AN. Pretty good reaction to the first chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed! Here's number 2!

Again, I own nothing related to HP. Cries.

Chapter 2: The Response

Remus was sitting on the couch in Sirius' apartment, butterbeer in hand. The pair were reminiscing about the days before the war which, truthfully, was only their schooldays. The Marauders of those days were carefree and innocent of the horrors that war brings.

They were both tired. They had been fighting for nearly seven years. Both the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix, while inflicting losses on the Death Eaters, were stretched too thin. The Order in particular had been decimated in the last two years. The Prewitt brothers, Marlene McKinnon, the Bones', Benjy Fenwick, Caradoc Dearborn, Dorcas Meadowes. All dead. And that was just the people Remus knew personally. There were many others who had died in this fight. The Order was on its last legs and they all knew it.

The Potters, Longbottoms and Amelia Bones – sister of the murdered Edgar – were the only true friends Remus had left. Sirius had a slightly wider circle. He had always been better at socialising than Remus. Between his charm and the Black name, he had drawn people to him from their first day at Hogwarts.

Sirius had just launched into another recollection of a memorable prank when a silver stag burst through the wall into the living room and spoke with a familiar, but unusually solemn, voice.

Voldemort has attacked. Look after my family, Sirius.

The stag stood for a moment longer then faded from view.

The stunned silence lasted only a second before Sirius shot up off the couch, eyes wild at the thought of his brother-in-all-but-blood and the danger he was in. He was just about to apparate when Remus tackled him to the floor.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sirius roared. "WE NEED TO GO! JAMES IS IN-" he shouted again, only for Remus to yell right back in his face.

"THINK SIRIUS! WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING!" He pushed himself back to his feet, chest heaving and panic spiking. "Get Frank on the mirror. We'll floo to his and then all of us can apparate over. We'll need all three of us to fight Him off. Hurry! I'll get the armour. GO!"

Remus didn't even wait for Sirius to respond, he just ran to the coat rack near the doorway to get their dragon-hide vests off the hooks. They were pock-marked and scuffed, but they had saved their lives more times than he cared to think about. He skidded back into the living room just as Sirius threw his handheld mirror down onto the couch. It was something that James and Sirius had come up with in school to keep themselves in touch when one of the pair inevitably found themselves in detention. The Order had made good use of the concept for keeping in contact with one another. Especially in emergencies.

Sirius gave a sharp nod to his old friend and took his armour, quickly donning it. Without another word the two grabbed a handful of floo powder and one after another stepped into the emerald flames in the fireplace.

"Longbottom Manor!"

They stepped into the study of Longbottom manor and were greeted with the worried faces of Frank and Alice Longbottom.

"Sirius, Remus," Frank started, straight down to business. He was already wearing his own armour. "Polly is going to take us the edge of our wards," he said while gesturing towards their house elf. "From there we can apparate to Godric's Hollow."

Just as the last word left his mouth, another Patronus appeared. A doe.

Peter Pettigrew has betrayed the Potters. He follows Voldemort. Beware.

Lily.

"Let's go," Sirius snarled, rage and fear coursing through his veins. The three men reached out to touch the house elf and were whipped away in a snap and blur of light. The second they landed and had their feet steady, all three apparated with a crack.

They were deposited outside the graveyard in the quiet village. The group took off, running down the street towards the cottage at the end. There was no sign of any Death Eaters. Had they been and gone? Or had He decided this was a deed he would do alone? Remus wasn't sure which was worse.

The cottage came into view and Sirius let out a strangled "Oh god!", even as they continued to sprint. The front of the house was mangled, the doorway gone. Bits of rubble lay strewn around the garden.

They reached the gate and as Frank pushed it open, an explosion upstairs knocked them back. A pure blast of magical power blew out all the windows. It looked like it came from the nursery.

Sirius picked himself up first and continued forward, albeit more cautiously and with his wand at the ready. Remus and Frank gave each other a quick glance and followed their friend. All three cast silencing charms upon themselves as they hurried down the pathway.

Sirius took point, Remus to his right, Frank to the left. They'd done this countless times. No words were needed.

As soon as they passed through the ruined doorway into the gloom, Remus and Frank split off in their respective directions; Remus to check the kitchen and Frank the living room. Sirius stayed in the hall to cover the stairs.

As the pair of seasoned fighters converged back on the hallway, they shared a shake of the head. Sirius was standing at the foot of the stairs. He turned his head slightly to look at Frank, who was startled to see tears tracking down his friend's face. Frank held up a closed fist to indicate that there was no one downstairs. To his horror, Sirius raised a single finger.

Dread filled Remus and Frank. Sirius was blocking their view of the staircase. With heavy steps, they went to his side to see what he was looking at.

James. Lying broken upon the steps.

His eyes open and unseeing, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

An awful weight settled on their shoulders, urging them to fall to their knees and weep for their fallen friend. Their comrade. Their brother.

Two years ago, they probably would have done just that. But with the atrocities they had seen in the last couple of years, they had hardened themselves against such immediate emotional responses. That was likely to get them killed.

Look after my family, Sirius.

There would be time later for the anguish they were pushing down.

They had to find Lily and the kids.

Remus laid a hand on Sirius' shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. Then he moved forward and silently levitated James' body off the steps and over to the side of the hallway, carefully setting him down.

The three men quietly made their way upstairs, trying to ignore all the blood underfoot. Once he reached the landing, Sirius glanced each way before turning to the right. Towards the nursery.

It was obvious there had been another fight inside the room. The door was gone, splinters littering the entranceway and what they could see of the room beyond. Dust drifted down from the ceiling and debris was scattered across the floor.

Not a sound came from within, but that didn't really mean anything when magic was involved.

As they gathered together, readying themselves, Sirius held out three fingers against his thigh.

Two.

One.

As the last finger went down, the group closed their eyes and Sirius fired a spell into the room that caused a flash of light ten times brighter than that from a camera, temporarily blinding anyone inside.

They rushed into the nursery, wands ready and almost begging to cause pain to the person who dared to harm the Potters.

There was no threat. Not anymore, at least. What greeted them was what they had feared since the first Patronus appeared less than fifteen minutes ago.

All the Potters, dead.

Lily lay on the floor in front of the crib, glassy eyes faced towards the ceiling, her limbs splayed out carelessly in a way that only happens when that person has been hit by the killing curse. She had died protecting her children.

Remus tore his eyes away from her, his first female friend. Even though they were the same age, Lily had mothered Remus. He loved her. He would have died for her.

His gaze went to the two boys, his nephews in all but blood. Both dead. His heart, which had taken a severe beating already tonight, almost stopped as the reality of what had happened here sunk in.

Harry was slumped against the crib, eyes closed and arm reaching through the bars to grasp his brother's hand. Not even Charlie had been spared. The baby was lying on his back, unmoving. The children had died together.

Remus turned away. He couldn't bear to look any longer. These people had been his family. Now they were gone.

Gazing around the rest of the room, he numbly noted that it was basically obliterated. Other than the crib there was no furniture left standing. The windows were gone and cracks ran across the ceiling. The room was in danger of collapsing.

"Charlie," Frank croaked out. Remus' head whipped around so fast neck almost cracked. Frank was already hurrying across the room, and Remus could see why.

Charlie was moving.

Just as Frank reached him, the baby started crying. In an instant, Sirius, who had been on a knee closing Lily's eyes, was beside him.

"I thought he was…" Sirius whispered.

"He must have been stunned by the flash of light," Frank whispered back, reaching in to pick the child up. "God, he's bleeding. What the hell happened here?" he wondered. Sirius reached over and gently wiped Charlie's forehead with his sleeve, revealing a lightning bolt shaped cut. The two men stared at it before Sirius suddenly froze, eyes dropping to his godson who was sitting on the ground.

"If Charlie isn't…then maybe Harry..." he muttered to himself, before swiftly dropping to the ground. He grabbed Harry's wrist and desperately checked for a pulse. For those few seconds it seemed like nobody, not even Charlie, dared take a breath.

"He's alive!" Sirius cried, gathering his godson and cradling him to his chest. Tears ran freely down the man's face.

Remus, voice full of emotion, choked out, "Is he ok? Why isn't he awake?"

"He's unconscious," Sirius answered, eye scanning over Harry's body. "His pulse is really faint. He's injured too." He looked up at Remus and then over to Frank. "Why are they alive?" he asked helplessly. "We know Voldemort was here. He doesn't spare kids. Neither do Death Eaters."

"Maybe it has something to do with that," Frank said grimly, nodding at something beyond Remus. The other two turned their gazes in that direction. On the far side of the room, past the doorway, lay a pile of black robes.

"The only thing the Dark Lord and his followers tend to leave behind after they attack is the Dark Mark," he stated. "I didn't see that above the house, and I've never seen Death Eater robes left behind after a raid either. Something happened here that hasn't happened before." The whole time he was speaking, Frank was gently bouncing Charlie in his arms, calming the youngster down. Charlie was focused on Harry, his older brother completely out for the count.

"Ok," Remus started, thinking furiously. "We can't stay here. Clearly, the Fidelius is gone. If Peter told Voldemort, it's a sure bet the rest of his followers know as well, or they will soon. They could be here any second. And this room looks like it's about to collapse."

"You're right," Sirius said, standing up and holding Harry close. "The boys need to see a healer. Maybe when Harry wakes he can tell us some of what happened. Where will we go?"

"My home," Frank said at once. "We have it under Fidelius as well. It's safe."

"What about Lily and James," Remus asked, willing his voice not to crack. "We can't just leave them here."

"We'll take them with us too," Frank said quietly. "Polly," he called.

The small house elf appeared with a pop. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene around her and then filled with tears when she saw Lily. Miss Lily had always been kind to her.

"Polly, could you please take Lily back home and put her in the guest bedroom. James as well, he's downstairs," Frank asked, his voice wavering. He cleared his throat and continued on. "Please tell Alice we'll be home soon and ask her to call Andi over, ok? I'll explain everything then."

Polly nodded sadly, her large ears flapping. She walked over to Lily and took her hand. With a pop, the two were gone. A few seconds later and another two pops were heard downstairs.

The room was sombre.

Remus cleared his throat. "Is there anything we should get before we leave? Any Potter heirlooms or the like? We can't assume that we'll be able to come back. And what about that?" he asked, indicating at the pile of robes.

After a brief moment of consideration, Sirius said, "Leave the cloak. We don't know what magic is on it. There could be tracking charms, even curses. The aurors will pick it up. I'm sure they'll be here soon." He paused and looked around the room once more. "As far as I know there's nothing of particular value in the house. James told me he'd put everything like that in the Potter vault in case they had to make a quick getaway."

"It doesn't seem as if there's anything of Charlie's left, but maybe we could grab some of Harry's things. Some toys at least. They might help when he wakes up," Frank suggested.

Remus agreed. "Alright, I'll go get them. You two go downstairs and I'll meet you in a second. We've been here too long." At their nods of assent, Remus quickly exited the room and went straight across the landing to Harry's bedroom.

Thinking quickly, he used the summoning spell.

"Accio trunk!"

A suitcase flew out from beneath the bed into Remus' hands. Another summoning spell had bits and pieces flying from around the room into it.

He double-timed it out of the room and downstairs, jumping the last few steps. His two friends were in the hall. Charlie had finally fallen asleep.

"Ready?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded. "Ok, the wards are gone. We can apparate from here."

With that, Sirius and Frank disappeared with a crack. One last glance around him, and Remus was gone too.

They arrived just outside the Longbottom wards. Sirius clutched Harry to him and strode after Frank who was already walking forward. Remus arrived and jogged to catch up.

As they crossed the ward line, Polly once again appeared with a pop. "Master Frank, I will bring yous to the house," the elf squeaked, holding up her hands.

"Thank you, Polly," Frank said tiredly. Frank and Remus took a hand each, while Sirius grasped her shoulder. Once again, they were whisked away.

They landed in the sitting room and were met by a cacophony of voices.

"What happened?!"

"Are you hurt?!"

"Are the boys ok?"

"Ladies, please," Frank said, holding out a hand. "Just a moment. "Andi, could you look at the boys please."

Andromeda Tonks hurried forward as the men laid Charlie and Harry down on separate couches.

"Harry first, cousin. He was unconscious and a bit beaten up when we arrived. Charlie has a cut on his head but otherwise seems ok, he just fell asleep a few minutes ago," Sirius said heavily. He perched himself on the arm of the sofa, watching as Andi started running diagnostic spells on the young boy.

"What happened?" someone asked again.

Sirius glanced up and saw Amelia Bones standing alongside Alice. He wondered when she'd arrived. It was Amelia who asked the question.

"James and Lily are dead," Frank said heavily. He sat down.

Gasps rang out around the room and the three women started crying.

Frank continued, head hung low, the events beginning to sink in. "We arrived in Godric's Hollow and ran to the cottage. As we got to the gate, there was an explosion upstairs. We went in and found James on the staircase. He was already gone. It looked like he'd been tortured before he died." He took a breath and ran a hand through his hair, desperately trying to keep his voice steady. Much like he done earlier with Sirius, Remus walked over and laid a hand on Frank's shoulder, trying to give him the strength he needed to continue telling the story. Remus knew that he himself would be unable to do so.

"We went upstairs. The nursery had been virtually destroyed. Lily was on the ground. She was gone too. At first we thought the two boys were dead. Harry was slumped against the crib, not moving, eyes closed, and Charlie was lying down inside, completely still. But then Charlie moved. Sirius checked Harry, and he was alive too but his pulse was weak. I called Polly. She took Lily and James back here. They're upstairs in the guest bedroom. We couldn't leave them there," Frank pleaded, looking up at his wife, emotion colouring his voice. Alice simply nodded. She was too upset for words, but she understood her husband perfectly.

Frank ended the story. "Remus got some of Harry's things. I managed to get some photos from the kitchen. Then we came back." He pulled a sheaf of pictures from his pocket as he finished, placing them on the coffee table in front of him. At Remus' questioning glance he added, "I got them while we were waiting for you to come downstairs. Just something for Harry and Charlie."

There was quiet for a few moments, the ladies trying to absorb everything they'd just heard.

"Do you know who did this? Which Death Eaters? It sounds like you didn't encounter any," Amelia asked hesitantly.

Remus spoke up for the first time since they got back. "From James' Patronus and what we saw when we got there, I think Voldemort himself attacked them. And quite possibly only Voldemort."

Amelia looked incredibly grim at that answer. "If Voldemort himself was there, in fact even it was just his followers, then why are Harry and Charlie still alive? We know that they have no qualms about killing children."

It was Remus who answered her again. "We think something may have gone wrong during the attack," he began. "There was no Dark Mark above the cottage and at the back of the nursery there was a pile of what looked like Death Eater robes. None of us," he said, gesturing at himself, Frank and Sirius, "have ever seen an attack with either of those things before."

"Nor I," Amelia agreed. "So what are we saying? Voldemort showed up, broke through the wards, killed James and Lily, then tried to kill the two boys only to somehow fail? And what, he fled?"

"Maybe," Remus said, shrugging his shoulders. "But I honestly can't see him fleeing if he failed to kill them. I think he would've stayed till they were dead."

"Maybe that explosion injured him somehow," Sirius suggested, "And now he's off licking his wounds somewhere."

"Possibly, but we'll need to see a memory to know the truth," Frank said. "Maybe when Harry wakes up…"

Andi chose that moment to start talking. She had finished checking over the two boys while Remus and Amelia were speaking. "I don't want to further complicate matters, but the reason Harry is unconscious is because he's magically exhausted."

"What?!" everyone chorused back.

"But that means…accidental magic can't drain your core like that," Sirius said, aghast.

"No, it can't. Which means that whatever Harry did, it was at least partially intentional," Andi answered gravely. "I haven't seen this in such a young child before, but I suppose given the emotional stress he was under… You said you found Lily in the nursery?" At Sirius' nod, she continued. "Do you think he saw…" she tailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence, although she could see that everyone had caught her meaning.

"Yeah, probably," Sirius said sadly, reaching down to hold Harry's hand. "She was right in front of where we found them."

"He was a bit beaten up as well," Andi added quietly. "A cracked rib, lots of bruising. I've healed all that now. Whatever happened, he was somehow involved."

"And what about Charlie?" asked Alice.

"It's a magical cut, I can tell you that," Andi responded, glancing over to the baby asleep on the couch. She had cleaned the blood from his forehead to reveal a clearly-defined, lightning-bolt shaped cut. "It's definitely not from being hit by debris or something like that. In fact, I think it might have been caused by Blood Magic."

"What makes you say that," Amelia asked grimly.

"I was raised a Black, even if I am no longer considered one. Taboo or not, we were taught about Blood Magic. I know enough to recognise its signature. The good news is that with proper care, the cut should heal up fine. It'll probably leave a faint scar, but all things considered it could be a lot worse."

"So what now?" Frank finally asked. All the adults in the room were watching the newly orphaned children as they slept. "I'd imagine that Harry will be asleep for a couple of days at least?" he asked, glancing at Andi.

"That'd be my guess," Andi agreed. "If you're desperate for that memory I could try giving him some energy potions to speed up his recovery, but I'd prefer to let him get at least a day's natural rest first. If we go with that plan, he'll probably be out of action for at least a week afterwards."

"I think we may have to go with that option," Sirius said. "We need to know what happened. But there's something else I have to do first. Tonight."

AN. And that's a wrap on chapter 2! Let me know what you think (PS, I'm a sucker for reviews)!