James Potter had never questioned why his Invisibility Cloak never failed him. He had used it often throughout his seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and now he used it in his work for The Order of the Phoenix.

The cloak had been given to him by his father the day he had gotten his letter from Hogwarts. His father explained it had been passed down through the generations to the oldest child. James’ father had pulled out an old and obviously ancient book that traced the family’s line back to a man named Ignotus Peverell, who was said to be the first to own the cloak.

There were stories passed down as well as to how Ignotus came by the cloak. But throughout the years, the stories had been forgotten. Only the knowledge of the infallibility of the cloak and a few notes in the old book survived. Nothing could harm it, nor could any spell remove it from the rightful owner if the owner did not wish it to leave him.

James had looked at the cloak in wonder that day. According to the records in the book, it was centuries old, but looked as if it had been made in that very moment. Though his father warned James that the cloak was not to be used for any wrongdoing, James couldn’t help but wonder what he could do while wearing it.

Shaking himself out of his revere, James looked around at the other three Marauders. Tonight he would need his cloak and the protection it never failed to provide to him.

Remus and Peter were going to one location and he and Sirius were going to another to scout for Death Eaters. Though Sirius was willing and arrogant enough to not use the cloak, James insisted.

“Padfoot, if I come back dead, Lily will kill me,� James joked. “We aren’t going to kill any of them, just watch and see who comes and goes from that location.�

“Prongs, if you think I am going to pass up an opportunity to kill one of those sons of…� Sirius stopped short of actually saying what he thought in deference to the company they were in.

Lily Potter looked up from her seat on the couch. “Padfoot, there is no need for such language,� she said, humour evident in her voice. “We all know what they are and we all agree with you, but…� she stopped speaking to make sure she had his complete attention. “But as James said, if he comes back dead, I will kill him and then I will kill you. So stick to the plan and stop arguing with my husband.� Lily smiled sweetly at Sirius.

“Damn, James, why did you have to marry the one girl who I could love forever?� Sirius walked over to Lily and sat down next to her. Pulling her into his embrace, he placed a big kiss on her cheek. He then whispered in her ear, “Lily, why don’t you dump this guy and run away with me? I’ll make you happier than you have ever been.�

Patting his head as one would do to a dog, Lily decided it was time to make her announcement. “Padfoot, I am already happier than I have ever been. I am going to have his baby.�

Throughout the room, there was complete and total silence. Sirius looked from Lily to James. James stared at Lily, his mouth hanging open. The other two occupants of the room looked equally shocked. It was from one of them that the first words were spoken.

“Whose baby?� Peter asked, though no one answered him.

“Lily,� Remus said as he walked over to her and dropped down to one knee in front of her, “are you feeling okay?�

Smiling, Lily nodded. “I feel great. I have never felt stronger or more capable of doing anything.�

James suddenly came out of his shock. He rushed over to Lily and pushed Sirius off the couch and onto the floor; he sat down next to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. After a few moments, he looked at his three best friends with tears in his eyes.

“Moony, would you mind going with Padfoot tonight? I think I better stay here with Lily,� he asked Remus.

“James Potter, don’t you dare. Remus and Peter have jobs of their own tonight. You are going with Sirius as planned. I am not sick. It is even more important now to find a way to end this terror.� Lily gave James the look she used when her mind was made up.

“But…� Lily cut James off.

“No buts. You are each going to do exactly what has been planned.� Turning her head, she looked at Sirius who was sitting on the floor where he had landed when James had pushed him. “Sirius, you will follow the plan. You will use the cloak and not do anything to endanger my husband. Is that understood?� Lily questioned.

“Of course. But, maybe he should stay here,� Sirius stopped talking after seeing Lily’s stern look and decided in an instant not to finish that thought. “On the other hand, the plans were made weeks ago, so maybe we should just do them as planned.� He gave Lily a feeble smile.

“Peter, we should be going. James, Sirius, we will meet you back here in a few hours.� Remus reached down to pull Sirius up. The two men embraced briefly. As James stood, he also embraced Remus as Sirius went over to Peter to do the same. James then turned to Peter to continue the tradition the four boys had started the day of their first official mission for the Order of the Phoenix.

They each embraced each other and never once said goodbye. It was understood that during each mission any one of them could be killed. They vowed to never say goodbye as that would indicate they expected to not see each other again. Instead, the embrace said it all.

Remus and Peter each went over and leaned down to kiss Lily on the cheek, another tradition, before they walked out the door of the cottage. Their jobs tonight were not as dangerous as James and Sirius, but nonetheless they would still be in danger as they always were when they went spying.

Sirius also walked over to give Lily a kiss on the cheek, and then went to wait by the front door. He wanted to give James and Lily a moment alone before they left. Within a minute or so, he was joined by James carrying his Invisibility Cloak.

“Let’s go.� James opened the door and walked out into the yard. As he threw the cloak over them, James felt Sirius grab his arm. When they travelled under the cloak, they always maintained contact with each other as to not become separated.

They Apparated to a rundown section of London rumoured to be the location of a safe house for Death Eaters. They were there only a few moments when they spotted a known Death Eater walking up the street.

Nodding to each other, they quietly followed. They saw him approach what looked like an empty lot at the end of a row of houses and disappear.

“Fidelius Charm,� murmured James. Sirius nodded his head. They knew they had found what they were looking for. They turned and sat on the stoop of the house across the street.

Over the next several hours, they noted several Death Eaters entering the house, but no one was seen leaving it.

“There must be some sort of a meeting tonight,� Sirius whispered to James. “Wonder if Voldemort will show his ugly face?� At James’ gasp, Sirius’ head swung around to look down the street.

As they watched, they saw two men walking quickly towards the house. They easily recognized Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff. Sirius had to physically restrain James when the latter started to stand up.

“No, you can’t. We are only here to watch, not interfere. Believe me, mate, I would like nothing better than to wipe that man out of existence, but we can’t. We have to sit here and do nothing.� Though his voice betrayed his anger at doing nothing, Sirius sat perfectly still watching as Snape entered the empty lot and disappeared.

If the silence in this section of town had not been so total, they never would have heard the distant crack of someone Apparating into the area. The sound was so sudden; both men jumped up and drew their wands. They had not heard a crack when any of the other dozen or so Death Eaters had appeared. They didn’t know why they had heard it this time, but they knew it wasn’t a good sign.

As if reading each other’s minds, they both started walking without a word towards where the sound had come from. As they approached what seemed to be a little park, they saw behind a tree a man leaning over someone lying on the ground.

When they got close enough to see who it was, they realized it was Peter standing over Remus. They rushed over and James pulled the cloak off.

“Peter, what happened? Why are you here?� James asked in a rush.

“Death Eaters, they snuck up on us. They got Remus with something. I don’t know what, but he’s hurt bad. Look at all the blood.� Peter gestured wildly to Remus whose face was bleeding freely.

“Did you see who it was?� asked Sirius.

“Snape,� replied James before Peter could answer. “This is his work. Remember when he called Lily…� James couldn’t say the word. “He did this to my cheek, too, though not as bad. We need to get him back to Lily. She will be able to fix him up. Lily is better at charms than any of us.�

The three men pulled Remus to his feet and Disapparated.

Lily was sitting at the kitchen table with Albus Dumbledore when she heard a crash as someone came into the house. They both jumped up, pulling their wands out at the same time, and rushed towards the front of the house.

As Lily approached the four men, all she saw was James covered in blood. “James!� she screamed as she ran to him.

“It’s not mine,� he reassured her, “it’s Moony’s. He was caught by a spell. Padfoot, help me get him to the couch.� As they dragged the unconscious Remus to the couch, James noticed the white-haired and bearded man standing in the centre of the room.

“Albus, what are you doing here? Has something happened that we don’t know about?� James asked.

“No, nothing has happened apart from this. I came by to keep Lily company while you were gone. It seems my being here is a good thing.� Albus nodded towards Remus.

“We need to stop the bleeding. Then we can see what damage was done. What spell did this? Who did this?� Lily questioned in a rush.

“It was the same spell Snivellus used on James that day by the lake and…� Sirius paused. He knew that when he finished, Lily’s eyes would go dark with sadness. Though he hated hurting her, she had to know. “It was done by the same person.� As expected, Lily’s eyes bore the pain and sadness they always did when Snape’s name was mentioned.

“Severus did this?� she asked Peter. “Did you see him do this?�

“No, we were set upon from behind. I didn’t see who it was. But it could have been him. One of the two of them could have been Snape,� Peter answered her honestly. “I think the other one was Karkaroff. It sounded like his voice when they were joking about killing ‘the werewolf’.�

Lily turned to Sirius. “See, there is no proof it was Severus with him. I am not defending Severus, but you don’t really know who did this.�

“Ah, my dear Lily, that is where you are wrong. Prongs and I had just watched Snape and Karkaroff enter the house we were watching seconds before we heard Peter Apparate nearby.�

“Who did this isn’t of importance. We just need to take care of it. Now, Sirius, if you would be so kind as to go and fetch some warm water to clean Remus’ face. James, can you find some bandages? Peter, when we are through, I will need a complete report from you.� Albus Dumbledore looked at each of the men in front of him. He knew they would stand here arguing over who did this in their hatred for Snape, so it was better to give them something to do to distract them while he and Lily took care of Remus.

James and Sirius rushed off to do as they were asked. Even though they were no longer students of Professor Dumbledore, they would always do whatever he wanted without question. It was a habit ingrained in them over the seven years at school and in the past year while working with him in the Order.

As Lily and Dumbledore worked to stop the bleeding, James and Sirius questioned Peter in the kitchen. There was no doubt who had cursed Remus, nor any doubt what curse was used.

It was an hour later when Lily and Dumbledore joined them. Worry was clear on Lily’s face, but there was something else there, fear. James knew she was thinking that it could have been him who had been hurt.

“Lily,� he said to her as he pulled her onto his lap, “don’t think that way.� At her questioning glance, he chuckled briefly. “I know what you are thinking. It could have been me. But when has my cloak ever let me down? There was no way I could have been spotted under it.�

“James, there is a first time for everything. I know we are all only doing what needs to be done, but I can’t help but to worry.� Lily laid her head down on James’ shoulder and gave into the tears that had been threatening ever since she saw the damage done by one well aimed curse.

“Lily,� Sirius began, “we have used this cloak for years. It has always kept us safe and hidden.� With a glance towards Dumbledore, Sirius continued, “No matter when or where we used it, in whatever circumstances, we have never been detected whilst under it. And you know we did some pretty crazy things in school.�

“But – but it’s never been tested, really tested against dark magic, has it?� Lily questioned.

Sirius looked at James who gave a slight nod of resignation. Sirius knew the story of their last encounter with Death Eaters would only increase Lily’s worry, but she had to know that the cloak would protect them.

“Let me tell you a story. I don’t think you are going to like it, but it proves the cloak can protect us.�

He watched as Lily looked from him to James. James gave her a small smile then turned his attention to Sirius. When Lily also looked at him, he began his story.

“You remember last week when we went to follow the rumours of Death Eaters in Aberdeen? Well, we found them. They were terrorizing a group of Muggles on the outskirts of town. From under the cloak, James and I fired spells at them.

“They responded by firing spells back towards us though they didn’t know exactly where we were. Every spell that should have hit us dead on was stopped by the cloak.� Pausing, Sirius looked directly into Lily’s shocked eyes. “It didn’t matter what spell it was, nothing got through the cloak. James and I sent for reinforcements and continued to do what we could to protect the Muggles.

“The Death Eaters soon tired of the game and Disapparated. Now, before you get mad at James for not telling you, he had planned on telling you everything, but when we got back here, you were feeling well. So we didn’t tell you.� Sirius sat back in his chair and waited for the explosion. He knew Lily well enough to know she wasn’t going to accept the excuse as to why she wasn’t told.

It was therefore a total surprise when Albus Dumbledore spoke. “You didn’t tell me the whole story when you made your report. You never said the cloak had repelled curses from the Death Eaters,� Dumbledore said intently.

“No, we didn’t think that it was all that important to the mission. Or had much of a bearing on what had happened,� Sirius said. He didn’t understand why this was so important.

“Everything that happens when you are on a mission matters. What if you trust in James’ cloak and it fails? Or the Death Eaters realise how you are avoiding being seen or cursed? It all matters.�

Sirius felt as if he was back in school and about to be given detention. While he understood what Dumbledore was saying, he couldn’t help but get the feeling there was more to his questions than Order business.

Sirius saw Lily look at James and then at him. Standing up, she walked over to him. She bent down and looked him directly in the eyes.

“If you ever, ever withhold information from me again, I will curse you into oblivion, Sirius Black. Do you understand me?� she asked. Though her voice was soft, the threat came through loud and clear.

“Yes, I understand, but…� Lily placed a finger on his mouth to stop him from speaking.

“I am only going to say this once,� she warned and stood up, looking at each of them in turn, her gaze even resting on Remus who had just entered the kitchen. “If a single one of you lies to me again, you will wish you were facing the Death Eaters instead of me.� When she finished her threat, she stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

“I think I missed something,� Remus said, bewildered. “Who was daring enough to lie to Lily, and why?�

“We didn’t lie exactly,� said Sirius. “We didn’t. We just didn’t tell her everything.�

"Remus," James said, "come and sit down. Are you feeling okay?"

Remus walked over and took a seat at the table before saying, “ I feel fine. Wormtail, you want to tell me what in the hell happened?�

Peter, who was looking shocked and scared at Lily’s outburst, shook his head as if to clear it. “We were attacked by Death Eaters. I took you to that little park where Prongs and Padfoot were stationed. They helped get you back here.�

“It was Snape and Karkaroff. James and I saw them moments before we heard Wormtail Apparate into the park,� Sirius added when James didn’t say anything. “Prongs, you okay?�

“I think I’d better go talk to Lily. If I’m not back in a half hour, run for your lives.� James got up and rushed out the door after Lily.

“I wouldn’t want to be him right now,� Sirius joked.

“If there is nothing else you boys forgot to tell me, I need to take my leave of you. There is something of importance that I need to review.� Dumbledore stood up and after nodding to each of them, left the house out the back door. They heard the distinct crack as he Apparated away from the cottage.

“Okay, who is going to tell me what is going on? What had Lily so upset?� Remus asked.

“I’ll tell you. In trying to reassure her about the cloak protecting James, I told her about last week.�

“Padfoot, you’re an idiot,� Remus said, shaking his head.

As those in the kitchen sat and discussed what had happened, James hurried through the living room and up the stairs. James didn’t know what he was going to say to calm Lily down. As he walked up the stairs, he was struck by a sudden inspiration. He made a detour to the unused bedroom and quickly located the book about his family’s history. Smiling, he was about to walk out the bedroom door when he stopped.

Turning around, he let his eyes roam about the room. It was filled with boxes of things they hadn’t had time to decide where to put in the few months they had lived there. He let his imagination run free. He could see pale blue walls with a cot against the far wall. He knew exactly how this room should look for his son. Okay, there was a fifty-fifty shot it would be a girl, so the walls would have to be painted pink for her. Either way, this room needed to be cleaned out. That was something he better make time for. He had a child on the way.

Turning, he proceeded down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Lily. Once he opened the door he saw her sitting at the top of the bed, leaning against the headboard. She didn’t even look up at his approach. ‘Not a good sign,’ he thought.

“Lily, can I try to explain?� he asked gently as he sat next to her.

She didn’t answer him, just looked at him with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to admit even to herself just how hard she was trying to keep her temper under control. She knew the only reason she hadn't exploded in the kitchen was the calming influence Albus Dumbledore had on her.

She also knew if she gave in to her temper, she would have started crying. She hated her temper tears as James called them. She didn't want to cry in front of those five men. She always tried to project the image of being strong. But lately, she was having a harder and harder time pretending.

“Sweetheart, we never meant to keep it from you. It’s just that we forgot about telling you the next day. I know you think I took a big chance counting on the cloak to protect me, but honestly, I didn’t.� He opened the book to the first page. Placing it on her lap, he began to trace the lineage of the cloak.

“Ignotus Peverell, he owned the cloak first. He died immediately after giving it to his son. His son, Iurthir, made several notes in here. They are hard to read, but they tell of how he never used the cloak because his father had used it all the time. Iurthir passed the cloak to his oldest child, a girl by the name of Ednyfed. She also stated she never used the cloak. However, she passed it to her son, who noted several times he used the cloak to escape from people who were chasing him.� James could see Lily was listening, but he knew he had not yet explained his reasoning behind his faith in his cloak.

He went through the entire book with her, tracing the history of the cloak and reading the notes of the previous owners as to the perfection of the cloak.

“James, all of this has been interesting, but it still does not tell me why you were so sure it would protect you from the curses. Or was it just your arrogance making you think you were protected?� Lily asked.

“No, it wasn’t my arrogance. It really wasn’t even any of these stories that convinced me,� James paused. He knew he was going to have to tell her about the first time the cloak protected him from harm. Though the incident didn’t involve curses from Death Eaters, it still proved that while under the cloak he couldn’t be harmed.

“Did you know that it was in our fifth year that we finally mastered becoming Animagus?� At Lily’s nod, James continued. “Before that, we shouldn’t have been anywhere near the Shrieking Shack. But we often snuck down to the Whomping Willow and went up the tunnel anyway under the cloak. Though we didn’t dare enter the room Moony was in, we felt better knowing we were just outside the room, even if he didn’t know we were there.

“One night we were late getting there. As we went up the stairs, we did not hear the usual growls and howls coming from the room Remus was in, but we instead heard what could only be described as cries of pain. Lily,� he said her name as he reached for her hand, “I didn’t hesitate before I rushed into the room.� At Lily’s gasp, he smiled.

“I either forgot or didn’t think about the fact I had taken off the cloak on the way up the stairs. It was lying useless in my arms. Upon seeing me, Remus immediately came after me. I heard Sirius yell, ‘Put the cloak on,’ and I whipped it over me just in time. Though Remus couldn’t see me, he took a swipe at where he knew I had been standing a second before. I was knocked sideways by the blow. I held onto the cloak for dear life and crawled out the door shutting it behind me.

“When I pulled the cloak off to check and see what damage had been done to it, there wasn’t a single mark. Nor was there any mark on my arm where his blow had been dealt. Lily, the force he hit me with should have broken my arm, but there wasn’t even a red mark. I knew then that the cloak would protect me from anything.� He hoped she understood and waited for her to tell him she did.

“James, it protected you from a werewolf hitting you and you honestly based your assumption of your safety on that? Did it ever occur to you spells and curses are different from a blow from a werewolf?� Lily asked clearly upset.

James didn’t know what to say. He just knew when the curses were flying at him that he and Sirius would be safe under the cloak. But how could he explain that to her? Suddenly an idea came to him. She needed to see it. She needed to see that he was safe under the cloak so she could believe it.

“Lily, I can’t explain how I knew. I just did. But you don’t know. You weren’t there and you didn’t see the curses bouncing off it. So let me show you. Let me show you what the cloak can do.� James stood and pulled Lily off the bed. He led her downstairs to the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen, the three occupants stopped talking abruptly.

“Padfoot, can you help me with something? I need to show Lily the cloak can and will protect me.� Without waiting for an answer, James grabbed the cloak with his free hand from the counter where he had thrown it earlier and pulled Lily outside.

The other three Marauders followed, though from their faces James knew they were confused.

“Padfoot, I am going to stand over there by the tree. I promise I won’t move. Once I put the cloak on, I want you to start firing spells at me. I don’t care what ones you use, just make sure they have effects that would be obvious if they hit me.� James let go of Lily’s hand, kissed her lightly and walked over to the tree. Smiling, he pulled his cloak over himself.

With an apologetic smile at Lily, Sirius shouted, “Stupefy!�

They heard James chuckle from beneath the cloak. “Is that the best you got, Padfoot?� he taunted.

“Tarantallegra!� Sirius tried again. James could still be heard laughing.

“Petrificus Totalus!�

“Langlock!� Though Sirius tried over and over again, nothing seemed to affect James. Turning to Lily, Sirius said, “See, he can’t be hurt while wearing the cloak.�

“Not by jinxes, no, but Death Eaters are not going to be throwing jinxes at him, are they?� she asked.

Remus looked at Lily, then knowing there was only one way to convince her, he did something he never would have thought himself capable of doing. He used an Unforgivable Curse on one of his friends.

“Crucio!� he yelled aiming his wand directly at where he knew James was standing.

Lowering his wand, he called to James, “I think that will put to rest any concerns over your cloak.�

James removed his cloak and walked over to his ashen faced wife. Taking her in his arms, he looked at Remus. “Moony, thank you. I know why you did that, but if you ever try to do that to me again…� He let the sentence go unfinished. Waiting a heartbeat for his words to sink in, he burst out laughing. “That was inspired, Moony. It was perfect.�

As James led Lily back into the house, Sirius looked at Remus. He understood why Remus used an Unforgivable Curse on James, but it was the fact it had even occurred to Remus to do it, not to mention the fact that it came so easily to his lips, that had Sirius worried. He didn’t want to believe Remus could be the traitor, but someone was passing information on the Order’s plans. Shaking his head, Sirius decided against the wishes of his heart that he would keep a closer eye on Remus from now on.

***

Miles away in the Headmaster’s office of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was rapidly pulling various books off his shelves and levitating them to his desk. He had to know. Could it be after all these years, after he had given up all hope of finding another of the Deathly Hallows, that there was one within his grasp? How could he have been so blind not to see it before now? He looked down at the wand in his hand. He already had one. In fact, he possessed the deadliest of the Hallows. But now, he sought information on another.

Could James Potter be the owner of the Cloak of Invisibility? Was it possible? He had to find out. He had to know.