„You’ll do great, Snitch.“ James tells Harry as they arrive in front of the maze — the third, and thankfully final task of the Triwizard Tournament.
„Thanks, Dad.“ Harry replies, accepting the hug James offers him.
He seems nervous — of course, he’d be…if this task is anything like the other two, then it would most definitely not be easy.
Lily watches her two boys with silent turmoil. Something doesn’t feel right, she can’t help but think as her eyes travel to the giant maze, covered in a creepy mist.
„We’ll be up there,“ James points out the seats where they, including Sirius, would be sitting to watch — or rather not watch, as it is once more a task they can’t really see much of. „We’ll be cheering you on.“
As James lets go of Harry, Lily takes his place, throwing her arms tightly around her son’s shoulders. „Harry,“ she whispers. „It doesn’t matter if you win or not, just…promise me you won’t do anything foolish.“
Harry, in lieu of a verbal answer, simply nods into her shoulder.
She pulls back to look into his eyes, which reflect her own so distinctively. „Be careful, alright?“ she asks, giving him what she hopes would be a comforting smile. „It’s nearly over.“
She’s not entirely sure whether she wanted to soothe Harry or herself — maybe both.
„Yeah.“ Harry shrugs, before they all startle at the unbearably loud sound that emits from the bleachers, indicating the beginning of the third task.
James takes Lily’s hand, managing a strained smile. „Alright then,“ he says, clasping Harry’s shoulder and letting his hand linger there for a moment. „We’ll see you soon, Snitch, yeah?“
„See you soon.“ Harry agrees, before he walks off, leaving them to look after him with nervous expressions.
„He’ll be alright.“ James says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Lily nods, though she can hear the worry in his voice.
She herself watches their son disappear behind the maze’s vines with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach — something just isn’t right.
Of course, it could just be phantom worry, like parents have it ever so often, but this feels different.
It’s like she’s back in Godric‘s Hollow, just waiting for something to go wrong.