Rose Potter slept with the fragile serenity of a baby who did not yet understand the world, yet somehow seemed to sense the weight of the reality around her. Her crib was full of soft blankets, the warmth of her parents' presence surrounding her like an invisible dome, shielding her from everything that could be perceived—and from what could not.
James Potter sat restlessly beside the crib, running his hands through his hair, scanning the room for any shadow or sound that might signal danger. The words of the prophecy echoed in his mind, like a distant yet disturbing melody: "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have defied him thrice, born as the seventh month dies…" Each word of that cursed prophecy was a constant reminder that his daughter was destined to bear a burden that he and Lily could not yet fully comprehend, but already felt in every fiber of their being. The war against Voldemort was real, and the world as they knew it could end very soon.
Lily was beside him, her presence radiating a calm that contrasted sharply with the anxiety burning in her husband's eyes. She watched her daughter's chest rise and fall with each breath, trying somehow to find comfort in stroking the girl's red hair.
Despite the relative silence, the air in the house seemed to vibrate with tension. James could feel it in his bones, as if the very magic around them were trying to warn him that something terrible was about to happen. And it didn't take a genius to know why—they knew Voldemort had been hunting them for months, and that their confrontation was inevitable, overwhelming, and imminent. It was only a matter of time.
A few days passed. Then, the attack came.
Voldemort burst through the door like a shadow swallowing the light, fast and relentless. James immediately threw himself forward to protect Lily and Rose, trying to buy enough time for them to escape. But it wasn't enough. As Lily ran with her daughter toward the nursery to retrieve the emergency portal key, she heard a scream from her husband, followed by a muffled thud on the carpet covering the first floor. Meanwhile, Rose, despite not understanding what was happening, squirmed uneasily in her arms, as if she could instinctively feel the dark, aggressive energy emanating around her.
Knowing her time was running out, Lily quickly cast every protective spell she knew on the door and placed Rose back in the crib, then crouched down to activate the runic sigils she had drawn beneath it.
With trembling hands, she drew a single rune in her own blood over her daughter's heart—Sowlio, the rune of guidance, which would carry Rose to safety.
"Mommy loves you, Rose," she said, her voice trembling. "Mommy and Daddy love you so much, and you need to remember that, no matter what happens, okay?" She placed a final kiss on her daughter's face, while Rose looked at her curiously.
Lily barely had time to place her daughter back in the crib and turn toward the door when it was ripped from its hinges, sending splinters of wood flying across the nursery. She quickly positioned herself in front of Rose to protect her. And then he appeared.
"Rose, no, please, Rose, no—""Step aside, foolish girl—""Rose, no, please, don't hurt her—""Step aside, I said—""Please, my daughter, no—""Step aside!" Voldemort warned for the last time. His yew wand glowed, and with a green beam of light, Lily Potter fell to the floor beside the crib.
Rose wasn't crying as Voldemort approached. The Dark Lord looked down on her with disdain and whispered,"So. You are supposed to be my ruin?"
Rose simply stared back into his red eyes, curiously.
"Very well, let them see you try, when you are dead," he said, followed by a scream: "Avada Kedavra."
The moment the last syllable left the Dark Lord's lips, a glowing dome appeared around Rose's crib, reflecting the curse back toward Voldemort's wide-eyed shock.
Yet the curse was not over. Lily had created something to keep her daughter safe, but there was one aspect she could not have imagined. The power of the killing curse combined with the Dark Lord's Horcrux attempting to merge with the nearest living being caused the shield to glow with a bluish hue, distorting the spell and sending Rose to an unknown destination—or rather, to an entirely unknown universe.