Choices: The Beginning
James came across the spell quite accidentally whilst he was at home. He and Lily had been practising defensive magic, and Lily had used a particularly forceful spell, causing James to be thrown backwards. He hit the bookcase, and several books fell out on top of him. The one that was to be the saviour of the wizarding world was plain and black. Nothing marked it from the outside, and it fell directly into James' lap. Dusting himself off, he picked the books up and was starting to put them back on the shelf when the black book tried again to draw his attention. This time it grew alarmingly hot, so hot that James was forced to drop it. Lily moved over to help her husband, and was surprised when James put out a hand to ward her off when she went to pick up the book. "Careful," he said.
James and Lily Potter were in hiding. They had been advised, for the sake of their lives, and that of their son, to go into hiding, in a place where nobody could find them. Nobody being a particular Dark Lord, reputed to be one of the most powerful wizards ever to have existed. This by no means meant that they went willingly. The Dark Lord had killed many, some of whom were close friends of the Potters, and they had for the past few years been fighting against him with everything they had. But now, there was a prophesy, and for the sake of their son, and that of the world, they had to go into hiding.
The book, obligingly turning to the right page, presented them with the spell and after reading it several times, they realised that this could be what would save the wizarding world. The only problem was it required blood to cast it, an innocent's blood, and judging by the rest of the spells in the book, it was clearly an evil book. James and Lily were unsure of using it, but came to the conclusion that they must try- for the sake of humanity.
The spell had to be performed with three people present, but it was not necessary for all three to be able to cast magic, just for them to have the magic running through their veins. It was complicated, and Lily soon realised that it would take a few days to prepare, as several potions were required, as well as the innocent's blood. They worried over this aspect; there were only the two of them in the house, and their one year old son, Harry. The innocent's blood would have to come from him, and they were scared of the possibility of having to sacrifice their son. The spell didn't specify how much blood was needed, so they only took a little, hoping it would be enough. Lily and James started work immediately on the potions and were grateful for having all the ingredients necessary in the house.
Every night they went to sleep fearing that this would be the night that Voldemort came for them. They were sure that the charms protecting the house were sound, but Voldemort had an agenda, and it wasn't likely that a bit of magic was going to stop him. They could only pray for a few more days; just two more days was needed to finish the potions; just one more day, please. They were lucky. The potions were hurriedly finished and the spell prepared. They cleared the living room, pushing all the furniture to one side. They had the potions which would, at specific times, be thrown at Voldemort, and they had the innocent's blood. They drew a circle of magic in the centre of the room, around themselves and the small vials, and sat down to wait. Harry sat there with them, calm for a baby, his green eyes large and looking around with interest. He sat in his rocker, and stayed very quiet. James and Lily sat on either side of their son, and after a short time of sitting in silence, their eyes connected and they knew that they were as prepared as they could be. James reached over in the silence to grasp Lily's hand. She squeezed it lightly to reassure them both. They sat and waited.
It was like that for three nights. Each night they would go and sit in the protective circle, sometimes they took turns to sleep, but mostly they just sat there, holding hands, and waiting. Both James and Lily kept hold of their wands in their other hands. Harry sat there between them, silent except for the occasional snuffle. He fell asleep now and then, but it was always reluctantly, as though he were afraid of missing the world-altering events.
On the fourth night he came. Loud thundering upon the door signalled his arrival. Lily and James, tired from lack of sleep, came instantly awake, and their grip on each others' hands grew tighter. Harry Potter also awoke, his eyes darkening in anticipation. This was it.
The banging on the door stopped, but was followed by the crashing sound of it being blasted away. An ominous silence followed, the only sounds were the breathing of the three in the living room. Footsteps began to draw near. Lily and James made eye contact, and together they began to chant. The footsteps slowed, he had obviously heard them, but after a minute they began again. This time they were more forceful, filled with purpose, and for the first time fear entered Harry Potter's eyes.
The Dark Lord's presence was all-pervading. The essence of evil seeped throughout the house, slithering into dark corners and gliding across open areas, searching. The footsteps stopped again, right outside the room. The Potters' chanting became low muttering, and their grips on one another's hands became almost painful. The urge to run was overpowering. But they chanted on.
Voldemort entered the room. He was alone, and his long black robes swirled impressively around him, denoting the power he held. Lily placed her wand in her lap, more desperate to keep a hold on her husband than her wand, and reached over to the vials. She picked up the one on the far right, and threw it at Voldemort's feet. His snake-like eyes widened slightly, but as the vial smashed at his feet, and released nothing but a soft purple gas, he laughed. His laugh was chilling. It grated on the nerves of the Potter's, forcing them to concentrate more on their chanting. Lily picked up the next vial, and their chanting grew louder, faster. She threw this one amongst the purple fumes, and it shattered, turning the purple gas into a noxious shade of green. It rose up and around the Dark Lord who no longer thought this to be funny. He drew his wand, but at that point both James and Lily threw the last two potions at him. They hit him bodily, breaking upon contact. The gases combined and an invisible wind blew them up into his face, blocking the Potter family from view. Around them, the magic circle glowed a faint orange. He cast the death spell; a flash of green light flew out of the cloud and narrowly missed James. Unconsciously, James and Lily moved closer together, blocking Harry, protecting him. Together, they stopped chanting and reached for the last vial, the one containing Harry's blood. Their other hands, still tightly holding on, settled on top of their son, and they were comforted by the knowledge that whatever happened next, they would always be together. They threw the last vial.
As it hit him, the gases turned as one into a blinding white light, and the Potter's were forced to shield their eyes. Voldemort screamed, and again fired the killing curse in their direction. Again, it missed, but narrowly. The light slowly turned black, and a roaring sound filled their ears. A black orb now surrounded the Dark Lord, and neither James nor Lily could see him, but they could hear him.
He was casting every spell he could think of, 'avada kadavra', 'crucio', any offensive spell that came to his mind. Bright sparks of light frequently issued from within the black orb, light sparkled and energy crackled, and the orb started to pulse. The roaring sound increased in volume, and a wind whipped up. Over it all, Voldemort screamed, and spat out curses and hexes. Lily picked Harry up, and the three huddled together within their circle, which was now glowing a pale white around them.
A curse came zooming out of the orb, straight at the Potter family. The circle tried to form a shield to protect them, but the magic was too strong. It was aimed at Harry, and James threw himself in its path, determined to protect his son. The spell hit James with great force, and he cried out in pain, the spell rippling through him. Rippling through him, and coming out the other side. Lily, who had hold of her son, saw her husband slump forward, saw the curse keep going, and turned her back on it. She clutched Harry tightly in her arms, and a tear slid down her face. She prayed in those seconds, prayed that the spell would stop with her, that it wouldn't kill her son. She prayed that her husband was not dead, and that, if he was, his soul was at peace. She pressed her lips to Harry's head, and the baby's eyes widened as the green light came toward them.
It struck Lily, with the same force as it had her husband, but she uttered no sound. She pressed Harry even more tightly to her chest. The spell rippled through her and hit her son. As Lily passed out from the pain, her last thoughts were of her son, and the bonds of love that bound the family together grew stronger.
The orb grew smaller, shrinking, and the intensity of the Dark Lord's screams grew steadily larger. The amount of spells coming out from the darkness lessened. He was growing weaker. The wind howled as it circled the room, and an ornament upon the mantelpiece fell, smashing on the floor. The roaring sound of the orb became louder and louder, as it grew smaller and smaller. The energy surrounding it all crackled and sparks flew in all directions. The orb shrank, until it was no larger than a ping-pong ball, and with a small pop it disappeared. The roaring went with it, and the howling wind slowly died down. The white circle upon the floor, still around the three Potters', glowed brightly for a few seconds and then faded away, leaving no trace of its presence.
The room was silent. To an observer looking around, it would look as though a hurricane had hit the small room. They wouldn't know of the large black orb that minutes before had been there, in the doorway; they wouldn't see any evidence of the strong magical war that had been fought here in this very room, the outcome of which would affect the entire world. The only evidence of anything out of the ordinary human world happening here were the three bodies sprawled out in the centre of the room.
A few hours later, just as the sun was starting to rise, footsteps could be heard coming towards the house. To the newcomer, the sight of the blasted door was a knife to his heart. The footsteps grew louder, and became faster as the newcomer began to run. The silence that had settled over the house was as a blanket, smothering all life. The only sounds were the footsteps, and his breathing which was rapidly becoming harsh.
I'm too late.
The man stumbled through the house, searching. His footsteps echoed eerily around. Tears pricked the backs of his eyes as he thought of what he might find. There was a large lump in his throat, and breathing became difficult.
I'm too late.
He finally came to the living room, and he stopped in the doorway. He briefly closed his eyes to block out the sight of his two best friends and their son lying on the floor. The world seemed to spin for a moment, and the man struggled not to break down.
I'm too late.
He failed. He slumped down to the floor, leaning against the doorway. Tears fell from his eyes and he began to sob uncontrollably. Great shudders racked his body, and he held his head in his hands. He wanted to scream, so he did. He screamed a blood-curdling, grief-stricken scream, and distantly he became aware that someone else was screaming too. With a shuddering breath, Sirius took his hands away from his face, and he dared to look up once more.
There, in the centre of the room, was a baby.
It was red-faced and screaming with all its might.