Prologue: The Saga Begins

31 October 1981

All was quiet in the village of Godric's Hollow. Because the residents of the small village were asleep, no one noticed an elderly man appear from out of the woods just beyond the village square. He had a long, silver beard and wore a dark blue cloak dotted with stars. His name was Albus Dumbledore.

He had come to check on James and Lily Potter who were hiding in the village. As he approached the Potter's house, his magical senses detected no trace of the wards that were supposed to be guarding it. Without hesitation, he opened the door and went inside.

Dumbledore was shocked at the sight that greeted him: James Potter was lying face up on the floor just inside the doorway, not moving. Dumbledore checked James for any signs of life. There were none. James Potter was dead.

Conjuring a white sheet, Professor Dumbledore laid it over James's body. That done, the professor moved up the stairs. He came upon Harry's room first. Hesitantly, he went inside. Lying on the floor just a few feet from the doorway was a lovely young woman with flame red hair, Lily Potter. She too, was dead.

Just behind Lily's body stood the remains of a crib. Inside was Harry, James and Lily's son, Harry. He was awake, and despite a lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead that was bleeding just a bit, he appeared to be unharmed. After conjuring another sheet and placing it over Lily, the professor picked Harry up and walked into the room next door. On a small bed that sat below a window on the far wall lay Harry's older sister, Sarah. Quickly checking her over, the professor was relieved to see that she was still sleeping and was unharmed.

Death Eaters had murdered Lily's sister and brother-in-law the week previous, thus there was only one family Dumbledore knew of in which the Potter children would be treated like ordinary children. Before he could take the children to their new home, he had a call to make. Taking both youngsters in his arms, Dumbledore walked to the fireplace downstairs. Kneeling down, he took a pinch of powder from the pot that was on the mantel and threw it into the fire. "Lupin Lodge!" he shouted before he stuck his head into the flames. After a moment, he saw the tired face of Remus Lupin.

"Professor Dumbledore! I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow."

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Remus. Is Sirius there?"

"I'm here, Professor. What's wrong?" answered another man who appeared behind his friend.

"Sirius, Remus, I'm afraid James and Lily are dead."

Sirius' eyes widened, "No, not James and Lily! How in the world did the Death Eaters get past the Fidelius Charm?"

"I was just about to ask you, Sirius. Weren't you their secret keeper?"

"I was supposed to be, but I thought Peter would be a less obvious choice, so I convinced James and Lily to pick him instead. You don't think that Peter would betray them, do you?"

"It is the only logical answer, Sirius. I want you and Remus to look for him while I make arrangements for someone to take care of the children."

"How are Harry and Sarah?"

"They are just fine, Remus. We need to decide where they are going to live; I believe that Molly and Arthur Weasley would be more than happy to look after them. If there is anyone who will look after Sarah and Harry like their own children, the Weasleys will.

Remus nodded. "That redheaded couple in the Order, they have several children, mostly boys if memory serves me correctly."

"Correct, Remus. They have six boys and one girl. She is the youngest and is about Harry's age."

Sirius spoke up, "All right, Professor. With all those kids, they should be able to look after Sarah and Harry. What about Voldemort?"

"I believe that when Lily tried to protect Harry, her love for Harry bestowed some type of protection on him. Voldemort tried to kill Harry, and the curse backfired."

"So Voldemort is dead?" Remus asked.

"Unfortunately not, Remus. Remember the prophecy."

"You mean the one relates to Harry, not the Longbottom boy. Is that right, Sir?"

"Correct Sirius, tonight Voldemort marked Harry as his equal. Somehow he will return, and Harry will eventually have to face him."

"Poor chap. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it now. We will just have to make sure that Harry is ready when the time comes for him to face Voldemort. In the meantime, the two of us will go after Peter," Sirius said.

"That is an excellent plan. Please let me know as soon as you find him." With that, Professor Dumbledore pulled his head out of the fireplace, disconnecting the call. The professor contacted the Weasley family, hoping that they would be willing to take Sarah and Harry in.

Ten minutes later, the Professor arrived at the Weasley family home – the Burrow.. Approaching the front door, he knocked.

A nervous voice answered his knock, "Who's there; who are you?"

Dumbledore answered, "It is I, Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am here to drop off Sarah and Harry Potter."

The door immediately opened, revealing the plump Weasley matriarch. "Oh Albus, it is so good to see you." She immediately noticed Harry's scar. "Why, that is a curious scar, do you know how he got that?"

The Professor sighed and explained his theory to Molly. She gasped, "At least You Know Who is gone Lily and James would want us to look after their children if anything happened to them; I assure you that Arthur and I will take care of them as if they were our own."

"I had no doubts about that, Molly. I'll leave you to your new charges. Good night." With that, Dumbledore left Molly Weasley to care for her new family members.