A/N: This is a rewrite of an earlier chapter. I replaced the content of the previous chapter with this piece here on October 12, 2013, rather than deleting the chapter and uploading it again. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this.

Love Hurts

You stare unseeingly into the glass before you, filled with a raging sea of bitterness and resentment. You growl deep in your throat and punch the glass with a tightly clenched fist, to no avail. This is no ordinary Mirror, after all. The Mirror of Erised cannot be destroyed so easily.

Incensed, you draw your wand and fire a series of increasingly powerful hexes, all of which the Mirror absorbs as if they are nothing more than a harmless gust of wind. Even in your fury, some part of your mind marvels at the power held in this ancient artefact, at the strength and skill required to create it.

You didn't tell the Dark Lord about the prophecy, for you knew what it would mean. Lily hunted, terrified, and in even more danger than she already is. Telling He Who Must Not Be Named about the prophecy would be signing her death sentence, and that is the one thing you can never bring yourself to do.

You went to Dumbledore and switched sides instead, and when the contempt in his expression changed to respect, even admiration, you felt like you'd made the right choice. When Lily sees you now in meetings of the Order, and her eyes light up with happiness and relief, there's no doubt in your mind that you've made the right choice.

But every time you look into this dangerous Mirror, you find yourself unsure. It shows you Lily by your side, as it always has before. And it makes you angry, because it reminds you of what you can never have. It makes you want to lash out, to take some sort of revenge on the cruel world which has dangled love in front of your face and snatched it away.

You step away from the Mirror, closing your eyes and taking deep breaths. You have a job to do, and this Mirror is only getting in the way. But…surely one more look into those adoring green eyes won't hurt?

Sometime later, you emerge from the classroom and head towards your office. You're not looking where you're going, and all of the sudden you're colliding with a familiar figure.

"Lily," you say, caught by surprise, and recovering quickly. "I didn't know you'd be here." She always manages to make your world go off kilter. Happiness doesn't come easily to you, but with her you find it almost impossible to feel anything else.

She smiles warmly and responds, "Actually, I – I wanted to see you." She says the last part quietly, staring resolutely at the floor, as if afraid to meet your gaze.

Things are not the same between you, and as much as you wish they would be, you know it's only a childish dream. So, you content yourself with what you've been given, this slow rekindling of a seemingly unbreakable friendship, swallowing your yearning for more by reminding yourself that the alternative is Lily no longer alive. Lily dead is unthinkable, a pain that would be unbearable, and it reminds you why you're doing what you're doing.

"Was there something in particular you wanted?" You say smoothly, allowing no emotion to seep into your voice or manner.

You're all too aware that these days, wherever Lily is, Potter's never too far behind, and you will not be caught off-guard again. For far too long you had been an object of ridicule and pity. Never again. Lily senses your tension and, demonstrating her remarkable ability to read your mind better than any Legilimens, immediately understands its' source.

"James isn't here. He's off with Sirius on some mission for the Order. I wasn't allowed to go along, for obvious reasons." She gestures to the protruding bump at her belly, which you determinedly ignore. "Instead, I decided to come here, and pay you a visit."

"Did it not occur to you that I might be busy?" Rudeness fits you comfortably, and pushing her away is easier than seeing her happy with someone else. Unfortunately (or fortunately, you can't decide) she sees through your ploy.

"It's July, school hasn't started yet, and I figured even if you were preparing lessons or whatever else you might have to do, you could always spare some time for your favourite person in the whole world?"

Lily doesn't realise that she really is your favourite person in the whole world. She's joking, oblivious to how close to the truth she's actually stumbled by accident. She's more than your favourite person in the world – she is your world, and she can never know. You think she guesses, in part, your affection for her, but that comment proves that she has no inkling of how deep it runs. It's better that way, you tell yourself, you're less vulnerable this way.

"I was just about to head to my office. You're welcome to accompany me, if you wish."

She does wish, and she falls into step beside you easily, despite the baby weighing her down. "I always said you'd be a great teacher, Sev, and now I've been proven right!"

"You said I was brilliant at Potions, and that I was great at teaching you, Lily," you correct her. "I'd have no patience with anyone else."

She dismisses your objection without a second thought. "Whether you're teaching me or a bunch of kids, it's all the same, really."

"It's not!" You insist, "because you – you're… different."

You regret the words as soon as they're out of your mouth, and an unpleasant wave of shame washes over you uncontrollably. "I'm mean, you're far more intelligent than the imbeciles I'll have to teach," you add hurriedly, trying to cover your mistake.

"They're not imbeciles, but thank you," she smiles again, and you instinctively relax.

You walk the rest of the way to your office in companionable silence. The future isn't certain for either of you (it never is, really) and outside this castle there are unspeakable dangers, a war you might not win. For the moment, those things are forgotten, and you can be SevandLily again.

She pants heavily with every step as a result of the baby growing in her stomach, a physical manifestation of your loss. Lily was your best friend, and you lost her with a single word. She chose Potter, not you.

"Take care, Sev," she tells you as she leaves, placing a hand on your arm. For a moment, the image in the Mirror of Erised flashes in front of your eyes. Her wedding ring disappears, as does her baby bump. Then she takes her hand away, and as her touch fades, so too do your dreams.

The Mirror of Erised is slowly becoming the centre of your life, for only in the Mirror does Lily love you the way you wish she could. It's dangerous, this Mirror, and though Dumbledore warns you of it, you waste no time attending to his words.

Your choice keeps Lily alive, but the wizarding world is dying bit by bit, and you're dying right along with it.

Written for:
The Quidditch League Competition (Holyhead Harpies, standing in as Seeker)
The Flower Language Challenge: Daffodil
Le Sherlock Competition (2.3)