8: Samhain.
October 31st, 1981 was a turning point in the magical world, and when the barriers between the natural world and the afterlife were much thinner than usual, it made this special day all the more special.
Astreo was already looking forward to this day, even though he no longer lived at Hogwarts, but with his mother at Ottery St. Catchpole, yes, near the Weasleys, the Lovegoods, the Diggory, and the Fawcetts. Although Aurora wanted to live somewhere closer to the Muggle population, Pandora convinced her to move nearby to keep the family close, or so she said.
Since he was one year old, Astreo was interested in taking his first steps, so Aurora was very worried about the dangers her son might face, especially since they didn't have a house elf at home, and getting one was so complicated that only the "noble and rich" families could afford it.
By the way, Luna had already been born and the marriage contract had already been drawn up and signed by both families, so yes, Astreo was already engaged and could barely stand up, if he can do it, why can't you?
Joking aside, Astreo noticed that Luna seemed to be very comfortable in his presence, she didn't cry and always stared at him, even when his mother was nursing him, she tried to have her eyes on him, a bit creepy, but a topic of conversation that his mother would surely embarrass him with in the future.
An interesting fact is that the Weasleys did not live at home, but stayed at Hogwarts, both because of the birth of their last daughter, Ginny Weasley, and because the Blood Purists considered them 'Blood Traitors' and targets for possible Death Eater attacks.
And well, when you have a pack of murderous rabid dogs after you, in some cases, well, you would stay in the safest place in Britain, wouldn't you? Though the Death Eater attacks had slowed down in recent months as if waiting for something, Astreo had a hunch.
'Today is Samhain, even in the daytime it feels like the atmosphere is rarefied, no wonder the guy without a nose chose this day, he's probably trying to make a ritual out of his actions today,' Astreo mused, sitting in a high chair in the dining room.
"Let's see little one, here comes the flying broom, say 'ah'," Aurora brought over a spoonful of baby food, which Astreo had to admit was very tasty.
As he ate, Asteo thought of something he had hardly used in his second life, but could now use once every birthday, and decided that today would be a good day to do it, since fortunately, it didn't require much of his meager magic as a one-year-old baby.
'Some of my magic wasn't possible because of the bloody mana shortage in the environment, but in this world, I can do it... I'll give Harry Potter a blessing,' Astreo decided as his face changed expression, Aurora enjoyed seeing the serious look on her son's face, something very common for her.
She was already waiting for him to learn to speak so she could ask him what was going on in his little head, because she had learned from Pandora that children should be spoken to normally, not as if they were stupid. Supposedly this was some kind of Muggle knowledge, and she was tempted to explore it further.
Little did Aurora know that her idea of exploring the Muggle world would not only make her one of the best astronomy teachers in all the magical schools but would also open new doors for her son and those close to him.
When night fell, Astreo was still awake, for he still had to do what he had in mind. A blessing on his part was not like a blessing from powerful beings or anything like that, it was more like a use of the natural power of the stars on his part. It didn't give any abilities or anything like that, but in astrology, it was the subtle influence that mattered.
Given this blessing on this day, anything that could happen to make things better would go well, but only if it was possible and not a remote possibility. So Astreo plunged into his mental passageway, where the embodiment of his magic resided.
'I, Astreo Sinistra, being able to give this blessing, choose to give it to Hadrian James Potter. May the stars light your way, may they help you to endure the ordeal you will experience today, and may you, if possible, achieve a better outcome,' Astreo said in his mind, but his words seemed to react with the stars in his mind and those outside.
The centaurs saw that Mars was not the only planet shining today, all were, even some unknown to them. A certain sherry-loving oracle babbled some incomprehensible words about a change in destiny, while our favorite dark lord, the one with the white hair and strange eyes, began to laugh madly.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I want to see your face, Albus, when what was supposed to be on track according to your preferences is turned upside down," Grindelwald started laughing like crazy, so loud that the guards protecting Nurmengard could hear him.
Some things that were possible, but would not have happened due to the inertia of the established, began to happen. For example, this time Lily Potter had the Felix Felicis potion she had brewed around her neck because she had barely put it on when she dressed today.
Sirius Black, heeding the bestial instinct he possessed as an Animagus, decided not to stop at the bar, but to go straight to the Potters' house. Peter Pettigrew decided to accompany his master, Lord Voldemort, this time without keeping his Animagus form, he wanted to impress the Dark Lord even more to get a better reward.
With Astreo's blessing and the subtle influence of the stars, the day that would come to be known as the day Voldemort was defeated but Harry Potter lost his parents and was changed forever.
As the defenders of the house were besieged by a powerful magical force, James Potter knew that they had not been betrayed, but that this monster had come to them in person. With a quick gesture, he summoned his Patronus and contacted the only person he could count on at the moment.
"Headmaster Dumbledore! We urgently need your assistance, You-Know-Who is invading my home and I don't think the defenses will hold for much longer!" the physical deer-like Patronus leaped and burst through the wall, flying towards where Dumbledore was standing.
There was a terrible bang and even the house shook as the defenses finally gave way, somehow these had held a little longer than the defenses of other houses Voldemort had personally invaded, but he didn't care as they fell before his majestic power.
The front door was suddenly opened by the Dark Lord's magical manipulation, and he entered the house, ignoring the menacing posture of James Potter and his wand. Behind him stood Peter Pettigrew, who, seeing his friend in a fighting stance, simply wore a victorious smile.
"Good evening James Potter, I apologize for... intruding on your cozy home," Voldemort didn't know why, but today he was much more eager to talk than usual, perhaps because everything was under control and in his grasp.
His followers would attack key points in the English wizarding world en masse to draw the attention of the Ministry and Dumbledore, while he had all night to do his thing. If he was interrupted by a third party, well, he wasn't a Dark Lord for nothing, was he?
"What are you doing here, monster? Wormtail! Why are you behind him? I don't understand, have you betrayed us?" even though James was somewhat naive, he was no fool, the presence of the Dark Lord in his home and the way his supposed friend was standing behind him indicated an obvious betrayal.
"It seems you're not just good for jokes, James, it seems Lily isn't the only one with a brain in this household. You should have listened to her, you shouldn't have trusted me with a responsibility as big as being a secret keeper," Peter Pettigrew muttered, somewhat annoyed.
Lily Potter trusted no one but herself, if anything she trusted James out of love. She was a woman who liked to be in control of things and hadn't wanted anyone but herself or James to be the keeper of the Fidelius Charm, but James' naivety made him easily fall for Peter's words, what better way to taunt the Dark Lord than to blurt out fake news?
Let's take the second-best choice, Sirius Black, and turn him into a smokescreen, while the real Guardian was Peter Pettigrew. How the three of them had laughed that day after casting the Fidelius Charm!
Now here they were, with Lord Voldemort raiding the house where James and his family lived. Peter felt a sadistic satisfaction at the sight of his friend's pained face.
'You and Sirius always saved the best for last, even that bastard Remus. You two pretty boys with lots of dates while I could only watch and fantasize. But not today James, today you'll be like me, with nothing, you'll lose everything, we'll be on the same level,' Peter Pettigrew thought maliciously.
"As much as I would love to have friends gather and share, I have work to do. So, Potter, could you lower your wand and show me where your precious son is? I have business with him," he asked, no, demanded, Lord Voldemort, magic stirred by his mere presence, pressing directly against James.
"I WILL NOT LEAVE MY SON WITH A VISCOUS SNAKE LIKE YOU! I will die to protect him, I swear I will die to protect him from you, I will never let you touch him," James' words were full of determination.
He was a Potter, there were many interesting ancestors in his family line, alchemists, potion masters, fighters, and even the occasional thief, but never a coward. All Potters were willing to die to protect what was most important to them, and for James, what was most important now was his wife and child.
"You're a fool, Prongs," With Peter's words, a magical duel broke out between Lord Voldemort and James Potter.
James was strong and had he lived another decade, he would have been an absolute beast of a fighter, but before him stood a Dark Lord who was able to go to the depths of the most twisted magic and do the unthinkable, all to gain power and immortality.
"Avada Kedravra!" a beam of green light flew towards him, it wasn't the only one Voldemort had thrown during the entire battle, but James had used the living room furniture as a shield and even the floor of his house through the transformation to put solid obstacles between him and the terrible curse.
But there was someone else present, Peter Pettigrew, who cast a simple Stupefy at just the right moment, leaving James unable to defend himself from the terrible green light that took his life completely.
"Well done, Peter, but next time... stay out of my fight. Crucio!" Lord Voldemort shouted, not caring for the help given or the inconvenient location for such a curse, and rewarded the rat with a good dose of pain.
As Peter Pettigrew screamed and moaned on the floor, the Dark Lord sensed the magic in the house and moved up to the second floor of the house. His pace was deliberately slow as he spread his magical presence, wanting to distress the filthy blood who was protecting his son in vain.
Even though that filthy half-blood Snape begged him not to kill her, he wasn't going to let her go so easily, and well, frightening her isn't murdering her, is it? A wicked grin appeared on Lord Voldemort's face as he thought about it.
"Let's see what nonsense this filthy bitch comes up with," Voldemort said as he smashed the door that prevented him from entering the room where his fated enemy was.
"Good night, Lily Potter, and you too, Hadrian," Voldemort's red eyes glowed with magic and power as he watched the red-haired woman carry her son, shielding him with her body as she knelt.
The smell of fear never smelled so good tonight.