Chapter Four

Lily could not open her eyes, her senses returned slowly. First she felt the blankets soft and slightly rough from washing so often. Then her hearing returned and she heard voices talking about her.

"I don't understand why she's not waking up!" Severus said angrily. "You canceled the healing trance on both of them over three weeks ago and Harry woke up just fine."

"Magical exhaustion is different than what Harry suffered from." The healer said. "Give it time and perhaps you should go home Sir, staying here won't do anything of use."

"Nothing of use! She's lying there, barely breathing and you tell me to go somewhere else." Severus said.

"Soon she will be transferred to the long term ward, she could snap out of it..." Lily lost the rest of what the healer said, as darkness claimed her once more.

The next time she was aware, was to hear the jabbering of someone, as someone else banged their head repeatedly against a cot. Throughout it all was the sound of Severus' snoring and the babyish sounds Harry made. She felt like she had more strength now, her magic had fully healed itself as she had a spell used to aide in the healing of magical exhaustion. Unfortunately in severe cases, it could last as much as two months. She blinked up at the ceiling stretching her fingers and toes. Her whole body felt incredibly stiff and sore. She sat up slowly and was reassured to see her wand on her bedside table. She was horribly thirsty, but she didn't like the dark circles under Severus' eyes. She cast a silencing spell and wondered briefly why there was no alarm sounding, considering that she was now up. She stood slowly, glad that magical monitors didn't have the wires that muggles did.

She walked through the ward, it was mid afternoon, judging from the sun outside the window, then she saw another patient and gasped. In beds next to each other, lay the Longbottoms. She had been a year behind them in school, but Alice had comforted her after her friendship with Severus had ended. She had been wailing about Severus being her best friend and she had said that they couldn't have been all that great of friends, if he would say such things about her and to her face. Rather than getting furious at her, Lily had seen her point and they had talked together late into the night. The next night was a Friday and so Alice had invited the younger girl into her dorm room. She had bought along her friend Harriet Hodgecome and together they had gossiped late into the night, gushing about the boys they liked and the boys that liked them and playing silly games. They had fallen asleep early that morning with a fast friendship formed between the seven girls. Such a friendship that when Marleen Mcknnon had been accepted into the Unspeakables, she had put Lily and Harriet's name forward as a candidate to join their order and their office. Lily had accepted at once, not knowing that the Unspeakables would become a way of life to her, more than just a job. She had become close to all her co-workers and they had become a sort of second family. A family that shared many secrets, for they could only discuss their projects with other Unspeakables. That family had been there, both when Marleen's family had been murdered and when Lily's own parents had died in a car crash.

The two girls had become closer than ever, suffering from their mutual loss. Together with Harriet they had made many new spells together, so many in fact that He Who Must Not Be Named stated that the Unspeakables were not to be touched, unless in self defense. The letter had come, black and very official stating that as long as they produced thirty new spells a year, he would leave both their families and the Unspeakables alone. That had prompted Lily to join the order, as He Who Must Not Be Named had not promised anything to other Muggleborns. She had become a trusted member in short order and although she did not like the attentions of James Potter anymore than when she was in school, she had put up with them. Now Alice was babbling about something or other and Frank was staring blankly at the ceiling. A mediwitch entered the ward and they both stared at each other.

"Harriet?" Lily demanded and the woman stared at her.

"You're awake." She said and smiled a wide smile. "Hello Lily." She added and the friendship and kindness in those words were plain.

"Were we friends, in this reality?"

"Of course we were friends, I was the one that convinced you to give James a chance, if he ever matured."

"Well that must have been where the split happened, you convinced me of no such thing in my reality. So you are a mediwitch?" Lily asked and Harriet nodded.

"Yes I'm given the difficult cases." Harriet said.

"So you never were asked to join the Unspeakables?" Lily asked and Harriet's eyes widened.

"No, I wasn't." Harriet said and Lily nodded.

"Now I remember, it must have been that prank we pulled on James and his friends in sixth year with Marleen that most likely drew the notice of the Unspeakables." Lily said and Harriet looked down. "She's...gone then?" Lily asked and Harriet nodded.

"She was killed with the rest of her family." Harriet said and Lily nodded.

"She survived in my reality, we were the best spell makers the Unspeakables had." Lily said proudly. "Actually there's some patents that I'd like to file with you. How long have I been asleep"

"I never did that work though, you have been in hospital for the past two months." Harriet said. "You shouldn't be up."

"I don't like to quibble semantics, especially when a unbreakable vow is involved. As the spells hold true, I can only imagine that the vows I swore are valid as well. As for my being up, I use a spell that is particularly helpful in regards to magical exhaustion. A spell that Unspeakables have cast upon them once they join."

"So you have to work for the Unspeakables?"

"They would not make anyone swear that, what if you were fired? Then you would loose your magic, simply because they fired you. Or if you wanted to quit, the forced work of wizards and witches has been outlawed since the fourteenth century." Lily stated and Harriet nodded.

"So I became an Unspeakable, I had thought about it, but the letter never came, where as I was accepted here."

"We were a great team." Lily said smiling at the memory. "Though occasionally we'd decide to make spells and do research on our own interests."

"Mrs. Hodgecome please come to the Ministry of Magic, there's been an accident on the Unspeakable floor." A howler interrupted them and Harriet smiled at Lily.

"Would you like to come along?" Harriet asked and Lily nodded, she cast the sleeping spell on Severus and Harry, she then wrote a quick note to Severus and turned to Harriet.

"You cast diagnosis spells on me, didn't you?"

"Yes and your cleared to leave." Harriet replied and Lily nodded, she cast moblicorpus on Severus and Harry, before going over to the floo and taking them home. Rather than try to navigate the stairs, she instead laid Severus on the couch and Harry fit quite easily into the armchair. She looked once more at their sleeping faces, before she apparated to the lower levels of the ministry. She stared at the unconscious witch and wizard. At Marleen Mckinnon and smiled, her friend had decided to do as Lily had done and make her way to another reality.

Harriet was caring for both the wizard who Lily now recognized as her mentor within the order of Unspeakables, though he seemed to be better cared for in this reality. Perhaps his wife was still alive then, as he'd not stopped truly caring for himself until after she was killed. Lily, Marleen and Harriet made sure that he ate and actually slept, but beyond that he was too lost in his pain and grief to do much.

"She came out of the portal as Jameson was going to run some tests upon it. They crashed right into each other and smacked their heads right good on the concrete." Harriet nodded and continued to work on both of them, until finally Marleen stirred and Lily rushed to her.

"Marie! Marie are you alright?" Lily demanded and Marleen looked slightly dazed, as she smiled up at Lily.

"I wanted to follow you, I thought maybe wherever you went, and my family would still be alive there." Marleen said.

"I'm sorry Marleen, but they aren't." Lily said and Marleen nodded.

"I see, well I'm not trying that again." Marleen said and Lily laughed, hugging Marleen.

"I wouldn't suggest it, I'm not going back even if it was possible."

"I see and you've joined the Unspeakables?" Marleen asked.

"Actually I haven't, I decided that my work would be better in the private sector, though the Lily in this dimension has a small son, so I won't be doing quite the same spells." Lily said and Marleen nodded.

"It makes sense, perhaps we could partner?" Marleen asked and Lily grinned.

"I'd love that." Lily said. "So they will be alright?"

"Fine, it was a nasty knock to the head, so I'd like to take them in for monitoring overnight, but they should be fine." Harriet said and Lily nodded, they went back to the hospital together and Marleen turned to Lily.

"Can you file our patents?" She asked and Lily grinned.

"Of course, though Harriet is being stubborn."

"When isn't she?" Marleen said and Harriet glared at her.

"I'm not taking what I haven't earned."

"But we can't file it without you, it would be one thing if you were dead, but you aren't. In order to file a third of our work, we need you to agree to have your name on the patent." Marleen stated and Harriet stared at them.

"Alright, you can file my work then." Harriet said and both witches nodded. "But I'm not quitting my job, to see you tinker with spells."

"We wouldn't expect you to." Lily said kindly. "You are needed here." She added and Harriet nodded, she then went to the patent office and wrote down the spell laying work she'd done with Harriet and Marleen. She finished and passed the book to the patent office clerk. Now each time someone used the spell she'd created she'd receive a knut and three knuts for her own work. She had made it so that the Ministry and Mungos could use her spells, though she would get a percentage of anything created by them and shared first rights to use them with those that had created the spells with her. She went to Gringotts and was astonished at how large her bank account already was. She had a small pile of gold glimmering in the torchlight.

"We have deducted the amount you borrowed." The goblins said and Lily nodded. The patent on spells lasted for a hundred years, after that the spells became communal property. Ministry officials, or healers often used newer spells. The Ministry paid the fee when it was used either in the Ministry, or Saint Mungos. Private citizens could use the spells as well, as long as they were willing to pay the fees of patented spells. Most never bothered to get their spells patented, as most weren't spell casters. There were also those that the Unspeakables worked with on a contract bases. Lily took out a bag and cast a two directional spell, which made gold always go from her vault to her bag, replacing the galleons as they were used. She also cast a spell that ensured that the bag would only open to her magical core. "I will need a monthly balance upon my account, sent by owl, what is the current balance?"

"Five hundred galleons, three hundred sickles and twenty seven knuts. We assumed that you would prefer that your funds be changed from the lowest denomination to the highest, as you earn more. What did you do to the bag?"

"That's fine, as for the bag, I made it refill automatically with galleons as I spend them." Lily said and the goblin nodded.

"We might be interested in setting up a trade."

"If I were to sell these bags, it would be in my own shop. I'm tired of having others profit from my work." She then turned around and left her vault then and picked up a self-updating ledger, before apparating back to the house. Lily then sent out several letters to those she knew had been asked to work for the Unspeakables. Of the four letters she sent, only Pandora Lovegood responded, saying that she would be willing to meet with both Marleen and Lily when Marleen left the hospital. After that she took Harry into her arms and walked around looking at what if anything Severus had purchased. There was only baby food in the cupboard, mostly applesauce and soft pastas. It was clear that Severus hadn't been caring for himself properly. Still Harry looked a lot healthier than he had, before she'd succumbed to her bout of magical exhaustion.

Lily smiled at the little boy and looked around, finding that the crib was set up, but there was still no pram, or anything other than the formula and the few toys the boy owned. She apparated to Diagon Alley and walked to the toy store.

She shifted Harry in her arms, as she walked down the isles. "He's gone down for his nap then?" A Indian woman holding two children that looked about Harry's age greeted her. "It seems when the first nods off, the second wakes up." She shook her head and the little girls both smiled at Lily, before saying something to their mother, who responded to them. "We're teaching them Hindi first, we want them to know where their family is from."

"They are adorable, what are their names?"

"Padma and Pavarti." The woman responded. "I am Lakshmi."

"Its nice to meet you." Lily said and smiled. "I'm picking up a pram for Harry and a few toys, once he wakes up." Lily said and shifted Harry in her arms slightly, as he drooled into her shoulder.

"I could help you look."

"Thank you." Lily said and they went together to look at the prams, she decided on which one she wanted and got the store manager to put it up front for her. She then woke Harry and smiled down at the child.

"Mama, no nap more?" Harry demanded.

"I'm done napping for now." Lily said and set Harry down among the toys, which were open for children to play with. Harry went over to a stuffed dragon and started making roaring noises. Lily smiled and grabbed another stuffed toy playing with Harry. Harry lost interest in the game and started building a tower with the blocks. He giggled as it crashed down and Lily smiled, watching him as she looked at picture books. One was called The Boy Who Lived and Lily frowned, she read the book and it was about a little boy who did impossible magic, even though he was a baby. Still there was freedom of press and people had the freedom to write what they wanted. It bothered her however, that this book depicted Harry as a magical wonder, rather than the little boy he was. She watched him as she looked through the other picture books, settling on ten she liked the best. She also bought the blocks, stuffed dragon and a no mess paint set, which would only paint on the special paper that was included with it.

She brought the supplies up to the front and paid for what she had bought. She then put Harry into the pram and set everything but the dragon in the extended space below the pram. She pushed Harry to the craft shop up the street next and bought a bolt of black velvet fabric, as well as a bolt of black silk and cotton, as well as a sewing machine. She then walked to Fortescues and strapped Harry into a highchair, before looking at both menus. She ordered a burger for Harry and herself and cut it up for the boy, when it came. He looked upset when she started to put the dragon back in the pram while he ate. "Why doesn't Scales sit over here, you don't want him getting dirty after all." Lily said and smiled as Harry grabbed the burger and shoved it into his mouth. Lily ate her own lunch, watching Harry as she did and enjoying the day. When they had finished lunch, she bought a Sunday and fed spoonfuls of it to Harry, as she ate it. After she finished, she paid and stood from the table. She bought floo powder and went back to Severus' place.

She found Severus snoring loudly on the couch and put Harry in his crib, as she sewed bags for several hours. She then added the spells to them and put color changing charms on them. After that she tidied away the supplies and ate dinner with Harry. She then put Harry in his crib and sang him a lullaby, she watched as he fell asleep and smiled at the little boy. She then placed a silencing spell over him and kissed his forehead gently, before going back to her sewing project. She worked until ten, before she recast the spell on Severus and levitated him up the stairs, taking him to his room. She went back for Harry and settled his crib in the same room. She then climbed into bed, wrapping her arms around Severus and fell asleep.