Harry Potter and the Incubus Inheritance: Harry Potter and the First Downfall

Chapter 1 – Strength and Courage

Summary: Newly graduated from Hogwarts, James asks Lily a very important question.

A/N: So there are quite a few changes to canon in this story. I will reveal most of them as the story comes along, but here are a few things to take note of just so the beginning makes sense.

- James parents are Charlus and Dorea. I know it's been revealed that they're actually Fleamont and Euphemia but I wrote this story before this was known. I'm sticking with Charlus and Dorea.

- This is an important change: LILY IS MADE INTO A PUREBLOOD FOR THIS SERIES. This is due to several reasons which will be made known during the course of this story. Petunia is a squib.

- Lily, James and the Marauders were born late 1959/early-to-mid 1960. They attended Hogwarts from September 1971 to June 1978 (canon). It wasn't exactly specified when James and Lily were married so I'm putting the engagement in June 1978 right after their graduation.

- I'm placing Petunia's birth in 1954 and Vernon's birth in 1953. They married in 1977 (the year before this chapter), less than a year after Petunia's university graduation, much to the disappointment of Lily's parents and their extended family (they'd hoped that Petunia would marry a muggleborn or a half-blood so that her children would have a greater chance of inheriting magic, after the disappointment of Petunia being a squib).

- This is a VERY PARTIAL, almost NON-EXISTENT crossover with Charmed. The ONLY Charmed-related elements here are Harry's powers and the light-show that will occur during his birth. I will post a video link on my profile page to show the birth of Wyatt Halliwell (the character on Charmed whose powers I used for Harry in this series), and another video link to show all of Wyatt's powers, which are also some of Harry's powers in this series. Please watch them as they would give you a visual of what the birth and the powers look like. They're quite short and won't take too much of your time. Harry's powers (taken from Charmed and my imagination) are used almost by will alone and though he'll have to learn when he's older, these are things that come naturally and powerfully to him. There are very few people with that sort of magic in my 'Incubus Inheritance' universe. The people who were born with this magic are said to be born with Old Magic running through their veins and are the only ones who can channel Old Magic (this term was NOT taken from Charmed). There are only 4 other people still alive asides from Harry who were born with Old Magic – Nicholas Flamel, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald and Tom Riddle Jr.

- This is also a VERY PARTIAL crossover with BBC Merlin. As you'll read on within the story itself, there are several aspects of the Arthurian legends that will be incorporated into it. These aspects are mildly derived from the BBC Merlin interpretation of the Arthurian legends. I will tweak THEIR version to suit HPII. Also, "Old Magic" mentioned in HPII is similar to what Merlin can do in the series, as opposed to the magic that can be learned by other sorcerers in the show (do watch it if you haven't, it's brilliant).

- VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ OR YOU WILL BE VERY CONFUSED:

NOBILITY AND WEALTH: The Potters' wealth and nobility is always exaggerated in fan fiction and I intend to do it here though I have put what I hope is a semi-fresh spin on it.

The Potters live on a large plot of land, an island archipelago, in South-West England called Æsctir (it is pronounced ASH-TIR). Muggles don't even know it exists due to its wards and unplottable location, making it seem as though there's nothing but ocean where Æsctir is, repelling muggles from ever coming close to the outer wards. They own Æsctir in all its entirety.

Two sides of Æsctir are surrounded by water while the other two are surrounded by land. There are several towns and villages in Æsctir and the capital is the City of Godric, a fortified city where Camelot (the palatial residence of the King and his family) is located. Though Æsctir is an island archipelago, it is connected to England through a thin strip of land; it was used as a trading route and has since been turned into railroads for a direct train from England to Æsctir.

The island archipelago is made up of 7 main islands – Jamestown, King Arthur's Port, Emerald Bay, Peverell Abbey, Bodega Valley, King Fisher's Lagoon and Drakesworth. The City of Godric (the capital of Æsctir) and Camelot are located on the island of Peverell Abbey.

Æsctir is the wizarding name for England. It is a part of Albion, which consists of Æsctir, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (in its entirety). King Charlus is the reigning monarch for the whole of Albion.

The Potters are royalty - the only wizarding royal family left in the UK - and they rule over Albion as Kings and Queens. Albion is an absolute monarchy - THERE IS NO BRITISH MINISTRY OF MAGIC. Instead, we have the Council (which replaces the Ministry) and we'll have players like Fudge, Umbridge, etc., making us fume as part of the Council. The Potters are also of the highest order of nobility - the King and Queen (Charlus and Dorea) have no noble titles since they're reigning monarchs. James, the Crown Prince, holds the rank of Grand Duke (which in reality is non-applicable in the UK, but I'm taking creative license FOR THE WIZARDING WORLD OF ALBION ONLY). He's the only one in the UK with that title.

Just to be clear, the City of Godric (the capital of the island archipelago Æsctir) is also the capital of Albion. It's most commonly referred to as simply "the Capital".

- To sum up the Potters and Evans' backstories: the Potters ARE British wizarding royalty and nobility of the highest order, the wealthiest wizarding family in the world, and are one of the most politically and magically powerful families. They rule over Albion in an absolute monarchy. They own an island archipelago in South-West England called Æsctir, where the castle called Camelot is located. Godric Gryffindor married King Arthur's only child, a daughter he had with his wife Queen Guinevere, a thousand years ago. When King Arthur and Queen Guinevere died, their daughter became the reigning monarch. When the time came, her son with Godric was named King.

- The Council replaces the British MOM - they have no authority over the King and are simply his advisers. The Evans descended from Irish and Welsh nobility. They're not as wealthy as the Potters, but they are one of the wealthiest pureblood families. The eldest Evans male is a Marquess. The Potters and Evans have seats on the Wizengamot and are politically influential and active in Albion.

- It has been brought to my attention that royals do not use surnames. I actually did know this before but I'm drawing inspiration from BBC Merlin where, if King Uther and Prince Arthur weren't being called King Uther and Prince Arthur, they were called by their full names. Arthur Pendragon. Uther Pendragon. I realise that's not how it works with royals, but I'm leaving this bit in because I don't think this series would go on without anyone calling Harry 'Harry Potter'.

- TO RECAP: The Gryffindor family, married into the Pendragon family and now called the Potter family, has always held onto the throne of Albion. There is a law that forbids anyone without Gryffindor blood to claim the throne. The capital of Albion, which the island of Æsctir is a part of, is called the City of Godric and is commonly called "the Capital". The royal palace is situated in the City of Godric, and is called Camelot - it is the same legendary palace where King Arthur once lived in. Charlus Potter, Harry's paternal grandfather, is King. James is Crown Prince. Harry is Prince (or will be once he's born).

Lily and James will be married in late June 1978. Here, we see the proposal.

Æsctir is an Old English word meaning 'glory in war'. It is pronounced ASH-TIR.

The title of this chapter comes from this quote by Lao Tzu: 'Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage'.

Timeline: June 1978.

Location: Camelot, Peverell Abbey, Æsctir, South-West England, Kingdom of Albion.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Charmed. Those rights belong to JK Rowling and Constance M. Burge. I am merely playing with JK's characters and Burge's ideas for supernatural powers. I mean no copyright infringement.

Lily Evans closed her eyes, her lips turning upwards as a sweet scented breeze blew through her, ruffling her hair and making her heart swell with nostalgia. This part of the gardens at Camelot was heavy with lavender and it reminded her of home – her mother's favourite flower was lavender and it had grown in abundance in the gardens of Aoife Evans' childhood home in Ireland. When they had gotten married, her father Arwyn had had an entire lavender garden grown at Gwynhyrfar Castle.

It would be a year to the day in just a few weeks since the attack at Gwynhyrfar, her father's Welsh estate, and a year to the day since her family had been rushed to Camelot for protection. Thanks to the strong wards and protections that Merlin and Godric Gryffindor had put in place over a thousand years ago, Camelot was even better protected than Hogwarts. The Evans family, including her father's second and third wives and Lily's half-sister, had all been given full refuge under King Charlus' protection despite the fact that they were undergoing their own grief.

Just days before the attack at Gwynhyrfar, Dorea Potter – James' mother and the Queen – had been brutally murdered by Lord Voldemort himself. She had been travelling back to Æsctir with her husband after a peace conference in Russia and they had been attacked en route. While they had secured Russia's loyalty against Lord Voldemort (they would stay neutral and wouldn't allow any of Voldemort's followers to seek refuge in their territories, let alone allow them to strengthen their armies there, but they wouldn't be actively joining in the war either), James had lost his mother. Charlus had survived but the Queen had passed away in battle after a grievous wound had been inflicted on her.

Lily had never been more grateful that her entire family had gotten away safely, step-mothers, half-sisters, irritated squib sisters and magic-hating muggle brothers-in-law included; Petunia had kicked up a fuss when their father had pulled her out of her perfectly normal muggle life and taken her to Camelot with the rest of them. She had only agreed when Arwyn had agreed to take her new husband Vernon Dursley with them as well. It hadn't made either of them pleasant to be around – especially since they'd shrieked and complained at every little show of magic.

Truth be told, it had been quite embarrassing.

However, in the face of the horrifying attack at Gwynhyrfar and the gloomy mood at Æsctir following the death of their Queen, no one had spared a second thought to the squib daughter of the Evans family and their peculiar son-in-law with his strange disapproval of all things magical.

Lily had seen a different side to James Potter that summer. He wasn't the obnoxious prankster or the arrogant Prince. He was a grieving young man, heartbroken over the loss of his mother and struggling to come to terms with his building responsibilities as the war raged on and his seventeenth birthday (and with it, his coronation as Crown Prince) drew nearer and nearer.

Though his friends – the famed Marauders – had been at Camelot the entire summer, they hadn't been the immature brats she'd been unfortunate enough to know for six years. They had been supportive of James and helpful in ways she had never seen them to be. Remus had already been her friend before. Quiet and unassuming whenever he wasn't in the presence of his prankster friends, she had enjoyed his companionship when they studied together in the library and when they'd performed their duties as Gryffindor prefects.

She hadn't counted on enjoying the companionship of James and the other Marauders, however, and it had taken her aback when they'd shared their first laugh together.

She was even more taken aback when, just weeks after her arrival at Camelot, her father had come to her and told her of James' official request to court her. He hadn't once made a lewd remark or flirt with her the entire time since she'd arrived, and it had been disconcerting for her to experience. He had been so withdrawn, so heartbroken, nothing at all like the lively boy she'd known almost her whole life.

She was doubly shocked when the thought of being courted by him hadn't repulsed her this time. She had even felt flutters in her stomach. The shock of her sudden realisation that she had affections for James had made her agree to the request, much to her parents' jubilation.

A year of courtship later and here they were, recent graduates of Hogwarts.

James, of course, was busy taking upon his responsibilities as the Crown Prince of Albion. With Albion taking an active role in the dark war against Voldemort, his responsibilities were mounting day after day.

Lily was a little bit lost these days, wondering what her role would be now that school was over. She was the daughter of a nobleman, a marquess no less. Jobs had never been in her future. But she had far too much intelligence, far too much to offer, to simply be a courtesan, a wife of a nobleman. Even being the wife of a future King wouldn't satisfy her.

James had an entire country to look after, a war to fight. She had nothing to look forward to.

A sudden heaviness that had been so familiar to her these past few weeks settled uncomfortably in her heart.

A pair of soft, warm lips pressed against her cheek from behind and Lily jolted, startled. She smiled when she caught a whiff of a very familiar scent.

'James,' she murmured. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned around to face him as their arms wrapped around each other in a loving embrace.

'What are you doing all the way up here?' James asked, his voice light with humour as he looked around the stone turret she had chosen as her hideaway.

Lily shrugged, a bashful smile on her lips. 'I was just enjoying the view of the gardens below,' she told him coyly.

'Well, I can do you one better,' he boasted, his hazel eyes sparkling warmly. 'Will you agree to accompany me to the garden? It's a beautiful day – we should enjoy it while we can.'

Lily smiled brightly. 'I agree,' she nodded. 'And, yes, I will accompany you. Thank you for asking me.'

He stepped back from her embrace and held out his arm for her to take, leading them down the steps of the tower so they could make their way through the gardens.

Lily sighed contentedly at the serene setting they were in – they were walking down a cobbled path between artfully formed beds of lavender flowers and a peaceful, crinkling lake. With every moment that she spent in James' presence, the heaviness in her heart grew lighter.

'I'm surprised you have time for me,' Lily teased, turning her head up to look at James. 'You've been so incredibly busy lately.'

James nodded, a serious look entering his eyes. 'I apologise for that,' he said sincerely. 'Father and I have been working tirelessly with Dumbledore…The attacks are only getting more and more frequent.'

Lily searched his face and frowned at the severity of his expression. 'I know how badly things have gotten,' she said tentatively, even though she didn't. Not really. 'And…I'm aware of the…precautions Dumbledore has been taking to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters.'

James stopped walking altogether and turned his body to face her. 'What do you know about such things?' he asked suspiciously. His father would flog him in public if he thought he'd betrayed Order secrets to impress his lady.

Lily tried to give him her best innocent expression. At the roll of his eyes, she knew she hadn't succeeded. 'There are certain benefits to being the daughter of such a high-ranking nobleman,' she admitted.

'Your father told you?' he sounded displeased.

Lily shook her head. 'No, no, of course not,' she was quick to disagree. The last thing she needed was to get her father in trouble. 'I've simply...found ways to discover information being exchanged within the walls of Gwynhyrfar.'

James suddenly looked amused. 'You mean you eavesdropped,' he corrected her, his voice teasing. His feet moving again as he led her farther down the path. She was happy to note that he didn't sound angry.

'Perhaps,' she teased coyly.

'And what do you plan to do with this particular piece of information?' James pressed.

'I plan to use it,' Lily said determinedly. James gave her a curious, wary look. 'Don't look at me like that, James. It isn't anything malicious, for Merlin's sake. It's just that…I feel so very useless, just sitting around all day when the war is waging on.'

'You haven't been useless,' James assured her. 'Ulfric tells me you've been quite helpful in assisting him with the wounded.'

Lily blushed slightly. Ulfric was the court physician at Camelot. He was positively ancient – he had been the royal physician since King Charlus was a baby – but his knowledge was vast and impressive. Lily, who had always been good at Charms and Potions, and had had more than a passing interest in Healing, had learned a lot from him just by assisting him in healing the sick citizens of Æsctir and the wounded soldiers and knights who'd fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

'And it's been great working with him,' she said honestly. 'I'm glad that Ulfric believes me to be helpful, but I feel as though I should be doing something more.'

There was no hiding his trepidation as he asked, his words slow and concise, 'What exactly do you mean by that?'

'I think I should be allowed to join the Order.'

James almost choked on his next breath of air. 'Lily!' he hissed, looking around as though to find unsavoury characters snooping in on their conversation.

Lily rolled her eyes. The palace was the most fortified place in the world, by means of magical wards, powerful guards and walls carved with runic enchantments. The palace was even safer than Hogwarts. There was no way any eavesdropper could be listening in to them.

Once he was certain that there was no one around, James turned to look at her sternly. 'Lily, you're not supposed to know about the Order,' he chided.

Lily ignored that. 'Don't patronise me, James,' she scolded. 'I have as much right as anyone else to fight for our freedom and defend our people.'

'You should leave the fighting to the rest of us,' he urged her.

She glared at him. 'Why, because I'm a woman?' she snapped angrily, insulted. 'I'm better with my wand than most of your esteemed guards!'

'I know that,' he hastened to assure her.

'So you agree that I'm skilled?'

'Of course I do – I've seen you, remember?' he said soothingly. 'I remember the way you duel in class, and I've seen you take on Bellatrix Lestrange at the Hogsmeade attack. I know you can do this.'

'Then why do you oppose my entry into the Order so much?' she demanded.

He sighed loudly. 'Because!' he snapped. At the hurt look in her eyes, his gaze softened and his expression lost its fierceness. 'I'm sorry. It's just…It's too dangerous.'

'Alice Longbottom has already joined,' she pointed out to him. She had overheard her parents talking about the newly wedded Alice joining her husband Frank in the Order just days ago.

'Alice isn't you,' he protested. 'I don't care for her as I do for you.'

Lily shook her head, turning her head away. 'I can't take another day of this, James,' she said quietly. 'Knowing that there are good men and women out there, fighting every day, while I just sit by and do nothing? It's killing me.'

'Lily…'

'It is my right to fight,' she said determinedly. 'Please. Don't attempt to stop me, James.'

James sighed heavily. 'I suppose I can't stop you, can I?' he smiled self-deprecatingly.

She beamed at him. 'No, you really can't,' she patted his arm consolingly.

He barked out a laugh. 'Well, I hope you won't think I don't believe in your skills when I get a little protective sometimes,' he warned her. 'It's simply in my nature to be protective of the people that I love.'

Lily's heart thudded in her chest. They had said those three powerful words – "I love you" – just a few months ago. Of course, James had been proclaiming his love for her since first year and dropping to his knees to loudly ask her hand in marriage in front of a large audience since third year. However, those had been the actions and words of a child – a juvenile prankster who didn't truly understand what real love was.

The James that she'd fallen in love with hadn't lost his humour even if it had been hard to hold onto after the brutal murder of his mother, something he had witnessed no less. But her James was more mature and more aware of what true love was. She had fallen so deeply for him and had been elated at hearing his proclamation of love because she knew that, this time, he meant it wholly.

Even months later, the thrill hadn't faded.

'I love you, James,' she whispered, her eyes locked on his.

As though he knew exactly why she was getting so emotional – and he probably did, the sly bastard – James stopped walking and drew her close. 'I love you, as well, Tiger Lily,' he murmured against her lips.

Lily laughed into his mouth. 'Oh, that ridiculous nickname,' she groaned laughingly.

'You love it,' he teased back, a large smile overtaking his handsome face.

'I'll admit to no such thing.'

James laughed and twirled her around in his arms in an impromptu slow dance. A warm twinkle in his bright hazel eyes and an almost mischievous smile on his lips made her chuckle. 'What is it?' she wondered, curious to know.

'I have a surprise for you,' he told her in a soft, excited voice.

Lily gazed at him warily. His surprises were usually in the form of a prank. However, the loving gaze in his eyes told her this time might be a bit different. 'What is this surprise, then?' she asked.

'Close your eyes,' he instructed.

'James…'

He took her by the shoulders gently and gave her a warm, open look. 'Trust me, Lily,' he urged. 'Close your eyes.'

She sighed, pretending this to be a great sacrifice, and with a smile fighting to break on her lips, she did as he asked.

James, his entire body buzzing in excitement, slowly led her forward whilst ensuring that her eyes were closed the entire way. He led her straight towards a garden gazebo at the end of the lake.

'Step up,' he murmured and Lily stopped, raising her foot up and feeling around for the step, feeling a little giggly.

James led her to a stop right in the centre of the gazebo. 'Wait…Right there,' he said, slowly withdrawing from her.

Making sure her eyes were still closed, he looked around the gazebo. Whipping out his wand, he lit the fires and tapped one of the stone partitions of the gazebo, slowly propelling the stone feature away from the edge of the garden and further down the lake.

When the gazebo was firmly in the centre of the lake, James smiled and stopped it from moving any further. Taking one last look around, he took in a deep breath and stepped closer to Lily. He tucked his wand back into his pocket and took her hands in his.

'Open your eyes, Lily,' he said softly, his gaze fixed on her lovely face.

With a curious smile quirked on her lips, Lily's eyelids fluttered open. Her catlike almond-shaped emerald eyes widened when she caught sight of the hundreds of lit candles surrounding them, placed on every flat surface in the gazebo and floating peacefully in the lake. It was twilight now, the sky bleeding red as the sun lowered itself to the earth, and it turned the lake a beautiful orange and red colour, almost as though the water itself was on fire.

'James,' Lily breathed, taking in the beautiful scene.

James' heart thudded painfully in his chest. The awed tone in Lily's voice did nothing to assuage his nerves or his fear. Taking in another deep breath, James dropped to one knee, hands gently squeezing Lily's.

Lily's eyes peeled away from the candles, the lake and the setting sun, and her gaze dropped on him. At the sight of him on bended knee, her lips parted and formed a shocked little half-smile as though she couldn't quite believe what she now knew he was planning to do.

'Lily,' James started. 'This past year has been the most trying of my life. I have experienced the most unimaginable grief, had to face the most difficult tribulations and overcome the hardest hurdles. I have been so frightened of failing my father, my people…And, most importantly, the memory of my mother. I wanted so badly to prove myself but every move I made was filled with fear instead of bravery. I have been wary of every decision made, every step I take, but you…You have been so sure, so calm. You have given me strength to face my grief, courage to overcome my fears and faith in myself to be the man I never thought I could be. I know that I still have a long way to go. I still have many lessons to learn – and I will learn them all, if not for my people, then certainly for you. Right now, I am simply just the Prince. But one day, I will be King. I know that my reign will flourish if you are beside me. Lily Evans, will you do me the honour of being my Queen?'

Lily took in a shuddering breath as James took out an object from his trouser pocket – a round rose gold band with a large blood red diamond in the middle, surrounded by clusters of sparkling white diamonds forming the regal shape of a crown.

Lily's eyes were transfixed, staring at the image of her beloved James with that beautiful ring in his hand. She wanted to tell him her answer – scream it out, really – but it was as though her voice had vanished. A hot splash of moisture on her cheek startled her into realising that she had been crying.

Eventually, James grew anxious that her answer would be no and prompted cautiously, 'Lily?'

A burst of laughter, wet and hysterical, escaped her lips and her mouth pulled into a large, uncontrollable smile. 'Yes! James, yes, of course I will be your Queen,' she answered breathlessly, pulling a relieved, exultant smile from James.

He stood up from the ground, took her in his arms and kissed her soundly, swallowing a sob from her lips. Pulling back, they smiled into each other's eyes, foreheads leaning together. James took her left hand in his and slid the ring onto her finger.

'With all my heart, yes,' Lily whispered, her right hand coming up to cup his cheek.

This was really more of a filler chapter, as you can see, just setting the scene for James and Lily's few years together before the tragedy at Godric's Hollow. Harry won't be making an appearance for a few more chapters, and even then he'd be a newborn baby. He'll be a constant surprise from the start – even before that, really – but he'll still be a baby. 'Harry Potter and the First Downfall' won't have any 'real' Harry scenes' since he'll be a baby through most of it, if you're looking for teen-Harry-angst. The second story in the series, 'Harry Potter and the Years of Peace', will have 'real Harry scenes' since it's longer and depicts his childhood in the wizarding world.

Even so, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter and will enjoy the rest. I won't drag out the story unpleasantly. Please do tell me what you think.

Also, 'With all my heart' is from BBC Merlin. I've always loved that line.

Love,

Lorelai.