#c: a blissful oblivion ( lily )

[mssrprxngs]

&& nothing can keep me from loving you ( & you know it’s true )

Sometimes it feels like date nights are getting rarer and rarer. James is, of course, a huge fan of casual nights in, and even more so lately because of everything that’s been going on. Simple moments, even ones doing mundane things like folding laundry or putting away the dishes, seem magical to him. 

And this, of course, is one of his favorite ways to spend time. A quiet night in at Lily’s place, food in their stomachs and a night of quiet relaxing as he flips through the photo album he keeps. His head rests against Lily’s shoulder as he slides a picture of them at Petunia’s wedding into one of the plastic sleeves before looking up at Lily for approval. 

“We look pretty great here,” he says, tapping the picture with his finger. “My hair almost looks tame in this one too, look.” 

[plasma-studios]

Burning Love

Triggers: F!re, w!tch b^rn!ng, tox!c rel@at!onsh!p(?)Triggers: F!re, w!tch b^rn!ng, tox!c rel@at!onsh!p(?)

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I stumbled out of bed. Day after day, year after year. The cycle never ends.

Am I truly an angel? Surely, Heaven was meant to be a utopia.

Then why was it so unendurable for me?

We were told that we were pure. Personally selected for Heaven.

We were told that we were perfect. Infallible. Angels.

We were given a landscape to rebuild our fallen society. To revive the good and banish the bad. We were told others were too corrupted to join us.

We were told we succeeded. That we rebuilt all the riches of the past.

And yet, I had just a single soul, who every moment spent with was of pure bliss in this so-called paradise.

"Lily, where are you...?" "Gotcha!" Aria snatched my hand away just as I crept behind her.

"Hey, no fair!" I whined with a huge grin on my face.

"Should've prepared better, " She replied tartily.

"So, Ari, what did you want to show me?" Aria's eyes twinkled and she raced away

"Hey!" "Come on, Ari! I waited for ages!" "Fine, " She pouted. She opened up her palm and I gasped. In her palm was a small stone, rapidly switching colours from ruby red to sapphire blue, then to golden yellow and so on.

"That's amazing!"

"I can do you one better. Look!" She threw the colourful pebble on the ground and it exploded in a rainbow mist. I laughed and waved through the beautiful cloud of smoke.  I stopped as I noticed something moving inside. A moment later, a magnificent peacock strode out.

"Do you like it?" Aria asked after a moment of quiet.

"Of course I do! This is the best day of my life!" I laughed and hugged Aria.

I didn't notice her soft mutterings against my neck then, but as I thought about it now, my cheeks grew red.

September 20th. The best day of my entire life...no, scratch that. It was the best day of my entire existence.

And yet, Heaven was going to steal the only joy in my cruel life this very day.

"Lily, please..." "We can't be together, Aria...would it be enough if I never give you peace?" "You can and have given me. You are my peace." "No...I'm not. And I never can be." I ran away, knowing the mob was approaching. I had to distance myself from Aria if I wanted to live. But god, it hurt so badly. I knew she would die. Someone had tipped them off of her abilities. Now all I could do was to run for my life.

I fumbled with the edge of my dress. A glass of cold water sat beside me on the small drawer. My heart pounded against my ribcage. I mustn't go outside. My heart would be broken forever if I dared to even take one small peek.

Watching would only make it worse.

I could hear tormented cries coming from outside.

I reached for the glass of water, desperate to take my mind off matters.

"PLEASE, JUST LET ME SEE LIANA AGAIN-" I choked, the clear liquid spilling across my clothes.

What was I thinking? I had to say goodbye. I had to.

I dashed out, hoping I wasn't too late.

"Witch!" "Heathen!" "Burn it!" "WAIT!" I cried out, my legs feeling as though they would give out any moment.

"Please, Aria, I'm so sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen—"  I stumbled and tumbled onto the grass. The crowd, momentarily silenced by my cries, started to jeer.

"The witch's friends have to burn with her too. Throw her into the fire! " Hands grab every inch of me and drag me to the pyre. Aria's face is unreadable.

...

I'm ready for the sweet oblivion of death.

...

"STOP IT!"

The yell echoed across the space, the flames pushed to the side, looking much more decorative than deadly. Everyone is still.

Aria stands tall and proud, the fire of promised death dancing in her distant eyes. A vacant smile spread across her face, not an inch of her singed by the fire.

"How silly can you be...?"

Her soft yet hard whisper carries across the now-hushed crowd.

"You deem me a freak of nature, a heathen. Yet..."  She smiled sadly.

"You forgot. If I'm a...'witch', then...what use would burning be?"

Not a single murmur is heard. A chill settles across the crowd.

Flames rose against her. She closed her eyes.  All this while, I was laying on the ground before her, petrified. Was this really the Ari I knew?

She raised her hands...and snapped her fingers. Then something seemed to explode, and the whole space was filled with golden sparks of fire, aching to destroy everything in their path. Screams and shrieks of pain surrounded me.

Aria bent down and stroked my cheek. I was too much in shock to even say anything.

"You asked me once if it be enough if you could never give me peace. Look around. We'll have peace for eternity." She whispered in my ear.

Something clicked in my head. Heaven is Hell. And we're all here for our eternal punishment.

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[mssrprxngs]

It seems unbelievably weird to James to think that it had been another year of being with Lily. Considering everything that had happened between them, the progression from enemies to rivals to friends to partners, it seemed all too strange to James that they were here. 

He’s James Potter, of course, though. Confident, cool, completely in love with Lily Evans but not, like, in an embarrassing way. Embarrassing enough to come bouncing into their room ( he says there, but it’s actually her room since he’d slept over ). With food ( because he’s a classy gentleman and this is an important day ). And a gift under one arm ( because again, important day. He’s made sure it’s nothing fancy or expensive, and put a considerable amount of thought into it. ). He’s humming as he bounces onto the bed, crouching over Lily so he can press a kiss to her brow. “Gooooooood morning, mi amor. Guess what day it is.”

@cfevanses

[mssrprxngs]

“Lily.” He wanders through the kitchen, half distracted and with his hair sticking straight up like a moron. “Babe. Darling. Light of my life. Mi amor.” He nearly smacks into the wall. “Have you seen my cauldron anywhere? I need to get some pain potions brewing and I can’t find it.”

@cfevanses

[mssrprxngs]

She couldn’t stay for long. Mum was still on bed rest, would be for a couple more weeks, and she needed to be there in case she was needed. But it was James’ BIRTHDAY. She hadn’t expected to see him awake, but the disappointment still stung. What kind of girlfriend was she that she couldn’t even be with him while he was awake?? And he was so u n d e r s t a n d i n g about it all.

Logically, Lily got that it had been an emotional two weeks and that she was being overly dramatic, but it still put a lump in her throat. Merlin, she didn’t deserve him. Her eyes trace over his sleeping form- limbs sprawled, hair in all directions. A soft smile spreads across her lips as she moves, placing the present and card on the nightstand, and before she can think better of it, her hand reaches out, fingers threading through his curls as she leaves a kiss on his forehead.

Later, when he wakes, he’ll find the meticulously wrapped box containing a well loved navy tie. There will be a flower she conjured, despite feeling cheesy- a lily, nestled against the parchment and in her messy scrawl:

J,

My father believed it was lucky- mostly because he married mum in it, but the sentiment was there prior.

Happy Birthday, James. I miss you so much, but I’ll see you soon.

With all my love,

Lily

He sleeps through Lily’s brief visit to his flat, which he’ll regret for the next week at the very least, but only realizes it when he wakes and sees the gift and lily left by his bedside table. He can’t help but wonder why she didn’t wake him up, but he doesn’t have much focus for wondering that before he’s sitting up and opening the gift. He turns the tie in his hand before finding the piece of parchment along with it. He reads the note, pausing before he looks back at the tie. It’s got a whole new meaning now, and he places the note on his nightstand.

He’ll spend the next week and each day he’s waiting for Lily to return with the tie on. The lily goes in a vase and stays on his nightstand, next to the photograph he’s got framed there of the two of them and the boys all laughing at their graduation. A couple people tease him for being better dressed than usual, but he’s not taking the tie off.