NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Prologue
Godric's Hollow, July 31st, 1990
It was way past midnight when Lily Potter, very pregnant and very annoyed, groaned, "James, it's happening. Now."
James, who had been pacing like a man waiting for a verdict, stopped dead. His face went white as if he'd just been told Voldemort was outside, handing out complimentary Dark Marks. "What? Now now?"
"Yes, now now!" she snapped, clutching her belly as if it had personally betrayed her. "Unless you know another reason why my water would be breaking."
Enter Andromeda Tonks: healer, friend, and the only person in the house who didn't look like they were about to pass out. "Upstairs, James! Move it!" she barked, rolling up her sleeves like she was about to wrestle a dragon.
Meanwhile, Sirius Black was pacing outside the bedroom door, looking like a caged wolf on caffeine. "This is bad, Moony," he muttered to Remus Lupin. "Why didn't we just go to St. Mungo's? This place isn't sanitized. I'm not sanitized!"
Remus patted him on the shoulder with that calm, long-suffering expression he usually wore when Sirius was being particularly extra. "Sirius, they'll be fine. Just breathe."
Inside the room, things were anything but fine. James was trying to help, emphasis on trying. His job, apparently, was to wipe Lily's brow and offer words of encouragement. He was failing miserably at both.
"Just breathe, Lily. You're doing great."
Lily shot him a look that said, If you say that one more time, you'll be the next one in labor.
Marlene Mackinnon, their other friend and Sirius' girlfriend, was boiling water and gathering towels like they were prepping for some 19th-century medical drama. She glanced at Lily. "Hang in there, Lils. Almost there."
But as the baby's arrival drew closer, something weird started happening. And not "a wizard and a witch are having a baby at home" weird—more like "ancient gods messing with your life" weird.
Lily suddenly felt a memory, sharp as an arrow, pierce her mind. It was like flipping through an old photo album, only this one was full of scenes from a life that wasn't hers. Except... it was.
Artemis. The name exploded in her brain like a firework. The Goddess of the Hunt, protector of women and children, sworn hater of men (well, most of them anyway). Lily felt it all: the wildness, the power, the immortality. But what was she supposed to do with that right now?
James was no better off. One moment he was holding his wife's hand and sweating bullets, the next moment his mind was full of memories from Asgard. Asgard? What the—?
Loki. He was Loki. God of Mischief. Son of Odin. Sibling rivalry with Thor. It all came back to him like someone had dumped thousands of years of bad decisions into his head. His eyes widened.
"Oh, crap," he muttered. This was so not the time to remember you used to be a god.
"James, focus!" Andromeda snapped. "Lily's going to need you!"
Right. Birth first, existential crisis later.
With one final, earth-shaking scream from Lily, their baby boy entered the world, crying like he'd just been told his Hogwarts letter wasn't coming for another eleven years. Andromeda wrapped him up and handed him to Lily, smiling like she hadn't just witnessed total chaos. "He's perfect," she whispered.
But the second Lily held her son, it was like someone flipped a switch. The flood of memories hit her full force. Every hunt, every oath, every grudge. She felt Artemis' anger, her wild independence, but also—something else. Something much more human. Love. For this child. Her child.
At the same time, James felt his Loki memories surge—schemes, betrayals, moments of trickery and self-doubt. But none of that compared to what he felt now. His family. His real family.
The sudden influx of memories was too much. Thousands of years of divine experiences rushed through their mortal brains, and like someone had yanked the power cord, both Lily and James collapsed.
"Lily!" Marlene rushed to her side. "James!" She glanced at Andromeda, panic rising in her voice. "Why are they both unconscious? They were fine two minutes ago!"
Sirius, who had been pacing just outside, burst into the room with all the grace of a stampeding hippogriff. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"
"They passed out!" Marlene snapped, holding baby Harry tightly while her eyes darted from James to Lily. "They just—boom—gone!"
Remus entered, looking both concerned and resigned, like he'd expected something weird to happen. "Are they breathing?" he asked, stepping over Sirius, who was now dramatically sprawled on the floor like he'd fainted.
Andromeda checked pulses, then sighed in relief. "They're alive. They'll wake up. Eventually." She looked over at the still-conscious baby. "Guess you freaked them out more than we thought, huh?"
Outside, Sirius was still hyperventilating. "This is why we should've gone to St. Mungo's! Peter's missing! What if he passed out too? What if there's a conspiracy? What if—"
"Sirius, breathe," Remus said again, much calmer than the situation deserved.
In their unconscious minds, James and Lily were reliving their past lives—Loki and Artemis—but no matter how overwhelming it was, one truth remained stronger than anything else. They were James and Lily Potter now. Parents. Mortal. And their love for each other—and their newborn son—was the most powerful magic of all. Even stronger than a pair of gods.
—
James Potter woke up to the sound of Sirius Black having what could only be described as a full-blown panic attack at the foot of the bed. He wasn't alone either—Marlene was murmuring calming things like "deep breaths," while Remus casually handed Sirius a paper bag, looking like someone who had done this dance way too many times.
Still half-asleep, James squinted at the scene, trying to make sense of it. But nope, this wasn't just the usual new-parent fatigue. Something else was going on—memories. Except, these weren't all his memories. At least, not the ones he'd signed up for.
Because James Potter, Head Boy, Quidditch star, and all-around great guy, was now also... Loki? Yep. That Loki. God of Mischief. The one who thought turning into a horse was hilarious because it would mess with Thor.
"Brilliant," James thought, rubbing his face. "Just what I need. A post-baby identity crisis, courtesy of Norse mythology."
Beside him, Lily stirred, reaching instinctively toward their newborn son in Andromeda's arms. She blinked, her brow furrowing like she was trying to solve a particularly confusing Arithmancy equation. And, of course, she was. Because she wasn't just Lily Potter anymore. Oh no. She was also Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, protector of women, and—this was the kicker—eternal virgin.
Which made the fact that she was now married to James and a new mom just a little bit awkward.
"What the hell?" Lily thought, her brain practically short-circuiting.
James sat up, trying to sort through Loki's memories. He should tell Lily, right? Because, that's what married people do—share everything? "Hey, love, guess what? I'm Loki. Yeah, the one who causes all the chaos in Asgard. Remember that time I almost ended the world for fun? Yeah, no big deal."
Except... this was Lily. The same Lily who had spent the first five years of their time together thinking he was an arrogant git. And honestly, she wasn't wrong back then. The eleven-year-old version of Lily Evans had been thoroughly unimpressed by James "Quidditch Star" Potter. And even when they got older, she still thought he was kind of a jerk. It wasn't until sixth year—after his parents died—that James started to grow up.
By Christmas, they had started dating, and somehow, miracle of miracles, Lily Evans had fallen for him. The real him. The one who wasn't hexing people for fun or showing off at every opportunity.
"What's she going to think if I tell her I'm also Loki, the literal God of Chaos?" James wondered. Yeah, probably not great. Maybe... maybe that conversation could wait.
On the other side of the bed, Lily was having a meltdown of her own. She was Artemis, for crying out loud! She wasn't supposed to fall in love, let alone get married and have a family. She had vowed to be independent forever, rejecting all romantic entanglements. And yet... here she was. With James. And Harry. And she loved them both more than anything in the world.
"How does that work?" Lily thought, shooting a glance at her husband. James, the same boy she used to roll her eyes at when he pranced around like he was Merlin's gift to Hogwarts. But that had changed. He had changed. After his parents died, the peacocking stopped, and for the first time, she saw him—the real James. The one who could be kind and brave without showing off. The one who made her fall in love with him by Christmas.
But now? Now she had memories of being Artemis, the goddess who literally swore off men forever. Awesome.
Before she could even begin to process that, Sirius had to interrupt with, well, his usual flair for the dramatic.
"Why is no one answering me?!" Sirius practically shouted, still halfway to a breakdown. "They passed out! Is it Dark Magic? Is the baby okay? Should we call Dumbledore?! Where's Peter?!"
Remus, cool as ever, just patted Sirius on the shoulder. "Mate, they're awake. Relax."
Marlene stood nearby, cradling the baby, looking way more amused than concerned. "Guess who's not freaking out?" she said, shooting Sirius a look. "Unlike some people."
James rubbed his eyes and attempted a weak smile. "We're fine, Padfoot. Just... tired."
Lily nodded, her fingers brushing the baby's tiny cheek. "Nothing's wrong, Sirius. We're okay."
They exchanged a glance—a loaded one. One that said, yeah, something huge just happened, but we're not talking about it here.
But, of course, Sirius wasn't buying it. He crossed his arms, still looking suspicious. "You two are acting weird. I'm keeping an eye on you."
Remus chuckled. "Sirius, you always keep an eye on them."
Sirius glared. "Yeah, well, now I'm doing it extra hard."
James forced a laugh, feeling Lily squeeze his hand under the covers. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Lily shot him a warning look so fast it was practically an Olympic sport.
"Right," he added quickly, "maybe don't answer that."
Marlene smirked, handing the baby back to Lily. "Honestly, I'm shocked this house hasn't exploded yet, with all of you in it."
James squeezed Lily's hand again, knowing they couldn't keep this under wraps forever. Sooner or later, they'd have to have that talk. But not now. Not when Sirius was still hovering like a particularly overzealous guard dog.
For now, they had their son, their friends, and each other.
Loki and Artemis? They could wait.
—
As the commotion finally settled, Andromeda leaned in, all business now that the baby had arrived. "Alright, you two," she said with a grin, "you've just had a baby. What's the name?"
Lily looked down at her son, who, despite being no more than ten minutes old, had already stolen the hearts of everyone in the room with a single, well-timed yawn. "Haris," she said softly, like she'd been planning this for years. "It's derived from the Greek word Charis. Means grace, kindness, life… you know, the good stuff."
James blinked. Wow, that was beautiful. Definitely a Lily move. He was about to agree when Sirius—because of course it was Sirius—piped up with a grin that could power a small city. "Haris? Pfft, we'll just call him Harry anyway. You know that, right?"
Lily shot him a playful glare that could've frozen a Basilisk mid-strike. "It's still a name, Sirius. And it means something."
Meanwhile, James's mind was doing some mental gymnastics of its own. Haris Lokison. Yeah, that had a nice ring to it—heroic, kind of legendary. But since he wasn't about to drop the whole "Hey, I'm secretly the Norse god of mischief" bomb just yet, he said out loud, "Haris James Potter does have a good sound to it."
"Please," Lily laughed, "let's not turn this into a name debate. I just spent hours giving birth—I'm not up for a debate right now."
Marlene, who had somehow snagged baby Harry without anyone noticing, cooed at him, completely ignoring the fact he was already being called two different names. "He's too cute for a debate, anyway. Harry suits him perfectly."
Andromeda nodded, jotting down Haris like it was an official Ministry record. "Alright, Haris it is. Harry for short."
James grinned at Lily, who was positively glowing. "Welcome to the family, Haris James Potter."
Just then, Harry let out a tiny hiccup. No big deal, right? Except the tufts of black hair on his head suddenly shimmered and turned a bright turquoise. Everyone froze.
Andromeda blinked. "Did… anyone else see that?"
Sirius, whose jaw had dropped in a way that was definitely not cool, leaned in closer, as if proximity would somehow make it less weird. "Did the kid's hair just change color?"
Lily gasped. "Oh my God, he's a—he's a Metamorphmagus!" She looked at James like she half-expected him to pull out a manual on "How to Raise a Shape-shifting Baby."
James, for his part, tried to look surprised. Spoiler alert: he wasn't. Shape-shifting ran in the family. Of course, he couldn't exactly explain that right now without opening up a whole bag of magical worms. So, instead, he shrugged with what he hoped was a convincing "Who could've seen this coming?" face. "Well… that's new."
Marlene was staring at Harry like he'd just turned into a small dragon (honestly, give him a few years). His hair had now shifted from turquoise to a gentle lavender. "A Metamorphmagus? Isn't that—?"
"A Black family trait," Andromeda finished for her, her eyes narrowing as if she were solving a crime. "My daughter, Nymphadora, is one, too. It's rare, but not impossible. Considering James's mother, Dorea, was a Black…" She trailed off, giving James a pointed look. "That's probably where it comes from."
Sirius, who was slowly regaining his swagger, grinned and slapped James on the back. "Ha! I knew it. Dorea Potter—she was Granddad Arcturus's sister, after all. Looks like the Black family strikes again!"
James let out an overly enthusiastic, "Yeah, must be from Mum's side!" while inwardly wiping the sweat from his brow. Crisis averted. For now. He wasn't quite ready to drop the whole "By the way, I'm Loki" bombshell just yet. Let everyone think Harry inherited it from the Blacks. That worked for him.
Lily, still in awe, gently stroked Harry's lavender locks. "I wasn't expecting this. It's… amazing, but also a little overwhelming."
Andromeda smiled. "It's a gift. He'll learn to control it eventually, but for now, his hair will change based on his emotions." She chuckled. "You might want to get used to having a rainbow-colored baby for a while."
Sirius smirked. "Rainbow-haired troublemaker, more like. You sure you're ready for that, Prongs?"
James grinned. "If he turns out to be a troublemaker, I'm definitely blaming you, Padfoot."
"Fair enough," Sirius said with a laugh. "But I'm still claiming him as my favorite godson."
As the room filled with laughter, Harry's hair shifted again—this time to a deep, vibrant gold. Lily kissed his forehead, smiling as if nothing else in the world mattered. "Whatever comes next," she whispered, "we'll handle it. Together."
And James, who was secretly an ancient Norse god but totally not ready to talk about it yet, couldn't help but agree. Whatever the future threw at them, they'd figure it out—one shape-shifting, rainbow-haired baby at a time.
---
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