Chapter 67

The ruins were shocking and horrifying. I stood outside what used to be Lily's courtyard, clenching my fists.

The iron gate was askew, and the house had collapsed halfway, looking like it had been blown apart, the ground littered with fragments of bricks and wood. I wanted to scream and shout for Lily, but I restrained myself.

"There are no ambushes around, stay alert, we need to approach carefully," Severus said, his voice calm yet close. He grabbed my left hand with his right and pulled me behind him, providing some comfort and stability with his familiar touch.

Hand in hand, we cautiously approached the ruins, our right hands tightly gripping our wands, ready for anything.

This seemed to be the entrance hall. Not far away, a wooden plank lay on the ground, possibly a door. Moving further in, under the glow of our wand light, we saw a figure lying on the ground.

Dust-covered black hair, lifeless, glasses askew on his nose, pale brown eyes with dilated pupils, and a face frozen in a look of frantic worry. His hands were limp at his sides, no wand in sight. Without his usual animated expressions or cocky laughter, James hardly looked like himself.

Despite knowing it was futile, I still raised my wand to check on James. The spell revealed no fatal wounds, only the absence of life. Avada Kedavra.

My throat tightened, and I took a shaky breath before moving on. This time, I took the lead.

We reached the nursery, where I saw a familiar pattern on a piece of wood—it was the crib Lily and I had bought together.

A few steps further, a flash of red appeared in the glow. Lily was there, near a toppled cabinet, her long red hair covering her face, lying still on the ground.

I quietly approached her, kneeling by her side.

"Lily?" I whispered, gently brushing the hair away from her beautiful face. She looked like she was asleep, perhaps just stunned by a spell. A simple Enervate might wake her.

"Enervate!" The light from my wand was absorbed into her body with no effect.

A hand gripped my shoulder, startling me. I turned to see Severus, who pulled me up. His face was stoic, but his eyes revealed his pain and anger. He raised his wand and cast a life-detection spell for me.

The last thread of hope snapped. I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, my heart pounding, a sharp ringing echoing in my head.

"Sawyer, Sawyer!" Severus's urgent voice broke through the noise. He held my arm tightly, prying my clenched hand from the nearly broken wand. I realized I was trembling all over.

Severus embraced me gently, "Let it out, Sawyer, cry if you need to." His voice was strained and sorrowful.

Tears quickly flowed, soaking Severus's robes, as the grief spread like a burning ache through my insides. First, I cried silently, then began to sob, finally screaming Lily's name like a bereaved soul.

Amid my cries, a faint sound caught my attention—a weak, confused whimpering. Severus heard it too and began searching the area with his wand.

Harry! Clarity returned in an instant. Harry was crying... he was still alive!

Severus found him under the precariously balanced cabinet. He carefully levitated the cabinet while I immediately scooped up the little boy in blue pajamas.

A lightning-shaped scar marked his forehead—a new injury Lily had never mentioned. His tear-streaked face and hiccupping sobs suggested he had cried himself to sleep, only to be awakened by our voices.

Harry's eyes, those pure green eyes like Lily's, opened gradually, filling me with a piercing pain. He cried again, muttering "Papa... Mama," as large tears rolled down his cheeks. He clung to me tightly, trembling.

I held him closer, burying my face in his soft, milk-scented neck, gently patting his back and rocking him, humming a shaky lullaby and kissing his tear-stained cheeks, just as I would comfort my own son.

Harry's cries gradually subsided, and he eventually fell asleep on my shoulder. Taking deep breaths, I wiped away my tears and looked at Severus, who nodded back.

Severus carefully levitated Lily's body outside, and I stifled another wave of despair, holding Harry tightly as we walked out. Something shiny caught my eye—a familiar round mirror partly buried in the debris. Fighting back tears, I retrieved the two-way mirror and put it safely in my pocket.

Severus laid Lily gently on the ground and went back for James, placing him beside her.

I felt eyes on us, watching from the surrounding houses—the local wizards. They must have noticed something from the start, their fear of Voldemort making them extremely vigilant. Yet no one had come forward, leaving Harry to cry himself to exhaustion under the cabinet.

My wand showed the time: it was past 3 AM. Hours had passed unnoticed. There were no Death Eaters, no attacks, not even the Dark Mark. I had no idea what had happened. The Fidelius Charm had been broken, Lily and James were dead, but Harry survived. I suspected betrayal, whether by Sirius or Peter, revealing their location to Voldemort. Voldemort had come here, killed Lily and James, but failed to kill Harry.

Severus searched for clues, but the moonless night made it difficult. He found only some shredded black robes, clearly not belonging to Lily's household.

Had Voldemort been thwarted? Forced to flee, leaving behind torn clothing? I maliciously speculated.

"Oh—Merlin! What have you done? James, Lily... my heavens!" A thunderous voice roared, rushing towards us. Hagrid, towering and fast, approached us.

"Shh... be quiet! Harry's asleep." I glared at the giant, murmuring to soothe the stirring Harry. Hagrid gasped at the sight of the lifeless couple and I cast a Silencing Charm on Harry.

"James! Lily! You... oh, poor souls... what happened?!" Hagrid yelled.

"We know as much as you do. When we arrived hours ago, it was already like this. We found Harry crying under the rubble and their bodies," Severus said coldly, pausing to show some emotion.

"Oh..." Hagrid sobbed, his beetle-black eyes glistening with tears, "Dumbledore only told me something happened and to find Harry and bring him to him."

"We'll take Harry to Dumbledore ourselves. Where is he?" I refused to hand over Harry to the clumsy giant.

"The Order's headquarters. But Dumbledore instructed me to bring Harry to him safely..." Hagrid insisted.

I held Harry tightly, meeting Hagrid's eyes, "Lily was our 'best friend.' Her son is 'safest' with us."

Hagrid, intimidated, couldn't argue. A rumbling sound in the distance grew louder until a large flying motorcycle descended near us. Sirius, pale and trembling, rushed over.

"Oh no... James! Lily! Oh, no!" He cried, collapsing beside their bodies, his anguish perfect.

"Sirius! Are you okay? How did you get here?" Hagrid shouted.

"Sirius? And you two... oh! Is that Harry? How is he?!" Sirius rushed to take Harry.

"He's fine, just sleeping. Hagrid, Dumbledore is waiting. Why not leave now?" I kept my wand ready, wary of Sirius. The traitor was either him or Peter, and a confrontation wasn't suitable for Harry.

Hagrid, focused on his mission, prepared to leave with Harry.

"I'm Harry's godfather! I should take care of him! Give him to me, I'll look after him!" Sirius pleaded.

Before I could respond, Hagrid sobbed loudly, "Oh, poor Harry without his parents..." He shook his head, "No, Dumbledore wants Harry brought to him. He knows best."

"Wait! If it must be this way, at least take my motorcycle. It's faster... I don't need it anymore," Sirius offered sadly.

"Thank you," Hagrid accepted.

As Hagrid and Harry flew away, Sirius's expression darkened. He turned to leave, but Severus blocked him, wand raised.

"Move, Snivellus! Get your big nose out of my way!" Sirius hissed with hate.

"I need to know, in front of Lily and James, did you betray them?" I stood beside Severus, surprised by my calm voice facing the possible betrayer.