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11-12-2007, 02:49 AM
A Change of Heart
(A LEP/SS story)
By Silvain Star
Rating- PG-13, to be safe
Warnings- possible DH Spoilers, AU plot, character death, possible OOCness, swearing
Summary- What if Voldemort had been feeling a tad merciful, and gave James an offer to join him, so that Harry- instead of being killed- could be kept under close watch, made sure he would serve Voldemort instead of being a threat to him- but Lily wasnât included in the offer of protection? And what if Severus hadnât joined the Death Eaters, instead trying to fix his friendship with Lily? James sacrifices himself- for Lily, and for the principles heâs always stood for, Voldemortâs attempt to kill Lily backfires, and Lily turns to her best friend, Severus, for comfort.
Prologue
Choose Your Destiny, Potter
âJoin me, Potter, and you and the boy will be spared,â Lord Voldemort offered confidently. This plan was fail-proof. Keeping the boy close would ensure his influence, meaning the child wouldnât be a threat at all. Of course, heâd overlooked one thing- the bratâs Mudblood mother, who he hadnât intended to spare, and who James would die for in an instant.
âYouâre a fool if you think Iâll join you, Voldemort,â James replied bravely. âIâd rather die, than serve you. And no protection is worth losing Lily- you wouldnât spare her for any reason, would you?â James already knew the answer, he knew they were going to die⌠âJust kill me and be done with it, then. Iâm not taking your offer.â
âFool,â Voldemort muttered, glaring. âAvada Kedavra!â He sneered, stepping over Jamesâ body toward Lily and their son. âTime to die, Mudblood bitch. Avada Kedavra!â
He hadnât expected the curse to rebound on him. He hadnât expected to be reduced to a spirit-like state and forced to flee to a distant country. He had thought his plan was flawless. He couldnât have been more wrong.
After the curse rebounded, Lily watched in shock as Voldemort, spirit-like, fled. She continued, in fact, to stand there, staring in shock, for several moments afterward, until Harryâs crying snapped her out of it. The rebounding curse had caused a small blast, just large enough to destroy their house, so she lifted him out of his crib and, clutching him to her, Apparated to the safest place she knew- the home of Severus Snape.
âLily? What happened?â
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silvainstar
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11-12-2007, 02:51 AM
A Change of Heart
(A LEP/SS story)
By Silvain Star
Rating- PG-13, to be safe
Warnings- possible DH Spoilers, AU plot, character death, possible OOCness, swearing
Summary- What if Voldemort had been feeling a tad merciful, and gave James an offer to join him, so that Harry- instead of being killed- could be kept under close watch, made sure he would serve Voldemort instead of being a threat to him- but Lily wasnât included in the offer of protection? And what if Severus hadnât joined the Death Eaters, instead trying to fix his friendship with Lily? James sacrifices himself- for Lily, and for the principles heâs always stood for, Voldemortâs attempt to kill Lily backfires, and Lily turns to her best friend, Severus, for comfort.
Chapter 1
Dead and Alive
âLily? What happened?â
Severus Snape was used to many things, ranging from urgent owls at two in the morning about whatever thing was bothering Lily at that time, to being called to help Black babysit (because Lily wasnât sure he was responsible enough to watch Harry) with little to no warning. But he was not, by any means, used to his best friend Apparating into his home, looking like sheâd just been in a battle, with a screaming baby in her arms, at nearly ten at night, when heâd been intending to go to bed soon.
âJames is dead,â Lily replied simply, sounding like she was in shock. âHe found us, he killed James⌠He tried to kill me, but it backfired⌠The house is destroyed, James is dead, andâŚ..â At this point, she burst into tears, falling to her knees and sobbing, still clutching Harry to her like a lifeline. âOh, Sev, I donât know what to do!â
Severus knelt down beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. She suddenly took one arm from around Harry and threw it around Severus, clinging to him and sobbing into his robes.
âLily,â he said quietly, trying to get her to relax so he could speak to her. âLily, listen to me. Youâre going to have to go to Dumbledore. He needs to know what happened.â Lily kept sobbing, but she nodded, letting him know she was listening. âIâll go with you, just hold on to Harry.â He helped her up, leading her to the fireplace and taking out some Floo powder. He threw it into the fire, stepping in with her right beside him- it was cramped, but it was the best way. âHogwarts, headmasterâs office!â
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Dumbledore was in his office, speaking with the portrait of one of the previous headmasters and eating lemon drops, when two people stepped out of his fireplace, one of them holding an infant. He turned to look at Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter, and one year old Harry James Potter, who was still wailing like a banshee- nothing seemed to calm him, though nothing, actually, had been tried quite yet. He twisted in Lilyâs arms, beginning to calm, and his eyes fell on the headmaster, and he calmed down almost completely.
âLily, Severus. What brings you here tonight?â Dumbledore asked calmly.
âJames Potter was just murdered by Lord Voldemort. From what Lily told me, he tried to kill her as well, but failed. The rebounding curse destroyed their house,â Severus said, leading Lily, who was still crying, though less so than before, to a chair. âWe are here because Lily came to me, in absolute shock, and began sobbing in my sitting room, saying she had no idea what to do. I, obviously, realized you would know what exactly this all means, and that you would be able to help.â
âI see, Severus,â Dumbledore said, a touch of sadness in his voice. âLily, I will not rush you, but I need to hear exactly what happened tonight. When you think youâre ready to explain, please do.â
Lily nodded, biting her lip as she took a moment to calm herself enough to speak. Once sheâd found her voice, she began to explain, in a forced calm monotone, rubbing her sonâs back as she spoke. When sheâd finished her explanation, Dumbledore frowned, thinking.
âIt seems, Lily, that the fact that James was given the choice to join Voldemort resulted in his death bestowing upon both you and your son an incredible protection. Because he died for the two of you, Voldemort couldnât have killed either of you. This is why the curse rebounded. This, though, does present an interesting dilemma, as this isnât quite what anyone could expectâŚâ Dumbledore sighed. âIâll have to look into what this will mean⌠But for now, I would say, it means we will have a long reprieve from the threat of Lord Voldemort, until he can restore himself to power- which I am quite sure he will try to do.â Dumbledore smiled sadly. âAs for what should be done- keep going. James did not die for you to fall into despair. Raise Harry to understand his fatherâs sacrifice. Mourn for your loss, but move on- there is still life to be lived. And I hope you intend to help with the bit of rebuilding the wizarding world will need- especially if we are to be prepared to stop Voldemort when he tries to return to power.â
âOf course,â Lily said, more bravely than she felt. âIâll do whatever I can.â
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silvainstar
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11-12-2007, 02:53 AM
A Change of Heart
(A LEP/SS story)
By Silvain Star
Rating- PG-13, to be safe
Warnings- possible DH Spoilers, AU plot, character death, possible OOCness, swearing
Summary- What if Voldemort had been feeling a tad merciful, and gave James an offer to join him, so that Harry- instead of being killed- could be kept under close watch, made sure he would serve Voldemort instead of being a threat to him- but Lily wasnât included in the offer of protection? And what if Severus hadnât joined the Death Eaters, instead trying to fix his friendship with Lily? James sacrifices himself- for Lily, and for the principles heâs always stood for, Voldemortâs attempt to kill Lily backfires, and Lily turns to her best friend, Severus, for comfort.
Chapter 2
Reckless, As Always
Severus and Lily left the headmasterâs office, both deep in thought. Theyâd decided they both needed a walk before going anywhere, so they headed towards the grounds in silence, until Harry decided a change of pace was in order- and announced this by babbling and reaching out to Severus. Both adults looked up at each other in slight shock and stopped walking a short ways from the main entrance, since both had subconsciously assumed Harry wouldâve fallen asleep by now. After a moment, Lily laughed a little.
âLooks like he wants you to carry him for a bit, Sev,â she said with a slight smile- little things like this were enough to get a smile for a moment, even when she was trying very, very hard not to cry. Severus looked at her with something like fear in his eyes- most wouldnât see it, but she could read him better than anyone, save perhaps Dumbledore. She smiled reassuringly as she held Harry out towards him. âOkay, Iâve told you how to hold him before, Severus- donât act like you donât know what youâre doing, for crying out loudâŚ.. You babysit the boy, donât pretend you know nothing about how to hold a one-year-old, for Merlinâs sake.â
âLily, I do not *babysit* him, I make sure Black doesnât drop him down the stairs, or mentally corrupt him, or take him on that motorcycle of his. Thereâs a difference, considering Iâve only had to hold him when Black becomes a hazard to the bratâŚâ Severus objected. âAnd at that point, how I hold him doesnât matter, as long as heâs safe from the antics of thatâŚ.â Severus sneered, âthat madman⌠How youâve ever put up with him is beyond me⌠I only deal with him when I absolutely have to.â
âLook, justâŚ. Let him sit on your hip, one arm around him, and make sure he doesnât slide off,â Lily explained. Severus grumbled a little, but did as she said, and they started walking again, both retreating back into their own thoughts. After a while, they stopped walking, right by the edge of the lake. They stood there for awhile, in silence, as they thought out what they would do next.
Severus sighed, sounding a bit unsure of what to do next. âWhere to, Lily? What do you want to do now?â he wondered, still sounding uncharacteristically worried. Lily turned to him, a firm determination replacing the sadness in her eyes.
âMove on, like Dumbledore said. First things first, we go get Jamesâ body. He needs a proper burial. Then⌠Iâll need to find somewhere to stay, and probably buy a new wand, unless we can find mine, and it wasnât destroyed along with everything else. From there, Iâll just⌠take life one day at a time, you know? Until I can get a proper⌠I dunno, bearing, aâŚ. hold in the world? I canât explain it, I just know I feel like Iâm drifting at sea or something, I just feel really lost⌠Once I can get past that lost feeling, basicallyâŚâ Lily shook her head, sighing. âIâm just rambling, arenât I? Iâm not entirely sure what I mean, myselfâŚâ she mumbled.
âHis body. Okay, good place to start fromâŚ. As for someplace to stayâŚ. I have an extra room, if youâd like it,â Severus offered. Lily smiled warmly at him, a real, proper smile, with barely any hint of the sadness her face had shown since she Apparated into his house.
âMaybe⌠Thank you for the offer, either wayâŚâ she said. âAnyway⌠Letâs go back to the house, we can walk out to Hogsmeade and Apparate from there. I donât want Jamesâ body lying there any longer than necessaryâŚ.â
Severus nodded, frowning slightly as he looked down at Harry. âPerhaps you should take him when we Apparate? Iâm sure youâd kill me if something happened because didnât keep my grip, and you Apparated with him when you were in no state to be Apparating to begin withâŚâ he trailed off, looking at Lily almost hopefully. She nodded, smiling.
âYou donât have to be so nervous about holding him, Sev,â she said, âbut yes, I think it would be best if I take him when we Apparate.â
They walked in silence from then on, until they reached Hogsmeade a little while later. Severus handed Harry back to Lily, and she held tightly to her son as they Apparated to the ruined house in Godricâs Hollow. The first thing they noticed was someone shouting, calling out for Lily and Harry frantically- the voice sounded like a manâs, and he seemed to be crying at the same time.
âSiriusâŚâ Lily murmured in recognition. âWhatâs he doing here, he wasnât intending to visit todayâŚ?â
âLily! Harry! Oh, Merlin, donât be dead, oh, hellâŚ.â Sirius called, half-sobbing. He spotted two people standing near the edge of the wreckage of the house, in what had once been the kitchen. He walked nervously towards them, afraid to guess at who it was. He was just about to ask who they were when he got a glimse of one of them- it was Lily, and she had Harry with her! âLily! Oh, thank merlin, youâre alive, youâre both alive and alright, and shit, but JamesâŚ.. DeadâŚâŚâ Sirius said all of this in one breath, rushing to her and gently pulling Harry from her arms, holding the boy close. He handed the child back after a moment, then sank to the ground, looking like heâd start sobbing if he didnât try to take a moment to think- though thinking probably wouldnât help much either.
âBlack,â Severus began, looking down at the man with annoyance, âwhy are you here?â
âI went to check on Peter. He was gone, I think he was the spyâŚ. I think he told Voldemort where you were. I came here as fast as I could, but the place⌠it was already like this, Iâm guessing he got here firstâŚ.â Sirius said calmly, almost numbly even. âI thought⌠heâd killed all of you, or that heâd taken Harry, orâŚ. I donât even want to think about itâŚâŚâ He sat in silence for a few moments before a hard, angry look came over his face. âIâm going to fucking kill Peter, the dirty rat. I canât believe heâd do this. Iâm going to track him down and fucking kill him.â
Lily put her hand on Siriusâ shouder, kneeling down in front of him. âNo, Sirius. You canât.â
âSheâs right, Black,â Severus added. âYou canât do the recklessly, stupidly brave thing this time, itâll send you straight to Azkaban. Your godson still needs you too much for you to do something so moronic right now.â
âBut itâs his fault James is dead,â Sirius argued, glaring at Severus. Lily shook her head as she stood back up and backed away- she didnât feel like trying to stop them right now, so she sat Harry in his crib- which was amazingly still intact enough to keep him there- and went off in search of Jamesâ body.
âBlackâŚ. You canât be reckless right now.â
Sirius started to try to stand up, but Severus was too quick for him- heâd drawn his wand and summoned ropes to tie him down before Sirius could even get to his knees. Severus sighed and put his wand away. âReckless, as always, arenât you?â he murmured, walking towards Sirius. âLet me put this as plainly as I possibly can. Harry needs you. He needs someone with a high enough opinion of James to tell him why his father died, and you can do that better than anyone. He needs someone who will teach him things Lily wonât approve of, things I personally think he shouldnât know or do, but that his father would have taught him- pranks, Quidditch, asinine things the lot of you tended to do. You are the best one to do this. You cannot do these things from a cell in Azkaban, and revenge will do no good right now. I may not like you, but I realize the boy needs you- you need to realize it too, Black, because Iâm not untying you until you swear you wonât go after Pettigrew.â
âFineâŚ. Youâre right, Harry needs me⌠I wonât go after him, I swear,â Sirius sighed wearily.
âGood.â Severus got rid of the ropes with a flick of his wand, and began to walk over to Lily as Sirius stood up. âWe need to move some of the wreckage, if weâre going to find his body,â he said to Lily, who was looking around where sheâd last seen James.
âOver here, actually. I moved him so he wasnât covered in debris and shitâŚâ Sirius said, leading them into the next room.
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