Undying Love (A Jily Fanfiction)

Chapter 42: Confession

I love you.

~Definitely not Voldemort

(A/N: Ok, so I'm pathetic and running out of good quotes. Suggest some?)

The horrendous sound of the crash brutally deprived Lily of the one chance she had to tell James everything, condensed into three simple words.

She could feel the scorching hotness behind her, even as the bone-chilling wind whipped against her face.

She wheeled around as best as she could on a high-speed broomstick, and gaped at the flame in undiluted horror.

The orange and yellow streaks of light danced on the twigs of the broom, now making a crackling sound. Her robes had caught on fire too, and she quickly reached into her robes for her wand, repeatedly commanding herself not to panic. Her eyes swept up as the fire continued to creep up her clothes, the boy she once thought handsome a mere few seconds ago was staring dispassionately at them, wand in hand. Regulus' face was gruesome now, uglier than a troll with warts up his nostrils.

Does this mean I've got competition then? Oh, and he's the one handy with a broom, and most likely to hit us, so I suggest not hooking up with him.

Inwardly, she cursed herself for not listening to James, but it was too late. The impact was done, and was now laughing in her face at her stupidity.

She raised her wand, but now not to put out the flames to save her own hide, but to aim straight at Regulus' face and give him the worst hex of his life.

Suddenly, she was turned around forcefully.

"Wha-" She tried to say, but the word never got out before she was stopped.

James grabbed her chin roughly, and his lips descended on hers. And it was as if the last few days of cold shoulders and awkward encounters dissipated into ash, and there was only right now, his lips on hers as they sat on a broom, probably about to die. The kiss had a sense of farewell in it, and she tried not to think about what was going to happen next, tried not to let such vicious thoughts dampen the moment's glory.

And she leaned in the kiss, her lips as hungry as his as her fingers caressed his face, trying to remember every contour of him. If she was going to die anyway, this would be how she wanted to go.

Too late, the moment was over. He pulled back gently but determinedly. After one long look, his hard eyes conveying all his unspoken emotions, he jumped off the broom.

"James!" She half-screamed, her heart leaping to her throat. Her mind moved quickly, trying to understand what motivated him to commit such stupid an act when she noticed something's absence, something that James would value greatly, perhaps even enough to give up his life for.

The Gryffindor Sword.

Her heart was beating at an irregular rhythm, what was she to do now? Closing her eyes, she willed herself to stop thinking for just one moment, allowing all her common sense to retreat and her instincts taking place, and jumped after him.

If the wind was chilly before, it was nothing compared to how it felt like now.

Her faces felt like it was being hit by a truckload of bricks every single second, and she fought to keep herself moving under such drastic circumstances. She kept her hands closely clasped to the sides of her body, reducing air resistance to catch up with James.

Her eyes began to go dry, and she willed herself not to close them as she descended. She needed to pay close attention to the flight ahead.

As she got closer, she could see a dark blue stain against a lighter ground.

The lake, she realized immediately.

With difficulty, she tried moving her arm, wand in hand, and closer to her chest. But the wind was too strong for the weak strength in her arms to overcome, and as the menacing waves grew larger and larger and her panic along with it.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she shouted, aiming the best she could at James. But it was no use, he was moving too fast and she with him, her hands shaky and numb.

So she didn't waste her time to try that again, knowing she wouldn't be able to aim straight in such circumstances.

"Arresto Momentum!" She yelled, aiming below her with no particular target in mind.

She started decelerating a few inches above the grassy land, the momentum of her force shaking the congealed air slightly before she lowered to the ground.

She rolled onto the ground, absorbing the impact. She could feel her head throbbing and lulling her to sleep, but then she heard a faint shout in the air and her mind went back to crystal clear-mode. Grass tangled in her hair, but for once she didn't really care. Getting up to her feet, she quickly ran to the side of the lake.

From afar, she could still see ripples from where the sword, and presumably James, had landed. She stood by the lake surface, trying to wash her mind clean of all fear as she took off her robes, items that would surely drag her down to her death if she wasn't killed by the cold already.

She took a deep breath, calming herself and thanking God that once upon a time her parents had insisted on swimming lessons.

"Lumos." She whispered. The tip of the wand lit up, illuminating a faint circle around her. Emboldened by its steady light, she whispered another and jumped into the ice-cold lake.

She took that back, the lake's coolness had completely surpassed that of ice. She felt as if it were -273°C right now and all molecules inside her had stopped moving, and the bubble-head charm did nothing to alleviate the chill.

The water numbed her senses, rendering her virtually helpless as her will to fight slowly drained. The cold fingers around her wand started to loosen-

Then she saw the wandlight, gleaming against all circumstances, and she felt it channeling energy into her arm, giving her the strength for one more spell.

She swam, trying not to take into consideration her slow legs, and swam.

She saw him, sword in one hand and a slimy substance that reflected the wandlight back to her. Silently, she willed her heavy legs to move faster. He held the sword to her, hilt in, and she grasped the sharp end without much thought, so she was surprised when she saw where the sword kissed her hand turn pale red and started to sting.

Wingardium Leviosa, she thought, aiming her wand at the sword, then tugging upwards with an unimaginable force, pulling the sword upwards and James with it.

Swimming seemed easier, especially with a slightly unburdened heart. She shook off her heavy robes and didn't stay to watch as they slowly sank into the deep jaws of the lake; she would retrieve them later with a simple summoning spell. Right now, there was nothing else on her mind but the consuming need to survive, to reach the surface before the cold silenced her will to fight.

With assistance from her wand, she propelled herself upwards and slung one arm around James' when she passed him. His eyes were closed, stirring panic in her heart.

Please, she thoughts desperately as her legs kicked and kicked. Please let him be okay.