He woke up to find the other side of his bed empty, which wasn't surprising; his wife always got up early nowadays. When you have three children aged between four and seven, you have no choice but to become a morning person.
After getting himself ready (and trying in vain to tame his unruly hair, which still refused to submit to the comb. Oh well, at least it now looked presentable) he came downstairs to find the rest of his family gathered around the breakfast table, talking animatedly while eating their meal.
"Seriously Al, pirate costumes are so last year."
"I like pirate costumes! And they are from last year."
"Exactly! Only you would think of wearing the same costume two years in a row. On the other hand, my Count Dracula costume is brand new."
"I don't like dressing up as vampires." Albus wrinkled his nose to show his dislike.
"Well, I'm a witch!" Lily piped up, breaking into her brothers' conversation. The two stared at their little sister.
"Lils, we know you're a witch. Mum's a witch, Aunt Hermione's a witch, and you're a witch. You're from the wizarding world, remember?" James said with the tone of someone patiently explaining things to a three-year-old, and in all honesty Lily wasn't much older than that.
"No, I mean I'm going trick-or-treating as a witch! Mummy helped me get my costume!" the little girl said excitedly.
"It wasn't too hard; all Mum had to do was give her some of her old robes from the attic," James muttered only loud enough for Albus to hear, who giggled softly.
"Well kids, you won't be going trick-or-treating until tonight, so there's plenty of time to discuss your costumes after you finish your breakfast. We're supposed to leave by the time Daddy's ready, remember?" Ginny said to her three children.
"Okay Mum," said the three, and then Lily looked up and pointed at the doorway excitedly. "Look, there's Daddy!"
"Morning, everyone," Harry smiled as he sat at the head of the table. Ginny set down his plate in front of him and bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek before turning to save Lily's glass of milk from falling over the edge of the table.
"Hey Dad, can Al and I go trick-or-treating by ourselves this year?"
"Absolutely not, James. You're too young to be outdoors alone without an adult in the night."
"Aw, come on Dad! I'm old enough!" To prove his point, James puffed out his chest in an attempt to make his seven-year-old self look bigger.
"Even if you are, I'm still not really comfortable with the idea of you and Al going trick-or-treating alone. Besides, you're going with Rose and Uncle Ron, remember?"
Albus nodded, but James sat back in his seat and muttered, "Uncle Ron always wants us to give him some of our candy."
"Alright, if everyone's ready we can leave now." Ginny bent down to wipe Lily's mouth before clearing the plates from the table. "You go put on your shoes and I'll be with you in a minute."
Several minutes later the family of five was walking down the main street of Godric's Hollow, where wizard and Muggle families lived alongside each other in peace. Many of the Muggle homes were decorated with grinning pumpkins and miniature bats hanging from the porch, symbols of a world they thought was only fiction. The family passed the church and stopped before a kissing gate leading to the graveyard beside. Harry pushed open the gate and they went in.
After years of visiting the graveyard, it didn't take long for them to find the grave they were looking for. Looking down on the white marble tombstone, they could still read the words etched on it clearly:
James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981
Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death
With a nod from her mother, Lily stepped forward and laid a bouquet of flowers against the tombstone. The vibrant colors of the flowers were in contrast to the pale white of the tombstone, and yet they seemed to complement each other. The family stood before the grave in silence for a minute with their heads bowed, and then the mother laid a hand on the father's shoulder. He looked up, and green eyes met dark brown ones. "It's been 31 years."
"Yes, it has." She gave him a comforting smile, and he nodded in return. Then, leading their children by the hand, they left the graveyard, leaving the bouquet of flowers lying against the tombstone. In the bright sunlight accompanied by the singing of birds, the last line on the white marble stood out from the others:
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death
In memoriam of James and Lily Potter, who gave their lives on this day 31 years ago to save their son, who in turned saved the wizarding world and illuminated the lives of countless children from theMuggleworld. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten, and you will always live on forever in our hearts.
Carrot-Bunny owns nothing except for James' Count Dracula costume, which was based on her ten-year-old cousin's Halloween costume.