Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. Wish it were so but the Universe has yet to bow to my wishes, so when that day happens, all will be right and I can do without disclaimers.

This is my first fanfiction. It's a bit boring at first, but it'll get better as the story drags on. I'm setting the background/backdrop for the future. I'm in denial of Book 5 and Sirius' death. I just do not believe it and will refuse to believe it even if he comes back as a ghost and starts haunting Snape. I finished the book in protest. So, this has been rattling around in my brain for a while (including other HP stuff), and I finally got the nerve to put it up.

Chapter 1

Halloween, 1981

A sharp crack resounded around the dark alley way in a seedy corner of London, followed by a man suddenly materializing into the dark stillness of the alley way. He quickly scanned his surrounding area, his hand clutching a long piece of wood, targeting each nook and cranny. His eyes had been specially modified by a spell to see through the darkness, and they confirmed that he was alone. Satisfied that the area was clear of any inhabitants, he relaxed his stance slightly and took in his dingy surroundings. James Potter released a slight sigh of relief when the alley way proved to be empty of both wizards and muggles. The Order had called an unexpected and last minute emergency meeting that night and James had been required to attend, since he was in charge of developing resistance to some of the new spells that Voldemort had created. He had no idea what the point of that night's meeting was, but Sirius had fire-called him to tell him it was urgent and that the Potters were required. He had been reluctant to go, something about the night not feeling right, but duty called and he had to attend. Sirius had told him that Dumbledore wanted Lily to come too, but his wife had put her foot down. She would not leave Harry with anyone else, but she also did not want to bring him out into the open. He recalled her words, spoken with maternal conviction. "James," she had said determinedly, "Voldemort wants Harry and I will not allow anything to happen to him, no matter what. As much as the Order wants me, I'm staying here at home and taking care of our baby. You, however, have to go, my love." She had smiled impishly then, and told him that he was going to be the Potter-family representative at the meeting. "Make sure you raise hell, love!"

James had taken her into his arms and kissed her, and then leaned down to kiss the baby she held in her arms. Harry, held comfortably in his mother's arms, smiled up at his father with his mother's green eyes and James' own messy black hair. God, how he loved his family. He didn't know what he would do if anything happened to either Lily or Harry. He wasn't innocent or idealistic enough to not recognize that they were living in a time of war and anything could happen to either one of them, but he hoped to God that if anything were to happen, it would befall him, and not his beloved ones.

For now, however, James comforted himself with the fact that his family would be safe for that night at least, since they had entered into hiding and gotten a Secret Keeper. At the last minute, they had decided against using Sirius as their Secret Keeper, since the entire Wizarding World and their brother seemed to expect that Sirius would be the Secret Keeper. Death Eaters would undoubtedly be targeting Sirius now that everyone knew that the Potters had gone into hiding.

Then, there were the suspicions about Moony. James could not and would not even consider such ludicrous doubts. Neither would Lily. However much he didn't believe in the rumors either, Sirius was a trained auror, more suspicious of things than either James or Lily, and he had to consider it and had to take actions to make sure that the Potters were protected. Sirius, being an auror, friend, Godfather, and a member of the Order, would take no chances on the Potter's safety and thus had urged James to make Peter the Secret Keeper. James had been a bit reluctant to make Peter his Secret Keeper, not because he didn't trust Peter, but because he didn't know how long Peter would last long against torture. Amongst the four of them, Peter was the least strong and was not known to hold out long against pressure. However, like Sirius theorized, no one would ever suspect that Peter would be the Secret Keeper, and thus in the end, both he and the Potters would be safe.

James grimaced again as he thought of the new found suspicion against Remus. Was it possible that Remus, one of his closest and most trusted friends, was a traitor? James refused to believe that Remus would ever turn to the Dark. Remus, more so than even James or Sirius, had a deep and abiding loathing for anything to do with the Dark Arts. James supposed it came because of the long years Remus suffered under not only the cursed transformation he had to undergo every full moon, but also of the effects it had on his conscience. Remus was the most responsible and controlled person James had ever known because he knew what his werewolf form was capable of doing to innocents. Once, an innocent, well not quite 'innocent,' person had almost been bitten by Remus. The poor lycanthrope had been wracked with worry and guilt for months afterwards. Granted that he had not planned to attack anyone, but the fact remained that Remus had blamed himself. Remus' lack of control over his own body and his actions drove him to daily nightmares, even now, after all this time. It was his curse that made Remus despise the Dark Arts because he knew exactly the horrors that could be done to and done by a person under its control. No, James could not believe that Remus would turn to the dark arts, especially after knowing him for so long and after having witnessed Remus' anguish at that long ago incident with Snape. Even so, although James would put his life in Remus' hands at anytime, he could not put his wife and his son's lives at risk because of his hopes. No matter what he thought and believed, his family's survival was the most important thing to James, and he would take any and all precaution to prevent anything from happening to them. If it meant changing Secret Keeper's without telling Remus, then so be it.

James wondered if Remus would be in attendance at the meeting tonight. Probably. Sirius's suspicions about Remus had not been confirmed and had not been reported to the Order yet. Because the possibility of it was still so slim, Sirius had decided to wait and investigate before making any accusations. James had no doubt that Sirius would be paying extra attention to the werewolf that night.

Enough, he told himself, concentrate on finding the secret door so you can get this meeting done with. James against scanned the alley way, making sure that no one had come upon him. He raised his wand and whispered a quick scanning spell to verify that no magical being was present in the alley way. He could detect nothing but a couple of ordinary rats scurrying to find some food. Good. Then, reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a small glass ball that fit into his palm, and whispered the secret code words into it. The ball vibrated in his palm and a narrow beam of white light shot from it straight into the floor, a few feet to the right of where James stood. He walked to the targeted spot the light illuminated. James stepped on the spot, pointed his wand to the floor, and said, "Entreatum!" A thin circle of gold formed around James and the light shimmered for a moment. Then, James sunk into the dirty pavement of the alley, the light receding with his disappearance.

James landed on his feet, slightly stumbling from the sudden feel of the floor beneath him. He righted himself and took in his surroundings. It was a small square shaped, windowless room, with a large square table in the middle. The walls were bare and gray, going well with the sterile feel of the room. Within the room stood the most important members of the Order, which included Dumbledore, McGonnegal, Mungundus Fletcher, Rubeus Hagrid, the Longbottoms, and a few other witches and wizards who were placed in the ministry, the press, and within the merchant's guild. Sirius Black was within the Aurors and Remus Lupin was the contact amongst, naturally, the dark creatures, but surprisingly amongst the muggles and squibs as well. Peter had never been included in these meetings, usually because he was away on errands in his role as messenger to the inner Order, but also because it never occurred to any of the members to include him.

James realized they had been waiting for him to arrive, as it looked as though everyone else was already present.

Dumbledore nodded to James. "Thank you, James, for coming on such short notice, and for leaving your family at such a time."

James shrugged and took his seat in between Remus and Sirius.

Dumbledore continued. "We are gathered here tonight because we believe that Voldemort has developed a new spell that harnesses the power of a Dementor into a single spell, a new weapon that will suck all thoughts of happiness from a person and in the end, ensnare their soul. However, this spell will not only steal a person's soul, but will make that person the master's slave for as long as the master holds the soul. Unfortunately, this is not a spell derived from any that we have seen before and is rumored to be more powerful and effective than the Imperious curse. We are also unsure of the range of this spell, whether it will encompass all those present, as a Dementor's presence would induce, or whether it will work towards one person only. In either case, it is completely new and thus has no counter spell as yet."

The announcement was met with stunned silence. This was news indeed. If Voldemort could now create the same effect the Dementor's did, without the Patronus spell as a counter measure, the effect could be devastating on the side of Light. God! Wasn't it enough that they he had the Dementors on his side, but now this! What would the Wizarding population do? This was as bad, in some sense even worse, than the Avada Kadavra spell. In that instance, a loved one would perish, never to return. This new spell would force the loved now not only to become a zombie, but would also force the loved one to fight for the Dark side, making it even more difficult to withstand the onslaught.

The atmosphere in the room darkened with gloom. If the inner members of the Order could feel such despair, it was a wonder the Wizarding community as a whole was slowly losing hope.

Dumbledore was not finished with his news. "We have also learned that Voldemort plans to use this new spell in an attack that is to take place on the Ministry of Magic. We are not quite sure the exact moment of this attack, but it is to take place in the next week. I believe that we need to fortify the Ministry wards as soon as possible to make sure it withstands any kind of force by the Death Eaters. We will also have set a trap for them inside the building, should they indeed breach it." He paused for a second, allowing them to absorb the information. "Sirius, I will leave the exact plan of defense to you and your aurors. However, we must all understand this: The Ministry cannot fall. If this happens, although it might not be a blow to our resources, it will be a major blow to the public morale in our fight against Voldemort. The Wizarding world cannot lose hope. The consequences would be disastrous."

Sirius nodded with understanding, accepting his role in the defense of the Ministry. It was his job to do so and he would not shirk his duty. Sirius Black never backed down from a fight and would never give into the Dark. He, like James and Remus, abhorred the Dark Arts. His family's long support of Voldemort and their prejudice against anything not 'pure blood,' disgusted Sirius and made him vow to fight against the Dark as long as he lived.

Then, Dumbledore paused again, this time looking as though in pain and glancing at James and the Longbottom's as he stated, "With this new spell, especially if it has a significantly high range, there is the possibility that more of our numbers could be converted into their slaves. If that is the case, the Potters and the Longbottoms are in greater danger than ever before. I am afraid that England is not safe for you anymore and I believe that it is time for you and your families to go underground, perhaps to America or East Asia. If you remain in England, it is more than likely than not that at some point in time, someone is going to find you and all will be lost. Your sons must survive."

James opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly a sharp pain jolted through his body. A wave of heat flooded his senses and, as the wave of blackness crashed into his head, he heard a voice shout his name in concern. James wanted to reply, but the pain overtook him and he was vaulted into the vision.