The night was chilly, the breath from a stag rose up as it turned the corner into a street, it drew the attention of several trick or treaters who didn't understand quite a deer was doing so deep, in the small village of Godric's Hollow. But the stag suddenly seemed alarmed, and it galloped at full pelt, turned right between two houses, and suddenly disappeared. The onlookers were bemused, but slowly moved away.
What the onlookers didn't realise, was there was actually a house between the two, and as the deer disappeared from sight, a young man with scruffy black hair, began to appear there. He was wearing a pair of glasses, jeans a way too big top, he would of almost pasted as normal if he didn't bring out an eleven inch long stick of wood, before slowly, pushing the door open.
The thoughts going through his head was grim, as he looked back up at the hole in the roof, smoke still smouldering, before entering the house. "The door was unlocked that isn't a good sign." He thought to himself, as he looked around the ground floor, assuring himself he was doing it to make sure no one was there, but in reality doing it because he wanted to delay witnessing what he was certain was upstairs, "Peter wouldn't of betrayed us, this must be Lily teaching me a lesson for sneaking out, she'll yell at me and then in a couple of days we'll laugh about it." The man desperately tried to convince himself, as he climbed the stairs. He checked every room in the upstairs delaying the inevitable, "There was no dark mark, that's a good sign." He had now moved onto trying to convince himself.
Deep down he had accepted what he was going to see as he went into the bedroom, however he still wasn't ready for it. He quickly scanned the room, before laying his eyes on the floor, there was his wife dead, he rushed and kneeled down before her, dropping the stick, picking her up praying it wasn't true, he checked for a pulse but there was none, he knew there would be none, but he needed to be sure.
At that moment as he was crying over Lily's body, head buried in her chest, he wanted the world to swallow him up, he wished that the person who did this would come back, so he could get revenge or die. He knew all of this was his fault, the night he snuck out to get some fresh air, he most of known that, that was why he attacked, he had trusted Peter, and Peter betrayed them, he had convinced Lily to trust Peter. He had failed Lily, and his son, who he was certain remains lay in the cot next to him, although he couldn't bare to check, he had been selfish and it cost him everything in the world he cared about most.
Then, he heard it, never had he been so happy to hear a cry, he looked up hopefully, and there was his son, Harry, crying the man, let out a sigh of relief as he gently put his wife down and crawled over to his baby, using the rail around the crib as support, he stood up before picking up his baby in one arm, it was clear he was alive. Although now he had a lighting shaped scare on his head, but the man didn't care. Instead he cried for half a minute in relief, before he snapped out of it, as he realised Lily clearly sacrificed herself for Harry and he couldn't allow that sacrifice to be wasted, especially as it should have been his, to save the both of them. So he acted quick picking up the stick he waved it, 2 times, causing two stags made up of what seemed to be light to come out, who went through the walls and away, next James went down the stairs with Harry and out to the back garden, waved his stick, causing Harry to levitate and then climbed over the wall. Before taking Harry back in his hands. Then there was a loud pop and both disappeared.
They appeared hundreds of miles further north in the village of Hogsmeade in Scotland, James wasted no time, and while holding Harry securely began to run through the village, towards a castle, the gates were locked, however after a wave of the stick a pair of gates opened and he ran through, then he rushed up the steps to the entrance of the castle and ran through the corridors until he reach a bronze gargoyle. James then seemingly inexplicably rattled off a long list of sweets, before saying "toffees", made it clear why, as the gargoyle revealed some steps which James rushed up, and burst into a room, which had an old man, with long grey hair and beard in an orange robe, "ah James, what bring you hear, and at this hour none the less." The old man calmly said, before his eyes behind half-moon spectacles lowered to baby Harry, and for half a moment, James could of swore there seemed to be a sudden nasty realisation on his face before it reverted to normal, but he said nothing more.
James then half sobbed saying, "Dumbledore, Lily's dead, I think we have been betrayed by Voldemort." James said boldly, thinking that the taboo he knew was on the name wouldn't matter in Dumbledore's office, no one would dare to enforce it there.
At that moment, a scruffy hair man, about James' age burst in, Dumbledore calmly said, "ah the betrayer." This was clearly the wrong thing to say as the young man, drew out a long stick of wood, "HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT?" He yelled, as he to drew out a stick of wood. "Put your wand down Sirius." James said, before continuing, "He didn't betray us, we changed the secret keep to Peter Pettigrew, no one knew, we thought it would be safer that way. We told no one, but he still betrayed us." James sobbed, as he put his head on Sirius' shoulder, as Sirius took the baby from him. Neither of them noticing the man standing at the door. He had scars all over his tired and pale face and was a slander man. He gently took the baby from Sirius before passing it to Dumbledore, who started playing with the baby, as Sirius, put his now free arm, around James in a hug. The man lightly patted him, "It wasn't your fault James, the man lightly patted him."
James sobbed, "But it was my fault Remus, I went out and then he came, at least I assume it was Voldemort, who else could it be?" James said between sobs, while putting an arm around Lupin, "He killed her then did who knows what to my son. If I was just there, maybe we could of fought him off, we are…" James suddenly tailed, off before breaking into a fresh round of sobs, "Or at least were, good duellists you know, and even if we couldn't I'm sure I could of held him off until Lily and my boy got out of a window, and escaped or something." James said clearly barely able to continue, "And worse of all I was the one to convince Lily that Sirius was right and we should change to Peter as the secret keeper."
At that, Sirius put his head into James so that their foreheads were together as they looked into the others eyes, "James, if anyone's at fault it's mine, I convinced you to change it. I suppose it was over fears of my own cowardice. And not being able to bear if I had let it slip to the wrong person and killed you. So instead I allowed you to do it with Peter. I killed her James, be mad at me, not yourself. But I promise you this, we will not rest until we find him." Sirius said, a few tears going down his face.
"Not that it will help much especially right now, but neither of you to killed Lily," Dumbledore said in his usual calm tone, while gently rocking Harry, "there are two people who did, Peter Pettigrew, and Lord Voldemort. We can play the guilt game all we want, however, you did what you thought was right, and didn't know you were wrong. That is all that matters."
Remus at this point injected, "Dumbledore, would you mind looking after Harry for a few hours, while we track down our dear friend." He asked, Dumbledore gently nodded, before bringing out his wand, and flicking it to create a wooden cot, which he gently placed Harry in. "Of course not Remus." He said calmly.
James looked at Dumbledore "I need my cloak back, I would also appreciate if you kept this meeting quite for a day or two? After all I'm sure Peter..." James grimaced with anger as he said the name of his old friend, "will assume I'm dead." At which Dumbledore nodded, "I'm not going to try and stop any of you three, especially you Potter." Dumbledore said looking at James, "But it would be foolish to do anything in too extreme, after all, is he really worth going to Azkaban for?" Dumbledore said in the same calm voice before, as he gave James, a cloak. Remus was the next to interject, "I will try and keep those two in check." He said nodding at Dumbledore, who thought he could detect a hint of rage in his voice, as the other two started walking away. Lupin quickly followed them.
As they got to the bottom of the gargoyle and walked out, they bumped into a man their age with black greasy hair, "What do you want Snivillus?" James snapped, as he knocked into him, "What do you want Potter?" the man said back, before a look of realisation dawned on him, "I…, I didn't realise." He stammered clearly shocked, "I didn't realise when I spoke to the dark lord." He said before stopping and composing himself. So his face was totally emotionless
"YOU DIDN'T REALISE WHAT?" James yelled slightly too loud, squaring up to the man, before a look of realisation swept across James' face "YOU TOLD HIM, DIDN'T YOU? ABOUT THIS PROPHECY DUMBLEDORE TOLD US ABOUT? LILY'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU" James yelled, as he drew his wand and putting it under the man's throat. "James Potter." a Scottish woman, in green robes yelled, "I suggest you put your wand away." At this James begrudgingly handed his wand to Sirius, before looking back at Snape, but addressing the woman, "I'm sorry professor McGonagall", he said, clearly half heartedly. Then seemingly instantly, before Snape or McGonagall realised, he swung and punched Snape square in the face, causing his nose to burst, "JAMES POTTER!" McGonagall yelled, but James and Sirius were already walking away quickly followed by Remus.
They walked to Hogsmeade before both of them grabbed James' hand and with a loud pop they disappeared. They weren't seen for a day, until someone in a business suit, walked past an ally, and unknowingly saw Sirius towering over a cowering Peter. He sped up, not wanting to get involved in whatever was happening.
The cowering man was slowly reaching for his pocket, as the man yelled, "YOU KILLED LILY AND JAMES, YOU BETRAYED THEM, HOW DARE YOU?" Sirius shouted while too slowly reaching for his wand. Peter cowardly said nothing back, instead he reached for his wand, and drew it, however before he could use it, James who was under the invisibility cloak, reacted, and yelled, "stupefy", and quickly, Sirius quickly followed up with the "petrificus totalus", before James removed the invisibility cloak, stuffed it in his pocket, and Remus emerged at the end of the ally and walked to them. The three of them stood over him, "What should we do now?" Sirius asked. They had been so focused on finding Peter they hadn't discussed what to do once they found him.
"First," Remus said, picking up Peter's wand, before waving his own, causing ropes to circle around Peter, "Lets make sure he can't escape." He then picked him up, by the scruff of the robe he was wearing, "Now, I think me and Sirius can put our personal feelings and views aside, and allow you to decide what happens to him." Remus said, a tear running down his cheek as he thought of Lily. After a moment pause, "So James?"
James had tears running down his cheek, seeing the man who had betrayed him and killed his wife, the man he once thought of as one of his closest friends. A man he would of died for, a man he vouched for throughout his life, who he helped whenever he asked for it, and this was the thanks he got. His hand was shaking with rage, his face had tears streaming down it, as he said "We take him to the ministry, he can rot in Azkaban, that's a fate far worse than anything we could give him." Sirius looked like he was about to object, but a stern look from Remus, stopped him, before James noticed.
After that they both nodded to him, "If that's your wish." Sirius said, "Should we take him to Hogwarts?"
James nodded, "That is probably the best, right now there's no way to know who to trust in the ministry, Dumbledore on the over hand will be able to keep him, I'm sure." James said, trying his best to keep his composure, as he grabbed Peter and said, "See you back in Hogsmeade." Before there was a loud pop and James and Peter was gone. After two more loud pops Sirius and Remus was also gone.
In a matter of seconds all four of them reappeared in the same Scottish village that James had gone to before, they dragged Peter to the castle, and into Dumbledore's office. James, entered first, while Peter was brought up by, Remus and Sirius, "We found him, can you make sure he doesn't escape? Right now who knows in the ministry we can trust."
Dumbledore nodded, before responding in the same calm tone that he spoke before, "I am happy to James. However, the matter of who we can trust may soon become a lot clearer, all because of your boy. For, if the rumours are to be believed, Voldemort has vanished, and your son was the cause of it." The three friends looked at each other, smiles beaming in their face, as they began to hug each other, each thinking it was all over and happy, "I am afraid however, I do not believe he is gone for good. I think he is still out there somewhere, and we will see him again." This hung over the jubilant mood that was about to erupt.
"What do you mean he isn't gone for good?" James asked confused, Dumbledore sighed slightly, "I fear that Voldemort has gone to great lengths to achieve immortality, and so things that would kill, you or I, would not him. And so I think he is still out there somewhere." Dumbledore said calmly. "But do not forget for now, he is gone." Dumbledore said with a smile. " I am very sorry what it has cost you James."
James nodded, and began to walk over to the cot "If you can past that thing, on to the relevant people I would appreciate it." He finished as he was reaching in and picking up his baby, Dumbledore nodded, "I will, however James I have a request for you, I understand you do not have that Lily's sister does not like magic, but I request you try all you can to convince her to let you live with her in some way, for if you can do soon, Lily's love will protect your son from dark forces, more effectively than anything you or I can yield." James nodded and turned and left with his baby.
He planned to at least try to follow Dumbledore's as he left the castle, and disappeared, with his three friends, to a room in a house, Sirius smiled at James, "If the in-laws don't work out, your welcome to stay here." He said, before turning to Remus, "Of course you are free to stay any time you need." He said to him. At that point a slight tapping sound was heard from the window, all three turned to it, James spoke first, "Sirius, isn't that your brothers owl?"