An:Hiya guys! So this is my first HP fanfic, and I'm relatively new to this site. Reviews are highly appreciated, so let me know what you think.
Disclaimer
I do not own the world of Harry Potter, only the plot line of this story belongs to me. Please don't sue me!
Hidden in Hogwarts: Chapter 1
An ancient man with a long white beard and paper-like skin gazed solemnly at the woman, whom appeared to be in her early twenties, who was stood before him. Lily Potter's face was almost entirely hidden beneath her blanket of red hair, revealing only a pair of bright emerald-green eyes. Dumbledore'seyes for once lacked their omnipresent twinkle, dulled by the news he had moments before revealed. Tears glittered in the depths of Lily's eyes as she absorbed the newfound information, and she eventually spoke after what seemed like an eternity.
"So he's the only one?"
Dumbledore nodded earnestly, tactfully deciding not to mention the other candidate that fitted the criteria. He felt that there was no need to also drag the Longbottoms into this, despite their partial involvement.
Lily sighed. It seemed nothing could ever go right in her life. And now, to top it all off, she had just discovered that her one-year-old son was destined to defeat the Dark Lord. He was just a baby!
"And there's no other way to avoid it?" Her voice was lost to all but Dumbledore in the midsts of the loud chatter that filled the Leaky Cauldron.
"I'm sorry, dear. There's no other option. We all have to make sacrifices for the Greater Good. Just think! One day, you son will be the one to end this way, once and for all! Everyone will worship him, no one won't recognise his name! He will be the saviour to the wizarding world!"
"That's not what I want for him though! He deserves to live a normal life. Why couldn't you find someone more experienced, instead of a mere child?" Exclaimed the agonised woman.
"It's the prophecy! He is the only one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. We are helpless against the hands of fate."
Lily groaned in frustration. Surely the old man understood how unreliable prophecies were? He was supposed to be one of the greatest wizards since Merlin himself!
"I supposed I had better be leaving then, since I can see this conversation going no further."
Albums sighed as he regarded the retreating figure of one of his most intelligent former students. Why couldn't she grasp the concept of the Greater Good?
XxXxXxXx
James Potter stood waiting expectantly in the kitchen, awaiting his wife's return. Dumbledore had claimed in a letter that he had information of the utmost importance to share with them, but it was too confidential to reveal through mail. Lily had departed for the Leaky Cauldron little over an hour ago, and was due to return soon. Sure enough, moments later the fire glowed and out stumbled the petite of Lily Potter. She had tears streaming down her face, and James immediately reached out and and embraced her in a tight hug, and she buried her face in his chest.
"What happened?" He asked urgently.
After a moment of silence, Lily revealed all that their former headmaster had told her: the prophecy; Harry's role in the war; and their almost guaranteed deaths. James' face grew systematically darker as her tale progressed, until it finally drew to a close. Baby Harry was sitting in happily in his highchair, gurgling contentedly as he remained blissfully unaware as the most critical events in his lifeline were laid out before his parents' eyes.
"Is there anything we can do to prevent it from happening? I don't want our son in danger," James said quickly. He was, and always had been, wary of prophecies and the likes. They were always so imprecise and subject to change, but his heart sank as his wife shook her head sadly. Why did everything always have to go wrong?
James gazed at his son, so young and innocent, who was almost guaranteed to play a huge part in the war that was waging throughout Wizarding Britain. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and one could almost see the, as the muggles put it, metaphorical lightbulb appear over his head.
"I think I have a solution," he said eagerly, and the pair spent the remainder of the night of the thirtieth of October 1981 formulating a plan to save their baby from the horrors of the war, and was put into action less than 24 hours later.
XxXxXxXx
On the night of Halloween, Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts, pondering over many subjects, including that of certain predictions and the Greater Good. It would be a costly win for the Light side, but he knew that all would work out eventually. All he had left to do now was wait. His secret weapon would still need many more years before he would be ready to defeat the Dark Lord, and Albus was already anticipating how the Light would emerge victorious. After all, there was no power stronger than that of love. Was there?
With a sudden CRACK, a nervous-looking house elf apparatus into the room and jolted him out of his stupor.
"Mister Dumbledore, sir, there has been an attack at Master James Potter's house, sir. He has sent Tibby to asks for sir's help. Master says the Death Eaters is takings them sir, and you have to be quick," the house elf squeaked out quickly, and dread filled Albus as the house elf apparated away away once again. He was up in a flash, striding briskly over to the fire place. He threw in a handful of floo powder and stepped into the dancing flames.
"Godric's Hollow," he called out in a loud, clear voice.
After mere seconds of the sensation of wind rushing past his ears, Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace and into the kitchen of Godric's Hollow.
There were sure signs of struggle, with many chairs and silverware knocked onto the floor. The room was in an absolute state, and an eerie silence had filled the room.
A sense of anticipation filled him as Albus searched the room in vain, hoping to find evidence of what had happened. However, there was no sign of life within the house, not even that of young Harry Potter. He sighed sadly. There was only one event that could have happened on that fateful night. It was obvious that Voldemort had discovered the prophecy, and kidnapped the Potters in an attempt to prevent the outcome. He knew that there was next to no hope of the Potters surviving the whole ordeal. It was time to spread the word. Their last hope was dead.
XxXxXxXx
A snowy white owl by the name of Hedwig flew into the kitchen of the Manor House. An eager hand grabbed the mail from her claws, rewarding her with a slice of bacon. The dark-haired man opened the latest edition of the Daily Prophet and began reading the front page article, chuckling as he did so.
Supposed saviour of the wizarding world DEAD?
An article by Rita Skeeter
In the late hours of yesterday he-who-must-not-be-named launched yet another attack on an innocent wizarding family, leaving the Potter family of three amongst many others dead at the Dark Lord's hands. However, this was not just another random attack. Read on about an exclusive interview with Albus Dumbledore to find out more.
RS:So tell me why this attack is a particular setback on the outcome of the war.
AD:You see, a while a certain seer friend of mine made a prediction about how the war will end. They claimed that Harry Potter, James and Lily's son, will be the one to vanquish the Dark Lord.
RS:So what do you believe will happen now that our supposed saviour is dead?
AD:We will continue as we have been, fighting against the Dark Lord's forces. There are plenty of other wizards who are potentially able to banish him once and for all, but we can only hope.
For the rest of the interview turn to page 6, and for more information on prophesies turn to page 12.
James Potter set the paper down and turned to face his wife Lily, handing the paper to her. A slow grin spread across her face as she examined the contents of the news article, and she hugged the black-haired baby in her arms closer to her chest.
"We did it."