The Doe & The Stag {James Potter & Lily Evans}

Full Moon, Waned

The horrified voice of James fills the room. "Lily?"

She supposed he'd seen the blood she'd splattered everywhere. "I'm here," she replied, her own voice filled with relief as she crawled to the floorboards and swung them open, emerging momentarily blinded by the sunlight, into the Shrieking Shack.

Lily pulled herself out from beneath the house, finally freeing herself from the dirt and darkness. James was beside her in an instant, helping her to stand, which was the best feeling after having been cramped and hunched for probably a good ten hours.

Before she had another moment to formulate more words, James enveloped her in a strong, comforting embrace. She gripped him back just as tightly, his scent washing over her, and causing the tension that was in her limbs to seep out of her. She breathed him in, and although he didn't smell of clean linen or cologne, her mind and body were relaxed. He still smelled like him, and she melted into it.

She kept her eyes closed, face buried in his chest for a moment longer before pulling away. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she saw the look of relief and concern on his thin features. Though the sun was coming through the window dustily, it lit up the colors of his eyes behind his glasses, and it was the loveliest sight she'd seen in quite some time.

Lily had the fleeting thought to kiss him, and nearly acted on the impulse, but stopped herself at the last moment. It felt wrong to her, to kiss in the Shrieking Shack, with her blood surrounding them, and an injured Remus in the other room. Giving him a smile, she instead pressed her lips to his cheek and then pulled away.

"You're probably wondering about the blood." She said, grimacing as she looked around the room. It looked like a murder scene.

"It might've crossed my mind," he replied.

"Well, I grabbed the doorknob and it shattered in my hand."

"...But why is it on the walls?"

"I knew Remus would smell it and hunt for whatever was bleeding. So I just kind of... got him off my trail."

"Huh," James smiled at her a little, an odd expression crossing his face

"What?"

"That was really smart."

"I guess. It just seemed like what I needed to do at the time." She was fairly tired from the night she'd just had, and didn't feel like getting into it.

"I suppose," he paused, reading her face. "Well, I'm sure you'll be wanting to see Moony."

"Is he alright?" The two began walking from the room, and she followed him down to the kitchen.

Remus lay on a makeshift bed of blankets, bare-chested, a massive black dog asleep beside him. Perhaps bare-chested wasn't the correct way to describe him, however, as his abdomen was deeply marred with scars that looked as if claws had raked themselves over his body more than once. Even asleep, he looked exhausted. Though he certainly had a right to be, considering the night he'd just had.

"Where did that dog come from?" She asked, watching as its tongue lolled out of its mouth. However, she was quickly distracted by a rat that scurried over to Remus and nestled next to his hair.

Scowling, Lily marched over and quickly snatched the rat up by its tail. It stared at her fearfully.

"Er, Lily, you might not want to-"

"It's a rat, James, if it had rabies, I'd have it by now, too." She said, going into what used to be a kitchen and setting it free in the sink.

Upon arriving back near James she could tell he was clearly amused, but, tired and cranky, she wasn't having it. "What?" She snapped at him.