I know that I have been quiet for a very long time, life just seems to catch up sometimes. I will eventually finish my other stories but for now, here is something new to chew over. I already have four chapters of this down so I will hopefull updating on a more reagular basis over the next few weeks.

This is very different for me so just try and bear with it an as always, please let me know what you think in the comments section.

The devastation around him was too much

He was too late to save them.

It was all his fault.

He didn't know what the fuck to do.

They were gone.

Dumbledore was going to pay.

Right after he had squeezed the life out of that traitorous rat.

The wail of a child brought Sirius out of his destructive thoughts and he focused his attention to what little was left of the upper floor of the cottage. Not daring to hope, he sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time and trying not to cry at the sight of James laid out on the top step. This was too painful. He pushed open the bedroom door to find Lily's lifeless green eyes staring back at him and he dropped to his knees as shock started to take hold of his mind and his body. He felt cold, yet numb he could only just hear little Harry's cries through the fog, as if he was listening from underwater.

He staggered to his feet and stumbled across to the crib where Lily's green eyes looked up at him from a small face that was streaked with tears, dirt and blood. Only these eyes weren't lifeless. They glowed with power and sparkled in the low light of his Lumos.

Harry had stopped crying the instant he had approached the crib and now those large, emerald green eyes were looking up at him expectantly. Sirius extinguished his wand and reached down to pull the baby from his crib, wrapping him in a small red blanket that had 'Gryffindor' stitched down one side in large, golden letters and was adorned with embroidered snitches.

"Hey there Prongslet." He choked out, bouncing Harry on his hip as he carried him towards the bedroom door, remembering to pick up a dust covered bag that he knew held four stuffed toys, a change of nappies, two dummies and a bottle. He reached in and took out the toy rat, throwing it into the rubble as he went back down the stairs and out towards his motorbike. He covered Harry's eyes as they passed James and Lily and it was all Sirius could do not to break down and weep at the sight of his friends himself.

"Sirius, I 'spected I'd find yeh here." Sirius turned at the familiar voice only to find Hagrid dabbing his eyes with a large orange handkerchief covered in yellow spots.

"Tell Dumbledore he can't have him." Sirius said sharply, working out instantly why the half giant was there. "He's my godson and he's coming with me." Hagrid drew himself up to his full height and Sirius prepared himself for what he expected to be a lengthy argument.

O_o_O_o_O

Remus Lupin was a strong man. He had survived being infected with the werewolves curse, he had survived seven years of Hogwarts and he had survived the best part of the first wizarding war against the Dark Lord Voldemort. Yes Remus Lupin was a strong man however, when he spotted his mate, covered in blood, crying and with only Harry's baby bag slung over his ripped leather jacket he didn't know if he was strong enough to get through this. He raced from the window and flung open the door to their apartment, only to freeze as Sirius approached the front steps.

"They're gone." Sirius choked, his silver eyes looking up to meet Remus's and swimming with devastation and anger. "I saw them Moony. They tried to protect Harry."

"Where is cub?" Moony asked, taking over Remus's mind for a few seconds. "I smell cub."

"Hagrid took him away." Sirius replied, still standing outside the door whilst Remus slumped against it. "Said Dumbledore had organised for Harry to go to his Aunt's." Remus's eyes turned amber as the wolf took over his mind completely and he let out a low growl. His mate looked a mixture of desolate and furious. He wasn't sure how that was even achievable, but the brilliant man to whom he was bonded managed it. It was as if Sirius Black didn't know whether to burst into tears or find the betrayer and kill him.

"We'll get him back." Remus said with the utmost conviction. "We will get cub back."

"I know." Sirius replied. "I brought his bag." Moony nodded and turned from the door to admit Sirius into the apartment. The Black male sat down heavily into an armchair and Remus, now back in control handed the animagus a glass of firewhiskey.

"We can't go after Pettigrew." He said, sitting down opposite his mate and looking straight into Sirius's eyes, ensuring that he understood the consequences of reckless behaviour. "If we do we will be pegged as murderers. We need a plan of action."

"We need to get Harry." Sirius replied. "We need to go to the Dursley's, pick him up and bring him somewhere safe. They can't be trusted to look after him; we know that from what little we could glean from Lily." The pair were silent for a few moments as the gravity of the situation and the night's events started to sink in.

"Are they really gone Pads?" Remus asked quietly. Sirius nodded and just managed to place his drink down in time to receive an armful of grieving werewolf. "I never even got to say goodbye." The younger male sobbed into what remained of his torn leather jacket.

"Neither did I Moons. But, you can be sure as hell I won't let anything happen to Harry. Even if it means contacting both of my Grandfathers, I can't let Prongslet go." Remus pulled back to stare at his mate, in shock of that comment.

"You would re-join your family?"

"You are my family Remus, you and Harry both, and Blacks do anything, anything to protect their family."

"What about the rest of your family pads? You left them for a reason. You wanted to stay with the light and the Blacks are famous for being as dark as they come. Not to mention Bellatrix and Narcissa. You would be practically joining the deatheaters. Would that be the right environment for Harry to grow up in?"

"Remus, look at where he is now!" Sirius growled. "Dumbledore has dumped him on the doorstep of a pair of magic hating muggles whose only connection to him is through his mother, whom the pair hasn't seen since Lily finished Hogwarts. Do you really believe that he won't end up in some muggle orphanage? How is growing up with us, going to be any worse?"

"But Sirius, the prophecy…"

"Is just a prophecy Remus, made by a 'seer' whose bloodline hasn't shown any prophetic skill since Cassandra Trelawney. If it is true and Harry is destined to defeat the dark lord then surely it would be better for him to grow up in the presence of deatheaters, learning about the dark sect."

"Sirius this is going against everything we have ever stood for. The killings, the rapes…"

"I know Remus. They disgust me too, but if cub can grow up with us, learning everything he can before Hogwarts it would be a massive screw you to Dumbledore when he comes of age. By that point Harry will have been told about the light's hidden agenda, Dumbledore's games and everything else that we stood for. He will know who to trust and who to avoid and if that means that by the time the dark lord returns, Harry is full blown dark, then at least it will be better than having a target painted on his back by the light. The dark can protect him for the most part. I know that if I were the dark lord, I would rather Harry be an ally. Even now cub is strong and powerful; imagine what he will be able to do once his core has gone through the first settling."

"You are suggesting that we bring Harry up ourselves, surrounded by deatheaters and dark magic in the hopes that when the dark lord returns he will be dark enough to be protected?"

"That is exactly what I am saying Remus."

"Then we need to contact Severus before anyone else."

"No Remus. We need to contact Frank and Alice. Little Neville also falls into the same category as Harry and we need to get them to safety before the deatheaters come knocking. We give them the same information as we have and give them the option to have us raise Neville in exactly the same way as Harry. Frank has Black blood and we hold primary over his house. He has to at least listen to the views expressed to him by the Black heir."

"We go now." Remus said, rising from his seat and allowing Moony to take over his mind in part. He knew that they would be possibly portkeying into battle and the wolf inside him brought his magic forwards. He would not let his mate down.

O_o_O_o_O

"Alice, take Neville upstairs and run." Frank shouted, unknowingly echoing James Potter's words from earlier that evening. "I'll hold them off for as long as I can." There was a crack as two figures appeared at the side of Frank, and if he hadn't had full confidence in the house wards they would have been cursed into oblivion. The pair of marauders did each receive a sharp stinging hex for scaring the shit out him and Alice though.

"Merlin's beard Frank." Sirius exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder where Frank's hex had hit. "There was no need for that."

"You have to come with us." Remus said quickly, taking Alice's hand as she gripped Neville in her arms. "All of you have to come with the pair of us. Don't ask questions just move."

"Frank is your mother safe?" Sirius asked, turning to his friend.

"She is hidden behind Hogwarts wards at the moment." Frank replied. "She had business with Minerva tonight."

"Those plans have been changed." Remus replied. Dragging Alice over to Frank and Sirius and activating their portkey. As soon as the five of them landed in their sitting room at their apartment, Sirius poured five glasses of firewhiskey and Remus popped away, only to reappear a few minutes later with Augusta Longbottom on his arm.

O_o_O_o_O

"Albus, do you think it wise, leaving him with these people?" Minerva asked, hurrying to keep step with the old wizard's strides. "I've been watching them all day; they're the worst sort of muggles imaginable they really are…"

"…The only family he has left." Dumbledore replied, cutting off this deputy. He placed a letter in the folds of Harry's baby blanket before placing the child on the doorstep, casting a mild sleeping charm on him. He knew that his plan couldn't fail. Petunia Dursley would take in her sister's child but never really look after the boy, making him the perfect candidate for Dumbledore to mould into a weapon for the dark lord. The child would come to understand that it would be his duty to bring down Voldemort. There really wouldn't be any other way. The only thing left to deal with now was that mutt and the werewolf of which he was so fond. They were easily dealt with though and soon, Albus Dumbledore would be the only person Harry could trust.

O_o_O_o_O

"I know that you have a lot of questions right now." Sirius said calmly, knocking back his second glass of firewhiskey that night. "But I need you all to listen to us before jumping to conclusions and biting our heads off."

"About four months ago." Remus started "Just before the Potters went into hiding we overheard a conversation between Dumbledore and Peter Pettigrew. It came to our attention that Sirius was no longer going to play secret keeper for the Potter's fidelus charm, however he would be the one to suggest changing it on the grounds of his questionable family ties. Peter Pettigrew was instead going to be the secret keeper and this was planned by Dumbledore from the start."

"So you are saying Dumbledore wanted Sirius to give up playing his part in the hiding of the Potters to Peter, but Sirius wasn't supposed to know it was planned?" Frank asked.

"That's exactly what we are saying." Sirius replied. "At the time I thought it was because of the exact reasons that Dumbledore had stated. However, once we had cast the charm I started to have my doubts. We know that there has been a spy in the order for the last year and after that conversation, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that it was someone close into our fold. Before I could mention it though, Peter disappeared. Tonight James and Lily lost their lives." Sirius was broken off by Alice's faint scream and Frank's growl of anger. They watched as the pair of them curled into each other, cuddling little Neville between them and drawing comfort from the small child, they cradled in their arms.

"Harry lived." Remus said quietly. "However, Dumbledore has denied the godson/godfather bond that Harry and Sirius share and has sent him to live with Lily's muggle sister." Augusta who hadn't spoken until now was suddenly on her feet, seething in full righteous anger.

"He dares deny that child his heritage?!" She shouted, going purple with rage. "To ignore the godfather bond is one thing but to send that child to muggles is a crime! His core is still growing, he needs to be taught Occlumency or it will kill him before he even reaches the age of eleven. He is born to two magical parents, it will consume him! This is criminal I tell you absolutely unforgivable!" The other four adults in the room had gone ghostly white and were staring at the eldest Longbottom matriarch with wide eyes.

"Thank merlin we know where he is then." Sirius whispered faintly. He and Remus looked at each other and made a silent agreement. "There is something else we need to tell you." Sirius said, regaining some of his composure at Remus's reassuring eyes. "We plan on having Harry grow up within the Black family unit… within the dark sect, in the hope that if and when the dark lord returns, he will be somewhat protected, having grown up around dark ideals. We will protect him with our lives should anyone decide to turn on him but we hope that this will be seen as a great boon to the dark side. Myself and Remus will teach him as much as we can about both sides of the war and allow him to make his own mind up from the information we can provide however, should he turn fully towards the dark we will not stop him. After all, if the dark lord sees him as a somewhat ally then maybe he won't be so hasty with his wand." There was silence in the apartment. The three Longbottoms didn't know whether to agree with the idea, run in the opposite direction in fear or curse the pair of marauders until they saw sense. Then Remus dropped the figurative bomb.

"We wish to extend the invitation to the three of you and Neville. Neville is the other child of the prophecy, if he grows up side by side with Harry there is more chance of the pair of them staying with the light even though they would be under the protections of the dark. If Dumbledore can surrender a magical child to muggles, then what else can he do? The light side is only one side of the war, and they are not cracking up to be all that they seem. We do not want to pass judgement before we know what the other side has to offer."

"We plan on contacting Severus once we have retrieved Harry. He will be able to give us a full view of our options here. The only other option for the four of you is to go back into hiding, but you will be cut off from the rest of the magical world for what could be decades. We do not know when this war is going to be won, as we have no idea when the dark lord is set to return, it is whichever looks like the lesser of the two evils in your eyes."

"I do not want Neville growing up with deatheaters." Frank growled.

"And he won't." Remus said gently. "He will grow up with all of us. But, he will have dark influences. Once Severus has been contacted, Arcturus and Pollux Black are our next ports of call."

"You are integrating yourself back into the Black family." Augusta said, glancing at Sirius.

"I am still the heir apparent to the Black house." Sirius replied. "You have Black blood and once the house falls to me, if you wish you can be sworn back in to the family as a daughter of the house Black. Alice and Frank will also become part of the house and Harry and Neville will become the official heirs respectively. I plan on adopting Harry as my own and naming him my heir apparent. Neville will also be granted heir, if anything should happen to Harry."

"So Neville will lose the name of Longbottom?" Alice asked.

"If Madame Longbottom decides to be re-sworn into the house of Black then the houses of Longbottom and Black with amalgamate. You will still keep your seats in the Wizengamot however; they will come directly under Black primary. If there is anything specific we want you to vote on then you will have to vote in accordance with the house of Black, otherwise you are free to do as you wish. The Longbottom fortune will also still be yours as you are the last in the line and you will receive the customary vault as befitting a son or daughter of the house Black."

"We'll do it." Augusta replied, much to the shock of her son and daughter in law. She knew what Sirius was offering here and she knew the consequences should she refuse. Sirius Black, although cut off from his family at this time would soon rise to become one of the most influential wizards in Britain. The Blacks were one of the most ancient houses in their world and held a vast amount of wealth and political weight. She knew the dangers of throwing the two children into the world of deatheaters and dark lords but they weren't exactly safe with the light either. The last few years had shown her that much.

"Mother I really must protest…" Frank started.

"Hush Frank mummy's talking." Augusta replied, much to the marauders morbid amusement. "We will be sworn into the house of Black however we want Harry and Neville to become joint-heirs, building the Black name together. The name of Longbottom will also not be forgotten and only my grandson's first born son will carry the Black name, the rest will be married off as Longbottom-Blacks. I do not want my late husband's name lost."

"Of course Madame Longbottom." Sirius replied. "Are there any other wishes?"

"The two boys will be raised together under a single roof and I personally shall teach them all they need to know about the political running of a house, crucial seeing as Harry will have not one, but two houses to run and the traditions and history of their birth houses will be taught to them also. I do not see why that should be lost to them."

"You have my word that they will grow up together and you of course may tutor them in whatever you wish. They will need to start early with Occlumency as they are both extraordinarily powerful, even now. Severus Snape, though it pains me to say it is one of the most gifted wizards in the art of mind magiks that I have ever seen. He will work with the boys so that any information that they are given will have to be stored away through the art of meditation at the end of each lesson."

"I believe then, that we have an agreement Heir Black."

"Is it an agreement of your son and daughter in law also?" Sirius asked shooting a look at Frank and Alice whose faces had gone through a maelstrom of emotions in a single evening.

"I cannot say that we are happy with the situation we find ourselves in." Frank replied shooting his mother a sideways look. "However if it is the belief that this will benefit the boys and help to keep them safe then I don't see why we have any reason to refuse. They will grow up together which in these times is more than we can ask for and, this is war, if it means having to join the dark to play the sides off against each other then so be it."

"Alice?" Remus asked softly.

"I agree with your mother and Sirius, Frank." She said quietly, looking down at Neville who had fallen back to sleep in her arms. "If they grow up with the dark then they will have more protection than we could ever give them. I just can't believe Lily and James are gone." Silence reigned for a few minutes as the gravity of the nights events started to weigh down upon the five of them.

"You should get some rest." Remus said after a while. "Come with me and we'll get you some rooms set up." Frank and Alice nodded and got to their following Remus out of the room and leaving Sirius and Augusta alone.

"You know the consequences, should our suspicions be proven to be correct." Sirius stated to the old Longbottom matriarch. "Should Dumbledore be discovered to be playing games with us then we won't hesitate to turn full dark. If we find out that James and Lily were set up for death you know that we will join the dark lord."

"I have no doubts or delusions Sirius." Augusta replied, knowing that tonight had changed their lives and possibly history forever. "Longbottom and Potter are two houses that have always stood strong together, and we will do so once more when young Neville and Harry come of age, whether that is in the dark or in the light won't matter. If it keeps our boys safe then I have no issues. Dumbledore has been allowed too much power for too long, it will be interesting to see what the next few months will hold."

O_o_O_o_O

"They're asleep." Remus whispered, entering the room and sitting down next to his mate. "They're all in the same bed with little Neville hugged between them."

"Augusta retired about half an hour ago to one of the spare rooms down here." Sirius replied. He was sat staring into the flames of the fire trying to wrap his head around what had happened only a few hours ago. "James was our best friend, our brother and he was betrayed by someone we trusted. Peter will pay for what he did tonight. He will pay with his life."

"In time." Remus replied, reaching out and gripping Sirius's hands in his. "We will not let him go unpunished, but we have two children to think about now. Harry and Neville will need all the support we can give them, something we can't provide if we are hell bent on revenge. Peter will get his comeuppance one way or another, but we need to focus on the boys and keeping them and the rest of our family safe."

"What time is it?" Sirius asked tiredly, looking up into Remus' brown eyes.

"Just gone three in the morn." The werewolf replied. "We need to go and get cub now." Sirius saw a flash of amber and realised how exhausted his mate was if Moony was making an appearance. It was a constant battle for Remus to try and hide the wolf away however, if they were going to join the dark then Moony would be accepted just as much as the man that was sitting in front of him now. Sirius never doubted that there was darkness within the pair of them, he, himself was always hovering around the grey/borderline dark; the result of his family's natural affinity with dark magic and Remus was classed as a dark creature anyway. Maybe joining the dark would not be as bad a thing as they first thought.

"Go and get changed into something warm. I'll find my spare vest out." Sirius saw the panic rise in Remus' eyes, Moony coming to the forefront of his mind as his instinct to protect his cub took over. "It's just in case." Sirius added, calming the male down instantly. "I don't want you hurt and I'll protect cub with all I have. I need you to have my back though alright?" Remus nodded before dashing up to change.

Sirius dug around in the cupboard under their stairs and pulled out his spare auror vest. The vest he usually wore was thick dragon hide and Goblin made with all manner of charms and protections on it. Remus would be wearing that tonight though, Sirius would be wearing his spare, Ministry issued vest. These vests, although robust, were also made out of Dragon hide but, they did not hold all of the charms that Sirius' own did. It would suit him fine tonight though. It was only for precautions sake. He pulled it on and zipped it up over his white t-shirt then slipped back into his leather biker jacket. He had given Hagrid his motorbike, under the cover of giving up Harry and admitting defeat.

"Ready?" Remus asked, coming back down the stairs to find Sirius staring at the cupboard, deep in thought. Sirius looked up and gave the werewolf a sharp nod. He took his own auror vest from the hook by the door and threw it at the werewolf. "What about you?"

"I have my spare one on under my jacket. I'd rather you have that one."

"Pads I can look…"

"No arguments Moony. Put the damn thing on and let's get cub back." Remus did as he was bid and Sirius nodded before taking his arm and disapperating.

Well there we go. Hope you enjoyed it. As I said, let me know what you think!