Lily laughed as she jiggled Harry up and down on her knee. He giggled in delight and reached up to yank on her hair. She kissed his forehead and set him down on the counter, and retrieved the scissors. He needed a haircut. Again. Why he had to have James's hair, Lily would never know. Sighing, she desperately smoothed her hand over it, trying to make it lie flat.

"That won't work, you know."

Lily turned to see James standing in the doorway, brushing snow out of his own messy black hair.

She smiled, "This hair has a mind of it's own. Let's just be glad he's not a girl or we'd have many fits."

James walked over and kissed his wife and son, "Look what Sirius got the little devil!" he said gleefully, pulling a miniature broomstick out from behind his back.

Lily pressed her hand to her heart, "I am going to kill him! Under no circumstances is my son to become a quidditch player!"

James grinned, "Well he's my son, too, and of course he's going to become a quidditch player!" James placed Harry on the broom, and he zoomed around the house happily, while James chased after him. Lily snapped a picture, and sighing, leaned against the kitchen counter and watched them. Why on earth would anyone want to break up this happy scene? She watched her beloved husband chase her son, laughing happily, and her heart ached. How could she stand losing either of them? Why would anyone ever want to hurt a child? And why her child? Tears leaked out of her eyes. Yes, Dumbledore said there was no need to worry, but how could she not? Her family, her not necessarily perfect but just as loved family was in danger, and she hated anyone who could be as coldhearted as to ruin this perfect picture.

--

Emmeline sat in the dark, her head resting on the table.

"Em?" Sirius walked in the door, and turned on the light, "How are you doing?"

Emmeline sniffed, "Sirius, my best friend died right in front of me, and now my friends are in danger of dying as well. How can I be well?"

Sirius hooked her hair behind her ear, "It'll be all right."

Emmeline shrugged, "What are you doing here, Sirius?"

Sirius shrugged right back, "I wanted to see if you were all right."

She sighed, "Don't pretend, Sirius. You're just here to see if I want to go back with you now that Gideon's gone."

He kissed her temple, "Well, dear, you did say best friend."

She turned her head and kissed him full on the lips, but after a moment, pulled away, "Sirius, it's just too hard. I can't deal being with you, and also, you could be a little more sensitive."

He kissed her again, "Em, I love you."

She sighed, "And I love you, but it just won't work, ok, Sirius? I'm sorry." She stood up and left to go into the light, leaving Sirius in the dark.

--

Sirius looked hard at Remus as they stood across from each other in their apartment.

"Tell it to me straight, Remus," started Sirius, unable to keep the snarl from creeping into his voice, "Are you the betrayer?"

Remus gaped, "Padfoot, how could you think that?! I'm your best friend!"

Sirius glared, "I would have liked to trust you, but Remus, why do you keep going down to visit the werewolves? You know they're in league with Voldemort."

Remus gasped, "Because I want to turn them to our side, to show them that they can have a better life! They're just misguided."

"They're enemies!" roared Sirius, still glowering at Remus.

Remus threw a punch and Sirius fell to the floor, "Trust, padfoot. Your friends would never betray you."

Sirius's lip started bleeding, but he didn't care, he struggled up onto his elbows from the floor, and glared up at Remus, "Oh, I dont know, you may have betrayed things because you were angry that I was named godfather instead of you?"

Remus shook his head in disgust, "If you think I would be traitorous for such a silly reason as that, then maybe you're not my friend at all. If you think you can talk to me this way, or that I would ever do something like that to you, or to Emmeline, or to Lily and and James or to Harry, then you should be deeply ashamed of yourself." with that, he turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.

--

Lily sat with James in the living room, his arms around her as they stared at the fire.

"I love you so much, Jamie." she murmured, kissing him.

He smiled down at her, "You know how I feel."

Lily shrugged, "Well it's nice to hear it, all the same."

He grinned, "Well then, Lily Evans, I love you with all of my heart, and with all of my soul, and I would do everything and anything for you."

She laughed, "Let's not overdo it."

Suddenly the door slammed open, and a tall figure with a white face and shrouded in black robes stood in the doorway. Lily screamed.

James stood up and pulled out his wand. Firing curses at Voldemort, he yelled for Lily to go get Harry.

Lily dashed towards the stairs, but taking one look back, she saw a streak of green shoot towards James, and her beloved, cherished husband fall to the ground. "NO!" she screamed. Her husband. James, jamie. No, this couldn't be happening! What would she do without him? But there was still one person she loved just as much, and that she had to protect. She streaked up the stairs and flung open the door to Harry's room.

She stood in front of his crib, picking him up and cradling him in her arms. Voldemort came in the room and with a bang, her wand cracked in two.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, waving her now useless wand threateningly at the pallid face in front of her.

He laughed, a high, soft, cold, laugh, "Do you really believe that I would obey you, silly girl? I'm here to kill your son, not for anything else."

She let out a heaving sob and stepped in front of her son, "No! Take me. Not Harry! Kill me instead! Take me, not Harry! Please!"

He held up his wand, his white face livid, and his scarlet eyes slits of vehemence. Her face turned nearly as chalk white as his as she stared at the wand pointed directly at her heart. She circled her arms around Harry.

"Move aside, mudblood," snarled Voldemort, "I will spare you. Step aside!"

She shook her head, making her red curls go flying, "Never! I won't ever let you get him."

"As you wish mudblood." And with a flash of green, she fell to the floor right in front of Harry's eyes.

a/n: yes. it's the end, after 23 chapters. I hope you liked it, please please please review, it would be fantastic. I am starting a Sirius fanfiction, so look out for that, under character one, Sirius, character 2, Dorcas, and under romance, and under in-progress. Please go read that! Author name: deathtodiscotexasliberalweirdo!