Hi everyone! This is my second story, I know it's taken absolutely AGES for me to get around to it, been kept busy with school! Hope that you all enjoy it, please review, it'd mean the absolute world to me! And I promise to get my next story up and running ASAP, I swear!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, or passages that have been taken from the book.

The Last Good Day

Lily's POV

They say that, when you're about to die, your whole life flashes in front of your eyes. They tell you to have a good life, so that you can enjoy what you're watching. But I didn't care about having a good life, not really. As long as Harry would have a good life, that's all that mattered to me. I would do anything for my son to just be happy. However, as I placed Harry in his cot, and stood in front of it, facing the door, I felt slightly confused. I was getting flashes in front of my eyes, but they were mostly flashes from today, not my whole life. I'd had a good childhood; shouldn't that have a part of this? Or was my subconscious trying to show me the last day of my life, the last day with Harry and James?

Harry giggled delightedly. He was having his morning bath, and James spray jets of water out of his wand, and spray all over Harry. When Harry squirmed under the jets, he managed to soak us, too, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. I laughed with him, then grabbed a towel, placed it on my lap, and lifted Harry out of the bath.

"Come on, Harry, let's get you warm and dry, and then you can play!" I snuggled him into the towel, drying him off from his bath, and James passed some of Harry's clothes to me.

"Shall we go out to the garden today? It looks nice out there," James said, glancing out of the window.

"James, it's October, it'll be absolutely freezing! We can go out later, when it's warmer." I pulled on Harry's trousers and socks, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "My little boy doesn't want to be cold, does he?" Harry giggled again, and then we all went downstairs.

James pointed his want at the fireplace and flames sprung up. "I have to agree, it's quite cold down here, isn't it? I didn't realise how cold it would be, if I'm honest."

"Don't worry about it," I said, and I placed Harry in his toy corner. He immediately grabbed his toy owl, and cuddled it closely to him. "Do you think Harry would like an owl when he starts at Hogwarts?"

"I think he'd love it. He seems to be crazy about owls, doesn't he? Just look at him with his toy owl, it's his favourite one!"

"I know, though I'd say the broom is possibly his favourite. Good thinking on Sirius' behalf, sending that for his birthday."

"Sirius is always very good with presents," James answered, and pulled me down to snuggle on the sofa with him. "It'll be good training for when Harry gets onto the Quidditch team." We smiled at each other and at the little black-haired toddler that was our son, imagining his life at Hogwarts, even though we barely knew if he'd get to see Hogwarts.

I heard a high-pitched cold laughter, flashes of green light, a thud. Before I could even scream his name, James' face swam in front of me. His face, on our wedding day, smiling happily down at me as he bent to kiss my face. His smile, as I held Harry and we saw his green eyes, just like mine. His eyes filled with love, watching me holding Harry closely. His smile as he watched Harry learning new things and making progress. And in that second, I knew that James had gone, had been murdered by him. My eyes filled with tears, as I sobbed out his name. A part of me knew that I'd be seeing him again soon, but I didn't want to leave Harry behind in this cruel world. "It's going to be okay, Harry," I mumbled, stroking Harry's cheek with my hand, still keeping one eye on the door. I didn't believe my own words anymore. How could I believe that everything would be OK now, even though I was ready to believe that this afternoon when James had said it? I watched the door anxiously. What was he doing now?

We sometimes play with Harry, after lunchtime before he has his afternoon nap, showing interest in all the little things he finds hilarious. But, this time, we just wanted to watch him – it's just as fascinating as it is to play with him – and James and I were cuddled on the sofa together.

"What position do you think he'll play in Hogwarts?"

"As long as it's not the Keeper. I always felt like they had nothing to do, if I'm honest. I'd much rather him being a Beater than a Keeper."

"But Beaters get hurt! And they have to hurt others!"

"Well, technically, the Seekers get hurt the most. But I guess you could argue that everyone gets hurt in Quidditch."

"Very true. I don't think I want him to play Quidditch anymore," I said, teasing James.

He laughed, but replied, "Don't be silly, Lils. I will not allow my son to not play Quidditch. That would be absolutely absurd." I laughed with him, and then James pulled me in for a kiss. When we pulled back, I stared into his hazel eyes, and I knew that everyone would be OK, if I'd have him by my side.

"Everything will be OK in the end, Lils. I promise it will be. I'll make it OK for us." James looked deep into my eyes, and I nodded, believing him, before snuggling up into his chest.

I heard the creaks of the stairs as he climbed up them. He was taking his time, trying to scare us even more, probably. I suddenly dropped down on the floor to look Harry in the eye. "Harry, I know you won't remember me, or this night, but please, please know that you were so loved, Harry. Mama loves you, Dada loves you." My voice broke at the last part, finding it cruel how I could say goodbye to Harry, but James couldn't. I felt a tide of grief as I remembered the death of my husband. But I pushed that away for now. Harry was important now, and I had to see these words to him for the last time. I'd be seeing James again soon.

"Harry, you've been so brave. You'll have to carry on being brave, but I know you can do it. Just know that Mama and Dada love you, Harry." I leaned over the railing to place a kiss on Harry's forehead, and stroked his cheek. He looked up at me, and I got the full blast of my eyes staring back at me. I smiled at my little boy, and I knew we wouldn't completely leave this world. As long as Harry lived, James and I would live on through Harry; in his physical appearance and his personality. The reality of the situation gripped me, as I realised I would never get to see Harry's personality. I choked back the tears as I heard the last creak of the stairs. I suddenly picked Harry up in my arms to hold him close.

"I feel so glad that Harry broke that vase Tuney sent us last Christmas, don't you?" I said, looking at the spot where the ugly vase had stood. James glanced at the spot too, and laughed.

"I couldn't agree more with you. The vase did look awful, if I'm being honest." It was absolutely true, the vase was absolutely awful. Trust Tuney to send it to us, her and her awful husband, Vernon. But then again, Tuney and I hadn't been especially close since we were absolutely tiny children. The loss of my sister punched deeper into my heart, but I ignored it easily enough. After all, I'd had about a decade of practice of hiding the pain I felt for the loss of my sister.

"James, I know you've grown up as an only child, but would you consider a sibling for Harry?" I blurted out, before I had the time to think it through. James, who had been lifting Harry above his head at that moment, stared at me for a moment, then seemed to shake himself.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Another child, a sibling for Harry, another member of our family." He seemed to think this over for a minute, and then he grinned at me. "I think that'd be nice. I loved being an only kid, but still, you have a special connection with a sibling. I can see how you still want that with Petunia." His eyes grew softer, as he sat down next to me, with Harry on his lap.

"I know. I just miss the friendship we had. Besides, maybe Harry would like a sibling," I said, tickling him under his chin.

"I'm sorry, Lils." James knew how much I hid the hurt I had from Tuney. He kissed the top of my head, and I smiled.

I rushed to stand up again as I heard him coming along the landing, over to the room. I stood in front of Harry, protecting him from the man I knew had destroyed my family forever. Even if Harry and I managed to escape, somehow, we would never be the same ever again. The door blasted open, but I didn't flinch. I squeezed Harry's tiny hand one last time, and then let go of him, my son.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" I begged him, in spite of myself. I hadn't wanted to give him the satisfaction of begging, but I'd do it to save my son.

"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..." He was giving me an option? Why didn't he just kill me like he'd killed James; quickly, easily, carelessly?

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead -"

"This is my last warning -"

I walked in on James blowing colourful bubbles from his wand for Harry's amusement. I smiled at how alike those two were. "Bedtime for the little one? Let's go up to bed now, Harry."

James handed him to me, and placed a peck on my lips, and then on Harry's cheek. "Night, Harry. Dada loves you!" I smiled, as he added, "I love you too, Lils." It was our routine, just in case something happened, someday, unexpectedly. "I love you too, James." I gave him a big smile, before taking Harry upstairs.

"Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy...not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything -" It felt like it wasn't enough, but it was all that I could do.

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl -"

But I could see the determination in his eyes, and the way he raised his wand to point over my heart, that he'd had enough with my pleading. As his red eyes flashed bright at the thought of killing someone in cold blood, I filled my head with the image of James and Harry. I would see James soon, and we would continue to watch over Harry. I was determined not to scream as I saw the green light shoot towards me and hit me squarely in the chest. The last thing I saw before the blackness was Harry's tiny face watching me through the bars of his cot.