Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Prongs' Last Stand ❯ The Last Stand ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything you recognise as belonging to a copyrighted thing, so don't take it out on me.

 

Warning: This story is rated PG due to graphic violence and mild language. You have been warned.

 

Summary: This is set in Marauder-verse, in the last hour of the Potters' lives. James faces Voldemort, and his last thoughts are laid before you.

 

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James was happy. It was a strange feeling to have, after such a long time of feeling nothing but fear. The fear was still there, of course; it always would be, probably. After all, what person in their right mind wouldn't be scared, in a time like this? He looked into his sitting room, where his family sat, playing a game before Lily put Harry down for the night.

 

He smiled, watching as Lily blew a raspberry into their son's stomach. Harry giggled madly, looking exactly like James had when he was a baby. Then his eyes opened, and Lily looked out at the world. Those bright emerald eyes… he was so happy.

 

It was Halloween, and the others had come over for dinner, Sirius being the last to leave, less than a half an hour before. The three of them, Remus, Sirius, and Peter, were the only ones who knew where they were, barring Albus, of course. In fact, they were under the Fidelius Charm, with Peter as their Secret Keeper. Of course, no one knew that Peter was the Keeper, except Sirius. They did it at the last minute as an extra protection. No one would look to Peter Pettigrew, a short stocky little wizard, nearly a squib most of the time, to be the Potters' Secret Keeper.

 

“James, dear, come give Harry a kiss. I'm going to put him down for the night. I hope he'll sleep through, poor baby. His teething's gotten worse, did you notice?”

 

“Yeah, I did. Poor tyke. Come here, you little monster.” He knelt in front of Harry, who stood on shaky legs. James beckoned, and Harry took two unsteady steps before falling into his arms. James scooped him up, standing. “I love you, little Prongslet. Happy Halloween. Now get some sleep, because we're going on an outing to grandpa Albus tomorrow.” The baby gurgled, trying to form words, and he kissed him again, before handing him back to Lily, and kissing her on the nose.

 

“I'll see you in a few minutes, love,” she said, cuddling Harry closer. The little boy was yawning, already falling asleep.

 

“I'll be waiting.” Something in the back of his mind made him stop her before she left the room, kissing her. “I love you, Lily Marie Potter.”

 

“And I love you, James Alan Potter. I'm going to get this little one upstairs now, and then we're going to watch a good old-fashioned horror movie. After all, it is Halloween.” She winked and pulled away, blowing him a kiss as she ascended the stairs. James flopped onto the sofa, his twenty-one years catching up with him for a moment. When he was eleven, he'd have never seen himself in this house. He'd seen himself on the cover of Quidditch World Weekly, or the front page of the Daily Prophet, as an Auror. Well, he'd made it on the front page of the Prophet, all right. He chuckled ruefully. They all had.

 

When he and Lily joined the Order at 17, they never thought to get recognition. Sirius, of course, had his dream of being famous, and Remus was Remus. He wasn't asking for anything, but if it happened, so be it. Peter… Peter was just frightened. But they had all gotten their years of fame, as the youngest Aurors ever to pass the exam, and all that bilk. And then they got their names in the paper for the Death Eaters they captured, and sometimes killed.

 

He heard a noise outside, like a footstep. He thought for a moment that it was an animal, but then he heard a rustling of fabric, and the door handle turned slowly. If it was Sirius or the others, they'd knock first. He jumped to his feet, and whipped out his wand.

 

“LILY! TAKE HARRY AND GO! HE'S HERE!” He heard a gasp from upstairs, and watched the door as it opened. This was it. This was the reason that he'd gone into hiding. So that this wouldn't happen. It shouldn't happen. They were innocent. Lily and Harry were innocent. He fired off a spell, closing the door again, giving his wife time to get the baby out the back door, or the fireplace. Why oh why hadn't he put a Portkey in Harry's room?

 

“Stop trying to fight me, fool boy!” The door flew off its hinges, and before him stood an older man, with red eyes and a pale complexion.

 

“Voldemort,” he spat, keeping fear far from his thoughts and voice. It wouldn't do to let him get to him after five years of fighting him.

 

“Yes, I've found you at last, James Potter. Your friend was very forthcoming with information.” From behind Voldemort stepped a short figure in black robes and a mask. The hood lowered… the mask came off.

 

“Wormtail.” He let his surprise show, even though he knew who had betrayed them the moment the door opened.

 

“Yes, dear Wormtail. He came to us quite a few months ago, eager for service. And he hasn't disappointed.” The small man smiled, a different smile from Peter Pettigrew. It seemed to fit his face better, this malicious smirk. James growled at him, and the smile hitched for a split second before coming back full-force. He stepped back, behind his Master. “You may go now, Wormtail. I'm sure you need to go home and get some rest.” He disappeared with a `pop.'

 

James found himself smiling. The wards were down. Albus knew something was wrong, because those wards were connected to him.

 

“You made a mistake, Tom,” he said, deliberately using the muggle name of the man before him. “You broke the wards.”

 

“Your precious Dumbledore has no time for you this night, Potter. He is much too busy elsewhere. Now I do believe I came here for a reason. Stand aside.”

“No.” The prophecy. Oh dear Gods, Voldemort was here because of the prophecy. He narrowed his eyes. “I'm not letting you get him.”

 

“Oh really?” James felt the magic inherent in the room begin to be sucked out, and knew what was coming. He sent a silent prayer to anyone who was listening to spare his family as the first syllable was spoken. He was dying for his love. He was fulfilling the promise he'd made on his wedding day, the promise he'd made to the other Marauders. Die before falling. Protect before fleeing. And above all, fight until the last moment, with everything you have, for the future. And he knew his future was upstairs, with black curls and green eyes. As the fourth syllable was spoken, he threw out a curse.

 

“GET HARRY OUT OF HERE! I'LL HOLD HIM OFF! TAKE HIM SOMEWHERE SAFE!” He rolled to avoid the beam of green light, his shirt searing with the heat. Something close by exploded, and he rolled even further, rebounding off the wall. He flipped to his feet, firing off a curse at the man before him. He missed, but then he wasn't fighting for himself. He knew he wouldn't win. He was fighting for time. That he knew he could win, if he tried.

 

“Foolish boy!” The Killing Curse was sent at him again, and again he dodged it, firing a hex off. Just a few more seconds, and Lily could get away-

 

“CRUCIO!” He fell to the floor, screaming. He heard his name from somewhere above him, and fought the effects of the curse.

 

“DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! TAKE HARRY! GET HIM OUT!” The curse redoubled and he screamed again in agony, dimly wishing the pain would stop. But another part of him cheered, because the more time Voldemort spent with him, the less time he was spending trying to get Harry. The curse lifted.

 

The last thing James Potter saw was a pair of victorious red eyes, and a green flash of light.

 

Seventeen years later, the last thing Tom Riddle saw was a pair of determined green eyes, and a flash of blue. [1]

 

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[1]: First off, I'm not sure where that came from, why I put that bit in there, and second, the flash of blue is an ancient spell, found by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, which is the only spell able to finish off the Dark Lord. I'm planning on writing something about the Final Battle that would connect with this one, so look out for it.

 

Hope you had fun reading! Now review!