Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Jo Rowling does!

James was alone in the living room, while Lily was putting Harry to bed. He had convinced her to let their son stay up longer in honor of Halloween, but even parties had their limits. After their friends had gone, he had entertained Harry for a while by producing puffs of colored smoke with his wand. But when the toddler had actually begun to cry from sheer exhaustion and overexcitement, Lily had put her foot down and taken him to bed, leaving James alone with the uneasy gut feeling that danger was nearing.

As if to turn these fears into reality, there was a sudden bang like a gunshot and the front door was blasted off its hinges; a figure shrouded in black crept into the hallway. With no doubt in his mind as to the identity of the eerily mysterious person, James yelled automatically; "Run Lily! Take Harry and go right now, it's Him!" He tried hard to control the panic in his voice, because he knew Voldemort would be able to sense it.

The latter smirked as he glided into the living room; "Potter, it's good to see you again but it would be easier for all of us if you would just step aside. You are a pure-blood and you need not get hurt, all you have to do is let me go up those stairs!"

James stared incredulously at his advancing opponent, even as he backed towards the staircase. The man was crazier than he thought if he was under the impression that he, James, would let him get anywhere near Lily and Harry without a fight! When he couldn't back up any further, James hesitated only for a split second, before turning abruptly and racing up the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him.

Though obviously surprised by the sudden movement, Voldemort didn't hesitate to follow him. James began firing Stunners over his shoulder as he ran, though evidently none of them met their mark, because he could still hear the stealthy footsteps in his wake. Several green flashes told him very plainly just how ticked off Voldemort was, and so he didn't stop running until he had slammed and locked the nursery door behind him.

Almost at once, he found himself face to face with Lily. There was pure fear and anxiety written all over her expression, a sight he sincerely hoped never to see again. "What's going on Jamie?" she asked, clutching his hand fearfully. James swallowed hard, desperately trying to pull together the nerve to tell her that she had to save herself and Harry, even though a major part of him already knew she would never agree.

A distant crash gave him the push he needed to speak his mind at that moment, urgently he said; "Lils, it's Him! You have to take Harry and leave while you still can!"

Her eyes widened and she let go of his hand abruptly; "Are you crazy? Honey, there's no way on earth I'm going to leave you to face that monster alone!"

James sighed, he had known she would react like this, but it was crucial that she survive, for Harry's sake and for his own peace of mind. He hated putting her at risk and she knew that, then why did she have to argue so much?



"Flower please, I can handle that git on my own, but you have to go! Just think of Harry, he needs you!" he begged frantically, knowing they didn't have much time before Voldemort succeeded in breaking down the nursery door as well.

But Lily was adamant; "No James, we're in this together! That's how it's always been and that's how it'll stay, do you understand me?" James didn't answer, at that moment there was a resounding crash and the nursery door was demolished. Harry wailed in fright, as he and Lily glanced at each other and took up their places in front of the crib, shielding their son from view.

Voldemort sneered at the sight of them standing there so protectively; "Isn't that a pretty picture? I do hate to tear families apart, but you two leave me with no alternative. You will not defy Lord Voldemort again!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, than Voldemort initiated the duel; "Crucio!" he cried, pointing his wand at James with a look of purest loathing on his face. "You had your chance to escape Potter, now I will happily send you the same way as your foolish parents instead!" But James merely straightened up and glowered angrily at him, having ducked in the nick of time.

"Don't you dare talk about my parents like that, Voldemort!" he yelled, shaking with suppressed rage. Lily reached over and squeezed his hand comfortingly, causing Voldemort to turn to her instead.

"Oh, my apologies Mrs. Potter, would you like some of this as well?" Smirking maliciously, he directed his wand straight at her and cast the Cruciatus curse once more, and she, having been too busy comforting James, didn't get out of the way in time.

James felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of her bloodcurdling shrieks of pain. As it happened, his shocked state was the exact reaction Voldemort had been hoping for. While it was true that he had promised his most loyal follower, Severus Snape, that he would not kill Lily, he believed that all Mudbloods deserved pain and torture.

Having made sure that Lily was now in enough pain not to be of any help to her husband, Voldemort rounded on James abruptly and uttered the worst incantation of them all; "Avada Kedavra!" Lily watched in horror as James' expression froze and his body seemed to crumple to the ground in slow motion.

Doing her utmost to ignore the shooting pain coursing through her body, Lily staggered to her feet. Breathing heavily, she hung onto the rails of Harry's crib for support and faced Voldemort, trying not to let him notice how close to tears she was.

The latter tried coaxing her to move; "Come now, Mudblood! Step aside and you may leave unharmed. I am a reasonable man and I only want your son!"

But Lily stood her ground, a defiant glint in her eyes; "You'll never lay a finger on my baby for as long as I live!" she yelled, attempting to sound braver than she felt. After all, she was now facing the most evil wizard on earth, completely alone. Harry's frightened whimpers behind her, fueled her strength and determination, else she was certain she would have given up all hope.



Having lost patience with the stubborn girl, Voldemort pushed her roughly away from the crib. Taken by surprise, she tripped over the edge of the rug and landed next to James' body on the ground. She was forced to watch as Voldemort approached the crib with a triumphant look on his face. She couldn't even get back on her feet, since her fall had been at an awkward angle and her left ankle was suddenly throbbing very painfully, in addition to the pain in the rest of her body.

Unable to watch the murder of her son, she rolled over and buried her face in James' chest that simple action was agonizing as well, because it only confirmed that he was really dead. Even though he had fallen before her eyes, she had been in denial until that moment. Vaguely she registered the Avada Kedavra being performed in the distance, but then a miracle happened.

There was a loud bang and Voldemort vanished in a puff of smoke. Harry meanwhile, was still gurgling in his crib, just as the entire building began to shake and crumble. In desperation, Lily pulled James' body across her; at least he could protect her one last time.

It seemed like seconds later that the roof above her gave way; reacting instinctively Lily brought her arms up to her head and shut her eyes. It was all over before it could really sink in what had happened. Now Harry was crying for her; gingerly Lily popped her eyes open and crawled out from under James' corpse. Despite being dead, he had effectively saved her life she thought bitterly, the irony of the situation wasn't lost on her.

The pain in her ankle was getting worse with every passing minute and she was lucky in a way that Harry's crib had tipped over with the force of the backfiring spell, so she could reach him. Gently she pulled the terrified toddler close to her, making soothing noises as he whimpered, even though she was in physical and emotional agony herself.

Technically, all she could do was to wait for someone to find them, since Apparating in her condition was out of the question and she wouldn't have left James behind, even if she had been capable of movement without help.

To Lily, it seemed like an eternity later that she heard an engine revving somewhere above her. Since it was the first sound to break the scary silence since the roof had collapsed on her, she rolled over awkwardly and cuddled closer to James' ice-cold corpse. Harry crawled around her head and clambered onto his fathers' chest, just like he used to do at bedtime. The sight broke Lily's heart, even though it had barely begun to sink in that the love of her life lay dead beside her.

Lily felt indescribable relief, as the revving engine seemed to sputter and die just outside the ruins of what had been their happy household mere hours ago. Summoning the last of her strength, she hammered hard on the debris above her with her fists, yelling for all she was worth. "Help, somebody please help! I'm under here!"