The Tiger s Legacy

by Del1ons

After the death of a son of Apollo by Artemis and her hunters, a fierce fight breaks out between the two. Until Apollo claims that Artemis does not know what it means to be a parent and what it is like to lose a child. Zeus punish Artemis with a life cycle as mortals without access to their memories and divine powers to learn humility.

10. Chapter 8 The End of the Path

Hey Guys,

Welcome back to the Tiger's Legacy. Here is the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but there were some parts I didn't like so much and I had to fix or change them. Besides the daily madness there is not much time for that and I apologize again for the ten-day delay.

I would like to thank you again for all the subscriptions and the many favorites. I still cannot believe it, thank you very much.

And now without further ado to the next chapter

Chapter 8: The End of the Path

Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato

3 June 1990, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, England

On the LAST day of Hogwarts for the graduating class of 1990, the weather once again showed its best side. Cloudless skies and the sun shone with all its might, making it warm and beautiful. In fact, almost too warm for the school's Traditional Black Uniform, as was the custom, the now newly graduated alumni gathered in front of the podium at the teacher's table at the head of the Great Hall. There they then lined up by house and were photographed first house by house and then as a collective cohort. Although they would not all receive their N.E.W.T.s results for a few weeks and could not be one hundred percent sure that they had successfully completed each subject until then, each of them beamed no matter which house he or she belonged to. Some of them were beaming because they were happy to finally be free of the annoying teachers and the tedious homework, others were beaming because they had finally accomplished what they had been working towards for so many weeks and months. But there were also some among them who could not hold back tears. Be it out of sadness to leave this place they had called home for so long or again because they would have to say goodbye to some of them, as each of them would now go his or her own way and they would never again form this kind of community as before. Some of the year graduating Gryffindors this hit especially hard, they had only just really come together. However, all six of them knew that they would be forever connected and share those fond memories together.

Now, as Professor Flittwick disappeared from the podium of the teacher's desk through a door at the back with the school camera, and immediately appeared empty-handed, the murmuring among the students began, as it did every year. Professor Dumbledore smiled and his eyes twinkled, he let the students have at it for a moment, then he grabbed his fork and gently smacked it against his goblet and rose. The buzz of voices died away.

"Once again, a year comes to an end, once again we sit here now and with heavy hearts must say goodbye to those for whom it is now time to leave our halls and make their own way in the world. Over a period of up to seven years now, you dear graduates have come to Hogwarts to study magic and witchcraft. In that time, you have come a long way, from little first years who didn't know what to expect to your first degree the O.W.L.s and then later your N.E.W.T.s.

During this time, you have made friendships that I guarantee will last a lifetime. You have recognized your strengths and learned to see your weaknesses. Some of you showed strength and backbone and were not deterred by stigmas and entrenched prejudices and befriended students from other houses. Take this as an example for your further journey, don't look down on someone who is different because they were born that way or became that way. Accept the person as he is and look behind the face of your counterpart, look at his actions and his character. Let go of prejudice, for it is the root of all evil. Stand up for each other, no matter from which house a future colleague or customer and perhaps also a new friend will meet you on your way.

In these dark times, it is even more important that we all stick together and be there for each other. Take the memories of your days in the common rooms with you and carry the happy memories in your hearts. Let these memories be a light to you in dark hours of fear and sorrow and a promise that better days and years may follow. Do not look too far ahead but be of good cheer. On behalf of the college, I wish you well."

Enthusiastic clapping filled the air. Her former classmates, with the exception of a few Slytherins, had jumped to their feet, cheering as they did every year at the words of their Headmaster. Lily for her part was conflicted, on one hand Professor Dumbledore's words had reminded her of her entire school career and all the ups and downs. Of her now lost sister Bella, the many arguments especially around and but also with Severus. The discovery that Remus was a werewolf, her support after the transformations and help in catching up with the material, the Animagus transformation and the resulting partly new partly strengthened friendship with the boys...But there was another nagging thought. How many of her former classmates would do the same or fall prey to delusion and prejudice. How many more would become like Travers or Mulciber? Would Sev...no Snape make his ideas come true and join those madmen out there? And what of the remaining students? She had seen exactly how many of the current Slytherins had refused to clap after the headmaster's speech. Who among them would take a step further, as far as Travers or Mulciber? She shuddered, the very thought bringing up memories. Memories she would prefer to forget forever.

Pensive and silent, she walked down the Last Walk in her school days to the horseless carriages. She was so engrossed in her dull and bitter thoughts that she hardly noticed the cheerful and boisterous mood around her. A gentle tug on her shoulder made her look up. James. His hazel eyes behind his glasses were looking at her anxiously, scrutinizing her

"Lily, honey, what's wrong? Today's a day to celebrate, and you look like the world's coming to an end."

She sighed. She really couldn't fool her mate, the last months had proven that.

"Oh...actually it's. I was just thinking about Professor Dumbledore's words. So much good, beautiful things have happened here and now it's over. But I'm also leaving bad behind and wondering how many of the Slytherins in our year alone will join these fanatics and madmen...I mean...Look at those below us alone...not one of them " She broke off too agitated to continue. She felt an arm wrap around her and pull her into an embrace. An embrace that made her feel safe.

"Lily, I think I understand what you mean...And I feel the same way...We are in the unknown now...None of us know what to expect tomorrow...But..." and he laughed " but one thing is for sure tomorrow I don't have to get up at 7:30 because we have to go to breakfast. "

"JAMES CHARLES POTTER. it's not always about when it's time to eat, or when class

starts…"

"Relax...I was merely trying to lighten the mood a bit...I understand you completely. I saw it too not a single one clapped or took note of the words…"

Here he was interrupted grumbling by Sirius

"And one of them was my oh-so-perfect little brother…"

"The point is. " He continued without addressing Sirius "you can't tell them what to do or not do in their lives or how to behave, unfortunately. remember your uproar with the house elves? You almost made a huge circus about it until Alice pointed you to the books...I honestly wouldn't be very surprised if a lot of them join the Death Eaters. But brooding over it is pointless. "

"James is right Luna, besides if we all stick together then no one can hurt us! Even if the thought is scary"

"I agree with Peter. We're a team, a pack, so to speak, and a pack always sticks together."

"Nicely spoken Moony, Wormtail."

Lily spent the rest of the drive looking at and memorizing the landscape she was so familiar with for the last time as a student. She had spent half her life here and it had made her grow incredibly and given her the opportunity to make friends for life, connected in a; she had to grin; magical way. She thought of Sally, who, along with Marli and Ali had become her best friend and sister. According to her last letters, she was doing well in America and about to graduate from Salem. She thought of Bella, her big sister, who was now moving around the country under duress and being forced to do the cruelest things. A single tear crept down her cheek. She would find a way to bring Bella back no matter the cost...She was family, and no one came between her and her family. Whether Bella would approve of her relationship with James, she would properly tease her for all eternity and then threaten James. The thought made her laugh out loud, drawing confused looks from her friends. However, she didn't care. She just shook her head and enjoyed the ride, still in James' arms.

Arriving at Hogsmeade station, she turned around once more, taking in the picture of the landscape. With a smile, she was about to board the train when a lace scream sent her spinning. The sight that presented itself warmed her heart and the smile turned into a wide grin. On the platform, outside the carriage door, Frank Longbottom was on one knee. His hand was outstretched and turned towards Ali. In his hand he held a silver ring. Tears had come to Ali's eyes, and she had put her hands over her mouth. So, Frank had really proposed to her. For a long time, the two had been a couple, they had even been the first in their year. Something Ali was only too happy to dish out to the others. Now the couple had been the first again, only this time with the engagement. Marlene nudged her in the ribs with a grin and sauntered towards the now forming cluster of people and Lily couldn't help but follow suit either. When they had fought their way through the crowd, Lily spoke in mock annoyance:

"Ali, are you going to leave Frank hanging now?"

To which Marli added, a playful, ominous glint in her eye.

"Or do you want to leave the honor to be the first one to one of us?"

Which resulted in four people shocked expressions on their faces, Frank because he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown; Lily, although she was sure about James, she wasn't ready for such a move; James because he feared that he was now in a bind and he didn't want to pressure his Lily; and Sirius, who found the word marry as appealing as the word responsibility in connection with him.

Alice, however, had recovered her composure after these comments from the side, nodded, and looked at Frank with an affectionate glance

"Frank, yes, of course I wanna marry you."

To her friends she addressed the words

"Sorry girls, but your tactics didn't work. I am and always will be the first of us. By the way, your boyfriends are all looking a little white. Maybe that was a little too much of a good thing for them after all" she winked

Frank now gently placed the ring on Ali's finger and another wave of cheers broke over the station. Amid whistles and shouts of congratulations, the newly engaged couple boarded the train, leaving the crowd behind.

"Guys…must you spoil my fun with Ali"

"But Marli, this kind of thing isn't fun anymore. "

"Siri, at some point I expect you to do the same."

Marlene laughed at the pure horror on his face; Sirius might be one of the prank kings of school history, but he didn't stand a chance against her in such matters. Tears of laughter and a white Sirius in tow, the rest of them made their way inside the train as well.

The train ride to London went by way too fast for everyone's taste. There was celebrating, singing, and laughing. To toast Ali and Frank's engagement, the latter had organized a bottle of Firewhiskey from wherever, which became empty surprisingly quickly. After the first round, however, Amelia, Olivia, Marlene, Susana, and Lily took

Frank to task. Their threats should they learn that Ali was even once unhappy or distressed and it was his fault was backed up with the detailed description of cutting off and or mutilating major male organs. Frank's vigorous and rapid nodding of his head and assurance that he had no intention of breaking Alice's heart or hurting her in any way was the sign to the young women that their message had been received. However, he was then saved by his fiancée, who pulled him away from the group of witches.

The only thing Lily wouldn't miss about this last trip was Snape's pushy attempts to speak to her. He even went so far as to reach out and grab her arm, but then changed his mind as he faced a good dozen wands. His delusional begging and that insane look in his eye was something Lily would describe as possessed. When he had finally moved from then, muttering unintelligible gibberish, Lily visibly relaxed. It was at that exact moment that the train braked and slowed down. They had arrived in London and their time at Hogwarts was over. But instead of joining the usual hustle and bustle, the seventh graders remained quiet, slowing down more than usual. Retrieving their trunks from the shelves at a leisurely pace, they gathered their remaining belongings, enjoying the familiar surroundings once more.

At the station, Lily and James' parents were met. Dorea beamed when she saw them. She threw her husband Charles a sly and meaningful smile. First, she exuberantly embraced her son and began kissing him repeatedly on the cheeks, who in turn groaned loudly

"MOM….does it have to be?"

Without paying any further attention to him, she continued

"Oh, my little baby boy, you've grown up"

"Mom, please, this is embarrassing…"

"If your adorable girlfriend could put up with you, she'll be able to put up with this"

Now it was Lily's turn to blush, which caused Sirius, who had now joined them with Marlene in tow, to laugh hysterically

"I'd be quiet if I were you nephew...I think your lovely girlfriend needs to educate you some more"

She giggled at the now red faces of the other two. She turned back to Lily and before she could react, she found herself in a hug.

"It's a pleasure to meet you properly now, Lily. So, my son did manage to convince you after all? But from what I've heard you're a very good influence on him, as little detention as he's had this year. Where are your parents, I want to meet them?"

"Thank you very much Mar. Potter. Nice to meet you too. James has told me a few things, all good of course... "she swallowed, not knowing how James' mother would feel about her parents being muggles, she was a native Black after all. For despite Dromeda's casual and Bella's indifferent to cautious attitude, she wasn't sure how the woman would act towards her. "My parents are waiting outside the barrier, I am the first in our family to possess the gift of magic..."

"Ahhh I see...well that doesn't matter. There will be another opportunity for sure. And I am Dorea not Mrs. Potter." Her gaze softened

"James isn't the only person who has spoken only good of you, though. My great-niece has said nothing but good things about you. That she made you her daughter's godmother says a lot about you."

"You were...you were talking to Dromeda about me?"

Dorea smirked. James and Charles, on the other hand, looked at her like she was an apparition. Sirius mouth hung open, at which Marlene slapped him on the back of the head. Marlene giggled, the moment conversations turned into girly topics the boys would throw excuses around and left the area.

"Young lady, news like that travels fast."

"Lily, she's right. I mean you practically told us, right there in the evening. And a move like that is a huge deal in our world. We usually have parties for it. However, I´m still wondering how the boys didn't knew that."

But, before the discussion could really get going, James looked at his watch and announced

"Mom, Dad, I'll be right back, I'm going to take Lily to her parents real quick. I'm sure they've been waiting forever."

"But behave yourself...and make a good impression. No need to panic your future in- laws straight away. Oh, and before I forget Lily, you must visit us some time, I still have some nice photos of James when he was little" Whereupon they both blushed all over, James more so than Lily.

"MOM..."

"Now I know where you get it from with the pranks...Definitely runs in the family"

"Well Dorea, she figured you out quicker than I did back then".

"Charles, you were chasing me even then..."

But the two of them didn't get the rest of the conversation, James had hurriedly taken the both of them away from his parents and a broadly grinning Marlene. He took her suitcase in one hand and her hand in the other and together they walked through the gate to the Muggle world.

James gulped when he saw the look on Lily's father's face. But he mustered all his courage, reaching out first to Lily's mother, then to Mr. Evans. They both shook it, Lily noticing that her father was gripping a little tighter than necessary. Lily noticed that Petunia hadn't come with her parents. She sighed.

"Hello Mrs. And Mr. Evans, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello young man, and who are you?"

"Daddy, this is James. We've been dating for a good three quarters of a year…"

"Is that so young man, my name is Herbert, this is my wife Rose. I think you and I need to have a little talk..."

"Daddy..."

"Herbert…"

"No, Lily's fine. I'd react the same way if I were him."

"I find your understanding very refreshing; Petunia's boyfriend…be that as it may, but this is not the place for such a conversation…"

But he was interrupted by his wife

"What my husband is trying to say is, we invite you to come over next weekend. Lily's told us a lot about you."

"You knew about him?"

"Of course, but I kept it to myself. That sort of thing falls under the category of mother- daughter talk."

"Okay then…young man, I will expect you for dinner on Saturday at 7 o'clock. I'll see to your respectability then."

"Daddy…"

"No, my angel, a father must do his duty and keep an eye on the boy his daughter brings home."

"But…okay Daddy."

"Lily, everything's okay. Don't worry about it."

"I'm looking forward to Saturday. Mrs. Evans, Mr. Evans it was a pleasure"

"I'm Rose, James, not Mr. Evans. But the pleasure is all mine, too. See you Saturday."

James turned to his girlfriend, gave her a kiss and a hug, and said goodbye, saying.

"Lily-Tiger I'm looking forward to Saturday. Even though it's only a few days, I'm going to miss you. See you in a few days."

With a final handshake to Lily's parents, James said goodbye and headed back to the barrier. The car ride back to Cokeworth became pure torture for Lily. Now that her father had learned of the existence of a boy in her life, he wanted to know everything about him. Being the younger of the two children, she had always been Daddy's little girl and now her father had to come to terms with the fact that his little girl had become a woman. But it didn't bother her that her father was so protective, no it was much more the fact that in her eyes he had acted absolutely embarrassing and tried to intimidate James. But one look at her mother told her to let him be and let him do it, her father would not rest easy otherwise. She rolled her eyes and let him.

The week went by faster than she thought and before Lily had thought about it, it was already Saturday night. She had just finished getting ready when there was a knock on the front door. Her father opened and there he stood. James with his hair as tousled as ever. In his hand he held a bouquet of flowers, which he handed to her mother. Her father eyed him suspiciously but not unkindly. He shook his hand and entered. His gaze fell upon him, and a gentle smile spread across his face. Petunia, now seeing James for the first time, had taken on an expression that Lily couldn't quite interpret. However, Lily could clearly read the jealousy on her face. James greeted her kindly as well and introduced himself, but she answered in curt words. The meal turned out to be a pleasant and boisterous affair. Though her father knew little of magical sports from his daughter so far, he listened with enthusiasm and kept asking James for details. A thing her mother dismissed as "men." To which even the hitherto reticent Petunia had to laugh. By now the evening had drawn to a close and night had fallen. Mother and daughter could only shake their heads in amusement, as Lily's boyfriend and her father instantly hit it off as if they had known each other for years. What a difference the subject of sports could make. The clock in the living room struck half past eleven when James finally announced he was now leaving for home. Lily immediately got up and escorted him to the door. Throughout dinner and the casual conversation in the living room afterwards, she had had few opportunities to be close to her Mate or show affection. Then in the hallway, the two kissed for several minutes. But James broke away from her and embraced her once more.

"Lily, it was a great night. I really enjoyed meeting your parents. Your dad´s awesome. And now I know where my tiger gets her temper and her bite. It was really nice evening, and I am glad to meet and get to know your parents. What I wanted to tell you is that my mom would love it if you came to brunch on Wednesday. Here's our address."

"Thanks for inviting me, I'll be happy to join you. I can't wait to hear all the stories your mom will dig up about you and the fleabag. No, seriously, I'm really, really excited. She seems really nice. Although its not that long till Wednesday, I am gonna miss you. Thanks for coming today. I love you."

" I am glad, but I seriously hope that Mom doesn't go overboard. Cheer up Love its only a couple of days. I love you, too. See you Wednesday." With one last kiss and hug, he stepped out the door and walked down the path to the end of the property. Once on the street, he took one look left and right, winked, and with a soft plop, he was gone. Lily sighed. It had been a lovely evening; she was deliriously happy that her parents and her mate were getting along. But Tunia...it saddened her that her relationship with her sister was drifting further and further apart. First it was Hogwarts and now because her boyfriend had brought her home...

The meeting with James' parents and Sirius went like the dinner at their parents only in reverse and with the fact that Sirius had invited Marlene. Between banter and funny and at times extremely embarrassing stories for the boys, the time passed far too quickly. She felt very much at home with the Potters and the fact that her parents were muggles didn't bother Dorea, contrary to Lily's initial fear. Dorea inquired about Lily's parents and eavesdropped with interest about the characters presentation. About her parents' open-minded attitude and their approach to magic, she and as Charles were extremely amazed. When asked why, the redhead received the answer that it was unfortunately more common for the parents of first-generation witches and wizards to either cut off contact with their children and treat them as if they were lepers, or in the worst cases, even become violent in order to exorcise their innate gift. These facts

shocked the young witch very much, because she had always been brought up with the word to accept every person as they were and not to treat them differently. When it was time to leave, she welcomed the two young women at any time. An offer they both gladly accepted. She surprised Lily even further when she suggested organizing a meeting of the in-laws, which made Lily and James blush in equal measure and brought tears of laughter to Marlene and Sirius.

Days turned into weeks and Autumn and its beautiful Colors came along. But equal to the beautiful atmosphere and the cheerful mood at every meeting between the two and at the joint meetings with their former housemates, even darker days had fallen upon England. Every day the Daily Prophet reported new atrocities and crimes. Of people disappearing, of werewolf attacks, and of dead people being found in their homes, be they muggle or wizard. Muggle-borns in particular were targeted. But that wasn't all, there were repeated reports of an outbreak of the dragonpox virus. Dozens had already fallen victim to it.

In March 1991 the attacks of the Death Eaters and their leader "Lord Voldemort" had reached their most brutal climax and also in the circle of friends there was now the first victim. Olivia. The innocent, always friendly and always helpful Olivia was found brutally murdered in the morning of the 12th of March 1991 in the middle of the Angular Alley. Her body showed several deep claw marks and bite wounds. But that was not all, before her death, she had been raped several times and in the most brutal way. Frank had come to Lily's new home that day, ashen-faced and accompanied by Alice, and had delivered the news. When asked who might have done such a thing, Frank did let slip, against regulations as a Junior Auror, that the DMLE suspected the werewolf Fenrir Greyback and his pack. After that news, Lily had just sat there all evening, surrendering to her grief. In her hand she held the last photo of her girls together. All her boyfriend's and now roommate's attempts had no effect.

But now the impacts followed blow after blow. More and more people she had known from her time at Hogwarts or had attended classes with were found murdered or were considered missing. More and more frequently, Bella's name was now appearing in the papers. Her grief was slowly turning into blind, desperate rage. She remembered Sally and her pleading words to get away from England, away from the violence and the madness. But now it was too late. The war Sally's father had foreseen was really here...

The meetings with her friends, no matter that they were becoming less and less frequent, were one thing that sustained Lily. She admired Amelia, Alice and Susana, who had all joined law enforcement and tried valiantly to stop the madness and put an end to it. She had to keep her own career a secret and couldn't tell her friends as much as she wanted to. As soon as she received her N.E.W.T.s she had received a letter from the Ministry for an interview with the Unspeakable. She had happily accepted, eager to see what awaited her there. The interview, as it would later turn out, had been merely proforma and had served more to explain her job and what she would be doing. Her job was to develop new spells to ward off dark magic and to find a way to heal or, if that was not possible, to cure curse damage that had occurred. Talking about her work had been expressly forbidden to her, and James was one of the few allowed to

know that she worked there at all. To the rest of the world, Lily Evans was still considered unemployed and job hunting, having yet to find the right job. The secrecy was weighing heavily on her mind, but she fully understood the importance of keeping quiet about such things. The results of her work in the wrong hands would be a disaster.

The visits to Andromeda, Ted and little Nymphadora were a welcome change for her every time. The four-year-old managed to cheer up "Auntie Lily" every time. March 27 would be forever in her memory, for this time her boyfriend had come along too. Little Dora had accepted him directly as Uncle James. But that wasn't the only reason the evening would be remembered by her, because after dinner, which Sirius had agreed to attend, James nodded to him, and he gave him a small object. Andromeda gasped and Ted grinned silent. James turned to her. His expression was a mixture of tension, excitement, suppressed joy, but most of all unconditional love. He stood in front of her. Kneeling down in front of her, he took another deep breath, looked into her eyes and spoke

"Lily, we've known each other for a long time, and from the first day you walked into our compartment, I knew I was looking at someone very special. Through our time at school, I saw what was so special about you... Your way of making friends everywhere, your distinctive laugh, your caring for others and also your fiery temperament. We didn't always get along in the beginning and for much of our school years, and we fought a time or two. I've asked you out time and time again since third grade. But you refused. But I didn't give up, because I knew that for me you were always the only one I wanted to give my heart to and for that I was ready to fight to the bitter end. Stubborn as I am, I kept trying because I knew it would be worth it. For four more years I kept trying, but each time you said no, but that only made me that much more determined. So when you gave me the chance in our seventh year, I was bursting with joy and not a second goes by that I have the slightest doubt that I made the wrong decision, but the best decision of my entire life. Then before Christmas, we met again and fell in love on a deeper level. You became part of the group that you cursed over and over again in the beginning. With that step, you too got to know a part of you, became the tigress that was there before. Boyfriend and girlfriend became mates. This last stage of our school days together were more beautiful than all the moments in my entire time at Hogwarts combined. Our story went even further, after the last train ride you introduced me to your parents and I met the parents, of the person who produced the most wonderful person you could ever imagine. A year later, we made our home together in Godric's Hollow. At that point I told myself I was the luckiest person there could be. I want to continue on this path with you Lily Jenifer Evans, and so I ask you: Will you Lily Jenifer Evans be my wife?" and he lifted the small box and presented a beautiful silver filigree ring set with a single sparkling emerald.

She felt tears of emotion running down her cheeks. Her hands clasped in front of her mouth. Unable to answer. She nodded unable to answer. Then several moments later, sobbing, she replied

"Yes, YES I do. Until the end of my days I want to be your wife and mate." More sobs shook her as James slipped the engagement ring on her. Despite all the darkness that threatened to engulf them, this moment was a true bright spot. They kissed for several minutes, oblivious to the world around them. A clearing of the throat and a pop snapped them back to the present. Ted Tonks had returned with a bottle of champagne and had opened it. Apparently only Andromeda had been out of the loop. Sirius had put on such grins you'd think they'd been grown on tight. Only the little girl Dora too young to understand what was happening, looked up at the adults in wonder and with curious eyes. Andromeda then explained to her that Uncle James was now really going to be Uncle James, and that Aunt Lily and he were going to be married. The happy babble of the four-and-a-half-year-old was something Lily would not soon forget now. The mood of the evening was more exuberant than ever and no blow of fate in the world could have dampened it.

The following week, the newly engaged couple was in for a surprise. Unexpectedly, Professor Dumbledore stood at their door. He looked older than ever, but his eyes radiated dogged determination. The two greeted their former headmaster and escorted him into the living room.

"Lily, James. First of all, I want to offer you, my congratulations. In these days, happy memories are more important than ever. They are what make us breathe a sigh of relief and gather strength. But I'm not here just to congratulate you. I come to you with a preposition. As you know, Lord Voldemort's followers spread chaos, death and barbarism. Some of us have formed a group to put a stop to this. I hereby invite you to join us, so that together we may fight for the greater good of our world and vanquish the Dark Forces."

The two looked at each other for a moment. A short and silent conversation. In each other's eyes they could read determination. They knew what their decision would be.

"Professor. Thanks for the congratulations. This group you mentioned, we're in. Too many people, some of them good friends have already been murdered, we've talked about wanting to help many times. We're definitely in. But what about our close friends? Can they join too, we know all of them are burning to join the righteous cause."

"Ahhh James my boy, glad you mentioned that. I've already spoken to Frank, Sirius, Peter and Remus. They were quickly convinced and are willing to join our group. Your friends Marlene, Alice and Susana are also hell bent on fighting the dark and evil, Lily. And one more thing, I am no longer your Headmaster, you are welcome to call me Albus."

"Really? Because I can't think of better people to have by my side to fight with and protect the innocent. That's awesome."

"Prof. Albus does this group have a name? And who else is a member? How many

are we?"

"Lily, your inquisitiveness has not diminished one iota, if not increased, even after your school days. All your questions will be answered when you come to the McKinnon estate tomorrow night."

"We'll be there Profess...Albus."

"Wonderful. The password for the evening is : Hope of Fire. I'm afraid I must be on my way now. I hope to enlist some more comrades in our fight."

The young couple escorted their former principal out the door and said their goodbyes. The door slammed shut behind them, clicking unnaturally loudly. As if to reinforce a finality to their decision they had just made. Yet neither of them regretted their decision. Something had awakened in Lily since the death of Olivia that, in conjunction with her animagus, made her responsible for all her determination and anger. A part of her pack had been cruelly torn from her forever. She would defend the rest of her pack now, by any means necessary and no matter the cost. James, for his part, felt as if his grandfather and great-grandfather were calling him to it, that it was now his turn to do his part in the family tradition, to protect and defend the weak, the defenseless, and those in need of help. If he could believe his father's stories, his grandfather had also heard and heeded this call from the ancestors. He became a hero, and so James would give everything to make his grandfather proud.

The evening of the next day was approaching and despite all determination, all courage and all hatred against the tyranny of the Death Eaters, both of them felt a bit queasy when they stood in front of the gate to the McKinnons' estate. But both of them pushed their insecurities aside and entered the property of the estate. Arriving at the entrance they knocked and waited until someone let them in. The muffled voice of Marlene sounded through the door and asked

"Who's there? Make yourselves known?"

"It's us, Lily Evans and James Potter."

"Tell me something that only Lily Evans and James Potter would know."

"Spot, you're the last one to join us rumrunners. Your animagus is a lynx." James answered her

"Marlene, since I'm the only one you've told, this is going to be a little embarrassing for you. In third grade, you were quite obsessed with Professor Warrington. How you'd love to be more to him than just his student and he should punish you over his lap... "

"Marlene now it's your turn. Tell us something only you would know about us."

"Messer. Prongs, I'm taking a cue from you. Your Animagi forms are tiger and deer."

"Okay you are Marlene and not someone pretending to be her"

The door swung open and standing before them was a powder-red Marlene.

''Lilylein, even though that answered my question, don't ever say something like that in front of others again. That's so embarrassing. "

"Ohh Marlene. I've got a thousand other things you're probably a lot more embarrassed about...like when I saw you and Alice in sixth grade…"

"Silencio"

"Not a word about it Lily..."

"Ahhh Marli, but it was just starting to get interesting, now I'm very curious what Luna discovered." Whined a pouting Sirius behind her

Before anyone else could say anything, however, James asked

"Why this security questioning?"

But it was Lily who answered this time.

"There are more and more reports of Polyjuice Potion uses, where Death Eaters pose as relatives and then slaughter entire families. That's why you ask the questions, so you can be sure the right and real person is standing in front of you."

She gave her friend a long and meaningful look... Still, she hoped that her fiancé understood her. He looked at her for a moment with an expression of pure confusion followed by one of dawning understanding. For she could not openly admit that she worked for the "mutes" in the basement of the Ministry. In the growing paranoia, her colleagues even went so far as to hide their identities from each other now through top-secret concealment spells.

"Exactly. That's why you're going in. Standing outside the door too long makes the others inside uneasy." With those words, she pulled them inside the mansion. The door slid shut behind them.

Marlene led them into the fireplace room where there was a long, bare wooden table with several chairs. There were already a few people there, besides Sirius, there were Remus, Peter, Alice, Frank, Susana, Edgar Bones, the Prewett brothers and their sister Molly, Arthur Weasley, some of Alice and Frank's Auror colleagues and a few others they didn't know. But also other familiar faces like McGonagall, Hagird, Aberforth Dumbledore and the Legendary Auror Moody. Dumbledore was already there. His pet and faithful confidant, Fawkes, sat on his shoulder. Their former Headmaster's face had taken on a joyful yet determined expression.

"Welcome, my friends. I am glad that you have all come out in such numbers tonight and have decided to fight for a better world and the greater good. I thank Ms. McKinnon and her family for opening their home to us and giving us a place to hold this gathering. For the new among us, welcome to the Order of the Phoenix."

From then on, there was a short and concise round of introductions in which the members introduced themselves. The meeting was from then on, now about the recent attacks in the alley and the various traces that individual members had collected. Alice and Frank, for example, had been able to detect and record several magical signatures at the crime scene. They were confident that these would lead to the capture of the perpetrators. Other members such as Mundungus Fletcher, a shady little fellow, had reported the surrounding rumors from Knockturn Alley. According to the rumors, the Lestrange brothers were supposed to have been looking around for more recruits there

and had recruited some. The Aurors and other Ministry officials reported that Barty Crouch Sr. was trying to pave the way for his lethal force order. He met with surprisingly little resistance and the Aurors suspected that it would only be a few days before this order was approved by Minister Bagnold.

"This complicates our matter considerably; I'll try to talk to Barty and change his mind".

Whereupon several exclamations of astonishment broke out, but none so loud as Moody's.

"Why is that Albus? Why shouldn't my colleagues and I fight back with the same force as those who are killing us more and more?" retorted Moody heatedly, even though he tried to catch the followers alive as best he could, he felt that now was not the time for moral superiority, but the time to do everything possible to ensure the survival of the population and his own life

"Alastor, we absolutely must not lower ourselves to the same level as Voldemort and his followers. For then we have already lost the war."

After this statement, the older members especially agreed, it was mainly those who, as Lily suspected, already knew Dumbledore from the war against Grindelwald and trusted him blindly and unconditionally.

"Professor...Dumbledore I agree with Moody... "Lily began hesitantly, "...how are we supposed to prevail when the strongest thing we have to counter them with is a shock spell?"

"Ahhh Lily, my dear, everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what he or she may have done. If we resort to these means, we would be taking that chance away from them."

"Dumbledore..." now Frank interjected as well, seeming unsure, ":..I understand the intention behind your words Albus, really. , but how can I do my job and do my duty if I offer nothing to these madmen? I realize that killing is the wrong way to go, but sometimes…"

"NO, FRANK there is always another solution."

The extremely heated discussion that ensued lasted a long time. In it, Dumbledore shot down all arguments with a moral lecture. To Lily, the whole thing seemed like an indoctrination attempt to ban lethal violence. For about an hour now they had been debating, but finally it was decided in a vote that the Order would only resort to lethal force in the most extreme of emergencies. James agreed with his fiancée's opinion, however, you could tell he wouldn't necessarily want to take on such a situation. Sirius and Marlene also agreed with Lily and Moody. Marlene had a younger sister who had now completed her first year at Hogwarts, her cousin was also still in school. Even though her decision went against her parents and there would surely be a longer conversation, she too would give her all to protect the helpless and face the Death Eaters with equal force. Remus and Peter, however, were completely on Dumbledore's

side and were hanging on his every word. But Lily didn't hold it against them, she believed that differences and disagreements should exist and be accepted.

Lily was at this moment with her goddaughter...what would she do if someone harmed her Nymphadora...Would she then really not try by all means to protect her. But the moments of doubt follow within seconds. No. No one would harm a hair on her goddaughter's head, children were sacred and more in need of protection than anyone else. She would move heaven and hell and use every curse she knew to protect her.

The meeting lasted late into the night, although the most important points of the evening seemed to be settled. By the time Lily and James finally arrived at their shared home, it was already half past one in the morning. Lily groaned; she would have to be at work at eight tomorrow. James wasn't faring any better, his father and mother had started teaching him in depth how to run the family's goods and business. The reason for this was his parents' infection with dragon pox. While they were still in the early stages of the disease and it would take a while for it to take full effect, Charles and Dorea wanted their family's legacy and history in good hands.

When Lily had heard about the disease, she had immediately set about planning the wedding with Alice, Andromeda and Marlene and with doubled effort. For she knew that infection with dragon pox was rarely benign and that an effective cure was still being researched. They had set the date of the wedding by now. It was to be Halloween of this year.

At the beginning of September, preparations for the celebrations were in full swing and the first invitations had already been sent out. But while the couple was writing the invitations, they both noticed once again how many of their friends and classmates had already been caught up and overrun by the war. Most of the Gryffindor boys in their year, for example, had either already been murdered or were considered missing. Their circle of friends in Hufflepuff had already been wiped out except for Amelia and Edgar Bones. From Ravenclaw, the only person the two still knew was Susana, Edgar's wife. The Order of the Phoenix had also lost several members and the group photo they had proudly taken at the beginning of May already showed some who were no longer among the living. Due to the ongoing attacks, no one else was invited except the couple's closest friends, their parents.

Still, there had been eager responses. Two in particular stood out. Petunia and her newlywed husband Vernon, had declined to come to the wedding, despite the fact that Lily's parents would be there as well. The rejection of the invitation, dripping with disapproval, had reached Lily and James when the two were invited to Lily's parents' home for coffee. Seeing the tears shed by mother and daughter and even the usually optimistic Herbert struggling with tears really broke James' heart. Even though he had no siblings, Sirius was like a brother to him, had he turned his back on him like that...But there was also some positive and extremely surprising news. Sally had agreed, against all expectations, and would come. The dance of joy that the troupe of young women performed because of this would remain in the memory of the rest of those present for a long time. The young women debated the question of the best man for a long time,

Lily didn't want to leave any of her friends short or one of them feeling they were less worthy than the others. After much deliberation and many conversations with James, during which he had suffered half a nervous breakdown, Lily finally decided that each of the three should be her bridesmaid. Maid of honor, however, was to be Andromeda. As flower girl, the friends agreed little Nymphadora should become. James was much more pragmatic about the choice, he had named Sirius as best man and had invited Remus, Peter and Frank and Alice as guests of honour alongside his still sickly but apparently recovering parents.

The day of the wedding had come, and it promised to be one of the most beautiful autumn days of the year. A bright blue sky and a pleasant coolness. The leaves of the trees in the clearing on the Potter estate were dipped in the various bright colors. Lily beamed, for nothing could ruin her happy mood today. Though she was still sad that her own sister had cut all ties with her, despite quite a few attempts to reconcile the relationship and return to previous bonds, her parents had always encouraged and strictly urged her to enjoy this one day, her day. She was visibly supported in this endeavor by her bridesmaids and maid of honor, and quickly pushed aside the dark thoughts. In a flurry of emotions dominated by joy and excitement, the bride and groom finally stood united at the altar. The words of the lead marriage wizard were only peripherally noticed by the two, both eyes only for the other. They had only been waiting for the words "Yes I do" and "You may kiss the bride now", they threw themselves into each other's arms and kissed passionately. The circle of parents and friends cheered wildly. Everyone's heart was light when they saw the newlyweds. Little Nymmy, a nickname Sirius had given her, giggled and beamed. She was so happy that her hair dyed the previously joyful bright yellow. Enthusiastically, she threw the flowers in the air as the bride and groom walked down the aisle. The celebration that followed was a bright spot of joy, hope, and happiness in these dark times, especially for the magic-able attendees. At the celebration, both sets of friends had come up with various games to entertain everyone. They ranged from guessing different behaviors in the marriage fitness test, to a collaborative work of art that everyone was asked to accomplish, to garter catch. Marlene, to thunderous applause, screeched to a snow- white Sirius after the ribbon fell into his hands. Peter and Remus patted him on the back, while the rest couldn't hold in their laughter. Well into the night, the bride and father-in-law, groom and mother-in-law, friends danced with the bride and groom. For all of them, the worries of everyday life were forgotten, and the day was burned into their memories.

For Lily and James Potter, the honeymoon, that followed their grandiose wedding in which no amount of grief in the world could have wiped the smiles and glow from their faces, was the most beautiful experience together yet. As a honeymoon destination, the couple had travelled to the south coast of France for a good two weeks via portkey. The time there flew by between all the various activities. Overjoyed and still with beaming faces, the couple returned to England.

But their joy and radiance did not last an hour. They had just stowed away their things and sat down on the couch in the living room when a white barn owl swooped in at the window. In its talons it held a letter from St. Mungos Hospital. The mood tipped instantly. James leaned on the letter and tore it open. His face, just now serene and full of joy, had turned ashen. His hands began to tremble and tears streamed down his face. His knees gave way and he slumped in the living room. Lily was immediately at his side. Worry and even a little fear filled her. A letter from St. Mungos was never good. She took her husband in her arms and he clung to her in despair. His shoulder twitched under his spasms of weeping. For over an hour she held him and gently stroked his back, whispering soothing words in his ear. But tears streamed down her face as well. James' parents had become her parents too. The news that they were both now in St. Mungo's and their end was near tore her in two as well. Both of them had been examined by the healers before the wedding and had been told that the illness had subsided. That was the only reason they had come to the wedding. The thought that they had not yet fully recovered, had to fight the plague again and this time there was no hope was enough to make them despair. . They wanted to come to Potter Manor this evening and have dinner with them...

The decision was made quickly and without hesitation. They had to see her one last time. Lily had taken the test towards the end of their honeymoon. The spell had confirmed it. She was pregnant...Their child would probably never meet his paternal grandparents. But the grandparents were going to know of the child's existence, they were going to know they were grandparents. Within minutes of both of them calming down, they apparated to the heart of London. Arriving at St. Mungo's, they made their way unceremoniously to the hospital's information desk. The walk to the Potters' isolated room seemed so unreal and wrong to both of them. How could it be that such good and kind people as these two were to die when there was no stopping the bad ones out there. Outside Charles and Dorea's room, such a pale looking Sirius and no less pale Marlene awaited them. You could see on their faces too that the grief and despair was gnawing at them and they were no less affected. No words were spoken, wordlessly the two couples pulled into a tight embrace. The four took another deep breath, trying to gather their strength and courage before what lay beyond the door.

They stepped inside.

There on two beds, side by side they lay. Charles and Dorea Potter. Just a pale shadow now of the people Lily had come to know, cherish and love. Their faces, arms and hands were a sea of pox and scars. Their cheeks were sunken and they were visibly emaciated. Sweat on nearly every part of their bodies the four of them could see. It was hard to believe that two weeks ago they had looked quite different. The two had their eyes closed, but their chests were still heaving, albeit slowly and erratically. Several healers stood at a safe distance. Their expressions were also saddened and exhaustion was clearly visible.

"Mom…Dad?"

Dorea's eyes snapped open, her expression making it clear to everyone in the room how tired, exhausted, and worn out she was.

"Helloo... James...Lily...Sirius...Marl…" she broke off, closing her eyes for a moment

"Aunty…"

Charles, opening his eyes with difficulty, now spoke in a faint voice "Hello son...Lily...my daughter-in-law...I…" he coughed

"hope...you had a good time...in France. I'm sorry we'll soon have to leave you both forever…"

"MOM, DAD. " James wanted to rush forward but was held back by several healers, a crying Sirius and his crying wife

"You can't do that James...you'll catch it too…"

"He's right, James...our situation is serious…and Sirius understands the gravity of the situation" Charles spoke slowly, the corner of his mouth twitching faintly despite the bad joke

"Mom, Dad…" began Lily through her tears.

"I...I´m...so sorry...so sorry, I was so hoping to tell you tonight...you...you…you're grandparents now…."

Tears welled up in Charles and Dorea's eyes. Not only because they had learned that their son and silent daughter were expecting a child, but much more because Lily called them Mom and Dad. Dorea grabbed her husband's hand. She felt herself growing weaker, yet an intangible pride filled her. Her daughter-in-law, Lily, felt so connected to them. She was just right for James and they would both become the same unit as Charles and her.

"Lily...that...that...that's wonderful...you can't believe how happy that makes me to hear this news...Pass...take care of your husband...protect your...your child...I I'm proud...that you...you're in our...our family...I…love you daughter-in-law"

She turned her head with obvious effort and addressed the others.

"Sirius...my...nephew...you...are my second son...no matter what anyone says...pass...on your brother and sister-in-law...protect each other...and...and...take...gather...your...courage...and…marry...this…incredibly amazing woman beside you."

"James...you...have...become...a...true...true...Potter...with...with...roots...of…the Blacks...true...always that in...you...and...always...stay...true...to...you...and...your...ideals. always. I...am...proud...of...the man you have become...I...love you…"

"Auntie...Mom...I will...I promise...I...thank you for everything"

"Mom...I...will...me...you...you're the best mom of all...I love you…but…but…please…please don't leave me…."

Dorea closed her eyes once more, opened them once more and directed them at her husband, her constant who had accompanied her for so many years. He seemed to gather his last strength once more.

"Sirius...James...you...you are my sons...take care...take care of each other...protect your families…always remember "familia primum" and in everything you do " Natus vincere, natus ad protegendum" I...I love…you...boys. Marlene...Lily...I am so grateful...thank you for meeting my boys. Marlene...Marlene...you...you have my blessing"

Marlene swallowed, tears streaming down her face. She nodded.

"That...That. I will"

He turned his gaze now to his wife, a loving smile gracing his face. He squeezed her hand

"Dorea...my...my...love...my...sweetheart...there...s nothing...that I have regretted in my life...You...you...you are the best thing that has ever happened to me...I...I love you...I...will...walk with you...on...the other. side."

"Charles...I...I will...always...stay...by...your...side. Here...Here...or...on the other side...I love...love you for…forever."

One last time fingers of both played with each other, squeezed once more. They intertwined. One last time they both took a deep breath. Looked at their family, smiled and closed their eyes.

The tears flowed. Without inhibitions and any sense of charm. The pain and grief were too great. Even the healers present, for all their professionalism and training suppress emotions at such painful moments. The grief was too great. Charles and Dorea Potter had been universally loved and respected. Mutually the four friends supported each other. The intended message of joy had faded into the background, just too blurred. With tear-blurred vision, they staggered out of the room, outside in the corridor James collapsed. He still couldn't believe it, didn't want it to be true. His parents were gone, gone from him. Sirius didn't seem to be faring any better. Had he too lost his mother and father figure today.

"Now we are orphans Sirius." it finally burst out of him and once again the fits of crying gripped him. The loss was too great, the reality too harsh.

Lily and Marlene didn't fare any better, had both been so warmly welcomed and welcomed into the family. Both saw the Potters as the second set of parents, parents they had lost today.

The entire hospital seemed to be frozen, the bad news had already spread here. But the rest of the wizarding world of England did not yet know. The friends and distant relatives of the two deceased would not reach the news until evening. Friends like Arcturus Black, for example. Despite their frequent disagreements, he and Charles Potter were very close acquaintances. The news of the death of his close friend, his beloved sister would hit him hard. Across the country, the news would envelop many in mourning. Two great icons of British wizarding history had departed. How everyone had found their way home, none of them knew. Each of them were stuck trapped in memories of the two of them. Be it their childhood, the holidays of their time at Hogwarts, all the meetings before the engagement or the wedding. The admonishments, scolding's and serious conversations also came to their minds. All the while the tears flowed until all four of them fell asleep from exhaustion on the couch in Godric's Hollow. But even in their sleeping state the grief could not be shaken off, for even in their sleep they continued to weep.

Unfortunately, this event was only the prelude to many more terrible, painful. In the morning, one day after the death of Charles and Dorea, the next message arrived. Again, it was a letter from St. Mungos. In it, the head of the ward offered his condolences but also attached an official resolution. There the hospital informed that unfortunately no traditional burial was possible and due to the danger of epidemics both bodies had to be burned and disposed of separately. There would be no burial in the traditional sense and no grave possible. The only thing the Potters could do was to erect a headstone in the family cemetery. They could not enter James childhood home itself until further notice. The risk of infection was too great.

The next piece of horrifying news reached the couple via Muggle mail. It had been just a week after the "funeral" of James' parents. Lily's parents had been killed by a drunken, drug-addicted junkie. They had been in a baby items store shopping for their two grandchildren. Lily collapsed, the ground beneath her feet had been taken from her. Now she too had become an orphan. Her parents had been taken from her through someone else's fault. Apparently the incident had reached Petunia as well, for another letter arrived a day later. Petunia seemed to be pulling herself together at least enough to arrange a meeting with Lily to discuss the details of the funeral. As expected, the meeting was extremely tense, but in the end, Lily had hope that she and Tunia were getting closer again and that their relationship was improving. However, that hope went up in smoke at the funeral. The reason for this was Tunia's husband Vernon. He seemed to be firmly convinced that freaks, as he called the Potters, had nothing to do at his in-laws' funeral. A heated argument ensued at their parents' graveside, ending with the sisters burning the bridges they had so painstakingly built and drawing closer. Petunia stormed off in tears, Vernon looked like he was going to explode and get physical, Lily had fallen down in front of her parents' grave. James stood protectively in front of her. This wasn't how he'd imagined saying goodbye to the nicest muggle in the whole world. To deal with all the grief, anger and helplessness, Lily took several days off. No one blamed her for sitting on the couch wrapped in several blankets and just staring at the wall, letting the tears run free.

Just before Christmas came two more pieces of bad news. Molly's brothers had been killed and with them the last of the Prewett family. She couldn't imagine how Molly felt. While she and Molly weren't the best of friends or had a particularly close relationship, they knew each other well enough and had always gotten along relatively well. Then came the point where Lily's grief erupted in a surge of sheer rage driven by fear, sadness, despair and hatred. The Order had received word that Death Eaters were attacking Andromeda and her family. Without giving it much thought, driven by the thought of protecting her goddaughter, her big sister Andy and her "brother-in-law" Ted, she apparated near their house. There stood six or seven black-clad figures. In front of them, defending the door, stood Andromeda. She had apparently already taken a curse or two, bleeding in several places on her arms and shoulder. With a scream that resembled a snarl Lily jumped into the action, she would not lose this part of her family as well. Her wand whipped and twirled. Bone crushing curses, cutting curses, blasting curses followed by less lethal stunners pelted the Death Eaters. One of them, a tall skinny one, caught her bone crushing curse right in the face. With an ugly crunching sound and a short but bloodcurdling scream of pain, he went down and didn't move again. Most of your cutting curses missed their target, but one hit the leg of one of the attackers, the force with which the curse hit lifted him off his feet, screaming, blood splattering as he fell onto his back. The blasting curse struck between two more Death Eaters, but the sheer force of it tore them apart into a bloody mist. One of the attackers fell to the ground in fear, The shocker fizzled over him. But his companion was less fortunate, the stunner hit true and he slumped unconscious.

"Don't you ever mess with my family again, you sons of bitches!"

She screamed She hadn't noticed the familiar plop of more apparating, nor the remaining bodies lying at Andromeda's feet. The last of the Death Eaters disappeared with a crashing sound

"Lily..." James placed a hand reassuringly on his wife's shoulder, she wheeled around, wand raised pointed between his eyes, she winced and lowered the wand

"Lily, what have you done? How could you? Killing isn't the right way…one could have still saved them, guided them to the right path…."

Lily whirled around to her former headmaster, a green silver fire dancing in her eyes.

"NO ONE IS THREATENING MY FAMILY AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY ALBUS BLOODY DUMBELDORE WILL CHANGE MY MIND OR MAKE ME HAVE EVEN A HINT OF PITY FOR THESE BASTARDS."

Dumbledore swallowed and flinched back at the intensity of her words and the fiery stare but replied nothing. He knew he wouldn't be able to argue against Lily Potter's stubbornness at the moment. He sighed. But the look on the rest of the members' faces told him that he would have to make another appeal to non-lethal force. Alastor seemed deeply impressed and looked approvingly also the other Aurors seemed to agree with Mrz. Potter's methods. Even James, who had always followed his orders not to kill before, nodded. There was a grim determination in his gaze that was also reflected in Sirius and Marlene's eyes.

Lily, meanwhile, had turned away from Dumbledore and the others and hurried towards Andromeda. She surveyed the curse wounds critically, none appeared to be life threatening. She muttered some rounding healing spells and pulled Andy into a tight hug

"Andy, is everything all right? Are Ted and Dora all right? Is anyone else hurt?"

"Lily, we're fine. No one came through the door. I may have been cast out of the Black house, but I am still able to show why no one should mess with me. What you did...I don't know how to thank you..."

"Nobody messes with my family, threatens my sister, brother-in-law and goddaughter. We are family and family sticks together"

They held each other in their arms for several minutes. James and Sirius had joined them, the rest of the Order had disappeared with the surviving Death Eaters and their slain accomplices. Ted and Dora were overjoyed to see the others probably up. To change the subject and not scare Dora any more than she had already experienced today, they talked about Lily's pregnancy. Something that was very distracting to the almost five year old. The little girl was beside herself with excitement that she would soon have a playmate. She couldn't wait to show him or her her stuffed hippogriff and all the other stuff. She giggled as Aunt Lily allowed her to touch her belly and meet her soon-to-be new friend, her first friend. "We're going to have so much fun together" Due to the ongoing war and their daughter's talent, Ted and Andy couldn't let the little girl near her peers. A fact that was very upsetting to both of them, as they wanted to provide and allow only the best for their daughter. A few hours later, the Potters said goodbye and headed home as the little girl grew tired and fell asleep.

The next few meetings of the Order of the Phoenix were extremely tense affairs. Again and again, Dumbledore called upon the members to refrain from deadly force. But some among them, like Lily, James, and Moody, vehemently resisted upholding morality when lives were at stake. The Potters' friends were conflicted, able to understand both points of view and now in disagreement as to how to act. Molly and Arthur, however, got behind Dumbledore and followed his words without thinking about it. However, the debate strengthened the Potters' fighting spirit and more doggedly than ever, they tried to protect those who could not defend themselves. During the following skirmishes with the Death Eaters and twice even against Voldemort himself at different places, like Hogsmeade, a busy street in Muggle-London or other places, the Potters gave everything and used every means to protect the innocent and defenseless. Some of their friends, such as Longbottom's Marlene and Sirius, followed suit and, like them, were repeatedly reprimanded by their former headmaster for their unnecessary and overly violent fighting style, regardless of the fact that they had saved dozens of lives and foiled the Dark Wizard's plans.

The year was coming to an end and its end seemed to be at least better than the rest of it. The attacks of the Death Eaters had decreased, but many believed that it would soon change. Christmas came and went, but a tranquil feast and day of joy was not really on anyone's mind. The only encouraging news was that Sirius had finally found his courage and asked Marlene to marry him. But this news was overshadowed by more and more attacks and more and more news of horror spread. The Daily Prophet was now reporting Inferi attacks as well.

At the end of February 1992, something happened that Lily Potter had really not expected. That beautiful black owl, which she had not seen for almost six years. James, who eyed the owl suspiciously and more than skeptically, addressed the next words to his wife, who was frozen in stone.

"Lilylein, do you know anyone who would write to us who owns this owl?...Lily...Lily….Liilllyyy?"

But the latter did not answer, still shocked at this turn of events, she closed her eyes for a moment, but addressed her next words to the owl

"Hello Lanthe, been a long time what? Come here girl, I'll give you some water."

The owl fluttered on Lily's outstretched arm and she lifted it to the perch in the living room. Ianthe held out her leg there, to which was attached a short piece of parchment. Lily's hand trembled. She took the piece of parchment, unfolded it, and began to read.

"Little Firehead,

I need your help. For a brief moment I was able to resist, my tormentors were careless with their choice of words I have no one else to turn to. It's a matter of life or death. Meet me at the east entrance of Hyde Park as soon as possible.

Your big sister Bella"

James had stepped up to her and read along over her shoulder. His body tensed, Bellatrix Lestrange knew his Lily, called herself her big sister. Yet the nickname...he had heard it before...Lily had gone completely off the deep end...Had said it brought back bad memories. How was he supposed to act...The wards around their house would have destroyed the spells and curses on the letter. He seemed genuine...and judging by Lily's reaction, something she had never expected.

"Lily...I...can you explain this to me? I'm not mad at you but please I have so many questions."

Only now did Lily seem to come back to reality, she looked at her husband, her partner, bit her lip and finally nodded

"James, this is a letter from my big sister Bella, I've known Bella since third grade we became good friends quickly, I think at first it was curiosity why a muggle-born was so different from the rest...I found in her what I lost in Petunia...Bella...she was nothing like she appeared and performed on the outside...It was all a façade...Yes she was and is very, very suspicious of muggles, but doesn't she agitate against people like me...In my fourth year at school we did. we then forged a pack, following the old rites and customs. Bella was afraid of losing me, that I would become a target, she saw how her parents would marry her off to the Death Eaters as a means of political advancement...she wasn't as brave as Andy or Siri. but she was cunning, she begged her grandfather, begged him to help her...Arcturus Black helped us and give her the opportunity to protect what she loved determined to protect her sisters from what was inevitable…The pack is so old and so powerful that it works against every other kind of magic. But it also works that we will always help each other but can never hurt each other...During the summer holidays for fifth year I last heard from her. She used to call me little fire head...I'm sorry I kept all this from you Andy and I swore not to tell anyone about this. Blood oaths and packs of this kind are not forbidden but very much frowned upon...Please James...I have to help her...please…"

The desperation and the hurry were plain to hear. Where his overjoyed wife had stood a moment ago, now stood a consumed, rushed image of herself. He swore to himself that he never wanted to see Lily like that again and made his decision. If she was going to follow this madness at all costs and respond to this letter, she was not going to do it alone No matter if his Lily was a formidable duelist and extremely skilled with a wand, she was also pregnant...

"Lils, everything will be fine...you can tell me the rest later...But you're not going alone...I'm coming with you. This could be a trap..."

He raised his hand to nip the protest in the bud.

"How do we know Bellatrix wasn't undisturbed when she sent the letter...not at all...so I'll come to me. We'll take the cloak of invisibility with us. Just to be safe"

"Ohh James...thank you, thank you, thank you, you don't know how much this relieves me. I'll tell you all about it later...but let's go..."

James didn't have a good feeling as the two approached the entrance of the park. His stomach tightened with tension and apprehension. What had he gotten himself into, if only he could have changed Lily's mind. But he dismissed the thought outright, his wife's, his partner's stubbornness was ironclad even before the pregnancy, and since the pregnancy it was impossible to put an idea out of her mind once she had set her mind to something. He pushed the thoughts aside. He had to be vigilant, not only for both their sakes, but for the good of the child growing inside Lily. Near the entrance, on a park bench under a lighted lantern, there surrounded by snow sat a black-haired woman, dressed in dark, black robes. In her hands she held a blue bundle and gently rocked it back and forth. A soft melody broke the silence. James clutched his wand tighter. He was liking the situation less and less by the second. But Lily stepped forward, the snow crunching softly beneath her winter boots. The black-haired girl raised her head, for a moment mixture of fear and worry flitting across her face. But not a second later, this was replaced by a bright smile and relaxed features. The face that was once so familiar to Lily was hardly recognizable and she could see how much these animals had forced her sister to change. Tears of relief and joy made their way down her face. In a low, husky voice, she spoke:

"little fire head, you...you...you really came. I can't thank you enough for that." She turned her gaze to the slightly off to the side James Potter, who still had his wand ready, yet lowered.

"So it's really true...you got married..." then her eyes dropped to her stomach

" and become a mother...I'm so happy for you little one...but I'm sad...sad that I didn't get to witness these moments...but enough of that...we don't have much time...Lily I need your help...This is my daughter...Delphini...Delphini Andromeda Lily, she was born February 4...I...him...this monster...I...he...he has...has...me..."

"Shhhh Bella, I'm here and I'm going to help you. Whatever you want I'll help you…"

"little sister...please...please hide my daughter from him...I am trapped with these monsters...but...but my daughter...she...she can't help it...for who she is. I don't want her to suffer the same fate as me...help me "

Tears were now streaming down the faces of the two women without restraint and even James, who had only listened silently until now, could not suppress a sniffle. He thought, maybe the Order could take in the child...the members were all capable people and many of them had children or were about to become parents. The girl would grow up in a loving environment.

"Bellatrix..."

"Bella, Bellatrix is the enslaved perverted version of me…"

"Bella, what do you wish? Shall we take the child and raise it or…there are several members of The Order of the Phoenix…."

"No, definitely not the Order. I don't know who it is, he's still a recruit, but there is a spy among you...My daughter's life wouldn't be safe for a second...I don't care what happens to me, but my daughter...I want her to live, free from these bastards who abuse her for their own purposes...I don't want her to end up like me The Order can't help...As soon as it gets out that there is a spy. Only you can help us"

"But Dumbledore. "

"I'm sorry Lily, but Dumbledore can't help...,if he knew who the child's father was…"

A shudder came over James, this child was...was the daughter...daughter of...of...

"Lily I ask one thing of you, swear to me that you will always protect my daughter and do everything in your power so that she doesn't suffer the same fate that I did..." Her eyes bulged out and she looked at them both like a hunted, cornered animal

"Lily-treasure. what do you plan? You can´t…She can´t…Are you willing to hide her?!"

"Potter...please, even if you don't know me, but only the dark side and my enslaved self, this child has harmed no one...please, if not for me then the child's life..." Tears of despair flowed inexorably down her cheeks

" All right, all-right I'm in. I follow my wife´s lead. Even if this is madness" he relented under lily's insistent gaze

"Thank you...thank you...thank you...One more thing...would you...be the child's godparents...I know this is all so much now...but I have no one else to turn to "

"Bella, I'm in...We'll do everything we can to protect our niece "

"I can't thank you enough "

Bella took out a small silver knife, Delphini had woken up and was looking around with curiosity and interest. Her eyes fell on her mother and she squealed in amusement, then fixed her large dark brown eyes on Lily and James. She gurgled and held out her small hands. The small tuft of silver blonde hair peeked out from under a green cap. Before Bella could ask if Lily was familiar with the ritual, she grabbed the knife and explained with a small smile.

"Andy's daughter is my godchild...so I know what to say and do. And now..." she laughed softly,"...and now I'm going to be godmother to you Bella…how crazy is this world…"

Bella looked at her, then a smile spread across her face as well. She could think of no one better for this task of raising her niece if the worst came to the worst. Her two Little Sisters...she sighed, what she would give to be free and watch her niece grow up, raise her daughter. She handed the knife to Lily, who applied it to her palm and made the cut.

"I, Lily Jenifer Potter, swear by my blood and magic to do everything in my power to see that no harm befalls my godchild Delphin, daughter of Bellatrix, to defend her from evil forces, to raise her in case of greatest need as my own flesh and blood."

The silver glow that she had seen the first time appeared again. This time only more powerful than before. Tears came to Bella's eyes again, her baby was safe.

Lily passed the knife to her husband. Pale and tense, he weighed the knife in his hand. Should he do it? His father's last words came back to him. " Natus vincere, natus ad protegendum " and keep thundering in his head. He took another deep breath, steeled his thoughts, he really hadn't expected this turn of events now, set the knife, cut, and spoke:

"I, James Charles Potter, swear by my blood and magic to do everything in my power to see that my godchild Delphini, daughter of Bellatrix, comes to no harm, to defend her from evil forces, to raise her in case of greatest need as my own flesh and blood."

The silver glow enveloped him as well, though not quite as strong as it had been with Lily. But he felt how the bond between him and the little one had formed.

"Thank...you...Thank...I...Ahhh..." Bella cried out, Delphini screamed and cried. With wide eyes and fear in her voice, she spoke hastily over the little one's rising cries "Quick...we don't have much time…You must go,…my daughter…No matter what, protect her…"

She turned to the bundle in her arms, in a low, loving voice she spoke to her daughter

"Mommy loves you, Mommy loves you so much, you have to be strong, we will meet again…" she gave her one last kiss on the forehead, sucked in the smell of her daughter one last time. Then she handed Lily the bundle

"Blur my memories...No one can know where she is...fast…"

"But…"

"Not now! Quick!"

"But…"

"No Sister, now is not the time…"

"Bella, I...I'm so sorry...take care of yourself…I love you sister."

"And I love you little...Take care and beware, don't trust everyone...protect each other...and not a word to anyone..."

"varias memorias - Bella this meeting and everything that goes with it never happened. You were out with your daughter getting things for her. A patrol of Aurors spotted you and you fled. They pursued you. To protect the Dark Lord's daughter, you hid her by a door. When the battle was over and the Aurors had fled, you went to the door...The baby was gone. You are incredibly angry and want to find the ones who took your daughter."

Bella's cleared; blurred vision became clear again. But, before she could become aware of her surroundings, James pointed his wand at Bella again and spoke loud and clear

" fortiter dormies "

Bellatrix's eyes twisted and she slumped. James expelled the air he had been unconsciously holding. Then, with presence of mind, he pointed the wand at Bellatrix one last time. Several cuts appeared in her clothing and in several places on her body. The places were bleeding but didn't look life threatening.

"Why did you do that James!" hissed Lily in a rage, Delphini had fallen into a deep sleep again and there was no way she was going to wake her.

"Think Lily..." retorted James no less heatedly.

"...,if there was a fight and Bellatrix comes back to her...them without a scratch, they'll get suspicious...I'm not doing this just for her and the kid, but mostly for us. they'll

hunt us down and kill us if they know we did it...especially her father" he groaned out the last word with a mixture of fear, contempt and disgust

"James, honey...I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking clearly. I haven't seen her in so long and

now this... I judged too quickly, I'm sorry...thank you for doing this...I…"

"Lily honey, we'll talk about this when we get home…I'm not mad, well not really, more

hurt...let's go…" he turned and step towards the park exit

Lily swallowed down the looming lump in her throat. Slowly she realized how hard she had hit her husband by hiding this secret. She had put it off confessing it to him many times before. Especially when the two of them had visited Andromeda, he had always asked how the two of them knew each other, but he had received nothing but cryptic and incomplete answers from her so far. Sirius had contributed a few anecdotes, but he didn't know anything for sure either. Now it was time to clear the table and tell the truth. With one last look at Bella, she too headed for the exit, where James was waiting for her, contrary to her expectations. Without another word, the two apparated home, just as Bella moaned and began to come to.

When they arrived home, the two sat down on the sofa in the living room. Lily laid Delphini next to her on the sofa. She tenderly stroked the cheek of the sleeping baby, a small smile gracing her face. "Okay Lily flower, fire away. " James tone of voice Lily couldn't interpret and it scared her.

The conversation that followed between the couple, remained for both of them one of the worst and most unpleasant things the two had ever experienced together. James had taken it extremely deeply that Lily had concealed and kept such a thing from him. It started from the beginning, the first meeting in the library, through further meetings where the two had come to know and appreciate each other even more. He learned that since the war against Grindelwald, old Arcturus had become much more neutral towards the Muggles, still considering them extremely dangerous, but considering the Muggle-borns, as long as they were willing to adapt to the culture of the wizarding world, accepting traditions and not wanting to radically change them, at least acceptable. The war had changed him a lot, before he had been one of the big radicals when it came to blood purity and had only gone to war for the protection of his family, there he had slowly started to rethink and become more moderate. During the war he had worked a lot with the Potters, which eventually led to him and Charles becoming close friends. According to Bella, this had shifted his goals and ideals from being at least anti-Muggle and anti-Muggle-born to an indifferent and semi-tolerant worldview. Spellbound, he listened as Lily told how he had tried to pass on this realization to his granddaughters, had fallen on willing ears with Bella and Andy, and that only Narcissa had willingly adopted her parents' ideology. While he was still extremely skeptical of Ted and thought it was a mistake and would rather see his granddaughter married to a pureblood, he was glad that she had decided against her parents and against that rebellious deluded misogynistic snoot of Avery. What he thought about Ted now, however, she didn't know. She told James that Bella taught her a lot about the old families, their ways of thinking and acting about the ancient traditions, the worshipping of the Greek, Roman and Norse gods and that these were still practiced by some families. This solved one of the mysteries for James. For a long time, he had wondered where Lily got all this knowledge, now he had his answer. For not only him but his mother and father had remarked several times how well Lily had fit in with her family and accepted many traditions such as house elves for example, despite the fact that she was a muggle born. Lily had accepted the fact and justified her acceptance by saying that both sides benefited from the symbiosis of house elves and wizards, the wizards because it took an incredible amount of work off their shoulders and the elves because without the magical bond with a human, they would go mad and end up dying.

Bella's influence had had another effect on the young witch as well. She knew an incredible number of spells and had a far better understanding of magic than most, purebloods included. James was sure that Bella's explanations had meant that Lily had always been far ahead of the others of their shared year, for one thing, and that she had been able to live her dream among the Unspeakables because of it. He now also realized that there had to be far more to the stone-cold killer, as the Daily Prophet portrayed her.

Lily had now reached Bella's last letter. She was finding it incredibly difficult to control all the emotions that were once again bursting forth and to be able to continue. When she finally broke off in mid-sentence because it was too much, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and gently pull her close. She leaned into the embrace, silently allowing her tears to fall. Several minutes passed before Lily collected herself enough to finish the story in a broken voice. Eyes puffy and red with crying, she looked at her husband. Waiting for a reaction. And with each passing second, incomprehensible guilt gripped her, but she couldn't turn back time to make this conversation void. She was afraid too, afraid of what was to come. Would James reject her, kick her out the door, alone and pregnant?

James for his part, was more than tired and drained after all the day's events. He now understood why Lily had kept many things a secret from him and had not even told Marlene or Alice. The blood pack, for example, was more than borderline legal. Had it become known, Lily would have been put in a cell after Azkaban. Her protestations that she had told him long ago but hadn't known how or what his reaction would be made it clear to him that Lily hadn't done it with malicious intent, but to protect him, their marriage, their child together, and her "big sister Bella." He could see the fear in her eyes, fear of rejection, violation. He closed his eyes, he had resolved never to hurt his Lily, his greatest treasure in all the world and he would keep that. He pressed her gently against him and spoke softly and soothingly to her

"Lily honey, I think I'm starting to understand why you did all this and kept it a secret from everyone. You don't hang a thing like this out to dry, that doesn't mean I'm not hurt and will need some time to process it all. But I forgive you and I think I would have done the same in your situation. I think you felt the same way I did when I hid the Animagus transformation from you. That's why I have a request for you my dear, if there should ever be something again or if you still have something weighing on your mind, come directly to me and we will find a solution together, like always. We are a team and together nothing and no one can stop us. I only have two things in this world that I would never give up but die for. You and our son. The rest I don't even care about nearly as much you two. I love you and that doesn't change just because I now suddenly have two sisters-in-law and two nieces." He gave her a kiss on the forehead

"James...I...we...you " Lily was at her wits, nerves, and emotions end

"Shhhh honey...everything will be fine.. now let's just get this little rascal here to bed and then get some sleep ourselves….I don't know about you, but I'm beyond exhausted from today's events. Tomorrow we'll talk about everything else."

They rose and carried the little one into their son's half-finished nursery. Delphini stirred in her sleep and snuggled into the soft blanket unaware that her uncle and aunt were standing over her, watching her with small smiles.

"Well, at least that way we'll have some practice by the time our gets here. "

"I suppose that's true but come now I want to lie down at last."

But it was to be a short night after all, as they both lay awake for quite some time, holding each other in their arms, making love and just enjoying the closeness of their partner. Lily was more than relieved that she had such a wonderful partner like James by her side, who despite everything, did not reject her. James, for his part, was more than relieved that the unknown something that had stood between them was now off the table and it had turned out to be something else. He was glad that all his fears had turned out to be baseless fantasies. He was grateful, as he was every day, that Lily, this goddess of a woman had given him a chance and that they had built this life together. He would do anything to protect these two. He would have to rethink the situation with his niece as well, her blurred trail would not remain blurred forever, but he would worry about that over the coming days with Lily. He sighed, sucking in the scent of his wife, pulling her closer to him and falling asleep.

The next three weeks became a real challenge for both of them, because there was very little time between the meetings of the Order and watching over Delphini. Both took Bella's warning as serious and were from now on far more careful with what they revealed within the meetings. Lily went so far as to extend the protective spells and wards around their shared house that no one but the two of them could enter the property. But this strategy presented them with another new problem, how could they invite their friends to join them now and could they trust them. Even at Lily's work there were rumors that one of them was passing on information, which added to their paranoia. James was of the rock-solid opinion that none of their friends were the traitors, yet he didn't want to let them in on his niece's secret either, but it was hard for him to leave Sirius out of it in particular. He struggled with himself for two weeks until he mustered up the courage to propose an awkward solution to Lily. As long as Delphini was in the wizarding world, she and everyone around her were in danger. Therefore, as difficult and hard as it was, she had to be kept out of it and raised in the ideal in an unknown place in the Muggle world. Lily was beside herself; giving her away didn't feel right, as on top of that her maternal instincts were now acting up to the fullest extent. The thought of giving up a part of her family, even leaving them behind was too much for her to bear again and more than once she had snarled menacingly at her James, her mate, like her Animagus form.

Her suggestion was to raise both children, but deep in her heart she also realized that another option should be considered if the war continued to go badly.

Although James had been the one to first propose this solution, uneasiness was building inside him because basically he had given his word and taken an oath and it felt like it would be violated should they actually execute his plan. Besides, he didn't want to admit it right away either but, at the beginning he had been less enthusiastic about the idea but after a short time the little one had grown on him as well. He felt helpless, a Potter never broke his word and his father's last words echoed in his head again. Delphini was family, but they needed a plan B. But who could they trust and who was ready for such a task? Lily's friend Sally lived in the States that would be a possibility and they would know that the little one lacked for nothing, but they hadn't heard from her in quite some time. Something that worried Lily. So, they kept putting off this problem until it came to an Order meeting where the Dark Lord was apparently specifically seeking out and attacking Aurors. A shudder gripped everyone at the table, but especially the Potters. True, their ruse had worked, and Voldemort was searching the magical world, but now they had made Alice and Frank, among others, a target. After the meeting they hastily made their way home, a difficult, heartbreaking decision had to be made. Delphini, the sweet little girl had to disappear from the wizarding world, for it was only a matter of time before Voldemort would see through the ruse. Lily played and cuddled with her niece for the last few hours in tears, telling herself that it was the best thing for the child, but her heart screamed the complete opposite. Reason finally prevailed and so, in mid-March, the two of them stood in a secluded spot in Cornwall near the sea. Ahead of them was a venerable but slowly decaying building and their destination. Wrapped in several blankets and their stuffed animals laid alongside, The Potters laid their niece on the doorstep of the Coast view Girls Asylum. Stroking the little girl's face one last time, Lily whispered:

"We'll come and get you as soon as it's safe, you're family. And family sticks together. Be brave," with one last kiss on the forehead. She added a quick note and with sniffles and tears from both of them, they made their way back to Godric's Hollow. Before the two disappeared James waved his wand and there was a knock on the door. "We'll keep you safe, I'm sorry it happened like this."

Nothing out of the ordinary happened until late April, except for the guilt they both felt about what they had done. Eventually, they both relented and began to reveal to the people they trusted the most an abbreviated version in which they kept the identity of their father a secret. To say that Sirius, Marlene, Andromeda, and Ted were pissed about something like that was an understatement. They would have wanted to help raise the child, that the Potters wouldn't have been forced to take these drastic measures. But what was done was done and now the full focus was on Lily's pregnancy. This was progressing more and more, and her belly was bulging more and more. Something that kept Marlene making teasing comments and lightened the mood. But then one stormy and rainy evening, Dumbledore surprisingly appeared at her door. He looked older than they had ever seen him but seemed more determined than ever.

"Good evening, Lily, James...I know it's late but I bring some really important and grave news that concerns you."

"Good evening, Albus. Sure...come on in. Tea or something else?"

"Something stronger would suit me just fine my dear boy."

"How bad is it? Has anyone been attacked? What happened?"

"No don't worry, no one is hurt. But I bring bad news for you. I was looking for a new teacher for fortune telling and had invited to an interview in the boar's head. During the interview, it came to pass that a prophecy was spoken. I won't go into details, but it is possible that your son has been chosen to defeat Lord Voldemort. "

"Albus, what are you talking about? How can this be? I want to know every detail, my son's life is at stake here."

"Lily that's understandable, but I think it would be better if the details stayed fuzzy for now, it's for the greater good of everyone "

"Bullshit Dumbledore, this is also about my son's welfare, Lily is absolutely right, we have every right to know what exactly happened "

Albus Dumbledore sighed. All he wanted to do was protect these young people from what might lie ahead and direct everyone's suffering for the best. But the looks of the expectant parents made it clear to him that he was fighting an already losing battle here. So, slowly and deliberately, he began to tell them of what had happened. He was sure that he alone would solve the problems of the wizarding world and turn everything around. He was sure that this was his chance to redeem his mistakes, his failures of that time. He was older now, more mature and wiser, and he would not let the greed for power und inexperience lead him to make mistakes again. It had cost him so much and he had already failed, leading to the rise of Grindelwald, the death of his sister and the breaking up of his family. He would not fail this time. He would become the leader of the light, protecting all the weak and fighting the dark. By any means necessary, he would fight off this threat from this Dark Mage and lead him down the path of forgiveness.

For the Potters, the tale was a slap in the face. Now they were a potential, direct target of the Death Eaters. Just because they had been blessed with the greatest gift of all. It wasn't fair. Despair was followed by a wave of panic. What should they do? Should they flee England and abandon their friends? The words of Bella about the spy in the Order came to both of their minds again. Who could they trust? To whom could they turn for help?

"Albus, what are we going to do? How can we protect our son from what may be coming? The due date has been roughly set for July 31, but there are fluctuations. So, it doesn't have to be that Voldemort is after us. And what about Frank and Alice's son? He'll be born around the same time?"

"James my boy, don't worry. I have already been to Frank and Alice and delivered the same warning to them. The Longbottoms will barricade themselves behind their wards in Longbottom Hall, no one will harm them there. It is you I am worried about, even if the wards around your property are strong, they cannot withstand a concentrated attack of Death Eaters. You must go into hiding! "

"But how Albus? Are we supposed to abandon our friends here? Marlene is one of the few friends I have left, I'm not abandoning her and leaving her at the mercy of these monsters."

Albus Dumbledore pondered for a short while on how to approach his idea. Finally he suggested the same idea to the becoming parents as he had to the Longbottoms. Hiding the entire property under the Fidelius Charm. He hoped fervently that he could at least convince the Potters of this and chose his words better than he had with the Longbottoms, the latter had refused out of hand. And his pleading was rewarded, the Potters agreed to cast the spell, but as the keepers of the secret they chose their friends instead of him. But he couldn't blame them, especially in hard times like these, close friends often stuck to each other more than they did to acquaintances. Mrs. Potter was sure she could manage the spell and declined his help in performing it. His message delivered he made his way back to Hogwarts.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the Potters until the end of July. Under the protection of the Fidelius, the two did not get much of the outside world. But their few visitors always brought news about what was going on outside. But it was seldom good news, but mostly news of sorrow. The Potters, however, despite their isolation, had been able to contribute still something to the war effort. They had informed Dumbledore about the spy in their ranks shortly after his visit, so that now they could be on the lookout for him. The consequence of this, however, was now suspicion among their own circle of friends. Remus, who was meeting more and more with the werewolves, was behaving strangely. He let himself be seen less and less and was often in conversations with his thoughts elsewhere. Peter, on the other hand, showed up more and more often at the Potters' and was always a welcome guest. Marlene and Sirius also came over from time to time and reported about things that were going on in the world, but Marlene was mostly concerned with the upcoming birth of Lily, which she expected no less eagerly.

In the early afternoon of July 31, the time had finally come. The birth pangs set in. Despite all the previous planning about the procedure, there was an unholy mess when James, Lily, Marlene and Sirius set off to St. Mungo's. Unfortunately, due to the full moon, Remus could not come and Peter kept him company. A fact that saddened the other friends a little, they had all agreed in advance to be present at Lily's birth. Arriving at St Mungos, Lily was immediately taken to a private room, while Andromeda shooed the other three into the hallway. She disappeared inside the room to assist in the birth. For several hours, the three friends sat in the hallway. Tense, nervous, full of anticipation and joy. It was already approaching midnight and still they were outside and had to wait. At half past ten, Ted and a half-asleep Nymphadora had joined them. When Marlene asked what a young lady would nevertheless be doing out of bed so late, the five-and-a-half year old answered her proudly that she really wanted to meet her new first friend and give him a present. There was no way she was going to sleep once longer until she could meet him. The statement visibly eased the tense mood and for a while both Sirius and Marlene played with the little one. James tried hard as well, but was a complete nervous wreck. He kept wondering if everything was going well. If Lily and their shared son were doing well?

Just before midnight, a pained voice came through the door and out into the hallway. The scream Lily gave made James turn ashen, but elicited chuckling from both Sirius and Ted.

"JAMES CHARLES POTTER GET YOUR ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW"

James swallowed and he rose with trembling legs. With trepidation, he made his way across the room. Sirius, however, couldn't help but make one last comment

"Prongs, you know there's still time, just down the hall..." But that was as far as he was going to get. A blow to the back of Marlene's head that looked quite skillful silenced him. "Shut up mutt. Now is not the time for jokes. Don't listen to him, James, get in there and stand by her side."

"You heard the lady, I'd hurry before Andy comes out and gets you..."

With a gulp and mustering all the courage he could, James entered. It was like someone had flipped a switch in his head. Within an instant, he was instantly at Lily's side, grabbing her hand. Immediately James hand was gripped painfully tight. He held her hand and whispered all the soothing words he could think of as they held this out for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, after one last push, the sound of a baby crying filled the room. Andromeda and her colleagues took control for a short while, cleaning the baby and running diagnostics. After a few minutes or so, a young wizard in a white coat, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile approached the two new parents,

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Potter, you have a beautiful baby boy." He said, beaming at them both and handing him over to James.

James looked down at the little boy in his arms, tears welling up in his eyes. He was a father! The boy opened his eyes, revealing the brightest green eyes he had ever seen!

James looked back up at his wife and saw her watching them both with a wide, warm smile on her face. "You did it Lils, we're parents!" whispered James happily, tears of joy running down his face.

"He has your eyes, the most beautiful of all."

"Let me hold him too James, I want to cuddle my son for the first time" Lily mumbled, visibly exhausted but with a wide smile

The new father handed over his son to his new mother. She looked at him with pride and examined every little detail of their new family member. But also a wave of melancholy seized her, so many who were not allowed to witness this moment, the proudest and best moment in their entire lives. Both her parents, Oliv, Sally, and so many others. Yet she was sure they were watching her from the underworld and were there in her family's every moment. James wide grin was set in stone. He couldn't take his eyes off the two greatest treasures in his life. Yet the same, wistful oppressive thoughts befell him as well. His parents couldn't be there to greet their grandson, Remus and Peter couldn't be a part of the greatest moment of his life. But as quickly as these thoughts gripped them both, they pushed aside as their son made gurgling sounds of joy. It seemed like a dream that had now come true. All that mattered to the two parents at that moment was the little thing in Lily's arms. A clearing of the throat by Andromeda and her colleagues brought them out of their reverie.

"James, Lily, what name may I put on the birth certificate? We have recorded the birthday as July 31, 1992 at 11:57 pm. All that's missing now is the name for your son."

"Hadrian... Hadrian James Potter," Lily beamed at Andromeda.

The birth had visibly taken its toll on her, but she wouldn't give up or trade Hadrian for anything in the world. It was the proudest moment in her entire life.

Tears came to James' eyes again and he nodded. A fitting name for a member of the Potter family, whose history stretched back to the time of ancient Rome. Hadrian would become a protector, like his namesake who had built a rampart against his enemies and to protect his people, his son would one day become a rampart for the weak. Where this thought came from he did not know, but deep in his heart he felt that it would be so and he would do everything to make his son the protector that the needy would need.

"Okay I'll get the others in. I want everyone to know that here in this room are the two greatest treasures in all the world." He kissed her forehead and headed outside.

The passage was in perfect tense silence. Little Dora had forgotten her fatigue with excitement, and was looking impatiently and expectantly at the door through which her Uncle James had passed. Her father had laid a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. But she was trembling with excitement. With both hands she clutched the cloth hippogriff she was going to give to her first friend. He was going to be the best friend in the whole world. Ted and the other two adults were no less tense, but they could handle it better than the little girl. Everyone held their breath as James stepped out into the hallway with slow steps. The smile that graced his face turned into a huge grin and as the door closed behind him, he shouted with joy

"I became a father, everything went well."

The cheers that swept the aisle made even the stern stationmaster smile slightly. The miracle of birth was its own kind of magic and he couldn't blame the new father and his friends for their joy.

"Want to see my son?" approving shouts resounded again in the corridor. But foremost among them was little Dora, who had broken free from her father's grasp and stormed to the door and slipped through it. Which elicited a chuckle from her father. His little angel was simply unstoppable at such moments.

"NYMPHADORA BELLA TONKS. What are you doing here at such an hour?! You should be in bed." Came promptly from her mother in an admonishing tone

"But mom, I wanted to see him. I want to finally see my first friend; I've been waiting so long. I want to give him my present." Whined the little one, her hair turning bubblegum pink. She ignored the decidedly full name in her excitement.

Little Harry, who had been awakened by the loud voices, opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer from big eyes glittering with curiosity. When his hair turned pink he squeaked happily and reached out for the strange thing.

" Hello Dora, I think my son likes you..." spoke Lily softly

"But what are you doing here young lady, you should be in bed by now, you could have visited us tomorrow. I promised you that."

"But Aunt Lily, I didn't want to wait any longer...I want to meet my first and best friend in the whole world!" the young girl proclaimed with excitement.

Her hair color was a full spectrum of the rainbow. With hesitant steps she approached the bed her aunt and her first friend were lying on. Very slowly she lifted her arm and placed the stuffed animal on her aunt's legs and in front of her new friend. He watched the whole spectacle out of his big green eyes. He continued to gurgle and squeak and reach out uncoordinatedly for the unknown thing. Dora giggled, and with a questioning look at her mother and aunt, she cautiously held out a hand. Both looks encouraged her but were also filled with a hint of apprehension. Very carefully and gently, Dora touched the hand of her new first friend.

"What's his name?"

"His name is Hadrian...Hadrian James."

"Hello Hadrian, I'm Dora, I'm so happy you exist. We're going to be the best friends in the whole world. Nothing and no one can separate us anymore. We will stay together forever. I promise you that." Spoke the young girl full of determination and warmth.

Hadrian for his part was more than thrilled when the unknown glowing, changing something approached him. He squealed again and gurgled happily, awkwardly trying to grasp the outstretched unknown thing with his little fingers.

The adults standing by cooed and sighed at the words spoken so sweetly and innocently, but gasped at the same moment. A small almost invisible golden band spread between the finger and the small hand of the newborn. Its glow grew stronger and more intense, and it seemed as if they heard the cooing of a dove from far, far away.

For her part, Dora felt warmth spread through her body and a sense of joy, wonder, affection and emotion she could not interpret. Startled, she stepped back and her hair turned white. With a trembling lower lip, she looked first at her mommy and then at Aunt Lily. Both looked in amazement and concern at her and her Hadrian. Then very carefully and slowly her mother stepped up to her and took her in her arms.

"Mommy, what happened? Did I hurt Hadrian?" full of fear and worry for her friend, she had just met him after all. There was no way she was going to lose her little Hadrian.

"Auntie Lily, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I was just so happy and now" Tears came to her eyes and she buried her face in her mother's gown.

"Dora honey, that was your magic. YOU were so excited and so pleased that you accidentally cast magic. But if I'm reading this right, Hadrian is fine. Healer Sunbeam, could you run a diagnostic by..."

"Healer Tonks, I already have. Neither Hadrian nor Nymphadora suffered any harm from the outbreak of accidental magic…." The Healer in question answered slowly. His Eyes never let go of his two patients and the young girl

But I would love to hear your opinion on this, cause I think your daughter has taken somehow an oath that if I were to conjecture would forever bind her and young Mr. Potter's fate."

Lily did not know how she should feel, she was on the one hand in full concern for her son and angry at her goddaughter. But she could also understand the little one, she had been no less happy and meant no harm. Her son seemed to be fine and apparently wanted to go to her goddaughter's colorful, upturned mop of hair, if she interpreted his movements correctly. She swallowed her anger, scolding wasn't helping now and would make the situation worse. She turned to the completely distraught Nymphadora and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Sweety, it's all right. Nothing happened. We'll find out exactly what happened and go from there. You didn't do anything wrong. You can't control accidental magic. Neither James nor I are angry with you."

"Lily is right. You can't help accidental magic Dora. The way I see it you'll be spending a lot of time with our Hadrian. You are always welcome here with us."

"Thank you Uncle James, Aunt Lily. I'm still sorry."

"Don't worry princess"

Sirius was the one who tried to lighten the mood a bit. But none of the people present was sure how much truth there was behind his statement. With half a laugh he said

"Little cousin, someday your children will laugh at this moment. I'm sure they will. At least I will…."

"Siri, this doesn't fit in at all right now..." grumbled Andromeda, "...even though you're probably right" she muttered the last part so softly that only Ted and Marlene could hear her

"Padfoot, how many times do we have to have this conversation... Tact. Someday, hopefully, you'll learn."

"Never"

"Leave it honey, you can't teach an old dog any more tricks."

Before the situation could degenerate any further, however, Healer Sunbeam intervened. His look was something Lily couldn't quite interpret, a mixture of worry, joy, sadness and something else.

"Mrs. Potter, we have pressed you long enough now and the events have been exciting enough for one night. Unless they have something extremely important to discuss now, I must ask your family and friends to leave. You need rest, giving birth is no walk in the park and takes a toll on the body."

"All right Healer Sunbeam. One more thing before you kick everyone out. I'd still like to give out godparenthood from my son."

"That should still be within reason, lit...Mrs. Potter." James now turned to Sirius. He looked at him with wide eyes and a single tear made its way down his cheek.

"Pads, you have been by my side all my life and I can think of no better godfather for Hadrian. Will you take this honor and duty upon yourself?"

"I...me…I...I don't know what to say. But...but I would be honored. I won't let you down."

"Okay honey, but then I want Andy and Marlene as godmothers. Only the gods will know what will happen if Sirius is in charge alone. That is, if you two would be willing."

"Oiii..."

"Lily, I would be honored to be your son's godmother. I will do my best and become the cooler godmother of the two of us Andy. I will also make sure Siri doesn't overdo it with all the gifts to come and keep him on a short leash when it comes to Hadrian's welfare."

"Heyyyy..."

"Little Firehead, back when Ted and I asked you to do the honors, not a day goes by that I'm thankful you took on this responsibility. I would be honored to be Hadrian's godmother. Marlene, I'll be what you call the "cooler" godmother, but seriously between the three of us, Hadrian will want for nothing."

The rituals for the godparents according to the ancient customs were performed and not a second later they were shooed out of the room and into the hallway by Andromeda's colleagues. But Andromeda wondered, though she hadn't noticed it until now, there was no one working at St. Mungo's by the name of Sunbeam. She turned, wanting to speak to this mysterious colleague, but he was no longer there. All she perceived was warmth that seemed to be slowly ebbing away. Concerned, she stepped into the room once more, wanting to see if mother and son were alright. However, everything seemed to be fine. Lily was fast asleep with a peaceful smile on her face, little Hadrian gently pressed against her. She shook her head and quietly closed the door. She had already forgotten about the peculiar colleague.

The time after Lily's release from the hospital flew by frantically. The days were mostly filled with the few visits from Andy, Marlene, Nymphadora or Nymmie as Sirius called his little cousin, Remus, Sirius, Ted and Peter. The trailed celebration of the newborn's birth was only in the inner circle, but still everyone felt so comfortable and homey that for a moment the war was as if forgotten. But for the celebration of the cub as the friends called Hadrian, the Longbottoms, whose son had been born a day earlier, also came. The gifts distributed by godmothers, uncles, pseudo-uncles and close friends were moments of pure joy.

Nymmie had made it her personal goal to spoil Hadrian and spend every spare minute she could with him. They had become so inseparable that Andromeda had already allowed sleepovers with Aunt Lily and Uncle James several times, against her gut instinct. But the look of pure bliss on her daughter's face was always worth it. Nymmie's birthday present from Aunt Lily's was for the now six year old, the best thing ever and the toy wand she had gotten from her big cousin was completely forgotten. A fact that made her daddy fall off his chair laughing. Aunt Lily had now allowed her to hold Hadrian for the first time without her sitting on Aunt Lily's lap. Her hair reflected the moment of pure joy as it changed through every color she had ever seen. Something that sent her little companion into squeals and gurgles of happiness. Nymmie started calling her little friend Harry when asked why "Hadrian sounds like he's getting in trouble. Harry is better" to which her father and cousin laughed heartily, but this earned them a pat on the back of the head directly. Which in turn the two children found extremely funny and began to giggle and coo respectively. But the nickname stuck in their minds and was used more and more often by the adults. The newborn obviously liked his nickname very much and squealed happily every time.

The time after Christmas and the beginning of the new year was overshadowed by two bitter news. Almost the entire Bones family was killed, the only survivors being Amelia and her half year old niece Susan. According to the surrounding rumours, the entire family had been murdered by Lord Voldemort himself, as they had supported Dumbledore and the Order, thus opposing him. The news of more friends lost hit the rumrunners hard. Sirius and James could always see Lily and Marlene staring with tears in their eyes at the photo they shared of the sixth year girl clique. They were no different though, had both been good friends with Edgar and his older brother Howard and had generally got on very well with the Bones and made friends with them. The news that little Susi would now grow up without parents, never knowing them, never knowing Edgar's famous laugh, Howard's all-knowing grin, or Susana's loving ways hit them hard and set something in both of them off. The men vowed to never let anything like that happen to their son/ godson. They began to write down everything they had learned about themselves and the things they had experienced in their school days. They added all the photos they had of themselves, the Marauders, them as a family and of their grandparents to the journals. When the two women heard about this, they were both fired up and eagerly began to do the same. They also asked the Longbottoms, by owl, for photographs and memorabilia and told them of the idea. A regular owl traffic went back and forth between the two households.

The second piece of bad news hit the friends just before Hadrian's first birthday. Dumbledore, per Fawkes, surprisingly asked for a meeting. In the note he spoke of an urgent and deadly serious sharing of information. When he appeared on their doorstep he looked pale and worried. Without much ado, he stepped quickly across the threshold and asked the Potters to sit down. The news he delivered was more than a slap in the face. Fear and naked panic spread through the young parents. Voldemort had chosen them as his target and was now after them. He believed that their Hadrian would be the one to bring him down. It took several minutes for Lily to get herself under control again. James was no better, but it was more panic than angry determination on his part unlike Lily's. When he had calmed down enough to listen to their former headmaster, he visibly calmed her down. They were safe behind the Fidelius and Voldemort could not harm them there. But so far, the spy within the Order had still not been exposed, and so it turned out that it could be anyone, even their closest friends. News that hit them both hard. They didn't want to believe that one of their friends, someone they had shared the dormitory with for several years, would be the traitor and spy. The professor apologized and advised them to stop coming to the order meetings. Furthermore, he advised them not to go outside anymore even for getting food. Both of them did not like this at all. They felt cramped and cornered. James made one last attempt. He confessed to the old professor that his family owned a cloak of invisibility and that was enchanted in various ways that it would make the wearer absolutely invisible and untraceable. The look on Dumbledore's face changed from surprise to curiosity to something neither could quite read out. Was it sadness or guilt mixed with a little desire. Dumbledore was now listening intently as to the cloak and Lily didn't like the look of it at all, she had spoken to James several times about the family heirloom. They had both decided after much discussion that this should be their last defense against Voldemort and to protect Hadrian, since they could both summon him from anywhere using family magic. Dumbledore now had the cloak shown to him, his eyes barely averted from this marvel of enchantment. Finally, he politely asked if he could borrow the piece for a time and examine it. He wanted to test a theory, he said. A certain nostalgic longing combined with a deep ache was visibly written on his face. James hesitated and looked to his wife for help. When asked how long he would want to borrow the cloak, Dumbledore said that he wanted to study it for a few tests at most and that the Potters would get it back soon. After some hesitation, James agreed. The old man promised that James could have it back any time he needed it and that the tests he had in mind would definitely not leave any damage to the cloak. This statement visibly reassured James and he handed the cloak over to his former headmaster.

On Hadrian's first birthday, despite all security measures, some people came to congratulate the youngster of their group. There were his godmothers Marlene and Andy, his godfather Sirius and his uncles Ted, Remus and Peter. Nymphadora was especially looking forward to this day, because since the news of Dumbledore, it was more dangerous than ever for Tonks to stop by the Potters' house and organize playdates for the children. Everyone brought a present to the little one over who let out little slurred sounds of happiness. From Peter and Remus the little one got a new stuffed animal each, one in the shape of a wolf and one in the shape of a rat in memory of the transformed forms of his uncles. Ted, following his family's tradition, gave the little one a lot of Muggle-style toy cars. Andy and Marlene gave the little one something new for his wardrobe, as the little one was now growing at a rapid pace and getting too big for his summer and winter clothes for the rest of the summer and for the coming winter. Sirius gave the little one his first toy broom with a grin. The little one was completely giddy and babbled happily to himself, marvelling at the broom out of wide eyes. Dora had drawn Harry a picture of herself and him, which she proudly showed first to Aunt Lily and then to the others. The crawler now wanted to see the picture, too, and promptly demanded "Do-Do," whereupon the whole table froze. The little one had just made his first attempt at talking. The rising shrieks and cheers visibly confused the little one, whereupon he turned his head to his mother with his mother's green eyes and his father's tuft of raven-black hair and asked, "Ma-Ma?"

Lily slapped her hand over her mouth in delight and nodded. She regained her composure and spoke full of love and warmth "That's right honey, mama" she took him out of his high seat and into her arms and kissed him on the forehead

"Lilykins, I think my little cousin beats you to the punch here" Sirius quipped, which promptly earned him a slap from his fiancé and happy clapping from his godson

"I'm sorry auntie"

"Tact Padfoot. Tact…"

"Hey that's not fair…"

"Dora, even though I'm only number two, I'm just happy. No one can say what a child's first word is. Even if Siri could have said it better, you have become one of the most important people in his life."

"Pa-pa up," which elicited a most manly squeak from the over-proud father. The little boy giggled.

The rest of the adults wanted to know if the little angel could recognize them and pronounce their names. Each one sat down in front of the prince of the day and tried to elicit his own name. In the end, they could tell that Hadrian knew all their faces and could give them their own name. There was Mar-Mar, An-An, Te-Te, Re-Re, Pa-fo, and Pe-Pe. At Peter's name everyone thought the little one had to go to the toilet and so a more concerned father rushed off only to find that the little one's nappy wasn't wet at all and didn't need changing. Which caused thorough laughter from the others and a pouting Peter. When everyone had returned to their homes and hiding places, leaving only the Potters alone, Hadrian lying in his cot and asleep, the couple smiled at each other, completely carefree, and fell asleep tightly embraced. The day had completely erased all the stress and bad news of the past weeks and months.

But it was all to turn out very differently. Less than two weeks later, on a stormy and rainy late summer evening, the ground was pulled out from under Lily's feet. It was about 10 o'clock and it was pouring with rain when a completely distraught Sirius stood in front of the Potters' door. His eyes were puffy and tears were streaming down his face. He stammered unintelligible words but Lily heard clearly "Mar...Mar. Marlene."

Her legs gave way. She braced herself against the wall in the hallway to keep from falling. As if drunk out of her mind and completely numb, she staggered toward her husband's best friend, her closest male friend. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a tight unyielding hug. A cry, deep from within her and full of pain erupted from her NOOOOOOO" Despite the dominating numbness of her body, she felt a waterfall of tears also spreading down her face onto the young man's shoulder. They both sobbed uncontrollably, but they didn't care. They couldn't help it. Marlene was no more. Never again that cheeky grin, or smart aleck sayings, never again a girls night out filled with shrieks and her trademark laugh, never again The list of things that would never be the same and now be without Marlene seemed almost endless. To Lily, it was as if someone had ripped out a part of her and crushed it. Marlene had been her rock through the pregnancy and had supported her through everything so far no matter how stupid or ridiculous she had felt. Marlene had always known advice. It was she who had helped her put together the outfit for her very first date, it was she who…."

James Potter's vision blurred behind a veil of tears. His throat felt like it was closing and he swallowed hard to beat the ever growing lump in his throat. But it didn't help Marlene was a woman you just had to like, whether you wanted to or not. She was a part of his family, a part of what would now be forever missing. Irreplaceable. He made his way to the tangle of his wife and his best friend and wrapped his arms around the two of them. The three of them swayed back and forth in the hallway, just abandoning themselves to their grief. There was just no other way. How long they had been sitting there now, huddled together and crying, no one knew, but they didn't care. Marlene, the glue of the three was no longer with them and with her had gone the everlasting merriment. Another surge of crying and sadness gripped them as Sirius hiccupped violently, recounting what had happened. Not only had Marlene been killed, but her entire family, including her little sister, had been slaughtered by those monsters. But these bastards hadn't just killed the women, they had also done the worst thing that could have been done to a woman or young girl. The shock ran deep for the three friends and the only thing that kept them functioning was Harry crying from upstairs. It took them a moment to pull themselves together. James and Sirius supported each other as they staggered towards the couch in the living room. With a flick of his wand, three glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey came flying from the cabinet and settled on the coffee table. Lily, meanwhile, had staggered upstairs and tried to comfort her son. But it was the other way around. The moment the little crawler saw that his mummy was crying, he fell silent and stretched out his arms, wanting to be lifted up. When he was finally in his mother's arms he snuggled close to her and began to babble to himself, clumsily trying to wipe the tears from his mother's face. Despite the sadness, Lily couldn't help but giggle and it brought a smile to both mother and son's face. She carried with her downstairs and there Harry tried the same thing as he did with his mother at "Pa-fo, Pa-fo". And sure enough, the boys quieted down a bit too, and until finally they could talk normally, considering the circumstances. They told each other stories about Marlene or described each other's mannerisms all evening and half the night. Eventually, tiredness overcame sadness and Sirius made himself comfortable on the couch while the Potters went upstairs.

The murder of Marlene had left its mark. Lily changed her behavior radically. Afraid of losing her baby, her Hadrian, her everything, she now almost always slept in the nursery in her Animagus form. The little boy had stared wide-eyed at his mama's form the first time, but had then eagerly crawled up onto the huge animal and had used his little hands to touch its face and muzzle. The big cat purred and playfully pushed him away and so began a wild, yet circumspect, round of play between child and mother. After a good two hours, the little one had grown tired and snuggled up to the cozy warm silver striped moving blanket and fallen asleep. James had taken dozens of photos while playing and looking at this and was adding them to the collection of photos. He had decided with Sirius that Sirius should deposit all the memories now for them at Gringotts and make an appointment for the Potters at the bank for a will to be drawn up. His son's future should be secure come what may and no matter what his boy would become later he would always support him, just as his parents had supported him. He wanted his son, should the worst happen, to know that he would be proud and have no doubt that his mother and father loved him. When Lily wasn't pacing around the house in her tiger form, she was throwing herself back into her research to find a way to protect her son from death. Every little possibility or idea she tried to turn from the drawing board of her head into theory, so that should the real thing happen, she could. The work helped her suppress the grief and gave her the drive she needed to keep going, not only for herself and her husband, but most of all for the good of her son.

The death of Marlene also hit the others extremely hard. Peter in particular was extremely depressed and became even more nervous than before because of the events. He therefore came over more and more often now and visited the Potters, but mostly seemed absent and melancholic. When playing with Harry or in conversations, James or Lily always had to mention his name and shake him a time or two for him to emerge from his thoughts. Remus they hadn't seen since Harry's birthday and it became unnaturally quiet around him. At first they feared he had been killed, until slowly and creeping another thought spread like poison. True, they had no proof or clues and Lily argued if only half-heartedly against the accusation that Remus was the spy. Many of the werewolves had defected to Voldemort in hopes of a better life and were now spreading fear and terror within the magical population.

The war seemed to be turning, and not in the Ministry's favor. Many prominent members who had resolutely opposed Voldemort and his minions were already dead, their families wiped out to send a message that no one could stop the Death Eaters. Not for the first time, Lily wished that she and her friends had listened to Sally and left England. Of her friends, only Alice, Amelia, Sally and her were still alive and it didn't look like they wouldn't be casualties of the war as well and Sally wouldn't end up being the only one of them left. Her heart grew heavy at the thought of the ex-Hufflepuff she hadn't heard from her either, not since she had written her a letter telling her of Hadrian's birth. These last few September days she was getting more and more lost in the circle of gloomy thoughts, feeling cooped up instead of focusing on the positive things in life and fully concentrating on her raising Hadrian and experiencing the wonders of motherhood.

In early October, she had finally had a breakthrough in protecting her son and had made all the necessary preparations with James. They both felt something was up and wanted to be prepared rather than go down without a fight. The protection came from an ancient Greek sacrificial ritual that gave the protective immunity against his enemy. The preparation involved an almost forgotten spell and complicated potion that the victim had to ingest and recite in order to transfer this ancient protection to the target. To activate the protection, should it come to pass, the victim would stand before the protective and take the fatal wound upon himself and die. The protective would then become untouchable by the victim's murderer, in their case Lord Voldemort. Even though the solution seemed harsh to both of them and would cost them both their lives their son would still survive and live a peaceful life. And that was far more important to them.

A few days later, another piece of happy news caused Lily's mood to soar to a pre- Hadrian's birthday high. She had cast the pregnancy test spell on herself after persistent morning sickness. With positive results. She danced through the upper floor of her house and the sparkle in her green eyes returned with all its power. She was going to be a mother of two. There was nothing that could spoil this day for her. She decided to break the news to her husband on Halloween. Because on Samhain, the world of the living and the dead collided and all of her friends would be with her when she broke the news to James. She could hardly wait.

On October 22, just over a week before Halloween, Sirius came to them with a determined look on his face. He hadn't been here for a while, as the Death Eaters were now hunting him more and more, so he couldn't come as often. With a grim face, he explained his plan, a Secret Keeper swap. The Perfect Bluff. Every Death Eater would be still hunting him, and yet he couldn't pass on the secret, as he would only be a co- knowledgeable and not the true keeper. He suggested that they take Peter in his place. No one who took all reason together would think Peter was the keeper of the secret. They would all focus on Sirius. They both agreed, believing more and more now that it was Remus who had betrayed the Order. But since they wanted to be sure, as soon as Peter accepted the exchange, they would send Sirius to Gringotts with the amended will to store it safely in the family vault. No one would be able to get to it there and the information would be preserved for posterity. If push came to shove, the truth would prove Sirius innocent.

On October 24, the time came, Peter came and listened to the Potters' proposal. He looked ashen and very nervous, frightened. But Lily believed it was still because of the death of Marlene and the rest of the McKinnons. She couldn't blame him. Several months after her death, she was still struggling with grief, too. She couldn't even imagine how Sirius was feeling. He had lost his second half, who could not be replaced by anything or anyone. Peter listened to the ruse of the three Marauders. His features tightened. Yet he agreed in the end. "A worthy plan, like the Marauders.". He promised to retread to his hideout near Bristol and report back every few days to see if he was still alive. Should he miss a moment, his friends were to prepare for the worst and give them a chance to escape. The plan was carried out and the roles were reversed. Peter took his leave after some time and Sirius put the second part of their plan into action. He went to Gringotts and asked the goblins to put the revised document had in the Potters' family vaults and everything the troupe had put together over the past few months in Harry's personal vault. He was satisfied, now Voldemort would never catch them.

Lily eagerly awaited the evening of Halloween 1993. All day long she pranced around the house with a big smile on her face, driving her husband crazy because she didn't want to tell him what exactly was the reason for her joy. James wasn't bored either though, he had decided to dress his son up since it was Halloween so at least there would be a touch of cheer. However, he kept wondering what his wife was so happy about, he couldn't figure out her behavior. At dinner, Lily finally dropped the bombshell.

"James, it's time. I have something important to tell you."

"So Lily-Tiger, what puts you in such a good mood?"

"Well my dear husband, how do you like the idea of our son now becoming a big brother to our daughter?"

It took James a moment to process what had been said, then he jumped up with joy. He circled the dining table and threw himself into his wife's arms with great enthusiasm.

"What?! Really?! I'm going to be a father again? That's incredible news Lils. A daughter? How long have you known?"

"I've known for a good three-four weeks and yes we are having a daughter. I can hardly believe it myself. I'm a little over nine weeks pregnant. It took everything I had not to tell you sooner, but I wanted our family to be complete on Samhain when I told you the news."

"This is amazing!" He cheered and lifted little Harry out of his high seat, jubilantly stretching him in the air over and over again. Harry laughed happily and the mood in the house couldn't have been better. James cleared the table while Lily took Harry upstairs to bed.

But all the joy and excitement abruptly dried up when she heard the front door explode and a high cold voice laughed.

"Lily, it's him take Harry and run. I'll stop him." The fear and desperation was plain on his face

"Avada Kedavra"

"Looks like Wormtail's information was correct."

"James" tears obscured her vision. Grief, panic rose in her. She was unarmed, unable to defend herself or Harry. The meaning of Voldemort's words crashed down on her a moment later.

Peter, you piece of shit traitor, if I ever get my hands on you...

She put Harry down in his cot. The boy screamed and cried, the fear his mother exuded had transferred to him. The desperate cry of his father had awakened him. There was no way out. The emergency portkey didn't work, they had been betrayed and now at the mercy of this monster. Her only hope now was that the ritual would work and that her son would survive. Without hesitation, she threw all manner of objects at the door to block it. The steps of the hallway stairs creaked under the weight of someone climbing them.

She turned to Hadrian. She wanted to see him one last time, to tell him that everything would be all right. The blocked door shattered under the dark curse. The force flung her to the side. But she would not fail if she had already lost James, there was no way she was going to lose Harry too. The thought of her being pregnant with Harry's little sister was completely forgotten. Harry was her only thought. Harry was going to survive. No matter what the cost. That thought made her sit up. She bent over her son one last time, speaking hastily and full of fear

"Mommy loves you...Daddy loves you...we are always with you, my darling. Everything will be okay"

"How touching..." sounded from behind her.

She whirled around stretching out her arms protectively, blocking the view. Tears streamed down her face.

"Step aside and I will spare you and you can join me. Lord Voldemort is merciful."

"No please I'll do anything...not Harry...please not Harry...please..."

"Last warning, move aside you stupid girl...

"...not Harry...please not Harry...please…"

"Then so be it. Severus has asked me to spare you...A pity…I'm sure you would have made a fine follower…Avada Kedavra"

A bright green flash shot out from the tip of the wand. She heard the familiar siren. The hum of death. She prayed it would work to everything and everyone, that it would work and that her son would survive. Hadrian screamed and cried.

Then darkness enveloped her.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and had as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

As always constructive criticism is always welcome and gladly seen, just leave me a message or comment there, I read them all and actually always respond to everything. :)

The chapters will be much shorter in the future, I just wanted to tell a coherent thing here and not drag the whole thing even further into the length by dividing it into two parts.

Until the next time