The Boy Who Was Forgotten

Title: The Boy Who Was Forgotten
Rating: T
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: Everyone knew Harry Potter, the boy prophesized to defeat Voldemort. Nobody knew about Ester Potter, Harry's older brother. Everyone had forgotten about him, even his own parents. [Before Potters' Death] [AU]

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seven month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…

That was the prophecy that Sybil Trelawney had told Dumbledore. When Harry Potter was born, Dumbledore realized that he was a possible candidate for the Chosen One. He had urged James and Lily to go into hiding with their sons. Both were confused and hesitant to comply until Dumbledore told them the prophecy.

It was at that moment that their behavior began to change. This had not gone unnoticed by the elder Potter child, Ester. He was four years old when his parents started to give him less attention and focused more on Harry. Ester wasn't angry, he tried to be patient and he tried to understand that a baby needed their attention. He understood that babies could not take care of their selves. Once his parents tucked Harry in for his naps, they'd spend some time playing with Ester, glad that he hadn't made a fuss about not having their attention.

However, as time went on, they started to pay even less attention to Ester, even while Harry was sleeping. Ester told himself that it was because his parents were exhausted. He was able to hear Harry's cries no matter where he was in the house and knew babies were not easy to care for. Despite this, he craved for their attention and love.

Eventually, Ester became a ghost in his own home. They stopped calling him down for meal. When Ester grew hungry and had gone to see if the food was ready, the couple were already eating and taking turns feeding Harry. The table had only been set for James and Lily and the high chair for Harry. There was no place set for Ester. They didn't even notice his presence or his confused expression.

Ester didn't bother to sit down at the table. Instead, he went up to his room and curled up into a ball. 'They're just busy with Harry,' He told himself once more. 'They didn't forget about me. They just thought I already ate. Yeah, that's it. Mom and Dad couldn't have forgotten their first born, right?' Silently, the tears fell.

There were no more good mornings and goodnights from Lily and James to Ester. As they passed him in the hallway, the Potter parents didn't even acknowledge his existence. If they did, they were giving him a confused look, as if not knowing who that boy was or why he was in their house. After a few seconds, they'd remember that it was their elder son. Not long after those encounters, they'd once again forget him.

Ester did his best to cope. He kept telling himself that they didn't forget. He kept telling himself that babies need a lot of care and attention, therefore they couldn't spend time with him. He kept telling himself that he was still loved. He managed to hold himself together…until his fifth birthday.

Ester's birthday was July 30th, the day before Harry's. Throughout the day, it was the same as it had been for the last couple months. He was neither invited down for breakfast and lunch nor he was even acknowledged as always. 'They're just planning a surprise party,' Ester thought.

They didn't even call him down for dinner. Ester's stomach growled loudly as he awaited the call that would never come. He heard noise coming from downstairs and he nearly ran the way there. Streamers and balloons were decorating the room. He saw a small pile of presents forming on the coffee table in the living room.

'They remembered!' Ester reached out to grab one of the boxes.

"What are you doing?" James asked. "Those presents aren't for you,"

"What?" Ester was confused. If they weren't for him, then who were they for?

"They're for Harry," James told him.

"What about me?" Ester's voice was soft but audible enough for James to hear.

James grew angry. "Are you so selfish that you forgot it's your own brother's birthday tomorrow!? Are you so selfish that you're trying to steal his presents!? Your brother is going to grow up to be hero! Your brother is going to defeat Voldemort!"

Ester couldn't stop the tears and furiously wiped them away as he ran out the front door. 'Nobody remembered. Nobody cares. Nobody loves me,' He left the house without turning back.

XXX

It had taken a while, but with the house elves' help the Potters managed to finish decorating the house and preparing all of the food. The parents resumed cooing over baby Harry Potter, showering him with love, care, and affection.

The house elves apparated to their quarters where they had secretly been preparing a second cake, one not for Harry but for Ester. They had taken notice of the Potters' neglect of their elder child and were disgusted by their behavior, but didn't dare to lash out at their masters. The house elves were the ones who brought Ester his meals to eat in his room and made sure he didn't starve.

They had meant to give Ester his cake and presents in the morning, but James and Lily had ordered the elves to cook a lot of food for the party tomorrow and make sure the house was spotless for when the guests arrived. The Potters often moved and didn't stray in one place for too long in order to keep their location hidden and were planning to move once more the day after Harry's birthday. The elves apparated to Ester's room with the cake and the gifts.

They were met with an empty room.

XXX

Ester didn't know how long he had been running. He avoided people, both magical and muggle, day and night. He didn't want to interact to anyone, not wanting to risk being dragged back to a family that held no love for him. His stomach growled loudly, not having eaten anything for days. Soon he collapsed, shivering in the night and succumbed to death.

On October 31st, James and Lily Potter were killed by Voldemort and Harry Potter survived the Killing Curse. Harry Potter was known as the Boy-Who-Lived.

Ester Potter's name didn't even make it into the history books. Everything written about the Potters had Harry as the only child. Ester Potter was the Boy-Who-Was-Forgotten.

James and Lily are slightly older than canon because in canon they died when they were twenty one. In this story they died at the age of twenty five.

I haven't read a single Harry Potter book nor have I seen any of the movies. A friend of mine dared me to write a story based on the information gathered from fanfictions I have read.