Lily Potter groaned as she opened her eyes to the light, it's too bright she thought, as she shut her eyes again. The result of it caused memories and thoughts to come flooding into the forefront of her mind.

'Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!

'Avada Kedavra!'

Lily cringed remembering that terrifying green light filling the hallway as she ran with Harry, leaving her beloved husband behind. The pain of losing her husband gripped her as it had done as she took the stairs two at time and she swallowed trying to push the tears away – there was no way her husband, her James, was still alive, not after that.

'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!'

Lily could remember dying – she could remember that same green light that killed James rushing towards her as she stood defiant in front of her son. She could remember falling to the ground and everything going black. She forced herself not to think about James, that if she was still alive maybe he would be still. Instead she focused on pushing herself up and looking around. It was a while until she noticed the messy mop of dark hair beside her as she was more focused in the distance, on the surroundings. A thing she never noticed was the gravestone behind her.

"James?" she whispered softly, reaching out towards him as she inwardly prayed that she wasn't seeing things. "James."

She spoken louder and gave his shoulder a shake. Waiting as he ground and opened his multi-coloured hazel eyes, those orbs quickly looking on her own.

"Lily," her name was a breathed sigh of relief as he sat up, fixing his glasses and looking around confused – though his gaze could not stay off her face for long. Both of their voices croaked when they spoke as though they had sat in silence for a very long time. James cleared his throat before speaking again. "You – you didn't die too, did you, Lils?"

Lily debated how to answer – she was sure she had died but she also sure that she was alive right now.

"Look around, James. Properly," she instructed him.

James picked up on the seriousness of her voice straight away and gave his surroundings a closer look than he had when he first sat up. It didn't take him long at all to realise that they were in the Godric's Hollow graveyard. He drew a deep breath in before standing up – he limbs screaming at him in agony as he did so – and turned to help Lily up.

"Let's go look at the house," he suggested in a vain attempt to have something to do. "Talk to no-one."

They walked out the graveyard and through the kissing gate hand in hand, trying to appear normal and stay out of sight. A different job seeing as their clothing, though muggle, was torn and dusty and though for James it made no different their hair looked like they had just crawled out of bed.

It didn't take them long to wander the familiar route to their home, which outside looking liked very little had changed except a ginger-haired lady gardening with three children messing around not far from her and a teenager reading a book, sprawled out under a tree.

James following his instincts of war began to back away but Lily moved forward blatantly disregarding what he'd said in the graveyards.

"Excuse me?" she called politely.

The other woman looked up from where she was digging at some soil; she was pretty, her hair tumbling down her back like a mane and her eyes a warm, welcoming brown. Dressed in well-fitting jeans, a light purple tee-shit with only a small circular locket and wedding ring she looked like the perfect countryside mother.

"Can I help you?" she smiled in response as she stood up. "I haven't seen you around, I thought my husband and I knew everyone! I'm Ginny, by the way, Ginny Potter."

Lily glanced back at James and they both turned to stare at Ginny, noting the wand sticking out her boot. James stepped forward to be a Lily's side.

"First, are you really giving your name out to strangers in times like this," he frowned incredulously. "and did you just say Potter?"

"Times like these?" Ginny laughed and James and Lily shared a second look, Ginny turned to look at him and her laugh stopped abruptly. "Oh Merlin."

"What is it?" Lily asked concerned, looking between the two of them – did this woman know James?

"Harry" – both Lily and James cringed at the name but Ginny either didn't notice or paid it no heed – "warned me this might happen…" she was still staring at James looking lost for a few moments as she trailed off. "Kids!"

She'd clearly decided what to do and the three children ran over to her grinning, covered in grass stains and mud, whilst the teen came over calmly. The two small boys looked a great deal like James, Lily couldn't help notice, both with that scruffy Potter black hair, the younger one even had glasses. The teen had the same hair too just turquoise in colour. The girl however clearly had her mother's looks with the same red/ginger hair that instead went cascading down her back in curls right to her waist.

"What have you three been doing?" Ginny scolded looking down at her three young children. "Go clean up before your father see's you!"

"Mummy!" giggled the little girl seeming around 6 or 7 years old. "Daddy won't care, you know that!"

The sigh that Ginny elicited clearly said that the little girl was right and Lily could help smiling.

"Is your father in the house?"

The eldest child replied, "Nope, he told me to tell you that he had to rush to work."

Ginny looked lost again for a second, biting down on her lip.

"Thank you, Jamie," she smiled eventually. "Come in the house with me – all of you."

She added the last bit looking back at Lily and James as she waved them through the gate and began to walk in the house. They followed her cautiously