Who Wants to Live Forever

Who Wants to Live Forever

A Series of Vignettes

#1: One Sweet Moment

by: pandorabox82

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Who Wants to Live Forever belongs to Queen. It was written before I was born, so I obviously did not write it.

Author´s Note: Well, I have 155 days (as of today, January 16) to finish 90 fics. Is that going to happen? Not a chance in the world. But I am going to try really hard to get most of my stories done before book 5 comes out, and I have to change things. Or call them all AU´s. Or something. Anyway, this is something new that I wanted to try. I really like the group Queen, and I heard this song recently, and thought it would make a nice songfic or seventeen. Yes, this is the first of 17 doomed couples in Harry Potter. Some of them, like this one, are kind of obvious and could (and are) really couples in the story. Some, however, are not. And I am never listening to Queen again when I´m in the mood to write. Too many plot bunnies attack. Later!

"James, what are we going to dress Harry up as for Halloween this year?"

"You know we can´t take him out this year, Lil. It´s too dangerous right now."

"I know, but I´d still like to dress him up. Maybe he could be a lion, in honor of our House."

"All right, Lily. If it will make you happy."

"Thank you, James. I love you."

"I love you, too, Lily." He watched her pick Harry up from his playpen and carry him up the stairs to begin work on his costume. A short time later, she came back down with Harry, who looked very much like a Gryffindor lion.

"How did you get the lion so accurate?" he asked.

"Oh, I looked in the photo albums for one of our school pictures. After that, the charms I used to change the appearance of the fabric weren´t that hard. Oh, James, can we please take him out? He looks too cute to keep him cooped up here with no one to see him."

"Lily, you know we can´t leave the sanctuary of this house, not until someone finds a way to defeat Voldemort."

"But, what if they never do? What if we´re stuck here forever?"

"At least we´ll always be together, and that´s enough, isn´t it?" He looked at her, his eyes filled with love, yet tinged with sorrow. She smiled back at him.

"You´re right, luv. Together, forever." She took a seat beside him on the sofa, and set Harry down on the floor to play. "James, why did you switch secret keepers at the last minute? I´m certain Sirius would have done as good a job as Peter."

"Lily, Sirius thinks Remus works for Voldemort, and he was afraid if he was the secret keeper, then Remus would have been able to get the truth out of him, using the power of their feelings for each other. Besides that, who would guess that the Potter´s secret keeper was the quiet one who was always on the outer fringes of the group?" Leaning over, he gave his wife a short kiss. Slowly, he began to unbutton her blouse, but she pushed him gently away.

"Not in front of Harry, dear. We don´t want to scar him for life." She gave him an apologetic smile, and threaded her hand with his. Together, they watched their son toddle along the floor, sometimes standing and walking a few paces, other times crawling on all fours. Lily laughed when he grabbed the tail of his costume and began to use it as a teething ring.

As the clock struck nine, Lily stood and ended the charms on Harry´s clothes. Harry seemed shocked when his chewy tail was no longer in his mouth and looked around for it for a moment, before focusing his eyes on his mother. He lifted his arms up, and Lily obliged him, scooping him up off the floor.

"I´m taking him up to bed now, he´s had a long day." She bent down and gave her husband a kiss, both of them oblivious to the fact that they had just been sold out by the one person who knew where they were.

She began to climb the stairs when she heard the front door open. `That´s odd,´ she thought. "James!" she called, "Go see who´s at the front door!" Anxiously, she hurried her pace up the stairs and upon getting to Harry´s room, locked herself in with her son. With bated breath, she listened for some sound of life downstairs. But she could hear nothing.

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Downstairs, James made his way to the door cautiously, with his wand out. Stepping into the hallway, he saw that the door was wide open, letting in a cold breeze. `That´s odd,´ he thought, as he shut the door. Turning, he saw behind him the last person he would ever see. "You!" he gasped.

"Yes, James, me. You should know better than to ever choose someone so weak to carry your secrets. He was mine since his fifth year, and you never noticed. Some friend you are. Now, I´m here for you and your son. Prepare to meet oblivion, Potter." Voldemort laughed, a cruel harsh sound to James´ ears.

James raised his wand, and yelled, "Lily, take Harry and go! Get out of here, get to Hogwarts! It´s the only safe place left!"

"How very Gryffindor of you, James, trying to save your wife. Too bad she can´t leave, and neither can you. I´ve put wards up around the house. No one can get in or out, save me."

James glared at the Dark Lord. "This isn´t over. You´ll never win. Dulce Ked-."

But Voldemort was faster. Flicking up his wand, he quickly whispered "Avada Kedavra," leaving James´ body to land on the floor, his eyes empty and glassy. Quietly, Voldemort crept up the stairs, intent at getting to Harry.

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Lily heard James scream to her, and she picked Harry up out of his crib, and tried to apparate away, but found she was blocked by wards stronger than she could break. She tried to call Albus over the fireplace, but that was blocked as well. She set Harry back into his crib, and waited for James to rescue her, he always did.

The door to Harry´s room swung open, and she turned, expecting to find James. Her eyes grew wide as she realised just who was entering the room. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I´m here for your son. As soon as I´ve finished with him, you may leave. I´ve no reason to hurt you, Cousin."

"What are you going to do with Harry?"

"He stands in my way, he must be eliminated."

"I´ll never let you hurt my son! Go, now!"

"I don´t think so, Lily. Step aside."

"Never!"

"So be it. You brought this on yourself. Avada Kedavra!" The green light flowed out of his wand and hit her. Lily was dead before anyone could blink, and Voldemort approached Harry unimpeded. Raising his wand, he once more said the words of the most forbidden curse. The green light hit Harry in the forehead, before bouncing back to hit Voldemort square in the chest. Time slowed as Voldemort watched his energy leave his body. Harry giggled as the energy expanded and flowed about the room, gaining power as it went along, knocking down walls, destrying the house. Before his eyes, Voldemort´s body disinegrated, leaving his spirit, which flew off into the night.

Harry realised then that he was alone and hungry. He began to cry, but no one answered him. No one would for several hours to come...