The house shook. Lily looked up at James from where she sat on the hearth. She had been playing with Harry, his giggles and gurgles had filled the room. James' eyes were wide; he quickly withdrew them from Lily's gaze and crossed the distance from where he had stood gripping the back of the armchair, to the window in an instant. His shoulders tensed. What he saw caused him to whip around and face Lily again, wand already in hand.

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

Lily could only look at him. She was already on her feet, Harry in her arms, but she couldn't move. James stared right back. Those few brief seconds seemed to last a lifetime, for that she was very grateful. James then turned around without another word as Lily stumbled from the room.

They didn't need to say 'good-byes' and 'I love yous' James thought as he stared into his wife's eyes…she was so scared! They meant everything to each other. Neither wanted to leave. He did not want to die. But that was not what was important. It was Harry that was important. And to James protecting Lily and Harry meant more to him than life, as it would to Lily. With this thought in mind he turned away. He heard Lily stumble from the room and his heart fluttered… 'I'll never see her again-' he thought. 'I'll never hold them again…' he cleared his throat. He couldn't cry for them…not now.

He stood. Straight-backed and proud, facing the door just before it burst open. The sound of it splintering was sickening to James. This was his house. This was his family's home. How dare he enter it? How dare he attempt to harm his family?

It was the first house that James had ever owned, and he had bought it in the first flush of hope that he and Lily could form something together that would last.

It was sickening. James closed his eyes for a brief instant to clear his mind. He could not duel like this. His mind had to be clear in order for him to have any sort of hope of giving Lily a chance to run for it.

He snapped them open as he heard him laugh. A high-pitched laugh. It was mocking him and his attempt to keep his family safe in the one place where they thought that they would be forever safe.

For it was the house of somebody who's going to be somebody, that's what James thought. But now, with Voldemort standing before him, and the splintered door on the ground, the wand that he now held so tightly in his hand, James despaired of ever again sitting in his home and feeling a sense of celebration.

Like I said…short…! And I ended with my usual dose of melancholy and fluff…I think! Just a spur-of-the-moment thing but I would really like to know what you think!

Disclaimer- JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books upon which this fic is based and the lines from the book Pearl Harbour were stolen…huh hmmm…taken from Randall Wallace.

A/N- I was coming home yesterday and for some reason a passage from the book Pearl Harbour kept playing over and over in my mind. I haven't read it for at least two years so I thought that it was a bit weird. Anyway I started to consider the passage in relation to James and Godric's Hollow rather than Danny and his car so I came home and wrote it in one take…and yes…I do have way to much time on my hands!…but it's the end of the holidays…sniff…