Emerald and Hazel

Chapter 18 - The Not So Secret, Sceret

Lily's P.O.V

Just go back to the dorm everything is fine. Just keep walking, don't tell Marlene anything about what just happened, it doesn't matter, you're being ridiculous.

'Lily!' Wow! Seriously? The one person I was trying to avoid ends up being the only person in sight, Marlene.

'Hey.' I say flatly still walking and slowly picking up my speed.

'Are you OK? You seem nervous.'

'What? No I don't! What are you on about Marlene?' I say incredulously.

'Yeah, you're definitely nervous. Tell me.' She grabs my arm so I'm facing her and she crosses her arms across her chest and raises her eyes brows ever so slightly, urging me to go on.

'Nothing.' I say subtly not meeting her eyes.

'You never look me in the eye when you're lying, your conscience gets the better of you. Tell me, now.' Apparently I wasn't so subtle.

'It's not important.' I say hoping that will be the end of the matter... apparently not.

'I don't care, something is bothering you, tell me.' She says again and I'm slowly admitting defeat.

'Why is it so important?' I say as she presses further.

'Because, you're my best friend and something is upsetting you, so tell me now.' She demands and I don't want to keep this to myself if I'm being honest.

'OK,' I sigh and carry on 'I saw James in the library, and when I saw him he looked startled and dropped a load of books he was carrying.'

'Wait, wait. So, James was in the library?' She asks skeptically.

'Yes, anyway he grabbed all of them and left, except he didn't grab all of them - he left one behind accidentally and I grabbed by mistake and the book was on werewolves.'

She waits a few seconds before answering.

'So he was?' She says and confusion is all I think.

'What?'

'James - so he was actually in the library?'

'Yes, I thought we established that.' I say irritably. 'But the book James has left was on werewolves.'

'So? What's so bad about that?'

'You know that night I got attacked? The one where you thought Sirius had, I don't know,  a 'thing' for me?'

She presses her mouth into a thin line of awkwardness and nods.

'Well I actually woke up in the hospital wing that night, but only very shortly, I collapsed again straight afterwards and wasn't sure if it was a dream but now I'm starting to think it's not.'

'What happened?' She asks eagerly and I began to recount the events of that night.

*Flashback*

I can hear muffled voices, but I can't see who is speaking because it's so dark and the voices are so far away.

Footsteps soon follow and it's quiet and still pitch black. It's so boring in the dark, when you're awake but not fully awake, but awake enough to be bored. Like still beyond the veil that ties you to other humans. But your still close enough to know it's there. Like you're hovering in between each.

I can't even read a book!

What a waste of life that would be, a life without books.

Suddenly I feel myself drop, but onto the floor. I don't actually know what I've fallen onto but I'm in the hospital wing and now staring at a blank wall and my joints are stiff and it's lucky I'm in the bed positioned straight bellow the window.