No reviews ... but here's the enxt chapter anyway, because I'm bored ... ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as I'm sure you know!


Godric's Hollow was a quaint, sleepy little village, little known by larger towns nearby, and one of few villages that had a large wizarding population. The few Muggles that lived there were elderly, and had long since accepted the curious dress of their neighbours, and the odd things that would happen every now and again.

In a three bedroomed cottage with a rickety wooden fence running the perimeter and masses of brightly coloured flowers that, despite it almost being November, were still in bloom, a small family were about to have dinner.

A tall, thin man with a shock of jet black messy hair and glasses over his hazel eyes handed a baby bottle to a dark-red haired woman with green, almond shaped eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Smiling up at him, she took the bottle and gently nudged the tip of it into the mouth of the baby boy she was cradling.

James Potter said something to his wife; Lily Potter laughed, and then James turned and strolled into the kitchen.

"Drink up, Harry," Lily whispered softly to the little Harry Potter enveloped in her arms. "Come on, there's a good boy,"

The door creaked and, humming cheerfully to himself, James re-appeared with a plate of some sort of stew in each hand. He set one down on the small coffee table next to the sofa Lily was sitting on, and lowering himself gently into an armchair, he pulled a tray onto his lap and placed the other plate of stew carefully on it.

"Thanks," Lily said tiredly, scooping up a forkful and eating it. She was about to take a second when Harry made a soft choking noise. Hurriedly, Lily replaced the fork on the plate and disengaged the bottle from Harry's mouth. She adjusted Harry's blanket, smiling absentmindedly down at him.
James raised an eyebrow. "You should eat, Lily," he said gently. "Stop worrying."

The red head rolled her eyes, her face sombre. "I think our situation is worry worthy," she said quietly.

"Yes, but worrying never made things better"

Lily remained silent and still for a moment, before heaving herself up and padding over to a playpen in the far corner of the room. She leant over and carefully placed Harry inside. He immediately became engaged in a deadly game of the Teddy versus the Toy Broomstick for control of the Singing Book.

Sighing and flopping back down on her seat, Lily grabbed the plate and began to eat again, blowing away steam rising off the hot food.

"I wonder what Sirius and Peter are up to," James mused out loud.

Lily's eyes flicked over to him. "Isn't Peter in hiding?" she asked. "And Sirius about to be?"

"Yeah, but before he goes, he agreed to check up on Peter, just to make sure he's still safe. You know Peter."

Lily smiled and nodded.

A loud burst of song from the far corner of the room told them that someone had won control of the book. Glancing over, Lily presumed that it was the Teddy, as the Toy Broom was flying dejectedly above the playpen.

"That thing's a menace," she commented, eyeing the broomstick beadily.

James snorted. "Didn't you tell Sirius you loved it?"

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure now …"

Suddenly, a wave of tiredness washed over Lily, and she yawned.
"I think I'll head off to bed," she said. "Will you put Harry in his cot?"

James nodded. "I'll follow you up in a bit."

Lily left. James sighed and scooped up the last of his food, chomping noisily and wondering where his friends were and what they were up to. It had only been a week, but he was dreadfully bored.

Harry gurgled, asking for attention. James swept him up and began to swing the small boy around the room, Harry's face showing his delight. "And around and around and UP! And around and around and UP!" James laughed. He sat Harry on his knee and grabbed his wand, muttering an incantation. Small puffs of colourful smoke began to erupt from the end of his wand, and Harry began to laugh in excitement, clapping his hands and trying to catch the smoke, his face breaking into wonder as it evaporated in his hands. James ruffled his son's hair fondly. "You'll make me proud," he whispered, grinning.

Lily poked her head around the door, an eyebrow raised.

"I thought you went to bed?" asked James, bouncing Harry up and down on one knee.

"And I thought you were putting Harry to bed," she commented dryly, watching the whisps of coloured smoke thinning.

James sighed, scooping up his son and handing him to Lily, who kissed him on the cheek and gave him a last amused glance before leaving. James heard her footsteps on the stairs and her soft voice as she sang to Harry. He tossed his wand on the sofa and stretched luxuriously, yawning as he did so, wondering how long he would have to remain in hiding …

Suddenly, a deafening blast exploded in his ears, and James gasped, sprinting into the hallway just in time to see his front door burst in … and a tall, looming, terrible figure materialise on his doorstep. His heart shattered into a million pieces as he realised he had not even got his wand.
"Lily, take Harry and go!" he screamed up the stairs, the sounds of his son crying filling his ears. "It's him!" He dodged a piece of flying debris. "Go! Run! I'll hold him off-"

How he would hold him off, he did not know; there would be no chance to retrieve his wand, and even if he did, he knew he had already defied the Dark Lord three times on previous occasions; it would not happen again. He did not even have time to think about the sheer ludicrousness that merely seconds previous he had been imagining what he would do upon his release from hiding … No, there would be no happy ending for twenty one year old James Potter, but as the blinding flash of illuminating green light filled his eyes and a howling blast of wind rushed through his ears, James's last thoughts were of his wife and child, and how proud he was to give his life to save theirs. He was dead before he hit the floor.

Eerie green light filtered in through the crack around the closed and locked bedroom door; Lily knew her husband didn't have time to scream, but she could hear it anyway. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she clutched her wailing child, berating herself for not having her wand; she could not even send a Patronus for help, and now, because of her stupidity, she thought furiously, her son would die!

The door rattled. There was nowhere to go, nowhere, no help, nothing to do … the neighbours didn't even know they were here! Lily held her son tightly, her red hair covering him, praying for this nightmare to end, for someone to realise what was happening, that her husband was dead, that her son was about to follow …

The door burst open, and a dark shadow fell over Lily. Time seemed to slow to almost a standstill as a bone deep, skin freezing fear filled every particle of her. She dropped Harry in his cot and threw her arms wide in front of him, knowing that her love alone could not save him now.
Barely breathing, face set as though he was about to receive the best prize, the prize of his dreams, the towering figure of Lord Voldemort glided towards her, pulling out his wand as he went and pointed it directly at Harry, who was clutching his mother's skirt through the wooden bars of his cot.

"NO!" she screamed, fear and desperation threatening to consume her. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl … stand aside, now …"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –"

"This is my last warning –"
"Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy … Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything –"

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl –"

The last thing to cross Lily's emerald eyes was a blinding flash of green light, and the last thing she heard was a shrill, laughing voice, and a powerful rush of wind, as though life itself was simply speeding from her body …


Well there you go ... you know what to do folks, whether its good or bad, R&R! Go on, you know you want to!