A/N: Trigger warning: Non-graphic mention of suicide at end of chapter.

Lily Evans-Potter claims LeFay Heirship!

Heirship to Peverell claimed by the remaining Potter twin!

In the brief five years of Phoenix Potter's life more had happened than many full grown adults. She was a sensation to the public. Some believing she was a dark lady in the making, others already sending matrimonial requests to her solicitors at Gringotts wishing to snag some of her power in the years to come.

Lily often would catch herself looking at her daughter wondering how a child like her could truly exist. So intelligent and perceptive, incredibly and frighteningly so. Without her daughter she would no doubt never have known of her own heritage, without her daughter she would not have been able to claim the power that came with it.

As she walked down the streets of Diagon Alley, she caught the glances of several eyeing her with envy and the slightest tinge of fear. Not only was her daughter now the talk of Wizarding Britain but now she was as well. Her husband was gone, one of her children missing and her remaining child quickly gaining power at a very young age.

Quickly Lily ducked into a side alley and cast the Notice-Me-Not charm. Once she was back in the streets no longer did she feel the stares upon her back, breathing a sigh of relief she made her way to her destination. It would not be due for the gossip rags to get a hold of the fact that Lady LeFay was seen visiting Hog's Head for a mysterious meeting. As she arrived at the establishment, she took a deep breath before lifting her hood over her face and dropping the charm before entering.

Her emerald eyes scanned the dark corners of the establishment until she saw a familiar scarred face.

The redhead made quick work swerving between the few customers at the inn1 and soon sat before the scarred man.

"Remus, what have you heard?"

The man looked down at his mug, before glancing back up at his friend's wife.

"There's been no sightings of a new pup with Harry's features in any of the packs. There have been whispers about him, about how he was bit." A flash of Moony went through Remus's features before he subdued him. "It's bad, Lily. I didn't want to believe it but..."

A pale hand placed itself upon Remus's scarred one.

"Please I need to know."

Lupin looked into the emerald gaze of the worried mother.

"Fenrir sought revenge upon James for the deaths of several of his packmates. Fenrir has boasted to others that he bit James on the night of the full moon, but he didn't bite Harry."

A gasp came from the woman before him, her slender hands covered her mouth in horror.

"Then the reason James has been taken off the tapestries…"

Remus nodded and his hands gripped his mug so tightly that it began to crack.

Lily let out a choked sob, her head shaking side to side as she buried her whole face in her hands. She thought she had already known what heartache felt like, she thought she couldn't be hurt more by the truth. Oh, how foolish she had been. Her eyes closed as her husband's face flashed through her mind, instead of her heart lightening it darkened as it began to seeth inside her. She clutched at her sternum as the sobs threatened to overwhelm her.

"Where is he now, Remus?"

Her head was still bowed, but her hands had fallen into her lap.

"I don't…"

Lily's hands clenched into fists into her lap and she looked up into the eyes of the werewolf.

"I know you know where he is, Remus. Do not lie to me."

Remus's eyes widened and he seemed to deflate before her.

"Black Manor."

Lily nodded and then stood from her seat. She was about to turn away but her wrist was caught by Lupin.

"Lily, he's not the same. Sirius told me he's never seen him like this before."

The cloaked woman could only nod her head, before shaking loose from the man's hold. Heading toward the entrance she tossed some floo powder in the fireplace, before shouting "Diagon Alley!".

~Time Skip~

Sirius Black had had a long day. No, rather, he had had a long week. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept the whole night through. Perhaps it had been before his old friend decided to drop in.

With the death of his father and mother, his grandfather Arcturus had sought to bring him back into the Black family. Having never disowned Sirius himself and always having had kept a neutral standing in the wizarding world's politics, he sought to make Sirius his heir. The old man was not as Sirius had remembered him as a child, but as Sirius got to know him the more he believed that his past misgivings had been influenced by his parent's deplorable behavior. He found his grandfather to be strict, but a true gentleman who believed in the value of honor and friendship.

Arcturus went on a trip to visit old friends in a Native American wizarding community. He went annually for a traditional hunt in animagus form. Sirius was to go but the arrival of a letter from his bond-brother kept him at the manor instead. The letter had been worrying, it had barely made sense and most of it was in gibberish.

When James had arrived, he was skin and bone barely walking. He was delirious with a fever, but refused to be taken to St. Mungos for treatment. It was a battle to just have him lay down, but he would fall into a temper whenever he was encouraged to eat to gain his strength back.

It wasn't until after a couple days of trying to nurse his friend back to health that Sirius noticed that James's magic didn't feel the same. It was weaker but it also no longer carried the scent of a forest that all Potters had.

With a sinking in his stomach, he began to actually listen to what his friend rambled in his sleep and when he was fitfully awake.

"No Harry!" "Come to me! Come here!" "No, no don't come near me." "Harry!" "No, no, no! What have I done!"

His friend had been stripped of his family magic. Something that many referred to as a fate worse than death.

Early this day, Sirius woke to the sound of sobbing. James was missing from his room, after searching he found him by the front door on his knees, head back with the most horrendous choked sobs issuing from his mouth. Carefully picking up his friend by the arm before putting his arm around James, he helped him to the parlor seating him by the fireplace. With a call to a house elf, the fireplace was ablaze.

The flames reflected themselves in the dull brown eyes of James Potter.

It was after they had lunch later on, that the entryways floo fireplace came ablaze as the password was spoken and out came a cloaked figure.

"Lily is here."

Sirius gazed at his friend in surprise after hearing the first intelligible phrase come from him in awhile. James had not moved though he still sat staring into the fire.

Sirius stood and went into the hallways to greet his friend's wife.

"Lily."

The hood of the cloak was lowered and the redhead was revealed. Tear marks could be seen down her face but her gaze was so cold that Sirius shivered.

"Where is he?"

The last time he'd heard that frigid tone was back in their Hogwarts years when their pranking had gone too far.

Sirius led Lily into the parlor where her husband still sat staring into the fireplace.

"James."

James turned his head, his eyes losing their blank look and instead they pooled with tears.

~Perspective Shift~

Lily gazed at her husband, her heart clenched inside. She had been so angry. She had wanted to beat him, yell at him, but as soon as she saw him all that faded into the background. She fell to her knees before him and cupped his face in her hands.

"Oh, what have you done to yourself?"

His brown eyes lacked their usual lust for life, they were dull and listless just like his hands that lay limp in his lap.

"Nothing."

"This is nothing, James? You are skin and bones!" Lily pulled up his sleeve.

"I deserve it."

"Oh, James." Lily leaned forward and put her arms around his middle, "You couldn't have known that was going to happen."

"I knew."

Lily sat back on her haunches and gazed into her husband's eyes, fear rising inside her.

"What do you mean?"

"As a wolf, I knew. I knew who Harry was. I knew."

Sirius this time stepped forward, "It was your wolf's natural instinct, James. It wanted to make family into pack. You didn't do it to hurt Harry."

"It doesn't matter. He's gone now. It's all my fault. All my fault..." James leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "It would be better if I didn't exist anymore."

The sharp sound of a hand meeting someone's cheek resonated in the air.

"Don't you dare, James Potter!" Lily stood over her husband, her hair becoming like a fiery halo around her head. She stepped forward, tears falling down her cheeks as she tried to soothe the red handprint on her husband's sunken cheek. "I can't lose you too!"

Later as Lily spoon fed some soup to James, her mind swirled with a constant barrage of thoughts. Her anger had turned to anguish. Her anguish had turned to fear.

She turned her head toward Sirius, "I'll stay here over the weekend, I'll send notice to Hogwarts that I'll be away for then."

Sirius nodded, knowing what she didn't say was true. James Potter could not be left alone.

~Time Skip~

Lily would forever regret falling asleep that night.

She awoke after rolling over and not feeling her husband by her side, she jolted upwards, eyes blurred by sleep searching the room for him.

Her eyes focused on the door across from the bed that led to the lavatory. She climbed quickly out of the canopy bed and rushed toward the door. It was locked. Summoning her wand quickly in hand she cast an Alohomora, trying the handle as soon as she heard the lock disengage. A sinking feeling in her stomach as she heard muffled words on the other end, but the door wouldn't budge.

"James please open the door!" Tears were falling down her cheeks, "Please James...I love you."

She stopped pounding when she heard her husband respond on the other side of the door, "I love you too." For a moment she thought he was going to open the door, but it was gone with his next words, "Goodbye Lily."

There was a choked sob and Lily pounded on the door and slammed her weight against the door praying it would open.

"Please don't! Please oh please…" Her voice choked up from the sobs issuing from her throat.

A flash of green light came from below the door, followed swiftly by a crash from the other side of the door.

Lily let out a scream as she felt the bond she had with her husband break.

A/N: If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide please seek out a mental health professional.

Call the NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Helpline at 800-950-6264 M-F, 10 am – 6 pm, ET Or in a crisis, text "NAMI" to 741741 for 24/7, confidential, free crisis counseling.