Chosen?

Chapter 25: End of Fourth Year

“Lily dear, it’s time to go home.” I heard my mother’s voice distantly, “I brought you some clothes to change into,” my eyelids fluttered open and landed on my mother who was sitting in front of me. “Good morning dear,” her smile was soft, “I brought you some clothes and tea, your brothers are in charge of making breakfast for when we return home. Your father is speaking to the healers now,” I blinked twice and nodded though I didn’t understand a bit of what she had just told me.

“I’ll let you get dressed while I go get the discharge papers,” my mother smiled and slowly walked to the door, “Do be careful of your bandages, dear.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and changed into the clothes that my mother had brought for me to wear home, a pair of old jeans and my emerald green Weasley sweater with a golden L on it. I slowly took the hospital gown off and saw the bandages for the first time. There was some padding on my right side that I could only feel, there was a large tan colored bandage that wrapped all the way up and around my torso. It was wrapped quite tightly and layered too which made movement from my shoulders to my waist almost impossible. I slid the baggy sweater over my head, careful to not snag the knit of the tightly wrapped bandage. 

I smoothed out the sweater, the glimmering golden thread that made the L on my chest shining from the light from the window reflecting off my face. I heard a knock on the door and turned around expecting to see my mother. I instead met eyes with Draco Malfoy. He cleared his throat, “May I come in?” I nodded.

“I was just discharged…” his voice trailed off, “I wanted to thank you, Lily.”

I smiled and shook my head, “there isn’t anything for you to thank me for, Mr. Malfoy.”

“I see that there is,” he paused, “Lily, thank you for saving me, you chose to do that and I am forever in debt to you for that,” Draco seemed to think over what he was going to say next. “I also would like to thank you for being such a good influence for my son. I’m glad that he is in love with someone like you.”

I glanced at the floor, “um… Thank you, he really is a remarkable man,” I said.

Draco nodded, “Indeed he is… Well, I better be going,” Draco walked back towards the door, “Thank you again, Lily.” 

Draco left only a moment before my mother came back with the papers, “You ready?” she asked and I nodded in reply. 

**********

“Lily! What was-“

“Do you have any comment on how-“ 

“How did you first discover-“

“What can you tell us about-“

“If there was one tip you’d give to-“

“What did you feel when-“

“Are you able to-“

“When did you first-“

“Lily, what was it like to be-“

“If you could go back-“

A million questions were being pelted at me all at once and I had no idea what to do, I didn’t want this attention, I just wanted to be home. “Mum, what’s going on?” I whispered in her ear as we neared the exit of the hospital lobby.

“Just push through them, Lily. You’ll be okay,” my mother replied.

My father cleared his throat and silence fell over the crowd of flashing cameras and enchanted quill, “Please, no questions at the moment.”