Chapter 4
On Halloween morning 1981 James Potter was a nervous wreck. Pulling his Arithmancy work back out, he scribbled furiously on the parchment, calculating the most probable time of day for an attack.
This time the result was rather obvious. Naturally a Dark Lord wouldn't attack during the day. Throwing his quill to the side, he got up to pace.
James stared with unseeing eyes out the window, when Lily finally found him in the study. “James? What are you doing in here? Come on, I've just fed Harry and made us some lunch.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the care his wife displayed. He'd been so happy when she finally responded to his advances. Having her by his side still felt too good to be true at times. He loved her so much.
“Coming,” he assured her, following his two favourite people (besides Sirius) into the dining room. Lily huffed a laugh and adjusted her hold on little Harry, who was glancing happily over her shoulder at him.
“Hello mate, had a nice meal already?”, he asked his son with a grin. That got him a proud nod in return. “Paddy,” his son exclaimed with enthusiasm while he waved his stuffed dog about.
Laughing, James scooped Harry out of Lily's arms and propped him securely on his side. “Now, I don't think little Paddy needs much food, Harry. Even though big Padfoot loves to eat a lot.”
Lily snorted. “Don't give him ideas, James,” she chided playfully, “I don't want him pushing everything he doesn't like over to Sirius.” Her eyes gleamed with mirth, though.
He could just imagine how happy Sirius would be if he'd be drowning in peas or carrots every time he was visiting in the future.
“Pad?” Harry asked with big wondering eyes. Lily's eyes. His heart melted.
“Padfoot is very busy right now,” he answered carefully while they settled around the table. “I'm sure he'll come visit you as soon as he can though. I miss that shaggy dog, too,” he continued with an encouraging smile.
“Sirius still has to see him on his broom, Lily. That's almost a betrayal to the Quidditch community,” he complained dramatically.
“I sent him a picture and don't you forget who bought that toy broomstick in the first place,” Lily replied, rolling her eyes. “You know just as well as I do how many missions the Order has right now. And Sirius is an Auror trainee, too.”
The last part was said with a sympathetic wince. James and Sirius had originally planned to apply for the Auror Trainee Program together, but the prophecy had made that course of action infeasible. He simply couldn't leave his family alone. They all had targets on their heads.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. A nervous habit he still hadn't given up. James needed to tell Lily about the Felix Felices potion. He didn’t want to start this conversation, because it made the possibility of something happening today too real for comfort.
If they wanted the advantage the potion could grant them, though, they needed to take it before it got dark. Just to be sure. His grip on Harry tightened a bit and he hugged his son closer to his chest.
“What's wrong James? You've been acting weird since breakfast today,” Lily asked him worriedly. Her whole being expressed concern, making him feel even worse for what he wanted to address.
“Lils…,” he started hesitantly, “Lily-Flower, I need to tell you something.”