The Doll

James heard a knocking. He looked out the window. "It's okay, Lily," he said. "It's just Sirius and Peter."

He opened the door to admit his friends, who came in smiling. "Hello, James," Sirius said.

"Hello, Siri, Peter," said James, also smiling. "Are you about ready to do the charm?"

"First, I wanted to say hi to Harry," said Sirius.

"Go ahead," said Lily, coming in with her usual sunny smile. "I just put him down for his nap, but he won't be going down for awhile."

Sirius went in and looked at his tiny godson. "You look just like your father when he was your age," he murmured.

The little boy looked up with his innocent green eyes and smiled. Sirius pulled something out of his pocket. "Here," he said, holding it out. "My big sister made this for me when I was little, and I want you to have it now."

He handed Harry a fragile-looking yarn doll, made of blue yarn with an orange braid. Harry's green eyes--Lily's eyes--widened as he reached out a tiny hand and tentatively took the doll. He held it gently for a minute, then clutched it to his chest. Sirius looked on with a smile, then turned with a start when he heard his friend's surprised voice.

"You're actually giving it to him?"

Sirius turned around and nodded. "You scared me, James. Yes, I'm giving it to him. I hoped he would enjoy it, and I thought it might give him a sense of security, especially when he gets to Hogwarts--like it did for me," he added softly.

James turned away, tears in his eyes. When he regained composure, he turned back around. "Come on. We'd better get started--you know, before Peter loses his nerve--and we need a witness."

Sirius nodded again. "Okay, I'm coming," he said. As he left the little room, he switched off the light. Harry rolled over, his small hand clutched around his doll, and fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to Harry, his parents, godfather, and a strange man he didn't know were clustered in the living room. James took a deep breath and pulled out his wand. "Ready?" he asked Lily and Peter, who nodded bravely. Lily wasn't too pleased with the idea, but she knew it was their only hope.

James and Lily each placed a hand on Peter's heart. He placed his own hand on top of theirs. They could feel it shaking.

James raised his wand and began the incantation that is as old as time.

"Elbil, hingdil, aconite,

Bluebell fire, firefly light,

Protect us on a cold, dark night

Safe from danger let us be.

Secrets now is time to say--

1430 Rosebud Way,

Godric's Hollow--there we'll stay,

Filigree, apogee, pedigree, perigee.

May this man we now allow

To know our secrets never tell

Lest we be found, I know not how

O ancient charm, protect us.

And if he tells, may he be doomed

To lurk in shadows where others loomed,

And never fly another broom--"

Now came the most important part of the charm. Lily and Peter braced themselves to begin.

"Fidelius."

"Fidelius."

"Fidelius."

A white jet of light burst from, not James's wand, but James and Lily themselves. It flowed into Peter, who shuddered as the secret entered him. Then it was over, and Peter quickly released the Potters. Tipping his hat, he disappeared into the night.

Lily shook her head as she watched him go. "I hope you boys know that if I didn't know this was the only way we'd be safe, I'd never agree to it. I don't care if he's one of your best friends, I will always remember him as Petunia's boyfriend, the boy who masterminded the plots they used against us when we were kids."

Sirius nodded. "Tell the truth, Lily, he was more of a tagalong than an actual best friend, but he's really the only one we can use. You-Know-Who will be sure to come after me--never you'd use a weak, talentless thing like Peter. Right?"

James nodded.

Lily wasn't ready to give in just yet. "We should have used Remus."

"We couldn't," said Sirius. He shot James a look that said Does she know? James shook his head and motioned for his friend to tell her.

"Why not?" demanded Lily.

Sirius sighed. "First of all, Remus is a werewolf."

"A what?" gasped Lily.

"A werewolf," repeated James. "We've known since our first year, but Remus didn't want us to tell anyone. And second of all, you'll remember Dumbledore said that someone is already working for Voldemort, right?"

Lily flinched a little but said, "Right."

"Well," said James slowly, "there's a possibility that Remus is that someone. I, personally, think it's a load of bull that he is. Remus is too smart to be drawn into something like that."

"If he was desperate enough for friends..." said Lily unhappily.

"He's always got us four," said Sirius. "I'm not worried about Remus either, not really, but the less people know about this the better. Besides, even if he's not working for You-Know-Who, they'll go after him when they're through with me. Everybody knows he's one of our closest friends, and he'll be next. They'll never, not in a million years think to go after Peter."

Lily looked deeply skeptical. "But everyone thinks he's your other best friend, right? So they'll go after him when they finish off you and Remus. Nobody's really safe, not anymore."

"Lily, why do you have to be such a pessimist?" laughed James, but there was a serious look in his eyes. He exchanged a dark look with Sirius. "As long as we stay inside, and don't leave the property, we'll be fine."

Less than a week later, Lily sat in the living room rocking Harry. Softly she began to sing his favorite lullaby.

"Somewhere out there

Beneath that pale moonlight,

Someone's thinking of me,

And loving me tonight."

James came in with his part.

"Somewhere out there,

Someone's saying a prayer

That we'll find one another

And meet somewhere out there."

"And even though I know how very far apart we are,

It helps to think we might be wishin' on the same bright star."

"And when the moonlight starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,

It helps to know we're sleepin' underneath the--"

Lily broke off in the middle of her line. There had been a resounding crack from the front room. James straightened up quickly. White as a sheet, he stared at the door. "What is it, James?" asked Lily anxiously.

"Lily--it's--him! Take Harry and run! Go! I'll hold him off!" gasped James, shoving her out of the room.

Lily stumbled from the room, clutching her baby close to her chest. James stood in front of the door, resolved to protect his family or die trying. Suddenly, the door burst in.

Standing there in front of him was a tall, hooded figure. The man gave him a cruel smile. "James Potter," he said in a high, raspy voice, still grinning. "We meet again."

"What do you want, Voldemort?" spat James.

Voldemort looked genuinely surprised. "You mean you don't know about your heritage?"

"And you do?" James said coldly.

"Of course," smiled Voldemort again. "You mean you don't know that you're the heir of Gryffindor?"

"I most certainly do," James snarled. "It's documented. But what does that have to do with you?"

"I'm the heir of Slytherin," said Voldemort, still smiling widely, though his eyes narrowed with malice. "It was once predicted that the heir of Gryffindor would bring down the heir of Slytherin." His smile faded away as he raised his wand. "I can't let that happen, James. I'm terribly sorry."

James raised his wand desperately to defend himself when he heard those words he feared above all. "Avada Kedavra!"

A green light, a rush like wind, and James Potter was no more.

Lily ran down the hallway, clutching Harry tightly. "Oh, poor Peter," she murmured. "And Sirius, and Remus. They must all be gone by now."

Harry looked up at her with his innocent green eyes. How often had James looked into those innocent eyes and said--but she couldn't think of that now.

She ran around the corner and screamed. She had come face-to-face with none other than You-Know-Who himself!

"Good evening, Lily," said Voldemort with an evil smile.

Lily turned and ran. She ran into the front room to go out the front door and screamed again, clutching Harry close to her. Harry looked down and grasped at her with his little hands, but he didn't cry.

James was stretched out in front of the door. He was dead.

"No, no, oh God no," whimpered Lily softly.

"I'm afraid so, Lily," said a voice behind her.

Lily turned, white with shock, and saw Voldemort standing in front of her, smiling nastily. "Such is what happens when you incur the wrath of Lord Voldemort."

Lily sputtered for a minute, then ran out another door, one blocked by no one--the door to the hall. That hallway led to the bedrooms--hers and James's, the guest room, and Harry's room. She threw open the door and shut it behind her, locking it.

Having done that, she placed Harry on his changing table and began pacing the room nervously. Just as she crossed in front of Harry, the door blew in.

She turned around and stood, resolute, in front of her baby. No way was this man getting at Harry, even if she died defending him.

Voldemort advanced on her, no traces of a smile left on his face. "Lily, Lily, Lily," he said. "I have no wish to harm you."

This surprised Lily so much that she could only stare as Voldemort continued. "I only want that unspeakable little br--I mean, that darling little angel behind you. Let me have him, and I'll let you go free."

Lily suddenly realised what he was saying. He wanted to kill Harry--and not her--must have something to do with James's side of the family--but HE WANTED TO KILL HARRY! No way was that happening.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..."

"No! Please, take me, not Harry!"

Voldemort frowned. He stepped to one side to go around her.

"No! Please, I beg you, have mercy...have mercy...not Harry!"

Voldemort raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

Lily saw the flash of green light, and behind her, Harry saw it too. She heard a rush, and screamed as the life left her defenceless body. She crumpled in a heap, leaving Voldemort's path to Harry clear.

"Ah, my child," breathed Voldemort. "No one now stands between you and me. Your mother and father couldn't do anything to stop me. Harry, would you like to see your mother and father again?"

Harry tore his eyes away from his mother and looked at Voldemort. Those emerald eyes were full of trust, but a little doubt. As if he understood Voldemort, he pointed to his mother on the ground.

"That's not your mother, Harry," said Voldemort. "That's your mother's body, all right, but your mother isn't there. She's gone somewhere else. So has your father. Would you like to see them, Harry?"

Harry looked at Voldemort steadily. Somewhere deep inside, where there was still a tiny bit of human left in him, Voldemort felt a pang of guilt for beguiling this innocent child to where he was willing for Voldemort to kill him. But it couldn't be helped. He raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A jet of green light issued from his wand and hit Harry on the forehead, where the wand was pointing. The curse erupted, but didn't penetrate that tiny body. Like a flashlight aimed at a concave mirror, it bounced back on Voldemort's chest. Harry clutched his forehead and began to cry. Just visible under his hand and hair was a red-hot scar, shaped like a lightning bolt. It hurt a lot, but it was nothing to what Voldemort felt like. Screaming in agony, his cruel, heartless exterior watched as his outer soul exited his body. This was all the evil that he had accumulated over the years. There were now two Voldemorts: the evil Voldemort without body or powers, flying high over the countryside of England on his way to Albania to hide, and the body of Voldemort, with that ever-so-tiny inner soul, dying still. He was no longer Voldemort. For those few brief moments, he was Tom Riddle. And Tom Riddle was screaming a lot of nonsense.

"Dad! Dad, I'm sorry, I was just angry! Ali, don't look at me like that, I didn't want to do it! It was me, Professor Dippet, you should've listened to Dumbledore...It was me, not Hagrid! Lily, James, honestly, it was unavoidable or I wouldn't have done it! Oh, who am I kidding, I'm lying, but go look, go look, your son is safe! How I don't know, but he's safe! Look, this hurts, am I going up or down? Oh, good!" And then Tom Riddle was no more either.

A few hours later, around dawn of the next day, Sirius was walking quickly down a crowded Muggle street. That no-good, dirty rat was around here somewhere. Ah, there he was.

Sirius backed Peter into a corner. Peter gulped. "Oh, he--hello, Sirius. What's going on?"

"You know perfectly well what!" snarled Sirius viciously. "So you were the spy Dumbledore was warning about!"

"Don't know--what you're talking about," quaked Peter.

"You scum, you do know, and that fake innocent act isn't going to buy me over," growled Sirius.

With a sudden burst of courage, as he got his grip better around his wand behind his back, Peter yelled, "Sirius Black betrayed Lily and James Potter! It was him!"

"Friends forever, Peter!" cried Sirius, a little sadly, as he went for his wand. But Peter was too quick for him. He severed his finger, then blew up the entire street behind him--and sped away down the sewer with the other rats...

But that night, a tiny boy was lying asleep on the front porch of Number 4, Privet Drive, waiting for the dawn when he would awaken to his aunt's screams as she put out the milk bottles. He rolled over inside his blankets and made a move as if to squeeze something, and then realised with a sleepy shock that he didn't have his beloved doll. It had been left behind in his home. He must have dropped it when his mother was running with him. He clutched the letter beside him instead and fell asleep again with the hollow echoes of old words in his ears.

"I promise."