Disclamer: No, I do not own Harry Potter...it belongs to J. K. Rowling...yeah...
"Lily, take Harry and run!" James motioned to his red haired wife as he faced the door. The dark mark's lingering smoke was barly visible through the window, shadows of Death Eaters could be seen as well, waiting outside for some one. James knew who they waited for, and he wasn't surprized when the door blasted open to see those scarlet snake eyes peering from the hood of black robes. James smiled grimly as he met the Dark Lord's advance. "Hello, Voldemort."
flashback
The crowd let out a wild cheer as the dark haired boy lifted into the air, holding the snitch high in his hand. The announcer could barely be heard as he cried out. "GRYFFINDOR WINS THE CUP! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE CUP!" The boy was helped down by all his teammates, he could barely move with everyone crowding him. He looked up and smiled as three other boys his age shoved through the cheering team. A boy with black hair and pale blue eyes laughed a bark like laugh and clapped the seeker on the back. "I hate to say it James, but you did it again. Now give me those ten galleons you owe me Wormtail."
A mousy boy with big, watery eyes rummaged through his pockets while a ragged boy with long pale brown hair and a sickly apperance nudged the black haired boy. "Sirius, you still owe me 5 galleons from the last game."
Sirius smiled brightly. "Exactly my dear Remus, once Peter gives me my earnings then I'll pay you back!" The boy, Peter, handed Sirius ten golden coins, to wich Sirius promptly gave five of to Remus, who frowned.
James laughed. "You guys are hilarious to watch, real funny. One of these days we should just record all of this into a movie and call it..." he trailed off as he noticed a particular red haired girl talking to one of her friends a ways off.
Sirius waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Hellooooooo, earth to Prongs. What's wrong with you?"
James blinked and shook his head, he looked up to see all his friends staring at him. "Huh...wha?"
Remus looked to see what James had been starring at, he found the problem immediately. "Ooooooooh, it's Lily again huh?"
All of them laughed and James whined. "Oh, shut up!" He smiled and looked at the sky, this was the life. He wouldn't change it for anything...suddenly he noticed a blurred image of a boy flying as fast, if not faster then James himself had been flying, diving to get at a glint of gold. He grasped the object and hovered right in front of Jame's face, it was a boy, whose features matched James almost perfectly, save for his green eyes...
"Jaaaaaaaames, are you zoning again? We've got to get to dinner or else everything will be gone!" Sirius yanked on James' shoulder. "Come on, Mooney and Wormtail are already there!"
"Oh...right." James followed Sirius to the castle, looking back slightly to the Quidditch feild. ...what was that? He pondered.
present time
The Dark Lord grinned evily, his eyes glinted blood red. "So, Potter. You're foolish enough to stand against me? You should know better."
James closed his eyes, he remembered the faces of his wife and son. This would be the last time he saw them, he knew. He smirked, "I've already stood against you, Voldemort, three times in fact. You'd think I'd know better, but I'm just stupid enough to try at a fourth I guess." He raised his wand. "Let's get started then."
Voldemort smiled, showing his teeth in a ghastly grin. "Yes, let's."
The duel commenced.
flashback
"Hey Padfoot, your charm's getting out of hand, save some girls for the rest of us why don't you?" Remus and Peter chuckled as James' teased Sirius, who was swimming in a crowd of smitten 6th years, all trying to go to Hogsmead with him.
"Shut up James! Just 'cause you can't ask Lily out deosn't mean you have to take it out on me!" Sirius cried, desperately trying to break free of the girls. Normally he was very skilled at dealing with girls but this time things just went out of hand. "Get me out of here!"
They dragged Sirius free and ran from the mob, who seemed to be desperate to gain Sirius' favor.
"I think they might be a bit more calm once Valentines day is over." Remus announced.
"Remus, the only reason they're acting like this is because it's Valentines day." James said, dragging a tired Peter faster. "They always get like this around Sirius during this day because he doesn't know when to stop being a chick magnet."
Everyone laughed at this, including Sirius. "Yeah Prongs, and the reason you can't go out with Lily is 'cause you don't know how to deflate that big head of yours."
James poked Sirius in the ribs. "Hey, I'm getting better aren't I? I mean, it's not like I go around hexing people for fun anymore." He had just said this when he bumped right into the girl. "Omph! Oh...h-hi Lily..." he stammered.
Lily brushed herself off. "Hello James, Sirius, Remus, Peter. You all look well." she nodded to each young man in turn, being very formal and driving James nuts. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my class."
She started walking away when James called out to her. "H-hey Evans!"
Lily turned. "Yes, Potter?" she said nonchalantly.
James gulped, gathering up his courage. "Can I talk to you...privately?"
His friends all snickered, Sirius making all sorts of cat calls. "Oooooooh, Privately eh? Gonna make your move now eh?"
Remus moved them away. "C'mon guys, we can make fun of him later." He winked at James. "Go get her Prongs."
James glared at all of them as they went away, laughing. He turned back to Lily. "Heh, those idiots." He blushed.
Lily and James went to an abandoned classroom, Lily stood in front of him. Waiting patiently. "Yes Potter?"
James scratched his head nervously. "Well...I know we've gotten off to a bad start...well...we've always been on a bad start, but I was just wondering..." he blushed even more and seemed to be at a loss for words.
Lily waited patiently, noticing how different he seemed to be acting now, then he had been acting all thier previous years together. "Yes?" she asked.
James gathered his courage one last time. "Evens...Lily...would you...go out...with...with me?" He didn't look her in the eye, he was too afraid to. His fists clenched, waiting for the refusal he had become so accustumed to hearing.
Lily hesitated, sure, usually this decision was easy. After all, why on earth would she want to go out with Potter of all people? This time though...things seemed different. "Sure." she answered simply, wondering what had gotten into herself.
James felt like the world was ten times brighter, Lily was going out with him, James Potter! This was too good to be true. "I'll take you out to Hogsmead then?" He had the boyish smile of a first year accomplishing his first spell.
Lily couldn't help but smile, he looked so cute, with his smiling face and bright eyes, he looked in all the world like a child. "Sure thing. I'll meet you after classes." She left the classroom leaving James to celebrate his newfound victory with a dance.
"YES!" he shouted once she had gotten out of earshot. He danced around like a maniac, he was in nirvana, this was the best thing that had ever happend to him. He finnally collasped into a desk, laughing at himself for acting like such a fool. "Man, Sirius and Remus would never let me live this down if they saw."
Suddenly he saw something flick outside the room, like a shadow. For a second he thought that was his friends, that they had seen him acting like a loon. He calmed himself, put on a brave smirk, and promptly opend the door to see...a boy looking just like him bewilderedly watching a pretty asian girl running off in a different direction, disapearing through the corridor wall.
James thought he was just seeing some ghost activity...but was there a ghost in the school that looked so much like him?
"Hey you!" he said to the boy, who strangely seemed younger then James...not that it was very evident from the back, but he just knew it somehow...
The boy turned and James nearly tripped backing up. It was the same boy from the quidditch match...the boy with green eyes...James could barely notice a scar on his forehead, thin and lightning shaped. For some reason, when James saw it, he felt an extreme sadness for the boy...not that the scar seemed to be causing the boy any harm, but there was just something about it, something...sad.
"I...I'm sorry." James frowned sadly at the boy, compassion etched into his face.
The boy just turned around and vanished into the wall.
present time
"It seems you have gotten much better since the last time we dueled." Voldemort sneered, blasting random Unforgivable Curses in James' direction, causing him to spend more time dodging then actually attacking. "You're as slippery as a fox." A Cruciatus Curse blasted a nearby pot, two inches from where James was.
James glanced frantically at the door, he only hoped he could buy Lily enough time to leave, but it had only been a few seconds and already he was exhausted. Either he was getting too old (not likely, his first born was only a year old!) or Voldemort wasn't pulling any punches this time, and James truly was enough of a threat to be taken seriously enough to concetrate on killing. It didn't matter, just as long as Lily and Harry got out...
He ran out to meet the Dark Lord, pointing his wand threateningly at the evil one's chest.
"Take this Moldy Butt!"
flashback
The clanging of wineglasses sounded in an old english cottage hidden in some obscure forest someplace in england. Cheers and laughter could be heard...well, would be heard if not for the strong magical barriers surrounding the house to keep all but the closest friends from knowing it's location. Inside, a party was going on, a party founding the great Order of the Pheonix. All the group was there; James, Peter, Remus, Sirius, Lily, all the like. They were participating in a decent feast, chatting, laughing, it was a nice time. James felt that this had to be it, this had to be the army that could stop the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. After all, Dumbledore kept them safe in school right? What couldn't he do? And with the Marauders, along with all sorts of other talented witches and wizards on thier side, what could go wrong?
A number of things, his common sense told him. After all, people were frightened, they were highly outnumbered 10 to 1. It was almost impossible.
James knew all this, but he didn't let it get to him. If there was the slightest chance of winning then he'd take it. He laughed with his friend Sirius over a joke they both shared with Arther Weasly, another old school aquaintance. All the while he was side glancing Lily, they both were married now, and Lily was expecting a child. She wouldn't be fighting for a while, since she was pregnant, and it was driving her insane. He could tell by the way she gripped her cup when talking with the other witches about the fights, how her eyes shined determinedly in whatever direction they were looking at, how her mouth set itself into a thin line when she wasn't speaking.
James sighed, he hated it too, but it was the only way they could guarentee their son's safety.
"So, James, you and Lily spending the night here again?" Remus looked curiously over his wineglass at his friend, his face mildly curious.
James nodded, his eyes closed tiredly. "Yes, and I think I'll be turning in right now if you don't mind." He let out a long yawn, streatching his arms to emphasis the effect. "I'm bushed. 'Night." He got up to leave.
"'Night Prongs!" Sirius called out to him, they still used the nicknames, even after all these years.
"I'll be joining you soon dear." Lily, still immeresed in conversation, didn't need to look up to see when her husband was about to leave.
James walked exaustedly up the stairs to get to his and Lily's room, a rather spacious room with a king sized bed. He never had learned to whom the mansion belonged to...but he had a feeling the Muggles would sorely be missing it if it were one of their's, but Dumbledore never stole from them so they were safe from that problem.
He walked into the room to be greeted by a very strange sight, what was even stranger was that it didn't surprise him in the least.
"...I was wondering when you'd show up again."
He spoke to a boy, looking exactly as he used to when he was younger, only his eyes were green, not hazel like James'. They reminded James of another someone's eyes somehow...
The boy was staring at a photograph, one of James and Lily dancing in autumn leaves, enjoying the afternoon together. The boy looked sad, almost like the picture reminded him of something. James sat down next to him, calmly noticing the boy's transparent physic.
"I know you're not a ghost, you look too much alive to be one...but are you by chance someone's leftover memories?"
The boy looked at him, and once again James noted with pain the boy's thin, lightning shaped scar. The boy shook his head.
"Alright then, what about a boggart? Though I hardly say I'm frightend of you."
The boy shook his head again, smiling somewhat.
"Yes, that'd be too obvious. Then maybe...a dilusion? Am I going mad?" James wouldn't be surprized, Sirius had said often enough that he was close to being mad...maybe this was a sign that he had finally crossed to that side, would the Muggles want to send him to an asylum?
The boy shook his head vigorously now, almost like that was the last thing he wanted himself to be.
James laughed. "Alright, you're not an illusion either! Don't get so excited...if you aren't any of those things, then what are you?"
The boy was silent, he always had been.
A thought suddenly occured to James...but could it be possible?
"By chance...could you be a vision?" He highly doubted it, after all, he was no seer...but there were too many lines leading to that conclusion. The boy very well could be a vision of his own unborn child.
The boy did nothing, but he disapeared looking much happier then he had looked a short while ago.
James sighed and went to bed, dismissing the ordeal as some sign to look back on in the future.
present time
The smoke cleared, it had been James' last reserved spell, and he already knew what the result would be. He was spent, had no energy left, he could barely stand to meet his own undeniable fate. He stood though, he wouldn't go out laying down on the ground like a wounded animal, he wouldn't go out looking weak. For the sake of his wife and son he would go out standing, defiant, brave. In all of James' years he never backed down to anybody, not unless he was being a jerk, and those years were long behind him.
The smoke began to clear, and Jame's glared into it, ready to face his fate, praying his wife and son were safe.
Voldemort came out of the debree, barely a scratch on him. Jame's smirked ironically. Heh, that was my best spell too...
The Dark Lord glared at him, and pointed his wand right at his chest. "Time to die, Potter. Avada Kedavra!"
Green light shot from the want and blasted James' chest, wich surprisingly seemed to take a long time to him, for his head had quickly become full of flashbacks...or were they flashes into the future?
"Hermione! Take Ron and get out of here!"
"No Harry! We won't leave you!"
"Harry...don't..."
"Just go!"
A boy rushed to face his nemesis, the one he is destined to kill, or be killed by.
A stranger blocks his path...there was something about the hair that is familiar...
"Stay out of this Potter, it's not time for you to act yet."
"Who are you to say what I can and can not do!"
"Listen to me Potter, now is not the time to be juvenile."
"Juvenile and all that rot, I won't let you stop me!"
A duel began, but it faded out to be replaced with another vision.
The boy faced the Dark Lord in single combat, many others were scattered about them, they both seemed tired.
"It apperes I've been slightly underestimating you...but now you will die, once and for all."
"No Voldemort, it's you who's dying. For my friends, for my family, and for Dumbledore. You will die."
They both raised their wands, and before the last blow landed, the boy's eyes were revealed again...they were Lily's...
"...My son?"
The green light hit, and James fell to the floor, dead. Little did the Dark Lord know what his victim had forseen, what his enemy had foreseen, what was to come out of this man's bloodline would be the potential adversary needed to end Voldemort's life, and in the end, the father became closer to his son's cause then anyone on his side could have been. James had seen the end. He had seen who would win, and he would stand by his son's side to the end, if not in body, then in spirit...
End