Hey! This is my first story, so I hope I didn't make too many mistakes. This lil idea was just stuck in my head, and I thought maybe I could turn it into a full story. I hope you like it!

Chapter 1

"I can't take him, Albus!" shouted Remus Lupin, jaw clenched tight, fists held firmly at his sides as his knuckles clenched to white. He was a young man in his early twenties, with sandy brown hair and dressed in dark blue wizard robes. Standing before him was a much older man, tall and thin with long, flowing white hair with a beard to match. The older wizard, Albus Dumbledore, frowned slightly at Remus's defiant glare.

"Remus, please, just think about it," said Albus pleadingly.

"What is there to think about? You know I love him dearly, and would do almost anything for him, but this is the one thing I simply cannot do! I don't know anything about raising a child! Not to mention my…furry little problem," replied Lupin, sighing at the mention of his being a werewolf.

Albus smiled and walked slightly to the right, stopping in front of a small wooden crib that he had transfigured from an old quill he found lying somewhere randomly in his office. His pet phoenix, Fawkes, was perched on the rail, curiously staring down into it, inspecting its contents. The old wizard stroked the top of its head soothingly and looked down, staring adoringly at the baby boy sleeping peacefully beneath a thick layer of blankets. Making sure not to wake him, he gently took the child into his arms and walked over to Remus.

"You will not be alone in raising him," he said. "Madam Pomfrey is more than willing to give you lessons on how to properly care for a child, and several Order members have offered to babysit and provide assistance when needed. I know Mrs. Weasley has a one-year old boy, who would be a great friend if the two of them grew up together. Not to mention, she has a little girl on the way. And as for your "furry little problem" as you like to refer to it as…well, would you like to put young Harry through the same lonely upbringing you had after you were bitten? You are the perfect person to raise him Remus. After all, your problem and his problem are one and the same…"

The young werewolf stared down at the sleeping Harry, quietly taking him into his own arms as Albus handed him over. His eyes began to water as he watched the child that looked so much like his now deceased best friend, the only difference between the two being his emerald green eyes—inherited from his mother—and the freshly cut lighting-shaped scar on his forehead, which he had received the night before. He gave an involuntary sniffle as he thought about what had happened; about how the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, had attacked the Potter household, murdering James Potter first, and his wife Lily second, as both parents did all they could to protect their baby. It was by some great miracle that Harry survived, and the killing curse meant to end his life was somehow rebounded and hit Lord Voldemort instead.

The Dark Lord was vanquished, and although the young Potter was alive, his suffering that night had not yet ended. Fenrir Greyback, leader of the werewolves in alliance with Voldemort, had watched from the shadows, placed to attack anyone that came to aid the Potters. It was a full-moon that night, and his sensitive nose had picked up the fresh scent of death, and his bloodlust became almost uncontrollable. After seeing what had happened to the dark wizard, and knowing there was no point left in keeping watch, he ran through the broken door and up the stairs, where the baby's cries begged to be silenced. His fangs had just barely sunk into little Harry's neck when he was shot in the back by a spell. Dumbledore had arrived just in time to save baby Harry, but too late to stop him from being changed.

"Oh, Harry," said Remus quietly, clutching the boy to his chest. Soft sobs racked his body as he mourned the loss of his friends and the loss of Harry's innocence. He would grow up an outcast, just like he had, with no one to help him. He looked down suddenly as a tiny hand gently grasped his robes, almost melting at the sleepy yawn Harry let out as he snuggled further into the young man's chest. Beside him, Dumbledore's smile widened; a small twinkle in his eye as he watched.

"Well, if you insist that you won't take him, I suppose I'll just leave him with Lily's sister as I had originally planned and take him away every month for the transformations…" he said, trailing off as he reached over to take the baby back.

Remus tensed at the mention of Petunia and pulled Harry out of Dumbledore's grasp, letting out a loud, threatening growl as he held the child impossibly closer. "You will do no such thing!" he said, eying the older wizard dangerously, as if the man was a serious threat to his and Harry's lives. "You know how Petunia and that Dursley fellow hate our kind! They'll treat him like dirt! No, I take that back; he'll be treated worse than dirt! You can't send him there! Why…why can't Sirius take him! He's Harry's godfather!"

"Sirius can help take care of him, but he'll be busy these next few months, maybe even years as they round up the remaining Death Eaters and dark creatures that followed Voldemort. He's a Captain Auror and he cannot neglect his duties. Not to mention, he's nearly lost his head in rage and has gone after Peter. Who knows what will happen when he catches up to him."

Remus nodded slightly in understanding. Only a few people knew that Peter Pettigrew, their now ex-friend, had replaced Sirius as James and Lily's Secret Keeper, in hopes of throwing off the Death Eaters' attempts at finding out their location. But it seemed trusting that pathetic excuse of a man was a horrible mistake, and they'd paid dearly for it. Peter joined Voldemort and gave away their hiding spot, which led to the previous night's disaster. Looking down at the slumbering child, the werewolf sighed in defeat, knowing there was absolutely no way he could no longer deny him.

"I'll do it," he said, continuing to watch Harry sleep. "I'll raise him, love him, and treat him as if he were my own. I'll give him the life I never had, and make sure he never feels lonely. But…there is one condition."

Hearing this, the headmaster's eyebrows raised in curiosity. "And what, may I ask, is this condition?"

"I-I want to move to America and raise him there," said Remus hesitantly. "I've been looking into it these past few years, and from what I learned, the Americans are much less prejudiced against half-humans than the British are. You know how it is here. Centaurs, mermaids, werewolves, dwarves, etc. We're all treated like sub-humans, and many of us are shunned from the community for things we have no control over. But in America, I've read that they have laws protecting people like me and him from discrimination and that everyone is much more accepting of those with our sort of conditions…"

There was a tense pause as Dumbledore thought it over. A nerve-wracking moment later—for Remus at least—he nodded his head in agreement. "You may take Harry to America and raise him as you please. But I ask that you come back once it's time for him to start Hogwarts. It's only right he goes to the school his parents went to, after all."

"Oh, of course!" replied an eager Lupin, feeling as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "We'll come and visit for holidays and such too, as I'm sure Sirius would like to spend time with him as well."

"Speaking of Mr. Black, if he is ever to return from his hunt, had you ever mentioned your plans to move to America?"

"No sir," said Remus, averting his eyes. "I didn't want to tell anyone until I was sure, and also, I was afraid to leave everyone behind. But now that Lily and James are dead, and Peter is a criminal, it's just Sirius and I left. I'll feel awful about leaving him here by himself, especially after all that has happened, but it does provide a sufficient reason to leave. I mean, who would want to stay in this country after such a terrible war."

"Yes, I suppose it does," answered Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I won't be surprised if you're not the only one leaving the country." Just as he said this, the fire turned green and out of it appeared Sirius Black, looking much worse-for-wear. His black hair was tangled with dirt and his skin was pale, his black robes covered with soot and torn in several places.

"Sirius!" cried Remus worriedly at the sight of his best friend. "What happened?"

"I'd finally caught the rat-bastard and had him cornered. I had a small team of my Aurors following in case anything happened, and he almost blew up the street. Luckily, Smith stunned him and we got a confession out of him. But just as we were about to transport him to Azkaban, he bit his guard and stole his wand. Before we could stop him, he cast a temporary blinding spell on us and transformed into a rat and got away. By the time we could all see again, he was gone." At this, Sirius slammed his fist angrily into the wall, waking poor Harry from his sleep.

"Oh, look what you've done Sirius!" cried Remus, rocking Harry back and forth as he cooed softly in an attempt to calm the now crying child down.

Seeing his godson for the first time in days, Sirius's angry demeanor quickly faded and he walked over. "Remus…can I?" he asked, holding out his arms. The other male nodded and handed the boy over, making sure Sirius had a good grip on him before letting go. "I suppose this means I'll be taking care of him now, wont it?" he said, unaware of Harry's lycanthropy due to his absence.

"Actually, Sirius, I will," said Remus.

"What! Why? I'm Harry's godfather!" Sirius protested, though he managed to keep his voice to a harsh whisper in order not to re-awaken the baby. "Not that I have anything against you Remus, but I'm his legal guardian and I promised James and Lily I'd take care of him if anything happened to them."

"Sirius, there is much more to the matter that we must discuss," said Dumbledore, interjecting before Remus could reply. "I know you've had a long day, so please, take a seat and we can get the conversation started. Would you like anything from the kitchen's before we begin?"

Although he was eager and curious to see where this was going, Sirius knew his body had needs, and food was one of them. Having not eaten since he began searching for Peter, he nodded and a small plate of sandwiches and a goblet of pumpkin juice appeared on Dumbledore's desk for him. Settling down, he ate silently as the two explained to him what had happened. By the time the two had finished their tale, he was slumped back in his chair, too stunned to say much, if anything at all.

"Sirius?" asked Remus, tentatively, after several minutes passed. "Sirius, I know it's a lot to take in but—"

"I'm going with you."

"What?"

"I said I'm going with you," Sirius repeated, sitting up in his chair. Reaching for Harry, he held his godson in his arms, eyes searching for the mark on his neck. Tenderly, he softly stroked the bite mark, which had been cleaned and healed, leaving an almost un-noticeable scar. "To America that is; I'm sick of Britain, and I'm sick of this war. I can easily quit my job, and finding a replacement will be easy. I already have several candidates in mind."

"But…but…" stuttered Remus, unable to believe what his friend was saying.

"Remus, you and Harry are all I have left," spoke Sirius quietly, moving his hand up to gently brush the hair out of Harry's eyes. "I won't need money. I'm from one of the oldest and richest families, and my inheritance ensures I'll never have to work a day in my life. Add that to the more than generous salaries I earned as an Auror—which I only became because I wanted a thrill and James was one too—I'll be able to support all three of us with no problems."

"All THREE of us? Sirius, I can understand you providing for Harry, but for me too? I can't accept that…"

"Remus, please. You're my best friend and Harry is my godson. No amount of money could ever mean more to me than you two," answered Sirius. "Besides, James…James made me promise to take Harry and train him properly if anything were to happen to him and Lily. We all know that he'll need it…"

The other two men nodded in silent agreement, aware of the prophecy that had led to the Potter's demise. Dumbledore had planned to work up to special training once Harry had started Hogwarts, but starting him younger would most certainly give the boy a better advantage.

"Sirius, train Harry to the best of your ability, but do not forget that he is a child," said Albus, peering down at the tiny child held protectively in his godfather's arms. "Do not push him too hard. He will have a difficult life ahead of him once you all return to Britain, so let him cherish his childhood for all its worth."

"Of course, Headmaster," replied Sirius.

"Very good," answered the professor. "Now, I'm sure you're all eager to get a move on, so I shall let you go. This may be the very last time I see you all for the next ten years, but I will try to stay in contact. "

The two younger wizards nodded and stood from their seats. After a brief goodbye, they set off through the floo to start their preparations. When they had left, Dumbledore leaned back in his seat and stroked his beard thoughtfully. Many things had gone wrong in the past few days, but maybe this unexpected turn of events could set things right.

Please Review! I'd really like to know what you all think of my story, and it'd be great to hear what you all have to say.