"James? What's wrong?" Lily Potter enquired, balancing her one year old son on her hip. Her glorious red hair danced just passed her shoulders, tickling the infant in her arms. A crease appeared in the middle of her brow as she worried about James' behaviour. Her kind, green eyes, identical to her sons, scanned past him, studying the place his eyes were fixated.

James stood up, his tall, thin frame hovering by the window, clearly on edge. His erratic behaviour alarmed his wife, who now cradled the child to her chest, in a protective stance. A gust of wind violently ripped the front door open, scattering the last of autumns leaves over the hallway. The sudden bang startled the Potters, causing the baby to start crying.

"Shh, Shh Harry," cooed Lily "There's a good boy."

"Merlin's Beard!" James grunted, nervously running his hand through his messy black hair. He pushed the swinging door shut and locked up for the night. The Potters had been having a rough time recently. The constant threat of which the Dark Lord imposed had consumed all of their energy, along with those of the Order.

Lily and James desperately longed for the life they envisioned in their last year of Hogwarts. A carefree existence with their son, Harry, and maybe more children of their own. Life was far from cosy of late in Godric's Hollow. The recent event which saw the Longbottoms tortured endlessly with the Cruciatus Curse had shook the entire Order to the core, and had caused James and Lily to go into hiding with their newborn.

"Shall we put Harry to bed?" James suggested, ruffling the untidy tuft of black hair Harry had inherited from his father. He beamed up at James and opened his little arms to be scooped up. James did so, rocking his son from side to side. Lily perched on the worn sofa, mindlessly gazing into the crackling flames in the fireplace. Their tiny living room was animated with lively dusters, tickling the clock on the mantelpiece, and dishes being washed of their own accord, due to James' hatred of muggle chores. Lily, however, didn't mind doing things the hard way, having been muggle born and raised.

"What time is it, love?" James whispered, kissing his wife's cheek.

The church of Godric's Hollow struck eight outside.

"Just gone eight." She replied absentmindedly, still enthralled with the orange blur of flames.

"I think it's someone's bedtime!"

He jostled Harry towards the stairs when something caught his eye. Out in the darkness, he peered through the window to see pitch black, with the odd grey cloud. The dismal weather was not what had James' attention. He quickly glanced over at his oblivious wife and back to the window. A bead of sweat escaped his forehead, the hairs on his arms stood up, as he stared, terrified, at the formation up above. The clouds moved, altered and magically shaped a skull like face. The daunting vagueness in its eyes made James look into his son's eyes, Lily's eyes.

Panic overtook him, and his throat dried. The Dark Mark, he thought.

He spun round, still holding his smiling child, to gaze upon a confused and shocked looking Lily. Her almond eyes were alert and fixed on a shape in the fire.

"Sirius!?" she choked.

James ran to the back of the sofa.

"Padfoot?"

The face of James' longest comrade looked panicked and pained amongst the fiery sparks that formed the features of his face.

"James, Lily, Wormtail has betrayed us, and your location. He's on his way! Run!" Sirius' voice cracked on the last command as the flames engulfed his face, and suddenly shot up the wall ferociously.

"James" Lily silently breathed.

"Take Harry." James thrust his bewildered looking son into his loves arms. He kissed Harrys forehead, and urgently pressed his lips to Lily's pale ones. A tear from her watery green eye escaped onto her cheek, where her husband swiftly wiped it away.

"I love you." He stroked her face and his frantic eyes met hers.

"I love you, too." She quietly sobbed, memorising the face of her husband. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and he smiled, defeated.

They both pricked their ears as they heard the creak of their gate open, and then crash shut behind increasing footsteps.

"He's here," she inaudibly gasped "Voldemort."

James gave one last devastating look at his family, his heart breaking into pieces where he stood.

"Now run!"