This is an alternate universe story about how Harry's life could have looked if he had grown up in a family that loved him and were part of the magical society. Like I said this is an AU story so don't get angry with me if especially Harry is a bit out of character. After all he is a lot like he is because of the Dursleys. Oh, and this may be future slash. I'm not sure but I am a big slash fan so there is a possibility if I take this story beyond first year.

Hope you like it.

Chapter 1

Going home

It was a rainy Wednesday in the beginning of October. The rain was falling from the sky in big hurries drops over the identical houses of Privet Drive. In the house with the brass number dour on the wall, all four inhabitants were currently at home. For any visitors it would seem like there only liver three people in the house, a man, a woman and their son. Had the Dursleys had a choice in the matter that's the way it would have been. Unfortunately for everybody concerned there was another boy living in the house.

Harry Potter was a very quiet three year-old. He had very early learned not to ask questions or question why his cousin Dudley was given so much more than him.

Harry was currently sitting in the cupboard under the stairs in the Dursleys home which worked as his room. He was sitting on the bed with his only toy in his lap. It was a stuffed bunny named Eliot. He'd had Eliot with him when he came to the Dursleys after his parents had died. It was the only thing he had left from when he had lived with his parents. The Dursleys had tried to take Eliot away from Harry when he had first came to them, but he had started to scream and not stopped until the stuffed animal was returned and he had been allowed to keep it, for now.

Harry was looking through a book lying in front of him of the bed. He had smuggled the book out of Dudley's room without anyone noticing. It wasn't like his cousin would miss the book anyways. All the books Dudley had even the slightest bit of interest in was about either aliens or monsters. The book Harry had taken was about rabbits. One rabbit in particular. It was a small rabbit boy. He got lost from his family and the book was about how he found them again and then he lived happily ever after with them. Harry felt a bit like the rabbit in the book. At the age of three Harry knew that his parents were dead and that being dead meant that they wouldn't come back, but he couldn't help to wish that some nice family that loved him would come and take him away from the Dursleys so he could live happily ever after just like the rabbit in the book.

What Harry didn't know was that on that rainy Wednesday afternoon he would get his wish.

Adam and Melanie Potter were a rather normal wizarding couple, as normal as they could be living in New York City. They lived in a wizarding apartment building with their seven year old daughter Hailey and three other wizarding families.

The Potters were a pureblood family, something that was uncommon in a city such as New York, at least outside the pure wizarding areas of the city. Many pureblooded families thought that the influence from muggles were too big in the major cities and preferred to live on the country side away from the eyes of muggles.

It was true that living so close to so many muggles made it impossible to keep away from them completely. All the children in the building where the Potters lived old enough to go to school went to a muggle school a few blocks from where they lived. However it was a private school run by a man named Steven Parker who was a squib and therefore knew about magic and didn't freak out when weird thing happened at the school. It had happened once or twice that parents had been called to the school to Obliviate some of the students after some of the more extreme happenings.

Adam Potter was the cousin of James Potter, had someone that knew James been told that Adam and James were related they would definitely have seen similarities between the two men. Adam was a few years older than James and had the same unruly black hair and warm brown hair which were both trademarks of the Potters. Adam had only met his cousin a few times before the others death. The reason for that was that a rift had appeared in the family between Adam's father and grandfather. Adam's grandfather hadn't liked the idea of his son living and working on the other side of the world and had told him that if he wanted to go he could stay. Adam's father, William, had gone and he had stayed. The two brothers who had previously been close had been pulled apart and had only seen each other a few times after William had moved to the States. William had married an American pureblooded witch and together they had moved to New York where the family had stayed ever since.

Adam knew about James's death and what had led to it, as much as anyone did. He also knew James had had a son who was currently living with relatives of his mother. Lord Voldemort had never reached the States and had never become as feared there, therefore Harry wasn't as famous there for having been part of his demise, but he was still well known. What Adam didn't know about Harry was the boys living conditions.

Adam Potter worked at the department of magical sports at the American Ministry of Magic. He was sitting in his office when he heard the low tapping of an owl beak on the window. It was rarely people sent letter by owl to the Ministry. It would seem suspicious if too many owl was seen flying to and from one of the sky scrapers in down town New York where the Ministry was located. It did however happen now and then and it was never good news, this was no exception.

He went over to the window to let the owl inside.

"Hello there dear. What kind of bad news are you the bringer of?" He asked the owl as he carried it over to his desk where he put it down. The owl held out its leg and Adam took the letter from it. He noticed that the envelope wasn't the normal parchment but instead made of muggle paper and his name was written on it with a ball-point pen. The letter inside was written with the same muggle appliances as the envelope. His heart fell and he felt a clump grow in the pit of his stomach as he read the letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

My name is Arabella Figg. I live close to the Dursleys, the family that is the guardians of our departed cousin James Potter's son Harry. The reason why I have decided to write to you is to inform you of the conditions under which Harry is living. I know my accusations to be true after having both seen the treatment for afar and from hearing from the boy himself when I've been looking after him for the Dursleys.

I regret to inform you that he is being neglected, is forced to sleep in a cupboard located under the stairs, is barley being fed and he is repeatedly being beaten by his cousin who is his equal in age.

I myself am a squib who has been keeping an eye on young Mr. Potter since he came to live here. I've tried to inform Albus Dumbledore, the man who placed Harry in the care of the Dursleys, of these events, however he doesn't seem willing to do anything to better the boy's conditions.

That is why I am writing you now. I have spent a lot of time trying to locate any other relatives the child might have and I came up with your name after a lot of work Mr. Potter.

My request is that you use your powers as relatives of the boy to get him away from these abusive people. I hope for the sake of a young child that you take this letter seriously and that there is something you can do to help.

Sincerely Arabella Figg.

Adam let the letter fall to the desk. He stared empty at the air in front of him. When he a Melanie had first heard of James and his wife's death they had contacted the British Ministry of Magic about getting custody of Harry. The man Arabella Figg had mentioned, Albus Dumbledore had answered the request and told them that Harry had gone to live with relatives if his mother and that he would be protected there by ancient magic and it would be good for him to grow up away from the magical world after what had happened with Lord Voldemort. Adam had thought the last part was crap and if anything the boy needed more than anyone to know what he had to expect from the world to which he belonged, but he hadn't question the man something he regretted now. He had thought that Harry at least was cared for and loved and safe.

Adam got up from his chair and left his office taking the letter with him. He had to see his wife.

Melanie Potter worked, just like her husband, at the Ministry of Magic but in the Department of magical law as a lawyer. She was sitting in her office going through a ridiculously large pile of legal documents when her husband burst in through the door without knocking.

"Where's the fire?" She asked with a slightly amused voice. Melanie was used to her husband's antics. It seemed to be a job requirement to be childish if one wanted to work at the department of magical sports and her husband definitely fulfilled that requirement. Melanie was a woman in her early thirties with chocolate brown hair falling in waves down to her shoulders and blue eyes that were a warm sky blue colour when she was with her family and friends and a piercing ice blue when she was in court. Her daughter had her father's black hair, but with Melanie's softer wavy quality and her blue eyes.

"England." Melanie had noticed as soon as Adam was fully in the room that something was wrong, his voice only confirmed it. It was strained and hurried. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but got a letter pushed in her face as an answer.

"Oh my god." She said when she had read the letter. "We have to do something, Adam."

Adam nodded. "So how do we do this?"

The next morning, after Hailey left for school, the two adult Potters left for the Ministry and the Portkey office. It was too far to apparate or use floopowder to get to England so portkey was their only option.

"The next portkey for London leaves in 22 minutes." The man working in the Portkey office told them.

"Book us on that trip, and are there any available trips back later today?" Adam asked.

"There is one with empty places that leaves at 8 tonight local time."

"That's good, book three on that trip."

The man nodded and did as he was asked. Both Adam and Melanie had taken the day off to go to England and get Harry. They had no intentions to wait longer than necessary. Melanie had barley slept that night as it was.

Most of the previous day had been spent working on a way to get Harry to be allowed to leave with them when they showed up today. To get Harry's aunt and uncle to agree didn't sound like it would be too hard, but one could never be sure. The biggest problem had been to find a way to get the custody of Harry before Dumbledore figured out what they were doing. Melanie who'd had contact with the people at the Ministry who worked with questions regarding guardianships and adoptions knew who to ask for a help. She had gotten a friend to get them all the paper they would need to become Harry's guardians all they needed were the Dursleys signatures. Something Melanie wasn't below threats to get.

After a short time of waiting Adam and Melanie went to the room from where they would take the portkey. They were to only two who would take this trip so they were alone in the room.

"This is going to work right?" Melanie asked.

"Everything is going to be fine." Adam assured just before a pull behind their navels appeared and took them away.

Harry was still sitting in his cupboard when he heard a knock on the door. He ignored it and continued with his book, it was never for him anyways. He could hear his uncle walk out of the living room and over to the door.

"Yes?" Uncle Vernon asked, apparently he didn't know the people at the door.

"Are you Vernon Dursley?" A man asked he had a different accent than the people Harry knew, but he had heard it on the TV and thought it was American.

"I am who are you?"

"My name is Adam Potter, this is my wife Melanie."

Harry's heart began to beat faster and he snuck up to the door and opened it a bit to try to get a look at the strangers. The man who had spoken had the same unruly black hair that Harry had that aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon hated so much. Not that they liked anything with Harry, they just called him a freak and locked him in the cupboard.

"We are here about Harry, may we come in?" The man named Adam Potter continued. Even from behind Harry could tell uncle Vernon didn't want to let the man and the woman in but he did in anyway and closed the door hurriedly.

"What do you want with the boy?" Uncle Vernon asked he didn't even invite the man and woman inside to sit down.

"We would like to take him out of your care." It was the first thing the woman had said. Harry's eyes grew large. Was it true, had someone really come for him liked he had dreamt of so often. He heard aunt Petunia walk past his door and walk into the hall where he could see her.

"Why would you like him?"She asked she practically spitted the word him.

"Because you clearly don't." The woman said, her voice calm but even from afar Harry could tell her eyes were like ice.

"He was given to our care for a reason."

"Yes, to be loved and cared for like any other child." The two women glared at each other while the men sized each other up. Uncle Vernon was definitely bigger but the other man looked strong.

"Albus Dumbledore said here was the only place the boy would be safe."

"Albus Dumbledore is a moron." The man said. Uncle Vernon had turned slightly so Harry could see half his face and he seemed to agree.

Harry couldn't stop himself any longer but pushed the door open and stepped out in the hall.

Melanie's eyes fell on the small boy who had appeared from under the stairs when she heard a noise coming from that direction. He wore clothes that were too big for him, glasses that seemed to cover half his face and he was holding a worn stuffed rabbit and a book. She felt her eyes tear at the sight of the boy. He was so small and appeared even smaller in the big clothes.

"You must be Harry." She said and sat down on her hunches to get in level with the boy. She could see the lightning shaped scar on his forehead that was the memory of his parent death.

"Yes." Harry said and nodded. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mel and this," she pointed at her husband. "is Adam."

"You said I could go with you. Can I?" There was a hope in the young boy's voice that made the tears in Melanie's eyes threaten to start falling and a part of her wanted to kill the Dursleys and not think about consequences, a rather large part.

"If you want to."

"Are you my family?"

"Yes we are, our name's Potter just like yours." The boy started to beam. Melanie couldn't stop herself and she went over and picked the small boy up from the floor and gave him a hug. She noticed how light he was and sent a glare in the Dursleys direction but didn't trust her voice enough to say anything.

"If you are his family and probably just as weird as him, why wasn't he sent to you in the first place?" Mr. Dursley asked.

"Dumbledore is a moron." Was Adam's only answer, Mr. Dursley seemed satisfied enough, if a bit irritated.

"So how do we do this?" He asked.

Adam took out the paper he'd had with him from his pocket. "Just sign these and Harry's custody will be transferred to us." He gave the papers to Mr. Dursley who walked in to the kitchen with his wife trailing him. They reappeared a few minutes later and handed the paper back to Adam who took out his wand and pointed it at the document. The document had magically sent one copy directly to the American Ministry of Magic, one to the British Ministry and made one extra copy of the paper the Dursleys and the Potters had signed.

"Here keep this copy in case someone comes to question you." Adam said and handed over one of the papers.

"Dumbledore you mean." Mr. Dursleys said.

"Yes, that exactly who I mean." Adam turned to his wife and their soon to be son. "Let's go. It there something you have that you want to bring Harry?"

The young boy shook his head. "Only Eliot and my book." He said and showed the things he was holding. Melanie hugged him harder. She knew she would spoil him like crazy when they got home. They had a few hours now too before their portkey left and she would drag Adam with her and shop for Harry right away.

She turned and left the house without a look at the Dursleys or a word to them. Adam followed her but before he left he took one last look at the house where Harry had lived for the past two years. The last thing he saw was an overweight boy sitting at the top of the stairs staring at him with a big satisfied smile. Looking at Harry's cousin Adam was even more grateful they had gotten Harry out of the house as soon as they did. He only wished he wouldn't have had to come here at all. At least the Dursleys hadn't put up any kind of fight.

When they left number four Privet Drive it was four thirty in the afternoon. Harry was clinging to the woman who had saved him from his aunt, uncle and cousin and had no intentions of letting go until he was sure he wouldn't have to go back.

They walked to an empty alley where they stopped. Harry looked at the woman, Mel he remembered her name was, and wondered what they were doing here.

"Harry, we a going to use something called apparition to go to London." She said with that soft voice Harry already loved. He nodded his understanding even though he didn't know what apparition was, if it was something living with the Dursleys had taught him it was to not ask questions. "It's going to feel a bit weird but I promise that it's not dangerous." Harry nodded again. "Ok here we go."

Harry felt like he was being squished through something really small and it was all black and he couldn't breathe. He was about to panic when the feeling disappeared and they were somewhere else. Harry didn't even realize it but tears had started to roll down his cheeks.

"Oh, honey I'm sorry. I know it can be scary the first times." Mel was lovingly patting him on the back and whispering soothing words in his ear. He felt himself being taken from the arm of the woman and instead being held by the bigger and stronger arms of the man, Adam.

"Hey, buddy." He said and looked down at Harry, holding him with one arm and whipping his tears with his free hand, a smile on his face. "You know what, I hate appertaining too and I have to do it on my own and that is scary so next time we have to do I think you should go with me so you can keep me company. What do you say?" Harry nodded and Adam smiled even brighter."Great, now I think your new mom wants to go and by you a whole new wardrobe and a half toy store." Harry could see Mel glare at him in the corner of his eye, but the word mom had made him froze.

"Will you be my parents?" He asked, afraid that they would say no.

"Of course we will honey, if you want us too."

"Who wouldn't want us as parents?" Adam asked. "We're great parents."

"Adam!" Mel scolded him, and Harry giggled.

"What, we are, ask Hailey."

"Who's Hailey?" Harry asked.

"She's our daughter. She'll be your sister. She's looking forward to meeting you." Mel explained. They had talked to Hailey the day before and explained about Harry to her. She had been so excited about getting a brother she had been jumping up and down. She had been disappointed when she hadn't been allowed to come with and get Harry, but had eventually agreed to go to school so that she could tell everybody there that she would get a brother.

"Oh ok, I want to meet her too." Harry was quiet for a while when they started walking towards the stores of muggle London which was their first stop. The two adults wondered what he was thinking about, but decided that when he wanted to tell them he would. They were on their way into a kid's clothes store when Harry decided to speak.

"Can I call you mom and dad?" his voice was so low it took a few seconds before Melanie or Adam understood what he had asked them. When they did they both lit up with big smiles.

"Of course, honey." Melanie said and gave him a hug, even though he was still being held by Adam.

"What else would you call us?" Adam said.

Harry was the happiest he could remember ever having been.

They shopped for a while before going to eat at a restaurant, it was the first time Harry had been to a restaurant and it had been really exiting and almost scary for the small boy. It hadn't been made easier by the fact that Harry had been allowed to choose what he wanted for himself. For Harry it had been dinner, a rather late one at that and for Adam and Melanie lunch. Then they shopped some more in the muggle part of London. Melanie pulled them between several different clothes and toys' stores. Buying more things than she would have been able to carry hadn't she been able to use magic. Their portkey would leave from Diagon Alley and they decided, Melanie decided, to go there last. The two boys simply followed her lead.

They reached the Leaky Cauldron and walked through the bar without anyone really noticing them. Harry was still being carried by Adam but he was now wearing some of his new clothes. It was a pair of loosely fit jeans with footballs embroidered on the back pockets and a green sweatshirt. It wasn't cold enough to need a jacket yet. Ha also wore a pair of new blue and white sneakers. Even the underwear and socks were new, and of course he was still holding Eliot. He never let go of his friend if he could help it. Eliot was the only friend he'd had at the Dursleys and he wouldn't give him up easily. The book he had brought was kept in one of their many shopping bags and his old clothes had been thrown away.

They reached the backdoor of the dark pub and walked out into the cramped area behind the Leaky Cauldron. Harry once again wondered what they were doing and hoped it wasn't that squishy thing again, he couldn't remember what it was called but he had not liked it. His ´dad´ took out that weird stick thing he had used at the Dursleys again.

"What is that?" During shopping Harry had figured out that his new parents didn't mind him asking questions.

"It's a wand." Adam answered.

Harry had heard of wands, witches and wizards had them, but the Dursleys had told him that kind of things weren't real. "A magic wand?" He asked anyway.

"Yes, I'm a wizard and so are you. I take it your relatives didn't tell you that." Harry shook his head.

"That doesn't matter now. You're back in the world you belong, and we love to have you here. We'll show you everything." Harry nodded eagerly. He loved to learn new things.

Adam tapped the right brick in the wall and the bricks started to rearrange themselves to create a portal leading out to the bustling Diagon Alley. Melanie had noticed Harry's will to learn new thing, all children asked questions but the way Harry asked them made him seem older than his three years. When they had gone shopping for toys she had gotten him a lot of puzzles and books and also learning toys, some which were for children closer to Hailey's age than Harry's she had a feeling they would be needed to keep the young boy stimulated.

Harry looked around Diagon Alley from his safe position in Adam arms. There were people rushing back and forth everywhere. There were sounds and smells that were both new and at the same time familiar to Harry in the air. He saw that the people here were dressed differently from what he was used to. Most wore long dress like clothes even if they were men. There were a few people that wore normal clothes but they weren't many.

"We don't have much time before our portkey leaves, but we have to get you a broom before we leave. The rest of your wizarding supplies we can get when we get home." Melanie said and started leading them through the crowd.

"What's a portkey?" Harry asked Adam.

"You remember we told you we live in New York." Harry nodded. Adam and Melanie had told him that during their dinner. "The portkey is how we will get there, it's an object used for long distance transportation, or when big groups that can't apparate have to go somewhere." Harry scrunched up his nose that was that word he didn't like, apparate. Adam noticed and laughed at him, ruffling his hair.

Harry and Adam walked slowly through the bustling crowd giving Harry plenty of time to look around at all the different things and people. When Adam had suggested letting Harry walk on his own Harry had put his small arms around the man's neck and hugged him had clearly showing he had no desire to get down on the ground.

They stopped outside a shop. There were broomsticks lying in the window and a group of boys were standing outside the window talking about the broom lying in the very middle.

"A comet 180." One of the boys said. "If I only had enough money to buy one myself, my father will never get it for me."

Harry and Adam went into the store leaving the boys outside to continue their watching of the broom. Melanie was standing at the clerk's desk talking to a man. She smiled to the man and handed him a few gold coins. She turned around with a smile at her two boys.

"We'd you go?" She asked.

"Harry wanted time to look around."

"Oh, sorry I rushed away, but I really wanted this done before we had to leave." She held out a long package. Quality Quidditch supplies made the best children's broom in the world and she had wanted to get one for Harry before they left.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"You'll see when we get home."

Harry got curious. Since they were in a broom shop he thought it might be a broom. He knew from having seen it on the TV that witches flew on brooms, if he was a wizard Melanie was probably a witch. He hoped it was for him, but he didn't know if he was too young to have one. Maybe it was for Hailey.

Melanie looked at her watch. "We really have to go now. If we miss our portkey Hailey will have our heads."

"You right she will." Adam agreed and they started making their way out of the shop again. They walked over to the building in Diagon Alley that worked as Portkey station and walked inside a little under ten minutes before their portkey left.

This time they didn't have the portkey to themselves there was another couple traveling with them. They smiled at the Potters when they walked in. The portkey itself was an old pillowcase lying on the floor.

"What are we doing here?" Harry asked looking around the almost empty room. He was starting to get tired of going weird places to go somewhere else. First it was the alley. Then the back of a dark pub filled with weird people and now an empty room safe for two other people and an old pillowcase. Besides Harry was getting really tired, he was usually asleep at this time.

"We're taking a portkey home." Adam said with an amused grin at Harry's confused expression.

"We're is it?" As Harry said as another voice declared that travelers to New York, Ministry of Magic should get ready for departure. The young man from the couple traveling with them walked up to the pillowcase and picked it up. The woman traveling with him also took hold on the pillowcase.

"Harry you need to touch the portkey too." Adam said as he took hold of the pillowcase.

"That is the portkey?" Harry asked in disbelief staring at the pillowcase.

"Yes, and you need to touch it or you'll be left behind." Harry hurriedly took hold of the pillowcase. About a minute later he felt a pull behind his bellybutton and he was lifted forward. The world was spinning around Harry. He had learned something knew today. He did not like traveling with magic.

They touched ground with a bump. Harry groaned and hid his head in Adam's shoulder. He felt sick and even more tired.

"Now it's just one more trip honey and we'll be home, ok?" Melanie asked. Harry nodded weakly, he really didn't feel for one more trip but guest he didn't have much of a choice. Harry looked around as they walked through the corridors. There were men and women walking back and forth in the corridors. Many were carrying or reading papers, some were talking with each other. Now and then post-it notes would fly by them only to fly around corners or in trough doors.

They took an elevator to get downstairs and ended up in the Ministry entrance hall. Each side of the hall was lined with fireplaces and high pillars seemed to be holding up the high ceiling. What Harry noticed was that they seemed to be underground rather than on street level, but he was simply too tired to question it.

Harry, too tired to look anymore closed his eyes and rested his head against Adam's, his dad's, shoulder.

"Harry you have to stay awake a little while longer." His new mom's voice said and she stroked his cheek. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. They were standing in front one of the many fireplaces. Melanie took a pinch of a powder standing in a jar on took of the mantel piece. "This is floopowder she explained." Harry was too tired to even nod. She threw it in the fire burning in the fireplace and the flames turned green. She walked into the flames and said, "132 street." and disappeared. Harry wanted to be shocked and surprised, it was a bit hard when being more or less asleep though.

Adam too took some of the powder and threw it into the flames. He stepped into them with Harry and he too said. "132 street." The world started to spin again and Harry closed his eyes in an attempt to not get nauseas again. Finally the world stopped spinning around him. Harry opened his eyes and looked around in a large entrance hall. The floor was covered in a red Persian carpet and the walls were cream coloured. A large wooden staircase led upstairs.

"We live on the third floor." Melanie said. They hadn't more than gotten to the stairs before Harry fell asleep in the arms of his dad.

I hope you liked it so far. REVIEW