By: Marie 1000
A Harry Potter Fanfic
All rights belong to J. K. Rowling
Lily and James Potter had attended an order meeting. Everyone else had left half an hour ago. Lily looked impatiently at her watch. 10:30 already. While his wife was looking at the watch, James was staring at Dumbledore. Did he hear right? "So let me get this straight, you want me to secretly spike Moony's drink with Veritaserum, so we can find out if he is the traitor?" The leader of the light and Headmaster of Hogwarts just nodded. "ARE YOU OUT OF OUR MIND? He's my best friend. I can't do that to him."
Dumbledore looked grave. He could understand James of course, but having very few best friends gave him little ability to sympathize. "I understand James. How foolish of me. I should have never asked this of you." James nodded grimly. He was still a little peeved.
"Anything else Albus?" Lily asked kindly. She knew her husband still needed time to understand what Albus wanted, and although she could see the point she still agreed with James. No good would come of dosing Remus with Veritaserum.
The three continued talking deep into the night.
. . . Godric's hollow 30 minutes earlier . . .
Mrs. Peterson was just coming down the stairs after Harry went to sleep. At 84, she really didn't have anything better to do. She loved sitting for the Potters, both were kind and in her opinion Harry was an angel. She lived just down the road in a small cottage. Her parents had disowned her when they found out she was a squib.
To everyone else she was an old lady who loved to feed pigeons in the park on Sundays; to the Potters she was a blessing from above.
Tired and sore the elderly lady went into the guest bedroom downstairs. Not even knitting before bed, she lay down and the next instant she was asleep
. . . In Harry's bedroom . . .
The little boy was fast asleep. His head was filled with thoughts about his parents, the new toy broom from his Uncle Padfoot and his baby sitter. Harry loved his baby sitter. She was fun, nice, and always allowed him to sit on the counter when she made dinner. Tubbles, the cat burst into the room, chasing a rat. Suddenly the rat jumped out the window. Tubbles, shocked just stared at where the rat was supposed to be. She didn't jump after him, she wasn't suicidal.
A little hunched over man hurried down the street. When he passed under the street light, and one was looking out the window, one could have seen the look of excitement, with a bit of regret and sadness in the eyes portrayed on the man's face as he once more looked over his shoulder at the small 2-storey home. Then he quickly continued his way to a small alley. A few seconds later a "pop" could be heard from there.
Harry turned in his crib. He rustled but didn't open his eyes, suddenly his eyes opened in shock. Startling green orbs searched to room for the dancer and evil he had felt not a second ago.
The ebony haired boy sat up quietly. He could feel danger coming. It felt as if the shadows themselves were trying to tell the young Potter to escape. He tried but only being a year old, he couldn't get out of the crib. Unknowingly he was trapped. The crib had become his cage.
The Dark Lord was feared. Witches and Wizards everywhere trembled once they saw him. Grown men overcame a shiver every time his name was spoken. And then there was that foolish Prophecy. Did anyone really think a mere boy would be able to defy Slytherin's heir? Nevertheless Voldemort would make sure no one would stand in his way.
Once his servant returned and gave him word, he swiftly left to deal with the nuisance.
Once he arrived in the puny town he walked, quickly, quietly, the gait of a hunter. Once he arrived at the Potter household, he quickly made the door vanish and went inside. The self-proclaimed Lord sneered. Everywhere he looked one could see gold and red. Lions were adorning the fireplace, table, the good china and even the cutlery.
He slowly and deliberately walked up the stairs. He took a second to look around, more red, more gold, more lions. Then he walked over to a door with the name Harry Potter carved into it. Golden Lions were playing on the name and they eerily looked like blood in the moon and street light filtering in from through the window. When he opened the door he was shocked. The boy was sitting calmly in the crib looking at him with a look of defiance in his emerald green eyes. "Slytherin green eyes" the boy formerly known as Tom thought disgusted. "How could the boy, obviously from a Gryffindor family have Slytherin eyes? Lord Voldemort shook his head. Slowly and deliberately he raised his yew and phoenix feather wand. How he ended up with a core from one of the lightest creatures was always a mystery. He said the words, almost exited now and green light shot out of his wand.
Harry watched the person with annoyed interest. He knew something was wrong. The person practically oozed death, and darkness. Once the evil person pointed his piece of wood though, he knew his end was here. He looked into the blood red slits; so much like a snake's and smiled. He thought of his kind babysitter his favourite uncles, Tubbles, and his loving, beautiful, kind, fond parents. Everyone's faces flashed in his mind, his parents smiling with tears in their eyes. His uncles faces, filled with sorrow and a deep, burning hate. Once he noticed the green light it was too late. The world went black . . . but then he saw a light. It glowed in every color imaginable and more. It got brighter and brighter until he was almost blinded by the brightness. Then he turned and looked over his shoulder.
What he saw broke his young one year old heart. His mother and father found him motionless in his crib, the dark mark's glow lighting the room through the window.
His mother picked him up, crying while his father hugged the both of them. Even Tubbles came feeling the sorrow of her family. One could see in the background that Dumbledore was watching the broken couple without the usual ever present twinkle in his eyes.
But suddenly, in his heart he knew they would be okay. They might miss him and grieve him but eventually they would be okay. He knew that in a few years twin girls would be running around, with Lily and James Potter watching them while remembering their oldest. They might cry every 31st of July and on Halloween, but no longer would they be depressed. They would move on with their lives. They would never forget him but they would be happy.
With that knowledge in his heart he confidently walked up to the light. A bright flash and he was gone. The last thing one would see would be a lonely tear falling down his cheek, landing where he had stood a second before.