The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

After All This Time

After All This Time

The sun went down as James led Lily across the grounds from the pitch, down the sloping hill toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He purposely brought her down past Hagrid's hut, between the paddocks and the green houses 'round back of the castle. It was the way that she usually took when she went down to the forest to visit the stag. They slid down the last few steps and reached the edge of the bracken. The moonlight shone overhead and James paused there, staring off across the grounds to the silhouette of the Whomping Willow, far off from where they were going into the trees. He thought of Remus changing - of Sirius and Peter, probably wondering where he was, and he hoped Sirius wasn't too pissed off at him for not coming back like he'd promised. He wasn't too worried - deep down, he knew Sirius would understand once he heard what happened...

He led her through the trees in silence, taking hold of her hand to guide her 'round some low roots... reaching out an arm to hold aside branches for her, and holding her steady over a low slope, coming out to the clearing in the Forest trees...

Lily knew this clearing all too well.

She looked at James with wide green eyes. "Potter," she whispered, "Did Remus Lupin... did he tell you about this place?" A chill of betrayal was running up her spine at the thought of it.

"No," James answered levelly. "Remus did not tell me about this place."

Lily took a couple steps past him, toward the log where she usually sat to wait for the stag, and she stood there for a few moments in the moonlight, staring off into the dark of the trees. "So it's just a coincidence that you took me to this particular clearing?" she asked.

James didn't answer.

She turned around.

There, behind her... where James Potter had been just a moment before... stood the stag.

Lily stood, absolutely breathless, staring at him, at his thick antlers and leathery nose. He huffed and his breath came out in thick white clouds before his muzzle in the chill air, honking in his throat... She found herself compelled to take a step backward and she opened her mouth in disbelief, a small squeak of surprise pinching itself from her lungs. Lily's eyes were as wide as they could be.

The stag took a step toward her and she took another step back. Her mind couldn't wrap around what was happening, couldn't digest the meaning of it. James was there... and now... her stag... but James had been there.... But the stag was... and James... it wasn't possible... not her stag... not ... not James Potter, anyone but James Potter... not her sag.

Lily felt like she'd been gutted.

Lily was taking great gasps of breath, too much oxygen to her brain, she was dizzy, the forest was spinning, and everything sort of darkened around the edges...

She fell to her knees in the bracken and the stag hurriedly stepped forward and then, before her very eyes, even as she stared in disbelief, choking over the realization that was drowning her mind, she watched as the stag - her bloody, precious, wonderful, beautiful stag - melted away, stepping toward her, falling from his four legs onto two, until it was James Potter, rushing forward as the world spun... and she lost her balance and he fell... losing her consciousness...

James caught her, the weight of her falling directly into his arms. "Evans," he breathed, pulling her into him so that he was holding her gently in his arms, her head cupped by his biceps as he supported her, her dark ginger hair framing her face, her eyelids fluttering as she came to. He stared down at her, his heart racing in worry so hard that she could actually hear it. "Hey... hey shhh... shhh. Are you alright?"