I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, it all belongs to J.K Rowling.

This is my first story and am trying to work through the many ideas currently floating around my head, so bear with me. This story will be a complete re-write of the series and hopefully beyond. Certain parts of the story may reflect J.K Rowling's writing, but will hopefully be few and far between. Enjoy the story and please leave ideas about what you would like to see. This will be a Harry and Ginny story.

Chapter One

In the beginning

James and Lily Potter were settling down to a quiet evening together. Since they had been in hiding, they had been restricted to the confines of a small cottage in Godric's Hollow. Under Albus Dumbledore's advice, neither had ventured past the boundaries of the garden, as the wards in place wouldn't protect them from an attack. The reason for being in hiding was currently sleeping in the upstairs nursery. Harry Potter was one of two young children prophesised to be the downfall for one of the most evil Dark Lord's in the last five hundred years. James and Lily love Harry more than life itself which is why they now find themselves prisoners in their own home.

As they were settling down on the settee in front of the roaring fire, the wind outside the house suddenly stopped howling. Relaxing on the settee, it wasn't long before Lily had curled herself up around her husband, tucking her head under his chin and started to fall asleep. James sat looking at his beautiful wife wishing that their lives were different with Harry enjoying a normal childhood, but fate was working against them.

The past year for the young parents had been emotionally draining. Not only had they been stuck at home, depending on other people to do things for them, they had decided to write letters to Harry in case they didn't make it through this ordeal. It had been extremely difficult to negotiate around Harry; he was too perceptive, even as a small boy. James and Lily would take turns watching Harry while the other wrote their letter. The letters were given to their friends to hold onto, hidden around the cottage and some into a trunk of Harry's belongings to be taken with him if they were to be attacked.

James' head fell backwards as sleep threatened to take over him. Lily stirred slightly at his movements and looked up lovingly at her husband, smiling to herself. For all the years he had been acting a prat, she had always loved him, as she loves her son sleeping upstairs. Both had given up the chance on careers for their son, and neither regretted their choice, they just wanted to keep him safe. Money wasn't an issue, the Potter family were one of the most ancient and powerful in the wizarding world, and their wealth would allow another thirty generations to live comfortably without working, not including the interest their investments would gain. Boredom was the only feeling that neither she nor James liked, that's why they wanted to work, but fate wasn't letting them.

Lily had spent the best part of the last year thinking about what she would change if she could do it all again. There was one thing that came to mind, her attitude towards James. They had been together for just over four years, but with the clock counting down, she wished she had said something sooner to change James' attitude. She added her diary into the trunk for Harry; she didn't want him to make the same mistakes she had. She also wrote a letter about seizing the moment if he liked a girl, rather than living with the regret Lily now had. It was her only regret, but she had hope, no matter how small that hope was, that she and James would get through this mess and spend many more years with Harry and go through the letters with Harry.

The young couple had to thank Remus and Sirius for their ideas of what to put in their letters and the idea of actually writing them for their son as well as the inclusion of spell books in Harry's trunk. Remus and Sirius had always known about the potential of James and Lily, even at a young age, they were more intelligent than the rest of their peers. James might have spent his time pranking students, but he had still received top marks in his work and exams. They would add notes in their books if they felt there was an easier way of performing the task, they all felt that if Harry was the one to defeat the Dark Lord, these additions could really help him in the future.

Sitting on the settee, the young couple escaped the reality of their lives and drifted off to sleep, their dreams depicting a time where they take Harry to Diagon Alley for his school equipment, watching Harry playing Quidditch at Hogwarts and bringing home his first girlfriend. They may be dreaming alone in their dreams but, united in their hopes for their family's future.

James woke suddenly, a loud clanging noise could be heard outside, James woke his wife and stood up sharply, removing his wand from his pocket with practised ease and rushed to the front door. Taking care as he opened the door, he looked out of the window in the door and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He returned his wand to his holster on his belt and turned back to his wife.

"What's up honey?" Lily asked as she watched him return to the living room.

"I thought someone was at the wards. Can you go up and check on the little man?"

Without answering her husband, Lily rushed from the room and hurtled up the stairs, slowing only when she reached the nursery door. She opened the door slowly and saw Harry, sleeping in his cot. She watched him for a few minutes before returning to the living room.

"I guess I'm not the only one who's paranoid?" James asked, his usual playful tone lost from his voice.

"I'm just so worried about Harry. Why does this have to happen to us? Why can't we just be more normal?"

"I wish I could answer that for you, I find myself asking the same questions." They both sat back down on the settee, each lost in their own thoughts.

In the eighteen months they had both been in hiding, James and Lily had struggled to sleep at night, they spent most of their time huddled together in front of the fire.

Lily and James had finally succumbed to deep sleep only to be awoken by a much louder crashing noise. Both rushed to their feet, a tingling feeling surrounded them for a moment before the feeling disappeared.

"The wards, they've broken the wards." James voice was startled. How could they have broken the wards? James thought to himself. "Lily go to Harry. I will hold them off as long as I can."

Lily knew what was happening, and she was scared. Not for herself or her husband, but it was for the safety of their son. They had accepted their fate shortly after listening to the Prophecy. Her only hope was the protection spells she had cast on Harry would protect him from the killing curse. She hadn't had enough time to fully research and test the spell, but she was confident Harry would be protected.

Lily briefly kissed her husband as she headed to the nursery while James was left downstairs. As she entered the nursery, she saw that Harry had woken up, probably from the wards collapsing, thought Lily. For a young boy, Harry was more advanced in his thoughts and perceptions than other young Magical children. Lily put this down to their state of nervousness, though she hadn't been able to test her theory. She walked over to him, sitting in the rocking chair while she watched over Harry, readying herself for the inevitable. She knew that if she tried to hold him, she would just want to run away, so she kept her distance.

James was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for the attacker to break the door down. The seconds felt like hours as he waited for the attack. He heard a noise outside the door, he listened closely to see if he could gain any information from those involved in the attack but, there was nothing to hear. A moment after the noises stopped, James hesitated, allowing his opponents to gain the upper hand, thus dictating the ensuing fight.

In James' hesitation, a silent blasting curse was sent at the door, with enough power to send pieces of wood at James. James lifted his arms to protect his face, taking his eyes off the doorway. Once he lowered his arms, he noticed that there were two cloaked wizards standing in front of him, wands drawn. Before James could do more than register their presence, he dived to his right to avoid a killing curse.

James recovered from his dive and started to go on the offensive. He wasn't careful of his choice of spell, he was in a battle to the death and he wanted to survive. He sent a blasting curse in the direction of one of the attackers, but the spell hit the wall, destroying the bookshelf. The second cloaked attacker launched the Cruciatus curse in James' direction, which he narrowly avoided. He turned his attention to the attacker who just attacked him, sending a cutting curse at the attackers shoulder. The curse hit its target and the man's voice let out a cry of pain.

Sensing he was close to defeating one of the attackers, he sent a second cutting spell only for it to strike the man's shield. As he turned, he heard a woman's voice cry out 'Avada Kedavra'. A flash of green light struck James in the back, his face showing surprise at being hit. As James' limp and lifeless body fell and crashed against the stone floor, the two attackers then fled the house, as was their orders.

Unknown to James at the time of the attack, but a third figure entered the cottage shortly after the first two and headed upstairs. As the third figure reached the top of the stairs, the sounds of spells echoed throughout the house. The figure walked swiftly to the nursery where he knew the boy and mother would be waiting.

He opened the door and walked into the room to be faced by a red headed woman with a look of sheer determination on her face.

"Stand aside girl, and you shall live. I need only kill the boy." The voice was a man's; it was cold and higher than Lily had expected it to be.

"Never, you want my son then you have to go through me." Lily replied defiantly.

"You foolish girl," The man then sent repeated silent cutting curses at Lily. None of the cuts were deep enough to do any serious damage, he wanted to keep her, yet she continued to defy him.

After three minutes of repeated cutting curses, her robes barely remained on her body. She was bleeding heavily, yet she still stood between him and her son. Growing frustrated, the attacker sent a Cruciatus Curse at Lily.

He stood over her, his wand pointing at her body with an amused expression on his face. Watching people's reactions to the pain they suffered from this curse always brought a smile to his face.

Lily was in more pain than she had ever experienced in her life. Her body felt as though it was on fire, every nerve was trying to break through the skin. She had bitten through her lower lip but she never felt it. After what felt like hours, she felt the curse release her. She looked up and saw the cloaked figure walking towards Harry. Her heart took over as she forced herself to stand before the attacker, only to receive another dose of the Cruciatus Curse. She was held under its influence for longer, her left leg snapped and pointed forwards as her left arm shattered near the shoulder, facing away from the body. As she felt the curse release again, she aimed her wand and sent a weak disarming spell, missing her target completely.

She felt the attacker standing on her right arm, snapping it instantly while laughing at her attempts. Growing tired of the confrontation, he lowered his wand and whispered 'Avada Kedavra', the light in Lily's eyes vanished, her body stiffened as the green light struck her body. I love you Harry, was the last thought to pass through Lily's mind before her body shut down completely.

The man made his way to the cot that contained Harry unimpeded; a victorious smile appeared on the attackers face as he looked at the boy who was to destroy him. Savouring the moment, he watched as the boy continued to sit still, staring up at him. Harry's emerald eyes glowed, which went unseen by the attacker, who was now raising his wand.

The man hissed 'Avada Kedavra' and watched as the curse hurtled towards the young boy. The smile that had appeared on his face grew wider as the curse neared the boy, but soon vanished as he saw the curse rebound off the boy and headed directly for him. The shock of the situation caused him to remain in the line of the curse. He had used this curse hundreds of times before, what had gone so wrong?

Before he could answer, the curse struck him directly in the chest. In that moment his soul was ejected from his body, as the body simply vanished after being stuck. A distant sound of popping caused him to float out of the hole caused from the Magical backlash and disappear into the night.

Remus Lupin had received Dumbledore's Phoenix Patronus alerting him that there was a problem with the wards at his best friend's house. It was the third time in a week that the alarm had gone off, but Remus didn't want to take any chances on it being a false alarm. He had apparated to the boundary of Godric's Hollow and hurried towards the Potter cottage. When he neared the house he couldn't feel the usual tingle as he passed over the perimeter wards. Using his heightened sense of smell, thanks to his 'furry little problem' as James had called it, he could smell three foreign scents. Realising the possibility that there could be people inside, he sent out a Patronus to alert Sirius and Andromeda to help him.

A moment later, the distinct sound of two people apparating told Remus that Sirius and Andromeda had arrived. This was confirmed when he heard Sirius whisper.

"What's going on Remus?"

"Didn't you feel the wards when you walked over to me?" Remus asked.

"Actually, I did... Shit, it's happened hasn't it?" Sirius asked. The agitation in his voice didn't require Remus' heightened senses.

"Remus, what can you tell us?" Andromeda asked. Her training as a healer allowed her to keep a more levelled head in difficult circumstances.

"I picked up three foreign scents, they are fairly fresh. I know why the wards have been playing up now, they were being dismantled." Remus paled at the thought of what had been happening to their friends and how they had let them down.

"I suggest we go through the front, Sirius and I will clear the downstairs, Remus you head to the nursery." Andromeda said as the three hurried to the cottage.

Remus led the way down the street as they headed from the village centre to the cottage James and Lily were hiding in. As Remus approached the garden gate, he noticed that the wards on the cottage were in place, yet the front door had been completely blown off its hinges. The trio headed through the wards and rushed up the garden path, trying to make as quiet approach as possible. Once they had reached the door, Remus headed up the stairs and made his way to Harry's nursery, while Sirius and Andromeda searched downstairs.

Remus approached the nursery and felt a draft blow from within Harry's room. Knowing that neither lily nor James would leave the window open, Remus cautiously approached the nursery door, the sight that greeted him would haunt him for many years to come.

On the floor was the broken body of his best friend's wife, Lily Potter, her brilliant red hair blowing slightly due to the wind entering through the hole in the nursery. Lily's robes were shredded, exposing her limbs as well as her stomach. Through the holes, it was clear that she had been struck by numerous cutting curses, her arms and legs were facing at unnatural angles, this could only be caused through prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. The sight made Remus vomit. He looked upon Lily's face and witnessed the determined look she often wore when she was at school and trying to ignore James, the only difference being the spark of life had left her eyes.

Remus collected himself and looked around the remains of the room. As he looked at the crib, his heart leapt, sitting there, staring at Remus was Harry. At first Remus thought Harry was dead as he made no reaction to anything, he was just staring, unblinking at where the hole was in the nursery wall. The whole scene unnerved Remus. He was a werewolf and was struggling with the sight. Harry was barely a year old and he just sat there, with no hint of emotion.

Downstairs, Sirius and Andromeda were faring no better. They had walked into the living room to witness the sight of a battle. While James was a powerful wizard, he had only been out of Hogwarts for a couple of years and couldn't have been expected to defeat three Death Eaters single handedly. From the amount of damage, he had given them a good fight, but the numbers had caught up with him. There was no fear on his face, just the look of sheer determination to protect his family. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, but there were no signs of torture, just battle injuries.

Sirius just sat staring at his friend, at a complete loss of what to do. It was obvious that Peter had betrayed them all to Voldemort, but what use was it seeking revenge? He was Harry's Godfather and his responsibility now was to bring Harry up. If the opportunity presented itself when Harry was older, he could take his revenge out on Peter then. Sirius rose and headed up to the nursery where Remus was headed; Andromeda sat with James body at a complete loss. Before he could take a single step towards the stairs Remus arrived with a sleeping Harry in his arms.

"Andi, could you collect Harry's trunk please. I would advise that you don't move the covers in the nursery, the sight isn't pretty." Remus advised as the trained healer headed upstairs.

The group sat and waited for Albus outside the cottage, the smell of the fight was too overpowering for them to remain inside. The headmaster arrived after only a couple minutes with a solemn look upon his face. Lily and James Potter had been two of his best students in his time at Hogwarts. His companion, the groundskeeper Hagrid, was in tears, he had grown close to James and Lily through their years at Hogwarts and their work together for the Order. The only relief the half-giant could take was that their son had survived and would be safe.

Albus walked over to the group, taking in their tired and emotional state but with no signs of spell work from their wands meant that the group arrived too late to be able to do anything.

"Sirius, I am sure you know what needs to happen now, if the protection worked as intended by Lily then Harry needs to be with his Aunt and Uncle." Albus asked a devastated Sirius, who was cradling a now sleeping Harry.

"I don't like the idea of sending him to those people Albus." Sirius replied, keeping his eyes on his Godson.

"I dislike the idea of it as much as you, Lily and James do, but we are left with little choice to ensure Harry's safety. You may take him if you wish. I will follow you and place the necessary wards on the house."

Sirius didn't reply to his former headmaster, but turned to Remus and gave his werewolf friend a small nod before disapparating form Godric's Hollow.

Dumbledore stared at the spot which Sirius and Harry had just vacated before collecting his thoughts and entering the small cottage to look for any information regarding the identities of the attackers.

It was an hour later, and after a very extensive search and examination of the magical signatures, that Dumbledore was still none the wiser as to who had actually taken part in the attack. Albus gave up looking and apparated to Privet Drive to take care of Harry and ensure his safety whilst there.

Albus apparated to the bottom of Privet Drive to begin the process of administering the protective wards and the Blood Tie to protect Harry. After ten minutes, Albus was satisfied and continued to the house where an impatient Sirius was now waiting.

As Albus neared, he placed his left hand inside his robe and removed an envelope from an inside pocket. He help the envelope in front of himself and placed it upon the basket containing a sleeping Harry. Sirius had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He had let his best friends down and now he was placing their only son in the care of Lily's Magic hating sister.

"Are you sure this is necessary, Albus?" Sirius hoped the old headmaster would reconsider his wish and allow him to take care of Harry.

"Sirius I am afraid this is the only option available to us. The blood ties and wards I have placed here will protect Harry from those who wish to harm him."

"But he would have been safe at Potter Manor, so would James and Lily, but your belief that Godric's Hollow being safer has cost me my two best friends Albus. I will not let you fail the boy."

"Sirius, I didn't know about Peter being in league with Voldemort. If I had, I would have stepped in."

"Just don't let any harm come to him Albus, Merlin help you if it does." Sirius handed the basket over and apparated away, leaving a very confused Albus Dumbledore holding Harry.

Albus leant forwards and carefully placed the basket on the doorstep in front of the Dursley's house, the letter sitting on his blanket. "Good luck Harry Potter". The headmaster turned to be faced by his Transfiguration teacher, Minerva McGonagall.

"The rumours are true then Albus?" Minerva asked.

"I didn't think you would stay away Minerva," his blue eyes twinkling as he spoke.

"How could I? James and Lily were two of my favourite students. You can't leave him here, the muggles are possibly the worst kind I have ever witnessed."

"My dear Minerva, they can offer him the best protection. While he lives here and can call this place his home, no-one who wishes to harm him will be able to reach him."

"I'm worried about what the boy will face from the Muggles Albus, they struggle to look after their own son. If Harry was with a Wizarding family, he would be protected and accepted after what he did tonight."

That is why we must Protect him Minerva, to keep him away from our world until hi is ready for it, I don't want him to be led astray."

Minerva nodded at Dumbledore's words, she agreed in principal about keeping him away from the Magical community, but she feared for his safety with the Muggles. Time would tell if he made the right decision, she only hoped that they wouldn't live to regret their decisions. She nodded her understanding to the headmaster before they both apparated to Hogwarts. Harry was left asleep on the doorstep of Privet Drive, unaware of what his future held.