(31st October 1988; Halloween; Godric's Hollow; night-time)
"Are you sure you can handle the boys Wormtail ?" James asked his friend as the two of them stood at the entrance of Godric's Hollow, waiting.
"O-Of course Prongs ! Everything will be fine I promise !" Peter Pettigrew responded to him in a squeaky voice.
Peter was an extremely short man with grubby skin, mousy brown hairs, small watery eyes, and a pointed nose. He and James had been friends for a long time. They, in fact, went at Hogwarts together and were both sorted in Gryffindor, the House of Lions alongside, Sirius Orion Black and Remus Lupin.
Three out of four were equally Animagus : they can turn into an animal. They did it to keep Remus company during full moons. Lupin was a Werewolf after all. James was a Stag, Sirius a black Dog ( a Grim ?) and Peter was a Rat.
Because of this and the fact they were all pranksters, they chose code-names such as Prongs for James, Padfoot for Sirius, Moony for Remus and Wormtail for Peter.
James then fell in love for a Muggle-Born (a Wizard or Witch born from Non-Magical Folks), Lily Evans. He had to wait before she and him started dating. Later they married and Lily gave birth to two adorable boys. The first one Harry was the carbon copy of his father but got the emerald eyes of his mom while his twin brother William inherited auburn hairs and Lily's eyes… much to James' chagrin.
Following their births, Sirius (James' brother in all but blood) became Harry's godfather while Remus became William's. The Werewolf bad objected at first but agreed after a long lecture from both Potters about them not caring about his 'furry little problem'.
However, things went downstairs because of the War. The little family had to got into hiding when Dumbledore told them of a Prophecy stating
'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... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...'
Logically only two families could fit : the Potters and the Longbottoms. Frank and Alice Longbottoms, like Lily and James, had defied the Dark Lord (and his clowns) many times. In fact, Alice gave birth to a young boy she and her husband Neville. He had the same age that Harry and William.
Because the two Houses were allies, they promised to take care of the other's child (children in the Potters case) if something had to happen to one of them.
The Longbottoms, the Potters, Remus, Wormtail, Dumbledore and Sirius, were all members of the Order the Phoenix who oppose the Death-Eaters of Voldemort who wanted to eradicate all Muggle-Borns and Blood-Traitors to purify the Wizarding World.
The battle seemed lost for the Ligh Side until this prophecy came along.
A bit of hope for the Wizard-kind.
Back to present, James and Peter's conversation stopped when another person approached them. It was Lily Evans Potter, wife of James and mother of Harry and William.
"Are they-" James began to ask before being interrupted by the newcomer
"They are both sleeping in their crib~" Lily whispered with a loving smile before the two kissed one another.
Peter looked uneasy at the scene while having second thought about what he was about to do.
"I leave them under your care Wormy… Take good care of them or I will personally skin you !" Lily inquired to her husband's friend with a dangerous undertone and narrowed eyes.
The Rat Animagus shivered in fright, quickly nodded his head. No one wanted to get on Lily's bad side. Satisfied, Lily nodded her head at Peter before looking back at her husband when he said to her
"Lil ! Give him a break ! I'm sure everything will be perfectly fine !"
"Can't a mother be worried for her babies James Fleamont Potter ?!" Lily hissed at him with stern eyes and hands on her hips.
Sweating profusely, the man rubbed the back of his head while chuckling nervously. He knew better than anyone how much his wife could be scary when angered. Because of her fiery temper, she had been called more than once 'Tiger Lily'.
"Of course love of course ! I was just saying that you don't need to worry that's all !" James inquired gently to his wife.
Lily glared at him for a moment before sighing deeply, shaking her head.
"I know but… I have the strange feeling that something bad is going to happen..." the redhead whispered to her husband.
Peter flinched at hearing this but thankfully (for him), none of the two had noticed it.
"Everything will be fine… Now let's go… Padfoot and Amelia are probably waiting for us as we speak !" James inquired in encouragement to his wife who gave him a soft smile before looking back at Wormtail
"We will be back soon…"
Nodding his head at her, Peter watched as both Lily and James apparated away. The two, along with Sirius and Amelia, had planned since the day before to go to a local restaurant. At first, it was supposed to be only Sirius and Amelia Bones but then James decided it was a good opportunity to invite his wife to a restaurant.
Seeing that Amelia and Lily were good friends, everything seemed perfect.
If only both Lily and James knew what would happen that night, they would have NEVER left the house.
Back to Godric's Hollow, Peter was still at the house's entrance, waiting. The rat-like man knew that what he was going to do would change his life forever : his friends will hunt him down and a warrant will be placed on his head. But he didn't cared.
Then he heard a sound and turning his head, he saw a cloaked figure approaching him. Instantly, Peter bowed respectively, showing his total submission.
"My Lord..."
"Wormtail… You did a fine job… You will be rewarded once this is over..." a hissing-like masculine voice erupted from under the hood, causing Peter to shiver in fright.
"Thank you my Lord ! I aim to please and serve you !" Wormtail squeakily responded to him while bowing again.
"Where are the boys ?" the voice asked in a pressing manner.
"Upstairs my Lord… the Mudblood said they were asleep..." Peter replied with his head down.
The cloaked figure nodded his head before making his way upstairs, following by the smaller form of Peter Pettigrew. A few moments later, the two of them entered a room filled with toys and other stuffs for babies but their attentions were mainly on the crib where two little figures laid, unaware of them.
However, as the cloaked man and Peter stepped closer, the babies stirred in their sleeps and a second later, they were fully awake, looking at them with curiosity. Wormtail watched as his Lord stepped closer to the babies and couldn't help but feeling a bit sad for them.
Peter had always liked the little ones and felt a little regret at giving them away but he couldn't defy his Lord… and beside it wasn't a big lost as the two were just half-bloods. Pettigrew had always been jealous of his friends : they had everything he wanted. Money, good looks, prestige… him ? NOTHING !
That's why he joined the Dark Lord in secret. When he went to tell him that he became the Potters's Secret Keeper, the Dark Lord had been GREATLY pleased.
Before coming to Godric's Hollow, Voldemort sent the Lestranges (Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan) to the Longbottoms. Just in case he chose the wrong family to target.
Back to present, the cloaked figure was now standing right above the crib and the two babies were watching him with wide eyes. Slowly, the Dark Lord pulled his hood away from his head, revealing it to everyone to see : he had no nose on his face and his skin was sickeningly pale. He looked to be Half-Snake, Half-Human.
The little ones had different reactions to his face : William was glaring daggers at him (a face you don't see everyday on a child), while his brother was silent. His green eyes shining with curiosity as he titled his head to his right, watching this strange man.
Lord Voldemort, for his part, watched the two infants with narrowed eyes. He had to admit that the auburn haired child was courageous to glare at him like that but he was also admiring the other one as well. Like their parents, none of them showed fear to him.
But then he saw something that caught his attention : on the raven haired boy's right hand, he saw a strange mark that intrigued him. Sevens points with four of them forming what looked like a bowl while the other three was similar to a handle.
"Wormtail ! What is this mark ?" Voldemort asked his servant who approached the crib to look at the boy's hand.
"His birthmark my lord… No one know what this mean… Even the healers..." Peter responded in a squeaky tone.
"Hmmmm…." The Dark Lord hummed in thought as he glanced at the mark. It reminded him of something but he couldn't remember what it was.
Shrugging, he decided to focus back on his mission : destroying the boys. Raising his wand, he pointed it at the most defiant one of the two : William who hadn't stopped glaring at him. Of the two brothers, William was the oldest and the bigger one while Harry was smaller.
"I will start with you first… Nothing personal young one but I cannot let you live !" the Dark Lord declared softy but with an evil grin on his nose-less face.
William's glare hardened even more while Harry babbled in confusion. Peter watched the scene with some sadness on his face but knew that it was necessary.
"AVADA KEDAVRA !" Voldemort roared loudly and instantly, the Killing Curse's familiar green face shot out of the tip of his wands before heading toward its victim.
Harry cried out in surprise at the strange light coming toward them while William wailed loudly. To Voldemort's shock, along with Peter, the spell miraculously bounced once it touched William before heading back toward its caster ! The Dark Lord had just the time to scream in shock and anger when his own spell crashed against him.
The attack was so powerful that it created a massive explosion that literally destroyed the room and a large part of the roof. Peter, who had been frozen in shock, stared at this with wide eyes unable to believe that the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time… was dead. But after a moment, knowing that the Potters would return because of the disturbance in the wards, Peter quickly turned into his rat form before fleeing the area as fast as he could.
As he disappeared, he left behind two crying infants. Both of them were crying because of the loud noise but of the two, only William received an injury. Nothing serious don't worry, just a little scar on his forehead whose pattern was similar to a lightning bolt.
Barely a minute later, a group of people barreled into the room, looking around in shock. There were none other than Lily, James, Sirius and Remus . The Werewolf was dining when he received a call from James and here he was now, at Godric's Hollow.
James and Lily, after feeling something powerful disturbing the wards, rushed to their home. Sirius had quickly joined them, filled with worry about his godson while Amelia, his date, left to her home. Thankfully, their date was over when James and Lily quickly left.
" HARRY ! WILLIAM !" Lily cried out in pure maternal concern as she rushed to the crib where the infants were crying.
At the sight of their mother, both of them extended their arms, wanting to be picked up… something she wholeheartedly did.
"Thanks Merlin you are both alright !" Lily whispered softy as she cuddled her babies who babbled and whined in response.
Remus and James both sighed deeply in relief. At least there was one thing to not worry about.
"Where is Wormtail ?! Wasn't he supposed to be here ?!" Sirius inquired with worry as he looked around.
James opened his mouth to say something but then someone caught everyone's attention.
"E-Everyone..." Remus spluttered as he pointed at something on the ground.
Following his pointed finger, Lily, Sirius and James blinked in shock when they saw a dark robe laying down on the ground along with a familiar wand.
"Isn't that the Dark Lord's wand ?" the Werewolf asked them with disbelief clear on his face.
"It is ! But what is it doing here ?!" James cried out in equal surprise.
"Guys… Think about it… Wormy is gone and there is Voldemort's wand and robe here…" Lily inquired to them as she gently putted her boys back in their crib.
A long silence followed those words.
"I can't believe he betrayed us..." James whispered in shock as he pressed his back against the wall.
"It is all my fault ! If I was made Secret Keeper..." Sirius inquired in anger at himself.
"It wasn't your fault ! None of us have seen it coming… at least the boys are alright… its all that matter..." Lily said to her husband's closest friend who shot her a grateful smile despite still feeling responsible.
"What about the Dark Lord ?!" Remus loudly asked everyone while pointing at the robe and wand.
"We won't have to worry about him before a long time..." an old voice echoed from nearby.
Quickly turning their heads, they all came face to face with a thin and tall old man with a large beard, blue eyes and a crooked long nose who was wearing a purple robe . It was none other than Albus Dumbledore, Defeater of Grindelwald, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix.
"By Merlin, Albus I'm glad you are here but what do you mean ?" James couldn't help but ask as he looked at the newcomer with wide eyes
"Tonight, one of your sons had vanquished Voldemort… but he isn't entirely dead… I think he managed to find a way to cheat Death !" the Old Wizard explained gravely to the people present, his eyes showing nothing but sternness.
"And which one did it ? Could it be both of them ?" Remus asked the Headmaster as the latter approached the crib to look at the boys who were both asleep at this point.
"No… the prophecy was clear… 'the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal'…" Albus said back to the Werewolf before looking back at the boys, examining them.
William, the oldest son, had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead and Albus could detect a bit of Dark Magic inside it. Also his magical core was pretty powerful for someone his age.
Once he finished with the first brother, the Old Wizard turned to the youngest : Harry had no marks on him except the one on his hand but it hadn't been made by the Dark Lord. Even now, he didn't know what it means as birthmarks were pretty rare in the Wizarding World. After a wave of his wand, Dumbledore was saddened to see that the youngest Potter had no magic in him.
"William Edouard Potter is the one who defeated the Dark Lord ! The lightning bolt scar is proof of that ! William is the Boy-Who-Lived !" Albus declared after a few seconds of silence.
Lily and James looked at one another with shock and joy at the news before staring down at their boys with smiles on their faces. Sirius and Remus were equally pleased by the news but then they both remembered something.
"What about Wormtail ?!" Padfoot asked Dumbledore with a snarl of anger.
At the mention of the rat, James and Remus growled darkly while Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously. The Old Wizard turned his head toward Sirius with a grave look on his face
"He had betrayed the Light and brought Voldemort to end the boys… He will be tracked and bring to justice !"
At those words, Sirius and Remus, along with James nodded their heads with eyes filled with determination. The rat must pay !
"However I have something else to say..." Albus suddenly became older than he looked as those words left his mouth.
Hearing this, the adults all became worried as they glanced at one another, wondering what the Oldest Wizard present would say.
"What is it Albus ?" Lily asked him in a tiny voice.
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of such news but the Longbottoms had been attacked… Frank and Alice are both at St-Mungo's… they had been exposed to the Cruciatus..." Albus somberly revealed
The mood darkened even more. Lily's eyes watered at hearing that her friends were at the Magical Hospital and the other three looked stunned.
"What about little Neville ?" Remus asked him with concern.
"He is unharmed and safe with Augusta…."
They all sighed in relief at hearing that the young Longbottom heir was alright.
"Who did this ?!" James asked in anger as he clenched his fists.
"The Lestranges…"
"Damn you Bella !" Sirius roared to the sky in anger.
Bellatrix Lestrange née Black was Sirius' cousin, a Pureblood Supremacist and the right hand of the Dark Lord. Everyone knew her as being a sadistic woman who loved torturing people particularly Muggle-Borns and Half-Bloods.
James and Remus were equally enraged as they were cursing rather loudly. Something that was slowly waking the sleeping boys.
Lily was about to tell them all to 'shut up' when she saw the somber look on the Old Man's face.
"Albus ? What is it ?" the redhead asked him with concern and a bit of worry.
At the question, the other three froze dead on the spot before looking back at the most powerful Wizard alive.
"James… Lily… I'm sorry to tell you this but… Harry…he is a Squib..."
"W-What ?!" James and Lily both spluttered at the same time with shock and disbelief.
"I'm sorry..." Albus repeated as tears started to appear in his eyes.
Sirius and Remus were equally stunned by the news and were unable to say a word.
"I don't care if he is a Squib ! He is still our son !" James declared firmly as his eyes landed back on his youngest son.
Lily's eyes were filled with determination and defiance as if daring anyone to take her son away from him.
"I know James but what will you do if a Death-Eater get him in the future ? Once the words of Voldemort's demise will spread, his followers will want to have revenge on you all !" Dumbledore asked them with a raise-brow.
"I know Albus but I-WE cannot abandon our son like that !" Lily inquired to the Old Wizard.
Staring at them both for a moment, Albus finally nodded his head in acceptance before looking at the other two when they started talking
"No one will touch my godson as long as I'm here !"
Beside him, Remus nodded his head with a determined face.
"So be it...I hope everything will turn out well for you all..." Dumbledore inquired with a faint smile before apparating away.
With the Old Wizard gone, James and Lily picked up their sons before apparating to Potter Manor alongside Sirius and Remus where, after putting the kids to bed, they celebrated the end of the War and the demise of the Darkest Wizard in History.
As he slept peacefully in his crib, Harry didn't know that his life will change drastically a few years later…
(To be continued…)