Technically, this is a rewrite of my first story. You can find it on this account, but I advise you not to read it. This is mainly because I hate the plot holes and cracks in logic I am hoping to refill in this story. I will delete that story until I have caught up with this one to the main plot, but it is still there for now. It may be deleted by the time you're reading this.

Anyway, this story will include aspects of Canon, but I may choose to change things around, so don't be surprised if I miss things out, change plot points etc.

Please review because it helps me improve my work. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Special mentions to my beta MoonGoddessMitsuki.

Disclaimer: HP is not mine and never will be. I make nothing from this.

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The Night It All Began

It was 4PM. July 30th 1980. Lily Potter looked down at her swollen tummy, pain firing through her every nerve. They're coming. They're coming. They're coming. That was all that was running through her head as she closed her eyes, praying that everything would be okay.

She looked to her left, needing to grab her husband's hand for support. But then she looked at his face and her hand fell back above her stomach before it could make contact.

James was in shock. There was no other word for it. It was strange, how he had slowly fallen into the state that he was in. At first, everything had been amazing. The pair had just graduated at the end of their 7th year and moved in to Godric's Hollow. They had the time of their lives; redecorating the place, and finally settling in.

Then there was that night. The night Lily loved to re-live because it was so perfect. James had taken her to the Lake District, and they stargazed while floating on an abandoned boat. She couldn't have been happier. James had acted so romantic; she was sure he was the most romantic man in the world. They talked and talked and talked about nothing in particular, but managed to make them sound like the most incredibly important matters. It had been great, and before she thought things couldn't get more wonderful, James had kneeled down and pulled a ring box from his pocket.

Soon, they were married and Lily was pregnant. The healers had told them it was a girl so the couple spent the next nine months preparing. They bought her toys and decorated her room, as according to plan.

Then the news came. A week before now. The healers had told them of another baby; a twin boy to be delivered with the girl. Lily didn't know what to think. They were having another child: that was fine. Great even. A girl and a boy. James didn't seem to be coping so well, but she thought that was normal. He asked the healers how it was possible. How could they not pick something like this up sooner? But they seemed as dumbfounded as he was, which really didn't help clear James' mind.

The first thing they did was go to Dumbledore, seeking an explanation. When they entered through the floo, James went on a tirade while Dumbledore just listened. He didn't seem shocked by the news, but he too couldn't come up with an explanation. James was fuming at this, but Lily didn't know why. She really didn't think another child was bad news, and Dumbledore tried to explain this too. He said he would research the subject, read some books on the matter, and in the meanwhile they should relax a little and prepare.

The week passed, with Lily going through a couple false labours, yet James' mood hadn't improved. In fact, something seemed wrong with him. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen; James felt so…dark. Not just because of his actions, but the darkness seemed to radiate off of him whenever he was around. It made Lily feel uncomfortable, and she felt bothered enough to talk to the other Marauders about it.

They had a group meeting where Lily voiced her concerns. Remus and Sirius both seemed to agree, stating that James had been extremely rash at work as well. They said he must be going through a strange phase. Nobody noticed Peter's cheeks tinge a little while they talked.

And now they were here, with Lily pushing as hard as possible for a successful delivery. James was still out of it, clearly not ready to meet his children. Some Gryffindor he was.

Lily screamed as she felt the first body squeeze out. She was ready to let her body fall, but knew she had to prepare for round two.

Meanwhile, James was staring at his first child. Rose. His beautiful baby girl. The midwife gently placed her in his arms, allowing him to cradle her for the first time. His smile stretched wider as he took in her appearance. She hardly had any hair on her head, but her scalp was tinted bright red, evidently from Lily. However, you could tell that she was James' girl. The same nose. The same lips. The same hazel eyes. She was perfect. "Hey Rose," he said, admiring their similarities.

Lily was ecstatic. It looked like James was back to his old self, the way he was playing with their daughter. But she had thought too soon. As soon as the midwife announced the second delivery to be due shortly. James put Rose back down and reverted to his blank, rigid self. Lily wanted to be worried, but the pain in her stomach had taken over again, and soon the screaming returned. She kept pushing until she felt the second body leave her and passed out shortly after. It was all over.

James looked at his second child. Harry. There was no denying it, the boy was almost scarily attractive. He had a head full of black messy hair, similar to James'. His face was shaped like Lily's, but included aspects of his father. And then there were those eyes. Lily's eyes. James should have felt a connection with the boy in front of him as well. But no matter how much James wanted to love him, an unfounded hate slowly took over. He tried to fight it, but no. For some reason, something in him was forcing him to hate the boy. And James couldn't put up a fight any more. The boy's fate had been decided.

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October 31st, 1981. The night it all began. It was 11:00 PM. Godric's Hollow was quiet except for the occasional snore from James Potter. However, Lily was not asleep. She was thinking; so much had changed in her last year and she didn't know what to do. James' mood swing had turned out to be something far, far worse. It wasn't like Rose was just his favourite child; James seemed to absolutely despise Harry. He was always harsh towards him, never liked to spend money on him, yet he would treat Rose as if she was a princess. If she tried to question him about it, all she would get was a snap in response.

Dumbledore seemed to have noticed James' dislike towards Harry too, but was still resilient on labelling it hate. He still believed such a good man could not hate one of his children. But Lily wasn't sure if James was a good man anymore. He was so different to the James she had grown up with at Hogwarts, and she had spent enough time around him to realise his hatred of his own son. It angered her, but she still couldn't find a way to fix the problem. She would just have to look out for Harry as much as possible, and love him with everything she had.

Thud.

Lily jumped out of bed. Someone had broken in. "James!" she whispered, shaking his body. "Get up!"

He stirred before hissing, "What are you doing?"

"Someone's in the house. Get up quickly, this isn't a joke."

James sat up and stretched, realising that she was serious. He reached for his glasses and his wand before rolling out of the duvet and grabbing the door handle. He turned around and said, "Go to the nursery."

Lily nodded, but James was already on his way down. She quickly followed, and managed to catch a glimpse of him disappear into the living room. Silently, Lily tiptoed towards the kids' room. As she opened the door, she heard a cold, soulless voice sneer from downstairs, "James Potter. Be a smart man and move aside."

There was no guessing who it was.

"You still haven't moved. Let me put it in simpler terms: stand aside fool."

"No." James replied, trying to replicate Voldemort's icy tone. "I won't let you harm Rose." In response came a laugh.

"This will be fun," the cold voice chortled, sounding a little mad.

Lily silently prayed James would be able to hold him off. She walked over to the cot and found the two babies resting. Rose had a wave of red hair that reached shoulder length and James' square-like face. Harry's beauty hadn't diminished since his birth, with his hair long and untamed. She smiled at her sleeping children, then starting setting protection over the both of them. Voldemort would never expect magic as ancient as this.

"Avada Kedavra." Lily froze. Was James… dead? Her fears were put aside when she heard him attack again with "Reducto." Their duel was becoming louder and louder. It would only be a matter of time until-

The door slammed upon. It was James who came in first, covered in blood, with Voldemort following shortly. They were still locked in an intense duel, but it was evident who was winning.

"A leading Auror? You? The Ministry must be out of their minds."

James looked over to Lily, who had her back turned to them as she cast protections over the kids. With the way things were going, the outcome was bound to be ugly. James would have to try something drastic if they were to make it out alive.

"Stupefy," James cast, angling his wand in Lily's direction. She dropped to the ground, her head grazing the edge of the cot on her fall. The two babies were now awake and crying, interrupting the tense quiet.

"Silencio," Voldemort cast towards the cot, before turning back to James. "So what do we have here?" he sneered. "James Potter, decided to go dark."

"Never." He had done it because he knew Lily would not like what he was about to propose.

"Please, just let my family run away. We'll go to America and live as muggles if we have to, and I promise you'll never see us again."

Voldemort laughed. "You think I would allow that? You are more foolish than I believed, Potter."

"I'll make an Unbreakable Vow," James countered, his voice cracking slightly.

This peaked Voldemort's interest. "You would?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Y- Yes."

The dark wizard took a couple steps closer, until he and James were breathing into each other's face. He leaned down to James ear and whispered, "I still don't think that's enough."

James shivered at the coldness of the message as Voldemort leaned back and looked at him madly. "I don't know what I can do." James said desperately.

"Think, boy. You don't have much time left." The Dark Lord seemed to be watching in amusement as James tried to come up with a solution.

About 10 seconds passed before Voldemort said, "Time's up Potter. Prepare to die-"

"-Wait!" James interrupted. "I know what I can do."

"You do now? Speak fast."

"You can- you can kill the boy, if it would convince you I talk honestly."

Voldemort's eyes lit up with glee. "A sacrifice? I can mark the boy as the 'Chosen One' and kill him straight after. How very noble of you, Potter."

James cringed slightly, just begging the wizard would agree to the terms.

"Your cowardice amuses me, I must say. To believe you were a Gryffindor…very well. You genuinely seem afraid of me, so I'll let you live. It looks like the rat followed through with it after all. Who said I can't show mercy? I would wish you luck, Potter, but that would be far too kind of me."

Voldemort turned to the cot. He could feel the power radiating from it, and was glad he could deal with the threat before it could manifest. He looked at the girl. Pathetic. She could be thrown with the squibs for all he cared. But the boy; he was special. This was the source of the power. He was a beauty, and it was a shame seeing such potential poured down the drain before he had a chance to pick which side he was on. Voldemort was sure he would have been a worthy successor to his throne if he had decided to join him.

He raised his wand at the boy. "Avada Kedavra." The green light shot towards the boy, but bounced off his forehead, leaving just a mark. What on earth…The cot started to shake, then the room, then the entire house. A piece of wood fell from the roof, slicing Rose's cheek in the process. An orange energy engulfed the Dark Lord's curse as of it were a tickling hex.

Voldemort swore for being so stupid.

This was old magic. So old that is would be considered ancient. For the first time since his childhood, Tom Marvolo Riddle felt the emotion of fear.

James let out a strangled cry as he collapsed under part of the ceiling. Pathetic. It was not death. As long as the Horcruxes were intact, it was never death. It was simply an absence. But one that was much unneeded. It wasn't as if he hadn't experienced a setback before; it was just that he had been so close to achieving what he had worked so long for. Now he would have to find a way of tackling this new problem. Damn it! Everything was ruined now!

As the magic surrounded him Voldemort closed his eyes, preparing for the change in plans. A few moments later, the Dark Lord was gone, not a single sound could be heard in the once grand Godric's Hollow.

It was about an hour later when James awoke, a stabbing pain in his ribs. Then he remembered what happened. Quickly, he pushed a pile of glass and rubble off his midsection and located Lily.

"Rennervate," he whispered, his mind focused on one thing. Had Voldemort kept to his part of the deal? Was Harry dead? More importantly, was Rose alive?

Lily abruptly stood up, wiping herself clean. "What happened?" she asked.

"Voldemort stunned you when you weren't looking."

She touched the cut on her head. Fortunately, it didn't seem too severe. "And the kids?"

"I don't know. Voldemort managed to beat me not long after he stunned you."

"Well let's go check then." Lily marched towards the cot, relieved to see her two babies wriggling around. She canceled the silencing spell and let a couple of tears fall. "They're alive," she sobbed.

James' heart dropped. "Both of them?"

"Yes, both of them, but Rose is covered in blood," Lily said, her tone clearly upset.

"So she's the child of the prophecy," James asked, not needing an answer.

"Yes, I think," came her reply.

"And Voldemort?"

"I-I'm pretty sure he's…dead," she said, not sounding sure at all.

"But how?" he asked, startled by this information.

"I've been doing some research into old magic lately, and I found a protection spell to cast around the cot. I was ready to sacrifice my life for them, and the magic was pure love. It basically meant that if Voldemort tried to touch them, he would be banished from existence."

"So it's over?" James asked hopefully.

"Yes, I think it is."

Lily didn't know how she felt, however, James was buzzing. This meant that Rose would finally get the attention she deserved. It was always Harry that caught people's eye because of his beauty. They overlooked his darling angel. But now, people would finally praise Rose, the Saviour of Wizarding Britain.

"James," Lily said, drawing him away from his thoughts.

"What?"

"We should go tell Albus. He'll know the best approach to the end of this goddamned war. Enough lives have been lost already."

"Yeah, right. Let's take the kids and floo to Hogwarts now."

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Albus Dumbledore was enjoying a lemon drop while thinking about a man by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle. This man was a former student of his, and a good one too. Extraordinary, some would say. A true Slytherin. And for someone as cunning and insightful as he was, Tom could have gone down two different routes. To put them simply, he had a choice between the Light and the Dark. Unfortunately, the young man chose the route that had gotten every dark wizard before him locked up or killed.

But Dumbledore was not going to lie to himself; things were looking bad for the Light. He would have to end this war quickly, for the good of wizardkind and mankind alike.

It was while he was lost in thought that James and Lily Potter burst through the fireplace, carrying their children.

"Albus," Lily began. "He chose Rose. She is the child of the prophecy."

Albus sighed. "Very well. We have to prepare."

"There's no need. The man is dead," James said, interrupting the Headmaster's plans.

"I used the enchantment I showed you," Lily explained.

"This is good," Albus said. "But we still have to prepare."

"Why?"

"I fear that Tom is not dead."

"But that's impossible!" Lily objected. "There's no way he could have survived that spell! It was perfect!"

"I have no doubt that your enchantment was successful, Lily, however. I do believe that Tom has found a way to make himself immortal."

"But that's impossible too!" Lily exclaimed.

"There are…dark methods I believe Tom may have practised. I do not know the exact details, but I am sure he found a way. He will return, and Rose will have to be the one to stop him. I ask you to trust me on this," Albus replied gravely.

"What should we do?" James asked. He was scared for Rose, but they had time to prepare.

"Firstly, I believe it would be best to remove Harry from your care. He should grow up somewhere where he will not resent Rose for her fame."

"How about the Dursleys?" James suggested.

"No," Lily growled. "We are not sending him away from us. How dare you even suggest that?"

"But it would be best for both of them-"

"-No it wouldn't! He is staying with me and that's final, no arguments."

James still didn't agree. He didn't want that little idiot anywhere near his princess.

"Fine," Albus relented. "However, something that must be dealt with is Rose's training. I believe I should prepare her for the inevitably tough future ahead."

"Yes, I agree with that," replied Lily.

"Great. How should we handle the press, though?" James inquired.

"Obviously, we should tell them Rose is the reason for Tom's defeat. We should, however, keep quiet about the prophecy. She will already have more fame than she could imagine. If the public knew of this extra information, I am worried expectations toward her could be exponentially high. No child should grow up with a burden like that. Another matter would be her safety. There are still many unknown Death Eaters, and any one of them could come for Rose if they knew she could defeat their Lord," explained Albus.

Throughout this, James allowed the information to sink in. It made sense. Yes. He decided Albus' plan was for the best.

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It was the next day, as Sirius Black sat in the living room of Grimmauld Place with Remus and the Potters.

Remus handed him a copy of the Prophet. "You should read this," he said.

Sirius looked at the front page:

You-Know-Who Vanished! Rose Potter Is The Girl-Who-Lived!

Yes! That's right! You read the title correctly! Confirmed by an official statement from the Ministry of Magic, the war was ended last night at Godric's Hollow, home of the Potters.

This is what the Minister had to say on the matter:

'Yes. I am very happy to announce the end of this war which has raged for-'

Sirius just skipped the Minister's chunky paragraph.

James Fleamont Potter, leading Auror and Lord of the House of Potter, also released a statement.

'We are very proud of what Rose has accomplished', he said. 'We always knew she would grow to become a powerful witch, but what she showed this night far exceeded our expectations. I truly believe she is something special'.

I find it hard not to believe Lord Potter's words. Rose looks to have an incredibly bright future ahead of her, which I am sure the Wizarding World will be following every step of the way.

It is also known that Rose received a scar on her cheek in consequence of the battle. This scar I am sure will become vital to her identity, and maybe even iconic.

Lily Potter, the Lady of House Potter, confirmed that Godric's Hollow was under the Fidelius Charm, as many others have opted for maximum security. However, this means that the only route You-Know-Who could have chosen to breach the charm would have been through the Secret Keeper. The criminal in question is Peter Pettigrew, a childhood friend of the Potters. He is a chubby man with-

Sirius skipped the rest of the text and stared at the photo at the bottom. It was a photo of Peter, the man meant to be one of his closest friends. Someone he thought he could depend on, no matter what. Someone he thought he could trust his life with. It was something the Marauders stood for.

And now it was like all those years together were poured down the drain.

He slammed the paper against the desk, causing Harry to wake up from his slumber and cry. Lily looked at Sirius menacingly, and he gave an apologetic look in return.

Sirius sighed and looked up at the ceiling, feeling an urge to pull his hair out. He wished they were in Black Manor. The place was just so much nicer than the damp, cellar-like home he currently lived in. But because it hadn't been put under the protection of the Fidelius, Voldemort thought it would be the ideal place to set up a Death Eater camp.

"Are you ok?" Remus asked, looking at his best friend with concern.

"Yeah. It's just so… infuriating. That rat, I thought he was one of my closest friends."

"So did we. I'm just glad we all made it out alive."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "I don't know what I would have done if someone had died last night."

"So, what next?"

"To be honest, with everything that's going on in our lives, I think it would be nice to just settle down."

"I know what you mean," Remus sympathised. He looked around the room and the life that was inside it. "It would be nice to rebuild and just… enjoy life."

Remus then eyed James, the man who had changed for the worse so much over the past year. "But I don't know if my pack can hold it together," he muttered to himself.

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First chapter down. Everything to do with James will be explained so please don't complain that it doesn't make sense, just wait.

Next chapter, there will be a time skip, and there will be a couple more until we reach Hogwarts.