A/N: This is our first longfic, so we're trying a slightly different format. Please review

Chapter 1

October 31, 1981

10 pm

James Potter turned off all the lights in the living room except one. He walked over to the window, looked out, and rumpled his hair. He missed his Hogwarts days - the teachers, the classrooms, the secret passageways, even the lessons. But most of all, he missed his friends, the Marauders. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Ever since he'd had to go into hiding from Voldy the Moldy, he'd been bored. It meant that he didn't get to go out at all, and visits from his friends were really rare. Sure, he got to write to them, but even that was becoming less and less frequent. Remus was doing undercover work for the Order of the Phoenix, and could only send letters when he was alone. Peter had been a bit distant lately. Sirius was his only regular correspondent. Of course, he still had Lily and Harry. He loved playing with Harry…but it just wasn't the same. He missed turning into Prongs every full moon, and heading out with his 'pack'.

Suddenly, a movement caught his eye. Someone in a dark cloak was approaching his house. The guy had a bald purplish-green head and red eyes. "Oh, no. No, no, no…" It was him. Voldemort. Evil dude. Voldy the Moldy. Snakeface. The guy that Sirius's crazy cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, worked for. Peter…what had happened to Peter? Was he alright? Voldemort seemed to look particularly smug…

He dragged the curtains closed and whipped around. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go to Padfoot, I'll be there in a minute!" he exclaimed. Lily and James looked at each other. "Go! I'll come!"

Without wasting a second, Lily ran up the stairs to Harry's room, grabbed him, and disapparated. The reason why she had decided not to put anti-disapparation charms on the house was because they'd be troublesome if they ever had to make a quick escape. Like now.

She appeared in Sirius's doorway with Harry. Quickly, she checked the area for Death Eaters with a homenum revelio, but Sirius was the only one around. She said the password to his house and tapped the door pattern. The door swung open and she ran into the hall. "Sirius! Sirius!"

Sirius Black had been sitting in the living room, on his deep red sofa with golden lining, as Padfoot. He was (although not many people knew he did this) playing with a dog toy. He was also listening to an opera show on the Wizarding Wireless Network and attempting to howl along to it.

Just then, he heard Lily's voice. He quickly turned back into a human and turned the radio off with his wand, "Silencio!". He was faintly embarrassed that Lily had caught him singing as a dog - but that wasn't important right now. It sounded as if the Potters had run into trouble. He ran out into the hall. "Lily! Harry! What's wrong? Where's James? What's going on?"

Harry looked up. It was his Uncle Sirius! He clapped his hands and smiled. "Unca Siwius!" Sirius smiled at his godson. Then he looked up at Lily.

"It was him, Sirius. Voldemort. He somehow found out about where we were and he was going to come in when James spotted him. That means something's happened to Peter. And speaking of him, where is James? He was supposed to be here by now! You don't suppose…" she said worriedly.

Sirius went white. If anything had happened to James or Peter…It was his fault, completely his fault. He should have been the secret-keeper, he should have thought of the fact that after Voldemort found the Potters' secret-keeper, he'd have wanted to attack them as well. He was the better duellist. But James…

They sat down on Sirius's sofa (after, of course he'd cast a quick scourgify; he really was shedding too much) in silence. Time went by, as they waited for James. Harry had fallen asleep.

Lily sighed. "Sirius, I don't suppose you have an extra room? Harry needs to sleep."

"Yeah, there's one upstairs-"

Just then, James came through the door and collapsed onto the floor.