Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that. Credit for the characters, places, etc. go to J.K. Rowling. Credit for the original idea goes to Bandgeek252, in addition to great thanks for being my steadfast bulwart and beta!

Chapter 1 - A Surprise

"What the bloody hell are we doing here?"

"Ronald, I'm sure there's an excellent reas-"

"No, Hermione, I'm with Ron on this one. I just want to stuff my face with food and then get two days worth of bloody sleep!"

"Harry!" Hermione scolded her raven-haired best friend.

"What? Aren't you tired?" replied Harry irritably.

"Of course I am! But I know that Minerva wouldn't make us come in here if it weren't something important."

"I swear, if she and Dumbledore aren't in here in the next two minutes, I'm going to-" Harry was interrupted as Professor McGonagall entered the office.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I don't think we'll be needing to worry about what you intend to do. Professor Dumbledore and I are here, and we apologize both for making you wait and for forcing you to spend your time here instead of recuperating."

"What do you need, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"Professor Dumbledore has something of which he wishes to inform you," stated Professor McGonagall as Dumbledore walked into his portrait.

"Thank you, Minerva. I'm very sorry to have kept you three from getting any rest, but this is news I believe you would all wish to know."

"Yes, Professor?"

"There is a reason I named the Order of the Pheonix what I did, and why it took so long to fully form the Order. I utilized the help of Fawkes, and with him, I was able to create a spell that gave an, I suppose you could say, insurance policy for the members of the Order, that when those who killed that member died themselves, the member would return, in the way they were most comfortable - the way they were in their afterlife. Now, as the Ministry has decided to execute any remaining Death Eaters due to the lack of dementors at Askaban, many people have returned to us."

The trio had previously felt mixed emotions toward the actions being taken by the Ministry, but they had, overall, accepted it.

"Professor-"

"Miss Granger, I know this seems impossible, even for a place of magic and whimsicality. I assumed you would all be skeptical, I know I would be, and so I brought a bit of welcome proof."

All three looked up as three dearly loved and greatly missed people entered - two with very different faces.

"Wotcher, Harry."

"Tonks!" "Remus!" "Sirius!"

"Oi, you lot, stop that!" laughed Sirius. He was younger than any of the trio remembered, and stood taller without the weight of Askaban on this new body.

"How did you-"

"Oh, Albus, I thought you had told them." Remus said from his young face.

"Yes, Remus, I did, I believe it was more an exclamation of surprise."

"Ah. Well, you know what happened, no use telling you again. On the bright side, we're all back, and you're all okay!" shouted Sirius.

"You'll have to tell us everything that happened while we were out - one second I'm falling into the veil, the next I'm here and Minnie's telling me all about this Pheonix business."

Professor McGonagall's reprimand to Sirius was completely ignored as Harry ran to embrace his godfather and Hermione hugged Remus and Tonks with Ron.

Hermione's head suddenly snapped out of Remus' collar. "Professor?"

"Yes?" answered Dumbledore.

"Why haven't you returned?"

"I'm afraid I was not actually killed by a Death Eater. If that were the situation, when Severus passed, it would have meant that I would have returned. Alas, it is not the case. I am confined to this side of the veil, but I do believe it was about time. I lived a full and fruitful life - and the happiness of all you is the greatest comfort for an old dotard like me." Dumbledore's eyes danced with their classic twinkle and he smiled.

"I still wish you could come back, Professor."

"Thank you, Miss Granger, but I must maintain that this is, in fact, for the better. Now, I believe there will be many people returning each minute as a result of each execution. And, there are quite a few upstairs who have come back due to Harry's vanquishing of Tom." Dumbledore looked meaningfully at Harry with his last sentence.

"Professor, do you mean-"

"Yes, Harry. They are quite anxious to see you, as well."

Harry lead the full group in their quick sprint into the upper levels of Dumbledore's quarters and went into the first room they found, which seemed to be some sort of large sitting room, lined with even more books, all different from the ones he housed in his library of an office. On the loveseat, James Potter sprawled out and sitting next to each other on the sofa sat Lily and Severus, talking quite intensely. Other people peppered the room, some the children knew, some they didn't. As the trio entered, those in the room looked up, just in time to see two of the Marauders and an metamorphagus follow in.

"Mum? Dad?" asked Harry softly, looking between his parents.

"Harry," breathed Lily as she and James both stood up.

Harry ran quickly to his parents and embraced them both. As the family hugged, it would be safe to say there wasn't a pair of dry eyes in the room.

As Harry pulled back and said, "Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet my two best friends. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Pleased to meet you," said Lily with a sweet smile. Her emerald eyes, so identical to her son's, sparkled with unshed tears as she saw her own son's Marauders.

"Thank you, both of you, for taking care of Harry all these years. Especially you, Hermione. We, unlike some of the others, were gone long enough to see you all. You were definitely the one that kept these boys from harm. Thank you so much."

"My pleasure, Mr. Potter."

"Oh, please. I'm only, what, three and a half years older than you? Call me James. You as well, Ron."

"Now, I need to talk to dear old Padfoot and Moony here! How long's it been?"

"Too long, Prongs," answered Remus.

"Much too long," echoed Sirius. "Get over here, Prongsie." The room watched as the three men embraced - in a very manly way, of course. Lily ran over and joined them, squishing her petite frame between Remus and Sirius.

"Ah, and how's our darling Lilypad?" exclaimed Sirius, breaking the hug.

"Ready as ever to hex you for using that name, Padfoot," laughed Lily in response.

"Lily, we missed you so much," said Remus as he went to hug her again. She responded just as wholeheartedly. Tonks went running over to Sirius and hugged him, interrupting his joke to James.

"Oi, I've missed you too, you loony," Sirius barked out as James laughed.

Lily and Remus were talking with Ron while Hermione and Harry laughed with Tonks, when Sirius suddenly whacked James on the back of the head. "Prongs! You can't make googly eyes at your son's best mate! You're a married man, God save you!"

"Actually, Lily and I aren't married anymore," said James, right as the room quieted for a moment.

"What?" asked at least seven different people, including Harry, Sirius, and Remus.

"Well, when we were… out, so you phrased it, we realized that we weren't exactly meant to spend eternity together. We separated," explained Lily. "I'll always love him, but not in that way." James and Lily smiled amiably at each other.

"How long?" asked Harry quietly.

"Since, oh, about your third year?" said Lily, looking at James for confirmation.

"Yeah," said James, "I think so."

"Oh," said Harry, a little stunned.

"Oh, Harry," said Lily. "We're sorry we didn't tell you right away, but we didn't know how to say it."

"Merlin's pants!" Ron suddenly exclaimed.

"What, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"Fred!" he shouted, before running downstairs. Everyone followed him, with Harry and Hermione being closest behind.

AN: Wow! First chapter! I believe we should lay some ground rules down. I am going to update this once a week every week I am able to, and I'll give you a heads up if I will miss a week or two. I will NOT abandon this story. And heads up: Be prepared for surprises. Love, wwwly221