Power Known Not

Summary: Lily would do anything to protect her child…even toe a line that many before her had fallen over. Her precious baby was worth it. How will learning that information change the course of the war for said son?

Disclaimer: I wrote this piece-not the original series that it's based upon. I do not own it and, barring falling into a time-travel fic myself, never will. I am making no money off writing this. I get paid with the reviews that you so kindly leave.

Warnings: AU after HBP and part of DH. Explores the difference between Dark and Evil and more importantly, has the good guys walking the fine line between the two. I will try not to bash anyone, but sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. Excepting the "present" pairings, I'm going to respect all past pairings.

Edited Warning [4/14/12]: This story contains things that may be objectionable to some audiences. These aspects, which I either had not known when I started the story or had thought would remain background color for the character(s), have become defining attributes which flavor the story far more than I had originally intended. If you have problems with the thought of witchcraft being a spiritual tool, or those that practice such a use, a) why are you reading Harry Potter? and b) this story may not be the best fit for you. I have individual warnings on the chapters that contain actual rites, but the spiritual side of things does become relevant, and very obviously pagan, around that point.

Reviews: Reviews of any sort are welcomed. Constructive criticism, such as pointing out writing errors or unexplained out of character-ness, are very great and tremendously welcomed with wide open arms and mind. Scathing reviews targeting content based upon perceived insults and solidus or offensiveness to any of the following: race, religion/spirituality/philosophy, disability, political opinion, ethnicity, sexuality, or inclusion (real or perceived) in a particular social group, will be considered flames and reported justly. I do not care if you wish to put forth hate, but do it in a calm, rational manner or do it somewhere else. Another note about reviews before I go and update this thing: if you spend the time and effort to give me a lengthy review, I will try to remember to reply, so please do so while signed in so that I may. It probably won't be promptly, so be prepared for that, but I will do my best. I will try to fix any errors that are pointed out as quickly as possible.

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Lily Potter y Evans believed in being prepared for everything. It was a habit that her mother had encouraged when she was younger. It kept her ahead in homework and made her learn her recital pieces long before the concerts. When she had discovered that magic was indeed real, it had her begging for books and having long conversations with the strange boy that had shared the information after seeing her fly. Lily was a firm believer in knowledge and putting that knowledge to good use.

That was how she found herself in the Potter library a few hours after meeting with Albus Dumbledore with her husband, Frank Longbottom, and her best friend Alice. They had discussed a prophecy that may concern one of the two couples' yet-to-be-born children. While she couldn't believe that Albus, brilliant man that he was supposed to be, would believe in something so foolish, it did not change the fact that the magical world did put a lot of stock in such tripe. Albus urged them to take action to protect the children, cautioning them that the Dark Lord-Lily cut off the thought hard. Even after not speaking with Severus for years, she still found herself referring to Voldemort as he did. Reflexively, Lily pushed past the old ache brought by the memory of her first magical friend and stepped further into the spacious library.

James was drinking his fear away with Sirius. That was how he dealt with frightening situations- -his strength was in laughter as was his kin-brother's. She loved that about him, but it was not how she dealt with things.

Frank had already started planning the wards he would add to his ancestral home. Frank was a hard man gifted in Runes. They had shared that class, so Lily knew just how good a Warder the auror was. If it weren't for the war, she was fairly certain that he would have chosen to work for Gringotts as a Warder. Frank placed protections around those he cared about-it was his strength and it would serve the entire Order well, she was certain. But it was not how she dealt with things.

Alice…dear, sweet Alice had simply closed her eyes upon hearing the prophecy. Her lips had moved, if only just barely, as if tracing the litany that Lily knew was playing through the other woman's mind. Alice had her faith and was empowered by it. Lily had seen the little witch do things with a prayer that should have been impossible. But it was not how Lily dealt with things.

It was times like this that Lily missed Severus. She walked among the shelves of books, trailing her fingers along the time spines. He had understood her need to plan everything, to prepare for all contingencies. It was her most Slytherin trait, he had claimed on numerous occasions before their fallout at the end of fifth year. Not for the first time, she idly wondered what he was doing at this very moment- -had he joined the Death Eaters yet? Or was he working in a lab somewhere, reinventing the art of potion making? It didn't matter that she hadn't spoken to him since seventh year at Hogwarts...which was coming up on three years. He had been her friend for far longer. She still wondered about him. What would Severus do if he learned that his child was in terrible danger; if he was in her shoes?

He would destroy any possible threat while protecting his child from any possible harm. He would use everything and anything to assure that outcome. No sacrifice was too great, not to protect his child.

Lily stopped moving, one hand still touching the smooth leather of the books. A quick look told her that she had wandered into the section of the library that was older than the rest. None of the books had visible titles and there was a musky scent to the air. She couldn't garner any surprise about where her feet had taken her while she had pondered how Severus thought. It was only fitting that she'd find herself surrounded by Dark Arts books while thinking about the boy who had introduced her to the concept of magic.

She was not James or Sirius to laugh through danger. She didn't have Frank's instinctive grasp of ward arrays or Alice's powerful faith. But she had Severus' ruthlessness and a library that made the one at Hogwarts seem small in comparison. If there was a way to protect her child from the Dark Lord, she would find it.

She'd die before letting someone harm her child.

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"Harry? Are you alright?"

Hermione Granger was worried. Harry had been sorting through boxes from the attic of Grimmauld Place. It was more for something to do. They had exhausted all possible ideas for research shortly after making peace with Kreacher over that locket. How could they find anything with nothing to go on, after all? When Harry had announced that it was time to sort the attic, Hermione had decided to help out. Harry had been quiet for the last half hour however. She had checked on him, only to see him looking through pictures and smiling softly. She was more than willing to leave him to it until she heard the pictures hitting the ground. The brunette had looked over to see that Harry was paler than normal.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione took a hold of his arms and shook him gently. When he still didn't respond, she moved her hands to his cheeks and forced his face up. She couldn't make his eyes focus on hers. He was staring off into the distance. "Harry? Harry, look at me, please." Finally, those green eyes came back to life and focused on her.

"Hermione?"

Hermione did what any self-respecting young lady dealing with things that were much too stressful for her would do. She gave a hiccuping sob of relief and hugged him. Perplexed about her reaction, Harry repeated her name again and hugged her back. He may have muttered the phrase 'girls are mental', but Hermione was willing to ignore it in favor of getting her breathing back under control. As quick as her breakdown started, she pulled back and slugged him in the arm.

"Don't scare me like that," she scolded. It might have been more commanding if her nose wasn't stuffy and her voice clogged with the remains of her tears. Harry had the grace to look chagrined. She determinedly swiped at her cheeks to banish the moist evidence of her breakdown. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Why does something have to be wrong?"

"Harry."

"Alright, fine," he muttered, but instead of answering the question, he bent down to pick up the stack of pictures he had dropped. Hermione grew puzzled, but Harry usually explained things when he finally agreed to do so. She could wait a few minutes. After gathering the pictures, he thrust them at his friend. She took them without really thinking about it. "Look at them," he then commanded.

And she did.

The pictures were of a small raven-haired child. Child was a misnomer as the boy in the pictures couldn't be more than a year old on the outside. Hermione flipped through them and watched the boy take a few shaky steps before falling on a diapered rump, riding a tiny broom, gnawing on the ear of stuffed dog, standing on the stomach of a man who she recognized from Harry's photo album as James… It was not until the picture of a grinning Lily making the toddler wave at the camera that Hermione realized that the toddler had to be Harry. What was strange, however, was the fact that the Harry in the pictures had the same thin scar etched upon his forehead as the one the Harry before her did. She raised her eyes to meet Harry's once more.

"But- -but- -how? Everyone knows that it's a curse scar- -Dumbledore said it was!"

"I don't know, Hermione…but I want to find out."

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Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter, folks. Review and tell me what you think or any predictions you might have. I do have a rough plan of what's going to happen, but for once, I'm doing a multichapter piece without an outline. Woot! I'm a rebel!

~Magi

Edited 03/11/12: A reviewer brought a slight confusion possibility to my attention- -and I had a missing 'n' in the Lily half of the chapter. These things have (hopefully) been fixed.