A/N:

Hi, hope you enjoy but not too much because this is quite sad. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to leave a review!

All rights are reserved for J.K Rowling for her creation of the universe and the characters within it. this is merely my adaptation of said brilliant universe and I am not earning anything other than enjoyment out of this.

The Night of Terror:

~ October 31 1981 ~

In was a cool Wednesday night, a low fog covered the cobbled streets of Diagonally. Halloween was in full spring in the muggle world, but the streets of Britain's largest magical shopping and business centre were desolate. Two men walked through the haunted place. One dressed in red, an Auror, and another in what looked like rags.

The Auror was tall at around 6ft and had a muscular physique hidden under his battle robes. His stride and posture was confident yet cautious. long silky black hair hung to his shoulders and framed his regal face. His eyes were two orbs of pure metallic silver that shined as he processed his surroundings carefully, a trained paranoia taking hold.

The other was also a tall man of similar height, but he was rougher and skinner. His clothes wouldn't look out of place on a homeless man, nor would the large moustache and hastily trimmed hair light brown. His features soft and round as where his deep brown eyes, but there was a danger hidden within them. One would not cross this man if they were in their right mind.

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin trawled the walkways on patrol of any suspicious activity. There superior, had a feeling that something was going to happen tonight and they'd been sent to scope out any threats.

If they were honest, they didn't want to be there. They wanted to be with their friends who were celebrating their young child's first Halloween, but instead they were here on guard duty in this depressing town.

"Something doesn't feel right Sirius, it's like there's somewhere else we need to be!" Remus harshly whispered as his eyes darted around, briefly flashing amber in a paranoid frenzy.

Sirius grudgingly nodded, the look on Remus' face spoke a thousand words. He guiltily admitted that he had some doubts about Remus' loyalty as there always seemed to be an ambush of dark wizards as soon as they left their safe houses. However, the genuinely worried and slightly panicked look on his face spoke of something different. The only times he'd seen him like this was when Moony was acting up, and that meant one of his pack was in danger. Sirius was concerned now as well.

As they crept across the cobbled streets, a sudden sensation had them stopping in their tracks. Like a switch, any and all sounds seemed to have been snuffed out. The only noise came from the two men's heavy breathing. It was far too quiet.

Sirius drew his wand and cast a 'homenum revelio' on the area, looking to reveal a human presence.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"We need to leave", Remus almost whimpered, the contrast of chaos inside of him and the eerie surroundings getting the better of him.

Sirius inhaled sharply as a sudden pain flared in his chest, shocking the wind out of him. It was the bond. The godfather bond.

"Harry…" he gasped as he fell to his knees, despair and dread filling his entire being.

"Sirius!" Remus yelled startled at his friends sudden drop.

"What's happening? What's wrong with Harry!" He demanded as Sirius regained his breath. The pained look never left his face, silver eyes swirling with fear bored into his own as they grasped onto each other.

"Dumbledore Remus… you have to get Dumbledore!" Sirius commanded.

"For what? Sirius what's wrong!" Remus shouted back, panicked at the assumptions he was making, his eyes now a solid, unwavering orange.

"It's Harry, he's in danger. You have to get Dumbledore to Godrics Hollow, I may need backup." Sirius growled as he got up and prepared to apparate. He swore then and there that if Pettigrew betrayed them, he'd beat him brutally and slowly, until the rat had nothing but an ounce of life in him before he'd finally stuff it out.

"No you idiot I'm coming with you! If Harry, James or Lilys life is on the line then I want to be there as well!" He shouted furiously. He will protect his pup at all costs.

"You can help by getting Dumbledore! What if it's him Remus?! You know we can't take him out ourselves, but Dumbledore can!" Sirius yelled back in a rage at the delay. His godson was in danger and they needed all the help they could get.

"What of Peter then, you think he betrayed us?" Remus growled in dismay. He knew Sirius was right and he knew that arguing further could cost the life of one of his pack members.

"If he did, I'll shred him alive." Sirius snarled causing Remus to blink at the hostility, yet he still nodded as he agreed with the statement.

"Just remember Padfoot, Harry's my pup as well. If James and Lily…" he choked on his words as they refused to come out. "If they're dead… then you have to protect Harry. Don't give him up to anybody, you hear me? No one. You wait until we arrive." He forced out, his blood pumping in his ears, tears cascading down his face.

Sirius grasped Remus in an anxious hug before stepping back, nodding gravely, and apparating out.

Remus wiped his eyes and put a stone cold mask on before he to apparated out, leaving behind a soulless dragon ally in his wake.

~ Godrics Hollow, October 31st 1981 ~

Sirius apparated in with a resonating 'crack' only to sink to his knees in horror. Godrics Hollow was on fire.

All the windows were shattered, glass littering Lily's once beautiful garden, which was now dead and withered - a clear sign of black magic. The stone walls were cracked in spidery patterns all leading towards one of the rooms, Harry's room. The roof of said room was caved in and engulfed with flames which threatened to incinerate the entire house.

"No…" Sirius choked in despair, quickly getting to his feet and rushing through the splintered front door.

He dimly noted that the place was absolutely saturated with raw magic, enough to set his hair on end. All thoughts of that ceased however as he burst into the living room and spott a body lying motionless of the cold stone floor. It was James. He lay there, still, dull eyes staring off into the void.

"No," he gasped, "no, no, NO!" He screamed as he kneeled next to his brother in all but blood, lifting him up to cradle him in his shaking arms. He screamed in rage and anguish to the heavens as he looked at his friends lifeless corpse.

"James… " he whimpered. Prongs was gone, his brother was dead.

Over his anguish, he managed registered a strangled cry. It was a child. His head snapped towards the stairwell in alarm.

'Harry' he thought with hope, before it was quickly saturated once again in sorrow as he looked back down at his James's corpse. He wrenching himself away after gently placing James back down on the red stained stone before stumbling towards the stairs.

Dragging himself up the second floor landing, he cringed and coughed as ash and smoke forcefully entered his lungs. The child's cries were getting closer, but there was something else. Another mans weeping could be heard intermingled with the child's, both of them coming from the nursery.

A brutal flash of rage overtook him, and damning all the consequences he ran through the raging flames and blasted away the debris blocking the door. What he saw inside stopped him dead in his tracks as shock and anger as he never felt before welled up inside him.

There sat Severus Snape cradling a dead Lily Potter in his arms, whispering sweet nothings over her limp body. Behind him amidst the flames and debris lay Harry in his cot, bleeding from his head and wailing his poor throat hoarse as he watched the strange man rock his dead mother.

Sirius didn't notice the human shaped scorch mark on the wall as he burst into action, silver eyes shining with tears and power.

"You fucking bastard!" He screamed as he blasted snape off of Lily and into one of the still intact walls.

Snape managed to quickly recover and dodge the second spell before firing back a lethal curse aimed at decapitation, which Sirius dodged. However, the wayward spell barrelled into the wall behind him which collapsed onto the oblivious man, trapping him under a couple hundred pounds of masonry.

Snape stalked towards Sirius, murderous intent flashing in his glistening eyes as a viscous snarl curled onto his face. Sirius swore Snape was going to finish him then and there before they both stiffened.

A shrill scream echoed around the room before a pulse of pure magic launched Severus through the one remaining walls and out of the house. Sirius watched as Harry collapsed soon afterwards, completely shocked after seeing the toddler use his magic to to protect his godfather in such a way.

Sirius quickly shook those thoughts out of his head as glanced around the room looking for his wand. He noticed that the fire had picked up and the house was still rocking in the aftermath of Harry's powerful outburst. He suspected that he only had a few minutes before the house would collapse in on itself, putting him and Harry under tons of stone if he didn't do something quickly.

Looking around more desperately than he ever had before, he finally spotted his wand a few metres away from him. It was little worse for wear but still seemingly functional.

In his desperation to get to his godson he performed his first wandless magic feat ever and summoned the wand to his hand. With no time to digest the accomplishment, he quickly levitated the debris off of him and crawled his way to Harry.

Pain was everywhere. His ribs were probably broken, his leg was at an odd angle, there was a large piece of wood sticking out of his shoulder that was sending rivers of blood down his arm, and he had blood soaked hair due to the massive gash that spanned the length of his cranium. All of that was irrelevant though as he struggled his way over to his godson, who's safety was his main priority.

He passed lily on his way and the anguish returned anew. They'd formed a tight bond when she started dating James. She was his go to for advice and was the most reliable and smart person he ever knew. She was so young and yet she died protecting her son. He closed her eyes, mumbling a sorrowful prayer before continuing on, guilt clutching at his heart.

When he finally got to Harry, he saw the condition his godson was in. He was pale and shaking. His skin gaunt, veins standing out in stark contrast to his near white skin, all severe symptoms of magical exhaustion. He was littered with scraps and scratches from falling debris, but there was one distinct cut on his forehead that bled profusely, sharing an odd likeness to a lightning bolt. If he didn't get Harry to a healer within the next few minutes, the boy would die.

He tried to stand but collapsed back to the ground in agony when he put weight on his broken leg. Gasping and cringing through the pain, he just held Harry close, wondering if this was it. The fire bellowed around them, suffocating them with smoke and heat. He started feeling feint and fought it as best he could.

Just as his eyes where about to close on him and the building about to collapse, a song of hope resonated through the house. The sound reinvigorated Sirius enough to look up.

Wafting away the flames was a majestic bird like creature. A Phoenix.

"Fawks," He wheezed.

Fawks landed gracefully on Sirius and grasped him in his strong talons before engulfing all three of them in flames, transporting them out of the building. As soon as they left the house gave a heaving, protesting groan and it finally gave out and collapsed into the earth, burying and cremating the adult potters with it.

~ Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, November 1st 1981 ~

Remus dashed through the grounds of Hogwarts and up towards the castle, having been forced to apparate to the border of the school due to the heavy wards surrounding the premier British school.

He'd been told by Sirius to get reinforcements before the dog apparated away. He desperately wanted to go with him, but Sirius had told him that if it was Voldemort that attacked the potters, then they'd be running straight to their deaths. He grudgingly admitted that the only man that could stand against the dark bastard was Dumbledore. So there he was, running through Hogwarts grounds in the early morning hours.

Remus kept seeing flashes of James and Lily's smiling faces as they held baby Harry. The last time he saw them was when he'd left for his Diagon shift with Sirius, only forty minutes earlier. He gave a casual goodbye, now regretting not doing something more as it was probably the last time he'd every see them.

He brushed the tears aside as refocused on his task. He came upon the grand doors to the castle that now stood in his way. 'I don't have time for this' he thought as he viscously bombed the entrance doors into splinters with an extremely powerful 'bombada', which probably woke up the entire school.

He ran up the stairs three at a time, racing past a shocked and protesting Minerva McGonagall, who was the transfiguration professor and deputy headmistress at Hogwarts. She was dressed in a night robe with her hair let loose in a sleeping cap.

He reached the third floor corridor - which was where the headmasters office resided - in record time and sprinted the last stretch towards the gargoyle.

"Let me in." He growled, baring his teeth at the stationary sculpture.

"Password?" It replied not giving an inch.

"I don't have the password and I have even less time!" He yelled.

Professor McGonagall ran up besides him and gave the password after hearing the desperation in Remus's voice. The gargoyle jumped aside as Remus glared a hole through its stone face and bounded up the stairs, minerva following closely behind. She was equally curious and frightened at what had the normally placid man so worked up like this.

Not even waiting for an invitation Remus burst into the headmasters office and rushed over to the man currently pacing in front of his desk. The elderly man was still in his purple garish day robes, his ancient long hair and beard tucked into his belt as his light blue eyes stared dimly off into space. He didn't even seem surprised at Remus's rude barging in.

"Harry's in danger, Sirius felt it through the bond." He rushed out wanting to get to Godrics Hollow as soon as possible. Minerva stifled a gasp in worry.

"I know." Said Albus Dumbledore, not stopping his stride in the slightest.

"Then what the fuck are we still doing here!" Remus yelled as his emotions got the better of him. He was rightfully infuriated by the further waste of time.

Just as he was about to leave, Fawks gave a startled chirp - seemingly shocked about something that the humans couldn't even fathom - before suddenly flaming out in a burst of fire and heat that made everyone's eyes water.

"What in Merlins name was that!" Minerva exclaimed, the shock of the entire situation getting on her nerves as well.

Before anyone could respond, Fawks returned with a very injured Sirius cradling what Remus assumed was his dead godson. Remus's heart leapt into his throat. He felt light headed and sick to the stomach. Like everything that he'd ever loved had just been murdered before his very eyes.

He couldn't even speak, shocked and distraught at the state of two of the most important people in his life. He didn't even want to look at Harry. It would be to much for his sanity to handle.

Minerva fell to her knees in horror as thick and silent tears cascaded down her face. Dumbledore distraughtly fumbled for his wand and snapped towards his familiar.

"Hospital wing, now!" He demanded grasping Sirius on the shoulder.

Fawks trilled and launched towards Dumbledore, Sirius and Harry. Dumbledores grasped one of Fawks's talons and they all burst into flames, vanishing from the office.

Remus was out of his mind with worry, internally howling in rage and agony. He rushed to the door and leaped down the stairs, quickly being followed by a weeping Minerva. They passed a patrolling Filius Flitwick on the way, the strange creature like diminutive man making chase after them as fast as his small legs would take him. The half goblin charms professor had never seen both his coworker and former student in such a distraught state, though he quickly noticed the direction they were heading in and paled at him suspicions.

When Remus finally arrived at the hospital wing he rammed himself through the doors and rushed to the only two beds that were occupied. He realised that they were the last family he had left, as James and Lily didn't come back with them.

Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse, was hastily working on Harry, her methods experienced and calm even though her patient was at deaths door. The headmaster was in charge of caring for the unconscious Sirius, mending the cuts and bruises and diagnosing any further damages. Flitwick - though quite shocked at first - slipped into his charms master persona and quickly jumped into action and helped the headmaster. He knew that if he tried to help the matron, he'd only get in the way.

Remus was sat in front of the two beds, head in his hands, his eyes glued to the people in front of him, seemingly run dry of tears. Minerva stood behind him on shaky legs with her hands on his shoulders, trying her best to comfort one of her ex-students. She too couldn't take her eyes of what was happening.

Dumbledore and Flitwick quickly and efficiently reset the bones and any other abnormalities before leaving Sirius to rest. They both then turned to madam Pomfrey and watched as she poured a concoction into baby Harry's mouth, before rubbing his throat to coax the potion down into his system. She then placed the flask back down on the floating table besides her and subconsciously rubbed her sweating hands on her white and read nurse robes.

The physical ailments had already been healed in the small boys, leading everyone to believe that the major harm was actually coming from his magic. It was Filius who asked the question.

"What's wrong with him Poppy?" He questioned softly, rubbing his forehead in stress.

"Magical exhaustion… it's very sever. Quite frankly he should be a squib, but somehow he's managing to hold on… for now at least." She responded sending shivers down everyone's spines at the insinuation.

They all watched as the potion took hold, reducing some of the paleness and the other symptoms. They all deflated in relief.

"He's not out of the woods yet, but he's stable for now." Poppy warned before moving over to Sirius. She looked him over and cast a few diagnostics before retreating back to Harry, nodding to Albus and Filius on the way.

"What happened?" Remus whimpered and curled up into a ball. "James and Lily… they would never let Harry be harmed." He said, mortification shining in his eyes before he closed them and sobbed into his legs. Half of his family, dead. The other half was injured and confined in a hospital. One of his own had betrayed them.

His eyes lit with fury as he snarled viscously. Peter Pettigrew. The man that they'd called friend for years. The one they gave all of their secrets to, including the one that kept the dark forces away from the Potter house. They originally planned for the secret to be held with Sirius, but they thought that it was to obvious. Little did they know that they'd be giving it to a lying, deceitful little traitor! How else would the dark lord and his followers know where they were?

Minerva drew back startled at Remus' sudden change in mood. Remus quickly stood and marched towards the doors.

"Mr. Lupin?" She called after him, "where are you going?" She asked forcefully.

"To kill a rat!" He ground out in rage.

He'd made it two steps after that statement only to be bound in chains. He fell to the ground snarling and howling, his inner rage taking over, struggling against his binds in order to exact vengeance. He spied Dumbledore with his wand pointed at him.

"Let me go you decrepit piece of shit!" He screamed as he struggled further but to no avail.

"I can't let you do this Remus." He responded, blue eyes hurting and apologetic. "I understand what you must be feeling, but I can't let you kill him. You will be a wanted man, thrown into Azkaban for murder… do you really leave Harry and Sirius when they need you the most?" Dumbledore reasoned quietly.

"You understand nothing!" Remus growled still struggling against his binds, "He betrayed them! I'll tear him limb from limb, make him cry for mercy, and when he's dead, I'll resurrect him, just so I could kill him more horrifically than the first time!" He screamed, his voice deepening and becoming more animalistic.

Albus sighed in resignation hoping that Remus will calm down by the time he awakened. Just as Remus got his arms free and broke out of his binds, a stunner impacted him dead in the face, knocking him out cold.

Dumbledore lowered his wand as Filius levitated Remus onto another one of the beds. Poppy looked at Albus disapprovingly before the four members of faculty stood together looking at the three of them.

"They're all that's left now." Minerva lowly commented, composed somewhat despite the deep grief that she now carried.

The others nodded. They indeed were all that was left of the group. James and Lily were assumed dead, and Pettigrew was a traitor.

"They'll pull through. And they'll have each other now no matter what." Dumbledore said, a calculating look in his eye.

"What of you-know-who? Why did he attack them? How did Harry survive?" Minerva asked, her head buzzing with questions.

"Why he attacked them… I cannot tell you." He responded while moving over to Harry's side, causing Minerva to narrow her eyes. He knew something but clearly wasn't keen on sharing.

"As for how Harry survived…" he contemplated, brushing Harry's hair to the side, "by facing him head on, I believe." He finished, the still inflamed lightning bolt scar exposed for all to see.

Filius gasped as he spotted it. He turned to Poppy.

"A cursed scar?" He asked in horror. She just nodded gravely back at him. Minerva's nostrils flared.

"When can we get rid of it?" She demanded. This was James's son for crying out loud!

"We'll have to wait until he wakes and his magic is fully recovered. It may take a while though, as I said, the exhaustion was severe… though I've never seen such a young child with that much power before…" Poppy frowned in thought.

"What do you mean?" Filius asked, he was very curious indeed as the boy's parents were also powerful in their own rights. It's entirely possible that the offspring of both James and Lily would be nothing less than a golden child.

"Well as you know, when you treat people for magical exhaustion you first need to check how much of their magical core has been depleted." She stopped and rubbed her forehead, "long story short, I treated him like I would treat a preteen, and he's only 15 months old." She revealed exasperatedly.

"Dear Merlin!" Filius exclaimed as all their faces, including Dumbledores, rose in shock.

"You mean to say he's as powerful as a first year yet he's only a toddler?" Minerva questioned disbelievingly. She almost couldn't wait to see how strong he'd be by the time he entered Hogwarts… the things he'd be able to do with transfiguration…

"Like I said before, he's not out of the woods yet. With that level of magical exhaustion… he may just become a squib for all we know. It's up to him to fight for his magic now." Poppy finished morosely.

That sobered everyone up real quick.

They all snapped their heads to the beds as two simultaneous groans broke the silence that had descended upon them. Both Sirius and Remus began to stir as the faculty rushed to their sides.

Minerva had her wand in hand ready for Remus to try and escape again. She didn't need it as she'd thought. Remus just sat there staring at the ceiling, eyes blank and unseeing. She worried that this would change the young man. He was the most mature marauder out of the four, but still a child at heart like the rest of them. That was something she didn't want the man to loose.

Sirius groaned again as he tried to sit up. Realising Sirius was awake, Remus was jolted out of his staring contest with the stone ceiling. He bolted out of his cot and launched himself at Sirius in a bear hug, causing him to give a hoarse hell of pain. Remus quickly receded mumbling incoherent apologies. When Sirius noticed it was Remus, he just pulled him back in and they cried in each other's arms. The grief and anguish taking over them as they tried to grasp at any small comfort the other could give.

"Harry," Sirius wheezed out, "where's Harry?" He asked pulling back from the embrace and looking around until he spotted him, sleeping peacefully in the bed next to him.

He tried to reach for him but came up short when he huffed out an irritated gasp of pain. Dumbledore saw what he was trying to do and moved the bedside table that was between them. He then rolled Sirius's bed over to join with Harry's. A quick glance at Poppy and he saw her surprisingly approving nod.

Sirius stroked Harry's hair with a shaking hand as he let out a relieved breath. Remus moved over to sit on the other side of Harry with his hand now resting on the boys arm, his gaze looking longingly at his closed eyes. Sirius looked up towards the faculty with some effort, a silent question in his wide and glistening silver orbs.

"He is stable for now, but we still have some work to do if he wants to fully recover. He was almost completely magically drained… I'm sure you know the consequences?" Poppy asked pointedly at the end.

Sirius eyes widened even more in worry before he adopted a look of pure determine. One that was reflected on Remus's face. They knew at that moment that they'd always be there for Harry, no matter if he was a squib or not.

"What happened Sirius?" Dumbledore asked gently, genuinely concerned about the events and the fate of some of his favourite students. Poppy glared at him. She thought they had gone threw enough already tonight and reliving bad memories was not the way to heal. They needed rest.

Sirius flashed threw multiple emotions as he relived the night before settling on anger.

"Pettigrew." He growled out the traitors name vehemently.

Surprisingly it was Remus that calmed him down.

"Leave him to the other Aurors Sirius, our main concern now is Harry." He whispered strongly, matching the fiery gaze of Sirius. He reluctantly nodded before looking down in grief again.

"They're dead Remus," he whispered, "they both protected him till their final breath." He finished as tears once again started oozing out.

They were in everyone's eyes in fact. Remus was sobbing again and Dumbledore put a hand on a distraught Minerva's shoulder. Before the could compose themselves Sirius continued.

"Snape was there." He ground out, his face again turning red in rage.

"What!" A shocked Minerva exclaimed.

"Snape was there… holding Lily. The prick was crying his eyes out and completely ignoring Harry. We duelled, but he collapsed a wall on me with some blasting curse. I was stuck… I think he was going to kill me…" he stopped as he looked at Harry, "but Harry blasted the greasy git through a wall." He finished with a grin.

"He did what!?" Exclaimed Poppy who was speaking for them all. 'Well that was where the magical exhaustion came from' she thought. To blast someone through a wall without a wand… extraordinary.

Her sentiments where reflected by all those in the room, but none more so than Albus Dumbledore. He knew that Harry was powerful. He had to be if he was to achieve his destiny.

He glanced at the mark on his head again. He'd originally planned for the Dursley's - Harrys last living relatives - to take care of the boy, but seeing the way that Sirius and Remus were now, he wouldn't tear them apart, Nor could he in fact with how strong the godfather bond seems to have become. A call for help through the link? No, he'd just have to instil the importance of an ideally happy childhood into the pair of them if they were to raise Harry. He needed to also remind them of the effects that fame could have on a child. He held no doubt that Voldemort was defeated by Harry Potter, and that would send shockwaves throughout the magical populous.

"Harry is a remarkable young boy, as he has already demonstrated. I highly doubt this will be his only surprise nor his only achievement, but only time and fate can tell what a person can do." Dumbledore deliberated as they continued to look at said boy. It seemed they were used to the occasional bouts of his strange philosophical speeches.

"It's about time we leave these three to rest. It is, after all, almost one o'clock on a week night and we do have a school to teach and take care of." Poppy said.

She was right. All of them needed rest after such a physically and emotionally exhausting day. After moving another bed next to Harry's for Remus, the members of the faculty left the three of them to some privacy, to give them time to grieve over their losses.

Minerva and Filius shuffled back to their respective chambers to grieve themselves. They lossed their favourite students in James and Lily respectively, yet they needed to pull themselves together before classes started again tomorrow.

Dumbledore himself knew he wasn't going to be catching any sleep for some time. There was something nagging him, as if he'd forgotten something potentially disastrous.

In his office he sat there, alone, mulling over his actions and the changes about to happen in the world. He knew that Voldemort wasn't dead, his name literally meant 'flight from death', he knew he'd have some type of safeguard to keep him alive. He had his suspicions, but he'd investigate them further at a later date.

For now, he was gone, and he had a feeling that he would continue to be gone for a considerable amount of time to come. In that time he planned to better prepare the wizarding world and mitigate further risks, starting with the imprisonment of the terrorists that have plagued them for years now. After that, he didn't yet know what to do. Maybe keep an eye on the development of Harry Potter? Definitely after what he'd seen, felt and heard of the boy. There was so much about him that needed further investigation, yet for now he'd have to keep his distance.

That scar though… He knew it wasn't just any normal cursed scar on the boy's head. No, he felt it was something much worse. He didn't know how he'd deal with it just yet or how it would effect the boy. This was something they ought to find out as the boy grew older. Close ties to Sirius and Remus were more important now than ever. Those two had no idea of the destiny the boy had, and he'd rather keep it that way until the time was right… but even still, they'd have a drastic effect on how that destiny will eventually come to pass.

As he sat there mulling over these thoughts, he couldn't help but feel that this was the right course of action. With the Dursley's, there were to many opportunities for things to go awry, to many unknown variables, to many peoples lives being tampered with. At least he's known Sirius and Remus for years now, he couldn't say the same about the Dursley's.

He was sure that this was the right thing to do, leaving Harry in the hands of Sirius and Remus. From what he saw today, they'd do anything for the boy, and he'd bet on anything that they'd do whatever was necessary to make Harry the best man he could be.

'He's in very good hands indeed.' He mused with a small smile.

That faded though when he remembered the cost of all of this. James and Lily. They would be sorely missed, but through their sacrifice, their boy was alive and fighting on, and so was the wizarding world. They'd be remembered as heroes, of that he vowed to make sure of.

Dumbledore said 'nox' to his desk lamp causing it to dim before moving off to his chambers. Change was coming and he had no doubt Harry would be at the forefront of it.

~ Godrics Hollow, October 31st 1986 ~

Five years. It's been five years since Voldemort attacked the Potter house. Five years since he was vanquished by the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. It's been a long five years and an arduous time, but for these three wizards, everything was finally starting to look up.

Sirius Black, a tall young man around his late twenties with dark wavy locks gently resting on his shoulders and a high and regal face structure. Despite his currant severity, Sirius was the most mischievous and adventurous of the group, often finding jokes where no joke should ever be found.

Remus Lupin was long and lanky with light brown short cropped hair, his face was more rounded than Sirius and sported a thick moustache. He was the same age as the other man yet seemed decades more mature, he was the responsible one in the trio that was more often than not exasperated with the others antics.

The third member was a child, an odd child. Harry Potter, the last of the Potters, a beautiful young boy who belied his age with his maturity. His wild jet-black hair stuck up in all directions, as if each tuft was trying its hardest to escape his scalp. His baby fat covered face was lean enough to show promise of a very handsome man, however, the was one blemish on the boys face. A red scar in the shape of a lightning bolt rested atop his brow, a most unusual feature. Yet even that was overshadowed by his eyes. Magnificently sharp emerald green orbs, like freshly cut gemstones. They were once the signature of his mother, and now they were adopted by her beautiful boy.

The three of them walked through the streets of Godrics Hollow. Harry had a hand being held by both of his pseudo uncles, occasionally being swung back and forth by them as they enjoyed the stroll while it lasted. Today was bound to be a difficult one, a day that the two adults dreaded. They'd managed to keep young Harry away for this long, yet Harry had demanded they do this, and they had no choice but to go with it

All to soon they arrived at a house - the Potter house. In their opinion, It was nothing but a burnt husk of a building that brought back to many bad memories.

Sirius still remembered that night. He still saw the dead faces of James and Lily in his nightmares. Sometimes he didn't even have to be sleeping to see them. There were days where he just saw them everywhere, their dead eyes looking at him, judging him. Those episodes had been occurring less and less over the years, but they still happened. He never left his room on those days.

He remembered the duel, the flames, Harry on deaths door. His haunted eyes stared at the burnt husk of the once peaceful Potter home. Lost in his PTSD, the rest of the world nothing but white noise.

Remus was in a similar state of mind, yet he could never understand the pain that Sirius went through. He didn't see their bodies like he did. He didn't suffer the physical trauma. He didn't have to sit amongst the flames, holding his practically dead godson, and wonder if it was his final moments. Sirius had it tougher than Remus, and the man found that he had to look after two trauma victims in the years to come.

Remus joined Sirius as the both stood together, blankly looking at the house. They didn't move, nor did they make a noise. Like ghosts they stood there, impassive and unconscious to the environment around them.

That was why the two remaining marauders didn't notice the form of a small boy trekking up the stone walkway towards the house. His wild raven black hair swirled in the wind as the six year old knelt down to pick up a dead flower. A Lily. A lone tear traced its way down his face and onto the soiled grass as he gazed at the destroyed house. A house he used to live in.

Every now and then, Harry would get flashes of a sickly green light in his dreams, which were followed by a woman's eerie scream. He never told anybody about it. He didn't want his uncles to worry. They were sad enough already and he just wanted them all to move on.

He never really knew his parents, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love them. If fact he craves for them every single day, even though he knows they'd never came back. It was a sad reality, but tragedy has a way of changing people. In Harry's case, he was much more mature than any child his age should be.

Harry shook himself out of his thought, swiping away the tear that had managed to escape. He returned to his guardians only to see the unmoving figures that were his uncles. He cringed at the thought of what they were reliving in their heads. He'd seen this look before, and it was never good.

Harry decided to leave them to their peace and turned to look back at the house, a faint image of a burning inferno briefly overshadowing reality in his minds eye. The image was disrupted by the sound of footsteps coming towards them causing him to shift his focus away from the house.

Standing a little ways down the road was a sadly smiling Professor McGonagall, dressed in conservative black robes, with a subdued headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick behind her. Dumbledore, for once, did not dress in garish colours, but instead chose a mute grey which he was beginning to wear more and more of. Harry walked over to them, leaving his uncles in their unresponsive state.

"Are we ready?" McGonagall asked worriedly, earning a sigh from the boy.

"They're gone again." He said as he tuned to look back at Sirius and Remus.

"I'll stay with them for a while, why don't you three go on ahead?" Suggested Dumbledore.

Harry smiled as he nodded and began walking towards the church, moving up front while the two professors followed. Today would be the first time he'd ever visited his parents graves. Sirius and Remus didn't want to put such a young child through such an experience, but they had no choice now. Harry was six years old and growing up fast. It was time.

Harry lead them towards the church at the end of the street and to the graveyard on the other side. He looked at the them questioningly before McGonagall moved forward and took his shoulder, leading him deeper through the headstones. They stopped at a relatively large one with the names of James and Lily Potter.

"Can you clean it?" Harry asked with a small voice, tears pooling in his eyes. The headstone was dirty grey and covered In moss, making Harry slightly offended at the disrepair.

Flitwick flicked his wand, turning the dull grey stone back to a pearly white marble — the names standing out as they were etched in black — before stepping back and motioning to Minerva. She conjured up a wreath of Lily's and roses before adding golden tips to the roses and further conjuring up some antlers to go with them. She stepped forward to hand the assortment to Harry and gestured towards the headstone. He gave her a watery smile as he accepted them.

He walked forward slowly, fumbling a little with the large bundle in his small arms before placing it down in front of the stone. He then took some flowers out of the array and planted them around the area, rearranging some of the rocks to better accommodate the new plants. He put the antlers on top of the headstone and sat back on his legs to admire the decoration work he'd done. As he was doing this, he whispered things to the ground, secrets and stories that nobody else knew. They were for his parents ears only.

While he was working, Dumbledore and the two remaining marauders arrived. The sight of young Harry calmly talking to his parents about anything and everything as he decorating their grave was haunting and had everyone in tears. No child should ever have to do such a thing.

Sirius had his arm around Remus, both of them using tissues to wipe their wet faces. It was never easy for them to visit Godrics Hollow, but this was borderline more than they could handle.

Flitwick was also whipping his eyes while McGonagall dabbed at hers with a small piece of cloth. Almost subconsciously, the two long time colleagues and friends grasped each other's hand as they continued to watch the poor boy in front of them.

There was no sign of the usual twinkle in Dumbledores eyes, in fact they were dim and moist. His hands were rubbing together agitatedly. For once in his life he actually looked his age. A full one hundred and forty years old.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death?" Harry mumbled in agitation. His eyes lit up as he turned back to the adults.

They all were taken aback by the tone in which he read that line and the vividly glowing emerald eyes boring into them. They all felt the power the boy exhumed, an amount that they'd never felt before in one so young. They quickly became fully aware of the fact that he'd taken an offence to that sentence and his magic was responding to those emotions.

"Change it." He whispered harshly wearing an uncharacteristic scowl that further rose their eyebrows.

Dumbledore sighed as he closed his eyes. He should have known that Harry would not approve of that motto. As he'd told the stone carver, he himself saw it in bad taste concerning who killed them and Voldemort's own conquest to conquer death.

"How do you want to change it my boy?" He asked placatingly holding his hands up causing Harry's eyes to dim in what seemed to be shame. He looked to Sirius.

Sirius hiccuped a little as he thought of what to say, coming up with nothing that would do his friends justice. Remus took over for him.

"Here lies two beautiful people, who dedicated their lives to helping others and bringing joy to those around them. Two amazing sorcerers and two even better friends. They may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. May they Rest In Peace." Remus said strongly through his waterfall of tears. Sirius nodded numbly, unable to even think clearly after Remus's words.

Dumbledore was about to rewrite the inscription before he saw Harry. He was gently nibbling his bottom lip whilst clearly thinking deeply.

"Harry?" He asked. Harry looked up at him startled before he looked down again.

"I.. i-i like what uncle Remus said... I just wish that people cared enough to treat them properly." He admitted gesturing towards the previously dilapidated headstone, which causing them to look down in shame and sadness.

Sirius rushed over to Harry and enveloped him in a needy hug, which Harry returned wholeheartedly. Minerva and Filius moved over and gave a teary-eyed, smiling Remus a gentle hug as well. As everyone was dealing with their emotions, Dumbledore expertly carved the new words onto the gravestone. It now read:

James Potter

27 March 1960

To

31 October 1981

Lily Potter (née Evens)

30 January 1960

To

31 October 1981

Here lies two outstanding individuals, who dedicated their lives to the benefit of others and brought joy and happiness to all of those around them. Two amazing sorcerers and two even better friends. They may be gone but they will never be forgotten. May they Rest In Peace.

Dumbledore sighed as he finished the inscription and looked over at Harry - who was still in Sirius's arms - then back to the grave with all the flowers surrounding it. 'No six year old should decorate their parents grave' he thought solemnly as another pang of guilt and depression shot through him. Too many lives where lost in the war. Too many families were torn apart and this was only one demonstration of that.

He just hoped that these three would be able to keep moving on, move past this tragedy, and move into the destiny that has been set before them.