Disclaimer: No. Still not Rowling. I'm happy to write fanfic.

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As Lily, James, and baby Harry prepared to attend the Order meeting the next day, Lily's mind went over the conversation she and James had had while cuddling on the couch the day before. She had expected to have to plead her case with him, that they'd have an argument over her suggestion of running away. She was amazed that he had immediately seen her point of view, and his admission of his disillusionment with the Order - Merlin, it had been a long time since she had been passionate about fighting the war, and she shouldn't have been surprised that he felt the same way. But what had honestly shocked her was the statement he'd made about the Marauders. Lily had seen how inseparable those four boys were - it had been that way ever since their first year of Hogwarts, when Lily hated all things James Potter and wanted nothing to do with him. His willingness to leave them behind, that he would run away at a moment's notice, told her just how much things had changed.

There was also the way that Dumbledore looked at their son, their little boy, like he was a secret weapon to be wielded against Voldemort. James hadn't mentioned that in their conversation last night, but Lily figured he had been trying not to think about it. Dumbledore had been James's role model for a very long time. Even though he hadn't mentioned it, maybe that was a huge factor in his thought process as well. Their son deserved a chance at a childhood that was filled with joy and peace. He should be allowed to make friends, to go out and feel the bright warmth of the sun on his face, to hear birds singing instead of people screaming. He shouldn't ever have to smell the vile, coppery scent of blood instead of the fresh smell of grass. He should be able to experience everything Lily had as a little girl. She and James would even love to give him siblings.

Lily's heart ached at the thought of her big sister, Petunia. There was so much bitterness in their relationship now, and it was incredibly unfortunate. She had to confess that Petunia was right about one thing - their parents had fawned over Lily, amazed at her magical abilities while Petunia was left in the dust. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were always asking questions about Lily's life, Lily's world, while Petunia's life, Petunia's friends, even Petunia's marriage, was boring and dull to them. Obviously, it didn't help that her big sister had chosen Vernon Dursley, of all people, as her husband. But Lily also knew Petunia had done that on purpose, to make herself as different from her "freakish" and "abnormal" little sister as possible. If anything was boring or dull, it was Vernon Dursley. He was also the most obnoxious person Lily had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Even though she had chastised James for his behavior when they had gone to that restaurant together several years ago, she couldn't really blame him. Her only regret was that it had made her fracturing relationship with her sister even worse. Petunia had not deigned to make contact with her at all after that, not even when she'd sent her a letter telling her and Vernon of Harry's birth.

But if she and James fled, escaped somewhere where there was no war ... they'd make sure that if Harry had siblings, they would be treated equally. Even if, Merlin forbid, one of them ended up a Squib ... they would make sure they were loved and adored as well. As much as Lily had cherished her parents, she knew that how they had treated Petunia was wrong. The older girl had already been jealous of Lily's abilities, and the Evans' treatment of Lily only caused her big sister's bitterness to fester even more. Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Evans were now dead, and to make matters worse, they had died at the hand of the Death Eaters. Lily had been inconsolable, and James had been her support and her strength through the funeral, the burial, the grief, the nightmares. Lily had barely seen Petunia the entire time - she had allowed her sister to plan the funeral, not arguing when Petunia had glowered at her and told her that it was her fault their parents had died. Lily knew that to be true, and she had felt so defeated that she had allowed her sister to take control of the entire thing. They had died about a month before Harry was born, and Lily wished with what was left of her soul that they'd gotten to meet their grandchild.

"You ready, Lily?" James asked, his once bright hazel eyes looking exhausted. "The meeting starts in ten minutes."

"Yeah, I'm ready," said Lily, holding Harry in her arms. They walked out the front door, and Apparated to the Headquarters of the Order.

Once they had said their usual security phrases, they walked into the house. There was a wonderful smell as they stepped inside, and Lily instantly knew that Benjy was at it again - he was cooking dinner for all of them. The Order always decided what they would do for the next meeting's meal at the meeting before, and Benjy had offered to cook for the current one. He made it a point to offer - he always thought that good food helped conversation flow better. The Potters decided to go into the kitchen to greet him, and to see what he was making.

Once again, Harry was fast asleep, and Lily couldn't have been more grateful. If her baby slept through every Order meeting, she would thank Merlin for it. He looked so tranquil and peaceful, those beautiful emerald eyes closed in slumber.

When they entered the kitchen, they saw Benjy with a smile on his face. He was getting some chicken out of the oven, whistling. If there was another thing Benjy Fenwick did as well as smiling and giving people hope, it was whistling. Lily had joked once that he must have been a bird in a previous life, because he never stopped whistling. The sound was so joyful and so uplifting, and Lily once again marveled at his strength. "Good evening," he said as the delicious smell filled up the entire room. There was already a huge plate of mashed potatoes on the counter, and another of green beans and broccoli.

"Evening, Benjy," James said. "Wow, you've been busy. This looks wonderful."

"Well, I'm not about to let you all get food poisoning, am I?" Benjy laughed. "It sure as heck isn't pleasant - I should know. I've been through it."

"Oh, well, I'm glad you're not inflicting that on us," Lily said, and she couldn't help smiling. "Don't you get tired of doing this the Muggle way, though?"

"Don't talk such nonsense, Lily," Benjy said lightly. "Magic does an awful lot, but chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables taste better the Muggle way."

Lily and James just shook their heads, continuing to smile at him. "Want me to help dish it up?" James asked.

"Sure," said Benjy. "I could use the help." He turned to Lily, smiling down at Harry. "How's the little one doing today?" he asked, his entire demeanor softening as he stared at the child.

"He's been very good again today," answered Lily. "We've been playing with him a lot, and I think that's why he's so tired."

Benjy grinned. "I remember when Sam was that age," he said. "I can't believe he's going to be eleven in three days. I'm going to announce it at the meeting, but I'm holding a little birthday party here at the Headquarters. Everyone is invited. I'm going to be making his favorite, which happens to be my specialty." His grin grew wider. "French toast pizza."

"Er, what?" said Lily, shocked to laughter. "What on Merlin's green Earth is French toast pizza?"

"Oh, only his two favorite foods made into one recipe," Benjy chuckled. "Whenever I take him out for breakfast, he wants French toast. And whenever I take him for lunch or dinner, it's always pizza. I always call it Dad time, you know. One of my parental duties is to take him out for a meal."

James laughed. "I understand. But French toast pizza? Really? Only you would think of something like that."

"Well, that's because I'm a genius," Benjy teased.

"And you have an ego the size of Hogwarts itself," Lily teased back, and all three of them laughed as they walked into the dining room, where the table had been set up for the meal and the meeting. James levitated the dishes in, and Lily followed, Harry still sleeping in her arms. She would wait until James had finished eating to do so herself - that way, she could focus on Harry, and pass him to James once he was finished. She could always put a warming charm on her food if it got cold.

There was conversation around the table as they ate, and everyone made sure to thank Benjy for the sumptuous dinner. The Potters talked with Remus, Sirius, Peter, Marlene, and the Longbottoms, asking them about how their days were going.

"It's rough at the Ministry right now," Sirius said as he gathered a forkful of mashed potatoes. "The Aurors are having a hard time keeping up with the Death Eaters."

"Don't I know it," muttered Edgar Bones, who was an Auror, just like Sirius. Sirius had started his training straight out of Hogwarts, and it normally took three years to complete the program. But because of the war, the training was reduced, now only being two years.

At that moment, Dumbledore walked into the room, and everyone grew silent, as they always did when he made his presence known. "Good evening, everyone," he said, his blue eyes twinkling at them. Lily noticed sadly that the twinkle definitely wasn't like it had been when she'd attended Hogwarts, but it was at least there today.

"Take a seat, Albus," Benjy said. "I hope you enjoy dinner."

"Why, thank you very much, Benjy," said Dumbledore as he dropped into a seat beside Lily. He turned his eyes towards Harry, and Lily felt a flutter of dread in her stomach as the man gave her son one of those fleeting glances that always sent shivers down her spine.

"Harry's doing very well," said Lily, trying to keep anything out of her tone that would give away what she was feeling.

"Good, good," Dumbledore said as he tucked into his meal, and never had Lily wanted to snarl at the old man more. She wanted to tell him to keep his eyes off her baby. He wasn't a child of a damn prophecy. He was an innocent little boy who should have nothing asked of him except to be a child.

After dinner, there was dessert: some amazingly rich chocolate brownies. They all exclaimed over the taste, making Benjy smile more.

After everyone's plates had been cleaned, it was time to get down to business. Lily sighed as she listened to the usual reports that were being given by members of the Order. A man named Caradoc Dearborn, who worked in the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry, was currently talking about the significance of illegal Portkeys and how they were helping the Death Eaters carry out attacks. He had a dull, droning voice, and it was all Lily could do to not let it hypnotize her. He reminded her of Binns, and she recalled the conversation she'd had with Felicity several weeks ago. That train of thought reminded her all too clearly of her unsuccessful attempts to find out more about goblin magic.

Lily had to force herself not to laugh when, during Caradoc's speech, Neville Longbottom stirred in Alice's arms, and began to fuss. Alice immediately took him out of the dining room, and proceeded to the living room where she sat on the couch and rocked him. Obviously, Frank would catch her up on what she'd missed, if there was anything at all.

"Sorry," Frank apologized. "The little one felt like making his presence known."

"No apology necessary, Frank," smiled Dumbledore. "Sometimes, we need the strong spirits of our children to remind us of what we're fighting for."

There was no mistaking it this time - his eyes, very briefly, glanced at Harry. Lily pushed down the sick, queasy feeling in her stomach. Her child wasn't going to end this bloody war. The prophecy could go screw itself. If Dumbledore wanted the war over, he could just end it himself and leave her baby the bloody hell alone. Hadn't he fought Voldemort before and lived to tell about it? Why was he listening to a stupid prophecy that some crackpot had given him?

James spoke then, and though his voice was pleasant on the outside, Lily could hear an underlying harshness in it as he faced Dumbledore - obviously, he'd seen the war leader's furtive glance at Harry, too. "Yes, we do," he said. "We need them to survive this war. If it's up to me, this war will be long over before they even need to THINK about whether they will risk fighting in the battles."

Dumbledore nodded, never losing his smile. "Exactly," he said, but Lily didn't trust for a single instant that this would be the end of the matter. Neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort would ever leave her son alone, would they?

"Well, I suppose this is my cue to say," said Benjy, "that I will be holding a birthday party on Thursday for my Sam, who will be turning eleven. You're all invited here for balloons, laughter, birthday cake, presents, and - don't let me forget - French toast pizza."

"Excuse me?" Marlene McKinnon spat out the water she'd been drinking in surprise. "French toast what?"

This prompted Benjy to give the explanation of what exactly this dish was again, and for the first time in what felt like ages, the tension at the table broke. Everyone in the room was laughing, as was Benjy. How in Merlin's name did the man always manage to achieve this? He always gave the gift of laughter, even in the darkest of times. How did he always discover the gems of humor and joy when everything seemed so painful and hopeless?

Dumbledore was laughing too. "French toast pizza it is, then," he said, his blue eyes now twinkling in the way they used to when Lily was a student. "I'm very much looking forward to seeing him at Hogwarts this year. With you as his father, I know he will do well."

"That's high praise coming from you," said Benjy. "He's certainly not going to be like me, if I can help it. My Hogwarts record is ... er ... not to be spoken of."

Dumbledore only smiled. "School performance is certainly not always indicative of where you go in life, and I know you know that."

Benjy didn't answer, but it was clear from his face that he had gotten the message. "Please come on Thursday," he implored everyone. "I think it will all help us gain some perspective and remind us of what is truly important in life. The celebration will start at 6:00 PM. Lily, James, Alice, Frank, obviously Harry and Neville are more than welcome."

"We'll be there," James promised, and Lily nodded. "Thanks for inviting us. It'll be good to speak with Sam again."

"We'll be there, too," Frank assured him. "Sam's a good kid."

Benjy's face softened as fatherly love and pride shone in his eyes. "Yes, he is," he agreed with conviction.

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"Do you think he's right?" James asked later when the Potters were in their customary positions on their couch at home. Harry was safe in his crib, tucked in for the night.

"Who?" Lily whispered, feeling the warmth of James's arms around her.

"Benjy," James replied. "Do you think Thursday will help us? To gain perspective, like he said?"

"He is usually right, you know." The familiar awe crept into Lily's voice. There was just something about Benjy Fenwick that never failed to surprise her. Sometimes, she wondered if he was even human at all. How did he always find something to laugh about when things were so completely dire?

"Yeah," said James, and Lily could hear the smile in his voice as he added, "I swear, though, Lils, if our child causes you to invent some crazy dish such as French toast pizza ..."

Lily laughed. "Who knows what Harry has in store for us?" she said softly. The moment she'd uttered this, though, a cloud darkened her vision. Will Harry be alive to have anything in store for us? she thought silently. How much time do we have left with him?

"You saw it too, didn't you?" James asked suddenly. Lily lifted her face from his chest, and saw that his expression had gone very dark as well.

"The way Dumbledore was looking at him?" Lily responded, a hard edge to her voice. "Yes, I did."

"I've seen it before," said James, and there was a fierceness in his voice too. His hazel eyes were cold, hard chips of steel. "I don't think I wanted to acknowledge it before. Dumbledore's been my hero for years, and when I joined the Order, I believed in his cause so much. But he doesn't get to involve our son in this war."

"If anything, he's giving us even more of a reason to think about running," said Lily, her voice quiet. "I refuse to let anyone dictate the life of my child. He won't kill or be killed just because some prophecy says so. I'm not going to sit and listen to Dumbledore give empty condolences about how he died a hero," she choked, recalling everything she had heard the Headmaster say to grieving families in the past several months.

"It won't happen, Lily," James said, the steel in his eyes growing even harder. "We'll be long gone before then."

But it was then that a horrible thought occurred to Lily, making bile rise up her throat. "James," she said, her voice sounding far away to her ears. "Is running going to be enough, though? Even if we escape from here, go to another country ... who says Voldemort and Dumbledore won't still try to find us? Even if we go under the Fidelius with a Secret Keeper we trust implicitly, even if we put up the strongest charms and wards to protect where we live ... James, Voldemort's always been two steps ahead of us, and Dumbledore doesn't ever give up on anything ... and you know it. Unless we find a foolproof way to make sure we're all safe, a way with no possible holes in it ... they'll find us."

She looked up into James's face again, and she knew just from the look he gave her that he realized this was true. She was hoping he'd tell her she was being ridiculous and that she was wrong, but he said nothing of the sort.

"Well," he said in a voice laced with something undefinable. There was a cadence in it that she'd never heard from him before. "Well, that means we'll just have to find something, won't we?"

"We can do it together, right?" Lily asked, and a new motivation, a new drive, took over her body.

"Of course," James said, and kissed her fiercely, their lips connecting for a very long time. "Of course."