Prologue
Lily Potter flipped through the pages frantically. Her emerald eyes were clouded over with sorrow and worry as she continuously glanced back at her sleeping child. Despite being holed up in one of James' family's properties in Godric's Hollow, Lily did not feel safe. It did not matter that the property was protected by the Fidelius charm. These were dark times, and it only needed the slightest bit of pressure from the Dark Lord to break open a secret.
Not to say that Lily didn't trust her friends. Sirius, despite his womanizing ways, took his duties as Harry's godfather very seriously. Remus, regardless of his werewolf heritage, was a deeply caring individual and would sooner die than let harm befall on her precious son. Peter, for all of his awkwardness, seemed to be fiercely protective of the youngest Marauder.
But it wasn't enough. When it came to protecting the sweetest little miracle in her life, nothing would be good enough—not with Voldemort still at large.
So here she was, flipping the pages of a not-so-Light tome at four in the morning in hopes of finding something, anything, more to keep Harry safe.
"Lily?"
She barely reacted to James' voice. Lily kept searching, her eyes not even lifting to see her husband. She knew she looked a fright as she often did after one of her dreams. "You should be sleeping," she murmured softly.
"As should you," James pointed out. He walked over to Harry's crib, smiling as the baby snuffled lightly in his sleep. When he looked back at Lily who seemed lost in her research, he frowned. "What are you doing? It's late. We have a lot to do tomorrow."
"I can't sleep," Lily snapped agitatedly. "I have things to do now. This can't wait!"
James kneeled on the floor in front of her and, with great effort, pried the book away from her clenched hands. "Lily," he whispered gently, "did you dream again?"
Lily bit her lip as her eyes watered automatically, remembering the same nightmare that had plagued her subconscious for the past three weeks. It always started the same—a nice, quite night at home with Harry and James. Then Voldemort bursts through the door and before her or James could even react, a putrid green light takes Harry from her. She shuddered violently, tears rushing down her face. "We need to do something," she whimpered. "Anything, James. My—Our—little boy is being targeted because of some Divination tripe and the only thing Dumbledore suggests is to go into hiding?!"
James stared at her for a moment before he sighed gently and nodded his head. "I know," he replied. "Going into hiding isn't ideal—even with the Fidelius charm."
Lily shook her head almost viciously. "Compared to what can be done, using only the Fidelius charm is foolish," she spat bitterly. "I love the guys with all my heart, but the truth is that there is a spy in our midst. Someone is giving up Order secrets. What if it's someone critical in protecting Harry? We need to be doing something else to save him."
James stared at her with sad eyes. He trusted Peter, Sirius and Remus with his life, and he couldn't wrap his head around one of them being a traitor. They've been the best of friends for ages, but apparently that wasn't enough compared to the lure of the Dark Lord.
It broke his heart when he remembered Sirius coming to him, confessing his worry that Remus might have turned Dark. James didn't want to believe that. Remus had a heart of gold and was too worried about becoming a fearsome beast during the full moon to be anything but a good man. Just because he was a werewolf did not mean that he could be lured into giving up what he had worked so hard to accomplish: friendships, family, and a steady life.
James remembered the first time he held Harry, cradling tiny perfection in his arms and marveling at the life he and Lily had created. Sirius, Peter and Remus had been waiting impatiently for a chance to get into the hospital room and check on the Potters. When they finally caught a glimpse at the youngest Potter, James could see them melt. He saw Sirius' joy at being the godfather to such a tiny being. He saw Peter's wonder as Harry sleepily eyed his surroundings. And he saw Remus' gentle gaze full of so much love that he honestly had a hard time believing Remus could ever be labeled a Dark creature.
Out of all of his friends, Remus was the most surprised to have gotten a chance at holding Harry. Lily placed their son in the sandy-haired man's arms without hesitation, completely and utterly sure that her son was perfectly safe in his hands. Remus cried gentle, silent tears that day, thanking them over and over for their trust and for allowing him to be a part of Harry's life. And for once, the Marauders didn't pick on him for his moment of weakness. They let him cry until he excused himself.
Upon leaving that night, Remus had placed a lingering kiss on Lily's forehead, and his hug with James lasted longer than usual. Neither said anything, simply smiling at the gentle soul and bidding him a pleasant evening.
It simply didn't make any sense. How could friends who have lost together, bled together, and cried together not mean anything? How could the Dark Lord with his fanatical visions of an unpleasant world lure the people he was closest to?
"We will do something," James assured, standing and tugging Lily upwards. He hugged her tightly, his heart aching fiercely as he cast out thoughts of the possible traitor. He had been too busy grieving over something that, while important, was supposed to take a backseat in comparison to keeping his wife and child safe. Well, not anymore. "What have you found out?"
Lily pulled back and gave him a watery smile before pressing a hard kiss to his lips. "All of my ideas so far have been rather pointless. There is no defense against the Killing curse, so no charm or potion will work in protecting Harry to the fullest extent," she explained before grabbing the book she'd been looking through earlier. She hesitated only slightly before showing James the title Runic Rituals. The book itself was rather simple looking. It wouldn't look entirely out of place in a home—if it weren't a book banned by the Ministry for its usage of human sacrifice. When James didn't even bat an eye, she continued, "There are intriguing rituals in here. I think we can tweak one to work."
James remained quiet for a moment before asking, "Where did you get this?"
Lily swallowed. "It was in the vault," she said quietly. "I know it's not a…well, it's not deemed acceptable to read due to its content, but I'm not going to rule out a branch of magic if it can keep my son safe and whole."
James' lip quirked ever-so-slightly. "It was just a question, dear. I'm not questioning your choice of material. Granted, it's… it's not something I'd expect to see you reading, but you're right. Harry is our priority, and we need to do whatever it takes to protect him." He took off his glasses and rubbed his face.
Lily shrugged her shoulders, feeling a little awkward. "You don't seem completely okay with it…"
"Lily." James fixed her with a stern glance that almost made Lily feel chastised. "I will die for Harry, do you understand? If it ever came down to it, I would die for him—and I would die for you. You both are the greatest things to ever happen to me, and I'll be damned if either of you fall victim to this war. I won't lie—I have some reservations. My mother may have been a Black, but my father was a Potter and as Light as they come. I was taught to be cautious of any rituals that demand any flesh, blood, or bone—and to especially avoid the ones that demand human life as a sacrifice."
His wife nodded her head, understanding as she also had some reservations. But James said it best—when it came to Harry and James, she would also die for them. Instead of speaking, Lily sat down and began flipping through the pages once more. James took a moment to compose himself before sitting next to her and together they perused the entire book for another few hours.
It was obvious when they found it. Lily's knuckles turned white as she gripped the book as tight as she could. James' hand at the small of her back was a comfort, as was his voice calmly reading the requirements of the ritual. Then silence settled into the air. They stared at the page, their gaze fixated on 'life sacrifice' and 'wards against harm'.
The silence was broken by a wail. Lily stared as James picked Harry up, rocking and soothing their son gently. She couldn't contain her smile when her baby was placed in her arms. The tome fell to the floor with a small 'thud' as she abandoned it in favor of giving all her attention to Harry. "You are such a beautiful boy," she whispered tearfully. "Mummy and daddy love you very, very much."
Harry squirmed and wiggled in her arms, sleepily blinking at Lily. He whimpered as his mouth made sucking movements. Lily smiled softly at him, her hand already working towards freeing an ample breast from her shirt. She loved being a mother. The pain of childbirth was well worth it as she watched Harry suckle from her bosom.
James wound an arm around her waist as she nursed Harry. They were silent when Harry finished, a trail of milk leaking out of his mouth. Harry was asleep as Lily burped him, cuddling him close to her.
Lily and James didn't need to speak to come to a decision. They would do anything to protect Harry. Sacrificing their lives for him seemed like the minimum of what they could do.
It took James a week to discretely acquire all of the necessary ingredients. It took Lily slightly longer to research the ritual, her notebook detailing everything becoming increasingly lengthier.
The ritual itself would take a month to prepare for. It was too long, and yet not long enough. Lily wanted to bestow on her son the ultimate protection now, but at the same time, she wanted to be a thousand percent sure of the outcomes.
With everybody none-the-wiser regarding their plans, life went on for the Potters. Sirius finally managed to convince James of Remus' treachery, though it was with a heavy heart. They agreed that discreetly switching the Secret Keeper from Sirius to Peter would be the best move. It was, as Sirius put it, a great Wronksi Feint. While everybody focused on ripping the secret from Sirius, the Potters would be safe with unsuspecting Peter. They had to wait another month before making the switch since Peter was still away on an Order mission, but that was fine. It allowed Lily and James time to adequately prepare for the ritual.
Of course, the ritual wouldn't technically be complete and stay in stasis until they died. It was somewhat morbid, their entire plan counting on one or both of them dying. They didn't know if it would happen, or if it did they had no clue when, so it was risky to have an uncompleted ritual practically tugging at their magic. Still, with Lily's brilliant work in Charms, bestowing this protection on Harry was the ultimate fail-safe. He would be protected if it was the last thing they did.
It wasn't until a week before Hallowe'en that they were able to perform the ritual. The rune Lily had picked, Sowilo, was beyond perfect. It was the rune of success and victory, it activated the highest values, promoted dedication and persistence in any endeavor, warded against harmful opinions, and kept the heart focused on its purpose. Combine the rune itself with their life sacrifice, and Harry would have a protection like no other.
Lily watched as James first cut his finger and moved tufts of Harry's sweet baby hair out of the way to draw the Sowilo rune, not unlike a lightning bolt, on his forehead. He whispered his part of the spell under his breath and they both watched as the blood glowed before seeping into Harry's skin. Lily waited a moment before repeating James' actions, and then they were chanting and finishing the ritual. Harry slept throughout it, completely unaware of the life-altering events that just took place.
The Potters watched their son avidly as the contented boy showed no signs of discomfort. The next day, James secured the book with Lily's notes in the deepest part of the Potter vaults along with the tome they'd found the ritual in. They updated their wills with specific instructions regarding who would care for Harry once they were dead, gave a copy to Dumbledore and a copy to Gringotts, and then continued with life as if nothing had happened.
Not even a week later, James and Lily discovered that the traitor was, in fact, Peter. As Voldemort brought their wards down, Lily shared one last tearful kiss with her husband before dashing up the stairs with their son. The battle downstairs waged for mere moments. James had been without his wand, and Lily flinched at the thud she heard. Harry whimpered in her arms, but she ignored it and put him in his crib before placing herself in front of him.
She faced Voldemort with pleads of mercy for her son, begging for him to kill her instead. Her pleads fell on deaf ears, but that didn't matter. Lily never planned on walking out of the nursery alive. The green light struck her and her lifeless body crumpled to the floor.
Harry cried, frightened and unsure about the strange man in front of him.
Voldemort knelt before Harry, looked the boy in his eyes, and quietly muttered, "You are not the child to beat me."
Without a second thought, he stood again and cast the Killing Curse. The moment the green light left his wand, Harry's forehead glowed with the Sowilo rune. As the Killing Curse struck the rune, it was forcefully propelled back. Voldemort shrieked as his soul was ripped from his body, and Harry screamed as the rune became etched into his forehead.
It was three hours before anybody arrived at Godric's Hollow to investigate what happened.
Two hours before Hagrid took Harry from a sobbing Sirius Black.
One hour before Dumbledore sent McGonagall to scout Number 4, Privet Drive.
Ignoring McGonagall's protests, Dumbledore placed a swaddled Harry on the doorstep with a letter tucked in his blanket. He cast several warming charms to protect the baby against the late Autumn chill, and with a few parting words, left.
As he did this, he was completely ignorant to the two incorporeal figures screaming at him.
"DUMBLEDORE!" James yelled angrily. "DUMBLEDORE, NO! COME BACK! TAKE HARRY TO SIRIUS! DUMBLEDORE!"
Lily stared at the spot where Dumbledore disapparated with anger and disbelief. She blinked away silvery tears and turned her attentions to her baby; her sweet baby boy who had been dumped on the doorstep of her estranged sister like trash.
"James," she whispered.
Her husband turned to her with infuriated eyes. "Lils," he murmured.
Lily shook her head. "We said…we said to not bring him here," she said quietly. "We specifically said anywhere but here."
James took her in his arms. "He still has us, Lils."
Lily shuddered. "And how does he have us, James?" She pulled away from him and gestured at their bodies. "We…we shouldn't be here. I researched that ritual to the letter. How…how are we here? Are we ghosts or something else?"
James regarded her with cautious eyes. "I don't know," he admitted. "I honestly have no clue. But you know what I do know? I know we still have a chance to watch him grow. We have a chance to look after him, Lils, and that's enough for me. Everything else we'll figure out along the way."
Lily let out a small laugh and nodded. They turned towards their son. It was quiet for a long time before they walked towards the doorstep and collapsed next to their son. Lily spent the rest of the night singing and running her fingers through Harry's hair while James watched.
Their ritual worked; perhaps a bit too well, but it worked. Harry was safe. That was all that mattered.
A/N: This story is being written with the intention to eventually contain the Harry/Hermione pairing. The idea has been growing for quite some time, and is finally coming to fruition. I researched all that jazz about the Sowilo rune. I wonder if JKR knew about the rune before giving Harry a lightning bolt scar. One small change at the beginning of the series will alter events differently. This story was inspired by Guardian Angel by Night Shade 1427 here on FF, and by Bilbo Died in Gollum's Cave by paranoid_fridge over on AO3. There is a link to a banner for this story in my profile, so please go ahead and check that out.
Updates will be sporadic as I try to finish my first story, but please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!