The Stag's Sacrifice

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K Rowling's characters or ideas.

Summary: Lily and Harry have escaped Voldemort's attack unharmed and are living with Sirius. Where do they go from here? How do they move on? Will Voldemort be defeated now that Lily hasn't died saving Harry?

Rating: K+

Authors Notes: I haven't written fanfiction in a long time. I am currently re-reading the Harry Potter books a fair while since I've read them before and this idea popped into my head. I thought I would write it and share it. I hope someone enjoys it. I apologize if anything is wrong factually, there are a few things I am a bit hazy on and haven't re-read yet. Feel free to correct me

...

"Lily! Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off!"

"But James...!"

"RUN!"

Lily woke in a cold sweat. She could feel the tears running down her face and her throat was sore from the sobs she had choked out in her sleep. She heard a stirring from the cot at the end of her bed and moved towards it. She saw Harry, his large green eyes, which mirrored her own, staring up at her. She reached out to touch his cheek softly, her eyes filling with tears once more.

"Mummy's here my beautiful boy..." the edges of her mouth twitched as the warmth from his breath spread across her palm, but the smile could not reach its fruition. "Im sorry I woke you."

He did not cry or even make a sound. He was so young; just 18 months old... Yet she couldn't help but feel that he could sense that his father wasn't here with them. He had been so, so quiet since the night, three months ago, when Voldemort had found their little house in Godric's Hollow and had come, looking for blood. Nearly every night since then Lily had woken in terror and checked the cot at the end of her bed to make sure her little boy was safe. Some nights Harry slept through the sobs and shouts which thrust her into consciousness and when she set eyes on him he would look peaceful, sleeping soundly. Sometimes, like tonight, he would stare up at her as if trying to comfort her in her aching loss.

She remembered so vividly James' face, creased with worry as he pleaded with her to take Harry and leave before Voldemort reached them. She had run to the nursery and scooped Harry from his cot. Stopping only to grab a picture of herself and James playing in February's snow with Harry, she had fled the house through the bedroom window. Wand in the hand that wasn't holding her child close to her, just in case any Death Eaters tried to stop her, she ran and ran. In the last glance she had snatched of the house before her legs carried her and Harry to safety, she had seen a flash of green illuminate the nursery window. She hadn't even had the time to cry.

Breaking away from the painful memory, she pulled her hand back to the edge of the cot and cast her gaze around the dingy bedroom. Sirius had tried his best to spruce it up with some brightly coloured toys and bed sheets but had admitted that his mother's taste had always been the opposite of cheerful and he would have to redecorate the whole room at some point to really brighten it up. Lily didn't hold out much hope for warm coloured walls and a less antique chest of drawers as Sirius' work with The Order was far more important than decorating and refurnishing Grimmauld Place.

Still, she was grateful to him. He had been one of the first to comfort her after she was found, exhausted, still clutching Harry, in the garden of her old home in Spinner's End. She had been trying to apparate to Severus' house but in her fatigue, her thoughts had fallen onto the garden where her own mother had comforted her the time Petunia had pushed her off the swing and she had cut her arm. Severus had argued in hushed voices with Sirius in his living room, when they thought Lily was asleep on the sofa. Severus had wanted to keep her with him, sure that he could protect her from any further attack but Sirius had contended that he was a double agent and harbouring the two remaining Potters in his house without willingly handing them to Voldemort would indicate clearly where his loyalties lay. In the end this, and the fact that Sirius's house was already protected, with Dumbledore as the secret keeper, under the Fidelius charm, left Lily and Harry under the watchful eye of James' best friend. She could tell that Sirius was overly pleased with this victory as, despite years passing since their time in Hogwarts, he still loathed Severus and Severus hated him equally.

Since then, Lily's life had consisted mostly of fulfilling her role as a mother. Although, after her move to Grimmauld Place she had had an influx of visitors, many to express their condolences and see how she was holding up. Remus had dropped by with what could be salvaged from the house a week after the attack and had hugged her when she pulled one of James' shirts from a box and broke into wracking sobs, tears spilling down her face like a river.

"Im so sorry Lily." Remus had sighed mournfully "If you ever need anything just send me an owl through Sirius and I will be here straight away."

Hagrid had visited shortly after this with a large bunch of flowers which had been enchanted to change colours.

"I thought these would brigh'n the place up for ya." He had said, trying to keep the sadness from his voice. He had also dug out what looked like a bright orange squeaky chew toy in the shape of a cartoon dragon from his pocket "'n this is for 'arry." He had smiled at her. This kind gesture, mixed with the strangeness of the toy allowed her a brief smile back to him.

When Dumbledore had visited he had spared a whole hour to spend with her and as well as expressing his commiserations, he also sat with her drinking tea and recalling James' antics at Hogwarts. This had lifted her mood slightly, although when he left, the emptiness of the house, and her heart, made her ache once more.

The quiet snap of the front door closing brought her back to the present. Sirius was obviously home. She looked again into Harry's crib and saw that he had drifted to sleep whilst she had been in her reverie. Footsteps ascended the stairs and in a moment Sirius was stood in the doorway of the room, his look soft but slightly concerned.

"You're awake again." He murmured.

"I heard his last words to me again..." her lip quivered.

He walked to Harry's crib and smiled when he saw him sleeping, his breathing gentle and rhythmic. Lily knew that Sirius took great joy in seeing and spending time with Harry. He reminded him a lot of James. After brushing a hand across Harry's dark, downy hair he came to sit next to Lily on the bed.

"If you don't sleep you'll find it hard to keep up with the little one."

"I'll be fine." She didn't look at him. They both knew she was nowhere near fine.

"I don't know if you want to know but –" He paused, unsure whether the news he had would be a relief for Lily or cause her more pain.

"What?" She looked up at him her face maintaining a neutral expression.

"We've found Pettigrew. He's been hiding in the sewers in London... Near Oxford Circus. We think he is trying to stay near a public place so that we can't cause too much ruckus. He knows the last thing we will want is a massive duel which smashes up London and causes a risk to innocent muggles. It's obvious that Voldemort doesn't have much use for him now he has given the last of his information and been cast out by The Order of the Phoenix... Sees him as the pathetic, useless little man he is." The hate and disgust came spitting from Sirius' mouth with the last sentence "We're going to get a large group of us together and in two days time we will apparate to London and try and surround him. Hopefully we can capture him, take him to a secure location and..." He broke off, not feeling the need to allude to Peter's fate.

There was a long silence in which Lily considered the information and Sirius waited for her response. When she finally spoke it was not the words he had been expecting.

"I'm coming with you to London. I want to be part of the group." Her voice was steady and firm

"What?" Sirius gasped "No! Absolutely not."

"Sirius." Lily looked at him seriously "That man is the reason that my husband is dead and my son no longer has a father. You expect me to sit at home, washing dishes and looking up new knitting charms whilst you get to go and face him?"

"No. I expect you to stay at home and look after your son. Not go out and create a possibility of making him an orphan." The remark cut, taking Lily aback for a moment.

"That's unfair Sirius. You know that if it was that dangerous I wouldn't risk it. It isn't like I have just asked to go face to face with Voldemort. It's one man, separated from his allies. As you said, there will be a large group of you and it's not like I haven't been in more risky situations. I want to come. I want to face him." Her gaze was steely now, determined.

"What if it's too much?" Sirius was grasping as reasons to make her stay. He glanced across at the cot and then to the picture of a young James, smirking and winking, that he had given Lily to place beside her bed. Surely James would kill him for letting Lily attend such a mission so soon after his death... but wouldn't James do the same thing if the tables were reversed...?

"I'm not weak. I can handle it."

Sirius knew her strength but had also come in to see her many nights, awake, staring into Harry's cot, tears in her eyes.

"There's lots of people going out. There might not be anyone spare to look after Harry" He tried feebly.

" Hagrid can look after Harry. I'm sure he would be pleased to do it; he loved playing with him when he was last around." Lily could see Sirius desperately trying to find some reason for her to stay but he knew the feeling of wanting to avenge James' death, to see the man who was once their friend brought to justice.

Painfully, he whispered "Okay."