First, thank you for the response. I was happy to see all the favs, follows, and reviews for my story. Second, thank you to my beta, Golden Joy. Third, please read the notes below; they will give an update on when I'm posting the next chapter.


Godric's Hollow, October 1981

James's mind was pounding as his awareness attempted to make sense of the visions hammering their way through his mind with about as much delicacy as a bludger. No, not visions; they were memories that belonged to him, but how co-?

Another memory smashed through his mind, he bit through his lip because of the acute pain, and James questioned if these memories would drive him insane or kill him before it ended. Already other memories were pressing in, and he soon stopped doubting everything as he struggled to survive the onslaught. Belatedly grasping, these memories were from his past, when he was Namikaze Minato, and they were tearing into the life he'd built for himself as James Potter, shattering his present existence as it were.

It was Christmas; he was celebrating their fourth Christmas with his mum and dad. However, their cherished features shifted until it was Namikaze Lian, his mother. Waving and smiling at him before she left for a mission, never to return and leaving him an orphan at the age of four. He'd just gotten a solid jab on that greasy git Snivellus, causing Lily to glare at him angrily. In the same manner when she caught him gaping as their classmates called her a tomato. Professor McGonagall praised him for a job well-done and rewarded Gryffindor with ten points. Again, it changed; now he was looking at his hands, which were covered in blood as he tried to scrub away the evidence from his first kill. Jiraiya-sensei had stopped beside him; his hand was gentle as he dropped it upon his shoulder and spoke calmly. James was attempting and failing miserably to make his and Lily's first date momentous while she smiled at his antics. Now he watched in horror as his ramen spilled onto Kushina, thoroughly embarrassed at how horrible their first date was, even though she merely laughed and called him a dork. He was dueling beside Sirius as they kept the Death Eaters at bay, attempting to give Alice more time to get Frank the medical attention he needed before he bled to death. Except now it wasn't a wand in hand but a kunai as he used it to slice through throats, not stopping as he continuously teleported. Using his grandfather's technique, he slaughtered one Rock-nin after another, not stopping even as their faces began to blur, and he was forced to lock away all emotions to keep his sanity. It continued, even as James attempted to block it because he didn't want this; he didn't want to remember being Namikaze Minato, who'd been an utter failure. A man who couldn't protect his teammate. Sani, was killed because he wasn't fast enough, so he pushed the hiraishin beyond what his grandfather created. One of his students sacrificed her life to protect their village, while the other became a monster that nearly destroyed it. Bringing forward his last failure, the night his happiness turned to ash.

Despite his mental pleas for it to end, the onslaught rolled on, and he watched with sick fascination as Obito Killed hundreds in his madness. Even as he fought to stop him, it wasn't enough. Ultimately, he and Kushina were killed, and Naruto was orphaned. He tried to resist what followed, but it was useless; he was thrust into a never-ending nightmare as the Underworld attempted to break his mind. Endless deaths, visions of his loved ones, and his many failures throughout life were never-ending torments he repeatedly suffered. The Underworld virtually succeeded in breaking him, with only an angry biju and sheer pigheadedness keeping him from giving in to the torment. Finally, the memories stopped, and Minato- no, James, he repeated in a tone that shook minutely as he carefully opened his eyes. The agony and turmoil Minato felt as he tried sorting his mind into some semblance of sanity left him trembling, noting off-handily that he was bleeding rather severely and turning paler by the second.

"You needed those memories." Minato ignored his trembling and forced himself to look at Kurama, who watched him intently with red-slitted eyes that showed regret. Before, the biju lost the softness, now looking thoroughly irritable. "Now that I saved your sorry ass, why don't you act like the Yondaime Hokage and kill that maggot." Kurama then shrugged nonchalantly, "since you'll become an annoyance if that pathetic rodent manages to kill Kushina and your newest spawn." His head tilted, studying him shrewdly, "or you bleed to death." Minato, no, his name was James, except James wouldn't kill unless it was absolutely necessary. However, Minato would.

With that assurance, he forced himself to block out the remaining pain and confusion. He refocused his thoughts with the same intensity, which saw him survive battle after battle—noting the duplicate that bore his likeness beside him. Kurama's creation, his mind supplied as he continued looking for a weapon, preferably a kunai since he wanted to ensure Voldemort suffered terribly before killing him. Minato's mind jumped to the five points within the human body that worked perfectly for torture. Being directly linked to the body's pain receptors would ensure Voldemort's suffering was exceedingly nasty.

He then winced when he stood, pain stabbing at his body from the cruciatus and cutting curses Voldemort used, along with the memory relapse, which made focusing difficult. Minato- no, James had magic, not chakra, which meant he couldn't shove a rasengan into that monster's head when he finished the torture. Nor did he have any kunais. However, his wand remained where it landed when Voldemort disarmed him. Although he wanted to ensure Voldemort suffered before he killed him when he heard Kushina's voice and Naruto's panicked cries, he re-evaluated his decision. Minato understood ending this quickly with the killing curse was his best option.

He picked up his wand and firmly pushed his pain down using a mind technique that he perfected in ANBU. And began moving swiftly with silent footsteps, which had made him such an effective killer. Minato focused on the monster in the doorway of his son's nursery, demanding Kushina move. His mind screamed at the sight, jumping to the night Naruto was born, and he continued forward because Minato wasn't going to lose Kushina or his son to another monster. With this certainty, Mina- James stepped behind Voldemort.


Lily never faltered in the face of Voldemort's threats; her gaze held no trace of her internal distress because she wouldn't allow this monster to perceive any weakness. However, what she kept bottled up and didn't allow to surface was the pain of recognizing her husband was dead.

To think that showboating, irritating, beloved toerag of hers was gone made her feel like someone had ripped out her heart and trampled on it for good measure. Although James had done nothing but infuriate her when they were children, over time, her irritation with James turned into admiration, and eventually, even this shifted into love.

A love deeper than she imagined possible because when they were together, it felt like they were two pieces that fit naturally. They knew each other's thoughts without asking, keeping the other in check when she lost her temper or James became too boastful. Now it's gone. James was gone. Merlin, it hurt even to contemplate reality without her husband. Although, a greater part of her wanted to follow James into oblivion. Lily couldn't do that; Harry needed her.

The portkey was not working, possibly blocked by a counter-charm by Voldemort, which should be impossible. However, they'd prepared for this eventuality; James had devised several counter-measures for this scenario. Ultimately, she, Peter, and Sirius lowered the number to the portkey, which was set for Hogwarts and James's invisibility cloak if both the fidelius charm and portkey failed. Except the invisibility cloak was missing; it was not under Harry's crib where they placed it for emergencies, and worse, she couldn't find her blasted wand. Before she could search in earnest, her time ran out, and Voldemort appeared within the doorway of Harry's nursery.

However, he didn't kill her. Instead, Voldemort demanded that she move. This was the third time he made that demand, except Lily, wouldn't budge. The bloody git could drop dead for all she cared. Lily would never abandon Harry, nor diminish the sacrifice James provided them, and would bravely face down this monster to protect their son just as she was about to voice another refusal.

Lily's protest died when her eyes alighted upon James…!

He appeared so swiftly behind Voldemort, like something from a dream, that she questioned if it was her husband standing there. James had always been fast, it's what made him such a brilliant duelist and Quidditch player, but in that instant, his movements seemed almost superhuman. And his appearance did not help. Blood was streaming freely from a deep cut across his midsection while the growing bruises along his brow stood out glaringly against his paling skin. However, it was his features and eyes that haunted Lily.

James always wore his heart on his sleeve; because of this, he'd never been much of a liar or, as she believed, never cared for it. But right now, she could see nothing. His features were an eerie emotionless mask that watched Voldemort with blank detachment. While his hazel eyes, which usually held warmth, love, or fierceness, showed naught, but a deadness that frightened her, because it made her doubt this was indeed James.

Voldemort caught on to her surprise and began to turn around, but James never gave him a chance to counter. Instead, his tone gave no inflection, while his wand point remained fixed on Voldemort, "Avada Kedavra." Spoken with no hesitation, hitting Voldemort square in the back before he could do anything.

When that horrifying green light encased Voldemort's form, he shrieked. It was such a horrible sound. Lily had to cover her ears before she moved to shield Harry. But looking from the corner of her eye as she looped her arms around Harry to pull him close, Lily could see Voldemort was warping. It was an odd sight, like something was tearing him apart, but that shouldn't happen. Lily had been there when Voldemort killed Dorcas with the killing curse. She had dropped dead, her features still as a stone; this warping didn't happen!

Before she could question the significance of this detail, Voldemort detonated into a listless black cloud of dust and smoke that rose upwards from his fallen robes. This dust coalesced into a face that showed only rage and hate, directed solely at her husband, who watched it with dead eyes. Another screech that sounded oddly like her husband's name exploded throughout the room, the cloud following its wake, going in every direction. Lily tightened her grip around Harry and pressed herself close to shield him as best she could, even as he cried.

That awful screech grew in volume, causing an explosion that shattered the windows, and pushed her violently into Harry's cribbed before it abruptly died off; that's when Harry began to scream. Lily leaned back to get a better look at her son but found no evident damage until she spotted the odd scar on his forehead. How did he get that? She wondered as she studied the mark. It was shaped strangely, almost like a lightning bolt, red and irritated; again, she questioned how Harry had gotten it. The scar wasn't there when she jumped forward to shield him, and she'd blocked anything from touching her son afterward, so how?

"Kushina…"

James! Her mind dropped to his frightful state before he killed Voldemort. He had looked little better than death warmed over. Afterward, he'd almost seemed like death itself-. Lily shook aside the remembrance of dead eyes and verified that outside of the scar, Harry was alright, scared, but she could see no other visible marks and glanced over her shoulder. Mentally preparing herself for whatever sight greeted her this time. James was watching her softly; his hazel eyes held none of the previous iciness, only affection, and a growing dimness.

Looking at him, Lily felt her heart catch; James looked like a bloody ghost. His skin tone had lost even more color making him appear corpse-like as blood continued to drip from his injuries. James's wand had slipped from his hand as he smiled at her with love. She stood up fully, one hand near Harry as she watched James, "Kushina Watashi wa anata ga ryoho tomo anzenda to omoimashita …"

'Kushina, and what was that language-?'

With that, James collapsed onto the ground and didn't move. For a brief, horrible moment, Lily expected he was dead; he'd been so pale and the blood! Another second passed before the shock immobilizing her faded. Lily took a deep breath and picked Harry up; tucking him close, she whispered soothing words as she picked up James's wand. With Harry secured and a weapon in hand, she moved over to her husband and found him breathing, raggedly, but breathing. The knot within her chest loosened, and she felt tears touch the back of her eyelids, "thank you," the words were broken but thankful as Harry stopped crying. Saying mum plaintively as he nestled against her while his tiny hands tugged at her hair, she wept, "thank you." Lily repeated once more before scrubbing away the tears. Reminding herself this wasn't the time to be emotional, James was hurt, his injuries had not been light, he needed medical attention, and Voldemort was dead.

This prompt made her pause as her gaze drifted to his black cloak, the only visible proof that Voldemort had been here and was now gone. She shook her head; later, right now, she needed to focus on her husband and Harry.

Setting down James's wand, she shifted him onto his back and arranged Harry within her arms so she could better inspect her husband's condition. The bruising upon James' forehead was nasty but not life-threatening; he had some cuts along his face and arms, but all were surface wounds. He'd bitten clean through his lip. However, the gash across his midsection, likely derived from the cutting curse, was bleeding. Not profusely, but looking past James to the hallway beyond, she could see that he'd lost a lot of blood. He needed medical attention, St. Mungo's, came to mind before she rejected the thought. It wasn't safe; no, only Hogwarts could be trusted.

She would need to use apparition. The floo network was no longer a reliable means of transportation, and even if the portkey they'd set up in advance worked, James needed to be conscious to use it. Since Lily wasn't optimistic, she could hold onto both Harry and James for the trip. Apparition with the three of them would be problematic, and Lily was not her husband. For James, apparition came as naturally as breathing; she remembered how smug he'd been when he got it on the first shot with little to no practice, which is why he could apparite with more than one person easily.

But Lily would make it work and picked up James's wand, ready to move outside, since she assumed whatever blocked them from appariting earlier was still in effect. Except that's when she heard the footsteps coming from downstairs.

More Death Eaters, No, not-!

Then shook aside her fear, gently kissing the crown of Harry's head, who'd grown agitated with her sudden move. "Don't worry, Harry, I won't let anything happen to you or your father," Harry sniffled at her words, and Lily rubbed his back before continuing. "I promise, whoever is downstairs will regret entering our home, but I need my Little man to look after his daddy. Okay?"

As she spoke, Harry looked up; his large green eyes, a mirror of her own, were filled with tears, pain, and confusion, "mum?" Lily kissed Harry's forehead and wished to do more to comfort her son. Instead, she gently set him next to his father, who remained oblivious, his breathing ragged as blood seeped from his wounds.

Standing up, Harry reached for her, calling out plaintively, but Lily put a finger to her lips before refocusing and moving around both, wand ready. The blasting curse and a few other curses she was proficient in came to mind as she moved. Although she'd been horrified by the casual manner James used the killing curse, she now understood the sentiment. The thought of a Death Eater attacking her son or husband brought forward the understanding that Lily would do whatever it took to protect her loved ones. Even if she had to use one of the three unforgivables, she proceeded cautiously down the hall. Lily ignored Harry's agitated cries as she focused on the noises from the living room.

Ducking behind the banister railing and hidden from view, she waited. However, when Sirius came around the corner, Lily nearly dropped her guard, relief flooding her mind, until logic reminded her (sounding oddly like Severus) that the only way Voldemort could have found them was through Sirius or Peter. Meaning one or both of them had betrayed their trust. These two men, whom James loved like brothers and entrusted with Harry's safety, had betrayed that trust. So, who betrayed them and led Voldemort to their doorstep?

The obvious answer was Peter; he was the secret keeper, except Sirius was aware of this fact, and Lily couldn't risk Harry and James's safety on the assumption. In this war, speculations had gotten others killed. Although she was aware, James would automatically believe Sirius innocent of all wrongdoing since he overlooked Sirius's darker habits due to their close friendship that bordered codependency. Lily couldn't afford the same luxury because she would never allow anything to harm James or their son. She reminded herself that Sirius was quick; his dueling skills were on par with her husband's. No, even James admitted that Sirius was better because he would use the darker hexes or get nasty if the occasion called for it. However, she'd been practicing with James, and as he regularly said, a good duelist understands that surprise is their greatest element.

Taking a deep breath, Lily moved from her hiding place into the open, noting the relief across Sirius's features when he spotted her; she ignored this, "petrificus totalus." Although he began to raise his wand to deflect her curse, he was not quick enough, surprise had given her the edge, and a moment later, Sirius toppled to the ground. Frozen and bound securely under the body-bind curse. Recognizing the danger was past, Lily took a calming breath as the tension slowly left her limbs, and she lowered James's wand. Sirius's eyes roved over her form, shock, and pain evident in those gray depths. However, Lily ignored her inclination to undo the curse. Instead, she hoped, no prayed, that later she'd owe him an apology for this treatment.

Nodding to herself, Lily turned on her heel and returned to Harry's nursery; he was still crying but had curled up against James, lamentingly saying da. Who looked even worse; his lips were turning blue, while a slight shake reverberated along his lean frame. Before moving, he needed a blood-replenishing potion, but she had none. However, there was that healing spell that she'd used for deep wounds more often than she liked during the last few years. What was the incantation for it, think!? Her memory dipped to a past duel, and she snapped her fingers in remembrance before moving James's wand over his injury, "vulnera sanentur."

As the cut slowly began to mend, Lily repeated the incantation twice until a puffy red wound remained. Afterward, she directed her attention to James's other injuries. No, her earlier assessment was accurate; none were life-threatening and could be treated at Hogwarts. Shifting James's wand, she picked Harry up, who quickly snuggled close, and she gently rubbed his back in apology. "I'm sorry little man. I promise it's almost over; we'll be safe, and you'll get to see Hogwarts." She added her tone lite while Harry's whimpers eventually quieted as he burrowed closer, but until they were within Hogwarts boundaries, she could not relent or relax.

Pointing James's wand down, she uttered a quick incantation, "wingardium leviosa." James's form rose, and with both Harry and her husband secure. Lily began to move forward carefully as she directed James's body through the hall and down the staircase. But stopped short when they reached Sirius; Lily couldn't leave him here; although he could be responsible for everything, Sirius may be innocent. She couldn't leave him like this with Voldemort's Death Eaters roaming about. Lily picked up Sirius's wand and used the levitation charm to raise him next to James. His eyes were flying about wildly, and she knew he wanted to speak, but Lily reminded herself that she couldn't take that risk until they were safe.

Continuing onwards, she stopped next to the hall closet and pulled out Harry's baby carrier; James often called it an ingenious muggle device. When she first heard wizards and witches speaking of non-magical folk with indifference or derision. It angered her, so she'd been outspoken in defending their fellow man, always refusing to call them muggles. However, Lily eventually grew accustomed to the name and sometimes unwittingly used it. Still, she never stopped rationalizing that the wizarding community as a whole was rather ignorant regarding non-magicals. They were evolving, the atomic bomb and space travel were evidence enough to support her views, and James had agreed with her.

But Lily refocused on the task when the baby carrier proved challenging to work. While attempting to make it work, she had to focus on the spell that kept her husband and Sirius from dropping like stones. Mummering to Harry soothingly to calm his agitated nerves and her own, while fighting a growing migraine. Nonetheless, after placing James and Sirius' wands on the hall table, she got Harry into the baby carrier and pulled it on. Just as she was about to pick up their wands, a crack went off signaling the use of apparition, and then thunderous steps echoed from the front walkway.

No, she'd just needed a little more time, and they would be safe; her gaze dropped to Harry, who was unhappy. James was still dead to the world, and Sirius looked at her with agitation, silently demanding that she release him from the curse. Despite her desire to do just that, Lily instead picked up James's wand and lowered both to the ground just as the front door opened.

Hagrid came through.

Seeing him made something inside Lily snap because Hagrid meant safety; he'd always been dear to her, offering advice, an ear to bend, or a spot of tea when upset. Particularly after she and Severus effectively ended their friendship over differing viewpoints. Now he was here when she desperately needed that familiarity because James was down, Sirius or Peter could be a traitor, and Harry still wasn't safe. His dear familiar features took in everything, and Hagrid smiled with gentleness as tears began to trail down her cheeks. "Yeh, both had me worried ye did," before more could be spoken, Lily walked the few extra steps between them, and Hagrid engulfed her and Harry into a hug. Tutting as he smoothed a giant warm hand over her back, that familiarity left her sobbing.

"Oh Hagrid, I just-" Harry started crying again; Lily pulled back, worried she squashed her son, but found him rubbing at his forehead. That mark would need to be checked when they arrived at Hogwarts.

"Ther now dry dem eyes, let's get yeh to Hogwarts, an donna' you worry Lily, Dumbledore will have this straightened out. Mark me words'" Hagrid's gaze held no uncertainty before looking at Sirius and James.

A frown pulled at his features as she gestured to both, "James needs medical attention, and Sirius-." She bit her lip, guess James wasn't the only one who didn't care to think ill of Sirius, and the look in his eyes spoke of his feelings on the matter, but she ignored this and refocused on Hagrid. "They found us, and it could only be through Sirius or Peter."

Hagrid nodded, his features grim, before he smiled and clapped her on the shoulder "back to Hogwarts, Dumbledore gave me a portkey. I'll hold James an Sirius, yeh keep a hold of that wee tike." With this, Hagrid pulled out a cricket bat wrapped in a handkerchief that looked oddly familiar, like the one from Dumbledore's office.

He set it on the hall table, careful not to touch the bat, then moved over to pick up James and Sirius. Despite his great size, Hagrid's movements were gentle as he carefully maneuvered her husband, then grabbed Sirius. When both were secure, Lily loosened the baby carrier and wrapped her arms around Harry before joining Hagrid. "Righ' coun' of three," Hagrid stated as he adjusted Sirius and stepped over to give her room, Lily did likewise, and on the count of three, both grabbed the bat. After the tugging sensation ended, she blinked at the sudden darkness before focusing on Hogwarts magnificent structure. The knot within her breast loosened, and she hugged Harry closer, who had become agitated and was hiccupping.

"Mum!"

"We're safe, Little Man," Lily happily stated as she kissed Harry's forehead and glanced at her unresponsive husband.

"Righ' yeh are," Hagrid answered and gestured for her to go ahead; falling in beside her, they continued towards the castle and safety.


Notes-

1. The chapter title, Jamais Vu, is the Opposite of Deja Vu, which felt appropriate for this chapter.

2. Watashi wa anata ga ryōhō tomo anzenda to omoimashita- means, I did it. You're both safe.

3. Forgive any butchering of British slang or words, I'm not native, and neither is my beta, so again I apologize for anything too horrendous.

4. Although canon-wise, Minato's background is a mystery, I decided to play with it, and Tobirama is his grandfather in this story.

5. I posted that first chapter to see what type of response this story would receive. If it was similar to He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother. Then I had no intention of posting beyond the prologue. Thankfully, people enjoyed it on fanfic and AO3, so I will continue. However, I would like to post chapters weekly, and I only have about five chapters left until Part One is finished. The next update won't be for another 3 to 4 weeks; I apologize for the wait. Afterward, chapters should be coming out weekly, and I'll have some time to start on Part 2.

6. I appreciate commentary, even critical, so please drop a fav, follow, or comment if you enjoy my story. Thanks it is appreciated.