Return of James and Lily Potter

Chp 11//the death

IMPORTANT A/N- the memory is in italics :)

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Lily's POV

Once everyone has landed in the memory I look around, my heart dropping. We're in our house, when it was whole with a happy family in it. Us. A tear falls as I watch James playing with baby Harry while I watch in amusement.

James' arm slips around my waist as he watches the memory and my hand finds Harry's. I glance at his face and see him trying to hold back his tears. I suddenly regret coming to see the memories.

3rd person POV

Sirius hiccoughs, seeing his best friends' old house when it was whole and cosy, a perfect family home.

Harry giggles at his fathers antics, trying to catch the colourful bubbles in his tiny scrunched up fists. James laughs, making the bubbles harder to catch, causing Lily to shove him playfully.

Harry smiles and Lily clutches his hand tighter. James is staring at his baby son and then back at Harry, remembering when he was really that young.

"Leave him be, James" she chuckles, lifting her son into her arms. "We best get him to bed"

James nods reluctantly. "Okay Lils, goodnight Harry!" He leans over and presses a kiss to his sons head, and then to Lily's lips.

"I love you"

"I love you too, James. see you in a minute?"

"Yeah I'll just lock up the door"

"I can't watch.." Remus murmurs, turning away from the memory family.

"I want to go out there and kill Voldemort now" Sirius hisses, even though he knows it's useless.

Dumbledore simply watches every move of James and Lily, occasionally glancing out the window.

James dropped his wand on the table and followed Lily out of the room, when there was a knock at the door. James frowned, looking at Lily who was just as confused. James took one peek through the door and gasped.

"It's him Lily! Go! Run! Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily closed her eyes, tears slipping down her face and James hugged her against him. Harry nudged his way in and joined the hug. They didn't want to watch.

"Why didn't you have your wand, prongs" Sirius groaned.

"I wasn't planning on getting attacked by Voldemort" James said lowly, signalling to his distraught wife.

Remus was looking away. He didn't want to witness the death of his best friend. His companion. His fellow marauder.

Lily ran up the stairs and flung the door closed behind her, her baby close to her chest.

"Shh, Harry, it's alright" Lily's voice cracked as she heard James' body hitting the floor downstairs.

Everyone winced and James had silent tears running down his face. "I tried to protect you.."

"There was nothing you could do James" Lily whispers comfortingly.

"Move aside you silly girl" Voldemort had blasted open the door with a lazy swish of the wand and Lily had let out a cry. She refused to stand aside.

"Let me kill the boy and you will survive!" Voldemort was getting impatient.

"No!" Lily had mustered up some confidence and yelled.

"Very well" Voldemort gave an evil laugh, making Lily shiver. She dropped her son in his crib and stood defiantly in front of him. She didn't have a wand, but she was still willing to fight for her son. Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Lily-

"No!" James had ran between the memory Lily and Voldemort, shielding his wife and crying child, but of course it had no effect. The spell went straight through James and hit Lily square in the chest, and she fell to the ground, dead.

"No..." James moaned, crouching beside his dead wife's body, crying. "No Lily.."

Lily approached her shaking husband and wrapped her arms around him. "James it's okay.. I'm here... It's just a memory"

"Lily you died for him" James turned to Lily and flung his arms around her. "I'm never taking you for granted. I'm the luckiest guy alive.." He turned to his son and swooped him up in a hug. "I love you Harry"

Harry grinned at his dad's soppiness. "Love you too dad"

Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry, about to strike when- the memory went black and after a moment of eerie quiet, they were pulled out of the memory.

They stood in silence for a long time, until finally Hermione spoke. "And that was just the first memory."

"Yep" Harry nodded then raised his eyebrows at Ron and Hermione. "Next we've got Petunia and Vernon.."