May 1981 - Godric's Hollow
The knock on the door prompted no terse response from either Potter, Dumbledore had a certain way of knocking so gently yet with such purpose. James opened the door and as Albus entered the small entry way, he saw Lily go to put Harry in his bedroom. The boy had grown greatly in the months since the professor had made his last visit. But it seemed they were all getting on, James had a small job working as a Transfiguration specialist for the Auror office as Lily begrudgingly stayed at home. As much as she loved her son she was quite put out staying home by herself all day. They were still fugitives, but well hidden with only select Order members aware of their position.
"Welcome Professor!" she exclaimed as she led him to their small sitting room. Her boredom had led to quite a spic and span home, almost "Dursley-ish" as the pair would call it, jokingly using her sister's married surname. "Tell us, what news is so important you needed to come all the way over here for?"
They both looked older than they should, he noticed. Each were only twenty-one years old and yet he could see from lack of sleep (a combination of their delicate situation and new positions as parents he was sure) and worry that their faces seemed to have aged prematurely. And they were obviously, and rightfully so, concerned as he rarely made house calls.
"I apologize that I must speak to you so frankly, but we haven't much timeā¦" he started slowly, "What I am about to tell you, you must not tell anyone, not even your closest friends. Do you understand me? Your discretion is vital to your survival and the survival of your son."
At the mention of Harry, they became even more serious and agreed. Fear began to clutch at them, and they took each other's hands for support.
"It has come to my attention that Lord Voldemort has increased his efforts in finding your family. Don't ask me why, but I have a source very close to the situation who has discovered that Voldemort is looking for every avenue to locate you and likely will come for you personally. Your current arrangement is not going to be enough to stave him off. The way things are now, he will find you, and likely very soon."
He had expected what came next, Lily and James were a quietly defiant couple. Dumbledore wondered if he should tell them exactly what, or more specifically who, was bringing this very real threat to their doorstep.
James was the first to speak, "So what do we do?"
"I have something, a spell, that can protect you and your family. So no one may find you. But it comes at a cost that I think you will not like." Dumbledore said slowly.
"And that is?" Lily asked quietly.
"The Fidelus Charm," he answered, "your location will be enclosed as a secret in a soul of someone you trust. As long as they do not share, even if Voldemort stood on your impeccably trimmed hedge, he will never find you. Lily, I do believe your charming ability is certainly proficient to conduct this spell."
It sounded clear cut, but something weighed on James' mind, "And the price, Professor?"
"Albus, please James," Dumbledore corrected, "we have surpassed the teacher-student relationship by now, I think. And the price is that in order to prevent the Fidelus Charm from being broken, you must not leave this home, at least until the danger has passed. It is too risky, and Voldemort will discover what is happening."
Lily's heart dropped. There was no way that James would agree to such terms.
"Deal." She was shocked to hear her husband's voice say the word.
He seemed to read her mind as they made eye contact, "This is the way to save Harry," he said simply, "to save him from living without a mother and a father. My freedom is a small price to pay for that."
And with that, he stood and walked with purpose into the other room. As he reentered, Lily noticed the shimmering materials in his hands and instantly recognized his invisibility cloak.
"So I'm no longer tempted," he said quietly to Dumbledore, "I wish for you to hold on to this. Please keep it safe and lend it to no one, it has been passed down for centuries in my family."
Lily noticed Dumbledore's subtle amazement. It wa as if James had passed to him an incredible gift. But he seemed restrained as he replied, "I will guard it with my life."
There seemed nothing else to say, so the pair began to usher him out. Just as he was leaving, he asked quietly, "I can assume you will choose someone most trustworthy to keep your secret? Mr. Black, perhaps?"
James smiled and nodded, "Likely, yes."
And Dumbledore gave him a knowing smile and disapparated from the stoop.
Epilogue
James and Lily Potter did not survive to year's end. On Halloween night 1981 they were murdered in their home by none other than Lord Voldemort. They were never made aware that the reason he was hunting them was a prophecy he had overheard and interpreted to reference their son, Harry. The prophecy, which Voldemort did not receive in its entirety, spoke of a boy born to defiant parents in July. They also would never discover that it was Severus Snape who had turned to the side of good and warned Dumbledore of their impending doom.
The Fidelus Charm was broken when they chose Peter Pettigrew instead of Sirius at the last second. Sirius knew that he was a target already and thought it would be a trick play. Instead, the witless Pettigrew betrayed the Potters almost immediately.
Harry Potter did survive the attack on his family home. Lily Potter sacrificed herself by standing between the dark wizard and her son after James was killed fighting him off. When he turned to the child, Voldemort's killing curse rebounded upon him instead of killing the infant, rendering him useless and allowing the child to escape with his life.
Upon confirming the deaths, Dumbledore assumed Sirius had betrayed the family and sent Rubeus Hagrid to collect Harry before his godfather. When Sirius was denied custody, he went into a rage after seeing his best friends' bodies and sought out Peter to confront him. He found the traitor on a busy street and was about to turn him in when Pettigrew cursed the street behind him and killed 12 muggles, cut off a finger and stupefied his old friend. An unregistered Animagus like his friends, Peter transformed into a rat and positioned himself with an Order family, the Weasleys, becoming a pet. Sirius would be convicted with no trial for the murders Pettigrew committed, as well that of his turncoat friend, and spend 12 years in Azkaban with the world believing he was a traitor and murderer.
He escaped when Harry was 13 and sought out his godson at Hogwarts, finally outing Peter and telling the truth of James and Lily's demise. The two finally were able to begin a relationship, but in a twist of fate Peter escaped and Sirius was forced to remained in hiding.
Sirius died two years later at the hands of his cousin Bellatrix while protecting his godson in the halls of the Department of Mysteries. Remus Lupin died two years following in the Battle of Hogwarts fighting next to his young wife, Nymphadora Tonks. His own son, Theodore "Teddy" Lupin, was only a year old at the time. Peter Pettigrew was killed by his own hand the same year.
Harry Potter grew to adulthood a hero, eventually completing his parents' goal and defeating Lord Voldemort. Most of his early childhood he spent at the home with Lily's sister, Petunia Dursley. It was a miserable childhood until he was informed of his heritage as a wizard and began his career at Hogwarts. Potter did not complete his schooling, dropping out after the death of his mentor Albus Dumbledore at the end of his sixth year. After the defeat of Voldemort, he became a famous Auror with his best friend Ronald Weasley. He married Ginevra (Ginny) Weasley, Molly and Arthur Weasley's youngest child and only daughter, and with her had three children: James, Lily and Albus.
