James' Final Week

James stood over his sleeping child and grinned. What would Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail say if they could see him at that moment? They would surely laugh at how domesticated their old friend Prongs had become, but good- naturedly, for they understood how lucky he was. Moony was soon to become as lucky as James felt, in fact. If only news of their engagement had come at a happier time. These thoughts reminded James of Lily, so he went to where she sat at the desk, writing. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned and James looked into her sparkling green eyes.

"You've got to do something about that hair, James," she exclaimed playfully.

Almost as a reflex, James tried to smooth his unruly mop of black hair, but he knew it would be in vain. He sighed, "It's no use, Lils. The hair of Gryffindor's heir refuses to be tamed."

Then he realized what he had said-joking about being Gryffindor's heir was not funny at all during this time, but he had said it without thinking. Before he could take it back, an owl flew in the window and landed on Lily's desk. She quickly took the letter from the bird and absentmindedly handed it some spare change. As it took off, she opened it. James looked over her shoulder and read:

Dear Lily and James, I must request a meeting with the two of you immediately. Bring the boy with you to our normal meeting place. Yours,

Albus Dumbledore

James, though alarmed at the urgency, immediately went to the next room and picked up a sleeping Harry. "Do we need any of his stuff, Lily?" he called, looking at the assortment of toys and baby supplies that cluttered the room.

"Just grab his niffler," she called back.

James looked quickly around for the stuffed niffler that was a favorite of his young son and picked it up. Soon he and Harry had joined Lily and they Disapparated and reappeared in an old, run down shack. It was dark, and contained only a rickety desk and a stone fireplace.

Albus was waiting for them. "Hello, Lily, James, Harry. I wish we had time to catch up, but this is terribly urgent. I have just received word that Voldemort is, in fact, actively searching for Harry."

Lily gasped. James' head was whirling, but he put a protective arm around Lily and Harry and replied, "What should we do, Albus?"

"Your best bet will be with the Fidelius Charm," the older wizard said gravely.

James was perplexed, but Lily nodded and replied, "I know of it. That's where one's secret gets place inside of someone else, right?"

It was Albus' turn to nod. "Exactly, Lily. It is a complex charm, but it should pose no difficulties for you. You need only choose your Secret- Keeper, and the spell can be performed immediately."

The confusion was mounting in James' head as he tried to get his mind around the fact that Voldemort was coming after him and his son, and trying to follow Lily and Albus' conversation. He held his hand up. "Back up a bit, I'm not really familiar with this charm."

"We pick a Secret-Keeper- the person we trust most in the world- and after the charm is performed, the secret- in our case, our whereabouts- will be hidden inside their soul. No one else will be able to find the information unless the Secret-Keeper chooses to tell it. At that point, anyone who tries to find us would be able to," Lily quickly explained.

"So we need to get Sirius here," James said without hesitation. He was pleased to see Lily nod as well.

"The sooner the better," she replied.

Albus interrupted. "Are you sure that Mr. Black is the best choice? You know I think someone has been leaking information about you to-"

James cut him off. Nobody knew Sirius like he did. "It isn't Sirius. I know we can trust him."

After a moment of hesitation, Albus said, "I am perfectly willing to be your Secret-Keeper, you know. We could get it done right now."

Smiling sweetly, in a way that made James want to kiss her right there, Lily softly replied, "We appreciate the offer, Albus, but you are not prepared to give up your life to go into hiding right now. We can trust Sirius, and he can be here shortly."

"If that is what you truly wish," he replied, looking older than ever. He solemnly shook James and Lily's hands in turn, and then let Harry grab his finger and chew vigorously upon it. He smiled, then gently pried his finger away and said, "Let me know if I can help you in any way. I look forward to working with the two of you as soon as this terrible ordeal is over." Without even a pop, he was gone.

"Well, James, you had better get in touch with Sirius and get him here as quick as you can. I'll write Remus and Peter letters to let them know we've gone into hiding. We can't risk going to see them. Time is running out," Lily said.

"I know, darling, but it will all work out," James said, kissing her forehead. He ruffled Harry's hair before going over to the fireplace. He threw some powder into the fire, then summoned Sirius to it. Padfoot's head appeared in the fire a moment later. It seemed to be watching someone leave the room that Sirius was in.

Still smiling, Padfoot asked, "What is it James?"

"We need your help, Padfoot," James said in a grave tone. "Voldemort is coming after Harry, and we would like you to be our Secret-Keeper." It did not even cross his mind that Sirius would refuse. The two men were like brothers, and had been for as long as either could remember.

Sirius nodded, looking as grave as James felt. "Anything for the three of you, Prongs." After a moment, he added, "What exactly is a Secret-Keeper, though?"

"Oh, right," James said with a weak smile, "I forget how recently I myself did not know. Lily knows a charm that will preserve a secret inside a living soul. No one would be able to find out that fact, no matter how hard they tried, unless the Secret-Keeper told someone. Once the secret has been told, the fact can be found out by anyone."

Sirius nodded again. "So I'll keep the secret of where you guys and Harry are? I'll have to go into hiding, too, to keep from being found." He trailed off. "I knew you all were in some danger, but I had no idea it would go this far."

James shook his head. "Neither did we, Padfoot. But we must act quickly now that it has. Can you meet us now?"

James quickly explained where their hideout was and Sirius agreed to be there in a moment. As James prepared to close the line of communication, he noticed Padfoot turn his head quickly to look at something. Then, with a small pop, Padfoot's head disappeared from the fire and his entire body popped into the rundown shack. Without a word, he rushed to James and embraced him.

"Well hello, Padfoot," James said with a laugh, trying not to show how touched he was. He did not want Sirius to see him cry, though tears were glistening in the eyes of both men.

"Hello, Prongs," Sirius replied. He turned to Lily and embraced her as well. Ruffling Harry's already messy black hair, as James himself was apt to do, a determined look appeared on his face.

"You know I would do anything for the three of you," Sirius began. "And I would be honored to be your Secret-Keeper, but that may not be the safest course of action."

James interrupted, starting to become cross. "Sirius, we have made our decision. We trust you more than anyone else."

Bowing his head, Sirius replied, "I am honored by that James, but don't you see that everyone knows that?"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, sounding a bit confused.

"I mean everyone will know that it is me who holds your secret. I think it would be better if you picked someone else who you trust just as much. That way they will be safe from Voldemort as well," Sirius explained, licking his parched lips, as was his habit when he was nervous. It reminded James of a time when they were ten and were trying to explain to Sirius' parents what had happened to their rose garden.

But James shook himself from the memory and started to protest again, only Lily interrupted. "James, he has a point. Stop and think about it for a moment."

He didn't want to concede this point, but he stopped arguing and started pacing. Soon he called Lily over, knowing he couldn't make this kind of decision without her guidance and input. She rushed to join him.

"I understand Sirius' point, Lil. What do you think we should do?" He asked, staring into her deep green eyes.

"I think we should ask Peter or Remus. That way they will safely carry our secret while Sirius willingly assumes the risk involved," Lily said without hesitation. This was enough to fully convince James that Padfoot's plan was best.

"Remus is so caught up in his engagement, we can't ask him to go into hiding. But Peter is perfect. We can trust him completely, but he won't be the obvious choice," James stated decisively. He felt confident that this would keep his family completely safe. Lily nodded in agreement and James motioned Sirius, who was cooing at baby Harry, over to them.

"Will you take my advice?" Padfoot asked eagerly.

Nodding in perfect unison, James and Lily spoke at the same time. "Yes, we will-" Lily laughed, which was a beautiful sound, and said, "Go ahead, darling," and pushed the unruly black hair out of his eyes.

"We have decided to ask Peter to be our Secret-Keeper," James said seriously. "Will you go and ask him if he will do it? If he doesn't fancy the job, we will depend on you."

"Of course, Prongs, old friend," Sirius replied, trying to look cheerful. "That is an excellent decision, I must say. Shall I have him meet you here?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, as soon as possible. I've already sent him a letter, telling him we were going into hiding, I didn't expect to contact him again."

"I'll explain it all," Sirius replied. "But he'll need a bit of time to get his things in order, if he's going into hiding."

"Twenty-four hours," James said, with an unmistakable air of finality. He wanted this Secret-Keeper business to be over as soon as possible to get Lily and Harry the safety that it promised them.

"I'll go at once then," Sirius said. "I don't suppose I'll see you three again until this is all over, so I guess this is 'au revior' for awhile." He quickly gave Lily and James hugs (James knew all his dear friend Padfoot was trying to say) and kissed Harry's smooth forehead. He disappeared with a tiny pop.

James felt a bit deflated after Padfoot was gone, but he was more worried about Lily, who sank to the ground looking as if a ton of weight had been added to her shoulders. James immediately sat down next to her, wedging Harry between them.

"We'll be fine," he said reassuringly, placing his muscular arm around her shoulders. "We've got the best friends in the world out there helping to keep us safe, and we-all three of us- have each other to help keep us sane."

Lily nodded. "You're right. What do we have to worry about?" James felt relief, knowing that she was not going to buckle under the pressure that had been placed on her.

A few hours later, he felt even more relieved as Sirius' owl arrived with the news that Peter would meet them the next day to become their Secret- Keeper. That changed a bit, however, as night fell and Harry refused to go to bed in the strange shack. It was only when he had cried himself into exhaustion that James and Lily could be together with their thoughts.

James and Lily lay on their thin, ragged blankets, James tightening his arms around his young wife.

"Do you remember when I asked you out for the first time?" James asked softly in Lily's ear.

Smiling, she replied, "How could I forget? You were so nervous you couldn't string two words together! I was about to take you to see Madam Pomfrey when I finally understood what was going on."

James laughed. "I thought that being the quidditch captain had given me the confidence I needed. It had with other girls.but I knew that you were different."

He paused, recollecting the moment when he realized Lily was no school boy crush. He felt Lily snuggle closer, so he continued.

"By graduation, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." he trailed off. Inside him, anger towards himself was bubbling. He was the reason Lily had to go through this. "But I never saw this coming. I hate to have put you through this, Lily," his voice filling with the passion that was burning inside. "If you had married Arnie Peasgood, you wouldn't be involved in all of this ridiculous Heir stuff!"

Placing her cool hand on James' reddening face, Lily calmly replied, "I don't love Arnie Peasgood, I love you, James Potter. And I would rather be here, with you and Harry, than somewhere safe with anyone else."

Kissing her lips lightly, James smiled, feeling better. "If you're sure."

When she didn't reply, James looked down to see that she had fallen asleep with a smile upon her lips. Grinning, James kissed her forehead, and let himself drift off to sleep as well.

James had trouble remembering a day that was worse than the one that followed. His anxiety was building as he waited for Peter to arrive. This was not helped by the fact that Harry would not settle down while Lily was trying to study up on the Fidelius Charm that would save their lives. Not even his stuffed niffler helped the situation and several times Lily had to come over and calm him before going back to her reading.

When Peter arrived with a loud pop, Lily was rocking little Harry back and forth, cooing, "In a few hours, my darling, we will be back in Godric's Hollow, safe and sound," while James pulled back from the window where he had been checking for outside activity.

James strode quickly over to welcome Peter, very relieved to see him. Lily, who thrust the suddenly calm and curious Harry into James' arms, followed him.

"Are you ready, Peter?" Lily asked gently. James couldn't help but notice the slight tremble in Peter's hands as he laid Harry down to sleep in the corner.

Peter nodded, looking her in the face.

"I can't tell you how grateful James and I are that you would do this for us," she continued, giving Peter a hug.

James shook Peter's hand, not knowing how to properly thank Peter for what he was about to do. "Thank you, for giving up your normal life for us, and for Harry."

Peter nodded, casting a glance to Harry's sleeping form lying only a few feet away. James gazed at his son as well, grateful that he would soon be safe from harm.

"You're quite welcome, you know," Peter said briskly. "Anything for the two of you. Shall we get on with it?"

Lily smiled. "Yes, we mustn't waste time." She briefly explained to Peter how the extremely advanced charm worked by hiding the secret in Peter's soul, and that once she had performed the spell, the Potters would be impossible for anyone to find unless he chose to divulge the information. Then it would be possible for anyone to track them down. Peter nodded a bit nervously.

"Now just stand perfectly still while I perform the spell, Peter," Lily said gently.

James stood behind Peter, watching closely, when Lily beckoned for him to back away. He shuffled backward a few steps and watched as she raised her wand, muttered the spell, and cast it with a blinding flash of white light that caused James to wince and cover his eyes.

"It worked," Lily said, sounding proud, as Peter warily opened his eyes. "We'll be safe now."

James picked up the sleeping Harry, feeling properly safe for the first time in too long, took Lily's hand, and said, "We'll be off now, Wormtail. You had better get to your hideout, too. Stay safe, my friend." James nodded to his friend, hoping to convey his thoughts, then the entire family Apparated away.

At the sight of his familiar surroundings, baby Harry squealed with glee and squirmed out of his father's grasp. James took his wife's hand as they watched Harry play with his favorite toys. He was confident that they were safe now, and that Dumbledore and the Ministry would soon bring Voldemort to justice.

Preparations for Halloween quickly consumed the Potter residence. There wasn't really much they could do to help their situation, so Lily and James had decided to try to keep things as normal as possible for Harry. This, of course, meant celebrating Halloween in the usual wizard way. James decorated the inside of the house with bats and floating jack o' lanterns while Lily planned a huge feast. Harry seemed to catch on that something exciting was going to happen, for he grew more anxious every day that passed.

The family hadn't been sitting down to dinner very long that Halloween evening when James suddenly felt very exposed. He looked to Lily, who looked as shocked and confused as he felt. Then came a large noise out in their front yard. Without a word, James left the table to see what was going on and drew his wand.

James looked out the window and what he saw made his blood run cold. The dark cloaked figure approaching their door could only be one person- Lord Voldemort. James yelled, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-"

James stumbled into the front room; terrified, but determined to hold Voldemort off long enough to let Harry and Lily escape. His wand was at the ready when the front door was burst open. He stood straight-backed, facing a laughing Voldemort, but was too slow with his Disarming Spell. He saw Voldemort's lips move, but did not hear "Avada Kedavra" before he hit the floor.