Team: Harpies

Position: Keeper

Prompt: An angsty story using the prompt '"I never intend to leave you"' (dialogue)

Word Count: 1071

Blood soaked gown

Her wedding gown was soaked in blood as she clung to the slowly dying body of her fiance. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life when she declared her love for the man she intended to spend the rest of her life with in front of all their friends and family.

How did everything go so wrong?

Why did she have to insist on all her wizarding friends not bringing their wands?

How did it come to this when less than two hours ago she had been happily getting ready for her big day?

~o~o~o~

Lily smiled as she looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. Her gown was a pristine white that fell just below her knee. Her red hair had been curled into loose ringlets with white lilies woven into it and charmed to stay in place by her best friend, Alice.

She had decided to forego the traditional veil, and instead had opted to wear her future mother-in-law's tiara. Lily had been stunned when Mrs Potter had offered to let her borrow it for the wedding, citing the fact that it was an age old family tradition. Lily had been hesitant at first, but had eventually accepted the kind offer and the tiara had become her something old and borrowed.

Her something blue came in the form of her favourite blue flowers—hydrangeas—which made up most of her bouquet.

All she needed now was her something new. Supposedly, James had something up his sleeve, and her bridesmaids had insisted that it would be arriving before the ceremony started and that she shouldn't worry about that minor detail.

Lily glanced at the clock and noticed it was one hour until the ceremony was due to begin. It would be just like James to be in a mad dash to find something at the last minute after being distracted by some scheme by Sirius.

"Alice, when exactly did James say this surprise of his would arrive?" Lily asked, turning to her maid of honour.

"Soon," Alice replied, just as there was a knock at the door. "And I'll bet that's it now."

Alice dashed over to answer the door and was greeted by the sight of an ashen faced Sirius.

"Jeesh, Sirius, who died?" Alice laughed.

"Don't even joke about something like that, Alice. You'd look exactly the same as I do if you had to do what I'm about to."

Sirius reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a black velvet box. He walked over to Lily and handed it to her and cleared his voice.

"My dearest Lily, you are my heart, my soul and my world. I never intend to leave you. Inside this box is a little something to keep you save because a world without you is a world that isn't worth living in."

"Awww," Alice gushed. "Open the box, Lily."

Lily opened the box and found a heart shaped locket.

"It's imbued with the most powerful protective enchantments known to wizardkind, plus a few of our own creation," Sirius explained. "It will protect the wearer from any harm, as well as any precious cargo they may be carrying."

"James told you!" Lily exclaimed. "We agreed we wouldn't tell anyone until a few weeks after the wedding."

"He tells me everything," Sirius replied, shrugging.

"Wait, you're pregnant!" Alice squealed. "So am I."

"Well, I'll leave you two ladies to talk about babies and stuff and return to the groom," Sirius said before dashing out of the room.

~o~o~o~

"James," she whispered, pressing down on his wound with a torn piece of fabric from her wedding dress, "please don't leave me."

His hand reached up and touched the locket around her neck. "Lily, I never intend to leave you. I'll always be with you, even if I'm not physically here. I love you."

"I love you too," she replied as tears streamed down her cheek. Her heart shattered into pieces as James gasped for breath. She stroked his hair soothingly, wishing the ambulance her mother had called would hurry up and get here before it was too late. "You have to hold on to meet our child."

Her eyes flickered over to the man being restrained by Remus and Sirius. The man who they had believed to be their friend.

"If he dies, I swear to Merlin I will kill you."

"Lily, no," James choked out. "Don't let that thing turn you into a killer. Let the Dementors have him."

James was shivering in her arms. His breathing was becoming shallower with every moment that passed. All Lily could think about was how it should have been her and not James. When Peter had pulled out the gun and fired, he had been aiming at her. If James hadn't pushed her to the side and taken the bullet, he wouldn't be lying here in her arms taking his last breaths.

"Where is that ambulance?" Lily cried. "It should be here by now."

"Lily, a little bullet isn't going to kill me," James whispered. "I'm invinc-"

James' body went limp in her arms and his head flopped to one side.

"James!" Lily yelled, shaking him. "Don't leave me. You're not supposed to leave me. We're supposed to get married and grow old together. Raise our child. You can't leave me!"

"I'm so sorry," Alice whispered, placing her hand on her shoulder and pulling Lily into a hug. "Remus, Sirius, get that traitor out of here. The last thing Lily needs is for him to be here. Frank, my darling, do you think you could take James to headquarters? And then could you set up the guest bedroom at ours?"

The trio of men nodded and set about following Alice's instructions.

"Alice, what am I going to do?" Lily sobbed, her chest heaving up and down.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," Alice whispered. "You'll stay with Frank and I tonight and for as long as you need."

Lily pushed away from Alice to refuse her kind offer. She didn't want to burden them with her presence especially when they had a baby on the way. One look from Alice silenced her declination before they even had a chance to leave her lips.

"Thanks, Alice."

"No thanks are necessary," Alice replied. "Now, let's get you back to mine before the Muggles show up."