Title The Castle on the Hill

Author: Marauderish Mischief Maker

Fandom: Harry Potter

Rating: T (maybe M later, don't know.)

Summary: I've tried to write this story before, but there were tons of grammatical errors. I love the idea of it, so I hope you enjoy this redux. It's an AU story exploring what would have happened if Lily survived that Halloween night in Godric's Hollow and raised Harry as a single parent with the help of the surviving non-evil Marauders.

Character(s): Ensemble

Beta Needed: Yes, for plot and grammar.

Original Characters Profiles:

Name: Polaris "Rissa" Elizabeth Black

Parents: Sirius Orion Black and his late fiancée Marlene Elizabeth McKinnon

Birthday: December 22, 1979

Appearance: A Metamorhmagus like her cousin Tonks, Polaris' original appearance is a healthy mix of her mother and father: hair the color of a peeled banana with Sirius' gray eyes and Marlene's dimply smile.

Chapter 1: Halloween at Godric's Hollow

October 31, 1981

Sirius Black juggled his cooing little daughter on his hip. "Thanks for this, Ted. I didn't realize Andi was working the night shift tonight. Won't you have your hands full with these two by yourself?"

"I can help with Rissa, Cousin Sirius."

"Of course you can, sweetheart. Not to worry, Sirius, not to worry. Dora may only be eight—"

"I'll be nine in January, you know that Daddy."

"—but as I was saying, she's fantastic with children. Polaris is in good hands with us."

"Good, now the mission I'm going on is classified and I don't know how long I'll be."

"Classified, like secret?" Dora babbled, "that's so wicked. I can't wait until I'm an Auror."

"Yeah," Sirius muttered, "it'll be 'wicked' all right."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. You'll be a great Auror one day, Dora, excellent eavesdropping skills."

He mussed her hair, which turned red in protest.

Despite the task he had in front of him, Sirius couldn't help but laugh as he handed Polaris to Ted. "I better get going. Thanks again."

"And what are my boys doing?"

The night was wet and windy, but a fire crackled in the grate of the cozy Potter Cottage. A lovely redheaded woman entered the sitting room, instantly stoking the fire with a wave of her hand. A mahogany wand emitted colorful smoke. A chubby baby in blue pajamas clapped his hands and giggled with delight. And Lily Potter's heart expanded at the sight of it all. She pressed her hand to the fog that had collected on the window where the smoke danced in a lovely reflection, enjoying it before she drew the curtains.

"Who knew such a little thing could entertain him so much?" laughed Lily to her husband.

"Dada!" little Harry cried at the same time and more than a little impatiently.

"Okay, okay." As he complied with his son's demand, James said, "Tell me again about this Muggle celebration."

"All right, and then Mrs. Prongs would like to suggest that we put the little Prongslet to bed." Lily came over to the couch, moved Crookshanks, and tucked her heels under her. "Well, Muggle children dress up as creatures from our world, or sometimes as princesses and the like. Then they go door-to-door asking people for sweets."

"Sounds like my kind of holiday. Maybe we should do it with Harry next year."

"It's a custom known as trick-or-treating."

"And will I be getting a trick tonight, or a treat?"

"James Charlus Potter!"

"It was just a question."

"The holiday comes from our pagan traditions, actually."

"You didn't really answer my question at all. And how did you not end up in Ravenclaw."

The gate creaked in the wind, but James was too busy laughing at Lily's stuck-out tongue to notice.

And then it happened. The door burst open.

*He was over the threshold as James came sprinting into the hall. It was too easy, too easy, he had not even picked up his wand…

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

Hold him off, without a wand in his hand…He laughed before casting the curse…

"Avada Kedavra!

The green light filled the cramped hallway, it lit the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut…

He could hear her screaming from the upper floor, trapped, but as long as she was sensible, she, at least had nothing to fear…He climbed the stairs, listening with faint amusement at her attempts to barricade herself in… She had no wand upon her either… How stupid they were, and how trusting, thinking that their safety lay in friends that weapons could be discarded even for moments.

He forced the door open, cast aside the chair and boxes hastily piled against it with one lazy wave of his wand…and there she stood, the child in her arms. At the sight of him, she dropped her son into the crib behind her and threw her arms wide as if this would help…As if in shielding him from sight she hoped to be chosen instead...

"Not Harry, not Harry, please, not Harry!

"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside now…"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—"

"This is my last warning—"

"Not Harry! Please…have mercy… have mercy… Not Harry! Please— Not Harry—I'll do anything! *

Anything? Well, this was certainly a development.

Lord Voldemort knew of Lily Potter's skill as duelist, and she was second only to Severus Snape in her potion making prowess.

But there was the matter of the child. The child was nothing but baggage. And she would never part with him willingly.

"Stupefy!"

The Stunning Spell hit Lily directly in the chest. Harry let out a wail of despair as he watched his mother fall to the floor. Lord Voldemort turned his attention to the child.

"Avada Kedavra!"

If any Muggles were to look up on that particular Halloween night, they would detect a slight mechanical hum in the air. They would attribute the noise to the engine of an airplane, but they would be wrong. Startled as well, if it weren't for the fact, that Sirius had maintained enough presence of mind to use his motorbike's invisibility booster before setting off that night.

The bike flickered into existence again as Sirius skidded to a stop, gaping at the scene in front of him. Most of Potter Cottage was still standing, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart. Sirius knew instantly that James was dead, because the Potter crest ring Sirius had gotten when he turned seventeen (identical to the one James wore) was cold as ice against his finger where it had burned urgently not half an hour before. This had prompted Sirius to look in on Peter. The Secret Keeper. The rat hadn't even had the decency to stage a struggle in his empty house. As far as Sirius was concerned, Peter had drained the mirth from James' eyes just as surely as he would've done if he had cast the curse himself.

A tear from Sirius own eye landed on James' lashes as he gently closed his "brother's" lids before heading up the staircase James had given his life to guard.

"Lily! Harry!"

They had to be alive. They had to be.

"Mama!" Harry screamed, causing Sirius to rush to him.

There was a jagged cut on the fifteen-month-old's forehead. Sirius scooped him up instantly, kissing his bloody and matted hair. "Thank Merlin you're alive!"

"Mama!" Harry wriggled in Sirius' grasp.

"I know you want your mama. I know."

Juggling Harry onto one hip, Sirius bent down and grazed the side of Lily's neck. He let a sigh of relief when he felt a faint pulse.

"Lily!" he whispered, shaking her. "Come on, Lil, you need to wake up. You need to wake up. Finite Incantatem!"

The witch stirred feebly. "Sirius?" she mouthed, so faintly that he had to put his ear to her lips to hear it.

"Yeah, it's me. You're hurt, Lil, don't try to move."

"Harry?"

"I've got him, he's with me. I've got you, Lil, I'm going to take you to St. Mungo's."

He took her hand and held Harry tightly to himself as he Disapparated.

AN: Starred text is taken directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 17 Bathilda's Secret Please review.