AU! Harry defeated Voldemort in his fourth year. No Horcruxes.
Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, November.
House: Thunderbird
Class: Flying
Task: 4. Seeker: a turning point in an event
Prompts:
10. (word) smile
14. (colour) red
Word Count: 1628/4500
Written for The Houses Competition, November Challenge
Theme Two: Memories define our life. Write about how somebody's past has affected their present/future. The use of flashbacks is highly encouraged.
Prompts:
4. (event) seeing the pyramids
5. (first line) When I think of her, I see all the memories playing in front of my eyes.
6. (last line) And that was how I met your mother.
14. (time) Sunday morning, 8:09 am.
Word Count: 1628/5000
How I Met Your Mother
Peter looked back at his daughter and murmured, "Do you know, baby, Mummy's a time-traveller? Isn't that cool? She's from the future!"
"When I think of her, I see all the memories playing in front of my eyes," murmured Peter Pettigrew as he smiled down at the little pink bundle in his arms. He caressed the newborn's cheek, amazed at how soft and delicate she was. "The first time I met your mummy was the best day of my life."
He glanced over his shoulder at his wife, who lay asleep on the hospital bed, exhausted after just giving birth. He smiled at her, his heart swelling with love and pride at his little family. He looked back at his daughter and murmured, "Do you know, baby, Mummy's a time-traveller? Isn't that cool? She's from the future!"
Little Adrienne yawned as she blinked up at Peter owlishly, and Peter couldn't help but sigh with contentment at the sight. His daughter was perfect, and Peter still couldn't believe he was a father. Not Remus, not Sirius, but Peter. James recently had been blessed with a baby boy, and Peter was delighted for him. But his own happiness at being blessed with a baby girl was tremendous. Especially considering Adrienne wouldn't have been born if his wife hadn't found her way to him… What a terrifying thought!
He bent down to kiss his daughter's head, which was covered in a little red cap with tiny snitches on it — a present from Uncle Prongs. He leaned back in his seat, cuddled Adrienne close to his chest and began to talk.
"You know, Ade, you're so lucky that you've got a wonderful mummy." He caressed her head with his thumb. "Your mummy's the most brilliant witch of the century. She's so brilliant she defeated this bad man before you could even come into this world. She wanted to keep you — and us — safe from the bad man."
Adrienne blinked at him slowly, her brown eyes as dark as her mother's, her cheeks red, and Peter fell in love with her all over again. He wanted to squeal with delight at how beautiful she was, but he controlled himself as his wife was still asleep. He didn't want her to feel tired.
"I'm sure Uncle Prongs and Uncle Padfoot already have hundreds of stories they want to tell you, and Uncle Moony, Aunt Lily and Mummy have thousands of spells they want to teach you, but I'm going to tell you a real story…" Peter settled back in his chair, getting comfortable, as he said, "It all began in January, in the year 1999 —"
"What are you doing, Peter?" his wife's voice called out from behind, and Peter whirled around with surprise.
"Merlin, you scared me, love!"
His wife smiled and motioned for him to come closer. "What were you doing?"
Peter made sure not to jostle Adrienne's little head as he stood up and slowly inched towards his wife's bed. When she patted the vacant spot beside her, Peter cautiously sat down, clutching their daughter close to his chest. "I was just about to tell her how I met you."
"Shouldn't I start this story?" she asked, smiling up at him, and Peter bent down to kiss her temple.
"Of course. But... maybe we should wait… You're tired."
"Nonsense, Petey," she murmured, tilting her head up to kiss his jaw. "I'm perfectly alright. I'll start."
"Okay." Peter wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her closer. He gazed at their daughter in between them and cooed, "We're ready, aren't we, pumpkin?"
His wife chuckled at how cute he was and started. "It all began in January, in the year 1999…"
Flashback
31st January 1999, Sunday, 17:27.
Cairo, Egypt
Hermione gazed up at the large pyramid in front of the tour group, her eyes wide with awe and admiration. She had always wanted to visit the Pyramids of Giza, but she hadn't ever thought she'd be able to do it one day.
"I still can't believe we're in Egypt for our vacation," Harry said with a soft laugh. "Bill's really wonderful for doing this for us, isn't he?"
"Oh, yes, he is. The farthest I've been from home is Nice, France," Hermione said with a grin. She tugged on Harry's arm and dragged him towards the entrance. As it was a working day, they were able to enter without hassle.
"Hey, there's Bill!" Harry waved at him, and Bill motioned for them to come over.
Bill greeted them and asked, "Do you want to explore the magical part of the pyramids? It's a penumbral lunar eclipse today, so there's more magic in the air than normal. We might be able to see some unusual things happening in the tombs."
"Yes, please," Hermione begged, and Bill and Harry laughed at her enthusiasm.
"Alright, follow me." Bill led them down tight, air-less passages and deeper into the heart of the pyramid. He talked about the Pharoah who built the pyramid, and Hermione asked various questions, while Harry simply observed the walls and hieroglyphs.
They entered a small chamber, and Bill pulled out his wand. He pressed the tip against a faint hieroglyph on the left side of the wall, and a door slid open. "This part's obviously not accessible to Muggles," he explained as he walked in.
"This is so exciting," Hermione whispered, clutching onto Harry's arm. She pointed out the runes on the wall, and Bill spoke about the ancient Egyptian wizards who worked for the Pharaoh.
Finally, they reached a narrow chamber, and Hermione gasped when she saw the sarcophagus. "Is this…"
"Yes, that's the real sarcophagus of Kawab, Khufu's eldest son. Did you know he was a wizard?"
Hermione shook her head, awed at the information. "Why is he buried here? I thought his sarcophagus was in the east field."
"Yeah, his body's cursed," Bill said offhandedly. "We're still trying to figure out what the curse is, but…"
"Oh, why's a button here?" Harry asked, pointing to a small red button on the sarcophagus. He reached his hand out and pressed it.
"No!" Bill screamed and lunged at Harry, knocking him down, but the damage was already done.
In the sky above, the maximum eclipse began as the moon came closest to the earth's shadow. The coffin's lid opened, and a hand shot out and grabbed Hermione's arm. Before anyone could react, the hand dragged her inside the coffin and the lid slammed shut with a loud thud.
"Should you even be telling this part to Adrienne? Won't she have nightmares about terrifying mummies and black holes?" Peter wondered nervously.
Hermione smiled and said, "Okay, let's skip that part." She ran her finger down Adrienne's cheek and murmured, "Let's just say I fainted and woke up in darkness. When I tried to stand up, I realized I was locked in some sort of box. I started banging my hands on the walls, trying to get out…"
"And that's where Daddy comes in," Peter cooed at Adrienne, grinning at Hermione.
Flashback
31st January 1979, Sunday, 8:09 am.
Hogwarts
Armed with important information about the recent Death Eater attack on Muggle London, Peter walked through the castle in search of Professor Dumbledore. He was still in a conundrum about the Death Eaters' offer to join their side; he had never made such a big decision before and didn't know if he could even betray his friends.
He glanced at the portraits and paintings hung on the walls around him as he walked. The castle had been his home for seven years, and he couldn't help but smile nostalgically as he came across the passages the Marauders had discovered.
He had just turned around the corner when he heard a noise from a broom closet nearby. Peter stopped and frowned, bewildered as to what was making the sound. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and most of the students weren't in the castle.
He stepped towards the broom closet, his wand clutched in his hand. He poked the door with his wand and muttered, "Alohomora."
The door swung open, but all Peter could see was darkness. He frowned and peeked inside, taking a step inside. He called out, "Hello?"
Just then, a girl stumbled out of the closet, her eyes squinted with confusion. Peter's heart lurched as he laid eyes on her. Her face turned red with embarrassment as he gawked at her.
With her long brown curls and the purest brown eyes, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Peter couldn't help but blurt out, "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I open the door again?"
The girl slowly blinked at him, and then, the most beautiful smile formed on her face. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red as she let out a soft laugh, and Peter was in love.
"You couldn't have fallen in love with me so quickly! It's impossible!" Hermione cried, but Peter shook his head.
"Oh, no, I was definitely in love with you," he announced, kissing her temple. "I'm so grateful for that whole lunar eclipse that sent you back in time to me. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if it weren't for you. Look at us! We're already married and have a baby — a gorgeous baby!"
"Aww, you're so sweet," Hermione cooed, tilting her head up to press her lips against his.
Adrienne let out a loud cry, startling the new parents. Peter pulled back from Hermione and teased, "Looks like our baby's getting jealous of you kissing me."
Hermione laughed and peppered a few kisses on Adrienne's head, and she quieted down. "Looks like you were right."
Peter wrapped his arm around his family and gazed down at their daughter. "And that was how I met your mother."
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