The Potter Ritual

Prologue

"TAKE LILY AND RUN!"

"AVADAKADAVA!"

*

James was sitting on the floor with his two children on each of his knees, his little Hadrian (although they only ever really called him Harry) and baby Sapphire. He was smiling fondly as he made stars from his wand, causing the two babies to giggle hysterically and reach out for them.

It was the night of Samhain and the family had just finished their ritual. In the corner, against the wall that separated their kitchen and living room was a small coffee table that was covered in a deep black blanket; on the table was white and purple candles, photographs of the Potter and Evans ancestors, a bowl of the family's blood and hair that covered ashes of the ancestors, food offerings, raw crystals, and crystals shaped as skulls. The ritual had blessed the members of the family with the ancestor's protection. It was an ancient spell ritual that had protected the Potter's for centuries, both Hadrian and Sapphire had been bonded to them, it was a very last resort to protect them, nobody else knew or heard of it, it was a Potter family secret.

"James, I'm gonna go warm Saphy some milk," Lily told her husband with a fond sparkle in her emerald green eyes.

James grinned at her before turning his attention back to his two kids. It amazed him just how tiny and precious they were, they had him wrapped around their little fingers and he was pretty sure they knew it too if the way Harry always called out for his 'dada' any time he caused mischief and lily was telling him off. Harry looked like a mini-me of James but with Lily's eyes, his raven hair already was sticking up everywhere and Lily had cursed the unruly-potters hair too many times to count. Sapphire, however, was entirely her mum, just with darker skin, except for her dark brown eyes she had inherited from her grandma, and unruly hair, while her locks were still Lily's firey red, they were a mess of unruly curls, god how did James get so lucky?

Just as Lily came back with Sapphire's bottle, the door was blasted down, causing both kids to startle and start to cry. James and Lily looked at each other in horror, before James shoved the kids into Lily's arms. Lily looked at her usually goofy husband with tears glistening in her green eyes. The candles they had previously lit, burst up, large crackling flames that split in two and caught onto the walls, the flames popped, crackled, and sizzled, thick black smoke filled the room.

"Lily take the kids and run! I'll hold him off," James coughed, covering his mouth to protect against the smoke,

Lily couldn't get another word in as James dashed off to defend the family of four, Lily darted up to the Nursey the kids shared. The young mother kissed both their foreheads and held them close to her chest. "Saphy, Harry, Mummy loves you, Daddy loves you, never forget that," Lily told them, voice thick with tears. Lily openly sobbed as she heard a cold voice yell the killing curse downstairs, and felt her heart jolt as she heard footsteps coming towards her.

Unknown to her and the Dark Lord, the family's ancestors were fighting alongside them, spirits got the flames to cover the entrance to the nursery, and surrounded the Dark Lord. James' felt his body cool, signally the ancestors were standing exactly where he was, protecting the father of two.

"Avada Cadava!"

A large bright bolt of green headed straight for James, the ancestors' flames burst open and threw James against the room just in time for the spell to fly against him. he could feel the hot spark of the magic spitting against his skin before his head hit the hard floor and darkness engulfed him. Unknown to the Dark Lord and him, an ancestor took the brunt of the spell, thanks to the Ritual the ancestors were able to covert their spirit to cover somebody since only a few sparks hit the man, the ancestor could take it for James.

The Dark Lord apparated into the nursery, unnoticing the flames that followed up to where the remaining family was, the black smoke filled the room, avoiding the mum and kids. Voldemort crackled cruelly as he watched Lily gently placed her two babies in a cot, crying softly while kissing their foreheads.

"Stand aside, no harm has to come to you if you let me kill the boy," The cold voice hissed.

Lily stood up proudly, tears still freely casting down her face, she was shaking as moved her arms outwards, trying to cover the cott from the Dark Lord's view, even though she knew it would do no good. "No, kill me! no, the kids! please!" Lily begged, she hadn't planned on begging the heartless monster but the thought of her babies dying left her in pieces, she felt sick to her stomach, a large lump in her throat made it difficult for her to swallow, a sharp pain erupted in her chest.

The ancestors covered her and the kids as they did with James,

"Foolish girl...Avada Kedavra!"

As the dark lord stepped over the slumped body of Lily Potter he raised his wand and uttered the curse at Harry. The black smoke and ancestors covered the children, smoke entering their lungs and body. The green bolt rebounded off the small child and hit Voldemort. The dark lord's body fell to the floor in a lifeless heap, and a grey mist of his spirit attempted to flee out the blasted open window, however, the Ancestors' spirits fought violently with it, the violent fight caused left the nursery in flames and falling apart until Voldemort's spirit was completely destroyed.

Harry and Saphire were left unconscious from the harsh protection magic from the Ancestors, and Harry lightning bolt scar on his forehead that bled fiercely.

Half an hour later Sirius would run in, and frantically start sobbing at the thought of his best friend being dead. Half an hour later as the heartbroken man held James' body he would feel a slight heartbeat and let out a sob of relief as he suddenly dashed upstairs to find Lily. Half an hour later Sirius would find everyone, except the body of Voldemort, in the house alive, with only little Harry with a bleeding scar on him. Half an hour later, nobody would know how the family survived. Sirius Black would spend the next 10 years pleading with Dumbledore and the ministry to let him and Remus have custody of their god-children, only to be denied because of 'family magic to protect them' The next 10 years would be hell for Sirius and Remus, the couple would only have each other to get them through.