Forever and Always

by Abstract Angel

You had no fear, no worry in the world. Life was simple, black and white. There was me and there was you and that was all we’d ever need. There was no gray, no doubt.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this one...I think Lily's character might be a little too fierce, but I hope you like it anyways! :)

Read and review! XoX

Thanks, J.K Rowling, for the awesome characters that inspired this.

Tell me that you love me.

Tell me that you love me unconditionally – despite everything else that may try to separate us. Tell me that you'll always be there for me, even in the middle of the night or in the middle of the war. Tell me that you're going to be my hero – and tell me that we'll be safe together.

I wish it were possible for you to be able to tell me this like you used to, with firm conviction and no hesitation. You can't be confident that we'll always be together. I want you to whisper it into my ear, against my neck, with fire in your voice and passion and determination in your eyes. I want it to be possible for this war to be over.

But I know it's not – nothing is certain, especially not now. Not with Voldemort rising every day – not with his Death Eaters raiding the streets and killing Muggles and blood traitors constantly. Not with the impending burden of death hanging over us.

Not while I know we might not survive.

Sometimes, I wonder if maybe it would be better if we never even met. If I hadn't become a witch, and you lived your life protected by your pure-blood status, untainted by a filthy Muggle-born's curse. If I rejected my Hogwarts letter, rejected what I am, and died with my parents that fateful night when Voldemort came knocking. If we weren't so heavily involved in the Order of the Phoenix.

But what kind of life would that be? A life of defeat? A life of bitter regret, never knowing what was missing? A life spent wasting away, untested and resentful? Sitting back and allowing others to protect us from danger, like the children we never got to be?

Despite the fact that we might die, I wouldn't give up our time together for anything. To be honest, I would rather die than never have met you. And not fighting – it's not even an option. We're not Gryffindors for nothing, you know. We've always been the role models for the younger students – we're everything Gryffindors should be. Proud. Brave. Reckless. Passionate. We are defined by these emotions, and that's part of what makes us so volatile.

It's what makes us the best fighters the Order has seen in a long time. We're willing to die for what we believe in. It's always been this way, except before we didn't know what to believe.

Now that we do, we're not going to stop. It's always been you and me, against the world – except now, we've got to protect others, and it's a hell of a lot harder than I would've thought.

When we would practice duelling in school, hidden behind magical barriers, safe and sound in Dumbledore's care - I used to love to see you fight. I thought it was beautiful, to watch your muscles bunch and expand to save your life, to see your face light up as you succeeded, to hear your curses whistle through the air, deadly and strong, just like you. I loved it, every second of it, and I had no doubt that you'd survive. How could you not? You were always so vital, so strong and fierce and alive. You had no fear, no worry in the world. Life was simple, black and white. There was me and there was you and that was all we'd ever need. There was no gray, no doubt.

I was both your strength and your weakness – it was because of me that you fought, but you would have died to protect me. We're stronger when we're together.

Whenever I imagined a war, I always imagined it as I would see it in Muggles films – two orderly processions, meeting with a clash in the middle of some tidy little field. I imagined time slowing down to a halt – every little motion of my fellow Order members detectable and heroic. I imagined myself conquering countless enemies, my hair perfect and my smile like a fallen angel's.

Real war is nothing like that. Half the time I couldn't even see for the sweat and blood – and the other half of the time I didn't want to see. I didn't want to see my friends get cut down, one by one. I didn't want to see you fighting an endless amount of hooded men, five times your size. I didn't want to see Voldemort descending into the fight, a cruel smile flickering across his cement-gray face. I hated it. And time does not slow down – if anything, it speeds up and you have to keep up – or you die.

It's almost worth it when we see the fear in their eyes, the hesitation in their faces. You and I make an intimidating team, the fire we consume crackling around us. James Potter and Lily Evans, the catalyst who end the world with a single kiss. It's always been this way, you know. Even when we fought in school, it was inevitable that one day we would end up together, because no one else could handle us. In some ways, this war is a blessing – because if it was just you and me, the whole bloody world would perish in the flames of our love.

You're the only reason I didn't snap.

You've always been my determination, my angel. Without you, I wouldn't be half the fighter I am – it's because of you that I'm invulnerable, strong and deadly.

You're the only reason I keep on fighting, even when the shadows cover the sun and I can't see because it's so dark. You're my light; the reason I don't give up.

James Potter and Lily Evans, the sun and the sky, the fighters who refuse to back down. We're famous – well-known for our devotion to Dumbledore. We represent everything that's worth fighting for – love, light, happiness, fire, passion, brilliancy. Together we will hold the darkness at bay, at least for a little while.

When the world goes dark, you and I will be standing tall and bright. It's always been this way.