Shattered Masks, Unbroken Vows - Jegulus

Chapter 1

The Potter home lay in ruins, its former warmth a distant memory. The night was heavy with the aftermath of destruction. The once inviting room, now a scene of chaos, bore witness to the grim reality of Voldemort's assault. Shattered furniture and scorched wood lay scattered across the floor. The flickering, dying light from the fireplace cast long, eerie shadows on the walls, enhancing the dark and oppressive atmosphere.

Amid the devastation stood Lily Potter, a beacon of fierce determination. Her face, though pale with fear, was resolute. Clutching her wand tightly, her knuckles white against the polished wood, she positioned herself protectively in front of the crib where her infant son, Harry, cried. Her eyes, a mixture of defiance and love, were locked on the dark figure advancing toward her. Each breath she took was measured, her resolve unwavering as she prepared to give everything for her child.

At the threshold of the room stood Voldemort, his pale, serpentine face illuminated by the eerie green glow of his wand. His red eyes, cold and calculating, surveyed the scene with a chilling satisfaction. The Dark Lord moved with deliberate, predatory grace, the very air around him seeming to chill with his presence. His wand, a dark and foreboding instrument of death, was raised as if it were an extension of his will, his every movement a calculated step toward the final act of his plan.

"Please," Lily's voice trembled, yet it was filled with a fierce, desperate resolve. "Not Harry. Take me, but leave him alone."

Her plea echoed through the room, a heart-wrenching cry of a mother's love. Voldemort's gaze remained cold and unyielding as he replied, his voice a chilling whisper, "You think your sacrifice will save him? He is nothing but a pawn in my greater game."

"No!" Lily shouted, her voice breaking with a mix of fear and defiance. She waved her wand frantically, casting protective spells that flared brightly for brief moments. "You can't have him! I won't let you!"

Voldemort's lips curled into a disdainful smile as he began to utter the incantation. "Avada Kedavra," he intoned, his voice smooth and cold, a final promise of death. The room was suddenly illuminated by a blinding, sickly green light, the curse moving swiftly, inexorably towards Lily. Time seemed to slow as the beam of light cut through the air, a harbinger of inevitable doom.

As the curse struck her, Lily's body was momentarily enveloped in a bright, ghastly green light. Her face, marked by a final, fleeting look of both pain and peace, reflected the intensity of her sacrifice. She fell to the floor with a tragic grace, her body collapsing protectively over the crib where Harry lay. Her last whisper, barely audible, was a loving murmur, "I'm sorry, Harry... I love you..."

The magic she had cast in her final moments flared and then dissipated, leaving only the somber silence of her sacrifice.

The room fell eerily quiet, save for the soft, distressed cries of baby Harry, who remained untouched by the curse that had claimed his mother. Voldemort's expression shifted from satisfaction to irritation, his dark eyes narrowing in frustration. "This is not over," he hissed, his voice a cold promise of continued terror. He surveyed the scene with a cold, calculating gaze, the realization dawning that while he had achieved one goal, another challenge awaited him in the child who remained unharmed. Upon hearing the sounds of apparition, he apparated himself from the murdering scene.

°°°

The night outside was still and somber, the chill in the air a stark contrast to the warmth of the Potter home. The sounds of distant sirens and the murmurs of the Order of the Phoenix's members marked a somber backdrop as the Aurors, led by Alastor Moody and other senior members, approached the Potter residence. Their footsteps, heavy with urgency, crunched on the broken glass and debris that littered the path to the front door.