Avada Kedavra.

Those words. They aren't good words. And you never want to hear them.

I don't want to hear them. All I want is James.

I hear the first dreaded word. The second word begins and, suddenly, the small circle of pressure on my back disappears. I turn to see Voldemort flying to the floor. He finishes the word.

Green light explodes and lights up the dark night. It's brighter than I've ever seen it before. How is that possible?

Voldemort's cruel smile appears. And that's when I realise he's killed me. I am dead. As soon as that curse hits me.

Three…

Two…

One…

Nothing…

…

James watched helplessly as the curse headed straight for Lily. James watched as his wife fell. James saw Voldemort leave followed by all of his Death Eaters. James slowly walked over to Lily's prone form. Lily's body had fallen awkwardly and was on her stomach. James could tell that she would have scratches on her face. Hopefully, they weren't too bad. James knelt down and reached out to Lily. He could feel Sirius and Remus come up to stand behind him. James took a deep breath and carefully turned Lily onto her back. Lily's face was covered with blood from the cut above her eyebrow and all of the small cuts she received from the fall. Lily looked incredibly peaceful and James could hardly bare to look at his beautiful wife, who now lay dead in his arms. James lightly touched Lily's face and then stood up and walked away from everyone.

"Prongs! Where are you going?" Sirius yelled out after him.

James stopped and turned around. "To join my wife." James continued walking away and then Disaparated.

...

James wasn't sure where he was going but he knew that he would be able to find some Death Eater in Knockturn Alley or in The Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. James didn't particularly care which Death Eater he met, he just wanted to get in a fight and perform so badly that he joined Lily wherever she was. Though, deep down, James knew that if there was a Heaven he wouldn't be joining Lily there. Not after everything he had done. Especially to Severus Snape.

Snape. That was who James would really like to meet. The man who Lily had loved before she had loved him. The man who had tried to convince Lily not to marry him. James wanted to throw everything back into his greasy face. James reached The Hog's Head and marched through the door with his wand drawn. James went in looking for a fight and he was going to get it, no matter what Aberforth had to say about it. James looked around the dingy bar and saw someone who was clearly a Death Eater sitting at a table on his own. James went straight over to him and was surprised when Regulus looked up at him. Regulus looked exhausted. He had tear tracks on his cheeks and he was clutching onto a Butterbeer and a photograph.

"My friend, Johnny, died in the battle. Sirius and Lily were with him." Regulus looked down at the picture as a fresh wave of tears flowed from his eyes. "He died because he pushed Lily out of the way. He was hit with a curse meant for her. And I'll never know why he did it." Regulus looked up at James. "I'm sorry about Lily, James. You probably want to know where you can find a Death Eater willing to kill you. Well, Snape should be arriving here soon. He always comes here after a fight." Regulus and James turned towards the door as it swung inwards, bringing in both the cold and a hooded figure. The figure sat down at the bar and ordered a Firewhiskey. "That'll be him. James, he won't know that she's gone. He left before it happened."

James smiled wickedly and walked over to Snape. "Hello, Snivelly. Nice night, isn't it? Shame that so many people aren't able to enjoy it."

Snape turned around and gave James a cold stare. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say, Potter. Just leave."
"Oh, I think you'll be very interested to hear what I have to say. You see, I have a bit of a revelation for you, my slimy friend."

"I'm not your friend, Potter." Snape sneered.

"I don't want you to be. Now, shut up or you won't hear my revelation about your precious master. He killed many people tonight, Snape. Men and women, mothers and fathers, friends and siblings. But you want to know the worst death of the night? Well, the worst death in my opinion." James looked disgusted that he was talking to Snape. Snape, picking up on this sneered at him again and turned around. "Lily." Snape froze. "Lily was killed tonight, by your master. What does it feel like knowing that your master killed the woman you claim to love so much?" James placed both his hands on Snape's shoulder and spoke quietly into his ear. "She's dead because of you."

"You lie. She can't be dead." Snape allowed James to turn him around. In James' eyes, Snape recognized something. Hatred, pure and absolute hatred. James Potter, he realised, was going to kill him. Snape knew he would have to talk fast and make Potter believe him. "No, really, Potter, listen to me. She can't be dead because the curse never touched her."

"What? What did you say?" James spoke so quietly that Snape barely heard him. "You weren't there. You left, you didn't see it happen."

"No, I swear, Potter. I swear on my own life, the curse never hit her."

"She was unconscious."

"Probably because she hit her head when the spell knocked her over."

James suddenly looked very suspicious. "You said the curse didn't hit her."

"What? Oh, the Dark Lord's curse didn't hit her, but... another spell did." Snape averted his eyes.

"Another spell? What other spell?" James shook Snape. "Tell me, Snape!"

"My spell! Alright, my spell hit her."

"What spell?"

Snape sighed. "One of my own. I've never tried it before but I figured it was the perfect moment."

James' eyes narrowed. "The perfect moment to test a spell? Snape, if it's the last thing I do, I'll..."
"James!" Regulus put a hand on James' shoulder. "He's coming here. The Dark Lord is coming here." James let go of Snape and spun round. "I didn't call him, so don't blame me. I don't know why he's coming but he is. You need to go. Neither of us will say anything. Will we, Snape?" Snape rolled his eyes and returned to his drink.

"Sorry, Aberforth." James muttered to the bar tender who merely nodded grimly and removed his wand from the folds of his cloak.

"Potter." Snape blocked James' exit from the pub.
"What do you want?"

"I know that I probably don't need to tell you this, but look after her. You make one mistake and she'll never forgive you. Believe me on that. You're very lucky to have her."

"I am aware of this. Now, get out of my way before I do something I should have done a long time ago."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Snape returned to the bar and to his drink. James went out into the street and walked towards the Shrieking Shack. When he got there, James stood staring at the imposing structure, thinking about the night to come. No doubt Remus was in absolute agony but putting on an act. James wondered if he'd go. Remus would, of course, understand if he didn't go. James glanced up at the moon and couldn't help but be reminded of Lily. She had always liked looking at the moon, except for when it was full. James mind inevitably turned to what Snape had said. Could Lily be alive? It was impossible. James had seen her fall. She hadn't been breathing. Suddenly, James heard a twig snap under foot behind her. James carefully pulled his wand from his pocket and listened carefully. He could hear the person breathing softly. A shiver found its way down James' spine and he knew the person wasn't friendly.

"Let me guess. Lord Voldemort." James heard soft laughter and turned to see Voldemort standing casually on the path, slowing twirling his wand between his long, ghost-like fingers. James faced Voldemort head on, holding his wand loosely by his side. He had no interest in surviving this fight. He would die and join Lily. Simple.

"You are so ready to die, my dear enemy. You have survived me once before and now I have killed your wife. What more do you have? Can you do anything more in this pathetic life of yours? Are you really ready to give up entirely and join your Mudblood wife in death?"

James had tears clouding his vision. His wand slipped from his hand. "Completely. Lily was everything to me, and you took her away. I have nothing left."

"And what of your friends? The traitor and the werewolf. What of them?"

Something about what Voldemort had said stopped James. "What did you say?"

"What of your friends? Don't you care about them? Don't they matter?"

"The traitor and the… werewolf." The tears in James' eyes disappeared. "How do you know about Remus?" Voldemort frowned as he realised his slip of the tongue. He hadn't wanted anyone to know that he knew. "How do you know?"

"Many of my followers are aware of Lupin's disease."

"Disease? He isn't diseased. And Sirius isn't a traitor. What would you know? You don't know them, you don't know anyone. You are completely alone, not me." Quick as a flash, James bent and grabbed his wand.

The fight between the two was absolutely brutal. Neither gave in and neither ever would. This fight was a fight to the death. And James was damned if he was going to be the one to die. Even if he wanted to. Despite the fight's brutality it didn't last long. James was exhausted from fighting for so long and his reflexes suffered for it. Voldemort managed to use the Cruciatus curse on James. Although James' body was screaming out in pain, his mind had gone entirely blank. In his mind, James was floating through the air on the softest cloud imaginable. In his mind, James was experiencing the most incredible pain. In his mind, James was leaving his body behind for good.

…

Regulus has watched the entire battle from the cover that the trees provided. He had heard every single word that his master and James had said. And every word had shocked him. Absolutely everything that had been said was shocking and weird to him. Especially the bits about Sirius and Remus. Regulus had known that Remus was werewolf ever since the incident with Snape but he had never realised that the Dark Lord knew and more to the point he didn't know how. Everyone involved in that had been sworn to secrecy, even his parents. There was no way that the Dark Lord could know about that, unless he could somehow read minds and that was ridiculous. What surprised Regulus most, however, was the idea that Sirius could ever betray anyone. It just wasn't in his nature. Sirius hadn't become a traitor to the Black family; he had only done the smart thing and left when he had the chance. He wasn't betraying them and Sirius would never even considered betraying Regulus.

Regulus watched the fight hoping that James wouldn't simply give in. He watched as the two fighters ducked, weaved and deflected various spells and curses. Regulus could see the weariness finally over coming James. But there was nothing he could do. Regulus gripped onto a tree branch as soon as he heard his master say Crucio. It became very obvious to Regulus that James' mind was leaving his body and that he would be nothing more than a vegetable. Regulus had to act quickly to ensure that wouldn't happen. And so, he ran a little bit away from the horrible scene and then turned back running, ensuring that he made a lot of noise. Regulus was hoping that Voldemort would leave before he arrived but as expected Voldemort was still there and still torturing James when he arrived.

"My Lord, I am sorry to interrupt but Aurors are on their way. Someone in the village saw you and sent a message to Dumbledore."

"I will not leave until I have dealt with this blood traitor."

"But, my Lord, Dumbledore is here now. He is coming." Regulus hoped that he was being convincing enough. Voldemort looked at him and Regulus was careful not to change his expression, knowing that Voldemort would suspect something.

"Very well." Voldemort let James fall to the ground heavily. "His mind is almost gone anyway. I don't think anything can save him now." Voldemort shot a disgusted look down at James' prone form and Disaparated.

Regulus knelt down beside James. "Hold on, James. They're coming." Regulus had already sent a message to his brother and he hoped that they would be here soon. "Hold on, James." Regulus stood, glanced down at James once more, and then Disaparated.

…

Padfoot crashed through the trees towards the Shrieking Shack hoping, that he could reach James before anything too bad happened. Padfoot broke through the trees, transformed back into human form and then fell to his knees beside James' prone body. Sirius checked for signs of life and although James was breathing and he had a pulse, something was wrong. James' eyes seemed as though they were looking at something on the horizon as they were unfocused and there was no light in them. They were the cold eyes of a dead man.

"No, no, no. James? Prongs, can you hear me?" Sirius took out his wand and considered giving his friend a shock but decided that it probably wasn't the best idea. "Damn it, James. Wake up, you moron!" Sirius sat back on his hunches, very dog like, and covered his face with his hands. "Damn, damn, damn." Sirius stood up and kicked James' side. Sirius then stared down at his friend unable to believe what he had just done, when, suddenly, James eyes cleared slightly and he moaned. "James? Can you hear me, Prongs?"

"What the hell did you kick me for?" James spoke softly as he was still very weak after everything that had happened.

"Cause you wouldn't wake up." Sirius had tears running down his cheeks and he wasn't even bothering to wipe them away.

"Why not?"

"How the bloody hell should I know, you moron?" Sirius helped a weakly laughing James to his feet. "Hold on tight, buddy, we're going home."

…

Sirius arrived at the safe house supporting James' entire weight. Thankfully, Sirius Aparated right next to Frank who quickly grabbed James' other side, and together they got him to a bed. A Healer came over to assess the damage.

"Frank, where's Remus?" Sirius was looking around the room.

"Ah, I think he's outside getting some air. Do you want me to get him?"

"Nah, I got it. Thanks." Sirius glanced at James before walking outside into the chilly early morning air. Sirius took a deep breath and began his search. It didn't take him long to find Remus, who was sitting on a stump watching the sun rising. Sirius sat down next to him without a word.

"Did you find James?" Remus' voice was soft and it was clearly hurting him to speak.

"Of course. He's inside now getting checked." Sirius then told Remus everything he knew about what had happened.

"Bloody hell." Remus rubbed a hand over his tired face. "Why does he want them dead so much?"

"No clue, but it isn't good for them." The two men fell silent and didn't speak again. Instead they watched as the sun finished rising and then went back inside to check on all of their friends. Sirius could see Molly and Arthur sitting off to the side. Molly had her head buried against Arthur's shoulder and it was clear she was crying. Sirius spun to face Remus.

"Fabian and Gideon were killed. I think it was Avery." Remus shook his head. "Fabian found Gideon's body and kind of lost it. He fought about twenty Death Eaters on his own. Molly only just found out from Dumbledore."

"Shit." Sirius looked around and saw through a door way a line of bodies lying out in the open. A line of the dead from both sides. "So many dead. So much waste."

"James, sit down!"

"That was Alice." Remus and Sirius glanced at each other and then raced over to see James trying to get past Frank and Alice.

Alice turned towards Remus and Sirius when she heard them arrive. "He won't listen to us. He wants to see Lily but I haven't finished making sure he's okay."

Sirius nodded and stepped up to James who stopped struggling with Frank and turned to Sirius with pleading eyes. "James, sit back down and let Ally finish checking you. Then we'll take you to Lily. I swear." Sirius put a hand on James' shoulder but James refused.

"No, I have to see her now." James said forcefully.

"Prongs, sit down." Remus gently placed his hand on James' other shoulder. James turned his eyes on Remus.

"Moony? Moony! He knows. Someone told him." James looked very worried about whatever he was talking about.

"James, what in Merlin's name are you on about?" Sirius asked while still applying pressure to James' shoulder.

"Voldemort, you twit. He knows about Remus. Remus you have to hide." James stared at his friend who sighed.

"I know he does, James. I've known for a while. Now, sit back down and let Ally check you." James nodded dumbly and sat down. The three men moved out of Alice's way.

"He knows? How does he know, Remus?"

"Greyback. Or Snape. Either one, it doesn't matter." Remus sighed again and sat down on a chair. "I'm not going into hiding, Prongs. There's no point." James opened his mouth to argue but the look on Alice's face was enough to shut him up.

"Moony, don't be stupid. You have to hide." Sirius said quietly.

"Padfoot, I'll go into hiding the day that Dumbledore does." Remus smiled.

"That'll never happen." Sirius frowned at his friend.

"Kind of my point, Paddy." Remus grinned again.

"Now, can I see Lily? Please, Ally?" James was watching Alice closely who only managed to nod. "Thank you." James jumped off the bed and looked at Sirius and Remus. "Well, are you going to take me to her, or do I have to find her on my own?"

Remus stood and approached James cautiously. "We'll take you but, James, Lily's…"

"Dead, I know. Come on, then." James started to walk away towards the room where all of the dead were being kept when Sirius and Remus steered him off in a different direction. He didn't notice the confused and worried looks on their faces.

"There she is." Remus motioned to bed standing slightly apart from all the others.

James slowly went over to the bed and saw Lily lying there motionless. She had a long bright pink scar above one eyebrow, a black eye, and a broken nose. Lily's hair was matted with blood and there was a light bruise forming on her neck.

"Injuries from the fall." Remus said softly. James nodded. "Other than all that she's unharmed."

"Unharmed? Remus, she's dead." James looked at his friends but didn't notice the confused looks. "How can you call that unharmed?"

Just then James felt something touch his cheek lightly. He looked back down at Lily.

"James, I'm not dead."