Prologue

23rd June 1980

'For a premature birth, Mrs Potter, he really is strong!' Healer Watts smiled down at her.
Lily grinned at the plump woman, 'yes. He is, isn't he? My Harry James Potter.'
'Our Harry James Potter!' The voice of James Potter said, sounding slightly miffed. Lily stuck her tongue out at her husband, but before she could say anything the sound of thundering footsteps brought the almost silent maternity ward in St Mungo's to life. The whoops of joy immediately brought James to pinch the bridge of his nose and groan. Lily giggled, how the tables had turned. Healer Watts let out a squeal of surprise as three men barged into the small space, enclosed by white curtains.
The first man, handsome and tall with long black hair, panted, 'I came as soon- as- I he- heard, where's our son?'
The second man, who'd almost knocked over Healer Watts in his excited entrance, spoke quickly as if he were afraid of being interrupted, 'shove over, Padfoot! I'm the best with babies! Lemme hold him, please Lily!'
'Now, really! This isn't a good atmosphere for a newborn! I'll have you all thrown out this instance if you carry on in this excitable nature!' Healer Watts snarled, turning to leave the enclosed space.
She found her path blocked by a lanky, brown haired man who looked slightly more rugged than his pretty boy friend with the long black hair. 'I apologise for my friends. You see, our son's just been born!' He grinned wolfishly.
Watts turned, confused, towards James Potter- the messy haired man sat with his head in his hands while his wife roared with laughter- 'I thought you were the f-'
'As James once said; what one Marauder does, we all do!' Said the short, excitable man.
'I didn't mean my wife, Wormtail!'

30th July 1980

Alice stared at the small, blonde haired baby in her arms. He was so very gorgeous. Frank had been here, but then he hadn't. Auror duty, she'd been excused but with Voldemort's ranks growing day by day they couldn't sacrifice anymore aurors. So, Frank had gone. Now, Neville Longbottom slept peacefully in his mother's arms and Augusta Longbottom sat close by. She hadn't particularly taken to Alice, she felt that Frank had rushed into marriage with her because of the war. They were so young. However, now watching the blonde woman with her round, innocent face Augusta realised that they weren't so young. They may not yet have turned thirty but they were both ready to be parents. Perhaps it wasn't the best time to give birth but it happened and now Augusta promised herself that she would never let any harm come to her grandson, be it Voldemort or another kid doing the harm. He was a Longbottom.

'May I hold him, Alice?' Augusta asked her daughter-in-law apprehensively.
'Of course.' The plump, blonde baby grabbed onto his mother's blouse as if afraid he'd lose her. Alice cooed at her little child, 'aw don't worry, baby. I won't ever leave you. Ever, I won't leave you ever my sweetheart.'

31st October 1981

They should have taken up Dumbledore's offer to hide them, but they'd refused. They'd been stupid, Frank thought. He and Alice had wanted to continue fighting as well as raising their child. They were aurors, for Merlin's sake! They had to. Yet, if they hadn't refused Dumbledore's offer, Voldemort wouldn't be here. It was too late now. He was here, wand drawn and smiling knowingly at Frank.

Frank threw curses and so did Voldemort. Frank was a good auror, no, he was the best but Voldemort was a better dark lord. As the green light flew towards Frank he had only one thought, he hoped that Alice and Neville managed to get out.

They didn't.

1st November 1981

'Minerva, it's 3am. What are you doing here?'
Minerva ignored his question and asked, desperately, 'it's not true, is it? Augusta's still here- surely if it-'
'I'm afraid it is true. Augusta has only stayed here upon my say so.'
'But, Albus. Frank and Al-'
'They were hero. Alas, we must mourn the loss of two of our most dearest friends but their sacrifice was the ultimate one. They leave behind a world where their son-'
'So, he actually s- survived?'
'Yes. He will join us soon and then his relatives. Neville Longbottom, the Boy-Who-Lived, will grow up loved and cared for. He will be happy here, Minerva. And he will know his parents loved him enough to protect him.'
'But how- how did he kill You-Know-W-'
'My dear Minerva, his name was Voldemort and we must learn to use it. It's only a name. As for Neville's survival and triumph that I cannot attest to knowing about. We can only be glad he did.'

1st November 1981

NO MORE YOU-KNOW-WHO

Last night a ruckus in the village of White Creek saw the Longbottom residence attacked by You-Know-Who himself. Unfortunately, aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom were killed while bravely defending their son Neville. When You-Know-Who tried to murder the one year old Neville Longbottom he perished and Neville was the sole survivor. Somehow the child survived the killing curse.

Rejoice, You-Know-Who is gone, but remember also the two young and talented aurors that we lost last night: Frank and Alice Longbottom. Neville Longbottom has reportedly been put in the care of his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. The wizarding world can only give its thanks to Neville Longbottom and wish him well for the future. Indeed the young wizard will clearly grow up to be one of the greatest of all time.

Minister Bagnold said of the incident, 'it is sad to see two young lives taken by a man who had complete and utter disregard for human life. They gave their all when many couldn't and their greatest gift to the world is and will be Neville Longbottom. A boy who I have no doubt will grow to become a fantastic wizard in a world that he and his parents have made safe.' When questioned about the numerous reports of the Statue of Secrecy being breached the minister said, 'I assert our inalienable right to party.'

There we have it; peace in our time.

3rd November 1981

'No! No! Stop! I have one more!' Karkaroff screamed, he thrashed desperately against the holds of the dementors. Barty Crouch stared at the dark haired man begging for a chance for leniency. He had probably killed countless innocents, Barty was loathe to give him a shorter sentence but if it meant he could get more murderers then he would. For the greater good, Bagnold had said.
'One more? All of your names have been killed or captured, Karkaroff.'
'This one hasn't! This one is a rat!' This time he looked in to the crowd and locked eyes with James Potter, a high flyer in the Department of Magical Law. 'Peter Pettigrew!'
'Liar!' Roared James, he had to be restrained from jumping onto the courtroom floor by Dumbledore and Amelia Bones. 'You liar! I'll have you- I'll- I'll- Peter would never!'
'Peter Pettigrew fought against you, Karkaroff. I was expec-'
'On the surface, yes! But he was passing us information, think about it. We were always a step ahead, we'd have won if it wasn't for th-'
'If what you're saying is true-'
'It is! Use veritaserum!' He said savagely, trying again to shove off the dementors.

4th November 1981

Peter stared at James pleadingly, his best friend was refusing to look him in the eye. His jaw clenched, as it would when he was angry. Just a few months ago he had been celebrating with the Potters, Remus and Sirius. It had been Harry's birthday. Karkaroff had ruined it all. Peter had hoped it would all go back to normal, now that the Dark Lord was dead. It wouldn't.

'Life in Azkaban, I think. Unless-' Barty Crouch purposely left the word hanging in the air. Peter knew what he wanted and what he needed to do. So, he did what he was good at. He ratted.

5th November 1981

DIRECTOR CROUCH IN TROUBLE

Last night, at the trial of Peter Pettigrew, it was revealed that Bartemius Crouch Junior- the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement- was a part of the Death Eaters. Junior's name was given out by Pettigrew, along with several others, in exchange for a lighter sentence. If Pettigrew's claims are proven true then Senior has some serious questions to answer.

Read on inside, pg 5.

3rd September 1990

Dean stared, open mouthed, at the tall, stern faced witch. A wizard. That's what she'd called him. She said she was a witch, Dean had gotten thwacked by his mum for calling Linda- his friend from the third floor- a witch. Yet, here was a woman waving his mum's tea cups around- without touching them- as if it was completely normal! Dean Thomas had never been normal, taller than every kid his age and rather than wanting to be an East End gangster he liked to draw, but he'd never thought he was so different! Perhaps this was the explanation for the time he'd managed to score that wonder goal at school. Dean Thomas was a wizard. He was finally going to be normal.

19th September 1990

Her mum had screamed at the short, dark haired man when he had called Hermione a witch. Then he'd called her parents muggles and dad had threatened to call the police. Of course, then the man who called himself Flitwick had pulled out his wand and done a bit of magic. They'd believed him then. Her own parents had called her a witch. The man had seemed excited by all of Hermione's questions, he said he hoped she would be in his house. No teacher had ever enjoyed her inquisitive questions. Perhaps wizards and witches enjoyed questions, maybe they were all clever. That meant she had to do lots of reading! Hermione loved reading. She knew it then, she was going to have lots of friends.

30th December 1990

His mum smiled at him, she was pleased. She loved her husband but she hadn't particularly wanted her son to miss out on the gift of magic. Of course, he had shown sufficient signs but one couldn't be sure until the letter actually arrived. Seamus sat grinning back at his parents and then tore open his letter. He was going to be a legend!

1st March 1991

He had almost hoped he wouldn't get one. He could have become an accountant, finally stood out in his large family. Yet, it was inevitable he would get one. He had exhibited more signs of magic than any of his brothers, except maybe Percy. But it didn't help Ron. If he was smart, Bill had done it first. If he was a quidditch star, Charlie had done it first. If he was a prefect, Percy had done it first. If he was funny, Fred and George had done it first. He was just going to be another Weasley.

23rd June 1991

Dad had tried to strangle the tall woman. He had called her a witch and a freak. The woman had told his mum something about lilies. Dudley had been scared. The woman had done magic, she had said it was real. His parents never talked about magic, they didn't even mention it but Dudley had always felt like he was missing something. This time it wasn't a toy or television show. He'd complained about being hungry, but then his mother had cried. She never cried, she usually bought him something. This time she didn't, dad wasn't there and she was crying. For the first time, Dudley was worried about her. He was going to be better.

23rd June 1991

They'd been celebrating: dad, mum, Gareth, Adrianna, Uncle Sirius and Remus. Then they had been interrupted, a knock on the door had revealed a thin, pretty blonde woman and a chubby, blonde boy. Both looked as though they had been crying. Then mum had run to the woman and hugged her and then they were both crying. The fat boy was his cousin and Gareth and Adrianna's too. He was a wizard too! They had the same birthday. He was told to look after Dudley by his mum. He agreed to do it. He was going to be a twin.

30th July 1991

Neville always knew it was coming. You didn't kill Voldemort at the age of one without being a damn good wizard. He may not have remembered it but Hogwarts was his chance to remember his achievements. Neville knew he was much more special than the other wizarding kids, his gran liked him to be humble but he knew that everyone thought he was special. He knew he was. Neville was going to be unstoppable.

4th June 1992

He wasn't scared. He'd killed Voldemort before. This time he was only on the back of someone's head. He was worried though, Dean had been taken out on the chess board. It had been Seamus' idea to destroy the pieces instead of playing; none of them were particularly good. Neville hadn't been so useful, he had handled the Devil's Snare easily but it was Seamus who'd caught the key and Dean who had taken a hit from a piece that had been meant for Neeville. Then Seamus had tasted all the potions until he found the one that would get them through the fire. Unfortunately, there had only been enough for Neville and so Seamus had gone back to Dean. Now Neville couldn't fail, not his only friends. Quirell had disarmed him so, with the Philosopher's Stone in his pocket, Neville did the only conceivable thing he could think of and charged at his teacher forward slash Voldemort.

29th May 1993

The chamber had caved in, he had been forced to go on without Dean and Seamus. Seamus would have been better at this, he was brave. Stupidly brave. He'd tackled Lockhart when he'd disarmed them. Then he and Dean had subdued the phony, but Lockhart's spell had hit the ceiling and it had caved in. Now, Neville was walking alone towards where he knew Ginny Weasley would be and the basilisk. He had to do this, he may not like Weasley but he didn't want his little sister to die. He didn't want Granger or Creevey to stay petrified either, even if they were annoying. He had to do this. He was supposed to be special after all.

6th June 1994

Longbottom hadn't had any crazy world saving adventures this year. That had surprised Harry. Pettigrew had been released from Azkaban and evidently left the country after his dad had told him to piss off when he'd turned up at their house, begging for a place to stay. Nothing had gone down and the normal student body had sighed in relief. Longbottom and his adventures were insane.
'Dudley, where did you get these?' Ron moaned, tugging on his very loose balaclava.
'Mum, sent them. From Woolworth's.'
'Wool-what?' Harry asked, poking- with his wand- at his own balaclava in an attempt to make it tighter.
'Muggle shop. They sel-'
'Yeah yeah. Harry make mine tighter too, please,' Ron pleaded, his best mate obliged.
'How come yours fits, Dudley?' Harry asked his blonde cousin as they crawled slowly towards Hagrid's.
'My mum sent them, duh. Besides I have a bigger head,' Dudley had lost a lot of weight thanks to the lack of television and computer games at Hogwarts. He was now tall (though not as tall as Ron) and pretty averagely built. It didn't stop him from having a rather large head.
'Hey guys, focus!' Ron demanded. He pointed towards the figures in Hagrid's hut. Buckbeak was tied outside, blissfully unaware of his upcoming execution. Despite Harry's reading- as the trio's delegated brains- they had been unable to get Buckbeak free. They were up against Lucius Malfoy after all. So, Ron had devised what he called a plan. It was all right as far as plans went, it was better than any prank they had ever pulled. Dudley, as the fastest of the group, would distract the ministry officials and then Harry would free Buckbeak while Ron would help Dudley avoid getting caught.

'Hey, dung brains! Avada K-' Dudley shouted, waving his arms wildly at the ministry officials. Of course, he'd never cast the spell but it was a sure fire way of getting them to chase him. It worked, too. As Dudley ran from the stunning spells, Ron ran up behind the officials screaming and swearing. Harry chuckled as his two best friends pulled the officials in different directions. Then he sneaked towards Buckbeak and bowed.

24th June 1995

Neville wanted the cheering to stop. Couldn't they see? Krum was dead. Neville bawled like he never had, Krum hadn't been a friend but he'd never wanted anyone to die. Not on account of him. If only he hadn't been trying to be a better person. If only he had grabbed the cup himself, Krum would still be alive. As Dumbledore came running down, Fudge and what looked like Krum's parents followed him. The crowd was suddenly quiet and Neville could only scream through his tears, 'he's back! He's back!'

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Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter universe. I have crafted the plot but I make no profit from this fic, it's purely for fun. Thank you, J.K. Rowling for this world.

A/N: This is an alternate universe story and so some of the character's may have different personalities. Particularly Neville and Harry- this isn't a simple drag and drop story. I haven't just switched their story lines to the other's. I have meticulously planned this story and so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have writing it. I will aim to update regularly- hopefully twice a week. I don't mind constructive criticism, feel free to leave it. Though I do prefer compliments :P. Thank you. Have fun!