A Different Halloween, a harry potter fanfic

AU!

Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

House: Thunderbird

Class: Arithmancy

Task: 1. What if James Potter had his wand with him on the Halloween of 1981?

Bonus Prompts:

6. (object) paperweight

9. (spell) Anaticula

13. (character) James Sirius Potter

Word Count: 2158/4500

A Different Halloween

When James Sirius Potter — who was called Jay by everyone so as to not be confused with his grandfather — was old enough to understand what had happened that fateful night, he asked his grandfather James to tell him the story of how he defeated the most terrifying wizard of the century.

Everyone knew James Potter had defeated Voldemort on the night of Halloween in 1981, but not many people knew exactly how that had happened. They knew Voldemort had been blinded by a deer's antlers — stag, James always corrected — but where had the animal come from? The Daily Prophet articles claimed there was also a bloody paperweight lying near the chocolate-covered body of the Dark wizard, along with a few nervous ducks. Even though the story was dubious at best, a decade or two later, people were still in awe of James Potter's magical abilities.

"You really want to know, kiddo?" James asked, patting the spot beside him on the bed. Jay nodded as he climbed onto the bed.

"Yeah, Grandeer! When I go to Hogwarts, I want to tell everyone how my grandfather defeated You-Know-Who! That'll be wicked cool!"

James chuckled, still unable to believe he had a grandchild, and said, "Very well, how about we grab some pizza and ice cream first?" Jay's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and he excitedly nodded.

Once they snuck in some treats for themselves, James said, "Voldemort was after your daddy because he thought your daddy would grow up to defeat him, so Dumbledore told us we should take your daddy and hide somewhere no one would be able to find us."

"But how did he find you then?"

"Sirius, Remus and I had a friend named Peter Pettigrew — he was one of our best friends — but he got scared and told Voldemort where to find us."

"He was a bad man?"

"No…" James trailed off as a sad smile formed on his lips. "He was just scared of everything bad that was happening at that time, so he joined Voldemort."

"Oh, so what happened to him?"

"He's in Azkaban now, but let's get back on track." Even though it had happened almost three decades ago, Peter's betrayal was still a sore topic with the Marauders. "So, that night, as my Lily-flower and Harry were upstairs getting dressed for the little Halloween party we were having…"

Flashback

"Come on, Lils! The chocolate's melting!" James yelled up the stairs, staring at the large chocolate sculpture he had made of Harry. It was beginning to melt, and he knew he could just use magic to keep it in shape, but James wanted to eat the chocolate as soon as possible. "What are you even doing up there?

"Do you want him to look good or not?" Lily yelled back at him, and James grinned.

"He's a Potter, love! He always looks good!" James heard Lily's hearty laughter and couldn't help but smile. It was a difficult time for them both, but they always tried to look at life positively.

James began to pace in the living room, twirling his wand in his fingers absentmindedly. Just then, he felt the wards lower, and a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned around and stopped dead in his tracks, and his heart began to race in his chest.

Through the one-sided window, James saw a hooded figure walking up the path towards their house, and he knew something was terribly wrong. Peter betrayed us. How could he? James didn't recognize the figure, but he knew it must be a Death Eater. It couldn't be anyone else.

And there was only one way James Potter, a true Marauder, dealt with Death Eaters.

Without hesitation, he pointed his wand at the door and whispered, "Consequentum Anaticula!" The spell would cause the Death Eater's wand to malfunction after he broke into the house.

"Hey, Lily, take your time, will ya? I need to do something real quick!" He made sure to keep his tone light and airy, not wanting to alarm his wife.

"You're not going out to prank the neighbour's dog again, are you? You know he's not like Padfoot! He's got a mean bite, and you know it!"

"Nah, babe, I'm not going out. You make sure PJ looks his best." James hoped it wasn't the last thing he would ever say to his wife.

Before the hooded figure could enter the house, James cast a few powerful wards, including the Silencing Charm, on the stairs to stop Lily and Harry from coming down. He didn't want them to see him take down a Death Eater; he knew Lily always got emotional over his safety whenever he went on missions. Then, James changed into his Animagus form and hid behind the curtain, his wand safely held between his teeth.

"Alohomora," a deep voice called out, and the door swung open.

James waited for the figure to enter the house and reach the large chocolate sculpture before he let out a loud bray to startle the man. The man whirled around and hissed, "Who's there?"

James let out another bray and bounded out from behind the curtain, his majestic antlers on dismay. The stranger accidentally lowered his wand an inch or two, and James took the opportunity to run straight at him.

The man waved his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" An emerald-green light shot out of his wand, and James brayed when a canary-yellow duck popped into view.

The stranger pulled off his hood and said darkly, "How dare you make a mockery out of me, you filthy animal? I am the Dark Lord!"

James heard the words 'Dark Lord' and almost panicked. Despite his terror, he roared as he ran towards Voldemort, antlers aimed at him, skidding on the floor in his haste. There was no need to let the wizard find out who he was.

Voldemort tried to cast the Killing Curse at him again, but the spell James had cast on the door caused the Dark wizard's wand to conjure another duck. "Stop moving! Avada Kedavra!"

As Voldemort continued trying to kill him, James ran around the living room wreaking havoc as he upset the furniture and broke the terrible painting Sirius had bought for them a few months ago, dropping his wand near Lily's favourite cabinet of drawers. When James realized Voldemort was standing close to the chocolate sculpture, he gracelessly jumped over the ducklings quacking near his feet and rammed his shoulder against Voldemort's abdomen. Voldemort tripped over the hem of his robes and flew into the sculpture.

Covered head to toe with chocolate and in a furious rage, Voldemort glared at the loudly braying stag on top of him. "I will kill you with my bare hands if it's the last thing I do!"

James grabbed Voldemort's robes with his teeth and swung him around, desperately hoping the wizard would be too startled to act. Fortunately for him, he was right. Voldemort was too stunned by the stag's proximity that he dropped his wand into a puddle of chocolate. James used the moment of astonishment and transformed back into his human form.

"Potter!" Voldemort's outrage and shock was evident on his pale face. "You dare try to —"

Before he could finish his sentence, James flew towards the wand lying on the ground and picked it up. He pointed it at the nearest item he could see: a broken paperweight in the shape of a dog. "Wingardium Leviosa! Engorgio!"

Voldemort screamed as the gigantic paperweight slammed into the side of his head, and he fell onto his knees. Not wanting to leave any stone unturned, James effortlessly shifted into his Animagus form and plunged his antlers into the fallen wizard's eyes.

A loud squishing sound made James gag with disgust, and blood dripped down his antlers. With a howl and a loud "Curse you, Potter!", Voldemort fell to the ground.

James' adrenaline was still coursing through his body when he sent a Patronus to Dumbledore to alert him of Voldemort's presence in his house. He tied the so-called Dark Lord up with some Conjured ropes and continued to Stupefy him just in case he wasn't dead already. The Conjured ducks quacked as they waddled around him, and he absentmindedly patted them on the head.

"James, why are there wards around the bedroom? What are you up to?" Lily yelled down at him, and James almost sobbed when he heard her voice. It was one of the most beautiful sounds ever, and he wanted to run up to her and Harry and hug them tight to his chest. But he knew he couldn't let them see what had happened.

"Nothing much, dear. What are you up to?" James tried not to let his voice tremble and succeeded.

"James, let us out of here!"

"In a few minutes, darling." James glanced at Voldemort's body and wished Dumbledore would hurry up already.

Finally, a loud pop outside caused James to hasten to his feet. Dumbledore hurried into the house, his wand aloft, and gasped when he saw Voldemort. "James… how…"

"Could you just get rid of him or something?" James' voice was high-pitched as the adrenaline started to wear off and he began to realize the enormity of the situation.

Dumbledore understood James didn't want to talk about it at the moment, so he let it go. He quickly sent a Patronus to Alastor Moody to arrive with the Aurors and turned to look at James. "How do you feel, Mr Potter?"

"Like I'm about to throw up," James admitted, leaning against the wall. "Is he... dead?"

"Yes, he is."

"He broke through the wards," James whispered, his shoulder slumping. "Peter…"

"I'm sorry you trusted the wrong person, Mr Potter, but I'm glad you were able to defend yourself. If it weren't for you, your child…" he trailed off, and James shivered with fear.

"Could you handle all this, Professor? I'd like to spend some time with my family. Merlin knows I deserve it."

"Of course."

James stumbled up the stairs in a trance-like state, his heartbeat gradually slowing down, and entered his bedroom. He found Lily angrily pacing in the room and Harry standing in his cot, dressed in a leather jacket with a small motorcycle helmet on his head.

"Dada!" cried Harry, a wide smile on his face as he reached out towards him, and James finally let himself breathe.

Lily gasped when James scooped her up in his arms and pulled her into a fierce kiss. "James, what…" She kissed him back just as fiercely, her heart pounding in her chest at his actions.

James pulled back and hurried over to Harry's side. Picking him up, James wrapped his arm around Lily's waist and yanked her close to him.

"We're safe, we're safe," he repeated under his breath, and Lily knew something had happened. She wanted to ask him about it, but James didn't look like he was in the right state of mind. So, instead, she sat him down on their bed and climbed into his lap, and they held Harry in between them and listened to his gibberish.

They were all safe, and that was the only thing that mattered to either of them.

"And that's how your Grandeer became a hero," James finished with a dramatic flourish, and Jay gawked at him with amazement.

"You were so brave! Is that when you got the large medal?" Jay inquired, his hazel-brown eyes wide. "And that's why we have those ducks in the garden?"

"Yeah, those are the descendants of those first ducks," James explained with a grin. "Grand Lily liked them, and so did Daddy and Grandfoot."

Jay grinned and said, "I'll go play with them now." He threw his arms around James' neck and kissed his cheek. "You're one of my heroes, Grandeer!"

"One of his heroes? What does that even mean?" James grumbled after Jay had run out of the room. "I defeated Voldemort, damn it! I should be his only hero."

"Oh, don't start on that, James," Lily said with a laugh as she walked into the room. "You know he loves us all equally."

"Yeah, but I'm the best wizard around, aren't I?"

"Of course," Lily cooed as she bent down to kiss him sweetly. "You're the best."

"I am, aren't I?" James boasted cheekily, and Lily laughed, pecking his lips again.

The years had passed in a blur, but James' love for his family and friends had never wavered. He was forever grateful for having his wand on him that night. He always made light of the situation, but only he knew how terrified he had felt that evening. The depressing thought of losing his wife and son to the madman had spurred him on, and he still tried not to think of what might have happened if he hadn't defeated Voldemort. The world wouldn't have been the same.

Please read and review. Thanks!