Prologue

Lily Potter

"John. I need you to do me a favor."

My voice is quiet but John Winchester, one of my closest friends, looks up anyways. Our eyes meet and he looks sad for a moment as he realizes what I'm about to say. John and I have known each other for six months now. He's a muggle but he's a Hunter, a muggle that hunts Supernatural creatures. He knows about the Wizarding World and its perils and he's been a great friend. Especially in hard times like these. With Voldemort after us, we don't have many friends. Even Padfoot and Moony are distant these days. By force. It's not safe for them to be with us. But John doesn't leave. He and his boys have been lifesavers these past few months and I can't ask for a better friend.

John's alone with his two boys. His wife, Mary, was killed by a Demon six months ago. His boys, Sam who's a year, and Dean who is only four, are quiet but good boys. And I trust them all. Sam and Harry, my only son, are close friends and Dean protects them both with everything he has. Dean calls Harry his brother and says nothing'll ever take him away.

"What is it Lil?"

James and I look at each other, our gazes meeting. This was for the best, we knew. John was a good dad and he had the skills needed to keep our Harry safe. We knew that, should John accept, Harry would be in good hands. It was James that spoke.

"We want you to take Harry with you when you return to America next week. Voldemort's base of operations is in Europe, he doesn't have much pull in America. And you can keep Harry safe. We...we need to know he's in good hands."

"What about Sirius? He's Harry's godfather."

I laughed. "Sirius is great...but he's a giant kid. Besides, Sirius is needed at the ministry. We'll feel a lot safter if you'll take Harry. We're leaving him everything we have...that's enough wizarding money to get him through his school years."

John considered this for quite a few minutes. He stared over my shoulder at the spot where our three boys were curled up, sleeping. When he looked back at me I knew we were saved. Our little boy would go to a good home.

"I travel a lot. The boys are always with me. He'd be living in the back of a car most of his life."

I smiled. "But he'll have you. And Dean. And Sam. And he'll grow up happy and safe. And loved. I couldn't ask for anything more. It's either you or, if Dumbledore has his way, my sister. And my sister hates magic and anything to do with it. She'd only treat him like a slave. I don't want that for him, John."

"I hear you Lily. I just wanted you to know. Of course I'll take him. He brought Dean out of that horrible silence...and I already love him as if he were my own."

"Good. We'll go down tomorrow morning and have custody legally transferred over to you. I love Albus Dumbledore to death but if you aren't legal guardian of Harry before James and I die...he'll snatch him away and put him with my sister."

"Before you...die?"

James sighed. "We don't expect to live through the war. Voldemort will eventually find us. When he does, we'll be dead. Harry is our last hope. We told you about the prophecy. One day, our little boy will grow up to kill Voldemort."

John nodded and sighed. "Can I leave the boys here tonight? I should start getting things ready to leave and I don't want them waking up."

"Of course you can."

John thanked us and, hugging us one last time, headed for the door. When he was gone, James levitated the children to the couch and laid them down gently, covering them with a blanket afterwards. We headed to bed not long after that, overjoyed at the knowledge that our son would be safe. The next morning, we went with John to the ministry of magic. As a muggle, he shouldn't have been allowed entrance but James talked them into letting him inside. The process to signing our parental rights over to John took three hours and, when it was done, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. Things would be okay.

We went to our separate homes that night. John had moved his departure up to keep Harry safe and we were spending our last night with our son. It would be our last night on earth.

James and I were sitting on the couch, cuddling when Voldemort broke in.

"It's him! Lily, take Harry and Run. I'll hold him off!" James yelled and I ran upstairs.

Grabbing Harry, I started to apparate. I was too late. Voldemort burst into the nursery, wand raised at my son. I threw myself in front of him, begging for my son's life. It was no use. I saw the Killing Curse hit me in the chest...and everything went black.

John Winchester

I heard the screams over at the Potter house and ran to investigate. Telling Dean to watch Sammy, I pulled a gun out of my trunk and headed into the - now destroyed - old house. James' body lie on the stairs, eyes open and unseeing. I grimaced as I passed him. Upstairs, in the nursery, Lily's body lay in front of Harry's crib. Harry, to my absolute amazement, was alive. He was screaming for his mommy but he was alive. Wanting to get out of there with him before this Dumbledore person arrived, I picked him up. Harry curled against my chest, ceasing his cries immediately. Leaning down, I closed Lily's eyes and kissed her forehead. On my way out, I did the same for James.

"Dean! I need you to take your brother and get in the car. Right now. Quickly!"

"Okay daddy. Harry comin' with us?"

"Yeah buddy. Harry's comin' with us."

Dean reached over and grabbed Sammy from where he lay, playing with an old water bottle. He carried him gently out to the car and strapped him in his car seat with careful patience. Thanking the Gods that Lily had put an extra car seat in my car for Harry, I strapped Harry into it and then shut the door to the rental car I'd bought. We had to get out of there now.

We left for America that night and arrived two days later. We headed straight to Bobby Singer's place. Bobby was an old friend of mine and he'd been keeping my car, a 1967 Chevy Impala, safe for me. When I walked up with not two but three kids, Bobby's eyes popped out of his head.

"Come in. And expect to tell me the story about this stray you've picked up along the way." Bobby said.

We went inside and I told him Harry's story. At the end of it, Bobby was wide eyed. He stared at Harry as he played with Sam and Dean and I knew it was already over. Bobby would fall in love with the little guy just like I had and everything would be okay. And, for ten years, that was the case.