Potter Family

Potter Family is the family ship between Harry, James, and Lily Potter from the Harry Potter fandom.

Canon
James and Lily began dating in their seventh year at Hogwarts. They wed the year after graduation, in 1978, in the midst of the First Wizarding War. They both joined the Order of the Phoenix alongside James' friends. Over the course of their time fighting with the Order, they were said to have defied Voldemort three times. About a year into their marriage, Lily discovered that she was pregnant. Fearing for the life of their child, James and Lily chose to go into hiding.

Their son, Harry, is born on July 31, 1980. Unfortunately, his birth in the late summer causes him to become the target of a prophecy regarding the downfall of Voldemort. James and Lily decide to utilize the Fidelius Charm to keep themselves and their son safe from harm. However, their Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, betrays them by revealing their location to Voldemort.

On October 31, 1981, Voldemort arrives at the Potter home in Godric's Hollow. He first encounters James at the door, who had told Lily and Harry to run while he held Voldemort off. However, he'd forgotten his wand in the living room and is quickly killed. Voldemort moves next to the nursery, where Lily stands over Harry. Voldemort tells her to step aside, offering her the opportunity to live, but Lily refuses. Voldemort kills Lily, then turns next to Harry. However, due to Lily's sacrifice, Harry is protected by her love. Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounds, and instead renders him defeated.

The infant Harry is collected by Rubeus Hagrid and delivered to the home of his maternal Aunt and Uncle. Growing up, Harry is told that his parents died in a car accident. His magical heritage is kept secret until his eleventh birthday, when Hargrid arrives with his Hogwarts letter. It is then that he learns the truth of his parents and, most importantly, his mother's sacrifice.

In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry encounters the Mirror of Erised. Said to show one's deepest desire, Harry sees his family in the mirror. He continues to visit the Mirror nightly, growing an obsession with visiting his "parents". Eventually, Albus Dumbledore moves the mirror to help protect the Philosopher's Stone and Harry can no longer visit it.

In Harry's fourth year, he experiences Priori Incantatem when attempting to duel Voldemort. This causes Voldemort's wand to release "spirits" of those that had been killed by it. The spirits of Harry's parents are present, and they encourage him in his fight against Voldemort. In Harry's seventh year, he uses the Resurrection Stone prior to encountering Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. He conjures the spirits of his parents, as well as Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. His parents encourage him to walk towards his death, telling him how proud they are of the sacrifice he is choosing to make. James promises to stay with Harry "until the very end".

Nineteen years following the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry is married to Ginny Weasley. They have three children, two of which are named after his parents: James Sirius Potter and Lily Luna Potter.

Cursed Child
In the sequel play to the Harry Potter series, Harry has to travel back in time to right the timeline and save his son. In the process, he is forced to stand by and watch as his parents are killed. While Draco Malfoy reminds Harry that he could do something to save his parents from their fate, Albus Potter remarks that they all know Harry won't. Everyone sees this as an incredibly heroic sacrifice for Harry to make. They all stand together and watch from afar as both James and Lily sacrifice their lives to protect their son. Harry breaks down into a sob as he watches his parents die for him.

Fanon
The Potter Family is a beloved dynamic in the fandom. Lily's love for her son is the entire basis for the main plot of the books, and so their family dynamic is also incredibly important to canon as well.

Because James and Lily are killed prior to the start of the series, there are a number of fanworks that focus on an alternate universe where Harry grew up with both of his parents. These fans like to imagine the happy childhood that Harry would have had with his parents, rather than the abusive one he experienced while being raised by the Dursleys. Some other fanworks keep James and Lily dead, but feature Harry either speaking to them as ghosts or via the Resurrection Stone, or use time travel to have Harry come into contact with his parents before their deaths.

There are currently over 250 works for this relationship on AO3.

Fandom

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Trivia

 * Harry is said to look identical to his father, save for the green eyes he inherited from his mother