A/N: This is what I would have liked to happen; – had J.K. Rowling's world ever crossed over with Stephanie Meyers'.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from their creations, besides the following plot. xx
Chapter Eleven – The First Endless Night Pt.1
31 October 1981
Albus Dumbledore POV
Flashback;
It was only natural to be indecisive about something like this. I paced my office anxiously, clutching tightly to the piece of parchment with the slender elegant penmanship on it. I had received an owl from one of my former students minutes earlier, - a student I would've been glad to never hear from again. Desperately, I glanced up at the portraits surrounding my office, each distinguished face shaking their head in disapproval. It was all it took to make up my mind; I was going to meet with this young man. Continuing to pace the room for a few more minutes, I realised my curiosity would eventually get the better of me if I were not to go. Without a seconds warning, I gathered up my cloak and wand, before spinning on the spot and landing with a blinding flash of light on the windy hilltop. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but after a second or so, I could see the hill was isolated from any trees or natural surroundings. I absolutely despised terrible gusty weather, and I could sense that tonight was going to be nothing short of a storm.
Further down the hill, the adult Severus Snape stood frantically glancing around himself as if he were about to be ambushed. The sound of my appearance froze him into a frightened stillness and all he could do was stare up at my hooded figure; I was his former Headmaster. I quickly disarmed him of his wand, and caught it as it flew up the hill towards me. Severus seemed to accept that I had disarmed him, so I cautiously summoned the younger man forward with two fingers. I watched silently as he climbed up towards me. I was rather annoyed at myself that I had not yet figured out the reason for this Death Eater's request to meet. Severus was panting as he reached the top, glancing around in the dark. I could tell, he was wondering if he had made the right decision coming to me. It made me that much more curious; I was intrigued. The young man standing in front of me did not want to be here; yet for some reason he needed to be.
"Well Severus? What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?" I spoke out breaking the stormy silence.
"No – no message – I'm here on my own account! I'm here with a request," he panted out and eagerly awaited my response.
"What request could a Death Eater make of me?" I roared against the gusty breeze, my stern demeanour frightening Severus further.
"The – the prophecy… the prediction … Trelawney…" rasped Severus desperately.
"Ah, yes," I said, still having no clue where this conversation was going. "How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?"
"Everything – everything I heard!" said Severus miserably. "That is why – it is for that reason – he thinks it means Lily Evans, her son!"
"James and Lily Potter are in hiding, their son is perfectly safe," Snape cringed at the use of Lily's new married name.
"No! You don't understand sir – the Dark Lord was approached by their Secret Keeper not an hour ago," Severus gushed out desperately, and for the first time in weeks, I felt cold. I could not imagine Sirius Black ever betraying James or Lily, not in a million years. Though some how, deep down, I knew their location had been divulged to Tom Riddle. And with that, I panicked; I realised they had no time left.
"Has Lord Voldemort acted on this information as yet?" I asked the man icily.
"No, but he intends to do so before this night is over," the young Death Eater cried helplessly. I thought quickly, while I continued to extract any information I could.
"If she means so much to you," I began hesitantly, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?"
"I have – I have asked him –"
"You disgust me Severus"' I interrupted him, speaking with much contempt in my voice. Snape seemed to shrink further into the ground. "You do not care about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?" I asked rhetorically. The thin miserable man looked up desperately at me;
"Hide them all then," he croaked. "Keep her – them – safe. Please."
"And what will you give me in return, Severus?" I was plucking ideas out of the sky, thinking on the spot, as every second ticked by.
"In return?" Snape gaped at me, ready to protest, but after a long moment he must have thought better of it and replied, "Anything."
"You will swear your loyalty to me, as of tonight?" I questioned and tilted my head impatiently as the other man hesitated.
"Yes – if you protect her. Yes – I will." I stepped forward and handed his wand to him. I surveyed Snape's trembling form one last time before I Apparated back to my office, leaving the Death Eater with a single parting instruction;
"I will be in touch Severus, be mindful of your thoughts from here on."
The moment my soles touched the carpeted floor of my office, I leaped over to the fireplace and Flooed yet another of my former students. The second younger male was equally as surprised to hear from me, as I had been to hear from Severus. Within moments the two of us were seated on either side of my desk, discussing the most successful plan of action.
"Sir, are you sure we can trust Snape?" he asked worriedly.
"I am certain, the question is; are you able to do what I have asked of you?" the man in front of me rubbed his arms and hung his head miserably. He was aware we had not a minute to spare with three lives depending on our discretion and haste. Though I could understand he also needed a minute to process some of the information I had disclosed to him. At twenty-one years of age, he had seen his fair share of darkness and loss in the Wizarding World, yet this decision was one that would haunt him every day, for the remainder of his life. Times were dark, and desperate measures were being taken by every witch, wizard and family. As much as the man in front of me understood the reasoning behind my request, I'm sure he could not comprehend the fact that it was being asked of him, or even the fact that it was being asked altogether. Neither of us could believe Sirius Black had betrayed James and Lily.
"But Professor, why me?" he asked miserably.
"Because you love her, just as much – if not more than James."
"Professor – I,"
"I would not be asking this of you, if there were any other way. You are definitely one of their Secondary Keepers?" I pushed forward with him. We had no time to feel guilty or become emotional.
"I understand sir; Yes I am," he whispered grimly.
"Swear to me, you will follow my instructions exactly?" I asked again, handing the invisibility cloak across the table to him.
"I swear sir, to the best of my ability."
"I am sorry to place this burden on you," I stood up from behind my desk and turned my back on the young man. Gazing out my office window into the night sky, I was terrified of what was to come.
"Sir, there is no adequate apology, for asking me to save Lily's life over James', I do not mean to be disrespectful," and with that Remus Lupin grasped a handful of Floo powder and disappeared to Godric's Hollow, leaving me feeling quite ashamed of myself.
The following forty minutes presented to be the most excruciatingly difficult moments of my life. Not knowing whether the young Lily and James Potter were alive, not knowing whether their infant; Harry, the Chosen One had survived Tom Riddle's attack and not knowing whether Remus Lupin had followed my instructions or jeopardised the whole plan. I paced my office, back and forth, before deciding I had far more important things to do than lose my mind. I summoned a house elf into my office, and requested the small creature locate my Deputy Headmistress; Minerva McGonagall immediately. After a few more paces of my office, I hadn't managed to shake the thought of Sirius Black's betrayal, and knew my mind would not be at peace unless I knew for certain. Striding over to my fireplace I Flooed the eldest Black son, and requested his presence in my office. A bewildered Sirius stepped out of the fireplace and quickly became infuriated by my tone of questioning. Unlike my usual self, I was not being tactful; I was panicking and I was furious.
"Old man, if you have something to say, you had bloody well better say it fast," spat Sirius, obviously wondering what in Merlin's name was going on. Moments later Professor McGonagall entered the office, and demanded an explanation to the commotion in front of her.
"Did you or did you not sell out Lily and James to Lord Voldemort earlier this evening?" I demanded angrily. It took the three of us a matter of minutes to establish that Sirius had not been the primary Secret Keeper as to the Potter's whereabouts, and that young Peter Pettigrew had taken on that responsibility of the Fidelius Charm. McGonagall was beside herself; I had never seen her in such a state, nor had she ever seen me as alarmed as I was. Naturally, Sirius was outraged with the discovery of Wormtail's betrayal of Padfoot and was ready to Apparate out of the office and slaughter his former friend. Though, thankfully within moments Remus appeared in the middle of the office, supporting a distraught Lily. The second Lily landed in my office she flung herself out of Remus' grasp and began yelling as many insufferable torments at him as she could manage, as he had just removed her from her son's side.
"Harry is still IN THERE! We have to GO BACK," she screamed at Remus, not realising the two of them had company. Remus nodded at me dismally and then caught sight of Sirius standing in the corner.
"YOU!" Remus raised his wand and cast a stunning spell at his friend furiously, which I quickly blocked, before throwing up a shield between Sirius and Remus.
"Remus, calm down it was not Sirius who sold out James, but Peter – he was their Secret Keeper." I quickly explained and then beckoned McGonagall over to my side. We could both see the anger and tension between the two old friends. Lily on the other hand, was ready to attack anyone who got in her way of rescuing her son. I quietly instructed my Deputy to take our Groundskeeper; Hagrid and retrieve the young infant from Godric's Hollow. She Disapparated without a word from my side, leaving me with the three friends.
"Where is James? Harry?" Sirius yelled at everyone frantically. Lily having noticed her surroundings, answered in tears.
"James is dead, Voldemort killed him on sight," she sobbed, "Headmaster, I need to get back to Harry!" she yelled again desperately. "Let me out of here," she whined miserably, as she tried to Apparate out of the office but failed, as my anti-apparation jinx prevented her from doing so.
"No," I said sternly. Lily's facial expression changed from agony, to confusion and distress, to sheer anger in less than half a second.
"What do you mean, no?" she screamed at me and ran straight for the door; which was the only other way out of my office. By this stage Sirius had also attempted to Apparate out of the room to go after Wormtail, and had been trapped by the jinx. This seriously angered him and he too was causing his own racquet.
"Lily, calm down please?" Remus begged and begged again, though there was no reasoning with the distressed mother.
"LILY," I roared, silencing the room. "ENOUGH! Harry is being looked after," I said clearly and summoned a chair from thin air. Pointing my wand at the infuriated mother, I levitated her back across the room and then charmed her to the chair. Lily blinked in confusion, before realising I had forced her to sit upon the chair obediently. The second she tried to stand, her legs and backside were forced back down by magic.
"Let her go Professor; let us go to Harry!" Sirius yelled in defence of Lily.
"Mr. Black I suggest you find a chair and sit down as well, unless you want me to organise it for you," I whispered in frustration and exhaustion. I spent the next five minutes, promising over and over again that young Harry was indeed safe, to Lily and Sirius. It seemed as though there was no reasoning with the two friends. After finally convincing them both that that Harry was being retrieved by Professor McGonagall, I conjured up a pot of tea to calm down and soothe the three Order members. Lupin too was feeling the fatigue, and pulled up a chair next to Lily's and collapsed helplessly, awaiting further instruction from me.
The three friends sat unemotionally, some what sedately on the other side of my desk, reflecting over the evening's events. Not one of them had been expecting the attack or betrayal, the loss or turn of the night. I watched sadly as tear after tear rolled from each of their eyes across my desk. I could not help myself either, James Potter had not been a mere student of mine, he had been a friend and fellow member of The Order.
Remus and I watched as Sirius stood quickly and dropped to Lily's feet and broke down despairingly in her lap. The two remained there, holding onto each other for what seemed like dear life. It was a heartbreaking sight for me; I could feel each of their pain and loss for what it was; the loss of a dear friend, a husband, and a truly good man.
Knowing they needed to grieve properly, I gave them as much time as I could afford, before instructing them further for that night. I really hadn't wanted to separate the three friends from each other, but for the safety of little Harry Potter, it had to be done. After much protestation, Sirius agreed that he would eventually be tried by the Ministry, and found guilty of the staged murder of Pettigrew, the murder of twelve muggles as well as the betrayal of the Potter's hideout. In turn he would be sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Lily angrily protested alongside Sirius and refused to allow James' best mate to rot away in the Wizarding prison.
"Who do you think you are? You have no right Dumbledore!" she yelled angrily from her chair, still restrained by my obedience charm.
"Lily hush," Remus tried to reason with his old friend again.
"Shut up Moony, you'll be lucky if I ever speak with you again," the woman snapped at him. I felt sorry for the man; his love for her would surely ruin him. Lily rounded on me hastily;
"I want to see Harry NOW! And you WILL find another future for Sirius; he will not go to Azkaban for Peter's crimes…" her voice broke at the mention of Wormtail.
"I understand how you must be feeling Lily dear," I tried to soothe calmly.
"DO NOT CALL ME DEAR," she screamed at me. My heart broke into a million pieces; she was not the bright and brilliant Head Girl from Gryffindor I knew. The Lily Potter sitting before me would slowly break into a million pieces over the years to come. She would never have the same spirit she had in her youth or compassion for her fellow peers. She would lead a lonely life of misery and abandonment; just as Sirius would in Azkaban; and just as Harry would in his new home. Lily would not get the chance to be a mother to her son; to raise him and care for him. If I could hate myself for anything I had done in this world; it would be for separating Lily from her son; for sending Sirius to Azkaban; and for persuading Remus to save Lily's life over James'. Tonight was the first of many endless nights to come for these three friends; it would be the night we would all dream about in our sleep only to wake up in sheer agony.
"Please understand Lily…" I tried to reason with her.
"No, there is NO understanding any of this Dumbledore," she cut me off furiously. Remus remained quietly in his seat beside Lily, bewildered with the way she was speaking to me. There was no questioning it; I had lost every last inch of respect from this woman within the past hour. Sirius stood up from the floor by Lily's feet and went to stand behind her chair loyally. I could see deep within his eyes, he was in the midst of comprehending my need for him to go to Azkaban. I let out the briefest sigh of relief; Sirius was going to give in.
"Dumbledore…" he began hesitantly and I saw Lily's eyes widen in shock.
"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PRISON," she cut him off as she turned around in her seat to face him angrily.
"Lils, you can't save all of us…" Sirius responded in defeat. A second later Lily had reached up and slapped Padfoot across the face. Sirius stood where he was in shock before bending down and wrapping his arms sadly around Lily's shoulders, as they broke down a second time for the night.
The atmosphere in the room was tense and heavy. After Sirius' surrender it seemed as though the three friends had lost any will to move forward with their lives, they were merely accepting the fates I was handing to them. I explained to Sirius, a time would come in which he would be able to escape the prison. Until then he would abide by his sentencing in the interest of Harry. After another few minutes, I then instructed Remus to escort Lily to her elder brother's house in Forks, Washington. Lily looked up in surprise at this new establishment, clearly wondering why on earth I was sending her there.
"Lily, I am not able to explain to you right now the reason why…but for many reasons, you will not be allowed to see Harry for a very long time." Lily yelled and screamed for a good few minutes more, before I cast a silencing charm on her and continued to explain that it was for the young boy's safety, that in time she would be reunited with her son – once Lord Voldemort had risen again.
I originally had had no intention of relaying the entire prophecy to Lily and James Potter. I had merely sent them into hiding, claiming that the Dark Lord was after them because they had defied him multiple times. Though, given the circumstance that Lily and the other two friends were in, I knew I owed them some more information. I went on and explained to them my encounter with Sybill Trelawney and the prophecy the young Seer had made; reciting it from my memory, to them;
'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…'
The three friends sat bewildered and horrified with the news that the Dark Lord would return to power, and little Harry would be the only one to kill him. Lily and Sirius looked like they were going to be sick. I had just told a mother that her son had a dangerous destiny ahead of him; a destiny that she could not shelter him from. I could only imagine the distressing thoughts going through all of their heads.
Unfortunately for them, time was ticking on and I needed all three of them absent from my office, as I had other matters to attend to that evening. I instructed Sirius to return to his cottage alone and that he would be arrested later that hour. Allowing them their emotional farewell, I waited patiently as the three friends embraced fondly. Lupin then gripped Lily's arm, ready to Apparate her to Forks.
"Headmaster; Snape thinks she's dead," Remus commented finally.
"Good; he is not to know she survived," I gazed out my window onto the dark grounds below me, "No one is to know Lily survived, besides the three of us, and Professor McGonagall." With that Lily and Remus disappeared from the tense office, as did Sirius moments later.
I sighed sadly to myself, remembering how the young Marauders and Lily would run down the school corridors together, laughing and smiling. The turn of the evening had been truly saddening, it left me feeling empty inside. The five friends together, had inspired much hope and spirit in their fellow peers, teachers and Order members. I just hoped that the remaining friends would manage to overcome their loss together over the years and unite in their desperate need to protect Harry.
Returning to reality, I shook my thoughts out of my head and picked up my quill. I began writing a lengthy letter of explanation to a very petulant, Petunia Dursley. The one year old boy had no other option, than to be left in his Aunt's care. Given that Remus had executed my plan successfully and saved both Harry and Lily earlier this evening, there was no other alternative for the boy. Harry Potter would spend majority of his life growing up without parents. Quickly recalling my few encounters with the eldest Evan's sister, I felt guilty for subjecting Harry to the kind of life he would lead under her care. But the fact remained; Lily had no other blood relatives other than her elder brother and sister.
"I thought…you were going…to keep her…safe," Severus Snape Apparated into the centre of my office, intoxicated and an absolute mess. He sobbed heavily and collapsed onto my carpeted floor. Swiftly I jumped to my feet and walked around my desk towards him.
"She and James put their faith in the wrong person," I replied evenly. "Rather like you, Severus. Weren't you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?"
"YOU were supposed to save her…" he cried angrily. It had been years since a fellow wizard had raised their voice to me. Tonight alone, Sirius, Lily and Severus had all furiously voiced their opinions and anger towards me. It was a terrible sensation; I felt like I deserved to crawl up into corner.
"Her boy survived. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the shape and colour of Lily Evans's eyes. I am sure?"
"DON'T!" bellowed Snape. I backed away from the man curled up on my floor quickly and returned to my desk drawers. I pulled out a small photo James had sent me months ago, of the young Harry playing around on the grass outside Godric's Hollow. Walking back towards Severus, I hoped against all odds he would agree to be a spy for me, whenever the Dark Lord rose again.
"The Dark Lord will return Severus, and Harry Potter will be in terrible danger when he does," I shoved the moving photo before the Death Eater's eyes and watched quietly as his face brightened with recognition. "If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear." It wasn't long before Severus agreed to become the new Potions Master at Hogwarts under my supervision, as well as a secret spy for The Order. He left my office miserably; but with a purpose and new resolve.
I returned to my desk rather satisfied. Reasoning with the Death Eater had been easier than I had anticipated. Once I had completed my necessary spiel to Petunia on the parchment, I gathered my cloak and wand for the second time that evening and Apparated to Privet Drive, Little Whinging. I met with Professor McGonagall and my favourite Groundskeeper.
"Hagrid," I said relieved, as he landed across the street. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"
A/N: Firstly please REVIEW guys! I'm dying to hear what you all think of Chapter Eleven. And secondly, I really hope you guys found this chapter interesting, please remember that this is only MY version of what I'd like to have happened. I am trying to give you all something to appreciate :D sincere apologies that it is coming together so slowly. For all the Lily fans out there, HANG IN THERE! And to all those readers who are disgusted by Lily's lack of concern for her son and overall worry for her niece... I hope this chapter has given you a slight change of heart ! xx