I do not own any characters found within.

song credit: Golden Slumbers/The End by The Beatles.

The little boy sat on his lap, clapping with mirth, as each puff emerged from James' wand. The puff would hover for a moment, vivid in colour in front of the baby, and then fade, only to be replaced by another. This was one of Harry's favorite nighttime activities. James would often do this, just before either he or Lily gave him a bath and put him down for the night. Harry's tiny hands began to rub his eyes, and a yawn escaped him, as he leaned into James' chest. Kissing his son's hair affectionately, James began to sing softly, knowing that his son's eyes would get heavier. They could skip a bath, tonight.

"Once there was a way, to get back homeward. Once there was a way, to get back home. Sleep pretty darling, do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby."

Lily, upon hearing her husband's voice carry, came into the room with a smile, leaning on the door jam for a moment, watching the two of them. Harry's eyes were heavy, closing more and more with every blink, coming to them, she knelt down before them with a soft smile. It had been a rough few weeks, now, in hiding. While they didn't ever say it, they both knew that the other was terrified. There were silent clues. The way that their hands always gravitated towards one another's, the kisses a little longer, and deeper each time their lips brushed, the lone looks that spoke volumes. Even the silence, when it fell, was deafening. Saying all the things that they didn't want to…that they couldn't… it'd be much too close to saying goodbye.

There was a noise outside, and both Lily and James focused there attention. It was much too late for any trick or treaters - not that they had gotten any- and the order nearly always sent a patronus to tell them of anyone's arrival. Suddenly James stood, holding out Harry to his wife.

"Lily take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Cradling the startled baby to her chest, Lily gave James one last look before taking off down the hallway. Desperate to calm Harry down, she whispered in his ears, the next lines to what James had been singing.

"Golden slumbers fill your eyes, smiles await you when you rise…sleep pretty darling do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby-" Her breath caught as she heard the one thing she had been dreading. There was a thud in the hallway, followed by the high pitched laughter. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she kissed Harry's head, holding him closer, moving as silently as she could into the nursery. It was too risky to apperate, they knew within seconds the last time. There was nowhere to run. He had taken her husband… there was no damn way she'd let him take her son, too. Lily placed Harry in the crib, silently wishing -praying- that he'd see another day. Gripping her wand tightly, she turned. The door burst open with a horrible crack.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily pleaded with the man before her. "Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now." His eyes were like slits, on fire with a rage that would never be tamed. "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead - " she was adamant. Yet he was still advancing. She raised her wand, trying, pleading, "Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy… "

With a scream and a blinding light, she was gone. He was gone. Leaving a tiny baby crying in his crib.

Time passed, slowly for the baby, his tears dried, his tiny body too exhausted to dry anymore. His little eyes were red, swollen, and heavy. Nothing happened in the still dark room for a long time. Then, all at once, everything.

There was Sirius, picking him up, holding him close. Tears traced Sirius' paled face, his heart racing so fast, as Harry clung to him in comfort.

Boy, you're gonna carry that weight. Carry that weight for long time…