"James, are you absolutely sure about this?"

"No, Lils, I'm not." James took a deep breath and turned away from his heavily pregnant wife to his best friend. "But I trust Padfoot, and you should as well. He only wants to keep us and Harry safe, Lily Flower."

Lily looked resignedly at the sheets of her hospital bed. "Alright. But tell me the plan again?"

—

"Obliviate," Sirius' voice trembled faintly as he waved his wand over his friends faces. He waited for their eyes to clear before speaking.

"James, who is your Secret Keeper?"

James looked taken aback. "You, of course Pads. I would only trust you with my family's life." The unwavering certainty and loyalty evident in his voice made Sirius' throat close up.

"Thanks, Prongs. Now, one more question. When was the last time You talked to Wormtail?"

James thought for a minute. "Two weeks ago. We exchanged owls. He had asked about Lily, and I told him how close we were to becoming parents." A dopey, lazy smile press across Jame's face. Sirius gave him a strained smile back. James sobered slightly. "Padfoot? You okay?"

"Yeah, I...I'm just fine. You and Lily are safe, and I'm about to be a godfather. Nothing could be better."

Right outside the door, a million thoughts raced through Peter Pettigrew's mind. Oh, how much information, how much power, he now held over the Potters and Sirius. Finally, finally, he was on the path to making a name for himself.

—

Two years later

James stood rooted to the ground outside his home, watching it smolder and crumble as if in a dream. It wasn't until the first tears had started falling that he heard the choking, heaving cry of his son.

"Harry! Lily!" He barged into the house, ignoring the dark holes painting gruesome murals on the walls that told a story of a battle taking place.

"Dada!" Harry cried from the end of the hall as he heard James's familiar, thumping feet.

"Harry! I'm here Buddy. Daddy's here..." James trailed off at the unbelievable sight that met him. Everything in Harry's nursery had been blasted to smithereens, except for his cradle, where the eighteen month old boy was sitting up, sobbing and reaching for the still form of his mother.

"Dada! Momma!" Harry sobbed even harder.

"Hush bud, I know," he murmured to the shaking boy. He gently kneeled down in front of his still wife, sprawled out in front of the cradle.

"Lily?" He whispered gently, running a trembling hand up her back and through her hair. "Lily, darling, wake up now. You're scaring Harry. He's alright, you're alright. I'm here. I got you," he continued to murmur soft nothings to her as he gathered her petite body into his arms and rolled her over so he could smooth her silky hair away from her face...and look into her blank, dead, eyes, frozen forever into a look of terror.

"No." James shook his head and buried his face into her hair. "No! Lily, wake up Flower! I love you! You have to wake up! For me! For Harry! Please Flower," his shouts trailed into broken sobbing as her still, cold form remained just that, still and cold. Harry's crying was just white noise now, a backdrop to the panic running through James' head. And at the lead, was the one thought that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He had been betrayed by his own brother.

Remus Lupin was awakened by a glowing stag patronus standing at the foot of his bed.

"Moony," It choked out James' distressed voice. "I need you, here, now. Voldemort attacked Lily and Harry. Sirius Black is the spy." He spat out Sirius' name like a curse.

"No," Remus breathed. Sirius? The spy? How? But Lily and Harry hadn't left their home in Godric's Hollow in months, and the only people that knew the address was James and Sirius.

Reality took hold of Remus and he threw off his bedclothes, dressing in record time. He apparated into a small cemetery in the middle of Godric's Hollow, and hurried into the street as soon as he had his bearing about him. He looked around frantically, he had never been to James and Lily's home, for safety purposes of course. Oh, how he wished James had made him or even Peter the Secret Keeper, instead of that lying, mangy, low-life they once called brother. But, that was just it. Sirius was their brother in all but blood. And now, this betrayal, Remus dared say the pain was worse than his first full moon.

His heightened senses were finally able to hear the bustle of people hurrying about down the street, and he broke into a dead run. At the end of the road was a house that he could tell had once been beautiful, but was now caving in on itself, and the plush, green yard was swarming with aurors and frantic neighbors.

Remus barged into the midst of it all, searching desperately for a familiar face.

"Remus?" Oh, finally.

"Marlene!" Remus turned to face her. "Oh thank Merlin you're here. Where's James? And Lily? Are they alright?"

Marlene's eyes welled with fresh tears at the mention of Lily. "Oh, Remus. Lily's gone. She died protecting Harry from Voldemort."

Remus was frozen to the spot. Lily? Dead? One of the brightest witches ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts, killed?

Oh, Great Godric, James.

Remus caught sight of him, standing at the edge of the lawn, surrounded by aurors, looking hopelessly lost and, dare he say it, dead. He immediately started towards him, cutting off whatever Marlene was rambling about. James saw him a few yards away and seemed to relax marginally.

"Moony!"

"James, I came as fast as I could," He breathed, opening his arms to his fellow Marauder and embracing him strongly. (Thank Merlin it was the new moon tonight, when he actually had some strength in his arms.)

James fell into his embrace gratefully, and Remus felt tears soak through the shoulder of his jumper. "Lily...Harry…"

"I know, Prongs. I heard about Lily. I'm so, so sorry."

James gripped him tighter. "I should have been there. I could have...could have distracted him. Given them time to apparate away."

"No, James," Remus pulled back, but kept a firm grip on the older man's shoulder's. "Don't you dare think that way. This was not. Your. Fault. The blame lies entirely on that scumbag Sirius Black, and with Voldemort."

James choked out a sound that sounded like a sob. "Padfoot-"

"I know, James," Remus murmured, feeling his own eyes well up in tears, "I'm going to miss Padfoot too."

Yes? No? Maybe? No flames, please. First serious Fanfic in quite a while, (no, not Sirius, SERIOUS, with an 'o'...oh, whatever.) If I continue shall depend entirely on your responses. Thanks!