So...I decided I wanted to start something new...and I don't really have much to say about it. I've let the idea boil in my head a bit, and I've got some ideas brewing there...so we'll see where this goes! If you don't like short chapters...I apologize. To be honest, most of these chapters will probably be shorter because a) shorter chapters are more my style b) I find it difficult to write in ginormous blocks of words, and c) I, personally, enjoy reading shorter chapters more...and now I've rambled on for too long. ENJOY!

Oh, and a disclaimer...everything is JKR's of course

"You have your trunk?" Lily Potter knelt down on her kitchen floor and placed her hands firmly on her son Harry's shoulders.

Harry nodded.

"And your owl? All of your books?"

"Yes, mum," Harry mumbled.

"How about your cauldron? Your telescope?"

"Mum," Harry rolled his eyes, "I've packed everything. I'm ready to go."

"Ready to leave, are we?" Lily's husband, James, strolled into the kitchen. Both of his hands were placed awkwardly behind his back, and there was something clasped between them. "You can't go without this, Harry, can you?"

From behind his back, James pulled out a brand new broom, a Nimbus 2000, the exact one Harry had pointed out in Diagon Alley a few weeks prior.

"Dad!" Harry's eyes grew wide and he left his mother's side to take a look at the broom. The wood had a red tint to it and was well-polished, and on the end of the broom, the words Nimbus 2000 were engraved in beautiful golden calligraphy. "Is this really for me? Where did you get the money for this?"

James smiled sheepishly, looking past his son and into Lily's eyes. "I couldn't help myself," his eyes seemed to say.

"Harry, dear," Lily called for her son's attention. "I'm terribly sorry, Harry, but the list specifically says that no brooms are allowed for first years."

Harry's smile dropped. "But why not, Mum?" he begged. "Can't you please talk to Dumbledore? I'm sure he'd agree."

Lily was unwavering. She still knelt on the ground, but the power in her voice made her appear taller than both Harry and James. "Dumbledore would most certainly not agree, Harry, and it's wrong of you to think that he'd make an exception for you. No broom. Now, you said you were ready. We should be off to King's Cross."

The three Potters stood on platform Nine and Three Quarters, staring at the massive train before them.

"You'll write me?" Harry asked nervously.

"Every day if you'd like," Lily smiled down at him.

"Well," Harry smiled back, "maybe not that often."

"I'm sure you'll do fabulous at school, dear," Lily said. "And I'm sure you'll make the Quidditch team…even without your broom."

Lily kissed Harry softly on the forehead and James wrapped Harry in a bear hug.

"Listen, Harry," he knelt down and whispered to his son, "Hogwarts is great. Gryffindor is the best house you could get sorted into, so I'm sure you'll be happy there. You have all of the characteristics of a Gryffindor in you, just like your mum and I. I'm sure you'll do great. Listen, though. Don't get completely caught up in your schoolwork. It's okay if you have fun every once in awhile, understand?" James winked and patted Harry on the shoulder.

The train whistle blew, and with that, Harry was off, jumping onto the Hogwarts Express. The last glance Lily and James had of their son was of him waving out the window alongside a red-haired boy.

"Must be a Weasley," James muttered.

"Lily, he'll be perfectly fine," James coaxed his wife as they sat on a dusty old couch in the living room of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. "Hogwarts is the safest place he could be. It's safer than our home, and it's safer than here."

Lily plopped a kiss on James' mouth just as Sirius Black strolled into the room, placing three cups of butterbeer on the coffee table in front of James and Lily. He sat down in an old, elegant chair across from the couple and lounged there, flicking his long black hair out of his face. "As much as I regret breaking up a show, I didn't ask the two of you here to watch you snog."

Lily blushed.

"The Dark Lord is gaining more power," Sirius said, getting straight to the point. That's how he always was. He cut to the chase. Didn't beat around the edges for too long. It was effective. James took note.

"Padfoot, we've known that for eleven years," James said. "What makes it so urgent now?"

"It's always been urgent, mate," said Sirius. "But now…now he's putting his plans into action. More so than before, that is. I…I think that soon, he'll begin targeting Harry. I haven't spoken to Dumbledore yet, but I have a hunch he'll feel the same way."

James leaned forward, placing a hand on Lily's knee. "Why would he want to target Harry?"

Sirius shrugged and sighed, wiping his hand across his unshaved cheek. "I dunno, mate," he said. "I dunno."

"If you don't know," James said through clenched teeth, "then why did you ask us here?"

Sirius' eyes searched the room, flicking from one corner to the next, finding anything to rest on—anything but James and Lily. "I've talked to Remus," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "He isn't well. But I met with him the other day in Hogsmeade just before the full moon. I still keep watch on him occasionally, you know." Sirius' face gleamed with sweat, and his flicking eyes couldn't seem to relax.

"Cut to the chase, Padfoot," hissed James. This was unlike Sirius. Why was he stalling? "If this is as urgent as you make it out to be, we should be planning for action rather than sitting here sweating over an explanation."

Sirius swallowed dryly. "Moony went to the Hog's Head the day before I apparated to Hogsmeade. McGonagall was sitting in a corner talking to Aberforth—you all remember Aberforth—and I guess they didn't think much of what they were talking about because Remus said he could hear them from across the room. Then again, Remus does have extraordinary hearing—" Sirius winked—"and he heard them…well, he heard them talking about a prophecy. One that would soon come to light. He claimed they'd said it involved You-Know-Who, and the other name they'd listed off…it was Harry's."

"A prophecy?" said Lily doubtfully, "do you honestly believe in the art of divination, Sirius?"

Sirius laughed ruefully. "I wouldn't take my chances in these times, Lily."

Lily frowned. Sirius was right. She couldn't afford to falsify the prophecy, only to find out the truth of the matter and end up regretting her lack of planning beforehand. Still, the credibility of a prophecy was a lot to ride on. "Are you positive that McGonnagal was talking about our son? How do we know if the prophecy is true or not?"

"We can't be sure of anything at this point, but, like I said, it's not a time to be taking chances. We need to plan for this. We need to start now. We need to get the Order together and—"

"Padfoot," James interrupted. "The Order has been split for years. We can't just expect all of them to return to us after such a large gap in time."

Sirius furrowed his brows. "We'll have to try."

James nodded. "Lily," he said, standing from the sofa and holding a hand out to his wife, "I agree with Sirius. I don't want to lose Harry, and it's better to be safe than sorry."

Lily nodded. "What now?" she directed the question at no one in particular.

"First," said James, "we need to talk to McGonagall about this prophecy."

So there's that...favorite, follow, review, all of the above!