Snow materialized from the gray sky, swirling to the ground with dainty determination. A river, colored navy by the lighting, cut through the white ground off in the distance, surrounded by bare trees. A soft hush lay over the land, the kind that came with the first snowfall. Two people bundled under thick winter cloaks and scarves stood in the half-light, mirroring each other's haunted expressions. They seemed to blend into the misty background; simply a part of the scenery.
"It's hard to believe there's a war going on right now when you see this place." Lily whispered into the silence. Her words seemed to float in the chilled air around them.
James made a soft noise in the back of his throat to show he agreed.
Marlene McKinnon, dead.
Finally, the war had become personal. It was no longer just nameless Muggles being killed in their homes.
"Why?" Lily sobbed suddenly. "Why did she have to die? She was a half-blood, I'm the Muggleborn. They should have killed me instead."
"Lily, don't you dare feel guilty for what happened." James responded in a strained voice. "Everyone in the Order has a target on their back, and their blood status is the last thing on Death Eaters' minds."
"I know, but- Merlin, I can't believe- eight years of friendship and now she's just gone-" Lily's voice failed her at the end. But it didn't matter, as there really were no words to describe her loss.
James held her to his chest and she cried openly against him. He began to think his plan had rather backfired. With Lily so depressed over her friend's death, he had proposed they leave the world behind for a while and visit the spot they had used to go for picnics, not far from Godric's Hollow. In winter, it was one of the most spectacular sights, but it did little to remove the heaviness inside their hearts.
"It's never going to end, is it? This pain?" She murmured into his cloak once she had regained her breath.
"No." He said quietly. "It'll fade, though. And the best we can hope for is that her death won't be in vain."
The snow fluttered to the ground around the couple who had lapsed once again into silence. A breeze picked up, rustling the blanket of white upon the earth and grazing Lily's tear soaked face. She wanted to believe it was Marlene, telling her it would be alright- a last reasurrance from the beyond. But when the wind stopped just as soon as it had come, Lily was left only with the emptiness that remained. The only solace she could find was that she and James would make it. They would keep on fighting and living and one day, they'd be alright.
A/N: Hi. Sorry it's been a while since I updated but I really haven't felt like writing. I received some news that was really quite devastating and I couldn't get up the motivation to write for a few days. This isn't the best quality, but still, please review. And if you haven't already, could you check out my poll on my profile and vote? Deathly Hallows midnight showing later! I'm excited. Hope you all are having a better week than me, Blondebunny55