I don't know why people give disclaimers but well, here's mine. All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling, only this plot is mine.

The Invisible Scar

Halloween 1981

Harry was playing with his small, almost 15 months old sister, trying to figure out how such a small creature can exist. She was having a good time if her squeals and giggling sounds were any indications. He was quite frankly annoyed with her, she was a very loud child, and playing with his ears was her favorite pastime. But he knew better than to whine, he was a big brother after all.

Looking up, he saw Lily watching him amusedly. In fact, she was trying to resist the urge to squeeze and cuddle her firstborn, knowing that the feast needed preparing. While it wasn't as elaborate as she would have liked, and she dearly wished to try that recipe from her mother, Lily was not uncontent.

Harry was a rather quiet child, hardly any trouble compared to the nightmarish stories she heard from other mothers. In fact, he seemed oddly intelligent for one so young, though wherever she brought it up, James would only laugh that he'd 'inherited her brains'.

It was a pleasant Halloween night. Lily was preparing a small feast as a treat to her husband. She kept giving fond looks at her children who were on the couch. Harry and Rose by some miraculous coincidence had the same birthday, though Harry was born late at night while Rose was born in the early morning. And of course, Harry was 2 years older than her sister.

Taking a glance out of the kitchen, she frowned at James, who sat stiffly on the sofa, a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands. His face was pale, dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep, something she couldn't help but worry about. While the Order was stretched thin, she couldn't help but think that Dumbledore was making her husband do too much. Most days, he'd be gone by the time she woke up, only returning in the wee hours of the morning.

Still, Lily couldn't help but feel proud at the man he'd become, in no small part thanks to her own guidance. From the petulant, spoilt prankster, he'd blossomed into a caring husband and a loving father, even if she did miss the childish antics he once embodied. She scowled at the thought of Sirius, out of all James' friends, he was the most immature of them and according to her, would be a negative impact on her children. She had already caught him trying to help Harry ride a real broom for god's sake!

The war had taken much of their innocence, and at times, she couldn't help but wonder why they didn't just run away. "James, why don't you get some sleep? I'll wake you for tonight."

The man in question blinked, having dozed off slightly but shooting up, wand in his hand as he heard his wife's voice. Seeing the startled look of Rose, those wide, green eyes blinking confusedly, he shook his head, smiling as he holstered his wand, picking her up and relishing in her giggle.

"Dada," she grinned, drawing a laugh from him.

"Yes, Rose. I'm your dad," he smiled, gently caressing her small head up and carrying her to the kitchen, laughing quietly at the relieved sigh from Harry. The scent of roast filled his nostrils and he grinned, stealing a kiss from his wife. "Hey Lils."

"James," she smiled, but he could see the concern in her eyes. He knew that he was running out of steam, but the Order was simply too over-stretched. Even though Voldemort had made him a priority target after the prophecy's revelation, they couldn't afford to lose a wand of James' caliber. While he was mostly assigned to reconnaissance missions, much to his disgruntlement and Lily's relief, it was still taxing work.

In his mind, the prophecy was a load of bollocks. Looking down at his daughter, gurgling happily at her mother's cooing, he couldn't imagine how she'd defeat you-know-who. It was simply absurd: an infant who didn't even know how to speak a full sentence against the greatest dark lord in known history.

And yet, their enemy must have seen some truth in it. You-know-who was far from foolish, and the deliberate targeting of him was no doubt to get to Rose. He also couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore knew more than he let on, yet could do nothing but trust in the leader of the light. The compartmentalization of information, as much as he detested it, was a necessary part of the war.

Still, knowing they were under the Fidelius' protection gave him some measure of confidence. Dumbledore had assured them it was the most powerful defense he could provide, magic so obscure that even his prodigious wife hadn't heard of it before.

They had initially wanted to keep Dumbledore as their secret keeper, given he was probably the only wizard the dark lord feared, not to mention a master of the mind arts. However, as Dumbledore had explained, it was impossible for the residents of the house or the spell caster to be the secret keeper.

After some discussion with Sirius, their initial second choice, James had agreed to use Peter as their keeper, reasoning it was a great misdirection. With Sirius always on the front lines, the risk of him getting captured and the information tortured out of him was too great.

Just as Lily moved to open the oven, a massive explosion rocked the house. He winced, feeling the backlash of the ward's collapse.

"Mom!" Harry came running from the couch. Fear and worry in his eyes. James hated that look on his child's face. He quickly handed Rose to Lily and ushered Harry near them.

"What happened James? What was that explosion?" Lily asked, her face pale.

James' eyes went to his wand and he quickly muttered a spell. Nothing happened. The fidelius charm was down. Their family was trapped. He stood frozen for a second in his place. Lily must have seen the look on his face, so she asked again, "James, what-?"

Rushing to the window, he prayed against all odds that it might have just been Death Eaters. However, this hope was quickly quashed at the sight of Voldemort stalking forward, cape billowing behind him ominously.

"Peter betrayed us," James said quietly. Lily's face paled as she understood the mortal peril they were in. James looked at Harry and saw him observing everything quietly. His son was really insightful at times.

He put his hands on Harry's shoulders, he was at a loss for words, what could he possibly tell his son at this time? He settled on, "Protect your sister, Harry." Harry nodded seriously. Just as James kissed his daughter on the head the door burst from its hinges.

"Lily, take the kids to the nursery," he ordered. Turning to see she had frozen in shock, he barked, "There's a portkey there. Get our children out of here!"

Lily scampered out of the room with Harry and Rose as tears sprung in her eyes. Lily's and James' eyes met for a second before James gave her a firm nod and she ran quickly, trying to contain her sob. James turned to look at Voldemort standing at the entrance of the door. His cold red eyes glowed eerily.

"Why are you here?" asked James, knowing full well the answer to the question.

"You know it, James. Give me your children, and both you and the mudblood can live," he drawled silkily.

"Why? They're just children?" James questions, knowing the dark lord's penchant for gloating and that every second he bought gave his family more chance to escape.

"The prophecy, surely Dumbledore must have shared it with you," the dark lord laughed mockingly.

"You believe that bunch of hogwash?" James laughed weakly. Voldemort's eyes narrowed, his face resembling a snake more than ever.

"It is a risk I will not overlook," the wizard shrugged.

"I will not let you harm my family, Voldemort," James resolved, cursing as his voice wavered on the dark lord's name, a habit he hadn't been able to break.

"You act as though you have a choice," the dark lord tutted. "Thrice I have offered you a place in my circle, thrice you have defied me."

Voldemort blinked as a brilliant green dome around them flashed for a moment, James shivered at the smirk slowly forming on the Dark Lord's face, "Oh, how cunning, Potter. Trying to stall me. But I'm afraid there's no escaping Lord Voldemort"

James felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He somehow knew what had just happened. But it was impossible, Dumbledore had linked the portkey personally to Hogwarts' wards. How could that fail?

"How..." James said feebly. The boldness had vanished from his face in an instant.

Voldemort tsked, "You thought you could save your family with a portkey? I developed anti- portkey wards, Potter."

It was over. James felt numb. Now, there was no way for his family to get out of the house. Voldemort smirked at the paling face of his enemy and lazily twirled his wand.

"You had that opportunity and you forsook it, Potter," Voldemort spat.

"Please," James pleaded, voice thick with emotion. "Let them live."

Voldemort just laughed mockingly. James knew it was futile. Suggesting that Voldemort was merciful was like saying a Basilisk was harmless. Any sense of humanity had long departed the dark wizard, his appearance more snake than man.

But as a father, he couldn't help but try.

He looked up, unshed tears glistening in his eyes, "Kill me, but please let them live."

"How far you have fallen, Potter," Voldemort mocked, raising his wand, the tip glowing green. James took a breath, knowing that there was nothing he could do. Dodging was pointless, for he was no match for Voldemort. The years of training to be a better duelist were all pointless, for he had no hope of pushing back Voldemort. All the time away from his family, all the friends lost trying to build a better world for his children...pointless, for he was going to die, and they moments after him.

Suddenly, a thought passed through his mind. Voldemort wanted Rose to die, would he spare Lily and Harry? Guilt flashed through him for giving up on his beautiful daughter like that. Tears of anguish filled his eyes.

He looked up only to see the infamous killing curse speeding towards him. He shut his eyes and prayed to every deity he knew to just, somehow, anyhow, save his family. With this silent plea in his mind, he took the curse head-on and dropped dead.

A/N: Ha! could've easily completed the Halloween part here but the ending was looking good and I just wanted to dedicate this chapter to James' sacrifice. Adding anything else would've just sidetracked it. So here is a small sweet chapter. The updates will not be regular as I haven't written the chapters in advance and I also have exams. But I will complete this story! I always wanted to write a WBWL.

Had to edit the whole chapter after 19lams5 gave me directions on how to write and basically almost completely changed it. Its definitely a lot better than the previous version. Huge thanks to him for the help. Do check him out.

Also instead of 3, now Harry is only 2 years older than Rose. Figured writing Harry with Weasley twins and Cedric would be easier hehe.

Harry b'day – 31-07-78
Rose b'day – 31-07-80

Do review!