Elizabeth Lily Potter: The Girl Who Lived

Chapter 3: Love

And so, for the rest of the day, Harry and I worked quickly and quietly. For the most part, our chores kept us separate, but at one point, we were both together outside. I was watering the garden while Harry was pushing the lawnmower (which is almost too heavy for him to move) across the backyard.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him glancing over at me and opening and closing his mouth, trying to work up the courage to say something. When he passed by me again, he said my name, loud enough for me to hear over the lawnmower, but quiet enough so that no one else could.

He put his hand on my shoulder and I turned around. Looking at my surroundings quickly, to make sure that we weren't being watched, I quickly said to him, "Later Harry, all right?" and gave a comforting smile to reassure him. Harry nodded and got back to work.

Thankfully, this was the first time we'd been together since the incident in the kitchen, so Harry never got to see my injuries. Soon after the fight, I'd been cleaning the bathroom and had managed to take a minute to look myself over.

Cleaning off my arms and hands, I saw that I had stopped bleeding, except for a couple deeper cuts. I put pressure on those few spots until they stopped too. Holding a hand mirror behind my head, I looked at the wall mirror in front of me, trying to see the spot where I'd hit my head on the kitchen cabinet. Thankfully, I wasn't bleeding. I did have a decent-sized bump though, but I could live with that.

But I knew that I was wasting time, and had no choice but to stop and get back to cleaning. If I took too long, I'd be hit again, and that was something that I really wanted to avoid. I picked up my bucket, and walked out of the bathroom, head held high, refusing to let today's events break my spirit.

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It's around 10 o'clock at night, based on the hall clock that I can see through the grate on the door of the cupboard under the stairs. Thankfully, other than the morning incident, today had passed relatively normally.

Aunt Petunia was at Mrs. Number 5's house for most of the day, along with the women from Numbers 8, 11, and 14 Privet Drive. Dudley went to tea at Peter Polkiss' house. At least, that's what the Dursleys thought. In reality, Dudley and his little gang went around the neighborhood, terrorizing the other children in the park. And Uncle Vernon had stayed home, alternating between sleeping, eating, and watching the telly. Now they were all asleep upstairs, content in their own beds.

I turned around and saw Harry on his cot, looking at me expectantly. I nodded, to show that he could speak. "Yes, buddy?"

"Are you okay?" He asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course I am!" I answered, snuggling up next to him, putting my arm around him and letting him rest his head on my shoulder.

"I mean it Elizabeth, what happened?"

"Nothing extreme, Harry. Couple cuts on my arms and hands from the glass," I said as I showed him my already-healing skin, "a bruise, and a bump on my head. That's it."

"And your cheek?"

That kid is so observant, I swear to God, I thought to myself, shaking my head. "Just a slap, you can barely see it now though." Seeing him raise his eyebrows, I sighed and continue. "Fine, the cut on my cheek is from Uncle Vernon's wedding band. Now I really mean it: that's it, okay?"

Our eyes met and he saw the sincerity in mine as he nodded. He looked down at his feet, and we sat in silence for a few minutes.

Finally, Harry spoke again. "I'm sorry," he choked out as his voice cracks. "It's all my fault."

I tilted his head up and I saw the tears welling up in his eyes. I hugged him tightly, trying to hush him while rubbing his back. "It's not your fault, Harry. It's okay. Shhhh. Hush now, buddy. Everything is okay." I felt the warm tears landing on the back of my shirt. Slowly, they got less and less frequent, until they stopped altogether.

We broke apart and held hands as he continued to talk, minus the tears. "If I hadn't been clumsy, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Now Harry, listen to me. It's not your fault. Everyone makes mistakes, okay? You just dropped a glass. It's not the end of the world, all right?"

"But why did you send me into the garden? Why did you take blame instead of me? I'm the one who broke the glass. It should have been me who got hit, not you!"

"Because Harry, I am your big sister. Big sisters always look out for little brothers."

He mutters, "You're only twelve minutes older than me."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "It doesn't matter! I'm still older! I will always protect you, do you understand? I will always keep you safe. Never forget that.

"Now come on Harry, let's get to bed." I took off his glasses and set them down, before giving him a last hug and a kiss on the cheek. He lay down and I covered him with the sheet, before I lay down beside him.

"Good night Elizabeth."

"Good night Harry."

He took my hand and I heard him say, "I love you."

His breathing became slower and deeper as I respond. Rubbing the back of his hand, not even sure if he could still hear me, I smiled and whispered back, "I love you too, Harry. More than you will ever know."

I lay there in silence, listening to his even breathing and feeling his pulse beating in his hand, matching perfectly with mine. Everything was peaceful as I drifted off to sleep, still holding his hand. Together, no matter what.

Do you all like it so far? I'll definitely update more today, since it's my first full day of winter break!!! Yay! Also, I'd like to thank @koala_girl_02 for voting for this story! I've never gotten any votes before, and I really appreciate it!! Love you all! Don't forget to comment if you have any suggestions, questions or anything else!