We Are Born, We Live and We Die

James Potter kissed his son's sleeping head and walked quietly into the kitchen. There she was; the light of his life, his true love, the best thing to ever happen to him. He walked up behind her and pinched her bum. She laughed and turned to face him. He grabbed her sides and started tickling her.

"James, stop it! Stop it!" She laughed as she fought to get away. He chuckled and pulled her closely to him.

"I love you, you know."

"I know. So where are you fellows off to tonight?" She asked a smile still on her face. "Did Sirius and Ally break up again?"

"Yes. He wants to wallow in a pint, so we're meeting up at the Leaky Cauldron with Remus and Peter."

"Ah, the Marauders together once more."

"As always." He said with a little bow. She giggled and ruffled his hair.

"Well have fun, and say hullo to them all for me." Lily walked over to the counter and picked up a glass of lemonade.

"Will do love." James followed her and kissed both her cheeks and then her lips.

"Go, go, before you're late and I get blamed for it!"

"Alright, alright. Love you." James said with a smile. Lily grabbed his coat and held it up for him to put on. She gave him a hug and a kiss and opened the door for him.

"Love you too." He walked out into the cold night with a smile on his face and his wife's smell lingering on his jacket.

- - - - - - -

"So it's over again is it Padfoot?" Remus asked as he joined the table. Sirius lowered his head closer to his pint of beer; his fifth pint.

"Yes it's over." He said miserably as he let his head fall hard against the table. "She's left me. For good this time I think."

"Why would you say that?" James said.

"Because she said so." James and Remus chuckled and Sirius' head shot up, a hurt look on his face.

"It's not funny."

"Oh my friend…it is funny." Remus said with a smile. "S'about bloody time anyways. You need someone more adventurous. Someone like…Brianna Flynn."

"That Irish girl from Hogwarts?" James asked. "She was two years under us I think." Sirius shook his head.

"She married some muggle…Finnigan I think. They had a kid a year and a half ago."

"Oh." James and Remus said simultaneously.

"Where's Wormtail." James asked, looking at his watch and then at the door.

"He's not coming." Said Remus suddenly. "He told me he had something he had to take care of."

"That's very un-Wormtail…don't you think Sirius?" Sirius just moaned and downed the rest of his pint.

"Oh well." Said Remus, a smile on his face. "We can still make the best of the night." He finished off his pint and called Tom over. "Another pitcher Tom, if you don't mind." James finished his pint and slammed it on the table.

"That's a marvelous idea Moony; if I do say so myself."

- - - - - - -

"He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king,
and to his praises we shall always sing.
Look what he has done for us he's filled us up with cheer!
Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
tiddly beer beer beer."

The three men sang in unison as they stumbled down the road towards Godric's Hollow. They had their arms around eachother and walked in the middle of the road, laughing and singing until Remus looked up and stopped.

"Oh my god." He said quietly. His mind still muddled, but becoming clearer. "James look." He pointed up in the sky at the dark mark. The snake moved and hissed and its forked tongue teased them. James stood there with his mouth open.

"Lily…Harry." He whispered to himself and he ran down the road.

Remus and Sirius ran after him and they couldn't believe their eyes when they got to the place where the little cottage had once sat. Everything was blown up. Fire was raging in the corner of the lot and James stood in the rubble, holding what Remus and Sirius assumed was his son's body.

"James?" Remus said quietly as he walked over to his friend. Sirius followed and when he looked down into James' arms he saw a very alive and very awake Harry Potter. The little boy's bright green eyes were open, and a new scar was on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt. Sirius took the baby from James' arms and sat down in the rubble. James and Remus quickly started looking for Lily.

James would never forget when he found her body. She was still warm and her eyes were closed. She looked as if she was merely asleep. He cradled her in his arms and rocked her, tears falling down his face. His life would never be the same.

A/N So if you can't tell, this is a story where James Potter did not die at the hand of Voldemort. I was thinking the other day what would happen if James didn't die. In the books we're always told that it was Lily's Love that kept Harry alive. I thought I'd investigate. The plan is to show the few differences in Harry's years at school…as James dying was very inconsequential in the scheme of things. We shall see…we shall see. Tell me ideas and everything. Cheers.

K