Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The wonderful JK Rowling does! I wish I did, then I'd be rich! Just kidding! Please don't sue me for writing a fan fic that I really hope you enjoy!
Last Chapter Summery: It's Harry's first chaotic Christmas! Sirius turns Remus into a turtle, James and Lily wrestle, and Harry eats wrapping paper. James has a vision of Harry living with the Dursley's when he is about five. He wakes up from his nightmare and hears Harry crying. James rocks him and talks to him about the dream, but doesn't remember anything about it the next morning. There is a mission for the Order of the Phoenix, the attack is on a muggle city, everything is normal at first then all hell breaks loose. James hears screams of torture and rushes to them, only to find the Longbottoms as the victims. Bellatrix almost kills James but Sirius saves him. Meanwhile, Voldemort was torturing Lily and he makes her an offer to join him. Dumbledore scares him off and James tells Dumbledore about Longbottoms. Lily goes to get Harry and sees him and Neville in a playpen playing together and breaks down. Dumbledore asks James how many times him or Lily had faced Voldemort and James said three while Dumbledore whispered, "Born to those who have thrice defied him."
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February…
"May I come in, sir?" said a voice outside Dumbledore's office, followed by a knock. The old man sitting at the desk looked up from his work, shaking his head slightly to refocus his attention. "Sir?" the voice said again.
With a clear of the throat, Dumbledore replied, "Yes, come in."
A second glance was required for Dumbledore to recognize the person standing in the doorway of his office. This man was tall with dark hair but his skin was sickly white. His robes were torn and tattered with grime making the set a dark green color, a large contrast from the original gray. His piercing black eyes were afraid and pleading. "I need to speak with you, Professor."
"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore replied calmly.
Snape opened his mouth to reply, but he closed it and let out a trembling breath instead. Dumbledore waited patiently; whatever Snape wanted to confess was very hard for him to get out. Without speaking, Snape strode over to Dumbledore's desk and raised the sleeve of his grimy robes, revealing the Dark Mark slithering on his pale skin.
Dumbledore looked at it for a moment, then held Snape's gaze and said serenely, "Is there more you wish to tell me?"
Snape took another quivering breath and said simply, "I'm hiding, and they're after me."
"And why are you hiding?" Dumbledore asked.
"I want out," Snape replied. That answer was enough, for everyone knew once you became a Death Eater there was no turning back. Dumbledore, however, leaned forward onto his desk and pressed his fingertips together, signaling for Snape to continue. He sunk into a chair sitting in front of the great wizard and put his face in his right hand. "I had to kill a friend of mine. He hadn't joined us and the Dark Lord was tired of waiting. He knew my connection with him and sent myself plus Rookwood to his home," Snape paused and continued in a whisper, "He begged me for his life. I lowered my wand for a second and Rookwood killed him for me. For my hesitation I would be tortured severely. So I ran."
There was a lengthy silence in the office before Dumbledore said, "There is more information you wish to give me, but you're afraid of how much trouble you would get in."
Nodding in agreement, Snape replied, his voice going hoarse, "If I told you, I would be killed."
"I believe you have done enough damage by merely running," Dumbledore replied, giving Snape an encouraging smile not unlike the one he would give to a troublesome student.
Snape shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Do you remember the night you went to the Hogs Head to conduct an teaching interview with Sybill Trelawney?"
Dumbledore's eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "How do you know about that?"
Snape launched into his story without hesitation. "The Dark Lord gave us orders to spy on you whenever you left the castle. It only lasted for two weeks, that night ended our espionage. I was on duty; I followed you into the Hogs Head and up to the room. I listened outside the door. Then I heard the prophecy, but the bartender realized I shouldn't have been up there and ordered me out with his wand. I reported all I heard to the Dark Lord and pretended that was the whole thing, even though I heard her continue predicting as I was forced out of the bar. My efforts were rewarded generously but once he finds out the truth, which he will, I'm done for."
"What part of the prophecy did you hear?" Dumbledore questioned.
Snape closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then recited the prediction in monotone with his eyes still shut. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have…" Snape paused momentarily, "…thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have…" Snape squinted, trying to recall what happened that night, then shrugged his shoulders. "I was thrown out at that time, that's all I told to the Dark Lord."
"I see…" Dumbledore trailed off, thinking deeply about the danger this put Lily and James in. Dumbledore focused in on Snape's eyes, using Occlumency to try and see if he was telling the truth. Snape stared back unabashed and Dumbledore decided he wasn't lying.
"The Dark Lord has narrowed down the two possibilities of threats: Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, both infants. I am not sure, but I believe since Frank and Alice Longbottom were so easily defeated and had not 'thrice defied' him, he has chosen Harry Potter as his equal and plans to kill him, along with his parents," Snape continued.
Dumbledore's heart froze in his chest. The Potter's lives were at stake; Voldemort could be bursting into their house right now, killing the family. He would have to tell them about the prophecy and guard them.
"Sir, I would give you more information if you could guarantee my safety. I want protection," Snape said firmly.
"The only protection I can offer is one of this school but you'll have to take up a teaching position," Dumbledore replied, staring at his desk, frightened about James and Lily's fate.
Snape looked eager at the promise of a job. "Is Defense Against the Dark Arts available?"
Snapping his head up, Dumbledore searched Snape's eyes once more, then replied slowly, "We have two positions open, Care of Magical Creatures and Potions, but I presume you favor the title of Potions Master?"
"Yes, sir."
Dumbledore gave a curt nod. "Now, I need you completely on our side. I will perform a series of tests on you to be sure of your loyalty. Then you will be required to go back to the Death Eaters as a spy for us. I will supply you with a sufficient alibi for you cowardice." Snape hung his head and gave a weak nod. "Good, proceed to tell me all you know about Voldemort."
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"Harry…" Lily said to her son, who was currently on his hands and knees rocking back and forth. Harry looked up at his mother and grinned. "Say mama, Harry. Mama," Lily said slowly and carefully.
"Eeee ah daba!" Harry shouted.
"Mama…" Lily tried again, this time lying on the floor level to Harry.
"Eeee!" Harry replied.
"Mama…"
"Eeee!"
"Mama…"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Lily gave her son a sad face and Harry copied it, sitting back in an upright position. Next Lily made a fish face, blowing her cheeks out and Harry analyzed her for a moment before repeating it. Lily stuck her tongue out and Harry did the same, this time blowing a raspberry. "Eww!" Lily squealed, lifting her son from under his arms and spinning him around the room, which made Harry giggle.
"Aww, my two favorite people!" James said as he popped in the living room, just getting home from work. Lily stopped spinning and smiled at her husband, walking over to him and giving him a kiss. "Hey little man!" James said enthusiastically and Harry laughed, lifting his arms up to signal he wanted to be held by his dad.
"Are you hungry? I have leftovers from lunch, me and Harry had messy spaghetti," Lily said, rolling her eyes and scrunching her nose.
"It didn't go so well I'm guessing?" James said with a grin, entwining his fingers with Lily's and walking over to the couch with his son.
"He threw noodles everywhere, there were some even stuck on the ceiling!" Lily exclaimed, making James laugh.
James pecked her on the cheek, touching his forehead to her temple, "I'm sorry a missed it." This comment received a lighthearted slap from Lily.
"I'll go reheat some of it for you," she said as she stood up, kissing Harry on the forehead and tussling James' hair. James gave her a glare as he tried to lay it flat and Lily stuck out her tongue at him. Harry saw his mum do this and clapped his hands, sticking out his own tongue and blowing a raspberry.
As Lily entered the kitchen, there was a pop from the entryway of the house. James glanced at the doorway and was surprised to see Dumbledore standing there, adorned in midnight blue robes with swinging moons and dancing stars patterned on the fabric. "Hello, Albus!" James said warmly.
Dumbledore smiled and entered the living room, stepping over a few toys. "Hello James, how are you?"
"Very well. Have a seat," James said, signaling to the chair diagonal to the couch, "Lily, put a hold on the spaghetti, we have company!" James called.
Lily popped her head around the corner of the doorway and smiled. "Oh, hello Albus! What a surprise!" Lily shook Dumbledore's hand and took a seat on the couch next to James. "Excuse the mess, have you met Harry yet?" she asked.
"I don't believe I've had the honor," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. He looked over at Harry, who was clutching James' robes with his two baby fists, very shy with this new stranger. Dumbledore winked at him and made a silly face, to which Harry grinned timidly.
"Is there anything you need to inform us of?" James asked.
Almost instantly the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye disappeared. "I have come across some information concerning both of you…and Harry," Dumbledore said gravely.
The friendly smiles disappeared from James and Lily's face. "What is it?" Lily asked hesitantly, groping for James' hand.
Letting out a sigh, Dumbledore put a hand to his forehead as he tried to find the words to tell the Potter's they were the target of the most evil sorcerer in the world. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a miniature bowl. "Engorgio!" he muttered and the bowl grew to its normal size. Sitting on the table was a pensive. Lily and James shot Dumbledore a questioning gaze, but Dumbledore still remained silent as he lifted his wand to his temple, pulling what looked like a strand of hair out of his head. With a flick of his wand it dropped in the pensive and a swirling image came out of it.
The woman that appeared was someone the Potter's were not familiar with, for she had huge glasses that made her eyes look like they belonged to a bug and various shawls draped over her threadbare robes. But her voice was chilling as it spoke:
"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES…BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…AND HE WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE THE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT…AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES…THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…"
The image swirled and faded back into the pensive but the questioning gazes on the young faces of Lily and James did not fade. "How does that have anything to do with us?" James asked, putting Harry on the floor to play as he pulled Lily closer to him.
With a sigh, Dumbledore tried to think of the best way to start this tale. "I received this prophecy while conducting an interview with Sybill Trelawney, applying for the Divinations teaching position at Hogwarts. I wasn't planning on hiring her until I heard this very accurate prophecy. Basically it states-"
"Harry, NO!" Lily said firmly, interrupting Dumbledore. James and Dumbledore looked at Harry; he was standing while holding onto the coffee table, trying to grab a crystal dish. With a frown and a slight scream of frustration, Harry plopped back down on the floor and continued playing with toys. "Sorry, sir. Continue," Lily said, turning her full attention to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore smiled a sad smile towards Harry, who was entertaining himself with colored blocks. "No problem, Lily. Basically the prophecy states there will be someone who is born at the end of July that has the power to defeat the Dark Lord. His or her parents have defied Voldemort three times and this person contains a power the Dark Lord doesn't know exists. Here is the tricky bit; it says neither can live while the other survives. This could be interrupted many ways, but I take it was one will have to defeat the other."
The couple on the couch stared at their former professor, trying to digest the enmity of what he was saying. "Born at the end of July…to people who have escaped him three times," James muttered, fear creeping into his eyes.
Lily spoke what her husband was thinking. "You can't mean Harry, can you?" Dumbledore nodded slowly. "But he is a baby, he isn't even one yet!" Lily said. Dumbledore just looked at the woman before him. "How can Voldemort want to kill him? He hasn't done anything!"
"He's a threat to Voldemort because of this prophecy," James muttered, almost in shock, "Is there any way this isn't legitimate?" he asked Dumbledore.
"There is always a possibility, but I have done much research and I believe the contents are true. James, you're right, as small as Harry is he is a threat to Voldemort's mission for immortality and power. Any threat to Voldemort is destroyed." Lily let out a cry, leaning her head on James shoulder and shutting her eyes tight. James placed a shaky hand on Lily's head and nodded for Dumbledore to continue. "We do not know why he has chosen your son as the one who could defeat him," Dumbledore lied uncertainly, "but the possibilities are narrow and he has a good chance of being targeted. He knows how powerful you and Lily are and how much trouble you have caused him thus far. With the added proof of the prophecy, he knows your son will be just as much trouble."
Suddenly, Lily wrenched away from James and stood, kicking the coffee table. Harry stopped his playing and watched his mother. "Harry hasn't done anything!" Lily screamed, "He is an innocent baby! He doesn't deserve to be thrown into something he can't understand! He shouldn't be born into this pressure of trying to defeat someone that's undefeatable!" Lily screamed louder, tears streaming down her face. Harry had covered his face with his pudgy hands and began whimpering.
James stood and went over to his wife. "Lils…calm down. Please—we need to think of a way to help him."
Lily spun around to James and grabbed his arms. "No one has defeated him, James. No one has even come close. How can an infant possibly do it?" she pleaded. James opened his mouth to reply, but closed it just as fast and shook his head. Lily began to cry, taking in heavy sobs.
Harry had never seen his mother cry and it scared him; he began to cry also. Lily looked up from James' robes at her son. Trailing away from her husband, she went to Harry, who lifted his arms to be picked up. "Oh Harry, mummy's so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Lily whispered once Harry was in his mother's arms. In response, Harry hiccupped. "I'm going to lay him down…" Lily muttered to no one in particular and began to walk up the stairs.
A few moments passed after Lily had disappeared from sight before Dumbledore spoke, "You have to be strong for her."
Looking at Dumbledore, tears stung James' eyes. "I can't…why does he want Harry? Haven't we been through enough without loosing our son too?"
"He isn't gone, James. You can protect your family," Dumbledore replied. James collapsed on the couch, burying his face in his hands. The aging wizard strode over and laid a heavy hand on James' bent head. "I promise I will do everything in my power to protect your family. I will be back very soon to help you; I have your home directly connected to my office in case of an emergency. Owl me if anything comes up." All James could do was nod as Dumbledore sighed and Disapparated.
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March…
"Lily!" James called through the house, staring at a letter held in his shaking hands. A black raven stood on the desk, waiting patiently for his reply. "LILY!" James screamed louder.
"What is it?" Lily asked as she arrived in the study, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. Then she spotted the raven and dropped the towel to the floor. "Another?" she asked, her voice quivering.
James nodded and proceeded to read it aloud:
"Dear Potters, I am sure you have been receiving my letters as I double checked the previous three making it to your home. Weren't you taught it's rude not to reply to a letter? You know my request, join and you live. Refuse and surely you will die. To be sure I receive a reply I placed a curse on the raven that will expose you to a lethal disease if you simply ignore the letter. If you send a reply, the curse will not be enacted. I hope the rest of your evening is pleasant. –Dark Lord."
As soon as he finished reading the letter, the raven let out what sounded like a cough. Husband and wife glanced at each other momentarily, mentally contemplating what to do. "Are we Gryffindor enough to send a Howler?" Lily asked with a slight smile.
After some deliberation and a few more hacking-like coughs from the raven, James and Lily summoned up their Gryffindor courage enough to send a scarlet howler simply reading, "NEVER!"
"Should we write to Dumbledore and tell him this is the seventh one?" James asked Lily.
"Yes, he said to owl him if anything came up and we've been putting it off, hoping the letters would go away," Lily said. James nodded and got out a fresh piece of parchment and began writing a note Dumbledore.
Lily just watched her husband as he scribbled away, concentrated into his words. The afternoon sun was glowing golden onto his silhouette and his soft black hair was everywhere, as usual. The golden light glinted off his glasses and made his frame seem more grown up. She knew they were grown up, James just turned 21, but it seemed weird to realize they were out in the real world on their own, facing the most feared wizard in the world. She admired James and his courage; he was trying so hard to be strong when he was just as scared as Lily was, if not more.
James finished off the letter and secured it to their owl sitting near by. After he had watched the owl fly off into the sunset, James turned in his chair and was startled to see Lily still standing in the doorway. "I thought you walked out a long time ago…" James said, standing from his chair.
Smiling, Lily replied, "No, I'm just stalking you."
"Well I have no obligation to that," James said with a Marauder grin that still made Lily's heart race faster. He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to him, entwining both his hands in hers and lifting her arms around his neck. James trailed his fingers down her arms, over her shoulders, and to her waist as she leaned in closer, brushing her fiery red hair with his shining black locks. Their lips met with a strong passion they haven't experienced since Harry was born.
"James…I'm scared about our future," Lily whispered as he softly kissed her neck, "What if he tries to kill Harry? What if you or I die? I couldn't stand loosing you or Harry growing up without his parents…" Lily sucked in a deep breath as James nuzzled her neck and connected his eyes with hers.
"I will never let anything happen to you while I'm around, I promise," James muttered as he captured her lips in another kiss. Lily pressed him against a nearby wall and wrapped her legs around his waist as James navigated her out of the room.
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"Shit…" was all Sirius could mutter after Lily and James had told him about he prophecy and the letters. Remus resided next to him, sitting in stony silence. "Shit...why the hell is this bastard targeting Harry?" Sirius shot angrily.
Lily strapped Harry into the high chair where he started banging his rattle repeatedly on the tray. "Dumbledore said he takes down any threat in his way and according to this prophecy Harry is a threat," Lily replied, sitting in a chair next to Remus at the kitchen table.
"But why would he believe a prophecy? People are so skeptical of prophecies—how do we know this one is for real? Why would Voldemort believe it?" Remus said, shaking his head in a dumbfounded way.
James also took a seat around the table. "Apparently Dumbledore investigated it and the prophecy is seemingly accurate. We can guess Voldemort did the same thing and took into full consideration the possibility of it being false."
"Hello?" said a voice from outside the kitchen. All four heads turned towards the door and saw Dumbledore peak around the corner.
"Professor…I mean—Albus, come in," Lily said, gesturing to a seat around the table.
"Thank you, Lily," Dumbledore said as he sat down, waving to Harry in the high chair who immediately turned shy.
"Can we get you anything to drink?" Lily asked, pulling out her wand.
With a smile, Dumbledore shook his head. "No thank you. I have something important to tell you, recent developments about the prophecy. I assume you do not wish this conversation to be private?" he asked, glancing between Sirius and Remus.
James shook his head. "No, we want them to be here. What's going on?"
Dumbledore gave a benign smile and took off his half moon spectacles, polishing them for quite some time. Silence raked the kitchen with the exception of Harry muttering to himself and a banging of the rattle.
Finally, Dumbledore put the glasses back on the bridge of his nose and began to tell them the harsh news he was putting off. "Recently I have had a Death Eater visit me in my office and claim he wanted out. He was going to switch sides and supply the Order with information. I did a number of tests on him and even applied Vertriserium to be sure of his loyalty and all he said seemed to be true. He was the one who alerted me that Voldemort knew of the prophecy.
"When you sent me the letter explaining Voldemort has been threatening for you to join him, I knew I had to tell you the rest of what this spy told me. I failed to mention at our last visit the true danger you are in.
"There were two options of families with young sons born at the end of July that could be a threat. You were one and the other was the Longbottoms. I believe he did officially choose your son because he felt a better connection with him. Before there was Voldemort there was a half-blood wizard craving power. I believe he picked Harry because of his lineage."
After Dumbledore stated their fear of Harry being chosen, Lily started sobbing and hyperventilating. "Lily!" James cried, "Sirius, get me a bag!"
Quickly, Sirius conjured a paper bag and handed it to James who placed it over Lily's mouth and instructed her to take deep breaths. Sirius and Remus rushed over to Lily trying to find some way to help her. All three men looked up at Dumbledore and began opening their mouths but Dumbledore interjected.
"Before any of you interrupt, let me finish," Dumbledore said, sensing a sequence of angry questions from three out of the four Marauders, "Voldemort had chosen Harry, but he only knows some of the prophecy. He does not know Harry has a power he isn't aware of and he doesn't know neither can live while the other survives. The battle that took place where the Longbottoms lost their minds sealed the deal and Voldemort knew that Harry was the one for Lily and James had defied him three times and the Longbottoms only two, they are no longer a threat.
"Voldemort is now on a mission to destroy this new threat. There is someone close to you who is feeding information to Voldemort about your lives but I don't believe he has gotten anything new in a while-"
James interrupted Dumbledore. "Wait, there is someone close to us who is telling Voldemort everything he knows about us?" Dumbledore nodded.
There was an awkward silence in the room as Remus and Sirius stared at each other, each concocting wild ideas in their head. "You don't think it's one of us, do you?" Remus asked Lily and James, turning his head slowly away from Sirius.
Lily and James glanced at each other, tears still running down Lily's face. "We don't know what to think, Remus, all of this is too overwhelming," Lily said, sniffling.
"I don't think either of us would ever betray you guys, ever," Sirius said firmly, Remus nodded in agreement. There was another silence before Sirius asked Dumbledore, "Unless…aren't werewolves now being recruited to Voldemort's forces?"
Tension in the room could've been cut with a knife that day in Godric's Hollow. Remus stared at his friend in horror as the words echoed in his mind. "You wouldn't dare think I would betray my best friends, do you?" Remus asked breathlessly.
"Well, I'm just trying to help them find the person that's been selling them out," Sirius shot.
"But you know how I feel about my disability, I can't believe you would use that against me when it's not my fault of what I am!" Remus said, his voice raising.
James cut in, "Remus, it's not a disability-"
"Why am I being blamed when Sirius is more likely to be feeding information?" Remus asked, staring at Sirius.
With a growl, Sirius asked, "How do you figure that?"
Snorting, Remus stated, "You're family members are Death Eaters, maybe you were sick of being rejected and removed from the family tree. Maybe you're a coward and don't want to be on the wrong side in case Voldemort does take over one day."
Sirius jumped out of his chair, causing it to slam to the ground. "My mother and father are not Death Eaters! I have a lot of family members who don't belong to Voldemort!" Sirius shouted, "It sure seems like you've thought out why you should switch sides!"
Once again, James tried to interrupt, "We aren't blaming you two!" But Remus and Sirius were in a world of their own, shouting insane scenarios fueled by the anger of being blamed of treason. The screaming increased and Harry witnessed for the second time something he didn't like and was unfamiliar with; anger. His baby face eventually turned red and wailing produced from his little mouth.
The screaming match escalated and Sirius pounced on Remus getting into a brawl. James immediately rushed over to try and separate them as Lily covered her ears with her eyes shut tight. Dumbledore stood to try and assist James but before he could separate the clashing men Lily started yelling. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! STOP!" The room quieted with the exception of Harry's screams of fear. "We don't blame or suspect either of you! We trust you with our lives! Look what you're childish behavior has done to Harry!" she said, thrusting a hand at Harry.
Sheepishly, Sirius and Remus glanced at Harry who stared at them through tears, his watery emerald eyes shining with fear. The two men separated and brushed off their robes in embarrassment. "I want you both to leave if you can't get along," Lily whispered, pointing a finger towards the door. Despite their fearless Marauder status, Remus and Sirius were scared of Lily and knew when to stop pushing her wrath.
James walked over to Harry and unbuckled him from the high chair, lifting him into his arms. Harry immediately clung onto his father, needing comfort to take his fears away. Harry buried his face in his father's robes and clutched his baby hands on his left shoulder. "Thank you, Albus, for helping us," James said, rubbing a hand on Harry's small back and leaning his cheek on his tuft of black hair inherited from his dad.
Nodding, Dumbledore said, "I respect you and Lily greatly and want to help you as much as I can. I will talk with Minerva and come up with the best possible way to protect you. In the meantime, sort out who you is your friend and who is your enemy."
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April…
A month had passed since the heart wrenching news that Voldemort was after the Potter's baby boy. Every single day Lily and James had been on high alert, shooting out of bed in the middle of the night at the slightest noise. But all had been very peaceful…too peaceful some may say.
This particular morning James was tying a sky blue tie around the collar of his shirt when the doorbell rang. James froze, his fingers tangled around the blue cloth as he glanced upstairs to where Lily and Harry were still sleeping. The doorbell rang again and James quietly reached for his wand resting on the counter. He highly doubted if Voldemort were to attack he would ring the doorbell to be let inside the house, but you never knew.
James had his hand on the doorknob when he saw Lily sleepily on the stairs, her wand out in case of danger. The doorbell rang once more and James flung open the door, shoving his wand directly into the chest of a man standing in the doorway.
"Whoa! Take it easy there Mac!" said one of the men on the front porch, slapping the wand off his chest. James lowered his wand once he noticed the Ministry robes the two men wore.
"Sorry, you can never be too careful these days," James said with a forced grin, putting his wand back in his pocket, "What can we do for you gentlemen?"
By this time Lily had reached the bottom of the stairs and stood next to James. "I'm afraid we have some bad news," the man that wasn't attacked by James said solemnly. Lily grabbed James' arm with both hands and squeezed tight, knowing someone close to them had been hurt or killed.
"Go on," James croaked out, the only faces coming to his mind belonging to Sirius and Remus.
The man who had been attacked huffed and ran a nervous hand through his shaggy blonde hair. "I assume this young lady is Lily Evans-Potter?" he asked, gesturing to Lily.
"Yes, what is it?" Lily asked, her face ghostly white.
"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but…" the shaggy haired man said, then glanced over to his companion for him to continue.
"You-Know-Who himself invaded your parents home and killed both your mother and father in the middle of the night," The other man said in a rush.
At first Lily could only stare at him blankly, then the information digested through her system and she let out scream and collapsed to the ground.
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"James!" Lily yelled in a panicky voice. Immediately James ran upstairs to the bedroom where Lily was staring at piles of clothes on her bed and Harry was sitting on the floor chewing on a stuffed owl.
"What is it?" he asked worriedly, thinking something terrible must've happened, but he saw nothing amiss.
Lily sniffed and thrust a hand towards the mound of clothes on the bed. "I don't own anything black! I got rid of it all after Marissa's funeral…"
There was a pause before James asked, "Was that it?" Lily nodded, throwing a garment she had in her hand on the bed. With a sigh, James randomly picked an outfit, muttered a few words, and the color instantly changed to black.
Dumbfounded, Lily stared at the outfit for a second then her eyes narrowed as she snatched it away from James. "Oh sure, of course you can do it," she spat, walking into the bathroom to change and fix her hair and makeup.
Chuckling, James scooped up Harry, wiping the drool off his cheek, and headed downstairs where he heard a pop. "Hullo Remus," James said with a smile.
"I'm getting paid for this, right?" Remus asked very seriously, his eyes sparkling with laughter.
"Depends, if we come back and our son is alive and the house isn't burned down from your horrible cooking skills, then we'll consider a paycheck," James said, standing a couple inches away from Remus and tossing Harry to him, which made Harry laugh hysterically. "How has it been living with Sirius? Have you two made up yet?" James asked.
Sighing, Remus replied, "No, every time one of us walks into a room, the other leaves. We make separate dinners now. I don't know how-"
Before Remus could finish, a new person popped in the room. "Okay, I'm here to be a bad influence for the next few hours!" Sirius called cheerfully, but the quirky grin on his face soon disappeared when he saw Remus. "We aren't babysitting together are we?" Sirius asked in a low voice.
"Yup!" James said optimistically and his two best friends glared at him. "Lily and I trust both of you completely and this row you're having is just you two being sore over silly insults. We all know what you said to each other isn't even remotely true and Lily came up with the idea to have you guys both baby-sit to work things out."
As soon as James completed his sentence, Remus and Sirius began arguing to James about how they absolutely cannot take of Harry at the same time. James was about to tell them to shut it and act civilized when Harry did it for him by yelling, "EEEEAHHH!"
"You two will get along and stay the whole time we are gone or we will disconnect you from our lives," Lily said simply, arriving in the living room. She had on a plain black dress with her auburn hair done up in a tight bun with two tendrils framing either side of her face. "Are you ready, James? I want to get this over with," Lily said, her voice in monotone.
"Sure," James said, slapping Remus and Sirius on the back as he walked over to Lily, "Are you going to be okay?" James whispered, putting one of his hands to her cheek and looking into her eyes.
Leaning into his touch, Lily closed her eyes tight and let out a shuddering breath. "It hasn't hit me yet," she said.
Nodding, James said, "It won't until you see them. I'm going to be here for you, alright?" Lily nodded and grabbed both his hands, rubbing her thumbs across the back of his hands and kissed him gently. Remus and Sirius were about to share their usual disgusted look when things got sappy between their best friends, but then they remembered they weren't speaking to each other and snapped their heads in opposite directions. When Lily and James arrived back to reality, James opened the front door and called Sirius and Remus, "You behave now!"
Long after the one car Lily and James owned pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street, Remus and Sirius stood in the exact same position they had when the Potter's were in the house, trying to avoid each other's gaze. This awkward game lasted for fifteen minutes before Harry got restless and started squirming to be let down. Remus obliged and chanced a glance at Sirius.
"So…you wanna talk about?" Remus alleged carefully.
"Why should we, I'll just go run and tell Voldie everything you say," Sirius spat.
Groaning, Remus said, "Damnit, Sirius, you and I both know we were worried about our friends safety and just tried to find an easy solution." Sirius flopped on the couch and crossed his arms, propping his feet on the coffee table, signaling for him to continue. "I don't really believe you're the one selling them out and I know you don't think I am either. I can't for the life of me think who but the Marauders don't betray one another."
Shrugging embarrassedly, Sirius said, "I didn't really believe myself when I was yelling at you. It made me mad you brought the evil side of my family into it."
"It made me mad you blamed it on my disability," Remus shot back.
"Quit calling it a disability!" Sirius said in mock frustration. Remus gave a small smile and they sat there staring at each other for minute before Sirius muttered, "So…I'm sorry."
"Ditto," Remus said, sounding relieved, "Are we okay now?"
Sirius pretended to think about it for a moment, then sighed and said, "I guess I'll settle for you." Remus laughed and flopped on the sofa next to Sirius. "Alright, we have one night to be a bad influence to Harry without Lily standing over us brandishing a whip. Let's get the party started!" Sirius said, rubbing his hands in an all-together too mischievous way.
Frowning, Remus said, "I don't know…we really should be taking care of him like good babysitters-"
"Nonsense! It's our duty as godfathers to spoil the little tyke!" Sirius replied, jumping off the couch. Defeated, Remus stood also; he never lasted long trying to be the responsible one. "Where'd you put him?" Sirius asked, circling the floor looking like a dog…ironically.
"Right where you're standing," Remus said, walking over to Sirius, not seeing a little person with a tuft of black hair.
Both men stared at the floor for a while before Sirius started pacing in the room, looking for Harry in obscure places. "Harry! Harry! Where are you?" Sirius called, panicking slightly.
Remus threw a pillow at his friend. "Calm down, we aren't going to find him if you start pani-"
But Sirius couldn't hear Remus; he was busy looking in between the sofa cushions for his best friend's offspring. "Harry! Harry! Mumsie is going to murder your Uncle Sirius if you don't come out right now!"
They heard a baby laugh a few rooms away and Sirius and Remus ran towards it, skidding to a halt in the parlor. There was Harry crawling (CRAWLING!) around in a circle. Upon seeing Sirius and Remus, Harry let out a shriek of laughter and sped off behind a piece of furniture, playing on the go peek a boo with his godfathers.
"He can crawl?" Remus asked Sirius, who was frowning at Harry.
"You think you're so funny scaring the bullocks out of your Uncle Sirius, don't ya?" Sirius said. In response Harry shrieked with laughter once more. "When did he start crawling? You'd think Lily and James would warn us first!" Sirius said indignantly, scooping Harry up from under the arms and spinning him around three times.
Remus watched them for a moment before replying, "I think that was his first time crawling."
Sirius just looked at Remus before moaning and passing Harry to him. He then proceeded to a wall and banged his head against it repeatedly. "Lily is going to murder me for not filming it!"
Snorting, Remus replied, "She's going to murder both of us because she wasn't here to see it."
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Author Notes: Sorry this chapter is awful, it was extremely hard to write because it's very emotional and I want to try and impact people as much as possible. I love it when someone tells me my story made them cry (as morbid as it sounds) because I affected them in the most sensitive way possible. So I don't know if it's over emotional or not enough or what. I tried to add a few humorous moments…oh, if you think this chapter is sad, it's just going to get worse from here. Sorry, but it's getting near the end (three chapters left!) and its going to get depressing. )