What if Peter Pettigrew had fallen into the lake at Hogwarts and drowned (yay!) before he had a chance to become friends with the Marauders? What if James and Lily had never died? What if Remus and Sirius had found themselves wives and were married around the time their best friend had been? And what if Harry was not friends with Ron and Hermione but with Sirius' son Keid and Remus' daughter Aemilia? There would be a whole new world for Harry Potter. Voldemort is still out there, and Harry needs to defeat him, but in a whole different way than anyone ever imagined.
Prologue: Who's Your Daddy?
Maybe the only other group in wizarding history closer than the founders of Hogwarts were the Marauders. James, Sirius and Remus were never to be seen apart, except that one time in sixth year when Snape found out that Remus was a werewolf because of Sirius, but they do not like to talk about that anymore, it is in the past. The three friends desperately missed each other when they were simultaneously on their honeymoons, and their new wives became so annoyed with them moping that they all went home early and went to the clubs in London.
Lily, Christine, and Sveya had become good friends and enjoyed their position of wife of the Marauders. Lily and Christine kept James and Sirius in check; reminding them they were "Adults now! Act your age. And stop filling my shoes with dead frogs!" Sveya on the other hand, had to be kept calm by levelheaded Remus, who loved his Gypsy wife who made him smile like he was under a giggling charm. They became pregnant within the same year, glad that their children would go to Hogwarts together.
Keid, Sirius and Christine's son was born in January 1980. He had Christine's thin blonde hair but Sirius' twinkling eyes and dazzling smile, even when his teeth were not in yet. He had the prankster spirit for sure, often crawling away from his mother, and hiding for several minutes before popping out from behind a chair and scaring her. He inherited his mother's love for drawing, and could often be found covered in finger paint. Sirius and Christine could not have been prouder.
Little Aemilia was born in March to Remus and Sveya. Her hair twisted in stiff, black waves like Sveya's and her glinting yellow eyes mirrored her father's. She appreciated a good book, especially the ones with pictures, but was able to read by the time she was five. She also had a talent for dancing, which Sveya had made sure she learned in the spirit of heritage. She was able to order around her best friends, an ability her father would have had if he had dared to try. Aemilia was going to be a brilliant witch, no doubt about it.
When Keid was seven months old and Aemilia five months old, they had a habit of staring expectantly at Lily's swollen belly, as if knowing that the final member of their group was only a few days away. They actually giggled when Lily went into labor one July night during a dinner the friends were sharing together. Harry was born the next afternoon to a very tired Lily and an ecstatic James. Harry was the spitting image of his father, but his eyes were the electrifying green that were his mother's. Harry was on broomstick before he turned one, with his father steering of course. And his mother yelling at them to "GET BACK DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! I SWEAR YOU'LL BE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH FOR A WEEK, JAMES!" Harry was practically bursting with magical ability and had a talent of accidentally hexing his father, which everyone said he got from Lily. But of course, with Lily, hexing James was not always an accident.
Yes, Keid, Aemilia, and Harry were inseparable before they could walk. They defended each other, even if they were wrong. The Night before they went to Hogwarts, there was a party at Godric's Hollow.
"Come on, Harry! Can you please just brush your hair and get going. I swear, you take more time than Aemilia to get dressed. And she's a girl!"
"O, shut it would you. I just can't get my hair to lie FLAT!"
"That's never going to happen, dear. Come on, the grandparents are getting testy," Lily said sticking her head into Harry's room where he and Keid were getting ready. She left as Aemilia flounced in. She plopped down at Harry's desk, straightening her white dress robes.
"Lia! We could have been getting dressed!" Harry said.
"As if I haven't seen you naked before," Aemilia muttered, checking that her long black hair was in place.
Keid leaned towards Harry, "When has she seen us naked before?"
"I don't know but I'm pulling the shades down when I get dressed from now on."
Now that they were all done, they left the room and walked to the head of the wide stairs. They could here their families chattering in the dining room at the bottom of the steps. Aemilia linked her arms through the boys'. Harry and Keid gave each other annoyed glances and rolled their eyes but continued to escort her down the stairs. Everyone turned their eyes on the three friends entering and smiled as they took seats next to each other at the head of the enlarged table. Lily, Christine, and Sveya had been working hard in the kitchen all day, preparing their children's favorite meals. After most of the food had been consumed, James, Sirius, and Remus rose from their seats, firewhiskey glasses in hand.
"We'd like to propose a toast," Remus said.
"To the Junior Marauders over there," Sirius finished.
"And give some advice in the process," James added.
"Always do your homework. Pay attention in class. DO NOT get on McGonagall's bad side. Not my favorite place to be-"
"As if you were ever there, Moony," Sirius interrupted but Remus ignored him and continued.
"-and if you find the need to receive detention, get it with someone like Sprout or Flitwick. Avoid detention with McGonagall, Snape, and Filch at all possible costs. Sirius, anything to say?"
"Yah, the secret passageways are-" Sirius began his speech but was stopped by a flying roll. "That was not very nice, Lily."
"I do not want my son sneaking out of the castle."
"Oh, fine! Anyway, sneak out of your dormitory, not the castle, as much as you can, but don't get caught. To get into the kitchens, tickle the pear on the picture in the picture of the bowl of fruit, but don't get caught. And sleep through History of Magic, but don't get caught."
"So, Dad, you're saying break as many rules as possible, but don't be caught?" Keid grinned at Harry, "I think we can manage that."
Sirius nodded, and turned to James, who began his advice, "Have fun, kids, that's all I can tell you. Hogwarts is the best place to have adventures. But be serious with your work. And depend on each other, or you'll never get through it all. Oh, and buy McGonagall Ginger Newts if she gets mad at you. It's a sure fire way to get back in her good graces. So here's to Keid, Aemilia, and Harry: Have fun at Hogwarts."
Everyone clinked their glasses and cried, "Cheers!" and drank to the three best friends sitting before them.
The next day, Harry, Keid, and Aemilia walked through King's Cross Station, with their parents hanging on them and carrying their bags.
"Remember to owl me when you get there-"
"Did you remember your-?"
"Don't listen to Sirius, Filch won't sic his cat on you-"
It was harder to tell if the mothers or the children were more nervous, but Sirius, Remus, and James were walking nonchalantly through the station where they had been to so many times. When they reached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 they still had half an hour. A tall, but young looking, red haired boy stood with a woman and younger girl. The woman smiled widely when she saw the large group that had arrived.
"Molly!" Lily said, giving the plump woman a hug, "Ron's first trip too?"
"Yes it is. My, my, Harry, you've grown!"
"Harry, this is Molly Weasley and her children Ron and Ginny."
"Nice to meet you," Harry replied politely, though he wished just to get on the train and hang out with Keid and Aemilia.
"Where are all the other Weasleys?" James asked smiling kindly at Molly.
"Oh, James, I didn't see you there! They're all on the train. Well Charlie's in Romania, and Bill in Egypt."
"You've met the Blacks and the Lupins, right, Molly?" Lily said.
"Yes, but not they children. You must be Sirius' son though, with that smile," Molly nodded to Keid, who smiled politely in acknowledgement.
"This little devil is indeed my son," Sirius said clapping Keid on the back.
"And this is Aemilia," Lily said, "Remus and Sveya's daughter."
"Mum," Ron yanked on Molly's sleeve, "I think we're going to be late if we stay here much longer."
Just then a lone busy-haired girl walked up with a full cart. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. How do you get onto the platform?"
And with that the parents realized Ron was right and that it was time to put the children on the train.
Harry and Keid raced each other onto the platform, nearly colliding as the hit the barrier and went through. "Gits," Aemilia muttered as she went through, followed by Hermione and Ron then the parents and the little girl called Ginny.
The five first years claimed a compartment together, Ron and Hermione sitting off to the side, a little unsure of their position in this already tight-knit group of friends. They waved at their parents through the windows and settled in for the ride.
Later that night, the five, plus five other first years were sorted into Gryffindor. They next morning they began their education of becoming witches and wizards.
