You Were too Young to Die

Chapter 17

JE LAISSE A L´ABANDON

( I allow to fall into decay )

There was a noise of crushed leaves in the garden.

But nobody heard.

The crackle was renewed and a shadow, then two and finally three, slipped in among the trees and reached a copse near the front door.

***

Lily was woken by Harry's tears. She threw back the blanket and rushed in the baby´s room. She kissed him to calm down him.

James, woken too, went down to close a shutter which had clicked at the first floor.

***

Lily was singing the child to sleep with a lullaby :

" Hush now, my baby. Be still love, don´t cry. Sleep as you' re rocked by the stream... "

Harry closed his eyes, slowly. She caressed his dark hair then, the baby always in her arms, she approached the window and lifted the curtain. She observed the deserted street.

Deserted, really?

She had believed to perceive a furtive shadow.

I should dream...

Her heart was beating wildly.

The feeling of danger submerged her again.

***

James was barefoot on the cold stone floor. He opened the window of the kitchen and closed the shutter. It was strange, there was no wind this evening...

How had the shutter been able to...?

He thought he had heard a whisper, there , in the bushes, under the window... He hadn´t imagined it, he was sure of it...

He was turning around when he heard a humming behind him.

This was Lily naturally...

He smiled to her, trying to mask his anxiety. But she, didn´t smile but whispered, panicked :

" James... Somebody is outside... "

Suddenly, there was a resounding crash in the corridor(lane). James and Lily jumped and rushed in the entrance. Three shadows had appeared.

James understood with a twinckling of an eye.

But it was too late for him, he knew it. He roared :

" Lily, it´s him, take Harry and go ! It´s him ! Go ! Run ! I´ll hold him off ! "

***

Lily was panicking.

She felt her courage abandoning her.

James was protecting her, he was in front of her.

He told her to run.

She cried squeezing Harry against her :

" No James, I don´t want to leave you... I love you... "

" Do it for Harry, love, I beg you. "

He kissed her. For the last time certainly.

She looked at her son...

I am going to save you Harry.

You will live, I promise it to you. But I would have no choice. If we doesn´t manage to run away both, I would die for you my baby...

I would do all what is in my power for you...

You will live.

Even if I should see you leaving without me...

Je laisse à l´abandon

Cet amour que j´ai porté

Voulu au plus profond

A-t-on vraiment le choix

Quand on nous coupe les bras

She ran to the floor.

***

James faced the most threatening silhouette.

" Voldemort. "

" Well done Potter. Five points for Gryffondor... I come to kill you Potter. "

James did not give up. He was trying to spare time, so that Lily had the time to run away.

" How did you do to to find me ? "

" Peter was a great help to me... "

A nasal voice rose of the darkest corner of the room :

" I am sorry Prongs... I was fed up with always being a loser. "

Peter... It was the small Peter who had betrayed them... Oh no... Not one of the Marauders !

" I am going to kill you Potter ! I´ve waited for this moment for a long time. For too much time. AVADA KEDAVRA ! "

James´s face was streamming with sweat...

He saw the green flame get closer...

Lily and Harry, I love you.

The death brought close to him.

Oh, Lily, Harry, I abandon you, I would have to take care of you two...

Tu laisses à l´abandon

Par amour et par raison

Des milliers d´espérance

Aux portes de l´absence

Comme un merveilleux don

He fell heavily on the ground.

The last thing he heard was a sardonic, triumphant laughter.

***

Lily heard that Voldemort had pronounced the Unforgivable...

Oh no... James... I love you so much, I don´t want you to go. I don´t want to lose you...

Tears poured down toward her cheeks, she took the Floo powder and threw it in the fire.

But it was too late, she heard steps in the stairs.

Steps got closer and the Floo powder wasn´t ready.

With a trembling voice, she continued singing the lullaby to her son :

" Sleep and remember my last lullaby... "

My last lullaby Harry...

I am going to die my baby.

Voldemort appeared in the frame of the door :

" You have a great voice Madam Potter. It´s a pity you are a Mudblood... "

Lily's eyes got bigger with horror.

The Dark Lord said with a hoarse voice :

" Move ! Give me the child ! "

" No, please I beg you... "

Lily squeezed the baby against her to protect him.

He won´t touch you Harry.

I shall give my life to save yours. I shall lose you but you will live.

Tu vivras

Tu vivras

Je laisse à l´abandon

Avec toi tous mes espoirs

Qu´il me restait à croire

Et te voir t´en aller

Et la pire des prisons

It´s old magic Harry... If I die loving you, you will be protected against all the attacks.

" Stand aside, you, silly girl ! Move ! "

He came closer, threatening.

She saw his eyes shining with anger.

She felt his breath near her breast.

" No, I beg you, please, don´t kill him ! Please, kill me instead if you want... "

She was breathing with difficulty. However, she squeezed a last time her son against her heart before putting him in the cradle and singing him the last lines of this lullaby she loved so much :

" I'll be with you when you dream. I've had a prayer just for you, grow baby, come back someday. "

I shall always be there in your dreams my baby.

You will live.

I love you Harry.

" Move ! "

" No ! "

Voldemort had a grin :

" Very well, you will have wanted it. AVADA KEDAVRA ! "

Lily saw the green cloud and in an instant, all her short life scrolled her eyes... The games with Alex... (A/N : He´s her dead brother. One day, maybe I´ll post the fic I have written which tell you what happened before this fic) James... The first time when they had kissed each other. The Marauders and their stupid games. Her wedding... Harry's birth...

Harry, my little boy. My baby, I should have tried to run away with you... You are alone now... Alone. I´ve abandoned you.

Tu laisses à l´abandon

Au prix de mille souffrances

Ton rêve sans défense

Pour l´effrayant silence

Des instants qui s´en vont

She had been happy during these twenty one years.

The flame got closer.

What did you feel when you would die ?

I am going to find James, Alex, Dad, Mom... Harry will live with Sirius, his godfather. And I, I go. Please, take me...

Voir une main qui se tend, quelqu´un à suivre

Et quelque part un fleuve quand on dérive

Ô quand une raison de vivre

Vaut bien des raisons bien des défis

Même s´il faut vivre avec ce poids

Même s´il faut vivre que pour ça

Il vivra

Il vivra...

The green flame wrapped her.

She felt light...

***

Voldemort knelt down beside the inert young lady :

" I am sorry Lily... So sorry. But you should not have behaved like that. "

He laughed.

In a hidden recess, Rachel smiled mishievously. She had won.

The Dark Lord turned to the baby who weeped. Putting on a voice more high-pitched than usual, he imitated:

" Hush now my baby. Be still love, don´t cry. Sleep and remember my last lullaby. "

Then he burst out laughing. A demonic laughing. He went on :

" You know, Harry, your beautiful mom was wrong. You will not live baby... You won´t fall asleep rocked by the streams nor even by the voice of this small redhead witch, so charming and so pretty your mother was. She´s died, little boy. So, do great dreams and remember her last lullaby. AVADA KEDAVRA ! "

The spell struck Harry in the forehead, bounced and went on Voldemort, startled. In a shout and an explosion which brought down a section of a wall of the house, the Dark Lord disappeared.

Rachel screamed.

What had happened ?

Suddenly she was afraid.

And if anybody found her there ?

She ran outside the rest of the small house and without throwing a glance behind her, she ran away in the night. In the silent night, you could heard a baby's sobs.

Harry wept.

Il vivra... (A/N : translation is : He will live )