Sitting On The Baby By HPOD sufferer
Date: Sunday, 23rd September, 3:10PM
Rating: K+ (Scary and Supernatural themes may scare young children), sexual implications (very minor)
Summary: Sirius bounded into the compartment, making to sink into the seat next to Lily. The seat in which a sleeping baby...well, slept. Eyes popping, James grabbed his friend's wrists, stopping him from sitting. Sirius Black was frozen in a strange, half-sitting, half-standing position. Lily grabbed the baby quickly, and James released his friend. "You know," said Lily " Baby sitting doesn't usually consist of actually sitting on the baby."
A baby has appeared. Where from? Why? Who does the baby belong to? Harry travels to Marauder Era. AS A BABY! Something went seriously wrong on that Halloween night.
I can't let this happen, since it's not right
We know it when the day becomes dark as night
I'll run to your aid because I want to save
I'm not a coward, but I'm not very brave
Then the ghosts came parading
The love in their hearts a red light fading
And the ones I love might be lost forever
As the saying goes, "It's now or never."
She wanted to save him, because in the time she had cared for him, she had come to care deeply for the misplaced child. She thought she might even love him. Thunder rolled again, and Voldemort raised his wand to cast the curse.
Four seventh year students stood impatiently near the steps to the castle. They were the group James had instructed to wait quarter of an hour before going to the battle. One of them looking at their wrist intently; one trying to see what was happening; one pacing and the last humming a little tune. "Will you stop it?" exclaimed the pacing student, a Ravenclaw with dark hair and eyebrows.
The whistler, another Ravenclaw with ash-blonde hair, stopped her tune, looking at him, "Is it disturbing you?"
The Ravenclaw boy snorted and started his well worn path.
"Two minutes," the time keeper announced. "Merlin, this is so..."
"Annoying!" cried the pacing Ravenclaw, who had spun around to face his house mate, who was whistling again. She stopped again, giving him a meek smile. The Ravenclaw stopped his pacing, pausing next to her. "Something is wrong, I can feel it." Both held their wands tightly in their hands.
"You think?" she said, and he didn't notice the sarcasm, nodding in agreement. A breeze blew about them, and the girl hugged herself, shivering. She looked up to the sky. In the last five minutes the almost non-existent cloud cover had covered the sun, the late morning suddenly dark. The clouds were literally black, pressing heavily. The pair watched the sky, and they could almost see the clouds moving. "It's very cold," the girl commented.
"Yeah," the boy answered. "Strange, I've never seen clouds behave like this-they're-they're...swirling!"
The clouds had indeed started a slow swirl clockwise, and for a panicked moment, the girl cried, "It's a hurricane! A cyclone! A tornado!"
"Don't be stupid," the time keeper snapped, "We don't get those around here-" He halted, because a hole had appeared in the middle of the swirling mass...and if his eyes were not deceiving him, the hole (which looked to be the size of a basket ball) was above the place where he knew the battle to be taking place. "One minute," the time keeper checked his watch. Tendrils of cloud started to move downwards, a whirlwind a hundred feet above their heads spinning faster...faster...and faster...
"There are no more stray spells!" screamed the girl who was trying to see what was happening. "I think-I think...they've stopped fighting!"
"Thirty seconds...want to go early?" suggested the time keeper.
There was no answer, the four starting towards the gates in a silent mutual agreement, their walk turning to a jog, their jog into a full out run. From behind them, a voice called.
"WAIT!!!!"
The four turned, to see Severus Snape, well known as the vicious Slytherin of seventh year, running towards them. Given the circumstances, they had all rights in the world to turn their wands on him. Snape slowed and halted in front of them, hands on his knees, black oily hair flopping into his face as he panted. "S-stop." His hand was buried in his pocket, fingering an item.
"What do you want?" Snarled the very annoyed Ravenclaw boy, his wand almost touching Snape's nose.
Snape stood up straight, his superior height allowing him to look down at the group down his impressive nose. "The battle is waging, am I correct?"
"Yes, and we're going to bloody miss it if we keep on dilly-dallying," snapped the timekeeper, who lowered their wand a bit.
Snape glanced up at the sky, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Nasty weather, didn't see-oh, fine," he snapped at the quartet's faces. "Let's go."
"Who died and made you king?" Snapped the Ravenclaw boy.
"Prince, actually," Snape said, a hint of a smile on his lips, but he didn't look at any of them. "I hope that idiot hasn't done anything stupid-"
The group turned the bend in the path, and slowed to a halt. "What idiot-?" began the Ravenclaw girl, but her words died away on the fiercely blowing wind.
The battle was not really a battle, merely a crowd of foes standing near each other, wands directed vaguely at their opponent's knees. Right inside the gate stood a man, a boy...and a child within the man's arms. Lord Voldemort had raised his wand above the child, and the group realised, with a cold pang in their chests, what the beast of a Dark Lord was about to do.
He was going to murder a child.
Snape's face had gone rather still, and his dark eyes were glued to the sight. His eyes then slid to Peter Pettigrew, the boy sho stood trembling in front of the dark Lord. Severus Snape's hand gripped the wand in his hand tightly, his knuckles going white.
Wind blew through the gates, the clouds in the sky swirling, thunder rolling loudly, and Snape squinted, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. But they were not.
Behind the horrendous scene, beyond the gates, an army was marching up the path to the school. And it wasn't any army. It was an army of ghosts, or something similar. Snape could hear faint voices on the wind, words that made no sense. They seemed to be snatches of conversations.
"I can't stay here anymore...For goodness sake, RUN...I saw my dad...This has got to be the best pie I've ever eaten...I know nothing can bring them back to life...Hermione, sometimes I just wish I could go back in time...Ron, you look like a papaya...How should I know? I was only a baby at the time...What if it were different...Hasn't changed much, has he...I'm having the same dream, over and over...It hurts, my scar, it hurts...THEN - I - DON'T - WANT - TO - BE - HUMAN...why do you think it's shaped like a lightening bolt...Maybe I'll have my own baby one day...I love you..."
Snape, it seemed, was not the only person to notice. Gasps ran through the crowd of ex-battlers, and Voldemort had lowered his wand, eyeing the ghostly, transparent, yet coloured figures with interest. The mirages walked through the gates, walking through the crowd, some walking high in the sky, others naturally on the ground, all speaking, all acting out scenes...all the same person. It was a boy, one that Snape would have mistaken any day for his rival, James Potter, were it not for the strange lightening-bolt shaped scar on the illusion's forehead. It was a scar that Snape remembered.
The baby in Voldemort's arms possessed the same scar. The baby Snape had been ordered to watch ever since news came of him. Harry. Little baby Harry. And now Snape knew his last name, for it could only be one person.
Harry Potter.
How or why Potter had a child was beyond what Snape could fathom. Snape recalled his master's words of weeks passed. "It is vital that you bring this child to me."
"But, my Lord, could I inquire as to why-?"
"Just bring him to me. He is valuable," The Dark Lord had said, and dismissed Snape. Which is what Snape had done. With much effort on his part.
Peter Pettigrew trembled still, gazing up with a blank look on his face at the Dark Lord.
Snape noticed the figures forming a large ring around the battle, all standing still and silent. Snape lowered his wand.
In the trees, Lily turned her eyes, now wide, to James in shock. "You never told me you had a baby!"
James frowned at her. "What do you mean?" He asked incredulously.
Lily waved her hand at the wall of transparent figures. "Isn't it obvious? We both know now that Harry is your son, James. Who else could he be? He looks just like you! That's Harry Potter. So clearly, you're a father! Why didn't you tell anyone?! Dumbledore's been searching all this time for his parents, when you're right...here!"
James continued to stare blankly at her. "But he can't be. I can't-can't...I'm a bloody virgin, Lily!"
Lily placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, sure, you expect me to believe that?" she said angrily. "You probably knocked up some muggle girl during the summer holidays while you were both drunk! I can't believe you!"
"But he's got your eyes," said James slowly, "haven't you...oh dear Merlin," he pointed at the scene, and Lily followed his hand with her gaze. Peter had stood up ram-rod straight, and spoke, his words carrying over to the pair behind the tree.
"You monster!" Peter spat, reaching forward for Harry. Voldemort laughed, his wand twitching slightly.
"Crucio!"
Peter collapsed, spasms running through his body along with screams.
James didn't think. James didn't stop. He charged out of the trees, bellowing, yelling, his wand out in front of him. "Expelliarmus!!!"
Voldemort had seen him before he had the chance to scream off this spell, and a vindictive sneer was on his face as his wand turned from Peter, to James. James fell to the ground crying out in pain, the same instant the friend he was trying to save went mostly silent, making small gasping whimpers as he struggled to sit up. Peter cast unfocused eyes onto James, mouth open in horror. James thrashed, his head hitting repeatedly on a rock in the ground.
Harry squirmed in the monster's arms, instinctively wanting to get out, to get away, tears streaming down his small cheek from the pain in his scar.
Lily stood behind her tree, unnoticed, and she felt as if her heart had exploded.
Voldemort would not do this anymore. Lily was going to make him stop.
Snape grasped the Ravenclaw girls' elbow, pulling her with him, as he strode quickly, his strides becoming longer and faster until he was running. He wasn't going to get there in time...
The apparitions started moving, swarming towards Lord Voldemort. They were silent, but all held the same look of rage on their features. The Dark Lord gave a cry of surprise, dropping the baby in his arms. Harry wailed, falling.
Lily stepped out of the trees, and everything froze. The ghostly figures paused, drifting a few feet away from the Dark Lord, yet still surrounding him; the sky stopped swirling, and Harry floated in mid air. James lay on the ground, face in the grass, broken glasses beside his head and he didn't move. Lily couldn't see him breathing.
No.
She looked at Lord Voldemort, green eyes meeting red. Voldemort gave her a sadistic smile. "Aww, look. The mother has come," he drawled, eyes raking over her.
Lily's resolve and anger clouded a moment with confusion, then her eyes flicked to Harry, who had come to a gentle rest on the ground near Peter's head. The baby had sat up unsteadily, watching her. Watching her just like everyone else was, she realised. Watching her and realising the truth.
Harry was her child. He had her eyes.
She didn't understand. It was impossible for her to have a son. But she knew, with utmost certainty, that he was her son. And even if he wasn't, she loved him.
A heaven have mercy on those who hurt those she loved.
It was like somebody else was controlling her actions, as her wand raised. Her mouth formed words she wasn't sure of, ready to cast a spell she'd never even heard of. All she was aware of was her anger, her hate, her love. Harry sitting on the grass, his tiny hand on Peter's hair as the plump boy gasped. James's still body. Her Professors, her fellow classmates, the Death Eaters. Where was Dumbledore?
"LILY EVANS!" She turned, looking up the slope, to see Severus Snape drawing something from his pocket. The Slytherin flung the object, and Lily reached out, catching it. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with it, but instinctively she held the feather up for Voldemort to see.
The feather was about half the length of her arm, a rich scarlet red with golden flecks along it. It was stiff, in shape, yet soft at the same time. It was one of the most beautiful things Lily had ever seen. It was a phoenix feather.
Voldemort let out a cold chuckle. "My dear, you don't even know what you're doing." He spread his hands, "What do you think you are going to do with a feather? Poke me in the eye? Face it," he breathed, stepping towards her, "You've got no way out, no one can help you…give up."
Lily clenched the feather in her hand, trying her hardest not to show this man that he was right, forcing her fear down. The feather started to glow, and she glanced over at baby Harry. Harry was glowing too, a bright red ball surrounding him. She remembered the glow- it was the same glow that had surrounded him the day he'd arrived on the train. Lily's eyes rose to look at the ghostly figures, which were glowing also, smiling at her quietly. One, which looked to be seventeen or eighteen, dipped his head.
"Go on mum. Do what you have to do. I'm with you."
Lily turned wide, shining eyes to Voldemort, and did something she wouldn't have thought possible with the amount of fear she felt. She grinned. "No one hurts my baby," she growled, stepping forward. "No one. Not you." She passed by James's body, goose bumps raising on her arms. She reached Peter, who looked up at her with apologetic eyes. She kneeled beside him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Snape cursed me-I tried to fight it, I really-" Lily rested a hand on his cheek.
"It's not your fault. We all make our choices," she whispered back. She glanced over her shoulder at Snape, whose face was that of a statues, revealing nothing. She gave him a tiny upwards flick of her lips, twisting back around.
Lily looked up at Voldemort, and slowly, carefully, placed the feather in Harry's hands. She glanced at the seventeen year old image of Harry. He winked.
All of the ghostly figures exploded with a red light, and the Death Eaters started to shout as they were herded by the light out the gates, away from Hogwarts.
Voldemort hissed at Lily. "You might have beaten me this time, but I'll get you. You can't change what has already happened to your child. I'll kill you, and your husband."
Lily felt something nudge it's way into her hand, and glanced to see Harry, who was still shining with the red glow, smiling clumsily up at you. "Gwad," he gurgled, and Lily nodded, turning back to Voldemort.
"I'm glad."
Voldemort turned, and once out the gates, he disappeared silently.
Lily glanced around her, seeing as the Professors and students hugged each other, congratulating each other, helping those who needed help. The only one not celebrating was Sirius Black. His face was white, and he stared at his best friend. Lily let out a choked sob, crawling over to James, shaking his shoulder.
"Please don't be dead," she gasped, her eyes burning and hot. "Please."
James didn't move.
A/n: Answer to most of your questions: It was a cliff-hanger because that's what I'm good at. Haven't you noticed that more that 70 percent of my chapters end with cliffies?
Dedicated to Tebitha78, since her review came to me when I was trying to write the seventh version of this, sneeze, swallow a giant pill and try not to pull my hair out because of my yearlies with came a week early. I would have given up if it weren't for her. (See guys, I do read your reviews!)
Why seven versions of this do you ask? Well, mostly because I COULD NOT GET IT RIGHT (oh, and we all love the number seven, don't we guys?). I sat there, with the scene all nice and perfect in my head, and I couldn't get it out onto paper. Or keyboard. I tried writing notes, I tried talking out loud to myself, hell I even tried singing. And well, it didn't come out perfect, but hey, I refuse to write anymore in my condition. My condition being a nervous breakdown (and a cold) mostly driven by the stress of my yearly examinations coming a week early, and the threat of another few next week. Oh, and I could not get our beloved (cough) Dark Lord into character. He's a hard chap in the best of times, but throw in Snape, a temperamental Lily, four new characters I really didn't want to put in but had to, a baby, ghost thingies, and no Dumbledore to balance the whole thing out and you get a huge big jumble of confused characters. So sorry if some are out of character. Yes, there is a tiny hint of ex-Snape/Lily, mostly sparked off by recent polls in fandom. It means nothing, just me adding flavour. Don't kill me.
The snatches of sentences are half purely imaginative, half belonging to the books (from memory and my copy of OotP, which I opened randomly) but I thought all had something to add to the story. All said by Harry.
Ahah. Peter, yes, I knew I'd get around to him. What can I say? As much as we all hate him (I as going to put a different word instead of him, one that started with 'b', but decided against it), I feel there's got to be a reason fro him doing the things he did. And yes, you guessed it, he was Imperiused (remember that lovely Defence lesson they had?-that's where it started) but I know what's going to happen next and I will not tell you. Yet.
And James? I'm still bloody sobbing my heart out, and I know what happens!
Please poke and prod me, I might give you clues. Specific questions though, not "Oh, is Voldemort going to come back?" or something equally annoying.
Less than five chapters to go. This is one of the longest A/Ns I've written. Sorry.