AU. Jily. Wolfstar.
If somebody wants to be my beta DM me, thanks. I'm a French native speaker so you will find tons of mistakes.
HP's not mine but some of the spells are.
Also, the title is temporary, if anyone has any idea feel free to tell me.
Chapter 1: The beginning of it all
On the night of Halloween, Godric's Hollow was unusually noisy. The quaint little village vibrated with children's laughter and parent's chatter as they all made their way from cottage to cottage in order to accumulate toffees and other sweets in each of their bags.
However, there was one family who did not participate in the festivities.
It was a quite evening that had quickly crept upon the tall bespectacled man and his family. Once upon a time, James Potter may have been found outside, laughing, eating sweets and pranking the other families with his three friends, but nowadays, the stress and constant tension of the wizarding war had left him with a fondness for simple nights spent cuddling his son and wife.
Sited with a cup of tea and a book on his lap on the old settee in their cottage, James watched as his son laughed at the tickles his mother pressed upon his soft tummy.
"What a beautiful smile you have my Harry! Yes, you do!" Lily gushed, her lips stretched into a beautiful smile.
He had missed this sight. These past few months, there was not much joy in Lily's eyes. Weariness had quickly settled upon them after the first few weeks of hiding. Lily missed the outside, the fresh air, the flowers… She even missed the early Saturday mornings spent with her mother at the grocery's store. She may have grumbled at being woken up early but Merlin how she missed it! Every day she would remind herself that it was for her son, it was for Harry. This was the only thing keeping her going. It was for her son and his safety. If she had to be copped up until the end of her life then so be it. Harry was her first priority, feeling locked up or stifled was not that important as long as Harry was safe and happy.
The war and the threat upon their life was like the sword of Damocles. They felt it looming over their heads, the constant feeling that something bad was going to happen, that a letter announcing the death of their friends would reach them or that Voldemort would get them.
Nowadays, the married couple did not sleep much. Most nights, their eyes were wide open, their arms around each other, each thinking of what horrible things were going to happen the next day. In the end, it was Harry who could sometimes give them a sense of normalcy, or much better, a feeling of happiness that had become more foreign since Marlene McKinnon and her family's death. She had been the first of their friends to fall, quickly followed by the beloved Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They had fought and fell like heroes and would not be forgotten. Not by James anyway.
"Ow, Harry, that's mummy's hair!" Lily berated her young son, taking his little hand inside hers and prying it open. Lily's beautiful voice got James out of his thought. He watched as she took Harry's other hand to prevent him from going at her hair again. She bent down and kissed his tummy, making a sweet laugh come out of her son.
Harry was the only one who could elicit a smile or a laugh from either one of his parents. He was such a joyous and beautiful child. His green eyes always alight with wonder and laughter. When he had learned of Lily's pregnancy James had been over the moon but he couldn't help feeling like, maybe, bringing a child into a world were a war was raging was a bit foolish and risky. But as Lily had said it was a risk worth taking, it was their child after all. James had nodded. He had never regretted that decision, not even with this threat upon their family.
A soft vibration suddenly came from the kitchen, making the two adults look toward it. James stood up, stretching and went toward the other room.
"Isn't it late for Sirius to call?" Lily asked, looking at her retreating husband's back. She saw James shrug and smiled softly.
"He misses us." Her husband called, making the smile on Lily's lips stretch.
"I'm pretty sure uncle Padfoot misses you, my darling." She told Harry, while scrunching her nose, waving his pudgy little hands around.
"Pafoo'!" Harry exclaimed, smiling at his mother who beamed with pride.
"Yes, uncle Padfoot misses you, Harry." She kissed his hand. "But you know what, we'll see him soon." She finished, her smile slowly fading. Was she lying to her baby?
"Calm down already! What do you mean Peter isn't home?" She heard her husband's raised voice.
Frowning, she took Harry in her arms and made her way toward their kitchen where James was sitting at the table, brows furrowed. He looked up when Lily came in and shared a worried glance with her.
"What's happening?" Lily asked, kissing Harry's head. Her little boy let out a small yawn, nestling against his mother shoulder.
"Sirius went 'round Pete's place and he's not there." James quickly explained to her before looking back at the mirror which showed Sirius's worried face.
"Well, maybe he went out?" His wife proposed, siting down on the chair next to her husband.
"Yeah…" James nodded. "Listen Sirius, I'm pretty sure it's nothing, let's…"
"You don't understand, there's something fishy…" Sirius interrupted him. "My gut is telling me there's something wrong." He screeched, trying to convey his desperation.
"Didn't know you were a seer!" James tried to alleviate the tension he felt seeping from his friend.
"James!" Sirius barked, pulling a hand through his hair. "I just…" He trailed, looking around again.
"Is there any sign of a struggle?" James proposed, sighing. Lily frowned.
"No… no." Sirius shook his head. "There's nothing."
"Maybe he went to see his mum?" Lily said, shrugging slightly. "She's been quite ill these past few months."
James nodded his ascent. "Yeah… Look, Sirius, maybe you should just wait for him there and you'll see. He'll come back with some food or something…."
Sirius sighed unsatisfied but nodded nonetheless before biding goodnight to James and Lily. Once the call had ended, James pocketed the mirror before passing a hand through his hair.
"I hope Peter's alright." Lily said, Sirius 's worried face still etched in her mind. "Sirius wouldn't worry for nothing."
"He's been quite paranoid these past few weeks." James whispered, thinking of the numerous theories his best friend had shared with him concerning the traitor in the order. "But don't worry, I'm sure Pete's alright." James smiled softly standing up before bending down to kiss her head. He breathed in her flowery scent, his smile widening. He still had trouble believing she wanted to be with him, that she loved him, and that together they had made the most precious little boy.
"I hope so… Well, it's quite late, I'll just go and put Harry in bed while you finish tiding your cup of tea." She withdrew from him, a small smile on her lips.
"I'll be upstairs to say goodnight in a minute." James nodded, kissing Harry's head. He helped his wife to stand up, stealing a small kiss from her.
Before either of them could walk, a strident alarm suddenly went off. Their blood ran cold and they froze for a moment.
"He's here, isn't he?" Lily finally whispered, eyes wide with alarm, her arms tightening up around her son.
James nodded, his eyes never leaving the entrance of their home while his brain was in overdrive trying to find a way out. Harry and Lily, his brain screamed, get them to safety. "Go, I'll hold him off. Go!" He said to his wife, taking her by the shoulder when he saw that she would not budge.
Lily's eyes were trained on a window where she could see a human form walking up their driveway. "James…" She mentioned toward it, her husband walked toward the window and swallowed. "Go Lily please, I'll hold him off." He reiterated, fear starting to grip his heart.
Turning around, he quickly went up to her, kissing her lips. "I love you." He kissed Harry's hair and pushed his wife toward the staircase. "The both of you."
"Your wand James." She quickly pointed out, not making a move to go up the stairs.
Listening to his wife, James turned around quickly and went to pick up his wand which was on the coffee table, near his forgotten book and teacup. With a start, he stopped there. There was a small protection ward a few feet before their doorway which would stop him for a few minutes. He just had to think.
Seeing his wife finally climb upstairs, an idea emerged in his mind. "Lily, wait!"
"What?" She asked, startled from her thoughts. She was trying to find a way out or at the very least something to protect her Harry.
"Get back here quick." James quickly said before turning around to look at the living room. "Avifors" He pointed his wand at the bookshelves which quickly turned into a flock of birds.
"What are you doing?" Lily's eyes were wide, her grip on Harry as tight as possible.
"Buying us time." James answered, without looking from the numerous transfiguration he was doing around their living room.
"James ! He's close and it's not with birds that we'll stop him!" Lily cried, terrified.
"Don't you remember the ward we put after we came here?" He said, not picking up on her barb.
Anger quickly made way to worry and Lily glanced out of the window. "Yes but it won't hold against him."
"Well, you were good at charms and rune, right? Do something to stop him from coming in. We need more time to think." He sharply asked, making a note to apologize for his tone later. They were attacked, there was no time for tact.
Feeling terrified but determined Lily nodded, trying to think of a charm or rune which could help them. This was suicide, but she would do anything for her son, even standing in front of this monster. "I don't have my wand James." She muttered, trying to remember a protective charm she had seen in one of her charms book.
With a quick accio from her husband, her precious willow wand came into her hand. "Protego totalum" She whispered, walking in front of the doorway, Harry wide awake in her arms. The tension in the room had woken him but the child was quiet, his eyes looking around their living room with wonder.
"Lioflor. Draconifor." James quickly changed the furniture in their homes into animals.
"I don't understand how having a small zoo will help us, James!" Lily screamed again at James, watching some of the animals gather in front of the doorway while two lions waited in the living room.
"James…" She started before relenting. He was not listening to her. Suddenly Lily's eyes widened. "Protego Maxima. Fianto Duri. Repello Inimicum." She quickly casted, her wand pointed toward the ceiling. A bluish white light appeared from her wand creating a dome around them. "It won't last James but it'll do for a few minutes while you explain what you're doing."
Her husband nodded, conjuring two more lions from their couch and table. "The animals will attack him first, that may surprise him and give us more time… Effingo hominum." He pointed his wand at a lamp which quickly changed into a frozen Lily.
His wife gasped, watching her double. "How did you do that?" She breathed. She knew James excelled in transfiguration, but human transfiguration was supposed to be hard and awfully complicated.
"Effingo hominum." James casted again. This time it was a copy of her husband which appeared. "Enervate." The statue came alive. "Fight." James told him. The statue nodded and went to stand next to the entrance of the living room, just behind the army of animals.
"So, how do we get out of here?" James asked after he had awoken the Lily statue who had taken position in the middle of the living room, wands trained toward the door.
Lily did not answer him, tightening her hold on Harry. "I don't know… Brooms?"
"With Harry, it'll be hard. Do you think you can apparate with him?" He asked, glancing at the door.
"He's too young, James." She jumped, hearing one of Voldemort's spell collide with the ward she had casted not to long ago.
"It may be our only chance."
"What if he's splinched?!" She screeched, hearing another spell colliding with her ward. It won't be long, she thought.
"It's a risk we have to take! He'll destroy the animals quickly, it won't give us much time." James sighed, dragging a hand through his hair.
"What about that blood ward we read about?"
"No!" He firmly stated, knowing full well that one of them had to die for it to work.
Suddenly an explosion indicated that Voldemort had finally threw down Lily's protection charm.
"House elf!" Lily suddenly screamed while James took her hand and ran toward the kitchen. Their front door exploded while James closed the door of the kitchen. He only had the time to see some of his animals being blown before the door had shut.
"Miky!" James yelled while Lily hurriedly threw a "Protego totalum" at the door. They heard Voldemort taunting their doubles thinking that they were truly his enemy. A harsh groan told them he had discovered the deception while a soft pop made James turn around.
"Quick take Lily and Harry and go!" He said before Miky could talk. With a nod, the house elf took Lily's hand who had just the time to hear the kitchen's door explode. James tried to apparate away, finding out quickly that he could not.
"That was quite the deception." Voldemort said, making James look at him. "A powerful bout of magic… You could do great things if you finally accepted my generous offer."
James groaned. "Never, I don't associate with filthy snakes."
"And the wards." Voldemort continued without taking heed of James comment. "Powerful, very powerful…"
"The work of my amazing muggleborn wife." James smirked.
Laughing softly, Voldemort looked around. "And where is she, your wife?"
"Where you'll never find her!" James snarled, moving slightly to his left.
Voldemort laughed. "And the child? There's nowhere to go Potter. You'll all die."
"In your dreams. EXPELLIARMUS!" James screamed, aiming at Voldemort.
Voldemort deflated his curse with startling ease. "Confringo."
James kneeled down, the curse barely missing his head. It struck the cupboard behind him sending wood everywhere, a few pieces coming in contact with James's back and neck, leaving small gashes there. "Stupefy." He yelled in return, his hex being deflated quickly yet again.
"Crucio." Voldemort smiled, his hex easily coming into contact with its target.
A sudden searing pain hit James. He felt himself wither on the ground, his body contorting. Voldemort lifted the curse quite quickly, asking again where the child, his Harry, was. Lifting his head to tell him to fuck off, James saw Miky waving at him from behind a chair.
"Ah James, such a sad end for a pure line such as the Potter." Voldemort said, coming toward him. "Once I'm finished with you, I will go upstairs and the disgrace you brought into your noble house will be gone. Your ancestors will surely approve." Voldemort smiled cruelly, lifting his wand.
"Stupefy." James yelled.
Deflating the curse again, Voldemort raised his wand once more but was cut by James who yelled "Avis". A flock of bird came out of his wand, flying madly toward the dark lord who tried to sidestep them leaving a clear path toward the house elf. Taking his chance, James stood up quickly and ran toward Miky. Another crucio stopped him in his run making him fall down. Seeing that his master was not far away, Miky quickly made his way to him, taking his master's hand in his. The last thing James saw was a green blinding light heading right toward them before he was taken to his wife and son.
Let me know if I should continue this story. I was thinking of a Jily and wolfstar AU of the first war though I think that this story can be read as a one shot too.
xx
