Liam Evans (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
passingglances) wrote2012-04-08 02:24 pm
passingglances) wrote2012-04-08 02:24 pm
Entry tags:
"Passing Glances" - a Harry Potter AU History
PBs: Adult - Martin Freeman http://www.hollow-art.com/base/martin-freeman-breaking-and-entering-1
School Teen - Tom Cameron http://www.hollow-art.com/base/tom-cameron-under-mountain
"Passing Glances"
> Pre-School Childhood
> School Years
> Young Adult in Wartime
> The Night Jesse Potter-Evans Died
> In the Wake of Voldemort's Defeat
> Single Parenthood as a Patron
> Harriet's Year One
> Harriet's Year Two
-- Pre-School Childhood --
Liam Evans's AU history is in essence that of Lily Evans - Harry Potter's canon mother - built upon the theory of how her life might have turned out if 1) she had been born male-bodied, 2) a few key characters were also born the opposite sex, and 3) the character survived Voldemort's attack on the family for reasons that evolved out of 1 and 2. Everything else hinges on canon event progression; strictly AU events will be marked as such.
[[Canon]]
Born to muggle parents in Cokeworth, England, Liam Evans grew up without any idea that he had a predisposition for the magical arts. Around age 9, that changed; one day he was playing at a park with his sister, Petunia, when she stopped dead in her tracks, a look of horror on her face. He'd performed magic right in front of her, even after Petunia reminded him he wasn't supposed to do it in public; he launched himself into the air off a swing and floated his way down, not a scratch on him.
As Petunia ran off, though, someone else approached - her name was Severae (Sev-rhye) Snape. She explained that there was nothing wrong with Liam; he was simply a wizard growing into his powers. While other people might have dismissed Severae purely for being from the poor part of the city, Spinner's End, Liam listened. It was this simple act that touched Severae from a young age, began the children's friendship, and garnered Liam a vast knowledge of the Wizarding World 2 years ahead of any other muggle-born Wizard who would eventually attend Hogwarts.
[[AU from canon hints]]
In these two years with Severae, Liam was able to learn rudimentary magical theory - such as the various schools of magic - and spellcasting techniques - using sticks. These practice and play-magic sessions were also what drove Petunia to apply to Hogwarts out of envy at age 11, a year ahead of when Liam was due to receive his letter. When she was rejected, she told her parents about Liam, who in turn revealed the whole truth of his practicing magic with Severae, the Wizarding World, and the Hogwarts education system.
-- School Years --
Unlike Petunia, the Evanses could not have been prouder of their second child, and rejoiced when Liam's letter finally arrived; they saw Liam as a prodigy where Petunia saw a freak of nature. This small boost of education and confidence was what would propel Liam into academic stardom, a fact he never forgot whenever he thought of Severae. The Evanses escorted Liam through Diagon Alley to acquire his school supplies, then all the way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters with a perturbed Petunia in tow.
[[Canon]]
Liam found Severae on the train and they were enjoying each other's company when two brassy young women happened upon their car - one Jesse Potter and her friend Sirius Black. They chastised Severae for her preference in the "brainy" Houses at school, but Liam took them to task for their bullying. He still refused to associate them even when he was placed into their same House - Gryffindor - while Severae ended up in Slytherin.
[[AU from canon hints]]
In fact, Liam did his best to continue his friendship with Severae - meeting during common hours like meals, study periods, and trips to Hogsmeade. Liam's first encounter with Headmaster Dumbledore was, as promised to Petunia, a plea on his sister's behalf to attend the school. While Dumbledore refused this petition, it nevertheless gave him a very fond early impression of Liam's character. This opinion spread throughout the faculty as Liam excelled to varying degrees in all of his classes; he didn't rely on the natural talent that the teachers could clearly see, instead focusing very intently on the practical application of assigned coursework. No one favored Liam more than the Potions Master, Professor Horace Slughorn.
Except, perhaps, for Jesse Potter. She and her cadre of Marauders - Sirius, Remus, and Peter - were infamous for getting themselves in trouble often and out of it just as frequently. Sirius was her partner in crime, Remus the brains, and Peter the tagalong. For all of the admiration lauded on the two girls and two boys by their fellow students, Liam wanted nothing to do with them. Somehow, this only encouraged Jesse to pester Liam more and more - everything from calling him "Lee," to showing off flashy new spells in public, to offering herself up for a date, because wasn't that better than holing himself up in the library and being stuck with "Snivly?" (Sniv-lie) Liam refused to call her anything but "Potter" in an attempt to dissuade her, but the flirting only got more sincere as they approached Fifth Year; the fact that the Marauders' teasing of Severae intensified in direct correlation to the flirting did not go unnoticed by Liam.
[[Canon]]
It didn't get past Severae either, who had been harboring a deep unrequited love for Liam, the only person - at home or school - who'd ever been decent to her. Severae proceeded to do everything she could to unearth what the Marauders were up to, so that she could present her findings to Liam and hope beyond hope that Liam would deny Jesse's advances. For his part, Liam did try to dissuade Severae from spying on the Marauders' harmless pranks, as he started to recognize this as a poor trait of Severae's personality - her unwillingness to speak directly with people, instead using covert methods to find out the information on her own. [[AU Note]] Liam knew by this time that Sirius and Remus were dating, as they made no efforts to conceal that from the school public's notice. [[Canon again]] He knew Severae's theory was Remus was a werewolf. What Liam didn't expect was that Sirius would disregard Severae's very life in the interest of 'just' a prank against someone Sirius disliked that much. Severae didn't expect that either.
[[AU from canon hints]]
It was not long before Christmas Holiday when Sirius made an off-hand remark to Severae about how to get past the whomping willow to see where Remus went during the full moon. Severae never considered that it would be dangerous to do so. No sooner had Severae left the castle than Peter, whom Sirius had bragged to about her plan, told Jesse in a panic: Sirius intended to let Remus attack Severae while Remus was in his werewolf form, then surely Severae wouldn't bother the Marauders anymore, via scare tactics; whatever happened would happen to Severae. For once, Peter's big mouth did some good, because Jesse ran after Severae, completely disregarding where they were supposed to meet Sirius in order to change shape before going to Remus. Severae had only opened the door and seen Remus's werewolf form when Jesse slammed the door shut, then dragged Severae away. Nothing good came of that night; Severae now knew that Remus was a werewolf, she was more determined than ever to prove it to Liam, and the other Marauders ostracized Sirius for her stupid stunt. Not until they all returned from Christmas Holiday would the Marauders come together as a unit again; for the duration of that time, Severae remained untouched by pranks, but Liam was getting more upset by her chosen associations within Slytherin House.
[[Canon]]
One day, just after everyone had finished taking their OWLs, Jesse's pranks pushed Severae and Liam both beyond their breaking point. Jesse hexed and cursed Severae, clearly trying to embarass Severae more after her near-death experience didn't stop her from snooping around the Marauders. Liam begged Jesse to stop because now more people were watching, but Jesse swore she wouldn't unless Liam agreed to a date. At first, Liam refused, citing the giant squid in the lake as a better catch. Jesse hoisted Severae into the air, threatening to spin her upside down like a toy top; Severae, for her part, was clutching her robes as tightly to her body as possible and twisting her legs up tight. Liam did agree, only in order to save Severae the humiliation of losing her skirts to the skies, but it was too late. When Jesse dropped Severae, the embarassed Slytherin reeled on the whole pack of Gryffindors, saying she didn't need help from a "Mudblood." Jesse pointed her wand at Severae again, ordering her to apologize, but Liam didn't want Jesse to force it out of Severae. Liam could tell something was happening to his childhood friend. Liam had known about Severae pursuing the Dark Arts with her Death Eater friends, but this was the final straw. Thereafter, Liam still cared what happened to Severae, but he could not bring himself to look at her the same way. Severae even came to the door of Gryffindor house and stayed there most of the night before Liam finally appeared. However, Severae refused to apologize for her ideals about Muggle-born witches and wizards being Mudbloods, not just calling Liam himself one. He shut the door in Severae's face, that was how far his patience had deteriorated, saying he was done "making excuses" for Severae after all these years.
* Note: The gender reversal here is what drove Liam to accept Jesse's barter for Severae's release, because there's a big societal difference between a guy's boxer shorts being put on display and a girl's underwear. Jesse did not feel a societal pressure to change her prank (the same one James pulled on Severus) due to being female like Severae, but Liam felt a greater sympathetic reaction to Severae's potentially worse humiliation than the original Severus would have known.
[[AU]]
To Liam's surprise, Jesse never claimed that first date. Two weeks later, Liam caught up with the Marauders and asked to speak to Jesse alone. They cat-called as they left and Jesse just egged them on, but they walked until they were alone on the bridge overlooking the castle grounds. Liam asked her about the promised date and Jesse confessed that, after the incident, she could tell how much Severae's attitude shift had bothered Liam. Thus, she couldn't bring herself to ask Liam about the date - it felt less important in the face of a lost friendship. That private revelation was what started to change Liam's opinion of Jesse; before Jesse walked off, Liam suggested they write their essays together for History class, claiming she'd likely need help on the subject. Jesse smiled and agreed.
[[AU from canon hints]]
They spent more and more time together as the school year finished out; slowly Liam became acquainted with the other Marauders on better terms, in particular Remus due to a similar scholastic mindset and living in the same dormitory. In keeping with Lily's non-judgemental personality, Liam had a quiet conversation with Remus one night where he confessed that he too suspected Remus was a werewolf, that he didn't have to pretend around Liam, that they could still be friends. It didn't change Liam's opinion of Remus - he was clearly keeping it together somehow and not going off on murderous rampages. And after all, he was sorted into Gryffindor - that counted for something. Liam wouldn't learn the whole story, from how Remus was turned up to the Marauders becoming Animagi, until the following school year when Liam was a more integral part of the group.
[[AU]]
Near the end of 5th year, Liam went down to the Quidditch Pitch one day while Jesse was practicing with the Marauders watching from the stands. He asked, politely at first, for Jesse to descend from her broom and talk to him, but Jesse lightheartedly refused, insisting she had to practice. (She'd been turned down for Seeker yet again, so had resolved to be the best Chaser ever.) Liam chastised her for always needing to be in control of her environment; Jesse retorted that that was just part of her charms and made her a better Quidditch player besides. He shook his head and finally called out: "Would you just come down here, Potter? Before I spend the rest of this lovely afternoon studying for final exams, I'd like to kiss my girlfriend just once." That cheeky style of elevating their relationship won Jesse over in a heartbeat, considering how forward Jesse had been in starting the relationship in the first place. She quickly descended to Liam's height while hovering in place, then leaned over her broom for a kiss, sealing their new status to the sound of whooping Marauders.
[[Canon]]
Slowly, Jesse found a happy balance between grades, Quidditch, and Liam. This resulted in better NEWT scores than her comparable OWLs and, eventually, being nominated for Head Girl alongside Liam as Head Boy. During Christmas Break, Liam took Jesse back to meet her parents, Petunia, and her then-fiancé Vernon Dursley. (Jesse's parents were in hospice at the time, close to dying of old age.) They all went out to dinner, but Jesse and Vernon got into a row over material wealth, and the Muggle couple left in a huff. Even though Liam's parents approved of Jesse, the incident reduced Liam to tears in public. [[AU Note]] This is when Liam finally told Jesse how Petunia had once petitioned Dumbledore for admittance to Hogwarts and how the (kind) rejection letter was what finally split the siblings' relationship apart, causing him to depend more on his friendship with Severae from a young age. [[Canon]] Perhaps worse than that, Liam and Jesse were invited to the Dursleys' wedding, but Liam was not made a member of the wedding party on either Petunia or Vernon's side. Liam suffered through it, even when Vernon called Jesse "some magician" within earshot, and wished the couple much happiness. [[AU from canon hint]] Three events drove Liam to shop for rings just prior to graduation and propose on the day: Petunia's treatment of Liam and Jesse, Jesse's parents dying in the few months prior, and the Marauders' confrontation with Lord Voldemort refusing to be Death Eaters.
-- Young Adult in Wartime --
[[AU]]
Liam and Jesse were married in late 1978, sadly, after Jesse's parents died, but with the Evanses in attendance. Petunia and Vernon simply refused to go. Sirius served as Jesse's Maid of Honor and Remus was the Best Man. (*) With no young family members available and the wedding being a small affair, Peter was cast as the Ring Bearer. Following Peter's betrayal, Liam would regret this symbolism forever.
* Note: I thought about other characters as Liam's "best friend," including the throw-away Mary Macdonald character, but the way this AU went I think that Liam and Remus would have become as close as Jesse and Sirius, or Harry and Ron in canon, simply through the little daily experiences of living in the same (gendered) dormitory.
Shortly after formally joining the war efforts against Lord Voldemort, Liam encouraged the three Animagi Marauders to register themselves, lest they bring suspicion to themselves. With a good word from Dumbledore that they were aiding Remus as he tried to attend school like any good werewolf-bitten young wizard, and being in the midst of the war, the three were forgiven so long as they agreed to the requisite analysis of their animal form. Peter did not apparate with Jesse and Sirius, saying he would be there later. He would go on to say that he did register after they did, but he never attended the inquiry, and the lack of paperwork was not uncovered until after Peter's betrayal. Thus, the Marauders remained the only people who truly knew what Peter's rat form looked like in any great detail.
[[AU from canon hints]]
The Elder Evanses soon died of old age, leaving Jesse and Liam more than willing to become full-time members of the Order of the Phoenix. It was at this point, as a unit, that the younger Evanses defied Voldemort a 2nd time alongside the other Order members in early 1979. By the middle of the year, Jesse and Liam had run into Lord Voldemort a 3rd time and refused to become Death Eaters, made more poignant by Severae's being present for that incident. It was autumn of 1979 when, quite unintentionally, Jesse became pregnant. Due to this new status, Liam insisted Jesse go into hiding, much to Jesse's dismay... and then Sybill Trelawney made her prophecy in early 1980.
[[Canon]]
Dumbledore was aware that Severae was listening to what Sybill accidentally foresaw while interviewing for the Divinations Professor position at the Hog's Head Inn. It was how he confirmed his suspicions that she had become a Death Eater like so many other Slytherins. However, she only heard the first part of the prophecy before the barman - Albus's own brother Aberforth - threw her out.
Severae obediently reported this information, but it was not until July that the prophecized child was born. The only problem was that no one knew if it was Harriet Evans or Nell Longbottom. Voldemort thus had no qualms about killing both children and started with Nell, but the Longbottoms wouldn't give up the location of Nell's grandmother's house. Meanwhile the Evanses rushed to get Harriet christened, with only Sirius in attendance.
This provoked the one reaction Severae never expected, nor ever wanted to pass - Voldemort went after Harriet Evans too, without initial success. While Severae pleaded for Liam's life, she knew well enough that Voldemort would kill Liam if he stood in the Dark Lord's way, and that was absolutely likely to happen. It drove Severae to seek audience with Dumbledore on a hilltop, far from Muggles and Wizards alike, where Severae beseeched her old Headmaster to hide the Evans family because she feared for Liam's life. This disregard for Jesse and their unborn child disgusted Dumbledore, which stunned Severae and forced her to reflect briefly. Not without mercy for all parties involved, Dumbledore offered an exchange to this Death Eater he scarcely trusted - if she would be a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix, then Dumbledore would put the whole Evans family into hiding. He didn't tell Snape where, but he provided for them his own childhood home in Godric's Hollow, and would then implore the family to use the Fidelius Charm on a trustworthy Secret-Keeper until Voldemort could be defeated. Snape agreed.
Unfortunately, at Sirius's own insistence, Peter was chosen as the Secret-Keeper for Godric's Hollow and immediately told his master the location. Voldemort did not go without first making a few plans, but it was certainly his first priority. Snape followed Voldemort as far as she could, but - having never been told by Peter the location of the house in Godric's Hollow - was unable to discern what was about to happen, let alone intervene.
-- The Night Jesse Potter-Evans Died --
[[AU from here on out]]
When the Evanses were alerted by charms on the house to Voldemort apparating in, Liam sent Jesse upstairs to take Harriet and run. From the top of the stairs, Jesse was able to see what next transpired: Voldemort flung Liam against a wall with great force - knocking him out, but not killing him. She would have recognized Avada Kedavra even without the somatic component.
Next he turned his attention to her; she charmed the bedroom door to get just a bit more time. Jesse whispered her good-bye to Harriet, then reeled on Voldemort as he blew the door down. Both had their wands at the ready. "I don't know why you spared him, but you'd better kill me, or I swear I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth for laying even a finger on my daughter." Voldemort raised his wand. "As you wish." And Jesse fell dead, unable to cast her spell before him.
Then Voldemort turned his wand on Harriet, just 15 months old, but his Killing Curse rebounded and the seventh Horcrux was created. In the aftermath of such powerful magical mistakes, the house was shaken to its foundations and the old place just collapsed on the spot. Snape rushed in first to uncover Liam from the debris, cradling his unconscious body through tears - until she realized he was still breathing, albeit shallowly. That was when she alerted Dumbledore, who sent Hagrid to collect the family - but Snape disappeared before then. She was equally angry that Liam had come to harm, yet relieved that he'd somehow survived an encounter with the Dark Lord.
Hagrid brought the unharmed baby Harriet along with Jesse's body and Liam to Hogwarts. Over the next 36 hours or so, the whole wizarding world - both sides - tried to sort out what had happened at Godric's Hollow, waiting with baited breath for either Voldemort to resurface or Liam to wake up. As it happened, Liam woke to Dumbledore and Hagrid's smiling faces, but immediately asked the same question, to which Dumbledore replied with a stern face: "I don't know." That alone was enough for fear to sweep through Liam again.
-- In the Wake of Voldemort's Defeat --
Liam was allowed to hold Harriet for hours at a time while he recovered, which helped him - in a small way - to cope with Jesse's death; she'd succeeded in protecting their child, as the Longbottoms had. He initially had been credited with defeating Voldemort that night, but he swore that it must have been Jesse's doing. "Her deeds always spoke for themselves, good and bad alike. At least let her final act do the same - let her keep her pride, even in death." After Liam's testimony of what little he knew up until Voldemort's spell knocked him out, Jesse was lauded as Voldemort's slayer, although Liam and Harriet received ample celebrity status.
Over the next few weeks, Snape worked to ensure that the Death Eaters fell apart without the firm hand of their master directing them. However, she still wanted words with Dumbledore - which is when she learned that Peter Pettigrew had been the true Secret-Keeper. "No, that Sirius Black - she was Potter's best friend. Surely..." But Sirius and Remus had been away in Wales on a mission from the Order - in addition to Liam vouching for the change to the "less obvious" choice of Peter, they were both cleared of any accusations of treason. But Snape had no interest in hunting down Peter, who'd escaped in the chaos, and was ready to retire her double agent status. Then Dumbledore expressed his concerns that Voldemort was not gone for good, may return in time, and when he did - who else would he seek out but Harriet and her father? It was enough of an incentive to keep her Death Eater leanings muddied, but she swore Dumbledore to secrecy - that he would never reveal to Liam or Harriet the part she played in what transpired the night of October 31st 1981.
With the close of the First Wizarding War, Liam used Jesse's inheritance to purchase a place far enough from Muggles and Wizards alike to feel safe, but realistically close enough to travel to London by train, car, or broom if the need ever arose. Sirius and Remus were made the Secret-Keepers to the new home at the country's edge of Commons-on-Withering, a city on the south shore of Sussex. (*) Sirius went on to become an Auror so that she could help 'clean up' the mess that the Death Eaters had created.
* Note: In keeping with Rowling's tradition of made-up city names with fictional or historic origins, this city comes from the name of "Cymenshore and Wythering's Mouth." These were the eastern border markers for the area Ælle and his three sons landed in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, thus beginning Saxon Sussex according to legend. - This area is believed to be around what is now known as Selsey.
-- Single Parenthood as a Patron --
When Harriet was a little older than three, in 1983, Dumbledore sent a letter by owl to Liam at his home. Dumbledore expressed his concern that Liam may not be coping well with the aftermath of the war and Jesse's death. (Liam had gone so far as to refuse any newspaper inquiries or interviews.) Albus offered a different method of channeling Liam's "talent and temperament" - becoming the Patron of Hogwarts, the male counterpart to Madame Pomfrey. His kind nature would enable him to treat students and teachers without bias for how they came into their condition, but his broad knowledge would contribute to finding those treatments quickly and with success. It took prodding by Sirius on her day off, but Liam eventually sent a response to Dumbledore saying that he would meet to discuss it, and sought a Floo Network point in his office at which to arrive. Being unemployable, Remus was more than willing to babysit then and after, when Liam eventually agreed to start in fall of 1984. (Severae began teaching as Potions Master in 1981, hence no need for a new Potions Master in spite of Liam's success in the subject.)
For the first month, Liam used the Floo Network to put Harriet to bed every night, but then only saw her for afternoons on the weekends, or for Hogsmeade weekend visits. Liam wanted Harriet to attend Muggle school during the day to make the time pass faster, but his paranoia got the better of him, and he instead asked Sirius and Remus to be Harriet's private tutors from age 4 to 11. The summer vacations they took together, planned around Sirius's schedule, were some of his happiest times in recent memory, on top of simply being home for 3 months straight with his daughter. At first he was a little bitter whenever she'd ask for Remus, or cite Sirius's style, but they eventually reached an agreement on the matter. Liam also consoled himself that it would all be worth it if he could be around Harriet most every day while she attended Hogwarts.
Over those 7 years before Harriet started at Hogwarts, a few things of note happened:
- Canon: Peter Pettigrew found the Weasley family and joined it as Scabbers
- Canon + AU: Remus remained unemployable and thus Harriet's principal Uncle figure
- AU: Liam and Harriet came to be left alone by the wizarding world's paparazzi as Jesse's legend grew
- Canon: Snape continued to seek the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, even after Professor Quirrell was hired some years before 1991
- AU: Severae and Liam shared only passing glances in the halls of Hogwarts as fellow faculty, but never more than a curt nod; Liam continued to believe that Severae had at least not aided their side in the war, if not aided Voldemort's directly.
- AU: Liam wrote to Petunia that first Christmas and every one after to include a holiday card, including a plea for some family time together. She agreed once when Harriet was 5 and then not again until Harriet was 10.
[[Canon + AU: Year One]]
The events of Harriet's first year at Hogwarts remained relatively unchanged, due to Harriet being purposefully raised without the idea that she had a role to play in Voldemort's downfall.
More than anything else, the shock of a lifetime came at the end of the year when Voldemort revealed that it was Harriet herself who defeated him, not Jesse, although it was her sacrifice that made it possible. Naturally, few believed that Voldemort was back, let alone that Harriet defeated him once and subdued him again as a first-year student. Liam believed Harriet, but also believed her once again to be in danger and his post at Hogwarts to be a godsend. Sirius and Remus are alerted, but they can't do anything unless Voldemort strikes again.
[[Canon + AU: Year Two]]
Liam is taken from Autumn 1992, or the start of Harriet's second year at Hogwarts.
School Teen - Tom Cameron http://www.hollow-art.com/base/tom-cameron-under-mountain
"Passing Glances"
> Pre-School Childhood
> School Years
> Young Adult in Wartime
> The Night Jesse Potter-Evans Died
> In the Wake of Voldemort's Defeat
> Single Parenthood as a Patron
> Harriet's Year One
> Harriet's Year Two
Liam Evans's AU history is in essence that of Lily Evans - Harry Potter's canon mother - built upon the theory of how her life might have turned out if 1) she had been born male-bodied, 2) a few key characters were also born the opposite sex, and 3) the character survived Voldemort's attack on the family for reasons that evolved out of 1 and 2. Everything else hinges on canon event progression; strictly AU events will be marked as such.
[[Canon]]
Born to muggle parents in Cokeworth, England, Liam Evans grew up without any idea that he had a predisposition for the magical arts. Around age 9, that changed; one day he was playing at a park with his sister, Petunia, when she stopped dead in her tracks, a look of horror on her face. He'd performed magic right in front of her, even after Petunia reminded him he wasn't supposed to do it in public; he launched himself into the air off a swing and floated his way down, not a scratch on him.
As Petunia ran off, though, someone else approached - her name was Severae (Sev-rhye) Snape. She explained that there was nothing wrong with Liam; he was simply a wizard growing into his powers. While other people might have dismissed Severae purely for being from the poor part of the city, Spinner's End, Liam listened. It was this simple act that touched Severae from a young age, began the children's friendship, and garnered Liam a vast knowledge of the Wizarding World 2 years ahead of any other muggle-born Wizard who would eventually attend Hogwarts.
[[AU from canon hints]]
In these two years with Severae, Liam was able to learn rudimentary magical theory - such as the various schools of magic - and spellcasting techniques - using sticks. These practice and play-magic sessions were also what drove Petunia to apply to Hogwarts out of envy at age 11, a year ahead of when Liam was due to receive his letter. When she was rejected, she told her parents about Liam, who in turn revealed the whole truth of his practicing magic with Severae, the Wizarding World, and the Hogwarts education system.
Unlike Petunia, the Evanses could not have been prouder of their second child, and rejoiced when Liam's letter finally arrived; they saw Liam as a prodigy where Petunia saw a freak of nature. This small boost of education and confidence was what would propel Liam into academic stardom, a fact he never forgot whenever he thought of Severae. The Evanses escorted Liam through Diagon Alley to acquire his school supplies, then all the way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters with a perturbed Petunia in tow.
[[Canon]]
Liam found Severae on the train and they were enjoying each other's company when two brassy young women happened upon their car - one Jesse Potter and her friend Sirius Black. They chastised Severae for her preference in the "brainy" Houses at school, but Liam took them to task for their bullying. He still refused to associate them even when he was placed into their same House - Gryffindor - while Severae ended up in Slytherin.
[[AU from canon hints]]
In fact, Liam did his best to continue his friendship with Severae - meeting during common hours like meals, study periods, and trips to Hogsmeade. Liam's first encounter with Headmaster Dumbledore was, as promised to Petunia, a plea on his sister's behalf to attend the school. While Dumbledore refused this petition, it nevertheless gave him a very fond early impression of Liam's character. This opinion spread throughout the faculty as Liam excelled to varying degrees in all of his classes; he didn't rely on the natural talent that the teachers could clearly see, instead focusing very intently on the practical application of assigned coursework. No one favored Liam more than the Potions Master, Professor Horace Slughorn.
Except, perhaps, for Jesse Potter. She and her cadre of Marauders - Sirius, Remus, and Peter - were infamous for getting themselves in trouble often and out of it just as frequently. Sirius was her partner in crime, Remus the brains, and Peter the tagalong. For all of the admiration lauded on the two girls and two boys by their fellow students, Liam wanted nothing to do with them. Somehow, this only encouraged Jesse to pester Liam more and more - everything from calling him "Lee," to showing off flashy new spells in public, to offering herself up for a date, because wasn't that better than holing himself up in the library and being stuck with "Snivly?" (Sniv-lie) Liam refused to call her anything but "Potter" in an attempt to dissuade her, but the flirting only got more sincere as they approached Fifth Year; the fact that the Marauders' teasing of Severae intensified in direct correlation to the flirting did not go unnoticed by Liam.
[[Canon]]
It didn't get past Severae either, who had been harboring a deep unrequited love for Liam, the only person - at home or school - who'd ever been decent to her. Severae proceeded to do everything she could to unearth what the Marauders were up to, so that she could present her findings to Liam and hope beyond hope that Liam would deny Jesse's advances. For his part, Liam did try to dissuade Severae from spying on the Marauders' harmless pranks, as he started to recognize this as a poor trait of Severae's personality - her unwillingness to speak directly with people, instead using covert methods to find out the information on her own. [[AU Note]] Liam knew by this time that Sirius and Remus were dating, as they made no efforts to conceal that from the school public's notice. [[Canon again]] He knew Severae's theory was Remus was a werewolf. What Liam didn't expect was that Sirius would disregard Severae's very life in the interest of 'just' a prank against someone Sirius disliked that much. Severae didn't expect that either.
[[AU from canon hints]]
It was not long before Christmas Holiday when Sirius made an off-hand remark to Severae about how to get past the whomping willow to see where Remus went during the full moon. Severae never considered that it would be dangerous to do so. No sooner had Severae left the castle than Peter, whom Sirius had bragged to about her plan, told Jesse in a panic: Sirius intended to let Remus attack Severae while Remus was in his werewolf form, then surely Severae wouldn't bother the Marauders anymore, via scare tactics; whatever happened would happen to Severae. For once, Peter's big mouth did some good, because Jesse ran after Severae, completely disregarding where they were supposed to meet Sirius in order to change shape before going to Remus. Severae had only opened the door and seen Remus's werewolf form when Jesse slammed the door shut, then dragged Severae away. Nothing good came of that night; Severae now knew that Remus was a werewolf, she was more determined than ever to prove it to Liam, and the other Marauders ostracized Sirius for her stupid stunt. Not until they all returned from Christmas Holiday would the Marauders come together as a unit again; for the duration of that time, Severae remained untouched by pranks, but Liam was getting more upset by her chosen associations within Slytherin House.
[[Canon]]
One day, just after everyone had finished taking their OWLs, Jesse's pranks pushed Severae and Liam both beyond their breaking point. Jesse hexed and cursed Severae, clearly trying to embarass Severae more after her near-death experience didn't stop her from snooping around the Marauders. Liam begged Jesse to stop because now more people were watching, but Jesse swore she wouldn't unless Liam agreed to a date. At first, Liam refused, citing the giant squid in the lake as a better catch. Jesse hoisted Severae into the air, threatening to spin her upside down like a toy top; Severae, for her part, was clutching her robes as tightly to her body as possible and twisting her legs up tight. Liam did agree, only in order to save Severae the humiliation of losing her skirts to the skies, but it was too late. When Jesse dropped Severae, the embarassed Slytherin reeled on the whole pack of Gryffindors, saying she didn't need help from a "Mudblood." Jesse pointed her wand at Severae again, ordering her to apologize, but Liam didn't want Jesse to force it out of Severae. Liam could tell something was happening to his childhood friend. Liam had known about Severae pursuing the Dark Arts with her Death Eater friends, but this was the final straw. Thereafter, Liam still cared what happened to Severae, but he could not bring himself to look at her the same way. Severae even came to the door of Gryffindor house and stayed there most of the night before Liam finally appeared. However, Severae refused to apologize for her ideals about Muggle-born witches and wizards being Mudbloods, not just calling Liam himself one. He shut the door in Severae's face, that was how far his patience had deteriorated, saying he was done "making excuses" for Severae after all these years.
* Note: The gender reversal here is what drove Liam to accept Jesse's barter for Severae's release, because there's a big societal difference between a guy's boxer shorts being put on display and a girl's underwear. Jesse did not feel a societal pressure to change her prank (the same one James pulled on Severus) due to being female like Severae, but Liam felt a greater sympathetic reaction to Severae's potentially worse humiliation than the original Severus would have known.
[[AU]]
To Liam's surprise, Jesse never claimed that first date. Two weeks later, Liam caught up with the Marauders and asked to speak to Jesse alone. They cat-called as they left and Jesse just egged them on, but they walked until they were alone on the bridge overlooking the castle grounds. Liam asked her about the promised date and Jesse confessed that, after the incident, she could tell how much Severae's attitude shift had bothered Liam. Thus, she couldn't bring herself to ask Liam about the date - it felt less important in the face of a lost friendship. That private revelation was what started to change Liam's opinion of Jesse; before Jesse walked off, Liam suggested they write their essays together for History class, claiming she'd likely need help on the subject. Jesse smiled and agreed.
[[AU from canon hints]]
They spent more and more time together as the school year finished out; slowly Liam became acquainted with the other Marauders on better terms, in particular Remus due to a similar scholastic mindset and living in the same dormitory. In keeping with Lily's non-judgemental personality, Liam had a quiet conversation with Remus one night where he confessed that he too suspected Remus was a werewolf, that he didn't have to pretend around Liam, that they could still be friends. It didn't change Liam's opinion of Remus - he was clearly keeping it together somehow and not going off on murderous rampages. And after all, he was sorted into Gryffindor - that counted for something. Liam wouldn't learn the whole story, from how Remus was turned up to the Marauders becoming Animagi, until the following school year when Liam was a more integral part of the group.
[[AU]]
Near the end of 5th year, Liam went down to the Quidditch Pitch one day while Jesse was practicing with the Marauders watching from the stands. He asked, politely at first, for Jesse to descend from her broom and talk to him, but Jesse lightheartedly refused, insisting she had to practice. (She'd been turned down for Seeker yet again, so had resolved to be the best Chaser ever.) Liam chastised her for always needing to be in control of her environment; Jesse retorted that that was just part of her charms and made her a better Quidditch player besides. He shook his head and finally called out: "Would you just come down here, Potter? Before I spend the rest of this lovely afternoon studying for final exams, I'd like to kiss my girlfriend just once." That cheeky style of elevating their relationship won Jesse over in a heartbeat, considering how forward Jesse had been in starting the relationship in the first place. She quickly descended to Liam's height while hovering in place, then leaned over her broom for a kiss, sealing their new status to the sound of whooping Marauders.
[[Canon]]
Slowly, Jesse found a happy balance between grades, Quidditch, and Liam. This resulted in better NEWT scores than her comparable OWLs and, eventually, being nominated for Head Girl alongside Liam as Head Boy. During Christmas Break, Liam took Jesse back to meet her parents, Petunia, and her then-fiancé Vernon Dursley. (Jesse's parents were in hospice at the time, close to dying of old age.) They all went out to dinner, but Jesse and Vernon got into a row over material wealth, and the Muggle couple left in a huff. Even though Liam's parents approved of Jesse, the incident reduced Liam to tears in public. [[AU Note]] This is when Liam finally told Jesse how Petunia had once petitioned Dumbledore for admittance to Hogwarts and how the (kind) rejection letter was what finally split the siblings' relationship apart, causing him to depend more on his friendship with Severae from a young age. [[Canon]] Perhaps worse than that, Liam and Jesse were invited to the Dursleys' wedding, but Liam was not made a member of the wedding party on either Petunia or Vernon's side. Liam suffered through it, even when Vernon called Jesse "some magician" within earshot, and wished the couple much happiness. [[AU from canon hint]] Three events drove Liam to shop for rings just prior to graduation and propose on the day: Petunia's treatment of Liam and Jesse, Jesse's parents dying in the few months prior, and the Marauders' confrontation with Lord Voldemort refusing to be Death Eaters.
[[AU]]
Liam and Jesse were married in late 1978, sadly, after Jesse's parents died, but with the Evanses in attendance. Petunia and Vernon simply refused to go. Sirius served as Jesse's Maid of Honor and Remus was the Best Man. (*) With no young family members available and the wedding being a small affair, Peter was cast as the Ring Bearer. Following Peter's betrayal, Liam would regret this symbolism forever.
* Note: I thought about other characters as Liam's "best friend," including the throw-away Mary Macdonald character, but the way this AU went I think that Liam and Remus would have become as close as Jesse and Sirius, or Harry and Ron in canon, simply through the little daily experiences of living in the same (gendered) dormitory.
Shortly after formally joining the war efforts against Lord Voldemort, Liam encouraged the three Animagi Marauders to register themselves, lest they bring suspicion to themselves. With a good word from Dumbledore that they were aiding Remus as he tried to attend school like any good werewolf-bitten young wizard, and being in the midst of the war, the three were forgiven so long as they agreed to the requisite analysis of their animal form. Peter did not apparate with Jesse and Sirius, saying he would be there later. He would go on to say that he did register after they did, but he never attended the inquiry, and the lack of paperwork was not uncovered until after Peter's betrayal. Thus, the Marauders remained the only people who truly knew what Peter's rat form looked like in any great detail.
[[AU from canon hints]]
The Elder Evanses soon died of old age, leaving Jesse and Liam more than willing to become full-time members of the Order of the Phoenix. It was at this point, as a unit, that the younger Evanses defied Voldemort a 2nd time alongside the other Order members in early 1979. By the middle of the year, Jesse and Liam had run into Lord Voldemort a 3rd time and refused to become Death Eaters, made more poignant by Severae's being present for that incident. It was autumn of 1979 when, quite unintentionally, Jesse became pregnant. Due to this new status, Liam insisted Jesse go into hiding, much to Jesse's dismay... and then Sybill Trelawney made her prophecy in early 1980.
[[Canon]]
Dumbledore was aware that Severae was listening to what Sybill accidentally foresaw while interviewing for the Divinations Professor position at the Hog's Head Inn. It was how he confirmed his suspicions that she had become a Death Eater like so many other Slytherins. However, she only heard the first part of the prophecy before the barman - Albus's own brother Aberforth - threw her out.
Severae obediently reported this information, but it was not until July that the prophecized child was born. The only problem was that no one knew if it was Harriet Evans or Nell Longbottom. Voldemort thus had no qualms about killing both children and started with Nell, but the Longbottoms wouldn't give up the location of Nell's grandmother's house. Meanwhile the Evanses rushed to get Harriet christened, with only Sirius in attendance.
This provoked the one reaction Severae never expected, nor ever wanted to pass - Voldemort went after Harriet Evans too, without initial success. While Severae pleaded for Liam's life, she knew well enough that Voldemort would kill Liam if he stood in the Dark Lord's way, and that was absolutely likely to happen. It drove Severae to seek audience with Dumbledore on a hilltop, far from Muggles and Wizards alike, where Severae beseeched her old Headmaster to hide the Evans family because she feared for Liam's life. This disregard for Jesse and their unborn child disgusted Dumbledore, which stunned Severae and forced her to reflect briefly. Not without mercy for all parties involved, Dumbledore offered an exchange to this Death Eater he scarcely trusted - if she would be a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix, then Dumbledore would put the whole Evans family into hiding. He didn't tell Snape where, but he provided for them his own childhood home in Godric's Hollow, and would then implore the family to use the Fidelius Charm on a trustworthy Secret-Keeper until Voldemort could be defeated. Snape agreed.
Unfortunately, at Sirius's own insistence, Peter was chosen as the Secret-Keeper for Godric's Hollow and immediately told his master the location. Voldemort did not go without first making a few plans, but it was certainly his first priority. Snape followed Voldemort as far as she could, but - having never been told by Peter the location of the house in Godric's Hollow - was unable to discern what was about to happen, let alone intervene.
[[AU from here on out]]
When the Evanses were alerted by charms on the house to Voldemort apparating in, Liam sent Jesse upstairs to take Harriet and run. From the top of the stairs, Jesse was able to see what next transpired: Voldemort flung Liam against a wall with great force - knocking him out, but not killing him. She would have recognized Avada Kedavra even without the somatic component.
Next he turned his attention to her; she charmed the bedroom door to get just a bit more time. Jesse whispered her good-bye to Harriet, then reeled on Voldemort as he blew the door down. Both had their wands at the ready. "I don't know why you spared him, but you'd better kill me, or I swear I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth for laying even a finger on my daughter." Voldemort raised his wand. "As you wish." And Jesse fell dead, unable to cast her spell before him.
Then Voldemort turned his wand on Harriet, just 15 months old, but his Killing Curse rebounded and the seventh Horcrux was created. In the aftermath of such powerful magical mistakes, the house was shaken to its foundations and the old place just collapsed on the spot. Snape rushed in first to uncover Liam from the debris, cradling his unconscious body through tears - until she realized he was still breathing, albeit shallowly. That was when she alerted Dumbledore, who sent Hagrid to collect the family - but Snape disappeared before then. She was equally angry that Liam had come to harm, yet relieved that he'd somehow survived an encounter with the Dark Lord.
Hagrid brought the unharmed baby Harriet along with Jesse's body and Liam to Hogwarts. Over the next 36 hours or so, the whole wizarding world - both sides - tried to sort out what had happened at Godric's Hollow, waiting with baited breath for either Voldemort to resurface or Liam to wake up. As it happened, Liam woke to Dumbledore and Hagrid's smiling faces, but immediately asked the same question, to which Dumbledore replied with a stern face: "I don't know." That alone was enough for fear to sweep through Liam again.
Liam was allowed to hold Harriet for hours at a time while he recovered, which helped him - in a small way - to cope with Jesse's death; she'd succeeded in protecting their child, as the Longbottoms had. He initially had been credited with defeating Voldemort that night, but he swore that it must have been Jesse's doing. "Her deeds always spoke for themselves, good and bad alike. At least let her final act do the same - let her keep her pride, even in death." After Liam's testimony of what little he knew up until Voldemort's spell knocked him out, Jesse was lauded as Voldemort's slayer, although Liam and Harriet received ample celebrity status.
Over the next few weeks, Snape worked to ensure that the Death Eaters fell apart without the firm hand of their master directing them. However, she still wanted words with Dumbledore - which is when she learned that Peter Pettigrew had been the true Secret-Keeper. "No, that Sirius Black - she was Potter's best friend. Surely..." But Sirius and Remus had been away in Wales on a mission from the Order - in addition to Liam vouching for the change to the "less obvious" choice of Peter, they were both cleared of any accusations of treason. But Snape had no interest in hunting down Peter, who'd escaped in the chaos, and was ready to retire her double agent status. Then Dumbledore expressed his concerns that Voldemort was not gone for good, may return in time, and when he did - who else would he seek out but Harriet and her father? It was enough of an incentive to keep her Death Eater leanings muddied, but she swore Dumbledore to secrecy - that he would never reveal to Liam or Harriet the part she played in what transpired the night of October 31st 1981.
With the close of the First Wizarding War, Liam used Jesse's inheritance to purchase a place far enough from Muggles and Wizards alike to feel safe, but realistically close enough to travel to London by train, car, or broom if the need ever arose. Sirius and Remus were made the Secret-Keepers to the new home at the country's edge of Commons-on-Withering, a city on the south shore of Sussex. (*) Sirius went on to become an Auror so that she could help 'clean up' the mess that the Death Eaters had created.
* Note: In keeping with Rowling's tradition of made-up city names with fictional or historic origins, this city comes from the name of "Cymenshore and Wythering's Mouth." These were the eastern border markers for the area Ælle and his three sons landed in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, thus beginning Saxon Sussex according to legend. - This area is believed to be around what is now known as Selsey.
When Harriet was a little older than three, in 1983, Dumbledore sent a letter by owl to Liam at his home. Dumbledore expressed his concern that Liam may not be coping well with the aftermath of the war and Jesse's death. (Liam had gone so far as to refuse any newspaper inquiries or interviews.) Albus offered a different method of channeling Liam's "talent and temperament" - becoming the Patron of Hogwarts, the male counterpart to Madame Pomfrey. His kind nature would enable him to treat students and teachers without bias for how they came into their condition, but his broad knowledge would contribute to finding those treatments quickly and with success. It took prodding by Sirius on her day off, but Liam eventually sent a response to Dumbledore saying that he would meet to discuss it, and sought a Floo Network point in his office at which to arrive. Being unemployable, Remus was more than willing to babysit then and after, when Liam eventually agreed to start in fall of 1984. (Severae began teaching as Potions Master in 1981, hence no need for a new Potions Master in spite of Liam's success in the subject.)
For the first month, Liam used the Floo Network to put Harriet to bed every night, but then only saw her for afternoons on the weekends, or for Hogsmeade weekend visits. Liam wanted Harriet to attend Muggle school during the day to make the time pass faster, but his paranoia got the better of him, and he instead asked Sirius and Remus to be Harriet's private tutors from age 4 to 11. The summer vacations they took together, planned around Sirius's schedule, were some of his happiest times in recent memory, on top of simply being home for 3 months straight with his daughter. At first he was a little bitter whenever she'd ask for Remus, or cite Sirius's style, but they eventually reached an agreement on the matter. Liam also consoled himself that it would all be worth it if he could be around Harriet most every day while she attended Hogwarts.
Over those 7 years before Harriet started at Hogwarts, a few things of note happened:
- Canon: Peter Pettigrew found the Weasley family and joined it as Scabbers
- Canon + AU: Remus remained unemployable and thus Harriet's principal Uncle figure
- AU: Liam and Harriet came to be left alone by the wizarding world's paparazzi as Jesse's legend grew
- Canon: Snape continued to seek the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, even after Professor Quirrell was hired some years before 1991
- AU: Severae and Liam shared only passing glances in the halls of Hogwarts as fellow faculty, but never more than a curt nod; Liam continued to believe that Severae had at least not aided their side in the war, if not aided Voldemort's directly.
- AU: Liam wrote to Petunia that first Christmas and every one after to include a holiday card, including a plea for some family time together. She agreed once when Harriet was 5 and then not again until Harriet was 10.
[[Canon + AU: Year One]]
The events of Harriet's first year at Hogwarts remained relatively unchanged, due to Harriet being purposefully raised without the idea that she had a role to play in Voldemort's downfall.
- Hagrid asked to deliver Harriet's letter personally, in order to finally meet her; he tagged along with Liam and Harriet to Diagon Alley, but did get to be alone with Harriet briefly while Liam pulled news-wizards away. This led to Harriet asking why her father was so important and an altered explanation from Hagrid about Voldemort's defeat in The Three Broomsticks.
- Ron and Hermione became Harriet's friends by way of Gryffindor, but the dynamic shifted as Harriet and Hermione are as unalike as Jesse and Liam used to be, yet dorm-mates. She still bonded better with Ron at first due to shared personality traits, but they just didn't spend quite as much time together.
- The tension between Malfoy and Harriet was functionally the same, just laced with some derogatories about sharing more of his Muggle father's traits than his mother's looks.
- Snape interacted with Harriet for the first time in the Potions classroom and instantly recognized her, as in canon. However, Severae's reason for resenting Harriet actually goes back to her presence keeping Liam tied to Jesse's memory. As with how Severae lost Liam's affections in the first place, she only distanced him from her further by tormenting his child, a fact of which Snape is hopelessly unaware. This also helped reinforce the belief of the adult trio (Liam, Sirius, and Remus) that Snape was getting back at Harriet for Voldemort's defeat on behalf of Death Eaters everywhere. Liam did not say at this time the history between Snape, the Marauders, and Liam himself.
- Harriet was still chosen for the Quidditch team as Seeker, something Liam explained that Jesse would've been proud of since she'd never been able to get that post.
- Liam had his fair share of trying to coax Harriet to act in certain ways - focusing on homework, not giving in to Malfoy, and most of all not getting into trouble as Jesse was wont to do so often. It fell on deaf ears, of course.
- Liam even tried pleading with Hermione directly to encourage Harriet's behavior, thus beginning a strong mentorship bond, as both were born in the Muggle world and were drawn into the wizarding one. This enhanced the events of Halloween - how Hermione became friends with Harriet and Ron, as well as Liam's reflections on the night as one of the faculty dispersed to seek out the troll.
- The mirror of Erised instead shows Harriet a younger Liam beckoning a 20-something woman to join them, and when she does Harriet identifies her as Jesse. Liam is also in a much more jubilant mood than Harriet has ever seen him. Harriet confides all of this in Dumbledore, but keeps it from Liam.
- Patients that Liam sees through the year include Pomfrey tending to Nell twice (broomstick, Quidditch scuffle) and, by himself, Ron for the dragon bite. This leads to a not-conversation about how Ron acquired the injury and a blanket request for the young trio to mind themselves in whatever they pursued together. In that moment, Harriet realizes how very mother-like her Father's tone is in those moments, or perhaps had to become, in light of her mother's death.
- When Harriet is found and relates her story about Voldemort and Quirrell, Liam is especially wretched because he spent a fair amount of time around Quirrell that year and in years past as a fellow faculty member, yet he neither noticed anything was wrong nor did Quirrell-Voldemort attack Liam. They went straight for Harriet. He resolved that while she indeed was no safer at Hogwarts than anywhere else, at least he was there and he could be more vigilant now.
- Harriet's revelation that Snape had been counter-acting Quirrell's actions all year stunned Liam long enough for Dumbledore to start explaining Snape's debt to Jesse. When it was apparent Dumbledore was only talking about that specific incident, Liam allowed him to continue. Harriet then asked why Liam refused to tell her that story. "Those times when we were in school," Liam said in a weary voice, "they feel like a lifetime ago."
- Hagrid still gives Harriet a photo-album, insisting that sometimes hearing stories isn't enough, and these were all photos that it was likely even Liam had forgotten existed.
More than anything else, the shock of a lifetime came at the end of the year when Voldemort revealed that it was Harriet herself who defeated him, not Jesse, although it was her sacrifice that made it possible. Naturally, few believed that Voldemort was back, let alone that Harriet defeated him once and subdued him again as a first-year student. Liam believed Harriet, but also believed her once again to be in danger and his post at Hogwarts to be a godsend. Sirius and Remus are alerted, but they can't do anything unless Voldemort strikes again.
[[Canon + AU: Year Two]]
Liam is taken from Autumn 1992, or the start of Harriet's second year at Hogwarts.
- Harriet's 12th Birthday party is much more festive than in the past, due to the presence of Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Nell, the Gryffindor Quidditch team members, Sirius, Remus, and of course Liam himself. He invited everyone he understood Harriet to have a passing acquaintance with - most definitely trying too hard, something that Sirius points out to Liam. However, Liam cites his difficulty with contacting everyone he meant to invite - that only through methods other than letters did he succeed, after multiple tries.
- The party is then interrupted when Dobby locks Harriet in the bathroom to talk to her, insisting that Harriet not return to school. While Dobby cannot do anything to stop Harriet, he stresses that something bad will happen and she must not go back - for her own good.
- In response to Dobby's threats, Ron offers a week's vacaton at the Weasley's in hopes Dobby won't find her there. At the end of the vacation, the Weasleys bring Harriet to Diagon Alley for school supply shopping. It's during this time alone that Liam is taken by The Grasp.
no subject
Liam would generally be even more antagonistic towards the Marauders, maybe girl!Lily wouldn't give a damn what Marauders did, but boy!Lily would because they're the same gender and they're sharing a dorm, there would be some sort of rivalry. Sirius and Remus would be more hostile too. Neither part would really hold back like they would when it's girl/boy antagonism, because they're the same gender. Liam would probably be even closer to Severae in this scenario. He would also have the chance to play up masculinity, an option Lily never did have. I'm not saying his character would change (though we really don't know much about his character except that he was popular, cheeky and had bite), but some things would differ because he's been raised as a boy and boys have a lot more options in society, even in wizarding society.
The reason Lily defended Snape wasn't just because Snape was being bullied and she was the type of person who'd come to anyone's rescue, it was largely because Snape was her/his best friend, they spent 8 years of their life together at that point, even if things were rocky for some time because he was friendly with people who wanted Liam's kind dead.
And I don't really see Liam marrying a girl who showed his best (girl!) friend's knickers in front of the whole school, that's so much worse when it's a girl because of how society is, a girl in that situation would be much, much more vulnerable. And I don't really think Jesse would really be capable of doing that when it's a girl, because Jesse would probably know better than that as a girl who's facing sexism related shit herself, and we all know James/Jesse's heart is in the right place regarding all kinds of social discrimination.
And we don't know whether Liam would like Hermione the best or see her as the most similar to himself out of all the trio, because while being Muggleborn would make him relate to Hermione on facing discrimination, it doesn't necessarily mean they'd get along or have much in common. That's like saying all black people would get along because they're both black, it's just weird.
And about James/Jesse dying, her plot would be sacrificing herself for her kid just like girl!Lily did, because that is a motherhood plot and JKR put repeated emphasis on mother's love saving a kid, not a father's love, like it would be in this case if Liam sacrificed himself for his child.
So yes, Liam would run to the door like James did in canon, except this time Voldemort would give the father a chance to step aside because of Severae, Liam wouldn't and die, and after that, both Jesse and Harriet would be protected by his love because he didn't step aside when he could, and his wife and child would survive Avada Kedavra. And Severae would hate both Jesse and Harriet even more.
This, of course would make the whole motherhood plot irrelevant.