"I mean, when the world comes for your children, with the knives out, it's your job to stand in the way."

― Joe Hill, Horns

Chapter 1

Lily and James Potter

"Run Lily! Take Harry and run! He's here!" yelled James standing in front of Lily and Harry, ready to be the obstacle before Voldemort so that Harry and Lily would live. Just before the door was blown apart he thought of the happy times of his life. Of seeing Lily for the first time at Hogwarts and realizing that she would be the witch that he would marry. Of the times with the Marauders, his brothers and how they brought laughter and joy to his heart. The day that he married his Lily-flower, how she looked so beautiful, while still being fierce as a lion like the house she was sorted in. And finally he thought of his little Harry, his sweet bundle of joy that made him happy everyday no matter the circumstances. With the the people that he loved in his thoughts he was ready to embrace the end hoping for a better future for the ones that he loves.

With the cry of "Avada Kedavra" , a bright green light raced across the room, hitting James in the heart. He fell with a thump, falling like a puppet with its strings cut. The last thought in his mind was to see his family grow old and be happy as they do so.

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Lily raced up the stairs, with her little Harry cradled in her arms. Holding him like it was the safest place in the world, which she was hoping it was. As she heard the door down stairs be blown apart she got Harry into his cradle with the door shut closed, hoping that it would stop Voldemort from killing her baby.

Looking down at her baby, she thought of her life the wonderful and hard times both. She thought of her toe-rag James Potter how from someone that she hated with her whole heart turned into someone that she loved so much. She thought of her friends that made her happy at Hogwarts. She thought of her god-son Neville, that just lost his parents and wouldn't be able to hear how proud of him they were. She thought of her best friend Severus Snape, how he was her shadow and confidant. How she could tell him her troubles and he would make her smile again. She remembered the pain of how he called her a mudblood and with that pain that she stopped talking to him. She wished she could fix that mistake, but now she couldn't. And finally she thought of her Harry, how she would have to leave him so that he would be safe. She thought of how she carried him for nine months, how she used to sing and talk to him while he was in her stomach and how he was the most beautiful thing on earth, once he was born.

She thought of all of these things while kissing Harry on the forehead for the last time. Steeling herself for anything to come just to protect Harry from a madman. She turned around, her back to the cradle and her front to the door, ready for whatever to come. The door slammed open, in front of her was Voldemort. She would not let him kill her precious little boy. With that she pleaded that he kill her instead of Harry. Doing it three times to invoke a special plea for someone to save her child. As the bright green light rushed to her, she thought that she could she a small golden barrier form around Harry and she hoped that it would save him. As the light hit, her eyes closed with a sense of hope that she wouldn't see Harry for a long time.