Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived

Chapter 3

The Present

The rain came suddenly, lightning flashing and thunder rolling, but the Hogwarts Express continued wending its way towards its destination. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, sat in their compartment, heads close together, speaking quickly in hushed voices.

"I told you the prophecy word-for-word and everything I knew about it - everything."

Hermione's eyes were darting across the parchment, searching for something in her notes they might have missed. Ron closed his eyes in concentration, thinking back to that day at Godric's Hollow, on the stairs where Remus and Snape thought their conversation went unheard. Ron's eyes snapped open.

"I remember - Remus said something about hearing Trelawney give a prophecy. I didn't think about it too much at the time because Neville had already told us that it was Trelawney who said it, but now that I think about it, didn't you say, Neville, that Dumbledore was the only one to hear it?"

Hermione looked up from the parchment at this declaration, Harry's eyes widened in realization, and Neville got a tingling in his gut. The words begged to be spoken aloud - there were so many implications from this revelation. There were things being kept from the Children, ergo there had been more meetings which the Children did not attend, ergo there was something going on that was top-secret, and there was a second prophecy - a recent prophecy. This could only mean one thing.

They would have to find out what was being kept from them.

*

Meanwhile

The rain came suddenly, lightning flashing and thunder rolling, but four members of the Order of the Phoenix did not notice: more pressing issues were at hand. James Potter, Lily Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin sat at the kitchen table, heads close together, speaking quickly in hushed voices.

"There's still no plan. I can feel it in my gut - Voldemort's been planning something big. Neville said Voldemort was happy over the summer which always means he knows something we don't know. We must figure something out," Remus said angrily.

Sirius scowled. "If only we could make something of this damn prophecy. Sybill was never known for clarity." He shook his head, running the words of the prophecy in his head, as everyone had been doing for the past half a year or so since those damned words were spoken. Sirius couldn't wrap his brain around the words - none of it made any sense in the least.

"It's no good, Padfoot. I think we should just take a break and stop thinking about it for a while. Back up a little, and the things right under your nose become clearer, you know?"

"Oh I get the hint, Prongs - Moony and I can tell when we're not wanted..." Sirius raised an eyebrow and nudged Lily in the side. She smacked his arm playfully and Moony didn't bother to contain a grin.

Eventually, after two more pots of tea, the house was quiet. Lily leaned back in her chair, staring off into space. James got up and walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. She put her hand on his arm and sighed. Pushing back the chair, she got up, flicked her wand and the dishes began washing themselves. James was leaning against the counter, watching her face, trying to think what she was thinking.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"They left, didn't they?"

It took James a full five seconds to get it. It took him one second to sweep Lily up in his arms and apparate both of them upstairs. When they appeared in their bedroom, James spun Lily around and she giggled; a silly smile on her face.

"James Potter, you'll never change."

"You haven't asked me to yet."

She affirmed that with a kiss. The world fell away, the war disappeared, the rain stopped and nothing else mattered to James and Lily as they stood there at the foot of the bed, holding each other, their arms around the other's waist, her head leaning against his chest, his cheek resting on the top of her head. Lily breathed in deeply, trying to inhale her husband and keep him inside her forever. James held her tighter, as if that would mesh their bodies - their souls were already one.

Lily began to trace her fingers lightly up and down his sides, finding that ticklish spot that made him jump. James shot her a glare, distracting her for a moment so he could make his move. Before she knew it, Lily found herself hoisted into the air and thrown over his shoulder as he carried her to the bed, laughing maniacally. She kicked at the air and laughed as he dumped her on the bed and began to tickle her mercilessly.

Suddenly, James stopped and looked into Lily's eyes: those eyes as green as oak leaves in summer, grass in the lamplight, like green fire. James closed his eyes, a flash of harsh green light flashed across his mind and he was suddenly afraid that she would be gone if he looked again. He opened his eyes and there she was, looking back. The thought was gone in an instant. Lily was scared for a moment by the pain that had crossed her husband's face, but when she saw those hazel eyes staring at her with such love she felt like she would turn into a puddle and melt into the earth. Reaching her hand up, she drew him closer to her and tried, in one kiss, to show him how much she loved him.

Lily kicked off her shoes and moved into the centre of the bed. James followed suit, his hands working quickly to remove the clothes that stood between them like walls. Sitting up for a moment, he took in the sight of her. Her long, red hair fell about her face, framing her green eyes, tantalizingly covering her bare breasts, dancing above her hips and long legs. He had loved her from the moment he met her - no - before that: he had loved her for lifetimes before this, and would love her for lifetimes after. She'd fought and survived one war, had two children, was fighting in a second war, worked full-time as an Auror and despite it all, she was still beautiful. So soft and beautiful, so strong - how many eons of suffering did he undergo before this to deserve her?

He at once wanted to cry and to laugh for joy - he didn't know which, so instead he just kissed her. Lily was still amazed every time James kissed her at how powerful and fragile he could be. He could floor her with a glance or swing her around with one arm, and yet whenever he leaned in to kiss her it was as if he were frightened - frightened of her not wanting to kiss him back, he'd told her - though she couldn't imagine why she wouldn't want to. Her hands found his waist and she traced the smooth skin and marvelled at how well formed he was. Only she noticed the tiny signs of the stress of war. There were scars - many scars on his body. (Her favourite was one that ran up his left arm, like a vine, she thought, the small scars around it like leaves.) There was a slight pudginess around his middle. The bags under his eyes were testament to many a late night of work and worry. There were hints of white in the hair at his temples that only he could see and only she could make disappear.

James lowered himself atop her, their bodies so accustomed to one another it seemed as though they were built for each other. Nothing could be more right. Their cries mingled into wordless sounds, drowning out the thunder that rolled outside.

Eventually, evening fell and the rain had not stopped. Lily leaned against the headboard and James rested his head on her shoulder. She stroked his hair absently, trying not to think about the war, and the dead ends they kept running up against. She thought about her children, probably in Hogsmeade about now - Lily could picture Harry with his best friends, smiling, laughing without cares; Rose would be giggling and gossiping with Ginny and Luna, far away from the war.

Soon, Lily would realize how wrong her daydreams were.

*

Later

Ginny checked her watch for the tenth time, willing the train to hurry up. Rose yawned and Luna put down her copy of the Quibbler. Hermione and Ron were sleeping; she was leaning against him in the corner, his arms around her waist. Harry and Neville were both staring out the window, lost in their own little worlds as the rainy sky darkened.

Rose closed her eyes, resting her head against her knees, and sighed. She was bored - so bored - and she let her mind wander. Strange, she thought as her thoughts went to the station where they would be arriving. The images were so clear, as if she were watching something happen right in front of her. She saw a woman and a small boy standing on the platform. The woman was talking to the station conductor in the booth, her son playing with a ball. The ball rolled away, the little boy chasing it. Off the edge the ball went, rolling down the track. His mother was not paying attention and the conductor could not see him - the boy clambered down the ladder at the edge of the platform to retrieve the ball. As he crouched down to pick it up he became distracted; Rose could not see what. What are you doing? Rose had a sinking feeling - she willed the boy not to move. A rat scurried out from under the tracks and towards the station. The boy walked forward towards the rat and Rose saw a faint shimmer ahead of him, like a wave of heat coming off the track. The ball and the rat forgotten, the boy headed for the glow, his arm extended to touch it. No. NO!

"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes," said the disembodied voice through the train.

"NO!" Rosie screamed but the images were gone. Ginny looked at her as if she were mad, and Rose shook her head, trying to clear her mind of what she just saw. Not enough sleep, she told herself.

"Finally," sighed Ginny. "Ugh, and the weather is still shitty outside. RON! HERMIONE! WAKE UP! WE'RE HERE!"

Ron and Hermione sat bolt upright, looking confused.

"Aren't you just Little Miss Sunshine, all cheery like that," Ron said as he scowled at his sister. He stood up and stretched, looking out the window. "Ugh, and the weather is still shitty outside."

Everyone was standing up in the compartment, getting ready to get off the train and cursing time for being so damn slow.

Then all hell broke loose.

Everyone was suddenly thrown to the floor by the explosion that ripped apart the tracks. Screams and shouts rang out, owls screeched in their cages, cats darted under seats, and many people (mostly first-years) had started to cry. Neville, Ron, Hermione and Harry got up quickly and rushed into the corridor to scout out the damage. There was no fire they could see or smell, but the panic was palpable. Ron and Hermione, still Gryffindor Prefects, gave Harry and Neville the "We'll take care of this, you go see what's really wrong" look, and dashed down to the end of the train to assess damage there.

Harry and Neville opened the train car door and jumped down onto the tracks. Ahead of them was a scene they never dreamed would come to be. A huge section of track ahead of them was completely destroyed - twisted lengths of metal were splayed out around a crater the size of a house. They were only twenty metres or so from the station.

They boys stood there gaping, unable to comprehend the destruction they were witness to. Shouts brought them to their senses; Albus Dumbledore swiftly crossed the distance between the station and the train and headed straight for Neville and Harry. Hagrid could be seen heading towards the centre of the train, followed by Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

"What happened?" was all Dumbledore could ask. The boys shook their heads dumbly, but the look on Dumbledore's face gave them resolve. They hurried to the crater, wands drawn, and started to look for clues. Neville pointed his wand at the smoking crater and tested for lingering spells while Harry ran to the station to question the bystanders.

A woman was standing at the edge of the platform, clutching her bag to her chest with one hand and covering her mouth with another. She stood still as a statue, barely making a sound. Harry approached her and she turned to him, eyes wide with shock. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, the woman started screaming.

She was hysterical. Her screams were barely words, and finally Harry understood what words she was trying to form.

My baby.

At the sound of her screams, the other people on the platform were snapped out of their own shock and ran towards her. One man was lucid enough to tell Harry what he saw.

"She was...the boy...the ball fell onto the tracks...I saw him climb down the ladder and I called to her...she turned and she ran to him but...the explosion..." He couldn't finish, and he sank to his knees.

Harry wanted to scream run cry puke disappear be anywhere but here. The woman was still screaming, the man on the ground was sobbing; the smoke in the crater was hissing as the maintenance crew doused the flames; Aurors began arriving, securing the train and checking for anything else that might explode. A hand on Harry's shoulder startled him out of shock. He turned and looked at Remus, his eyes full of pain.

"It's all right, Harry. I'll take care of this. Everything is safe now - go on and help everyone else get up to Hogwarts."

Under other circumstances, Harry would have been indignant to be told to let the adults do the work and to go back to school. But not now. Harry let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and walked swiftly back to the train, willing himself to be brave and to keep a cool head to help get all the other students to school safely. He tried not to imagine what would have happened if the train had reached the wards. The engine car would have triggered them first, adding fuel to the explosion. Flames would have ripped down the length of the train, killing every student on board.

Dumbledore stepped off the train and beckoned to Harry. Ron, Hermione and Neville were with him. Harry hurried over.

"Harry, would you please assist Mr Weasley and Mr Longbottom in directing the Gryffindors to their common room? Thank you. Miss Granger, come with me - I will need your help with the first-years. Oh, and Mr Potter, see to it that no one leaves the common room until directed by your head-of-house."

With that, Dumbledore turned to the crater in the tracks and headed towards Alastor Moody, who was in charge of the investigation.

Ron, Neville and Harry had quite a time getting all the Gryffindors together, but they managed to get them into six lines, one for each year. They enlisted the help of Ginny, Luna and Rose, and led the groups one by one up the hill to the path where the thestrals and carriages were waiting. Hagrid was there directing students ("Four in a carriage - only four! You there - no pushing!")

Finally, all the Gryffindors were safely in the common room and accounted for, our heroes set up watch at the portrait hole to make sure no one tried to get out or in. There was nervous chatter and people stayed huddled in groups. Suddenly, one of the protection wards Neville had put up started to screech.

Harry, Ron and Neville drew their wands and prepared to hex the next thing that walked through the portrait hole.

It took considerable effort on Minerva McGonagall's part to climb through the portrait hole. Her years did not agree with climbing of any sort, thus her avoidance of visiting the Gryffindor common room very often. In the absence of haste, Neville, Harry and Ron had enough time to see the tip of her tartan hat poke out from behind the portrait as it opened but not enough time to stop their instinctive reactions.

Neville's stupefy hit the tip of her hat while Ron's expelliarmus ricocheted off the back of the portrait and hit Harry before he could finish his petrificus totalus. With a long-suffering sigh, Professor McGonagall repaired the damage to her hat and stepped into the room. The boys had the good sense to look sheepish.

Giving them a patented McGonagall "look", she walked past them and addressed the crowd at large. "Now, I have with me the first-years. They were sorted one by one as they came in. We will have the welcoming feast tomorrow night. For now, you will find your belongings have been moved to your rooms. Please, stay calm and inside the common room."

With that, she ushered in the frightened first-years, followed by a very tired-looking Hermione. McGonagall turned, smiled at the three boys still hanging their heads, and left the common room. Ron and Hermione guided the first-years to their rooms up the stairs, and soon Gryffindor Tower was quiet as students drifted to sleep. Seven Gryffindors did not go to bed, though. Bet you can't guess who.

Rose was unusually quiet that night as they sat in the squishy armchairs around the fireplace discussing the day's events, but Harry thought it was just from the trauma of everything that had happened earlier. Ginny and Luna did not seem quite as shaken, though. Rose has seen just as much of the war as Ginny and Luna - why was she so scared, then? Harry asked himself.

"There were still traces of a motion-sensitive explosive charm around the crater when I first got there, but they faded quickly," Neville said, looking into the fire. "I hope that woman who was screaming is okay now. She must have been traumatized by that explosion. I could hear her screaming from where I was." This statement was met with several raised eyebrows.

Harry smacked himself on the forehead. "Shite, I forgot to tell about that. I was there when she started screaming. Merlin, I feel sick just thinking about it."

"Well, what happened?"

Harry told them what the man who witnessed everything had said. "And then the man just collapsed into tears, and the woman was still screaming and...Rosie, are you okay?"

Rose had suddenly gone very pale, her eyes wide and a look of fear on her face. She was vaguely aware of her brother's hands on her shoulders, her eyes gazing ahead of her, seeing the visions of the boy reaching to touch a shimmer in the air.

"I saw it," was all she could say before her eyes glazed over then rolled back in her head and she fainted.