Chapter 1:

"Thank heavens, he's waking up!"

These were the first words Harry Potter heard as he gained consciousness. His brain fought free of the fog. He could remember his dreams vividly but beyond that things were fuzzy. In his dreams, Sirius and Dumbledore had put him through training that was double the intensity of anything the Auror Program had put him through. They game him advice for some task to come, but would never tell him what it was. Finally, they had said he was ready and left him on the training field. That's when the fog of sleep began to disappear.

The voice he heard was soft, feminine, and vaguely familiar. He felt something cool and soft run across his forehead and he became aware of his surroundings. He could feel soft sheets and a pillow under him. His eyelids felt like sand paper on his eyes as he struggled to open them. Only one thing came to mind as he tried to speak.

"Hermione?" he rasped.

"No, Harry," the woman said from beside him. Slowly he turned towards the voice. To his surprise, he could see her perfectly without his glasses. She was a middle-aged woman with auburn hair and sparkling green eyes. Her brows were furrowed in concern. She looked familiar and it took Harry a few moments to place her.

"Mum?" he asked incredulously, blinking rapidly, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Yes, sweetheart," Lily said, smiling softly, brushing a lock of unruly black hair off his forehead.

"But- How- When- What- ," he stammered, trying to sit up.

"No, Harry, lie down. I don't know for sure what happened, but your father and I have been given another chance at life. We think that since we were killed while trying to save you, our souls held on and our bodies were re-incarnated or something when you defeated Voldemort. We've spent five years trying to figure out what happened. The first two years we had to re-learn everything magical. We couldn't have done it without McGonagall's help."

"Wait, you guys have been alive for FIVE YEARS! How is that possible? I only defeated Voldemort two years ago!" Harry exclaimed. "And why didn't you tell me you were alive?"

"We couldn't, Harry. We didn't want you to get hurt if the magic didn't last and we wanted you to see us at our best, not our worst. And it has been five years since you defeated Voldemort, love. You've been asleep for three years. One morning you just appeared here on the bed," Lily explained. " Your father and I were scared to death but according to Dumbledore's portrait, you had to go through some sort of training for the next part of your life."

"I've been asleep for three years? Does everyone think I'm dead?"

"No… We had Scrimgeour release a statement that you were taking an extended leave of absence," she assured him.

"What about you and Dad? Do they know you're alive?"

"Yes, although we had to do some pretty creative tap dancing to explain coming back from the dead," Lily admitted, smiling at the memory.

"Where is Dad?" Harry asked.

"He's at work. He should be home soon. He took up his old post as an Auror."

"Mum, do you know how my friends are? Hermione and the Weasleys' and everyone?" Harry asked anxiously.

"The Weasleys are fine. Remus and Nyphradora are engaged."

"And Hermione?" Harry asked, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but after you disappeared while you were with her, she took a lot of heat and a month or so later, she left. Remus and your father have been looking for her and they think they may have found her in a small town in America."

"Mum, do you know what happened that night?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. There've been rumors and speculations, but they only person who knows the truth about that night is Hermione."

"Lily! I'm home!" a loud voice called from below them.

"I'm in Harry's room, James!" Lily called back. A few seconds later, eager footsteps came down the hall and the door was flung open by a man, well-built, with slightly thinning black hair, and glasses in front of his blue eyes. At the sight of his son sitting up in bed, James stopped in his tracks.

"Look, James, your stubborn son has finally decided to join us," Lily teased, grinning up at her stunned husband. Taking his cue from his wife, James grinned back at his wife and his son as he walked over and placed an affectionate kiss on Lily's head before sitting down on the arm of her chair and turning his attention to his son.

"I take it your mother has stolen my thunder and filled you in on most of the pertinent facts that have come up while you were getting your beauty sleep?" James remarked.

"Pretty much. What I really want to know is when can I get out of this infernal bed and go find Hermione and get my life back in order," Harry said, pouting a bit.

"Well, I have some good news for you then. As soon as your mum says your strong enough, you, Remus, and I will go to America and get your girl back. Remus and I just got confirmation on Hermione's location. She's living in a small town in Connecticut. As far as we know, she's safe and healthy."

"Mum?" Harry asked, giving his mother a pleading look.

"I don't know, sweetheart. You've been in that bed for two years. I don't know what shape your muscles are in," Lily said uncertainly.

"Mum, Dumbledore, and Sirius put me through intense training on whatever plain I was on," Harry protested, throwing back the covers and standing up. "See? I'm fine, Mum. Please? I need to find Hermione."

"Why is it so important for you to find her?" Lily asked, feigning innocence.

"Because, all I could think of while I was training was that I needed to get back to Hermione, that she needed me, and I needed her. She's my best friend and I'm worried about her," Harry said.

My baby's in love, Lily thought sadly.

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly. "We'll get you some of your dad's clothes and after you eat something, you guys can go play heroes."

James and Harry grinned at her easy agreement. Two against one- always better for getting what they wanted.