The Unexpected Love [Rewrite]

Prologue

Lily panted, her hands on her knees. She could see her breath form white clouds in front of her face. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Lily's legs gave out, and she tumbled into the snow beneath her, sinking slightly.

The stag before her stepped closer to her and dipped its head in shame, eyeing the large cuts around her body. Its hazel eyes filled with pain.

"Don't be sorry. I'm alive." Lily whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.

The stag sunk onto the ground next to her, and Lily saw the snow around it turn red.

"You're always here," she said quietly. "Always. Like...like you're watching over me. Protecting me. But you shouldn't. I'm not worth your suffering. I'm not worth anything."

The stag watched her, groaning in pain slightly.

"And now...now I've hurt you. All you've done is help me...and I repaid you by hurting you. Please don't die...please."

The stag groaned in pain loudly, and its limp figure changed into that of a human. James Potter coughed blood onto the snow. Lily felt her heart stop.

"Oh god–"

"You deserved to know." he coughed, groaning weakly.

And that was the last thing she remembered before she woke up screaming in the hospital wing.