AN: I'm thinking Liverpool. Anyway, let's get this underway!
Time: A Few Weeks Before Rose Potter, Girl who Lived, was Born
Harry had always wanted only one thing. To protect his family.
Although... perhaps his infant mind did not know yet exactly what he wanted, after all, it was too much to ask of a four-year-old. However, even as he would look back on his childhood years later, he knew, somewhere, on an instinctual plane that was dominated by the basic understandings of life, he had known, ever since he could string coherent thoughts together, that he would do anything for his family. To keep it together, to preserve the laughs and smiles around him.
It came as naturally to him as the fear of fire came to beasts. It was no more than an animalistic instinct, honed through billions of years of evolution, in even the dumbest of creatures to walk the planet. Fire is bad.
That was, until, a hairless, two-legged ape managed to tame the ferocious, all-consuming crimson flower for his own needs, using it to stay warm and cook food. The most ferocious of Mother Nature's forces, at the beck and call of a transient animal that did not live past twenty.
What made this animal different?
Perhaps it was the fact that unlike other animals, who became active in the dark, this creature embraced the light. The light, which was the enemy of predators, aided this hunter to chase prey, blessing this primate with reason that gave them a sharper edge than any of their primitive stone tools could provide.
That was not all. A strange resilience characterised these creatures, every time they were beaten down, they would come back stronger, their lack of strength more than compensated for by their sheer willpower, grit and determination. So much so, that, even the greater powers began to take notice, exploiting their anomalous adaptive abilities for their own benevolent purposes, until man had a greater, intimate control over nature. The same powers that let fire burn, that let water flow, the very powers that formed science, the rules of the universe, that allowed the sun to rise everyday, and the stars to shine, flowed through the veins of these mortals.
A turning point in the evolution of mankind, altering their genome for all eternity and inserting a randomly activated gene in their sequence, mostly hereditary, but entirely unpredictable. A gene they shared with the fiery phoenixes that had inherited the skies from the ancient Quetzalcoatlus and the enormous Hatzegopteryx, the dumb, yet brutally strong trolls that ruled the mountains, the slow yet resilient Erumpent that replaced the massive, lumbering sauropods, and the werewolves and vampires that replaced the raptors and the rexes. Each had its own place, magical beside mundane, an eternal cycle of nature that took place at a higher plane, that brought life closer to God, and a cycle that man was now part of.
This power was honed through the shamans and the witch doctors of ancient times, the priests who could speak with the gods, bring hellfire down on their enemies, and cure the incurable. Feeding five thousand with five barley loaves and two fish, making it rain manna from heaven.
And yet, reason, over instinct, remained man's greatest weapon. Reason, that had been embraced by their primitive, Homo habilis ancestors, who dared to walk out in the light.
And soon, this reason turned twenty to thirty, thirty to forty, forty to fifty, until, when Harry was born, the primate had turned into man, one thousand had turned to over three billion, and the Earth had turned into a playground.
And all those years of evolution culminated in little Harry, who could not be bothered less about the agony and the instinct of survival his ancestors had endured, had honed and cultivated. He had much important things to attend to.
His tiny little hands clutched at the long, flowing silver beard of the man with the funny name, a twinkling laugh escaping his lips as the man made a funny sound with his lips, staring down at him with a protective twinkle in his blue eyes, that stood out like shining sapphires in his wrinkled, age-worn visage.
This was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, according to Harry's beautiful mother, an angel who could produce delicious chocolates, heavenly fruit from the forbidden, unreachable Gates of Heaven above the kitchen counter.
And even in Harry's infancy, he understood that this person was good, this person would help him, and could not help but bask in the seemingly endless power rolling off him in waves.
And he always talked to this person politely. After all, his mother had taught him his manners, he could say 'Thank you' after he was given something, rather, he liked to say thank you because it was the few things he could boast of, in all his childhood innocence. But more importantly, this person brought him chocolates from the forbidden outside world, where even the all-powerful elders seemed afraid to go, candies of all shapes, sizes and colours that he could not help but devour hungrily, despite the sticky fingers and the exasperated looks his mother shot him for not sharing with his twin sister.
He just shot her a sheepish smile, and his cool older sister, though he did not acknowledge the fact since she was older only by a few minutes, laughed, patting his head childishly with her equally small hands. She did not like sweets anyway. She liked the tangy sour and the occasional spice more, even if the former made Harry make funny faces, while the latter made her mouth burn, and cover herself with drool.
And everything they enjoyed, came from the mysterious outside world. The world beyond the simple wooden door of Potter cottage, that separated the mysterious outside, where everything disappeared, and where wonders and miracles like chocolates happened, from the plain old Potter family, where the most exciting thing was their Dad coming home to tell them stories, or their Mum giving them extra sweets for being good.
Mum and Dad said that the outside world was bad, though it had been good once. That it had been like the fairy tales that their Mum read to them, with beautiful chirruping birds, bright flowers and princesses that were so helpless that Violet made faces at them, and strong knights on tall horses that made the twins tiny jaws drop in awe at their feats.
Mum and Dad said that they were working to make the world beautiful once more. That is why Dad left everyday in the morning before the two young ones were up, and returned in the evening after the sun had been eaten by a giant troll.
Harry trusted them. His Mum and Dad, and perhaps his uncles Pa'foo and Moony, along with the 'Headmaster' with the funny name, could do anything! They were the strongest people Harry knew, they knew so much, were so wise, and could produce chocolates!
Well, except perhaps Uncle Pa'foo. He was more likely to get into trouble with Mum than the two of them, and he only ever produced silly tales that even Harry could say weren't true. After all, there were no creatures as large as a giant, with a long nose and two sharp, white teeth that lived somewhere else called... Harry had forgotten what it was called. But it didn't matter! What was more important, was that Pa'foo could only ever produce empty wrappers of chocolates that had contained beautiful delicacies not too long ago. He was bad!
But, apparently, though Harry's naive mind struggled with such a word, Pa'foo's evil exploits pale in comparison to another bad person with a funny name, that even their parents spoke of, with slight fear.
Violet only giggled at his name, and though Harry was tempted to join, it was overpowered by the oppressive feeling of tension and fear that hung palpably in the air around the adults. Even though he did not understand everything yet, his primal instincts, mature even in his childhood, screamed at him that something was wrong, recognising fear for what it was, another tool, another primal instinct of survival. Fear was bad, and if the strongest people Harry knew were afraid, then this bad person with the funny name must be very bad. Worse than Pa'foo with his vanishing chocolates, something that not even a thorough scolding from his parents would set right.
These were grim times, true, but all that was bad lay beyond the doors of the cottage, a magical barrier that separated both worlds, kept Harry and Violet safe.
"What did you do today, Harry?" Dumbledore asked softly, a wistful smile on his face as he slowly detached the young ruffian from his beard, sitting Harry on his knee and playfully ruffling his messy hair, the signature trait of the Potters visible even in this young lad, whom he had come to see as his own grandson.
Before he could reply, the more outspoken, boisterous Violet cut in, laughing and cheering, "We read a book without Mommy today!"
At least, that was what Dumbledore managed to decipher through her childish accent and broken words, making him break a smile as he patted Violet on the head, much to her delight. Harry was always getting more attention from this funny man with the funny beard and the funny name, she wanted it, too!
"Yes! We looked at pictures, and Mom taught us a new word! It is... to-get-her," Harry spelt out slowly, making her nod vigorously.
"That is good. And what does the new word mean?" Dumbledore asked softly, smiling at the bright looks the two intelligent twins sent at each other.
"It means 'with everybody'!" They shouted together, their childish voices shrill and high pitched, making the smile on his face widen.
"Good boy. Good girl." He patted their heads, making the two smile. "Always remember, together means with everybody. It is a very important word."
Unity is what had kept all of them alive for so long, and it was the lack of unity, that had led the magical world to this civil war.
Dumbledore sighed, before erecting his best faux smile to protect the innocent children from his worries, handing the twins three cheap chocolates from Honeydukes, wrapped in bright red and gold cellophane wrappers. "Two are for you, and one is for your other sister, Lyra, alright? Remember to share it... together."
Right on time, there was a knock on the door, making Violet rush to the door in anticipation, though she could not reach the doorknob.
Harry lingered for a bit longer on Dumbledore's knee, holding the sweet he had received in his hand, not because he did not like his Uncles and other sister any less, but because he liked the Headmaster more.
Dumbledore was his idol, the person he looked up to most, the sheer power rolling off him in waves comforting, as if he would protect all of them with a reassuring smile on his face and a protective, loving twinkle in his eyes. Animals flocked to safety, and all of his instincts told Harry that Dumbledore's knee was the safest place to be.
James, Harry's Dad, stumbled into the room, looking back once to see if Lily had caught wind of what he had done, before sighing in relief at the silence that followed. He would surely get his ass chewed out later, but he was sure he could do something about it when the time came.
The door unlocked with a click, swung open by the head of the Potter family, his blinding smile a brighter version of the shy smile of the werewolf standing behind the door.
"Moony!" Violet cheered, before she was tackled by a blur of black, bowling the four-year-old over and revealing an enormous, shaggy black dog who pinned her down, before licking and drooling all over her face, making her scrunch up her face and laugh.
"Pa'foo!" Finally, Harry could not take it anymore, shooting Dumbledore a timid look, which the elderly Headmaster returned with a warm smile, slowly lowering the child to the floor.
Laughing, Harry padded over to his dogfather as fast as his four-year-old legs could carry him, being intercepted in his path by another black blur.
"Hawwy!" Lyra cheered as she tackled her beloved brother in all but blood, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek as Harry laughed, hugging her little body.
"Woof!" There was a loud bark that gave them little warning about what was to come, as Pa'foo tackled the two of them, too, not even sparing his daughter from his relentless tongue assault that expressed the kind of love dogs were always eager to share.
Lily slowly walked into the room at that moment, taking care of her swollen, eight months pregnant belly, attracted by the laughs and the boisterous, cheerful shouting. Even the shy Harry was taking part, which told her, just from the sound of his laughs, that Sirius and Remus' had arrived.
A bright smile curled her lips at the sight of the living room, her beloved husband, James hugging their longtime, sensible friend Remus, while his brother-in-arms, Sirius, was in his Animagus form, entertaining the three children. Harry lay on the floor, panting slightly and short of breath, while he rested his muzzle on the four-year-old's stomach, neither minding the fact that Sirius was drooling all over his shirt. Lyra was hanging by her tiny arms around her father's neck, while Violet was on Sirius' back, clutching at his shaggy black fur with her tiny fists.
Dumbledore sat on the couch a few feet away, a smile on his face at the sight of this beautiful, happy family that he was a part of, though unofficially, merely content with watching them enjoy themselves.
"Good morning, Remus, Sirius." Lily greeted softly with a warm smile on her lips, making everybody look up at her.
"And there's the lady." James snickered immaturely while Remus hugged her tenderly, mindful of her belly.
"And there's the dork." Lily smacked her husband behind the head, sighing in fond exasperation as he smiled sheepishly.
"Lily!" Sirius stood up, shifting back to his human form and effortlessly catching both Violet and Lyra in his strong arms, laughing as the two shrieked and screeched.
"Sirius!" Lily admonished, striding towards him as quickly as she could, but she was stopped by Remus, who smiled serenely.
"Calm down, Lily. Let me handle this." His words were soft as he looked towards his husband with a sickly sweet smile, making the head of the Black family gulp.
"Oops."
It was only after twenty minutes of fun and catching up that all of them had calmed down, sprawled on the couches around the living room.
Remus had Violet on his lap while James had Lyra, the two sitting beside each other on a couch opposite Dumbledore and Lily, who were conversing in soft tones. Judging by the smile on the elderly Headmaster's face and the bright, warm smile on Lily's, accompanied by the frequency with which she was stroking her belly, it seemed that the two were talking about the youngest child the Potter family were going to have.
Sirius and Harry had gone to get the latter's medicated potion, which he had to get whenever he got excited.
Despite everything, it was not all rainbows and unicorns in the Potter family. Nothing ever was, in any family.
Ever since he was born, the younger of the twins had been sickly, and pale, with barely any meat on his bones no matter how much he fed, his magic reserves equally weak. It did not stop at that, his heart and lungs were weaker than most children, making him wheeze and gasp for breath after any slightly strenuous activity, meaning he had to limit himself in whatever he did. It was probably why he was so bookish, reading all the books he could understand and a few he couldn't, and why he loved Dumbledore so much, enjoying the power the Headmaster gave off and wondering if he would be as powerful when he grew up.
"There are the latecomers!" James laughed, seeing Harry give a dimmed smile as he stared at his father, not making any effort to detach himself from his dogfather's hair, holding onto Pa'foo's long hair as the two entered, with Harry sitting on Sirius' shoulders.
"This young ruffian is growing stronger by the day!" Sirius spoke, giving a little jump much to Harry's enjoyment, in an effort to cheer up the morose child.
Harry always wondered, why he had to take the disgusting potions when neither Lyra nor Violet had to. Dumbledore had come to his rescue, telling the child that even he had to take them when he was a child.
It was a white lie, but one that worked, as Harry cheered up immediately, saying that he would become as strong as the Headmaster one day.
"Alright. Harry and Violet, take Lyra to your playroom and play around for some time, alright? We adults will talk for some time, then we will all have dinner together, okay?" James spoke, a smile on his face though his eyes betrayed his true emotions, the tumultuous feeling broiling in his stomach ever since Dumbledore had first contacted him with grave news, that they had to know.
Harry knew that something was wrong. He could feel the fear, almost smell its cloying grasp taking hold of the adults' consciousness, like a monster, a beast that connected their minds with a single thread, a unified emotion.
Together. Harry recalled.
Even fear, they would feel together. Like a family.
It was a wondrous feeling, the fear emanating from all the adults in the room, that Harry could only stare up at, his natural instincts flaring.
"Harry, go on. Your sisters are waiting for you." Lily whispered, making him break out of whatever mood he was in, smiling up at his mother as he scurried up the stairs, his legs carrying him to the shrill sounds of laughter, and his two dear sisters calling out for their sole brother.
"I'm coming!" The cheery little wizard called out, unaware of the dark times that lay ahead, or the whispered discussion going on in the living room which he had just left, making the adults' expressions darken with every word that left Dumbledore's lips.
No, Harry did not care.
Mankind had survived for so long on sheer willpower alone, nothing would happen.
His greatest worry was that Lyra and Violet had found his illegal sweet stash.
AN: ...Comment. What do you think of the story so far? This is just the prologue part 1. The real story begins in chapter 4, after the 2 prologues are done and over with.
Keep calm and headbang!