The Boy Who Lived

 

It was a dark night.

A strong wind was hitting the trees, and the atmosphere was feeling heavier than usual. With Lord Voldemort’s spreading terror all over the wizarding world, it was hard for a wizard or witch to be calm.

At the Potters’, however, everything was normal. They were not frightened out, however they were not calmly sitting down as if nothing had ever happened. James and Lily where sitting in their living room; Lily was softly giggling and playing with her baby, and James was watching them smiling while sitting in a couch. Things were calm, they really were, considering the situation the Potters were living.

They had been hiding, of course. Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters were both looking forward to killing them, and they couldn’t just go around outside without protection. Lily often tried to forget everything that was happening by playing with her baby boy, and James often did the same, never forgetting they had to be extremely careful. When it was nighttime, they didn’t turn the lights on, they just had a small fire to keep them warm. They always tried not to do any noise, and food was brought by one of their friends, Remus Lupin, while using James’ Invisibility Cloak. Precautions were really extreme for them. Lily carefully tried not to make their baby cry, and always played with him silently. But that night, everything was just normal.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside. Like someone or something walking through branches. Lily stopped giggling.

“Did you listened that, James?” she said softly, while lifting her son up.

James stood up with a determined look on his face, and cautiously peered through the window outside the dark night. He turned to face his wife and son, softened his expression, and smiled comfortably.

“It must be Remus, Lily,” he calmly said, as if trying to hide his real emotions.

“But-” Lily started, looking puzzled and hugging her baby more tightly-“he came about two or three hours ago, James!” she whispered desperately. “No one else than him and Dumbledore know where we are!”

“No, Lily, you’re forgetting also Sirius and Peter know where we-”

“But they where prohibited by Dumbledore to come, James!”

There was a silence. Finally, James broke it.

“You stay here. I’ll go and check.” He started heading towards the door. Then he turned to face them once again. He saw his son and his wife. James saw his baby with a look that indicated that he was really frightened of who that might’ve been. Then turned to see the face of his wife. Lily was getting reddened, as if wanting to cry, but fighting her tears in. Then he returned and kissed her softly and sweetly on the lips.

“I love you, Lily. If anything happens, I don’t want you to stop. You’ll go on with him.” He looked towards his son. “Watch for Harry.” And then he kissed him on the forehead.

“I love you too, James,” said Lily, closing her eyes and letting a tear run freely down her cheek. If anything happened, she had to be brave.

James looked at her with a final look before going out to check. Then he blew her a kiss, and closed the door carefully behind him. Lily heard his steps fading down the stairs.

Seconds seemed like hours to her. Occasionally, Harry would let out a slight cry, which Lily would drown down by singing a little lullaby. She was totally scared. Lily began rocking Harry to pass time. She was trembling, however, and her hands seemed not able to do anything. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. She tried to stand up, grabbed a thick woolen blanket, and wrapped it around Harry.

Her baby looked at her, as if he knew something was wrong.

“Everything will be alright, sweetie,” she said, her voice breaking with tears. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Then she heard it. About ten minutes after James left the room, she heard a big noise outside the old house, as If something really big had just fallen, the noise followed by a painful moan. She gasped, and got up immediately. Then, hesitating, she opened the door of the room. With Harry in hands, and trembling as she never had trembled before, she poked her head over the stairs.

“J-James?” she said timidly, as if not wanting to make any noise. “James, are you there? Who was it? Is Remus there with you?”

No one answered. She began taking small and careful steps, going down the stairs, heading towards the door, Harry in her arms.

“Please, say it wasn’t a Death Eater. Please say it wasn’t Voldemort, please let it be Remus…” she kept muttering to herself, occasionally leaning down to kiss Harry.

Suddenly, the door flew open. In came James running as a mad, and with a frightened look on his face. He took Lily by the shoulders and began shouting.

“GO UPSTAIRS! GO UPSTAIRS AND HIDE!!” he shouted frantically, throwing occasionally looks back over his shoulder. He was sweating.

“W-what-James, WHAT HAPPENED!?” Lily began crying.

“TAKE HARRY, I’LL TAKE CHARGE OF THIS! NOW GO!”

“Is it Voldemort, James!? TELL ME PLEASE I-” Harry began crying loudly.

“I SAID GO!”

In came a black, cloaked figure, which Lily couldn’t mistake. This was Lord Voldemort himself. He looked, a murdering look to the three of them, and took out a wand. Lily gave one last quick look to James crying.

“I love you James!” she said, and turned running up the stairs.

She ran as fast as she could. Then she heard it, the most feared unforgivable curse, followed by a bursting green light that lit the whole house.

“No…!” she whispered, still running and crying frantically. Then she looked at Harry. “He won’t get you,” she said, Harry still crying. “He might get me, but he won’t get you.”

She reached a room, and locked herself in, even though she knew that wouldn’t do any good. Rocking backwards and forwards, sobbing desperately, and rocking baby Harry, she sat in the darkest corner of the room, waiting.

A low voice then was heard.

“Alohomora.”

“No…no, please, don’t…” Lily tried to reach her wand in her cloak’s pocket, and then seized it strongly though she knew there was no counterspell against the one Voldemort had just used on James, and was surely going to use on her. Maybe on her, but she wouldn’t let him use it on Harry.

Voldemort opened the door and came in, looking for Lily and the baby. Then he heard Lily’s sobs, and turned to the corner. He saw her, and a malicious smirk crossed his death-look face.

“There you are, Lily Potter…” he turned to Harry “and Potter’s heir, too.”

Lily then was rushed with grief, desperation and frustration. With Harry in her arms, she faced Voldemort. She didn’t care humiliating herself right now.

“Please don’t do anything to him! Please don’t, take me instead, please!”

Voldemort smiled evilly as he took out his wand.

“Avada…”

“Don’t hurt Harry! Do anything with me, but please for God’s sake! Not Harry!” she was crying more frantically than ever, hugging the crying Harry more tightly than before, as if sensing her moment was close. She covered the baby with her body. And then, hopeless, she whispered between cries.

“I love you, Harry. Good luck.” She kissed him for the last time in her life.

“Kedavra.”

A bright light spread in the room. Lily Potter laid motionless in the floor, still holding a piece of Harry’s blanket, tears on her blank-opened eyes still rolling down her cheeks.

Lord Voldemort now moved on to the baby. He now pointed his wand to him.

“Avada Kedavra…”

A green light filled the whole room again.

 

* * * * *

Only the wind outside was sounding; it was night again. A whole day after the events, a large, black-bearded and hairy man in a flying motorcycle arrived, and went rushing quickly into the old hidden cabin in the woods. He screamed as he entered and noticed his friend’s corpse, and then sobbing, went yelling Lily’s name. As he entered the room, he looked shocked, and gasped--first at the dead Lily, and then, at a small lump of gray blanket. He approached carefully to it.

In was baby Harry, sleeping as if nothing had ever happened, only a scar with the form of a lightning in his forehead remaining from the attack.

There was no trace of Voldemort.

With an awesome look, the giant took Harry carefully in his arms, as if he didn’t believe this baby was actually alive. Rushing outside with a saddened, but at the same time surprised look, he took the baby to Albus Dumbledore.

 

THE END