The Calm before a Storm

It's but a brief escape

Nothing'll hinder his parade

It's just a matter of time

But we're all still in our prime

So just for once

Let us prance

In the eye of the approaching storm

Godric's Hollow was nestled in a quiet little valley, far from all other residences. Neither were its occupants totally normal. James and Lily Potter, as well as their one-year-old son Harry, were wizards. And not just normal wizards, but wizards seeking refuge from the most evil wizard of all times, Lord Voldemort.

"Bang!" A loud noise not unlike a gunshot erupted suddenly, disrupting the morning peace. A huge motorbike materialized out of thin air, carrying two people, a young man and woman. The woman disembarked, starting to laugh.

"Well, Sirius," Amurila grinned, "why don't you fix your motorbike to work on stealth mode? I'm sure we don't need cannons heralding our arrival fifty miles away."

Sirius laughed too. "Right, I'll do something about that noise. You've got enough to do without worrying about that too." He nodded at Godric's Hollow. It seemed so empty and devoid of life, but he knew it was an illusion. Inside, James and Lily would be busy with that new escape route they were planning.

"See you. I'll call if I need help." Amurila held up her five-way mirror.

Sirius nodded. "Bye. I'll pick you up exactly six hours later. Meanwhile I'll go check on Peter." Both of them knew the importance of keeping an exact time to avoid unpleasant surprises, and also about the powers of friendship.

Just as Ariel turned to walk towards the house, Sirius called, "Ariel, can I have a word?"

"Yeah, sure." Amurila turned around, looking at him expectantly.

"Watch your back." Sirius whispered almost inaudibly.

"What do you think I've been doing all this while?" she inquired, a smile starting to form on her face. If that was what Sirius wanted, she could manage easily.

"Watching other people's backs. Take care. I don't want you to die more than I want James and Lily to." Sirius replied with an uncharacteristic concern on his face.

The look was wiped from her face as she stared at Sirius. "I will. I promise." She wheeled around as another reverberating bang signalled Sirius's departure.

Amurila sighed. Life had not been easy, ever since Dumbledore had told the Marauder that Voldemort was after the Potters. After that tip-off, Godric's Hollow was heavily protected against all attacks. What with it Unplottable, Muggle-Repelling, an Anti-Apparation shield over it, illusionary charms on every inch, and the Fidelius Charm, nothing could possibly happen.

Peter had better do a good job. A Secret Keeper was a huge responsibility. Lost in her thoughts, she absent-mindedly knocked the signal on the front door. Thrice short … once long … twice short … once long … once short.

The door swung open at once. James's boyish grin met her eyes as she stepped over the threshold. He held baby Harry in one arm. In the other was his wand, which he promptly lowered to avoid accidentally hexing one of his best friends.

"Hi Ariel. Thanks for delivering the food monthly and bringing us news. You're a lifesaver. No one can possibly imagine how boring it is, being stuck in here while others are out there fighting Voldemort." James smiled gratefully. "Having you around makes me feel safer too." He led her into the nursery.

Even before they approached, they could hear activity in the room. As they walked in, Lily rushed forward and gave Amurila a hug.

"You don't know what it could be like, being stuck in this house with you as our only means of communication with the outer world. Please, don't leave as early as you did last time." Lily exclaimed as she let go.

"Don't worry, Lily. I've told Sirius to pick me up in the evening, six hours later. He needs to check on Peter. I'll keep you company till then." she laughed at Lily's eagerness.

The adults chatted about the outside world while feasting on Lily's exceptional cooking. After a while, Harry dozed off, since he did not understand most of the exchange. Lily carried him gently to his cot, where he slept fitfully, and they moved their conversation into the living room.

"It's like a calm before the storm. When Voldemort strikes, which he will eventually do, chaos will reign. But it's so peaceful here, it's hard to imagine." James commented.

"Yeah, true." Lily agreed. "But Harry won't know a thing. He'll be too young to remember."

"To endanger such an innocent young little boy's life. It's almost like a crime you know. It's so terrible." Amurila shook her head slowly. "But at least Peter's holding out quite well."

"Good for him. But as for Remus…" James stopped abruptly, his face taking on a look of guilt and pain. "Well, he still thinks that Sirius is Secret Keeper. He hasn't got a single clue about what's going on. He should be trusted; after all, he is a Marauder. But Sirius …" Again, James broke off and shrugged slightly.

"Cheer up, it's Halloween. You can make up to Remus later." Lily said softly. Both women knew James's agony and shame at distrusting one of his best friends, whom he had known since eleven.

All of a sudden, something burned in Amurila's pocket. She was rather puzzled, as no one knew the number but Sirius. And he had nothing to call about – or did he?

"Hello?" Pressing the receive button, almost afraid to hear the answer to that simple question, Amurila raised the phone to her ear. James had inched nearer and was attempting to listen.

But there was no need to get any closer. Ariel dropped the phone as Sirius's voice exploded from the receiver. "Amurila! Get them out of there! Now!"

She hastily picked it up. "But what – "

Amurila never finished her sentence as Sirius screamed, "RED ALERT! RUN!"

The line dropped dead, and a deafening silence fell. James and Lily looked frozen, while Amurila stared at the receiver.

"Ariel, what does red alert mean?"James's voice startled all of them.

"Wha – oh, highest level of danger, supposed to be used in combat."

"What do we do now?" Lily glanced helplessly at the two Marauders, a shadow of fear crossing her eyes.

"We bail." James answered after a while. "Sirius said there's danger, and we get out, so we get out."

Just as they arose, there was a shriek of "Morsmordre!" outside, followed by a boom.