ACOH (WIP)- Chapter 1
Title- A Change of Heart
Author- Silvain/Raedragonstar
Rating- PG-13
Pairings- Severus/Lily (eventually), slight James/Lily
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 wasn‘t included in the offer of protection? And what if Severus hadn’t joined the Death Eaters, instead trying to fix his friendship with Lily? James sacrifices himself- for Lily, and for the principles he’s always stood for, Voldemort’s attempt to kill Lily backfires, and Lily turns to her best friend, Severus, for comfort.
Chapter 1
Dead and Alive
“Lily? What happened?”
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 wasn’t 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 she’d just been in a battle, with a screaming baby in her arms, at nearly ten at night, when he’d been intending to go to bed soon.
“James is dead,” Lily replied simply, sounding like she was in shock. “He found us, he killed James… He tried to kill me, but it backfired… The house is destroyed, James is dead, and…..” At this point, she burst into tears, falling to her knees and sobbing, still clutching Harry to her like a lifeline. “Oh, Sev, I don’t know what to do!”
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.
“Lily,” he said quietly, trying to get her to relax so he could speak to her. “Lily, listen to me. You’re going to have to go to Dumbledore. He needs to know what happened.” Lily kept sobbing, but she nodded, letting him know she was listening. “I’ll go with you, just hold on to Harry.” 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. “Hogwarts, headmaster’s office!”
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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 Lily’s arms, beginning to calm, and his eyes fell on the headmaster, and he calmed down almost completely.
“Lily, Severus. What brings you here tonight?” Dumbledore asked calmly.
“James 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,” Severus said, leading Lily, who was still crying, though less so than before, to a chair. “We 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.”
“I see, Severus,” Dumbledore said, a touch of sadness in his voice. “Lily, I will not rush you, but I need to hear exactly what happened tonight. When you think you’re ready to explain, please do.”
Lily nodded, biting her lip as she took a moment to calm herself enough to speak. Once she’d found her voice, she began to explain, in a forced calm monotone, rubbing her son’s back as she spoke. When she’d finished her explanation, Dumbledore frowned, thinking.
“It 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 couldn’t have killed either of you. This is why the curse rebounded. This, though, does present an interesting dilemma, as this isn’t quite what anyone could expect…” Dumbledore sighed. “I’ll 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.” Dumbledore smiled sadly. “As for what should be done- keep going. James did not die for you to fall into despair. Raise Harry to understand his father’s 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.”
“Of course,” Lily said, more bravely than she felt. “I’ll do whatever I can.”