This is something I started tinkering with way back when I wrote the original one-shot years ago. I didn't have any plans for a full story (I still don't); it was always meant to just be a one-shot. But you know how it is when plot bunnies won't leave you alone. I've been picking away at this bit by bit ever since. It's probably inadvisable for me to put it up, since I don't really know where I'm going with it and don't know if I'll ever get around to finishing it, but it's just sitting here not doing anybody any good, so what the hell?
This is not the only chapter, by the way. I broke down what I have into chunks so I can at least make a few uploads and who knows? Maybe I'll even be inspired to write more.
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It's funny how quickly everything in life can change. One moment, Lily was cooing at her young son in her arms while her husband lounged on the sofa, and then fear such as she had never experienced was squeezing her heart in an icy death grip.
There had been a bang at the front door. Even if they weren't in hiding from the world's most terrible dark wizard, that would have been frightening. Lily instinctively hugged her baby tighter as James leapt over the sofa and charged into the hallway. She clung to the mad hope that this was some idiotic prank gone wrong, but deep down she knew it wasn't.
'Lily, take Harry and go!' she heard James shout. 'It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!'
Her blood froze. Voldemort was at the end of the hall, mere yards away from her child. The only thing standing between her and the dark lord was her heartbreakingly courageous husband, who was almost certainly going to die.
She didn't have time to dwell on such things. If James was going to give his life for her and Harry, she was going to make sure it was worth it. Clutching Harry tightly to her chest, she bolted for the stairs, even as she heard that high, cold voice cry out, 'Avada Kedavra!'
Knowing what that meant, Lily squeezed the tears out of her eyes and kept running. But she did not hear the telltale thud of a body falling to the floor. What she heard was an inexplicable explosion, more spells being cast, and then Voldemort's angry voice as something hit him. James was still alive! He was alive and he was fighting! Lily's heart soared even as Harry started crying, and she climbed the stairs as fast as her legs would allow.
More bangs were emanating from below, and she could hear two voices, but could not make out what was being said. One voice was clearly Voldemort's though, and the other was unmistakably that of her husband.
She reached the door to Harry's nursery and forced it open, slamming it shut again with her foot once she got inside. She ran over and placed Harry in his crib to free her hands, and then reached for her wand.
Her wand that wasn't there.
Panic set in as quickly as a phoenix took flight.
'Wand, wand, wand, where's my wand?' she cried, feeling all of her pockets but knowing it wouldn't be there. She always kept it in the same one so she could grab it without thinking.
Where could she have left it? Down in the kitchen when she was cooking? More bangs came from the living room and Lily desperately started piling furniture in front of the door. Maybe her wand was downstairs, but she dare not leave her child here alone, any more than she could carry him down with her, to where he was.
She had to get her panic under control. Harry's mobile was an emergency portkey for a situation just like this, but it had to be activated first or else Harry could accidentally touch it at any time. And for that she needed her wand. Wasn't there any other way out of here? Surely she and James had planned for this. She just had to think.
Clatter.
She spun around and saw that her wand had fallen to the floor next to the crib. Harry must have pulled if from her pocket during their escape up the stairs. Still forcing down the panic, she dashed across the room to pick it up. Just as she reached it, she heard James cry out, followed by a loud crash. Her heart breaking, Lily grasped her wand and whispered a final goodbye to the love of her life, then picked up their son and activated the portkey, taking them to safety.
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Albus Dumbledore was in his office on Hallowe'en night, having just returned from the feast. One of the new Gryffindor prefects, Perseus Farrell, had filed a report about several Slytherin students harassing him and his partner for docking points off them the previous week, and he was trying to decide whether or not to deal with it himself or let his new Head of Slytherin take care of it.
Severus had been true to his word about helping the cause, and he had proven himself a capable Potions Master, but he was barely older than a student himself and had difficulties putting old biases aside.
No sooner had he resolved to call the young Professor Snape to his office to discuss the matter than Fawkes gave a loud trill, and Albus looked up to see Lily Potter appear in his office.
She was frantic, carrying a mobile that he knew to be a portkey (having enchanted it himself), and a crying child. He forced himself not to leap to any conclusions just yet.
'Lily?' he queried, projecting an aura of calm concern for the benefit of the poor young woman.
'Professor!' she cried, running toward him as quickly as she dared while cradling her son. 'He came! He came to the house! James, he…he told me to run, and…and…'
Albus rose immediately, a number of his worst fears playing out in his head, though one, at least, appeared to have been averted.
'It's all right, Lily, you did what needed to be done, and so did James,' he said, crossing to his former student and comforting her. 'But if Lord Voldemort did indeed come to your home despite all our precautions, then we must act quickly.'
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Lily watched as Dumbledore pointed his wand out the window and fired off a silver bolt – a patronus, she knew – and then summoned a pot of floo powder from the mantelshelf and threw a handful into the fire.
'Minerva! Come to my office at once!' he called into the green flames. He repeated the process for Professor Flitwick. Then he turned to her and bade her to sit, which she did.
Even safe from danger and in the calming presence of her old headmaster, Lily was still in shock. Her entire world had been torn asunder in a matter of minutes. James, her whole life, her moon and stars in the sky, was dead. The reality of it hit her like a giant's club and she could not suppress the sob that came. Tears soaked her face and she clung to the child in her arms, wondering how she could carry on without the one person who meant most to her in the world.
But no, that wasn't right, she thought. James had been the center of her universe once, but no longer. She was a mother now, and her reason for living was sitting right here in her arms, safe and sound. Her moon and stars may have gone out, but the sun still shone. Lily smiled through her grief – a genuine smile that only a mother could understand – and kissed her baby's forehead. 'You're safe, Harry,' she whispered. 'Your daddy saved you, and everything's going to be all right.'
Dumbledore approached her then. He seemed to have been giving her a moment to compose herself, which she appreciated.
'Lily, I need to know what happened,' he said softly. 'Every detail you can possibly remember. I know I'm asking a lot for you to relive it all so soon, but time is of the essence.'
'No, I understand,' she said, sniffling and wiping her eyes. 'And I want to help. Of course I do.'
'Very good. Start from the beginning. The Fidelius Charm must have failed, or else Mr Black has been captured and forced to reveal the secret. I will not suggest for an instant, of course, that he betrayed you.'
Lily understood that he was still stating it as a possibility – even if one he didn't claim to believe – but she shook her head. 'It couldn't have been Sirius,' she said.
'Lily, I know that you and James trust –'
'No, I mean it literally couldn't have been him,' she interrupted. 'He wasn't our Secret Keeper. At least, not anymore. We switched to Peter last week.'
'You did what?' Dumbledore asked, and she could tell that this information surprised him.
She was about to explain when the door burst open and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick strode in.
'Albus, what's the matter? Is everything – Mrs Potter!' she exclaimed, noticing Lily. 'Is everything all right?'
'No, Minerva, I'm afraid it is not. I beg your patience, but I am afraid there is no time at the moment to say more than that Lord Voldemort has been to Godric's Hollow this night, and James Potter may be dead. Please continue, Lily. You said Mr Pettigrew was your Secret Keeper?'
'But how can that be?' McGonagall asked. 'I know for a fact that it was Mr Black who accepted the Fidelius. The three of you were quite adamant on the subject.'
'Minerva, please!' Dumbledore said. Lily was for her part impressed by the older woman's restraint; the other questions she was dying to ask were dancing in her eyes but she remained silent at Dumbledore's admonishment.
'We switched to Peter last week,' Lily repeated. 'It was Sirius's idea. He was sure they would come after him once they realized we'd used the Fidelius, and he was going to lead them away. He had us switch to Peter so that he couldn't even give us away by accident. We didn't tell anybody; not even Remus.'
'A cunning strategy, and worthy of Mr Black,' Dumbledore said. 'However, this presents us with a new set of problems. If, as you say, no one else was aware of this change in plans, then the most likely explanation for tonight's events is one that saddens me deeply.'
Lily wondered at his meaning, and then gasped. 'Professor, you don't mean…Peter?'
'Alas, even if the existence of your Fidelius Charm were discovered, which is entirely possible, how could anyone have known to target Mr Pettigrew and not Mr Black? Even I would have suspected Sirius to be your first choice, and Mr Lupin after him.'
'That's…that's what Sirius said too,' Lily said, the reality sinking in. 'And Peter agreed. Oh Merlin, what have we done?'
Dumbledore laid his hand on her shoulder, but what he was going to say would remain a mystery, for at that moment a glowing silver ball flew in through the window. For one brief instant Lily thought this must be a response to the message Dumbledore had sent earlier, but then the ball began to take shape, and as it did Lily could feel her heart speeding up and an almost painful smile spreading across her face. From the swirling mist emerged the form of a great silver stag.
Joy. Exultation. Euphoria. These were all a dull grey compared to what Lily felt when that beautiful, magnificent, wonderful stag spoke in a voice she'd thought she would never hear again.
'I'm all right. At Padfoot's. Lils, I…I think I got him.'
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What did you think? Definitely shorter than my usual fare, but I'm trying something new. Also, fear not, I'm not abandoning Sling Shots or anything else to post this. As I said, everything you see here was written years ago. And I'm finding that jumping around from story to story helps me work on all of them faster, so there might be more updates on multiple stories in the near future.
As always, reviews are encouraged and appreciated. Thanks for reading!