warning: (possibly graphic) child death
also no more updates until there are reviews for the chapter, so...
The King of Snakes was curling at the farthest corner of its master's room, waiting for the young man to return home. When the door to his bedroom was swung open and the lights were on, it unfurled itself and bowed down to him, "Master."
Severus Prince smiled. "Hello, Salazar," he spoke before caressing its head and it purred at the kind gesture.
"How's… the Dark Lord?" it asked.
Severus went to the mirror to take off his black contact lenses. "He's alright, we're just preparing for the next information from our spy."
"What of that prophesized boy? Have you thought of the way to kill him?" it inwardly bristled at the idea of some puny child would bring the downfall of the great master's – Salazar Slytherin's – last direct descendant.
Severus tapped his chin in deep thought. "I wanted the boy's father to do it. It would be the perfect crime with no one knew any wiser since he is an Auror and thus, can legally cast the Killing Curse according to the Ministry. And yet…" his orange-red eyes fell onto its own yellow ones and the great serpent held its gaze.
"Do you mind if I take some of your venom? Just for precaution, of course. For all we can assume, this meddlesome Fidelius Charm might negate my Imperius Curse on the father."
"Of course, Master." It bowed once again before Severus shrunk it and the two went to the Potions laboratory to milk out its dangerously potent venom. When all was done, they curled up on the enlarged bed in Severus' room.
"Soon, Salazar," its master said, eyeing the jar full of basilisk venom on the desk. "On All Hallows' Eve, we Slytherins will make history."
And oh, how the King of Snakes could not wait for the triumphant moment.
Lily Evans-Potter was conflicted.
It was a week into October, and she and her husband were having a row over Albus Dumbledore's idea to use the Fidelius Charm to hide the Potter family. But who would be so brave and trustworthy to hold the secret of their whereabouts?
James' hazel eyes flickered in anguish after she suggested for the old warlock as their Secret Keeper. "I don't know about you, but we've been fighting for four years already and there are still no signs that we can win this damned war!" he ranted. "Just look when we finally found how those Death Eaters communicate with each other, they cover their tracks yet again!"
"I-" she voiced.
"No."
Lily felt tears pooling in her eyes out of frustration and fear. "Then who would be our Secret Keeper, James?"
A wail broke their fight and they turned to see Harry was crying.
"Oh, don't cry, Harry baby," Lily cooed as she lifted her son up to comfort him, "M- Mom and Dad… we're discussing something important for you, for our safety." She still couldn't believe the Dark Lord himself was hunting her child due to a prophecy made by a possibly drunken woman, but wizards have always referred to divination for their future fate and she couldn't brush the tradition away. Glancing at James, she could tell their conversation hadn't ended yet so she sent Harry to sleep in the nursery room.
The moment she walked down the stairs, James uttered out, "Peter."
"P- Peter?" She blinked before looking at her husband from head to toe in complete disbelief and huffed. "Why don't you become the Secret Keeper?"
James' eyes went wide in incredulity. "Me? The Secret Keeper?" He barked into laughter, "Lils, we are the ones need to go hiding! How can I cast the Fidelius spell when I'm also in danger? Peter's terrible with complicated spellwork, and you… You lost your magic. Care to tell me how that happened again?"
Lily turned pale at his statement, remembering her nearly killing Francesca Zabini almost a year ago. "It's… it's some spell went wrong, James," she mumbled, not daring to say the truth. Luckily, he didn't press the issue any further.
"I've known Peter for years, Lily, more than you do," he sighed. "Have faith in him. He's Harry's godfather, why would he try to forsake us to Voldemort?"
Lily avoided his gaze. Perhaps she had overthought about the matter. After all, Peter rarely went to the battleground, tending to the wounded Order members or his ill mother instead.
"I… Alright." She was crestfallen that she barely got any say in their relationship throughout the years but maybe, having Peter Pettigrew – someone so unassuming within the Order of the Phoenix – as their Secret Keeper would turn out to be advantageous. "When will we do it? Should we tell Dumbledore who we choose as a precaution?"
James shook his head. "We can't trust Dumbledore right now," he muttered and the weight in Lily's heart increased but she decided to keep her doubts away. The lesser the people who knew the Potters' secret, the better their chance to live well and Albus Dumbledore was an important man for them to win the war.
Everything would be alright, Lily told herself before falling asleep beside her husband. All they need to do was to be patient and not losing hope.
Inside Malfoy Manor's ballroom, Lord Voldemort narrowed his eyes at the crystal orb he and his heir used to spy on James Potter, which strangely only showed swirling fogs from the inside. The young man beside him also was in unease, and he thought of the possibilities on why it happened.
Could the Fidelius Charm somehow block their magic? It would make sense after all, for it was an ancient protection spell.
Lord Voldemort, being a great Dark wizard then focused his magical sense toward Peter Pettigrew's Dark Mark and sent his order alongside of their meeting location.
The second Pettigrew made his entrance into the library; the Dark Lord knew the man had some great news.
"The Potters, they have made me their Secret Keeper, my Lord," Pettigrew grinned after he did the customary greetings. "They live in their house in Godric's Hollow."
Lord Voldemort refrained from showing his joy right there, knowing where the place was thanks to him attending the Potters' wedding years ago, "And what of Dumbledore? Does he know of it?"
"James only told him he had done it, but not to whom. And Dumbledore agreed that the Secret Keeper should not tell anyone about their location for maximum protection, my Lord."
The Dark Lord glanced at Severus Prince, who only quirked an eyebrow and gave his spy a wry smile. "You did well, Pettigrew. Keep your head low for now," he said before dismissing the man and called for the Lestranges next.
"The time has come upon us. In a week the Order of the Phoenix shall know true terror. This is a very important mission, and I will not tolerate any failure from you," he hissed to the three figures in front of him.
Bellatrix Black-Lestrange looked up to him with determination in her grey eyes, "We will make sure none of them survive the night." She minutely gave Severus a glare before they left the room and Lord Voldemort leant against his heir's shoulder.
"I told you direct murder is the best way for this," he muttered to which Severus rolled his eyes and snorted in acceptance that his original plan would not work, "Yes, father."
It was the night of 31st October 1981, and James Potter watched longingly from the windows of his house as the Muggle children loudly comparing the sweets and candies they got from their neighbors. How he wished he could join such fun celebration too; for in spite of the Hallows' Night was supposed to be sacred to the wizards, the Muggles did not care less of the weakened veil between the living and the dead.
"James, can you give Harry his milk?" he heard his wife's voice from the kitchen and he sighed before taking the milk bottle and went upstairs. Upon entering his son's nursery room, he frowned at the opened window and looked outside, to which he saw a figure of a bird pecking onto something – its meal, perhaps – on a tree branch nearby and with a wave of his wand, closed the window.
As James fed his child in his arms, his eyes clouded in worry. Could Harry really defeat Lord Voldemort? The prophecy seemed preposterous to be honest, especially when he remembered Sybil Trelawney – the Seer who made the prophecy – was a strange girl back in Hogwarts, always muttering nonsense that would be harbingers to everyone especially in Divination classes.
A satisfied burp from Harry brought him out of his thoughts. "Good boy," James said with a grin and patted Harry's back before summoning a sleeping potion and gave his son a small dose of it. As soon as Harry went limp in his arms, he put him in his crib and turned off the light before leaving the room, unaware of the black king cobra curling underneath the crib.
Severus waited for ten minutes before emerging from his hiding place and turning back into his human form; his orange-red eyes stared coldly at the sleeping boy with his lips curled into a grimace. Of course, he had seen Harry Potter back when Vernon and Petunia Dursley visited the Potters in Cokeworth but to actually examine the boy – the supposed vanquisher of his surrogate father, Lord Voldemort – up close fueled the flame in his heart to destroy the child.
He reached into his black cloak and drew out a small empty glass vial before closing his eyes to sense the lurking Fiendfyre within his marred soul. If he were to remove the cursed fire, he would need a spare magical core to speed up his recovery.
Yes, he would take Harry Potter's magical core so that nothing would go wrong afterward.
He pulled out his blackthorn wand which vibrated eagerly in his hand and casted a silencing spell inside the nursery room. "Aufero," he muttered the spell that caused any desired body parts to disappear; in this case, Harry Potter's vocal cords. The child shifted in his sleep and he waited before casting the Taking Spell onto the boy's chest next and at this point, Harry Potter almost roused from his sleep and wanted to cry due to the intense pain much to no avail.
As soon as the boy's magical core was pulled out, Severus put it inside the glass vial and corked it before keeping the item inside his cloak. He then scanned the child, and was both relieved and annoyed that he was still alive, albeit breathing heavily in his slumber. He reached inside his cloak again, this time taking out a capped syringe and admired the liquid inside.
"Good night, Harry Potter," he said before casting a pain-numbing spell onto Harry Potter's wrist, removing the syringe's cap and injected the substance into the sleeping boy.
Severus watched as the prophesized child convulsed in his crib minutes later, green eyes rolled back with tears streaming down his round face, his quickened breath hitched in agony. He waited, and waited until Harry Potter went completely still and he wiped away the boy's tears before cleaning up the nursery room as if nothing had happened.
The moment the clock chimed at midnight, he felt the cold gust of wind in front of him that signaled the Grim Reaper's arrival, who looked down to the cooling corpse and grinned.
"Well done; o great Master of Death, Severus Prince," it said with glinting bright red eyes.
Severus observed in awe as the Dark Angel siphoned Harry Potter's soul from his body, the young spirit looked disfigured by the basilisk venom's effects into an ethereal glass vial and he broke into a smile.
The deed was done.
Harry Potter was no more.