No one had ever seen the Minister of Magic so cold and calculating before. All mercy had been called off, not a hair was out of place (which for a Potter was unheard of), and everyone who could report was currently at the ministry.

Pettigrew had been declared Undesirable Number One, founded on his terms that James resign and his want to put their world back into magical lockdown... not to mention he was on his second abduction.

Magic-folk had enjoyed the larger ease of relationships with muggles, keeping the statute of secrecy in place with utmost concern, but also allowing muggleborns to have simpler relationships with their parents, parents of half-bloods to explain to their spouses the expectations of the future, and any muggle relation since had benefitted too.

In short, James knew he was not the enemy.

Through the duration of the entire night the auror department formulated their rescue plan for Mrs. Potter. Pettigrew was a convoluted threat, if not particularly dangerous or deadly, and everyone involved or not wanted it done and over with before anyone else got hurt.

The extraction unit was to head off in the early afternoon in hopes of wielding the weapon of surprise, if James himself going on the mission didn't finally sink Pettigrew to his knees in understanding, half the aurors in the DMLE should.

Patley Pond was the lead auror on the case (not the head of the department but his next-in-line) and had warned a select few on his staff that Pettigrew was to come back alive to serve for his crimes. Their job was simple: to keep the minister in check just in case things got a little too out of hand.

It was a thunderous landing in Rye on that brisk Saturday morning, south of London as opposed to Pettigrew's last place of hiding in Lancashire way up north. It would have been stupid to pick the same place to hide away in, especially considering he destroyed that house, but going the exact opposite way was just as predictable.

Pond dismounted his broom and stood next to James, looking at where the tracing had led them all, a mere note taped to the door of the empty house.

At least a few hundred spells were cast before anyone was allowed to take it off, or even approach.

James tugged it down and nodded, having anticipated they would relocate once Wormtail had a better source of untraceable transportation. Whether or not Lily was actually with him would be the mystery. The note read:

Not here. If I see your resignation, I'll personally bring her to the ministry. Otherwise, good luck.

They debated for a short while what to do next, as James fidgeted on the edge of the group. Hoping not to have to incriminate himself, he faulted back onto a long-ago tracking spell that he'd put on Lily when he became Minister. It wasn't exactly illegal, but it was old blood magic that had been just a precaution for situations exactly like this one. Frankly, he and his family were in danger when he held such a role, and having protection was of the utmost importance.

Finding a dead end on the first try meant James was willing to enact almost anything.

Of course, blood magic meant he would need his own blood, so letting the aurors do this route first had been a no-brainer. Not to mention it would cause Lily a bender of a headache.

At least she knew the spell was there, was probably expecting it at any point, if not disappointed he hadn't tried it sooner.

"Pond," James signaled him over, aurors around them hushing to listen, although attempting to look busy. He handed Pond the note. "I'm going to do what we talked about earlier with Jonesquin."

Patley only glared.

The rest of the aurors looked resigned if not frustrated knowing there was no way to stop him as James sliced his wand in a quick movement over his left forearm, a vial thrust before him in a moment. A field healer immediately healed him once it was full, and plowing through like an erumpet, James held out the corked vial into the open and cast the blood spell, apologizing to the wind and Lily for the headache.

They followed the movement, the compass to her location pointing north and already quite strong.

They weren't far.

Whether or not Peter would be with Lily, they were soon to find out, as everyone remounted their brooms and traveled inland.

It was only a few minutes to reach their destination, an inconspicuous house less embedded in the country but not exactly dense enough for a city.

Time to restart the initiative anew.

There were three groups of nine that under the guise of disillusionment would infiltrate the home, another final group of everyone else ready for action outside the building. James was with the first team headed straight for the door, the second went around the back, and the final one flanked the house in two just in case.

There were no wards on the house, which was already suspicious. Peter had of course seemed to think he could truly evade the Minister for bloody Magic when it came to his wife.

Incorrect.

James was not first inside, nor would he have asked to be. Pond went before him, casting several spells and charms before indicating they could follow him in.

The house was not very large and had no magical signature except for the people inside of it.

"Just James," came a sifted voice from down the only hallway, "Or else Lily dies."

One of the aurors pulled out a polyjuice potion to which James shook his head, looking at them all thankfully before heading down the hall.

They all knew his directive, hadn't even colluded to fight or take his place if it came down to this. Besides, there were a handful of aurors on any side of the house, there was no way Pettigrew was going to leave this situation a free man.

Anti-apparition wards had gone up already.

James entered the room slowly, hands up and wand hidden, expecting it to get taken from him anyways.

Lily was bound by several curses, her eyes watering and hair a mess. She still looked just as beautiful as any other day James had spent with her, his heart screaming to help her if not for tracking her eyes to behind him, where Pettigrew was digging a wand into his back in that next moment.

"Don't move," Peter commanded, searching James for something, confiscating his wand, and moved a few steps back before silently casting a handful of spells into the air.

They were new wards. James and the team had thought little about what they might do if he chose to put them up after they were inside, yet he found himself in the situation all the same. He was trapped with everyone else on the outside, though the express amount of magic Pettigrew had casted in such succession drained him visibly.

There was nothing in the room James could protect himself with or even attempt wandless magic on to put this situation in his favor. He imagined Lily's wand wasn't exactly accessible either.

"Peter, let her go, give me my wand back, and we'll fight this out like real wizards."

"No," he said in some sort of wheeze, seemingly as anxious about the whole situation as much as James.

At this point, Peter had taken enough of James not listening to him. He'd had enough of being the only one worried for the wizarding world, being the single wizard who seemed to care that this man, his once friend, was going to get them all blown up by a muggle's fear. Wormtail just wanted to know why Prongs wouldn't listen.

"No matter what you do here," the Minister spoke slowly, "you're going to either end up in Azkaban, or in the ground. Is that what you want?"

"I have a letter that will be delivered upon my death detailing your son's egregious misuse of time, and while I might not have told the whole story, the public will get the gist-" Peter laughed, "I would advise you to tell your aurors outside, but... you can't. Let's hope they don't kill me, hm?"

Lily looked so resigned that James could barely keep his eyes off of her.

The aurors on the outside were all aware of the sudden lack of access they had to the Minister and had immediately begun working on curse-breaking.

Pettigrew only chortled. He could feel the magic wearing him down, holding his wand out towards Lily. Surely with her life on the line, James was more likely to be compliant?

"At that rate, we only have a little time left, old friend, and there are some promises that have been unkept."

"You're still on about this?" James pleaded with him. "The statute of secrecy is still very much protecting us all as much as it ever has. So what I made a few amendments so muggleborns could see their parents more often? So people could fall in love? Are you upset because neither muggle nor witch would have you?"

Peter sneered like a rat backed into a corner and jutted his wand out at James' throat instead, Lily letting loose a muffled scream. There was a buzzing in his mind then, something protecting him was going to give out.

"Being public at all is dangerous, life outside of this world is dangerous, James. Just because you haven't spent any time in the muggle world doesn't mean you get to act like it isn't a threat."

"I'm not acting," James pleaded, "There is good in their world and bad, just as much as it is in ours. Right now, you're the bad. You're dangerous, how is that any different than the muggles? Wormtail... you kidnapped a child, you abducted Lily,"

Soft pleas, he'd never seen this Marauder specifically do so much weeping since the wedding, and Peter might have felt bad if his head wasn't screaming. His wand hand began to quake, his hostage's bonds were growing weaker, not to mention the wards keeping this from becoming a massacre.

He didn't want to expose Harry, he only wanted to be assured that the rest of their world might be safe once again, that the promises he'd made would keep them all protected.

Something had to be done, Peter had to quiet the noise,

He shook his head and stepped closer, pressing his wand into the Minister's flesh, "I've begged and pleaded with you long enough, James. If you won't remove yourself, then I'll do it."

They say a killing curse must be meant to work as it exhausts one as time goes on, and if the caster doesn't mean it enough, it could go especially bad for them and even those in a close proximity. Magic has few limitations, but the ones it does have are serious and consequential.

Peter Pettigrew meant to kill James Potter. He had not intended for all of his other spells to become null as Lily fell from the bindings in an unguarded room, right at the side of James' lifeless body, but that is how it happened.

Peter's entire body shook with the force of his own broken spells and strength, as well as all those that were thrown at him upon his collapse.

Aurors were on him like fiendfyre.

Unrelenting as they stunned and bound him, he was taken away for what would be an express trial... if there even was one. The remaining aurors not on duty to watch over the unrelenting rat, were paying Lily all the attention they could afford her as the field healer who had only earlier magically sewed together his arm, checked for even a small sign of life from the Minister.

Looking into Mrs. Potter's eyes full of the most primal sadness one could ever see was enough to warrant that same healer's retirement that very evening, if not admittance into the Janus-Thickney ward. Healing the abrasions on Lily from the binds Pettigrew Undesirable No. One had used was her final spell ever as a healer.

Lily was in shambles as the aurors apparated her back to the Ministry, word already spreading from the detainment of Peter, if the silence of the place had anything to say. She might have just preferred the crowds as they walked her through the floors to the DMLE, each set of eyes on her with pity.

She didn't want pity however, she wanted James.

Luckily enough, one of Harry's partners had the forethought to go to him and his sister and recall them to the Ministry.

So much for a bloody peaceful Saturday.

Harry Potter was first through the floo, his sister on his heels a few fireplaces down as he rushed up to the floor with the aurors who'd called them there. Iris Potter was already sobbing, wet hair untamed around her head and a Harpies robe her only clothing. She was escorted upstairs with prudence.

She came upon her brother and mother in a hug, her mind already arguing they were missing someone something is wrong, as she ran forward.

Lily hugged them both close, chest heaving from the sobs that had taken her and would not leave her for many days.

Slowly, more of their family begun to join them, not a single person willing to stop them as the Potter clan infiltrated the Ministry, and anyone who had once called James a friend stood on and looked without a dry eye.

With the sight enough to break even the coldest of hearts, it was no surprise that Peter Pettigrew was sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of his natural life.

The End

A/N: With the finding of Lily, I decided to end the story there because all of the discussed plot lines are resolved. Draco and Harry have chosen one-another, as have Hermione and Severus, while Pettigrew is finally no longer a threat. There are three epilogues to follow this chapter, and I really hope everyone enjoyed! I should have some Christmas stuff coming your way soon, it's my favorite holiday, and I know not everyone celebrates, but Merry Christmas AND Happy Holidays if you don't see anything from me soon, be on the look out come the new year!