Nearly

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
M/M
G
Nearly
author
Characters
Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lucius Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Rubeus Hagrid, Viktor Krum, Seamus Finnigan, Gregory Goyle, Hedwig (Harry Potter), Vincent Crabbe, Cedric Diggory, Daphne Greengrass, Poppy Pomfrey, Narcissa Malfoy, Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint, Peregrine Derrick, Lucian Bole, Selina the cat
Tags
Friends to Lovers Canon-Typical Violence Fluff and Angst Secret Relationship alternative universe First Kiss Minor Character Death First Time Underage Sex - Freeform Panic Attacks AU Teen Romance Teen Angst Forbidden Love Family Secrets Jealous Draco Malfoy First Love Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship Harry Potter & Ron Weasley Friendship Puppy Love Harry Potter was Raised by Remus Lupin and Sirius Black Inter-House Friendships Harry is sorted into Slytherin Motherly Remus Lupin Marcus Flint/Adrian Pucey (hinted at) Severus Snape cares about his Slytherins but he's still the prickly Professor we all know and love Mentions of Eating Disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Blackmailing Blaise also blackmailing Hermione (no really) Umbridge will henceforth be known as either Toadface or Umbitch underage everything
Summary
Sirius doesn't go after Peter Pettigrew on the night that Voldemort kills the Potters, but stays to look after Harry... This means that he is never wrongly accused and incarcerated for the murder of Lily and James, and instead he and Remus Lupin raise Harry as their own. When it finally becomes time for Harry to start his education at Hogwarts, he has no reason to tell the Sorting Hat not to place him in Slytherin, so he is Sorted into Slytherin and becomes best friends (and later on, more than friends) with Draco.
Note
When I started writing this fic I knew two things: I was only going to change Sirius decision to run after Pettigrew, and all other changes after that would be in direct correlation to that one thing (e.g. Harry being sorted into Slytherin, because he's never met Dudley Dursley and so doesn't ask the hat not to place him in Slytherin) and it was heading towards a big plot twist at the end of year five. All major canon plot points that shouldn't realistically be altered because of Sirius being a free man, him and Remus raising Harry or Harry being in Slytherin, will therefore still take place (e.g. Triwizard Tournament will take place, but the DA will not)     Title comes from Harry Potter's first line ever in the books. (And also, what NEARLY could have happened.)

Chapters