Z.R. Stein

Lily Potter and the Escape to Remnant—A RWBY/Harry Potter crossover AU fic

I do not own the characters of RWBY or Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form.

This idea has been fermenting in my head for a while now, pretty much since I first noticed the dearth of really good RWBY/HP crossovers. The only one I've even moderately enjoyed was the fic 'Ruby Potter', which partially inspired this fic, and is worth a read if anyone is curious.

Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale. –Blake Belladonna

. . .

Lily Potter knew that something was wrong.

She wasn't entirely sure how she knew, but she did. There was an elusive feeling at the back of her mind, a fleeting sensation that absolutely refused to be pinned down. It was…worrisome.

Not that she wasn't used to worrisome feelings. Her family was one of the prime targets for extermination by Voldemort, after all. Danger was an ever-present facet of her current life; even protected by the Fidelius charm, danger had never left, not really. It was simply kept at bay for a time.

This feeling though…it was new. Different. It was dangerous, yet not danger. Despite its intangible nature, it weighed heavily on Lily's mind, an oppressive yet invisible presence that dogged her thoughts.

If she had to put a name to it, she would have called it fate. The heavy hand of fate, standing over her, seemingly dissatisfied with her path.

Shaking her head, Lily forced herself to concentrate back on the task at hand, deciding to pin the feeling on being out and about for the first time in months. Dumbledore would probably be rather upset if he knew she was out shopping for a present to give to James for their upcoming anniversary, given that she wasn't sitting at the house with James and little Harry like she was supposed to. Lily, however, didn't plan on telling him about her excursions away from the tiny house in Godric's Hollow. Not after she'd spent the better part of a week creating an experimental portkey that was able to bypass the wards.

Lily privately grinned to herself. The old goat thought he was smart, setting up wardstones around the place that prevented the use of traditional magical transportation, but Lily wasn't known as the most intelligent British witch of her generation for nothing. Once she put her mind to something, there wasn't much that she couldn't do. This new variety of portkey, which she'd dubbed the jumpkey, teleported the holder by utilizing a much shorter magical wavelength than was typically used. The higher level of energy allowed the person holding the jumpkey to bypass all conventional wards and travel further distances at a greater speed, though the things could be a bit…quirky. Lily had accidentally travelled to China several times during the development of the keys, and even now, they often dropped her blocks away from her intended destination. Still, it was a small price to pay for freedom.

Lily shook her head again and continued her shopping trip through the Muggle shopping district of London, the streetlights illuminating her path. Having been born into a wealthy family in Wizarding Britain, James was rather apathetic to receiving magical gifts of any kind, having had access to such things his entire life. Conversely, Muggle gifts fascinated him—the most ordinary contraptions would entertain him for hours as he puzzled out how they worked. It was one part of his personality that she found absolutely endearing, especially now that he'd gotten over himself and his superiority complex.

Lily smiled as she looked at a newfangled digital wristwatch on display in one of the shops. It was the perfect gift for her husband. She handed the cashier a handful of pounds and exited the shop, only to freeze in place.

Not thirty feet away from her, a group of men and women passed by, most of them clearly drunk. They moved as one big group, singing and laughing, but what stood out was their clothing. All of them wore eclectic robes and other colorful garments that stood out like a sore thumb in downtown London.

Wizards and witches, parading around and enjoying the nightlife like they didn't have a care in the world. One of them threw an arm around a passerby and drunkenly slurred "Rejoice, dear brother Wuggle—err, Muggle. For we have achieved hickory!"

The witch to his left giggled and waved a hand in the air "No, no, its victory, you imbecile. Victory against the Dark Lord!"

The passerby, who looked distinctly uncomfortable at being manhandled by strange drunken people, cleared his throat and asked what any sensible person would "What Dark Lord? What are you talking about?"

The wizard who was holding him put a finger up to his unwilling companion's lips and shushed him loudly.

"We don't say his name, brother Muggle. But he's dead now. Dead 'n gone forever. An' all because of the Potters."

Lily's face, already white, paled even further.

"The Potters?"

"Oh yes, great heroes, terribly sad though. Apparently the boy survived, they say 'es the one that done it. Meant for great things, he is. But the parents…"

Another of the wizard interjected into the conversation, nodding solemnly while he did so.

"The father was clearly hit by the Killing Curse, but the mother…they say they weren't even able to find her body. Such a shame too…she was such a pretty thing."

The passerby shook himself free of the group of wizards, intent on escaping from these delusional drunkards. As he hurried away, he felt a crunch underneath his foot. Looking down, the man saw a wristwatch that someone had dropped, the glass face broken from him stepping on it. Frowning, the man hurried away, thinking to himself that today was a very odd day.

. . .

Lily landed nearly a kilometer away from Godric's Hollow, in a copse of trees that was hemmed in on all sides by houses. She took a moment to breathe, trying to understand what she'd just heard.

James was dead. Voldemort was dead. But her son was still alive.

Lily gritted her teeth and shoved her grief down. She couldn't afford to weak at a time like this. She had to get her son.

Casting a quick Disillusionment charm on herself, Lily set out down the street at a rapid clip, heading towards the cottage where she and James had lived for the past few months, only to stop once it came within view. The walls were scorched and blackened, as if there had been a fire, and Ministry officials swarmed in the area. Aurors and cursebreakers stood around the house, conversing in low tones. Lily's grip on her wand tightened until her knuckles turned white, and she crept closer, trying to find out what had occurred without being spotted.

A dark-skinned Auror stood next to an Indian woman that Lily assumed was his partner. They were frowning up at the house, clearly displeased about something. From the looks of their clothing, they were both foreign wizards.

"Something is off about this."

His partner nodded, her arms crossed.

"A child defeating the most feared Dark Lord of the century? Yes, I would agree with you there. Or are you talking about the fact that Lily Potter's body can't even be found?"

The man shrugged and responded "All of it. The house reeks of dark magic, but only of one kind. As far as the investigators can tell, the sole curse cast inside of the house was the Killing Curse. All it does is kill people. And yet, somehow, it was able to completely disintegrate Lily Potter? I don't believe that. Still, it's more believable than the kid surviving the Killing Curse."

The woman snorted in agreement.

"Dumbledore's been pushing rather hard on that. What do you want to bet everyone will believe it simply because he said it?"

"Please, I'm not going to take those odds. The man is worshipped around here like the second coming of Merlin. I hear he's even the one who's taking care of the kid now that his parents are gone."

Lily gripped her wand even harder, causing the wood to creak under the strain. Dumbledore. He had her son. He better have a hell of a good reason for it. She had never really trusted the old man, at least not to the same extent as Remus, Sirius, and James had. She had followed him during the war as he did have experience dealing with Dark Wizards, but she'd be damned if she trusted him to take care of her son, especially after what he'd pulled with the wards.

Lily backed away from the site of her former home, taking care to walk a few blocks away before apparating to the park across the street from Grimmauld place, her body still Disillusioned.

She felt the charm wither away as she stepped across the wardline of the house, but right now, she couldn't bring herself to care. She had a bone to pick with an old man.

The inside of Grimmauld place was contained chaos, as the members of the Order of the Phoenix celebrated, glasses raised high in toasts to victory. It had been a long few years for them, and finally, they could go back to living normal lives.

"DUMBLEDORE!"

All activity stopped as the assembled wizards and witches beheld Lily Potter standing in the entryway of Grimmauld Place, her expression thunderous. The hallway around her seemed to draw in on itself, melting back before the wrath of one severely pissed off witch.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY SON!?"

One of the wizards pointed a shaky finger at her, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. To him, it probably seemed like he was.

The clump of Order members parted for Dumbledore as he strode forwards, a lampshade on his head and a genial smile on his face that Lily could tell was somewhat forced.

"Lily, my dear girl, how astonishing. We thought you were—"

"My. Son. Where. Is. He."

Dumbledore coughed and gestured with his hand.

"Yes, young Harry. Of course. He's just upstairs. Molly has been looking after him."

Lily swept up the stairs like an avenging angel, her skirt trailing behind her as she strode through the door and picked her child up. She cradled him to her chest with an almost fervent need as Molly Weasely spluttered in shock. Something eased in her chest as she held him, and the tears that she'd been holding back came rushing to the front. She cried, sobbing as she clutched her son to her as if afraid he would vanish at any second.

Dumbledore left, sensing that he was intruding on her grief. As he descended the stairs, the old man frowned to himself. He hadn't foreseen this twist; the wards around Godric's Hollow were supposed to prevent any magical form of travel, and there was always at least one agent watching the house. This event shot all of his plans to hell. Lily being alive was fortuitous, but at the same time, unfortunate. He had planned to drop the boy off at his relatives house, erecting blood wards to keep him safe until the time came for him to attend Hogwarts; he had hoped that his relatives attitude towards magic would help the boy gain a humble demeanor, as befitted a true hero. Now, however…doubtlessly Lily would not part with him. Perhaps if James had lived, she would have listened to him, but with her husband gone, he knew that she would cling to Harry with the fierceness of a nesting dragon.

Tapping his chin, Dumbledore set off to find Severus, the beginnings of a new plan forming in his old, crafty mind.

. . .

Lily kissed little Harry's forehead and laid him down in his crib. She stroked the lightning bolt shaped scar that was carved into his forehead, the flesh still an angry red. She was curious about the scar; why was it such a strange shape, and why did her fingertips buzz slightly whenever she touched it? It felt as if it contained some strange form of magical energy that hadn't quite settled in properly yet.

Shaking her head, Lily stood up and wiped her eyes. Dumbledore would have answers, of that she was sure. If there was one thing she trusted about the old man, it was his ability to find out about seemingly anything.

Most of the partying Order members were already gone or sleeping off their antics. Lily crept down the stairs, fishing out her wand and casting a silent Point-Me spell to find Dumbledore. Her wand spun for a moment in her hand before pointing squarely towards the library.

Lily heard voices as she reached the library door, making a split second decision not to intrude. She halted outside and listened, taking care to keep her wand in hand in case she needed to make a quick escape.

"So we are agreed, Severus. You will take over as guardian of the boy at Lily's side, ensuring to guide him along the proper path."

Lily's eyes narrowed, her lips drawing back into a snarl as she realized they were talking about her beautiful, vulnerable son.

"Sir…you know she'll never agree to that. Lily is anything but weak willed, and I know that she doesn't trust me, not at the moment at least."

"I will speak with her, make her see reason. If necessary, I will use other methods. With James gone, young Harry will need a father in his life, one who will teach him proper respect, teach him how to be a humble and good man. I know of your fondness for the girl; please, Severus. Your involvement will help young Harry become the hero that he must be."

Lily's breathe caught in her throat as she felt a profound sense of betrayal and despair. She had no idea what Dumbledore was talking about, but it seemed that the old goat was far more manipulative than even she had thought he was. Whatever he was planning, she would stop him. She'd die before she let him put his claws on her baby boy.

"And what of the mangy dog?"

"I expect young Sirius will have been picked up by the Aurors by now, or if not, they will do so soon. After he betrayed James and Lily's secret to Tom, he went after Peter. Apparently he killed the poor boy in a fit of madness. Such a regrettable thing."

Lily could almost hear Severus' sneer, even from outside the room. A small part of her that wasn't caught up in the maelstrom of her emotions wondered what she ever saw in him.

"I hope they give that bloody traitor the Dementor's Kiss. It's no less than he deserves for revealing the Secret to Voldemort."

"You should not be so quick to judge, Severus. You yourself…"

Lily left before she could hear Dumbledore say anything else. She didn't need to hear any more, it was already too much for her to fully wrap her head around. Sirius. Merlin damn it, they thought that Sirius had been the Secret-Keeper. He must have gone after Pettigrew after he found out about the attack at Godric's Hollow.

For the second time that day, Lily felt a profound sense of grief and panic claw its way into her breast. Grimmauld place was no longer safe for her. Her or Harry. She couldn't trust anyone. Her husband was dead, and his best friend was currently headed off to the most foul place on Earth. She had nowehere left to turn.

No…that wasn't true. That was at least one person she could trust. One place she could still turn to.

. . .

Remus Lupin cracked the door of his cabin open at four in the morning to find Lily Potter standing on his doorstep, a bundle held in her arms. Her eyes were puffy and red, bags already forming underneath. He blinked and opened the door fully, allowing her inside.

"Lily?"

"Have you heard?"
Remus shook his head, confused and very concerned at what had happened to put Lily in such a state.

"James is dead."

Remus felt his heart skip a beat. Those were three words that he never thought he'd hear. Three words he never wanted to hear. Lily continued on, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"Voldemort is dead as well. He came to Godric's Hollow while I was out buying a birthday present for…for James. And…somehow…Harry was able to defeat him or…something."

Remus abruptly wondered if he was dreaming. This was too surreal; he felt like he was falling, his entire life turned inside out with a few words. His eyes glazed, Remus dropped down into a chair. Lily sat across from him, removing the covering from the bundle to reveal her son sleeping in her arms.

"Harry…what? How?"

"I don't know either…but we have to hurry. They're taking Sirius to Azkaban as we speak."

Remus slipped a hand over his face and rubbed his eyes. This couldn't be happening. Everything had gone straight to hell while he was sleeping.

"He would never have…he couldn't…"

"He didn't."

Remus whipped his head up and stared at Lily, managing to gasp out a strangled "What?"

"Sirius was never really our Secret Keeper." Lily's face twisted as if she'd eaten something unpleasant. "James insisted that we make Peter…we didn't…Sirius wasn't…"

Remus slumped back into his chair as Lily fell silent, rocking Harry back and forth in her arms. He remained like that for nearly twenty minutes, trying to comprehend everything that had happened, before an idea suddenly occurred to him. He sat up and narrowed his eyes fractionally.

"I can't…I-I'll need you to swear an oath. And prove that you're who you say you are. Please."

Lily paused a moment, then nodded. She removed her wand and placed it on her forearm.

"I, Lily Potter, swear on my life and magic that I am who I say that I am, and that everything I have said so far is the truth."

A small, fiery light pulsed from the tip of the wand before dissipating, and Remus sank back into his chair, suspicions assuaged. It was a long time before he spoke again.

"What about Dumbledore?"

Lily gritted her teeth. Somewhere in the cabin, a lamp burst in a shower of glass, its structure giving way under the witches rage.

"That old goat fucker was planning to have Snape watch over Harry alongside me. We can't trust him anymore."

Remus shook his head, a protest on his lips, but Lily stopped him with an upraised hand.

"Remus…look…I know it's hard to believe, even with the oath. Honestly, I'm still trying to believe half of it myself. But I know what I heard. I don't have anyone else right now, nowhere else to turn. Please. Help me."

Remus took a deep breath, composed himself as much as he could, and cracked a sad smile that made him look decades older than he actually was.

"Of course…of course. With…with James gone, I swear that I'll do my best to stand by you and young Harry." Remus looked down and murmured to himself "Whatever it takes."

Some of the tension that had been present on Lily's face left, and she offered him a similar smile, before a slightly mischievous look manifested in her eyes.

"So…feeling up to a prison break?"

Remus blinked, then blinked again, before finally looking at his best friend's wife as if she'd gone insane.

"You want to break into Azkaban?"

"Sirius is innocent, Remus. I, for one, am not content to leave him in there. We get him out, and we leave."

"Leave? And where would we go?"

Lily shrugged, sighing.

"I don't know. Somewhere other than here. Anywhere other than here."

Remus nodded slowly, stretching.

"I have a feeling I'm not going to get anymore sleep tonight. So…what did you have in mind?"

. . .

The news of the Dark Lord's defeat was the story of a lifetime. The entire staff of the Daily Prophet was over the moon as they worked on the issue that would hit the streets the day after the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Sensationalism was a major cornerstone of the company, and the heads of the Prophet planned to milk the story for all it was worth. They were planning at least a month of front page stories about the fall. After all, it wasn't as if another story of such magnitude was going to just drop out of the sky.

However, the very next week after the first issue dropped, a new story graced the front pages of the Prophet, one that was read in shock by wizards and witches all over Britain. Its headline was enormous, written in big, blocky letters that grabbed the attention:

November 7th, 1981

Shocking Break-In at Azkaban! : Convict Sirius Black escapes with help from purportedly deceased Lily Potter and suspected werewolf Remus Lupin!

Not even a week after the demise of You-Know-Who, the Wizarding World has once again been sent rocking as the man who betrayed the Potters to their deaths escaped Azkaban. Eyewitness reports say that the persons who aided in his escape were none other than the supposedly deceased Lily Potter and a longtime friend of Mr. Black's, Remus Lupin. The duo of Potter and Lupin were somehow able to penetrate all the way to Black's cell, fight past the Dementors and guards, before whisking Black away despite the powerful anti-apparition and portkey wards that are placed upon the island. Officials are still reeling in confusion as they try to piece together what happened and how the unlikely pair was able to accomplish it in the first place. According to Investigative Auror Leonard Church "We don't know what happened. All we know is that at around 9 o'clock, Potter and Lupin arrived on the island through unknown means, somehow managed to break their way through several defensive wards, fought their way past the Dementors, and left using the same unknown means. The wardstone of Azkaban suffered severe magical damage, though the cause remains unknown." It seems that for the near future, this case will remain an intriguing mystery.

The story was an instant hit and a huge scandal. Questions were asked and inquiries were made, and quite a few fingers ended up pointed squarely at Albus Dumbledore. Eventually though, the entire thing blew over (mostly), but the fates of Black, Potter, and Lupin remained a mystery. It became a favoured discussion topic for years to come; were the three of them still in Britain? Had they escaped the country and were living in a different magical community? Had they lowered themselves to living amongst the Muggles?

Wizarding Britain didn't know it at the time, but none of those guesses were correct. In actual truth, on November 7th, 1981, at precisely 10:38 PM, Lily Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Harry Potter all vanished off the face of the Earth. The jumpkey created by Lily Potter, a finicky device that was still in its early stages of development, rebounded off of the ancient wards of Azkaban and sent the four of them in a random direction, the group of wizards tumbling through space and time a thousand times faster than a normal portkey until they finally landed…in a new world. This is their story…the story of their escape to a place called Remnant, and everything that happened afterwards.

I know what some of you are saying. "But Z.R. you already have two other fics you're actively writing and you're already bad about updating those." Yes…yes I am, but I am trying to do better. And I just couldn't get this idea out of my head, so, it is now here. I am going to try to update one fic every week, so look out for a new chapter of this every three weeks, though don't quote me on that. Odds are it'll probably be another six months before this gets updated again, but hey, a guy can hope, right?