Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter Franchise, JK Rowling does. I am merely playing in her universe.

Summary: No one knows what really happened on Halloween night in 1981 besides Voldemort, whom the Ministry has declared dead. Responsible for his defeat is Rose Lily Potter, the only daughter of James and Lily Potter. In the wake of that night, the one whose life is changed most drastically is Harry James Potter, the forgotten older twin of the "Girl Who Lived". Growing up, Harry struggles with the realization that he will never be as important or wanted as his sister, and that his parents will never have the time for him. But along the way, he finds people that love him for who he is, not who his sister is, and he learns one of the most important lessons of all: Family isn't always Blood.

Prologue: The (Early) Life and Times of Severus Tobias Snape

It all started when a pureblood witch by the name of Eileen Prince married a poor muggle named Tobias Snape.

An odd place to begin this particular story, true, but it was the beginning all the same. Because although Prince family tradition meant that Eileen should have been disowned, she happened to be her father's favorite daughter. Seeing as he was the head of the family, he decided not to disown her. Which, although a rather big decision, should not have been the starting point of this story.

But it is, because less than a year after eloping, Eileen Prince, now Snape, had a son. A son, by the name of Severus Tobias Snape. And although no one knew it then, he was crucial to the events of the next nearly forty years, and the continued existence of the Wizarding World of Great Britain.

Tobias Snape was a cruel, bitter man. Unfortunately, Eileen's naïveté and adventurous spirit had kept her from noticing until she was too late. She had no idea how he had been able to hide behind his charming mask, because the truth of the matter was he was a mean drunk, who was controlling and slightly abusive. Eileen was terrified at the prospect of bringing a child into his home. She knew it could have been worse though, in fact it could have been much worse. Since Tobias was out of work, and the Prince family was fairly well off, it was money from Eileen's family that was keeping them from losing their small little house. And because of that, Eileen was allowed to use magic.

Now although that may not have seemed like a big deal to many, to Eileen, and later Severus, it was their lifeline. Magic was not only accepted, but also encouraged, as it kept the Princes happy. It also provided a getaway for Eileen and Severus several times a year, for as part of the Prince line, their presence was required at many pureblood gatherings.

It was at one of those gatherings that Severus Snape met Sirius Orion Black and later on, James Charlus Potter.

Sirius Black was not quite what he had expected of the Black Heir, Severus later thought. The younger son, Regulus, fit that mold a bit better. Sirius was just more lifelike, whereas Regulus resembled a typical pureblood child of the 1960s: lifeless, dull, and obedient. Severus also later realized that the uniqueness of Sirius, for lack of a better word, was probably what drew him to the boy that was only months older than himself.

During their eighth meeting, which was a celebration with all of the traditionally Dark-inclined families when Severus was eight and Sirius, nine, Hogwarts houses came up for the first time.

"I'll probably be a Slytherin." Severus had said when the topic had come up, completely unconcerned. "Maybe a Ravenclaw, but that's doubtful."

Sirius had nodded slowly, and even at eight years old, Severus had been able to tell he was worried about something. Sirius quickly looked around to make sure that there was no one in hearing range before stating, "I need to be a Gryffindor."

It said something about their friendship that Severus could hear the unspoken, 'It's my only way out.' He had heard stories about the Black family, and their ties with the mysterious organization known as the Knights of Walpurgis. And although he did not see the appeal of Gryffindor, he honestly didn't blame his friend for thinking it was the only way out. It probably was. So instead of bemoaning about the horrors of Gryffindor, as he was supposed to, he raised an eyebrow and said, "With your idiocy and arrogance, you'll fit right in."

Severus never forgot the look of relief that overtook Sirius' face as he quipped back, "I believe arrogance is more of a Slytherin trait...all Snakes think they're bloody perfect."

Although Severus and his mother were not treated as badly as they could have been, that does not mean their lives were perfect by any means. Tobias Snape still beat the young wizard and his mother. Perhaps emboldened by Sirius' growing displays against his family, and the anger caused by the knowledge of what a family was supposed to be from James, Severus was defiant, and took his mother's punishments on top of his increasing load of them. Severus would have turned out a very different boy if not for one girl.

Lily Evans, the girl from down the street. The girl whom, Severus suspected, was a witch just like his mother. Of course, when he told her that after finally seeing her do magic, she took it the wrong way.

Thankfully, he let her explain, and by the end of the day, Severus had a new friend. When things got hard, she made it a bit more bearable.

Severus was standing and waiting for it to be his turn to be sorted. James, Sirius, and Lily, along with the two boys they had met on the train, Remus and Peter, had all been sorted into Gryffindor. Although he was happy that his friends had gotten into the house they wanted (especially Sirius, who looked as though a weight had been lifted from him the moment the hat declared him a Gryffindor), Severus was also slightly disappointed that he would be in Slytherin house alone.

"Snape, Severus," The woman who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall called out Severus' name, and he slowly and calmly made his way to the sorting hat, attempting to ignore his friends' eyes on him.

"Ah, finally, a challenge." Severus heard the hat say in his mind, and mentally frowned. He had thought he was a Slytherin through and through.

"Yes, you do have the qualities of Slytherin...however you also have a great mind, a loyal soul, and a brave heart. Hufflepuff is not the right place for you though...you don't quite have the temperament." The Sorting Hat said wryly, causing Severus to smirk. "And while you'd make a great Ravenclaw or Slytherin, I believe the best place for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Severus tried not to show his shock as he walked calmly over to the Gryffindor table, to where his friends were cheering. Maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be so lonely after all, he thought as he settled down next to Sirius and across from Lily with a small smile.

Now however, is when the story skips ahead a little bit. For while the Marauders' years at Hogwarts are quite an interesting and important story in their own right, they really are not all that important to this particular story. For this particular story, all you need to know from the Marauders' years at Hogwarts are three things:

1. Although Sirius was thrilled to have an escape route from his family, he and Severus kept up their brotherhood and friendship with Regulus, respectively. Upon Regulus being pressured into joining the Death Eaters, and his eventual desire to get out, one way or another, it was Sirius and Severus who convinced him to spy for Dumbledore and the Light.

2. They never mentioned it for fear of being labelled Dark, but Sirius, Severus, and Remus were more neutral than they were Light, and not a single one of them trusted Dumbledore completely.

3. Peter never mentioned to anyone that he, much like Sirius and Severus, could have been sorted into Slytherin. He hated being overshadowed. And in his seventh year, he had made himself a promise. He would show everyone that he could be great and powerful too.

Ah, well now that the very beginning (the beginning of the very beginning, in fact) has been told, we can begin the rest of the story.

For you see this is a story about, among other things:

~A boy with a lightning bolt scar
~Three men as close as brothers
~The accidentally rich and famous
~The Dragon Star and the Moon Seer
~Some Lions
~Family, both born and made
~Adventures
~Legends
~The power of truth and lies
~And quite a lot of Magic

A/N: So this is the prologue of what will (hopefully) be quite a long fic. So stay tuned for more, and please review to let me know what you think!
(The format of the last paragraph, "For you see this is a story about...And quite a lot of magic" is a variation on a paragraph from The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. I do not own any part of The Book Thief or any other works by Marcus Zusak)