November 1st, 1981 Potter Manor Courtyard 4:30am
Severus Snape stood on the steps of the Potter Manor. Amelia had summoned more Aurors to collect the Death Eaters that had fallen just hours before. She was giving her report to the head of her office about the attack that happened that night. She informed him she responded to an alert sent by Senior Auror Sirius Black and gathered a team to assist in the siege of Potter Manor.
Severus smirked at her ability to lie directly to her boss's face. He turned and headed inside, knowing full well when word got out the Prophet's reporters would descend upon the manor in swarms and he could not risk being seen. He made his way into the parlor and positioned himself by the window, making sure he was hidden behind the curtain.
"Hiding in the shadows again?" came the voice of Sirius Black as he walked up behind him.
"It can't be helped. I can't be implicated in last night's events. You know that," Severus said flatly. He turned to look at the other man and bumped his shoulder into Sirius's chest accidentally.
Sirius stepped back a bit. "My apologies."
Severus had been surprised that Black had been that close to him, but decided to ignore that for now. He had other things to attend to. "I don't have time to spend being photographed and risk my change of allegiance getting out to the Death Eaters," he said, walking around Sirius and heading to the desk that had numerous parchments laying around. Severus had been writing down all the things he could remember from his past life so he could review the things he knew he had to change. "My next objective is to ensure the Longbottoms do not end up in St. Mungo's," he said as he lifted a specific parchment and began reviewing it.
"James and I already told you we will help you to protect the Longbottoms," Sirius said as he walked up beside him.
Severus sighed. "So much hinges on them being safe, Sirius," he said. "If we fail, everything we did last night will be undone. I won't allow that." He continued to sift through his notes.
Sirius sighed, walking behind Severus and forcing him to sit down in the chair next to him. "Severus, you've been up for nearly three days straight…. Stop for a moment," he told him.
Severus was surprised when he was suddenly pulled down into the chair. "What…but I have…" He tried to get up but Sirius held him down.
"Sit!" Sirius demanded.
Severus was surprised at his forcefulness. Severus sat there for a moment then he felt Sirius begin massaging his shoulders. "That's not necessary, Sirius," he tried to protest.
"Be quiet, Sev," Sirius said, calling him by the nickname Lily used.
Severus' eyes widened when he heard that. "Sirius, are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, and feel free to address me as Padfoot," Sirius said. "You're an honorary Marauder now. We need someone to take Pettigrew's place, anyway." He continued to rub Severus' shoulders.
The tension that was in his shoulders was slowly melting away. He leaned back and closed his eyes, gently drifting off to sleep. Sirius continued to massage his shoulders gently, even after Severus drifted off to sleep. After a few minutes, James and Lily walked in carrying Harry; the two had been discussing something when they looked up to see Sirius putting a blanket across Severus. Sirius looked back at them and placed his finger to his lips. "Shhhh," he said, smiling. He turned and ushered the two of them out before closing the door, leaving the Slytherin to get some rest.
November 1st1981 Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 10:00am
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, awaiting word from his man Hagrid on the Potters' fate. He knew Voldemort had been planning an attack on the Potters, thanks to Severus. Getting the Potters to agree to leave the safety of the Potter Manor Wards was harder than he thought. Lily, in particular, had a strong mind. It was not easy to influence her, but he managed to succeed. With them at Potter Cottage, they would have less time to react to an attack. He sighed. It would be sad to lose to such an excellent witch and wizard, but Harry Potter had to become the Child of Prophecy. With his parents out of the way, it would be much easier for him to guide Harry to the right path.
Suddenly, the door to his office was thrown open and the large gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, waddled in. "Professor Dumbledore, sir…Professor Dumbledore."
"Calm yourself, Hagrid…calm yourself…What is the problem? Is Harry alright?" Dumbledore asked.
Hagrid panted as he stopped in front of the headmasters' desk. "No one was there," Hagrid said.
"Pardon?" Albus asked, confused.
"The cottage was completely empty, sir," Hagrid said. "As if no one was living there."
That's odd, Albus thought. If the Fidelius Charm was broken by Peter's betrayal, the charm should not have been active…especially if Voldemort had attacked like he should have. The house would've been destroyed.
"Was there any damage?" Albus asked.
Hagrid shook his head. "No sir, just empty."
Albus began thinking hard. Perhaps Voldemort has put off attacking the Potters. I was sure he'd make his move last night…
"Thank you, Hagrid. You may return to your duties." Albus dismissed the half giant.
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, confused. What is Voldemort doing? I need to speak to Severus, he thought.
Back at Potter Manor November 1st, 1981 12:00pm
Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus were giving their statements on the attack from last night to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Minerva, like Severus, opted to stay out of these proceedings, not wanting to alert Dumbledore of her participation in pushing back the Death Eaters who attacked the manor. She had returned to Hogwarts shortly after things calmed down earlier that evening after talking with Amelia, who agreed. Severus was still inside sleeping, thanks to Sirius' gentle touch.
It didn't take the "bloodhounds", as James called them, from The Daily Prophet long to start sniffing around. After talking to a few of the Aurors who arrived to collect the captured Death Eaters, a whole swarm of reporters had descended upon the Potter Manor, all clamoring for more information. Amelia's three Aurors held the mob back as the reporters demanded answers:
"Is it true He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked you at your home?" one asked.
"How did you all manage to fend off ten Death Eaters and their Master?" another asked, trying to write down any answer given.
"Is it true He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attempted to kill your son?" one more yelled from the back.
Amelia stepped between the Potters and the reporters, putting on her best 'public appearance' smile. "Please, all questions will be directed to The Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she said flatly. "Yes, it was confirmed that Voldemort was present at the attack that occurred last night around 11pm," she began, answering many of the questions that were already asked. "With the support of the Potters and Senior Auror Sirius Black, the Potter family friend Remus Lupin, myself, and the three Aurors that accompanied me, we did manage to hold back the Death Eaters Voldemort brought with him. Voldemort himself did not participate in the attack, aside from one spell he launched at the Lady Potter in which the other Death Eaters took to the battlefield. It is unconfirmed if Voldemort actually attacked the baby Harry Potter. However, after Voldemort vanished from the battlefield and his minions were rounded up, an explosion was heard from upstairs. Upon further investigation of the scene, it was found that the nursery in which Harry Potter had been left during the attack was in tatters and Voldemort was nowhere to be found. The boy himself, however, was left unharmed, aside from a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. At this time there is no further evidence to concretely prove Voldemort attacked the child. However, according to preliminary reports, Voldemort's magic appears to be scattered all around the scene. It is with this evidence the DMLE is confident to say the following: 'Voldemort is dead!'" she said, getting gasps from the reporters. "Now, the Potters have had a long and trying night. It is time for everyone here to leave. Any other questions are to be directed to the DMLE. Thank you for your time today." She motioned to her Aurors, who began pressing them back and guiding them off Potter grounds as cameras flashed repeatedly.
"Thank you for handling that, Amelia," Lily said as she held her now fussy son, who was not happy about the lights that were flashing in his eyes.
Amelia turned and bowed her head slightly. "Anytime, Lily," she said as she walked back up the steps and stood beside them. "Now, I hope in the future you will remember that you have an ally in the DMLE in case a similar…incident... occurs."
"We will definitely remember to contact you should we ever need your assistance again," James said, holding out his hand to shake hers.
Amelia shook it firmly. "Glad to be of service, James. Now, I have a stack of paperwork to fill out and six criminals to interrogate. If you'll excuse me." She then descended the steps and followed her Aurors out, assisting with rounding up the reporters. Once they were on the other side of the gates, they swung closed, barring any additional entrance onto the grounds.
November 1st, 1981 Back in the Dumbledore's Office 5:00pm
The Headmaster was going over some of his other plans, including seeing to it the Potters' will would never be seen and arranging to drop the boy off with his muggle aunt and her husband. While he did this, a large tawny owl swooped into his office through the high window above. Ah the evening addition of the Prophet, he thought as the owl swooped down and dropped the paper on the desk before flying back out. Let's see what mischief Tom and his followers are up to. He unraveled the paper and shook it open; his eyes went wide when he saw the front page.
The Boy Who Lived
Voldemort Vanquished!
Shocked for a moment by what he had read, Albus assumed that the boy must be in DMLE custody. He sighed, thinking it would be slightly irritating to retrieve the boy from there, but not impossible. He read on:
On October 31st 1981 at approximately midnight, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named met his demise when he attempted to kill the child of Lily and James Potter, Harry James Potter. The boy was discovered in his nursery, that which appeared to have been blown apart by a ricocheting spell. The boy himself was left unharmed except for a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead.
A close up picture of the boy was included to show his scar. Albus could see he was being held by someone, but could not discern who or where they were.
At this time, the DMLE have no further information on why the boy was alive after being attacked by one of the most powerful dark wizards of this century.
His parents however-
Finally, Albus thought, as he continued to read, sure of their fate:
-had been successful in fending off an attack by the ten Death Eaters He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named brought with him for the attack on Potter Manor.
Albus had been taking a sip of his tea when he read that part and the shock of what he just read caused him to choke. He reread it multiple times to confirm what it said. Potter Manor? Ten Death Eaters? No, no, no, this can't be right, He thought. I was sure Tom would go to the Potters' alone, and they were supposed to be at the cottage, not the Manor. I suppose it doesn't matter as long as the end result is the same. He decided to continue reading:
With the help of Senior Auror Sirius Black, Potter Family friend Remus Lupin, and members of the Auror department, who were summoned by Black once the wards of Potter Manor were attacked, and Lily and James Potter themselves, and every defender of Potter Manor are safe. The Aurors in question were Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alexander Pierce, Pricilla Austin, and Markus Winchester. These nine witches and wizards helped fend off He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's forces after losing sight of him himself. They successfully incapacitated six of their attackers before the remaining four fled of their own volition. None of the defenders were severely harmed during the attack, escaping with only minor injuries, which are all expected to heal within a few days.
The Potters can be seen in the picture below. All of them appear to be in perfect health, aside from the scar that now adorns the youngest Potter's head.
Albus looked below the text, spotting the picture of James and Lily, who were holding Harry, along with Sirius and Remus standing behind the family. They were all smiling and waving at the camera. How is this possible?! he thought. James and Lily were supposed to die in the attack! What are Sirius and Remus doing there? I specifically gave them tasks so they wouldn't be present. All my plans…useless.
Albus sat back in his chair, utterly shocked by the revelation that all the work and planning he had put in to place the Child of the Prophecy under his control had gone up in smoke. He sighed. I'll just have to change my plans to include Lily and James…though that will make things harder. He dropped the paper on his desk and began wracking his brain on what he could do to get the Potters on board with his plans.
A/N: Sorry about the delay personal matters distracted me from my scheduled post. Thank you again to all my reviewers who have supported my work thus fun I shall continue to try my best.
Up Next: Severus and the others discuss Harry's future education.