Halloween 1981
James
He sat down on the couch beside his wife and wrapped a comforting arm around her.
The new house was much smaller than his parents house, the house until recently they had lived in. They had moved into the small house in Godric's hollow nearly three weeks ago now, nearly three weeks since they had gone into hiding from the darkest wizard known in the history of the magical world. They had done so to protect baby Harry, who according to Dumbledore Voldamort was after. Sometimes a little part of him was grateful that his mum and dad had passed before the prophecy was unveiled. The bigger part of him missed his parents terribly and wanted nothing more than a hug from his mum and to hear his father’s magnificent laugh that seemed to illuminate any room he entered.
The fire blazed in the fireplace, casting an orange glow on the rest of the sparsely decorated room. The fire served as a reminder of those simple days in the Gyfindor common room. The days when he and the marauders felt like they could conquer the world if they had each other. All their shared laughs and the mutual understanding of each other. Little did they know the horrors of war and the adversity to come.
Truth be told james would have liked to spend halloween with the lads. Moony was off on a secret mission, which james could only assume involved the werewolves. Sirius was off on a last minute mission for the order and pete… actually he didn't know what Pete was up to, he had cancelled his visit not too long ago with a very rushed owl.
Snapping out of his daze he pulled his arm of lily and reached over to pluck the letter of the couch.
dear prongs
can't come tonight. I am sorry.
best pete
He read it over once more and frowned. He hoped Pete was okay, but he supposed that was part of being in the order, constant last minute missions.
‘Tea?’ he asked lily finally breaking the silence that until now had been broken by they sound of harry's plastic toys bashing of one another.
‘That would be great’ she smiled and bent down to scoop the baby up.
James made his way into the kitchen.
In the kitchen he took a minute to gather his thoughts. He knew that there was no point being upset about the fact he would be spending his first halloween in ten yeats without his friends.
He busied himself making the tea. He reminded the owl he had gotten of moony only two weeks ago informing him of the McKinnons brutal deaths. He promptly scolded himself for being upset that his friends wouldn't be present for Halloween, atleast they were all alive and well.
Once the kettle finished boiling he made the tea extra sweet this time- they needed a pick-me-up and took some of the Halloween sweets Sirius had brought over.
Once he was back in the sitting room he put on a brave face. He handed Lily the tea and sweets with a smile. He could sense Lily wasn't happy and wanted to cheer her up.
A while had paseed the idea came to him. It was simple really. He reached for his wand and whispered the incantation.
Multi Coloured smoke billowed out from the end of his wand,much to the delight of baby harry.
“Jammmeess, its way past his bedtime” lily tutted but james could sence the smile she was hiding.
“Its Halloween lils” he replied simply while continuing waving his wand around.
By now the room was semi filled with the harmless smoke and Harry was truly enjoying himself. The baby giggles ricocheted of the walls of their empty house- it wasn't a home yet James decided, maybe one day it would feel like home.Maybe one day Harry would bring home his friends from Hogwarts and show off his collection of brooms and spend hours talking and laughing in the small garden while sipping lemonade under the hot sun. It was the hopes like these that motivated James to win the war.
He continued waving his wand around, all three of them were laughing now. Lily produced a muggle camrea and got the three of them to pose for a picture. Their happy little family, not even the war could break their bond.
All of a sudden a wave of anxiety crashed over James. He was used to having the constant weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders, but this.. This was definitely different.
Thats when he saw a figure walking up the drive, his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Who was it? What did they want? Could they even see the house?
Surley not he thought. James trusted Peter his oldest friend with his whole heart.
Still something deep down screamed at him to protect Lily and the baby.
Springning to action immediately he told Lily to put Harry to bed. Her eyebrows knit together and her face tightened.
“He was enjoying himself” she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Please” he added. Lily obliged and scooped the child up. James could hear the gentle patter of the love if his life's feet going up the stairs.
He was soon pulled from his thoughts by a firm raping on the door. His heart rate increased and he leaped to his feet.
Please let it be one of the maradures he pleased.
He was wrong of course.
He opend the door and was met by a nightmare. His heart sank lower then he would have ever imagined possible. The anxiety was now coursing through him, hes kneews buckled. The man or monster that loomed before him had horrendous red slits for eyes and a near snake like appearance. He was ghostly white and had a black cloak covering nearly every inch of him.
James futility reached for his wand-he had left it on the couch.
Ohh no. Oh no.Oh no.
He was hyperventilating now. He had failed to protect not only Lily but their young son too. He was now gasping for air as he silently prayed Lily and her brilliant mind had found a way to escape.
The man raiswd his wand and James was hit with all the possible memories of a life time. He realised he would never see his sons second birthday, or his first day of hogwarts or his first time riding a broom.
James had failed as a father and it was all his fault. Ohh Peter what have you done now.His heart shattered at the thought of his friend. His first and oldest friend had betrayed him.
Before James could endure anymore emotional turmoil the monster raised his hand and hissed the words.
Lily
She heard the crash and the high pitched sound of delight. She fell to her knees and screamed.The love of her life James Potter was dead. She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces there and then. She felt her heart tear apart. The only man she had ever loved, the strongest man she knew, was dead. The father of her child was dead. James Potter and died. The love of her life was gone.
Her focus quckly changed however and reality hit.Her perfect baby boy was going to die because she couldn't protect him.
Lily had never felt like this before. She couldn't think straight, her mind was racing but there was no way out. That mosnter was going to find her and her baby and kill them both within a second thought.
Once the prophecy had been unveiled Lily had looked into as many as possible books on ways to save her son and had found nothing. She had failed at the most important thing in life protecting her perfect baby boy.
She held the child closer and whipred into hsi ear “Mummy loves you Harry, Daddy loves you” as many times as she could. Her breathing was short and uneven now and she was shaking all over.
The footsteeps cames slowly but surley up the stairs.
She held the baby close and chanted into his ear how much she loved him.
The monster blasted open the door.
“Step aside foolish girl” came the high pitched voice.
Lily would never knew what come on her in that minute, but as he quickly turned and placed a now screaming Harry down in his crib she raised her chin defiantly and said “no”
“what” came the cruel voice”
“You heard me” she scowled.” You can kill me but not Harry, never Harry”
The awful man laughed an awful laugh.
“Foolish mudblood” he drawled. He raised his hand and Lily threw herself before the crib.
An influx of memories of a life unlived flashed before her. All the what ifs and the ways her life could have gone. Her baby's second christmas. first day of school, first heartbreak. She would miss it all.
The last thought she had before her life was ripped from her was the most unpleasant thought of her life. A thought a mother should never have. At Least the three of them would die together. At Least Harry wouldn't grow up unloved. At Least they would be reunited in the afterlife
“Avada Kavava” he hissed.