Chapter 1: The Chosen One

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…"

"We need to hurry!" Jor-El shouted as another, even more violent tremor shook the house. Only a frantic grab-and-heave kept the modified probe on its launch cradle while Lara Van-El staggered into the room, managing to not drop their son.

"Quickly!" Jor-El urged and Lara managed to reach the probe. For a long moment, she simply held their son, tears trickling down her cheeks, then she gently placed him in the special stasis-pod installed into the probe.

Jor-El glanced at the larger rocket-ship, still several six-days away from completion and his heart ached at the knowledge that this would be the last he ever saw of his son. Modifying the probe had taught him things which he had needed to know to create the rocket ship, cutting the construction time of the rocket ship by more than it took to adjust the pod that would save his son, but had he tried to simply build the ship first, all three of them would be doomed.

Lara touched the control that closed and activated the stasis pod, then looked up at her husband even as yet another, larger, tremor hit. This time it took both of them to stabilise the probe and on the other side of the workroom, the landing gear of the rocket ship buckled, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Do it." Lara whispered and Jor-El nodded, tapping the control that began to retract the ceiling. As soon as the gap was large enough, Jor-El triggered the launch protocols and the probe rose on its internal antigravs, then the main drive fluttered into life. Lara moved into her husband's embrace as the ship rotated to point at the sky, then the drive crystal flared, accelerating the craft out of the collapsing house and through the ever-more turbulent atmosphere.

"Live well, my son." Jor-El whispered, staring at the shrinking dot, even as the ground shuddered, forcing them both to their knees.

"Live well, my beloved son." Lara whispered just before the ground opened up beneath them.

The probe soared off into space as the planet it had departed from trembled with ever-growing explosions and reactions. Soon, the surface of the planet seemed to fragment and shatter before exploding outwards, hurling all of it remaining mass towards the uncaring heavens.

Although the sensors of the probe noted the destruction, its control computer didn't care. All of its processing cycles were on the task it had been set.

To carry its precious cargo to a new world.

.

"Borne to those who have thrice defied him…"

"Where the hell's the healer?!" James Potter yelled. From the next room, his best friend Sirius Black shouted back, his voice showing that he was on the verge of panicking.

"The Floo's still down! Remus! What the hell's going on? Why haven't you got a Healer yet?"

"I'm trying, but they're dealing with the aftermath of another Death Eater attack which almost carried into the hospital itself, the Aurors have the place on lockdown." Remus' voice echoed faintly through the mirror that Sirius was carrying. "It's not helping that the Death Eaters managed to erect anti-Apparition and anti-Portkey wards around the hospital, I've been volunteered to help break them, but it'll take a few more minutes at the very least, they're very strong wards. I'll try to get a Healer as soon as possible, but I'd be lying if I say it'll be quick."

"Prongs…"

"I heard!" James shouted as Lily let out another howl of pain. "We need a healer! Lily shouldn't be giving birth yet!"

"Wormtail!"

"Albus isn't at Hogwarts and Poppy's away." Peter reported through the mirror. "Hagrid said something about the Wizengamot, so I'm on my way, but with the Floo down…"

James winced as Lily's grip on his hand tightened.

"It'll be all right, Lils." He said as soothingly as he could while mentally swearing vengeance against the Death Eater who had managed to hit Lily with a curse that he didn't recognize and which had caused her to go into premature labor. "We'll get someone here…"

Lily smiled briefly at him, then her face tightened as another contraction hit.

"Padfoot!"

"I know!" Sirius yelped from the door. "I've sent out three owls for help, but with the Floo out and the recent attacks… there's nothing I can do except try to keep in touch with the others!"

Lily groaned and James looked down.

"I see his head! He's coming out!"

"Oh, Merlin!" Sirius groaned, looking green as he retreated from the room. "What do I do? What do I… Aha!"

Sirius raced for the door as Lily screamed again.

.

Sirius wheeled his motorbike round to the front of the house.

"James, I'm going to use my bike to get a healer!"

Silence answered him and Sirius opened the front door, only to freeze as he heard Lily crying.

"No." He whispered, his eyes tearing up. "No… please, no."

Slumping against the door-jamb, he half-turned, just in time to see something settle onto the lawn in front of him. Pulling the door almost closed behind him, Sirius slowly edged forwards to investigate the unknown item and distract himself from the tragedy he had been present for.

.

"Bloody hell!"

James looked up from where his wife lay, crying her heart out, the stillborn form of their son lying in a small conjured coffin on the table. A moment later, the front door slammed open Sirius scurried in with a wailing bundle in his arms.

"James!" He shouted. "A metal muggle thing landed in the garden despite the wards and it contained a small child!"

James blinked, then rose to his feet. Stepping to Sirius' side, he stared at the small, black-haired baby. The baby blinked at him and James looked over at his insensate wife.

"Sirius…" He whispered. "You remember when you told me about your mother's threat to blood-adopt someone else to take your place as heir after she killed you… do you remember the ritual?"

Sirius nodded slowly, then his eyes widened.

"But Lily…"

"I know, she won't accept it." James replied quietly as he pulled his wand out. "But she doesn't have to know. I'm sorry, Lils, but I'll need a bit of your blood. Stupefy. Obliviate."

Sirius moved over to the dead child and used his wand to remove some of the blood from the corpse.

"This just feels so wrong." He sighed, not noticing that his control over the spell had slipped and a small bit of his blood was in the vial as well. "Well, let's do this before I come to my senses. James, put seven drops of your blood and Lily's in here, then we'll need a standard type-three ritual circle with two secondary foci as well as a silver goblet, a blood-replenishment potion and birthstones for you and Lily…"

.

"Borne as the seventh month dies…"

Lily leaned back on the sofa, nursing her son as James paced the room. With a contented sigh, Harry released her nipple and fell asleep.

As she adjusted her top, James gently placed Harry in his cot and Lily smiled at the tenderness that he showed. While it still bothered her that she still couldn't remember actually giving birth to Harry, it didn't matter as her green-eyed year-old son was a healthy, happy toddler.

Rising, she paused as the Floo flared and a familiar head appeared.

"Albus?"

"Lily, James." Albus said and Lily's eyebrows shot up at his intense tone. "Thank Merlin I managed to reach you. I've already sent the Longbottoms into hiding and you need to hide as well!"

"What?" James asked in shock. "Why?"

.

"And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…"

"Aveda Kadavera!"

Voldemort scowled as he looked down at the body of the mudblood witch who had once come within an instant of killing him with a silent cutting curse. Stepping over her cooling corpse, he strode to the cot where the young Harry Potter was watching him.

"So, You are the one with the power to vanquish me." He sneered as he raised his wand, pausing as the glistening of blood on Harry's forehead caught his attention. "Hah! Once you die, I shall rule forever! Aveda Kadavera!"

As the curse flashed from Voldemort's wand, briefly lighting the room in a sickly shade of green, Voldemort briefly saw Harry's eyes seem to glow red, then suddenly everything was pain and he fell into darkness.

.

"And either must die at the hand of the other…"

Peter Pettigrew, former Marauder, traitor, Death Eater and spy for Voldemort, scuttled up the stairs and peeked into the room, his eyes widening in horrified shock as he saw his master falling, his body seeming to collapse and evaporate. Something hit his foot and he looked down to see Voldemort's wand resting against his toes. Scooping up the wand, he turned and ran down the stairs, completely failing to notice the unconscious but alive form of Harry Potter with a scar on his forehead.

A scar shaped like a lightning bolt.

Running to outside the anti-Apparition wards, Peter vanished, but not before Sirius Black spotted him.

"Peter?" Sirius shouted, then his gaze moved to the cottage with the broken door. "James? Lily? James! Lily!"

A thin wail was his only answer and Sirius hurled himself up the stairs and into the bedroom.

"Oh no, Lily!" He whispered, his eyes filling with tears, then he scooped Harry up from the cot.

"Come on, Prongslet, let's get you out of here." He murmured to the toddler.

"James? Lily?" A familiar voice called out and Sirius' eyes lit in recognition.

"Hagrid!" He shouted as he made his way to the front of the house where the half-giant was standing.

"What 'appened?" Hagrid asked and Sirius growled.

"Voldemort." He managed as he looked at his godson, then he made a decision. "Here, keys to my bike. Get Harry somewhere safe… take him to Hogwarts and get Poppy to check him over. I have some business to take care of."

Hagrid carefully accepted the squirming toddler and smiled sadly down at him.

"'ello, 'arry." he rumbled gently. "I'm 'agrid."

Harry stared wide-eyed at the bushy-bearded man holding him and Sirius took one last look at them before turning on his heel and vanishing with a crack.

.

"For neither can live while the other survives…"

Petunia Dursley opened her front door to collect the morning milk, then she froze as she saw the basket on her doorstep. For a long minute, it failed to penetrate, then she screamed.

"Pet?"

Vernon thundered down the stairs and came to a halt, staring over Petunia's shoulder.

"Pet… what is that?"

Petunia reached down and picked up the note atop the basket with a trembling hand. Opening it, she whimpered.

"Pet?"

"My sister and her husband are dead…" Petunia whispered, "And that bastard Dumbledore wants us to look after their freak of a son! Read the note!"

Vernon skimmed through it quickly with a speed and precision honed by his years of managerial duties and growled.

"They… they're threatening us! If we don't keep this brat here, they'll attack us!"

Petunia nodded, then her expression firmed. "Then we'll keep it, but I won't let it act freaky like she did."

"We won't let it." Vernon said, enfolding Petunia in a hug as he glared at the small boy sleeping in the basket. "We won't."

.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be borne as the seventh month dies…"

Albus sat in his chair and looked at the stacks of letters written to Harry Potter by the grateful wizarding world. With a regretful sigh, he Vanished the letters unread and leaned back, deep in thought.

He needed Harry to come to the Wizarding World without any preconceptions. The outlook of a Muggleborn combined with the prestige of an Ancient and Noble House could be just what he needed to re-start the renaissance of the Wizarding World. With his reputation established, Harry could lead them all into a new age, one free of the hatred and bigotry that had riven the Wizarding World.

And when the time came, Albus would be there to help him to learn the ways of the Light, of forgiveness, of second chances, of redemption.

It would be a new dawn, a new age.

Albus smiled, then turned his attention to the letters awaiting his replies, unaware that he had accidently Vanished a letter that had been sent from Gringotts as soon as the Potter's deaths had been confirmed and which stated who the true secret keeper had been as well as a message inviting him to a meeting in which the two attendees would decide to imprison the one they believed was responsible for the deaths of Lily and James Potter.

Sirius Black.