A/N: If you're wondering, the chapter one of Dumbledore's Mistake v.1 and v.2 are the same chapter. It's only up to set up what's going to happen later on…there are minor changes, but they aren't that important. You can read it again if you need a refresher.
Chapter One
Glitteringly sparkly enchanted orange jack-o-lanterns hovered about in the air, traveling throughout the quiet Godric's Hollow. Each pretty little white-picket-fence house was decorated in a bit to outdo its neighbors. In one particularly extravagantly festive house, two families were joined in celebration.
The Potters and the Longbottoms, two pureblood light families, celebrated Halloween in the Potter Manor. The enormous manor's hallways were strewn with orange and black confetti, and each room had jerkily flying candy charmed to mob any entrant to the room.
Cheery laughter floated from the large living room as the youngest Potter, Harry, and the youngest Longbottom, Neville, had a good-natured candy fight.
The one-year-old Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom sat side-by-side, giggling as they gobbled up chocolate frogs, sugar quills, orange and black jelly beans, and many more sugary confections. Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom sat on a couch behind their sons, chatting about the going-ons of the social elite. James Potter and Frank Longbottom sat across each other over a forgotten game of chess, lost in a heated debate over Quidditch teams and the Wizarding Stock Market.
Over the din of their chatter, no one heard the protective wards falling. It wasn't until the intruders tripped the alarm that the Potters and Longbottoms noticed, and by then it was much too late. With a bang, the front door was blasted out of existence. Alice and Frank Longbottom rushed to confront the cloaked and masked figures as James and Lily Potter tried to rush the two children upstairs.
"Crucio!" A cackling Death Eater said madly, her cruelly grinning mouth all that you could see of her covered face. From behind the white mask, her eyes glinted with blood lust as she shot the unforgivable at Alice Longbottom.
"No! Don't touch her!" Frank yelled, pushing Alice out of the way. It was, unfortunately, too late.
"Heehee. Too bad she's gone. Your turn!" the witch said, cackling. Alice Longbottom had lost her mind to the cruciatius, and Frank Longbottom would soon follow.
Meanwhile, the Potters had carried Harry and Neville into a hidden room that Lily had made several years ago. The room's entrance was behind a small porcelain vase, and the door was child-sized and warded with a multitude of dark-repellant spells. Hearing the stomping footsteps of Death Eaters, James Potter whirled around and tried to lead the Death Eaters away.
"Avada Kedavra", Voldemort said calmly, after easily deflecting the 'stupefy' James had shot at him. James Potter slumped down as soon as the jet of green hit him, dead.
Unknowing of her husband's very recent death, Lily Potter shoved Neville into the little alcove. Neville was scratched by a pair of two nails sticking out, which gave him a small but deep x-shaped scar on his cheek. Before Lily could hide Harry, Voldemort appeared before her.
"Move away, mudblood", he said, sniffing disdainfully. "You may live to see another day."
"No!" Lily cried out, sobbing. "Don't kill Harry! Kill me instead!"
Lily threw herself out in front of her son with her arms spread out.
With a brief 'Avada Kedavra', Lily Potter was dead.
"Foolish girl…Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort said, pointing his wand at Harry. The jet of green light shot towards the one-year-old's head…and was absorbed by a glowing golden orb of light. The light grew in intensity until Voldemort was forced to turn away. All of a sudden, the light shot a burst of green towards Voldemort and Voldemort was gone.
As the light faded, Harry began to laugh, thinking the colorful lights were pretty and happy. He poked his mother's corpse curiously, and sat down looking slightly upset, knocking over and shattering the porcelain vase.
Neville peeked out nervously from his hiding place and grabbed Harry's shirt, alerting Harry to his presence. The two sat in silence, as if waiting for their parents to return and shout 'Happy Halloween!'
Loud disruptions filled the house as the Order charged in. Upon reaching them, a horrified Remus Lupin scooped up the children and apparated them to Order headquarters.
--
Dumbledore regarded the children with a frown. One of them had most definitely defeated Voldemort that night. Both of the boys suited the prophecy. Why did he, Dumbledore, always have the difficult decisions to make? Dumbledore stared at the two for a while more, examining the x-shaped scar and comparing it to the lightning bolt shaped one. There didn't seem to be any particular identifying feature of an Avada Kedavra bouncing off, and both of them were candidates of the Prophecy. Finally, Dumbledore decided that it could be either one and picked the one with the scar that was deeper and more dangerous-looking.
--
The Order sat around a massive circular table. All the pairs of eyes were facing Dumbledore, expecting important news. The whole Order had been called that night. Dumbledore, smiling grimly, announced,
"Voldemort has been defeated!" Then, holding up Neville Longbottom, Dumbledore added, "And this child was the one who did it!"
The members of the Order burst into cheers and they immediately went to crowd Dumbledore and Neville. A din broke out as people cried, laughed, questioned, and much more. Many rejoicing Order members left to spread the good news. Neville was coined the nickname "The Boy-Who-Lived", and Harry was left, forgotten, by all but Dumbledore.
--
Dumbledore held two little squirming bundles. One was Neville Longbottom, the Boy-Who-Lived, and the other, Harry Potter, was a newly made orphan.
Dumbledore flooed Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, and handed the hero of the wizarding world to the shocked witch. Smiling sympathetically for Augusta's loss and congratulating her for Neville's achievements, Dumbledore bid her goodbye and apparated to Private Drive.
--
The aged wizard with a long, white beard and bespeckled glasses held up the small bundle that was Harry Potter. They had appeared in a very ordinary looking neighborhood filled with very ordinary looking houses.
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore blacked out the neighborhood. He slowly approached one of the very ordinary looking houses, pausing only when he stood right before the door.
Giving Harry Potter one final, slightly sorrowful glance, Dumbledore, set the little bundle down and disappeared.