"How is she?" James asked, hastily getting up to his feet, as the door to the hospital wing opened, and Madam Pomfrey stepped out, looking grim.
"She'll be alright, I expect" she said "but it will take a while, I'm afraid".
"Can-can I see her?" James asked tentatively.
Madam Pomfrey looked up, and considered him for a moment.
"Yes, but make no racket. The patients all need quiet and some rest".
James nodded vigorously, though he didn't have the slightest interest to make any kind of racket, he was too tired for that.
"How long will it take for her to get alright?" he asked.
Madam Pomfrey contemplated this for a moment, then said briskly, "A week, at least".
James stared at her.
"A week?" he croaked. "But- Madam Pomfrey, that's awfully long".
Pomfrey sighed.
"It could've been much worse if you hadn't reached in time. Professor Dumbledore told me what you did, that was really brave of you". (At this, James turned a bit red 'round the ears). "If you hadn't reached in time, god knows what would have happened, then".
She looked at him with distinct pride in her eyes.
"Let me see you now" she said suddenly. As James continued to look at her confusingly, she pointed at his cheek, where an ugly bruise was turning green. "And I don't think your cloth will help any longer".
James looked down at his left hand, which was wrapped in a white cloth, and was now shinning with blood. He had just wrapped it around his hand as he was so worried about Lily, that he hadn't paid himself the slightest attention.
"First let me see Lily" he said.
"But-".
"Please Madam Pomfrey, just a few minutes, then you can fix me up" he said firmly.
Madam Pomfrey looked at him for a moment, then sighed.
"I must retire to my office now. I've got some potions to make.
"You can see her now, if you'd like to" and she swept past him towards her office.
James watched her go and it was only after he heard the door shut, did he enter the hospital wing, closing the door behind him softly.
Lily lay in a bed, eyes closed, her red hair attached to her sweaty forehead. She was covered in all the whites, and in James' opinion, she had never looked more beautiful.
He walked over to her, and pulling a chair, sat down next to her bed. She was still unconscious and didn't notice her visitor.
James looked around at the window and saw two little birds fighting on its perch. He stared at them for a moment, and to his horror, felt a sudden lump rising in his throat. He tried to swallow it, but it would not budge. He closed his eyes, and opened them again after a minute.
The hospital wing was silent, except for the slow breathing, and occasional snores from it's inhabitants. The sky outside was dark, dotted with stars that twinkled at them from far above.
He stared and stared at Lily, and suddenly felt horribly guilty. For he felt as though it was his fault that she was here, lying in a hospital bed, tucked in white blankets.
"If only I hadn't let you out of my sight" he murmured. "This would never have happened. I am sorry". The lump was now so painful, he could barely gulp.
And he suddenly got up, and started to walk about the room, stealing occasional glances at Lily.
This went on for ten minutes, and absorbed in his own thoughts, James didn't notice Lily stirring in her bed.
She slowly opened her eyes, and took in her surroundings. At first, she wondered what she might have done to end up in the hospital wing, and then everything came rushing back to her. She closed her eyes, and let out a breath, opening them again. And then she saw him. Pacing about the room, his hands pressed together tightly, and looking very agitated.
"James..." she whispered, not sure whether he would hear her or not. He did. James stopped walking up and down at once, and turned around to look at her.
"Lily!" he cried, relief washing over him to see that she had finally regained consciousness, and was so quickly at her side, that Lily started.
"How are you feeling?" he asked hurriedly, sitting down on the bed beside her. Lily turned on her side, and rested her head on her hand, the better to look at him.
"Not so good, but not very bad either" she admitted. Her green eyes took in his appearance, from the cut on his cheek to the bloodstained cloth haphazardly wrapped around his hand. Her eyes widened as she took in all this.
"What happened to you?" she cried in alarm.
"Ah, well" said James nervously "it was just a stupid cut one of the Death Eaters gave me" he admitted.
"And your hand?"
"Might have got some time during the fight. I just looked at it, and saw it was bleeding".
"Why didn't Madam Pomfrey fix you up?"
"She wanted to, but...I wanted to see you first, so l told her she can see to me later".
Lily stared at him.
"You idiot" she muttered, trying to get up, but gave a small scream of pain.
"What?" James asked urgently, worry etched in his face.
"Nothing" Lily muttered, rubbing her side, as James helped her lie back down.
They were silent for a moment, then Lily said, as thought the thought had just occurred to her "Who saved me?"
"What?" James said, though he had heard her perfectly well.
"Who saved me from You-Know-Who?"
James scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I did" he admitted at last.
Lily stared at him, then laughed.
"You don't believe me?" James asked, feeling a bit stupid. He had saved her after all.
Lily shook her head. "No, it's just that..." she stopped laughing and looked at him, "I thought it was you".
"You-you did?" James asked, perplexed.
"Sort of".
"How?" James said.
"I'd recognize that hair anywhere" Lily said simply.
"My hair?"
"I saw your outline, and your hair caught my attention" she replied.
"Oh" James said, still looking unconvinced.
Lily looked around her.
"Where is Madam Pomfrey?" she asked.
"Gone to make some potion" James replied, shrugging.
"And what happened to the others? Are they all all right?" she asked hurriedly.
"Yeah they are, though..."
"Though what?" Lily said nervously.
"Marls seemed to have broken her ankle".
"Oh dear" Lily whispered, looking about the hospital wing. "Is she here?"
"Yes, the end bed" said James.
At that moment, the door to the hospital wing opened again, and Madam Pomfrey entered.
"You!" she said abruptly to James. "What do you think you are doing?"
"What did I do?" James said, thoroughly shocked as he could remember of doing no mischief the entire day.
"Letting your bruise grow on. You look so pale I wouldn't be surprised if you fainted. You have lost enough blood already".
"Yes Madam, he ought to get himself checked" interjected Lily, a little pleased.
Madam Pomfrey started.
"Miss Evans!" she exclaimed. "So you have regained consciousness".
"Yeah, I have" Lily answered.
"Good. Now, Mr. Potter, come here" said the matron sternly.
"But-" James tried to protest, but Madam Pomfrey had already grabbed his arm, and stirred him towards her. She unwrapped the cloth and gasped. Blood was blossoming from the wound rapidly.
She began to apply the medicine and muttered a few spells. Ten minutes later, the wound was quite better than what it had been before, though it wasn't completely healed.
"Will take a few days" Madam Pomfrey observed, moving to the cut on his face.
The door opened yet again, and Filch walked in. He gave the students a filthy look and addressed to the matron.
"The Headmaster wishes to speak to you" he said briskly.
"Me, why?" asked Madam Pomfrey, surprised.
"I suggest you ask him, as he didn't see fit to confide it in me" said Filch jerkily.
"Oh, alright" she said and turned to look at James.
"We'll have to leave the cut for later-" she began but Lily cut her off.
"Please, Madam Pomfrey, I'll do it". She didn't like the idea of leaving the cut for even longer than it already had been left.
"But Miss Evans, you are unwell-"
"I just have to apply it. How much can that hurt?" said Lily simply, though there was a fierceness in her voice.
"Oh, alright then". Madam Pomfrey sighed. "You apply the paste on his face then".
"But Evans-'' James began but fell silent at the look Lily gave him.
Madam Pomfrey walked out of the hospital wing, Filch at her heels, closing the door behind her.
James looked at Lily hopelessly. She was determined. He sighed and helped her sit on the bed and she turned to face him.
The cut had turned a nasty shade of green.
"That cut ought to have been looked at before" she remarked dryly, as she applied the paste on his face. James winced.
"Oh sorry" Lily whispered hastily.
"It's the cut stupid" James laughed.
"But still..." Lily's voice trailed off.
She leaned in closer to get a better look at the cut, moving nearer to him. James didn't even wince after that, he was staring at her in awe. How strong she was, that even after being tortured with the Cruciatus Curse, she was tending to him, he thought.
"There" she said after ten minutes "its done".
She turned to move, but James pulled her closer by his good hand. Lily turned back to him.
They stared at each other, with increasing respect. James' hazel eyes bored into Lily's green ones with so much love that Lily felt weak at the knees. His hand slowly caressed her cheek, her nose, and then her lips.
"Thank you for saving me" Lily whispered.
"I would have tried to save you even if it meant that I have to die" James muttered.
Lily put her finger on his lips.
"Don't say that" she whispered.
"This is a war Lils, and we don't know what might happen the next day" James said, putting her hand on his cheek. "But it's fine, I guess, as long as we have got each other, and a reason worth fighting for".
James waited for her to answer. Instead of doing that, she kissed him.
It was a slow, soft kiss, unlike their previous one. James' fingers tangled in her red hair, and he pulled her closer. After the long, hard day, the feel of each other's lips felt good. They both felt pleasure in knowing that they will both have each other's backs, no matter what.
The sun was beginning to rise, casting away the dark cloak of the night, and replacing it with the bright, scarlet light, indicating the beginning of a new day.
Just like their relationship. The day before had marked the beginning of an eternal bond of love that even death couldn't tear apart.
A/N: So, thoughts on this chapter?