Divergence

Remus had needed two months to recover from the accident and its consequences. Due to the heavily damages done to his private, he was Flooed to St.Mungo for a complete remodelling of his goods, or lack of thereof.

Feeling guilty for the incident, Sirius had footed the entire bill of the operation, alongside the mind healer he had needed afterwards, soon rejoined by Sirius. Harry first year' party was cancelled due to this, James and the gang preferring to accompany Remus to the bar.

The Werewolf would not be the same anymore, while the mind healer had been able to instil some self-worth in his skull, he couldn't face Harry at all, his PTSD and fantom pains kicking in at his sight.

So the joyful affair turned in a day of pampering between Lily and Harry, and a visit in the muggle world for the day.

What surprised both was the arrival of Severus Snape after a short Floo call. Lily knows that the man wasn't the most comfortable, but the exchange had been more than cordial. He didn't sneer, and Harry had stayed calm, knowing that this moment could influence his future with the man at Hogwarts.

As a man of few words, he wished Harry a happy birthday, pass his gift and return to his dungeon, leaving a bewildered couple behind.

After snapping back from the interaction, Lily opened the present in his stead. When she saw it, she was more than shocked. In front of her were five books and a carefully engraved box. Those five books could easily separate in three groups; the first was of plants, animals and minerals, one each. The second was the first volume of ingredients interactions, and the last was a compendium of beginner level protection charms, flames control, the meaning of rod movement in the position and their overall interaction with the potion.

Opening the box, an apprentice-class scale, brass base with a set of iron, silver and crystal weighing pan. A set of knives were also present, make of the same three material, along with a set of fifty phials, made of 30 standard size, 15 Healer-grade one, and 5 litres containers. The entire equipment was enchanted unbreakable for phials, inalterable for the pan and everlasting sharpness for the blade.

She doubts that even Pureblood children were given that much tool to prepare their Potions after all the set was an apprentice-grade Potion kit! She had seems lesser set be sold for not less than 3 000G!

She couldn't help but dryly say "He hates Remus and Sirius." Even then, she could barely care; the gift was generous and well received. It would also go nicely with the one she had made for her baby.

Taking the little box she had in her pocket, revealing a crafter silver chain bracelet. On one of the link, a silvery item crafted like a trunk was dangling. Taking it off, it turns into a small 30*20*20 chest.

Opening the chest, she put Severus gift inside, before locking it again. Once sealed and near the bracelet, it reverts to its accessory appearance, and placing at Harry left wrist.

"Here you go sweety, since that waste of space that is your father hadn't prepared anything for you, I made sure to do for him." Say her with a mischievous smile.

He was surprised when the bracelet vanishes, but could still feel it. Seeing his face, she smiled kindly.

"This will be our little secret; if no one look for it, no one will know you had it, it will keep your things safe for you. If nothing happens, then I will be the one teaching you how to use it when you're older." Her smile didn't quite reach the onee she intended, knowing that it would probably never happen.

~~~

The entire day was kept a secret for the rest of the world, and James uncaring nature unknowingly gives Harry a weapon to defend himself for the incoming disaster.

In the following months, Lily was able to crack partially the goblins enchantment used on the bracelet' accessory. She had to pay a pretty Galleon for the enchantment, but since it was a wizard creation first, they wouldn't hound them to retrieve it later.

No goblin would debase himself into going after a wizard smithed jewellery; it would only lower their prestige after all. Due to this, no protection had been made on the enchantment, as they had their equivalents in the wizard community. Even then they weren't worried, not thinking that the wizard would look after them since they had their shrinking enchantment.

But that wasn't was interested Lily; it was the enchantments clusters themselves. After cracking the pattern, she crafts and enchant her version. Using the security of the bottomless purse, she was able to have a blood-linking cluster on the bracelet, securing Harry at the sole able to use it.

Trunks replaced the small chest. Regretfully, she wasn't able to expend the space inside without it clashing with the other enchantments done to shrink and link it to the bracelet. This wasn't a problem as she just had more trunks to it.

A week before Halloween, Harry bracelet had four trunks on it, one was full of Galleon, generously given from the Potter Vault, another full of British pounds, just in case. The third was full of pre-made meals in shrunk stasis boxes, it space separated in three sections for breakfast, dinner and supper. The last was for his goods, notably the key for the Evans Vault and a copy of her will.

Those precisions all leak from Severus, the man had informed her of what had happened. Hearing and revealing the partial prophecy to Voldemort, the scheme of Dumbles he was aware, and most importantly, the fact that they were targeted.

He had feared her anger at the time, only to be shocked to learn she was aware and had already forgiven him. From her conclusion, she knows how the thing would most likely finish. DUmbledore had ready them to die, to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once they were out of the game, he would use then Harry to his sick game. For that, he would need a beaten and despondent victim.

It means no wizard family to raise him, and will surely use her blood relatives with some bullshit reason, and like the sheep they are, the wizarding world would let him do what he wanted. The only family she had left was Petunia, seeing her husband, she know that they would cower Harry for his magic. There was nothing she could do now, as the old goat had poster 'guards' around the house, to 'protect' them.

'A bloody prison, that what it is.' Inwardly growled her when she had been told, once again without input on her side.

That way she had prepared all of this, the food should be last for three years, if he follows the instructions. Those instructions would be sent with a variation of the portkey she had found in the Potter library. Long since deem illegal for its use of blood magic, and its ability to bypass mostly any wards, she had written a letter for future Harry. Set to be sent at his four birthday, at midnight, it was now hidden in a box buried between the root of a tree outside the boundaries of Potter Manor.

By the time he was seven, he should be deemed old enough to buy a simple thing without too much attention.

~~~

The rest of the week was nerve-wracking for Lily, knowing that it was undoubtedly the last time she would see him. More than once, she nearly blows her cover under the incessant wapping of James. It was only Harry distraction that we're able to cover for her in time, just enough not to alert Dumbles.

By that time, she was now sure that Harry wasn't indeed a baby, that had never been one. Confronting her feelings those last day, she discovers that she had always somewhat known but hadn't truly cared.

Harry had changed from her baby to her accomplice; they were a team and supported each other, and that all matter.

~~~

She understands that it would happen this night when it was Peter turn to guard them, but never appears. She had kept a close eye on the guarding pattern, and truthfully it wasn't difficult. They were simply inept, only hidden under an invisible cloak, always at the same place. A simple Revelio had been enough to bust them. Worst, none had reacted when feeling the spell was over them, while she waves from the window, all thinking that she was using the spell to assure herself that her family was safe.

From this, she couldn't see them winning the war.

As the night sky replace the last rays of sunshine, Lily and Harry were in her bedroom, both silent and tense. James had used the celebration as a pretext to escape to the nearest pub, attracted by the discount for the day.

It was only once the clock was nearing midnight that the man returned.

"Lilish, were arrre you, camesh here! Let chelebrate, its been a whilde sinch I didn't giv you a good fuching!"

The slurred shout mixed with the sound of crashing and swearing was at the same time worrying and comforting. From the state he seems to be, he wouldn't be able to do much if he didn't fall into coma in-between.

It's was cut short when another type of crashing sound heard.

"Who are you, bladie? Did I leave a drinking buddy back?" The surprisingly clear and structured wording take her off guard before she hears a meaty thud on the ground.

Realising what was happening, she starts to hyperventilate. Taking Harry in her arms a last time. Kissing his forehead and looking at him lovingly, she holds him against her chest in a final hug.

~~~

There, in the door frame, robed in dark and wand tip glowing in an ominous green light, stand Voldemort.

Of his shadowed face, only his blood-red eyes seen, two light in the semi-darkness. Without any preamble, his wand raised, and his first words escape his lips.

"Avada Kedavra."

Her eyes widen at the ominous green light making its way to Harry. Instinctively her body turns, shielding him from the killing curse.

~~~

Harry look powerlessly has Lily was struck by the spell, soundlessly falling backwards on the bed. While he couldn't bring himself to see her at his real mother at first, he couldn't denies that the past year and half had been more than enough for her to worms her way in his heart, seeing her sacrifice herself for him was tearing his heart.

"So here we are" start Voldemort softly, lowering his hood. "The saviour of the world, my feared destructor? A child barely weaned, pathetic! How can you comparate to me, boy?"

Sure of his victory, the dark lord enters the room entirely, proudly circling the boy still in his mother lap on the bed. Sure that the boy didn't represent any danger, he turns his back to him, and with a flick, extract a white powder from his pocket.

As if under an invisible force, the white powder spread around, drawing a ritual circle on the bare flooring. Done, he turns to Harry, levitating on the middle of the ring, before a lightning bolt-like wound open on his forehead by a sharp twist of his wand.

As the blood splatter, some land and mix with the powder on the ground, igniting it in an ethereal sick green fire.

"Dumbledore will rue the day he leaves the Potter's in the care of my loyal followers, not knowing that he helped me attain immortality at last!" Turning his gaze to the quiet Harry, he smiles vindictively." Rejoice, boy; your death will be the last piece missing for my Horcruxs!"

Leaving Harry alone once again, her start to intone a chant, closing his eyes in concentration. His incantation Coming to an end, his eyes snap open, before bellowing.

"Avada Kedavera!"

As the jet of green light shot at him, Harry couldn't resist the mechanical reaction of his body facing danger. Trying to protect his head, target of the spell, he raised both arms, hiding his face.

Like the two other unforgivable, the Killing curse couldn't be counteracted by flesh or direct magic. Even if he raised his arms, nothing would protect him from it.

Seeing the last-ditch of effort from Dumbledore saviour, Voldemort snort. "Pitful..."

Before he could finish, his eyes widen a the impossible sight. Just as the spell was about to strike, it was suddenly reflected out of nowhere, bouncing back to him. Before he could react, he fell his spell hit him.

Reacting at the sacrificed soul, the ritual circle flare to life, working it magic, but fail. The intended target was the one whose soul' was offered, as it was never made to take into account such parameter, the ritual start to cascade. Voldemort body explodes due to the backlash of the failed ritual. Free from its flesh prison, his build-up magic badly react, merging with the last dreg of the ritual magic.

Everything beyond the ritual circle, and originating from Riddle place, was blasted open, tearing apart a large portion of the cottage. It was only because she was behind Harry, protected by the ritual circle, that Lily body was left intact.

Everything else was blown apart, destroying two-thirds of the house.

~~~

While being disembodied, Voldemort soul prevails, if only fractured in two. The part intended to the creation of his six Horcrux shrivel down, dyeing from the after-effect of the killing curse. The main soul, under the previous and forcefull strain of the, torn apart soul shard, fracture again, leaving a small part behind, while he vanishes in the night, blind to the fact.

Being too small to be completely sentient, the soul shard acted instinctively for its survival. Feeling two sources of its residual magic, it bolts to the targets. Before he could merge with either, feeling that one possess another source of magic, already fighting the last dreg present.

Instinctively choosing the inert one, the soul shard merges with the physical object, ensuring its survival.

~~~

In an alternate timeline, Harry open scar would have been the only remnant of Voldemort' magic and housing the shard.

This never happens here. Because of his instinctive reaction, Harry's left arm had been hit by the killing curse, rather than his head. However, unknown to all, Harry was wearing a concealed, enchanted piece of jewellery on his wrist.

Instead, that being hit, the silver trunk had been the target of the magic. As a physical matter, the killing curse had been reflected by the metallic propriety. As an enchanted accessory, the magical signature of Voldemort had easily hold on, drawing the soul shard rather that the soon-to-be-scar.

Due to its nature, the enchantment draws on ambient magic, thus creating a secure feature for the shard to survive, and creating a quasi-Horcrux.

~~~

Due to the backlash of the magic blast, Harry finally lost conscious.

Not too long after everything happens, Dumbledore directly flames at the wreckage site. Landing just in front of Harry, a smile appears on his face at the sight of the wound. Wand out; a rapid diagnostic spell let him know of the presence of the foul magic.

Thinking the open wound the origin, he vanishes, sure that the prophecy was enacted, ready to start the second part of his plan.

In his haste, he never sees the body of Lily on the bed, partially hidden by the fallen wardrobe.

~~~

A few minutes after the passage of the older man, it was Severus Snape to apparate on scene. Looking at the destroyed house, fear grip his heart, before rushing inside. Barely giving any mind at the nearly destructed body of James Potter, he made his way upstairs.

Sweeping the room, he saw Harry sprawled on the floor, unconscious, but alive, after a rapid diagnostic spell. Leaving him for a second, his eyes widen when he sees Lily. Banishing the wardrobe, he shakingly points his wand at her, using the same diagnostic.

Dread grip him when he feels nothing coming back, only Harry seems to have survived the attack. He was about to process further when he heard the motorcycle of Sirius. Frozen for a second, a past discussion with Lily came to his mind. While it had pained her, she knows that she has to play Dumbledore plan. If she were to be dead, he was to take her away and made sure that no one could use her body.

Knowing full well what would happen, shall he disrupt Dumbledore plan, he sighs before apparating with the body.