Chapter 2: October 31, 1981

Life at the Potter's was great. I was with people who loved me and I loved them back, even if I couldn't tell them.

James had decided to name me James Jr. Lily had sighed and said that I couldn't be names after him. James had argued that "at least I didn't name Harry Prongs Jr." And the matter was settled.

The day after the party, Peter had been made Secret-keeper. I sat in the living room and watched as Peter, Remus, Sirius, James, Lily did something with the Fidilous Charm? Filidious Charm? Something like that. They had decided not to tell Dumbledore, whoever that was. I watched tensely, because I knew this was a big mistake. I don't know how, I don't know why, but something told me, No! Don't make Peter the Secret-keeper! But they did. And I didn't like it. I didn't trust Peter.

But, on a happier note: One of the best parts about living in the Potter's house was that they never left. It was great. Sirius, Remus and Peter would sometimes visit. Peter always looked nervous, his right arm would sometimes scratch his inner left forearm. It seemed kind of weird, but I thought it was a bad sign.

I soon came to realize that these people were all wizards and witches, like my previous owner. That would explain James's trouble with Muggle money, his Apparating and Disapparating, the fact that three of them could turn into animals, one was a werewolf and why each of them always whipped out wands.

Sirius and I had formed a special friendship. I found that kind of funny, because I was a cat and he was a dog (sort of). But we got along great. He would change into a dog and chase me around the house while James laughed and Lily yelled at us. We would race each other up the steps and sometimes even play tug of war with a rope.

Harry and I also had a good thing going. We liked to play this game called, "Try to kill the cat with a toy broomstick." It was great. Harry would hop on the broom and zoom around the living room, right at me. I would run away, obviously, and he would chase me. It was fun, but if it got out of hand, I would hide under the couch.

Sometime near the beginning of October, James had gotten upset about losing something. He had had to send an owl with a package and he was really disgruntled after that.

Remus was really nice too. It was hard to believe that Sirius thought he was a trader. He was probably the nicest werewolf I had ever met. Okay, so he was the only werewolf I had ever met, but, if I had to guess… he was the nicest. On every full moon, Remus, James, Sirius and Peter would go somewhere for a few nights. That was the only time James ever left, and Lily didn't even get mad.

Well, it was the only time James had ever left, until Halloween.

James was sitting at the table on Halloween morning carving a pumpkin. I sat on the table watching him. He claimed that you should carve on Halloween, that way they look fresh on the "big day."

It wasn't very good, but if you looked closely, you could just make out the rough shape of a stag, dog, rat and wolf. I thought it was the best pumpkin ever.

"Y'know, Lily," James said to his wife, who was washing the dishes, "we should go out tonight."

Lily nearly dropped a plate, "Seriously, James? Go out?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, no."

"C'mon, you let me go out on full moons," James argued.

"Yes, I do. But that's because a) you're helping a friend and I care about Remus, b) because you're in your Animagus form and the Death Eaters are less likely to recognize you," she explained.

"It's just one night," James reasoned as he worked on the stag's antlers.

Lily looked as though she was really tempted. I wanted to change her mind. I wanted them to stay. They couldn't go, they might get killed. And I couldn't lose them.

"Mm… I guess you are right… just one night. Right?" she asked.

"Right," James beamed.

No! I thought, don't go! It's dangerous! That's the one thing I hate about being a cat. You can't talk. You can't warn the people you love or try to save them. Dogs can bark, I can purr. A purr is not usually an indication of danger.

That night, the Potters set out, leaving the security of their house for the first time since they went into hiding. They wrapped little Harry up in a blue blanket and put him in a baby stroller that they probably never used. James and Lily put on black coats and scarves and pulled on their boots.

They walked to the door and I followed them every step of the way. James looked back and smiled. Then he scratched my head. "We'll be back bud," he whispered, "I promise." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than me. He sighed and closed the door.

I waited tensely, practically counting down the minutes until they returned. I paced up and down the mantel, I batted Harry's stuffed deer and scratched the carpet anxiously. I was half hoping that maybe Sirius would come along, so I would have company. Someone to help get me through this. But he was probably out with his best friend. Remus and Peter probably were too. Not that I wanted Peter's company, mind you.

And finally, after a million years, the Potter's came back. Words could not even describe how happy I was to see them; I jumped up and down like a dog when they walked in. James sat wearily down on the couch, as if he too, was relieved they were alive.

The family passed the time by watching James make colored rings of colorful smoke with his wand. Harry giggled and Lily smiled. But that happy feeling didn't last long.

Halloween was the night it all went wrong. It was as if he was waiting for them to come back. But how he knew where they were…

The doorknob clicked. James sat up quickly, tensely and alertly. Lily caught her breath and held Harry closer to her chest. And then there was this loud explosion sound and half of the house was blasted to pieces. James screamed, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily bolted up the stairs while the intruder laughed maliciously. James screamed, and I heard something hit the floor mixed with the sounds of more high, cold laughter. Heart racing, I ran as fast as my stubby legs would carry me out of the house and into the cold night, listening to the yelling, crying and cruel laughter fade behind me. I turned and saw blinding green light flash through the upstairs windows and a woman screaming. Fearing the worst, I turned away and ran into the nearby woods.

As dawn approached, I found myself running hopelessly and desperately back to the house. It was now almost completely destroyed, and now there was a giant crater in the street. Police cars surrounded the area and there were several bodies on the floor. My heart pounding in my head, I shot towards the house, afraid of what I was going to see, but unable to turn away. And what I saw made me feel as though someone had just run a knife through my heart.

James Potter was lying dead on the floor. I ran over to him, trying to convince myself that this was just a bad dream, James wasn't really dead, no way. But I knew it was no use. James was gone. A lump formed in my throat as I looked at him and suddenly my legs felt numb. But I went all the way over to him and curled up on his chest, not caring that he was gone, I was going to stay with him.

But when I woke up, I wasn't with him. Some old lady was carrying me down a crowded colorful street, full of Wizarding stores, full of people gossiping.

"Did you hear about the Potters?"

"And their son?"

"Harry Potter! It's a miracle he survived."

"It's a miracle all right! You-Know-Who! He's gone!"

"And vanquished by a baby. Man, that's gotta hurt your self-esteem."

That almost made me happy. Harry was still alive. But none of these people seemed to care that James and Lily were dead. In fact, they sounded happy. It didn't matter that the two best people in the world were dead…as long as this You-Know-Who guy's out of the way. It was disgusting.

"But that sick Sirius Black!" some woman exclaimed in a whisper to her friend, who nodded her head.

"Why he would do such a horrible thing… He was James's best friend. And Peter's too."

"It's such a relief he's in Azkaban."

"Yes, but without trial."

"Trial?! Barbara! That man betrayed his best friend to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he killed another one of them—all they found of poor Peter was a finger—and not to mention, he blasted twelve Muggles to their deaths. Trial! Bah!"

Hold on a minute. Sirius did what? There was no way. Sirius couldn't have betrayed James, he wasn't Secret-keeper…

Peter! That dirty, rotten, lying rat! I thought, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. He shouldn't have been made Secret-keeper. Peter told this He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named dude where James and Lily were. That's how he had found them! Thinking about it again tied my heart in painful knots.

And then he tried to frame Sirius! And Sirius was sitting in jail, an innocent man. He was suffering for stupid Peter. And Peter faking his own death… it was sick—cutting off his own finger.

I was so angry, it felt like I was going to catch fire. James, the only man who had even bothered to look at me, was dead and it was all Peter's fault. And Sirius was sitting in jail because of him. And to top it all off, everyone was pitying him—Oh, poor little Peter, blasted to pieces by that insane, devilish Sirius Black.

If I ever saw that rat again…

"Come now, Honey Pie," the old woman sang, smacking me out of my trans, "Let's get you something to eat."

A/N: Hoped you liked it! And if you did, don't forget to follow/review! Thanks for reading!

:D