Darkness filled the house as a man with shoulder length black hair stumbled through the house, his heavy breathing and quiet sobs were the only sound heard. As he made his way up the steps to a masculine figure that lay there, eyes open. James Potter, Lily's husband. They were unseeing and staring off into space as though he'd just been told something horrible.
As he stumbled his way, slightly faster, up the steps an image of a small child, a newborn, filled his head. He shook it off, of course, as he finally reached a door. He pushed it open fearing of what would be in there. The room's light was still on and laying beside the crib, in which a small male child was in, was Lily Potter. This was his fault, he had tried to talk her into leaving James earlier that morning and now it could never happen.
She had left shortly after that, she had said something about not being able to leave her family behind. He stood there hands limp at his sides, wand falling to the ground, as tears welled in his eyes. "No, not like this!" He cried out, stumbling to the body of Lily. "Not like this," he whispered before everything was lost in sobs, incoherent to even himself.
For hours he sat there holding the body of Lily tightly, repeating "not like this" until the sound of a door opening downstairs alerted him. Nobody could know he was here. Not even Albus.
He smoothed Lily's hair away from her eyes before he closed them, despite not wanting anyone to know he was here, she had to have her peace. He needed his. "I'm sorry, I never should have asked this of you." He murmured in his sly voice before he kissed her forehead lightly and laying her body down beside the crib.
He stood, a bought of dizziness overtaking him momentarily. His sorrowful gaze turned onto the child that had seen his parents killed by a dark force. "Be safe." He told the child, an odd softness in his voice. Despite this child being the son of James Potter, he still had some Lily in him.
The sound of footsteps clomping then pausing on the steps caught his attention. He quickly looked to the closet door where he pushed inside and cast an invisibility charm. He watched as the child stood there watching where he had disappeared.
Within minutes a man stumbled into the room. His pale face was distraught with horror and pain. His long, brown hair tousled as though he had fought someone, with his fists, before coming here. "Lily.." he softly whispered. Sirius Black? What is he doing here? He watched as Sirius stumbled to Lily and held her close. The Potters had been his closest thing to family, after he had been disowned. "I'm sorry," he sobbed, body shaking with each sob.
From the closet he watched the man sob before he finally pulled back and looked up at the crib. "Harry." He finally whispered, setting Lily's body down gently. He placed a hand on the crib as he got before he spoke silently to the child. "The others will be here soon." He murmured after a moment of silence. Others? What does he mean others! Severus thought with fear and panic. He needed to leave.
"Sirius! Sirius Black!" The voice of what sounded like officials called up the stairs. The door to the room burst open. There stood the Barty Crouch Sr., head of the magical law enforcement. "You are under arrest for the murder-" Sirius cut them off.
"I didn't kill anybody," he whispered, eyes wide and lips parted. Barty move forward signaling to someone behind him who cast a disarming charm. Sirius backed up and muttered a few words before screaming. "I didn't kill anybody! Peter Pettigrew, he did this." Pettigrew didn't kill Lily and James.. Severus thought before it hit him. Pettigrew had been t one to tell the Dark Lord of the Potters and their son, however, he wasn't the only newborn child. There was also the Longbottoms son, Neville.
"Of Peter Pettigrew." Barty said over Sirius' screams, except now the man was quiet. He began to laugh, like a crazed man.
"Dead? Ha!" He cackled after he said so. "Pettigrew is alive and when I find him he'll be a sorry man!" He growled angrily. Two officials came forward and cuffed Sirius before Barty reached forward and touched Sirius and apperated both Sirius and the three of them away. Severus knew where they were going. Azkaban.
He finally opened the closet door, casting a glance at the child before he stumbled down the steps. One he made it to the first floor he looked around. It seemed as though James and Lily had been having trouble with their marriage.. he observed seeing several documents lying around.
He threw the front door open before he raced down their walkway and looked around. It was quiet. He reached into his pocket and pulled his wand out and quickly said the apperating spell.
When he opened his eyes again he was in the astronomy tower. "You promised you'd keep them safe." He told the bearded figure standing by the window looking out over the lake. "You said you'd keep them safe." He whispered.
"Severus," the man started. Severus angrily waved his wand, summoning his patronus. Blue light sparked from his wand before a shape appeared. A doe. The doe frolicked around the room in the air. The bearded man turned back to Severus.
"After all this time?" He asked, raising a brow. There was some sort of emotion in his blue eyes.
"Always," Severus says lowly, as his chest filled with pain. Grief.
Author's Note:
Hey there fellow Potterheads! I hope you enjoyed the prologue, please vote and comment. If you have any suggestions feel free to comment those as well.
~Melissa
