Disclaimer: First chapter.

"They're not bad people Lily." He was beyond wrong. They were absolutely terrible people. Some of the worst he had ever seen and they were forcing him to do this. Forcing him to give them his precious little baby girl because they wanted to hurt him.

"Those people are nothing but monsters James!" He wanted to agree with her. He wanted to just say yes and tell her everything but he couldn't. Not now and, hopefully, never.

He felt the mirror start to burn in his pocket.

"Just trust me on this Lily. Please." She had to.

"I don't want our daughter to have to grow up with those monsters around." And the stubborn woman he loved didn't want anything to do with their scheme. Merlin he loved her.

"She won't." It was the only thing he could make sure of. "I promise you she won't have to deal with anything like you did."

"What about Severus then?" The bastard Snivellous... Maybe Sirius was right when it came to letting him meet Moony on a bad night.

"I-I don't see how he matters here Lily." But he did. Severus hadn't exactly been silent over the years when he spoke with Lily. No amount of pleading could make him not tell the woman he respected the harsh truths of how important blood was in their world.

"He does James since he's a half-blood. He was one of the smartest kids I knew in Hogwarts. He was far from a bucket of sunshine but he wasn't like Lucius." She had a point, he could definitely concede to that. There were few who could actually match Severus Snape when it came to Potions and one of those who came close was currently talking about him. "That man treated him like trash because he was a half-blood and no one lifted a finger to help him. Our daughter is a half-blood just like him, and me, or have you already forgotten?"

"Lily, please just trust me on this. I would never hurt Kat. Never." Honesty was in his voice but she knew him too well. She must have known what was really happening.

"I'm not so sure now James." Her quiet words broke him more than seeing her tears ever could. "I can't deal with this or you right now."

"Lily! Lily! Come back! Merlin's beard..." She left the room no matter how loud he called for her. He was about to head out after her when he heard the pop of her Apparition. The near red hot mirror was wrenched out of his pocket. "What do you want Padfoot?"

"Am I interrupting something Prongs?" The bastard was smiling in it.

"...No." The lie was terrible even to his ears.

"I heard the shouting." His smile dropped ever so slightly, became that bit more forced and less natural.

"We weren't shouting. We were...we were having an intense disagreement." Merlin he was terrible at this.

"So, problems with your wife then Prongs? How can I help you and her so you two patch things up the fun way." And now the bastard was really smiling. "I'll even watch your little Kitty Kat for you."

"Just get here if you really want to take her." He was glad to hear some good news today at last. "Don't bother with the bike."

"AND I try to do something nice and you just have to ruin my fun don't you. Your Floo's open right?"

"To friends."

"I'm a friend right?"

"Just get over here Padfoot."

"Give me a few minutes. I've got to make sure Kreacher doesn't bring 'nice and sweet-better than nasty old dog-Mistress Bella' back."

"See you then."

James Potter pulled his head up from the small personal pensive he had dipped it in, snorting and sputtering as he tried to force imaginary water out of his lungs. He hunched over the side of the magical device, one hand reaching up to take off his glasses and rub at the hazel eyes beneath them. His fingers came away wet as the tears streaked down his face. He could only bury his face into his sleeve as the same thought struck him like every other time he observed the memory.

His last words with Lily were an argument. His stupid, idiotic, ridiculous plan was the last time they talked. He was such a failure to such a wonderful woman. He wouldn't let what happened to Lily happen to their little girl through. He would head to the Hospital Wing and make sure she would never have to suffer. He would make sure she was happy above all else, loved by whoever she fancied, and never in the same danger she was in when she was younger. He wouldn't allow anyone, not Merlin himself, to hurt Kat again.

It was at least what he thought before Kat woke up.

"James." Sirius met the father outside the Hospital Wing. He looked distraught, tears pouring from his eyes as he tried in vain to rub them out on the sleeve of his robe. He had failed time and time again judging from the wet spots dotting both. His glasses were askew and he seemed more akin to wanting to die than keep living.

"I'm such a fool Padfoot." James let his head fall back on the stone wall behind him. "I'm such a stupid, stupid fool."

"Merlin's beard James, what exactly happened in there?" Sirius leaned back on the wall next to his longtime friend. He knew what had happened. He knew precisely what had happened inside the Hospital Wing because Kat was Kat.

"She hates me. She screamed at me to get out and never come back because I killed Lily. She never wants to see me again. She screamed at me to go die somewhere if I wanted to be a father to her. A good father would kill himself and never talk to her again after I killed her mother."

"James..." Sirius didn't know what to say. He thought he did but he couldn't think of anything. It was pointless to even attempt to say anything to the distraught him before him. He could say nothing. He could do nothing but stand where he was. He could only silently support his best friend.

He could do so until he had to push the knife in deeper.

"What's going on in there now?"

"Pomfrey told me she's complaining about headaches. They haven't left her since she woke up but they're better than what she was going through earlier. She left a few minutes ago to get potions from the dungeon store after putting her to sleep." James took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes yet again and the Auror failed to stop the tears still. "She..."

"Come on James." Sirius laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "She can't hate her own father. Not after everything you've been doing for her."

"I've done nothing for her." The Auror let a humorless laugh escape him. "All I did was kill Lily, take the most wonderful woman in the world away from her."

"James, we know who killed Lily. It wasn't you. It will never be you."

"It was me. I did everything but cast the curse."

"The bastard who did it is in the ground, we all saw to that."

Silence reigned in the hall then. The only thing that broke it was the sudden sound of footsteps on the floor and both turned to see Pomfrey hurrying back, her wand out and levitating what had to be dozens of potions behind her. She was speaking to herself, no doubt letting her thoughts on Kat's condition be vocalized. She spoke about old scars, bruises, burns, recent scratches, her a smidgen unhealthy arm, her body weight, the girl's diet, and so many other things that Sirius eventually tuned it out.

"Pomphey!" He called out her name and almost immediately she shushed him.

"Mr. Black, you're right by the Hospital Wing! Be quiet." She whisper-shouted at him, a glare crossing her face before her eyes turned to James and a potion left the mass hanging above her head. "Mr. Potter, you can do with one of my specialties. It'll help you clear your head with all that's happened recently."

"I don't need it." James would have normally said such a thing but in this case he gladly accepted the potion. He uncorked the stopper and threw his head back to down the vile sludge inside the bottle. Immediately he felt back against the wall and Pomphey flicked her wands and stopped the bottle from falling from suddenly loose fingers

"That's a strong potion."

"A bit of one of Severus's stronger Calming Draught. Mixed it with something to help him relax too." James was nearly asleep on his feet as Pomphey opened the doors to the infirmary with a stab of her wand. "Help me get him inside Mr. Black."

"I feel like I'm back in school more and more ever since I showed up here." Sirius threw James over one shoulder, the Black easily able to carry his best friend to the bed the Matron pointed out and gently sat him down on it. He let out an exaggerated breath as he sat down on the bed next to him. "I'm beat Pomphey. This day is filled with too much work for me."

"Sirius." The potions settled themselves down around Kat and parchment flew out of the nurse's office with quills following after them as she waved her wand back and forth through the air, a shower of sparks cascading down on the parchment as they passed underneath. "I don't need you hogging one of my beds just because you feel particularly lazy today. Need I remind you that I don't forget things easily?"

"I still deny that it was what it looked like."

"You had two Seventh Year girls down to their knickers on that bed specifically. On the one next to it you had a Sixth Year a few months before those two. All, might I add, when you were just a Fifth Year yourself." Her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes drilled Sirius to his spot. "Do you want me to go backwards or forward down memory lane from there?"

"Could we just stop?" Sirius knew she wouldn't and prepared himself for the Stinging Hex Pomphey would inevitably send at his jewels.

"You can stay and not hear me talk about your little exploits anymore only if you help me." Pomphey flicked her wand and most of the potions around Kat settled around him after a brief trip through the air. A stack of parchment came with it along with a multitude of small cups. "Measure out Ms. Potter's daily potion intake for the next few days from my instructions while I see to a few Order members still in my care."

"I wish I had a potion like James." Sirius wasn't really complaining as he took up the parchment in one hand and drew up the first bottle. It was one of Pomphey's unique potions and he read over the instructions for it after matching the label on it to a name on the parchment.

"You'll get one when you finish." Pomphey walked off into a deeper part of the Hospital Wing and Sirius watched her go.

The marks denoting his Vow burned as he drew his wand and leveled it at Kat.

"Sorry about this Kitty Kat."

AN: Still getting the flaming chicken or phoenix vibe from this thing. Either way, it's a bird on fire.