Twins: A Different Life Year 1

Chapter 84

She noticed, with surprise, that she could stand rather well and slowly made her way to the bathroom. It was beautiful, just like the bedroom, and despite her wishes, she knew she couldn't have bath just yet for fear of falling asleep in the soothing water. Instead, she washed her face and was surprised to see the remaining bruises fading. She was expecting to look in to the mirror and see her face unrecognizable as she had done so many times before. Lily walked back to the bedroom wincing as her ribs started to protest her movements, she gasped when her leg throbbed and stumbled, she expected a fall but a light, but secure arm caught her. Lily tensed for a second before she registered the concerned eyes of Severus, she smiled slightly and Severus raised an eyebrow.

I needed the bathroom." She explained and Snape frowned slightly but nodded.

"You need to be careful; you are healing." Severus reminded her and aided her back to the bed which had been remade since she had left it.

"I didn't feel too bad." Lily said.

"That is beside the point, you are on bed rest for the next few days for a reason." Severus stated, "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, Severus, Narcissa told me to eat whenever I am hungry." Lily told him, climbing back into bed with a wince.

"I have your next potions." Severus said pulling out 3 phials, one was a pain reliever, one was skele-gro and the final one was one that he had created himself and it sped up muscle growth. He handed her the potions and Lily bit back a grimace as she took the vile tasting liquid. She sighed in relief as the pain vanished from her body and a wave of lethargy hit her.

"Sleep, Lily," Severus instructed noticing her dropping eyes, "You are safe." She didn't need telling twice.

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Hadrian Lupin-Black was in an extremely tight predicament. He had been at war with himself about Lily ever since he had heard from James Potter that she had wanted to collect him after the first month of his abandonment, and that conflict had only grown since he had been watching her over the year. Then she had taken his side in an argument over James and he had witnessed just how low James Potter truly was, it had spurred him in to action for a reason he still couldn't work out. But there was something inside him that refused to allow her to be put through pain when it was him, she was fighting for, even though she was no longer his mother. He had given her the portkey in the hopes that his mind had been blowing things out of proportion, that James had merely overreacted after he disowned himself, but in his gut, he had a sinking feeling; the relief and gratitude in her eyes had told him as much and it had been in the back of his mind since they begun the holidays.

He should have known that after the hearing had gone so well, that there would be repercussions, but he would freely admit when he saw the broken and beaten form of Lily Potter in the entrance hall, he was more than stunned, he was beyond horrific. Narcissa's diagnostic had been like a punch in the stomach for him, not only had she been beaten for many years, dating back to the year he had been given up, but she had been raped. James Potter had raped her on multiple occasions and Hadrian had felt sick, Potter was the lowest, dirtiest from of scum on the earth and if there was any chance Harry didn't hate the man before, he sure as hell did now. She had been through hell, but Harry couldn't help but feel conflicted because despite the fact that she had been fighting for him for a long time, she had originally agreed to give him up.

After the Malfoys had left, Harry had vanished to sort through his thoughts, but he'd had little success so he had decided to throw himself in to his studies. He had gotten the list of potions Lily would need and had added a few tweaks to speed up the process. He wanted her to get better and he wanted to help her, but he didn't know why. He had never had anything but contempt for her and he didn't like the fact that all of his built-up beliefs were changing. He threw himself in to his studies because he knew what he could do with them. He diverted his whirling mind to what was important and holed himself up in the library reading through book after book. It didn't take him long before he had created a potion that worked well for sore throats, he had taken the idea from a skin salve that healed inflammation and worked from that. Harry didn't sleep well at all and he was up and in the library at 3am on the second day of her arrival working on the healing potions for Marvolo's people. It was something that required his full attention and he managed to break down three of the recipes on the potions list.