Author's Note:

Thanks to everyone to reviewed and put this on alert! I really appreciate all of it.

So, I realized I made a slight mistake in the prologue and I thought I should set you all straight. I said James was three - really, he's almost three. (and I've been thinking he was almost four this whole time =P) I also said Albus was two - he's one and a half.

I'm not sure it would be easier to try and come up with new birth dates for the boys to make them older, so I'm just going to stick with how things are now.

-chapter one-

the morning after

"I don't see anyone."

"Neither do I."

"Do you think they're all in the house?"

"No. I can't feel any magic left. They're gone."

Four men stood behind a grouping of trees that hid them from the small clearing in the woods, and the rustic cabin that stood there. Fresh snow covered every inch of ground and gave them a good idea of where the attackers had gone from the sets of footprints.

Neville was quiet throughout this exchange. He'd been unlucky enough to be with Kingsley, Charlie and Dennis at headquarters when Harry's patronus had come. Being here, wand drawn and ready to pounce, reminded him of being an auror. They were not the most enjoyable years of his life, and did he did not want to be reminded of them now, when had had neither Harry nor Ron by his side. And, if worse came to worse, it looked like he never would again.

Pushing past the others, he headed out into the clearing silently. The front door was missing, blown off its hinges, but that didn't deter him. He'd seen it numerous times before. He walked calmly into the house and looked around. The fire, the only source of light, lit the room eerily. Furniture had been broken, couches slashed, holes blasted into walls - almost as if someone was looking for something.

There were two bodies on the floor. Neville didn't need to look at the faces to know it was Harry and Ginny. Waving his wand in their general direction, a white sheet appeared and covered them. Charlie didn't need to see his sister like that.

He started down the hall just as he heard footsteps on the porch. The others were coming in. Neville made quick work of searching the two bedrooms and bathroom. When he returned to the main room, Kingsley was reading something by the firelight and Charlie and Dennis were just returning from the kitchen.

"All clear," said Charlie. There was a slight waver to his voice.

Neville nodded.

"Neville," Kingsley called. "See if you can make anything out of this." He handed him one of the documents he'd been reading. From the header, it appeared to be a will. Kingsley point to the second paragraph.

'Month, day, year. LL - Jan, seventh. Nursery.'

"'LL?'" Charlie repeated, reading over Neville's shoulder. "What's LL?"

"Lily Luna," said Neville. "They always said they'd name their daughter that, didn't they?"

"But Ginny wasn't pregnant."

"Yes, she was. Harry sent me a letter a few months ago. He told me then." Neville looked back down the hallway, to the door of the nursery. "I think I might know what she wants."

He ran down the hall with the others following closely behind.

"What's James' birthday?" he asked as he pulled the area rug to the side of the room.

"April tenth," Charlie answered.

"And Albus'?"

"August thirty-first."

"All right. Fourth month and the tenth day of 2005. Four, ten, zero, five." A circle appeared on the floor. One third of it disappeared, leaving a small hole. "Eight, thirty-one, zero, six." Another third vanished, but the hole still wasn't big enough for someone to slip through.

Neville looked down at the will. "One, seven, zero, eight." The last bit of the circle was gone, leaving behind a flight of stairs. The wizards rushed downstairs and found the Potter children asleep.

:-:

Molly knew even before the team returned to headquarters that Harry and Ginny were gone.

When she and Arthur moved into the Potter house to look after everyone coming and going, she brought her enchanted grandfather clock with her. It had been modified many times over the years. Fred had been taken off long ago, but many new hands had been added. She hadn't been able to take her eyes away from the two stuck on 'Dead' for over an hour, willing them to move.

She was still trying to convince Arthur that there was a glitch in the magic when Kingsley, Charlie, Neville and Dennis, the older three each carrying a child. Without a word, they marched upstairs and deposited in the children in the two smaller bedrooms that had belonged to the boys months before.

"What happened?" Arthur asked, holding his teary-eyed wife.

"He found them," Charlie said quietly, dropping into a chair. "They're gone."

"How?" Molly cried. "Ron was protecting them. He wouldn't have betrayed them." She turned to Kingsley. "He wouldn't."

"I know, Molly. There are a million different ways they could have been found. Ron may not be involved. But I have to bring him to the Ministry, okay? I'll do everything I can for him."

"Okay."

Kingsley turned for the door, pulling Dennis along with him.

"I'm going to need your help, Creevey."

When they had gone, everyone took seats around the living room. They were silent for a few minutes before Arthur remembered something.

"Who's the baby?" he asked.

"Lily," Neville told him. "She was born on the ninth." Molly began to cry harder.

"Those p-poor babies," she stuttered. "Arthur, we need to ... to tell everyone."

"Tomorrow. We need to get some rest first." He pulled her up from the couch. "Charlie, Neville, stay overnight if you want."

Neville stood as well. "Thank you, Arthur. But I think I should go home. Hannah will be worried."

"Come back tomorrow morning," Molly said to him. "Both of you. Please."

He agreed just as Dennis apparated into the room carrying a little sleeping red-haired girl.

"Kingsley had to take Hermione in as well. He was hoping you could watch Rose until the morning."

"Of course." Molly took the baby in her arms and going upstairs. Arthur thanked the men and followed her.

:-:

Molly was awake before anyone else the next morning. She'd barely slept at all, and she knew Arthur had fallen asleep late, so she let him be and went to check on the children.

The girls were still asleep as well. Lily, looking so much like her mother already that it nearly killed Molly to look at her, was lying in Albus' crib. Little Rose was sleeping in a second crib that Molly had conjured the night before.

In James' room, the boys were together on the toddler bed, the oldest just waking up.

"Gan-ma?" he said sleepily, spying her in the doorway.

"I'm here, sweetie."

"Where Mummy?"

Molly smiled at him, planning to ignore the question for as long as possible.

"Are you hungry, honey? I was just about to make some pancakes. I could use some help..."

"Okay!" the boy slid off the bed and ran over to Molly, who shushed him.

"Let's not wake your brother just yet."

Having to enlarge some of the clothes left behind in the room, Molly got James dressed quietly and led him out into the hall. He looked into the nursery as they passed by and wanted to stop when he spotted Rose, but his grandmother pulled him along.

A few minutes later, while James ate his pancakes and a large stack sat under a warming charm until Arthur woke up, Molly set to work on writing notes. Bill, Percy and George had to be notified, of course. But she also wrote to Andromeda Tonks, Luna Lovegood, Rubeus Hagrid and Headmistress McGonagall, knowing Harry and Ginny had treated them all as family. Everyone else could wait.

When Arthur finally came downstairs, James had just finished eating and ran to greet his grandfather. But while the old man was thankful the boy still recognized him after being away for months, James had not forgotten who was missing from the reunion.

"Where Daddy, Grandpa?"

The adults shared a look. Arthur led James in the living room and Molly followed. They sat him between them on the couch.

"James, did your father ever tell you where his parents are?" Arthur asked.

The toddler nodded. "In Heaven, with Uncle Fred and Teddy's mummy and daddy."

"That's right. And you know what it means when someone goes to Heaven, right?"

"Mummy says we can't see them for long, long time." He smiled, knowing he'd gotten another answer right. Though he couldn't understand why his grandparents looked so sad.

"Jamie, sweetie," Molly whispered, close to tears again as she pulled him onto her lap. "Your parents were in a terrible accident last night."

"They okay?"

"Yes, they're all right now. They've gone to live in Heaven."

Molly and Arthur waited for some sign that James had heard and understood them - a crying fit, maybe - but all they got was a quiet "Oh."

"Can Rosie play now?" he asked suddenly.

"I'm afraid not," said Kingsley, who was standing just behind the couch. "I didn't want to interrupt," he explained. "But I have to take Rose home now."

"I'll take you upstairs," Arthur offered.

When they reached the landing, Arthur pulled the Minister into an empty room.

"What's going on? Did you question them?"

Kingsley ran a hand over his bald head. "They were given Veritaserum. No time for a trial, you understand." The redhead nodded. "Hermione's shock when hearing about the deaths was genuine, and she told the truth when she said she knew nothing about the planning of the attack. She's been sent home."

"And Ron?"

"I'm sorry, Arthur. He pleaded guilty to giving up their location. There was no remorse, no hint of sadness, it ... it didn't seem anything like Ron. The guards have been sent for. He'll be taken to Azkaban tomorrow."

"Oh God, no."

"I'm sorry," the Minister repeated. "I have to go take Rose to Hermione now, but I'll be back in a few minutes. Is everyone on their way over?"

"Yes. Molly sent the notifications."

"Good. I found the wills last night. Normally I wouldn't push for them to be read so soon, but seeing as the children are involved..."

"Yes, all right. We'll prepare everyone."

Author's Note:

Okay, hope you all liked this. I know I probably offended a ton of people with Molly and Arthur's explanation to James, but I figure that wizards celebrate Christmas, so some of them must believe in God and Heaven. Plus, it's pretty much how my parents explained death to me.

I have a fair bit of chapter two done already (at least, the wills are written), but to keep you occupied until that's up, I highly recommend PrimroseAmelia's story Jase Potter and the Phoenix Syndrome and The Eleventh Marauder's James Potter and the Veil. Both were written for the same challenge as mine, and are fantastic and different takes on the idea.

-Lizzy