May 2nd, 2010.

Harry looked into the mirror before straightening his tie with a grunt. He hated ties. At Hogwarts, Ron always helped him with ties, right after laughing at him of course. Harry had never put on ties when he was with the Dursleys. They hadn't bother with buying Harry a decent tie. Why would they when they despised Harry's existence anyway?

He tried his best to straighten it but it still looked like a knot that was strangling him. Stupid party. Harry knew it was the day the Voldemort had finally died, but why throw an extravagant party over it? A dark lord died. Whoopee.

"It's been more than a decade. You'd think you'd know how to tie a simple tie by now," Ginny Potter said from the doorway. Ginny smirked as she glanced at the mess that was Harry's tie.

"Ron was a terrible teacher," Harry shrugged.

"At least he knows how to tie a tie," Ginny laughed. Ginny walked to her husband, her hands reaching for the maroon tie she had bought for him. "You just have to cross over, then cross over again, then cross over again, then bring it up, then tighten it."

"Oh, that's all clear now," Harry said sarcastically. Ginny tied the tie so quickly, Harry didn't even have time to comprehend all of her actions. Then Ginny swiftly undid the tie. "Why'd you do that?!" Harry asked.

Ginny shrugged. "You have to learn, don't you? You can either learn how to tie a tie in the next… two minutes or so? Or go to the party with an ugly knot or look like a slob without a tie? Your choice, dear."

With a chuckle, Ginny exited the room to help James Sirius Potter and Albus Severus Potter with their ties. Unfair, if you asked Harry. Lily was already ready with her pale green dress. Sometimes, Harry wondered if it was easier being a girl. Then he thought about giving birth, having periods… perhaps, being a person with male body parts was easier.

Discussing the pros and cons of being a boy in his head really cut Harry's two minutes to tie a tie short.

"Harry you have thirty seconds before we leave without you!" Ginny called from downstairs.

Thirty seconds didn't even give Harry time to run downstairs. Harry cussed loudly. The narrow side of the tie always seemed to end up in front of the wider side. Frustrated, Harry raced down the stairs to see James and Albus with nicely done up ties.

"You're lucky your mum helps you do your tie," Harry said.

James and Albus giggled at the defeated look on Harry's face. He could defeat Voldemort but he could not tie a tie.

Lily Luna Potter waited innocently in her mother's arms, her questioning eyes searching Harry's face.

Harry sighed. Fathers were supposed to teach you how to do up your tie. The son was supposed to mess up and they would have a great laugh about it. James Potter wasn't there to teach his son how to tie a tie. Harry shook his head of those thoughts. How could something as simple as a tie bring him down on the day Voldemort died?

"Forget it," Harry muttered. "Natty?" he called. A house elf walked down the stairs, her large eyes staring at her master.

"Yes, Master Harry?" she asked. Natty was a new house elf and she was unused to addressing her masters informally. Harry wanted Natty to address him as 'Harry'. Putting the 'Master' in front of his name didn't feel right.

"Can you please tie this tie for me?" Harry asked. Natty nodded and snapped her fingers. Immediately, Harry's maroon tie was tied nicely and neatly. "Thanks Natty." Natty returned to her chores as Ginny shot Harry a dirty look.

"You can't rely on a house elf your entire life," Ginny said.

Harry shrugged. "But I can rely on a house elf right now."

Sighing, Ginny led the family outside to where the Portkey was waiting. The Portkey was an old boot, caked with dirt and something that looked suspiciously like blood. Harry almost groaned. He hated Portkeys.

"Hands on, kids," Ginny said. Everyone put two fingers on the boot.

With the familiar tug behind his navel, Harry felt like he was going to throw up as he began spinning and spinning and spinning. He heard his kids let out a cry of joy, as if they were on a rollercoaster ride.

Kids.

Finally, they stopped spinning and while Ginny and the kids landed safely, Harry landed face-first on the floor.

"Geez, mate. You'd think you'd know how to Portkey by now."

Above Harry was Ron Weasley, his wife Hermione on his arm. "Maybe I just like landing face-first on the marble floor. Now help me up, you buffoon." With a chuckle, his best friends helped him up.

Tables and floating candles were set around the atrium of the Ministry of Magic and everybody was dressed formally. No man was without a tie and Harry thanked Merlin for Natty.

"I see that you're still landing on your face, Harry." George Weasley stood behind Harry, a grin on his freckled face. George's wife and kids were at table three, waiting for him to join them.

"I didn't have anyone to teach me," Harry said.

"Thank Merlin for my uptight mother," George grinned.

"Who are you calling uptight?" Molly Weasley, along with Arthur had walked up next to George. "I've raised you and fed you and clothed you and this is the thanks I get? 'Uptight mother'," she grumbled. "I'll teach you 'uptight mother'."

"Molly," Arthur said, grinning. "Let's go."

"I can't believe Kingsley put my next to my mum on the seating chart," George grumbled. "Good thing I love her. I'll see you later."

George waved and returned to table three. Harry wouldn't have minded sitting next to his mum. Even if she was uptight. Alas, Harry's mother was dead. There was no bringing her back. Slightly melancholy at that thought, he sat at table one, Ginny on his right and Albus on his left. James was giggling next to Teddy Lupin as Teddy changed his hair from red to blue to green.

"Tonight, we gather to celebrate the defeat of Voldemort." Kingsley was on the stage, looking smart in his dress robes. "Before we eat, I would like to ask Harry Potter to come up please."

With a round of applause, Harry rose and went to the stage. He could see Draco Malfoy with his wife, Astoria, at table seven, sitting with some of his fellow Slytherins. "We've all seen many hard things in our life," Harry began. "Death. Strife. Torture." Everyone's attention was now on Harry. "We've lost many people and as we celebrate Voldemort's defeat, don't forget that he was once a boy as well. He had a hard life. I'm not trying to condone his actions. I'm trying to say that one choice can make a change – for better or for worse. Voldemort chose the path of wrong. However, we have made a new change. We chose the path for better, even if we had been going down the other path at first. There's always forgiveness if you look for it. Celebrate. Celebrate the defeat of a tyrant. Mourn. Mourn those who were lost, but look towards a new day. Remember. Remember that it all comes down to one choice."

With those words, Harry went back down to his seat. Ron leaned over and whispered, "Hey mate. How did you come up with a speech like that?"

Harry shrugged. "Hermione wrote it."

Ron grinned before sitting up properly. The food had arrived and Ron was licking his lips.

"If you eat like a pig, I swear you're sleeping on the couch tonight," Hermione whispered furiously to Ron. Pouting, Ron picked up his fork and began eating like a civilized person.

Thank Merlin for that.

After a few more courses, a few more speeches and a few more belches from Ron, the evening was at its end. Harry was going to Portkey with his family again, which probably wasn't such a good idea after eating. However, Ginny wanted to stick together as a family and who was Harry to judge what was good for the family or not.

"Oof," Harry groaned. At least Harry didn't hurt his face this time, but the wind was knocked out of him as he landed flat on his back. His children giggled at Harry's failure to Portkey properly.

"Off to bed kids," Ginny said. With several groans, James trudged up to his room, his hand clutching Albus', who was holding Lily's hand. The three of them made their way up the stairs, with some help from Harry. Lily couldn't climb the stairs without help yet. Ginny snapped a picture using a wizard camera and grinned.

Soon, James, Albus and Lily were all tucked in and asleep, leaving Harry and Ginny alone in their room. They climbed into bed and after a moment of silence, Harry spoke. "Ginny?" Harry asked. "You awake?"

Harry was met with the sound of snores. Harry kissed Ginny's forehead before closing his eyes as well, ready for a peaceful night of rest.

But he was Harry Potter. His rests were never peaceful.

…

"Do you know what alternate realities are, Harry?"

Harry had to blink twice to see who it was. Dumbledore. He was dressed all in white and almost blended in with the scenery – a white King's Cross Station. Harry was rapidly getting sick of the colour white.

"No…?" Harry said hesitantly. "Am I dead?" Harry regretted the question soon after he said it. What a dumb question to ask.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Just in a transitional phase."

"Transition to what?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore didn't answer. "A part of you has always been bitter. Angry. Resentful. It's been building inside you and one day, you will release it. It will be a terrifying thing. You will hurt those you love." Dumbledore snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a screen appeared in front of Harry. It wasn't attached to anything, but the images kept playing.

Lily was nine. James and Albus were at Hogwarts, leaving Lily, Ginny and Harry at home. "Mummy, I don't know how to tie my shoelaces!" Lily wailed.

"Alright, sweetie," came Ginny's voice. She walked into the picture. "Here, I'll do it for you."

Harry, or the future Harry, had been holding Lily's coat with white knuckles. "You are nine years old! You can tie your shoelaces by yourself! I had no one to help me! I still learned how! How dumb can you be! I raised you to be better than this! I had no one! But I turned out better than you ever will be!"

"Harry!" cried Ginny as Lily broke into sobs.

"Don't you even speak. You don't understand what it's like!" Harry shut his eyes tightly and clutched his hair. Suddenly, Harry's hand was moving. A loud smack resonated in the air. Ginny was on the floor, clutching her red cheek. Harry stood over her, unflinching. "Both of you. Get out and never come back. Now!" Harry shouted. Ginny hurried Lily away, crying along with her daughter.

Harry didn't know what to say. "So you're saying I'm a bloody time bomb? I would never say that to Lily or Ginny! I would never hit Ginny!"

Dumbledore sighed. "Seven years can change much. Seven years of watching happy families around you." Harry was about to protest, but Dumbledore stopped him. "Even if it doesn't happen in seven years, what if it happens in eight years? Nine? A decade? I hate to say it, but you are a 'bloody time bomb' and there's no way to change that fact… in this reality. We must nip it at its bud. We shall change that resentful part of you."

"How are we going to do that?" Harry asked.

"By sending it to where it wants to be. With your parents. With your godfather. With the family you never really knew."

"So I'm going to be split in two? Like a Horcrux?" Harry was appalled.

"No. The poison in your heart is small now. And if we split you into two and send one into a different reality, it will have no effect. You will forget that this conversation happened – but the part of you that is bitter will not. Soon, your anger will fade as you get to know your new family. You shall see."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" said Harry bitterly. "I suppose not. I never have a choice."

Dumbledore didn't reply. Harry shut his eyes tightly. "Alright, Dumbledore. Take me to the other reality, or whatever it is." When Harry looked up again, the old man was already gone.

"That old coot!" But Harry didn't get a chance to finish insulting the late Headmaster, for he was swept away, the King's Cross Station disappearing as a new reality awaited him.

*I actually looked it up. I'm 90% sure I'm right on that. Past tense of lie - lay. Thank you Mrs.H who straight out told me that, although you spelled 'laid' as 'paid'. (I got confused there)

So... I still don't have a beta... and I rushed through this. Excuse my many grammar mistakes that will come, without a doubt.

Anyways, this story is going to focus more on the family aspect of things. It's going to be about life with the Potters - because of the reasons in the chapter above - even if those reasons are really lame.

I thought about the original New Change and how it was so easy for the Potters to accept him. So I changed some things and I skipped that process entirely! You'll see. ;)

The plot... eh, I changed a bit of that too. Less on Voldemort, more on family 3

Voldemort will be a more minor thing - easily taken care of with Harry's knowledge and whatnot. I'm sorry if the updates take a while. I'm changing everything as I go, even though some things will stay the same.

Edited: March 26, 2014