...GOoHS...
Chapter 1
The Happy Days Turn Darker
October 31st, 1981.
The day the Dark Lord was defeated.
The fact that he was gone spread like wildfire all throughout the Wizarding World and drew different reactions. Most celebrated while some still hid themselves in fear of his return. And although most would never really care, mystery still shrouds the events that transpired on that fateful Halloween night.
Everyone knew how Voldemort found the Potters and broke into their house in Godric's Hollow. The events between that and his demise were… unknown. All they really cared to know, was that the Potters lived and their son, Lucas, was known as the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. He was the only known person who survived the killing curse in all of history and that was enough to make him famous worldwide.
Voldemort did cast the killing curse and true, he did intend for it to hit Lucas Potter, however, his twin, Harry Potter, had received a scar – a mark – instead.
This puzzled Dumbledore. The prophecy stated that the Dark Lord would mark a child born at the end of July to be his equal. All evidence pointed to Lucas as the one who had been cast on but he did not have a single scratch on his body.
So, a proclamation was given and there wasn't anything they could or would do to change it. After all… Harry Potter never showed anything special in him and everyone doubted that he ever would.
7 years later…
"Hey! Slow down! Lucas! Slow down!"
Lily Potter gasped for breath as she clutched a stitch on her side. She had been chasing her son around for the past half hour and it was apparent that she was exhausted. She wanted him to sit still for a while – at least long enough so he could eat properly. They were having a picnic and unfortunately, the eight-year old boy brought his training wand with him.
Dumbledore had insisted on giving him one so that he could start training magic. He was one of the few who believed that Voldemort was still alive and bidding his time and so, he did all he could to prepare Lucas for his inevitable destiny.
Still, it didn't change the fact that the boy had become somewhat proud and even more excitable. He had learned his first spell just the day before and he was very eager to try it out on anything he might find appropriate. Lily wasn't too keen on the idea of giving an eight-year old responsibility over his powers, training wand or not. She believed that her son was too young to be learning these kinds of things. He should be enjoying his childhood and whatnot. Instead, she and her husband were left constantly worrying over the fact that Lucas might do some accidental magic, only to be amplified and more accurately directed due to the wand.
"Mum! Just one more! One more, please?" Lucas begged. He made his way towards her and started reaching for the training wand his mother confiscated from him sometime earlier. He had opted for running away from her instead after she did it, which resulted to Lily chasing him around.
Lily shook her head and crossed her arms sternly. "Lucas Ryan Potter, did I not tell you to keep this wand hidden and/or safe whenever lessons are not in session?"
"Yeah, I know but I finally did it! I gotta practice more!" Lucas reasoned, jumping up and down in his excitement.
"I think that's enough practice for one day." Lily replied, tucking the training wand in her pocket, and turned on her heel towards the picnic basket laid out under a large tree. Sitting underneath the shadows, with his back against the tree trunk, was Harry Potter, silently reading a book he had gotten from the library.
Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes at her sons. While one was obsessed with causing trouble and just generally giving them headaches, the other was quiet and always had a book wherever he went. Lucas never did as he was told unless his toy or his training wand was confiscated. The same went for Harry but instead of toys, they needed to take away his book.
Lily brought up a hand and gently pressed the book down so she could see Harry's face. Harry's eyes, as usual, followed the book as it went downwards.
"Hey, although I approve that reading is your hobby, Harry… you really need to stop sometime so you could eat." she said, smiling.
"Not hungry." Harry replied simply as his eyes continued to scan the book.
"Well," Lily let out a sigh and ripped the book from her son's grasp. "I say you are and you need to eat."
This time, it was Harry who sighed. "Do I have to? I'm almost done…"
Lily chuckled and ruffled his hair. She opened the picnic basket they had brought and started taking out plates. Lucas chose this time to join them and plopped down on the blanket in an exhausted manner.
"Here, sweetie." Lily said as she handed a plate to the red-haired boy beside her. Lucas gratefully took his plate filled with sandwiches and fruit and instantly dug in. Lily chastised him before turning her attention back to the task at hand.
"Here, Harry. Eat thi- " She said but stopped in midsentence when she saw Harry munching on an apple, book already back on his lap.
Lily huffed indignantly. "Harry, really! I told you to eat first!"
Harry shrugged. "I am eating."
Lily reached for the book on his lap. "You do not read while you eat. That's bad manners."
"But you and dad read the Daily Prophet all the time during breakfast!" Harry protested as he tried to take the book back.
Lily froze. "T-That was different! Adults get to read the paper. ONLY the news. It's not as if we bring our books to the table. Now stop fussing and eat."
She inwardly sighed at how smart and witty Harry was. He was significantly smarter than a lot of kids his age and that made her proud yet somehow apprehensive. There were times his brilliance was good and there were times when they were dangerous. He might not know it but she knew how he listened in on Dumbledore or any other tutors Lucas had. She had seen his notes and how he put a lot of effort into researching some of them, even though he might not understand some of it.
Maybe it was just for the sake of competition between Harry and Lucas. The brothers were distant, given Lucas' fame and tutoring schedule and Harry's anti-socialness and his tendency to read and not notice anything else. Heck, there were only a few people who knew who Harry was. Ever since Lucas' rise in fame, Harry was shoved in the background, unimportant and insignificant.
Heck, the only time the two actually played together was probably the time they were still toddlers and sharing the same playpen. Now, they acted as though the other was just some stranger who happened to live under the same roof as them. She didn't mean for any of it to happen, but Lucas had become spoiled. He wanted everyone's attention, whether they chose to pay it to him or not. Harry even told her a few times about how Lucas bullied him but seeing as there wasn't any evidence, she let them be. She knew how ugly it got whenever they were forced to punish their red-haired son and both she and James weren't entirely eager to do it again. Harry never mentioned anything after that so Lily just let it go.
And now that Lucas had a training wand and Harry didn't, it was clear that this brought even more tension between the two. Harry never showed it but it was easy to see that he was a bit jealous at not having a wand. A wand, which Lily suspected, he thought would be better off in his hands.
Lily had no qualms about their decision to keep Harry from having a wand. Lucas had been enough to deal with. She half-heartedly sided with Harry's idea. It was true that he was responsible enough and even though she might not believe it herself, he had enough knowledge about magic to perform the basic spells. Both she and James knew this and by giving Harry a wand, they were sure that the brothers would eventually move their competition to duels and goodness knows what amount of damage accidental magic could do.
Nope, they were better off like this: Lucas, learning basic spells, albeit slowly and Harry, burying his face behind a book.
Lily was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard something landing on the ground near her. She looked down and saw an apple core. Looking up, her eyes landed on Harry and sure enough, he was again immersed in whatever story he was reading about. His plate was left untouched beside him.
Lily groaned.
"Harry, please eat something."
Harry only shook his head. "I'm full."
"Full? You only ate an apple and it wasn't even a large one. Harry, eat. Please, you're skinny enough as it is." she told him.
It was true. Whereas Lucas was healthy and properly tanned, Harry was skinny and pale and with his raven hair, it only made him even paler.
Naturally, as a mother, it worried her. He wasn't exactly skin and bones. He was just thinner than his brother. Her attempts at making him eat more didn't exactly help because he kept refusing.
She had meant to take him to a specialist but she never really had time to do it. It was their schedule that always contradicted to everything she planned for her family. Lucas was required on any social gatherings regarding high members of society and Ministry events and that left little time for Harry. By the time the last party wore off in their minds, thoughts about checking up on her son were gone.
Most of the time, he was left in the care of the house elves they owned. Not much was needed to care for Harry, though. The house elves just leave him some food and a few books and he was good for the day.
"Mum? Mum?"
"Huh? Wha-?" Lily said as she snapped out of her train of thought. She noticed Lucas tugging on her sleeve like a small child. "What is it, dear?"
"Dad said something about checking the place for the party tonight. Are we really going to meet the minister of Bulgaria?" he asked excitedly.
"Party? Oh! That party! Yes, yes… uh." She checked her watch and frowned upon seeing the time. It was nearing four o'clock. They needed to go back and get ready.
"I suppose it's time to go." She told Lucas and he nodded and got up. She followed suit and started packing up everything and folding the blanket.
"Come on, Harry. Time to go."
Harry had been reading the same sentence for the past few minutes. He couldn't help it. He kept being drawn to the conversation between his mother and Lucas. They might think that he wasn't even listening but he had long since perfected this skill.
"…Are we really going to meet the minister of Bulgaria?"
'Oh… another party.' Harry thought as he read the sentence again. 'Didn't they just go to one the other day?'
Harry was never one for parties. His parents brought him to one once and they were sure to never make that mistake again. They had lost track of him, considering the amount of people pushing to get to the 'golden family'. The twins were five years old back then and Harry, being small and skinny, easily slipped through the crowd.
He disliked people. He had always found comfort in being alone. He only ever came out of the house if his parents would ask him to. He never had any social skills so he just stayed quiet most of the time.
His parents were taken by surprise at the crowd that had gathered around them the moment they stepped inside that they backed away a few paces and looked around wildly while stammering out responses to their questions. Harry wanted to hide behind his father's legs but he found that they were completely against the wall and Lucas had been shoved in between his parents.
People never seemed to notice him and he kept getting shoved and hit by their knees as they tried to get closer to Lucas. He felt himself beginning to panic so he pushed past the crowd and ran to a secluded corner the moment he broke free.
It was his father who found him crying behind the curtains. He did his best to console him while trying to tell his wife that they were going home over the loud music. She got the message because minutes later, they were inside the ministry car they had used to get to the party in the first place.
Harry had calmed down, somewhat, and was seated beside his brother. Lucas kept telling him how he ruined the night for them in hushed whispers during the entire ride and that just made Harry feel worse.
He didn't want to ruin the night. He was so afraid of being scolded by his parents so he ran upstairs to hide in his room before they could say a word. He was surprised when they came to his room, only calmly telling him to never do what he did ever again and to always tell them if there was something wrong or something he didn't like so they could find a solution.
They didn't seem angry at all but they did tell Harry that if crowds bothered him, then it would be best if they didn't bring him to any parties or any types of social gatherings. It wasn't easy, coming up with that decision, that much was clear… but unless he found a way to overcome his social awkwardness, then it would be better if he were at home, safe, instead of running off and hiding Merlin-knows-where at parties.
When they arrived back home to the manor, they found James waiting for them in the living room. Or, the closest one there was to the front door. It was difficult to assign a main living room when there were four of them strategically placed all over the manor.
"Well, look who's back! Enjoy the picnic?" he asked as he stood up to kiss Lily on the cheek.
"Not really. Lucas kept running around. I'm absolutely exhausted." Lily answered and, as if to show her exhaustion, collapsed on the sofa to rest.
James rolled his eyes at his wife's dramatics and went over to his sons who only just entered the room.
"There you are!" He exclaimed and picked up the both of them in one giant swoop. Lucas laughed while Harry felt as if his soul jumped out of his body. He had been reading and was about to reach the climax of the story, which involved a great grizzly bear swooping down on the main character, when James scooped him up.
"Dad!" Lucas yelled happily as he wrapped his arms around James' head, seeing as Harry had his own arms gripping tightly around his neck.
"Blimey… you two are getting heavy. I almost can't carry you two anymore. Harry, you alright, kiddo?" James said and his smile faltered when he saw Harry's face.
Lily looked up at that, worry suddenly etched on her face. Harry put up a hand to show that he was fine.
"I was… I was just surprised. You gotta warn me next time, Dad." Harry told him and crossed his arms on his chest.
James laughed heartily at that and Lily couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. Lucas, who realized that he hadn't been getting attention, started tugging on James' shirt collar.
"Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad…"
James turned around to face Lucas. "Yes, son?"
"Is the minister of Bulgaria really going to be there?"
James laughed again and set the boys down. Harry immediately picked up his fallen book and sat down next to his mother to try and find the page he was on.
"Yes, Lucas. He's going to be there and you're going to meet him. In about…" James said and checked his watch. "two hours, so we better get ready. Go on. I'll meet you upstairs to help you."
"Okay!" Lucas replied and mock saluted before running off to his bedroom.
James smiled at him and turned around to sit beside Harry. Lily only shook her head. She knew she should be getting ready but she was really tired from having to entertain her sons all afternoon. She wanted to skip tonight's party but she was needed for a small meeting some Potions masters set up and she was invited.
"James, you've really got to stop teaching Lucas about the muggle military. His salute's all wrong and I bet everything else you've told him is wrong." Lily told her husband. "And stop bothering Harry. He's trying to read."
James stopped mid-poke and stared at her. How did she know he had been poking their son?
"You're really scary sometimes. D'you know that?" he said, placing an arm around Harry's shoulder. "She's scary, right Harry?"
Harry knew better than to agree with his father so he kept silent. It wasn't like they were going to notice. He was always silent.
"Okay…" James said as he ruffled his son's hair and Lily smirked. "I think that means we need to get ready. Come on, Lily."
An hour and a half later, James, Lily, and Lucas were standing by the front door, all dressed up and ready to go. James was giving last minute instructions to Harry and Lily was giving instructions to the house elves.
It was the usual thing. Don't try and go out (Never a problem for Harry), don't try to bother the house elves (Not a problem), never go into the restricted section of the library (Well…).
"Bye, love." Lily said as she kissed Harry's forehead and gave him a quick hug. "Stay out of trouble, alright? We'll be back by nine. Love you."
She placed an arm around Lucas and guided him outside. James stayed behind and gave Harry a quick hug. "Try not to cause too much trouble for the elves, alright?" he said and winked at Harry before going outside to follow his wife.
Harry gave them a small wave as they got inside the car and went inside after that. He made sure to lock the door the way his father told him to. It didn't matter anyway. The house elves would check up on the door later.
Sighing, Harry made his way up to his bedroom and plopped down on the bed. Alone again. He knew he should be used to it by now but he couldn't help it. Three years. Three whole years of being alone. It was his fault, of course, for not being able to stand crowds but he still missed his parents all the same.
He only saw them for a few hours each day and he relished each moment. Unlike Lucas who was with them 24/7, Harry always paid extra attention to his mother and father and would never tire of their presence. He understood their dilemma, of course, and he would never be so selfish as to ask them to stay with him. Like Lucas, his parents were notable figures in the Wizarding World and it was a busy life.
Harry sighed again and rolled to his side, staring at the picture he kept on his bedside table. It was a family picture, one taken when he and Lucas were about four years old. That was the final year they got to spend their days in leisure. The following year, their schedules began to become hectic and Harry was the only one left alone.
Alone…
No one to play with…
No one to talk to…
No one to relate to…
The odd man out…
Harry never thought himself to be someone special but he believed in his own abilities enough to do what it would take for him to make a name for himself. If that was what it took to be with his parents, then a name for himself he shall make.
A/N: Ending was sloppy. Could've been better... Oh! Hey! Hello! So... many changes were made. Don't worry. Still in the same storyline. I know what I'm doing... I hope- Anyway! Tell me what you guys think so far, because next chapter, Harry's illness makes itself known. The Happy Days Keep Getting Darker and Darker and Darker until there's nothing left. Not even a shred of light. Oh... depressing. Nope.
