✧˚ · . what ifs..... Harry Potter edition ...✧˚

✧˚ · . single parenting potter

Description: what if it was just James Potter that died that night

suppose it depends on the circumstances. Let's get the basic stuff out of the way. If one of the Potters survived, Sirius would have never gone to Azkaban, or if he did, he would've been proven innocent far earlier than in canon. A warrant would be out for Pettigrew's arrest, including information about his Animagus form. While it's possible he could've laid low at the Weasleys' like in canon, I think the wizarding population at large would've been extra suspicious of rodents knowing that murdering, traitorous rat Animagus was at large. Depending on when the warrant is issued, either Arthur has Scabbers checked out or Pettigrew never attempts to hide out at the Burrow. Harry would certainly not be forced to live with the Dursleys if his mother was alive and well. I doubt that Lily would ever fully get over James' death, and I doubt she would remarry. While she might rebuild her friendship with Snape, it probably wouldn't be for several years. Especially if she ever finds out who leaked the Prophecy to Voldemort.

If James had taken the Killing Curse for Harry and/or Lily and invoked the same sacrificial protections that allowed Harry to survive in canon, and Voldemort still lost his body, I suppose Lily and Harry would probably attempt to live out their lives normally. I imagine that Lily would enroll Harry in Muggle school prior to his first year at Hogwarts, though I also imagine that she'd be very protective of him, insisting that he is walked to and from school, either by her, Remus, or Sirius, and that he is never out after dark without an adult. Raised in a magical household, Harry would probably have met some other magical children before going to Hogwarts, maybe the Weasley children and/or Neville. It would be difficult to say how Harry's personality would change if raised by a single mother. I imagine that he would benefit from having a loving mother, but he might chafe under a more protective guardian than the Dursleys and might end up even more reckless than in canon. No idea how his Hogwarts years might be affected.

If James had simply bought time for Lily and Harry to escape from Godric's Hollow, and Voldemort was still at large after the fact, I can't imagine that Lily wouldn't have attempted to go into hiding again. She might've disappeared into the Muggle world completely or went abroad to hide her son from Voldemort, at least until he was of Hogwart's attending age. Maybe she would've enrolled him in a different school entirely. It's pretty hard to tell what would've happened, since Lily was already dead when the story started.