Godrics Hollow, October 31st, 2001
"Lily, are you almost ready to go?" James yelled from downstairs as he re-adjusted his tie in front of a mirror.
"Almost ready! Just making sure the children will be alright while we're gone," he could hear her shout back.
The couple were to be meeting Sirius for a Halloween dinner at some formal muggle restaurant. James was wearing a white button-up and green suit jacket, paired with black slacks, dress shoes, and his favorite tie. A couple of minutes passed by before he heard a voice behind him.
"How do I look?" Lily asked, and he turned around to see her.
"Stunning, as always," he said with a grin.
Lily was wearing a long green dress that matched his suit, along with a gold necklace and black heels. Her bright red hair was pulled back into a loose, yet stylish bun. James watched as a smile spread across his wife's face.
"Thank you, darling," she replied softly. "Iris wouldn't stop throwing a fit until I had to reassure her a million times that we would only be gone for a few hours. She finally fell asleep, thankfully."
"What about Hadrian?" he asked as she walked over to him.
"He was sound asleep the whole time, but to be fair, he never throws any sort of tantrums," Lily answered with a small smile.
James nodded at her statement. His two children couldn't be more different from each other. Iris had her mother's ginger hair with brown eyes, which she had inherited from her dad. Hadrian, on the other hand, had pitch-black hair with Lily's bright green eyes, although less emerald-y and more vibrant. A little too close of a color to the killing curse if you asked James. Not that he would admit it to anyone, but the one-year-old's stare could be a little off-putting sometimes. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. James concluded it was mostly likely the nanny they had hired to watch over the twins while the married couple were at dinner. There had been many hours of investigating before they could trust the babysitter, not wanting her to be a death eater or something like that. James opened the door to see the caretaker waiting out front.
"Hello, do come in," he said with a smile.
The nanny entered the room and shook hands with both adults while exchanging pleasantries.
"Thank you so much for coming, I do hope the boys won't cause you much trouble. They should just be asleep the whole time, but do reach out if anything happens," Lily explained while grabbing her purse.
"Oh it's no problem at all dear, you two have a great time at dinner," the caretaker replied.
"We'll see you at half past nine," James said with a nod.
He grabbed onto his spouse's hand and apparated them away.
*One Hour Later*
A hooded figure approached the gate to Godrics Hallow as a cold fall breeze created ripples through his cloak. The last sights of the sun had disappeared just moments before the man walked up to the front door. Not bothering to unlock it, he blasted the door open and stepped through the now shattered wards. He heard a woman to his right shriek and barely spared her a glance before the green light shot out of his wand.
The man continued through the house until he heard a faint noise of a baby crying above him.
'Found you,' he thought to himself.
He strode up the stairs and followed the wailing, once he got to the door that was cracked open slightly, he pushed it open. In front of him were two cribs on either side of the room. The young child in the one to the right was the source of the crying. The one on the left, not making a single noise, was sitting upright and seemed to be staring at the other. The man reached out with his magic to decipher which was his prophesized enemy. The toddler on the left's magical core was no doubt stronger and more able than the right's. The hooded man hadn't felt a core like that ever. It emanated such raw power that he had not seen in the average man, let alone a one-year-old. The core had a dark affinity, seeing as how it brought a chill through the room. The man walked slowly to the left while taking his hood off. It revealed a pale face with brown eyes that seemed to glow red, with perfectly styled chocolate-colored hair. The dark lord peered over to the side of the crib, which was decorated with letters.
"Hadrian Potter," he read, and having heard his name, the baby transferred his gaze from his twin to Voldemort.
The sight took the adult aback for a second, as he locked eyes with bright green ones. They reminded him of his favorite curse, the one that he had cast minutes before and was about to do again in a moment.
"You have so much potential...shame I have to kill you, though," the dark lord said as he raised his wand to the young child's head.
The unnerving colored eyes kept eye contact, filled with innocence.
"Avada Kedavra," he hissed as he pointed his wand.
The green light shot out from the wand and hit the infant square in the forehead, but the curse bounced off of him and got straight back at Voldemort. The dark lord's body convulsed as the spell rebounded back, burning his body from the inside out. His screams could be heard throughout the night as his body went up in flames. His body was incinerated, leaving nothing but ashes behind. His spirit left the Potter's house, but not before a sliver of his soul lodged itself into the lightning bolt scar on Hadrian's forehead, that had been caused by his failed killing curse. The impact of the killing curse left Hadrian unconscious while his twin, Iris, kept crying.
*Half Past Nine*
Lily and James arrived back at their house, only to look in horror as the roof had been destroyed by the blast of the rebounded killing curse.
"My babies!" Lily screamed as she ran into the destroyed house.
"Lily, be careful!" James yelled as he followed behind her.
They made their way upstairs and found the nursery in complete disarray. Both cribs had been overturned, and blankets were strewn about. The only sound that came from the room was the continued cries of Iris Potter, who was uninjured except for a cut along the side of her face.
"Iris! I'm here, sweetie," Lily cooed as she picked up her baby girl, cradling her close.
"Where's Hadrian?" James asked, panic in his voice.
The two Potters looked around the room frantically until they found their son. They gasped as they saw him lying still and pale on the ground, but they could feel a faint heartbeat coming from his chest. They exchanged relieved looks before Lily quickly moved to her son's side.
"Oh, my love," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
She gently picked up her baby boy, who seemed to be unconscious from the impact of the curse, and held him close. James put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"We need to get them to the hospital," she said, his voice shaking.
They hurried down the stairs, careful not to trip on anything in their distress. Once they were outside, James summoned his invisibility cloak and wrapped it around himself, Lily, and the children before apparating to St. Mungos. As they hurried through the halls of the hospital, Lily gripped her son tightly, her knuckles white.
"Please, Hadrian," she whispered, "hold on. We're here. We're going to take care of you."
The healers worked tirelessly to stabilize Hadrian, but it was clear that Hadrian's magic was severely depleted. His pale skin and listlessness were a stark contrast to Iris's healthy pink color.
"What happened to him?" one of the healers asked Lily, who was sitting by her son's bedside, her eyes never leaving his face.
"I-I don't know for sure, other than the fact, that my children were attacked," Lily answered, her voice trembling, "but I think...I think the Dark Lord, he-he came for them."
The healers exchanged worried glances, but they didn't dare to ask her anything else.
"Lord & Lady Potter, we're doing everything we can but your son's magic is in critically low numbers, he might not make it," the head healer informed them, his voice grave.
Lily let out a choked sob, tears streaming down her face as she held her son's hand even tighter.
"But, there must be something we can do," James protested, wrapping his arms around his wife, and comforting her.
The healers exchanged glances again before one of them spoke up.
"There is one thing we can try," he said slowly. "But it's risky and experimental, and there's no guarantee that it will work."
"What is it?" Lily asked, her voice barely audible.
"We could attempt to transfer some of Lord & Lady Potter's magic into Hadrian. There's a chance it could help him pull through," the head healer explained, "but there's also a chance that it'll kill him."
Lily looked at James, her eyes pleading for him to make the decision. James hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Do it," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "Anything to save our baby boy."
The healers prepared for the magical transfer, carefully taking James and Lily's magic and carefully funneling it into Hadrian's body. As the minutes ticked by, they monitored his vitals closely, praying that the transfer wouldn't kill him. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the head healer spoke up.
"It's working," he said, a note of surprise in his voice. "His magic levels are starting to rise. Keep your fingers crossed, Lord and Lady Potter."
The two of them sank into chairs beside the bed, their eyes never leaving Hadrian's face as they waited for any sign that he might wake up. Hours passed before there was a stirring from the bed, and Hadrian slowly opened his eyes. They were glazed over at first, but then they focused on his parents' faces.
"Dada, Mama?" he asked, his voice weak and confused.
Lily broke down in tears, relief washing over her as she pulled him into a tight hug.
"Oh, my sweet boy," she sobbed, "we were so worried."
"Shh, it's okay, baby," James said, wiping her tears away. "You're safe now. You're going to be just fine."
Hadrian looked around, taking in his surroundings.
"Where Sissy?" he asked, his voice still weak.
"Your uncle Padfoot is watching her for us, sweetie. She wasn't as injured as you were," Lily answered, gently stroking his hair.
"Okay," Hadrian said, finally relaxing, before yawning, "I'm tired."
Lily leaned down and kissed his forehead, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love for her son.
"You get some rest, sweetheart. Mama and Dada will be right here," she said softly, "You're safe now."
As Hadrian drifted back to sleep, Lily and James looked at each other, their eyes full of love and relief. Their family had made it through the worst, and now they could begin the long road to recovery. After a few more days in the hospital, Hadrian was finally well enough to go home, although, he and Iris seemed to become very clingy to their parents. The next week, Albus Dumbledore himself came to visit them, and with him, news that would change their lives forever.
"Lord and Lady Potter, I am truly sorry for what you have all been through," the old wizard began, taking a seat in the Potter's cozy living room.
"It's not your fault, Headmaster," James said, his voice grave, "It's that traitor Pettigrew's fault."
"Indeed it is James," Dumbledore replied, "but I must inform you that we have located him. He is currently being held in the Ministry of Magic's holding block."
"And?" Lily prodded, her voice cold.
"We will be bringing him to trial soon. The evidence against him is quite compelling. However, his sentence is likely to be life in Azkaban, no less than that," Dumbledore said, his voice solemn.
"Good!" Lily exclaimed, her eyes flashing with anger, "He deserves to suffer for what he's done!"
"Agreed," James said, nodding in approval.
"The other matter I wished to discuss," Dumbledore continued, "is the prophecy."
Lily and James exchanged worried glances. They had heard the prophecy spoken by the seer, Sybill Trelawney, back when their children were still in her womb. It had foretold that either Hadrian, Iris or their godbrother, Neville, would grow up to defeat Lord Voldemort.