Death Is But The Next Great Adventure

Chapter One

"And they lived happily ever after", the soft spoken words fell on deaf ears, as the typical story book ending was delivered and accepted with ease.

The old tome was closed softly as a young woman glanced down at the now sleeping babe, with tuffs of curled black and brown topping his head, which lay silent in her fair skinned arms. The Babe was only a bit past his first birth year, and — as any decent young child would— had promptly fell into a blissful sleep to the sound of his mother's melodically pleasant voice. The young mother (and she was indeed young at only 20 years of age) smiled softly at the adorable sight of her darling baby boy curled into her while sucking delicately at his small pale thumb. The woman stood, careful not to jostle the child in her arms, and swiftly made her way to the mahogany crib stationed in the center of the mellow colored nursery. She set her baby down, ever so gently as to not wake him, and kissed his bare forehead as a token of goodnight.

"Goodnight" the woman softly spoke, voice not even above the volume of a whisper, but those words too fell on the deaf ears of the small child. The woman turned and quietly made her way to the nursery door and opened it, not even making a sound as she slipped through the slightly widened crack of the doorframe. The woman's tender smile was still etched in her face.

She made her was downstairs to an open living space, only to find a young man perched warily by the fireplace, worry frozen on his features making him look years older as strong hands laid anxious in his lap. The you man heard the woman's soft footsteps and turned, a smile readily replacing any worry that remained on his features.

"Did you put Harry to bed?" The man asked, his hazel eyes showing a soft loving light at the mention of the young babe in the room above them. "I know just how difficult he can be at bed time! Get that from his old man, he makes me proud", the man continued as if to make a point, a teasing smile making its way to his lips. The woman approached with a sigh.

"You know as well as I do James that, if anything, he is difficult only because you and your friends are horrible influences. My little Harry, while he may be difficult at most times, cannot resist the charms of the lovely classic, Beauty and The Beast", the woman sat down in the nearby love seat sofa, a knowing twinkle shining in her eyes as she gazed at James.

"Come on Lily-flower! You know I was just teasing you", James poked fun at his wife as he took the adjacent seat to her on the sofa, laying a comforting hand on her hip.

"I know James, I know", Lily spoke, her gaze softening at the sight of her husbands silly grin. But her eyes soon darkened with sorrow. "How much long James? How much longer do we need to stay in hiding? I know the war is climaxing, and I know that Professor Dumbledore insist that it's the safe thing to do, but I just can't take it anymore! The constant fear, the limited visits, even Harry can sense something is wrong, and he's just over a year old! I'm at the end of my rope, James".

James ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling the already messy locks in his frustration. His a defeated sigh he placed his other hand on Lily's thigh as a show of comfort.

"You know as well as I do, Lily-flower, and that is that we stay in hiding until it's safe. Until he no longer torments us, because that what we can do right now. I can't fight right now and you can't fight right now. I know it's painful Lily, but we have to deal with this. Not only for our families safety, but for the safety of the world. We need to stay here, no matter how long it will—"

"But how long will that be James?!" Lily faced her husband, unshed tears were noticeable in her eyes. Her voice had cracked and she was on the verge of breaking. Breaking down from anxiety and stress, from the untold burden that she held to keep her small family together. Breaking from the constant smiles and reassurances to her young toddler that nothing was wrong. Breaking because of everything.

James pulled her close to him determined not to let go. This was his family, this was his entire life, at stake in this grueling wait for salvation. He would never let go of his beautiful wife and equally beautiful son, not for as long as he lived. They were his everything.

"I don't know Lily, and I may never know. But we will get through this. Harry, you, and I will get through this, together, as a family", James ran a soothing hand through her bright auburn hair. He spoke in such a determined and certain way that Lily had no choice but to believe him. To believe in the hope that he brought her. When James was with her, Lily felt as it the entire world could not stop them. Her family, forever together and strong. She buried her head into his broad chest and let his, in her opinion, dorky and adorable face lay on her head in a comforting embrace.

But alas, the happiness and comfort of the small family was not to be. For the only fate that the star-crossed husband and wife would face that night, would be death.

Suddenly, the door to the small cottage in Godrics Hollow was blasted off its hinges, the door tearing itself apart and scattering across the entryway in small wooden pieces. The loud and rough sound jumped Lily and James from there blissful and relaxed state, signaling a battle reflex that was almost instinctive to each of them. Wands were drawn and fast pants were taken as silence engulfed the room for what felt like hours. James crept ever so slowly towards the empty doorway, peeking his head cautiously at the darkness that seemed to sweep through the barren entrance. James gathered his Gryffindor courage and jumped in front of the doorway, wand raised and ready, his hands trembling slightly from anticipation. The his eyes began to blow wide, his mouth opened and an abrupt shout was aimed towards Lily in desperation.

"LILY ITS HIM! HE CAME FOR HARRY! GET HARRY AND GET OUT OF H—" The shout was cut off by two simple words, words that would change this household forever.

"Avada Kadavera!" A raspy shadow seemed to his as a bright luminescent green light surrounded and threw James into the wall parallel to his form with such force that, if the spell had not already killed him, would have ruptured his internal organs and cause him to bleed internally. But James was dead, and no damage to his body now would do anything.

James Potter knew no more.

Lily was frozen, her mouth wide and agape, as shock filled her entire being. Then it hit her like a brick to the face, that her beloved husband was dead and the madman that they had been hiding from had found them. Lily bolted up the stairs of the small cottage, tears flowing from her bright green eyes (the same color green as the light that had just caused her husband to perish) and with only one thing on her mind as she sprinted with all her might to the cozy nursery of her small innocent Harry.

Lily burst through the nursery door with little elegance, only vaguely aware the her Harry was wide awake and wailing his small head off. Lily grabbed her child, preparing to apparate to the nearest safe house available, only to feel a familiar pulling sensation of wards being placed round her home. By now, desperate tears filled her eyes and began to furiously fall. Lily tightened her grip on her babe, feeling him calm only slightly by her comforting embrace. Lily smiled a defeated and miserable smile at her child, know that even if they made it out of this alive, her Harry would never grow up with a father.

Suddenly, the nursery door was forced off its hinges in much the same way as the front door. In strode a man with a serpentine like appearance and hollow cheeks, his red eyes sweeping the small room before coldly settling on the pair huddled in the corner next to the crib.

The Dark Lord Voldemort had arrived.

Lily stood, a determined and desperate air around her as she carefully placed a powerful sleeping charm on little Harry and set him in the crib. A protective stance was taken as she stood in front of her child, a mother's protective instinct shining in her bright emerald eyes, eyes her young baby shared. Lily met Lord Voldemort's gaze, a glare ever prominent on her facial features. Voldemort stares back unimpressed.

"Give me the boy and you shall live, girl", Lord Voldemort hissed, his raspy serpentine voice almost meshing the words together. Lily shook her head strongly, ignoring the tears in her eyes.

"You will not take my son! I will never allow it!" Lily's trembling voice met the ears of the Dark Lord, her wand pointed at Lord Voldemort in a desperate attempt to defend herself and her child.

"Step aside you foolish girl! You need not die!" The Dark Lord demanded yet again of the young mother, but she stood her ground.

"NO!" The shout was screamed by a determined voice, a voice that would not waver.

"This is your last opportunity, girl. Step aside!" Lord Voldemort demanded, growing ever more irritated with the woman in front of him, as he readied his own wand for his strike. The Dark wizard met the woman's gaze with furious eyes.

"I will never back down! You will not take my child way from me. Of you must kill anyone else, kill me! But please don't kill my Harry!" Lily's cries sounded completely desperate, as her hope quickly abandoned her. Her once confident tone had wavered, but her love for her child outweighed all common sense. She wanted to live, but she wanted him to live even more.

"Very well", and with that the Dark Lord Voldemort cast the dreaded unforgivable curse that ended all life. Lily Potter stood, unmoving, as the curse speed towards her. She knew that if she moved, the dreadful curse would hit her beloved baby boy. She she stood, and her last thoughts were of her child, and her wish for him to survive and live a happy life.

Lily Potter, then, knew no more.

Lord Voldemort stared in indifference towards the now dead matriarch of the Potter Family, a grudging respect forming for her deceased form. But he quickly shock it off, for respect for the dead was not why he had come here.

Lord Voldemort strutted with confidence over to the mahogany crib to the silent and magically sleeping babe. A cold glare was aimed at the seemingly harmless child, almost as if the entire worlds problems were because of this one babe.

"Now little Harry Potter, you will never grow to end me. You will never grow to realize your power. And you will never grow to become a beacon of light", the Dark Lord Voldemort apple in his hushed raspy tone, a triumphant smirk making its way to his face. "After all, you will never grow older to see what I will make of this world".

With a flourish of his wand, Lord Voldemort spoke the words that ended the lives of little Harry Potter's parents and the countless lives of many, many more. Those dreaded two words, a flash of green erupted form his wand, and the world slowed. It was as if time had stopped completely. The air grew colder, much colder, to the point that the breath of

Little Harry and Lord Voldemort was visible. Then, almost as if it were possessed, the air began to whirl around the nursery at untold speed, taking miscellaneous toys and debris from the door with it. Shadows from the sides of the room began to close in on the two humans, making the Dark Lord increasingly uncomfortable. An unnerved feeling ran down the spines of Lord Voldemort and all the mortals of the universe, as goosebumps tingled their skin, almost as it their senses were trying to warn of a coming event that would alter the events of history.

Death had come to interfere once more with the mortal realm, and this time for only its own amusement.

The vibrant green light hit the child, but instead of having the desired effect that Lord Voldemort expected, the light surrounded the babe in a protective coat, wrapping the child in soothing magic. The baby, who had somehow woken from his magically induced slumber, giggled silently as he attempted to play with the glowing light that seemed to avoid being touched my the babe. The Dark Lord starred in fear and disbelief at the sight, for how was this possible? This small baby has the power to stop the killing curse? Impossible! There was no way for this to happen! The Dark Lord refused to believe it, even if the sight was obviously right I front of him.

Suddenly, a cold skeleton hand lurched itself from the shadows that had gathered around the two humans, the man and the child. The bone hand attached itself violently to Lord Voldemort's white and sunken neck, attempting to strangle the serpentine man. The shadows, which had gathered just moments before, grew furious as the skeleton hand achieved nothing but a slight panic from the Dark Lord. The hand seemed to pause for only just a second as power began to swarm and fester inside the skeletal appendage.

Then, the Dark Lord began to scream.

He screamed incisively at the painful burning sensation that was engulfing his very being and ripped at his very soul. His flesh began to flay and crumble, his skin and bone became dust, and his screams grew to a maddening volume and before little Harry could once again blink — Lord Voldemort was nothing more than a pile of black cloth and scattered sand.

And the Dark Lord Voldemort knew no more.

The green light that seemed to be protecting little Harry disappeared, leaving behind only a small red scar on the child's forehead. A scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, positioned on the young babes forehead on his right side. The still present shadows began to gather just to the left of the crib, before a cloaked skeletal figure emerged from their dark depths. The cold creature reached for the baby, his bone like hands dwarfed the child as they held the babe to the cloaked figures supposed chest. Little Harry giggled in contentment, ignorant to all that had happened in the house just minutes before. The creature held the child with absolute care before a melodically voice seemed to breach every crevice of the small nursery.

"Young little Harry, thou hath been the chosen ones reincarnation. This time is not meant for a sweet soul such as thee, for the deck that fate hath dealt you is unfortunate. But this will change, for thou will have a destiny to fill", the creature spoke with a sort of smugness and comfort, almost as if it's voice was an everlasting embrace.

"A destiny created for thine own amusement".

The creature seemed to smirk down at the smiling child who was ignorant of the monologue the cold being seemed to be having. The being gathered the shadows around the forms of little Harry and itself. With a flourish of the creatures elegant coal black robes, both of them disappeared, leaving no trace at the crime scene that would have been known as 'the triumph over the greatest Dark Lord in history'. But that is not a reality that would come true, not if the entity could help it. For the creature had many plans for little Harry. Many, many plans.

And Harry Potter, the one favored by Death, would know so much more than any one of us could comprehend.

A/N: Hello everyone! This is a new story and I hope you all are enjoying it. I appreciate constructive criticism and any feedback you have to offer! Please let me know how you feel. I know that this variation of the night at Godric Hollow is a bit different than the original, but I just felt this added more drama! Tell me what you think though, I am open to any comments.

Have a wonderful and pleasant day my friends!

Also, I would like to say to any and all who have read the previous story of mine, published three or so years ago, that I am sorry. I did not have the maturity of writing experience I have today and when going back and reading it recently honestly made me cringe. If I get back into that story, my personal pride will have me re-do the concept from scratch, and honestly I may not even have the time to do that. So I apologise to anyone who may be reading this completely unnecessary, long, and acknowledged as annoying author's note that may have been one of the very few people following that story.

I am sorry.

On a more positive note, my little sister just started her junior year with about four AP classes and she already hates it! I'm laughing at her poor choices but as her Big Bro I have to support her anyway I can, even when she works herself to the bone and won't get off snapchat to do her goddamn work... kids these day, am I right? But to anyone else started school up, either already or soon, good luck!

Have an awesome day guys!!