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James Potter slipped a bit on the frosted sidewalk as he turned onto the narrow road at Godric's Hollow that Halloween night. He was cold, and a warm fire sounded wonderful. He shouldn't have been away so long. As he looked down the road, his heart froze in his chest. Standing in the sky, lurid and prominent, was the Dark Mark. No, it couldn't be - it couldn't be their cottage, it was protected, it had to be another one... he raced along, half-desperate, half-afraid to know.

He rounded the hedge, and then he saw that where the right side of the top floor had been, a large whole gaped, blown open as if from a huge explosion.

James flung open the iron gate and raced up the pathway. A knife seemed to be piercing his stomach as he ran inside the house. "Lily! Lily!", he called out, desperately hoping that they were alive. Maybe they'd escaped...

His heart beat rapidly as he ran up the stairs. He burst into their bedroom to find that its ceiling was open to the sky. On the floor lay Lily's dead body, while Harry was alive in his crib, crying. A strange lightning-shaped cut stood out jarringly on his forehead.

James' steps stumbled, and then all went black.

"James ... Lily ... James ... is everyone alright?" came a voice. It grew shakier as it drew nearer and an attractive man with sleek black hair entered the room.

Sirius could tell Lily was dead from her open eyes and stiff body. A sharp jolt hit his stomach and tears filled his eyes. But slight relief washed over him when he saw that James was still breathing, albeit unconscious. He picked Harry up and comforted him before making his way to James with the toddler in his arms.

Sirius trembled as he shook James with his free arm. "James! James! Please wake up." The knots in his stomach lessened as the hazel eyed wizard opened his eyes.

James was confused at first, but soon he remembered, and wracking sobs shook his body. Since Harry had stopped crying, Sirius put him back in his crib and went over to comfort his best friend by putting his arms around him.

"It's all my fault," James cried out as he continued sobbing,

"James, it's not your fault that Peter was a treacherous rat," said Sirius, trying to placate and reason with the new widower. It was usually James who comforted him when he was upset over something. It was rarely the other way around.

As Sirius was still contemplating the best course of action, he heard someone enter the room and was glad to see the elderly wizard with a long white beard. The Hogwarts Headmaster was stunned by what he saw but quickly recovered. He paced the room looking sombre, then walked over to Lily and closed her eyes before walking over to Harry's crib and picking him up. He pressed his lips and narrowed his eyes as he examined Harry's scar with steepled fingers before putting him down.

"Professor, look at what that sneaky wormrat did," said Sirius heatedly.

James was still crying and absent-mindedly blaming himself, oblivious to his surroundings.

"Were you not their Secret Keeper, Sirius?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, we switched to that scum, Peter, last week. I thought it would be too obvious if I was their Secret Keeper, so I convinced James and Lily to switch to Peter." Sirius looked down in shame.

With a flick of Dumbledore's wand, James slumped over as if in a deep sleep. .

"I had to make him unconscious. He is not in a state to function. We need to get James and Harry to St. Mungo's. We'll discuss things further there," said Dumbledore calmly.

Sirius appreciated how Dumbledore always had a talent for keeping himself calm and composed in any situation.

"We can't apparate from inside the house. Let's get James and Harry outside the house," Dumbledore added.

"What about Lily?" asked Sirius.

"She will receive her due respect, but unfortunately we cannot remove her body before the Aurors show up."

Dumbledore levitated James outside the cottage, while Sirius carried Harry. They apparated to St. Mungo's with the father and son.

James woke up in one of the wardrooms at St. Mungo's and immediately tried to jump out of the bed, nearly hysterical. Sirius gently pushed him back while a nurse quickly gave him a calming draught, and after a few minutes his friend finally was able to talk more composedly.

"Is Harry alright? I remember seeing a cut on his forehead," he asked shakily.

"Harry's just fine," said Sirius, putting fifteen month old Harry, who had a bandage on his forehead, on the bed next to James.

"Da da," said Harry, holding his arms out to James.

James picked his son up and embraced him before carefully examining him.

"Harry, Daddy's really sorry he wasn't there to protect you," said James sombrely.

"James, is it true that you switched your Secret Keeper from Sirius to Peter?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, and he betrayed us. I thought he was one of my best friends," said James dejectedly as he soothingly patted Harry who was lying on his chest.

"Professor, I don't understand. Voldemort attacked Harry and Lily, but now he seems gone. Not that I'm complaining, but Harry somehow survived with just a cut," said Sirius curiously.

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "I theorize that Lily sacrificed herself for Harry, invoking an ancient protection charm. Hence, when Voldemort cast the killing curse, it backfired on him instead."

"So Voldermort's gone for good?" asked Sirius hopefully.

"I'm afraid there are ways for him to return since he had gone to great lengths to make himself immortal. But for now, he's gone," said Dumbledore.

"It's my fault. I'm sorry, James. I'm the idiot who suggested that we switch to Peter." Sirius looked down, unwilling to meet his best friend's eyes.

"It's not your fault, Sirius. It's that stinking traitor's fault. When I get my hands on him, he'll wish he was never born," James swore, clenching his fist.

"I'll get him. I'll kill him and go to Azkaban instead of you. Harry needs you," Sirius vowed.

"Calm yourselves, James and Sirius. Peter will most certainly be caught and punished for his deeds. No need for either one of you to do anything rash and risk getting thrown in Azkaban," Dumbledore rebuked.

"But he can easily escape in his animagus form," said James and Sirius together.

"I beg your pardon?"

James and Sirius exchanged uncomfortable looks. It was confession time.

A/N: Please remember to FOLLOW the story if you want updates and please FAVORITE if you liked the story. Thank you.

This is just the first chapter, so I had to get the attack out of the way. I'm not good at writing the aftermath of a crisis, so I hope this is ok.

I will reveal where James was that night in a future chapter.