Chapter 4: Unraveling plans

Author's note: Our apologies for the late posting….. Tom (maniaclot) has a stressful job and is renovating the family home, and my health is not really helping. I for one was hoping to put out 10k words on this alone, but since all relevant plot points have happened, a little under 8k works just as well :3

"And there's nothing like a mouthful of Venetian tar to let you know just who you fucking are"

October 31st 1981

The sky was ominously overcast. Godric's Hollow looked lifeless, an odd site for a Halloween day. Normally, it would have been full of people, some getting ready for the festivities and ceremonies that Muggles enjoyed so much, others making final preparations for enchantments that could be attempted only on this day, where the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest.

Still, the little town shop had its shutters locked down and the church was closed. The entire wizarding world, not only the inhabitants of Godric's Hollow, looked as though it was petrified by the impending attack. Almost everyone was certain Voldemort would unleash some sort of calamity by night's end. That included both James and Lily Potter. While James was pouring over every defensive measure their little house had, Lily was tending to Harry.

It wasn't raining yet, but Lily could feel… something… wrong. She couldn't breathe properly. It was as if waves were pressing against her chest, as if the air itself was thick, making every breath a chore. It was unnerving; she couldn't put her finger on it - was this the calm before the storm? Or were they already in the eye of the hurricane? She decided to push through it. After all, Lily had a trick up her sleeve only her husband was aware of.

She brought Harry down into the kitchen, set him in the highchair and set about making breakfast for both of them. Her son kept a close eye on her, eagerly awaiting his morning meal.

'Can you hear that, young one?' the Witchblade asked. Lily almost dropped the bowl she had in her hands. She stopped for a couple of seconds.

'We really need to find a way to have you draw my attention when you want to say something. Can't have you pop in unexpectedly every time,' Lily said, as she composed herself.

'What would you have me do?'

'You could vibrate two short times before chiming in.'

'A silent and most effective solution. It will be as you wish,' the Witchblade agreed, as it believed it would not do to have her host lose her focus on its behalf, especially in these tense circumstances.

'Now, you were saying?' Lily asked.

'Do you not hear that?'

'What?'

'A silent hum is resonating throughout the house.' Lily pricked her ears up and listened.

'It is probably coming from the wards I have set myself,' she said.

'I do not doubt your abilities, but were you the only one with a hand in setting ALL of these wards up?' the Witchblade inquired, with an odd tone in its voice.

'I had some help, of course… Dumbledore. He set up the more demanding wards. Sirius and Remus also had a hand in some of them. Spicing our defense up, according to them. But why are you asking this?' Lily was worried about her partner's tone.

'Because there's something more,' it replied. Lily listened carefully. Something strange was lying just underneath the hum, much like nails on a chalkboard.

'How on earth am I able to hear it all?' The young mother was puzzled. 'Wards are meant to be a silent protection measure.'

'Since I absorbed the magical energy put into the binding with your spouse, I can feel magical imprints, little one. You hear the hum through your connection with me.'

'I never knew that so many wards on a small house could make such an annoying noise. I mean, It could be one of the wards, couldn't it?'

'That is not the sound of any regular protective wards, little one. It's something that does not belong, though I cannot tell what it is.'

The Witchblade's statement made Lily forgo the breakfast omelette. She laid down the fork, undid her apron and made her way to the stairs. She was about to go into the library to use the fireplace to use Floo network, but she remembered it was supposed to have been sealed off. Her steps led her to the nursery, as if she were in a trance.

'Yes, in here.' the voice of her tenant piped in.

"What the hell could it be?" Lily muttered, not realizing she was speaking out loud "It's coming from the nursery but the wardstone is not here."

Upon opening the door the hum became louder and louder, until it turned into an outright unbearable screech.

'What the hell is this?' Lily asked, trying to shut the sound out.

'Allow me, The piercing sound faded out gradually, until it could be mistaken for a boiling tea kettle. 'I have muffled the sound for you.'

'Thank you.' Lily shook her head, trying to regain some of her hearing. 'If I remember correctly, Remus laid some of the wards in this room. If we had access to the Floo network, I would try to call him.'

'Yes. Your memories show him as highly knowledgeable, and quite inventive, if your sojourn in the pocket dimension is to be taken into account. He might indeed know something about these… enchantments.'

'But… we are on lockdown. No Floo for us.'

'In that case. may I try something?' The red gem flashed before Lily could agree to the blade's request. 'Something has been building for a while in here.'

'You say you were able to hear such imprints for the last 4 days. Why can I only hear them now?'

'Something was already here, but not loud enough for us to pick up on,' the Witchblade said. 'You were already able to feel a manifestation of the protections on this dwelling. Your human magics are definitely strong enough. Nonetheless, this enchantment might have been laying dormant until recently and it has just been activated remotely.'

'Activated… remotely?' Something wasn't adding up for Lily.

'It shows signs of recent tampering and bears traces of human magics, albeit minute.'

The hum in the room seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Lily spun on her heel trying to pick up a stronger impression. As she spun, the gem on the bracelet pulsed rhythmically. After surveying every wall, Lily still had no idea of the source of the magical noise. Closing her eyes, she willed the gauntlet to form. As the lines of wire from the bracelet enveloped her hand and climbed up her forearm, the annoying hum turned into an impression of unnaturalness. and it was coming from everywhere at once.

'Can you tell the purpose of what is here?' Lily asked with her eyes still closed.

'I may be able to tell what it does and who set it. Concentrate on forming the full armor and let me guide your body for a short time.'

Lily nodded. As the armor started to crawl up her wand arm and down her torso and offhand, Lily's robe sleeves tore, her shirt shredded, and her pants fell to the floor in tatters. Her hair grew down to her waist and tendrils entwined with some strands. When her eyes opened, they were still green, but with black sclera. She raised her right hand and a single edged sword blade grew out of the underside of the gauntlet. She touched it to the wall, and on contact, some red sparks flew.

"Naughty naughty, Monsieur Dumbledore," Lily heard herself speak, but not in her own voice alone. The Witchblade lent her its own voice. They raised their sword blade and made a cutting motion downwards. A runic array flashed briefly, before fading again.

'There are quite a lot of runes placed on that wall, little one. Let me check the others,' the Witchblade said in the mindscape. Lily watched from within with quite a bit of apprehension. Seeing your body move without you being in control was a hard thing to take.

'Now I understand what it's like to be under the Imperius curse.' The voice of the Blade came from all around her.

'Indeed, little one. I suspect you did not ask for your teacher to add these runes to the walls of your son's bedchamber.'

'Most certainly not. I thought Sirius and Remus did the spells in Harry's room,' Lily said. 'Are all the individual arrays linked?' The sword blade was drawn lightly across the carpet.

'There are arrays on every wall and the floor. I suspect the ceiling is simmilarly inscribed. Breaking an array breaks them all.' As the sword blade retracted, Lily's head tilted slightly.

"What are you planning Monsieur Dumbledore?" the voice came out with a strange reverberation.

Lily's hand rose and touched one of the walls, and drew the armored finger from one corner of the room to the opposite one, and then the blade suddenly extended, leaving a shallow groove in the wall. A transparent sheet of blood red magic came off the wall and shattered, the ethereal shards being drawn to the sword arm, and being absorbed into the red gem. At the same time, sheets of red formed on all the other walls, the ceiling and the floor. They too shattered without sound, and the shards were drawn to the gem. When all the shards were absorbed, the gem pulsed one more time and became inert. The armor started receding off Lily and she was left in the middle of the room without a stitch of clothing on.

'Your professor Dumbledore is one twisted individual, little one,' the Blade said. 'These runes were indeed meant to protect the child in the crib from anything and everything. I do mean EVERYTHING. Not even MY parents could pierce the shield for a few minutes once active.'

'That sounds pretty effective. What's the catch?'

'The energy powering the enchantment smells foul. In order for the one within the shielded zone to be safe, it demands the sacrifice of its relatives within the larger security ward. It grows stronger off of blood and death. And it would seem, the more blood is spilt, the more violent the death is, the better. It would siphon off all your magic before your lifeless bodies even touch the floor.'

Their dialog was rudely interrupted by James' voice.

"Lily, why in Merlin's name are you standing naked in the middle of the nursery?" Lily's head turned and James saw the black leak out of her eyes.

"How about you hand me a robe if you don't like it," she replied.

She turned her back to him and touching the cut she made with the aid of her tenant. The site of the cut was lacking something, as if the damage had irretrievably stripped something from it. As she was about to turn, she felt her husband throwing a robe to her. She extended her arms and James saw the robe slowly fly to cover his wife, which looked much like an invisible servant helped its master dress.

"Lily, when did you learn to cast wandlessly?" James' voice sounded surprised.

"Nunya," Lily replied, tying the braided belt around her waist.

"Come again, Lily? I didn't quite catch that."

"None of your god damn business," she replied pushing past him none too gently. His hand caught her wrist.

"Lily, please. Consider taking this… thing… off. It's changing you." Lily closed her eyes and counted to three.

"I am my own person again, my will is my own, and I can fully restrain myself from brutally murdering you where you stand," she replied. "You should respect the first two and be thankful of the third." As she not too gently freed her wrist, she asked over her shoulder "Want my omelette? I suddenly lost my appetite."

'I suspect the ritual circles in the nursery were powered up recently, little one. Be ready for anything,' Lily's tenant piped in, when they were alone moments later.

'If the wards were set up so Harry would be protected in case we die,' Lily replied, 'I don't think it's as bad as you make it sound. Maybe we shouldn't have taken it off.'

'A word of warning, little one. Always be wary of any magic that requires blood or life to sustain itself, for it may lead you down a darker path than you would like to tread,' the Blade said. 'I would suggest we check the rest of house's protections, in case something else was snuck in without your knowledge or consent. The existence of those arrays is worrying. And something with so specific a purpose precisely cannot exist without support.'

Lily walked back into the kitchen and picked up the fork to resume the omelette. Harry watched her with interest, and reached out for her. She picked him up and took him to the playpen in the living room. As she walked back into the kitchen, she found James doing the dishes, with the omelette on the table, accompanied by a glass of orange juice. She ignored the food offerings and instead walked out.

"Where are you going, Lily? Eat up, the food is getting cold," James managed to say with his mouth full.

"I'm not hungry," she replied. "Just need to step out for a bit, check the wards. I can't shake the feeling that something bad is coming our way."

"Will you relax, Lily? Albus has the village warded against Apparition and will bring reinforcements should the need arise."

"Can the entire order make it the whole 600 yards from the edge of the village instantly, should they need to? Can Dumbledore summon 25 fighters in less than a minute should your alarm be raised?" James shook his head in denial to both questions.

"We can only hope they are ready to come when we need them," he said.

"Hope all you want. I still need to check those wards. You might trust the almighty Albus Dumbledore with your life, but I don't."

"Why is that? We haven't had any issues so far," James said. "The house is as safe as it can be and Albus has not proven me wrong so far. This wouldn't be something your… trinket… shared with you, by any chance, would it?" he asked, squinting suspiciously.

"What if it is? This trinket, as you call it, has been more truthful than you were in the last five years." Lily grinned, seeing James cringe at that jab. "And I have my own reasons to distrust our dear Professor Dumbledore," she continued, saying the last words with faintly disguised disgust. "That is why I am checking the wards. And I will recheck them again and again, until I go to sleep tonight, if only to soothe my nerves." She opened the door and walked out, not waiting for any reply from her husband.

As she headed towards the wardstone for the property, buried under the rowan tree in their yard, Lily started to ponder the information gained during the last few days. Things weren't adding up… or worse, the conclusion things added up to was extremely concerning.

'I smell a rat,' she thought. 'It's too convenient, you know.'

'I do not feel the presence of any vermin, little one. And to what convenient events are you referring to?'

'Sigh… I do not mean a literal rat. It's a saying, used when you're suspicious of someone or something.' At times, Lily forgot her companion was not all that versed in the more day to day language. 'And it is too convenient, the ease with which me and James were persuaded to move into the most isolated house the Order had at its disposal, in a secluded village, heavily warded against Apparition and Portkey. Not to mention Dumbledore wanted James to relinquish the Cloak, an item that would facilitate an almost flawless escape.'

'You are correct to be worried,' the blade concurred. 'And it is true, your Monsieur Dumbledore does hold serious cause for suspicion.'

'Then there's the runic array we did not know about, whose activation hinges solely on our demise. And the blasted prophecy. I suspect me and James are sacrificial lambs lead to the slaughter.'

As she removed the glamours hiding the wardstone and fired off the appropriate diagnostic spells, Lily couldn't stop thinking about their newly minted plan to safeguard Harry's future.

'I cannot stop thinking it's all for naught if both me and James die.'

'If you call on the full armor and allow your instincts to guide your movements, nothing short of literally losing your head will bring you down, little one.' Lily stopped, ran her right hand through her hair and sighed deeply.

'Call me Lily,' she said. 'This little one business is driving me up the wall. As a matter of fact, I feel like I should be calling you by your name.'

'I bear no name of my own. Nor have I ever needed one.'

'I'll call you Jeanne, whether you want it or not.'

'My former mistress' name. That name I will use gladly,' the blade said, its voice sounding smug. It made Lily break out a smile, second of the day. After all, nothing but her son could make her smile given current events. As she walked back inside the house, she saw James was playing with Harry. Her smile stayed, seeing her little man happy was good enough to ignore the boy's father.

'How can you still care for the child, Lily? Seeing that his creation was not in accordance to your will, I would have expected you to abandon him and his father after putting the man in his place.'

'Are We mere human beings too complicated for one such as yourself then?'

'I was removed from human society for over half a millennium, little one. Jeanne was my only wielder.'

'I know your former master died without ever knowing motherhood. You must understand that, when we females have a child, we are incapable of not loving them, regardless of the circumstances that lead to their birth. This is the way our gods made us. It's ingrained in our very being.'

'And such attachments bring about tragedies the likes of which your human storytellers only dream about.'

With the wards checked and rechecked, the rest of the day went on without any noticeable events. Soon, came the Halloween crowd, consisting mostly of children in various costumes going from door to door. James stood watching their procession from the front window, feeling a small amount of sadness and nostalgia. Child after child came within 20 yards of the fence, only to be distracted by something and move past without noticing they were unconsciously giving something a very wide berth.

He decided to go back inside the house, closing the door and drawing the curtains shut. Maybe when this whole war blows over, he would be able to take Harry trick-or-treating and even patch things with Lily. If Dumbledore was to be believed, the war was about to decided soon. Meanwhile he would just enjoy the quiet time, listen to the radio, for Wizarding Wireless Network tonight's special programming.

Unbeknownst to him, outside, a tall cloaked figure was purposely walking towards the house, wading through the parents and children like a stork through shallows. One child even stopped and pointed towards the figure, seemingly impressed by the quality of the costume. The figure paid the child no mind and continued towards the hidden property line.

James heard a knock on the door. He wondered who it was. It couldn't have been one of his mates. Remus, Sirius and Peter knew to announce their presence before crossing the wards. He drew his wand with his left hand and tapped a runestone stuck to the inner wall next to the door. Instead of lighting up, it cracked and crumbled into dust.

"Shit…" he muttered. "Lily, the alarm ward broke! We need to get out of here! NOW!" he yelled. "Here, you better take this," he said as he reached for a wrapped bundle that rested on the living room sofa, picked it up and tossed it to Lily, who caught it as she raced up the stairs, towards the child's nursery.

The hooded figure reached the house. James threw the strongest locking spell he knew and prayed the door would hold for more than a second. That hope proved to be in vain, as the hinges vanished and the door was violently banished inward. James had to cast a silent Reducto, barely managing to reduce it to splinters and shards of metal. The figure walked in slowly, and pale hands reached for the hood. That was all the confirmation James needed.

"Lily, it's him. Take Harry and run!"

Holding the wand tightly in his left hand, James reduced the living room table, chairs and the china cabinet to splinters and shards and summoned them to him, along with what used to be the door. He relaxed his arm and, with a flourish, raised it, flinging the debris towards the hooded figure.

'Too damn slow,' James thought to himself. He still couldn't get the same results without his right hand. He would need to finish this fight fast, or he'd be doomed.

The hooded figure raised its wand and, with a lazy wave, blocked every incoming piece. Just as lazily, it removed its hood with both hands. The Dark Lord's face was bone white, it's features, serpentine in nature. A hairless eyebrow rose in apparent surprise. The voice of the man whose name no one spoke broke through the silence.

"Wand in your left hand, Potter?" he asked, with a small sadistic smile on his lips.

"What would life be without change?" the young father replied, slipping into a fighting pose similar to the one used by a certain professor from Hogwarts.

"If my memory serves me right, you are a proficient duelist. Didn't figure you to be so overconfident."

"I thought I'd spice things up. Live and learn," James said as he twirled his wand between the fingers of his left hand. Slowly, the Dark Lord's hand rose, his bone white wand shining strangely in the waning light.

"First, we bow to each other. Come now, Potter, the niceties must be observed. Dumbledore and your father wouldn't want you to forget your manners, would they?"

James felt as though someone was pushing his shoulders forward. He resisted the pressure to bow, forcing himself to stand upright.

"I said bow!" The pressure on James' shoulders was too great and he fell to one knee. His wand arm fell to one side. "Now, was it that difficult?" the Dark Lord asked, as he lifted his wand.

James quickly jumped back to his feet and raised his wand, casting a silent Stupefy. The Dark Lord waved the red streak into nothingness as though it was just an annoying bug.

"Now, Potter, there is no need for violence," Voldemort said with a hissing voice.

"You come to visit unannounced, don't ring the door bell. You even blew the door to smithereens. You should've sent an owl, I don't have anything to treat you with." James was struggling to keep his voice as matter of factly as possible, but playing the jovial host to a murderous megalomaniac was proving difficult. Voldemort pointed his wand to the blank space where the front door once stood and simply muttered "Reparo". Splinters and bits of stray metal started to form back together to cover the entrance. With another wave of the wand, all the broken furniture and china was put back together.

"Call it a gesture of good will," Voldemort said, sounding a bit bored. "I am certain you are aware there is an easier way for this to pass. Just give me the boy and no one else has to suffer."

"Sure. Do you want him gift wrapped as well, huh? Expelli-…" James fell silent, the rest of the word caught in his throat. Voldemort's wand was pointing straight at him.

"You… amuse me, Potter…" he said, as he released his grip on James' throat. "I was thinking of killing you… now, I am considering breaking you… You would be a good addition to my army." James coughed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Let… me see you try," he said, still panting. With a flourish of the Dark Lord's wand, James felt every muscle in his body tense up under an unbearable strain. He forced himself to stand upright, gritting his teeth through the pain.

"Very good…" Voldemort said with a hint of pride. "Finally… a challenge." A second twist of the wand sent hot needles through his bones, but James did not give the Dark Lord the pleasure of yielding. The pain stopped. "Lesser men would have already fallen to their knees, begging for their life," Voldemort said with a smirk on his lips.

"Alas, my lord, you forget, I am a married man. I am afraid you must up your game, sir."

"Indeed…" James took a breath and raised a finger.

"How?" he asked

"You'll need to be … a bit more specific…"

"How did you find us?". Voldemort pulled out the letter he sent just a couple days. The envelope was stained with blood.

"A little bird told me…" James was squinting his eyes, trying to see to whom it was addressed. Then he remembered. The only way Voldemort would have been able to find the house would have been for Peter Pettigrew, their Secret Keeper, to have told him.

"What did you do to Peter?" he asked.

"The letter was cryptic," the Dark Lord said. "I needed Peter to decode it for me."

"Is he…?" the question trailed.

"He is no worse for wear… He came to me."

"Why would he?" Voldemort just smiled. "He wouldn't betray us…"

"A well placed Imperius can do… wonders."

"Then all I need is to kill you and he'll be himself again."

"Do try."

"Before I do. One more thing. How did you bypass the wards? Knowing of the Fidelius can only get you as far as the front door."

"A work of genius… your wards. The strongest forms of protection, deterrent and alarming wards. All undone by… simple vermin."

"What do you mean?"

"Rats, my dear boy…"

"We have a cat, especially for that sort of pests," James said.

"Your cat should not have underestimated rats… They have been watching your house… taunting her, drawing her… into a trap. She's should be somewhere up north by now."

"Still that does not explain how you managed to bypass the wards," James said.

"As I have said before. Rats… they found the ward stone's location… and when they did, they burrowed as close to it as they could and laid in wait."

"In wait for… what?"

"For the order to break... the seals powering the ward."

"Of course… But if you knew where we were, why wait? Why now?"

"Because today… is Halloween… Arcane magics deep at work… And," the Dark Lord said, lifting the bloodied envelope, "because you yourself told us it was the… perfect time to pay you a visit. How has your right… hoof, was it?"

James inched towards the window. The alarm wards might have fallen, but there were other modes to contact the Order should things go awry - the Periculum Charm. At least Dorcas Meadowes and Fabian Prewett would be stationed somewhere close to Godric's Hollow. The Advanced Guard, would call the rest, should the need arise. He raised his wand as fast as he could and managed to shoot a blood red flare through the cracked window.

"I am sorry, am I not enough entertainment for tonight?" Voldemort asked. "I am afraid your… friends won't be coming."

"And how would you know that?"

"Mr. Prewett fell along his brother at the hands of my… Death Eaters, less than an hour ago. He did do quite a bit of damage, killing three of them."

"Well… Shit."

"Your other cohort, Mrs. Meadowes, met her end when she ran into me, right outside the village."

"God fucking damn it."

"They did try to call others using two way mirrors, but… no one answered."

"STUPEFY!" Voldemort did not show any surprise at the sudden attack. He waved off the red streak with a bored gesture.

"You can do better."

James pointed his wand at the couch and flicked it towards the Dark Lord. He quickly did the same thing with every bit of furniture that was not bolted down. However, Voldemort's shield charm proved too strong, everything shattering on impact, as though it hit a brick wall. James looked at the The Dark Lord. He seemed amused by the ineffective onslaught, but he did not budge a single inch.

James then aimed for the broken pieces of wood and said "Avifors!" Suddenly, the debris was transfigured into a fairly large flock of steel-beaked birds, which started swirling above Voldemort's head. With a flick of the mahogany wand, the birds started attacking the shield, concentrating on a single spot. Soon enough, the shield started cracking, creating a hole large enough for the subsequent birds to come through. "Incendio!" The birds' beaks turned into glowing hot arrow tips, which embedded themselves into the Dark Lord's robes, engulfing them in red, orange and yellow flames.

Voldemort looked surprised, but not worried at all. He pointed his wand at the flames and, with the calmest of voices, said "Aguamenti." The fire was put out as fast as it was ignited. With another wave of the wand, his robes were back to normal, not a singe mark on it.

"For a man fighting with a hand virtually tied behind his back…" the Dark Lord said, "you put on quite a show…" He then pointed at the puddle at his feet and, with a sweeping motion, muttered "Agua Evanesca." He spotted the young father's raised eyebrow. "Quite a lovely little house… might just keep it for myself. Always wanted a taste of the… idyllic village life."

"Incarcerous!" In a blink of an eye, heavy twine rope and chains erupted from James' wand, slithered across the hardwood floor and coiled around Voldemort.

"Interesting approach…" he said, sounding bored. "An offensive built on transfiguration spells alone might have … worked on my followers. I, on the other hand, have…" the Dark Lord said, with a eerie echo in his voice, "survived the might of the Ministry." The next thing James heard were the ropes and chains falling to the ground. Voldemort had vanished into thin air.

James did not waste any moment and summoned the remaining birds around him. With a sweeping move, he had them circle the room.

"Immobulus! Evanesca!" The birds froze in the middle of the room and were banished out of existence. Voldemort reappeared in a swirl of black smoke and, pointing at James' head, said "Seprensortia!" From the tip of his wand erupted a 7-foot long emerald-green snake.

James barely dodged the flying reptile. Now he was trapped between one of the darkest wizards of all time and a possibly venomous snake. He tried inching his way to the wall, trying to keep both threats in sight. Managing to see, at the corner of his left eye, Voldemort raising his wand to cast another spell and, at the corner of his right, the snake coiling for its own attack, he knew what he had to do. It all happened in a blink of an eye. With one deft movement, he flicked his left hand upwards, shouted "Protego!", casting the strongest shield charm he could muster, turned and brought his wand downwards in a slashing motion, hurling a "Diffindo!" towards the snake.

"I must say, I am… impressed," the Dark Lord said.

James surveyed the result of the exchange. His opponent's spell was forced upwards and to the right by his shield charm, blasting a hole in the corner of the room. The reptile was writhing in agony, split clear in half, along its spine.

"Vipera Evanesca!" Voldemort said calmly. The snake caught flame and vanished in a cloud of smoke and cinders. "A shame… she was quite a beauty."

James realised he didn't stand a chance if this fight took any longer. Voldemort was barely winded, while he was once again breathing heavily and could barely keep a grip on his wand. There was only one route he could take to turn things his way - the sacrificial wards Albus had set up. Maybe, if he managed to pull this off, just maybe he could atone in Lily's books. He raised his left arm and, bringing it down in a cutting motion, said "Sectumsempra!" in his most confident voice. Voldemort's eyes widened and, once again, knowing full well what the curse could do, vanished into thin air. The dark cutting curse slammed into the wall and left a deep gash.

"An unexpected surprise, Potter," his disembodied voice echoed through the room. "Who taught you… this spell?" he asked as he blinked back into existence. "Did Dumbledore peek through the wards at the things the Slytherins were up to in their spare time?" He did not wait for a reply. It was his turn to put on a display of speed and power. James barely noticed when the yew wand was pointing to him. An unknown spell broke through the shield and flung him clear across the room and into the wall. Warm liquid started dripping from the back of his head. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

"Do you ever stop talking?" he said as he chuckled and spat. "Can't you see you've been had? I am nothing but a distraction, wasting your precious time. Lily couldn't care less about me, she and Harry are probably miles away from here by now." James coughed another mouthful of blood. "So, you might just as well bugger off. I've had enough entertainment for one night."

"That glib tongue of yours… might have worked on Dumbledore… but it will not work on me," Voldemort said as he closed in, wand partly raised. "Worse, it might spell your end." James didn't know if Lily and Harry managed to escape or not, so he decided to goad his opponent further into the taking his life and activate the wards. He cleared his mind and pointed his wand towards the Dark Lord.

"Crucio!" Once again, Voldemort's eyes widened. He braced himself for the pain, but felt barely a tickle. It was his turn to chuckle.

"Is this… the best you can do? Let me show you how it's done…" The Dark Lord said smiling. "Crucio!" James felt each of the one thousand virtual white-hot knives bore into his skin and pierce his bones. The pain was so unbearable that he blacked out. However, he came to his senses before he fell to the ground.

"Is that… the best YOU can do?" he asked, panting. He tried raising his wand again and muttered something, but the mahogany piece of wood slipped through his fingers. Whatever spell he tried to cast fizzled out in green sparks.

"This has been a … refreshing bout," Voldemort said as though it has been a game night between friends. He stepped past James and out into the corridor. "But I am afraid I must move on… It would be bad manners to keep a lady waiting."

With the calmest of voices, the Dark Lord raised his yew wand and simply said "Avada Kedavra!" The jet of blinding green light illuminated every corner of the living room and corridor and hit James Potter squarely in the back.

- meanwhile with Lily and Harry-

The world outside was oblivious to what had just happened. Ghosts and ghouls, sylphs and shadows were still going about their haunts - after all, it was still Halloween.

Voldemort's work that night went mostly unnoticed, just as he planned. Not to mention, breaking the detection and defensive wards was something of a stroke of genius - he might still have some use for Pettigrew's little pals after tonight. He decided it was time to unveil his presence.

"Morsmordre…"

The people of Godric's Hollow froze in their steps when they saw the colossal skull, comprised of emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue, rising higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Chaos ensued, as everyone knew better than to stick around a Death Mark.

Lily saw the green glow shining through the nursery's window. She had been holding her breath, waiting. She still hoped James would have managed to put up the emergency barriers and join them to Portkey the hell out of there. She did hear the commotion downstairs and knew her husband wouldn't stand a chance, especially in his condition. But she did know he would put up a fight and try to buy them as much time as possible.

However, the eerie green glow peering through the window pretty much shattered Lily's hope of seeing James alive. She might not love him as she thought she did just a week before, but she cared for him, and Harry still needed a father figure. But she had to put that out her mind for now.

Lily knew Voldemort would be blowing through the nursery door in a very short time. Still… it was quiet. Seconds felt like hours. She could hear every heartbeat as loud as a hammer on wood, each knock interrupted by the even louder rush of blood through her ears. A soft double chime preceded her tenant's voice.

'Lily.' Nothing happened. 'Lily!' The young mother did not react. 'LILY!' The bracelet vibrated violently, which forced Lily to snap back to reality. 'You must not freeze when your enemy is this close on the battlefield!' Jeanne's tone was one of guarded reproach, much like that one of an adviser to his liege.

'Right…' Her head was pounding, her right arm was numb. Still, Lily knew what she needed to do. She needed to come to her senses, other wise it was all for naught and James' sacrifice would have been in vain. She needed to hatch a plan. A small rustle drew her attention.

"Mama." Harry had his arms up. "Up-py." His tone was worried. But, oddly enough, he was not crying.

"Hey, little guy," Lily said. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a rusty old bolt and a small vial, the contents of which she emptied on one of the cookies beside her son's bed. "Here, have this while we…" The words caught in her throat. "While we wait for your dad." The boy was oblivious of her slight hesitation and panicked tone. Harry downed the cookie in a single bite.

'You put the boy to sleep. Now what?'

'We need to get the hell outta here.' Lily's tone was somewhere between hesitation and frustration.

'A sound plan,' the voice of her tenant replied. 'Considering what just happened downstairs, how do you wish to accomplish it?' Lily picked up James' Invisibility Cloak, which was resting folded on the chair besides Harry's crib.

'I put this on, take the portkey to the Shrieking Shack and make a beeline towards Hogwarts.' Lily and fiddled with the rusty bolt in her left hand.

'You don't sound very confident.'

'Dumbledore's alarm crumbled way too easy. Who knows what else he screwed up?' As the toddler's breathing evened out, Lily took him in her arms, threw the cloak over both of them and spoke the pass-phrase - "Sanctuary."

Instead of the hooking sensation of the portkey, Lily felt a burning sensation start in the center of her palm. The rusty bolt turned orange and heat was radiating off of it in waves, causing Lily to drop it. The bolt turned into a misshaped molten mass that scorched the rug and floor.

"Fuck! Aguamenti!" A stream of water sprouted from the tip of Lily's wand.

'Was this what you were expecting to happen?' Jeanne chimed in. Lily ignored it and threw off the cloak,

Lily moved on to the last resort. She had to ensure Harry's survival at all costs. She quickly wrapped her son in the cloak and put him aside, in a corner, but not before putting a tracking charm and a shielding ward. Next up, a decoy - a pillow transfigured to look like a living, breathing, sleeping baby. It was not perfect, but it will have to do.

The top step creaked. Lily stepped in front of the crib, her right hand behind her back, wand in her left hand aimed at the door. She knew it was useless to lock it. Time seemed to stand still.

'One last stand? A bold idea.'

'Our last way outta here just went up in flames…' Lily said. 'You could say it pretty much is our last stand. I guess you've been here before, haven't you?'

'Yes,' Jeanne said, 'but that was different. They knew I was present. This alleged Dark Lord does not. So, my question to you. Offensive or defensive?'

'Huh?' Lily was unsure of what to answer. The Witchblade's question seemed simple enough, but, when it comes to magical combat, nothing really is full black and white.

'Do you want to take an offensive or a defensive stance?'

'We need to focus on keeping Harry alive. Defend him at all costs.'

'That is all I need to know.' Lily felt the metal crawling up her forearm and the tip of the sword protruded from the underside of her wrist. Time returned to its normal pace.

The door blew inward and, amidst the splinters and dust, in walked the most hated man in all of wizarding Britain, who, if left unchecked, would still bring it all to its knees. As he stepped into the room, Lily raised her wand.

'Sectumsempra!' Three lines were cut into the dark lord's chest, but no blood came out. Before the Dark Lord could retaliate in kind, six red blurs shot straight for his head, and, even though the projectiles were fast, their target was faster, dodging them by a hair's breadth.

"Most impressive," Voldemort said. "First, James Potter puts on an exquisite display of dueling prowess, much better than I would have given him credit for. Now, little Lily Potter throws blood tendrils at me." His tone seemed genuine. Lily raised an eyebrow and lowered her wand. The Dark Lord stepped closer, his own wand was still pointed down. One more step and he would be within reach of the blade.

"Step aside, you foolish girl, and I'll let you live." Instead of surprising the young mother, Voldemort's words only served to anger her further.

"Up yours" Lily snapped back. Her right hand came from behind her back, and, as the blade extended, she cut in an upwards arc in an attempt to bisect the Dark Lord from groin to chin. Once again, he was simply too fast for the attack, dodging it with a single step. Only, this time, the tip of the blade left a shallow cut on his chin, blood dripping forth.

'He can be hurt, keep up the pressure,' Lily heard Jeanne say, as the tendrils shot for the Dark Lord's navel and elbows. The witch pointed her wand at the floor under Voldemort's feet and cast a silent 'Bombarda!' The spell was redirected back, forcing her to duck in order to avoid it. Only then, did Lily notice where it would land - two feet above her son. She could do little to deflect it and only hoped the shield would protect him. The slight distraction was all Voldemort needed. Lily never saw the emerald green light heading for her chest.

Time seemed to slow down to a trickle. The Killing Curse almost hit its mark and the Dark Lord was jubilant. The next thing he saw was a metallic flash coming between the curse and its would be target. Instead of piercing through the obstacle, the green light dispelled and faded away.

Lily's eyes turned black. A strange voice started to laugh.

"My turn."

For the second time that night, Voldemort's was forced on the defensive. The tendrils shot forth once again. With a flurry of his robe, he turned to smoke, twisting and turning, trying to avoid the blurred red projectiles. In an instant, six turned to eight, to ten, to twenty, encroaching on the slithering column of smoke, until they had it in their grasp, slowly tightening around it until the Dark Lord was once again solid. The tendrils did not retreat but wrapped around his arms and legs, lodging in his kneecaps and elbows. The Dark Lord found himself lifted in the air.

Countless lines of shining metal flowed forth from the gauntlet and covered all of Lily Potter's body forming dark gray and black armor. Her hair lengthened. With a sudden start, the Dark Lord realized the tendrils were not blood magic, as he thought, but Potter's own hairs entwined with the very same metal that formed the armor.

The tendrils brought him closer to the woman and forced him to his knees. He was unable to move his arms and legs. The creature in front of him was no longer Lily Potter. He could definitely see no trace of the scared mother he defied him twice before. This… was something different, much more powerful.

Its right hand rose and a curved sword blade grew out of the underside of itsforearm. He saw a flash of silver, and felt a thin line of cold, followed by hot, until he felt nothing but numb and his vision dimmed. He did not even felt the mounting pressure on his skull.

"Adieu, Lord-too-afraid-to-die," The creature said, as she wiped her armored boot on the robes of the decapitated corpse of her enemy.

Shortly after, Lily regained her consciousness, finding herself standing in a pool of blood, shards of bone and unidentifiable matter spattered on the walls. Her shirt and pants were rags, her wand nowhere to be seen. She could see the lines of metal retreat into the bracelet, its ruby pulsating once.

"You saved my life, Jeanne. Thank you." Lily's voice reverberated in the confines of the room. She raised her hand, and saw the partially dried blood covering her fingers and gunking up under her now broken nails.

'Your life was in danger, Had I not have done it, I would have had about as much to lose as you. Without a partner, I am powerless.'

Lily found her wand laying at her feet. She waved the wand all over herself, cleaning the blood and mending her tattered clothes back to their previous colorful state. She then waved the wand around the room "Scourgify". The blood disappeared of the furniture and floor and the unidentifiable matter turned to dust.

And then Harry started crying. As she turned towards her shield, she saw something that stopped her cold - a bloodstain on the cloak covering Harry. She dashed over, ripped off the cloak with an Episkey on her lips ready for any kind of injury on her little man. She released the breath she didn't know she held seeing that her toddler only had a small lightning-bolt-shaped gash on his forehead.

Review answers (in no particular order)

Lord of Bones: Thank you for your wonderful summation of the points I was missing. Yes, Snapey became part of a racist death cult, but was still bullied to break his friendship with Lily. He ruined that all on his own in the end. James helped and befriended an outcast and made him feel welcome. That said outcast, who was a Prefect looked the other way while his bigoted BFFs dropped a student on his head and pulled down his pants speaks to me of slavish devotion. That he stayed friends with them after they sent Snape to die in the Shack is dumber than I can ever imagine. I for one think the cowardly Remus in DH that wanted to leave his wife and newborn to fend for themselves while he went to fight the good fight is the author derping on her char profiles. The remus in PoA would have never wanted to do that. Your brick to my head approach is appreciated. *presens virtual cookie*

NakedFury and Zentari2238: A bastard in the books, slightly less int the movies, and not worth defending in the book-verse and movie-verse. This is the realm of fan fiction. We are not bound by the original author's char profiles. Some author's chars are better or worse than cannon (see Lightning on the wave and her full rewrite of cannon for the better versions of said chars). Please understand this :) *presens virtual cookie*

Guest (that signed his review SB): No one knew about the bauble. James "borrowed" the building and enchanting instructions from Remus and an owl from Peter. Dumbles is supposedly calling for them to alleviate the Potters' worries. Snape's mind is his own. Since he is a half-blood in pureblood bigot-dominated Slytherin House, his life may have been hell, or it might have been nothing of the sort. Being around the future death nibblers sculpted his views. Seeing Gryffindors getting away with malicious bullying, seeing his BFF move away from him as the years pass, and seeing her not defending him as much as she should have, given her Prefect and Head Girl status made him a very nasty person. Honestly, given the eye opener I got from a reviewer named above, the best we can make him is an excessively strict teacher who punishes the dumbest of Gryffs worse than the dumbest Slytherins, and takes an obscene amount of points for putting other students at risk through stupidity and for general idiocy in the classroom( like Neville exploding his first potion). *presens several virtual cookies*

god of all: prythee, reserve your praise until we actually get to the school years. If that part isn't up to the same standards as the beginning, withdraw your praise please :) *presens virtual cookie*