INTRODUCTION

On Halloween night, 1981, Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry. Instead of killing James and Lily, he used his magic to cast them aside instead. He still held onto hopes of making some use of them and only truly needed Harry to die. Voldemort cast the Killing Curse upon Harry only to have it rebound. Death Eaters swarmed the house after this with the intentions of capturing the Potter family and taking them to a prison they had built in a desolate place to keep enemies. They easily took the unconscious bodies of James and Lily, but before they could take Harry, the Order of the Phoenix arrived. Those carrying James and Lily quickly Disapparated and left their fellows to attempt to ward off the Order. There were not many of them, though, and with the disappearance of their master, many fled.

Albus Dumbledore commanded that Harry was to be sent to live with his only living relatives, his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Sirius was sent to Azkaban at the time for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and as his godfather, was unable to care for Harry. Remus Lupin, Sirius's best friend, knew that Sirius had not committed the murder, and spent a great deal of time trying to prove his friend's innocence, though not many were willing to listen to a werewolf and there was not much proof that proved otherwise. Under the belief that James and Lily could still be alive, a lot of time and effort was spent looking for them, but the longer they went without being found, the less and less people began to do.

Seven years later, when Harry was eight, James and Lily Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, and a few other Order members reentered society. James and Lily immediately returned to their old home with a young child in tow, a four year old girl named Grace, who was their daughter born in captivity. Upon not seeing their son, they ran down the streets of Godric's Hollow screaming out for him. When they were found, the group was taken to St. Mungo's for evaluation. Frank and Alice Longbottom were said to be insane beyond hope while James and Lily were made to stay in the mental health unit for a year, recovering from the physical and mental shock and damage of all they had been through while in prison. Being so young, Grace's memory was wiped and manipulated so that she had no recollections of her time in the prison and instead remembers a relatively boring childhood in the hospital she and her parents were in.

Harry was nine the time James, Lily, and Grace were released and they took him from the care of the Dursleys. Horrified by the state their son was found in, Lily and Petunia fought and James nearly cursed the family, though his wife was able to stop him (to avoid her husband having to suffer in Azkaban). The family moved back to Godric's Hollow and restored their home. It was an adjustment for all of them, but the family grew to know one another and fall into a happy life. James and Lily worked hard to release Sirius from Azkaban by offering proof that Peter Pettigrew was alive and well and had been one of their guards at the Death Eater prison.

Upon learning that Severus Snape changed sides and turned spy shortly before the attack at Godric's Hollow, Lily Potter eventually confronted Severus about their past and was able to forgive him and the two resumed their friendship, though it has been decidedly more awkward and they are less close than they used to be due to Lily's marriage to Severus's worst enemy.

The Potters, while residing in the Wizarding world, spent a great deal of time either in their home or exploring the Muggle world. Too many people paid them too much attention, especially Harry who was the Boy Who Lived. Mostly, Lily and James liked to remain in their home and away from society, especially as Lily was prone to panic attacks in large crowds and James was overly paranoid around other people. It was a habit they steadily began to break over the years.

For Harry's first year…

His mother bought him Hedwig. The Potter family and their closest friends celebrated Harry getting into Hogwarts. At King's Cross Lily and James were highly paranoid about being around so many people and letting Harry go, though Remus and Sirius were there for moral support. Neville was the only person Harry knew going into school because he had gone with his parents to visit Alice and Frank now and then when Augusta and Neville had been there. They sit together on the train and Ron Weasley eventually joins them.

At Hogwarts, Draco wants to be Harry's friend, but when the boy insults Ron and Neville, Harry gets upset and denies him. Hogwarts is something new and special to Harry, who had barely seen much magic even at home because of the issues his parents had suffered. He hated Potions, though, and Snape. The teacher obviously didn't like him, though Harry didn't understand why. Snape always found reasons to punish Harry. He couldn't understand it, but when he wrote home about it his mother fussed at him about getting in trouble, saying that Snape was his teacher and was only following rules. His father had sneaked in his own letter saying that Snape was a bitter old bastard who hated the Potters.

His mother especially didn't like it when Harry accused Snape of trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Harry decided then to stop telling his parents things. His father sent him his Invisibility Cloak for Christmas and mentioned wishing he still had the Marauder's Map to give him. Harry made friends with Ron and Hermione, though he was still close to Neville from their time together over the years. Ron and Hermione had become his best friends, though.

At the end of the year, Harry saved the Philosopher's Stone and woke up in the hospital wing to his terrified parents. Lily was worried about letting him return for his second year and contemplated homeschooling him where he would be safe, but Harry begged them to let him come back and Dumbledore managed to calm down his concerned parents.

Harry's second year…

Dobby starts creating all sorts of problems at home for Harry. Lily and James at first assume it is troublesome Grace until signs start to point towards Harry. Lily questions whether he should go back to Hogwarts, especially when Harry tells them about Dobby and they assume he's making things up. James uses his Auror training to catch Dobby and they believe him near the end of summer. Lily apologizes to Harry for acting a bit crazy and explains that it's hard for her to trust anyone but herself with her children and hard to feel safe. Harry promises to stay out of trouble.

For the last two weeks of summer, Harry stays with the Weasleys at the Burrow. The Weasleys take him with their family to King's Cross, but he and Ron get locked out of the barrier. James and Lily show up in time before they can steal Arthur's car, as they didn't want Harry to leave without saying goodbye. They end up escorting the two to Hogwarts. At school, Harry notices how much Snape and James dislike each other. Harry also thinks its weird how warm Snape is to Lily. The run in with Snape distracted everyone enough for Grace to run off. Harry goes with his mother to find her and they run into Lockhart when they get back to the entrance hall. Lockhart flirts with Lily which makes Snape and James both upset, but they are pleased when Lily snaps at him. Grace fawns over Lockhart and her parents drag her out of the castle before she can get an autograph.

When Lucius Malfoy buys the whole Slytherin team the newest brooms on the market, Harry complains about it in a letter to home and comments that Gryffindor would still beat them because they had better players. James ends up splurging and sending the whole Gryffindor team new brooms, too, and encouragement to make the Slytherins suffer an awful defeat. When Harry breaks his arm fighting a rogue Bludger and Lockhart makes his bones disappear, Lily sends the professor a Howler.

Harry eventually saves Ginny's life in the Chamber of Secrets and is thanked profusely by the Weasleys. His own parents are too happy about his escapades and Harry overhears a comment from his mother about "…if he keeps this up, I'll end up back in the mental ward at St. Mungo's! I hope Alice and Frank miss us, Jamie." Harry was a bit disturbed by how emotional his parents were, but when they realized his reaction, Lily and James promised him that they were trying to get better.

Harry's third year…

Over summer, Harry hears about a group of Death Eaters that were captured, only one escaping the clutches of the Aurors: Regulus Black. Dementors were sent to guard Hogwarts and it was Grace's first year. Grace was Sorted into Gryffindor, Remus started to teach Defense, and Lily and James were taken into protective care by the Ministry until Regulus was caught. Lily and James refused to sign permission for Harry to go to Hogsmeade, but the Weasley twins give him the Marauder's Map. Harry feels like he should know what it is, but doesn't remember the mention of it his dad made in his Christmas letter last year.

Even more suspicious of his parents' odd behavior, Harry asks Remus when the man offers to give him lessons in producing a Patronus. Remus gives only vague information and encourages him to let his parents deal with their problems before they talk to him about it.

At the end of the year Harry and his friends follow Scabbers into the Shrieking Shack and hide in shock as Scabbers turns into Peter Pettigrew who is meeting Regulus Black. Peter mentions being glad to have an old friend around while Regulus reveals that he betrayed the Dark Lord in the end and that he will turn in Peter. James, Sirius, and Remus all show up by this point and as the three Marauders go to attack Peter and Regulus, Harry stops them and quickly assures them of Regulus's innocence. Snape appears towards the end and Harry and his friends have to stop the adults from fighting. Snape reluctantly helps them escort Peter out of the shack until the full moon causes Remus to change. Sirius changes into Padfoot to control the werewolf, James runs after the children to move them away, but Snape ends up having to save them all when James isn't paying enough attention and ends up getting hurt and is almost bitten by Remus. Regulus managed to pull him away in time. Peter, unfortunately, escaped. The chaos distracts the Ministry from doing its job in executing Buckbeak and while the Ministry officials are otherwise occupied, Sirius helps his brother escape on Buckbeak. James covers up for Remus and claims that he and his friends had shown up because they suspected Peter Pettigrew of being around. James and Harry help bring Snape to the infirmary, but the man isn't at all grateful when he wakes up. Remus resigns when the news of his lycanthropy gets out and Harry assures him that he doesn't care that Remus is a werewolf and that he still likes him all the same.

Harry's fourth year…

During the summer, James and Lily seemed much better than normal and even ventured into the wizarding parts of the world more than they normally did. James even invited Harry and all of his friends to the Quidditch World Cup, an event Harry enjoyed a great deal. That was until the Death Eaters showed up and the Dark Mark was cast into the sky.

Returning to Hogwarts they learned that they would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament with people from other schools would arrive to compete. It was exciting for the whole school, especially Harry until his name came out of the Goblet of Fire as the fourth contestant. Ron was furious with him and ignored him for a while, only making up after the first task. Meanwhile, Hermione and Neville stood by his side while most of the student body hated him, believing he had put his name in. His parents were mad, writing many angry letters and even sending one Howler before coming to the school to try to get him out of it, but were unable to do so. Harry was upset that they didn't believe him and wrote to Sirius about his problems. Eventually Sirius convinced James and Lily of his innocence and his parents apologized. During the second task, Grace managed to steal a phial of Polyjuice Potion an older student had been working on to attempt to go in Harry's place, but Harry managed to beat her to it, leaving Grace to deal with the consequences of her actions.

For the final task, Harry narrowly beat Cedric in winning, though he was taken by Portkey to a graveyard where Wormtail used him to help resurrect Voldemort. Harry just narrowly avoids being killed and returns to Hogwarts. He was very badly injured, though the other contestants were in worse condition. Moody led him back to the castle where it was revealed that he was actually a Death Eater called Barty Crouch Jr. They find the real Moody and attempt to keep Crouch Jr. to wait for the Aurors to arrive, but he ended up escaping them with the help of another Death Eater Polyjuiced as a young Slytherin student.

When leaving for home, Harry gave the prize money to the Weasley twins so that they could fulfill their dream of owning a joke shop. Back at home Harry realizes that the Ministry refuses to believe that Voldemort is back, though his parents believe him. He starts to worry about them with their depressed states with the news, both seeming to fall into a relapse of their old mental health problems, but they manage to stay strong when they see how scared Harry and Grace are. James and Lily swear they won't let the past bring them down and that they'll stick by them and fight to make sure that Voldemort and the Death Eaters do no more damage to their family.

Harry's fifth year…

Halfway through summer, a run in with an "ex" Death Eater sends Lily into a state of distress that sends her and James both back to St. Mungo's temporarily, leaving Harry and Grace to spend half of their summer with their aunt, uncle, and cousin. Harry is moody over the fact that Voldemort is back, no one acknowledging it, and his powerless feeling, especially resentment towards his parents for breaking their promise. One night while walking back home with Grace and Dudley, they are attacked by Dementors which Harry wards off with a Patronus. Harry is expelled for using magic, his aunt and uncle are furious thinking that Harry used magic to put Dudley in the upset state the Dementors had left him in, and Grace screams at them for their awful treatment and that Harry had saved their lives. Harry and Grace are locked in their room for a few hours until they are rescued by a group known as the Order of the Phoenix and taken to Sirius's house where they remain for the rest of summer. Harry is furious that no one has told him anything and is cold towards his parents when they finally return. Only a heart to heart with his mother shortly before his trial was Harry able to forgive them, supposing he couldn't understand how hard it had been on his parents all that time. With Dumbledore's help at his disciplinary hearing, Harry is cleared of all charges and is able to somewhat enjoy the remainder of the holidays.

Back at Hogwarts they learn that Dolores Umbridge, a worker of Fudge's, is their new DADA teacher. Many of Harry's classmates whisper behind his back, thinking he is crazy for his accusations and wanting attention. Umbridge turns out to be a horrible teacher, refusing to hear a word about Voldemort, and punishes students using a quill that carves into their skin, leaving Harry with a scar reading I must not tell lies. To help prepare his classmates, Harry creates the DA (Dumbledore's Army) to help teach them Defense. Meanwhile, Umbridge begins pushing for more and more "educational decrees" to keep Hogwarts under her thumb, eventually finding out about the DA and getting Dumbledore sacked, though he escapes arrest.

Harry begins having dreams about the Department of Mysteries and even has a vision of Arthur Weasley being attacked by Nagini. Dumbledore pushes Harry to have Occlumency lessons with Snape, which he is awful at and Snape treats him horribly during them. It is especially bad when Harry peaks into Snape's Pensieve and sees his father and godfather tormenting Snape. When the man finds out he is furious and sends Harry off. When he confronts James and Sirius about it, they seem contrite, knowing there was no good excuse for their actions, though they maintain that they still don't and never will like Snape. Lily comes in as well, assuring Harry that they were awful boys, but changed for the better and were now great men.

The time to take their OWLs arrives and during one exam Harry has a vision about Sirius being tortured and killed by Voldemort. Unable to contact his godfather or his parents, he and his friends attempt to help but are stalled by Umbridge and her Squad. His friends show up shortly after and help him escape before they use Thestrals to fly to the Ministry of Magic where they encounter Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. They run all through the Department of Mysteries fighting off the Death Eaters until the Order arrives as backup, helping them all escape. Fudge and other Ministry employees arrive in time to see Voldemort and the Death Eaters, forcing them to acknowledge that Harry was right. James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus all fuss at Harry for running into this blindly, though they are mostly grateful that he is alive. Lily especially seems to feel empowered after having the chance to fight one of her captors, nearly killing her before they all ran off. Dumbledore later has a talk with Harry, telling him about the prophecy made about him. The feeling of responsibility of this "destiny" upsets Harry more than ever, though he is also determined to see it through.

While going back home, Kingsley stops James to make a comment about being careful about interfering with Muggles leading Harry and Grace to believe the Durselys had been punished for their awful treatment of them the few weeks they were at Privet Drive.

Harry's sixth year…

Dumbledore tried to use Harry to convince an old colleague to return to Hogwarts. Horace Slughorn agreed, but was captured before he could teach. Unable to find another Potions master, Dumbledore was forced to give the DADA position to someone else, a foreign witch that no one could understand all that well and who jumped at her own shadow. Harry began feeling very suspicious of Draco and Snape but everyone told him he was being paranoid, except for James who encouraged Harry to find out all he could about both. He is also given lessons by Dumbledore to learn about Voldemort. Their DADA professor, who had taught Arithmancy at the time Slughorn had been Potions master, is able to give Harry information that helps prove that Voldemort used Horcruxes. Strange happenings occur, many of them very dangerous, which Harry believes were murder attempts, though everyone tries telling him otherwise. At the end of the year, Draco fails to help the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, though they gather just outside of the gates. Teachers and students alike were forced to ward them off when some of the Death Eater's children attempted to help them into the castle. Harry later learns that Snape was meant to kill Dumbledore to save Draco from having to do so and gets the chance to help Dumbledore find and destroy one of the Horcruxes. Feeling finally closer to the end of this, Harry decides to dedicate himself to finding and destroying Horcruxes, learning as much as he can about them so that they can be rid of Voldemort as soon as possible.

A/N: Unbeta-ed and crappy, but does it's job!