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The Road to Hell:
Chapter 1: Wheels set into motion
Humankind commonly believes that there are only two forcesit will never be able to escape, gravity and death.Itis wrong. There is another force, stronger even than death, fate.
In regular intervals people are born who have such an important fate, that their very existence alters the fate of others. They are both free of and forever bound to fate itself, because even though they can change the fate of others, they will never be able to escape their own, not even through death.
To make her chosen ones' lives easier, fate gifted certain individuals with the ability to "see", to speak in riddled prophecies about their lives and tasks.
Therefore fate sent a vision to one of the seers, to herald the birth of great light. Her choice of seer though was poor, the gift in her weak, her words never taken to heart or believed by her fellow wizards and witches.
Her weak gift prevented her from "seeing" all fate sent to her. So it was that only snippets of the prophecy were received by the seer's lone audience. The seer knew she hadn't "seen" all, but was too proud to say so. The old wizard in her company wassosure of himself and his wisdom that he thought to have the prophecy already deciphered.
Through human weakness fate's chosen child would bring darkness to them instead of light. The prophesied child's fate was to bring change, not to change anything specific.
Silence reigned in the Potter's living room. Lily Potter's face was paler than a ghost's and she desperately clutched the infant in her arms to her breast. Her dark red hair spilled like a fountain of fire down her shoulders and over the infant.
James Potter glanced worriedly at his deathly white wife, then looked back to his guest. "And you are absolutely sure, Albus? There is no chance for it to be another child?" he asked the elderly wizard.
"No, there is no possibility at all to be mistaken. Your second born child will bring an end to Voldemort's terror. I was personally there, when the prophecy was spoken, which I don't believe to be a coincidence at all. There are only two people alive who know about the Potters' inheritance after all, you and me. No one would have been able to decipher the riddle without this knowledge."
Albus Dumbledore looked sadly at the frightened faces of two of the most capable Order members. It would be hard to do without their war efforts, but there was nothing else to do. The prophesied child had to be protected. The young family would have to go into hiding.
James joined his wife on the sofa and embraced both her and his youngest son, Regis Jameson Potter. To think that this child was powerful enough to bring an end to Voldemort, it was simply inconceivable.
"It will be alright, love."he whispered in his wife's ear.
"That it will be indeed. You will have to go into hiding. I have already prepared a nice house that has been a refuge for the Dumbledore family many times before and will now be a refuge for you. The wards there are indestructible, but I have put the location under the "fidelius" additionally, just to be on the safe side." Albus told them.
"You have an hour to pack your things, then I will come back and take you to your new home. Till then!" With those words he departed through the floo.
"Lily, dear, are you alright?" James asked his wife gently.
Lily finally lifted her head and looked at him. Her normally bright green eyes had darkened in worry and terror. Though there was determination there, too.
"We have to hurry. An hour is not much time to pack. I will pack the children's clothes and toys; you go and pack our things."she said.
James nodded his assent and together they hurried upstairs.
In the nursery Lily laid Regis down in his cradle, stroking his red hair, then looking at the toddler sleeping in the crib at the other side of the room. Moonlight fell through the window and illuminated the toddler's face. Her firstborn looked like a sleeping angel.
Quickly she opened wardrobes and trunks, throwing spell after spell to get everything packed in time. Across the hallway she could hear her husband doing the same.
She shrank the two trunks and picked Regis upagain. When James entered the room she gestured for him to take the sleeping toddler.
"I thought it better that the children won't wake up tonight, so I spoke a sleeping charm over them."Lily explained, when the toddler who usually was a light sleeper, didn't even so much as twitch ashis fatherpicked him up and cradled him in his arms.
Together they went downstairs, into the living room, awaiting Dumbledore and the start of their life in hiding.
Dumbledore looked sadly at the little family, knowing what he had to do next would tear themapart forver.
"There is one matter left, I'm afraid. Regis will become incredibly powerful as he grows older; he will advance faster than other children his age and will need special training and attention. He will be tutored by the brightest witches and wizards of our world. Do you think it wise to expose young Harry to that? Regis will always be faster, better, more powerful than him.
There will be much to be jealous about. Harry might start to feel inferior and eventually resent his brother for it. There will be no other children to compare himself with, he won't be able to see for himself that it isn't him that is weak but his brother that is extraordinary strong. Do you really wish to force that upon young Harry?"
James closed his eyes in turmoil. Then, slowly, reluctantly he nodded his head. "You are right, of course. Any child would grow to hate a so favoured sibling. So what do you suggest, Albus? Because I refuse to desert one son just to better raise the other."
"We won't desert anyone. Either both of our sons come with us or we won't go at all." Lily interrupted loudly, her voice shrill and slightly panicked, her wand gripped tightly and raised.
"Lily, James, I am only thinking about young Harry's happiness. I deeply regret to even have to raise this issue, but there is no other way. Regis has to be kept safe and hidden; he has to be taught by the very best teachers. I don't demand of you to simply desert Harry. I assure you I've already found a new home and family for him. He will be well cared for. You have to trust me on this."Albus replied calmly.
Tears gathered in Lily's eyes as she looked at the toddler, happily sleeping in his father's arms. A sob broke free and then another, every one more heartbreakingly sorrowful than the first.
James swallowed down the lump in his throat, then asked: "Where will you take him? Will we be able to visit or at least write to him?"
Albus shook his head, his beard following the movement like a white flag does in the wind. "I'm truly sorry, but the world will have to believe you died in an accident."
James shortly closed his eyes in defeat, before kissing Harry's forehead for the last time. Then he laid the toddler gently down on the sofa, quickly transfiguring a pillow into a warm blanket with which he covered his firstborn.
Embracing his wife he nodded to Albus, signalling that they were ready to depart now. Albus smiled sadly, gave James a portkey in form of a pink sock and activated it with the words: "Be safe."
Smiling still slightly astonished at the revelation of having a previously unknown of son and heir Sirius Black gently stroked through the peacefully sleeping toddler's unruly jet black hair and whispered: "Be welcome, Aurelius Danilo Black."
Far away in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts an old man told his phoenix sorrowfully: "It had to be done. The Potters are safe and believed dead by all. Every evidence that there had ever been two Potter children has been destroyed, every memory of the two children wiped out.
The boy's very genes have been altered so that he now really is Sirius Black's son and heir. It was the only way to ensure that everyone involved has at least got the chance to be happy."
Fawkes, sensing his human's deep set sorrow and regret, trillered a soothing song, singing the old wizard into a dreamless sleep.
So humans set the very first wheels of fate into motion that would lead into darkness, endless sorrow and betrayal. The way to hell really was paved with good intentions.
TBC
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