Letters From A Stranger || James and Lily ||

Hostage

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I'd have given the redemption arc to Draco instead of Snape.

142k reads and #3 ranking in Jily, I'm honored. Thank you so much.

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Chapter 54

When Lily opened the door, the lights were already switched on. They probably had been for the past three days. It made her stomach churn and heart thump painfully. It was as if he had dropped everything in a moment, leaving everything behind as a hurtful remainder for her to find. It was as if he had been forced away from her, torn apart by a fate that was too jealous of how deeply he loved her.

The thought made her heart ache further and she pressed her palm to her chest, rubbing in circles in the hopes that it would dull the pain and fill the void he had left behind.

The first thing Lily noticed when she stepped into the room was the scent of pine. She saw a diffuser on the corner of the desk, from which she assumed was the source of the smell. The room had a similar layout to Lily's, except for the colour scheme which was azure blue. The window to her right was left open, curtains flowing in the wind.

James kept his room surprisingly organized. His broomstick was propped on the desk and his guitar, secured in its case, was placed next to it. The bed was made even though there were one too many pillows on it, which she assumed was because James was one of the people who kept many pillows and cushions around. She eyed the bed, convincing herself that James wouldn't mind if she crashed in his room for a day.

What caught Lily's attention next was the easel next to the window. She never took James to be someone interested in painting. A blank canvas was pinned to the top but even from the distance, she could see that there were many others underneath it. She made her way to the easel, carefully flipping the blank canvas from the bottom.

Lily's breath caught in her throat. The picture underneath was that of a doe. The animal itself looked rather ordinary except for its big green eyes. The green was the perfect shade - something between shamrock and emerald. She wondered how long it took him to figure out and mix the exact shade. The simplicity of the rest of the painting made the eyes stand out. Lily involuntarily looked down at the bracelet that hung from her wrist. The doe charms on it seemed extra shiny in the full moon light.

She tore her gaze away from the painting and walked away, slipping beneath the covers in an attempt to fall asleep. She resisted the curiosity to see what was painted on the canvases that lay beneath. She had enough heartbreak for the night.

Once again, Lily found it difficult to fall asleep, which was a usual happening since a while. She wondered how Marlene was holding up. Among the two of them, Marlene had always been the more expressive one. Lily suffered in silence while Marlene screamed and cried and threw things when she was frustrated. The current situation warranted every reason for a breakdown, considering that it was her family that was in danger - her aunt, uncle, cousin and whatever Sirius was to her. Lily had long since given up questioning the labels.

She sighed as she turned over in the bed, eyes halting on the painting again. The moonlight fell on the painting in an angle made the green of the doe's eyes shine. She wondered If James had strategically placed the easel there for the same purpose. The last thought that crossed Lily's mind before she fell asleep was that the pillow smelled like her amortentia, like honey and almond.

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"Lily..."

"I want it as much as you do, but not like this."