This is my new story. It will be AU even if it will follow Canon somewhat. And don't worry I didn't give up on my other stories, I'm still writing but this idea didn't want to leave me alone so here I am.

For the sake of this story Regulus Black was born in 1960 instead of 1961 and he attended Hogwarts in the same year as Sirius, Severus and all the others. For anyone who doesn't know, Sirius was born in 1959 but he had to attend Hogwarts one year later, at 12 because he was born in the Fall.

In this story FemHarry is not the Child of the Prophecy. Not Wrong-Boy-Who-Lived or anything like that. She's simply not the one the prophecy refers to. And the Dark Lord this prologue refers to is Gellert Grindelwald, not Voldemort.

In this story, Tom has not yet become Voldemort – or rather, Voldemort exists as Gellert Grindelwald's apprentice and right-hand man but nobody but very few people (mostly those loyal to Tom only, and Gellert of course, knows that Tom and Voldemort are the same person). Dumbledore has always suspected it but he has no proof. I'm going to go into detail about Tom's history and background during the story, though this Tom still grew up in a muggle orphanage and he's still the same Tom as canon, exceptionally intelligent, incredibly gifted at magic even before finding out that magic existed etc. Also, while Tom is Gellert's apprentice in this story, doesn't mean that he's in any way loyal to Gellert. Tom has, like always, his own agenda and his own ambitions. And another thing the same as canon is the fact that he doesn't particularly like to share power (though he may change his mind about that later on, but probably not for Gellert).

Tom Riddle is a little older than Lucius Malfoy in this story (though he doesn't look it – not that Lucius does either). He's born in December 1949 while Lucius is born in September 1953 – that means that Tom was in his fifth year (and he was the Slytherin prefect) when Lucius started his first year at Hogwarts. Armando Dippet retired in 1970 (included), the year before the Marauders, Severus, Regulus and Lily started Hogwarts. Like in Canon, when Tom finished Hogwarts, he asked Dippet to be employed as the DADA teacher but he got turned down. He returned a few years later (the year Dippet retired, therefore the last year he remained as the Hogwarts' Headmaster), at the age of twenty-one, to ask again. Tom became the youngest master in DADA ever (he took him two years instead of the usual four to gain his Master as well), so Dippet this time had no reason to refuse him. Once Dumbledore became Headmaster, he would have liked nothing more than to fire Tom – like in canon, he was suspicious of Tom – but he had no valid reason to do so. Therefore, Tom remained as the DADA teacher.

FemHarry will be older than in Canon. She's born the 31st of December – like Tom – 1977 instead of the 31st of July 1980. The Boy-Who-Lived of this story is born in the 31st of July 1980.

It will be a FemHarry/Tom Riddle story.

In this story FemHarry will be Dark, and pretty much Evil as well, also very Intelligent, very magically gifted (I would say a prodigy, just like Tom, in both magic and knowledge). You know, smart, cunning, powerful, just like Tom. Tom is sane in this story, he's not like Voldemort, mad, paranoid etc. He's Tom before he split his soul and turned into the Voldemort of Harry's years at Hogwarts in Canon. Also, he still looks human, handsome and young etc. Not snake-face!Voldemort. Tom and FemHarry are equal in this story, equals in power, equals in intelligence etc. They're like two complementary pieces, soulmates even, in the most literal sense. They just fit with each other.

There is some Lily Bashing in this prologue, for whoever likes her character, sorry!

Since the Dark Lord is Grindelwald, Severus is Grindelwald's follower and not Voldemort's in this prologue.

Well, I think I said everything I needed to. Hope you like the prologue and that you will continue to read my story.

Prologue

31st December 1977 - London, Wool's Orphanage

She wasn't proud of what she was about to do but she knew that it would be better like this. After all, who could possibly want her, a mudblood like her, after knowing that she had had a child at seventeen, without being married? No, she couldn't keep the baby with her.

It would be better like this, she repeated once again in her mind.

Sure, the baby would grow up as an orphan but at 11, she would be accepted to Hogwarts; she would be considered a muggleborn like Lily herself, but in the end, she would be happy. She would get married, starting a family on her own and soon she would forget about the parents she had never known.

Lily shook her head to chase those thoughts away. She couldn't keep thinking like that. This was not her daughter, she was just an obstacle in her path to become a rich, powerful and respected witch. She would marry a pureblood wizard and soon everyone would forget about the muggle blood flowing in her veins.
It was because of this that she couldn't keep the baby with her.

It had been easier than she had thought it would be, hiding the fact that she was pregnant. She had always been slender anyway and she hadn't gained much weight because of the pregnancy. At the sixth month, when her belly had started to really grow, all she had needed was a concealing spell to hide whatever visible suspicious bulge.

She could just imagine the reaction of her family if they had found out about the fact that she got knocked up. She could picture without any difficulty the smug smirk of her sister Petunia and her malicious thoughts: "Not so perfect anymore, eh sister?"

She gave birth in a muggle hospital and then she had erased the memory of every doctor and nurse who had attended the birth. Nobody beside her knew that that night she had given birth to a girl, nobody ever would.

All of this had brought her there that night, in that precise moment, in front of a muggle orphanage, with the infant she refused to call her daughter in her arms.

She needed to be quick, nobody had to see her there.

She looked at the baby one last time and almost winced when she realized that the baby was awake, completely silent, staring at her, almost accusing her because of what she was about to do.

The baby's eyes were green and looked huge on that pale face, a tuft of dark hair on her head, certainly a trait of resemblance with her father. The baby's eyes were too similar to her own for comfort, and yet in that delicate, perfect face they looked even greener and brighter.

She took a deep breath, trying not to look the baby in the eye while laying her gently on the first step before the front door.

She hadn't even given the baby a name, the people of the orphanage would take care of that.

She looked at the baby one more time, wrapped in the warm blanket to shelter her from the cold air of that winter night. Then she turned away and apparated away from there, returning to her parents' house like nothing ever happened, a slight smile of relief painted on her lips. She did it.

January 1978 - Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks

"How could you Lily? She's my daughter too, the one you abandoned in some muggle orphanage who knows where. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

"It doesn't matter Reg. It's better this way, for the both of us. I didn't want anyone to find out that I had a baby at seventeen and out of wedlock. And anyway, what do you think your parents' reaction would be if they knew that you had a child with a mudblood?"

"I don't care. You should have told me. You should have consulted me before abandoning our daughter among muggles. Tell me where she is or I swear Lily I..." He clenched his fists in anger but also to try to control himself and not resort to physical violence like some common muggle. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to slap her.

"I'm sorry but I won't tell you where she is. Forget about her, it's better this way," she repeated once again.

Regulus didn't even try to hide the extreme disgust he felt in that moment towards Lily, the woman who had once been his lover.

"What was I thinking, deciding to get involved with the likes of you? Especially knowing what Severus feels for you." he asked her rhetorically. "My parents are right. Mudbloods are just scum and you're the worst of them. Goodbye Evans, I suggest you to stay away from me or you won't like the consequences." And with those last words he left the room at the Three Broomsticks where the two of them had locked themselves in to avoid prying eyes or ears. He didn't look back once.

He would find his daughter, even if it meant visiting every single muggle orphanage of the United Kingdom.

December 1979 - Black Family Cottage, South Kent

"Promise me Sirius! Promise me that if anything happens to me, that you'll keep looking for my daughter in my place and that you'll take care of her as if she were yours."

Regulus looked at him with an intensity in his eyes that Sirius had never before seen in him. Regulus was usually very in control of his emotions, so seeing his brother so rattled worried Sirius more than he could express.

"Why do you think something would happen to you? What makes you more in danger than everyone else involved in this war?"

"I betrayed The Dark Lord. He asked my help in creating protections for a very valuable object he needed to hide. When I realized what that object was though, I knew that I couldn't serve him anymore. So, I've stolen the object and hid it where he can't find it and I'm trying to find a way to destroy it. If he finds out what I've done, I'm dead. I could die before finding my daughter. So, promise me that even if I'm gone, you'll keep searching for her."

"I promise you brother. I'll do whatever it takes to find your child."

August 1980 - Location Unknown

"Yesterday, something of great importance has been reported to me," Grindelwald spoke to his loyal followers in a cold, clear voice. "It seems that a prophecy has been made, designating the person with the power to defeat me."

Worried whispers immediately started among the followers in attendance at those words.

"The Prophecy speaks of a boy born when the seventh month dies, born from parents who has thrice defied me. It could refer to both the Potters' child or the Longbottoms' child. I'm certain that Dumbledore would do whatever he can to keep those two families safe, probably going as far as create a safe location for them to hide. As if it existed a place safe enough for them to protect them from me. Peter, you are one of James Potter's best friends, if there is a person able to discover where they will hide, it's you. Find where they will hide or I'm sure I won't have to tell you what the consequences will be."

"Yes, My Lord," Peter Pettigrew squeaked in a meek, frightened voice before lowering his head in a sign of submission.

Severus Snape, one of Grindelwald's followers, listened to the Dark Lord's words with a sense of dread and guilt, knowing that he had unintentionally put the woman that he loved in danger. He waited until the end of the meeting before approaching the Dark Lord.

"My Lord, I know I don't have the right to ask you this but, in case My Lord should decide that the Potter boy is the one the prophecy is referring to, I would like to ask for the life of Lily Potter to be spared."

"You still worry about that mudblood? You still care about her even if she has rejected you and has chosen your worst enemy as her husband?"

"Yes, My Lord," Severus merely said in response, not willing to explain to the Dark Lord why he still cared about Lily.

"Very well. If she's so important to you, I'll spare her, after all it was you who reported the prophecy to me. You have been an invaluable servant and because of this, I'll consent to your request. If Lily Potter won't try to stop me and she won't cause me problems, I'll spare her. After all, I only care about her son."

Severus knew that it was highly unlikely for Lily to simply stand aside, allowing the death of her son to happen but Severus didn't know what else he could do to save her. Then suddenly, he knew what he had to do. He needed to talk to Dumbledore - the only one the Dark Lord had ever feared - and ask him to help him protect Lily. It was the only way to save her.