Where's Privet Drive?
I remember a time when my home was filled with the warmth and laughter of my husband, as well as the wailing, ear piercing cries of my newborn baby Harry. Just a few moments ago I was rocking Harry in my arms as I pace around the house with him crying, I tried my hardest to calm him down wiping at his tears on his chubby little face with the sleeve of a ratty old sweater I had gotten many years ago back in the time of when I attended Hogwarts in the Highlands of Scotland far away from any of the evils I have faced now and the dark lord that sees over us all.
I've heard before that when you die your memories flash in your head almost like a movie to see only the happiest moments before you die, perhaps people say that as no one wants to die with worry or guilt and sadness on their conscious. I realize none of this is true now that my body lays on the floor only a few feet away from my crying baby and the dark lords shadow cast over my body. The memories that flash are not that of happy ones but how what I am experiencing what can only be called a night terror that is occurring in what I once called a home.
My night started out how most of them have been as of late, my clothes were wrinkled and covered in my baby's spit up with my deep red hair all over my face as Harry had picked up a habit recently of pulling and tugging at my hair even stuffing it in his slobbery mouth. All I could do was rock him and beg that he would stop crying so I didn't start. The door bust open hitting against the wall causing the cheap chandelier shake with the zirconia hitting against each other creating a pleasant chime. He walked in with dirty boots against the unoiled floors with his heavy wool coat on, it being obvious he was in to much of a whirl wind of thoughts to bother to take it off. With each step he took the ground would shake and a size eleven sized boot prints would be stamped on the floor. With each step taken a flurry of words would spew out of his mouth, it was obvious something was distracting him, whatever it was however I could not figure out.
As my gaze bore at him I finally could form words looking at his form that was hunched over obviously in a tizzy.
"James? Is something wrong you haven't even bothered to take your coat off," I look at him a bit confused as his behavior was quite odd. I was well aware of our situation and it was within our best interest to lay low at the moment but something was off even for him.
"What do you mean? Have you heard anything? Did anyone tell you anything? Does anyone know where we are?" His words came out in a rush like a fast flowing river that I couldn't even respond to any of his questions before he asked another.
"Nothing has happened as of late, something seemed to have happened to you though."
"Everything is right for now."
"Than why are you so rushed? We had a promise to not keep a secret from one another, not with the dark lord and death eaters roaming more than ever," I held my ground even while holding Harry. My tone was stubborn but I did not have a care for it as all I wanted was his honesty.
"Nothing is wrong as of late I promise, I just think it might be best to stay with relatives for a while or perhaps a hotel. I am just trying to say it may soon not be safe my love."
"If that is what you believe to be the truth than we shall leave, I will not ask anymore questions, all I wish is for Harry to be safe." My tone went a bit low knowing that the world is more dangerous than ever right now.
"Of course Lily love," James' hand went up to my face as he talked in a soft tone and gently took Harry from my arms.
"Go take a few to yourself and I'll watch over Harry." James tossed him into the air just high enough that Harry's mood would immediately brighten and he would start to giggle and coo reaching his hands out toward his father signaling to him that he wanted to go again.
As I watched them enjoy their moments with each other I snuck upstairs into our shared bathroom to wash my face and stare at myself in the mirror for a few moments just to see if it was me in the mirror. My bright eyes that my dear Harry had inherited had bags underneath them and they have started to dull unlike my child's that only get brighten as the days go by. My long hair that had healthy shine now looked brittle and greasy with split ends so far up every strand they might as well have been two. A shower could fix most of the obvious problems I have so that is what I decided to do.
It was later in the night when he showed up. I had laid Harry down in bed again for what felt like the one hundredth time that night. The moon was the only light illuminating his room as I left his curtains ajar. I could see the outline of his face and tufts of dark hair on his head as I slowly shut the door being so careful that it didn't creak and wake him up again to not cause a crying fit to span for another few hours.
As I walk down the steps of my home that creak with every foot I put in front of me. As I get to the bottom of the steps it's obvious that something is amiss, I could almost smell it in the air. When I take my last step down to the bottom I hear the loud bangs of the horribly ugly grandfather clock that sits in the living room, James had insisted we keep it there as it is an heirloom from his family. In an instant bright flashes flood the room as I see James throwing spell after spell to half a dozen death eaters that slammed through the door and broken through our windows.
I rush to find my wand as flashes of reds and greens go throughout our living room. Knowing that James is fighting for his life I cannot let him do so without me, I rush to the kitchen only a few feet away grabbing my wooden wand and rushing back to James. My thoughts of staying quiet so Harry could stay sleeping are long gone now that I am in a battle with the dark lords followers.
By the time I return back to the living room it has felt like hours when in truth it has only been a few moments. I stand only a few feet away from my husband sending spell after spell deflecting everyone of their attempts to get through to us, the hexes they send happen so frequently I can't do anything but block even just to stupify would help us greatly in protecting ourselves and Harry.
In a moment of surprise I can send a spell by to stun them successfully making one drop to the ground, as me and James finally gain an advantage I hear a cry come from Harry's room. My heart pangs with worry however in my head I know I cannot do anything until we fend off what's left of the death eaters that came into our home.
As we're finally down to two death eaters remaining with sweat dripping down my brown and my hair stuck up wildly with a few strands stuck to my face, even though I must appear like a mad woman it is as though there is a light at the end of our long dark tunnel. I look over at James for just a moment, for a few seconds is what it felt like with a slight smile on my face, however in such a second the protection I was giving him was gone and a flash of green, a curse I am very familiar with hits into his chest and he falls to the floor never to get back up.
Seeing him to the floor I feel in shock for a few seconds before I snap myself into a sane thinking throwing curse after curse at the two men with masks that stand before me, such cowards that they couldn't even show me their faces, the faces of the men that murdered my husband. In a moment of madness and unjust thinking I let out the only spell I could muster, the killing curse yelling it so loudly it echoes off of every wall in my house that I couldn't even hear Harry's cries anymore.
The thought of killing a man with such an unforgiveable curse is strong but the thought of saving my son is stronger than that feeling could ever be. I turn my back for a moment trying to back up into the stairs to get to him, to make sure he's safe. I hear the voice of the last man that stands between me and my sons safety, it's quiet but I hear it quickly.
"Sectumsempra."
Lard gashes appear on my abdomen yet for some reason I feel no pain only the warmth of blood that leaks into my clothes and skin. The only thing I can think of is to kill him like I did his partner that now lay on the floor lifeless. I rush up the stairs leaving a trail of blood behind me while I run. I slam open Harry's bedroom door grabbing him from his crib cradling him in my shaky arms abandoning my wand to the ground. I slide down to the floor as my legs start to become heavy and my head feels light.
I touch the little tufts of hair that sit atop his head and caress his soft baby skin, I know that he'll be safe and that is my only worry.
"Remember my dear Harry, Mama loves you Dada loves you." I whisper quietly, however the quiet is soon gone as I hear heavy footsteps approach the doorway in front of me.
I see two pairs of shiny shoes however I can only feel fear as I lift my head that already feels like it's up in the sky. I see the face of the dark lord, Voldemort, and a man I had known from my school days, a man I had grown up with for years, Lucius Malfoy. My heart stops for a moment the only thing keeping it beating is the overwhelming love I feel for my precious son.
My fear is gone as I only feel love, with a sad smile I accept what will inevitably come and look back at the two monsters before me with ferocity. That does not last long however as I see a flash of bright muddy green and everything stops.