If anyone was to ask James Potter what he wanted most in the world, he would have been able to answer immediately, he wanted everything he had and everything he loved to remain the same, he wanted to be Quidditch captain and join a professional Quidditch team, eventually growing old with Lily Evans, the girl of his dreams, by his side. They’d live in a house in the country where their children could grow up to be happy and strong and where his best friends could live next door but at the age of 16 James was beginning to realise that what he wanted wasn't necessarily going to happen, however much he might wish it so.

Looking around him he admitted that he had a pretty good life, his family adored him and he adored them back, a fact that remained hidden in the part of his personality that only 3 people saw, his best friend and brother now lived with him, safe from all the pain and suffering he had endured for years. but James had to admit to himself, when he was lying in bed, surrounded by darkness and eyes straining at the ceiling, that things weren’t right, there had always been an aura of restlessness around him one which he always ignore but in the darkness he admitted that it was getting harder and harder to do that.

He had quietly watch his parents grow more and more fearful for months now, and he had seen the look in his older sister's eyes at the mention of another murder he himself didn’t understand it fully, as far as he was concerned it was a bunch of people called Deatheaters causing trouble within their world, something which would never affect them. The looks on his parents and sister faces however was beginning to bring a cold stab of fear into him every time they were mentioned. In fact the only person who seemed unaffected by all the tension within the Potter household was his 13-year-old sister Carys. Even Sirius was getting more and more nervous with the passing of every death.

James never shared his thoughts and worries with anyone though and he pretended he didn't notice what was going on behind a charade of humour and pranks but he knew that eventually he would have to say something and he would have to admit that things weren't perfect but there was plenty of time yet. There were things he feared which he would never admit to but which were becoming harder and harder for himself to ignore. He was worried about that fact that Carys wasn't affected by what was going on at all, in fact she didn’t even seem to realise that people around her were dying. James knew that if something did happen that hit close to home, then Carys wouldn’t know how to deal with since she wouldn’t have been mentally prepared for it.  He was also terrified for the safety of Lily but no matter what he thought he kept quiet, there was enough fear in the house without him adding his piece to it.

The smell of something delicious was what woke James up one Friday morning. He sniffed the air looking around him groggily before it hit him, the smell could only be his mother's famous cooking and from the smell of it she was making Pancakes, one of James’s favourites. He turned round to the other bed, speaking eagerly as he did

"Hey Sirius..." but before he could finish Sirius Black was already out the door on his way downstairs.

Rolling his eyes James kicked the covers off of him and leapt out of bed following his best friend down the hallway and stairs eagerly, it was a well known fact that if you didn’t reach the table before Sirius then you’d be likely to go hungry instead, he burst into the kitchen and stopped, trying to catch his breath from his sprint. His eyes immediately fell onto the table that was covered with several different kind of food just like it always was every morning. He spared a smile at their two house elves who were hopping round doing jobs before a full grown grin covered his face as his eyes fell on a slight woman with Dark brown hair and sharp hazel eyes.

"Mum do you think that you cooked enough food for Sirius here? Where's mine?" he demanded as a way of announcing himself, Sirius was already at the table helping himself to the food. James rolled his eyes; if Sirius had been in his dog form then his tongue would be hanging out and his tail wagging like a maniac.

Maris Potter smiled at her son and ruffled his hair further so wavy strand stood away from his head

"Don't be greedy James, there’s plenty for the pair of you, I’m just not sure if there will be enough food for the rest of us" she said sounding bemused as she glanced at Sirius, who was stuffing his face with a fork so ladened with pancakes that it shouldn’t have been able to fit into his mouth. When he accomplished it she raised an eyebrow at him and spoke sternly "Chew the food Sirius don’t just inhale because if you choke I’ll just tell you that you deserved it" Sirius glanced up at his name and grinned at her

"Err sorry Mrs Potter the food just so good that I couldn’t help it" James grinned brightly as Sirius attempt to charm his mother failed miserably just like they always did.

"How you boys can eat so much food so fast amazes me. Where do you put it all? Do you have a hollow leg or something?" she looked at them curiously, James sat down and looked at his legs consideringly before rapping them with his fist.

"No they don’t feel hollow mum" he commented a wide smile remaining on his face, he remembered when Sirius first moved in how his best friend had been shocked by all the banter between them all, he had been equally shocked that Sirius had never experienced it before.

"Well if you don’t have a hollow leg then It must go to your big head then James, you know to help retain the size of it" James rolled his eyes at the voice and turned round in his seat to see his older sister walk into the room, she was the image of their mother and just as bossy, it drove him mad on more than one occasion.

"Oh of course, I learned from the best right my dear older sister. No one’s head is bigger than yours or more weirdly shaped for that matter, kind of like an egg don’t you think Sirius" He commented lightly, Sirius looked at her thoughtfully, holding up an egg with in line with his view of her.

“I can definitely see some similarities between this egg and your sister’s head” Maris rolled her eyes but remained silent making her way out to the food pantry in the room next to the kitchen, she was far to use to her children bickering to interfere.

Sophie stopped pouring herself a cup of coffee and gave him a sweet smile “Is that the best you can come up with James? I mean really, here I was thinking that you were meant to be witty and here you are failing miserably" she shook her head, "I suppose there's not enough room with all the hot air in your head for a brain to actually preside in there" she stopped and spoke almost absently "By the way Carys doesn’t look to good to day, I think she maybe ill but for God sake have a bit more tact then you usually do" James looked up at her, raising one eyebrow as he straightened slightly

"And what’s exactly wrong with her? Does she need someone to take food up to her? I suppose I can take some up to her” he shot his best friend a look “That is of course if Hoover mouth there stops inhaling all the food long enough for me to get some, I don’t want to risk it in case he think my hands are food and tries to digest them as well."

Sophie looked at James with a smile and went to say something when her attention went to the door and a sympathetic look came across her face instead, James twisted in his chair and followed the gaze, his eyes widened, To say Carys looked bad was an understatement, she was pale and a sheen of sweat covered her face, her eyes looked overly bright and slightly glazed over, she wasn't dressed in anything but her pyjamas and her black hair was in tangles and stuck up in all directions making her look like James.