CHAPTER 20 - VOLDEMORT AND THE BOY WHO LIVED

"My mother's name was Lily?" Harry softly questioned, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room after Snape swore the oath. Severus and Tommy turned to him but he was staring at his hands. "I don't remember my parents. Vernon and Petunia said they died in a car wreck, that my dad was drunk and got them killed, but they always lied." He hesitated. "Sometimes, I can almost hear a woman singing. But it's always cut off by a man yelling, flashing green lights and the sound of things falling. Then the woman … begging? Then more green light and … pain."

Severus found himself shocked yet again. It took him a moment before he could speak. "Your parents were Lily Evans and James Potter. Lily was a beautiful and brilliantly talented witch. She stood up for what she believed, protected those she cared about … even if they'd rather she leave them to handle things themselves. James." Severus paused, thinking on his words. While he despised James Potter, he found he liked the boy … young man his son had become. Keeping his tone as neutral as possible, he continued, "James Potter was many things, but he was not a drunk and he was not at fault for their deaths. Your parents did not die in a car wreck, they were killed by a dark wizard that was trying to take over the wizardry world. You were fifteen months old when they died. No one knows precisely what happened however … what you said you remember sounds very much like what must have happened."

No one said anything for a long moment, Harry didn't even look up. "What is my birthday?" Harry asked after awhile. "When did they die? What … you said no one knows. What is known?"

"You were born July 31, 1980 they were killed October 31st," Snape answered softly. He hesitated on what else to say. He hadn't planned to tell them about Voldemort and the Boy-Who-Lived until he had them in the wizardry world as he suspected neither one would take it well. "As far as their killer goes, there are others that could tell much more than I."

"You've been honest with us so far, Professor Snape," Tommy stated. "Would you care to … reword that last?"

Snape froze. Not only had the this boy caught his avoidance, which neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort ever managed, but Snape knew for a fact that he had not told them his name. For the first time, he understood how someone could believe in mind reading. As a master legilimens, he had always scoffed at the idea. Only fools thought legilimency to be mind reading. Snape had always said the mind is not a book to be opened at will and examined at leisure. It is a complex and many layered thing. So why did he now feel like this boy, this mere child not even eleven years old yet, had done just that?

"Why don't you tell us what it is you think would make us choose to avoid your offered schooling and that society in general? Start with what led up to Harry's family's deaths," Tommy ordered.

Severus just looked at Tommy for a long moment, measuring him. Finally, he began, "It started in the 70's, or it started to become noticed by a few then. A powerful wizard who excelled in the Dark Arts proclaimed himself the Dark Lord and began to gather followers which became known as Death Eaters. The first thing noticed was the strange disappearances, then he started making his presence known. These years grew progressively more dangerous and violent, this wizard became so feared that people feared to even say his name, calling him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who instead."

"His name?" Harry asked.

Severus hesitated. "The Dark Lord suffices."

Tommy scoffed. "We fight against the Dark Lord. I doubt your wizard compares to Zedd."

"You may be surprised."

"I would be, if a Power that drew no intergalactic attention could come anywhere near comparing. Besides, it's stupid to fear a name like that, that only makes it easier for the one you so fear to defeat you. They don't have to do anything, really, you defeat yourself."

"What makes you think these … aliens you deal with would notice anything of our power?"

Harry answered this one, casually stating, "Everyone noticed Tommy's birth."

"You don't seem a coward to me," Tommy commented. "Your story would flow easier if you use a name, seeing as it looks like this guy is the main focus of the story."

Snape sat in silence, thinking. "I do not know his true name. He called himself Lord Voldemort. As Voldemort's influence grew, many witches and wizards were controlled by the Imperius Curse."

"Explain that one," Tommy hissed.

Snape almost jerked back at the angry hiss, only managing to keep still as he could see the anger was not aimed at him. "There are three curses that are known as the Unforgivables. The use of any of these on another human can result in a life term in Azkaban - the wizardry prison. They are the Cruciatus or torture curse, the Imperius which causes the victim to be complete under the caster's command, and the Killing curse-"

"Avada Kedavra," Harry murmured the words he'd heard every year in the nightmare, and forgotten upon awaking as Snape's story brought the details back to him. He had that nightmare every year around Halloween, the time of year Snape said they died.

Not hearing him, Snape continued, "- which causes instant death in a flash of green light. The killing curse is unblockable, only one person has ever survived the killing curse."

"A control spell as unforgivable," Harry murmured. "I agree with that."

Snape looked from Harry to Tommy, unsure what to think of these boys. Of those three spells, the Imperius curse is usually seen as the least offensive, though Snape had seen too much to agree with that idea. He returned to the story. "Those under the Imperius were forced to commit atrocities including torture and murder. Voldemort also took advantage of many of the prejudices in the wizardry world, against magical creatures such as giants and vampires and werewolves, many of these species joined Voldemort's side. No one dared interact with strange witches or wizards as they had no way of knowing if they were Voldemort's supporters. Hogwarts became one of the few safe places in the wizardry world. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is also the head of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization created to defend the wizardry world. They fought against Voldemort in every way possible, but they were losing."

Snape fell silent, lost in his memories. "The turning point began with Albus interviewing Sibyll Trelawney for the post of Divination professor. She is a fraud in everything she claims, but she does have an occasional prophesy that is believed to be true. The difference is obvious in that she goes into trance state and she does not remember speaking the prophesy afterward."

"Prophesy," Tommy repeated softly.

Snape glanced at him, wondering what to make of that tone. "That night she made a prophesy, and the beginning of the prophesy was overheard by a young Death Eater which he then told to Voldemort. The part overheard was 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies.' Two people believed the strength of this prophesy. Albus Dumbledore, who reacted by protecting the families he thought the prophesy could be referring to, and Voldemort, who reacted by watching to see who might be born at the end of July. As it happened, two families in the Order had sons at the end of July. Frank and Alice Longbottom and James and Lily Potter, all four of which had faced Voldemort three times and lived, that was a rare occurrence all in itself. Neville Longbottom was born late in the night of July 30th. You, Harry, were born July 31st, only minutes before midnight."

Again, Snape fell silent. "I began spying for the Order around this time."

"You were the young Death Eater that overheard this partial prophesy?" Harry asked.

Is it impossible to leave anything out unnoticed by these boys? Snape growled in his thoughts. "I was," he admitted. "It was the circumstances following that action which led to me changing sides and agreeing to spy for the Order. The Longbottoms and the Potters were now the main targets. Lily was my friend, she'd been my friend before Hogwarts. Voldemort assigned the Lestranges to take out the Longbottoms while he targeted the Potters himself." Snape sighed softly. "The Potters should have been safe. They cast the Fidelius Charm over their home. Fidelius is a complex spell that magically conceals a secret inside a single living soul, the Secret-Keeper. The information is hidden inside that person and is impossible to find unless the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. With that spell cast, as long as their Secret-Keeper refused to speak, Voldemort could have searched the village where the Potters were staying for years and never found them, even if he was looking right in their window. Even if the Secret-Keeper dies, the secret dies with them. Or rather, its status will remain the same as at the moment of their death. Those that they had confided in would continue to know, nobody else. Those that know the secret at that point become Secret-Keepers in the original one's place."

"So they were betrayed," Tommy said.

"Yes. Their Secret-Keeper had joined Voldemort though he was not seen in Death Eater gatherings. Barely a week after they cast the Fidelius, Voldemort came to the Potters home. James and Lily were killed, then he cast the killing curse at the fifteen month old baby. Something happened, no one knows what, but instead of young Harry dying, he received only that scar on his forehead and Voldemort … disappeared. Some say he died, those of us that know better are waiting for him to make his next move. He was weakened, greatly weakened, but …" Snape rolled up his sleeve, showed them his Dark Mark. "He marked his Death Eaters with this which connects us to him. I know he is not truly dead as this still remains." He rolled his sleeve back down. "Albus believed Harry would be endangered in the wizardry world, as it would have been all too easy for him to end up with an unknown Death Eater. He placed Harry with the Dursleys as they were his only remaining blood family, and with them, Albus could place protective wards around the home based on that familiar connection. Harry also would not have had a normal life in the wizardry world. Everyone celebrated the fall of the Dark Lord Voldemort, saw Harry Potter as the 'Savior'. A foolish title to place on a fifteen month old baby, whatever the situation. But our world is all too often foolish. They call him the Boy-Who-Lived."

"If I step a foot into that society," Harry began.

"They will know you. That scar will mark you as the 'famous Boy-Who-Lived'."

Harry sighed. Turning to Tommy, he said, "I guess that means we're both 'children of prophesy', bro. I think the training would be good but … I've seen enough of your life to know I really like being seen as the ordinary one."

Tommy chuckled. There was a knock at the door before he could say anything and Tommy opened the door with a small wave of his hand.

"Hey bro," Jason said. "Kevin and Kyle are here for their lesson. Bulk and Skull too, but they know they're a couple hours early. What do you want me to tell them?"

"I'll be right there," Tommy assured. He turned to Snape. "We're not making any decisions tonight. If you'd like to stay here, there's an empty room down the hall, Harry can show you."

Snape nodded his agreement. "That would be acceptable."

Tommy headed out the door. Before he and Jason were out of sight, Snape and Harry heard Jason asked, "Was he right? Are you really just almost eleven?"

Tommy laughed. "Almost. Not sure exactly when my birthday is but … that's the basic guess."

"You never said you're that young," Jason pointed out.

Tommy shrugged. "Irrelevant logistics."

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