Hey everyone! SORRY for the long absence of me updating, but i did warn you. life is so hectic right now, but I am updating just to keep you guys happy. And, sorry, guys, but this is a sad chapter, but it has to happen. Just warning you. xx

Chapter twenty-four – love hurts

The group sat in the common room the weekend after term had recommenced. Snow still fell outside the window and the draughty corridors were freezing. In the common room, however, the warm golden glow of the fire kept everyone cosy.

Remus sat by Harriet, having missed her company over the holidays and read to her. The others thought this strange, but the two seemed content enough, so they did not bother them.

Lily, for once, sat beside James, watching the progression of his and Sirius' chess match.

"Aha! Take that Potter."

James sat in thought for a moment and then moved his knight.

In return Sirius thought for a brief moment before moving his bishop. Lily thought how odd it was to see Sirius thinking. When he did he poked the tip of his tongue between his lips and pressed on it and his eyes narrowed in order for him to concentrate. She had to admit that although it was bizarre, it was adorable.

After a few more moves Lily glanced down and saw what Sirius had not in his previous move. A grin blossomed on her face.

"Check mate, Black."

"What? Hooooww?" Sirius moaned.

"Quit your moaning, dog, I beat you fair and square." James triumphed over his best friend. "I'm just better than you."

Just then an owl flew through the window. The owl was uniformly grey, of medium size, not unusual in any way, shape or form. Well, except for the fact it was carrying a letter in its beak, but then again this was not unusual for the wizarding world.

The letter was on yellowed parchment. The owl dropped this in James' lap and flew back out of the window.

"Huh." James was clearly puzzled.

He ripped open the seal and Lily and Sirius engaged in conversation to give James some privacy.

However, they were soon interrupted by a stifled sob, followed by a cry of genuine pain. It tore Lily's heart to hear this, especially since she had never heard such a heart stopping cry of pain and nor had she expected it to come from James Potter.

She whipped around to face the boy beside her who was clutching the letter to his chest, shaking his head.

"J-James? What is it?" She asked, softly. Her mouth was dry with nervousness. The whole room was quiet, staring at the grief-stricken soul.

The evening fire suddenly held no warmth for Lily, seeing the usually so upbeat James in such misery.

In reply he handed her the letter, incapable of speech.

Lily glanced down at the already crumpled, tear-stained letter, not believing a word it said.

"No, no, James, this can't be true. It has to be, to be some…some prank of the Slytherins to get back at you. It can't be true James. They wrote to you just yesterday!" Lily was sobbing too and Sirius' eyes filled with tears as he too read the letter.

"It has the ministry's mark. It's o-official. It's not a p-prank." He sobbed, his head downcast.

Lily bit her lip and threw her arms around James, nestling her cheek in the unruly hair, tears flowing readily.

The room gradually emptied of all of those he did not have a right to witness something so private and personal, wanting to give James some time with his friends.

Sirius disappeared out of the common room too and a moment later they heard a loud, heart-wrenching howl from the forbidden forest.

Remus winced at the sound, holding the tearful Harriet in his lap.

Peter rose, too, to go to their dorm, as Frank had done.

"I ought to go, I have no place being here." He whispered.

"No, Wormtail, you-you can be here, if you want. It's not as if this was your-hic-fault. It's not you fault that my parents, that they're, they…they're d-d-d…"

Peter practically ran out of the room, seeming as if grief consumed him, but it was in fact something else, though he was not the guilty party.

"Shh." Lily hushed James, removing his glasses and wiping his eyes with the sleeve of her jumper.

"I've never seen Peter so upset. I never knew he c-cared that much." James whispered.

The night wore on, not much conversation passing, until one by one the group rose and went to bed, still sombre.

Eventually it was just James and Lily alone.

Lily was a little uncomfortable. She had never expected James to react to anything like this, though she knew he cared for his parents and loved them dearly. He had never been one for public displays of affection. Sure he would ask her out in front of everyone, but that was his bravado. The same bravado she kept expecting to see, even now.

She held him against her chest, running her fingers through the dark hair, feeling his chest rise with each breath and each sob. All the while James was whispering, begging for Lily to not leave him, not her too.

Sirius did not return until gone midnight.

"Sirius?" Lily questioned as he traipsed through the portrait hole.

The boy in front of her could barely be recognised as Sirius. He was soaking wet, his hair jet black from the moisture and seemed much longer than usual. His face was dirty in places and he even had one or two cuts, which Lily suspected him to have given himself in his dog form, so grief-stricken was he. His eyes were no longer bright and his beaming grin or mischievous smile were absent in a way that made Lily question whether she'd ever see them again.

She stood up, using her wand to dry him since he was soaked through. His head hung morosely and after giving her a mumbled thanks he trudged up the stone steps to his dorm.

Lily returned to James on the sofa.

"They were like his parents too, since he moved in with me." James explained. He then began to sob once more, soaking Lily's jumper further as she wiped at the constant stream of tears.

"Thanks, Lily." He mumbled after a long stretch of silence. Lily knew this was only encouraging his affection, but she couldn't abandon him at a time like this. At least that's what she told herself. She refused to admit that deep down she now cared for James at least as much as he cared for her.

Lily gathered his hands in hers. "Thank you is not necessary, James." Then she lifted one of his hands to her lips and kissed it before holding it to her cheek.

James looked up through red, tear-soaked eyes into her emerald eyes.

"You have such pretty eyes." He murmured.

"Shh. Sleep, you need it." She whispered, gently forcing him to lie on the sofa, before lying beside him and summoning a blanket from her room.

"Love hurts, Lily."

"Yeah, it does." She whispered, understanding his pain because she felt it keenly in her own breast. His pain was her pain and at that moment, his pain was so intense that it felt like a knife embedding itself in her chest.

"Don't leave me." James whispered, half asleep.

"I won't. I promise. Never."

Ouch, it actually hurt writing that chapter. Poor James. :'( Review if you don't hate me for doing that, but it had to be done – they had to be dead by the time he and Lily die! Sorry. Review! xx