There once were two boys.
They both had black hair, though that is where their physical similarities ended. One's hair stuck up in all directions, no matter how hard he tried to tame it. He was fair, though obviously spent a great deal of time in the sun. Glasses set upon a long-ish nose framed his sparkling hazel eyes, a crooked smile was marked with slightly crooked teeth, and there was a dimple on only one side of his face. He was tall and strong and obviously well cared for.
The other's hair was slick, eternally greasy. He looked as though he had never put a foot outdoors. He had dull black eyes, a huge, crooked nose, and his thin lips hardly ever broke into a smile. He was average height and skinny. He had obviously been taking care of himself for a long period of time.
The first had been blessed with all the graces of life. He was charming, talented, handsome, rich, and absolutely adored by his parents.
The second had to fight for everything. He was awkward, poor, and his parents left him alone only on the best of days.
They knew each other for seven years, and in those years they hated each other. Both stood for everything the other was opposed to. One thought his blood made him superior to others. (He would be proved wrong). He used whatever type of magic he wanted, no matter how dark it was, and would do anything to have his way. He was selfish, rude, and mean. He belonged to Slytherin and was accepted there.
The other thought he was invincible. (He too would be proved wrong). He knew what was right and what was wrong, though he often toed the line. At times he was selfish, rude, and mean, but he could also be incomparably kind, tolerant, and good. He was a Gryffindor, and became their hero.
One craved adventure.
The other craved power.
Both boys fell in love with a girl, and both would eventually die for her.
Both made life-altering decisions mindlessly. One used a single word to do so.
The other used two.
It seems impossible that these types of choices can be made with so little thought; yet it happens so frequently. Bridges are burned, power is granted, relationships are ruined, all in a split second. A few syllables can change the course of history.
Of course these choices are hardly ever the direct result of a split second decision. Rather, they are usually the product of a series of choices. A building up of events eventually culminating in a world changing moment. Generally, people will see this happening, and know that the time is coming. Sometimes, a person is blind to these events until after the moment has passed, and it's only then that they can look back and see how clear it was.
For example, it seemed inevitable to a teenage Severus Snape that eventually his best friend, Lily Evans would realize she was in love with him. She would notice how powerful he was, how he could create spells to bring grown men to their knees (or string them up by their ankles). She would finally see that there was nothing missing, she didn't need her sister, or her stupid mudblood friends. He was right there. And after all those years of waiting, she would know, just as he had known, and they could finally be together. She would let him hold her, touch her, kiss her, just as he had always dreamed, and everything would be beautiful.
To everyone else, however, it seemed obvious that the two best friends were drifting farther and farther apart. Severus grew more attracted to the Dark Arts, and Lily grew more repulsed by them. He picked friends who detested Lily, and whom Lily detested. Try as he might, anyone could see that he was trying to bridge an impossible gap. He floated in the middle for a while: on one side, the girl he loved; on the other, the power he so craved.
And then, one day, without really realizing it, Severus Snape chose his side. He let the dreaded, forbidden word slip from his lips, aimed at the one person who would ever care, and found that the bridge he had so carefully constructed was obliterated, and he was falling through the air, desperately reaching out for a ledge that was no longer there. Only when he had steadied himself could he see that the bridge he had been standing on was never really there at all.
These decisions, though seemingly insignificant at the time, often become so much more. It might seem irrelevant that Severus Snape called Lily Evans a mudblood on a bright summer day when he was sixteen, but the repercussions of that moment would follow them both for their rest of their lives.
There once was a girl.
She was beautiful, with dark red hair, bright green eyes, and a smile as bright as the sun. Her skin was fair and dotted adorably with freckles. She was charming and bright and adored by almost everyone who knew her.
She firmly believed that every human was of equal worth; no matter their wealth or status of birth. She did her best treat everyone as she would have liked to be treated, but she was not afraid to stand up for herself or those she cared about.
She felt deeply, smiled widely, cried freely, fought fiercely, and loved enough to save the world.
She fell in love with a boy, and would die protecting the son she had with him.
She thought at least briefly about all of her decisions (except one), and in six words, would change her life.
This is a story about that girl, the choices she made, and the people she loved. This is the story of how a girl and her best friend fell apart, and how a girl and a boy fell in love. She did not make all the right choices, and in fact made many wrong ones. She broke hearts and asked for forgiveness many, many, times. She was human, and flawed as humans always are.
One day, she made a choice without thinking, and somehow saved the world.
AN: So, this is the start to my new story. I meant to actually write the whole thing before publishing... but I'm impatient so here you go! I'm not sure when I'll post the first chapter, hopefully it'll be within a couple weeks. I hope you enjoy the prologue, I know it doesn't hint much at what's to come, but we'll pretty much jump in with the next one. Please let me know what you think! :)