Chapter Text
To the surprise of all, it was Remus to take the situation in his hands.
Well, actually, It shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Severus and Sirius were too wreak from pain. When Remus had arrived at Potter Cottage in Godric’s Hollow, he didn’t want to enter. He had been there just a week ago, just before the Fidelius Charm was cast. Lily confied to him. She always did. She may have married James and accept his group of friends, but she didn’t have much in common with loud Sirius, or with pretty creepy Peter. But she always trusted him, even before James’ redemption. She told him they had just ended to renovate the cottage. She was ready to start her new life. She didn’t come from an easy period. Both of her parents died in a car accident when she was thirty weeks pregnant, and she got estranged from her hateful sister not long after. And the pregnancy, though, was not so planned. Remus could see in her face the look of someone who just wanted to begin a new life, but war took it from her. Remus promised her that it was just temporary. A posticipation, not a stop. Dumbledore was the most trustworthy wizard of their time. They would all meet again to inaugurate the new house properly before winter.
They wouldn’t.
For first, there was James’ corpse, at half the stair. Remus couldn’t believe it. He just looked at the face of his best friend. He waited. James was a prankster, right? A very tasteless prankster. He soon wouldn’t have been able to keep his eyes open anymore, would have blinked, told him ‘Ha! You fell for it! Don’t worry, we are all ok and Voldemort is dead’.
He had to. He didn’t. Remus tried to touch his shoulder, to shake it. James’ body moved altogether, rigid with rigor, and fell down of a pair of steps. Remus jumped aside, hands on his mouth to stop him from screaming. He would have developed a PTSD from this exact moment. And there was another broken door.
Harry’s room.
No. No. Not Harry. Not Lily. How could he go upstairs? They were dead, how could he look… he squeezed his eyes, kneeled in his corner, tears starting to drop.
Then, a cry. A subtle cry. From Harry’s room.
Remus lifted up. He had to go. It didn’t seem like a baby cry, but maybe Lily was still alive… He went upstairs, feeling guilty at leaving his friend’s body behind.
Lily was dead. And there was someone holding her. Someone black haired, as young as them. What came out from his mouth sounded more like the agony cry of loss of an ancient creature then a human cry.
‘Severus’ he managed to mutter. There was no sign that the other had heard him. And then, another cry.
A baby cry.
Harry. In the bassinet.
Harry was still alive.
Remus didn’t lose time and got to him. He couldn’t believe it. But it was true. Harry was desperate, crying, cold, and had a bad bleeding cut above his eye. But he was alive. Alive, and trying to kick from Remus’ arms to get to his mother. His deceased mother. Remus just realized the oppriment reality of what happened, muttered ‘Oh my God’, and let another pair of big, unheld tears drop.
Only then Severus seemed to acknowledge his presence, just by a quick head movement.
‘REMUS’ a loud, barking voice screamed from downstairs.
Sirius.
No.
Not Sirius. Not now. He couldn't see them.
Remus heard Sirius’ steps stop at the beginning of the stairs. He held Harry tigher, but the baby kept crying and crying. Like Remus. And Severus.
Remus saw his husband walk the door, paler then a ghost, muttering ‘No… Remus?’ He saw Harry, he dedicated a lost look to Severus and Lily, but then went back to James. Just in that moment, Remus noticed that in the dark of the other side of the room, there was nobody else then Voldemort. Layed down, just like James. Remus put out his wand.
‘He’s dead’ said Severus’ voice, plain and scratched from cry. ‘He killed him’ added, nodding to Harry.
‘b-but… how?’ Severus didn’t answer. He kept on caressing Lily’s hair, just as he did when they were children.
He then kissed her on the forehead, and layed her against the bassinet in a comfortable position, left her dress in order.
Then run down the stairs screaming: ‘YOU DISGUSTING TRAITOR, I’M GOING TO SKIN YOU! YOU KILLED HER!’. Remus ran to the door, just in time to see Severus (who never showed any particular phisical strenght) grabbing Sirius from James’ body, lifting the Auror bare hands, smashing him against the wall, pointing his wand at him and starting to summon an Unforgivable. Remus quicked at taking the weaponed arm away from Sirius, but was scared to hurt Harry in the process. The baby, in the meanwhile, had started crying even harder, scared from the scene.
‘Severus, stop!’
‘WHY? He was the Secret Keeper, he was the only one to know, HE TOLD THE DARK LORD’ said, raising his tone at every word, pointing again his wand against Sirius.
‘It wasn’t me!’ Sirius cried, and Remus noticed long tears on his husband’s face. Two pink lines that washed away the layer of soot that the battles of that evening left on all of them.
‘Liar!’ said Severus, and didn’t curse Sirius only because Remus managed to keep him. ‘Wait, Severus! What do you mean, Sirius?’ asked Remus, with a too much hope-filled voice.
‘It wasn’t me’ kept on Sirius, drying his face with his dirty jacket ‘It was Peter. I was too obvious, I…’
Severus freed from Remus’ arm, and pointed the wand at Sirius’ face.
‘Now drink it or I’ll make you’ told him, with a calmer, darker, terrifying voice, handing him a bottle of Veritaserum he took from nowhere.
Sirius drank it. And told them. Told them that he was a too obvious choice. The best friend of James Potter, an Auror, on the first line in fighting Voldemort. So they chose Peter. The innocuous, neutral, less close friend. And he told Voldemort. Sirius told them that the Aurors had just arrested him, but not before he killed fifteen innocent Muggles to try to fake his own death.
Sirius slipped down the wall, his head between his knees.
Harry had stopped crying, he was probably exhausted. Remus saw Severus slowly put down his wand. He looked so old. Sirius, and Remus too. They looked so old right now, much older then their twenty-one years on this Earth.
‘Harry comes with us. I’m his Godfather, it’s my duty.’
‘You must be insane if you think I’ll abandon Lily’s son. I put her in the hands of the Order once, and look at what happened’
‘What do you mean by that, Snivellus?’
‘Sirius, you should sto-‘
‘I mean what I mean. And where do you exactly want to bring him? I know your house was destroyed this night’.
‘Dear gentlemen’ interrupted them Dumbledor, with a pacifying gesture and a plotting sight in his blue eyes ‘Harry will be given to his blood relatives, the family of Lily’s sister. As I explained to you, Harry’s alive because Lily sacrificed herself for him. She put a blood protection on him. If we want Harry to be protected against any of Lord Voldemort’s followers and from Voldemort’s himself, he must live in the house of Lily’s sister.’
Severus made an icky face, holding Harry even tighter, as if Dumbledor could try to rip him from his arms. Remus had prior given Harry to him to help Sirius up the floor, and out the cottage.
‘Petunia? I’ll die before I’ll let him live with Petunia Evans. That woman is a Magic hater, and I have no doubt she’ll become a child abuser.’
Dumbledore looked at him with condescendence, as he would to a rebellious teen.
‘Severus, It’s admirable that you still show loyalty to-‘
But Severus snapped at him: ‘Don’t talk about loyalty, you crazy old man!’ spat.
‘Severus, calm down’ tried Remus, but Severus shoved off ‘The only, single one thing I asked you was to protect her. The only one. And now she is… she is…’ he had to gulp before speaking again ‘And now you tell me to send her child, her only child, to that horrible woman? You must be madder then I thought’
Remus was appalled. Nobody ever talked to Albus Dumbledore like this, at least not in front of him. And he didn’t understand half of what he said. What did he mean by ‘the only thing I asked’? What did Severus ask, and in exchange of what?
Dumbledore, calm as always, was about to speak again when Remus took the word.
‘There is another way.’
Dumbledore lifted his eyebrow ‘Really, mr Lupin?’ asked, with a polite but slightly annoyed tone of voice. Why was Dumbledore annoyed with the chance of not leaving Harry with an abusive aunt and still having him protected from Voldemort? Shouldn’t he be happy about it?
Before speaking, Remus exchanged a sight with Sirius, and read the same doubt in his husband’s face.
‘I read of blood protection, at Hogwarts. Blood protection is an imprecise translation’ Severus discreetly rolled his eyes at the long explanation, but whatever necessary to keep Lily’s son safe was welcomed. Severus looked at the baby. Lily’s eyes looked at him back. Severus mutteret a wandless charm to heal his forehead cut.
‘The original celtic phrasing means ‘family protection’. It may include everyone Lily considered family. And there is a charm to verify it. May I?’ said the werewolf, a hand at his wand.
Severus was surprised, but nodded. Dumbledore said nothing but, in his corner, Sirius noticed him slightly clenching his jaw. Unconsciously, the Auror put up a fighting position.
Remus made a circle with his wand, and pronounced a celtic charm. Immediately, a band of pink and white light wrapped Severus’ chest. Harry tried to grab the ineffable colours, as if he could feel his mom’s magic.
The charm fade out.
‘Very well’ said Dumbledore, with the voice of an expert chess player whose queen had just been eaten by a beginner’s pawn ‘It seems like Lily’s magic chose you, Severus. Gentlemen, I suggest that we all spend a good night of sleep. It’s been a rough day. Tomorrow we’ll define the details.’ And then, disappeared with a crack.
Sirius took word again: ‘This doesn’t change the fact that I am his Godfather.’ Started, pretty aggressive. Severus looked at him bad. Remus looked at Sirius telling with the eyes to slow down.
Sirius sighed and lowered his shoulders.
‘Listen up, Sn- Severus. I get that Harry’s your best friend’s child. But he is also my best friend’s child. And I don’t want to abandon him either. Separating from him would hurt me as much as it would hurt you.’
Remus noticed Severus’ forehead slightly unfrown, and it was there that he decided to take all in his hands.
‘Listen up. Nobody needs to separate from Harry this evening. Severus, you told so: our house was burned down tonight. If you have a spare bed, or a couch on which we can stay, we can sleep in the same house tonight. And tomorrow, with a clear mind, we may take better arrangement decisions. Does it sound ok for you?’ asked, feeling the questioning sight of his husband in the back of his head.
Severus had the face of someone who wanted to protest. But then he nodded, and with a crack he brought them all at Spinner’s End, his and Lily’s birthplace.