Wildest Dreams | A James and Lily Love Story ✅

Chapter Twenty-Four - Better, Definitely Better, Right?

James:

The darkness surrounds me, completely cutting off all of my senses. I float in an abyss of nothing, until I see a bright light shining. I float closer and closer to the golden glow, and I feel a longing to touch it. An angel's voice emits from it, telling me to join her, to come into the light. I smile to myself as I draw nearer, until suddenly something stops me as I am right by that beautiful light.

I pull back. Something tells me to stop, to turn back, to not go into the light. I'm angry at this thing, and yet I obey. I feel as though I am depriving myself of eternal happiness and joy by just floating in this endless pool of black, and I really don't understand what's happening, why I'm not going there. Just as I contemplate nearing the light again, suddenly the darkness surrounding me disappears and I am left with another bright light shining at me, but this one isn't nearly so pleasant.

I feel as though I am underwater. I can't hear anything, nor can I see anything despite this blinding light that hurts my eyes. My skin burns as though it is on fire, and I find myself unable to move, unable to speak. I can faintly hear sighs of relief, and I really don't know what is going on. I close my eyes again, and fall into a deep sleep...

What must be hours later, I wake up to the same blinding light. "Ugh..." I manage to murmur, even that small movement making my face ache. The burning around my body has subsided only slightly, but I'm still in agony. "Potter! Potter!" I hear someone say, and I take a look to see who it was. I can barely see anything due to the fact that I am stuck in a horizontal position, but I do see Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall leaning over me on either side of my bed.

"Thank Merlin he's all right!" Minnie G says, and with that I close my eyes, once again falling asleep.

Lily:

All of us rush into the hospital wing, and see that the curtains surrounding James' bed have been pulled back. Moving more slowly now, we walk towards them and Madam Pomfrey comes out to greet us. "Hello. Mr Potter is doing much better now. He woke up for the first time about eight hours ago, and has fallen in and out of consciousness since then. Currently he is still asleep, though I do believe that it shall not be long until he wakes up again. I was very surprised, I must say, that he actually briefly regained consciousness twice before I performed the counter curse. That shows that he really was fighting. Now, you do have to remember what Professor McGonagall told you all just before you left last night? There is only so much that I can do, only so much I can help him. If somebody feels that pull, we could very easily lose them. I know that it is probably some people's wishes that I don't speak to you so candidly, but I feel that it is only right that you know all of the details. We almost lost him last night. It was just too close. It may be weeks until he is able to remain conscious for any length of time, and possibly months before he is up and about again. I really am not sure about what shall happen, as I have never dealt with anything quite like this before. I have noticed a drastic change in his physical state since the counter curse was performed, and I can only hope that it is just as effective in the long run. Also, this could greatly impact him mentally as well. He may now have more trust issues, more paranoia. This was a very traumatic event, and one that I am not likely to ever forget. There will likely be permanent scarring and, for the first time in my career as a school nurse, am really unsure of the future. We can only hope." Madam Pomfrey says, and I nod at her words, though every doubt she has is only magnified in my brain.

What if he never recovers? What if he develops PTSD from this? What if he is forever bed bound, or can't trust anybody? What if he can never play Quidditch again? That would really break him. James Potter's future is so undecided that I can't bear it.

We all go and sit down in the hospital wing on spare seats that McGonagall brought out of nowhere. We sit there in silence for hours and hours on end, barely moving. We are all completely lost in thought, and mine are filled with worry, and yet happiness that I know that he is alive. James was so, so close to leaving us, leaving me...I can't bear it. I can't believe that Snape did this to him. My childhood best friend...almost a murderer.