A/N: Someone told me that I was a year behind in my writing. I must inform you all, I am not. There is still another year left in the story. It will NOT be finished before HBP. I think that Dumbledore was tipped off about Lily and James a year in advance, just as Sirius mentioned in POA. He told Peter that the spy had been feeding information for over a year before Lily and James were dead. So, I am thinking I am going to wrap this up into 27 or 28 chapters. So, you have 3 or 4 more (counting this one). Also, to those of you who feel the need to tell me to change the storyline, I cannot do that. This is not an AU fic, I never planned on it to be an AU fic, and it won't become an AU fic. Please don't act immaturely about it by sending me flames. Nothing will be accomplished that way. I am merely following JKR's outline. So please everyone, act maturely. Also, I wish to thank everyone who has left a review. I love them all and am very appreciative for those of you who have left them now and in the past. Thanks. Please review.

Catch My Fall

Chapter 24-The Fidelius Charm

The information Severus Snape had told Albus Dumbledore was shocking and nearly breathtaking. Dumbledore had pretty much guaranteed that Voldemort would attack Neville Longbottom.

Neville was a pureblooded wizard, born to Frank and Alice Longbottom. Voldemort was heir to Slytherin, bloodline clearly being very important to him and his house. Dumbledore had assumed that this stood true in this predicament as well. Yet, Snape had told the aged headmaster that Voldemort was planning on killing the half-blooded child Harry Potter. To this, Dumbledore couldn't comprehend.

Frank Longbottom was one of the top Aurors, a supervisor and leader to all beneath him. Although he didn't have as much experience as Alastor Moody, his quick mind and sharp skills proved him as a useful asset. Alice was a Healer for St. Mungo's, a trainer no less. She was necessary for the entire Healing unit to run. Seeing as both of Neville's parents were useful tools to the wizarding community, Dumbledore had figured this was Voldemort's chance to bring them down. He hadn't wished it upon them, not at all, but he had surveyed and thought through the situation regarding the prophecy carefully and with many possible outcomes. Voldemort choosing Harry Potter was not something he had bargained for.

Yet, after hearing the news, Severus Snape breathing heavily in front of him, Dumbledore realized that he should have known. He should have known that Voldemort would have chosen Harry. Although Voldemort had attacked the Longbottoms three times and failed to prevail in all three circumstances, he had much more of a grudge against Lily and James.

The Potter family had always served as a threat to him and his legion. Talent, nobility, pride, and cockiness proved to be able to easily withstand many of his attacks. Dumbledore knew that his former student was feeling very frustrated and wished to take his grudge a bit further. Little Harry Potter may have been half blooded, but his parents were two of the most talented Aurors of their age. They had close ties in the community, they were prided students of Dumbledore himself, and they had a love that seemed to carry them through their situations seemingly unscathed. If there was one thing Voldemort didn't understand, it was love. Yet, he did seem to understand that Lily and James would pass on their unconditional love to their child. He knew they would do anything to protect their child. This was their weakness. Any sign of weakness was always a sign of his strength over them. This particular weakness seemed to convince him enough that Harry Potter was the right child.

Dumbledore realized that he hadn't responded at all after Severus had told him the news. He had simply sat there in thought, clearly in a state of shock. He slowly lifted his wand up to his temple and removed the memory of that very moment. He set it gently into his large stone basin; a pensieve. There it would remain to inevitably face countless examination.

.X.

"I have gathered you all here today for a very important meeting," Albus Dumbledore announced to the group of people congregated before him in the Potter's basement. "A new wizard has agreed to help us in our mission to prevail against Voldemort."

Many shuddered in the room as that name was spoken. Throughout the last year, even more fear had been spread throughout the wizarding world and the use of his name was daring. Albus Dumbledore may have been the only man who could speak it without any fear at all. The members of the Order of the Phoenix were wary as to this news. They knew it was good to have someone on their side, but lately, everything involved with Voldemort and his group of Death Eaters was bad news.

"I advise you all to welcome Severus Snape," the aged wizard said as he brought Snape down into the basement. The cold, dark eyes of Severus Snape gazed upon the room. He clutched his left forearm nervously. Peter Pettigrew caught this, wondering why Snape was in the very room he was. He wondered if the Dark Lord had sent Snape on a secret mission to infiltrate the minds of the other Order members.

"Dumbledore, you can't be serious," James Potter protested, rising from his seat in outrage. "You can't think someone like him could possibly be here to stop Voldemort, can you?"

"I must tell you, James, that I trust Severus," Dumbledore reasoned. "He has shown that he has the aptitude to assist us in gaining information on Voldemort and his Inner Circle."

"Albus," a voice from the back of the room addressed. Mad Eye Moody was eyeing Snape with his electrical blue eye, while his other normal eye was focused on Dumbledore. "You know as well as I do that Snape could quite possibly be put on trial at any time."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Dumbledore informed his longtime friend. "Severus is a very powerful and talented wizard. He is a fully able Potions expert and is proficient in the art of Occlumency."

"What's Occlumency?" Peter whispered to Sirius.

"You're kidding me?" was the only response Sirius had for Peter. Peter just laughed a little, but really wanted to know. He thought of telling his master about Snape, but realized he would sound foolish if he didn't even know what Occlumency was. He would simply just have a word with Snape once everyone was out of earshot.

"I hope you all treat him as you would treat me; with respect," Dumbledore told everyone in the room. Reluctantly, they all nodded. "We are a team. If we don't work together, Voldemort will tear us to shreds, one piece at a time."

With those words, he dismissed the Order members. James and Lily stayed behind, clutching baby Harry to them protectively. Peter watched as Snape left the room, sneering at Sirius and James. Their school grudge was clearly not forgotten from either side. He walked quickly up the steps to reach Snape.

"Can I have a word?" Peter asked as he reached the door. "Outside?"

"I suppose so, Pettigrew," Snape answered coolly.

The two of them walked into the backyard, making sure there were no stragglers. They were alone.

"Did our Master put you up to this, Snape?" Peter asked bluntly. "Did he?"

"Do I even need to answer that question?" Severus responded. "Of course he did. Why else would I be standing in front of brutes such as Black and Potter? For the sake of our Master, I would do anything, even disgrace myself in the presence of noble fools like your so-called friends."

"Oh," Peter said quietly. "What is Occlumency?"

"It's my ability to hide the fact that I'm a spy for our Master from that Mudblood lover Dumbledore," Snape informed him. "It's a special gift."

Peter nodded. Before he could leave, Snape grabbed Peter's arm.

"Pettigrew, don't mention this to our Master," Snape ordered. "It was supposed to be kept within the Inner Circle only. If he knows I told you, who knows what he'd do to either one of us."

Peter shuddered. He was fully aware of the power the Dark Lord held. He nodded and muttered, "I won't," before he walked off to talk to Sirius and Remus.

Snape grasped his left arm once more uncomfortably. He knew betraying the dark side was worthy of death, but he knew he was actually doing the right thing for once. He only hoped that Pettigrew had believed him.

.X.

"Snape?" James asked again. "Snape? I can't believe you. How could you put the Order in such danger? How could you do this to us, Dumbledore?"

Lily clutched onto a sleeping Harry. She couldn't help but believe her former Headmaster, even if her husband did not. Yet, she wasn't fully trusting of Snape either.

"I assure you, James," Dumbledore reasoned. "I have not put the Order in danger. If anything, I have strengthened out resources. Now, there is a reason you're here to talk to me and there is a reason I have agreed. Normally, I wouldn't listen to one word you would have to say about the matter. Yet now, I feel the inclination to do so."

"Snape is a Death Eater," James insisted. "I know he is. I have known my entire life that he is no-good and would end up becoming a servant of Voldemort."

"He was indeed a Death Eater," Dumbledore said softly. "But he's turned to our side despite a great personal risk. He has come to me and shown his loyalty to putting an end to Voldemort."

"Nothing he could do would prove otherwise to me," James declared stubbornly.

"He told me that Voldemort is going to kill your child," Dumbledore told both James and Lily. His blue eyes were watering, the slightest hint of emotion within them. James nor Lily had ever seen their Headmaster cry. Never. They knew he was one hundred percent serious on the matter. "Harry is the chosen child."

"No!" Lily screamed, holding onto him. "Why?"

"It can't be," James whispered. "Neville was surely the obvious choice."

"Not necessarily," Dumbledore insisted, a tremor in his voice as he saw the reactions of his favorite pupils. "Harry has been brought into this world with love, talent, and people who care for him. Voldemort understands the fact that these virtues are equipped with the child. He despises love as he never felt nor received it. The two of you are deeply in love with life, each other, and your child. He feels that through Harry, he can not only defeat his biggest threat, but also the two of you."

Lily whimpered as she heard these words. She had somehow always known that Harry would be the one Voldemort chose. She knew that with James she had chosen the difficulyt road and sure enough, the difficult road was proving itself to be difficult. She wiped a tear from her eye as she tried to remain calm.

James was pacing the basement, cursing under his breath. He seemed angry.

"Horrible things always happen to the ones I love," James told his wife and Dumbledore. "Always. Nothing good ever comes out of caring for someone. Lily and I have gone through hell and back trying to keep our love alive. Our son should not have to go through with that."

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "He shouldn't."

"My parents, my wife, my son, my friends," James mumbled, his voice cracking. "Everyone gets hurt. I feel like an omen. Maybe if I just went away things would all get better."

"No," both Lily and Dumbledore shouted at the same time.

"That would solve nothing," Dumbledore assured James. "Absolutely nothing. You need to be here for your wife and child. They need you."

"What do we do?" he asked finally.

"For now, I will be adding further protection to this house," Dumbledore told them. "It won't be able to hold Voldemort off forever, but it should be able to hold him off until I find a better option."

James and Lily nodded.

"You are not to leave the house a lot," Dumbledore instructed. "No owls, no visitors, nothing. If you go anywhere, inform me and I will make sure there is protection. I realize this is very hard for both of you, but hopefully, someday, this will all be over."

"Someday," Lily whispered. "You can't always wish upon a someday."

.X.

So, for months they sat inside their house, devoting as much attention as possible to their son. They didn't go to work as leaving Harry with someone else seemed too risky. They didn't leave the house. They didn't send owls, they didn't visit with their friends. They simply spent time with one another and their son.

Harry was seven months old when they received their first interaction with someone. Dumbledore had appeared with Fawkes by his side magically in their living room. Lily and James were stunned to see him, but happy. They knew this meant he had an answer for it all.

"How are you all?" he asked them first, sitting down on the couch. He smiled down at baby Harry, who was now crawling.

"We're ok," James managed to say. "A bit lonely, but ok. At least we all have each other."

"The good news is, I have found a way to protect you from Voldemort," Dumbledore said. "The Fidelius Charm."

James looked bewildered, but Lily seemed to nod her head in agreement.

"That would work?" she asked the professor.

He nodded. He eyed James' confusion and explained. "The Fidelius Charm is basically a protection charm. A single secret held within a single person. For instance, your Secret Keeper is the only person who is able to come to your house. No one else. Voldemort could be lurking right outside your porch, but he wouldn't be able to get in without the direct address from your Secret Keeper. It's risky, but it's effective."

"So, this person, the Secret Keeper, should be someone you trust very much?" James asked.

"I feel the need to offer my services," Dumbledore told them. "The two of you have always held a place in my heart. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't extend my hand in your time of crisis."

Lily and James sat in silence for a moment before Lily spoke up and shook her head.

"Voldemort would know," Lily told him. "He knows we're close to you, as well as active members of the Order. We can't risk an attack on you. It'd be too much for the wizarding community if you were injured. We wouldn't feel right if something happened to you on our behalf."

"You've done enough for us already," James said. "We thank you for this. Yet, the person I trust most in the world for this, besides Lily, is Sirius Black."

Dumbledore nodded, although he knew that this was Lily and James' first mistake.

A/N: Please review. No flames please. I am keeping it canon.