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Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.

Prologue.

Severus Snape sat at a long mahogany table in the dimly lit dining room of Lestrange Manor. Around him at the long table sat the Inner Circle of the Death Eaters. Toward the head of the table sat Rodulphus and Rabastan Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy. Those who were highest in the Dark Lord's esteem.

The Dark Lord Voldemort stood at the head of the table. He was a handsome man who, if you ignored his crimson eyes, would appear the equal of any Lord of the Ancient Houses.

'My friends, this is an auspicious evening. Tonight, we will destroy the House of Longbottom, those who have fought so hard against our noble cause.' Voldemort announced with a cruel smirk as his crimson eyes roamed up and down the table.

Severus could feel the Dark Lord's mind entering his own as crimson eyes met Severus' own cold, black eyes. He stilled his thoughts and pushed the feeling of anticipation to the forefront of his mind; moments later, the Dark Lord's mind moved on and Severus gave an internal sigh of relief.

'The three Lestranges have helped to map out the wards surrounding Longbottom Manor. None have breached them before, but thanks to their efforts that will no longer be true come the dawn.' Voldemort purred and expressions of cruel anticipation graced the faces of each of the Inner Circle.

The large doors to the dining hall opened with a screech of weathered iron hinges to reveal Peter Pettigrew, one of Severus' school bullies, the Marauders. Severus withheld a snarl with difficulty at the sight of the pudgy, rat-like man. Instead, a tightening of his jaw was the only outward sign of his displeasure.

'M-my Lord. I-I bring news.' Pettigrew gasped. He leant forward and rested his plump hands on his thighs.

'Why are you late, Wormtail? You know what happens to those who displease their Lord, don't you?' Voldemort hissed, his voice low but clear, the only other sound in the room came from Peter's gasped inhalations.

'T-the Potters have moved from Potter Manor, my Lord.' Pettigrew continued, his beady eyes darted about the room; perhaps looking for shelter from the Dark Lord's wrath.

Severus withheld a smirk at the thought before his black eyes moved to Voldemort, whose crimson eyes bored into Pettigrew's.

'Where are they now Wormtail?' the question was soft, but Severus heard the man's eagerness and his heart pounded in his chest.

'My L-Lord, they hid the Potters under the Fidelius Charm.' Peter took a breath and coughed, still catching his breath.

Severus held in the sigh of relief that threatened to escape his lips.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the rat-like man and his crimson eyes flashed, the muscles in his neck twitching as the Dark Lord held his temper at bay.

'Who is the Secret Keeper?' he hissed, danger in every syllable.

'I am, m-my Lord.' Peter stuttered.

Severus' eyes widened and his heart thumped hard in his chest. No, he couldn't let this happen.

Voldemort's gaze settled on him for a moment before he turned back to Pettigrew.

'Tell us the Secret, Wormtail.' Voldemort commanded, and Peter straightened.

'My L-Lord, the Potter's live at Four Moor street, Godric's Hollow.' Peter declared.

Severus saw a gleam enter the Dark Lord's eyes and his world started to crumble around him. He could not let Lily die. His mind raced as he considered and discarded plans at a speed Rowena Ravenclaw would have envied.

Severus stood, drawing shocked expressions from the Inner Circle and the narrow-eyed stare of Voldemort as his chair scraped along the stone floor.

'My Lord, do you require aid with the wards of Longbottom Manor?' Severus asked, knowing that his life was measured in seconds. But he had to make it appear that attacking the Potters personally was a show of weakness.

Voldemort's gaze bore into his mind and Severus pushed anticipation to the forefront of his mind again, hoping to survive the Dark Lord a few moments longer. A minute passed as the Dark Lord's glare settled on Severus. Finally, the Dark Lord turned to gaze down at Bellatrix.

'Bella my dear, you will lead an attack on the Potters now that we have the Secret to their hiding place. You will take your husband and his brother.' The Dark Lord's voice was quiet, and the assembled Death Eaters hung on his every word.

Voldemort's gaze fell on Severus again before a small smirk crossed his face.

'You will also take Severus, Wormtail and Barty. Six of you should be more than enough to handle the Potters.' Voldemort finished before he gave Severus one last dark look.

'I will handle the Longbottoms.'

A/N: Welcome all to my latest work. It's been awhile since I posted Harry Potter and the Ebony Throne and I've spent that time writing this and working on a number of other projects. This story will cover Harry's life from early childhood up until after Hogwarts, as such this story will involve multiple time skips, its going to be long enough without me diving into the minutiae of every day. So if I skip over a period of time, its safe to assume that events occur similar to canon, or nothing interesting happens. It is complete, I'm just struggling to make it look as nice on this site as it does in Word.