Different people deal with death in different ways.
Lily immediately broke down in tears. Sobs racked her body as she clung to James, wrapping her arms around him tightly and burying her face into the soft material of his robes. Her chest heaved up and down, and she took deep breaths, trying to steady herself, but the tears wouldn't stop.
James did not cry. He was sad, he knew—the kind of sadness that could not really be explained, just felt. It came from Lily, but hit him too. He told himself he was in a state of shock. He wanted to cry, he really did. He wanted to retreat into a dark corner and feel tears dripping down his face. He wanted to show his grief in some way, but he didn't know how.
All he could do was pull Lily closer to him and rest his chin on her head, fitting their bodies together like some absurd puzzle piece. The witch's tears felt warm on his chest, and he scrunched up his eyes, almost begging the tears to fall, but they never did. So he just clung to his girlfriend tightly, holding Lily like she was the only thing that mattered.
At last, they broke apart. James looked down at Lily, who was wiping her mascara-smudged eyes with the back of her hand. He felt like he should say something.
"I'm so sorry, Lil." It wasn't enough, but what else could he say?
"T-thanks," said Lily, sitting up slowly and positioning herself so she could look at his face. "Oh, I got your clothes all wet." She pointed to James' chest, where the front of his robes were covered in her tears.
"I have more," said James.
Lily smiled wryly, but it quickly faded. She let out a shaky sigh. "You know, h-he was the only person in my family who ever r-really talked to me about m-magic. My mother, m-my sister… They acted l-like it was something to be a-ashamed of. But he…he didn't treat me any differently when he f-found out. And now he's gone and- and what am I s-supposed to do?"
James lifted up her chin, making her meet his eyes. "Lily, you just have to live."
Her brow furrowed. "What d'you mean?"
James ran his fingers through his hair, almost subconsciously. "Well, I mean, people always say that after…you know, someone dies… life goes on. They make it seem like it's, I don't know, inevitable, like you can't choose it. But really, life doesn't go on unless you make it. You're in charge of what's going to happen to you, and you make your own choices. You choose to continue your life. And really, you have to, because no one's going to do it for you."
Lily paused, and for a moment James was afraid he'd said something wrong. Then the witch stared up at him, her green eyes still watery. "I have to say, Potter, you really do have a way with words."
The corner of James' mouth twitched. "Nah, I just like hearing the sound of my own voice, is all."
Lily smiled for real this time. Then she turned herself around so her back was resting against James' chest, her arms folded up and her head bowed. He pulled her closer into him, kissed the top of her head softly, and closed his eyes. The two griffindors stayed like that until the sun rose, when they had to return to the real world once again.