I've come to the conclusion while they loved him, Lily and James made several questionable choices in the war, and I've decided to write a one-shot series which depicts a version of Lily and James who take a different approach instead of sitting around waiting to die.

Xxxxx

The Choices we make.

Harry was playing with his toys in the cot, so innocently happy with his activities as he played little games that he didn't even notice that his parents were shaken by something.

"James, this is going too far," Lily whispered so she didn't disturb Harry, but her emotions were all over the place. "I agree, we have to stop the war, but I don't like how we're trapped in this little cottage. I know you trust Peter, but please, think! We can't depend on one measly layer of protection. And you know that I found it odd Sirius decided to just…pass the baton over to Peter."

James had never heard the muggle expression but he had been around his wife long enough to know one when he heard one. He slowly took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"I know, Lily, I know. I hate how this was dropped on our head," James sighed.

"James, I would do anything for Harry to protect him. Anything! I also don't like the notion that this prophecy could leave our son alone," Lily said, tears trickling down her face.

James froze. "What do you mean?" He said slowly.

Lily sent him a pitying look. She had sent it to him more than once over the years, and he hated it. She only used it on him or others when she felt they were being a little dense.

"James has it occurred to you that….," she suddenly began choking on what she was about to say.

"What?" Now he was really worried; Lily only got like this whenever she had something particularly grim to say.

"I was going to say, do you think we are expected to survive this war?"

James felt as if someone had just walked over his grave.

"James, I think Dumbledore is setting us up, I don't want that," she said desperately. "I don't want our son to grow up alone, unloved or in pain while Dumbledore sends him off like a good little soldier, and he has made so many stupid decisions, sending off the Order and he doesn't even show up, not even once. I don't want that for my son's future. I want Harry to grow up with friends and family, not as a child soldier."

James looked down. He had once revered the old headmaster even if Uncle Charlus had felt nothing but contempt for him, because of his questionable decisions during the war with Grindelwald.

"Dumbledore's a coward," James said quietly.

"What?" Lily blinked in surprise.

"I just remembered something Uncle Charlus, Dad, and Mum and Auntie Dorea said to me, about Dumbledore," James ran a hand through his hair, making it more messy than ever; the sight never failed to make Lily smile lovingly at her husband. But her smile disappeared when James told her what was on his mind. "They told me, during the Grindelwald war, that Dumbledore did nothing. He just sat calmly and unaffected, while Grindelwald rose to power. And he barely did anything during the whole time except when he went out to fight the dark wizard. And, looking back on the rise of Voldemort, he didn't do much, did he? He just sat there, looking grave and yet he did nothing. He didn't try to stop the rise of the Junior Death Eaters like the Lestranges, Rosier, Malfoy, and all the others."

Lily knew, for her sake, he was deliberately not mentioning Snape. She didn't blame him and she was unlikely to go mad. "And Snape, you can say it, James, and you're right. And he recruited us into the Order straight out of Hogwarts without giving us the chance."

Harry gabbled. The sound made both Potters turn and smile at the adorable sight.

"I don't want to die, Lily," James said, turning away from the heart-melting sight of the little boy playing so innocently, completely and blissfully unaware of what lurked outside. "I want to grow old, with you. I want to see Harry and any other child we have grow up, go to school, graduate and have lives. And yet….," he broke off, looking away while he shook his head.

"What is it?" Lily asked himself quietly.

James bit his lip. "I don't want Harry or any other child to have something like that hanging over their heads. It's cruel. It's obscene, to expect a child to just….become a child soldier, and yet Dumbledore sees nothing wrong with it. I am beginning to think, especially whenever he shows so much interest in Harry in particular rather than giving any notice to Neville, that he wants it to be Harry. It's mad. But you're right, Lily. What in the name of Merlin will happen to us? Will we be alive? Will we be dead, while Harry grows up alone? Ever since we were encouraged to write our wills, Dumbledore's manner kept worrying me, and I know you felt it like I did. Dumbledore was too pushy for words. When I was younger, I heard how prophecies were always dodgy, and how seers were extremely rare. A true seer doesn't give out a prophecy, at all. They have visions of the future. That makes me question the source of the prophecy even more."

Lily was stunned by how profound James was, but she had something else on her mind. "Yeah, you're right, he was pushy. Do you remember how he kept urging me to speak to Petunia?"

"Yes," James replied.

"Why would he do that?" Lily shook her head, and then she looked down as she realised something dangerous and important. "I think he means for us to die, James, and he will ship Harry out to the Dursleys."

James was about to protest, but he stopped himself just in time. He could suddenly see it, and his eyes widened in horror as he pictured the obese form of Vernon Dursley shouting and screaming at an innocent boy for being a wizard. "That sick bastard," he hissed angrily, disgusted with Dumbledore. "He wants us to die so then he will have a weapon, not caring one bit about Harry. I only wish we knew more about what the prophecy says," he added, disgusted with Dumbledore's need to be secretive.

"Do you reckon it would make a difference?" Lily asked sceptically.

"Yeah, at least we'd have an idea of what to expect. But I wish we could just take the war to You-Know-Who, and his bastard followers," James said.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Face it, Lils, I'm tired of being cooped up in this place just like you are, waiting for an attack that might come. Peter is not the perfect protector and Sirius knows it, and yet he signed Peter up without a qualm. Why? Unless Dumbledore made him, knowing that Peter wouldn't stand a chance against prolonged torture."

Lily's blood chilled. All the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place as far as she was concerned. Suddenly she realised that Dumbledore knew something about Peter, something terrible and that by putting him in a position where he'd tell someone like Voldemort or a Death Eater where she and James were hiding with their child, Voldemort would come and likely kill them and then Harry would be orphaned. Harry would be alone, vulnerable and innocent, and he would grow up without them. And he would become Dumbledore's secret weapon.

Suddenly she realised who the spy was.

"Peter's the spy, James. He must be, and now Dumbledore, through Sirius, has given him the best information ever. We have to get out of here," Lily said desperately, seeing her husband's brown eyes widen in horror.

"Where can we go?" James asked as he waved his wand and started packing.

Lily, meanwhile was sorting Harry out. The boy gabbled a little in confusion, but Lily just bounced him up and down. "What about Potter castle or the muggle world? We can hide out there until we come up with a better defence?"

"That might not be good enough," James pointed out as he headed upstairs to pack their things. And then he stopped. "I think we need to fight the Death Eaters, head on. We've been stunning them for too long, it's time to change tactics."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked as they finished packing and they were ready to go. "I'm ready."

"I'll summon a House Elf. I was thinking about starting to kill them. We now know Dumbledore does not care about us, and he plays games. We should do the same with the Death Eaters," James said grimly before he summoned the House Elf.