II — as day follows night

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Written for: HSWW, prompts at the bottom

Word Count: 517


The dark trumps the light, and Lily's world is turned upside down.

It hangs over them —

A menacing cloud of incessant evil, a constant reminder of the demise that lies just out of arm's reach.

And she is fierce, and she fights.

But it becomes harder and harder every day, and her heart is numb, and her hands are worn, and the weariness reflected in her eyes is of an age far greater than her own.

Her body reacts to things instinctively now. Gone is her control over her body: she is a marionette, and the Order her puppeteer — they tell her to fight, and she fights; they tell her to sleep, and she rests; they tell her to breathe, and she inhales so deeply that she fears the world will be torn in two; they tell her to live, and she is trying, goddammit.

But it's impossible for her to even see the point of life anymore.

/

The first time she sees someone killed is during her third week of duty.

They are scouting out areas behind the houses of rumoured Death Eaters, their wands the only light in the otherwise pitch-black darkness.

The air is cool, the gentle breeze of the wind caressing her face, but there is something wrong. She can sense it, even though her eyes are still adjusting to her grainy surroundings.

And then it comes — the unmistakable flash of green light that burrows its way into Lily's corneas, until the only thing she can see is the imprint of the Auror's falling body. The image haunts her for days on end.

They come faster after that — as the weeks fly by, so do the number of casualties.

The fighting never stops.

But then she is left wondering, what are they even fighting for?

/

Marlene dies on the first day of spring, when flowers lining the worn pavements begin to bloom, and clouds soaring high in the sky resemble the fluffy dandelions that she used to blow into Lily's hair when in a particularly mischievous mood.

Lily can't breathe. She opens her mouth; inhales, exhales, inhales, exhales; there is air, but she can't breathe.

She can't she can't she can't she can't she can't —

James guides her to a chair, and she puts her head in her hands, shaking.

She is sure of one thing now, at least.

She fights for her best friend, for her memory, for the way Marlene's laughter filled the long halls of Hogwarts; for the way her ferocity always resulted in unnecessary duels with rival housemates; for the way she always, always put those she cared about first.

She fights for the hundreds of innocents killed in a war that they were never supposed to be a part of; a war that has ravaged an entire population for months on end.

She fights for what she believes in — a society in which worth is not based on wealth, or blood status; a society which is equal, and fair, and places value on those who love.

(She fights for love.)


Prompts:

Assignment #11, Herbology, Task #1 — write about someone struggling with a change in their life

Fortnightly Challenges: Air Faerie

Writing Club:

- Amber's Attic: 5. Last Sad Song

- Em's Emporium: (pairings) 4. Write about the losses of war

Shay's Musical Challenge: 2. Hamilton — write about someone fighting for what they believe in

Gryffindor Challenge: (character) Lily Evans, (trait) courageous