PROLOGUE - Where it all began
Rain was lashing against the windowpanes, but inside the living room, a fire crackled in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the walls. Scattered across the floor lay the colourful toys of a toddler.
James Potter held a newborn baby girl in his arms, wrapped in a pale pink woollen blanket, rocking her with a slow, almost solemn rhythm. His eyes, fixed on the tiny sleeping creature whose little hand was clenched around her thumb, were filled with pure adoration.
“No matter what happens out there, Ally,” the man murmured, his voice low and steady, “you’ll always be my little girl. And nothing, and no one, can ever change that. Be proud of the name you bear.”
Lily appeared in the doorway, cradling a dark-haired boy of about a year old with bright green eyes. A shadow veiled her gaze—a cold foreboding that had haunted her ever since that day. As she watched James holding their baby girl, her lips parted into a bittersweet smile, full of gratitude, leaving no doubt that he truly was the love of her life.
She stepped closer, resting her free hand against her husband’s cheek.
“Thank you, James,” Lily whispered, a lump in her throat catching her breath. “I know you’ll be a wonderful father to both of them.”
“And I can’t wait,” the man said, smiling. “How about we put these two little rascals to bed?”
She nodded, though her gaze drifted toward the front door with sudden dread. “The wards are giving way,” she whispered, as the warmth of the room seemed to vanish in an instant. “I can feel it. He’s coming.”
James looked into her eyes, his determination erasing every trace of fear. He placed a hand on the nape of Lily’s neck and kissed her forehead.
“Then we’ll be ready. Protect the children; I’ll buy us some time.”
They turned toward the stairs, but after just a few steps, a dull roar shook the very walls of the house. James and Lily’s eyes widened in unison.
“Take the children upstairs, now!” James ordered.
After one last, heart-wrenching glance at her husband, Lily took the baby girl from his arms and rushed up the stairs, clutching both children tightly and slamming the door behind her.
With time running out, she laid the older boy in his cot and rushed toward a door hidden behind a colourful sheet they used to play with Harry. Tucked away behind it stood a small pink cot.
Suddenly, the sound of the front door being torn from its hinges echoed through the hall, followed by James’s voice roaring up the stairs:
“LILY, IT’S HIM! RUN! NOW!”
The muffled sounds of a struggle and breaking objects from below immediately filled the house. At that moment, Lily knew their seconds were numbered. She quickly placed the sleeping baby girl inside the pink cot.
“Ally, my darling, Mummy loves you. Daddy loves you,” she whispered, her words choked by the terror of what was about to unfold. “Never forget that inside you lies an immense light that nothing can ever extinguish. Never forget who you are, my little girl.”
Then, slipping the silver pendant engraved with lilies from her own neck, she fastened it around the baby’s neck and left a trembling kiss on her tiny forehead. A pure, intense white light burst forth from the woman’s lips, fading away as it sealed itself within the little girl like an impenetrable secret—an ancient magic that required no wand, born of the purest love and a mother’s fierce instinct to protect her child.
Without looking back, Lily closed the door, smoothed the blanket with a swift flick of her hand, and hurried back to little Harry. A heavy silence descended upon the floor below, followed by the sound of Voldemort’s dragging footsteps drawing ever closer.
However, she had barely reached Harry’s cot when the door handle began to turn slowly. With a start, Lily shielded the baby. At that very moment, the hooded figure of Lord Voldemort stepped into the room.
She did the only thing she could: she threw her arms wide, ready to protect her son even if it meant paying the ultimate price, just as a flash of brilliant green light consumed the room.
