The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

You Won't Lose Me

You Won't Lose Me

James collapsed as though he'd been cut at the knees.

And it was Lily Evans who held him up.

She wrapped her arms around him to help her hold up his weight as he fell and she teetered him back gently 'til he was sitting on a rock, staring ahead numbly. Lily brushed his hair off his forehead and knelt before him, holding his hands together in hers. "James, I'm so sorry," she said lowly, "I know she meant a great deal to you... even after you broke up, she did."

James stared ahead without saying a word. Even Lily Evans's touch couldn't be felt through the fog that had filled him up.

Beside them, Sirius stood hugging his brother as Regulus's cries continued echoing about the chamber. The water was beginning to ripple... he could see it, as though somewhere far, far below the surface an unseen boiling was beginning... a slow simmer... And Sirius squinted around the darkness and he shook his head and he said, "We need to go. I've got a really bad feeling just now."

"A bad feeling?" Lily looked over, "Sirius, of course you've a bad feeling. We're in a horrid cave and we've just learnt one of our mates is ---" she stopped, the word dead seemed harsh, though that's what Maryrose was, she still felt like it wasn't appropriate to say.

Sirius shook his head, "It's different than that. We need to go. Now." He could feel his senses tingling, like the vibration of a bell. He took Regulus and started to turn him toward the door through which they'd come.

"No!" Regulus cried, "No, we can't leave her here!" He pulled away, running for the water,and Sirius leaped at him, his arms catching 'round Regulus, only just before he ran into the water. "I can't leave her body here! I can't! We have to pull her out! We have to take her with us!" he begged, trying to tear off from Sirius, but Sirius held him fast.

"Don't be mad!" Sirius cried.

"I'm not mad! But I'm saving her!" Regulus cried and he grappled against Sirius, finally slipping between his hands, and rushed toward the water, drawing his wand as he went.

"Reg, you can't," Sirius said and he reached for Regulus's wand and Regulus turned on him, leveling the and right into Sirius's face. Sirius held his palms up in surrender and stared at his brother. Regulus lowered the wand and turned back to the water. Sirius grabbed him by the back of the sweater and pulled him back, "Regulus. She's not there, that's not Maryrose. It's a corpse. Maryrose is gone."

James cleared his throat, "Reg's right, Padfoot. We can't just leave her."

Lily looked up at him, "You didn't see it. It's not her, James, it's an inferius."

"An inferius is a dead body reanimated," James said, his voice determined, "Reanimated or not, it's still Maryrose's body. We owe her a proper resting place. She can't rest here. Look at this place! It's horrible! I wouldn't want to be left here."

Lily looked at Sirius, fear in her eyes.

"Prongs..."

"Sirius, she deserves better!" James said passionately, his voice shaking with the emotion of it. He stood up and Lily nervously followed as he walked over the water and he stood there beside Regulus a moment, his eyes on the quietly rippling water and he aimed his wand. "Accio Maryrose," he said.

At first, it didn't seem to be doing anything; the water's surface didn't change at all. They stood there, waiting, and Lily reached out a hand and wrapped it 'round James's to comfort him... Regulus's shoulders fell... and Sirius let out a breath of relief after a moment of holding it, afraid of what might come out of the water. He reached over and took James's shoulder.