Lily meticulously painted the last rune onto the bottom of the blood red, circular rug in her living room. The look on her face was one of pure concentration, with her eyes trained on the rug and her tongue sticking out of her mouth slightly. Just as she was adding the last stroke of the rune, a sudden knock on the door caused her to jump slightly. She glanced down at the rune in terror, worried she had messed up the entire rug before sighing in relief when she saw it was fine.

Lily stood carefully before stormed over to the door and flung it open. "You're late."

Dumbledore stood in the doorway, not looking sheepish at all. "I'm sorry, my dear, but something came up at the office."

"Something came up at the office!?" Lily snarled, "You've got to be kidding me! You've told me repeatedly that this was more important than anything else in this godforsaken war! I've been working on this ritual for months now! I haven't been eating or sleeping! I've been ignoring James for this project! He knows something's up." She gave a sad smile. "He's worried about me, I can tell. He keeps trying to spend more time with me. He'd leave little notes, flowers. Hell, he even called in sick to work in order to surprise me and spend the day with me."

Her eyes snapped up to Dumbledore's. "And do you know what I told him?" Lily asked silkily.

Dumbledore opened his mouth to reply, but Lily bulldozed over him with the same sickly sweet tone, "I told him that he was being stupid. That I didn't have time for his lovesick idiocies. He's been giving me the cold shoulder ever since. Oh sure, he still comes home every night, still tries to spend time with me, but he's much more reserved than he has ever been with me in his life."

Her voice took a dangerous tone suddenly. "All because you told me the fate of the wizarding world depended on this ritual being absu-fucking-lutely correct. And now you tell me you almost ruined this entire ritual-and my relationship with my husband, might I add-because something came up at the office? You bastard!"

Dumbledore looked slightly taken aback by her fiery temper. "I'm sorry, my girl. I didn't realize this assignment was upsetting you so much. Maybe I've been putting too much pressure on you these past few months, but you must understand, it was necessary."

Lily continued to glare at him in aggravation. "That doesn't explain why you almost ruined this entire ritual by being late. You know we can only perform this ritual when the sun is at the highest point in the sky during the summer solstice. If we miss it, we'll have to wait another year, and the Order won't be able to last much longer without anything or anyone to rally behind." She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind. You can explain yourself later. Let's get started."

Lily hurriedly ushered the Headmaster inside and lead him to the rug she had been painting on. "I think I drew all the runes correctly, but since I did it alone," she glared at him. "I'm not sure the runes are entirely correct. Check them over quickly before I bring it outside. We don't want to be bringing back just half of our saviour, now do we?"

Dumbledore carefully nodded as he inspected each rune. When he finished looking at the last rune, he nodded in satisfaction before turning to Lily. "You've done a wonderful job, my dear."

Lily rolled her eyes as she flicked her wand, causing the rug to roll itself up and float out the door. "We're on a crunch for time, Professor. We have no time for flattery."

She turned and followed the rug out the door. She automatically walked to the large clearing at the center of her garden and rolled out the large rug, making sure that the appropriate lined up with the corresponding directions. The blood red carpet stood out starkly against the surrounding odd assortment of violets, sunflowers, beeblossoms, phloxes, poppies, and irises.

Dumbledore wandered into the garden. "Why, Lily! I didn't know you gardened!"

"I don't," Lily said as she finished rearranging the rug, "This is James' garden."

Dumbledore's step faltered and he blinked in shock before he smiled brightly. "With this much talent, you would think he would have done better in Herbology!"

Lily snorted and looked at him incredulously. "I was joking, Professor."

"I know, my dear," He winked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. He turned and sighed. "You two truly are meant to be."

Lily stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. "We'll see about that after he learns about what I've done."

The Headmaster looked at her in pity. "I'm sure he will understand, my girl. You're doing this to save the entire Wizarding World. You're trying to protect him."

"I doubt he'll see it like that," she muttered to herself before spinning to face him, "We only have a few minutes before the sun is at the highest point in the sky. Do you remember how we're going to perform the ritual?"

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "You and I will be on opposite sides of the carpet; you on the east side since your magic is young and exuberant and me on the west since my magic old and powerful."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "I really wish you wouldn't say it like that."

He continued as if he hadn't heard her and continued to go over the ritual. "Once the sun is at its highest, we'll begin the ritual. We'll pool our magic together to open the portal. Then, when we have the portal stabilized, you'll pull back your magic and use it to contain the portal while I try to summon our saviour."

She nodded. "And if you don't have the power to summon him…"

Dumbledore looked slightly disgruntled about the assumption he wouldn't be able to able to summon their supposed saviour. "If something occurs that inhibits me from completing the ritual, I will absorb energy from the surrounding plants and wildlife."

"But not from me!" his former student cut in, "You can't draw magic from me. If things go sideways I have to be able to close the portal. I won't be able to do that if half my magic is being used to sustain you."

"I know, my girl. I know. Do not mistake me for a fool," the old man finally snapped.

Lily winced and ducked her head. "Sorry. I"m just worried is all." She glanced up at the sky. "It's almost time. Let's begin."

The two quickly walked to opposite sides of the rug. Closing their eyes, they searched for their magical cores. Lily couldn't help but smile a warm, carefree smile when she found hers. It was centered in her heart, but it seemed to flit about her body with a wild happiness for being sought out. It swirled and pulsed in her body, causing her heart to race in a way that only happened when she was with James. With barely a thought, her magic flooded down her arms, collecting in the palms of her hands just barely beneath the skin. Unfortunately, it stayed there, buzzing beneath her skin but not venturing into the outside world. Furrowing her brow, Lily focused on her magic and pushed.

A gasp left her lips, and Lily's eyes flew open. She stared in awe at her hands. A ball of pure, unadulterated magic swirled above her palm in intricate patterns. It shimmered and sparkled in a way that would make even the brightest jewels look like gravel. Its golden hue put even the sun to shame.

She looked over at Dumbledore and saw that he had also managed to call his magic into the physical world. A quick glance at the sky told her everything she needed to know. The sun was directly overhead. It was time.

Lily nodded to the old Headmaster and simultaneously, they raised their arms and pushed their magic into the circle created by the two of them. Her eyes narrowed in confusion when their magic didn't automatically combine. In fact, they seemed to… repel each other. The color of his magic was also odd. Whereas her magic was a bright, lively gold, his magic seemed dulled. Instead of flitting about wildly, it would remain completely still before striking out violently.

"Professor!" She called out, trying to keep the worry from seeping into her voice, but failing, "Our magics aren't connecting on their own! We need to force them together!"

Dumbledore nodded in determination and a look of pure concentration passed over his face. Lily turned her focus onto her own magic and tried to mentally propel her magic into Dumbledore's. Slowly but surely, their magics inched together until finally they combined. She couldn't help but smile in relief. They could create the portal now.

Lily took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves before speaking, "Cl¯æne a mûð ymbe rýmet ðêana s¯æl.*"

"Beæftan stundgêo−gêara hâr,gêara forð forðbie," Dumbledore continued.

Lily tried to confidently say her lines. "Witodlic wiðæftan prêowthwîl ðêos ierfian hwîlum whilomâlimpan gengde."

A wind began to swirl around the two of them. Lily's hair whipped around her face, and Dumbledore's silver beard fluttered over his shoulder. Their magic began to crackle and spark wildly. It pressed heavily on the two of them, leaving them gasping for breath.

Together, they chanted, "Orgyte bâm port betwêonan eofor fullan dôgor−gerîm!"

Everything became still and completely silent. Lily looked around in confusion. It should have worked. It should have created-

She was almost thrown off her feet by an explosion of pure magic. Golden cyclone was swirling just above the scarlet rug. It twisted and turned, biting at the duo's skin and clothes. This magic was wild and pure, nothing like the magic they used now. The magic of this century was a candle light compared to the inferno of this new, powerful magic. When she pulled back her magic, it didn't even make a dent in the swirling vortex. In fact, it seemed to make it even more powerful, like it was being undiluted.

Lily shook her head. This was no time to question this odd magic. She needed to contain this portal before it got out of control. Just then, a piece of the portal snapped out of the circle before being pulled back in by the rest of the magic. Yep, she needed to create a barrier. Preferably now.

She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. This barrier couldn't be created by any normal spell. Just like how this spell for the portal wasn't in the normal latin. Whereas the ritual had to be said in Old English, the barrier could only be created through the mind.

The Gryffindor began to visualize in her mind a wall forming around the circle. It was large and solid. Concrete blocks materialized out of nothing and creating a large dome around the two of them in her mind. When she she felt a heavy drain on her magic, she knew the barrier had formed but she didn't dare open her eyes. Lily couldn't afford to be distracted by anything. She barely even nodded her head to give Dumbledore the signal to continue with the spell, afraid she would lose the visualization.

Dumbledore watched his former student with mild curiosity while she created the barrier. Nothing seemed to happen which made the old headmaster even more curious. Was the barrier invisible or was she simply still creating it? He was slightly disappointed when the woman nodded. He didn't understand how she was keeping the portal from spilling out from the circle since she hadn't felt the need to inform him about a part of the ritual he wasn't conducting and it looked like he wouldn't understand just by watching.

Disgruntled, he began the next part of the ritual. "Friclan ûs of pro ic hlêg nergend. Cunnon sê fyrndagas hûru r¯ædlic," Dumbledore couldn't help but think of himself before he turned his eyes to Lily, "Palendse sâmgung êac unforhtigende."

The golden cyclone swirled faster and faster, whipping in tight, out of control circles. Slowly, the golden mass seemed to condense right above the rug. The magic snapped, crackled, and seemed to be almost electric even though it should be impossible for magic and electricity to combine in such a way.

The pull on his magic suddenly spiked. The old professor barely kept himself from collapsing. The ritual was draining his magic too much, too fast. Lily had been right. He wasn't going to be able to complete this ritual with the strength of his own magic. The portal was eating through his magic much faster than he anticipated.

Dumbledore began drawing energy from the surrounding plants. He waited for the strain from sustaining the portal to lessen, but it didn't. Or, well, it barely did. The plants, the flowers, the grass-they weren't enough. He wasn't going to be to pull the person through, much less, survive this ritual if he couldn't find another source of energy. He needed relief and he needed it now. So Dumbledore did the only thing he could think of, he latched onto Lily's magic.

Lily gasped when the drain on her magic increased suddenly. She scrunched her eyes closed tightly in confusion. She didn't understand. The barrier wouldn't drain her like this unless…

"Professor, stop!" She called out while trying to maintain the block between the outside world and the portal. "Professor, stop, please! I can't sustain us both!"

Dumbledore ignored her and went on to say the last line of the ritual, "Wiðstandan ûs of pro ic weargbr¯æde nergendbeswâpan ûs of pro ic ongêanweard sê blind first."

The portal surged with a sudden intensity that it almost threw the two off their feet before tightened into a cyclone focused at the very center of the rug. It sparked and howled before slowly dissipating.

Lily collapsed to her knees, dissolving the barrier as she did so. Gasping for breath, she tried to fight through her magical exhaustion. "You bastard," she panted, "I told you I couldn't handle using my magic for both the portal and the barrier. I told you. But what do you do? You latch onto my magic like a freaking leech. I'm lucky you didn't turn me into a squib or kill me."

Instead of receiving the reply that she had hoped for, Dumbledore remained silent. In fact, the entire yard was silent except for a strange sniffling sound. With a sigh, Lily stumbled to her feet, causing her vision to blur and dots to appear. When her vision returned, she couldn't help but stare at her garden in shock. "Holy shite….."

The backyard to the little cottage in Godric's Hollow was utterly decimated. The grass that used to be healthy and green was now brown and dead. All her beautiful flowers were dead as well. Even the large willow tree seemed to be drooping more than usual.

Lily ran a hand through her hair. "Holy shite. I guess that explains why you had to draw magic from me." She turned to face Dumbledore only to find him standing in the middle of the rug with his back towards her.

"Professor Dumbledore?" She called out, "Professor, is something wrong? Did nobody come through?"

"Somebody came through," the old man said as he turned around.

Lily looked in confusion at the green and black bundle in Dumbledore's arms before her eyes widened. She took slow, measured steps forward until she reached her former headmaster. A shaky hand reached up and pulled the blanket away from the small figure. A small, chubby face with tearful green eyes and shock black hair greeted her.

She stumbled back in shock, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "I don't… I don't understand," she finally mumbled, "It was supposed to have worked. I did everything right."

"Maybe," Dumbledore said as he stared down at the child in his arms, "It did work."

Lily shook her head. "No. No. That can't be right." She stared at at the two of them before sighing and moving forward. "Give him to me. You're not even holding him right. You're not supporting his head."

Dumbledore carefully deposited the baby into her arms. She gently rocked him back and forth trying to get him to stop crying. "You're all right, honey. You're all right," Lily whispered to him before saying to Dumbledore, "He isn't our saviour, okay? I must have screwed up the runes or the spell or something, but this little boy is not our saviour!"

"No, my dear, everything was correct. The ritual did exactly what it was supposed to do."

Lily held the little boy closer to her. "Even if the boy is our saviour, he's too young!"

Dumbledore motioned to himself. "Give him to me, Lily."

"What? Why?"

"I need to take him to a safe place. A place where he can live, grow, and train safely."

Lily's eyes snapped up. "Train?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, as soon as he's old enough he shall begin training so he will be prepared for You-Know-Who."

"What?" Lily said incredulously, "You've got to be kidding me. This boy is a child! You can not expect him to fight in a war! You can not expect him to become a soldier! He's just a boy!"

"And this boy will save all the other children in the wizarding world if he fights in this war," Dumbledore snapped, "The life of one child is not greater than the lives of the entire Wizarding community. It is for the greater good."

"The greater good?! No, I refuse to believe that turning this boy into a child soldier is for the greater good! I tried to convince myself that it was okay to summon someone here, that it was okay to kidnap someone. I was prepared to face the consequences when a man or woman came through that portal, but I was not expecting a child. This just goes to show how wrong this entire thing is! We kidnapped someone! We took him away from his family because it benefited us! We convinced ourselves that this was okay when it was so clearly not."

"This is for the greater good, Lily," Dumbledore sighed and stepped closer to her, "Give me the child."

"No," Lily said as she backed away quickly.

"No?" the old professor repeated dangerously.

"No, he's going to stay here with me and James until I can find a way to send him back."

"Ms Evans, you can't possibly-" Dumbledore cut himself off with a sigh before a grandfatherly smile appeared on his face, "You're right. We should send the child back, but until then we need to protect the boy. He won't be protected here."

Lily threw her one free hand up in the air. "Then we'll put a fidelius charm around the house! I don't know yet, but I'll think of something! But the boy stays with me until I can send him back. It's my fault he's here; he's my responsibility."

"What are you going to tell James?"

"The truth. For the first time in months I'll tell James the truth. I know he'll help me with the baby. Maybe he'll even forgive me."

Dumbledore stepped closer to her. "People will question why you suddenly have a baby."

Lily shrugged. "Maybe I was pregnant."

"What?" Dumbledore seemed truly confused.

"I've been acting strange for months, never leaving my house, constantly snapping at people, always stressed. I could make it seem like I was hiding a pregnancy." She paused and cocked her head. "Or I can say that the boy is Petunia's son. I could say that I'm babysitting or something, but...he looks too much like James for that to work."

"That could," Dumbledore struggled past the word, "work, but, Lily-"

Lily cut him off as she looked at her watch, "Look my husband is going to be home any minute. I would prefer to explain all of this to him alone. The baby is my responsibility, end of discussion. He's staying with me and James until I can send him home."

"Lily, the boy-"

"Professor, please," Lily said, exhaustion creeping into her voice, "The only reason he's here is because of me. Let me take responsibility for my actions."

Dumbledore sighed. "Fine. The boy can stay with you for now, but we shall discuss how we're going to handle this at a later date. I wish you the best of luck."

With one last glance at the child in her arms, the headmaster turned on his heels and disappeared with a crack. The tension drained out of Lily when Dumbledore apparated away. She looked at the little boy in her arms. His tearful green eyes stared back up at her.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry I drug you into this. But I promise that I will find a way to send you back home. I promise."

A sudden slamming sound caused her to jump. She heard the faint call of, "Lily, I'm home!"

She glanced down again at the baby in her arms, her gaze lingering on the crooked black lettering. She sighed and stood up straight, holding her head up high. "Well, it's time to face the music. Welcome to your new home...Hadrian."

Fifteen months later, James and Lily Potter were murdered, and Hadrian Myrddin Le Fay became Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived.

What did you guys think? Sorry if it's choppy; I didn't proofread it. I basically just wrote it and posted it. And I know some of you wanted the story to move further along, but I felt like this scene was necessary. I needed to explain how the world came to know Hadrian as Harry. Anyway, don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Hope you liked it!

Oh! And the spell was supposedly in Old English. I found a translator thingy, but I'm not sure if it can be trusted. What is was meant to say was "Open a door through space and time. Through times long since past and through moments which have yet to occur. Open a portal between worlds and times. Bring to us a saviour, be he old and wise or young and fearless. Bring us a saviour in these dark times."