Final Hours
Loud shouts echoed and rang through the usually quiet village of Godrics Hollow. Flashes of multi-coloured light shot in all directions as members of the Order of the Phoenix fiercely battled with the Death Eaters. In one alley-way Frank and Alice Longbottom were fighting a long lost duel against Bellatrix Lestrange.
She had them cornered, with an evil cackle she raised her wand .
"CRUCIO."
A blood curdling scream echoed through the night.
Alastor Moody paused momentarily from his own duel near-by to listen . A curse, aimed at him, shot passed his left ear blasting into a wall.
"Alice" he muttered recognising her screaming "Darn ..." images of what might have happened flooded into his head.
"AVADA KEDAVRA" Moody muttered almost lazily.
The killing curse missed the Death Eater it was aimed at and bolted down the lane hitting the back of another causing him to collapse on the ground . A voice called out.
"Watch your back Moody."
As he spun around the same voice yelled "STUPEFY"
Behind him a second body hit the ground and a third Death Eater approached from the shadows of a nearby house.
"Malfoy … Don't you have a son to get back to??" Moody asked sarcastically. Lucius Malfoy snarled and scowled at the ground.
"And what, may I ask, has that got to do with you Alastor"
"Well, you see if I kill you," replied Moody in a calm, yet deadly voice "who is going to look after him and your wife?"
Malfoy glowered at Moody as they circled each other, wands raised, refusing to admit that he did worry about Narcissa and the baby.
"Don't you DARE talk about me and my family like that." Malfoy hissed venomously
"You won't kill me, not tonight anyway ."
"Yes, you are right ... not Tonight" Moody murmured thoughtfully "I believe Dumbledore wants you to suffer . . . In Azkaban" A small, sly grin tugged on Moody's lips.
Malfoy cursed quietly. Anger bubbled up in his chest. He swung round and ran firing curses over his shoulder .
In a small cottage at the edge of the village James and Lily Potter sat ansiously waiting for a signal. Their baby son Harry was sleeping in in Lily's arms.
A loud pop made James look up, he saw a tall, thin wizard with long greying hair and a beard.
"Dumbledore, what has happened ... This wasn't the plan…" James' voice slowly broke off.
A pair of sorrowful eyes looked at him. As Dumbledore spoke blood seeped through deep gnashes on his face, arms and body soaking his robes. Lily cried silently in James arms.
"We are doing all we can to stop them, but, he'll be here soon. Run now and you have a chance of…" his voice trailed off
"No," Lily sobbed "we can't run … he'll find us again… Please… No ...help us."
Lily looked up into James eyes, he saw her fear and held her close.
The door was sealed shut with many strong spells of Dumbledore's working, but Voldemort didn't care. "BOMBARDA" nothing happened.
"REDUCTO" The door swayed for a moment, then crumbled to a finely powered dust. All the doors in the house were sealed shut the same way and all met the same fate as the first.
Finally he found them.
James and Lily were in a room with the baby, the BABY that would supposedly kill him... He Lord Voldemort Master of the Dark Arts - a self given title.
"EXPELLIARMUS" Lily felt her wand tear out off her pocket. She gasped, *he's scared* she thought *he's scared that we might kill him if we have our wands!!*
James voice echoed her thoughts.
Voldemort growled something and James was thrown across the room in a flash of light .
He clambered to his feet swearing wildly and reached for his wand.
"Not there is it ?!"
James glared at Voldemort and started shouting
"Run, Lily save yourself and Harry"
"COLLOPORTUS" With a lazy flick of his wand the door reversed the reducing spell and was sealed with a squelching, slurpling sound "Give me the baby first" Voldemort grinned, snakelike.
"NO" Lily shouted, tears streamed down her face as she looked wildly for another escape.
"You bloody coward….. Give us our wands and fight like a man" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"James" Lily whispered
Voldemort raged "CRUCIO" James screamed in pain, startling a sleepy Harry who was soon crying.
Lily ran forward, baby in her arms, as Voldemort lifted the curse.
James crumpled to the floor, Lily bent over him. "James ..", " Shhh…" he answered, gasping for breath and weak with pain " Listen, I'll be gone soon.."
" No"
" Shhh…. Yes…...What ever happens remember there is no magic stronger than love"
"Yes, yes"
" and Lily ….. I love you"
"I …."
Lily was blasted away, Harry in her arms, and hit the wall.
There was a shout and a green flash of light.
"NOOOOOO…" Lily cried
"but yes my Dear..."
"Don't you dare call me that… You slimy, greasy piece of …aaahhhhh"
She hit the wall in the opposit corner of the room still clinging to her son, Voldemort stepped over her husbands dead body and approached her.
"Give me the baby"
"NO"
"Give me the baby an you will live"
"NO, NEVER" Lily screamed
Lily sliped Harry round her body so she was in front of him.
"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" she sobbed.
"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..."
She lifted her head and met Voldemorts cold stare.
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead..."
"He has your eyes" murmured Voldemort reaching towards the baby, Lily slapped his hand away.
"You DARE touch me you filthy little mudblood!"
Lily knew she had overstepped the line but carried on regardless never dropping her fiery, defiant gaze from his cold, pale eyes.
"THEN DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY BABY" she thundered
"YOU EVIL BASTARD!"
The fire died from her eyes and her face drained of colour as she realised just how far she had gone.
Voldemort raised his wand.
"Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy..."
Lord Voldemort cackled as Lily cowered into the corner using her body as a shield to Harry.
He laughed shrilly and cooly said "AVADA KEDAVRA"
Lily gave a blood-curdling scream, that startled baby Harry, and slumped against the wall, her back arched so as not to crush the infant.
Voldemort picked up the crying baby and muttered to it, " So, you think I will leave you to grow up do you" Harry gurgled sadly "DON'T YOU GURGLE AT ME YOU…YOU, BABY" Harry reached out and pulled at Voldemorts sleeve, " Get off me !" the Lord hissed.
Harry started wailing at the top of his lungs, he was hungry, it was way past bed-time and he wanted the nasty man holding him to know that!!
"Shut up...SHUT UP" There was a green flash of light and a scream, a loud, startled, crying scream that rattled the windows. The lord who thought he'd live for ever was gone just like that...gone.
As the dust settled there in the middle of the room was a small boy, he gurgled quietly and crawled towards a tall silver haired man standing in the doorway with tears rolling silently down his cheeks. The man picked up the baby.
"They proved something in their final hours Harry. Love . . . Love is stronger, stronger than any magic…any magic at all."