It was the night of October 31, 1981. James Potter and his wife, Lily Potter, were in the living room of their house huddled together on a couch as they watched the nearby clock tick onwards. It was common these days for them to hold each other close as they waited for the war to end. They knew that there was nothing they could do out there any longer because Lord Voldemort had long since begun targeting them for their son. Dumbledore had told them of impending dangers and requested that they hide themselves safely away from where he could reach them. Initially, Sirius Black had been chosen and believed to be the best candidate for their secret keeper, but Sirius had convinced James and Lily in the last moments to change their minds. For many months, the last person anyone would suspect had been holding their lives in his hands, Peter Pettigrew.
On that night, Peter Pettigrew had betrayed them, but they still were very unaware of this truth. Instead, they remained huddled together waiting as the seconds passed and they imagined that they would still be a very real, very distinct family. The sound of their front gate opening alerted James to the presence of someone. His first thought was that it must have been Sirius, but for some reason that night, he did not feel sure. "I am just going to check it out, Lils." He said to Lily softly as he could see that she seemed focused again.
He was deeply worried that she wasn't getting enough sleep because of all of this. Lily seemed to always bolt awake at the faintest noises for fear that they had been discovered. It was not as if he was not just as prone to paranoia but James had become accustomed to this way of life and knew that a lack of sleep would be just as dangerous for their baby boy, Harry. He made his way to the front, but as he did so he could see the shadowy, cloaked form of Voldemort. James would know that face anywhere.
Both He and Lily had had their own share of face-offs against him in the past, and their ability to come out alive was what had completely placed Harry into the path of danger. Now, he faced a real problem. The fear immediately hit him like a train and for a moment he couldn't even think. James calmed himself for a second so that he could warn her because he knew that there wasn't a way for him to get out of this alive and with his family intact. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-" He yelled, but was cut off at the end as the door blasted apart.
Voldemort entered into the home swiftly, his cloak billowing around him as effortlessly as he held the wand in his hand. "I take no pleasure in spilling the blood of those of pure birth. Truly, you must know this. Stand aside, let me through and you will live." James fired a curse at him, which Voldemort quickly deflected and he fired a stunning spell to put him down. He did not want to kill them. He had no desire. It had taken much deliberation but he had ultimately come to the conclusion that he would not kill the young child. It would do him much more to have the boy raised under his watchful gaze. Furthermore, it would hamper and likely destroy what little resolve Dumbledore still possessed.
The crash of James' body to the floor was felt with disinterest as Voldemort stepped over the limp body. He would survive, but would ultimately become distraught over the loss of his son. Voldemort was sure of this. It was a just punishment for years of standing in his way to conquest over the wizarding world. He could hear the girl upstairs with her child as he climbed the stairs evenly without any hesitation in his movements. Soon, he would have what he had come for.
Voldemort burst through the door with a cold, cackling laugh as Lily rushed in front of her son to try and protect him. It was a fool's decision to defy him like this, but could be forgiven for now. He had only one goal tonight and his fear was that if he didn't leave soon enough then it would be clear to Dumbledore that he had broken into the house. If such a thing occurred, he would lose his chance. Time was of the essence. "Not Harry, not Harry, Please not Harry!" She screamed at him, desperation pouring over in waves. He could see it and it just made him sick. He did not have time for games, though.
His wand waved quickly and he silenced her voice. Lily's voice fell upon the deafness of the magic that surrounded her as he waved his wand again to bind her from head to toe. He took the crying baby Harry by the edge of his clothes and lifted him from the crib. The skeletal hand grasped the clothes tight as he walked from the house where Lily cried out in vain for someone to stop him while her husband remained woefully unaware of the travesty that was occurring in his house. Voldemort reached the edge of the gate just as Dumbledore arrived to see his old student carrying the infant in his hand.
Before Dumbledore could so much as fire a curse, it was over. Voldemort apparated away from the home being on the outside of the wards while Dumbledore rushed into the home feeling a great weight come over his shoulders unlike any he had ever known. Once there, he made sure to help James regain consciousness, but was greeted with only desperate cries from the elder Potter to find Lily. They rushed upstairs in time to find her bound and crying.
She could not stop it even after they undid her bindings and relinquished the spell that silenced her. Lily held tightly onto her husband as she wept desperately into his arms. James could not hold back anymore and merely swallowed as tears fell down his face. Dumbledore rose away from them, pleased that they had lived but deeply horrified at what may or may not have become the young Harry's fate. He could not even begin to guess but what he did know was that Harry had become the final piece into play.
Dumbledore had been worried about the possibility of a great many things happening ever since he had heard the prophecy uttered, but this was not what he imagined. He leaned against the crib for support as he eyed the empty place where the young Harry had, presumably, been sitting just moments ago. "James! Lily!" He heard the familiar barking voice of Sirius come up the steps. Dumbledore immediately sought to apprehend the man whom he had assumed betrayed the Potters on this very night, but James shook his head. Between choking sobs, he looked up at both of them as they came around the Potters, "Sirius thought that it likely Voldemort would come after him if we used him as the secret keeper so we used Peter Pettigrew, instead."
"What happened James?" Sirius asked desperately, his voice catching. James could barely talk, and just looked down at his wife. Lily clutched at his shirt as she continued to cry, losing herself in her own sorrow and mumbling incoherent remarks about being unable to save her baby. Dumbledore, seeing the obvious problems with them answering Sirius, took the opportunity to give Harry's godfather the news. "It would appear that Voldemort has made a decision no one expected. He has taken Harry, but for what purpose, none of us can guess."
"I leave them in your care, Sirius, for now, I must return to Hogwarts to think on this and find a way to get Harry back before it's too late." He turned to the three of them, his voice weighted by the sorrow of now seeing an infant boy taken into the shadowy mystery of Lord Voldemort, unable to know whether he deemed to kill the boy or find some other use for him. "I fear that things will get far worse before they get better, be prepared for what awaits us."
Dumbledore walked from the household and apparated back to the castle where he walked through its halls and into his office. In his office, McGonagall and Severus Snape awaited him.
"Albus!" McGonagall called out to him, followed closely by Severus who patiently waited for the answers to come. His hands were moving about themselves in anxiety and Albus could see the pain that was clear across his face. "James and Lily are relatively unharmed, physically. However, Voldemort seems to have made a split decision contrary to what he has told Severus. Whether this was made just prior to his arrival at Godric's Hollow or whether it was made some time ago, I cannot say. He has taken young Harry with him for what reason is likely known only to him for the time being." Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Go. I imagine that, no matter his designs of using Harry, Voldemort is likely to be celebrating with his followers and your absence will be noted. Explain as surely as you can and, if Harry remains alive, you must continue to ingratiate yourself in his service to ensure his safety as much as you can. It may be that you will be our only link to him if he yet lives."
He watched Severus leave and then turned to Minerva. "Minerva, for the time being, we must work tirelessly to continue fighting Voldemort. It is likely that he will push for complete control after his victory tonight and with our numbers beginning to fall so rapidly with his growth of followers, our resistance must continue to be all the more staunch. Contact the Order for an emergency meeting." She turned to walk out of the room and Dumbledore made his way to his phoenix, Fawkes. His hand ran down its head as he sighed heavily, feeling as though his age was steadily beginning to catch up to him.
"Hello, my faithful companion," He said to it. The soft shrill of its almost singing voice brought him a tiny sliver of comfort as he prepared to struggle all the more against Tom. It was a painful blow to their cause to lose Harry when a prophecy had quite naturally spelled his importance in the war. Why did it seem that Voldemort succeeded at every turn? He was losing the amount of people willing to resist against Voldemort with every day. If the war dragged on for much longer, he knew he would be hard pressed to find the kind of numbers needed to win. There was much hope that rested upon the future of Harry Potter.
A costly estate resided in the very edge of an obscure region of England where Voldemort apparated to almost immediately. "Lucius." The soft hiss of Voldemort said to the air as a young man came from the front of the estate to bow low to his Lord, "Stand." Lucius did as he was commanded, his eyes carefully surveying him. "Is your wife awake?" He nodded, reverently, and stepped in line with his master as Voldemort handed him the baby. "I have much to deal with and cannot spare the time to raise an infant boy." Lucius swallowed, nervous and afraid from asking the question that hung on his mouth. "Who is he?" Voldemort turned to smile, the pure glee on his face as frightening as any other part of him. "Harry Potter."
"You desire him to be raised?" Voldemort nodded, a moment of irritation flashing over his red eyes at being questioned so directly but put down in favor of ensuring that Lucius had the information required to do his task. "I understand that you have a son around his age. It would not be too much to ask of you to raise another child, correct?" Lucius smiled at him, bowing his head again. It was obviously not a task he wanted to possess but to have said that to his master would have put him in dire straits. No, he wouldn't question it even if he thought ill of the mission he was given. "Yes, Draco is the same age." Voldemort turned his attention towards the estate pressing his wand to Lucius' dark mark without even a moment of hesitation and waiting for them the rest of his Death Eaters to arrive. "Leave. It is very important that you succeed; if he is raised properly then I will come for him when he is old enough to be taught. On that day, if you succeed, you will be richly rewarded."
Lucius grinned with a kind of glee that Voldemort preyed on. It was obvious that Lucius would seek status and glory. The man wanted more and more, the obvious signs of the purebloods that he had associated with since he was a small boy. They were easy to twist and use, yet, just as fickle as the rest of the masses when given the chance. If he had suffered a drastic defeat, he doubted that Lucius would stick long around before attempting to weasel out of trouble to stay out of Azkaban. It would be years before he would see young Harry again. He had plans to fulfill, though. It was not time to think of that just yet. When the wizarding world was brought low and his hand grasping all of it, then he could make plans for that future.
The Death Eaters arrived just as Lucius apparated away back to his own estate. For now, no one could know that Harry Potter survived and that he was currently to be raised by Lucius Malfoy. Lucius had been chosen because of Draco being the same age and having a wife willing to do the work. Voldemort could not very well trust the safe keeping of his prize to Bellatrix. Merlin forbid that he should have to allow her to raise an infant. She might very well be one of his greatest lieutenants but there was a lack of capability in such regards.
"My dear friends," Voldemort said to them all as they arrived, lining in ranks according to their worth in his following. "Tonight, I have returned victorious. The one obstacle in my way has been removed." He coldly laughed, a shrill cackle that rang through the ranks like a gong sounding the horror of nightmares. In truth, they were his followers and none of which could even remotely claim to be a friend. He gave them information as they were needed, but none of them truly knew him or his plans. Lucius did not have even the faintest notion of what was to come. "I have procured a few gifts for you all." He waved his wand and the floor opened up to reveal a few families ascending onto the ground around their feet. The floor beneath them was evidently a series of cells where they kept people of value. "Have your fun and dispose of them shortly after as you so please."
They jeered and insulted the prisoners like animals. Animals that he could so easily manipulate with but a few specimens for them to abuse, torture and subsequently kill. It was so easy to satisfy the horror of sadism he had worked to create in many of them that did not already possess the predisposition to it. Voldemort ignored the sound of screams from the victims on the floor as they began rounds of the cruciatus curse. His lips curled in a pleased smile, cold and cruel, while he made his way into the estate. Tonight was an exquisite victory for himself and soon he would have the entirety of the wizarding world in his grasp. The board was set into place and the pieces positioned to the very places that he had so desired. Everything would work to his advantage. Harry Potter was his. Nothing would stand in his way any longer.
author note: alright, so, as a head's up. this is a prologue/beginning/pre-cursor or whatever. i have divided this rather unequally because its just a general set-up. Tomorrow, i'll dig really into everything that happens. I'll be starting it so that Harry is in his fourth year and you'll learn about the past as much as he remembers and tells it. for now, i am also going to try and pump out as many good chapters as i can as fast as i can do it, but i head to college in like a month so when i get there the chapters will be slower. However, I will still try to give them to you guys as often as i can. Finally, hit me up with any questions you guys may have, i'll be glad to answer them.