Jily Oneshots (pt2)

Final Careers Advice

It was only when she was sat on a pillow on the floor that she allowed herself to freely sob into a second pillow she was hugging. She was mourning the future she thought she had. Beyond that, she was mourning the loss of world she used to think was indestructible. She used to think if something's magic, surely there's no problems.

Problems in a magic world only exist when the opposition is magic too.

The door opened, and then closed as someone stepped in. Quickly, Lily attempted to stifle her sobs and simultaneously freeze so the new arrival may not see her.

Obviously, this was not a dream world.

"Lily?" The voice, however unwelcome another person should be right now, provided some comfort.

Looking up from the damp pillow, Lily wiped tears from her eyes as she made out a tall figure topped with a mess of black hair standing by the door. Her heart fluttered involuntarily.

"Potter," she said by way of greeting, her voice slightly hoarse. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"McGonagall said you were upset."

Lily looked at him curiously. "She told you?"

"I ran into her," he offered apologetically, turning to leave.

Immediately, Lily regretted her tone, especially once she saw the hurt look flash on his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

A slight smile crossed James' lips and he began slowly crossing the room. "Plus, I'm Head Boy, extremely responsible and all that, the perfect person to console a crying witch," when aforementioned crying witch did nothing but smile sadly, he continued, "and we're friends, right?"

"Yeah, friends. Good friends."

Neither of them mentioned what Lily had come to think of as the 'Astronomy Tower Incident'. At her "friends" agreement, James came to a halt, standing in front of Lily, unsure as how to continue.

"How did you…?" Lily trailed off, eyeing the parchment sticking out of James' robe. "That bloody map."

A chuckle. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about the map. Can I join you?" He asked tentatively.

"Sure. Grab a pillow and join the pity party."

Despite her suggestion, James sat on the floor without a pillow, leaving a wands length worth of space between them. A safe distance. "What's wrong?" he said without hesitation.

Lily, however, did hesitate. "Nothing."

"This doesn't look like nothing." James noted, gesturing at his companion's tear stained face.

Sinking her face into the pillow, Lily mumbled, "You wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't understand?" James repeated indignantly. Softly, he added, "Try me."

Sometimes, she thought, James Potter is completely insufferable, but, other times…

Lifting her head yet again, Lily wiped traces of tears from her face and eyes. She took a deep breath. "All my life I've wanted to be a Healer. Before I even knew about magic, I wanted to be a muggle doctor. Saving lives is all I've ever wanted to do, and I know I can do it. I've got the grades, the ability, the compassion, but I've just been told that I can't make my dream come true."

"Why not?" James frowned. "You're Lily Evans; you can do whatever you want."

Through the tears that had surfaced as she was retelling the story, Lily smiled at the conviction in James' voice. "No, I can't," the smile disappeared, "I'm Lily Evans, mudblood."