Potter cottage was quiet in the late hours of Holloween. Nothing but the crackling of a fire and the soft snores of two children could be heard. As James and Lily watched their children cuddle in their sleep, all they could think of was how they wanted this moment to last forever.
James reached out, brushing his daughter's fiery curls from her face. "Do they have to grow up?" he chuckled, only half-joking.
Lily rolled her eyes fondly, "Life, unfortunately, doesn't work the way we want it to."
The man was unable to stop himself from smiling as the tiny hand of his son grasped his finger, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, James. Very sure."
"Damn," he muttered, earning a whack upside the head from the older ginger.
"Language." Lily admonished, rolling her eyes in exasperation at her husband's whining. James pouted, rubbing the spot where she hit him, "So mean, Lils."
She didn't get the chance to reply before a deafening explosion shook their small home. The door was flung off its hinges and splintered into hundreds of pieces. The young mother shielded her children from the debris as James vaulted over the back of the couch, wand in hand, and trained on the intruder.
"Lily, take the kids and run!" he barked, vicious hazel eyes never leaving his opponent.
Lily held her, wide awake and hysterical, children closely as she stood and darted up the stairs. She could hear the fight between her husband and the intruder, it sounded violent but it didn't last long.
The sounds of fighting ceased as she ducked into Harry's nursery. Her heart broke at the vibrant green that flashed against the walls as she pulled the door shut. The familiar sting of her eyes blurred her vision, but she quickly blinked the tears away as she set her children in Harry's crib. Once her hands were free, she flicked her wrist sharply, wandlessly sending various objects across the room to pile in front of the door. She knew it wouldn't last long, but it would buy her enough time.
"Shh, it's okay," she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder she wouldn't be able to say what she needed to. The tears steadily built up in her eyes as she gazed down at her children. "Mummy and Daddy love you both so, so much. Don't forget that, okay? We love you so much." she tried to convey as much love and assurance as she could in her words, but her voice quickly broke.
Lily bit her lip to hold back the sobs as she conjured a knife, she could hear the sharp bangs of spells slamming into the wards of Harry's room. The wards she could feel weakening. She cursed under her breath as she swiped the blade across her palm, ignoring the pain as she smeared her blood onto the runes etched into her youngest's crib.
As the runes lit up, an explosion erupted from behind her, eliciting cries from her babies. Lily turned sharply, bodily shielding her children as two figures stepped into the nursery. The woman inhaled sharply, green eyes wide as she stared at the figures.
"You? B.. but why?"
"For the greater good, of course."
