Prologue

It was a peaceful night in Godric's Hollow, shadows wrapped around the house, the pale full moon making the shadows skirt away, almost reluctantly. Even the shadows knew what was approching.

A hooded figure walked slowly through the village, blood red eyes landing on the house. To the outside perspective, the hooded figure seemed graceful, uncaring. Appearances were deciving, the mind of The Dark Lord Voldemort was indeed ungraceful, more than that, it was unorganised and shattered. Thoughts skittered around the man's mind like the same snakes he felt an affinity with, all whispering murder against the filthy half blood that it was predicted that he be killed by.

The Dark Lord was close enough to hear inside the house – He was just outside the door, so close... - the father was snoring lightly, the mother was not making a sound. He sneered, abnormally small teeth showing behind non-existent lips.

A blood traitor and a mudblood, the snakes hissed in loathing, kill the abominations...

Lord Voldemort smiled a horrific smile, and complied.

Lilly Evans Potter was not a patient women, and when James Potter, the man of her dreams, that had disguised himself until her sixth year fell asleep when he was supposed to look after their only son, her sliver of patience was very nearly broke. She grabbed Harry with a feather-light hold, resisting the urge to shove her foot up James' a-

Harry unexpectantly burst out into tears, making Lily walk into the hallway, patting his back and tucking his head into the crook of her neck, where he sighed contentedly.

Lily felt a deep weight on her chest, the adoration and love she had for Harry shining like the moon, that was especially bright tonight. Lily was suddenly on the defence, glaring at James' unconscious form.

"James.", She said, hoping he would wake up, as he was a light sleeper. He was pretending! Oaf! She strode over, and with a brilliant demonstration of the Gryffindor she was, kicked him as hard as she could without waking Harry. He yelped like an injured pigeon, cradling his shin.

"What?" He snapped. Lily's glare intensified, making him cower slightly.

Click.

That was the only sound needed for Lily and James to dash into the hallway, James with his wand raised, and Lily angling herself between whoever – whatever, her mind snarled – was breaking in. She knew who it was, in her gut, and what her mind screamed at her, but only when her eyes connected with the blood red eyes of the man that was hunting them, did she actually believe it.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-" James voice was hard, and engaged in a duel with the Dark Lord, not even looking back. Lily was up the stairs by the time he said to go, she rushed into Harry's nursery and locked the door violently, almost breaking the lock with her adrenaline rush. This was her son, and her husband, the man who lit up her life, was sure to die. She choked, and sobbed with her now screaming son.

She hurriedly put Harry in his cot, and grabbing the bars, she slid down to look into the green eyes that matched hers completely. Harry had his mouth slightly agape, tears dripping down his face, staring into Lily's eyes with a look that was much older than the one year old he was. Lily was wrecked with grief. He was going to be the one, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt. He was going to have that aged look in his eyes for the rest of his life, he would be hunted by death eaters, should Dumbledore get to the house in time to knock Voldemort back. She wouldn't, couldn't think of the alternative.

There were only blasting sounds from downstairs, the first words uttered in the wordless duel made Lily collapse.

"Avada Kedavra." The voice hissed. There was a whooshing, and the sound of a body collapsing onto the wooden floor made Lily gasp and sob. She grabbed the bars again, desperately forcing the knowledge that her love, James, was dead, and that her wand was downstairs so she couldn't protect her baby into the deepest part of her mind, locking it away.

"Harry?" Lily whispered. He looked at her, still silently crying. "Harry you are so loved, so loved." She stroked his cheek gently through the bars of the crib. "Harry, Mama loves you. Dada loves you. Harry be safe. Be strong." Harry looked at her with loving eyes, which only stabbed her even more.

"Mama?" Harry whispered, still crying, but grinned, flashing straight white teeth. I can do this, Lily felt the power of a mother and a witch run through her, love for her Harry fuelling it exponentially. The door crashed down to the floor, making Harry scream and sob again.

She stood and turned to Voldemort, staring him straight in the eye, not even thinking about the wand trained on her.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please, not Harry!" She screamed with tears streaming down her face, she was leaning slightly down, hoping it was a bow of respect, fear, anything. Just not Harry.

Voldemort laughed cruelly. "Stand aside, silly girl... Stand aside now." he jabbed his wand threateningly at her, but her determination was unbreakable. She rotated her body to block view of Harry.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-" She faltered, sobs rising from her throat. Her vision distorted from tears, she took one last look at Harry, a look filled with adoration. She turned and looked Voldemort in the eyes again. "Not Harry... Please... Not Harry... Have mercy... Have mercy..." She seen no change.

He laughed at her, sounding like a bunch of hisses. "Avada Kedavra!" He still hissed. The sickly green light collided with Lily's chest, like an iron punch, her scream resonating through the house. She thought she would see black, instead, she seen light.

"I'm James."

"It's a boy!"

"Harry."

"Neither can live while the other survives..."

The dark lord looked at the abomination's corpse giving a sharp, cold laugh. The snakes that formed his thoughts hissed their pleasure at the body, rubbing their scales around Lord Voldemorts mind, giving the powerful feeling of euphoria that one felt when casting the infamous Killing curse. The warm feeling left the dark lord's body as soon as it appeared, letting his bloody eyes swivel with renewed vitality.

They landed upon the child, and a sneer formed upon his lips. This was the child of prophesy? Voldemort laughed a cruel laugh, and Harry looked at him with an alien expression on his sweet face; Rage. Harry was deathly silent.

"You are the one to kill me?" Voldemort tutted, still chuckling. "I suppose this is rather anticlimactic, after all that time searching." His blood-red eyes locked onto Harry's for a few seconds, before he whispered. "So powerful… Such a waste. Oh, my child, I am doing you a favour. Dumbledore's manipulations will no doubt pit you against me, don't you see?" The Dark Lord was beginning to rant. "All these wizards and witches do not try and understand the dark, it is too powerful, and that makes it evil! How I wish you could unders-" Voldemort broke off suddenly, assessing Harry, then the mudblood on the floor.

He hesitated, a very human expression on his face, before it evened out. "Yes, it is worth the risk, dear Harry. You will be dark, you will feel the darkness. Unfortunately, your filthy muggle mother has cast a protection through love to protect you from me!" He spat. "But no matter, I know one way… Goodbye Harry, you will, after all, be… the-boy-who-lived." Voldemort smiled, finally noticing the rage in Harry's eyes.

"Avada Kedavra"