Book One: Under the Hunters Moon

Waxing Moon: Part I

October 31st, The Forbidden Forest
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On the night of the full moon, Lily Potter nèè Evens finds herself on her hands and knees in a forest clearing right outside the school she had graduated from almost 3 years ago.

She was on her hands and knees bathed in the light of witch-fire and moon because she was inspecting the ritual circle in the middle of the clearing.

She went over the details for the third time and ensured she had everything right, everything perfect because this had to work.

It had to, and like last time, everything was set and perfect.

She sighs in relief as she stands and brushes the dirt off her pants.

Her eyes turn to the full moon, a whisper of a prayer on her lips, as the forest around her fills with sounds of the late-night hour.

A crash from the underbrush has her jumping out of her skin, spinning around, wand in hand with a curse on her lips.

"James!" She cried out after seeing her husband pick himself up off the ground where he had fallen in the clearing. "You had me jumping out of my skin!"

Her heart rate lowering, she hops over her circle and makes her way over to him. "Are you okay? Did you get the wards set up?"

She asks with worry as James brushes off the dirt from his Auror robes, for he had come directly from training to Hogsmeade to help Lily with this.

"Sorry, Lils, I'm fine; it's just me and some vines which had a disagreement; it looks like they won."

He says with a crooked smile and a laugh.

"But the wards are all set, followed your instructions to the letter.
Nothing should be bothering us for a little while, at least."

James tells her because he was absolutely pants at charms and runes for all his skill in Transfiguration and Defense.

Thankfully he had Lily's big beautiful brain to compensate for those shortcomings.

Lily snorts at James' joke, it could be in the middle of a life or death duel with the Death Eaters, and James would still have a joke or a pun ready to fire off just as quick as his spells.

But then again, that was a part of his charm and one of the reasons she loved him, so with a smile and a quick kiss on his cheek that got him grinning hard, she turned back to the middle of the clearing.

"Good, everything is set on my end too, the circle, the sacrifice. Can you recite the chant from memory?" Lily asks with a little worry line forming on her forehead.

James smiles and says "Klaatu barada nikto, right?" His eyes gleam with mischief in the moonlight.

"James Potter! Don't even joke about that!" Lily yells, regretting ever bringing James to a muggle movie theater to see any type of movie as James laughs his full-body laugh at the look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Lils, I couldn't help it." He says, wiping away a stray tear as he smiles. "But I've been practicing it under my breath for the past two weeks; I memorized it as well as any other spell I know."