Prologue: The Letter

XxXxX

April 1st, 2009

If this note has somehow survived the destruction of the Dark Lord, and is currently being read by someone, it means that I have failed.

If you are a Death Eater, or someone affiliated with the Dark Lord and his cronies, then I applaud you for overcoming the near-impenetrable charms and wards placed on this note to prevent any of your sort from even noticing it. I will have to tell Aunt Hermione that she is not the smartest magical of this generation, after all.

The note has a forget-for-now charm – developed after years of patience and struggle – so, while you may know the contents, you will never be able to tell this to anyone. Don't even think about blabbing to your Lord – your mind will go blank for several minutes whenever you think of speaking about it.

Now that everything is out of the way, let's get to the part you've been waiting for. My name is James. James Sirius Potter, to be precise, born of Harry Potter and Ginevra Potter née Weasley. I am – or, was, as of now – one of the few surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix, and the one chosen to undertake this dangerous journey.

I have travelled back in time to finish everything before it starts.

Time is a very dangerous thing. Which is why it took years of planning and training so that I would be prepared. I have been taught by several, brave people who I cannot thank enough for doing so. My training has been ruthless, but fruitful. But that does not matter. If you are reading this, it did not matter at all.

So here are some instructions to end this plague. Voldemort is immortal – but only if his serpent, Nagini, remains whole and alive. I will not tell you the reason concerning his immortality. The snake has to be killed. It is the only way Voldemort will truly be evicted from this world and into the afterlife. And I hope the spineless bastard pays a hundredfold for what he did.

There are many ways that the damn snake can be killed, but most of them are truly complicated and it will be a long time before Nagini dies. The easiest and quickest way would be by killing it with basilisk venom – however, said venom is incredibly hard to procure, and the only basilisk venom that hasn't dried up is down in the Chamber of Secrets (yes, that's not myth) and it will take a parselmouth to reach there. Another way would be by using Fiendfyre, although it is very hard to control it. Unless you are willing to sacrifice yourself, I personally do not recommend using this method.

Written on the back of this page are some of the mediocre ways to end Voldemort. Please take the initiative to learn them, and not leave it up to someone else.

I hope this note never comes into someone's hands. If it doesn't, this would mean that I have succeeded, and that this note would never exist in the first place. A paradox, if you can call it, but never mind.

Remember our names. Harry Potter. Ginevra, his wife and my mother. The Weasleys. Hermione Granger. Neville Longbottom. Dean Thomas. Minerva McGonagall. Remus Lupin. Alastor Moody. Cho Chang, Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood and Albus Dumbledore.

These are just some of the few names that tried keeping you safe these past several years. I hope yours was amongst them. If it wasn't, it would be a good thing to start now. Take a stand. Don't be afraid.

Most of all, don't let our sacrifice be in vain.

Signed,

James Sirius Potter