The early morning sun filtered through the curtains, falling on Lily as she slept. Soon after, the soft chime of her bedside clock stirred her awake.

Lily reluctantly opened her heavy eyelids. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was six in the morning.

Memories of the tragic events in Hogsmeade the previous night came flooding back. Lily longed to remain cocooned in the comfort of Harry’s bed, not yet ready to face the day ahead.

Hedwig hooted loudly, but Lily ignored the owl's cry. A whisper sounded behind Lily, "Shhh, Hedwig... one more hoot and I swear—"

Lily's eyes snapped open, alertness flooding her exhausted body. Though drowsy just moments before, she now recognized the familiar voice, she heard it a million times. Lily turned slowly, eyes wide.

"AAARGH!" Lily shrieked, scrambling from her bed to stand against the door in horror. "Y-YOU!" she stammered, stunned by the sight before her. Blinking to ensure she wasn't dreaming, Lily gaped at the impossible figure. "H-HARRY?!"

Alarmed, Harry looked at his mother. He had never seen Lily so frightened before. "Mum?" he asked.

"Y-you're... y-you're here—" Lily stammered, dumbfounded.

"Yes," said Harry, puzzled by her strange behavior and presence in his room. "I'm sorry I woke you. I didn't mean to—"

"I-I..." Lily struggled to find words, shaking uncontrollably as she stared at Harry as if seeing a ghost.

"Mum, it's me, Harry... your son," he said gently, slowly approaching her. Lily backed away toward the door. Harry wrapped his arms around her. She flinched at first, then gradually relaxed into his warm embrace.

Harry hugged his mother tightly, whispering, "It's okay, mum... it's going to be okay." Lily embraced him in return, relief washing over her as she held her son close and clinging to him for a long moment.

Finally letting go, Harry met his mother's gaze. "I'm really going to miss you," he said quietly.

Lily cupped her son's face in her hands. "I'll miss you too, Harry. I hope you know how much," she replied earnestly. She longed for him to understand the depth of her regret—that she had not been able to fully express her love and care for the one person who loved her unconditionally.

"I do believe you," Harry said quickly. "And instead of missing me, why don't you come with me to the Burrow for my birthday? You could meet everyone," Harry asked excitedly, a smile lighting up his face.

"Harry..." Lily released Harry's face and backed away again, her eyes brimming with tears. No... no... this can't be happening again...

Harry's face fell. "You're definitely not coming, are you?"

Lily looked around, bewildered and confused—Am I dreaming? Am I going crazy?

"This can't be happening... I-I can't—”" she stammered, her thoughts spilling out uncontrollably.

Harry sat on the bed and spoke sadly, "Of course you can't go. I understand you have to work. Big meeting..."

Lily looked at him with wide, confused eyes. She sat beside him, heartbeat racing, and said, "I... I had a meeting, and you-" She pointed at Harry, struggling for words.

"Mum...calm down," Harry said gently as he cradled her face in his hands. "Please, just calm down."

She met his emerald eyes and wept, overcome by how much she had missed his loving gaze.

Harry hugged his mother again and said reassuringly, "You're very prepared for today and you're going to be great." He then stood up, walked to the door, and paused.

Lily followed him anxiously. "Don't go anywhere! What are you doing?"

Looking back at her in confusion, Harry replied, "I have to make breakfast."

"No, I'll make breakfast and you stay here," Lily said as she grabbed his hand and had him sit back on the bed.

Harry frowned, confused by his mother's strange behavior that morning. He shrugged the thought away and responded, "Please... You have to get ready for work. Don't worry about me." Harry gave her a reassuring smile.

Lily trembled with fear, knowing her anxiety was visible. All she wanted was for her son to remain at home, safe from harm. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded reluctantly. "Okay..." She embraced Harry tightly once more, reluctant to let go, then slipped out the door.

Lily was bewildered by the sudden turn of events. Just last night, she had been distraught over Harry's death. Now, inexplicably, he was alive again, as if nothing had happened. Had it even happened? It had seemed so real. Perplexed, she looked down, realizing she had put on her dark blue robe inside-out. But no—she had worn this robe just yesterday. Or had she? Shaking her head at the jumble of confusing thoughts, she decided to wear a different robe instead—a velvet one this time. "Hopefully this will lead to a better day," she murmured to herself.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

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Thirty minutes later, Lily walked downstairs to the kitchen with her arms full of papers, reading as she went. Passing Harry at the stove, he gave no indication that he noticed her.

Curious about his cooking, Lily approached him from behind and began, "What's for break—"

When Harry turned around abruptly, he bumped Lily's arm, scattering her papers across the floor. Stunned, she stared at the mess for a moment before regaining her composure.

"I am so sorry," Harry said in alarm, bending down to gather the scattered papers.

Lily frowned, the moment sparking a sense of deja vu, though she quickly dismissed the thought as impossible. Still distracted by the odd feeling, she gently stopped Harry from picking up the papers. "It's alright, sweetheart," she assured him. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of this. You go on and keep cooking."

Lily sat down at the kitchen table in a daze, still holding the disorganized papers in her hands. She glanced over at Harry, then noticed the clock read six forty-five.

"Harry..." Lily said suddenly, "Let's go out and have some fun together today instead of me going to my meeting."

Harry looked up from the frying pan he was tending. "But what about your meeting?" he asked.

"The meeting doesn't matter," she said flatly, her gaze lowering to the papers spread before her on the table.

Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He couldn't believe her words. "But...you've been preparing for weeks."

With a careless shrug, she replied, "I've decided it's unimportant."

"You're just anxious, Mum. Eat something - it'll help." Harry set a plate of eggs, sausage, and toast on the table. She eyed it dolefully, but the savory aroma drew her in. Fork in hand, she began to eat.

Harry smiled, relieved.

Lily ate in silence, lacking much appetite. Over half an hour later, after taking a final bite of toast, she looked up at Harry, who was engrossed in chopping vegetables. Suddenly alarmed, Lily jumped up from her seat and rushed to her son's side.

Lily gasped, "Harry! No, no, you're going to cut yourself!"

But Harry had already finished slicing the vegetables without a single nick. He gazed at Lily in confusion over her abrupt outburst.

She inspected his fingers anxiously, then exhaled in relief. With an affectionate smile, she tousled his hair before returning to the table.

Harry looked at his mother with worry in his eyes.

Lily sipped her coffee, but spat it out when she heard Harry cry out in pain.

"Ow!" While washing dishes, Harry had accidentally cut his hand on a knife.

Lily hurried to help him, her stomach lurching at the sight of the injury. "Y-you cut your hand on the k-knife!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with alarm.

Harry, completely baffled, ran his finger through the water as he eyed his mother. "Yes, I cut myself. What's going on, Mum?" he asked.

Lily grabbed her wand from her pocket and immediately cast a healing charm, saying simply, "Nothing."

Unsatisfied, Harry continued to eye her closely, unmoving.

"I... I just had a terrible nightmare and I can't seem to shake it," Lily said simply, trying to sound casual as she turned away. She headed upstairs to finish getting ready, leaving Harry staring after her, still unsure.

A moment later, Lily came back downstairs, fastening her cloak and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I have to run," she told Harry. "They changed the meeting time to seven-thirty."

Harry nodded. "I'll see you tonight at the assembly."

"Assembly?" Lily asked, feigning confusion. "What assembly?"

Harry looked bewildered.

Lily chuckled. "I was kidding! I'll see you tonight."

Harry smiled. "Good luck with your meeting. Not that you need it, but you'll do great." He hugged her and followed her out the door.

The pleasant sunshine brightened Lily's spirits. As she waved farewell to Harry, she noticed a man in a black hoodie approaching with a coffee in hand. Acting on impulse, Lily shoved Harry aside to shield him from the stranger.

"Mum, what's going on?" Harry asked, bewildered.

Lily exhaled and released her grip. "I thought he was walking too fast," she explained. Seeing Harry's skeptical expression, she appended, "He might have bumped into you."

"Oh, I see," Harry replied.

Lily sighed in relief as she turned around and began walking away, but another passerby suddenly collided with Harry, spilling a drink across his shirt. "Watch it!" the man yelled over his shoulder as he strode off.

Lily froze, horror flooding through her. No! Not this again! She looked at Harry, stricken. Unable to contain her panic, her eyes widened with fear and she began frantically pacing in front of him as he watched her with deep concern and confusion.

"It wasn't a dream," Lily said, her voice shaking. "Everything happening today—the spilled drink, your cut finger, the scattered papers—I already knew it would happen. The details were a little different in my dreams, but still..."

She trailed off, struggling to explain herself.

"Mum, take a breath," said Harry gently. "Sometimes I get deja vu too and feel like I've seen something before."

"No, this was more than deja vu!" Lily insisted. "With deja vu you just feel like it's happened, but you don't know what's coming next. I knew what would happen before it did!"

"Alright," Harry said. "What happened in that dream that upset you so much?"

Lily paused her pacing and looked at Harry uncertainly, debating whether to tell him about his death or keep it to herself. "It was awful," she finally said in a sad tone.

"Okay," said Harry, trying to think of how to help his mother. "In your dream or vision, what happens after that?"

Lily thought hard for a moment. "I cast a cleaning charm on your shirt, then go to my meeting... and on my way there, my glasses crack."

"Alright, here's the plan," Harry said in a calm, reassuring tone, "We'll walk to your office together and if your glasses crack along the way, we'll know something strange is happening. But don't worry, we'll handle it."

Lily inhaled deeply and nodded in agreement.

In just a few minutes, they reached the Atrium where witches and wizards bustled past them, hurrying to start their workday.

Upon entering the lift, Arthur Weasley saw Lily and Harry and greeted them, "Hello Lily, Harry—”" He turned to Harry, "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure my mom gets to work safely," Harry replied.

"How sweet of you, Harry," Arthur said with a smile. "My boys never treat me that way. I'll have to have a talk with them."

Lily and Harry laughed as the lift reached the second floor for the Auror Headquarters.

Harry looked at his mother and said, "We're here, mum."

"Yes," Lily replied nervously.

"How are your glasses?" Harry asked.

Lily took a deep breath and removed her glasses from her bag. "They're fine," she said, though her shaking hands betrayed her anxiety.

Harry gave her a reassuring smile. "You're just nervous, mum. I'm sure it will go well."

"You're right," Lily said, trying to sound calm. "I know you're right."

Mother and son shared a quiet moment, then Lily hugged Harry goodbye before entering her office. She took one last deep breath and forced a smile, hoping everything would be okay.

To be continued…