This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fic, set in the Marauders' era . . .

"James! Did you hear that? I thought I heard something . . ."

"No, you didn't," the man standing in front of the closed door replied crossly. "Just like the last time and the time before that. There's nothing there, I promise. No one is coming." Ever since they had to go into hiding with their son, who was less than a year old, every moment was filled with tension.

"I'm sorry, James. But I'm so afraid . . . if it were just me, then I'd face him, but with Harry now . . ."

"I know, Lil, I know." He moved over toward her and took her hands in his. "We'll be fine. Only the secret keeper can tell our hiding place."

"Sirius, right?" James frowned, turning away to look out into the empty space before him. "James?" He shook his head slowly.

"He changed his mind. Thought that it would be too obvious, since he was my best man." James sighed before continuing. "He's right, much as I hate to admit it, he would be the first one they would try to corner."

"Then who, James?" Lily felt rather anxious realizing that their best friend was not the one who had the ability to reveal this location, and not a little upset with her husband for not informing her earlier. "Not your friend Lupin, then?"

"No, poor chap doesn't even trust himself just because of the whole werewolf thing."

"Dumbledore?" she asked hopefully.

"No, Lily; it's Pete."

"Pettigrew? But James, we haven't talked to him in . . . ages."

"Which makes it all more reasonable that he be our secret keeper. And it was Sirius' idea," he added, as though it would completely validate the decision to his wife.

"I don't know, James. What if he tells . . . ."

"He won't," he replied confidently. He was one of my best friends back at Hogwarts. One of the four Marauders . . ." There was a crash and the muffled sound of boots clumping in the snow outside.

"Don't tell me you didn't hear that, James Potter!" Lily said in an anxious whisper as her husband moved quickly to the window.

"Of course I heard it, but it's probably just some animal . . . . Get Harry and run!" Lily didn't pause to question, but quickly picked up her infant son out of the cradle he was in. James stood in the doorway, blocking the only entrance to the house. He took a quick step backward when the door swung suddenly open in front of him. The auror attempted to sound more courageous than he felt as he stood facing Tom Marvolo Riddle, long known as Lord Voldemort. "I understand that you have issues with me, Riddle, but I would appreciate it if we could take care of it somewhere . . ." he began firmly. Wordlessly, the Dark Lord swiftly lifted his wand with a simple movement of his arm.

"You were almost a challenge for me, James," he began in a strangely conversational voice. "Too bad." Then he shook his head, pointing the wand directly at James' chest. "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Lily screamed as her husband fell to the ground, dead. She held Harry closer as Voldemort walked toward her. "Please, please . . . ." she pleaded.

"There's no reason for you to have to die," he told her coolly. "Just let me have the boy."

"Never!" Lily exclaimed. "You'll have to kill me fir . . ."

"Amazing," Voldemort interrupted. "You can't stop me; no one can." The tip of his wand ran along the blankets that Harry was wrapped in.

"No! Please, leave him alone. He hasn't done anything . . ."

"He was born." The Dark Lord's wand suddenly shot up to the bottom of her chin and he used it to lift up her head so that she looked him directly in the face. "Tell me, Lily, is it really worth losing your life to try to save his?" Anger flashed in her eyes.

"You'll never understand love, Voldemort!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Please review! Any comments are appreciated, and mean that I will be more motivated to get the story completed more quickly. I know this was short, but it was just the introduction; the rest will be much better, I promise!

Cheers!