The Corpse That Lived.

Chapter 12

Four weeks, Lily thought miserably as she scrubbed at her counters - the Muggle way, to relieve her anxiety. Four weeks since they had found Dahlia, Four weeks since James was last home, four weeks since she had laid eyes on the one thing she had missed the most. It seemed impossible that such a miracle had brought so much sadness, and yet a month ago, she had a family, had a husband, had someone beside her in bed each night. Now there was silence and guilt and ever-increasing fear.

What if James never came home? What if Dahlia never came home? How could she live with the knowledge that Dahlia wanted nothing to do with her? How could she accept that she was alive and well but still apart from her?"

Lily spent a nearly silent weekend at home with Hyacinth. Her usually vivacious, talkative, forgiving little girl had shut herself in her room and refused to come out, opening the door only so that Lily could hand her a plate to eat. Lily had desperately hoped Hyacinth's teenage hormones would not emerge in full for a few years yet, but it seemed she was starting early as she pouted and sulked and refused Lily's every attempt to cajole her into a walk or a cup of cocoa or a show on the Wireless.

By now, Lily was very seriously considering shouting at her. Didn't she know Lily was doing her best? How could it be her fault that James was gone? Or that Dahlia refused to see them? Had she any idea how all of this was torturing her mum?

'No, of course not', a little voice in the back of her head reminded her. Hyacinth might be a sweet and perceptive child, but she was still a child, and she couldn't possibly fathom how it felt for a parent to see her children in pain and be so helpless to stop it.

On Sunday morning, a sheepish Hyacinth finally emerged from her room and quietly requested to bake biscuits. Normally Lily would have railed at her and demanded an explanation for her abysmal behaviour this weekend, but instead, she nodded silently and pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter's head.

"I want to send these to Dahlia," Hyacinth announced when they pulled the first tray out of the oven.

"Oh Hyacinth," she sighed. "I'm not sure-"

"Is she mad at me?"

"No, Love, of course not," she shook her head quickly.

"Well, I'm mad at her, I'd like to tell her a few thing"

Lily reeled back shocked at her words, "Hyacinth! How could you say that?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Dad left because of her anger. Because you keep defending her."  Hyacinth's brown eyes so much like James's burned with accusation.

Lily shot to her feet, her heart pounding. "Your dad went, Hyacinth. That was his choice. Dahlia is just a child—she's hurting, not destroying us." Lily took a deep breath trying to calm her emotions.

"Dahlia isn't truly mad at anyone, I don't think. She is just so terribly confused, and we have to remember that she's had no one there for her all this time."

"No one?" Hyacinth asked mournfully, her eyes dripping with sympathy. Lily wrapped her daughter up in a tight hug and tried to find it in her to be grateful that one of her children had grown up safe, secure, and fully aware of how much she was loved.

"She needs more time, Cindy ," she whispered. "You'll see. Everything is going to be all right."

"What about Daddy?"

Lily had to try very hard to fight back the tears. She feared she might drown herself in her sadness.

"Someday, you're going to understand how much it hurts us when one of you is hurting. Your dad is having a hard time letting it go this time, and I think he's convinced himself he ought to stay for our own good."