"It's quite late, James. Shouldn't we be putting Harry to bed?" Lily Evans, now Lily Potter, turned to her husband.

"Maybe, but I think both him and me are enjoying ourselves much too much for bedtime," the man laughed as he tossed the toddler in the air and caught his giggling son. Lily just sighed contently at her family. It had been a peaceful Halloween, though one devoid of visitors, a side effect of being in hiding.

"I wish Padfoot was here," sighed James.

"I know, love, and so does he." James laid back on the sofa, Harry now sitting on the floor with the cat.

"James, did you hear something?"

The man jumped off the sofa with a quick grace to look out of the window. His face blanched at what he saw.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's Him! I'll hold him off!" James Potter stood in front of the door, prepared to protect his family.

What did you do, Peter? James' mind was racing. His presence here could only mean one thing. You were my brother, family.

"Avada Kedavra!" A green light flashed as the unarmed man fell limp, glasses being knocked askew.

The young woman dropped her baby in his crib, standing between Him and the most important thing in her world. She couldn't do anything about the limp man downstairs, but maybe she could save her son. Her pleas to spare the child could be heard on repeat until another green light flashed, and she too fell to the ground. A third green flash, which did the opposite of what it was intended to do, lit up the room once more. The baby sat in his crib crying until his Uncle Padfoot arrived. A young man had to walk past the body's of two of his best friends.

Dumbledore's wasn't going to let Uncle Padfoot take Harry, though.

"Peter, that rat! I'm going to fucking kill him!"

And the night most wizards would celebrate would be the shattering of a family, forever a wound upon those it touched.