Harry fought with all his might against the body bind spell, it wasn't enough, ow could it be enough? He could hear the door downstairs burst open and Harry's scar seared in pain. He could do nothing but shut his eyes.

"Ha Ha!" Malfoy exclaimed, like this was a great show and his was the final act. Snape stalked in behind him, a look on his face that suggested he could smell something very bad indeed.

"Well done Draco!" Dumbeldore said, sounding more like a tired old man than Harry had ever heard him sound. Malfoy's face fell as the old man faltered, lifted both hands in surrender.

Harry panicked, Dumbeldore couldn't be beaten like this, he couldn't stand and do nothing, he felt his eye twitch and somehow managed to throw off Dumbledore's spell, stumbling forwards. He gasped in a deep lung full of air and pressed his palm against his blistering scar, but managed to stay silent as he pulled the invisibility cloak off and ran to his Headmaster's side, wand trained on Malfoy.

"Harry...no, no, no," Dumbledore muttered as Malfoy sneered at Harry and Snape glared somewhere out the astronomy tower's window

"Severus, please?" Dumbledore begged.

Snape's gaze snapped back into focus, and the dour man looked between Harry and Dumbeldore, he shot another body bind at Harry and then sent the Killing Curse at Dumbeldore, quicker than Harry could register.

Dumbeldore's body fell.

"Malfoy, lets go," Snape snapped, not looking at the space where Dumbeldore fell. Harry could feel himself go into shock, unable to register what had just happened, he didn't even feel his stiff body hit the ground, He was unable to move, he couldn't, the headmaster was dead, but he couldn't believe what he just saw.

He was so unnerved by tonights goings on, he didn't place the newest voice in the room for a very long time.

"Severus, well done, Dumbeldore dead and Harry Potter defenseless." Harry couldn't feel his scar burning because of the racing thoughts in his mind. Dumbledore couldn't be dead.

"My Lord," Snape said, kneeling, dragging Malfoy down with him.

"Crucio!" Voldemort cast with a gleeful tone in his voice.

Harry screamed as the curse struck and he instantly convulsed, his elbows and head banging against the stone floor. He was under it for what felt like an age, his vision swimming between his own mind and Voldemort's, the cruciatus broke the body bind spell, causing his limbs to feel stiff and his joints to ache dangerously, but the fire in his blood and the pain in his scar and the stabbing sensations tearing up his skin caused him to not really care much.

"My Lord, We must go-"

Harry was released for a moment, he gasped and panted for breath, blinking back the tears in his eyes. The body bind finally gone. Voldemort only stopped for a moment to glare at Snape.

"Crucio!" Harry gasped again, it felt like his skin was being peeled off and his bones were being shattered underneath. He panted again, and squeezed his eyes shut. Tears formed there. Whether from the physical pain or the pain of losing his headmaster and mentor Harry couldn't say, he could easily tell anyone he would not cry in front of these men, but he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Trying to fight the torture curse, boy?" Voldemort taunted him. Harry quickly gave up and screamed aloud again. "I don't know why I never just tortured him to insanity before, Severus!" Voldemort exclaimed.

"Indeed, My Lord," Snape replied, "He'd be of little use drooling on a pillow in Mungo's, but we must go!"

The curse on Harry ended suddenly and he felt nothing but pure relief wash through his sore body and begin to dull the raw sting. It didn't last long, and didn't do much, but it was something.

"You've been such a good death eater," Voldemort said to Snape, Harry barely managed to twist his head to look at them. Voldemort picked up the elder wand from where Draco had thrown it. "Pity really."

"Nagini, dinnertime." Harry couldn't muster much sympathy for Snape as he stood pinned betwee Voldemort's wand and the giant snake, he didn't see the snake strike, crawing away to find some kind of cover - theres no way Voldemort would leave him alive.

"Potter!" Voldemort shouted - Harry hiding had always made him angry. Harry sat huddled behind a statue on a raised dias, holding a wand with an iron grip. There was shouting, indicating the aurours were here. Infuriated, voldemort sent a flurry of green curses his way before he swept from the room, Malfoy on his heels.

The killing curses had blown the room apar, including the statue he was hiding behind and Harry was knoced about by the falling bebris, but when the dust setteled, Snape's shocked, dying gurgle sounded loud and misplaced in the quiet room.

Harry managed to sit up, his hands were shaking badly, but his sore fingers managed to keep their clumsy grip on someone's forgotten wand, Snape's maybe?

Nagini was wrapping herself around Snape. Harry glared at the snake, bile rising in his throat, he flicked the wand out and with more venom in his voice than anything he'd said inhis life he spat;

"Avada Kedavra!"

The acid green spell shot from his wand and struck the snake in it's face. The snake's body went slack. Snape grunted and tried to push the scaly coils away from him with white, shaking hands.

"H-Harry," Harry turned at the sound of Snape's voice, his given name sounding warbled and wrong. And he crawled over to the dying man. With Harry's help the snake was pulled from the man's body and discarded like a thick, dead rope.

"I can't..." Harry stuttered as he pressed both hands over the vicious tear in the man's neck, Snape spluttered, his face whiter than ever, his own fingers weakly trying to grab Harry's own hands.

"Look at me, Harry."

Harry looked around, startled, into Snape's black eyes.

Harry was yanked into Snape's memories, beginning with the memories of his mother and Potions professor meeting as small children and finishing with the memory where Dumbledore tells the man that Harry must die.

"Okay." Harry was in his own mind again, his hands shaking, his head hurting and his insides felt horribly dead. He was sitting next to Snape who was fighting unconciousness. Harry was as pale as the dying man. His hands covered in Severus's blood.

"Harry!" Harry looked up startled when Madame Pomfrey ran into the room. "Severus!" Harry darted out of the nurse's way as she attended to Snape.

"Nagini," Harry said, completely disjointed, "Nagini. Bite. Snake. Snape."

"Harry, hold this," Harry did as the Nurse asked, helping her to help Snape. "The order are downstairs, send Nymphadora up, and go see Remus, please."

Harry ran from the room, as fast as he could and ran into Remus.

"Tonks, Poppy needs Tonks's help," Harry panted, Remus nodded and Tonks was running up to the Astronomy tower. "Dumbledore," Harry choked out, Remus grabbed his shoulder. "He's dead, he fell-" Harry looked into Remus eyes and the old werewolf hugged him fiercely. "Tom killed him," Harry lied. "Voldemort killed him."

"You've done so well Harry," Remus said, "So well, its alright." Harry broke down on Remus's shoulder, much to the werewolf s shock. "Come on, I'm taking you home."

Remus pulled Harry along to the Gryffindor Tower and waved his wand, packing Harry's trunk, then dragged him to the fireplace in the common room.

"Doncaster Workshop!" Remus shoved Harry into the floo, and followed him quickly.

Harry actually paused to look around despite his frayed nerves and tired eyes. They were not in a propper house, more like a brick shed. It was on a very quiet street, half the lots looked abandoned from what he could see out of the single, small, barred window.

Inside the shed it was obviously mostly conjured items and half destroyed furniture but it was neat and clean. Remus hurried through the house, quickly repairing some of the furniture. "Sorry," He apologized, Harry shrugged. "At least no one will get through my wards," Remus said, "Ministry issue anti-werewolf wards."

"Remus..."

"Sorry," Remus apologized again. "Sit down I'll get tea."

Harry sat on the worn lounge and just waited.

"Talk to me about it, Harry." Remus said quietly, "About all of it."

Harry looked up, startled. He took his teacup gratefully and happily took a large swig, spilling quite a lot of it in the process.

"I'm sorry it took me this long," Remus started, "I'm not legally your godfather, but James always said I was by extension because Sirius and I had a 'Functional Homosexual Relationship' or something equally as ridiculous, you've been alone your whole life, Harry and it took me until you're almost grown up for me to pull my head in and help you."

Harry couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped his lips but still shook his head. He wasn't Remus responcibility, and he had to do this on his own.

"Its not your-" Harry made to tell the older man, but Remus wouldn't have any of it.

"I'm making you my responsibility Harry, ministry be damned, I'm the last Marauder left and I'll look after you from now on, you were absolutely right about Draco and you should never have been taken from the castle tonight." Remus leaned forwards and grabbed Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, I need you to understand why I was never there." Harry looked into Remus warm amber eyes. "When we left Hogwarts I was still recovering from almost killing Severus, I was miserable, didn't - couldn't - deal with the implications of it, I was angry at just about everyone and utterly jealous of James. We grew apart, I sat back and watched them grow up, find love, have jobs and my greatest achievement was being able to afford this dump. I needed to, because of my condition my parents will was denied me and I couldn't stay in their house, may parents were butchered by death eaters, the bloodstains were -" Remus stopped, and took a great gulp of air. "We grew apart."

"They thought you were a spy?" Harry asked, Remus nodded.

"After your parents died, I was shunned even more, people refused to believe Sirius would - they thought it was me, and James and Lily just died - I locked myself away. Worked in the muggle world, dead end jobs that I couldn't hold down because of the full moon. When Sirius went to prison and Peter was dead and you were taken to Tuney's, I honestly had nothing left." Remus had tears in his eyes now. "I just kept going, utterly isolated, and then Dumbledore asked me to teach at Hogwarts. I accepted, as you know and all that year I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

"Becasue I look like-"

"Harry, you do look very much like your parents, both of them but you looked like a child who had been neglected, and I didn't want that to be true either. I should have checked on you Harry, I let myself dissapear becasue I convinced myself you wouldn't need me. I knew Petunia, I knew what she was like, I didn't want to believe she was capable of starving a child and you suffered for it."

Harry was silent at that, he looked away from the older man.

"Then Sirius was alive and I thought he would fix it, then Sirius died and I asked Dumbledore and he-"

"Said I needed the protection of the blood wards?"

Remus nodded. "It was so practiced I knew I wouldn't be able to help. But after tonight." Remus paused and shook his head. "They'll have a fight on their hands if they think I'll let you go back to that place. You'll need to leave during the full moon, maybe Molly's," Remus was already planing it, "But from now on, I'm going to look after you Harry, you don't need to do anything alone ever again, it shouldn't have taken me this long, and I'm sorry, I'm a cowardly Gryffindor."

Harry's eyes were watery and he just shook his head. "No," Harry said, "I can't, I can't, I have to be alone, I, Snape..."

"Harry!" Remus crushed him in a hug, and Harry bawled on his shoulder.

"Harry, tell me, please?" Remus asked him, Harry didn't want to relive it, but he wanted to believe that what Remus promised was true - to live with him.

"Everything?" Harry confirmed sadly. Remus nodded and Harry took a breath. "Okay then."

Harry started talking and couldn't stop, he told Remus about his cupboard, and the coat-hangers for birthday presents, not being fed for days in a row, about Harry Hunting and the 'beating the freakishness out'. Harry plowed on into first year; he actually killed Professor Quirrel and Ron and Hermione could've died, they were only eleven years old.

Second year and the Chamber and meeting Voldemort, how its his and Ron's fault Lockheart can't remember who he is, third year and everything Remus didn't know about. Harry just kept talking. Fifth year slowed him down, Harry showed Remus the scar on his hand from the blood quill and told him about the occumency lessons as he came closer and closer to telling Remus it was Harry who killed Sirius. Harry began to panic.

"Harry, calm down, deep breaths."

"I... Sirius, he, my fault," Harry let out a chocked sob. "I should've gone to Snape and tried hard...harder to protect my...my m-m-mind."

Remus moved over on the couch and held Harry against him.

"Harry, it was not-don't give me that look, Sirius died to protect you, Harry, and he was killed by Bellatrix and Voldemort." Remus wrapped an arm around Harry and pulled him close.

"You were not dealing with Voldemort's comeback very well, you had just watched a fellow student be killed and to top it all off you had that big pink toad of a woman bullying you all year - Harry, please listen." Remus grabbed Harry's head to stop him shaking it.

"Harry you needed an adult you could trust, and there was no-one at Hogwarts you could trust- Your head of house was in Mungos, Hagrid was gone, Dumbeldore was gone and your godfather was on the run from the ministry, you were left completely alone that year and you're still a cub, Harry, you shouldn't have to be alone."

"But if-"

"Harry Potter if I hear you trying to blame yourself for Sirius's death I will personally slap you!"

Harry looked shocked at Remus' outburst.

"We all miss him, cub," Remus said, "and it was no-ones fault but Bellatrix - she's wanted to kill him for years."

Harry nodded sadly.

"Stop moving your hands, cub." Remus said quietly. Harry looked at his hands, which were still shaking.

"I-I can't," Harry whispered, frowning at his hands. Remus grabbed them and ran his thumbs over the dorsal surface.

"The cruciatus?" Remus whispered. Harry nodded. "How long?" Remus asked him.

"Bout fifteen minutes, I think." Remus eyes looked panicked. He stared at Harry.

"You feeling ok?" Harry nodded.

"A bit sore."

"Expected, come on, I'm sending you to bed." Remus pulled Harry up off the couch and led him to the bedroom. "I'm going back to Hogwarts, you have free run of the kitchen and anything else you want, ok? But stay in he house."

Harry nodded as Remus handed him his trunk. Harry paused then hugged Remus goodnight.

"Thanks Moony." He said thickly. Remus returned the hug with as much force as Hagrid.

"Its ok, Cub."

Hey everyone, thanks for reading! As of 16Nov15 this chapter was re-done, for a couple reasons. 1. I wanted to put in this A/N and I forgot a disclaimer, 2. I have no idea why in the original Voldemort walked out of the fight without even trying to kill Harry like WFT^.^ mates? This is a Prologue, so next chapter you can expect somehting very, very different I urge you to keep reading.

So the message I originally wanted to put here; This is not cannon compliant. I've had a few reviewers point out that there are a few differences. The fight at the end of the sixth book (above) is different due to my own creative liscence and I needed it that way. The backstory of James and Remus are different because this was written before the information was released on Pottermore.

Finally, a disclaimer - All recognisable setting characters and concepts belong to J. . This story is for entertainment purposes only and no monetary profit is being made.

Thanks all for reading!

-D