Hello! I am delving back into my great love of Harry Potter with another fanfiction. This is a 'James and Lily survived' story and does include some Sirius/Marlene which is a pairing that has rather grown on me recently. Also upon posting this first chapter this will become my 100th story!
This story will not have the same chapter titles as in the books, also some of the chapters in the book will be condensed as certain plot lines such as the Dursley arc do not need explaining. As of now I have no plans to extend this beyond the Philosopher's Stone but then again something could change. The next chapter will contain the combined chapters of the Vanishing Glass and The Letters From No One.
Disclaimer-Nothing is mine, it all belongs to the Queen of Writing that is the incredible J.K Rowling.
Please Read and Review and let me know what you think!
And They Lived.
In which James and Lily live. Harry has a scar, Sirius and Marlene have a child, Remus is the cool but responsible Uncle, Pettigrew is on the run, and the Golden Trio become the Fab Four. AU of the Philosopher's Stone.
Chapter 1-Garden of Forking Paths
Chapters Covered-The Boy Who Lived
Mr and Mrs Potter of Godric's Hollow were very proud to say there were perfectly abnormal thank you very much.
"James seriously stop telling him that" Harry Potter's mother would yell up the stairs whenever Harry was hearing that bedtime story.
It was the story of Harry. Written by Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Special Correspondent or as Uncle Sirius called her whenever he thought Harry wasn't in earshot 'That Bitch whose Quill deserves to be shoved somewhere it will hurt'
Harry Potter was not a normal boy. He was a wizard. He had two wizard parents, two wizard godparents and a werewolf Uncle. He had two wizard friends and one wizard cousin. They were the family that he cared about. He knew his mother was related to muggles but he had never met them and judging by the way his father looked like he had swallowed The Draft of Living Death whenever they were mentioned he doubted that he ever would.
But Harry Potter was not just a normal boy. And it wasn't because he was a wizard.
For a long time Harry had not known about what had happened nearly ten years ago the night of Halloween. He and his cousin Calla Isolde Black had found the Prophet reports hidden in Uncle Remus's bedside table that one time they had been visiting and Calla (who at the age of five had been a better reader than he had been) had poured over the small print until she had figured out enough words to piece together something of a story.
And then they had gone to Uncle Remus because Calla was smart but five and she didn't know what the killing curse was and had promptly wanted to see it in action.
Harry could still remember that discussion years later.
The truth had come out because the truth always does and Harry and Calla had been sat down in Uncle Remus's flat by their parents who had told them both the whole story.
"Once upon a time there was a very bad wizard" his father had begun looking strangely nervous and serious all at the same time which was…well…strange because his Dad had never looked like that in his life. In fact everyone was looking serious. Even Uncle Sirius.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Potter it's not a fairy-tale" Auntie Marlene had snapped at him.
The story had come out. How there had once been a wizard so dark that people still feared his name.
"Voldemort" his Dad said finally a little twist at the end of his mouth.
"Voldemort" Uncle Remus said when it was clear that his Dad was beginning to struggle telling the story. "Came to power when you were very young. He inspired a reign of terror such as you have never known and we all hope you never will. He killed some of the greatest witches and wizards of the age including your friend Ron's uncles and…" And then Uncle Remus tapered off and looked at Harry's Auntie Marlene, Calla's mother and Uncle Sirius girlfriend as if he didn't know weather or not he should continue this conversation.
Auntie Marlene looked away out the window for a second and then nodded. Uncle Sirius took her hand. Harry watched and suddenly felt very cold.
"And my Grandma and Grandpa?" Calla asked turning her head to the side so she could stare at her mother. "And all your family?"
Aunt Marlene's nod was all the confirmation that they needed.
Harry turned back to Uncle Remus.
"So what happened was that your mother and father Harry, and yours Calla and I went into hiding and so did Neville and his parents. And we lived that way for a while. Nobody liked it but that's what we did to keep you safe."
"What happened then?" Calla asked her head turning to the side. She was shorter than Harry he noticed letting his mind wander. Her legs stuck out off the sofa rather than dangle off them like he did. It was why he and Ron always outran her and Neville when they raced each other at The Burrow.
Uncle Remus gave a slight cough as if he knew Harry was losing focus. He was always doing that Harry thought, whenever he knew that his concentration was slipping. Uncle Remus was the one that helped with their homework when they came back from the Wizarding Primary School and he always knew when Harry was struggling or getting board. He snapped his eyes back to his Uncle who was smiling slightly.
"Daddy" Calla said apparently frustrated with Harry and Uncle Remus's slow telling of the story and turning to Uncle Sirius. "What happened next? Is he still out there?" And she looked up as if she expected Voldemort to drop down from the ceiling upon them. Unable to stop himself Harry looked up too.
"No kiddo" Uncle Sirius said smiling slightly. "He was destroyed…" Harry noted the look between his Dad and his Uncle but didn't know what was going on and didn't want to ask.
"Harry destroyed him" his Dad said finally.
Calla looked at Harry and then looked at Uncle Remus who was always the voice of reason in this family. "Harry?" she said in a tone that was decidedly not nice.
Uncle Sirius really couldn't stop the snort that escaped at this point. Harry turned to look at him and then back at his Mum and Dad. His Mum tugged a hand through her long red hair and then smiled for the first time in this conversation moving so she was in front of them.
"Yes Darling" she said to Calla. "Harry. That's why he has his scar"
The scar she was referring to was in fact a very odd shaped scar on Harry's forehead shaped like a lightening bolt. Then his Mum had gently explained to him that Voldemort one night while his Dad had been at his Uncle Sirius house had come. He had stunned her and tried to kill him but he couldn't. And then he had gone. And that was why Harry Potter was known as The Boy Who Lived.
There was a stunned pause following this where Harry Potter at the age of five tried to get his brain around being famous for simply being alive when Calla Black said in a tone of utmost finality.
"Well I'm smarter than him so there"
And that had broken the tension pretty well.
But that hadn't stopped Harry from thinking about it sometimes.
Some nights he would lay awake thinking about it, trying to remember it. When he confessed all to his best friend Ron Weasley three months later. Ron clutching his teddy bear had listened in silence.
"Wow" he had whispered into the darkness. They were having a sleepover at The Burrow and the rain was pattering against the roof.
"Well" Ron said finally as he had mulled over Harry's story. "I don't think he's coming back. I mean…I could ask Dad if you want but I don't think he likes talking about it. And if something about you stopped him then that's got to be a good thing. And I don't care if your famous. Maybe it will be a good thing. We could get lifetime tickets to the Chuddy Cannon's matches!"
And that was when Harry Potter knew at the age of five not only what made him famous, but that his friends and his family were going to stick by him no matter what.
This story. Harry's story, started on Halloween night. James Potter knew it well, so well that it was engraved into his mind, his body and the very essence of his magic. It was the night where he had nearly lost everything.
Dumbledore had 'borrowed' his invisibility cloak to examine it for something and James had been…board. He had known why he was in hiding. He knew that Voldemort was coming for him but he knew that Peter would never betray him. Also it had been nearly three weeks since Sirius had come by and whist James had a feeling that his best friend was slowly moving his family into hiding before joining them himself (probably with Dumbledore as Secret Keeper) James had desperately wanted to see his best friend before they were forced apart to go into hiding like they were the criminals in their world, their own world that they had grown up in their entire lives.
"Oh for Merlin's sake" Lily had said the night of Halloween staring at him as she had taken Harry now resting his head against her shoulder off him.
"Go and see him. You're still able to turn into an animal at will are you not? I doubt even Voldemort knows about that"
James dithered for a second. The idea of fresh air, the chance to be with his friend again before they both went underground was something he wanted so badly his body ached with it. But the thought of leaving Lily and Harry alone even for an hour or two…
And there was no guarantee Voldemort did not know that he was a stag whenever he wanted to be. James didn't want to believe that Remus was the spy but…
"James" Lily said as if reading into his decision. "I am perfectly capable of putting Harry to bed. While your there you can drop of Calla's birthday presents though they are a bit late. I'm sure Marlene will understand"
He caught her eye for a second and then nodded stretching his whole body coiled for transformation.
"I love you" he said beaming. Lily rolled her eyes. "Don't go all soppy on me Potter" she said before she hoisted a now fussing Harry back onto her hip.
And the rest as they say is history.
James had gone to see Sirius who had already sent Marlene and Calla ahead into hiding. James who had no idea where they were going had a sneaking suspicion it might be Sirius's parents house. That might explain the moroseness of his best friend. Had it not been for Marlene and Calla, James knew that Sirius would rather take his chances rather than go back to that death-trap.
They had been enjoying their time together thinking back over Halloween's previously and not talking about the losses or the fact that this might be the last time that they would see each other. They carefully did not mention Remus or the fact that James had chosen Peter over him because of all of the suspicions that had been building. They did not mention Peter who has not been seen in three days having taken the time to convince his elderly mother to go into hiding herself. They did not mention Marlene much or the fact that whilst pregnant she had watched her family die in front of her and had been tortured herself.
Instead they talked about the old days in Hogwarts and about their more laughable pranks when they had been young and stupid and the world had not been as black as it was now.
And that was when it happened.
Remus silver wolf appeared out of nowhere and landed in front of Sirius, it pawed the ground nervously for a second and then the silver mist began to speak.
"Dark Mark over James house. Entering now but no sign of life"
And James Potter did not really register anything after that.
Some nights when he was filled with a deep sort of self-loathing he did remember bits and pieces of that night and what it could have cost him. He remembered moments of it in a perfect wizarding picture kind of clarity.
He remembered his hands shaking so much that Sirius without comment had just grabbed him and taken him to the house with minimal fuss. He remembered Remus his face whiter than it was when it was nearing the full moon and James had realised that while the moon had not shown it's face yet his best friend (and he had been his friend throughout all of it hadn't he?) had stayed at great risk to himself for James.
He remembered Sirius shouting through the rubble. Marlene appearing with Dumbledore a sleeping baby Calla in her arms and her knees giving way when she had seen the rubble. He could remember with perfect clarity the way he had wanted to take Calla from her because how dare she have a baby when his Harry was lost to him beneath all that rubble.
And then James had remembered the crying. It had not been him, it had been a baby. Everyone's eyes had slid to Calla who was sleeping peacefully against her mother's shoulder which could only mean.
"Yes!" Sirius cried scrambling down the steps that had been hastily made that once been James's kitchen table.
He was holding Harry in his arms, an alive Harry, a crying Harry.
His son had survived.
And so had Lily.
Dumbledore had found her underneath the rubble stunned. It had taken three months in St Mungo's for her to wake up from the shock of her house crashing down upon her. Andromeda Tonks, Sirius's cousin who was a healer had told James that sometimes the body weather muggle or magical needed time to cope with injuries. James had not heard a word of it he had been busy raising a baby who had defeated it seemed the darkest wizard of all time, he was busy trying to rebuild both his life and his world and he had been too busy trying to hunt down a man he had called friend who had betrayed him.
But there had been no sight of Peter. There still wasn't.
But Lily had woken up. His family was still alive. His friends—his real friends all lived happy lives in peace. The world was…for now, at peace. His son and his goddaughter were going to Hogwarts the same as their parents had and perhaps they would have an easier time with no war.
A lightening shaped scar wasn't going to change or take that away from him. He had promised himself that when he had held Harry too him as Lily had been placed on a stretcher.
And James found that despite everything he could live with that.
On a side note spelling and grammar is not my strongest suit so there might be some inaccuracies.
Also I do hope to become regular in the posting of chapters however with work and uni there might be some delays.
Next Chapter-Calla and Harry do accidental magic, Ron comes to tea, and they all receive their Hogwarts letters.