Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

By A.S. Gryffindor

Author's note: Yet another story whose plot hit me over the head in the middle of sewing.

Full Summary: An AU Harry Potter fanfiction. It all began on October 31, 1981. Events were set in motion that would have far reaching consequences for the Wizarding World. Young Harry Potter and his family are murdered on that cold Halloween night leaving the wizarding world without it's savior and the Light without it's Chosen One. But Fate does not leave them without a Warrior to stand in this time of Darkness. A new Prophecy, a new 'Chosen One', a reincarnated soul, and a power that could save the world. Hope lays in the hands of a child whose powers rival the Dark Lord's himself.

Prologue: 31 October 1981

"Your name upon the standing stone/Love invites one last call/When death from life begins to fall"-Lament

The darkness of the night seemed oppressive to the family living in hiding in the small two floor cottage on Godric's Lane. It was Hallows Eve but the young couple and their one year old son took no heed of the holiday nor of the variously costumed Muggles that were parading up and down the street despite the stifling darkness and the chill it brought. The clouds overhead continually obscured and revealed the moon overhead and there was a chill wind blowing through the bushes that surrounded the house. Leaves tumbled down the street and the walkway before the house sounding almost like a cloak brushing against the cobblestones of the walkway.

James Potter's head snapped up at the sound from where he sat on the floor playing with his son, Harry. After a few moments of tense silence he resumed playing with the young child. The firelight glinted off his glasses as he pushed them back in place and smiled at Harry. Bubbles once more began to float gently toward the giggling child who reached out chubby baby hands toward them, wanting to catch them. His laughter increased when one of the bubbles he touched exploded into a shower of silver and gold sparks, which fell around him. James laughed with his son though that laughter did not reach his hazel eyes. His eyes took in the small child who was now crawling toward him still laughing and his green eyes sparkling with mirth as he touched another bubble that exploded into glowing stars. He couldn't help the pang of sadness in his heart for the difficult life and task that lay before Harry.

"Why him? Why our son? How can he be the only one who can stop the Dark Lord? He's just a child." James and Lily both had asked these questions a million times since learning of the Prophecy that tied their son to the Dark Lord's defeat but these were questions that had no real answers.

Harry had stopped crawling toward his father and he stared out the window for a moment, a frown marring his features before continuing toward him. For a moment there seemed to be a muted glow around around him but when James blinked it vanished. He could hear Lily coming from the kitchen to put Harry to bed for the night and a smile played at the corners of his mouth as his beautiful red-haired wife appeared around the corner. Lily looked down at both of them with a sad sort of smile on her face, twisting a lock of her bright red hair around her finger. James smiled at her and she came closer to the two of them wrapping her arms around herself. Something about the night was just wrong, something was out of place and it had her on edge. Harry, meanwhile, had reached his destination and sat staring up at his father. His face was solemn and he looked as if he was studying his father's features in order to commit the face to memory. He gave his father a small smile and took his hand.

"Be fine, Da. No worry. Dark go far away soon. Everyone safe."

James's eyes widened at the words and he looked up at Lily whose expressive green eyes looked both scared and shocked.

"James...," her voice was trembling slightly as she picked Harry up and looked him over.

James shrugged and got up, throwing his wand onto the couch. He stretched and tickled Harry, who laughed again. Stopping suddenly Harry once again looked toward the front window intently for a moment before wrapping his arms around his mother and yawning widely.

"Sleepy." He rubbed his eyes and yawned again.

He blinked sleepily at her and nuzzled into her robe, grabbing a handful of it in his small fist. His sleepy eyes watched her through a curtain of red hair, studying her features as he had his father's before. He closed his eyes a moment and felt his mother move, her long hair brushing against his cheek. He sighed in contentment and looked into her eyes that were so much like his own. He felt the love his parents had for him as it wrapped itself around him like a warm cloak making him even more sleepy.

"Love you, Mum," his voice was heavy with sleep but whatever else he was going to say was lost forever as the front door crashed inward sending splinters of wood and glass everywhere.

"Lily, take Harry and run! He's found us! Go!" James blocked his wife and son from the view of the Dark Wizards gathered in front of him, cursing as he remembered that his wand was in the living room.

James's voice was panicked but after a seconds hesitation Lily took the stairs two at a time, clutching Harry to her chest and shielding him with her body from the spells that were flying toward them. At the second landing she heard the words that stopped her heart and caused the hallway before her to dim. "Avada Kedavra." She heard James's body hit the stairs somewhere below her and it galvanized her into action again. She ran down the hall, tears streaming down her face until she reached the last door that lead to Harry's nursery.

"Not you too. Not you too. Mum will save and protect you, Harry. I will always protect you," she whispered over and over even as the hopelessness of the situation threatened to overwhelm her.

Harry's small fingers dug into her shoulder and he lifted one hand to gently brush the tears from his mother's cheek. "Have to go. Dark man leave soon. See, Mum."

Once more a light seemed to illuminate the child but Lily was not paying attention to it nor to her son's words as she laid Harry in his crib and levitated some boxes and furniture in front of the spelled door to bar it against Voldemort. She knew it wouldn't hold him off for long but it would give her enough time to set the protective charms around her son. This had to work. It simply had to. Harry was the only hope to defeat this monster. He must be protected at all cost. Voldemort must not be allowed to kill him, not here and not now. She would see to that even if she died herself. Better her than Harry. She waved her wand over him, muttering endless incantations fueled by her undying love for him and her belief that in the end the Light would triumph over the Dark. Before she could complete the final spell the nursery door and everything blocking it was blasted into nothingness. She flinched as if struck as the ward around the door was destroyed and the magic backlashed into her as the spell's creator but she found the strength to turn around and face her murderer, a hand on the crib behind her. She felt Harry's small hand on her's and her resolve to protect him even with her death strengthened even as fear shadowed her heart. She would willingly die to protect him if that's what it took.

Voldemort stood framed in broken doorway, his red eyes glinting the dimly lite room. He took in the tableau of the desperate mother and her young boy for a moment before his mouth twisted into a sneer and he pointed his wand at Lily. Her eyes widened and he savored the look of abject horror in them for a moment.

"Not, Harry. Please not Harry! Kill me instead, just have mercy on my son," she pleaded tears streaming down her face words that were half a prayer and half spell running through her head. Please protect my son, that's all I ask. I would give my life for him, in exchange for his. Just save him. Protect him."

His red eyes moved from her to the child who was watching him with eyes exactly like his mother's but with a curious absence of fear in them. Voldemort's eyes returned to Lily who in her panic was repeating her pleas for mercy and begging him to spare her only child. He flicked his wand between Harry and Lily for a moment pretending to think about which one to kill first. He watched the fear build within Lily's eyes with each pass of the wand near her son. The boy continued to watch him but if he was afraid there was no sign of it. Finally Voldemort smiled evilly at the child as he pointed the wand at his mother.

"Please find somewhere he can grow up in safety away from all this strife, Spirit that guides magic. That is all I ask. Safety for my son."

"Avada Kedavra," he hissed and green death flew toward Lily sounding like the rustling of a thousand wings. The Killing Curse illuminated her for a brief moment in it's ghastly glow before she fell limply to the floor before her son whose eyes widened slightly as he suddenly found himself outside of his crib and at his mother's side.

"Mum?" His voice was soft as he reached out to touch her hair for a moment. "Will end this."

When he looked up into the face of her murderer a single tear made it's way down his left cheek. His eyes seemed to blaze for a moment but if Voldemort noticed it he ignored it as nothing of consequence. The Dark Lord's cold laughter filled the room as he seemed to float toward Harry. Harry looked into the red eyes deeply for a moment then his gaze returned to his mother's still and tear-stained face. Somehow he knew what to do and he stood up holding the Dark Lord's gaze as Voldemort pointed his wand directly into Harry's face.

"Say goodbye, Harry Potter."

There was another flash of green light and an answering flash of red-gold light, then a second of complete and utter silence before an explosion rocked the cottage and the small house collapsed in on itself. Of the Dark Lord there was no sign beyond the empty black robes that lay pooled on the floor next to the bodies of a young mother and her son.

-------------------------

Several hundred miles away in a small, isolated village of brick houses the cry of a newborn baby was heard as a midwife pulled a dark haired boy from his mother's womb and set about cleaning the child and wrapping him in a warming blanket before presenting him to his tired but joyful parents. The proud parents looked down on their newborn son and smiled as he blinked sleepily at them and then proceeded to fall asleep.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn. You have a fine and healthy son."

"We shall call him Galen. Galen Evan Lucas Llewellyn."

---------

Author's note on the name meaning Galen means Calm, Evan means Young Warrior, Lucas means Bringing Light, Llewellyn means Leader