Title: Secret Keeper

Author: Ashley M. F.

Disclaimer: If I own Harry Potter, why isn't there a Limo outside my house? You all get the idea I think ;0)

Note: This is a revised Secret Keeper. After reading the old one I decided that it needed work...a lot of it

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Secret Keeper

James Potter returned home from speaking with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry about James's soon to be Secret Keeper. It is well known to James and Albus that Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard alive, is after the Potter family, so to protect them they had arranged for a Secret Keeper. As long as the person who is given the duty of Secret Keeper never tells Voldemort where the Potters are, the dark wizard could walk right up to the Potters home and not even know it.

James walked into the kitchen where his wife, Lily Potter, had begun to cook dinner and their son, Harry Potter, was gazing around the room and giggling in his babyish ways. James walked over to Lily and placed his hands on her shoulders, his head resting on his hands as he looked at his wife. Lilly turned her head to the side to look at him. Any other time she would have gibed at him but in these circumstances her sense of humor was a bit dry. James sighed and stepped back as Lily turned to face him.

"Is everything set?" Lily's voice was full of worry as she spoke to her husband.

James nodded. "Yes, Sirius will be our Secret Keeper." Lily looked very happy about this. It looked as if a pound of weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"So Sirius accepted the position, oh thank Merlin." She had been very insistent that Sirius be their Secret Keeper. Even though the man could be, or was a person favorable to playing tricks and joking around he was always serious when it came down to things like this.

"Yes, he didn't seem like he wanted it at first but after some coaxing he accepted. He should have the duty of Secret Keeper by tonight." James watched his wife, she seemed very relieved.

Lily walked over to the table when her son was lying in a rocker. She picked him up out of it and held him close. "When will Sirius be arriving?"

"Soon I would expect." Lily waved her wand causing the cooking food to stop.

"Well then we better await him." Lily walked into the parlor and lied Harry into a large basinet where he quickly drifted off to sleep. She then took a seat next to James on the sofa. James went into a more detail explanation on what happened at the meeting earlier just before Sirius walked in.

"Sirius, I was just telling Lily about the meeting and about you taking the duty of our Secret Keeper." James looked at his good friend who looked extremely troubled.

"Yea, I want to talk to you about that. I don't think that I should be your Secret Keeper."

James and Lily looked at Sirius worriedly. "Why, Sirius? We all decided at the meeting that you would take the job, you are the most qualified, and you accepted." James Potter stated to his best friend, Sirius Black. Both of them with Remus Lupin and Petter Pettingrew were better known as The Mauraders when they attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A school created for those of magical powers, hidden by the prying eyes of the muggles. (Non-magical people) Those four were the pranksters of their year.

"Ya, well, after thinking about this I don't think I am the right choice. Especially for something this serious." Sirius looked at his best friend. He knew he had shocked the other maurader.

"Why Sirius, why the sudden change?" James eyes scanned over his friend.

"I just don't think I could handle it. Peter would be a much better choice."

"Sirius, we chose you to be our secret keeper. Not Peter."

"James, I know you and Lily would rather me but I really think you should make Peter your Secret Keeper." Sirius said to James.

"But why, Sirius. Why Peter?" James looked at Sirius.

"I don't trust myself if I betrayed you and that got you, Lily, and Harry killed I don't think I could live with myself. Anyway, it wouldn't take them long to figure out that I am you Secret Keeper. Peter wouldn't be as obvious as I would."

James couldn't think of anything else to say, but he knew that Sirius was truly a loyal friend. James looked at Lily who also seemed taken back by the short speech. Sighing James nodded his head once.

"Alright, Sirius. If that is really what you want me to do. I'll send an owl to him right away." James watched his friend who seemed quite relieved.

Sirius smiled. "Thank you, James."

With that James set to work on writing a letter to Peter as Sirius watched. Little did either know they were writing James, Lily, and Harry's fate upon that parchment. A fate which would end in all the potters being murdered by the strong evil wizard, Lord Voldemort, all except Harry Potter, James and Lily's only son who would live 10 years with his muggle relatives. Then on his 11th birthday he would receive a letter from Hogwarts to attend the school where his parents started their wizarding life. He would learn from a half giant that he was a wizard, a very famous wizard, because he would be the boy who brought Lord Voldemort near death, he would be the boy who survived the Avada Kedavra curse, Harry Potter would be The Boy Who Lived.

All this would happen because of the newly chosen Secret Keeper. Peter Pettingrew, known to have been the boy who followed James, Sirius, and Remus around at Hogwarts, would sell the Potters lives to the darkest wizard of the century, Lord Voldemort.