Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to JK Rowling, as she owns Harry Potter, and I do not.
Note: I made some characters survive who didn't in canon. Why? Because I think they should have survived, of course! :P
*The prologue starts out differently than you might expect, but don't worry, everything will make sense in terms of where the story is going by the end of it.*
Prologue
October 31st 1981
High up in the dark blue skies over London, the moon seemed to be shining extra bright. That was the first thing that Marlene McKinnon noticed when she woke up in her living room. Her long blonde hair was sprawled out behind her, sweaty and tangled, and her sea blue eyes were hazy with tears. She was only wearing an old gray and orange striped Chudley Cannons shirt that was clearly way too big on her and a pair of knickers as she lay there, on the couch, surrounded by stacks of old photographs.
She had been reminiscing on the days when the war had seemed so irrelevant and the world had still held so much hope, and seeing the smiling faces of so many deceased Order members, she had cried herself into a deep sleep. She sat up and wiped away her tears, blinking a few times, so that her eyes could adjust to the brightly-lit room. What time was it anyways?
But before she could check her watch, her boyfriend Sirius Black emerged from their bedroom and sighed heavily. He wore nothing but his blue golden snitch boxers and 1978 Quidditch World Cup shirt. His shaggy black hair was sticking up everywhere as if he had been sleeping on it and his misty gray eyes were tired. He looked rather disgruntled as he strode into the room and leaned against the doorframe.
Standing on either side of him, were their three-year-old twin daughters. Both of them were doe-eyed and looking curiously around the room. Halley Skye Black, the elder twin by eight minutes, had long black hair with blonde streaks in it and misty gray eyes. Phoebe Ailsa Black, the younger twin, had long blonde hair with black streaks in it and sea blue eyes. Their faces were nearly identical and they were the exact same height, so everyone had to rely on their hair to tell them apart. Tonight, they both wore blue nightdresses and sleepy expressions on their little faces.
"Marlene, it's eleven o'clock at night!" Sirius hissed, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"I realize that, Sirius. I fell asleep looking through these old photographs!" Marlene snapped, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face.
Sirius instantly shifted his gaze onto a stack of old black and white photographs that were scattered on the coffee table. He could see three familiar faces (Dorcas and the Prewett brothers) waving at him from inside the photo and a single tear escaped his eye; every single one of them was dead now. He suddenly realized how many losses they had suffered during this horrible war. "Merlin's beard..." he croaked.
Marlene clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. "We've lost so many in our ranks... and for what?" she whispered.
"I know. I ask myself every day, when will this war end?" Sirius shook his head and sat down on the couch beside his girlfriend.
"Our world is being plunged into darkness, evilness; how will we ever be able to stop it if more and more of us are being murdered each day?" Marlene wiped her face on the back of her hand.
Halley and Phoebe were still watching them curiously. While they didn't understand why their parents were so upset, they could sense that something wasn't right, and they scrambled up onto the couch in between them. In their three-year-old minds, that was the one way that they could think of to make their parents feel better about whatever was going on.
"Precious wee babies," Marlene cooed as she held them close. "At least we've still got each other."
"Right. We're still here and we're not going to stop fighting for what we have left," Sirius whispered into the darkness as he stared out the window. "We can still win this war."
And before they had realized what was happening, they had fallen into a deep slumber on the couch, wrapped up in their cozy embrace. It was unknown to them how many hours had passed before a loud crashing noise suddenly shook the room. They woke up instantly; the twins screamed.
"Oh, bloody hell, what is it?" Sirius muttered, slowly heaving himself off the couch.
"It can't be morning already..." Marlene whined, checking her watch to see that it was only 4 AM.
Sirius crept over to the door and squinted through the tiny hole to see who was there. Sure enough, it was none other than the old Hogwarts headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, along with the Hogwarts groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. There was a small bundle in the half-giant's arms and both he and Dumbledore had serious expressions on their faces.
Marlene picked up the twins, holding one in each arm, and shuffled over to stand by the door too. Seeing who was there, she let out a soft gasp, instantly understanding that something must be wrong.
Opening the door, Sirius hurriedly asked, "What's happened?"
Dumbledore held up one of his ancient hands and answered, "I am sorry to bother you at such a late hour, but I'm afraid this is urgent."
Hagrid said nothing and bounced the wee bundle in his arms. There were warm tears rolling down his face and into his fluffy brown beard as he kept whispering to it, and that was when they realized what exactly he was holding. A baby. But who's was it?
"What? Is there an emergency Order meeting?" Sirius asked warily, afraid of what the old headmaster might have to say.
"No. It isn't that, I'm afraid it's much worse," Dumbledore answered slowly, knowing what was about to happen as soon as he shared the news.
Instantly, a horrible thought struck Marlene. "Who's baby is that?" she asked. Her voice shook and a few tears had welled up in her eyes.
Hagrid let out a shuddering sob. "The Potters'." He blew his nose into his large moleskin overcoat, careful not to get anything on the baby's blanket.
"WHAT?" Sirius roared.
"The Potters are dead. We've been betrayed," Dumbledore whispered. There was no twinkle in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles tonight. He was serious.
Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend in the whole world couldn't be dead. There must be some sort of mistake... "No. I don't - it can't - how?" he sputtered, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.
Marlene burst into tears. It can't be true... "We saw them only yesterday..." she trailed off, burying her face in her hand.
Dumbledore sighed, looking incredibly solemn. "I'm sorry. But it's true. Someone has betrayed our cause and He Who Must Not Be Named found them," he explained. Seeing the looks of utter devastation on their faces he added, "However, I bring good news." He plucked half a lemon drop out of his long white beard and smiled, the twinkle in his eyes had returned.
"How could you possibly have any good news after this?" Sirius shouted, kicking the wall before collapsing to his knees in tears.
"The war is over," Dumbledore said, now cradling the crying baby boy in his arms. "Something happened when he tried to kill the boy, the curse backfired, and he was destroyed. Harry Potter is our hero, he is, the Boy Who Lived."
Sirius looked up, tears shining in his eyes. "But how is that possible?"
Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders. "That will remain one of our world's many mysteries, I suppose."
"So what happens to Harry now?" Marlene asked in a soft whimper, bouncing each of the twins on her hips.
"I'm afraid he will have to go and live with the only remaining family he has," Dumbledore answered seriously.
Realizing what this meant, Marlene said, "I hope you aren't referring to those ... muggles. Lily's sister and her horribly obese husband are the worst sort of - you can't possibly mean this, Dumbledore. They won't treat him right."
Dumbledore held up his hands. "Relax, relax." He shook his head and tried to think of how to explain the situation. "Something about Lily is what saved him tonight, so in order to keep the protection she put on him in tact, he must go and live with his blood relatives. However, once he turns eleven, he will be admitted to Hogwarts and he will need guardians to teach him all about the ways of our world. As his godparents, that responsibility lies with you two. Then, and only then, can he come back into your lives."
"You expect him to survive with them for ten years?" Sirius snorted contemptuously. "Surely you're joking!"
"If he is what you say, the Boy Who Lived, then he deserves a proper home!" Marlene huffed angrily. "I've never heard such blasphemy!"
"Mr. Black, Ms. McKinnon, I'm serious." Dumbledore shot them a stern glare. "Now Hagrid will be bringing the boy to Surrey. We are in need of your flying motorbike."
Looking defeated, Sirius pointed out towards the balcony. "Go, take it."
Dumbledore smiled sympathetically. "Thank you. We'll be sure to send word once he's settled in."
"I don't know how anyone could settle in there," Marlene remarked, the fury evident in her voice.
"Don't worry. Everything will work out how it's supposed to." Dumbledore nodded firmly and handed the baby back to Hagrid before apparating away.
Hagrid looked sadder than ever. "I wish I could take 'im home with me too, but Dumbledore's orders, yeh know," he grunted, wiping more tears on his moleskin overcoat.
Sirius stepped forward. "Could we - er - hold him one more time?" he queried, staring at the sleeping baby boy in the half-giant's arms.
"'Course yeh can, yer his godparents." Hagrid handed over the wee bundle, which stirred slightly but did not wake up.
"He looks so like James," Sirius whispered with a sniffle.
"But he's got Lily's eyes," Marlene cooed, stifling another sob.
"Well, we best be off," Hagrid said, shifting uncomfortably on his huge heels.
"Right." Sirius handed the baby back, his tears now streaming freely down his face.
With that, Hagrid walked out onto their balcony and mounted the flying motorbike and with a loud swoosh, the half giant and the infant savior of the wizarding world were gone into the night.
Marlene shook her head. "I can't believe this," she wept silently.
Sirius nodded his agreement. "I know," he croaked wearily.
And with their remaining energy drained, they turned their backs on the brightly-lit night sky and went to put their own children back in bed. It would be ten years before they would see their godson again.
I hope you enjoyed it so far, the actual story starts in the next chapter.