Written for the Hogwarts Writing Contest: Round 6
Word Count: 620
The first breath was the hardest.
She drew it in, gasping as if she were choking on water. Cold, fresh air filled her lungs as her green eyes flew open, staring up at the starry night sky above her. For a moment, she was stunned; unable to sit up or even move her limbs properly. Instead, her fingers twitched, and she felt what could only be described as life flowing through every nerve in her body. After what seemed like an age, Lily Potter was finally able to force her body into a sitting position. She was at the top of a grassy hill, looking over the village that she knew to be her home - Godric's Hollow.
The Dark Lord had found them; she remembered. She had cast an old spell to keep Harry safe. With a pang in her heart, she remembered clasping her hands around her sons terrified, tear-stricken face as she poured everything inside herself to save her son. When she felt Voldemort's presence advance upon her, she spun around, ready to face him.
And then she had died.
Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? Lily stuck out her hands, looking down at the skin stretched over her bones. Aside from a pearly tinge to her skin, she didn't seem to be transparent, like a ghost.
"I was ready to die!" Lily screamed into the night. "I was ready!" she clutched her stomach as she shouted; she was unbelievably hungry.
"Let me help you," a hollow voice spoke behind her. Lily spun around and stared into the darkness, where a tall, sallow-faced figure was emerging. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit, with his ebony hair slicked back, and looking down at her with sharp, hazel eyes.
"Sanguini," Lily murmured as she focused her attention on the vampire.
Sanguine had been in her life since her fifth year. He had been invited to the Slug Club Halloween party , and had taken an instant shine to her. After confessing that she reminded him of the younger sister he once loved before he had died, Sanguini had made an effort to visit Lily as often as possible.
She had always done her best to keep her relationship with Sanguini private. Too many people were already prejudiced against vampires, and who knew how her friends would react.
"I'm sorry this has happened to you, Lily," he went on. His facial expression was stoic, but she could see remorse in his eyes.
"What happened to me?" she asked, but deep down, she knew. She was dead. Her natural life was over. Her voice cracked. "How?"
"I've been slipping my blood into your coffee every day since you went into hiding," Sanguini confessed. He stepped forward, and took her face in his hands. "I couldn't bear to lose you, little sister."
With a choked sob, Lily fell forward into his embrace. "I need to see Harry. Just once more," she cried.
Sanguine shook his head. "Lily Potter the mother is dead now," he told her. "You and Harry won't be able to maintain a proper relationship. You are incompatible, now."
Lily cried harder, but she knew he was right. How could she raise a baby, when she would be starving for blood all the time? How could she watch him grow up and die, knowing that she would never die herself?
So, with a heavy heart, she left Godric's Hollow with Sanguini, and Lily Potter was laid to rest.
