Lily Evans Potter
Lily wakes suddenly, breathing heavy. She pushes herself to her elbows, eyes wide. It all comes flashing back to her. Harry, her little Harry, and You-Know-Who raising his wand—
She shakes her head and looks around. It is very clean here, almost a little posh. It gleams white, and she notices her long red hair contrasts greatly with her surroundings. Just as soon as she realizes this, she also realizes she is naked. She stands, peering around. Where is she? And why can't she have some clothes?
As soon as she thinks this, a flowery dress and a pair of sandals appear before her. She goes to them immediately, dressing. Just as she slips on her last sandal, she hears a bemused voice say, "You didn't have to dress, you know."
She turns around. James grins at her from a distance. He runs to her, and she is knocked over by the force of his embrace. They kiss. They laugh. As he pecks her neck, Lily stiffens. James sits up immediately, a hand on her shoulder. "Lily?"
A tear escapes down her cheek, but it is on the side not facing James, so she lets it run down to her chin and hang there. She sniffs. "James… Where's Harry?"
James does not answer. He envelops her in a hug. "If he's not here, then he's still there."
"What if no one finds him? What if You-Know-Who took him? What if—"
"There is a place," James says quickly. "Where you can go and watch over the living. It is more beautiful and sometimes more terrible than this place we are in now."
Lily crinkles her brow. "Where is it?"
"On."
"How did you get there before me, then?"
James smiles. "I guess time works differently here than it does there."
She can't help but smile back. The way his glasses hang off his nose, his purposefully-messed up hair… Most importantly, his dedication to her and Harry is something she won't forget, not even in this new life. "James?"
"Yeah?"
"You went beyond. 'On.' What did you see? What was happening there, with Harry?"
He remains silent for a brief moment, but then his arms tighten around her. "I saw him open Harry's bedroom door. I saw him pull his wand on you while you pleaded for him to spare Harry over yourself. He wanted you to stand aside, Lily. You could have."
She turns and places a hand on his cheek. "I know. But where would Harry be if I hadn't? He deserves the fullest life there that he can get before coming here."
James nods, looking into her eyes. She grabs his hands, squeezes, and says, "James. It's you and me here."
A tear rolls down James' face. Startled by it, she wipes it up with her finger. "We don't get to help our boy grow up, though."
Wrapping her arms around him, they sit there, together, crying some, allowing the silence to fill them otherwise. Finally, after some time or perhaps no time at all, Lily says, "You came back for me."
James pulls away and crinkles his brow. "Well, yeah."
"No. I mean here, in whatever this place is. You came to greet me." She smiles. "Thank you for playing Death for me. It's comforting." She kisses him, pulls away, and throws her arms around him. She whispers, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
Then they stand, smiles for only each other, and depart this life as equals.
