1 Prologue

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" James Potter screamed. Voldemort laughed. In a duel Potter may have lasted a few moments, but without a wand he may very well be an ant trying to stop a river.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light flashed through the cramped hallway, bathing the surrounding room in a greenish glow. It passed by the many bare walls that overlooked the home to strike James Potter, who fell like a marionette with its strings cut.

The sound of footsteps echoed into the room, the creak of wood groaning of death as Lord Voldemort entered. Red eyes glistened as he scanned the room, sweeping over children's toys before arriving at a crib laying on the side of the room. Unprotected, an easy target.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily pleaded. Voldemort almost laughed. Spare the boy? If not for him he would not have come.

"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now." He said, walking forward. He glided more than he walked, long robes dragging against the woolen rugs that furnished the nursery.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead!" Lily begged, throwing herself over the crib as if to shield her son. Foolish woman, wishing to trade her life to extend her son's a few seconds more.

"This is my last warning." He said, raising his wand.

Lily Potter backed away, tears streaming out of her green eyes as she covered the top with the crib with her hands. Her red hair was a mess, half of it swung over her eyes. "No, please! You can spare me, spare him too. He will serve you, we all will, please!" Voldemort did not bother shaking his head. If the foolish woman thought he would trust her, she was a greater fool than he imagined.

The child beside her stood while clutching the bars of his crib, looking up at him. It was childlike in all the ways that could be expected by a child. His green eyes were not powerful, or ringed with the wisdom of an elder wizard. But what was he expecting? He was but a child too at the same age.

Voldemort felt a smile on his lips. So this would be the one with the power to defeat him, perhaps he should not have been worried at all. In the future, perhaps, but when he looked now he saw a child, and nothing more.

He pointed the wand with utter precision at the child's face.

The child began to cry.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light flew towards the child, sure to strike his face. But it didn't. It twisted in the air, heading for the necklace that guarded his neck like a shield. Voldemort frowned, an attractor charm? He twisted his wand, and the light righted itself, heading for the boy's face. But just as it grazed his head the light jerked as if being pulled, and it was all Voldemort could do to prevent his wand from dropping.

He studied the charm. His spell had fled into it, and cracks formed on the surface of its gems. The talisman was bright ruby, almost more suited for a girl on her wedding day. It shattered, and a scream sounded.

Voldemort shivered as what appeared like a ghost emeged, glowing with the white aura of a banshee. The air was warm, but that scream chilled him nonetheless. It was like the day he had first made his horcrux. The scream, it sounded almost like… Like the scream of a soul being split, he realized. Voldemort backed away, raising his wand as the translucent figure leaped at his head.

Voldemort stumbled with a blood curdling scream, light flooding his eyes. Out, came a voice.

'AVADA- '

"No," said the voice. Pain assaulted his senses again as his spell was interrupted.

'AVADA KE-'

"I said no!"

Another brutal wave of pain struck him as he gasped for air. A green fizzle of light fizzled from his wand, hitting the wall and vanishing like a spark of an incomplete fire.

Lily ran towards the child's crib, grabbing him into her arms. Voldemort raised his wand. No, he could not let her flee. The child would be the death of him if he got away.

'AVAD-'

Voldemort choked as his head began spinning, almost as if someone had struck him with a hammer. This time, nothing happened. You will not have them this time, you will not!

This time? Was there another? Voldemort shook his head. This, this… 'THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!'

Lily Potter sprinted towards the open door, his target in her arms. Voldemort stared, red eyes burning as she fled, slamming the door behind her. He turned to the spirit that had interrupted him, the cursed thing. Part of it was still surrounding the boy, the thing was wrapped around his head, waving itself in a mocking salute as Voldemort howled.

'Cruci-'

Another wretched scream left the cloaked man's mouth. What felt like a laugh entered his mind, taunting him.

'Imper-', he croaked. He dropped his wand.

A groan left his mouth. As his knees gave away from beneath him Lord Voldemort's head hit the floor. He gritted his teeth, trying to raise his hand to crawl away only to find that he could not. Would he… no! He was Lord Voldemort, the greatest dark lord of his age, he would not die like this!

Pain was all he could feel, as if a hundred fists were pounding into his stomach. He shifted in his robes to find that his legs could not move, pinned to the ground by some invisible will hard as chains of iron. He growled, trying to disappear, trying to get away. His limbs began dissipating, turning into smoke as he fought for control against whatever creature the necklace had summoned. He could feel his body heating, as if a fire had begun in his chest. Then he was gone, faded away into the night air.