It was after dinner. Lily folded away her letter. She would send it tomorrow by Muggle post; perhaps then Petunia would reply it. She had put in the address of a Muggle post box she could pick any reply up from. It was nearly Harry's bedtime, so she went downstairs.
She leant against the doorframe, watching her two men. James was making puffs of coloured smoke erupt from his wand. Harry was in the little blue pyjamas that McGonagall had sent them – dear Professor McGonagall, sending pyjamas big enough for a one year old when Harry had only been a week old – laughing and running after the little puffs, trying to grab it.
"I don't know who's having more fun, you or him," she said, smiling.
James turned around. "Well," he said a little sheepishly.
"Sometimes I feel like I have two sons," she said teasingly.
"Thanks, Lily, but I'm a big boy now." James raised his eyebrows suggestively, and she laughed.
"The smoke isn't good for him," she said.
"He likes it."
And indeed, Harry was tugging at James's trousers. "Dada!" he said insistently. "More!"
"See?"
"It's still not good for him."
"You wouldn't let me Levitate him," James said a little plaintively.
"He's already got Padfoot's broomstick for that," Lily reminded him. "In any case, he should be going to bed soon, and if you keep up with this he'll be up all night. I'll put him to bed."
"And afterwards?" asked James, grinning.
"You can clean the kitchen," she said, laughing at his expression.
"Sometimes I feel like you married me because you wanted a house-elf," said James, scooping Harry up and handing him to Lily. Harry yelled protest, knowing all too well that it signified the end of play-time.
Lily kissed her husband. "You know me too well."
Yawning, James flopped down on the sofa, tossing his wand lightly to one side and stretching as she left to go upstairs.
Along the way, Harry started blowing bubbles with his saliva. By the time they reached his bedroom, his mouth was a mess. Lily laughed, wiping it off. "Silly little boy," she said, rubbing noses with him. Harry giggled, then yawned. "Hush, little baby, don't say a word," she sang, rocking him on her hip as she picked up his toothbrush. "Mama's going to buy you a mocking-"
Belowstairs, she heard the door burst open with such force that it slammed hard against the wall and a terrible fear shot through her, fear that blotted everything else out and rooted her to the spot, fear that shrunk her world down to the warmth of her son's small body against her and the sounds she was straining to hear. Then –
"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"
And then the laugh, the laugh, the laugh and the spell and the green light that flashed upstairs through the banisters … her wand, her wand, it was downstairs, the sitting room, Harry, James, James, gone, run, hold him off... Disapparate, not without a wand, James, Harry, Harry…
She slammed the door shut, locking it, and with strength born of desperation dragged the heavy oak chest-of-drawers in front of it, then the chairs, boxes…
Running to the window, she cried aloud in despair. They had enchanted the windows to never break… James, James, gone… Harry…
"Dumbledore!" she screamed, hoping wildly that he would somehow hear. "Sirius! Sirius!" She pounded on the window with her free hand, the one that wasn't clutching Harry in a death grip. The glass cracked only slightly. "Please – someone – James – James –"
The door creaked as it strained against the barricade, pathetic and pointless, her wand, James, Harry, James, betrayed, betrayed, no way out, he wanted to kill Harry, the window, the window would not break… please, please…
"Dumbledore! Sirius! Remus! Help – help me –" She was sobbing, her hand was bleeding, and the door, the door was open – the door was open – he stood there – James, he had killed James, and he wanted to kill Harry…
She dropped Harry into the crib behind her, throwing her arms wide, futile and useless, their own protections trapping them, their own friends betraying them …
"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside now…"
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –"
Not like this, this wasn't supposed to happen… safety, they had safety and security, where had it gone, no warning, James lying dead downstairs and when she died too Harry would have nobody … how could this happen … he was going to kill Harry… nobody to stand between Harry and death…
"This is my last warning –"
The inhuman figure from her nightmares was standing in front of her, his eyes gleaming red, his wand raised towards her, not towards her, towards Harry, her son, all she had left of James, James and Harry and her, no…
"Not Harry! Please ... have mercy ... have mercy ... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything ..."
"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"
She shook her head, her heart swelling, her little boy, her precious little son, Harry, I love you, I love you and I'm sorry…
…and then there was green light, her son, her husband and her son…
And Lily Potter was no more.