Prologue

It was every parents' worst nightmare. Your child has gone missing and you don't know where he or she is. Harry Potter, thirteen, was kidnapped from his friend's house in the middle of the night. It was a familiar MO for police who have been on the hunt of a serial child rapist and murderer. The child goes missing in the middle of the night and turns up dead three days later with signs of rape and torture. Prosecutor James Potter and his wife Lily, feared that the next time that they would see their son would be in the morgue. Fate was with them however, because after two days of being missing, Harry turned up at the police department. He had escaped his kidnapper and rapist before he could kill him and he told police where to find him.

The police were surprised to find out that a prominent citizen of London was the rapist. Tom Riddle, a fellow lawyer of James', and second father figure to Harry, was the rapist all along. Before his trial, James visited Riddle in prison to find out why Tom did it, not just to Harry, but to the other boys.

Tom sighed out as James was let into the visiting cell and stared at his lawyer. "Are you kidding me?" he asked.

"No," his lawyer said. "Mr. Potter," he said shaking hands with James. James was accompanied by the prosecuting lawyer who was chosen for this case.

"James has few questions," Dorsey said.

"Fire away," Tom said.

"Why'd you do it?" James asked.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Why did you do it, Tom? To those boys and to Harry."

"Those other boys were nothing to me," Tom said. "Is there some kind of deal here? Or should I stop talking?"

"Mr. Dorsey has agreed to take off the death penalty," his lawyer said," depending on your information."

"Information?"

"We only recovered eleven bodies out there near your love shack," Dorsey said. "We've got them in order but we're missing your first victim."

"Ah, yes," Tom said in a slithering way. "My first."

"I also want to know what made you chose Harry as a victim," James said.

"You."

"What?" James asked.

"How is it that a lawyer fresh from law school moved so fast up the chain past a lawyer who has been there for ten years?"

"You were jealous?" James asked.

"I despised you and your perfect family," Tom said. "My family was never perfect. Father left mother before I was born and then she died giving birth to me," he said. "I was forced to be raised in an orphanage that had seen it's better days. I was treated like cattle in there. I chose your son to show him there was never such thing as a perfect life."

"You nearly destroyed him," James said.

"I get to see him again, don't I?" Tom asked. "He's going to testify."

"We made a deal, Riddle. There's no need for him to testify," Dorsey said. "Where's your first victim, Jack Weaton?" Dorsey held up a picture of a thirteen year old Jack.

"Little Jackie," Tom muttered. "No death penalty?" Dorsey nodded. "He's under a big oak tree, near the stream behind the cabin. It's where I first made a man out of him."

Riddle was sent to prison to spend the rest of his life there. However, he didn't break easily. He spent four years in prison before an overload in his jail caused him to be transferred to a different prison. During the transfer, there was an accident and the bus overturned. Riddle and several others escaped. In one week, everyone was found, except Riddle. The first thing he did was go to the Potter house, but it wasn't the Potter house anymore. They had moved and gone unlisted in the phonebooks. Riddle was determined to find Harry and finish the job, and he let James know that. He sent a threatening letter to James' office to let him know that he planned to finish the job he started with Harry, doing it in front of him and his wife. He then planned to kill his wife, who was five months pregnant with their second child and then kill him.

James made the decision to move his family back to his hometown, Hogsmeade. It was the only place Riddle didn't know about him. Tom always thought that James was from London. He had to keep two steps or more in front of Riddle. It was the only way to keep his family safe. Harry was reluctant to move away from all his friends. He had no idea that Riddle had escaped.

Harry Potter sighed as he watched the last of his things being packed up by his mother into a box. "Something wrong, luv?" she asked.

"I don't understand why we have to move," he said. "To a country town, no less."

"Harry, this is your father's decision."

"I thought he loved London," Harry said.

"He's homesick," Lily said taping the box up. "He misses everyone."

"So, he can just call them on the phone." Lily sighed in desperation. "Mum, is there something you're not telling me?" he asked. Lily looked at her son and couldn't see why the police didn't want him to know. James wanted to tell him so bad.

"Go ask your father and don't take 'no' for an answer." Harry hurried downstairs to his father's office and knocked.

"Come in," James said looking up from his work. "Harry?"

"Dad, Mum said to ask you why we're really moving," he said, "and that I shouldn't take 'no' as an answer." James sighed and gestured to the seat in front of him. Harry cautiously sat down and watched his father struggle for words.

"Harry, something happened and the police don't want your mother and I to tell you."

"What?"

"Riddle's prison was overcrowded and they had to transfers some prisoners to another prison," James started.

"Please, don't tell me," Harry said. He had just started putting Riddle behind him.

"There was an accident and he escaped with some other prisoners."

"They caught him, though, right?" James shook his head and Harry started to cry out. "No!" James took his son into his arms and allowed him to cry on his shoulders. "I thought we were safe here."

"I thought we were too, until he sent me a letter at my office."

"What?" Harry asked pulling away. James got out the letter and handed to Harry.

"Your mother doesn't know what's in the letter, just that I got a threatening one." Harry read through the letter and went white.

"Kill Mum and my sister?" James nodded. "Is this why we're really moving?"

"Yes," he said. "Harry," he said taking his son's shoulders. "I promise that I will protect you and your mother with my life," he said. "We'll have your 'uncles' to help and the whole town. Hogsmeade is a very special town and you'll love it. I grew up there."

"All right, I'll take your word for it." James chuckled. "And I won't say anything to mum about the letter."

"Thanks," he said. "Come on, help me pack up this office."