Summary: What if someone got a message to James and Lily Potter before Voldemort showed up at Godric's Hollow?
What if they had survived?
What if Harry Potter was raised by his loving parents, loving Uncle Moony and Uncle Remus?
Warnings: Dark themes, mentions of blood, betrayal, mentions of death, I'll add more warnings as I keep writing
A/N: Hey guys, how've you been? So it's been a while since I've posted... it's quickly because a thing for me it seems... but I'm here with something different this time!! I have been rereading the Harry Potter series and now... well I have a few au's and drabbled I'd like to write! So I really hope you'll all enjoy this!! I'd love to hear what you guys think!!
It was always dark these days, even by the end of autumn as it was now in Godric’s Hollow.
“James,” Lily’s soft voice came from behind him, rounding the bottom of the stairs, moving towards him by the fire. “He’s asleep. Did you check the protections?”
James merely hummed, reaching out to pull Lily onto his lap, both curling up into each other; “Moony’s still underground, Padfoot is on a mission, we haven’t heard from Wormtail or Dumbledore in weeks…”
“I know, it’s okay.” Lily ran a hand through the uncontrolled strands of hair, feeling James nuzzle close to her neck. “We’ll be okay.”
“Do you actually believe that?”
Lily stayed quiet, contemplating her answer, because like her husband, Lily Potter was less and less certain the longer the days grew darker; “Me, you and Harry… We’ll always be together.”
James sighed at his wife’s words, they were very much needed, to keep him reassured, to keep him grounded within the confines of their protection. They stayed there, wrapped in each other’s arms on the small loveseat, listening to the fire crackle, as if waiting for the sounds of someone approaching. It made James think back to Hogwarts, when he and Lily had only just started dating, 17 and entirely unsure of just what he was doing. They always liked to curl up together, on any chair closest to the fire, Lily’s hands running through his hair, both just sat quietly listening to the noise surrounding them.
Time’s, although just as dark but slightly more dangerous, were a lot simpler when they were at Hogwarts, with all their friends who weren’t being hunted and murdered. Wrapped in the protection of the castle walls, the needed illusion of warmth, but safe, safe enough they wouldn’t be in hiding from such evil. That their son, their tiny, barely one-year-old son wouldn’t be marked for death by Voldemort, who was no doubt hunting them as if it were sport.
From the pleasant enough quiet, came a small tapping, alerting and alarming, both of them shooting up, Lily reaching for her wand in her jeans, James picking his up from the coffee table. Raising their wands as they looked towards the kitchen window, where the constant, rhythmic tapping was coming from, a small, tawny, brown owl sat on the window’s edge, expecting them to allow it inside. Wand still raised towards the ever growing irritation of the owl, Lily slowly followed James into the small kitchen, cracking the window enough to allow the owl to give them access to the small letter.
James inspected the surroundings of their house, before he took the small rolled up parchment from the owls leg, immediately recognising Sirius’ elegant handwriting. It caused a warmth to spread through James he was almost shocked to feel, after weeks of silence from everyone he knew, his best mate finally wrote. Though that warmth was quickly seized, as dread took over the tall mall standing in the small kitchen, ice piercing through his veins at the words written sloppy.
‘It’s Peter. He’s the traitor. RUN. NOW.’
Lily stared wide eyed at James, who’s eyes stayed unfocused on the parchment, though she did not hesitate to turn from him, so fast, her hair looked like a fire trailing behind her. James blinked back tears, of anger or sadness he did not know in that moment, gripping his wand tightly before crumbling the parchment and placing it in his jeans pocket. James started to move with purpose around his house, casting the spells he’d practice so many time after going into hiding, needing to protect his family at all costs. Once he knew they were in place, he started summoning everything he needed to run, from the home Harry would always be too young to remember. Again. James and Lily Potter, always running.
James could hear it now, how everything surrounding the house, even the wind, seemed to go quiet as he approached, as he found the one hidden place. Taking the stairs two at a time, James meet Lily in Harry’s nursery, seeing his wife placing things into a small bag, an undetectable extension charm hiding everything they needed. Without a word, James took it from Lily, starting to put the things he carried into the bag, seeing Lily move towards the crib in his peripheral line of sight, still listening.
James didn’t need to say the words, Lily could hear just as well as James could, but it was a comfort to know they were standing together at the moment, always together. Though it seemed, even if Voldemort had found their hiding place, he still hadn’t gotten through the traps James and Lily had set in the house. Loud bangs and cracks could be heard outside, followed by inhuman growls and shouts, hissing as the tricks the Potter’s had left in case of emergency. For a small moment, James couldn’t help smiling, knowing Voldemort was currently trying to get through hexes and jinxes Moony and Padfoot had helped him put up, a last line of defence.
“Shh, baby, I got you.” Lily whispered to a fussing Harry, who didn’t appreciate being woken up, chubby fingers wrapped in his mothers long hair who leaned over the crib, the blazing orange so different from Harry’s tanned skin. “James, let’s go.”
Before either of them could move, a large blast caused them to stumble, Harry awake now and screaming, staring at his parents on the ground. James was quickest to his feet, hearing footsteps in the dust and smoke coming from the step, pushing Lily behind him as much as he could. It was them, they both saw the piercing, disturbing glow of red eyes, slithering towards them, a twisted smile now just as visible from the smoke.
“I don’t think so.” The hiss of Voldemort’s words shook the small family to their core, before his wand rose towards them. “For that welcome, neither of you should die easily. Sectumsempra.”
Voldemort’s wand sliced towards Lily, though James was quick enough, gallant enough, to throw himself in front of her, taking the brunt of the curse. But Voldemort was precise, smart with his attack, causing harm to both of them, James falling in a silent thud of blood, Lily screaming as loud as Harry’s cries. Lily Potter wasn’t as hurt as her husband, she was able to cast a protection on her son, as darkness took over the entire room, and she could no longer see.
Voldemort cried, wand pointed at Harry, who only screamed, as did the Dark Lord, as he crumbled, the piercing green flash of light rebounding. Lily could not see, but she heard as Voldemort hit the ground as well, three bodies lay on the floor of Harry Potter’s nursery. Harry continued to cry, reaching for his bloody mother and father, not knowing why neither of them reached back out towards him
“J-James…” Lily whispered, reaching a blood hand towards her husband, who was taking shallow breaths, blood pooling on his chest. “J-Jam-“
Lily coughed violently, her body shaking as she tried to drag herself into a sitting position, blinking back tears to look around. She had to see, had to make sure her son was okay, to save her husband, to get them out of there. With what little strength she had left, Lily cast a patronus with a message for Sirius, needing him to come to them.
Her doe was off into the night, Lily dragging herself into a sitting position, breathing heavily as she looked towards Harry. He was alive, he looked competent unharmed from where she could see, unlike her husband who looked almost dead, if not for the short rise and fall of his chest. Next to him, in a heap of black and the palest white Lily had ever seen, was Voldemort, his body dead and decaying on her son's nursery floor.
Lily pulled herself into a standing position, a hold of the small bag and her wand, reaching to pick up Harry, who clung to his mother as he continued to cry. Pointing her wand towards James, Lily levitated his body, before staggering towards the stairs, stumbling down as safely as she could with the weight of Harry and James on her. She struggled out the front door, getting out into the garden and past the Fidelius Charm before taking hold of James’ hand and apparating to the last safe place.
The yell was familiar, on the Potter Manor grounds, Lily saw Sirius Black, wrapped in his leather jacket, hair falling in front of his face. It was all she saw before bracing for a fall herself, holding Harry’s head as she joined James on the ground, hearing Sirius fall to his knees next to her. She only heard bits and pieces that sounds like “Moony” and “St Mungo’s”, only realising that Remus was with Sirius, who was currently pushing Sirius away from James.
The days were dark, especially at the end of autumn, though everything felt darker now.
