A/N- Hey All!

Don here! I'm now branching into HP (well, I've written HP before, but not multi—chapter fics) and I'm hoping for no writer's block, but no guarantees since my brain acts of its own accord.

The idea for this fic came to me randomly when I was thinking about AU stories and stuff. So here's "The Darkest Hour" a dark HP fic with all the canon pairings, no slash, and aside from the dark twist, everything stays completely canon.

I have made some changes as to the timeline and the roles of some of the characters, so bear with me if there's something that doesn't add up right away. Of course if there are holes in my writing that need explaining, please don't hesitate to shoot me a review so I can fix it.

This story goes between T and M, so I'm rating it as T and will note chapters where there is M content.

As per my usual request: PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS FIC IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE FOLLOWING:

-Angst

-Mature themes

-Tragedy or violence

-Character deaths (not sure if I'll include any but it might happen)

-Psychological conflicts

If you have any qualms in general about reading fics that might contain character deaths or anything dark in general, I advise you not to read this fic. Thank you for your understanding and as always I don't appreciate flaming, so if you don't like my work, please be constructive. Nobody likes to be bashed for their work and I'm no different.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Best,

-Don "QuixoticQuest" =)

Prologue: A Costly Slip of the Tongue

As soon as the words had left his mouth he whipped his head around to see the end of a cloak disappear out the door. The click as it shut set his thoughts in motion and he was bolting forward. Arms pumped and he took out his wand, setting it on the back of the person ahead of him. But a second later it disappeared. He swore. There he stopped, breathing heavily as the sweat that had begun to form on his forehead and neck caused him to shiver. It was colder outside than he remembered when he first arrived in the small village.

Even if he set out now, it wouldn't be long before- he shook the thought from his mind. His hand gripped his hand tightly and in a snap of air he was gone.

If anyone had said that living in solitude would be easy was either oblivious or simply ignorant. Ever since the rise began, Lily had wondered if her life would continue to get harder and harder as time went by.

"You're still awake?" But she couldn't help but smile as the dark haired man poked his head around the sliding door to their sitting room. His hair was all out of place as though he'd purposely rolled around on top of his skull for a few hours, trying to make it seem as though he hated to look anything close to presentable. He adjusted his shirt, which was wrinkled and came to join her on the couch.

"He was hungry." She indicated to the round faced boy sitting on her lap, his eyes closed as he slumbered. James smiled and brushed some hair from his son's face. He twitched slightly and let out a moan before falling silent once more.

"Never seems to stop eating once he starts," James said with a laugh. Lily frowned at him.

"Neither do you and we don't exactly have infinite supplies." He waved his hand in dismissal.

"You're overreacting, Lily. He's a growing boy, he needs his nutrition."

"If your head grows any bigger it'll explode."

James gaped at her and opened his mouth in mock horror, "Who, me?" Lily nodded.

"I'm certainly not talking about Harry."

"I'm wounded," James said, giving Harry a good natured scowl. The boy obviously didn't know what was being discussed because he let out a giggle and rolled over to face the other side. James wrinkled his nose at his son, wondering if there was a chance Harry had already inherited his mother's knack for teasing the living daylights out of James. If so, he knew he was up for years of double teaming.

"He'll be five this Friday." He turned his head to look at Lily. She was gazing at Harry with eyes brim with adoration and a familial love that he knew was reserved for Harry and of course, James himself.

"You don't think we should give him a sibling, do you?" She asked. James blinked, stunned by the question.

"Um, do you think we should?" Lily paused for a moment, lowering her eyes to Harry's head before she kissed it. After almost five years of life where the little boy had been livelier and more giggly than James after Sirius had spiked his pumpkin juice with a laughing potion, she noticed that the only thing that Harry seemed to lack was company his own age.

Hiding for so many years without contact his age would cause problems in Harry's future, this much she felt was true. "I think he needs someone his age to play with. Who knows how long it'll be before he meets friends his age."

James thought about it, letting out a thoughtful, "Mmm." As much as he wanted to think that Voldemort would be brought down sometime in the next few years, he couldn't deprive Harry of the one thing that had made his own life worthwhile.

"Alright, if that's what you want," James said. She nodded.

"It's what's best for Harry."

"Then that's all that matters," He replied, kissing her and leaning in further. She pushed him back.

"James, what if Harry woke up and saw us?" Lily said curtly. James paused and then turned red. The last thing he wanted was to scar his son for life.

"Right," He murmured and from then on kept to himself while they continued to talk. It was a little after midnight when Lily had drifted off, her head resting on James' shoulder and Harry sound asleep, curled up in Lily's lap. He was starting to fall asleep himself when he heard a thumping noise at the door. His hand immediately snatched his wand from the table and he gently laid Lily down on the couch arm before standing up.

He slowly made his way to the door and peered through the peephole. What he saw made him want to throw the door open instantly, but he knew better. "What did you tell me when I graduated?" James asked, using his wand to project his voice through the door.

"Not to let your pride rule your better judgment."

"And?" James pressed. He wasn't going to open the door unless the answer was full. If someone was posing as a close friend, he wasn't about to push his luck.

"To always keep an eye out for vomit flavored jelly beans." James opened the door then and the visitor stumbled in, collapsing to the floor. He had a hard time lifting the other, but once he did, he found himself unable to mask his horror at the state of Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster's clothes were torn in multiple places and his ripped sleeves revealed gashes and welts. His legs were equally bruised and bloodied. Needless to say Dumbledore's face was the only part of him that looked okay save for a few cuts here and there.

"What happened?" Lily was in the hall now and as soon as she took in Dumbledore's state she couldn't help but lift a hand to her mouth for a second before she said, "Death Eaters?"

He nodded, "I left the Three Broomsticks to warn you two that he's on his way."

"Mommy?" Lily's head snapped up at the sound of her five year old's voice and she turned to try to stop him from coming into the hall but his green eyes already rested on Dumbledore, widening as he took in the bloody mess that the older man was in. If he was going to say anything before, the words were gone leaving a pale and blank expression on his face.

"Lily, take Harry and Dumbledore upstairs," James said. She stared at him.

"What for, we should stay here in case the Death Eaters decide to show up."

"Are you mental?" James demanded. "He's coming, Lily, didn't you hear Dumbledore? You Know Who himself is on his way."

She scowled at him, "You're more bull-headed than before if you think you're going to take him down alone."

"I don't," James said curtly and cast a furtive glance at the door. When he had turned back around she was glaring furiously at him, her hands curled into fists. He cringed slightly, knowing that Lily's anger at full tilt was nothing to scoff at.

"Then what?"

James licked his lips. He knew she wasn't going to like his plan, but it was the best option they had. "Take them and run." The moment the words left his mouth he wished he'd never said anything because her fist sent him staggering in the wall.

"I can't believe you, James Potter. After everything we've been through, you think I'm going to up and leave you here to fight You Know Who alone? Since when did you become so bloody," She didn't finish because she was shaking so violently to get her anger in check. Harry was staring at his mother with confusion lit on his face.

"I'm doing what I think is best, Lily. If all of us die, what good would that do? With you running I can buy some time," He averted his gaze. Nothing was harder than letting her go when he was about to face one of the world's greatest evils. Somehow he felt like it was right though. He had placed hope in Harry and that hope was enough to quell any remaining misgivings he had about his plan.

"I'm not leaving." His eyes bore into her.

"Lily, he'll kill all of us."

"Then that's how it's meant to be." James swore under his breath. He never thought he'd hear her say something like that. She was usually so adamant about protecting the future and making sure that the world had one worth living, yet here she was telling him it was okay if all three of them died, even Harry who was barely five years old.

"No, no it's not," James stated coldly. He reached for the nearest object to him but a wrinkled hand caught his right as the door slammed open and the glass on the windows shattered. James instinctively tackled Lily to the floor as she simultaneously threw body over Harry's. The boy squirmed in discomfort for a second before they stood up once again, wands out.

Dumbledore was already on his feet, wand pointing at the figures now standing in the doorway. "Kill them, but the boy is mine." The masked figures stepped forward and immediately began shooting green light from their wands. Lily deflected the first two and then shot a red one back, knocking one of the Death Eaters out cold. Two more stepped forward from the darkness.

"Crucio!" The beam struck Dumbledore and he fell to the floor, writhing and clutching at his chest. Lily stepped forward again and knocked another Death Eater to the side. Harry took that moment to step out from behind his mother and peered out at the figures.

Her eyes turned for a fraction of a second as she heard him step on a creaky floorboard, fear lit in her features. "Avada Kevadra!" The crumpling of her body as it tumbled flailing down, free of any control and the sickening thud as it flopped limply like a ragdoll reflected in Harry's eyes. He stared at his mother for a second before he walked over, kneeling down to grasp her hand.

"Mommy?" Two hands pulled the boy away and he let out a wail.

"Lily!" James was at her side and his eyes began to leak tears as he stared into her wide eyed expression. He squeezed his own shut and whirled at the sound of his son's wail. One of the Death Eaters had Harry in his arm, lifting him up by the collar of his shirt. He lifted his wand.

"Stupefy!" The Death Eater collapsed, dropping Harry to the floor. But as the boy fell, the light traveling towards James struck Harry's arm. When he reached the ground the arm was bleeding profusely. Tear streaked down his face and he looked to his father.

"Avada Kedavra!" Harry's outstretched hand grasped only air as his father collapsed to the floor. Dumbledore now lifted his head up to see Voldemort standing over the small boy. A green light flashed, sending chills through his body and roar of anguish that tore through the home wasn't the one he expected. Voldemort was standing there, his face aghast as his body slowly turned to wispy smoke starting at his fingertips. The Death Eaters backed away slowly at first and then ran as soon as the robes of their master dropped to the floor.

Then with a look over at Harry, who sat with a distant gaze at the door, body slumped and legs splayed out in front of him, Dumbledore lost consciousness.

A/N- So, yeah. That was a pretty intense prologue, but it's necessary to establish where I'm trying to get to in this story. I really want to give Harry a hug. =( My explanation for that would be I was wondering what it would be like if Harry did remember what happened to his parents that night from the beginning and was old enough to absorb it. We'll see where that lands him later chapters.

Thanks for reading! =)