"James come here!" Lily called from the living room. James ran in with Harry in his arms and his wand out.
"What is it? Is everything alright?" James quickly scanned the room looking for signs of danger, "Merlin Lily! You can't do that! I thought you were hurt."
Lily giggled at her distressed husband "Calm down, Dumbledore just sent us a message." James looked behind lily and noticed the brilliant red phoenix standing on his window sill. Harry stared at the bird in awe, "Pretty bird!" he yelled and reached out to yank on one of Fawkes's long tail feathers.
"This is Fawkes, he's a phoenix." Lily whispered to her son. James reached over and untied the letter from Fawkes's ankle. He scanned the contents of the letter and paled. Dread filled Lily as she took in his distressed demeanor.
"What is it James? Was someone..." she couldn't finish the thought. The faces of her friends ran through her head. She couldn't stand losing any of them.
"Ma-Marlene." James Whispered. Lily's head swam. Not Marlene.
"No, no they have to have it wrong! She just owled me yesterday!" Not Marlene. Not her best friend.
"They have to have it wrong! They have to! She's alive, I know she is. She's at home, she probably laughing at us all right now. She's alive! She has to be..." Lily was sobbing now.
"Sshhh Lils, it's ok. It's gonna be ok." James tried to comfort her, he hated when she was hurting.
"Ok? It's gonna be ok?" Lily was shaking now, "Like hell it's going to be ok! We're in the middle of a war, a madman is after our baby, and now Marlene...oh god!" Lily broke down again.
James was at a complete loss. He had no idea what to say so he just held her.
"Mommy ok?" Harry crawled onto his Mom's lap.
Lily grabbed Harry to her and continued to sob, "Oh Harry."
Harry was starting to freak out. He didn't understand what was going on but knew his mom was in pain.
"Lily! Lils! You've got to calm down! You're scaring Harry!"
"Mommy hurt? Mommy ok? Daddy take mommy's pain away! Take it away now!" Harry was crying now.
"I'm trying to son, I'm trying to." James was frustrated, the two people he loved most in the world were in pain and he didn't know how to help.
"Take away her pain Daddy! Make her stop hurting!" Harry was screaming and crying and desperate to help his mom.
"I wish I could. I wish I could take it all away."
The three of them sat there together, crying into each other's arms, for the rest of the night, the whole time Harry begging his father to take away the pain.