Hey! Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry I didn't update this sooner. I've been suffering from a terrible combination of PMS and writer's block. Now it's time for Harry and Zana to leave England for good. The stuff in italics is supposed to be Greek. Hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I can tell you the name of every Next Generation kid and who their parents are.
A few weeks later, Zana and Harry left the small countryside home they'd been renting and headed off for Greece. Before she did anything else, Zana needed to get the Head of the Kalgarias family, her Papou, to accept her petition to make Harry a Kalgarias, one of them. She had no doubt in her mind that he would. Her Papou had always doted on her, more so when her parents died during her third year at Hogwarts. Plus, she couldn't imagine anyone not liking Harry. He was the sweetest, most polite little boy you could possibly meet. There was a sad quality about him, something in the way he smiled, that made your heart bleed out to him. He was broken in the way no child should be. Zana wanted to make him strong, wanted to give him a family who would fight and even die for him. He deserved nothing less.
Zana was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Harry stirring besides her. Despite her tireless efforts, Harry was still too skinny for her liking. Though six years old, Harry looked as though he couldn't be any older than for. "Mama?" he said groggily.
"Hey baby," she cooed gently. "Good dreams?" Harry bobbed his head yes. He looked at the window of the Muggle airplane they were in. His mama had decided to take an airplane so they could go undetected by the "crazy old coot" as she called Dumbledore. It was a private jet so that no one would gawk at Harry's scars. Harry had never been on an airplane before, but he liked it. It was just like he had seen in books and the rare glimpses of TV he got to see at Mrs. Figg's.
"Mama?" he asked again.
Zana brushed his messy black hair out of his eyes. "Yes baby?"
"Will they like me?" The question was so heartbreaking Zana almost dropped her Diet Coke. She gently grabbed her son's chin and turned it towards her, making sure he could see her eyes. Blue-green eyes met green eyes. "Harry, they will like you," she comforted. "They will love you because they will be your family, and that's what family does. They love each other."
Harry frowned. "The Dursleys were my family, and they didn't love me," he whispered, scared that they could somehow hear him. Zana felt something twist tightly in her chest. She would never forgive those awful Muggles for what they did to her son, and she would never forgive James and Lily for allowing him to be placed there.
"Harry, listen to me," she said urgently. "Those people may be related to you by blood, which is why the old coot put you there. Unfortunately, Dumbledore forgot that family isn't always the people you share blood with. Family is those you love with all your heart, those who you would die for and who would die for you." Zana paused, making sure her words for sinking in. This was an important lesson for him to learn. "The Dursleys are not your family, nor do they deserve the family. I'm your mother, and my family will be yours too. Okay?"
Harry nodded. He understood what his mother was trying to tell him. "Yes, Mama," he replied.
Zana smiled at him. Harry loved seeing his mama smile. She was so pretty. "Good boy," she praised, knowing this would earn her a smile. And it did. Harry thrived on affection, on the loving attention he had never been given, and Zana was more than willing to give it. Noticing the time, she nudged Harry. "Look out the window," she instructed. "We're home."
Harry leaned over his mother to see out the small window. She was right. As they emerged from out of the clouds and began to land, he could make out the beautiful ocean and island lined with houses. It all looked like a dollhouse from up here. Harry wished he could fly. His mama had promised she would teach him how to ride a broom soon. He couldn't wait. And so the little boy got lost in his day dreams as the plane began to land. Zana smiled. This was a new beginning.
Lily Potter sighed as she got up from her bathroom floor. She hated morning sickness. She remembered it not so fondly from when she had been pregnant with Andrew. She'd been practically glued to the toilet. With Harry, however, she'd rarely been sick. Oh, Harry… The redhead's heart hurt just thinking about her eldest son. After Voldemort's attack on their home, Dumbledore urged them to place Harry with Lily's sister and husband for safe keeping, insisting that blood wards would keep the boy safe. Both Lily and James had been reluctant to follow this advice. Lily knew her sister and how she felt about magic. Lily didn't even want to think about what Petunia would do to her son. James had been just as adamant, insisting they could protect Harry and keep him safe.
Dumbledore, however, waved their worries away with a flick of his wrist. He insisted that Petunia had grown out of her petty hatred of magic and would be more than happy to take the boy in. He emphasized that Harry would be surrounded by fame if he grew up in the wizarding world, never getting the chance to have a normal childhood. Dumbledore added that it would only be temporary, until Harry's eleventh birthday. Then they would go get their son and explain everything to him. They would set up an account sending the Dursleys a certain amount of money each week to take care of Harry with. With this, Lily and James departed with their sweet baby boy.
Brushing her teeth, Lily wondered how her sweet little boy was doing. Dumbledore had convinced her not to write to her sister, figuring that it would only strain the bond between Harry and his relatives. He was six now, she realized with a start. Only five more years to go.
Her thoughts quickly turned to her best friend Zana. Truthfully, Lily was worried about her. Zana had been increasingly distant ever since they'd sent Harry away. The Grecian beauty hadn't approved of the decision and made that clear to everyone. Lily could understand her best friend's coldness. Harry had been her godson, and like Sirius, she had doted on him. What really worried Lily was Zana's increasing erratic behavior. She was always going off and not telling anyone where she was going, and even more recently, she had broken up with Sirius. Lily knew something was up there. Sirius and Zana had been in love, the fiery passionate kind of love that comes from two fiery passionate people. She had been sure the two would get married and was estatic when Sirius finally proposed. Two years ago, however, the pair broke up. Both remained tight lipped about. When Lily asked Sirius what happened, he simply stated that they had chosen different paths.
She spit into the sink and turned the facet. After washing her face and brushing her hair, Lily headed back into her living room. James was sitting on the floor playing a game with Drew. James kept letting a Snitch go, and Drew kept trying to catch it. He didn't get it that often, but when he did his face would light up into a wonderful smile. Lily just stood there and watched her boys.
James noticed his wife standing against the wall, smiling as she watched them. He let the Snitch go and walked over towards Lily, planting a kiss on her neck. "Feeling better?" he whispered.
Lily smiled at him. "Yes," she stated softly, her eyes on Drew. The peaceful family moment was interrupted by a loud banging sound. Drew, frightened, ran and hide behind his mother's leg. Lily smoothed his messy auburn hair down with one hand while clutching her wand tightly in the other. Fortunately, it was just Dumbledore.
"Professor, what are you doing here?" James asked in total shock. Somehow, Lily could sense horrible news coming.
"James, Lily," Dumbledore addressed gravely. "Harry's been kidnapped from his relatives' home." With those few words, the world of the Potters was shattered.
Harry looked at the beautiful Mediterranean sea. Greece was very beautiful. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live any place else. When he had asked his mama if this was what Heaven looked like, she had just laughed and kissed the top of his head.
He closed his eyes, listening the sounds of the waves. It felt good to be outside and away from all the chaos of the Kalgarias family. Not that he minded, of course. Harry liked his mama's family, and what was better was that they seemed to like him in return. His para yia yia had kept exclaiming how thin he was and how he needed fattening up. His papou had been impressed with his quick understanding of Greek and questioned him on different subjects his mama had been teaching him.
In addition to his grandparents, he also had numerous great aunts and uncles in addition to his mama's own brother and sister. His mama's older sister, Chloe, had married a man from the village, Kostos, and they had two daughters and one son. Eli was twenty-six and already married to a French girl named Colette. The couple was expecting their first child soon. Their older daughter, Athena, was twelve, six years older than Harry. Athena had a mothering nature, and she'd immediately started acting like Harry's older sister. Harry didn't mind. He had always wanted an older sister. Their other daughter, Iris, was Harry's age. She was nearly as shy as he was, and therefore the two were instant friends.
His uncle Cyrus, his mama's older brother, was also married to someone from the village. He and Etna had one baby girl and were expecting a boy very soon. Lina was a very active baby who latched on to Harry almost immediately. His mama had just laughed and said that he was a girl magnet already. Harry took the joke in stride. He finally had a family.
A few days later, a highly illegal and secretive ritual took place. Of course, the Kalgarias never cared too much about the rules. The ritual took place in the old chamber of the Kalgarias family home. It had been around for centuries and would probably remain for much longer. Tell me your secrets, the walls seemed to whisper.
A small cloaked boy stepped forward. All the elders of the family were standing in a half-circle. Their cloaks were black while Harry's were blood red. A deep voice spoke. "State your petition."
"I, Harry James Potter, petition to be reborn into the Kalgarias family," Harry stated softly but firmly.
"And why should we grant your petition?" the voice asked.
"Because I have died inside," the meek voice answered. After an unanimous vote, one of the cloaked family members took out a knife. Chanting a sacred old spell, the cloaked figure cut open their finger and gestured to come forward. Harry cut open his finger as well and pressed it against the other's, whispering an ancient chant as he did. This went on until he had done it with every family member. The cut on Harry's finger healed instantly.
The voice spoke again. "Harry James Potter, rise," it commanded. "You are now Aries Thomas Kalgarias. Our blood runs through your viens, and yours runs through ours. May you ever be protected by our family." And so the end of Harry James Potter came. He was now a Kalgarias.