Harry Potter But AU?

Lily's POV

Everyone has their own traditions for Halloween.

Some might go trick-or-treating with their children.

Others would party the night as a celebration for the defeat of Voldemort.

And of course, there are those that would use the date to speak with their dead loved ones.

But if there was one person that their tradition is truly unique, it was Lily J. Potter née Evans.

As who else but her would spend the day her little boy defeated the greatest dark lord of the century studying the same sequence runes for the past 11 years?

Yes, while the third years and above were at Hogsmeade, and the second and first year were celebrating Halloween, Lily was in her room, trying once again to understand what did the ritual she performed all those years ago did.

Flashback

31.10.1981

Lily knew this day would come, since the moment Dumbledore called James and her to his office to tell them and the Longbottoms that Voldemort was going to come after them for their children, but she really didn't expect it to be so soon, as she barely managed to find a theoretical way to save her children.

Yes, theoretical, but as she heard the fight between her husband and the dark lord goes on, she knew she had to take a chance.

Curving the runes wasn't hard, as they were extremely simple, it was only the runes of equal exchange and the runes of sacrifice in seven different rune languages, as seven is the most magical number.

Anglo-Saxon- as those runes are known for creating explosive power

Elder Futhark - to stabilize the Anglo-Saxon runes

Cuneiform- for their power over the body

Egyptian hieroglyphs- for their power over the soul

Aztec- to strengthen the sacrifice

Anatolian hieroglyphs- to strengthen the equal exchange

Maya glyphs- as the only runes that are known with the power of combining different rune systems, those runes are the core of the ritual.

As Lily finished curving the runes she could hear the footsteps of her soon to be killer approach, pouring all of her magic, essence, and love to the runes, she kneeled as she begged for him to spare her children.

"Please, kill me, just spare them, spare Harry and Marcus!"

"Move aside, foolish girl and I would spare you!" The man who, if he was younger and not about to kill her children would have been considered handsome told her.

"No, please, spare them!" She cried, as much as she was willing to die for her children, she didn't want to die.

The wand that looked like a bone was raised as Voldemort casted his curse, yet as she lost couscous she felt terror as the magic wasn't green, it was red.

End flashback

She knew the ritual succeeded as Marcus survived, yet she couldn't tell why, and more importantly, what was the sacrifice.

She only knew it did, and that terrified her.

The basic knowledge everyone with magic knows is that magic comes with a price, usually it's energy, you spend some to create the effect of your d.e.s.i.r.e, and if you don't have enough, it won't work.

Yet, there are unique spells, curses and rituals that bypass it by sacrificing other things.

The killing curse according to Dumbledore was one of them, as only after you reach the earth stage in your magic (something that only Merlin and Morgana are known for) you can cast it without consequences, otherwise it would break your soul.

Fiendfyre is also one of those, as without magic in the fire stage at least, you would be unable to control it, making it you're likely death.

Her ritual was supposed to be another one, sacrificing her life and soul for the protection of Marcus's life and soul, yet, she survived.

Dumbledore told her it was her love that saved Marcus, and as much as she wanted to believe him, she knew something is wrong, she changed, she lost something, and the only thing she didn't know was whether or not that something was as important as her life and soul.

So, every Halloween she would research the runes, her magic, and her memories to find out what did she lose, as she was sure the answer was would explain a lot.