Hey, here is my entry for round 12 of the QLFC! This is the first time I've written a James/Lily pairing for this competition despite them being my first OTP of Harry Potter and the first pairing I ever wrote. This round was all about soulmates, and whilst a lot of people are probably going AU for this, I'm just not a big AU kinda girl so I hope you enjoy my take on it and how it could have happened.

Chaser 1

Appleby Arrows

Round 12, Season 9

Prompts: Chaser 1: The last words your soulmate will ever say to you are printed on your arm.

(dialogue) "This isn't what I wanted."

(word) destined

(word) direction

Thank you so much to my amazing team, the Appleby Arrows and our captain, for always being the best beta!

Word Count: 1186


Disappointed In Destiny

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked James Potter, to his wife, Lily Potter, for what seemed to be the 87th time since they had gotten the idea. "I mean, I love you and that won't ever change, but what if we're not soulmates? Or what if we are but we've messed up the potion so we don't think we are and then we-"

"James, look at him," said Lily, gesturing to Harry, their one month-year-old who was sleeping soundly in his bassinet. "He's perfect. There is no way we could have made something so beautiful if we're not soulmates."

James smiled in agreement. "He is beautiful."

"I think it will help me deal with everything that is going on in the world, James, help me understand what our direction is," said Lily, with a sigh. "I'll go first."

The cauldron had been simmering in their fireplace for a couple of weeks now, ever since Lily had read about it in a very old potion book. Now as they sat cross-legged on the frayed rug in front of the fireplace at midnight, it was finally ready. James had his reservations. Not about whether or not they were soulmates, James knew that his heart had been destined to belong to her the moment she had first shouted at him for being annoying. No, he was worried about what the outcome would be.

He watched as she used a ladle to pour it into a small, glass flask. Lily had always been a dab hand at potions (in actuality, at most things she did) so she had been in charge of the brewing. It was black and thin, emitting golden shimmery steam. It wasn't the least appetising potion he'd ever considered drinking but it was the one he was the most nervous about.

Lily took a deep breath. "Okay, so I need to drink this and then you need to kiss me. If it works, and I'm your soulmate then the last words you ever say to me will appear on my body like a tattoo."

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and braced herself for a moment before downing the entire glass in one with a slight grimace. He waited until he was sure she had swallowed the entire thing, and then he leaned forward, with his hands on her knees to steady himself, and claimed her lips with his for a few moments and then he reclined back into his seating position.

"Do you think it worked?"

"I don't know," frowned Lily, as she pulled her sleeves up to check her arms. "Can you see anything on me?"

"No," said James, as he peered at what he could see of her legs out of her skirt. "We knew it might not work."

"I know," said Lily, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I guess I got my hopes up though."

"Maybe I didn't kiss you enough!" smirked James. "We should do an old-fashioned snog session."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Because, of course, in an intricate ancient potion recipe that required six weeks of brewing, and fifty-three ingredients, it was the kiss that we messed up!"

James started to lean forward again to steal another kiss before sitting back as he saw Lily's emerald green almond eyes widen. "What is it?"

"My arm! It's tingling!"

Lily shrugged off her cardigan as quickly as she could, twisting her body to try to peer at her arm. "I can't see it, I think it's at the back of my upper arm."

James moved towards her, holding her arm as gently as he could so he could investigate. He gasped as an inky black scrawl of words materialised on the back of her arm. He frowned as he read them, feeling as though he had been sucker-punched.

"So? What does it say?"

"Nothing," replied James, clearing his throat as he sat in his original position. "It can't have worked properly - it's just gibberish."

"James?"

"Yes?"

"You do realise I can tell when you're lying," stated Lily, resignedly. "What does it say? You can't keep me from the truth."

Although James could no longer see the words, they were etched like an unwanted tattoo into his eyelids. "It says 'Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -'"

Lily clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob caught in her throat. She got up and stood next to the bassinet, laying her other hand on their sleeping son's chest. He knew that the gentle rise of his body calmed her. He stood behind her and rubbed her arms gently.

"This isn't what I wanted," said Lily, hoarsely.

"I know," said James, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, burying into the mass of her red mane. He told himself it was because he wanted to comfort his wife, but he knew it was because it gave him a moment to control the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "It might not me-"

"We both know what that means, James, there's no point kidding ourselves otherwise," said Lily, heavily. "He's coming for our baby. Our sweet, innocent baby."

"And we'll protect him, Lily," promised James. "My last words to you are about protecting him and you. I can make peace with my end if that's it."

"I hate that his fate is destined, that it's predetermined. That it's doomed. What are we supposed to do now?"

"We live our lives and we enjoy every moment of it, every moment of Harry," said James. "The only direction we can go is forward."

Lily nodded. "Please don't drink that potion."

"Okay, whatever you want, Lily," said James. "We'll pour it down the drain."

"I'm sorry I did this to us."

"Don't be sorry," said James softly, as he spun her round in his arms so they could be face to face. He grasped her chin gently. "You have nothing to be sorry for. We already knew he was in danger and we already knew that I would do anything to protect my family. We don't need those words on your arm to tell us that."

"I always had hope though," said Lily, the tears that had been clinging to her long eyelashes falling at last. "Hope we would survive."

"We can still have that hope, Lily," said James, with a smile, using his thumb to wipe her tears away. "My last words to you are telling you to get our son and go. To survive. To keep going forward."

"You know I'd do anything to protect him too," sniffed Lily.

"I hope you don't have to," admitted James. "But I know you will."

"I'm so scared, James," whispered Lily.

"I know," replied James, sadly. "Me too."

"What do we do now?" asked Lily, desolately. James reached over and wiped away a brimming tear.

"We give our beautiful child a kiss goodnight, and then we go to bed together. When we wake up, we live our lives ignoring those words, and we watch our son grow up. We will do that every day until we can't."