It was Friday, August 31st, 2018, and James and Lily were in the backyard with their Firebolts and a snitch.

"James, " said Lily sincerely, "I really do appreciate you working with me on my Seeker skills. As you're the Hogwarts Quidditch commentator, I'd love to be on my house team and have you call my matches, but I'm a bit uncertain whether it's a good idea due to fact that it has a tryout requirement."

"You can become good enough and you will, " said James faithfully.

"Even if I do become great at it, who's to say there won't be someone even better. Getting involved in anything with a tryout requirement is a risk. There's the joy, pride, and elation of making it, and there's the shame, stigma, and disgrace of not making it."

"You fear failure?" James asked Lily.

"That's what's bothering me, " confirmed Lily, "I want to try out, but what if I don't make the team and have to live with that?"

"Lily, " said James firmly, "Don't let fear of failure rob you of an opportunity. As long as you give it your best shot, that's what really counts in the end. The biggest failure is in not trying. Let me put it to you this way; if you don't try out for the team, there may well cone a time down the road where you'll regret having not done so because you'll wonder what could have been. If you try out and don't make it, well, at least you can be at peace knowing you gave it your best shot."

After a minute of silence, Lily looked James straight in the eye and said, "That's wise advice, James, so let's get to it."

James and Lily kicked off from ground hard and soared into the air on their Firebolts.

After flying for about a minute, James tossed the snitch towards Lily without telling her he was going to do so.

To James's delight, Lily caught the snitch cleanly in her right hand.

"Way to go, Lily!" said James proudly, "I purposefully didn't tell you I was going to throw it because dealing with being taken by surprise is an important skill in Quidditch."

"That was a good first test, " agreed Lily.

Two minutes later, James faked throwing the snitch but didn't. As he had hoped, Lily kept her eyes on him after this.

"That's right, Lily, " said James encouragingly, "Don't lose focus. You're showing some great qualities here."

"You were testing my concentration and attention with that fake, " realized Lily.

"Yes, I was, " confirmed James, "And you passed that test with flying colors."

The next James did throw the snitch, Lily attempted and failed to catch it with only her pinkie.

"No, Lily, " said James sharply, "Use your whole hand. You were trying to show off and it backfired on you. Don't be cute, be good. Trying to be fancy gets you nowhere in sports. Fundamentals are what win games and championships."

"I was trying to impress you by proving I could catch the snitch with only my pinkie, " admitted Lily, "You did your job by bringing me back to reality. "

"Even if can do it, it's better to go for the higher percentage play, " James told Lily.

Next time James tossed the snitch he purposefully gave Lily an extremely easy catch that she made with no trouble.

"That's more like it, " said James approvingly, "Make the right play instead of trying to go for the spectacular play. "

James continued giving Lily increasingly difficult catches, which she continued to make. When she'd made twenty five catches in a row, James called it a day.

"You did really well, Lily, " said James happily, "Just remember, play the game the right way and you'll win a lot of matches. I love your chances to make your house team at Hogwarts when your time comes, Lily."

"James, " said Lily gratefully, "Thank you for taking the time to help me out and work with me on my game."

"I'm always happy to help out my favorite sibling, " smiled James.

"Thank you even more for pointing out my blunder of trying to show off. By being honest with me about why I failed in that instance, you nipped a potentially bad habit of mine in the bud, " said Lily respectfully,

"You have to be humble all the time you play because as soon as you get bigheaded you start making mistakes. It's better to be humble and win than fancy and lose, " said James matter of factly.

"Thank you most of all, " continued Lily, "For pushing me in the right direction by making me see why I should try out and why I have more to gain than to lose by doing so."

"Sometimes, " said James wisely, "If you try too hard to avoid the bad, the good you might have had will pass you by. I wanted to make sure you took advantage of the opportunity that will be available to you."

"A good lesson from my favorite brother, " grinned Lily,

"Other than the showoff gaffe, you did really well out there today, " said James encouragingly, "I have no doubt in your ability to not only make a house team but also win a Quidditch Cup."

At that, Lily just smiled.