Chapter One
31st July
The day Harry Fleamont Potter was born was a day of great happiness in the Potter household.
Harry was a prodigy, a small ray of light in a time of great instability, great change, great upheaval.
With Voldemort getting stronger and stronger and in charge of every possible thing, and the war becoming more and more difficult, keeping the line between black and white was difficult. Being able to make decisions that had previously seemed trivial was becoming extenuating.
On top of that they kept losing allies, people they knew kept dying, and they kept getting defeated, there were more steps backwards than forwards.
Even victories were felt as defeats.
There was little hope now.
But when Harry Potter was born, all the worry for a day disappeared. A ray of sunshine amidst the storm.
James was beside himself, Lily, even though she was tired after giving birth, had tears of joy surrounding her face.
They had thrown a little party at the house, only their closest friends, to be safe and secure- also they were the only ones needed to make it feel complete- Pads, Moons, the Preweet, his parents, Marlene, Dorcas, Mary, Moody. Peter unfortunately couldn't come, he was on a mission.
"Fuck Prongs, he looks just like you-" Sirius told him, comparing a baby picture of himself next to Harry's sweet little face.
"Except for the eyes- those he inherited from Lily," he looked at his son with deep affection. He was the most beautiful thing in the world and he would do anything to protect him.
"No swearing in front of the baby, Sirius!" Lily said with fake anger, and they smiled.
It was true that Harry hadn't exactly been expected, that Lily and he hadn't had been very careful, but at the same time they were happy that he was in their lives.
"He's Padfoot, Lily. You are asking him the impossible" Remus said, smiling, giving a glass of water to her and a light kiss on Sirius' cheek.
"Silly me" she replied smiling and making herself more comfortable on the sofa.
"How are you Lily today? Better?"
Lily was still recovering after giving birth and everyone was very apprehensive around her. She was the driving force of their group, without her and Remus they would probably have fallen a part long ago. Besides, she was the mother of his child.
He only wanted the best for her.
even though they weren't romantically involved anymore.
"Yes- I'm much better. Thanks"
They had been trying for a while, but in the end - they had both realised that what James had was a lingering youthful attraction that he had never been able to shake and Lily was in love with someone else. It had taken them some time to realise, so much so that they had a child, but now that they were in agreement, on the same wavelength, they were definitely better off. They were not so tense towards each other and now they could think about the war and especially about Harry. Their joy and their luck.
Several times they had exchanged dreams and desires and Lily's was to travel the world, was to dream and see everything. And even though it was unthinkable now, they often imagined what they would do if the war ended and life returned to normal, if everything was back on track, if they managed to defeat you-know-who.
"Lilyy" they heard Marlene scream and they all turned to watch her giving a gift for Harry's birthday.
"Thank you very much Marls- you didn't have to, you know-"
"Yes- but we wanted to" She blew a kiss on Lily's cheek and Dorcas appeared immediately behind her girlfriend.
Dorcas had blended well into their group, despite having been a Slytherin.
But like Sirius she had made sure to break all ties with her family, not believing a single one of those things they had always made them believe. They had caused much uproar, two of the most important families losing their children, seeing them appear against their own cause.
Shock and awe.
But that had not been enough to bring people to their senses. It had not been enough for their own children to revolt, to stop killing people.
It was - it was all so surreal - every day they lived in fear and terror.
And now they were not only scared for their lives and those of their friends, but- for Harry. For their son.
And they were going to fight even harder to make sure that war would soon be over, to make sure that he could grow up peacefully, to make sure that he could have a childhood.
"Congratulations Lily, we are so happy. Harry- Harry really brings hope in times like these." Dorcas said smiling. She suffered a lot- she had first lost her family and then her friends. They evidently didn't approve her choices. Even though she still talked about them sometimes with lightness. They were particular, but she had loved them.
"Well, where is the newborn?" Moody entered the room and went to see Harry who was giggling and smiling for all the attention he was receiving. He was like him. A natural superstar.
"Can you give me Harry, James?" Lily said to him and he was happy to hand Harry to her, in her embrace Harry seemed a lot calmer, and he quickly fell asleep.
"Aw, my grandchildren" his mother came from behind him and he hugged her tightly. The war had been consuming her, she was used to kindness and to give kindness, the war had really had an impact on his mother. She was getting sicker and weaker and he was really afraid of his health.
The doctor only said that they had to hope for the best.
And- right now- there wasn't much to hope for-
"Hi mum" he smelled her scent and she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Lily was glad to give Harry to her.
His mother had been so happy with the news, yes- they were young but she was glad she was able to see Harry at least once.
His father was behind her, caressing his son with love and care.
"He's so like you, son." His voice muffled, as if he didn't want to cry but he was really struggling to do so.
"Hopefully he won't inherit your troublemaking ways too" a voice behind them, Minnie.
"Minnie! You did it!"
"I had to be here to see the baby of my former quidditch captain" she said winking at him. She had always shown a little favoritism toward them. They really managed some- exuberant tricks but she never went really angry.
"What do you mean by my behavior? I was quidditch captain and-"
"I agree with Minnie, James shut up- our son will not be a troublemaker like you"
"Don't worry Prongsie, I will defend each of you. Harry will be upright with me as uncle" Sirius said- and- Well they all laughed. Because Sirius was the most troublesome of them.
That had been a good day.
Indeed.
----------------------------
Godric's Hollow
It was October 31, Halloween. A day that, a few years earlier, The Marauders had celebrated with almost reverence, with big parties and joy. Today, they spent it at home. But they were okay—at least as much as they could be during a war.
Word had leaked out that Harry was some sort of child prodigy, a prophecy saying he would be the one to confront Voldemort. So, Albus had decided to shelter him and, consequently, his parents in a secluded house, placing their safety in the hands of a secret keeper who was to preserve their lives.
It had been the subject of great debate between Lily, James, and Sirius—who didn’t want to endanger them at all. For James, Sirius was the best person for the role, but Sirius felt it was too predictable, too risky. The less obvious choice had fallen on Peter—his Wormtail—his first best friend. They had shared so much: their school years, their dorms, becoming Animagi together, and Remus' lycanthropy. But recently, Peter had seemed distant, worried, and scared. And, well—it made sense. They were all living under a lot of pressure. But something told James that Peter wasn't the right choice.
Still, Sirius had been convincing, and Peter seemed logical enough, so why not? Peter was Peter.
That evening found James, Lily, and Harry snuggled on the couch. He still couldn’t believe he had a son. It had been his dream, and yes—they were young, but they had a lot of support. So, James was out of his mind with happiness.
Although it was tiring to look after Harry, who cried often, he was theirs. Their little one. James would die for his son. And Lily felt the same way.
“Hey, Lily, what do you want to watch?” he asked, bringing her a cool drink as she held Harry, who was almost asleep. Thank God Harry slept a lot, so they could rest a bit before another day of challenges.
“Something quiet so Harry doesn’t wake up,” Lily smiled at him, and James went to see what was on television. Maybe a cartoon for Harry, or something like that. He started flipping through the channels.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped.
The night owl outside went quiet.
The air had grown heavier.
The atmosphere darker.
A strange darkness fell over the house as the streetlights outside flickered and died.
The windows fogged up, cold creeping in like ice.
Something was wrong. Something was wrong. Something was wrong.
He looked at the two most important people in his life. Lily had to be safe. Harry had to be safe.
“Lily, whatever happens, you stay with Harry.” Lily nodded, holding their son close. She probably wanted to argue—he could see it in her eyes—but she was smart enough to understand now was not the time.
Maybe never.
Because tonight was the night James Potter would die.
But that was okay—everyone knew how he was. Everyone came before him. And his son would be no exception. He would protect his golden boy, his heart. And his mother.
He was a martyr. And it was okay. For Lily and Harry.
“It’s him, he’s here,” James said after a moment. He didn’t know how he knew, but he just did. He got up to face the intruder; the man was already in the driveway, already near the door. He had never seen him in person, but he knew.
Padfoot had been the right choice. Peter had betrayed them. It should have been Padfoot.
That was all James could think as he prepared to face his death. Padfoot was innocent. Peter was not.
He looked into Lily’s eyes for the last time. They were running out of time. Voldemort was at the door, and Harry had to be safe. His child. His son. His everything.
“Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off!”
Padfoot had been the right choice.
He knew it now. Even if Sirius was predictable, he wasn’t a traitor. He was the best man James had ever known, even if he came from the worst of families.
“I’m sorry,” James whispered as he realized he didn’t have his wand with him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as the door exploded inwards.
“I’m sorry—it should have been Padfoot. You would be safe right now, not terrified.”
James wasn’t ready to lose his son, to lose Lily. He wasn’t ready, but he was helpless against the most powerful dark wizard in the world.
“James!” Lily screamed, her footsteps echoing as she ran upstairs with Harry in her arms, trying to find a safer place.
“I’m sorry, Lils. Harry, I love you.”
“It’s easy. Too easy with you,” a voice said, and then James saw him. His face looked almost normal, if it weren’t for the eyes and the grin. For a moment, James thought he was looking at death itself. And maybe he was right.
Those eyes, so hollow.
That smirk, so cold.
James shivered.
“Avada—”
And then there was an explosion.
James was on the floor, blood pooling beneath his head. His vision blurred. His breath trembled. He couldn’t get up—something was holding him down.
What—? What had happened? He hadn’t done anything—was this Voldemort's doing? But even Voldemort looked surprised, retreating slightly, astonished by what had occurred.
What? What? What?
“No!” Voldemort screamed. A screeching, inhuman sound that chilled James to his bones.
What? What? What?
The last thing James saw was Voldemort heading upstairs, where Lily and Harry had gone just a minute before. This time, he heard another “No,” but it was his own pleading voice, before his eyes closed, and he lost consciousness.
Maybe this really was the end.
It should have been Padfoot.