Chapter 1: Repercussions of a Killing Curse
October 31, 1981: Dumbledore was aware of the attack almost immediately as he sensed the wards surrounding the Potter house fall to the ground. Knowing that Lord Voldemort had somehow managed to bypass them and that the Potter twins were in imminent danger, he made his way to the house as quickly as he could. However, due to the anti-apparition charms he had set up around the area, it took him a good five minutes to reach the house and by that time, the damage had already been done.
Rushing into the house, he raced past an unconscious James and spared a passing glance at Lily's body lying crumpled on the floor of the nursery before hastening to the twins and scanning them quickly for any injuries. Both boys were awake and, surprisingly, neither was crying. The tears would undoubtedly come later. Right now there was just too much going on. The scans revealed that both were surrounded by dark magic and, upon further examination, Dumbledore saw that both boys bore marks from the attack. Harry had a thin, lightning-shaped cut on his left forehead while Aaron bore a clear V-shaped cut directly in the center of his forehead. Looking at them both, the wizened old wizard found himself at a loss: Which child was the prophesized one?
As a last resort, Dumbledore took out his wand to measure the magical auras of each and, upon finding young Harry's to be only half the size of his twin's, made his final decision...one that would determine the fate of the wizarding world in times to come. Turning to the aurors rushing onto the scene, he declared in a loud, authoritative voice that Aaron Potter was the prophesized child, vanquisher of Voldemort, and savior of the wizarding race.
While Aurors filled the room, Black and Lupin ran to check on James and Lily. Remus unleashed a cry of dismay as he discovered that the Dark Lord had used the killing curse not once, but twice that night and that the victim of the first lay crumpled on the floor of the nursery. Lily Potter was dead.
When James regained consciousness, his entire world shattered. Lily had been his everything and now she was gone. He sobbed, heartbroken as he cradled her lifeless body in his arms. She was gone. Gone. Lily was gone and he was lost. There was nothing left for him. Sirius moved to comfort him but Remus held him back, giving James time to process his grief.
When James emerged from his despair enough to be aware of his surroundings, Dumbledore and the aurors had gone leaving only his two best friends behind. They eyed him sorrowfully both of them also deeply hurt by Lily's death. She had been a beautiful person, always kind and compassionate, and with a great sense of humor, she had fit perfectly into their little group and it was only in her death that they realized just how much she had meant to each of them.
As he staggered to his feet, James' eyes drifted to the sleeping twins, two tiny black heads of hair peeping out from under the blanket blissfully unaware of all that had transpired. James stared at them in despair. He couldn't possibly be a father to them. Not now. He was too broken from the loss of his wife. Crumpling to the floor before the crib, he fell asleep as Remus and Sirius quietly made their way downstairs leaving their best friend alone with his infant sons.
It wasn't until a few hours later that James was awakened by small cries coming from the crib. He pulled himself up and peered in only to have his heart wrenched with grief as he found himself staring directly into Lily's eyes. Harry lay with his face up against the bars of the crib staring back at James with bright green eyes so reminiscent of his mother's that James had to force himself to look away. He fled the room. Sirius found him scrunched in a corner ten minutes later tears streaming down his face as he murmured Lily's name over and over. Sirius quietly told him that Moony was looking after the boys and laid a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.