Chapter 7

James had carried his toddler son into the living room, rubbing his back to stop the tears. Harry had cheered up quickly, as babies tended to do, but James Potter was deep in thought. He and Lily were going to die. Himself he could live with…but Lily! She was the love of his life; the person he'd made himself better to be good enough for. He'd never meet a kinder, smarter or more beautiful person, and he couldn't bear to think of how dark the world would be without her. And they'd be leaving their son behind. That was the worst part. But at least they'd had these short days together. It was something.

Pulled out of his thoughts, James turned his attention to his fussing son. With a small smile, he started making puffs of brightly coloured smoke with his wand, smiling fondly as the toddler attempted to catch them, laughing without a care in the world. It was a happy, peaceful scene that belied the sadness of the father. His son was much too young to be left alone. From the time traveler's actions, he'd figured that he and Lily didn't have long left. He tried not to think about the implications that had on his friends…whether or not Sirius had been caught and revealed Peter…if Peter had been the spy all along…these thoughts he put out his head.

As the door opened, James looked up to see Lily's bright hair, and unusually sad face.

"Harry's waiting for us upstairs," she told him softly. "We should put the little one back to bed though; it's well past his bedtime."

James nodded, dropping his wand down onto the sofa he'd been sat on and scooping up the toddler, whom he passed to Lily, before enveloping both in a swift, but heartfelt hug. He didn't want to leave them.

Lily cradled their son against her and started to climb the stairs, giving James a look. They would discuss everything once both their sons were asleep, she decided. At least their wills were written; they had sorted that as soon as they were married. Wartime made everyone careful with things like that.

Suddenly, the front door burst open with a loud bang. James sprinted into the hall, deliberately blocking the way to the stairs, where Lily was halfway up with their infant son.

"Lily, take Harry and go!" he shouted desperately. "It's him! Run! I'll hold him off-"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Green light filled the hallway in a blinding flash. By the time it had faded, James Potter had fallen limply to the ground, his glasses skew on his determined, still face.

Lily screamed as she heard the spell cast, and the unmistakable thud of James' body hitting the floor. A few tears escaped, but she still had her infant son in her hands, and the time traveler in front of her. All thoughts of her imminent death left her head, the will to live taking over. And more importantly, the strong motherly urge to ensure her sons survived.

She ushered the teenager into the infant's bedroom, attempting to barricade the door with a chair and boxes, knowing that the effort was futile.

"Harry, hide in the closet," she murmured hurriedly as she worked. "He doesn't know you're here." Tears were leaking hopelessly from green eyes, mirrored by her son.

"No," Harry protested, his green eyes wet. "I can't let you die!"

The mother stopped trying to block the door, pulling both versions of her son close to her.

"You can't save me sweetheart," she whispered. "But I think I know how to save you." She pulled him close, breathing in his scent, the proof that he would survive. So much like his father, but more like her. She had been lucky to know him.

"Be strong, Harry," she cried, tears spilling over. She didn't want to leave him all alone in the world, not when she was still needed.

She swiftly kissed Harry's forehead, before pushing him into the closet, praying that he'd hide. At least, she knew her son would be safe, even if she could not be there. She clutched at her toddler, listening to him breathe calmly, matching her breaths to his. He was too young to understand that this was no game, and that young calmness grounded her. The monster was coming, and she wouldn't let him get at her baby.

The door burst open with a loud bang, all efforts she'd made to barricade it flung aside uselessly. Lily dropped her baby into his crib, shielding him with her body. Standing before the murderer, she shook, but didn't move.

"You're not going to get Harry," she said, voice shaking minutely.

"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside now…"

"Not Harry!" she shouted. "Please no, take me, kill me instead-"

"This is my last warning-"

"Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…Not Harry! Not Harry. Please – I'll do anything-"

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl-"

But Lily would not stand aside and leave her son to the mercy of the madman before her. Even shaking and pleading, she was strong. He could have forced her away, but that was never an option for a lunatic like Voldemort.

"Avada Kedavra."

Green light flooded around the edges of the cupboard Harry was hiding in. The boy was curled up, both hands over his mouth to stifle the sobs. Both his parents were dead, and he'd done nothing but hide like a coward! What was the point in sending him? The boy shook, terrified that the monster was so close. His younger self had started to cry.

It felt like an age before the dreaded curse was uttered again. But this time, the shouted curse had rebounded. Harry let out a yell as he felt the ground shake, hearing his younger self screaming even louder. The Earth shook for a long moment, before everything stilled.

Gingerly, Harry heaved himself out of the cupboard. The nursery was a ruin, with an entire section of the roof destroyed from the curse. And there, lying in front of the crib was his mother. Her red hair had fanned out beneath her, green eyes open and determined. There wasn't a mark on her body.

"Mum," Harry murmured, going to her side. He'd survived the killing curse; he could still hear his younger self's cries. Maybe there'd been a mistake? Maybe his mother had survived as well.

"Wake up mum," he said, voice slightly stronger. "Please...I still need you." The boy sobbed, clutching at his mother's shoulders like a lifeline. But Lily Potter was dead.

Sniffling, Harry gently closed her eyes, hating to see the kind green orbs so lifeless and scared looking. Then he stood, trying to contain the emotion. He couldn't stay.

"Goodbye mum," he whispered, feeling more tears slip down his face from behind his glasses, before he fled from the room.

Harry stumbled down the stairs, blinded by the tears still falling steadily down his face. When he tried to get to the door he tripped. Looking down, he spotted pyjama clad legs. Unable to help it, Harry looked, seeing his father's lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Sobbing, Harry reached for his father's hand. It was still warm to the touch, and there wasn't a mark on James' body, but Harry knew he was gone.

"I'm sorry Dad," he murmured. "And Mum. I'm so sorry." He reached out a shaking hand towards his Dad's shoulder, wanting to shake him awake. There wasn't a single mark on him…but he was gone. Harry's hand clenched into a fist before it reached his father's shoulder, sobs making their way out of his throat. He couldn't stay to grieve. Hagrid was coming…and Black. He couldn't be seen. Slowly, he clambered to his feet, staring at his father and wanting to stay, but it wasn't an option.

Running out of the house, Harry ran blindly, flinging open a gate into a cemetery to continue running, tears streaming down his face. Voldemort had killed them both to get to him, that much was clear. But why? Why had his parents had to die?

The boy collapsed in a heap against a gravestone and started to sob. Voldemort had killed them both in cold blood, without any hesitation. There was a heavy weight in his chest…a mix of crushing grief and raging, fiery hot anger for the monster. His father and mother would never feel such things again. Their bodies were lying in their ruined home, a symbol of the perfect little family that had been destroyed also. His father's lifeless body, lying in front of the stairs wouldn't disappear from behind Harry's eyelids, nor would his mother's, sprawled beside the baby's crib, his toddler self screaming for his mother's attention.

"Not all is lost Harry," the girl said, appearing before him, much like any of the ghosts at Hogwarts. "You have lost your parents, but there is someone you can save."

"Black?" Harry asked, wiping at his face. What did that matter now? His parents had died! But…a deeper part of Harry thought what they would want. He was their friend…they'd want the real killer brought to justice.

"But…he wasn't imprisoned for murdering my parents!" Harry realised, thinking of the futility. "Why did you bring me here? There was no point! They still died! And Black is still a murderer!" Harry's breath caught, a sob wedged in his throat. He had always missed his parents, but having faces, and people, to put to those roles made everything ten times worse. He knew what he'd lost, and what he could never have.

"Think Harry," the girl urged, interrupting his thoughts. "Pettigrew was cornered. Sirius was the better dueller. What else to do but fake his death and hide. It wasn't just Sirius Black after him. Lord Voldemort was destroyed on his information. The Death Eaters didn't take kindly to that."

"Fake his death?" Harry asked. "That's ridiculous!"

The girl shook her head, watching him.

"Then…Pettigrew did it? All of it?" Harry asked. "Black is innocent?"

The girl nodded again.

"That's why you sent me here," Harry deduced. "To right the wrong done to him?"

"Partially; but he was also supposed to raise you," the girl answered. "And would have done, if not for Pettigrew's cunning and cowardice. Harry don't you see; with him free, you can rebuild the life you should have had. You can have a family"

"But why not sooner?" Harry shouted. "And what do you care? You don't know me! You're dead!"

"Technically I was never alive," the girl said quietly. "And the rest doesn't matter. Use this information, Harry, and you'll have a family again."

With that, Harry felt a jerk behind his naval and a bizarre rushing sensation. When it ended, he was back in the tunnel to Hogsmeade, right where he'd been before he had met his parents and started the whole emotional adventure. The boy clutched at the wall, wiping away his tears. He would grieve for his parents for a long time, but at that moment, he had a person to save. Someone who was probably as lost and alone as he felt now.

Sorry for another slow update. My wrist is still playing up, and work comes ahead of fanfiction unfortunately.
This is the final chapter of this story, but there will be a sequel...eventually. Due to having RSI, I have not gotten as much done before posting this as I wanted to, so it may well be a while before the sequel is posted. But I will have it done - I've got about a quarter of the way through, and it's all planned.

Hope you enjoyed this story, and thanks for reading!