Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, themes or settings. I just borrowed them for this story. If I did own them I'd be rich. I'm not rich. I'm poor. Don't sue me.
Twists of Fate
Prologue: The Dark Reality Of The Past
The ominous sky shone brilliant red as the fiery sun made its descent toward the horizon. Eerie wind howled mournfully through Godric's Hollow as the wispy clouds above disappeared in the fading light. Within seconds the world was shrouded in darkness. The crescent moon, previously not visible in the harsh light, was tossed up into the wispy clouds and sailed through them violently. The shadows cast by the moon chased themselves across the large house that stood alone at the end of the lane. A light shone brightly from the bottom story window and within two figures could be seen. One, a man sitting at a table reading the paper, looking tired and drawn. Two, a woman, bouncing a young boy on her hip who had just nodded off to sleep.
Lone footsteps echoed down the lane on the cold pavement. A cloaked figure with an air of arrogance strode steadily toward the house, his hood hanging low over his pale face. His skeletal fingers stroked the outside of the left pocket in his robes, where the tip of his wand protruded. Upon seeing the figures in the window of the large house he hung back, clinging to the shadows several feet away from the front door. Waiting.
Minutes ebbed away slowly, and the cloaked figures fingers twitched with anticipation, and slight annoyance. Suddenly, he snapped his head to attention. A low hiss escaped between his teeth. An unusual rustling had come from his left. Out of the shadows emerged five figures, hooded and cloaked as he was. They slinked toward him majestically and stood, menacingly, three feet before him. The lone figure raised his crimson eyes slowly to look upon the others.
"I almost thought you weren't coming. Did I not say, Nine O'clock?" the lone figure drawled.
"Time means nothing to us, My Lord." Simpered the most prominent of the five. His tone showed nothing except that he despised taking orders.
"Indeed." he said, raising his eyebrows. "Crucio.."
The figure before him crumpled to the ground in agony, but the spell was released before he could scream.
"I don't have time for your insolence, Gelu Unus.. Mortuus Cruor"
"We have sworn our allegiance, My Lord." He drawled, unable to hide his anger as he got to his feet, stepping back into a low bow.
"Yes.. So you did." Lord Voldemort said, a cold sparkle flickering through his eyes. "Very well, you know why we're here. Do not disappoint me."
"Ah, where is the rat anyway? Can is non patesco aspicio super visio illorum is has proditor?" sneered one of the others.
"Wormtail has done his job for now. He is not needed here. You five, however, possess talents that will be very useful. I do not know what protections they will have set up.."
"Whoever said vampires and wizards couldn't get along? There will always be a place for us in your lives while you need something from us.." One of the five living dead spoke bitterly.
"Enough talk, we have work to do" snapped the dark lord.
"As you wish, my lord.." Simpered the lead vampire, bowing low to the ground. "After you.."
Voldemort narrowed his eyes dangerously on the vampire. "Kill anyone you can find. except the child.. The child is mine."
As they moved towards the front door, the dark lord hung back momentarily, looking to the sky. "Mors Mordre!" He hissed, shooting a jet of green light to the sky.
With a cruel smirk, he moved forward after the five vampires, his eyes alight with anticipation.
"James? Harry's getting sleepy, I'm taking him up to bed."
"Alright Lil.. I'll be up in a second." Called James Potter from the living room.
Putting down his copy of the Daily Prophet James yawned loudly, stretching his arms. The paper lay open on the Death Notices page, which of late had increased to the Death Notices section, spanning several pages a day since the dark lord had been at his peak. James ran his hands through his hair in frustration. They had been in hiding for seven long days now, unable to help the Order fight, everyday reading the Daily Prophet to see more and more of its members listed under the Death Section, or worse still, the 'Missing In Action' column. Row after row of familiar names stared out at him from the pages. It appeared that they were losing the war.
James sighed, picking up the Death section and folding it neatly, and walked over to an elaborately carved wooden box. Opening it carefully, he placed the Death Section of the 31st of October neatly on top of the large pile that had grown within it. Thousands dead, Muggles and Wizards alike. He would keep the tributes to their memory, he would keep them all. He closed the lid softly with a dull clunk, and turned to head for the staircase. Through the ceiling he could hear the soft hum's of Lily as she sung Harry off to sleep. He smiled softly, and placed his hand on the banister, opposite the front door.
He quietly stepped onto the staircase, trying to avoid the loud creak in the second step so he would not disturb Harry. James reached the fifth step on the staircase with little noise and was on the verge of congratulating himself when, all of a sudden, there was a flash of yellow light from behind him. A loud crash burst through the air as the front door blew in, sending splinters of wood soaring through the room over his head. James lunged forward down onto the stairs in reflex, covering his head for protection, the edge of the steps knocking the air out of his lungs. When the noise of falling debris ceased, James jumped to his feet groggily, spinning around to face the doorway. Rubbing his ribcage gingerly he waited as the dust settled, brushing splinters off his clothes in a daze.
"What in the name of Merlin." he breathed squinting through the dusty light.
As the dust dissipated, James saw that the front door had been completely blown apart. In the jagged gaping hole that was left behind, James saw six cloaked silhouettes standing silently. They made no attempts to move forward into the house, they mere stood, watching him. James heard then what he could only describe as a low and eager growl as one of the silhouettes in the group shifted side to side in anticipation. One figure stood prominent, and stepped toward James, distinguishing himself as the leader. There was an arrogance in his movements that made James fearful.
"Who are you?" James demanded shakily, "What do you want here?"
The hooded figure laughed a cruel shallow laugh, raising his head slowly to reveal a pair of crimson eyes that glowered from under his hood.
"Hello James.." he hissed in delight.
"No..." James whispered in disbelief, "No... Lily! Take Harry and go! Don't come down here! Go!"
The five behind Voldemort launched forward snarling, their bloodlust rising as the scent of fear met their nostrils. James watched them charge in horror, stumbling backwards up the stairs as he fumbled for his wand. Drawing it swiftly from his pocket he held it out before him, just as the first Vampire dove for him. James had just enough time to yell "Capulatio!" before the Vampire reached him. It stopped in surprise, giving him a blatant look of shock moments before his head left his body and he fell in a heap onto the staircase.
The four remaining vampires behind him hesitated, looking from James to the body before them, then glancing back at the dark lord who had summoned them on this excursion. James took this opportunity to spin and stagger further up the staircase, breathing heavily as he ran. From behind him, he heard Voldemort's screech ring through the house from the blown in doorframe.
"Attack! You imbeciles! Kill him!" He roared in rage.
James heard the Vampires snarl once more as they resumed their chase, stumbling over the body of their fallen comrade. He stopped in his tracks. He knew that he needed to give Lily as much time as possible to escape with Harry. He had to keep them back, at all costs. He span around to face them again, wand at the ready. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest as he yelled again "Lily! Lily! Take Harry and get out of here! He's found us!"
As the next vampire pounced on him Lily arrived at the top of the staircase and let out a terrified scream. Her eyes fell on Voldemort in the door frame, and upon seeing her his face arranged itself into a satisfied smirk. She screamed James name as the remaining vampires set their attentions on her. Two of the remaining four vampires leapt over James and headed straight for Lily as he struggled to keep his second opponent away from his neck.
Drawing her wand she screeched the only spell she could think of, the full body bind. It struck the first vampire, who fell rigidly to the floor with a thump, his legs and arms bound stiffly to his sides. Barely daring to look as she did, she performed the second spell on the fallen vampire. The decapitation spell. As the second vampire reached the scene he paused for a moment, looking at his fallen comrade, as though gauging his likelihood of success.
"Kill her, Mortifer!" Voldemort roared from below.
The vampire Mortifer lunged for Lily again, who, regaining some of her composure, and mustering some anger, struck him with the decapitating spell. She had a look of satisfaction on her face as the Vampire fell limply to her feet, his pale head completely severed from his body. From below her James was wrestling with one of the two remaining vampires on the steps. His wand had been knocked out of his grasp in the struggle, and lay several inches out of James' grasp. He blindly reached for it as he attempted to fight back the creature with his bare hands.
The vampire had him in a choke hold, and was staring down into his panicking eyes with glee. Unable to locate the wand, James kicked out violently at the railing on the staircase, snapping the wood in several places. The fifth Vampire that had reached James quickly noticed what the wizard was trying desperately to grasp. Lily saw his eyes widen with triumph as he made a dive for the wand that teetered on the edge of the stair.
"Accio Wand!" Lily roared, James' wand flying straight into her hand.
The fifth vampire pulled up swiftly from his lunge, his eyes fixed menacingly on Lily, a threatening growl emerging from between his sharp teeth. He stood slowly, giving her a dark, scheming look as he paced backward and forward behind her husband who fought in vain with the other vampire on the staircase. His apparent relaxation made Lily nervous as she desperately sought to find a way to get James his wand.
"Stop playing with your food, Corruo." The pacing vampire drawled.
"Just having a bit of fun, Artifex. I love watching them squirm. The fear in their eyes.. it's intoxicating.."
"They have killed two of our number already. Are you really so ignorant?" Artifex snapped.
"You've lived too long Maker, you've forgotten how much fun the kill can be.." Corruo said looking up at his sire with a smirk.
Taking his chance James ever so slowly stretched out his hand towards the broken banister. Feeling around blindly for the freshly broken wood, James finally grasped one of the spikes, yanking it violently free of the broken railing. Just as he was about to bring the new formed stake around to stab his attacker in the back, a heavy foot pushed his arm flat against the step, pining it to the ground. Corruo sat up swiftly at the sudden movement, completely oblivious as to what James had been attempting.
"I don't think so." Artifex said, looking down at James with an arrogant smirk.
"Exitosus Incendia!" Lily roared, her wand pointed directly at Corruo's chest.
A jet of fiery light hit Corruo directly in the chest, and immediately his body began to burn as the light spread out from the impact point, devouring him in flame. Artifex jumped back shielding his eyes as Corruo staggered to his feet, screaming in agony. As he rose he stumbled, and fell jerkily down the staircase, by the time his crumpled, flaming body hit the bottom, he was dead. Artifex smirked.
"That was some very dark magic for such an innocent looking witch." He simpered, scrunching his foot down harder into James' arm, causing him to scream out in pain.
All the commotion had at last seemed to waken Harry, for at his fathers scream, he began to cry. The child's wails carried down the staircase to the ears of Voldemort, whose face lit up in delight. Lily's eyes darted from the sound of Harry's cries back to her husband, and with one determined leap she cleared the two bodies of the vampires that had attacked her, and came face to face with Artifex.
As the last remaining vampire looked up at her sudden movement, James lunged for the dropped spike with his free hand and plunged it into Artifex' thigh. The vampire removed his foot from James' arm with a jolt as he roared in agony, clutching his leg. James pushed himself to his feet and shoulder barged the vampire, sending him crashing through the semi broken banister and watched as he fell to the first floor in a crumpled heap.
"Lily.." James said through gasping breaths as she rushed to his side. "Get Harry and get out of here. Now!"
"I won't leave you James!" Lily protested.
"Do it! I'll be fine I promise just get out of here!"
"No!"
"Lily I .."
James was suddenly cut off when a jet of red light shot between the two, exploding as it hit the wall behind them. Voldemort had entered the house and was standing at the base of the staircase, looking up at them with loathing. He fired another jinx at James which he only just managed to deflect as he yelled to Lily. Panicking, Lily attempted to flee back up the staircase. She only made three steps before a curse whizzed passed her head, grazing her cheek.
'Lily!" James roared urgently as he shot a curse down at the dark lord.
She staggered, gaining another step, but it was the last that she managed as another jet of light hit her square in the back, and she fell over the side of the banister, crashing into the floor below.
"Lily!" James screeched, firing blindly at Voldemort as he leapt over the banister to land at her side. "Lily are you alright?"
She moaned wearily, eyelids fluttering as she looked up at him. Suddenly, she looked past his face, over his shoulder and screamed, "James!"
He spun around and ducked just in time as Voldemort rounded the bottom of the staircase and fired a jet of green light at him. James caught Voldemort with a disarming spell which sent his wand flying away toward the staircase. Quickly he grabbed Lily and dragged her into the living room, crouching behind the door frame he examined her briefly. What James had failed to notice before moving, was that Artifex had stirred from his crumpled heap on the floor, mere feet from where Lily had landed.
"Accio Wand!" Voldemort hissed, and his wand zoomed back into his skeletal fingers.
Artifex staggered to his feet groggily, his eyes coming to focus on Voldemort. "My Lord.." He began, noticing the wand in his master's hand.
"Awake I see." He spoke calmly.
"My Lord I am.." Artifex began.
Bring me the child.." Voldemort hissed in a cold tone, cutting off his apology.
"My Lord." Artifex said, bowing his head swiftly before marching to the staircase.
"Come out, Potter!" Voldemort hissed. "Hide and Seek was never one of my favourite games.."
It wasn't Voldemort's jeering voice that caused James to look around the edge of the door frame in the living room. It was the sound of heavy footsteps staggering up the staircase. His eyes opened wide with shock as he saw Artifex climbing the steps heavily, a look of determination on his face. Unbeknown to James, Lily had heard the footfall too, and had peered out from behind James to see the Vampire advancing towards her son's room.
"No!" She screamed in despair.
James made to grab for her, but his hands slid right off of her arm. Lily was rushing out of the Living room into the wide open space, right into the path of Voldemort, right in front of his eyes. He could only watch in shock as she ran to get a clear shot at the vampire.
"Exitosus Incendia!" Lily cried, shooting blindly at the vampire ascending up the staircase in bounds.
As he looked to his right James saw Voldemort raise his wand threateningly towards his wife. The act snapped him out of his stupour and all at once he began firing spell after meaningless spell at the dark lord to divert his attention from his wife. He succeeded, Voldemort was too busy deflecting the onslaught of spells to even think about attacking Lily, who still stood in the open, looking up at the Vampire she had just attacked.
The spell had hit Artifex on the forearm, sending a shooting, burning pain down to his fingertips. He cried out in agony as the spell spread slowly down and up his arm, burning away at his deadened flesh. Despite being hit he continued to stagger up the staircase to remove himself from the line of fire. As he disappeared from view Voldemort cursed loudly, knowing that he would soon be dead. Seeing that Lily had hit the vampire, James was so overcome with relief and joy that he gave a momentary lapse in his bombardment of spells. It was only a split second. A split second was all that he needed.
"Repens Attero!" Voldemort hissed angrily, shooting the spell directly at Lily's chest.
.Lily slammed into the wall behind her and stars burst in front of her eyes. They swam in front of her briefly before her world fell to darkness and all thought was lost. The force of the spell stopped her heart instantly, and in the moments where her lungs gave in all she heard was James' voice.
"Lily! No!" James screamed, rushing to her side, dodging the spells the dark wizard fired at him whilst laughing wickedly in delight.
"She's dead, James. Forget about her. It's me you want.." Voldemort drawled, ceasing his fire to watch James cry over her body.
"Lily wake up! Wake up! Please Lily!" James cried in despair.
"She won't wake up James.." Voldemort said playfully.
" Please! Recro Viscus!" James cried through blinding tears, pointing his wand at Lily's chest.
Voldemort's laughter died instantly. The look on his face went from delight to severe anger in a split second. Voldemort gritted his teeth, looking upon James in annoyance.
"Clever, Potter. Very clever.." he said menacingly.
James placed his fingers to Lily's neck. Her heart was beating weakly again and her breathing was shallow, yet she was still unconscious. He leaned down and squeezed her tightly in disbelief, momentarily losing his bearings with his joy. He had completely blocked out Voldemort's voice, his presence.
"Thank Merlin.. Thank Merlin you're alive.." He repeated, still in shock.
"Expelliarmus!" Voldemort yelled, sending James' wand flying across the room.
James span around violently and looked up at Voldemort in alarm. Rule number one in wizarding combat; Never let your emotions cloud your focus..
"Thank you. James." Voldemort said with a smirk. "Now you have given me the pleasure of killing her twice tonight, and you aswell. It will be quite a treat. But I'm afraid you will have to wait in line. Your son is first on the list. Oh yes.. I will kill him first.. I will kill him so that you can live for a few insignificant moments in anguish.. So that you can acknowledge the fact that you could not even protect your own son.."
"You Son of a Bitch! I won't let you! I'll kill you!" James yelled, leaping forward in blind rage.
"Stupify!"Voldemort hissed, looking upon the boy in disgust.
James Potter fell to the ground, several feet away from his wife, his world spinning to silent darkness. As unconsciousness took him, he faintly remembered hearing footsteps ascending the staircase far above him...
Stumbling forwards the vampire grabbed shakily onto the cot of the now screaming baby Potter with his remaining uninjured arm. Downstairs the crashing of spells and yells of Lily and James Potter could be heard along with the cruel wicked laughter of the Dark Lord himself. The vampire could feel his power draining swiftly from his body and his knees gave way under him suddenly as weakness overcame him. He came to realize that he would soon be dead. The Potter woman's curse was spreading slowly, agonizingly slowly through his body from his arm.
The curse was designed to hit a vampire straight in the chest, directly at their heart. Doing so brought them almost instant death, as the heart pumped the flame throughout the body within seconds. However, Lily's curse had hit him on the arm, causing the curse to be slowed, in effect weakened, meaning it would take him several minutes to die. The pain was unbearable. Cursing under his breath he clutched at his chest, eyeing the screaming child as if making a difficult decision. He knew it would only be moments now until the curse reached his heart.
With one last desperate glance around the room, he picked the child up from the cot with one arm, who screamed louder with terror at his disfigured face. He held the child up in one hand, and as he looked into the child's terrified eyes he hushed it gently.
"Shh.. Shh.. Do not cry.." He gazed up at the boy with interest, "Yes.. You possess great power.. Do not cry, baby Potter.. You will be the barer of my memories, little one; my memory.. my knowledge.. my power.."
Knowing that time was of the essence, he quickly plunged his extended fangs into the child's neck, drawing a mouthful of warm pulsating blood through his fangs. It was not enough to kill, just enough to do the job. The boy at first squealed, then relaxed, giving a soft whimper. Artifex staggered again as the world about him began to blur, even the act of drawing blood was weakening him now. He shakily placed the child back into his cot as the fiery curse drew to within an inch of his heart. He grimaced in agony as the flame burned away his flesh, suddenly moving swifter.
The puncture marks on the child's neck oozed gently with fresh blood that trickled down his neck. Wiping it away carefully, Artifex quickly slit his own wrist with a jagged fingernail, scooping a good amount of his own blood into the mouth of the child. As the child swallowed weakly, the Vampire knew his work was done.
"This life is yours now.." His voice strained. A flickering, pained grin of triumph passed over his face as his flesh turned to ash
No sooner had the words left his mouth, than the curse at last reached his heart. He fell to the floor with a terrible gasp as the burning shot through every inch of his body. Artifex relinquished his life. He was gone, never again to prowl the world under the cloak of darkness. The child was pale and weakened from lack of blood. He sucked wearily on the blood in his mouth, as it ran down his throat, the vampire died. The child stirred, his eyes shooting open, eyes alight with new found power and knowledge. His brain was pulsating with ancient memory.
Silence reigned downstairs and just at that moment another figure burst into his room. A tall cloaked figure, shrouded in darkness. A pair of glowing crimson eyes were visable beneath the hood of the figure. Harry giggled. As he looked upon the Dark Lord who had come to claim his life, a vast amount of ancient power and knowledge swam through his tiny body. Voldemort smirked at the child, grinning at him playfully from the cot. He failed to notice the puncture wounds on the boy's neck.
"At last we meet, Harry Potter. I am sorry for the delay. Apparently my loyal servants weren't as useful as I had imagined. But then again, I have always said, if you want something done properly, you must do it yourself." The dark lord drawled.
As Voldemort raised its wand to the child's forehead, the young boy gave a most peculiar smile.
"ADVADA KADAVRA!" the cloaked figure screamed.
A jet of green light burst from the tip of the attackers wand, hitting the boy full on in the forehead. Voldemort gave a look of glee, which soon faded to a look of horrified surprise. The curse had rebounded instantly, hitting him square in the chest. There was a deafening boom as the room was completely blown apart. The dark lord let out a piercing screech, and when the light cleared, he was gone. All that remained of his presence was a scorched, smoldering patch on the wooden floor where he had been standing.
Harry's nursery room was in disarray. The cot had been blown back and hit the far wall, where it had tipped over and now lay empty. The windows had been blown out, sending showers of glass over their neatly cut lawn. The walls were blackened as if burnt, and all the furniture that remained in the room lay in shattered pieces. As the smoke billowed out of the open window and the air in the room cleared, a small pale arm could be seen sticking out from behind the wreckage of a chest of draws.
The sound of thundering footsteps ascending the staircase rang through the empty manor, and, in moments, two figures burst into Harry's nursery, stopping shakily in the doorway. The scene that met their eyes sent chills to their very bones.
"No.." Lily whispered.
"Harry?" James yelled frantically. "Harry!"
James tore into the room rumaging frantically through the debris, not knowing what had happened to Voldemort, or his son.
"Harry!" Shrieked his mother in panic, staggering blindly into the room.
From amongst the wreckage of the boys room a small childlike giggle emerged.
"Harry!" James yelled in relief as both Lily and himself tore towards the source of the laugh.
"Oh thank Merlin! Harry you're alive! Thank Merlin!" James praised as he scooped the boy up into his arms, squeezing him tightly to his chest.
"He's alright Lily, He's alright.." James sobbed as tears streamed down his face, clutching his son to his chest.
Lily let out a sob of thanks as she sank to her knees beside James, wrapping her arms around him and her son.
"Thank you... Thank you... " James muttered fervently to an unknown force, over and over again as Lily showered her son in kisses.
"James.." She said stopping suddenly, "There's a cut on his forehead.."
"What?" James asked in surprise.
He had been so relieved to see Harry alive and breathing he had not really taken a good look at him. He turned the young boy around in his arms and held him up to examine his forehead. As Lily had said, there was a peculiar cut slashed across it, like a bolt of lightning. His eyebrow furrowed as he realized that this was no ordinary cut.
"Its the mark of a curse.. or some form of magic thats touched him.. It's not a normal cut Lily.."
"What does it matter if he's alive?" Lily began snappily.
"Voldemort must have reached him.." James interrupted her, looking over Harry carefully. "Thats why it matters. But he said he intended to kill him.." James pondered aloud in wonder.
"James.. What is going on..?" Lily asked in fear, suddenly aware of what her husband was trying to say.
"I don't know, Lil.. It doesn't make sense... Why is the room blown apart?" He asked becoming more and more confused.
Harry giggled suddenly, and James was awoken from his train of thought. He gave Harry a smile.
"Hey Little guy, you've been through quite a bit today, haven't you? You don't seem worried though, you're a brave boy, aren't you Harry?" James laughed as his son giggled. "If only you could tell us what happened.." He added quietly, with a frown.
Harry gave his father an odd smile. To James, it looked as though Harry had understood everything James had said and was trying his hardest to figure out how to answer him. It was a look filled with knowing, and frustration. James got a strange feeling in his stomach. He did not know why, or what it represented, all he knew was that something wasn't right. The answers came seconds later, when Lily let out a small scream.
"What?" James asked in panic. "Lily!"
Lily could not speak, she had a hand clamped over her pale face that had drained of all color. With her free hand all she could manage was to point a shaky finger at the side of Harry's neck. Harry giggled in excitement. At last they understood..
James' eyes flickered over his son's face, and trailed slowly down to the place where Lily was pointing as if in slow motion. Then he at last noticed what Lily had seen moments before him. Two small puncture wounds on his sons neck. The blood flow had ceased, and the wounds were starting to heal over rapidly, but it was still very apparent to both Lily and James as to what those marks represented.
"No.." he said in anguish.
Lily moved forward in shock, her hand shook violently as she reluctantly placed her fingers on the boy's neck lightly. She then noticed what they had failed to notice when they picked him up. His flesh was stone cold. Lily removed her fingers slowly, taking the boy gently from James' arms.
"Lily?" He asked shakily, probing her for an answer. "Lily!"
"He hasn't got a pulse James..." she said fervently, clutching the smiling boy tightly. "He hasn't got a pulse.."
Harry giggled joyfully, looking up at his parents faces full of concern, if only he could convey to them how powerful he felt, how knowledge pulsated through his brain..
"No!" James shouted angrily, slamming the young boys cot into the charred wall of his room. "No! You killed that vampire! I saw you hit it! You killed it!"
Lilly Potter burst into tears, clutching her baby boy to her chest and moaned in distress. James screamed angrily and fell to his knees, tears sliding silently down his face.
"This can't be happening.." He murmured under his breath.
James' head was screaming with mixed emotions. His son, his one year old son whom he had been so glad to see alive and relatively unscathed was dead. Worse than dead. He had been transformed into a creature of evil, a creature who fed on darkness, and blood itself. He would be feared and hunted where ever he roamed, until the end of time, or until he was destroyed in a similar manor to the five vampires who had just entered his house. Were they someone's husband? Someone's son? Someone's father? James could not see any ounce of humanity in any of them, no regret or guilt had washed over him as he killed them ruthlessly.
And now his son, his only son, would grow up in darkness, feeding from innocent victims, striking fear into the hearts of many. Lurking about in shady places to attack the unwary. His own son, would grow up to serve the darkness.. Serve Voldemort.. His own son would grow up to kill..
The idea of it alone made James punch the floor with such tremendous force, that the knuckles on his fist began to swell almost immediately. It was a nightmare.. It had to be a nightmare..
After what seemed hours their distressed cries fell silent, and slowly they turned to face one another, knowing full well what the other was thinking. James was pale and drawn, he felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest as he looked at his wife holding his dead son with a dull aching. The thought that his baby boy would grow up to be nothing more than a life draining monster made James weak inside. He could not allow that to happen.
"We have too, Lil... We have too.. For his sake and ours.."
Lily had silent tears still streaming down her face. James had never seen her look so distraught, so broken. Her vacant eyes stared emptily back at him, as she slowly forced herself to nod.
"I know.." she whispered hollowly.
"He's already dead, Lil..." James choked in a hollow voice, trying to justify their resolve.
She nodded, smiling bravely at him through her blurry tears, her smile faltering as she looked down at her son and burst into loud sobs. Lily potter kissed her sons forehead softly, sitting him on the floor of his blown out room. James knelt down, hugging the boy tightly and kissing his forehead for the last time, not ever wanting to let go. But he had too, he had to let go. Harry was dead, and they could not allow him to grow into a loathed creature. He forced himself to release his son, the light of his life for the past year, then took a step back next to Lily. Holding her tightly to his chest as she sobbed violently, he whispered softly;
"Don't look.."
He then raised his wand, pointing it directly at the heart of his son. It seemed to take an age to bring his shaking hand up to full height, but when at last he did, he closed his eyes. He could not bear to see the smiling face of his baby boy as he giggled happily on the floor, looking up at him. As he was about to perform the curse, there was a loud crack, and a ragged looking wizard appeared in the door frame of Harry's room.
"Lily? James?" He said in surprise, seeing his best friends standing in the blown out room. " What are you doing here? The Dark Mark.. Dumbledore told me to check.. What the hell happened here?" Remus yelled in relief and fear as he rushed toward them.
"Voldemort found us.." James said weakly.
"What? This is where you were hiding? Thank Merlin, thank Merlin your alive!" He said in shock and relief.
Suddenly, seeing their stricken faces, he paused, turning to each of them in turn. "What's happened? Where is Harry?" He asked in alarm.
"Remus.." James tried to speak.
"Harry!" Remus said in relief, spying the young boy sitting on the floor giggling to himself. "Thank Merlin he is safe!"
"Remus.." James said in an exhausted voice, as Lupin scooped Harry up in his arms hugging him tightly. "Get away from Harry.."
Author's Note: Ah, well there you have it. You'll notice a lot of Latin in this chapter, so I'll give a few translations.
Gelu Unus. Mortuus Cruor: Cold One, Dead Blood.
Can is non patesco aspicio super visio illorum is has proditor: Can he not bare to look upon the faces of those who he has betrayed?
Vampire names: Mortifer Death-Bringing, Artifex Maker, Curruo Destroyed.
Repens Attero: Sudden Ruin
Recro Viscus: Revive Heart.
That about does it I think. I have three stories on the go now, like my mind wasn't busy enough before! But i will be updating frequently, between all three. Hope you like, Until next time,
Lanindur Du'Undarian