Author Note: Another older idea I had floating around that I cleaned up a bit. A good and supporting Albus Dumbledore doing the job and the things he really should have been doing in the first place.
Albus and his friend Minerva apparated into the garden of the Potter home, or what was left of it on a cloudy November 1st morning. Midnight had just passed only a scant minutes ago. They had come as soon as they could after the devices monitoring the Potters had alerted them of trouble. Hagrid dismounted from the Thestral he had ridden from Hogwarts.
The headmaster pulled the door off of the body of James with a heavy heart pausing to close his eyes and say a brief prayer. Listening he moved deeper into the ruined house with Minerva by his side. A crying baby their only goal.
Reaching the nursery they found Lily sprawled on the floor in front of a crib with the crying toddler Harry within. She had been shielding him with her own body it appeared, only to no avail.
Minerva picked Harry out of his crib to comfort him while Albus examined the boy's bleeding red wound on his forehead. "Minerva. This could only have been the work of You-know-who."
"Oh dear. We need to get him to the healers."
Before Albus could reply the loud roar of a large motorcycle landed in front of the house. "Minerva wait here." Albus ordered as he hastily rejoined his large friend downstairs.
"Hagrid I swear to all that is holy if you do not move I will end you where you stand."
"Now Sirius I know you donna mean that." Hagrid said gently but firmly.
"Albus! What happened?" Sirius shouted when he saw the headmaster coming behind Hagrid.
"You mean you cannot tell me?"
"How the hell should I know. I was chasing that bitch Bella across half of the Cotswolds when I got the alert from James." Sirius protested. "Where's that damnable rat Peter?"
"Peter? What does he have to do with all of this?" Albus was becoming slightly concerned that the Marauders had played one prank too many.
"Peter. He was the real secret keeper. James and I thought if we told everyone I was the one they would never suspect Petey. Plus whomever went after me in our group would be the traitor." Sirius said sitting heavily on the remains of the front steps. His voice growing tired and hurting as the anger drained and the realization set in.
"Why did Lily go along with that idea?" Albus frowned.
"It wasn't easy. Jamie had to convince her. We thought we had it all planned out. That little bastard!" Sirius' voice had swung back around to rage filled. "I'm going to find him and murder him!"
Albus raised his voice in a thunderous shout! "YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!"
Even Hagrid took a half step back at the intensity of Dumbledore's command. "You have a god son to take care of and raise now Sirius Black. We will take him to a healer and then we will make arrangements for his protection as he grows up."
Sirius nodded as his face fell into an ashen sadness. "Right. Yes. You're right Albus. I'm sorry."
Dumbledore reached out and placed his hand gently on the younger man's shoulder, "Pain makes us lose sight of even the most important things. Call Remus Lupin and we shall meet him. We have a great apology to make."
Sirius nodded as he went to his motorcycle. "What about Frank and Alice?"
"Inform them of tonight's events as well as the Lovegoods. Your circle of friends will need to draw closed around young Harry."
"Surely they got em Perfesser. Lily and James wouldna failed to take you-know-who out with this." Hagrid said waving his around at the ruined house.
"Even if they did he still has dangerous followers. And until we are certain he is gone we should not relax too much my friend." Dumbledore said as he turned to collect Minerva and Harry.
…...
Gathered in the front room of retired healer Phillip Boyce was a motley crowd. Sirius and Remus sat glumly looking at the floor beside Frank and Alice Longbottom, their own son Neville held tightly in her lap. Minerva stood frowning next to the hunched figure of Hagrid. Xenophilus and Pandora Lovegood, friends of Lily sat on another couch with their daughter in a carry wrap on Pandora's chest. All of them waiting for Albus and the healer to return with Harry.
Albus stepped out causing everyone's eyes to focus on him. "I have good news and unpleasant news my friends." He said without preamble.
"Is harry going to be alright?" Sirius demanded quickly over everyone else's voices.
"Harry for having received what we believe was the killing curse is well and healthy. A miracle of immense proportions indeed."
Pandora nodded, "So the ritual Lily and I discussed worked."
Albus looked at her in curious surprise. "Ritual?"
"Ancient magics involving the sacrificial love of a mother, it was the last chance to protect her son if they could not escape." Pandora explained.
Alice took a deep breath, "She worked with me to prepare Harry in case of this kind of event. It would cause a backlash on anyone who tried to kill him. It would bend fate itself to protect him until he came of age."
"And the price of this protection?" Minerva asked with a gasp.
"Her own life, freely and willingly given." Pandora said calmly.
"That's why she did not try to flee once James was killed." Remus said flatly.
"So it would seem. However the protection was not perfect." Albus said sitting heavily in one of the chairs.
"But you just said he was healthy." Sirius protested.
"He is, however he has picked up a curious and unfortunate souvenir of tonight's events." Albus rubbed his face as he sighed, "A piece of what may be the soul of our adversary."
Albus waited for all of the gasps of shock to die down. Sirius was the first to recover, "So how do we get that out of him?"
"He is too young right now to be able to survive the process. There is a way but it is very stressful and requires both a strong body and a strong magical core." Albus paused to take a breath holding his hand up to forestall any questions, "It is encapsulated by a strong magical energy that neither the healer nor myself can penetrate so he should remain safe. Especially if he has positive reinforcement and love in his life."
"I think all of us can arrange for him to receive that." Alice said.
"We will have to be careful though. While it is most likely true that our adversary has been temporarily set back the fact that a piece of his soul broke off and lodged itself into Harry does not bode well. I fear he may have taken steps to be able to return."
"Even from death?" Minerva gasped.
"I will have to do some research to make certain. So all of you. Be careful, do not let your guards down and do not fall into a foolish trap please." Albus smiled briefly.
"Remmie and I will take Harry to with the Longbottoms for now. We'll come out for he funerals but until then we're going to jump into the black hole and pull it in behind us." Alice and frank nodded their agreement with Sirius.
"Good. Xenophilus your magazine can report the highlights of what happened. The heroic sacrifice of James and Lily, the miraculous survival of Harry. I'm sure you can see what part to leave out. Make it a happy story as it will do good for the public to have hope. After so long in the darkness the people will need some light to celebrate."
Xeno nodded but said, "Won't this complicate his life?"
Albus nodded, "Yes. Which is why his youth will need to be kept out of the limelight so that he does not grow up with a swollen ego."
Remus chuckled, "Well then perhaps Sirius should not be left in charge."
"Hey! My ego is just fine at the size it is."
Alice laughed, "I think we can all agree we love you the way you are Sirius but you are not a father figure yet."
Sirius sighed, "True. Okay. But I promise you, by the time Harry goes to Hogwarts I will be."
The healer called Minerva to come and take young Harry who had fallen asleep during the examination.
…...
The funerals of James and Lily were held a few days later. They were a quiet family and friends only event at which Sirius and Remus wept openly about their friends. Sirius was James' blood brother so had broken down crying unable to finish his eulogy.
Albus and Hagrid had poured through the Potter house to gather any mementos and tokens of James and Lily for Harry to have growing up. Once they had ensured anything of value had been placed safely away for Harry's inheritance the house was demolished as a sad reminder of the cost of war. The structural integrity of it having been destroyed by the events of that night. When Harry grew up he would be able to build a new house if he wished here.
The Longbottoms had almost been tempted out and into a trap a few days later, figuring out that it was a trap they managed with the help of Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix to turn it back around on the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Junior. Capturing all of them with no loss of life on either side.
With the dismantling of the Death Eaters and trying to sort out their victims from those who merely claimed to be Sirius and Remus managed to vanish into the muggle world. The Daily Prophet wondering where Harry was. The Quibbler running articles on how Harry and his guardians had retired from the spotlight to live a simple quiet life.
Soon time had moved on and even the events of that night faded. The only people in the magical world who knew where Remus and Sirius had moved were the inner circle who had gathered in the healer's house on that night. The healer Boyce having crossed through the veil a pair of years afterwards.
…...
Saturday June 1986 Crowley England
The large moving lorry backed up to the neat brick house in the quiet neighborhood. A BMW sports sedan pulling in behind it as two men and a young boy climbed out. One of the men had short black hair with silver glasses and the other wore a tweed suit to go with his brown hair and thin mustache. The boy looked around the world from behind a pair of gold rimmed round glasses with intelligent green eyes. He was average height for a five year old who would turn six in a month. He smiled shyly when he saw the brown haired girl watching them from the window of the house next door. Saying something to the tall black haired man who looked up and gave a cheeky wave to the girl before they walked into the house to ensure the moving company placed things where they wanted them.
The brown haired girl closed her curtains quickly blushing brightly before she ran downstairs to her parents.
"Mum Dad. The new neighbors are moving in and they have a boy with them!"
"Oh. Well I do hope he's well trained. It can be such a pity when they are feral you know." Her mother smirked at her daughter.
"Daad. Mum's making fun again."
"Uh oh. She used more than one syllable. That means she's really upset." Her father said with a light tone.
"Oh bother." She said crossing her arms in a pout.
"Hermione. I met them the other day when you and your father went to the library. So no need to get excited." Emma Granger said softly, "If you can be patient we'll give them some time to get settled in and then invite them for tea."
Hermione Jean Granger smiled, "Really? What are they like? Are they interesting? Is the black haired man his father? Who is the brown haired man with them? Is the boy smart? Do they have a lot of books? Do they like books? Will he being going to school with me?"
Daniel Granger sighed in exasperation, "Okay Torquemada. Calm down the inquisition. According to your mother they are nice. You can talk to them when they come to tea to see if they are interesting. The black haired man is named Steven Potter and his son is Harry. The brown haired man is Randolph Bleakman. They do seem smart enough but we did not give them the quiz of their life, and neither will you. As for if he will being to school with you yes he will."
Hermione grinned widely. "Thanks guys. I love you." She turned and sprinted back upstairs.
"You know I haven't seen her this excited since that author came to the library for a book signing." Emma said with a smile.
Daniel raised his eyebrow thinking, "Should I start practicing the scary dad speech or give it a few years?"
"I thought you started practicing that two days after she was born dear?" Emma said rising to make certain their precocious daughter did not bother the new neighbors.
"Three. It took me that long for the shock to wear off." he chuckled following his wife.
…...
Review Response:
SMB: The life afterwards part was meant to be the sequal/second part. I had several ideas that did not flow as well as I thought for the expansion so stopped it where I did. As for the idea with Ruby I have to admit that is actually pretty good and I did not think of it. I went with the Ruby was all part of the simulation as nothing physically real would happen to them inside there. So there would be no "real" Ruby to pull out of the simulation. But that could have made an interesting twist and who knows #47 is not the only unspeakable and I'm sure they have a boss.
OfficerDonNZ: Thank you. It was an idea. And yeah Ron would probably want to go spend some time in a simulation bubble after they got done with him..