16.

"Together or not at all."

The whisper was pulled from the depth of her mind. Lily looked up from her son Harry's crib, hearing James' limp body fall to the floor beneath them. Harry was crying and Lily wished that she could cry too but the tears weren't possible, she was so far gone she wasn't sure she'd ever cry again. She could hear the footsteps coming up the stairs and a dry and aching sob raced through her throat.

Lily Evans Potter had bravely faced so many dangers in the last four years that she had never imagined she'd sink to her knees the day she faced the darkest wizard of them all. She had never imagined that she'd live on a planet without James Potter. She had never imagined James wouldn't come running up those stairs behind Voldemort, branding his wand to save his wife and son.

She never imagined fate would be so cruel to bring them together as soulmates, only to rip them apart.

Voldemort entered Harry's nursery, wand pointed at Lily's crumpled form on the floor. Lily struggled to stand over the crib, throwing her arms out, wishing she hadn't left her wand downstairs in the panic. Harry had his father's black hair, it was sticking up every which way, and another sob made it's way through her body as she imagined James, lifeless downstairs.

Together or not at all.

"Please." Lily never imagined she'd beg in the face of darkness, "Not Harry! Please—I'll do anything!"

"Stand aside, foolish girl!"

"Not Harry!" Lily begged the cruel wizard.

Voldemort had forced the Potter's into hiding for the past year. In the last couple of months he specifically sought to kill James and Lily's son. He was a man who was so deep into darkness that he believed their child, a child conceived by pure love, would be his downfall all because one of his servant's had heard a prophecy about a boy born at the end of July. Voldemort believed that Harry, who was the perfect mix of his parents, was destined to bring him down.

"Please! Have mercy!"

She knew it was over for her the moment Voldemort arched his wand. Lily looked right at Voldemort, prepared to die, for Harry, in hopes that old Professor Pigeon hadn't been wrong and love would be her most powerful weapon. Perhaps, somehow, Harry would make it out of the attack alive.

Lily clamped her eyes shut.

Lily remembered what it was like to love her best friend and have her best friend love her back unconditionally.

Lily remembered her patronus dancing with James' in Flitwick's classroom when they were seventeen.

Lily remembered James kissing her beneath the stars at their wedding on the 22nd of November.

Lily remembered Harry riding on his first broomstick and scaring the cat under the couch for weeks.

Lily remembered every single I love you that James told them while wrapped up in blankets.

Lily remembered James' eyes, so hazel, now shut to the world forever.

There was a flash of green beyond her eyelids and for a moment Lily was thankful that fate was at least being kind, it wouldn't make her remain alive without James any longer.

Yeah so this is just because I have no chill and it's technically "canon" so if you read this you can't be mad at me, I warned you. Let me know if I owe you a box of tissues.

THANK YOU for sticking through the ups and downs of this story with me. You are all the greatest friends. Don't be strangers.

xxx

petals