A/N: House: Hufflepuff | Category: Drabble | Prompt: James and Lily's final night | Word Count: 654

Lily Potter leaned against the door frame that separated the kitchen from the sitting room, watching her husband and her son playing on the floor. She smiled; she didn't think her heart could be any fuller than it was at this moment. James picked Harry up and tossed him in the air, and the delighted boy erupted into a fit of giggles, clapping his chubby hands together.

A high-pitched whistle signaled that the water was ready for tea, and Lily quickly moved back into the kitchen to pour two cups, placing tea bags into each. She carefully carried the steaming mugs into the living room and handed one to James, who smiled at her in thanks. Harry reached his hand out to touch the mug, but James quickly pulled it out of reach.

"No, Harry, that's hot. See?" He touched the cup with one finger and immediately yanked it back, shaking it and making a face. "Ouch!"

Harry giggled and copied him, waving his hands around as if he, too, had been burned. Lily scooped him up and sat on the floor beside James, leaning against the sofa for support. They were quiet for a moment, sipping on their tea. Lily held Harry close to her chest as the sound of children's laughter outside drifted in. James looked longingly out the window and Lily placed her hand atop his, drawing his attention to her.

"We'll be okay. Hopefully we won't have to hide much longer," she said, doing her best to sound reassuring, although she felt no real conviction behind her words.

He leaned in to kiss first her cheek, then Harry's forehead. Harry's responding smile melted away their remaining worries and fears, bringing them back into the moment with their son.

"Maybe next Halloween we can dress you up and take you out," James crooned to Harry, tugging on one of his tiny sock-clad feet, bringing on another round of laughter from the boy.

Lily finished her tea and handed Harry to James, grabbing James' empty mug as she stood.

"I'm going to go clean up in the kitchen," she announced.

James nodded and shifted Harry in his arms, pulling out his wand to produce brightly colored puffs of smoke for Harry's entertainment. After several laughter-filled minutes, Lily reentered and took Harry back from James to put him to bed.

She sang softly to Harry as she made her way to his nursery, watching as his eyelids drooped. The old muggle tune never failed to soothe him, and by the time she placed him in his cot, he was already half asleep.

A loud bang from downstairs interrupted her song and she jumped, fear gripping her heart and lungs like a vise. Harry was now wide awake, looking up at her in interest. When James' shouts reached her, telling her to take Harry and run, she knew that their worst fears had been realized.

She choked back a sob as James' voice was silenced with two words and patted her pockets, frantically searching for her wand. Coming up empty, she began moving furniture to block the door, though she knew it was futile. The stairs creaked as the intruder neared, and she could do nothing but pick Harry up and hold him close one last time, her voice shaking violently as she whispered words of love to him, tears tracking down her face.

The creaking on the stairs stopped, and there was a breath of silence before the door blasted open, sending the furniture sliding across the room. She placed Harry back in his cot and flung her arms wide, as if it would protect him from the deadly curse. The hooded figure drew closer and she met his eyes, begging for mercy, but it was no use. He leveled his wand at her and she could do nothing more than send up a silent prayer for her son before everything went black.