Authors note:

30 August 2009: I made a couple of slight changes to this chapter as I had to make it match with chapter 2 which is coming along nicely although I have had writer's block for several weeks. I hope you like the slight changes to this chapter. And I hope that I can finish chapter 2 in the coming week.

IiIiI

Welcome Home

In a fairly large Victorian house in London a man with messy black hair and bright green eyes was running around the house frantically trying to set up the dining room for a party of guests to arrive at 7pm that evening. He had decided on cooking a meal of roasted duck and chocolate cake for dessert. It would all go perfectly – he hoped.

Just as he set the wine glasses on the table the door opened and a boy of eleven stepped in, looking much like the miniature of his father with messy black hair, except his eyes which where a pale blue.

"Dad it's nearly time for you to get ready. It's nearly seven."

"Ok, ok I'm coming." Harry walked towards the door and climbed the stairs to his bedroom to dress for dinner with the boy walking at his heels.

"I don't know why you're going all fancy it's just the Weasley's. You've known them since you were eleven. And don't worry we won't come downstairs we'll stay in our rooms."

"I'm not going all fancy. And I haven't seen them in fourteen years I want everything to go smoothly. Which shirt, the white and blue stripes or the white and green stripes?" Harry held up two white shirts from his wardrobe and held them up.

"Erm…I'd go with the green stripes. Brings out the colour in your eyes." The boy said in a mock tone.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Ok the green stripes it is then." Harry quickly dressed in jeans and the white shirt and black shoes. He tried to flatten his hair but even after over twenty years it still wouldn't flatten. Harry turned to the boy and motioned him to the door.

"Go on James back to your room. I'll come and check up on you in a bit. I'm sorry you can't see the Weasley's tonight but they'll be staying the night so you can see them in the morning." James turned to Harry and look up at him with a sadness in his eyes.

"I wish mum could have met them. You talked about them all the time, yet she never got the chance to meet them. She would have loved it."

Harry looked back at him and put an arm around his shoulders. He looked down at James and squeezed his shoulders tightly. "I know James. I know." James turned and walked out the door and down the hallway to his room.

Harry had told him to stay in his room because he didn't want the Weasley's to find out anything about what he'd been up to until he specifically told them. He thought the fact that him having four kids would be a pretty big shock without the whole picture.

Harry slowly walked out of his room and down the hallway where he stepped into a large room, painted in a pale blue with toys strewn across the floor and a small bed in the corner of the room next to the window.

A small boy of nine was sitting on the bed playing with his red toy car. He had short dark blonde hair and had pale blue eyes. He was the image of his mother. Harry stepped in and closed the door, and slowly walked over and sat on the bed next to the boy.

"Now Toby, will you promise to stay up here in your room until tomorrow?"

"Yes dad. I'll stay." He looked up to his father with a huge grin on his face. Harry patted his head "That's my boy. I'll see you later kiddo." Harry got up and walked towards the door. Toby looked up and muttered a "Kay" just as Harry left out into the hallway.

He carried on walking down the hallway until he came to the third door of the hallway. He knocked and then slowly entered the room. The room was painted a pale pink and had teddy bears and doll's houses packed away neatly in a corner of the room.

A small white rug was placed in the middle of the room and a small single bed was up against the wall in the centre of the room. There on the white rug sat a six year old girl playing with her doll's house. She looked up as Harry entered and ran towards him, hugging his legs.

"Daddy!" she cried. Harry pried her from his legs and lifted her up into his arms and stroked her soft honey blonde hair.

"Lily! How's my little sweetheart? Are you having fun playing with your doll's house?"

"Oh yes Daddy! I've just reorganised the house and now the people have an extra bedroom to live in! Just like we have at our new house here."

"That's great Lily. Now you know we're having guests over tonight, right?" She nodded. "And you know you have to stay in your room don't you?" She nodded again. "I want you to go to bed when James tells you to and if you need me for anything you just tap the crystal on the table, ok?"

"Yes Daddy!" Harry kissed her forehead and gently placed her back in front of the doll's house on the rug. The next room he entered was much different than the other two. This room was slightly darker as the curtains were drawn across the windows even though it was still early. The room was painted in a pale yellow and had pictures of teddy bears holding balloons around the top edge of the wallpaper. There was a small changing table set up in the corner of the room and a small chest of drawers filled with clothes. Next to that was a small Moses basket with a white silk blanket and the letter 'R' was sewn onto the corner. A baby bath was set up behind the door with a number of fresh white towels. A huge closet was built into the wall which was filled with various blankets and towels, baby bottles, baby milk formula and packets of nappies. A pram was also lying in the corner of the closet, waiting to be set up. A small white crib was lying against the back wall with a mobile hanging above it, dangling various muggle and wizarding items, such as a wand, a phoenix, a teddy bear, and a number box. Also hanging from the mobile was a picture of a woman; a woman with dark honey blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She was wearing a blue hat and small scarf, with tight jeans and black boots and a red coat and gloves. It was snowing and she was laughing into the camera.

Harry slowly stepped over to the crib and gazed down at the sleeping form there. The baby was no more than four months old with a tuft of black hair. She had a dummy in her mouth and had a teddy clutched close to her heart. As Harry looked down at her he saw her as one of the most precious things he had ever seen. He bent down into the crib and kissed the sleeping baby's forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams Rachel" and left the room.

Just as he was walking down the stairs there was the ring of the doorbell. His guests had arrived and now it was time for him to confront his past to his adopted family. He walked towards the door and slowly opened it.

There standing on the porch was the whole Weasley family, including Hermione.

"Harry!" Hermione cried and ran towards him enveloping him in a tight hug. "I'm so glad your back!" She let go of Harry and Mrs Weasley ran forward to give him a bone crushing hug. "Oh Harry Dear! I've been so worried about you! I'm so glad your back!" Harry stepped away and ushered them all into the house. "Thanks Mrs Weasley, Hermione." Ron hugged Harry along with George and Ginny and Mr Weasley gave him a firm handshake.

Harry led them towards the dining room and offered them to take a seat. "So, Harry. What have you been doing all this time, mate?" Ron asked whilst pulling a seat out for Hermione and taking his own.

"That's a very long story. One I am willing to tell but first you'll have to tell me what you've all been up to. Just let me go finish making dinner." Harry left the Weasley's and Hermione to talk amongst themselves in the dining room while he finished preparing the dinner. Harry re-entered the room with a tray full of many plates hovering beside him.

He set the tray on the table and put all the plates of food out. He sat down and everyone began to eat. Harry had noticed that Hermione and Ron seemed to be very close since they had arrived. He hoped that Ron had finally asked her out. He looked towards Ron.

"So Ron, you finally asked Hermione eh?" Before Ron could even answer Hermione jumped into the conversation, "Yes he did Harry, finally! After seven years! And we've been married for nine years now."

"Well congrats for you guys then! Always knew you guys would end up together."

"Thanks Harry" Ron said while munching on his roast duck. He found out through dinner that Ron was now working as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic and Hermione was working in the Department of Mysteries. Ginny was also working as an Auror now and Mr Weasley was given the Head position of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office.

They all ate a hearty meal and by the time they where finished it was nearing ten o'clock. Harry only hoped that all the children had gone to bed and that little Lily would sleep soundly. They all gathered in the living room and Harry took a seat on the corner of the sofa.

The living room was covered with white walls and a light beige carpet. Two black leather couches and a single black leather sofa chair where arranged in the centre of the room. A small glass coffee table was placed in the centre of the room and a large widescreen TV was in the corner of the room. There were several plastic boxes behind the door filled with various toys and dolls and teddy bears. None of the Weasley's had noticed this. There was also a lamp on the side table next to one of the sofas and a cordless phone sitting next to the TV.

"Harry." Mrs Weasley asked from her place on the sofa. "How come you live in such a muggle house?"

"Well, I've been living as a muggle for the last fourteen years. I do still use my magic but only in certain circumstances, such as an attack or for entertainment purposes or dishing up the meals."

Mrs Weasley gave Harry a confused look. "Entertainment purposes? Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, that's part of the story."

"Come on Harry tell us! You've been keeping us waiting long enough!" cried George whilst looking around in awe at all of the muggle equipment, such as the TV. Well at least he wasn't as much in awe as Mr Weasley was. He was just so excited, dying to touch something that was muggle made, such as the TV remote.

Harry put his hands up in the air "Ok, ok I'll tell you. And before I start I must apologise for not visiting in the last fourteen years, my life has been a little hectic. That's one of the only reasons that I could write to you only twice a year and without any information of my life."

Harry leaned back in the white cushions on the sofa and began telling them his story.

"Well when I first left I started to travel the world visiting exotic places, Hawaii, Jamaica, Africa, America, Paris that sort of thing. For the first year it was pretty quiet until I was in Paris. That's when my life really changed. I was in a muggle bar when a …" Suddenly Harry broke of as an alarm sounded in the living room.

Harry sprang up out of his chair and checked the little monitor by the doorway to see which room the commotion was in. It was Lily's. Just as Harry opened the door there was a loud wail. "Mummy! I want Mummy!" Everyone looked horror stricken and confused as the alarm sounded, but not as horror stricken and confused as when 'Mummy' was shouted.

Harry had not expected this to happen tonight. He turned to the room. "Erm…Can you excuse me for a second while I check on something, I'll be right back" and he shot out of the room and up the stairs, not waiting for a reply, leaving the Weasleys shocked to silence.

When he reached Lily's room he barged in and found James leaning over Lily trying to wake her. "James, go back to bed, I'll handle it." James quickly hurried out of the room and Harry sat on the bed next to Lily.

He stroked the hair from her face and gently whispered in her ear. "Shh, Lily its ok, Daddy's here." After a minute or two she slowly opened her eyes and looked wildly around the room before starting to cry. She flung herself into Harry's arms and began to sob.

"I had a dream about m-m-mummy again and w-w-when I woke up sh-sh-she wasn't there!" Lily wailed. Harry moved over to the white rocking chair in the corner of the room and gently rocked her in his lap, whilst cradling her head against his chest.

"Shh, sweetheart its ok. It's alright I'm here. Shhh. Mummy's gone now and she isn't coming back."

"I miss her." She cried whilst clinging to Harry's shirt. "I know" he said, "I miss her too."

He lifted her chin up to his face with his finger. "But Lily, even though she's gone she will always be in your heart. She will always be looking over you, and making sure you're safe."

She looked back up at him with tears in her eyes. "Daddy, promise me you won't leave too?"

He gazed deep into her green eyes, the image of his own, with a small smile on his lips. "I will never leave you or your brothers and sisters Lily, and that's a promise. One I made to myself and to your mother. I'll always be here for you." Lily wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I know you will Daddy. Can you please read me a story, like Mummy used to?"

Harry pulled out a book from the small bookcase in the room and starting to read a section from 'Cinderella'. After ten minutes of reading Lily had finally fallen asleep in his lap. He could hear the soft breath on his arm and her warmth on his chest. He left the book on the bedside table and carefully lifted Lily off his knee and carefully slipped her under her bed covers. He put a small teddy bear beside her and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Sleep well Lily." He slowly stepped away and turned out the light before heading back down to the living room.

As Harry entered the living room, eager faces were gazing up at him. He sat down on the sofa and was immediately bombarded with questions. 'What was that alarm?', 'Who was screaming?', 'Is everything alright Harry? Harry?' Harry just ignored all the questions until all the muttering stopped. All the eager faces suddenly turned to look towards him. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands.

"I guess I'll have to leave the first bit of the story 'till later and skip right to the end. I've got four kids and the screaming was one of them having a nightmare."

Ginny looked surprised, as did everyone else. "When? Who with?"

Harry held his hands out to everyone. "Please, let me explain." Everyone sat stock still and leaned forward slightly in their chairs waiting for him.

"Twelve years ago I married a woman called Charlet who I used to go to Primary School with before she moved to France when I was nine. She's a famous muggle actress so our meeting was rather…interesting. But that's a story for another time. Because she was famous in the muggle world there wasn't really time for anything else. We spent most of our time going to parties with her film Directors, film launches and her film Premieres. Then a year later we had our first child, a son named James. He's just had his eleventh birthday last month. Not long after we had Toby who's nine. Then Lily six and Rachel who is just four months old."

"Harry where is your wife, Charlet? Is she at a party? We'd all love to meet her." Nods were given all around. Suddenly Harry felt very sad and that usual happy expression wavered slightly. His heart ached to think about Charlet, he could never talk about her without getting upset. But he knew he had to keep it together, he wouldn't cry in front of the Weasley's.

"I'm afraid you can't meet her Mrs Weasley."

"Why ever not?"

"Because she died two weeks ago in a car crash. We buried her last week." Harry then looked down at his hands, not wanting to see the pity in their eyes.

Everyone gasped. "Oh Harry dear! I'm so sorry I didn't know. How are you feeling dear?"

"I've been better Mrs Weasley but I have to keep going for the children's sakes."

Hermione and Ginny got up and stepped over to give Harry a hug. After Hermione and Ginny sat down Mrs Weasley got up and squeezed him tightly. "Where are the children now Harry? Are they coping well?" Mr Weasley asked.

"They're all upstairs in their rooms sleeping. They're not doing too well. They keep up appearances in front of guests and sometimes me, but, sometimes I seem them crying and they try to hide it."

A small breathing could be heard outside the door of the living room. Harry inclined his head towards the door. He knew exactly what, or rather who it was. "Lily?" Just then the door creaked open slowly to reveal a small girl in bright pink teddy pyjamas clutching a small brown teddy and a homemade book. "Daddy? Can you read me a story? I can't sleep." She said. The women cooed at the little girl and watched the scene in fascination. Harry stood up ready to move towards the door.

"Come on then Lily." Lily walked towards him and tugged on his pants and then looked up into his eyes. "No, Daddy. I want you to read to me here! I don't want to fall asleep upstairs."

Harry looked around at the Weasley's and then back down at Lily. With her small smile and dazzling eyes, it was hard to say no to her. "All right then."

He picked Lily up and sat back down again on the sofa. Lily sat on his knee and snuggled into his left arm. Harry put his arms around her so she could see the pictures in the book and opened it. Lily clutched the teddy to her chest with her right hand and put her other hand on Harry's left arm.

"So, do you want a muggle story or a wizard story?"

She sat and thought for a few moments then exclaimed "A muggle one like Mummy used to read."

"Ok, lets see, umm…well we read 'Cinderella' before so this time we'll read 'Sleeping Beauty'." As Harry began to read the story to Lily the Weasley's all listened closely with rapt attention at Harry using different voices for all the different characters. "…and they all lived Happily Ever After." Harry gently closed the book and placed it on the side table and looked down at Lily's sleeping form. He gently stood and put lily gently over his shoulder with her arms around his neck.

"Everyone it's quite late now so you're all welcome to sleep in the guest rooms. We have plenty on the first floor landing. As I don't have a house elf or a maid I'll have to show you them in a moment after I've put Lily to sleep." After putting Lily to bed and showing all the Weasley's to their rooms, Harry sank down onto his bed and fell into a dream filled sleep, full of memories of him and Charlet. He fell asleep with a small smile on his lips.

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FlowerPetalsToTheWind & David Fishwick: Thank you for wanting me to continue with this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!