Full summery: Halloween night, October 31, 1981. The day that'll haunt James Potter for the rest of his life. He thought he lost everything that fateful night, his family, his home and all his possessions. All because of a single attack from the darkest wizard to ever walk the earth. But fifteen years after the attack, hope blossoms from the unwavering darkness that he has been mercilessly plunged into for so many years. Could it be possible that he didn't loose everything that night? That one thing, one person, escaped the Dark Lord's destruction and lived on to this day? James Potter is on a mission – but how far will he go to unearth the truth and find the one thing he was hoping against hope to find for so long?

Warnings: There may be some extreme violence in later chapters as well as some emotional and angsty scenes – you have been warned.

Disclaimer: Honestly, do you really think I'd claim to own the FANTASTIC Harry Potter series? If you do, then you are seriously in need of mental help. The amazing J.K. Rowling owns anything you recognise, I assure you. Thankyou very much! =)

Enjoy! Hope you like this! ^^

Chapter One: Attack at Godric's Hollow – the Prologue

Sirius,

How are you? Hope you are well. James and I just arrived back from the park. Harry was so giggly today; honestly, I don't know how we survived all those years without him. He's positively adorable. We would love it if you came and stayed with us for dinner tonight; James came up with the idea, but he wasn't sure about asking you in case you said you had too much work to do. Merlin knows how much work the Ministry is forcing down your throat. It's a wonder you don't faint whenever you come home; James quite nearly scared me on Monday when he looked like he was going to collapse at any moment. Luckily, Harry managed to lift his spirits, but I'm still worried.

I hope you'll be able to come, even just for an hour or two; your godson has been asking for you nearly all night and I think its about time we saw you more often too.

Lily

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Lily,

I'm fine, absolutely no need to worry about me at all! Sure, Auror work is a handful, but not something Sirius Black can't fix! Hope your okay too – I knew my suggestion would come in handy!

I would LOVE to come over for dinner! I just finished the last bits and pieces from the latest Ministry meeting, so I have plenty of time on my hands. Naw, well, just tell Harry to sit tight – I've got a little something for him, that I'm sure will keep him entertained! And give you two some well needed rest, rest assured. I was looking for an excuse to meet up with all of you anyways, so I'll be there at the earliest time! Thanks for taking that weight off my shoulders though – I was going to surprise you, but meh.

I'll try and come around about six sometime; looking forward to meeting with you! And tell James to stop stressing; seriously, Prongs needs to take a calming potion every now and then. Don't worry about him though. Ministry's all about stress and exhaustion, you should know that by now!

Sirius

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

James smiled as he scanned over the latest letter from Sirius, hazel eyes glinting in amusement when they reached the end statement.

"Well, I have to take a calming potion anyway whenever he comes to work – the way he always slacks around can get on anyone's nerves," he commented with a small chuckle, depositing the letter within the small kitchen drawer that withheld all of the Potter family's memorable 'letter moments'.

Lily laughed softly, vivid red hair whipping around her shoulders in gentle waves as she crossed the kitchen to plant a small kiss upon her husband's cheek. "Well, he is right on some points," she said pointedly, rising an eyebrow at James.

James frowned. "Hey, I don't stress. I merely…erm…" he trailed off, obviously attempting to think of the appropriate words to defend himself.

"Come home and fall asleep as soon as you sit down?" Lily finished with a smile, one of which widened when James shifted in embarrassment.

"Hey, you would too," he returned, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

"I'm sure I would," Lily replied before turning and exiting the kitchen.

James mumbled something under his breath but followed her nonetheless, allowing the smile to return to his features when he caught sight of his friend and son in the living room.

Harry was seated upon Remus' lap, giggling repeatedly as the man tickled his stomach. His grey eyes, once dulled and exhausted, had a sudden light in them as he held Harry – almost as though the sight of the small child calmed his nerves and made him forget the horrors of what he truly was.

Lily sat down next to him, looking for Remus' nod before taking her son from him. Harry seemed to brighten more at that and he flung his small arms around Lily's neck, still giggling as he clutched onto her hair.

"He gets that from you, you know," James said with a teasing smirk as he sat down opposite the two of them, reaching out to ruffle Harry's already messy black locks. At Lily's confused expression, he explained, "The giggling, I mean." He couldn't help but grin at the mock insulted look that crossed her pretty face.

"Yes, well, I choose to think differently," she said with a slight huff, but she managed to keep her smile in place, earning a shortened laugh from James. The latter man looked down adoringly at his son, whose bright emerald eyes had widened in happiness. A small hand shot out, grasping the air and James instinctively reached back and offered his finger, of which Harry clutched tightly, almost like a handshake.

"He really is adorable," Lily commented with a smile, tightening her hold on Harry slightly. James nodded in agreement, unable to respond when Harry suddenly released his finger and made a grab for his glasses, managing to take hold of the lenses and pulling them off. Remus laughed, amused, when James' face took on a look of surprise, his hands reaching up towards his face and feeling the skin around his eyes.

"Well, at least I know you'll be a good seeker when you grow up," he said with a wink, gently prying Harry's small fingers away from his glasses and replacing them on the bridge of his nose. Harry merely giggled once more, relaxing into his mother's embrace and slowly shutting his eyes, almost looking content with his surroundings.

"You tired, sweetheart?" Lily asked softly, stroking his hair lovingly.

"He was playing an awful lot earlier on," Remus supplied, getting up and stretching out his hands. "Must've tired himself out." He cast Harry one last smile before reaching out for his cloak. "I better get going."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay back for dinner Remus?" Lily asked as James stood, intending on guiding his friend to the door.

"As much as I'd love to, I'm afraid I can't; a lot of work, you know…" Remus shrugged, clasping his cloak shut around his neck. "Maybe tomorrow." He offered her a small wave, which was reluctantly returned, before turning and heading towards the door, James close behind.

"You know Remus, you do deserve a break every now and again," James said wistfully, holding the door open as Remus walked out onto the sunlit streets. He shrugged.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't matter. Its better to get the work over and done with, rather than cramming it in at the last minute, wouldn't you agree?" he added with a pointed look a James. James pouted, his smile returning with a vengeance.

"Hey come on, you know as well as I do that I have more important things to occupy my time with," he responded, nodding back to where his wife and son still sat. Remus merely nodded, rolling his eyes in amusement before waving to James and walking out onto the streets. He cast one last glance around before apparating with a small pop, allowing the light of the afternoon sun to flood the spot that once held his shadow.

"Maybe one day," James said softly to himself as he shut the door, ensuring it was locked before returning to the living room and joining his family once more upon the sofa.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

It was half post six when Sirius finally arrived at Godric's Hallow, knocking pleasantly upon the door with a grin planted across his face. It opened not nearly a second later to reveal a frowning Lily, her eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Okay, so the work took longer than I expect, but hey – I'm still here, aren't I?" Sirius tried to reassure her, adding a wink for effect. Lily merely rolled her eyes at him before stepping to the side to allow him entrance.

"Still Sirius, it would be much appreciated if you learnt to arrive on time for once," she said with a slight shake of her head, heading towards the kitchen after directing the half amused, half confused Sirius to the dining room.

"I have come on time before Lily, you know that as well as I do!" Sirius yelled defensively after her before walking into the room, allowing his smile to widen considerably when he saw James and Harry seated at the foot of the long table.

"Hey Prongs," he said happily, lifting Harry free from James' grip. "And hello, Prongslet! How are ya, little guy?"

Harry merely laughed, pulling at Sirius' dark strands of hair affectionately.

"Padfoot," James greeted with a nod, smiling serenely as he watched the interaction. "Care to explain?"

Sirius frowned. "What's there to explain? Work reared its ugly head in my direction and trapped me in my house all day – I'd rather think that's enough of an explanation. Well, for me it is anyway."

"Always the poetic type, aren't you Sirius?" Lily said as she walked in, the food platters following behind her before spreading themselves throughout the table.

"Tis what I do, kind madam," Sirius laughed before seating himself next to James, Lily taking Harry off him before sitting on her husband's other side.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Dinner was a pleasant time. The three adults chatted happily about their week while little Harry amused himself with a small toy snitch, whose wings fluttered whenever its golden belly was poked. The little one year old was immersed in silent fits of laughter, which didn't cease even when Lily tried to open his mouth to feed him.

"Are you sure that was wise, Sirius?" she asked after hearing about Sirius' latest assignment, where he had chosen to go against the Minister's word and enter a building complex without any magical aid, wherein lay in wait a Death Eater whose name had yet to be released.

"Hey, I'm here aren't I?" Sirius replied, making a sweeping gesture at his whole body. "Come on Lils, I wasn't really doing anything dangerous-"

Emerald eyes narrowed at that, quieting Sirius' defence in an instant. "Honestly, going in without a wand, you call that 'not dangerous'?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably and looked to James for help, who in turn merely grinned in amusement.

"It was necessary, alright?" he finally retorted before quickly changing the subject. "Hey, Harry?" Sirius tapped the young boy's chin gently, immediately gaining his attention. "I've got something for you…"

Lily sighed. "Sirius, please don't tell me its like your last present. Remember? The 'mischief toy' as you so pleasantly called it…"

Sirius laughed. "No, no, nothing like that, I swear," he gave James a discrete wink before pulling out a large bag. He reached in, fumbling for a bit before pulling out a small toy owl. It was pure white with dark streaks running down its wings, and looked small enough to fit inside a closed fist. Once released, the owl flapped its wings and zoomed towards an intrigued Harry, who immediately tried to grab it from the air, a bright smile lighting his young face.

"Wow, Sirius, I'm surprised," James said with a chuckle, watching the small toy as it landed ontop of Harry's head, resting on his dark hair. "This is a big change from the usual presents you give him…"

"Hey, he may need one, one of these days," Sirius shrugged, grinning at a suspicious Lily. "Relax Lils, its perfectly safe. It'll even warn you when he's in danger and such. Not that that will happen." He added quickly, waving his hand dismissively.

Lily appeared to relax slightly at that and sighed in defeat. "Fine, Sirius, I'll believe you. He does enjoy it, and as long as he's happy, I am." She stated with a small laugh as Harry clutched at the small owl, which twittered in his grasp before freeing itself and landing on his nose. "Although really, like James said, it is a big change for you…"

Sirius shrugged. "He's growing up, aren't ya?" he said with a small push at Harry's small shoulder, earning him a slap on the hand from his godson.

After an hour of chatting, the small group stood from the table, Lily now holding a sleeping Harry, still clutching onto the small owl as though his life depended on it.

"Your welcome," Sirius said with a wink, ruffling Harry's hair affectionately before turning towards the door. "Well, I best be off. I'll be a walking zombie tomorrow if I walk into work without enough sleep." As if to prove his point, he yawned loudly, earning simultaneous rolled eyes from James and Lily.

"Honestly, Padfoot, if you worked as much as you slept a day then you'd be promoted by now," James commented, earning a mock pout from Sirius.

"Be nice, Prongs," he playfully reprimanded before walking towards the doorway, opening the door with a note of reluctance.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you all some other time," he said with a smile, hugging all of them in turn, Lily and Harry at the same time.

"Soon Sirius," James said with a slight inclination of his head before waving his friend out the door.

"Oh, and one more thing," Sirius added, stopping just at the edge of the street. He turned and gave the two of them a small wink. "Happy Halloween."

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

James yawned loudly as he slumped down upon his bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Another exhausting day had passed them by, but more was to come if he knew his workplace correctly. He was surprised when the Ministry had not given him the day off for Halloween that morning, but apparently, more and more Death Eater attacks were occurring by the minute. They had to dispose of them before it was too late. James couldn't agree with them more on the topic, but that still didn't rid the feeling of guilt that had plunged into his chest when he left for the day. Not spending enough time with Lily and Harry was killing him. The only positive thing about going back to work was that he got to leave early in time for Sirius' visit. He would've had a serious talk with the Minister if he had missed it.

James was just considering helping Lily put Harry to sleep when the door opened to admit the girl in question, a calm look gracing her face.

"That was a nice dinner," she said, approaching the mirror at the back end of the room.

James nodded in agreement. "Yeah, definitely. With the way Sirius acts, you'd think he never worked a day in his life."

Lily laughed softly, pushing back her red hair into a small bun. "Well, at least he's taking things well, be happy about that." She cast him a knowing look before disappearing into the connecting bathroom, shutting the door with a small snap behind her. James merely rolled his eyes, although kept an expression of immense amusement.

Just as he was about to pull off his socks, James heard a very faint roar emitting from behind the door. Frowning, he stood, hand instinctively reaching for his wand as he approached the doorway. Hesitating slightly, James pulled open the door, looking out into the hallway. Immediately, he walked down to Harry's room, opening it an inch to peek inside. The baby was sleeping soundlessly, still clutching onto the gently twittering owl. Smiling, James slowly closed the door – and that's when he heard it again. It was coming from downstairs – the fireplace!

Cursing softly at his ignorance, James rushed downstairs, stuffing his wand into his side pocket in the process. As he entered the living room, the first thing that caught his attention was the sight of Frank Longbottom's worried face hovering within the flying embers of the fire. James was in front of him in an instant, panic written clearly across his face.

"Frank? What's wrong?" he asked in a rush.

Frank appeared to hesitate, before finally allowing himself to speak.

"James, I am so sorry to call you this late, but your assistance is needed."

James frowned. "For what?"

"A rescue mission," Frank said wistfully, eyes darkening against the flaming background. "Amelia Bones. Her family was attacked by Death Eaters, not five minutes ago. Apparently, they're still trying to fend the attackers off, but are not having a lot of luck from what I've heard. They are…they're members of his Inner Circle, the more stronger ones. We need the best to help, and you definitely fit into that category."

James' face burned at the compliment, but not long after suddenly fell. He glanced behind him, hazel gaze lingering longingly at the staircase that led to the upstairs bedrooms.

"This should only take a few minutes. Please James…they need your help. Your family will be fine. I'm sure Lily will understand."

James, after a moment's pause, sighed in resignation. There was no time to argue – who knew what the family was going through as they spoke.

"I'll be right there," he said defiantly, standing from his crouched position.

"Hurry," Frank said before disappearing.

"Lily!" James called as he walked out of the living room. He could've jumped in surprise when he came face to face with his wife soon after, her worried gaze fixed on him.

"Go. I understand," she told him truthfully, her slender fingers brushing against his cheek.

James nodded, returning the gesture but with his lips before heading for the door.

"I'll be back soon, I promise."

Rushing out onto the darkened streets, James cast one last glance at his wife's still form before preparing to disapparate.

"I love you."

The three words caught James' attention, and he turned one last time to face Lily.

"I love you too…both of you," he replied, moments before he disappeared from view without so much as a pop.

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

A truly frightening scene met James' gaze when he appeared at the Bones residence not half a minute after receiving the fire call from Frank. The entire building was up in flames, the screams of young children and the distant yells of spells being cast emitting from within. James exchanged glances with Frank beside him before running forward, a rush of water escaping the tip of his wand in unison with Frank. The sprays hit the fire, extinguishing it – but not before it was ignited again, burning more fiercely than ever.

"They've put a sticking charm on the flames!" one Auror called from the other end, him and his group rushing out to meet them. "We'll try and get rid of it! You have to go in and get Amelia and her family!"

James nodded once before running towards the inflamed door, fear prodding at his heart.

"I'll get rid of the flames," Frank announced, standing back as James stood a mere few feet from the doorway. The water rushed out of the Auror's wand once more, running over the fire. As soon as the flames disappeared, James felt a burst of speed and ran inside, just barely singing the back of his robes as the flames reignited. He cast a single glance back before heading towards the crumbling living room, wand waving above his head to prevent anything from falling on him. Sweat was already glistening on his forehead, forcing his robes to stick uncomfortably to his body by the time he met up with the frightened family. A pale Amelia Bones was clutching onto her two baby children at the far corner of the room, shielding them from the attacking Death Eaters at the other side with her body. Tears were falling uncontrollably down her cheeks, sobs racking her small form. Her husband was standing, sending spell after spell at the Death Eaters, who in turn merely laughed and sent back curses of the darkest magic, most of them causing tears, cuts and bruises to adorn Mr Bones' skin in an instant. He was weak, James could tell. There were at least three other Death Eaters in the room – he couldn't have won, either way.

Eyes narrowed, James sprinted across the room, catching one Death Eater by surprise and stunning him. The other two turned to face the new arrival, their wands swerving around to point at him. Although James couldn't see their faces, he knew that they withheld expressions of surprise and growing anger and amusement.

"Well, well…" one said calmly, taking a near threatening step towards James. "Looks like we have another one to handle; up for it?" he asked his partner, who merely laughed in response before sending spell after spell towards James, each with barely a seconds pause between them. James threw himself to the side, retaliating with his own. Amelia's husband had joined the fight again too, but his spells were mirroring his state, very rarely hitting the intended target.

The stray spells hit against the walls, furniture, and all that remained within the house. It wasn't until five minutes into the duel that James noticed that the walls appeared to be crumbling in, weakening under the impact of the fire and various spells. Panic erupted within him.

"Pity," one Death Eater remarked, appearing strangely calm as he looked around the burning house. "And I was hoping to give you Aurors a reason to fear. Oh well…maybe next time."

James swore the voice had a smirk accompanying it, but he had no more time to think this thought when a fire spell was sent his way. He instinctively jumped to the side, successfully dodging the spell – but it was only then that he realised it hadn't been aimed at him. The spell burst upon hitting the wall, spreading a new surge of flames down the burnt surface towards the shaking mother and children below. Amelia screamed before tightening her hold upon her children and moving quickly to the side. James helped as much as he could, waving his wand to urge them further away with an invisible force. Just as she reached her husband, the flames completely engulfed the spot she had been sitting in not too long ago, spreading at a faster than normal rate. James glanced back and almost swore in frustration when he saw that the Death Eaters had left, taking their fallen companion with them.

"Come on," he said frantically, reaching out to help Amelia to her feet before pushing the four of them towards the doorway. Water escaped his wand tip on a number of occasions, and James had to quickly push the frightened family forward before the flames shot up again with a vengeance. Halfway towards their destination, James' robes caught onto a protruding piece of wood. It streaked across his skin, forcing a hiss of pain to escape him as a deep cut resulted.

"Keep going!" he urged the family, who had turned in shock at his injured call.

When they reached the door, James immediately yelled, "Reducto!" The door was blasted out of the way, allowing the cool night air to mingle with the intensified heat. James quickly threw water down at the flames blocking his path, noting with relief the surges that joined his. That could only mean one thing; the spell had been broken. James quickly ran through with the family, limping slightly and attempting to ignore the stabs of pain that erupted from his injured leg – and not a moment too soon. The house, finally reaching its limit, began crumbling down shortly after they escaped it. The roof collapsed ontop of the first floor, sending the entire building crashing to the ground. The surrounding Aurors spread, water gushing out of their wands to extinguish the flames through the heavy blast of dust that surrounded the rubble. By the end of it, there was only black ash, and soggy, burnt walls left of the large house.

James coughed repeatedly as he headed towards a worried Frank, the Healers behind him rushing to attend to the shocked family.

"You alright?" he asked softly, handing James a glass of water, of which he gratefully gulped down.

"Fine," he answered, although he knew his appearance must say differently. Glancing down, James frowned when he noted the burnt ends of his robes and the ash that coated the specs of skin showing through rips in his pant legs. Blood had seeped into his robes, staining it, but only a small bit. "To be quite honest, I expected to be far worse off."

Frank smiled. "Just be grateful your not," he said with a nod, James returning the smile, albeit a tad tiredly.

"Did you catch them?"

"No, they escaped. Although we did manage to rip the masks off a few of them; at least we have a chance of catching them in the future, now that we know what they look like."

James sighed in relief. At least they'd get what they deserved at the end of the day. Slowly, he glanced around, hazel eyes searching for one person in particular.

"Where's Sirius"?" he asked Frank, frowning in confusion. He was certain his friend would've been called to the scene too. He was an exceptional Auror.

Frank shrugged. "Not sure. He wasn't at his home when I called-"

The distinct sound of someone apparating stopped Frank in mid sentence. Both him and James spun around to face a pale Sirius, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Padfoot, where-" James stopped as he took in the state of his friend. His robes were ruffled and hanging dangerously off his frame, a few rips visible at the edges. His blue eyes were dulled, despair, pain and unshed tears glistening clearly within their depths. "Sirius?"

Sirius lowered his head, his tears finally breaking free of their restraints to fall slowly down his cheeks.

"Sirius?" James placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing his friend to look up at him again with tearful eyes. All thoughts of the stabbing pain in his leg was suddenly forgotten. "Sirius, what's wrong?"

A deep shuddering breath escaped Sirius as he tried to compose himself to speak.

"James…it…it's…"

"What? What is it?" James grew more worried by the minute. What had gotten into Sirius?

"…Lily…Harry…" Harry's name left Sirius in barely a whisper, moments before his legs gave way underneath him. James just managed to grab a hold of his arms, allowing him a slow decent to the ash covered floor below them,

"What about Lily and Harry? Sirius tell me what happened! Please!"

Tearful blue eyes met frantic hazel ones, pain and fear prominent within them.

"Voldemort attacked your house. Lily…Lily's dead."

A/N: Like any of the writers on here, I love reviews, so I would love it if you gave me the honour of reading a few. Whether it'd be good or bad, I honestly don't mind; as long as its constructive critisism, of course. I am aware that my writing skills are in need of a bit of improvement, but alas, this is what I can come up with at the moment. Hope you liked it so far anyway =)

I will try to get the next chapter up soon! Thanks for taking the time to read!

xxx