"We've found the body of James Potter, Minister."
"Splendid. Bring the body to the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes at once."
Harry had lived his adolescence at Hogwarts, graduated and attained a job in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, while his wife, Ginny, stayed home caring for their twins, Remus "Remix" Alastor and Minerva "Minny" Phoenix. He was arriving home from a trip to Russia when he was greeted by a ghost from his past.
"Hello my dear boy, we've been waiting for you."
There stood none other than Voldemort, Sirius, Snape and Dumbledore grinning at him from the stoop of his and Ginny's home. It had been years since he had seen his former teachers, godfather and archenemy.
Drawing his wand to defend himself, Dumbledore quickly moved between him and Voldemort. "Son, it's going to be alright; you and your family are no longer in any danger. Come, let us all go inside and I will explain."
Dumbstruck, Harry did as instructed. He entered his living room, passed through the hallway to his den and put away his work. Upon returning to the kitchen, Ginny caught Harry mid faint and eased him into a chair.
"Muffin, you ok?"
Still stunned, Harry managed to talk. "Dumbledore, how is it fathomable that you are here? I watched you die. How are you and the others here?"
Squatting down to be eye level with Harry, Sirius gently grasped chin and Ginny's hand.
"Fingere. Gioco di ruolo. Fantasia."
"Mummy, who's playing pretend? Can we play too?" Due to the volume of the commotion, Remix and Minny were awoken from their naps that had taken Ginny all morning to get them to cooperate to take. They quickly moved in between the crowd of men and their father, homemade wands, courtesy of Uncles George and Fred, extended in defense. All in the room, other than Harry and Ginny, were taken aback.
"Your six year olds can understand Latin?" Snape began, "and a perfect defense stance," Sirius finished with a wide grin on his face.
Ginny, still quite confused, grabbed her children directing them behind her, her wand and immediately shoved Sirius off herself and Harry.
"Now would somebody mind in telling me exactly what is going on? I know that one, all of you are dead, two this is liable to give my children a complex and three, yes my children can speak fluent Latin and fight as well as their father. That's enough with my family answering questions. If one of you does not start explaining what is going on or all of you are going to be British French fries."
"Confringo Mummy?" Minny pipes in from behind her mother.
"Shhh Minny," Harry replies.
"Already teaching them spells are we Harry? How intriguing," Snape rolled his eyes.
"That's it. Confrin..."
"Now, now. There is no use in that. It's time we get this mess all figured out." Dumbledore interjects as he waves off Ginny's defense.
Lowering her wand, Ginny mutters "high time" under her breath.
After reconviening in the parlor, the next words out of Sirius's mouth would send Harry's world into complete turmoil.
"Harry. Harry my darling boy. Your father wasn't what you thought he was. Neither was your mother. And unfortunately, they're both dead."
"What do you mean they're both dead? After he died they came back because they were locked in his wand. I have them for a great deal longer than I ever have, and you tell me they're not what I think and that they're dead!" Harry's voice climbs the longer he talks. But how could this be? Once he defeated Voldemort, James and Lily were released from the rather cramped prison that was Voldemort's wand.
"Son," Dumbledore begins after sipping some of Ginny's homebrewed Butterbeer, "James and Lily are not your parents."
"Not my parents? What do you mean not my parents?"
"Lily was my girlfriend at the time this whole dreadful mess began," Snape dismayed hanging his head, "I can still remember as James pulled her from me and Evanesco-ed before I could do anything to stop them."
"What are you talking about Snape? My mother and father loved each other very much you all have told me so."
"They had to Harry." Voldemort finally decided to weigh in on the subject.
"What do you mean they had to? Did you put them up to this?" In an uncontrollable rage Harry leaped from his chair to across the room where Voldemort was sitting on the couch. Just before Harry landed, Sirius whispered Excelsiosempra and Harry was hanging in midair over his archenemy.
"What did you do that for?"
"You need to listen boy, your family is in grave danger; especially Remix and Minny," Sirius spoke with reason.
"Fine, I'll listen. Just put me back in my chair."
After being reseated, Voldemort began…again.
"First off Harry, when did you realize your scar was gone?"
"My scar's gone?" Harry quickly pulled a small mirror from a side table to examine his forehead. "It's gone!"
"Now would you like to know why it's gone? James Potter is dead. That's why."
"He's dead? When did this happen?"
"Early this morning. Harry, let Tom finish and stop interrupting. You sound like a first year again."
"Tom? With that face? No, Voldemort will suffice."
"What? You don't like my mask. Well, since James is finally dead I suppose I no longer have to wear this rubbish any longer." With that, Voldemort muttered something under his breath and touched his wand to his face. Behold, there was an aged version of Tom Riddle Harry had met many years before.
"Better? Now to continue, your scar is gone because James Potter, whom you thought was your father, is dead; dead by "Magical Accident and/or Catastrophe" according to the Ministry of Magic. He was working on a creature that would do as he thought so he would not have to command verbally, only when he did so the creature killed him instead."
"What was the creature?"
"Lily." With this remark, Snape whimpered under his breath as if he knew something terrible had to happen.
"Mum? Why would he do something like that to Mum?"
"Because Harry, they weren't married. Never dated. It was all a spell of an alternate life cast on those who were not protected by something impermeable to his magic as we were. All of us, Dumbledore, Sirius, Snape and myself were in Hogwarts where the force against any form of Dark Arts is much higher than any other school around the globe. All of us had stayed at Hogwarts while the rest took a trip to Hogsmeade. We were negotiating an alliance against Dark Arts in the form of "harmless" bullying to be decided upon when the others returned. It was at this time that James cast his magic, and left us completely unaware of what was going on until Dumbledore figured it out and has made this a rescue mission long in the making. In order to make James believe it was safe to "come out of hiding" I had to assume the role as The Dark Lord and be "defeated" in order for him to do so. But that didn't occur until this morning, when you came back from Russia."
"If James and Lily are not my parents, then who is Tom?"
"That's more like it. Many years ago, James Potter dating Bellatrix Lestrange when another Death Eater, Igor Karkaroff swept her off her feet one night after drinking too much ale, which had been Bellatrix's idea in the first place, and got snoggy in the Lou if you know what I mean, and ~Voila~ you were concieved. After carrying you and believing it was his, James came to find out that you belonged to Igor."
"Did Bellatrix and Igor know that James and Lily weren't really married?"
"Igor didn't, but Bellatrix did. That's why Igor gave in to her advances so easily. That's why Lily made the best cover, everyone loved and respected her. James even convinced her that she had given birth to you through a series of spells that he had created. That's why Sirius stayed so close. He knew the truth but kept a watchful eye over you. James had cast a spell on you, altering your appearance, leading everyone to believe you were his. Not only your appearance, but mannerisms as well. Lucky for you, however, the pain and suffering the Dursley's put you through aided in diminishing the hold of his wickedness on your behavior."
"Where was he hiding? Where could be safe for him as to where he could watch what was going on and make everyone act the way they did for so many years?"
"Your scar Harry. He was the scar. At his very command, he could leave but he was biding his time. Every time I would get close to you, he would get angry, thus whenever your scar burned. But all that is not the point. We have bigger trouble than that to worry about right now. When you travelled to Russia, you went by the place where Igor and Bellatrix had defiled his trust. He left you and created the creature that resides in Lily's subconscious now. We must kill that creature and at all costs attempt to save Lily."
"But how did Lily get to the same place James was?"
After letting out a rather long sigh Dumbledore explained the last details he could before it was time to jump into action.
"He had banished her somewhere that not a soul could find her, but she would still be alive then summoned her using Accio and Confundo. Now come quickly, according to calculations she should be here within half an hour."
"Harry, I'll take the kids and go to Ron and Hermione's. Remix and Minny are all packed and think they're going on a big adventure."
"No Ginny, send the kids but we need you here," Dumbledore looked disapproving, "send them with a note and floo them there. I'm sure they'll understand, but make it clear that they are not needed here and should stay with the children so they're safe."
"What do you think Harry?"
"Send them to Ron. Let them know to keep them safe, and if they don't hear back from us under code of Three turns then to take the children and go into hiding."
Ginny quickly wrote the note and handed it to Minny with the following instructions, "Give this to your Auntie Miney as soon as you get there."
"What about me?" Remix said with a frown.
"Quickly come with me." Ginny lead them to the fireplace and instructed Remix on how to use the floo powder. Holding hands, they were gone.
"What now?" Harry asked Tom as time winded down.
"She's coming looking for you Harry. He gave the creature specific instructions to find you and kill you as slowly and as painfully as possible, but only you. He figured with a horrible death, your wife and children would suffer the most emotional, and long lasting, damage possible. When she comes in, stand against that wall there. It's the farthest from the door and we can stand on either side of the doorway out of sight."
"I see something coming through the field. It's her!" Ginny exclaimed peering through the window.
"Alright everyone; places.
"What about me?" Ginny asked.
"Go upstairs and write a letter to the Dementors of Azkaban saying they'll have a new arrival within the next fifteen minutes, in Sirius Black's old cell." Sirius instructed Ginny.
Just as Ginny headed up the stairs Lily burst through the front door. In one swift motion Lily entered the home, levitated across the floor and was nearly on top of Harry when Snape yelled "Petrificus Totalus." Immediately Lily fell, bound, to the floor. Dumbledore, Sirius and Tom quickly went to work trying to magically sever James Potter's dastardly creation from Lily's subconscious. They tried spell after spell and nothing would work.
"Albus, since James created his own spell to create this beast, what if we do the same?"
"Tom that might work. But what to use?"
"Resolvo Aminocreatura. It means to unbind any mind creature. It should release the link put in place between that monster and my beloved Lily," Snape proposed from a back-turned stance not willing to watch what was being done to his former lover.
"It's worth a shot, but we need to send it to Azkaban as well."
Every male in the room tried the spell on Lily, but all failed. Finally, Harry had an idea.
"Ginny, would you come here?" Moments later Ginny was at Harry's side. "Ginny, we need you to repeat Resolvo Aminocreatura Depulso. You are the last hope to save Mom…I mean Lily."
"Resolvo Aminocreatura Depulso!"
"Where am I?" Lily was completely clueless as to where she, or who she, was or what had happened. In fact, everyone outside of those in the room, Ron and Hermione, and the Dementors had any idea as to what had happened.
"You did it Ginny!" Harry exclaimed hugging Ginny and kissing her sweetly on the head.
"But what are we going to do with her now?"
"I'll take her with me. If it is alright with you Dumbledore, I will be taking some time off to aid with Lily's recovery."
"So be it Severus. If you need anything, just let me know."
At that, Severus and Lily left the house.
"I need to send a letter to Hermione!" Ginny ran upstairs and quickly scribed a note saying Three turns and sent it via Ginny's owl Honeyduke, just as Harry's owl Griffin returned with a message from the Dementors at Azkaban saying they received their newest prisoner and thanked the lot for capturing an upcoming criminal. Moments later, there was a commotion from the fireplace.
"Mummy look what Auntie Miney and Unk Ron got us!" both children exclaimed with a talisman in one hand and Remix with a note in the other, "they sent a note too Mummy."
Taking the note, Harry and Ginny read together as they walked to the parlor to introduce their children to some of the greatest people that had ever been in their lives. The note read:
Dear Harry and Ginny,
In case anything else like this situation comes up,
these talismans are made to protect Remix and Minny. Our
children have them too. This way, if anything happens to us
because of our pasts, they will always be able to find each
other and always stick together.
Love Always,
Hermione and Ron
"Dumbledore, Sirius, Tom, look what Hermione and Ron made for the children," Harry said turning the corner to the parlor only to find that all the furniture was back in place and it was as if nothing had ever happened. All that remained was a note in the middle of the floor that read:
Life Goes On.