A/N: Hello one and all! If you found your way here then you, like me, kind of adore Remus Lupin. Yay! Yes, we know he was a coward of sorts in the books, but how could he stand up for himself when everyone around him kind of made it seem like all werewolves were vicious monsters? Anyway, this is my take on changing the world of Harry Potter. I wanted to give Remus a chance at raising Harry. There are quite a few stories out there with this theme but they aren't finished or people lost interest in it. I always felt that Remus would make a good father. POA kind of led me to that thought and granted, he was a meek character, but I - and I'm saying this here and now- WILL BE CHANGING HIS PERSONALITY. If you're not okay with that, turn around now. I'm going to give this a try and see how it pans out.

Also, this is a series. Prologue with some one shots that skip a few years leading up to Harry's first year in school. If you look at my profile info, it will clearly say in bold that there will be content warnings in some of my stories. Fortunately this isn't one of them. Hurrah! But for furture reference, look out for them. If they're not your cup of tea...well...yeah.

Without furhter ado, let me know what you think of this first chapter of the prologue. I'll be uploading the second chapter soon. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

*RJL~RJL~RJL*

November 1, 1981

Remus Lupin sat in a covered corner of an abandoned store front, watching as muggles ran to and fro on the street doing their best to avoid the steady fall of rain that fell from the bleak looking sky. Remus himself looked up at the darkening sky, a scene that matched his feelings and current emotions perfectly; his face being splattered by the drops that fell on his face, mingling with the tears that suddenly started to fall as he remembered his friends. His friends now long gone, three dead and the last, a traitorous bastard who sold out James and Lily to Voldemort, was lock away in Azkaban and good riddance to him.

Thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew all died from the explosion that Sirius Black caused two nights ago, and there were eye witnesses to the attack. Even though Sirius would not be allowed a trial according to the Prophet, and even though he felt no more love towards Sirius for betraying Lily and James, he still had to wonder…why? Why was he not to be given a trial when that is the protocol of all criminals, no matter their crime and no matter how many eye witnesses there were?

The brown haired young man shook his head and cradled it within his hands as he let out a sorrowful groan of misery. It mattered not why Sirius was not allowed a trial. All that mattered was that the man who betrayed his friends was now to be put away for the rest of his life and Remus could care less about the bloke.

The rain slowly started to abate, yet the crowd of muggles on the streets continued to grow as more and more of them came out of hiding with the sudden break in the weather. With a deep sigh, Remus stood up as well from his hideaway of the abandoned building and sluggishly walked around the entrance to the side alley, his bones and body protesting with each step. The night of the tragedy was the full moon, which was why he wasn't there to help Lily and James fight off Voldemort when he arrived. His body was still trying to mend itself from the pain that the change caused him, but today he was about fifty percent better. By this time tomorrow he would be completely fine with a few twinges here and there. However, even with all of the pain, he just wanted to go and take one last look at the place he considered his home away from home; the home that use to hold two wonderful people and their cherub of a son.

Eyes widening, Remus mentally kicked himself.

Harry!

How could he have forgotten about sweet, cheerful, baby Harry? How could he sit there and only mourn the lives of his friends when he didn't even know whether or not Harry was alright? He knew the boy lived. It was all over the papers that Harry somehow rebounded the Killing Curse back at Voldemort, an idea that made Remus himself roll his eyes and chuckle emotionlessly. Adults couldn't destroy the most notorious mad man in England, enemy to both wizard and muggle alike, and yet people all over the world truly believed that a one year old was able to conduct accidental magic to slay the crazed maniac? Absolute rubbish that was.

Having reached the end of the alley and passed all wandering eyes of the muggle persuasion, Remus took out his wand and apparated to Godric's Hollow. As he walked through the bleak looking neighborhood he passed by the cemetery, the place where Lily and James would most likely be buried at in a day's time after Dumbledore finished getting preparations together. House after house Remus continued to walk through the neighborhood until he reached the wreckage that used to be the Potter house. A sob became caught in his throat as he saw that the door was broken in and the roof above what used to be Harry's room was collapsed in. Even if Harry did survive the curse, would he have been able to survive the roof caving in over his cot?

Remus sank to his knees, the combination of recovering from his transformation and the clear knowledge that his friends were gone forever making his knees weak. After a period of crying over the acceptance of his friend's fate, Remus stood up and went into the trashed house. Each step caused memory after memory of the year that Lily and James lived in that home to resurface and the young man had to lean against a wall to catch himself as he once again felt weak.

Remus, as much as he wanted to venture in and salvage anything of the child's, completely by-passed Harry's room after collecting himself. He couldn't bear with the idea of possibly seeing the cherub's blood on the cot if the roof did indeed collapse on him before authorities could get him out of there. He could smell the baby's blood, but he couldn't bring himself to look into the room. Instead, he continued walking down the hall to the room where James and Lily rested.

It was almost as if this room was preserved. This must be the only room Voldemort didn't touch, which means that neither one of them died in here. Moving over to the bed, Remus sat down with his head in his hands. If only the full moon didn't appear two nights ago. If only he wasn't a bloody werewolf and a danger to his friends. He would have been able to at least help the Potters get away with their lives, even at the cost of his own.

A strangled sob escaped the young werewolf's mouth. "Lily…James…Harry, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I failed you all," he said before laying down on the bed and quickly succumbing to his emotional and physical exhaustion.

~RJL~RJL~RJL~

Tap Tap Tap

Remus shifted in his sleep, trying to block out the sound of that annoying tapping. It's been going on for the last three minutes already and he was getting fed up.

Tap Tap Tap

"Alright, you bloody bird!" the werewolf cried as he got out of the bed and walked to the window. "Merlin, no one lives here any longer so why on Earth would you continue to deliver mail here is beyond me."

Grumbling, Remus opened the window and the owl flew in, landing on the bedside table. In its beak was a green envelope and Remus took it from the bird. "I don't have anything to give you, sorry."

With a screech, the owl flew back out of the window, though Remus was sure that it would have had some very choice words for him if it were able to speak human speech. With a sigh, Remus sat back down on the bed and tossed the letter onto the night table where the owl had just left. Putting his head back into his hands he gripped his hair in frustration and released a depressed groan.

Even after they're gone, they're still getting mail. Remus picked up his head and looked at the letter. The fancy handwriting on the envelope was so familiar…so feminine…so…

Lily!

In a flash Remus had snatched up the letter and opened it. It was very thick now that he took a careful look at it. Inside, the envelope held a guardianship form signed by Lily and James, a certificate, and a letter written in Lily's loopy, yet elegant handwriting.

It read:

Dear Remus,

If you are reading this letter then that would mean that James and myself are no longer a part of this world, however, my little boy will still be alive, I'm sure of it. I've been dabbling in some magic that I had found in an old book at a second-hand book shop in Diagon Alley, and it mentioned a spell called 'Mother's Eternal Protection'. It's a tricky spell… and I would only have one chance to cast it correctly, but I'm positive that with me doing so, I would have been able to protect Harry from that psycho.

Now, as regards to this envelope and the forms within, once I had found out that Voldemort would be after my family, I had set it up with a trustworthy goblin at Gringotts to have this envelope mailed to you. Inside is a guardianship consent form in which my and James' names are signed on. You will need this form in order to gain custody of Harry. I trust you Remus. I know for a fact that even with your condition you will see to it that my son is protected and raised to be a great man. You were the more level headed one out of the Marauders and though I do trust Sirius with my child's well-being and he is first choice due to James picking him and having him at the ceremony while you were recovering from the moon, I would rather you know that I wanted you as Harry's godfather. When we made Sirius secret keeper, a choice I protested until I grew hoarse, I had given James an ultimatum. If we made Sirius secret keeper, then we would have to make you Harry's second godfather.

That would be the certificate that is also placed into this envelope. Call it woman's intuition, but for some reason, I feel that it was necessary to give Harry a second godfather.

Please don't concern yourself about protecting Harry during the full moon. I know I may be asking for a lot, and I'm putting a lot of pressure onto your shoulders by asking you to do this, but I beg of you, Remus, to raise Harry as if he were your own child. I know that if given the chance, you would have been together with Melissa Harroway by now with your own child. With circumstances as they are, your chance at having a family may have seemed omitted long ago, but maybe now you can actually have one with Harry.

You're the only person I trust with my son's life now that James and I are gone. Sirius is too much of a joker and I truly don't want Harry to grow up believing that life should be handed to him on a silver platter. I'm quite positive that with Harry's survival, Dumbledore would have placed him with the only blood relatives he has left, my sister and her husband.

I BEG of you Remus. Get my son AWAY from them. They oppose anything that's magic and I am sure that Petunia would not take care of my son as I know she should. Dumbledore already knows that I did not wish for my sister to raise my child and even when I showed him the document of your signature on the godparent certificate, he completely brushed off my concerns. This means that he would do whatever it takes to keep you away from Harry. He…has a plan. A scheme of sorts that will require Harry in some way. I just know it. Again, call it woman's intuition, but I've never been wrong when I've had hunches before. I just know the old man is up to something.

In order to keep you and Harry safe, I made sure to procure a house for you two in New York in America. Remember the post card I showed you of the city at night? It's upstate, a little way away from the main city and surrounded by trees. The house belonged to an old aunt of mine who died soon after my parents passed away. There is also a large shack further in the woods behind the house with a bomb shelter installed. I think my aunt was preparing for Voldemort or someone of equal evil going to America. She left the house and property in my name and now I'm leaving it to you. I have also transferred a large sum of galleons to your vault. Don't ask or worry about how much. Just take it, please, and raise Harry. Your passports and the other documents muggles need in order to fly across the ocean as well as the documents to live in America are safe at Gringgotts. Ask for Ragnok and he will help you with the rest.

I know that you can do this Remus. I have so much faith in you and I have always seen you like a brother.

Take care and be well, my dear friend.

Love always,

Lily

P.S.- Oh, and if you were wondering about how I acquired your signature, I got it off of a piece of paper one night after you, Sirius, and James got drunk after a Quidditch match.

Remus stared blankly at the note before reading it over once more, and then blinked owlishly again at it.

Raise Harry Potter? Alone? He could barely take care of himself and she wants him to raise a child?

Remus stood in the middle of the room looking at nothing significant. This was a lot of information to take in; a lot of responsibilities that Lily was asking of him. It honestly wasn't fair at all. For Lily to ask him to raise her and James' son…and him being a werewolf? There was no possible way he was going to accomplish this.

And Dumbledore would be furious if Remus did as Lily asked and took Harry from his relatives. After all the old wizard had done for him in the past, now he was being asked to deceive him and run with Harry. He had no right to do that. If he had a right, Dumbledore would have given him Harry the very next night. He had no real ties to Harry. He only just found out that he was the boy's godfather!

'Merlin's beard…I'm a godfather…'

The thought of Remus actually being responsible for another living being made him quite dizzy and he quickly sat back down on the bed, the words from the letter staring up at him. He wasn't sure how long he sat there staring at Lily's handwriting and re-reading the letter, but soon the sun was slowly ascending in the sky, and with it, Remus lifted his head; determination shining within his blue eyes.

He could do this. It would be difficult, of course. Raising a child took a lot of patience and it was a life-long commitment. Once he started he couldn't stop or pass the child onto anyone else. Once he took Harry from the Dursley's, the boy would be Remus' responsibility until the day he decided to kick the bucket; which wouldn't be anytime soon.

With determination burning inside of him, Remus left the bedroom. As much as he didn't wish to view the destruction of his friend's house, he knew that he needed to gather as much memories of their time alive as possible for Harry. He would enjoy the memories as well, but it was all mainly for Harry's benefit more so than his own. He went into the young boy's bedroom first to gather all of the toddler's toys, clothes, nappies, and other such things that would be needed for a child Harry's age. By the time Remus finished the only thing in the room was Harry's destroyed cot and the wreckage that was the child's old room. Remus returned to Lily and James' room to gather some pictures and to see if there were any old journals that the two of them may have wanted to give to Harry after he was old enough to understand the theory of magic. He only found an old potions journal of Lily's and upon flipping through it he found a note folded into the pages of a potion.

Remus' eyes widened as he saw what the potion was meant to do. A potion to help werewolves? Oh Lily, you were always thinking of others even if it meant you lost something in return.

Dear Severus,

My dear friend. I know you are probably wondering why I would call you that after our falling out years ago. I want you to know that I have never stopped thinking of you as my dear friend, Sev. You were the only one who understood me and I understood you. Unfortunately, we both allowed our tempers to get the better of us years ago and we never had the chance to apologize. I want to apologize for not talking to you about our row like we used to as children. I should have confronted you as I knew that you were not the kind of person who would come and open a conversation first. Because of my own temper, I allowed angry words to come between us and ruin a lifelong friendship. For that, I am deeply sorry.

I also want you to know that I forgive you.

I had forgiven you years ago, but again, my pride wouldn't allow me to speak out about that embarrassing day by the lake. Then everything began to lead from one thing to another and the next thing I knew I was joining the Order and having a family with James. I know that you dislike him; actually, I know that you hate him, but please remember that though he was a right foul git throughout our years at school, he did change for the better.

There were rumors that you had joined the Death Eaters. If that is true, all I want to ask is why? I know Tobias was a right abusive ass and James and his friends were no better, but was life really that dreadful that you had to seek power with evil? I guess I don't have any right to judge you. We have talked about your home life long ago but I never lived it. But I guess it doesn't matter. You're still you, after all, and you are always going to be my best friend, Sev.

Please do not blame yourself any longer. Forgive yourself as I have forgiven you many years ago.

Along with this letter should be my old potions journal. You know the one you gave to me for my fourteenth birthday? I've had it all this time and I've continued to experiment with many potions over the years. This letter should mark the page where I started enhancing the Wolfsbane potion. I haven't had it quite right, but I do think I am close to making it perfect.

But…my woman's intuition tells me that something will prevent me from completing this potion and without your help, I doubt if it would have been to the top of its ability to prevent the most discomfort in a werewolf. Severus, I want you to finish this potion. Finish it and then patent it. Make it your own invention as I have a feeling that I will not be able to benefit from having my name on it.

Take care of yourself, Severus. If you ever come across my son, please care for him as if he would have been your own child.

I love you Severus. As a brother and as my dear, best friend.

You will always be in my heart.

Always,

Lily

Remus swallowed the lump in his throat as he finished reading the letter. He placed it back into the book and made a mental note to stop by the owl post office in Diagon Alley before going to Gringotts. He knew that Lily and Severus were close friends and that friendship was pretty much ruined that day by the lake at school when James and Sirius embarrassed the Slytherin horrendously. He knew that nothing could make up for what his friends did to the man all those years ago, nor could he make up for his lack of stopping them when their pranks were out of control. He could, however, send Severus this journal as it was Lily's last wish for him to have it.

Having decided on his course of action for tomorrow, he continued to search through the house collecting things of value and items that could be put away in a vault until Harry was much older to appreciate it. Once he was finished, Remus left the house. He turned to look one last time at the house before apparating away to his muggle apartment.

Today would be the day when he would get the affairs with Gringotts settled that Lily had mentioned in her letter. He would also see about the will both she and James left behind to ensure that no one would be able to meddle with his guardianship of Harry and the many other things left to the only living Potter. The day after tomorrow would be the funeral procession for Lily and James in Godric's Hollow. He wished he could bring Harry to attend, but he knew that people would question why he had the child in the first place. With Dumbledore being there, he was sure that he would have the child taken away from him immediately and possibly made to forget his friends and their child.

No, he couldn't risk losing Harry before he even had the chance to rescue him from his aunt and uncle.

By the end of this week, everything should be finalized with the goblins and he and Harry would be on their way to America to start a new life together. One without the war at their backs.