Harry Potter et al characters are the property of JK Rowling and I make no money from this work of fiction.

*Author Notes*

So I was scrolling one of my social media apps and found a premise similar to this and it gave me a spark of an idea that quickly grew into an inferno. I'm marking this as a one shot for now, but I have a strong feeling that I will be adding more to it later as my muse allows.

I also borrowed the use of the word "diverger" from Keira Marcos's work. The more I read her works and the more I though about it, the more I agreed that the term "goblin" almost seems a slur to such a headstrong and warrior based nation.

As always, I have no beta, so any mistakes are mine and mine alone.

And now to the story :D

"Lily! Take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily Potter ran up the stairs of their cozy little cabin faster than she ever had before. She had hoped and prayed that she would never have to resort to this plan, but it seemed as though her prayers had gone unanswered. She knew that it was highly unlikely that James would survive after facing the he-demon in human clothes, but she also knew he was giving her a chance. Faster than she ever thought possible, she grabbed the golem that they had placed in stasis and placed it in Harry's crib, then swished James' invisibility cloak over her and Harry. An almost silent spell wrapped the cloak around the two of them, much like they were wearing skin tight clothing. Another spell, completely silent this time, ensured that the area around her and Harry was completely silenced. Finally, she spelled Harry into a sleep so deep that no outside noise would awaken him. All she could do now was wait.

Seconds later, the he-demon, self named Lord Voldemort, blasted his way through the nursery door. Even though the silencing spell was active, she still breathed as deep and as quietly as she could and though she wanted to do something to the being standing in front of her, she knew she had to survive, not only for herself, but for Harry. Once Voldemort began speaking however, it took everything in her to stay as still and as silent as possible.

"So, your mudblood mother has fled and left you completely defenseless," he chuckled coldly. "This will be easier than I ever thought it would be." He raised his wand to the golem and hissed. "Avada Kedavra!"

Lily's jaw dropped in shock when the spell rebounded off of the golem, leaving nothing but a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, then let out a gasp when Voldemort's wraith flew out the window of the now destroyed nursery promising revenge. She stayed as still as possible while pops of apparition happened around her. One, two, three….four, she counted to herself. If she and James hadn't had this emergency plan, among others, in place before tonight, she knew there was a strong possibility that she wouldn't have survived, either. As was, she knew she had to put her own grief on pause long enough to get to a safe place. However, before she could apparate out, another unexpected pop of apparition echoed through the house. She heard quiet footsteps echoing up the staircase and was surprised to see Albus Dumbledore step through the nursery door. Moments before she let herself be known, though, the words that came from his mouth froze her in her tracks.

"Ah, Harry, my boy," he said in a cloying voice. "You may never know your parents, my boy, but after a few years you'll forget about them. After all, the prophecy has to be fulfilled and I knew that wouldn't have happened if they were around. After all, it was for the greater good and James never should have married that mudblood anyway." Albus sighed when he ran his wand over Harry. "Ah, so I was right. A piece of Voldemort's soul remains in your scar. Well, my boy, that will be taken care of when you're older. After all, neither can live while the other survives. You'll be the sacrifice we will need when Voldemort regains his body…and his followers." He chuckled when he picked Harry up. "But until then, you'll be safe at your aunt's house…maybe not from them with how they hate magic, but definitely from any of Voldemort's followers. And when you turn eleven and come to Hogwarts, I just know you'll look to me as your savior from those magic hating muggles, at least until I return you there for the summer." A roar from a motorcycle interrupted his monologue and he looked out the window with a grin. "Ah, there's Hagrid now to take you there. I'd better hurry and give you to him before any of your parents' friends come sniffing about."

Lily was angry. No, she was beyond angry, but no matter how angry she was, she knew she had nothing on the wizard that was now whistling his way down the staircase. She had plans to follow and more plans to make, but first and foremost, she had a certain dog and his wolf-mate to confront. She was relieved when she heard Dumbledore apparating away and was determined to leave immediately to give her husband's best friend a piece of her mind until she heard yet another pop of apparition. She growled with impatience until she recognized her childhood best friend billowing through the door. She sighed. Even though she abhorred the name that he had called her back in their fifth year, she had long ago forgiven him, though had never reached out to tell him so. She knew James wouldn't have been happy to know that she had forgiven Severus, but it wasn't something that kept him awake night after night like it did with her.

When the tears started streaming down her former best friend's face, she wanted nothing more than to reveal herself, but she knew it was still dangerous, so she stayed quiet and waited to see if he said anything. To her surprise, he started speaking a few moments later.

"Lily, you'll never know just how sorry I am," he started quietly. "And now that it's too late, you'll never know. I know I was a shit friend after uttering that disgusting word and I'll never forgive myself for pushing you away. I should have stood by you as you did by me. I should have done everything I could to make sure you and James and Harry were protected, but I was still in my self-deprecating bubble and couldn't see past my own crooked nose. And now…now I'll never be able to hear your sweet voice again. I'll never hear you giggle again. I'll never hear you laugh." He bowed his head and she could almost see how much pain he was in. "But I promise you this, Lily Alexandra Evans Potter, I will not rest until Tom Riddle has been vanquished permanently and I promise I will keep an eye on Harry until such a time comes. I will regale him with stories of you and James. I will make sure your sacrifice is not in vain. So I say, so I swear, so mote it be." A golden cloud of magic surrounded him, then entered him, and she knew magic had accepted his vow. She knew what she had to do, but she also knew that he would think he was losing his mind. Still, she concentrated until she lightly touched his mind and spoke the words that she knew he needed to hear.

'I forgive you, Severus Snape,' she spoke directly to his mind. 'Please watch over and take care of my son.'

"You have my word," Severus was stunned. It was almost as though she was in the same room as he was and looked around in vain, slumping in sorrow when he saw nothing. She knew this would hurt him, but there was nothing she could do until she knew that she and Harry were safe. She watched as Severus stood up, collected himself, then popped out of the room. She waited in silence until she was sure that no one else was coming, then she canceled the silencing spell around them and called out for the head Potter elf.

"Tillie!" she whispered. An almost silent pop came a moment later and she smiled when the elf looked confused. "Harry and I are under James' cloak. Is Potter Manor still open to us to use?"

"Mistress Lily! You're alive!" Tillie squealed in happiness as tears dripped from her large blue eyes. "Yes, Potter Manor is still open to both of you. You is needing to go there?"

"Yes, Tillie, we need to go there, now and quickly," Lily confirmed with a shard nod. "Do you know if the Fidelius Charm can be held by a diverger?"

"Yes, it can be," Tillie replied quickly, her whole body trembling in excitement. Surely her mistress wasn't suggesting what she thought she was suggesting.

"Good," Lily whispered, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. "That's good to know." She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I'm going to keep us invisible. Can you take us to the Manor?"

"Yes, Mistress Lily!" Tillie exclaimed in glee. Then her ears drooped slightly as a thought came to her. "What about wolfie and dogman?"

Lily had momentarily forgotten about them. She remembered that when the original Fidelius Charm had been cast, she and James had used Sirius Black as their Secret Keeper with Albus Dumbledore being the one to cast the spell. She remembered the discussions she and James had had, both expressing that neither had trusted Albus, so James called the original Marauders together and they had switched the Secret Keeper. She had never asked, nor had she ever been told who the new Secret Keeper was, but she knew she had to find out - before she went to the Manor to stay. She came to a decision.

"Take me to the Manor first, so that I can adjust the ward book so that only the house elves and me and Harry can enter for the time being," Lily said firmly. "I'll floo Ragnok personally to see if he can be our Secret Keeper; I'm sure he'll do it for a Friend of the Nation. After, I'll have you pop me and Harry over to their place to find out who squealed." Lily took another deep breath. "Sound like a plan?"

"Yes, Mistress Lily," Tillie nodded. She looked down before speaking again. "Do you want to go downstairs first?"

Fresh tears filled Lily's eyes as she silently nodded. As much as she didn't want to see her husband's lifeless body, she knew she had to, if nothing but for closure. She slowly made her way down the stairs and into the living room. She gasped at the state the living room was in; it was as if a bomb had gone off in there. The walls were scorched with spent spells and smoke from fire that had been extinguished. She swallowed back the flood of tears that threatened to overcome her as her eyes came to rest on James' body. She knew without a doubt that he was dead, but she still knelt and put her fingers to the pulse point in his neck. The tears that she had been holding back overflowed her closed eyelids as she felt nothing beneath her fingers. Lily looked at Tillie and shook her head. Lily stood and decided to leave everything as it was, save for the Head of House ring that was on James's finger. Though she didn't understand the magic behind it, she had seen it work once before. She knelt down and whispered to the ring that its Lord was now dead and that it needed to wait in the family vault until the heir came of age. As if understanding her, the Lord's ring disappeared, as did the Lady's ring to her surprise. Moments later, the Potter Regent ring appeared on her finger and she quickly understood. The next Lady's ring would be used again when Harry took a wife.

Only a whimper of sorrow left Tillie's lips, before she took Lily by the hand and popped them to Potter Manor.

Lily looked up at the Manor in apprehension. She had never been here without James before and knew that this was just the first of many travels without him. She regretted not taking the time to check on him before she left, but she also knew there was no way he would have survived after a battle with the he-demon. She cautiously entered the gate, but when she realized that she wasn't feeling any pushback, she quickly made her way inside. She walked through the winding hallways until she entered the very center room of the Manor where the ward book was held. She picked up the quill that stood next to it and swiftly crossed out every human name except for her and Harry. With that done, she kneeled before the secure floo in the corner of the room. She took a pinch of powder, flicked it into the fireplace, and called out the codewords.

"Ragnok's office, Gringott's, life and death," she called out firmly. She only had to wait a few seconds before a welcome face greeted her.

"Lily!" Ragnok breathed in relief. "I've never been more happy to see your face! Is James…?"

"James is dead," she whispered, finally allowing the tears that she had held back all night to flow down her cheeks. "He held off Riddle long enough for me to hide us."

"I'm sorry for your loss, lass," he whispered gravely. "Whatever I can do to help, I will."

"Thank you, Uncle," Lily gave him a watery smile. "I was hoping you and Swiftblade could come over and cast the Fidelius Charm on Potter Manor, using yourself as a Secret Keeper."

"On my honor," he whispered thickly. "Add us to the temporary access page of the ward book and we'll come through shortly."

Lily crossed the room and wrote both diverger names in the book. Moments later, both of them spun out of the floo.

"Lady Lily, the Nation's thoughts are with you in your time of need," Swiftblade bowed to her.

"Thank you, Swiftblade," Lily spoke as calmly as she was capable. "And may our enemies know death at your and the Nation's blades."

Both divergers crossed their arms at the chest, then pounded their chest plates with their fists.

"Swiftblade, the spell, if you will," Ragnok snapped out. Swiftblade nodded and got to work. As he wove the spell, Lily thought of the phrasing that she wanted to use for the Secret. She didn't want anyone to be able to guess it. Finally it dawned on her. No one knew that the Marauders had given her a name based on her animagus form. She smiled knowingly when the time came for her to say the phrase for the spell.

"The home of Mystic and Pronglset can and will be found at Potter Manor, Nottingham."

With a final wave of Swiftblade's hands, the spell covered the mansion. Lily bent down and quietly whispered the phrase in Tillie's ear, then in Harry's, then in Ragnok's, as Swiftblade apparated away. Before saying anything, she crossed the room and crossed Swiftblade's name out of the ward book.

"Thank you, Ragnok," Lily's voice was quiet in relief. "I appreciate this more than you'll ever know."

"You and James are Friends of the Diverger Nation," Ragnok declared, bowing his head to Lily. "We will protect our Friends to the death if need be."

"I'll keep in touch, Uncle," Lily smiled sadly. "First, I need to find out who the rat is…and deal with them."

"Happy hunting," Ragnok smiled menacingly before flooing out.

Lily gathered herself as much as she was able before covering herself and Harry in the cloak again.

"Tillie, please take us to Siri's," she whispered. "Erect the strongest notice-me-not charm you can in the space around me and Harry, but not actually on us. I want Siri and Remy to be able to see us. Silence the area around us as soon as we land, also. I don't want anyone else to be able to hear us." Lily took a few more deep breaths in an effort to keep herself under control. "And make yourself invisible before you apparate us over. I don't want anyone to see you and get suspicious as to why you're there."

"Yes, Mistress," Tillie nodded before following Lily's instructions.

When they landed, Lily furtively looked around before walking towards the house that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin shared. On one hand, she hated that they lived so far away and couldn't visit often, but on the other, she was glad that they lived as far away as they did because it meant that whatever news they heard was already hours old. This time, she wanted them to learn of their friend's death as soon as possible.

She stood up straight in an attempt to look in control, stepped forward, and knocked on the door. She tightened her left arm around Harry and had her wand in her right hand, at the ready if she needed it. She knew her attempt to control herself was futile as soon as Remus opened the door.

"Lily?" Remus asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Remus!" she cried, as tears started pouring down her cheeks. The moment she started crying, Remus wrapped his arms around her and gently led her inside. The gentleness and care that he took with her told Lily that there was no way he could have been the one to betray them. Remus just wasn't that good of an actor. However, that still left two people that could have done it.

"Lily-flower, you're scaring me," Remus's were muffled in her long hair. "What's going on?"

Lily looked up, heartbreak in her eyes. She really did not want to tell Remus that one of his oldest friends was dead. Dread filled Remus as Lily shook her head.

"Lily, where's James?" Sirius demanded as gently as he possibly could from behind them. Lily turned and shook her head again, the words refusing to be spoken. All she could do was lift her hand and show Sirius the Potter regent ring. Sirius' knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor with a wail.

"No! NO! It can't be true!" Sirius cried out, his head in his hands. "Please tell me it isn't true!"

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Lily whispered as she clutched Harry as close to her as possible. She now knew who the culprit was…who the rat was. She would do anything to get her hands on the rat that destroyed their lives and she knew the other two would, as well, once they got through the first step of grieving.

"Lily? Sirius?" Remus asked, the dread that filled earlier increasing. "What's going on? What's with Lily's ring?"

"The ring…it's the regent's ring," Sirius whispered brokenly, looking up at Lily. "Not the Lady's ring."

"The regent's…please don't tell me…please…Lily?" Remus' words were broken up with growls and gasps. "Lily? Where's James?"

"I'm sorry, Remus," her words echoing from a few moments before. "He's…he's on the floor in the living room." She gulped and took a shuddering breath. "Please, Sirius, Remus…I-I have to know…did either one of you…were either of you the Secret Keeper?"

"No," Remus and Sirius whispered in unison. Remus knew he should feel betrayed by her question, but he also understood why she asked.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, her eyes on the floor. "You know why I had to ask."

"I understand," Sirius tried smiling, but failing. He stood up on wobbly legs and sat down on the couch. "No, it was Petti-...it was the rat who was the Secret Keeper."

Remus growled, his eyes flashing between his own chocolate brown and the gold of the wolf that resided within him.

"We'll go after him," Remus' voice sounded slightly echoed, as though the wolf was close to the surface.

"No," Lily shook her head. She looked down at Harry who was still under the sleeping spell. "At least not yet. Your pack needs you here to protect them, Remus…Moony." Lily chewed her lip before letting them in on one of the other things she had heard. "If Dumbledore comes calling, and I have no doubt he will, you have to pretend that you don't know anything. What I heard him say…well, I'll fill you in on the full conversation later, but it boils down to the fact that that mongering old fool can't be trusted." Sirius and Remus looked at her in confusion. "He took the golem…and took it…him to my sister's." Sirius gasped. "Yep, we called it Sirius. Remember, though, we planned for this scenario, among others." The men looked at each other and nodded firmly. "So when he comes to visit, which I'm sure will be soon, you know nothing and you can't lose your heads. And if he says you have to stay away from Harry for his 'safety,' just agree. I'll explain later."

"As you say, Mystic," Remus' eyes settled on chocolate brown as the wolf somewhat settled down. "Do you have somewhere to stay?"

"Potter Manor," Lily replied softly as she moved Harry to her right arm. "I'd like you to join me, but I need to re-add you to the ward book before you can come. I also had it out under the Fidelius as an extra precaution."

"You didn't know if we could be trusted," Sirius whispered from the couch. "We understand, Lils. Go do what you need to do, then come get us. We'll pack until then."

Lily hugged Remus then went over and hugged Sirius.

"Pack quickly," Lily said as Tillie became visible by her side. "The only elves allowed are the Potter elves. I'll have Tillie watch Harry when I come back to get you. I'll give you the secret when I come back."

With that, Tillie, Lily, and Harry popped away. Remus and Sirius quickly went to work packing everything they could get their hands on into the trunk they had purchased in case of an emergency. The trunk had a dozen different compartments, not including the refrigerated and frozen compartments. Each compartment had their own uses, but for sake of time, they just threw everything in every compartment; they would take the time to sort everything out later. Moments later, they were glad they hadn't packed anything from the living room yet, as the notification ward went off and they saw Dumbledore approaching the house.

"Remember, Moony," Sirius whispered quietly to the wolf. "We know nothing. Put your acting skills to the test as you never have before."

Remus growled in agreement as Albus Dumbledore knocked on the door. Sirius answered it with a red face, as though they'd been dueling just before Albus knocked.

"Sirius, Remus, my boys," Albus greeted them with a twinkle in his eye, looking them over. "How are you doing tonight? What have you been doing that you're so sweaty?"

"We're doing well, Albus," Remus answered as evenly as he could. "We've just been dueling, trying to keep in shape for whatever may be coming."

"What's going on, Albus?" Sirius asked, looking his former headmaster over. "You normally don't come over without a reason."

"Oh my boys," Albus sighed sadly, though the wolf inside Remus quickly picked up on his insincerity. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but Tom was able to find James and Lily…and he murdered them…then he vanished Lily's body."

True to what Lily had said, they both acted as they had earlier.

"I'll kill the rat!" Sirius cried as he went for his wand. He paused before speaking again. "What about Harry? Where is he? I was supposed to have custody of him if something happened to James and Lily."

"Hold on, Sirius," Albus soothed. "Harry was injured, so I took him to Poppy. She found protection runes on him that Lily placed there that would keep him safe only if he was under a blood relation's care."

"Albus," Remus pleaded. "Please don't tell us you took him to Petunia."

"I had to, Remus," Albus sighed. "He'll be safe there until he comes to Hogwarts."

"What's the address?" Sirius asked, picking up a quill and a piece of parchment in order to write down the information.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Albus said firmly. "I've put wards around the house for his safety against other wizards. You know Petunia will love him and take care of him."

Remus snorted in derision.

"Remus," Albus chided. "I must ask you and Sirius to stay away from him for his safety. He'll grow up away from the world where he'll be famous. He'll grow up safe, if a bit sheltered."

"Fine, Albus," Sirius pretended to relent. "We'll stay away until he starts Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Sirius," Albus replied, though he had no intention of allowing them access to Harry even then. He didn't want his weapon against Voldemort to possibly be molded by someone other than himself. He checked the pocket watch he always carried with him. "I must be going, as I have other people to inform. Be safe until I call on you again."

He disapparated after speaking, leaving Sirius and Remus in a thick silence. Remus opened his mouth to speak before Sirius shushed him. He waved his wand in order to check for any charms that Albus may have left behind. He snorted when he found three and neutralized them with a quick wave.

"Safe my ass," Remus retorted after Sirius indicated it was safe to speak. "Petunia hates Lily and would have hated Harry had he actually gone there." He waved his own wand and finished packing everything into the trunk.

"He's safe now, Remus," Lily's voice came from behind him, making him spin on his heel to face her.

"Lily!" Sirius smiled warmly at her. "How long have you been here?"

"Since Dumbledore walked in the door," she admitted with a smile. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"We're ready," Remus gave her a quick hug. "Let's go before he comes back."

With a spin, Lily apparated them to the front gates of Potter Manor. She held onto them tight so that they wouldn't apparate away, went up on her tiptoes, and whispered the secret in each of their ears, then watched as their faces cleared of confusion.

"Sirius, Remus," Lily whispered in both joy and sorrow. "Welcome to Potter Manor."