This is my latest story. It does have some RL/SB in this chapter, and more to come later on. I hope you enjoy and I would love a review!
Chapter One – Dreadful Information
School had ended a few years ago for the four boys once donned the Marauders. Their lives had changed so drastically since then, it was as though they had grown into completely different people. The Wizarding World was facing something unimaginable and undeniably real. It came in the form of a dark lord, darker than the famed Gridelwald. Lord Voldemort. His name had been heard in whispered throughout the Marauders' seventh year at Hogwarts, but what faced them when they left was more than anyone had conceived. They had all agreed readily to join Dumbledore's resistance: The Order of the Phoenix. They all knew this was the only way any of them could do any good in this war. The Ministry was rubbish, still trying to convince people that everything was under control. How, then, did they explain the unexplainable deaths and disappearances all over England? Dumbledore knew what had to be done. He had been in this situation before.
In the past few years, things had changed drastically in their home lives as well. Peter Pettigrew was staying with his mother, wanting to keep her safe more than he wanted his own freedom. Family was everything in these times and he knew this well.
James Potter and Lily Evans had been married for just over two years. Their wonderful son, Harry, was now a year old. It seemed like he had just been born. He was a delightful little boy who adored his mother and followed his father like a shadow. On the nights when James was out on Dumbledore's orders, there was very little Lily could do to keep him from crying all through dinner and his bath. She couldn't help feeling the same way, though she had the practiced skill to keep her emotions to herself. It was something that one learned very quickly when having joined the Order. Their friends were dying and disappearing faster than they could find more. It was a risk they had all been well aware of, and Lily was waiting for the day it would be her husband on the front page of the Daily Prophet.
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were sharing a flat as they had long ago decided they would. It was one of the few fantasies they had shared in school that was still attainable. Their relationship had lasted longer than their schooling, as they had always known it would. Their friends knew about them and treated them as equals all the same. In this aspect, Sirius and Remus considered themselves lucky. In others, it was not so great. Remus' lycanthropy had made getting a job particularly difficult, and they were currently living off of Sirius' wealth. What with Sirius' devotion to the Order of the Phoenix, there was no time left for a steady, paying job.
They went on missions whenever they were called; they spent many days and nights at the Potters' home when James' orders kept him away for too long for Lily or young Harry to bear. He loved his Uncle Remus and Sirius. It was the only remedy Lily had found to the poor boy's incessant tears and tantrums in his father's absence. Remus and Sirius were more than happy to help. They adored the small boy who looked so astoundingly like James. And James and Lily both trusted them more than anyone else.
It was a particularly ordinary night in which James and Lily were both home, sitting curled up on a couch in front of their fire, young Harry sleeping quietly up stairs, that they received the gravest news. The flames in their fire turned strikingly green and a wizened wizard with long indigo robes stepped onto the hearth. Albus Dumbledore.
Lily jumped to her feet. It was very, very rare that Dumbledore came to their house at this hour with good news. "What is it, Albus?" Lily asked, unable to mask the growing fear in her voice. Who had died? Was it Remus or Sirius? Peter? Alice and Frank Longbottom? Her heart plummeted as James stood beside her, pulling her gently to his side, knowing her legs may just give out.
Dumbledore looked at them very seriously, the familiar twinkling in his eye invisible. "Is Harry safe?" he asked, looking up towards the ceiling as though he could see through the floorboards and into the child's room.
And Lily's legs did give out. James dragged her sagging form to the couch carefully. "Harry? Of course he's safe!" she nearly shrieked hysterically. "What does he have to do with any of this?" She was frantic and scared for her child. Her eyes streamed as she clutched at James' hands.
Albus put an old hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid your boy is in grave danger, Lily."
Finally, James found his voice. "What is the meaning of this, Albus?" He could not keep the anger out of his voice. This was no joke. This was his family; his son! It was not something to be thrown around lightly. He knew this would not be anything he ever wanted to hear.
"There has been a prophecy," Dumbledore explained, conjuring himself a chair in which he sat facing the horrified Potters. "It labels your child and Lord Voldemort."
James' eyes widened behind his spectacles. Lily shrieked, as the tears poured faster and faster down her cheeks. "It can't be, Albus. Please!"
"I am sorry, Lily," he uttered quietly. There was unmistakable honesty there. He looked at her husband and continued. "You know there are precautions and defenses we must set up immediately," he declared. James nodded. He knew Dumbledore would do everything in his power to protect them.
Lily's grief was reaching a breaking point. "Why, Albus?" She interrupted hysterically, "Why our son?"
Dumbledore looked into her emerald eyes carefully. "The prophecy made between your son and Lord Voldemort could have gone two ways. There were two young boys who could have fit this prophecy. The other is the son of two good friends of yours whose child was born on the same day as young Harry." Lily and James both nodded, knowing exactly who that friend was. Alice Longbottom had given birth to her son, Neville, on precisely the same day as Lily had had Harry.
"Unfortunately," Dumbledore continued, "The Dark Lord sees your son as the bigger threat. He has chosen your son to sustain the other half of his prophecy."
James looked up through the ceiling much as Dumbledore had upon his arrival. A single tear traveled down his pale cheek. "What do you need us to do, Albus?" he asked, determined to keep his son safe.
Albus smiled at him, without any happiness. "There are several defenses I have devised for your safety." He looked at James. "You will no longer be going on missions for me. I need you here to protect your family should anything go horribly wrong." He paused, looking towards the ceiling again. "There is not much I can do for young Harry himself, for he is so young and cannot possibly have any control over his magic yet, but I can protect him as long as he remains in this house."
"Anything," Lily breathed, "Anything you can give us to protect him, Albus." Her nails were digging painfully into James' arms, but he did not seem to notice or care.
"I can implement the Fidelius Charm," he said quietly. Again, the Potters nodded. They knew what that was because it was the charm that hid the Headquarters of the Order. "As I am sure you are aware, you will need to choose a Secret-Keeper."
"Well, you of course!" James cut him off.
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, James, I cannot do this for you. It would only be too obvious to the Dark Lord to think it was I who alone could divulge your whereabouts. No, you must choose someone else. Someone strong and fiercely loyal."
Again, James cut him off. "Sirius."
Dumbledore nodded, but held up a weathered hand. "It will not be quite that simple, James. There is one last thing I must confide in you. There is a traitor in the Order."
It just seemed to get worse and worse for the Potters. Now, not only was the Dark Lord hunting their son, as if that wasn't enough to stop their hearts dead, they now had to question the loyalty of their longest friends.
James could not stop himself from defending his best friend. "It's not Sirius." He stated as though there was nothing that could be more true. "It can't be Sirius."
Dumbledore nodded again, smiling subtly at the man's own loyalty. "I am only alerting you to the dangers of this charm. It is only going to work if your Secret-Keeper refuses to give up your location. It is not an easy task to ask of anyone."
"Sirius would die before allowing any harm to become of Harry." It was Lily who spoke. Her expression was as fierce as her hair.
"When you have decided," Dumbledore continued, "You must let me know immediately. For now, I must go."
The Potters stood as Dumbledore vanished the chair he had sat on with a flourish of his wand. "Thank you, Albus," was all James could say as the old wizard climbed back into the fire. He held his wife tightly to his side as the man disappeared.
Her eyes were still streaming, soaking through the thin shirt James was wearing. He combed his fingers through her hair as they turned out of their living room and headed up the stairs. They needed to see their son, to know he was okay. Lily could not stop herself from voicing the emotions they were both feeling.
"It's not fair, James," she whispered through her tears, "Why is this happening to us?" He held her tighter.
"We have to tell Sirius," James said as they entered the room where their son slumbered peacefully. Lily nodded for what felt like the hundredth time that night, her voice trapped in her constricted throat, as she ran her fingers gently over her sleeping son's hair. He looked so much like James. He was so young. He didn't deserve this. He had nothing to do with this bloody war. Her husband gently touched her arm as she fawned over her child, alerting her to his departure. She looked up at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the baby.
James left her with Harry, quietly heading back to the living room, where he flooed to Remus and Sirius' flat. As far as he was aware neither man was on any of Dumbledore's missions at the present. It was always a risk to arrive at Remus and Sirius' flat unannounced. James had, on many more than one occasion, gotten quite an unnecessary eyeful. He arrived in their living room/kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief. At least, there was nothing going on in here that he really didn't need to see. He took a tentative step towards the hallway that led to their shared bedroom and bathroom. James knew this war had taken its toll on their relationship, much as it had on everyone's. Though, it had possibly affected theirs more so than anyone else. All who fought with Dumbledore against the Dark Lord spent great deals of time away from their families, yet Remus and Sirius also had to deal with Remus' lycanthropy. It was a curse that would have made life difficult whether they were in the midst of war or not. In their present situation, it only served to make life just that much more complicated.
Because of this, the time Remus and Sirius could spend together without the influence of the full moon was rare, and often involved a great desire for privacy and silencing charms. It was this that made James step warily through their home.
He had only reached the opening of the hallway when he heard them. It was just as he had suspected. A flush crept up his cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. He knew it was irrational that he should be mad that two of his best mates were enjoying themselves so actively while he and his wife received the most devastating news of their lives. It was not fair that he shouted their names in his anger, not caring that he was interrupting what may have been the only minutes of bliss either man would share for days or weeks or months. He stormed towards their room and hammered on their door.
"REMUS!" he screamed, "SIRIUS!" His voice broke on the name of his best mate. He heard them shuffling around for decent clothing, shocked and surprised at the sound of James' voice.
Sirius cracked the door, wearing only a pair of blue jeans, while Remus buttoned up his shirt in the background. There was anger etched into Sirius' forehead, until he saw the tears flowing freely down his best mate's cheeks. It was something James did not openly do in front of anyone but his wife.
"Prongs," Sirius opened the door wider and stepped out, enveloping the bespectacled man in a strong embrace. "James, what's wrong?" Remus had moved to stand in the doorway, fear and worry creasing his brow.
Sirius and Remus led James into their kitchen/living room, putting a kettle onto the burner for tea.
"What is it, mate?" Sirius asked quietly. "It's not Lily or Harry, is it?" His heart was thrumming like humming bird wings. At his words, James' head collapsed onto the table in front of him as his fingers tried desperately to tug out his hair.
"He's hunting us!" James declared from the tabletop. "He's hunting Harry." Sirius and Remus' eyes widened in utter shock. Sirius felt bile rising in his throat at the very thought of what James was suggesting. He looked back at Remus who had frozen in the process of gathering cups for tea.
"No!" Sirius spluttered in disbelief. "You must be wrong! He's just a baby. What could the Dark Lord possibly want with a baby?!"
Remus put an arm on his lover's shoulder. They were both shaking as James lifted his head, revealing red-rimmed eyes and a horrified expression. "Dumbledore just told us." He continued to relay everything Dumbledore had said to him to the men sitting across from him. When he reached the part about the need for a Secret-Keeper, Sirius could not stop himself from interrupting.
"I'll do it!" he declared loudly. "I would die before giving up your family to Voldemort." James knew it was true, but he could not stop Dumbledore's words from echoing through his head. 'There is a traitor in the Order.'
James looked at his best friend helplessly. "It's not that simple, Padfoot," he could not face him as he spoke Dumbledore's warning. "Dumbledore informed us that there is a traitor; someone who has been feeding information to the Dark Lord for quite some time now. It could be anyone." He didn't want to accuse. It was the last thing James felt, but he could not keep the tone from his words.
Sirius, James and Remus all looked from one to the other, trying to speculate and guess who the traitor could be. Sirius' anger flared. "Well, you bloody well know it's not me!" he bellowed.
Remus placed a careful hand over the animagus'. "Sirius," he said softly, "This is his family. He is scared just like the rest of us. He is only wary of us because it is Harry's life we are talking about. This is no betrayal, Sirius."
Sirius' lips pursed into a thin line. He nodded. James looked at him ashamedly. "I'm sorry, mate," he said, looking away from his best friend's eyes. "I just don't know who to trust right now." He stood from the table, smiling unconvincingly from Sirius to Remus before heading back towards the fire. "I have to get back to Lily," he said, "I'll let you know when we have made a decision." With that, he stepped into the fire and was whisked back to Godric's Hollow.
Hope you liked it! Let me know! ;]