Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognizable belongs to J K Rowling. Also this story is inspired by 'A Shattered Prophecy' by Project Dark Overlord.
Chapter One
'It really is creepy how much he looks like James.' thought Lily. Even at the age of one, Harry, her son had such similarities to his father. His hair was just as unruly as James'. She had always told her husband to do something about his hair but James would always flash a dazzling smile at her and run his hand through his hair, making it messier.
'At least he has my eyes.' Lily thought thankfully, as she looked down at the playing child in her lap. The emerald green of Harry's eyes made him look even more adorable. The raven haired child was currently sitting on his mother's lap, happily chewing on his toys and every so often looking around at the door.
"Who are you looking for sweetie?" cooed Lily cuddling Harry close to her.
She knew perfectly well who Harry was looking for. It was the same every evening, around seven, Harry would eagerly anticipate his father's return from work. Of course for an ordinary one year old it wasn't possible to be able to determine the time but Harry was no ordinary boy. For that matter neither were Harry's parents. They were a wizard family.
As if on cue, James arrived, walking into the living room looking a little dismayed, but at the sight of his family, his hazel eyes lit up and a smile graced his face.
"Hey, how's my little man?" asked James as he strode over to Lily and picked up Harry who was gurgling frantically to get his father's attention.
"James, how many times do I have to remind you? He is a boy not a man." Lily reprimanded playfully.
James just shrugged and replied.
"Boy is so… I don't know. It just sounds weird, like I am telling him off. He's my 'little man'." He said, cuddling Harry affectionately.
Lily smiled at her husband. In her opinion James just didn't want to sound too fatherly since he was only twenty three years old.
Lily was just about to go into the kitchen to get dinner when a knock interrupted her. James was instantly on alert. He silently handed Harry over to Lily and drew out his wand. He went over to the door and motioned Lily to go to the other room with Harry. Lily nodded and proceeded to the room upstairs quickly. Usually Lily wouldn't take an order from anyone, not even James, but ever since that wretched prophecy was made, things had changed dramatically. They had moved to Godric's Hollow and only a hand selected few knew where that was. Lily waited apprehensively, wand held in one hand while still carrying Harry. She would hex anyone that as much as cast a shadow over her only son.
She heard James mutter a spell that allowed him to see who was at the door. Suddenly the door was opened and Lily could hear laughing and a voice that she knew all too well. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She came out of her room and made her way downstairs. Sure enough her husband's friends, Sirius and Peter, were in the living room. Sirius had annoyed Lily senseless in her years at Hogwarts, always goofing around with James and getting him into all sorts of trouble. Of course, James wasn't exactly the innocent party but since Lily was now his wife she preferred to blame Sirius. Peter was always so quiet that Lily sometimes wondered what he was doing being a Marauder. Remus was the only one Lily could have an intelligent conversation with. She saw he wasn't here tonight and realised he was probably having his little 'furry' problem, as Sirius had so sensitively named his werewolf condition.
"You could let us know you're dropping by Padfoot." Lily remarked as she handed Harry over to his Godfather, who enthusiastically reached over and cuddled him as close as he could.
"Where is the fun in that?" Sirius enquired as he gave Harry one of his bark like laughs.
Harry was already waving his arms around and giggling at Sirius and his antics. Lily looked on affectionately at her son; he was really fond of his Godfather. Peter was also looking on at Sirius and Harry, when a strange look of regret flickered over his face. Lily wasn't sure if she was just imagining it or not but she thought she could detect an almost pained expression in Peter's eyes.
"Peter, are you okay?" she asked putting a hand on his shoulder.
Peter quickly looked away and shifted uncomfortably, not meeting Lily's eyes.
"Yeah, I just...just had a long day...that's all." he answered quietly.
"Don't talk to me about having long days." James joined in. "I've had the most supremely awful day."
"Oh, what happened?" Sirius asked, while still letting Harry pull on his shoulder length dark locks.
"Well, with the attacks coming in left, right and centre, I don't know how much more we can take before it all goes pear shaped." James replied.
James loved being an Auror, even though he admitted he had only become one since that was the career path Sirius had chosen ,but he quickly became fond of his role as a fighter for the light side.
However, after the prophecy was made about Harry, James was increasingly becoming more and more paranoid. He didn't like the idea of his child being faced with such a huge responsibility. 'Saving the World.' That was his job, not Harry's. So James being James was working day and night to eliminate Voldemort's forces. But this was becoming more and more stressful as Voldemort always seemed to be one step ahead of the Aurors.
Sirius looked a little disheartened by the glum expression on his best friend's face. Sirius, Remus, James and Peter were all Aurors but James was the one most focused on the war. He wanted it over and done with so that his son could have a normal life.
Lily sighed and lifted the playing form of Harry from Sirius and gently rocking him, took him upstairs to his room. There she gently placed him in his cot and smoothed his hair down in another futile attempt to make his hair seem somewhat tidy.
"You may think this is funny now, Harry, but trust me, when you're older you won't find settling your hair amusing at all." Lily told the small raven haired boy as he giggled and tried to grab his mother's fingers as she gently stroked his hair. Lily turned and left her boy playing happily in his cot.
She was just making her way downstairs when she suddenly realised with a sickening feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't something she heard but in fact the lack of sound at all. The three men in the living room were deathly quiet. That in itself was odd since Sirius happened to be present. Lily quickly took out her wand and took a deep breath. What she saw as she entered the room would haunt her for the rest of her life. There on the floor was James with a growing pool of blood near his head. A broken bottle of firewhiskey was lying not too far away. Sirius was on his back completely unconscious.
"Oh God!..James!..James!"
Lily rushed towards her husband, completely forgetting the third person who was in the room. If Lily had noticed him, standing just behind the door, she might have been able to stop the tragedy that was about to take place. As Lily rushed towards James, Peter came up behind her and attacked before she could reach her husband.
"Stupefy!"
Lily fell, unconscious even before she hit the ground. Peter took a shaky breath as he looked around at his former friends, all of them lying on the floor, hurt and betrayed by their own friend. He tried to calm his frantically beating heart. He was certain that if he hadn't cast the silencing charm on the door then Lily would have been able to hear his heart thumping in his chest more loudly than the bottle breaking during the attack on James and Sirius.
He cast another regretful glance at his friends and then left the room clumsily, making his way to Harry's room; all the time repeating under his breath "Forgive me, Harry…sorry James…Sirius, so sorry."
He had not thought he would get this far. He had hoped that James or Sirius or even Lily would have been able to stop him. But since they didn't expect him of any sort of betrayal, let alone an attack and kidnapping of Harry, he had managed this far. He didn't want to do this but there was no other way.
He slowly opened the door and found Harry sleeping soundly clutching his stuffed toy hippogriff. Peter looked down at the sleeping child and felt the horrible sensation of guilt wash over him. He was leading this child to his death. Harry was only a year old, he was just a baby.
Peter thought back to how he had felt when Harry was born. He had been just as happy at the birth of Harry as the rest of the Marauders. But once the prophecy had come to light, things had changed. This boy was prophesied to bring down the Dark Lord. But Peter knew how powerful the Lord Voldemort was, no one could stop him, no one stood a chance against him. Lord Voldemort would win this war and once he did, Peter would have power beyond anything he could imagine. The boy had to go. Convincing himself that he was only ensuring his own survival, he gently lifted Harry and carried him out of the room. He hurried downstairs and without another glance at the three bodies lying on the floor, Peter opened the door and left Godric's Hollow forever.
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Peter ran to the edge of the wards placed around the cottage and apparated to his Lord's lair. His master was waiting for him, surrounded by only two members of his inner circle. With shaky hands Peter placed Harry on the stone floor at Voldemort's feet. Harry was surprisingly still fast asleep and didn't even stir. Peter quickly dropped to his knees and crawled to Voldemort, kissing the hem of his robes before speaking in a shaky and quiet voice.
"Master, I have done what you asked of me. Master, this is Harry."
Voldemort turned his cruel scarlet gaze to the sleeping child and let his face break into a satisfied smirk. He was an attractive man, with long dark hair and a handsome face. The only thing that showed the true monster within was his pair of devilishly red eyes which seem to burn into whoever dared to look at him. He tore his eyes away from Harry and looked at the cowering form of his spy Death Eater.
"Rise Peter, You have done well. For once you have not messed up and have actually completed a task." He watched the pitiful man rise shakily, uttering his gratitude and go on and on about what a gracious Lord he was. "Enough!" Voldemort hissed, instantly quietening Peter. "Bella, lift the boy and let me have a closer look at the brat!"
Bella walked past the silent form of Lucius and lifted Harry off the cold floor. She held him up to the Dark Lord.
Voldemort took in every detail of the child. He was disgusted with children in the whole. He had not quite forgotten how children had taunted and ridiculed him in that horrible orphanage that had been his past. This child, however, drew him in like no other person ever had. Voldemort could sense the powerful magical aura that seemed to hover all around the boy. He was exceptional, there was no doubt about that and if Voldemort had let the child live then the Potter brat would most likely have grown to have power to rival his.
'Such a waste of power!' thought Voldemort.
He drew his wand and heard the breaths sucked in by all three Death Eaters present. He smiled to himself. He was going to enjoy destroying the one destined to be his downfall.
He pointed the wand at Harry's head just as the child opened his emerald eyes and looked innocently at Voldemort. There was a muttered incantation and a sudden blinding green light filled everyone's sight. Peter closed his eyes just before the spell was uttered, but could still sense the green penetrate his closed eyelids.
'Sorry Harry' was all he could think, as the blinding light faded and threw everyone into darkness once more.
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