Disclaimer: My name is not J, K, or Rowling. So… I own nothing in this story.
IMPORTANT A/N – The inspiration for this story was SphinxScribe's "Blood Binding," but other then the resurrection of the Potters during the same time period the stories will be pretty different. Shout out to SphinxScribe for writing a kickass story.
This is my first story so please review :)
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CHAPTER ONE: Strange Awakenings
In his 21 years James Potter had woken up in plenty of strange places. Finding himself dangling on one of the Quidditch goal posts and curled up on the staff table in the Great Hall, however, paled in comparison to this. He couldn't be sure, of course, but if the stench surrounding him and the mahogany wood uncomfortably close to his face told him anything then he had just woken up in a coffin.
He felt someone stir beside him and whipped around. His entire body ached in protest and he groaned. The sight that met his eyes however seemed to wash away all his pain. Emerald green eyes blinked open beside him, flinching at the onslaught of sunlight from above them. Lily. Beautiful Lily.
Lily wasn't feeling too beautiful, though. She felt as if the Hogwarts Express had hit her full force.
"James?" She croaked. Her vocal cords felt like they hadn't been used in a decade, and she coughed before beginning again. "Where are we? Where's Harry?"
James sat up slowly, helping his wife sit up with him. He looked up at the blue sky shining above them. "I-I think we're in some kind of coffin."
Lily gaped at him, looking around and reaching the same conclusion. They were laying on something akin to a mattress that was covered in frills and they were both wearing their best robes, though there were holes worn through the sleeves and the fabric smelled of something putrid.
They stood up quickly, James scowling at a beetle that had made itself at home on his shirt and flicking it off quickly. He was just tall enough to look over the ledge of the hole and his heart sank at the confirmation that they were indeed in a graveyard.
"We're surrounded by headstones, Lily. We have to get out of here. Maybe Harry is here too."
Their wands were nowhere to be found, and their limited practice in wandless spells was making escape from the hole rather difficult. In the end, James hoisted his wife over the edge before scrambling over it himself. After they'd managed to get back to ground level, they were both covered in dirt and their robes were a miserable excuse for appropriate attire. That was the least of their worries, though. Just beyond the pile of dirt that had been rather crudely dug up was a pearly marble headstone neither of them had ever hoped or imagined they would see.
In Loving Memory
of
JAMES POTTER * LILY POTTER
Born 27 March 1960 Born 30 January 1960
Died 31 October 1981 Died 31 October 1981
THE LAST ENEMY THAT SHALL BE DESTROYED IS DEATH
"What the hell is going on?" James's eyes glinted in anger. He'd both seen and participated in hundreds of pranks, but he couldn't imagine someone playing such a cruel joke like this.
"I remember a green flash, but… we obviously didn't die. I mean… we couldn't have." Lily wasn't used to feeling so lost and confused.
James pulled his wife close, and Lily allowed herself a few moments of weakness. The couple dropped to the ground together. Lily turned and buried her face in her husband's shoulder, letting her tears fall. They were tears of frustration more than anything else. Surprisingly, the cries had nothing to do with waking in a coffin, a traumatizing experience for anyone else. Neither of the pair was dwelling much on their own circumstance. Their resurrection hadn't fully sunken in and that was a can of worms neither was willing to open just yet. Harry first. Much to Lily's disappointment, however, there were only flashes of memory when she tried to recall the last moments she'd spent with her son.
"It's all so fuzzy," James muttered, mirroring Lily's thoughts. He slammed his fist against the dirt. "Dammit! Someone is messing with our lives! And they might have our son!"
They cried together. For Harry. For themselves.
After several minutes the couple stood together. Lily reached up to wipe away her tears and turned to her husband. "We have to get back to the house. We have t-to find Harry."
They walked in silence, clutching each other's hands like lifelines. They thought through their last memories as they continued their journey to the house.
"He found us…" Lily muttered, "he found us and we tried to run, didn't we? Harry and me… You told us to run."
James blinked, pieces of the night retuning to him. "I was going to hold him off." He scoffed then. "Seems I didn't last very long. He still managed to get to you guys, didn't he? I bought you – what? – 2 minutes maybe."
Lily looked up at the dark haired man, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"This isn't your fault, James. We did everything we could. You did everything you could."
He let out a bark of laughter that was anything but amused. "Wasn't enough, obviously."
The silence fell around them again. There wasn't much to say.
The town was exactly as it always been, wooden cottages lining the narrow stone paved streets. Once they arrived in the square, however, they were met with a new sight. It appeared to be an obelisk, but the slight shimmer surrounding it was a telltale sign of magic.
As the couple neared the statue, its true form began to take shape, and with horror the two looked up at dark marble replicas of themselves. The Statue Lily and James were sitting together, the Statue Lily was holding a content Statue Harry, and Statue James had his arm slung over them both.
"It's some kind of memorial," Lily concluded, not daring to get any closer to it.
James swallowed deeply before offering the woman next to him a small smirk. "Even as a statue I'm devastatingly handsome. Don't you agree?"
Lily gave a small smile, shoving her husband playfully. "You're alright, I guess."
James adjusted his glasses that had been knocked slightly askew from the push, his smirk widening. "You guess? Don't take my good looks for granite, woman." He winked as she rolled her eyes at the bad pun. His smirk faded, however, and the humor in the air died with it.
"How long after a murder do you reckon it takes to put up one of these?" James asked.
Lily shuddered, but offered no answer. None was expected.
"We could've been gone for months, Lils."
Lily squared her shoulders, refusing to let the unfortunate truth affect her. "All the more reason to find Harry as soon as possible."
The two soldiered on. They tried to ignore all of the strange and horrible things they'd seen, but that was something easier said than done. Both were violently trying to shove the thoughts aside while trying to convince the other that they were okay.
Reaching their cottage, the two stopped once again.
'Cottage' wasn't exactly the right word to describe the ruins in front of them. Half of their once charming home was now completely concave, as if a boulder had been dropped on it. The gate was smashed apart, the door lodged in one of the nearby trees and only one of the wooden beams still standing.
"He ruined our home," Lily choked out, before frowning and looking up at James. "He found it... How did he find it?"
Only a look needed to be exchanged between the two before they knew. "Peter," James spat. Then he shook his head angrily. "No! There must be something we're missing! He was like a brother to me; he wouldn't have betrayed us. Not to Voldemort."
"It's the only explanation," responded Lily quietly, bringing her other hand to their intertwined fingers and rubbing the top of his hand. She was just as shaken as he was, having taken care of Wormtail as if he was a younger brother. She tried to shake the thoughts from her head. Peter was not her priority right now. She gently released James's hand before moving forward toward the house. James stopped her with a hand on her arm.
"What if it's some kind of trap?" He whispered, looking around for signs of suspicious activity.
Lily froze, looking around as well. They were Aurors – Order Members – and she mentally scolded herself. She should have known better.
There was a flash of movement, and both whipped around, assuming defensive stances. They might not have had their wands but they'd be damned if they went down without a fight. What they saw, however, was merely a raven. It stared straight at them, cawing at them before flying away. They both let out a breath but didn't relax. They stood back to back, scanning their surroundings.
"Seems clear on my side," Lily offered.
"Mine too," James responded. "But something doesn't feel right." Lily agreed, and neither of them moved.
For several minutes they stood as still as they could, making as little noise as possible.
Slowly, they turned to each other again. "Forget the house. We should get out of here," Lily said quietly. "It doesn't feel right. We can come back when we're more prepared." James nodded in agreement and both turned to quietly slip away. Before they could take one step, though, they were met with five people standing a few yards away. They had only managed a glimpse of the people – one with bright pink hair and one that looked suspiciously like Alastor Moody – before the familiar ring of stupefy! rang through the air and they both fell into darkness.
...
Bellatrix rushed down the hallway, her fist clamped around the collar of the squib's shirt as she dragged the woman towards the dining room. The doors swung open as she approached them and a smile spread across Bella's face. She entered the hall, bypassing the majestic marble pillars and mahogany table of the Malfoy Manor dining room without a second glance. When she reached the lone throne at the end of the table she dropped the unconscious woman on the ground before bowing at her Master's feet.
"My dear," he hissed, "I hear you have news for me."
Bella knew better than to look up. "Yes, my Lord."
"You may rise."
The woman stood tall, smiling proudly and dragging the woman up again. With a flick of her wand the woman woke and immediately began to shriek. A quick crucio from Bella's wand and a promise for more if the woman continued to wail took care of the problem rather quickly.
"My Lord," Bella began, "the squib here," a kick aimed at the squib's stomach served as an introduction, "she's the Order's precious pet, and she had a lot to say. Didn't you?" She cooed down at the woman. Then she smirked. "She's seen the Potters rise from their grave, my Lord."
If the Dark Lord was surprised by the news he didn't show it. "An interesting development indeed."
Bella didn't know what to do. This wasn't the reaction she'd been waiting for. "Well, My Lord, there are several Death Eaters surrounding them as we speak. Shall we go fetch them for you?" She smiled widely.
Nagini slithered toward her Master and Voldemort reached down a pale hand to stroke her head. "Not today, my dear Bellatrix."
Bella wasn't used to being denied violence, but she bowed her head again, knowing not to question him. "Of course, My Lord." Then she looked up, unable to restrain herself. "My Lord, you seem as if you already knew this was going to happen."
"Of course I knew," he hissed without hesitation, "I'm the one who brought them back."
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R&R to give a smile to a new author
