Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. Inspired by A thousand Years by Christina Perri
A thousand years
Lily Evans had never noticed the sound of her own footsteps as clearly before. Then again, she had probably never heard such deafening silence before. It was only dawn, yet here she was, skidding to halt in front of the Hospital Wing, greeted by a very familiar face hosting a very unfamiliar expression.
She could feel her heart racing inside her, it had been a long run from the Gryffindor Common Room.
Sirius Black couldn't have cared less about her existence than he did in that moment. Through the little amount of light in the room, she saw him staring ahead, barely blinking. Lily moved her eyes to follow his gaze but before she could reach it, something else caught her attention.
A flash of green and silver on the opposite side of the room.
"You're a witch"
"No, it doesn't matter if you're muggle-born.."
"You're my best friend"
"Who asked for your help, you filthy mudblood"
Surrounded by a gang of potential murderers, lied her former best friend. The one who had promised to always be there for her, the one she had always made excuses for.
Watery emerald eyes met droopy black ones, and she almost took a step towards him. Almost.
A person stirred on a nearby bed and she was pulled out of her reverie to realise that three pairs of cold eyes were fixed on her, disgust evident on the faces they belonged to.
She turned away. The past was past and it just wasn't worth it anymore. And though she'd never admit it to anyone, she was more than a little scared.
It was Remus who had stirred a little in his sleep, presumably potion-induced. He looked worse than she'd ever seen him after a transformation. Lily Evans was no fool, she had figured out his secret long ago. One could only have as many sick aunts.
Lily walked over to his bed, picked up a spare bit of parchment and transformed it into a single lily. As always.
She turned to leave.
She saw him standing at a window, not far from Remus' bed. He had his back to her and made no sign of acknowledging her or anyone else in the room. Lily realised that Sirius had been staring at him all this time, some very obvious tension between them.
He was no longer that boy who annoyed and bullied. He was that friend who saved her dessert and helped her in Transfiguration.
He didn't ask her out anymore, but Lily knew it was just his newfound self control.
The worst guarded "secret" of Hogwarts was James Potter's feelings for Lily Evans. The best guarded secret was Lily Evans' feelings for James Potter.
He was holding the window sill, head bowed, in yesterday's filthy robes. Even without looking at his face, Lily could tell he was in deep thought. And though it seemed like the most inappropriate moment, she felt like telling him how she felt. That she was there for him, no matter what.
She took a step closer, half hoping that he would turn around and give her his signature smile, reassuring her that he was alright. But he didn't. She realised that she would have to go through the rest of it alone, he had walked his share. It was her turn now.
Dumbledore had told her that it was bad, that Severus could've been killed and that Remus almost had been. She knew it would break him if something happened to his friend, he was only seventeen. But he had acted beyond his years and saved Sev when he had every reason not to.
She was scared, but then, so was he.
All through her time of knowing him, hating and loving him, she had never seen him scared. Or broken. He was the light that lit up the room every time he walked in. Probably because he realised how dark these times truly were. And for some, like Lily and Remus, the future was lost. So he made extra efforts.
And now she wanted to make that extra effort for him, fuel the fire that makes him who he is.
Lily took another step, standing right next to him, keeping her distance. With his head bowed and eyes closed, he could've been asleep if he wasn't standing and his brows weren't creased. Deep thought, like she had imagined. He took a deep breath, his body stiffened. And just like that, he knew she was there. His knuckles turned white as his grip on the window frame tightened.
He opened his eyes and stared at the, now early morning, sky. He then turned around to look at her, while she had been studying his face all this time. Dirt and sweat stained his otherwise pale face, he looked like he had run a marathon. They stood there staring at each other for what could have been hours, before he opened his mouth to say something. If Lily knew him, and she did, he was going to apologize.
Without a second thought, she covered his right hand with her left. His hand was cold and dirty, but she held it anyway. He closed his mouth, looked at their hands and then back at her. She shook her head and gave him a small smile, hoping he would understand.
Lily would be lying if she said she hadn't hoped for them to find a way to be together. And in this moment, she wanted nothing more than for him to understand, to believe. To smile.
And just like that, he did.