STORY TITLE: Lily's Secret
PART: 01 of ?
AUTHOR: Red Jacobson ( )
DISTRIBUTION: , HP Fan Fiction Archive, Archive of Our Own, Hentai-Foundry, Questionable Questing
DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters You Recognize belong to me, they all belong to JK Rowling and her publishers.
SUMMARY: It was a simple oversight, something James wasn't aware of, but it caused a lot of problems for Lily after Halloween 1981.
FEEDBACK: Of course! It Makes Me Write Faster
RELATIONSHIPS: James/Lily
RATING: NC-17
WORD COUNT: 5,117
SPOILERS: None, if you don't know how the Harry Potter story goes by now, why are you reading this story?
WARNINGS: If You've ever read any of my stories, you know what to expect, Oral, anal, Femme-slash, dom/sub, multiple partners, and Femme-cest.
AUTHORS NOTES: Something a bit different from me, since Harry and his generation aren't the major focus of the story, although he will appear in the story. Hope you enjoy it anyway
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster's Office
Sunday, July 17th, 1977
8:00 am
Albus grimaced as the owl dropped his copy of the Daily Prophet on his desk, just missing his breakfast. He didn't want to open the paper, he already knew what the headlines would be, and he didn't care to read about the agonizing deaths of several of his friends. He was there, doing his best to protect everyone, but it didn't work. Tom was there and made sure that Bellatrix and her husband kept him occupied while Tom went after his primary targets.
With a sigh, he opened the paper, and tears filled his eyes at the picture on the front page. Charlus and Dorea Potter were lying next to each other, wands in their hands and looks of determination on their faces, they went down fighting, which they would have wanted.
Albus had heard both Charlus and Dorea saying they wouldn't want to die like Fleamont and Euphonia, wasting away from spattergroit, they would prefer to go out on their feet. Well, they certainly got their wish, but James and Sirius were absolutely shattered by their deaths. He would have to keep an eye on the two of them in September, to make sure that they didn't allow their behavior to backslide in reaction to the deaths. They had improved so much after the unfortunate incident with Severus, and he would hate to see that change.
It was the other picture that saddened him the most, he and Harfang had been classmates, fellow Gryffindors, and that bond was never really broken. Harfang had been at his side, along with Fleamont during his battles with Gellert's troops, they had saved each other's lives so many times, and now he was the last one left alive. He still didn't want to believe that Harfang, the Longbottom of Longbottom would fall, and to a Killing Curse at that! He had dodged or blocked that curse hundreds of times over the years, but the one time it was really important, when Albus depended on his advice and knowledge in guiding the Order of the Phoenix in the fight against Tom, he let his guard down, and was gone.
He felt a twinge of sympathy for Augusta and Frank and Alice, that a night for celebration turned into a nightmare, but unless they found a way to counter Tom and his Death Eaters, it would keep happening. At least they had completed the Wedding Ceremony and the rituals to being Alice into the family before the attack, it would have been even worse if Alice hadn't been accepted as a Longbottom and protected by the wards.
Shaking his head, he put the paper aside and tried to focus on his breakfast.
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Great Hall
Wednesday, June 22nd, 1978
8:00 am
Albus nodded at Minerva and Filius as he sat down to breakfast, a slight smile on his face. He had been extremely worried about James and Lily's wedding, but it had gone smoothly, well, other than the disturbance caused by Petunia and her husband. Albus didn't understand why Lily had invited the woman, Petunia had made her feelings about magic quite clear over the years. Maybe if she had shown enough talent to be accepted, things would have been different, but the older Evans sister didn't have enough of the spark of magic to even brew a boil cure potion, so it would have been far too cruel to let her attend, only to have her hopes crushed.
Although, he didn't remember anything about James and Lily performing the family rituals. He must have used the truly ancient rituals to insure the family grew, and Albus could understand not talking about those rituals. After all, what man really wants an audience as he and his wife consummate their marriage and use the bride's virgin blood to bathe the ward stone? He certainly wouldn't if he'd ever married, and he was a lot more adventurous than James had ever been.
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Potter Manor
Wales
Saturday, September 23rd, 1978
Before Sunrise
Lily shivered in the predawn chill as she stood at the altar awaiting the sunrise, her basket of apples in her hands, wishing she didn't have to be nude under the light robe, but James insisted on following the Potter traditions for the Solstices and Equinoxes. She didn't mind going along with him, but the family rituals just made her more uncomfortable, the feeling of not belonging, not being welcome was almost oppressive, and she didn't know what to do.
She had tried several times to talk to James, to explain what she was feeling, but he stopped listening. He insisted that whatever she thought she was feeling was just her imagination. Maybe caused by the stress of married life, and dealing with her estrangement from her sister. Lily didn't think that was the cause, because she had accepted that Petunia had cut her out of her life years ago. The wedding invitation was Lily's last attempt to reconnect with the last of her family, and when it didn't work, she washed her hands of Petunia and her husband and walked away.
Lily considered talking to Sirius or Remus about what she was feeling, but that would get back to James sooner or later, and he had already told her to stop talking about it, he didn't want to hear it, and she knew that James would see her actions as deliberate disobedience, and she didn't want to deal with the argument that would cause!
She heard James approaching the altar, his offerings in his hands, and as he stepped into position, the first rays of the sun appeared over the horizon. James started chanting the Family Prayer, and Lily joined in when expected, but it was hard to keep the chant when she was feeling an almost physical push away from the altar, and the feeling of disapproval, of not belonging made her want to cry out and run and hide. She didn't say anything, just struggled to complete her part in the ritual.
When James finally finished the Prayer, and their ritual sacrifice of the summer apples had gone the flame, the worst of the feelings faded, and Lily gave a sigh of relief. As the two of them headed back to the Manor, she wondered if there was anything in the library that would tell her what was going on?
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Potter Manor
Tuesday, December 25th, 1979
7:30 am
Lily smiled as James and his friends unwrapped their presents, acting more like little children than grown men. Normally she was be irritated by the behavior, but this morning she was too excited to care! Not only did she have amazing news to share, but lately it seemed that the wards were more welcoming, she had no problems at all participating in the Winter Equinox ritual, and felt the touch of the magic for the first time. It was wonderful!
When James and the others had opened the last gift, she stood up and pulled the envelope from the pocket of her robes.
"James?" She said as she walked closer, getting her husband's attention. "There's actually one more gift for you to open, and I know it's something you will really love!"
James smiled, reaching out his hand, and she put the envelope on his palm. He looked at it curiously, but then carefully opened the seal and pulled out the card. Opening it, he read the parchment inside, and his eyes grew wider and wider, along with his smile, until he jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms, whirling her around as he laughed. Sirius and Remus were asking him what was going on, but he just ignored them, choosing to snog the living daylights out of her instead, and Lily was never going to object to that!
When he broke the kiss, he softly said, "You were right, I do love the gift, and I love you, Lady Potter."
Turning back to his friends, still keeping his arm around her, he said, "The gift Lils gave me is news that in about 8 months there's going to be a Prongs Junior prancing around the room. The pregnancy is confirmed, and Scarpin's Revelaspell shows that we're having a son, isn't it great?"
The gifts were forgotten, laying on the living room floor as the breakfast turned into an impromptu celebration. It was only the security concerns that kept James from calling everyone he knew to invite them to come over. He did manage to reach Frank Longbottom since the families had been allies for centuries, and he found Frank just as excited, for the same reason, Alice had just told him they were having a son as well.
After rounds of mutual congratulations, and Lily and Alice shooing their husbands away from the floo so they could have a little girl talk, Lily ended the call, and the two of them spent the rest of the day in quiet celebration. Sirius and Remus had to go into work, and Peter was off to visit his mother.
It was nice, and Lily snuggled into her husband and fell asleep.
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It was a few days later that Lily was struck by an odd thought. James was at the Ministry, preparing to start his shift as an Auror and she was trying desperately to distract herself when he started thinking about the Potter wards, and how they reacted to her. The wards were more accepting now, but it started right after the Samhain ritual when she and James had celebrated by making love in the moonlight. That was the night that she got pregnant with their baby, with a Potter baby! Was that it, was she being accepted by the wards because she was carrying a member of the Potter family?
Standing, she hurried into the library, determined to find an answer. If she was able to find something in the books, she could show James, and make him understand that it wasn't her imagination. Maybe then she would be able to talk about it without going against his order.
She was just reaching for the books she needed when there was a loud yell from the Floo, and she rushed to the fireplace to see what was going on. Sirius was calling her, and he looked awful. "Lils, you need to get to St Mungo's as fast as you can, Prongs, Frank and I got caught in an ambush, and they got hurt pretty bad. I'm on my way there now. I'll see you there." With that, he ended the call and she hurried to get dressed, trying not to think about what had happened to James, her research forgotten, for now.
Something she would deeply regret before too much time had passed.
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The Hogs Head Tavern
Hogsmeade
Thursday, June 12th, 1980
8:00 pm
Albus wondered at how the hand of fate could be felt in the strangest ways. He had planned to turn Sybil Trelawney down and discontinue the study of Divination entirely unless a student showed a gift for it. He was actually looking to use the money to hire a teacher for a Magical Traditions Course, something that was needed far more than a misty discipline like Divination. But he had decided to interview the woman as a courtesy, he had been friendly with her grandmother Cassandra when they were younger, and Cassandra was quite talented, but he doubted that Sybil could predict anything more than the bottom of a sherry bottle.
That was until she suddenly sat up and a completely different voice came from her mouth, "The One with the Power to Vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..."
Slightly bemused, he found himself offering the woman a job and inviting her to move into Hogwarts that very evening, which she accepted with almost unseemly haste. It was unfortunate that Severus had managed to escape before he could be captured, but at least the bitter young man only heard the first part of the prophecy.
Taking the floo back to his office, he removed his Pensieve from the locked cabinet and put the memory of the meeting in the bowl. Entering the memory, he listened to the prophecy multiple times, until he was certain he had every detail memorized. Almost despite himself, Albus felt hope that the war with Tom and his followers could be ended with Tom's defeat. That's the only person it could refer to, there isn't any other Dark Lord running around menacing people at the moment, and it was only right that he be the one to receive the gift from the Fates.
Leaving the memory, he returned it to his mind and locked up the Pensieve once again. Sitting back, he started going over the members of the Order, trying to think about who might meet the criteria. He reached for a lemon sherbet and popped it in his mouth, letting the sweet and tart flavor flood his mouth. Poppy was always after him to cut down on his sugar, but it always seemed to help him concentrate better, so he kept his candy bowl filled.
First off, which members of the Order had wives that were pregnant. If he remembered correctly, that was Arthur and Molly, but their child wasn't due until September, so they didn't qualify. Besides, neither of them had crossed wands with Tom even once, let alone three times. No, the Weasleys are not having the Prophesied Child. That left the Potters and the Longbottoms, and all four of them had been active against the Death Eaters, and they had all fired curses at Tom when he attacked the Longbottom Wedding. And both families were expecting their sons at the end of July, the seventh month.
Maybe Severus hearing the beginning of prophecy isn't such a bad thing? It might be enough to distract Tom as he tries to find out who 'the one is. I just need to find a secure way to protect both families, so the boys grow up to be able to vanquish the Dark Lord.
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Potter Manor
Wales
Tuesday, July 15th, 1980
Late Evening
They sat there, stunned speechless as Dumbledore let himself out. Lily's mind was racing, trying to think of a way to protect her family, especially her son. No bastard of a dark lord was going to kill her Harry, she'd see him in Hell first! James seemed to still be in shock, and he wouldn't respond to anything, so she left him sitting on the couch as she forced herself to her feet. Moving as quickly as she could, she started toward the library, and, not for the first time, was grateful that it was on the lower floor of the Manor.
Putting aside the research she had done on the wards' reaction to her, she wasn't finding anything useful anyway, she started searching for different ways to trap and destroy an intruder, preferably using the enemy's magic against them.
Sitting down in the most comfortable chair, she called Dolly, her personal elf to bring her a cup of tea and some biscuits to nibble on. Reaching for the fresh notebook, something that James always looked oddly at, she started writing the requirements for what she wanted to do.
She was still writing and having Dolly bring books to her when James stumbled past the open library door.
It was nearly three hours later that she realized the pages were completely blurred, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Pushing away from the work table, she shuffled over to the day bed that she had installed when she couldn't make it up the stairs any longer.
She managed to get her slippers off and stretched out on the bed. It was difficult to get comfortable, the way Harry was bouncing around, but she managed, eventually. She wasn't surprised that her dreams were full of arithmantic formulas as she tried to design a hellishly difficult spell.
Lily was still exhausted when she opened her eyes the next morning, but she brushed it aside, her baby was in danger, and she could sleep when Harry was safe!
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Daily Prophet
November 1st, 1981
Voldemort Dead! Body Recovered and Burned by the Department of Mysteries
Potter Manor attacked on Samhain, James Potter sacrificed his life to protect his wife and son.
Dark Lord defeated by unknown magics, Unspeakables said to be investigating
Lady Potter and Potter Heir are in seclusion recovering from the attack.
Hogwarts Medical Wing
Sunday, November 1st, 1981
Before Noon
The ward was quiet, with protective barriers around the bed and the crib, keeping curious eyes away. Lily was sitting up in bed, her baby, her Harry suckling at her breast, staring at nothing. James hadn't believed in the spell she created, depending on his dueling skills, and now he was gone! It hadn't completely registered that her husband was dead, Lily was sure she would hurt soon enough, but for now, she just felt numb relief that she and Harry were still alive and safe. She would take the time to mourn James later, she needed to figure out what to do next.
Listening closely, she heard soft voices outside the privacy curtains and recognized them as Sirius and Remus. She smiled slightly, of course, they would be there, they loved Harry as much as she did. She had no idea where Peter was and didn't care, only to hope that the rat was torn apart by a flock of owls, the traitor! She saw him walking beside Voldemort, taking him through the wards and allowing the dark idiot to reach the house. She had already told Dumbledore and the others that Peter was the one who was the spy in the order and had betrayed them, so they knew he was the enemy if he was seen.
Calling out softly, so she didn't disturb Harry at his dinner, she said "Sirius? Remus? Can you come in here please, I need to talk to you."
A moment later, one of the screens was moved aside, and the two walked in before moving the screen back to give them privacy. She winced at the look of the two of them, they were obviously shattered and trying to hold it together so they didn't fall to pieces. Lily could understand how they felt, but Harry was depending on her, on all of them, they could fall apart later.
"Sirius, have you been to the Manor yet? I need you to get there as soon as possible to secure the house from any treasure hunters. Also, take a look and see what sort of repairs are needed, because Harry and I need a place to live, we won't be here more than a day or two. Understood?"
Sirius stared at her, before shaking his head roughly as his eyes cleared and color returned to his face. "You got it Lily, I'll be back as soon as I can with the condition of the Manor."
When Sirius left, she turned to Remus and handed him a letter. "Take this to Gringotts, I've included a drop of my blood authorizing you to have the goblins execute James will. Take a copy to the Ministry to make sure they don't misfile it. After that, send me a message and then go take a dreamless sleep and get some rest. You aren't any use to me or Harry right now, and we're going to need you and the mutt more than ever in the next few days, got it?"
For the first time that day, Remus smiled slightly and gave her a salute as he left her alone.
When Harry finished eating, she burped him and set him down in his crib, where he started playing with the stuffed stag, dog, and wolf. The rat was burned and the ashes vanished before they were brought to Hogwarts last night.
Reaching for her notepad, she started writing, making plans for what needed to be done now. Keeping her mind busy was always the best way for her to deal with problems, and she hoped it would work this time as well.
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Sirius' Flat
93 Diagon Alley
Sunday, November 1st, 1981
Late afternoon
"I don't know what it is Paddy, but something is seriously wrong. Gringotts refused to even acknowledge Lily's blood, saying that they needed a Potter to access the will. What the hell does that mean? If Lily isn't a Potter, then who is? Harry's a Potter, no doubt about it, but he's too young to even take the Heir Ring."
Sirius frowned, "I can't understand why something like that could happen, I mean, we were all at the Wedding, and magic accepted their bonding, so why isn't she considered a Potter?" He went quiet suddenly, and all the color drained from his face. "I hope I'm wrong, oh Merlin, do I hope I'm wrong, because if I'm not, Prongs fucked up massively, and Lily and Harry are going to suffer from his mistake."
Remus shot up in his seat, spilling the cup of tea all over his lap, and he started dancing around, cursing the hot liquid. But when he was able to ease the heat, he growled, "What the hell are you talking about Padfoot? How the hell could James fuck something up that badly? That's usually your department, remember Snivelus?"
Sirius didn't even flinch at the reminder of what he had done, and Remus knew that his brother was really worried about something. Sirius just shook his head, "You probably weren't aware of it, because your parents weren't pureblood, but in order to bring somebody into the family, so the family magic accepts them, there are a series of rituals that need to be done. They are private, and most families don't talk about them until a family member is about to get married, so James might not have even known what was needed. Charlus died before James and Lily even got engaged, so he wouldn't have had a chance to tell him."
"So you're saying that James didn't perform some rituals he wasn't aware of, and now Lily isn't considered a Potter? Oh, that's fucking lovely, Pads, any other good news for me? Maybe Fenrir Greyback is coming for dinner? Or you've gotten me a date with your cousin Bellatrix?"
Sitting down, he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Shit! What the hell are we going to do Pads? We can't leave Lily and Harry out in the cold. We owe it to Prongs if nothing else to see his family taken care of since he can't do it."
Sirius sat quietly for a few minutes, his head tilted back in his classic 'thinking' pose. Remus waited, doing his best to think of a solution and coming up blank. If it weren't for his damned condition, he'd have more options, but as a registered werewolf there was very little he could do.
Finally, Sirius lifted his head and looked at him, "First thing we need to do is go see Lily in the morning, we need to find out if we are even right about what we suspect. If they actually did the rituals, then we need to find out where the problem is. But, if James didn't have them do the ritual, then we need to make sure that nobody, but nobody finds out about it, not Dumbledore, not the Ministry, nobody! If even a whisper of this reaches the ears of Lucius Malfoy or one of his ilk, Harry would be taken away from Lily and the Potters would be robbed blind, all their family magics absorbed into the Malfoy or other families, and Harry would be lucky to live to receive his Hogwarts letter."
"What I'm thinking is, we let the word leak that Lily is too distraught over the death of her husband, that she can't face living in the Manor for right now. The wards will keep anybody who is unauthorized from getting in there, so we can lock it down until Harry is old enough to take over the Head of the Family. As for a place for her and Harry to live? Well, it turns out that I was never actually kicked out of the family, and Grampa Arcturus actually made me his heir, so I have access to plenty of money, and several properties, including a couple of really nice houses that are sitting empty. One of them is in Devon, not far from where the Weasley's have their house, so there will be other kids around to play with."
Remus nodded, "That sounds like a good start, and we can talk to Lily about it in the morning, but I don't know about you, but I'm bloody exhausted, I haven't slept in at least 36 hours, and I'm too tired to think right now."
Sirius yawned, "You aren't the only one, Moony, I'm going to write down our ideas, so we don't forget overnight, and then take a Dreamless Sleep, do you want one?"
Remus snorted a laugh, "Yeah, in fact Lils practically ordered me to take one and get some sleep, and I really don't want to risk her temper right now."
"Me either, Moony, me either!" Sirius finished writing down his thoughts, and then pulled the two potions out of the cabinet and they headed to the bedrooms, trying not to think about what the morning would bring.
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Daily Prophet
Monday, November 2nd, 1981
Chaos in the Wizengamot! Dozens of members of the Traditionalist Block, other family members were found dead, a large burn scar on the inside of their arms. Malfoy, Lestrange, Carrow, Flint, Snape (Heir to the Prince family), many others believed dead or missing. Is there a connection with the Former Dark Lord? Investigations are ongoing
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Various Locations
In an alley behind a run-down building, the body of a stout young man, with rather rat-like features, was found, a look of pain on his face as his hand grasped his left forearm. He carried no identification and police are asking for anyone who may know this man to come forward. (From the Times of London, November 2nd)
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The Ministry of Magic offers our deepest sympathy to DMLE Director Crouch and his wife, who suffered a terrible loss this past Friday, October 30th, when their son Bartemius Crouch Jr died after a fall. The body was cremated and the ashes were interred in the family crypt. Director Crouch asks that we respect the privacy of his family as they deal with the loss.
(Ministry Announcement released to the Press, November 2nd, 1981)
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Hogwarts Medical Wing
Monday, November 2nd, 1981
7:00 am
Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing, her bullheaded husband, because he refused to take her concerns seriously, had never insured that she was considered a Potter, and if it weren't for Sirius and Remus she'd probably lose Harry and end up out on the streets? Hell no! She wasn't going to let that happen, there had to be a way to work around it. Their idea of not wanting to stay in the Manor alone would work for now, but she still needed Sirius to get the books from the Library, and their personal items and clothes, so Harry will be surrounded by familiar things.
Taking a deep breath, she released it, forcing herself to calm down, she didn't want to upset Harry, and getting angry won't accomplish anything. When she felt she was under control, she gave Sirius and Remus a shaky smile.
"Thanks you too, at least things aren't as bad as they could have been. If I had known about those rituals, I would have understood why I always felt unwelcome, but if James didn't know about them, he wouldn't have recognized what was happening even if I could have made him listen. But, what's done is done, our priority now needs to be to protect Harry, he could be seriously harmed if anybody finds out about it. Agreed?"
Both of them nodded, so she continued, "We need to swear an oath of secrecy so nobody else finds out. It doesn't have to be an Unbreakable Vow, but it needs to let us know if we are about to reveal something we shouldn't."
Neither of them had any objections, and after adding yet another layer of privacy spells, on top of the spells that Remus had cast when the first arrived, even checking for any listening charms or Animagus forms that were hidden, they worked out the wording and swore the oath.
They spent the rest of the morning making plans until she sent them to Potter Manor to gather up all of her and Harry's belongings and moved them into the house in Devon. Poppy said that she would likely be fully recovered from the strain of casting the spell within another day or so, and she could be released.
It wasn't going to be easy, but Lily would make sure that Harry grew up right, and knew enough not to make the boneheaded mistakes that his father did! But that was a fight for the future, right now she needed some sleep.
End Chapter One