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We are the 0bservcanc3. We See many timelines.

We Do NOT own Harry Potter, nor any characters seen within this timeline.

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And see how even the smallest changes in a single life can change the world.

A Very 'Not So Different' Story Ch. 1) A Different History

There is a world… a world where magic does in fact exist. Hundreds of years ago, it was decided that those of magical inclination, such as wizards and witches, and creatures of magic, such as the Phoenix and goblins, would be better off if they were hidden from the jealous eyes of Muggles, those without magic. This decision caused the subsequent "disappearance" of magic from the "Normal World", but also caused the birth of the "Magical World". Every country had its magical equivalent hidden away in forgotten corners, or hidden in plain site under Muggle repelling charms.

As with any country, a government must be made to keep its inhabitants from getting out of hand, and to uphold the laws of the land. Most magical governments were based off of their muggle equal. This was the case for magical Britain, the focus of this timeline. After the Statute of Secrecy was firmly in place, the ruling bodies pooled their resources and created the Ministry of Magic. Much like the Ministry of Muggle Britain, this Ministry had many branches that dealt with the day to day occurrences in the magical world.

But, because of the split between the two Britains, when the Muggle world advanced in technology and culture, Magical Britain was left behind. Even in 1980, where the Muggle world held wonders of technology such as the automobile and the telephone, not to mention the television, Magical Britain was still using quills and broomsticks, and had no multimedia entertainment like the television.

And as the Muggle World could become embroiled in War, so too could the Magical World. Those who fell to the seductive power of the Darker Arts would inevitably try and obtain world domination, be it solely Magical or both Magical and Muggle. This was proven numerous times as wizards who would proclaim themselves Dark Lords would bring terror and darkness to the World of Magic.

The most recent examples would be Gellert Grindelwald and Tom Marvolo Riddle. Grindelwald, born in 1883, was educated in the Ways of Magic at the Durmstrang Institute. He quickly proved his genius in magic, particularly in Dark Magic.

After being found out experimenting on fellow students, he was expelled. After leaving his home, he went to live with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot. There, he struck up a friendship with one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. The two then decided to set about changing the Magical World, and subsequently putting the Muggles of the world in a subservient position for all time. These plans would have gone forward, and who knows where we'd be, if not for one horrific incident.

The death of Ariana Dumbledore.

The sister of Albus and his brother, Aberforth, was killed as a result of a duel between the three men, arising due to the fact that Aberforth realized the other two's ambitions. Trying to dissuade his brother from his errant path, Aberforth suffered the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of Grindelwald. Love for his brother overcoming his love for his friend, Albus drew his wand on Grindelwald. The three fired many a curse and hex, until one wayward spell struck the youngest Dumbledore.

Being a Squib, one of Magical birth but retaining no magic of their own, Ariana… died. Devastated, Albus ended his friendship with Grindelwald and attacked the man. Grindelwald fled Britain, fearing the fury of his once-friend.

While the remaining Dumbledores lived their lives in Britain, Grindelwald continued his research and experiments, all "For the Greater Good". He eventual uncovered the location of the Elder Wand, an artifact claimed to be made from Death itself, and part of a trinity known as the Deathly Hallows. Grindelwald hastily moved to take the wand from Gregorovitch, the famous wand maker who reportedly held the wand. After doing so, Grindelwald set about raising an army of followers. Declaring himself a Dark Lord, Grindelwald began his conquest. He would enter a country secretly at first, slowly building support.

Those that supported Grindelwald were usually Purebloods, or those whose family had been all magical for hundreds of years into the past. Seeing this as a future avenue of support As his army grew, he expanded his reign of terror throughout the Magical European countries, excluding Magical Britain, reportedly still fearing his ex-friend Albus. Those enemies that Grindelwald saw as important or torture worthy, were kept in the prison that he had crafted. Nurmengard became known as synonymous with nightmares in the Magical World.

After years of this, Albus Dumbledore, now the Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, was pushed to confront his once-friend due to the outcries of the public. In 1945, the resulting duel went down as the greatest magical duel in modern history. The result of the duel was a victory by Albus and a defeat to Grindelwald. Reportedly, the Elder Wand was "lost" in the ensuing chaos caused by the fall of the Dark Lord Grindelwald.

Grindelwald was then imprisoned, ironically, in his own prison for life.

Meanwhile, on December 31, 1926, another student of the Dark Arts was brought into the world. Born from a witch who enticed the wealthy muggle she craved with a love potion, only to be abandoned by said muggle when the potion wore off, leading to her subsequent death shortly after childbirth, Tom Marvolo Riddle was left to be raised in Wool's Orphanage until called to Hogwarts to begin his magical education. Secretly, Riddle had already put his magic to use through "accidental magic", the term used to denote magic done by underage magicals who do not yet have a wand.

At Hogwarts, Riddle was seen as a perfect student, handsome, hardworking, and ambitious. Sorted into Slytherin, due to direct ancestry to Salazar Slytherin himself?, Tom created a gang of followers that would do his every bidding. As the years went by, more and more of the students of Hogwarts and even the faculty fell under Riddle's charismatic charm, Professor Dumbledore the only exception. Riddle then began to research his history.

He discovered for a fact that he was a descendent of Salazar Slytherin, and had always suspected, for he was a Parseltongue, one who could speak to snakes. He also found and opened the Chamber of Secrets, which held Slytherin's basilisk. Using the King of Snakes, Riddle, harmed many muggle-born and half-blood students, continuing his ancestors mission of ridding Hogwarts of all those who were not Pureblood. After killing a muggle-born student named Mrytle, Riddle had to stop using the basilisk for fear of Hogwarts closing, and returning to the orphanage, which he hated. Framing Rubeus Hagrid and his pet Acromantula, Aragog, for the murder, Riddle succeeded in keeping both his innocent mask and Hogwarts open.

After leaving Hogwarts, and being refused the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Riddle left to presumably travel. After returning, he got a job at Borgins and Burkes, selling, buying, and trading magical artifacts. After the "poisoning" of Hepzibah Smith, with whom he had struck up a friendship, he disappeared.

In 1970, Riddle suddenly reappeared as Lord Voldemort, and used his followers, the Death Eaters, to gain more power and spread terror throughout magical Britain. Voldemort claimed the title of Dark Lord and systematically began to take control of the entire country. The Ministry of Magic was ineffective in stopping this new threat, and it was left to Albus Dumbledore, the hero of the last Magical War against a Dark Lord, to stop the Voldemort.

Dumbledore started the Order of the Phoenix, a group of like minded wizards and witches that would staunchly hold back the dark tide that was Voldemort. At the height of Voldemort's power, in 1979, a prophecy was made about his defeat. One of Voldemort's Death Eaters heard half of the prophecy and told the Dark Lord. Anxious to destroy the only being with the perceived power to defeat him for good, Voldemort set out to kill the only ones who could fulfill the prophecy. There were two potential families that the prophecy could pertain to. The Potter family, and the Longbottom family. Hearing the prophecy himself, Albus Dumbledore had both families go into hiding under the Fidelius Charm, which was unbreakable without the Secret Keeper's… secret phrase.

Voldemort, for whatever reason, chose to personally see to the desctruction of the Potter family. With the help of a traitor within the Order of the Phoenix, who was also the Potter's Secret Keeper, Voldemort moved against the Potters.

Finding them in Godric's Hollow, Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on James Potter immediately upon entering the home. Then, he went after the fleeing mother and child. This is where the first change in history was realized…

(OCTOBER 31, 1981 : GODRIC'S HOLLOW)

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" Shouted one James Harry Potter, the father of the child that Lord Voldemort, the current Dark Lord, was trying to kill. James had felt the sudden miasma of Voldemort's magic permeate the air as the vile man had apparated into Godric's Hollow. Damn! He couldn't believe Peter had betrayed them!

Lily Potter had already made it upstairs when she heard the most fear-inducing sound she would ever hear…

"Alo…hamorah…" The simple unlocking spell had been uttered by the deformed lips of Tom Marvolo Riddle, or Lord Voldemort, as some called him. Before her husband had a chance to cast a spell, hex, or even a curse in his defense, Voldemort was on him.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" And just like that, Lily Potter was a widow. Silent tears streamed down her eyes, even as she barricaded the door to her son's room with the most powerful charms she could think of. But, she knew that they would not be enough, it was never enough. She would defend her son to the end though! Never it be said that Lilly Evans-Potter was a coward!

"Come out, come out… little girl! You know you cannot hide from me!" Voldemort taunted. How he loved this! The fear that rolled off his victims, the desctruction of all they held dear before they too were destroyed! With the death of this boy, and the other, which he had some of his top followers go after, he would be truly IMMORTAL!

Slowly climbing the stairs, Voldemort took his time in reaching the room he knew the woman and child were in. As an afterthought, he flicked an Expulso spell casually over his shoulder, resulting in the room in which James Harry Potter was killed in exploded, weakening the overall structure of the house, and damaging the corpse of the dead Potter. That should put the fear into those few Purebloods who were misguided enough to defy him!

Lily heard the explosion, and had to cast a quick Silencio charm on Harry to keep his cries quiet. No need for the Dark Lord to hear his fearful crying, he knew where they were anyway.

As Voldemort reached the door to the room in which the only obstacle to his immortality was "hidden" in, he stopped. How he savored this! Silently casting the unlocking charm, he found that there had been no need, the lock hadn't even been drawn! Pushing on the door, Voldemort was thrown back by the force of the Protego Totalum charm that had been cast on the door, which had also been wrapped in a stinging hex. How… elementary.

Casting several Diffindo Charms, along with the Fiendfyre Curse, Voldemort obliterated the door in his way. The curse would also destroy the house, after he was done with its inhabitants.

"Well well well, did you honestly think ssssuch a paltry charm and a sssimple hex would offset me from my dessssstiny!?" Voldemort yelled. While the charm and hex hadn't hurt him at all, it still pissed him off that a muggle-born would dare defy him again!

"I knew that even my charms could not stop you Tom, but every shot counts." Lily quipped back at the deranged wizard. Let him see if she were afraid of him! No one would lay a finger on her Harry if she had anything to say about it… unfortunately, she felt sure that soon, Voldemort would take even that from her. NO! She would do anything to protect her baby, anything!

At that moment, ancient magics, laid to rest since the time of Merlin, was awoken. Though it had no true consciousness, it could recognize that someone was invoking it. Someone had began to call upon it, and after centuries of inaction, it wished to be used. Now all that needed to be done was for the one who awoke it to use it.

Meanwhile, Voldemort was incensed! How dare this mudblood scum speak to him like this! He'd show her the might of an heir of Salazar Slytherin!

"Ssssso, the mudblood thinkssss she isss sssmart hmm? Well, maybe you will think better of ssspeaking so brusquely to your betters after one of my sssnakes hasss a go at you. I will enjoy your ssscreamsss before I kill you. Then, asss you depart to the afterlife, know that your ssson will go through the torture of the Cruciatus Curse before I kill him asss well!" Oh yes, Voldemort would enjoy this night. Enjoy it immensely.

"Ssserpensssortia!" And suddenly a very large and disgruntled Eastern Brown snake shot out of Voldemort's wand's tip. For those of you who are not practitioners of Ophiology, the Eastern Brown is the second most venomous snake in the world, and has a temper to match. And this snake was very angry.

"Who hasssss sssssummoned me? And why? The mate is soon to be laying, and I cannot be abssssent for it. Who sssssummonssss me!?" The snake demanded grumpily. The mate, as it had said, was soon to lay the yet-to-be hatchlings. He could not be absent, it was hard enough to woo the mate was it was, he'd catch never ending grief if he was missing. Abruptly, it realized there were three two-legs in the room. A male, with a reek worse than the worst trash, a female, who reeked of fear and determination, and a hatchling who had no idea what was going on.

Voldemort, confident now that the snake would do as he wished, if only to get back to its mate, spoke with great care, no need to upset such a venomous "ally".

"I sssssummoned you. And if you wish to return to your mate in any kind of timely fashion, you will kill the woman… but do it sssslowly." The snake was slightly shocked. A speaker! Never had he seen such a two-legged one before! And it just had to be a dark one didn't it? He could never catch a break, could he?

"Why should I ssserve you? Return me now stupid two-legger!" The reply to the snakes demand was never ending waves of pain, pain like he had never felt before. Voldemort had cast a voiceless Cruciatus Curse on the impudent reptile, no snake everdisobeys an heir of Slytherin. After half a minute, he cut off the curse. "NOW GO!"

After the pain had ended, and the snake could think again, it reconsidered making rash arguments and demands of the male. His mother had told him, as a hatchling, of speakers who forced snakes to do what they wanted, often using pain as an incentive. Very well, might as well start. The sooner this was done, the sooner he could return to the mate, and no more pain. Poor two-legged female though, his venom was excruciatingly painful.

Seeing the snake begin to slither towards the mudblood, Voldemort took two or three steps back, not wanting any of the resulting blood to get on him, filthy witch! The snake was almost upon her, he began to smirk. That's… when everything went wrong.

Lily Potter, mother of Harry James Potter, wife of James Harry Potter, member of the Order of the Phoenix, prized potions student of Horace Slughorn, who now faced certain painful death by snake or curse, smirked. It was time to reveal one of her family secrets, even if it was to Voldemort. She opened her mouth, and…

"Friend…Do not lisssten to the pale one. He liesss! If you kill me, you will never ssse your mate again. He hasss already killed my mate! He will bind you to hisss ssservice, and force you to do hisss dirty work. You would be a ssslave in everything but name."

"Let me return you to your mate, free of all bindingsss but an oath. When she laysss, have the smallest egg transssported to my little one. When it hatchessss, leave your hatchling with him. He is dessstined for greatnessss, and will need a true friend to sssstay by hisss ssside. Shake your head sssslightly up and down if you agree, if not, I will die regardlessss."

Both the snake and Voldemort were shocked speechless. Lily Potter was a Parseltongue!

Voldemort's already pale skin went so white, snow would be jealous. Impossible! No mudblood has ever, could ever, been endowed with such gift!

The snake was bewildered! Two speakers, in one room! His mother had said they were rare, but now he had to decide which one to follow. One offered a quick return to his mate, while the other had made no open promises. What to do, what to do? On one hand, the female claimed to be able to return him to his mate, and in return, only asked for the smallest of his brood. On the other hand, the male had not only pulled him away from his home at a crucial moment, but had also caused him undue pain. And, he had already killed the mate of another. While the snake decided, Voldemort had regained his wits.

"How! How can a filthy mudblood have such a pure gift! How did you steal it! TELL ME!" Oh yeah, Voldemort was furious. This mudblood, first she defies him, then she uses a gift only select wizards and witches were supposed to be able to use, such as heirs of Slytherin. It sickened him.

Meanwhile, the snake had decided. It slowly nodded to Lily, making seem as if he were simply swaying. Seeing this, Lily smirked again. Now to distract the old snakeskin.

"What's the matter Tom, I thought you knew." Seeing Voldemort's attention all on her, her smirk widened and she continued. "No? Well here's a history lesson. In 1924, as you know, Marvolo Gaunt and his son, Morfin, where arrested by Bob Ogden and his Aurors of the Ministry of Magic for attempted murder of a Ministry official. But before that, Ogden had gone to the Gaunt's to arrest only Morfin for practicing magic in front of, and on, muggles. What records don't show, is that the first time, he had brought a partner. A woman partner."

Voldemort did not like where this was going. He knew that his "uncle" and "grandfather" were wild and insane men. Lily continued, but now a tone of anger began to creep into her voice.

"While Morfin chased off Ogden with jinxes, Marvolo was left alone with his partner. Before she could defend herself, Marvolo cast the Imperious Curse on her. All the action that had led up to the confrontation at the Gaunt's had made Marvolo very… restless. Since his wife had left him years ago due to his madness, he was a bit, what would you call it, wound up? And here was the perfect slave, under the compulsion curse, to take care of it."

"As you no doubt figured out, he used her until Morfin returned. Then the monster undid the Imperious Curse and had his son hold the woman down so he could enjoy her struggle and screams of pain and horror. Then… the Ministry arrived. Panicked, Marvolo banished the raped women, instead of killing her with the Killing Curse. The two Gaunts were quickly arrested, and the partner assumed killed and buried."

Now Voldemort really did not like where this was going. Lily's voice was now very deep, filled with rage.

"The women, whose last name was Evans…" And then Voldemort's second to worse fear was realized… "Woke up near Glasgow. She hid from everyone and everything she had once known. After living in Glasgow for only two months, she found that she was pregnant… with Marvolo's child. She could not bring herself to abort the child, even if it was created in an act of violence and violation, for as soon as she knew she was expecting, feeling of unconditional love for her child took over."

"Nine months later, David Evans was born. Born a Squib."

Voldemort's mind was spinning facts around furiously in his head. Squibs had nearly no magic, and were thus seen as near the bottom of societies ladder, but if they were Pureblood, then it nearly didn't matter. He assumed that the unnamed partner of Bob Ogden was a Pureblood, and Marvolo was, of course, a Pureblood. Seeing the "man" in front of her start to figure out her history, Lily pushed forward.

"Yes, if it still matters to you, David Evans was a Pureblood, even as a Squib. His mother raised him with knowledge of the world he could not be apart of, but he was not bitter. When he was thirty, David moved to Spinner's End, and, falling in love with her red-haired beauty, married Susan O' Donnell. Susan was also a Squib whose mother had taken great pains to hide away her magic-less daughter. Four years later, Susan became pregnant. Pregnant, with a daughter. This daughter was also a squib, and as you also know, when a line has a squib birth through three generations, the last squib is truly a muggle.

Now, less than a year later, Mr. and Mrs. Evans were expecting again. So on January 30, 1960, Mrs. Evans again brought a daughter into the world. For years, she was thought to be a squib-muggle too. Then, a miracle." Here Lily stopped. Voldemort grew suspicious, and readied for a sudden attack. Unsurprisingly, he felt a large force blast him against the wall behind him. Lily, eyes blazing, literally blazing, magic spoke only three words.

"I… Used… MAGIC!"

Still being forced against the wall by the release of Lily's much suppressed magic, Voldemort hardly had the concentration to see the Eastern Brown slither up Lily's arm, accept a large piece of her magic, and be banished back to where he had been summoned from. After a couple of minutes of Lily's attack, Voldemort released some of his own magic. Pushing about forty percent of it into an invisible shield, holding back the magic of his apparent cousin, Voldemort did the only thing he could think of to stop her.

"ACCIO POTTER!"

The use of such a simple charm shocked Lily into stopping her onslaught for only a brief second, but it was a second dearly missed. With that second, Voldemort turned to Harry, previously thought to be forgotten, and prepared to use the Killing Curse. Seeing this, Lily completely ceased the outflow of her magic, and jumped in front of her child. Totally undefended, Lily stared down the Dark Lord, her own family.

"Please no, not Harry. Take me!" She begged of her deranged cousin.

"I warn you blood of my blood, get out of my way. Even as this latest revelation spares you from my rage, and henceforth death, the same cannot be said for the child. He is the of only two that could possibly kill me. He must DIE! MOVE ASIDE!" Voldemort, hesitant to kill the sudden family he had found, proclaimed. The woman would not die, and together, they could even renew the line of Slytherin! But the boy must die, for the prophecy could not be afforded to come to pass.

"Not Harry, please no don't kill him, take me, kill me instead—" Lily pleaded.

"This is my last warning—"

"Not Harry! Please... have mercy ... Not Harry! Please— I'll do anything..." As she said this, Lily accidentally took a step forward, and Voldemort saw his opening.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"NO!"

… And it was done. The ancient magic, which had been waiting for this moment, quickly flew through the falling corpse of Lily Potter and into the babe, Harry Potter. Voldemort had not realized this, as he was preoccupied with the fact that he had just killed another Pureblood heir of Slytherin.

"NOOOO!" Quickly immersing himself in his anger and grief, Voldemort turned to the infant Potter and strode towards him. Each step increased the feelings of lose and pain that he had previously never felt before.

"YOU! YOU CAUSED MY PURE COUSIN TO SACRIFICE HER PRECIOUS LIFE! DIE! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The Killing Curse flew once again through the air, struck the babe, and…was absorbed? Stunned, Voldemort took another step towards the infant. No one had ever survived the Killing Curse before, what—?

Before the thought could fully form in the Dark Lords head, a green light built up in the baby's already emerald eyes, 'the same as his mother', Voldemort absently thought, and was released out onto the Dark Lord. The light was the self-same curse that he had just moments before shot at the boy, unknowingly absorbed and reflected by the ancient magic that now inhabited the boy. The light struck Voldemort and…

The Dark Lord was obliterated by the intense magic. Soon after, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubius Hagrid arrived. They had realized when they felt could suddenly remember where James and Lily had hidden that the Fidelius Charm had been broken. While none could believe that Sirius Black had betrayed his life friends, that no longer mattered. What mattered was getting to the Potters in time.

Arriving at the Potter's home, Hagrid… and then McGonagall, burst into tears. The home was wrecked and on fire, with visible interior destruction. Dumbledore quickly apparated inside, and, seeing the dead body of James Potter, ran as fast as he could upstairs. There, he found the corpse of Lily Potter, the cloak worn by Voldemort, and completely unharmed, Harry Potter. Grabbing the baby as softly as possible, he then apparated outside, just as the house collapsed.

And that is the beginning of the tale of Harry James Potter, the Boy Who Lived….

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