Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series, but I do own this story plot.

Warnings: Cursing from Voldemort, Severus, and other characters. And expect OOCness from some characters

Summary: When they find out that Voldemort is after them because of their child, Lily and James go into hiding and decide to abandon baby Harry in an orphanage to save themselves. Angered by their decisions, Severus takes Harry away from them before they can leave Harry at the orphanage and raises the child himself. Along the way, Voldemort changes his ways and helps them. With the Order, Dumbledore, the Death Eaters, and Voldemort helping him with Harry, what will happen when the Potters come back and demand that Harry is returned to them?

Prologue

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten." - Lilo, from Lilo and Stitch.

A family always stays together.

A family never leaves anyone behind.

A family doesn't betray one another.

Most importantly, a family never abandons one of their own.

It was 4 days before they were supposedly 'murdered' that Lily and James were visited by Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore at their home in Godric's Hollow. Knocking on the front door, they were welcomed in by no one other than James Potter. With a sneer at Severus and a nod at Dumbledore, the man ushered the two wizards in before closing the door and guiding them to the living room of the house.

"Hello Headmaster. Hello Severus." Lily greeted when she saw the men enter the room with her husband. Severus greeted Lily with a mere nod while Dumbledore greeted "Hello, my dear girl."

Curious as to why her best friend and the Headmaster was here, Lily asked "What's going on?"

"Severus was told something crucial that must be acknowledged urgently." Dumbledore answered. Severus stopped looking around and spoke quietly "The Dark Lord informed me of his plan to kill your child."

"WHAT?!" James roared as he jumped to his feet with his wand in his hand. Severus looked at James dead in the eyes before repeating what he said slowly. Sinking down to the floor, Lily asked brokenheartedly "What? Why? What does he want with Harry? What are we going to do?"

"The Dark Lord has been informed of a prophecy that has said that he will be defeated by the one who is born at the end of July." Severus answered, blankly without any emotion. With tears streaming down her face, Lily looked at her husband and asked worriedly "James, what are we going to do?"

"I'll tell you what we're going to do! We're leaving Harry at the nearby orphanage then go into hiding!" James declared strongly. Hearing her husband's answer, Lily cried out "But he's our child!"

"I know he is, Lils. But if he stays with us, we may end up dying." James consoled his wife.

Lily let out a sob as she protested "He's still our child!"

James ran a hand through his hair and said quietly "We'll just leave him at an orphanage for the time being while we go into hiding! When it's safe again, we'll come back and get him."

"O-O-Okay." Lily agreed before getting to her feet. Turning around, she was greeted by the sight of her baby in her childhood friend's arms. Nervously, Lily asked "What are you doing with Harry? When did you get him?"

"After you agreed with your husband to dump your only child at an orphanage, I decided to keep Harry as my own. I mean, what's the point of a child not being loved by his own biological parents when he can be loved by a surrogate?" Severus sneered at Lily. The woman was no longer the woman he knew - the Lily he knew would never do such a thing.

"Fine! Take the damn child away!" James yelled and startled Harry from his sleep. Crying, he opened his big eyes to see a man looking back with blank eyes.

"Da?" Harry cooed curiously as he got hold of a strand of Severus's long dark hair and tugged.

"His first word." Lily whispered, her eyes wide. Harry was a year old, but for some reason, he had a harder time developing his vocabulary and speaking than a normal child. Lily and James had done whatever they could to help Harry improve, but their efforts were useless. So, they just left Harry to his baby cooing and gurgles.

James was trembling furiously - his child had called his rival 'da'.

"LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN!" James screamed. Severus looked up from the child, who looked like he was about to start crying in fear at the loud scream, and nodded his head at Albus before leaving the house with the child tucked safely in his arms. Turning back around, they saw a furious Albus Dumbledore glaring at them with icy blue eyes instead of his usual twinkling blue eyes.

"You two deserve to die." was all he said before he left the house himself and Disapparated back to Hogwarts. After he left the house, Severus looked down at the wide-awake child once more before Disapparating with a loud CRACK!

An hour later, the Potters disappeared and all that was left were two magical dummy clones of them.

When the world stopped spinning, he saw Snape Manor looming in front of him. With his head held high, he stepped into the manor and was greeted by the sight of the Dark Lord in his library with a book in his hands as he lounged on a couch with Nagini curled up by his feet.

"Milord." Severus greeted as he entered the library with the child in his arms. Voldemort looked up from the book to see his faithful servant with a baby in his arms and nodded before going back to his book.

HIS FAITHFUL SERVANT WITH A BABY IN HIS ARMS?!

Voldemort whipped his head up faster than necessary to stare at the now squirming child in his servant's arms.

"Who is the child, Severus?" Voldemort asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he stood up from where he sat to walk over to Severus.

Bluntly, Severus answered "The child is Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans."

Voldemort's eyes widened before narrowing.

"Where did you get him? How did you get him? Why did you bring him here knowing my plans?" Voldemort continued asking, as he watched the baby. Harry cooed softly and lifted a chubby little hand up at him before putting it into his mouth and sucking on it.

"The Potters decided to get rid of their child, so they would remain safe. They were planning on leaving the child at an orphanage to go into hiding before I took the child away." Severus replied as Harry yawned then fell asleep.

"I am guessing that you are planning on raising him?" Voldemort murmured, softly as he looked at his servant and had to do a double take to make sure that he wasn't seeing Severus looking affectionately down at the bundled child in his arms. It's true that he - Tom Marvolo Riddle - is a Dark Lord, but that didn't mean he would go so far as to kill a fellow orphan.

"Of course I am.", Severus replied tersely before leaving Voldemort all alone in the library. After Severus left, Tom sat back down in his armchair and continued reading his book as he thought of what had happened in the last few days.

First, he had discovered that somebody had tampered with his mind and had gotten control of him just months ago but kept silent about it to his followers.

Second, he had killed the man who had been controlling him just moments ago before Severus had returned but after he had told Severus that he was planning on killing the Potters.

Third, his faithful follower had returned with Harry Potter in his arms and had just basically told him that he planned on keeping the baby.

What the bloody hell was he going to do now? And how was he going to reveal himself back to the Wizarding World?