Chapter One – Searching For a Place
"He's so young to be out by himself. You're sure no one was with him, and no one has reported him missing?" Lily asked staring at the small boy in the Hospital Wing bed.
"No I checked with the ministry. Poppy has informed me the sleeping potions you gave him should wear off soon", Dumbledore replied.
"Hey Lils you didn't meet me at The Three Broomsticks is something wrong?" James asked throwing open the door carelessly and wincing at the sound it made.
"I'm so sorry James, I forgot", she explained barely taking her eyes off the small, prone figure. There was something about him she couldn't place. And something inside herself that wanted her to stay.
"What happened?" He asked only now noticing the sleeping child.
"This child was found near Hagrid's cabin in very bad shape", Albus informed him.
"Bad shape?" James asked unsure what he meant.
"Abuse seems most likely. His injuries appear to be over time. And… and no ones looking for him", Lily finished, her voice beginning to break.
"Lily-", James began but was interrupted when the figure on the bed groaned.
Poppy was by him in a heartbeat. "Hello little one can you hear me?" She asked gentler than James had thought was even possible for the stern woman. Lily breathed a sigh of relieve when they nodded his head marginally.
"What age are you honey?" She asked, picking up a quill to make notes for the Aurors if necessary.
"11 ma'am", the boy croaked.
Poppy's eyebrows shot up at this. She asked some more questions whilst handing Lily her parchment.
Nutrition Potion – Very Malnourished
Lily nodded and got it from the stores. On her way back in she heard Poppy's next question.
"What's your name, little one?"
"Harry Potter".
The potion fell from Lily's hand. James let out a yell of protest. "How dare you?"
He hand his wand out and aimed at Harry before Harry could even begin to understand what was happening. His eyes looked around in alarm before focusing on a red haired woman behind the angry looking man.
Then his view turned black as a red light hit him.
She couldn't believe what the boy had just said. She was prepared to deny it when his scared green eyes snapped to her.
Those eyes. She knew those eyes. Her baby's eyes. Oh her baby boy.
She was about to reach forward and embrace him when she stopped to scream, as her husband shot a stunner at their child.
"James!" She screeched running to the boy on the bed.
"Lily it's a Death Eater or something", James growled.
"It's Harry!" she shouted back.
"Harry's dead!" James shouted, angry that this thing had made his wife doubt what she knew, what she had accepted.
"I know he did, but it's him", she cried.
Albus walked to the unconscious boy, previously just watching what had occurred. He noticed a note, just peeking out of the boy's pocket.
Not a note, he corrected himself as he read it, a letter. To himself.
Dumbledore scanned the note whilst the couple continued shouting at each other. Dumbledore finished the letter smiling.
"Madame Pomfrey, would you be so kind as to retrieve some veritaserum for me?" He said, and the elder nurse complied.
"Good, we can see who he is", said James harshly, and Lily glared back.
"Oh I have no doubt as to who he is", Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
Before James could question the headmaster any further the matron had returned with a vial of colourless liquid. She paused before she administered it.
"I suppose I don't even need to tell you how unethical I think this is given the child's state", she said but poured it into the boys mouth regardless.
His eyes opened but were glassy and glazed indicating that the potion had worked.
"What is your name?" Dumbledore asked. Lily gripped the boy's hand tightly. Please, oh please let it be him.
"Harry James Potter".
Everything was silent for a moment. "It didn't work", James said turning around.
"It did James", Lily said tears flowing down her face.
"How? How could that be m-my son? How when my child died almost ten years ago?"
"Locus ut Reperio Diligo", Dumbledore said, as if it explains everything. "After my sister died", Albus's face turned very sad, "I explored a way to bring her back. In y research I found Locus ut Reperio Diligo, which directly translated means 'A Place to Find Love'".
James and Lily were both watching Dumbledore intensely, whilst Madame Pomfrey tended to Harry, putting him back to sleep.
"This letter", he showed them the paper he had taken from Harry's pocket, "Is from another world's Albus Dumbledore". Lily and James started at that.
"He informed me of a less than ideal life that Harry here has led", he said Harry's name adoringly, as though he had cared for this boy his whole life, "And felt responsible for the child's situation".
'That is why he is here", he finished.
"Did we treat him this way? Did we hurt him?" Lily asked terrified.
Dumbledore shook his head, "I'm afraid that Harry here never knew the joys of having you as a mother. It was you and James who died on Halloween, not Harry", he explained, "Harry went to live with your sister".
"Petunia", breathed Lily betrayed.
"It's not true!" James shouted.
"Sorry", came a small voice and James swung around angrily to face the boy on the bed.
When he did he froze.
Lilys eyes. Harry's eyes.
Harry?