizes that no one has broken into the manor and is trying to kill him. Instead, he is at Hogwarts and someone is trying to kill him. After realizing that he has not yet been murdered he opens his eyes to see that it's just Pansy. Irritation fills him, what could she possibly want at three in the morning, before he can get a word out he hears Pansy say four words that fill his veins with ice. "Something's wrong with Kathryn."

He bolts out of bed, running to the girls' dorms, bursting into the first year's room. He scans the room, not a girl in sight, then he hears it. Entering their restroom he sees poor little Lily, with her head in the toilet, expelling everything she had recently eaten while one of her friends holds back her hair.

Rushing over he falls to the ground beside her, taking all of her flaming curly hair into one hand, while rubbing her back with the other. Running a hand down her back he feels her body shaking with silent sobs. Instructing two girls to get him a glass of water and a damp rag, he wipes her face and helps her try to sip the water. Her body is so wracked with sobs that she cannot take more than a few sips before once again vomiting into the toilet. Once it stops she collapses against his chest where he can feel her forehead burning a hole in his silk pajama shirt. Deciding she needs madam Pomfrey he gathers the small girl into his arms and stands. Between sobs, she mumbles something illegible into his chest. "What was that?" He inquires, leaning in towards her face.

She chokes out between sobs, "I... want... my... Daaaaaaa!!" By the end, she is wailing. Draco and the rest of her dormmates pale, at a loss for what to do. Shaking himself from his stupor, Draco curls Lily-Kathryn against his chest, turning to Pansy. "Go get Professor Snape, I am going to take Kathy to the infirmary." She nods and rushes off.

Draco quickly and carefully rushes from the dorms, through the common room, and out of the dungeons. Making his way to the infirmary, he passes Peeves along the way who immediately begins screaming about students out of bed. Throwing open the doors of the infirmary he shouts for Madam Pomfrey. She rushes from her chambers alarmed but ready, at the sight of the still sobbing girl, clutching her chest in shock.

"What's happened to her?" she inquires, bustling about, pulling vials off shelves and setting up a bed for her. Draco explains the night's events while going to set the girl in her bed. The second he goes to set her down she grips tightly onto his nightshirt.

"No!" she cries out.

Deciding not to fight he lays in the bed, letting her curl up into his side. Madam Pomfrey holds up a turquoise-colored potion, they work together to make Lily sit up and drink the calming drought. Her violent sobs gradually calm to soft sniffles and hiccups. Madam Pomfrey runs a hand down her hair.

"My dear, whatever happened?" Her breathing picks up a bit and she lets out a quiet sob. Madam Pomfrey feels her head. "You've got a fever, my goodness, you're burning up," Lily mumbles something. "What was that?"

"I want my daaa." She says, blinking away tears.

Madam Pomfrey gasps, and looks at Draco, he just shakes his head. The doors fly open, hitting the wall behind them. Dumbledore and Snape rush into the room.

"What's happened to her?!" Dumbledore cries out. The three crowd together in the corner of the room to talk. Poppy explains what has happened and that she won't speak of what's happened and that she just keeps asking for her father. "Her father, oh how sad!"

Severus walks over to the bed, looking anxiously down at the girl. "There must be something you can do." He drones, startled when Lily's eyes snap open, looking up at him. They fill with more tears and her nose turns a gentle shade of pink and she holds her arms out to him. He pales, "Daa" she cries out. Snape looks at Dumbledore with wide eyes and he gestures toward the girl. Snape reaches out gently and picks up the girl. Her arms snake around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. She sobs into his shoulder.

Almost unconsciously he begins rocking back and forth, running his hand gently through her hair. Her forehead burns against the fabric of his robes. "Kathryn, my dear, what has happened."

She lazily opens her eyes, unfocused. "I had a nightmare." she slurs.

"A bad dream, whatever about?" Severus croons. Draco stares at him in shock, having never heard him speak so lovingly to someone.

"You died." She whispers, "So did Harry; and Draco was locked up in chains, being hit and beaten by a horrible shadowy figure. I was all alone, but then Auntie appeared. I was so excited but she looked at me with nothing but disgust. Telling me it was my fault that her family was falling apart, that it was my fault that my mommy is dead and that I am a freak, a disappointment, an embarrassment." The more she speaks the harder she begins to sob. Severus pulls her even closer, horrified by her words. "And now my head hurts and I feel so cold and weak."

Poppy walks over to the two with a clipboard, "From what I can tell, your dream was induced by your fever. You appear to have Ague, which would explain the fever, chills, and sweating. I luckily have just the thing. Rushing to and from her back office she brings a small bright red egg in a frozen bowl. It is about the size of a small snake's egg. "This is an ashwinder egg, if you swallow the whole thing it should help cure you. It has been magically frozen so as to give it its curing properties."

Severus picks up the cold egg and holds it out to Kathryn, she looks at it and picks it up gently. "I have to eat the whole thing?" Severus nods, sighing as she places the egg in her mouth and swallows it quickly. She makes a face but doesn't complain, laying her head back down on Severus's shoulder.

She closes her eyes slowly, feeling safe and warm. "Get some sleep, little flower. I'll still be here when you wake up."