Chapter 2: Painful Memories

Lily Potter was sitting on the couch rubbing her bulging stomach smiling as she felt her baby kick. She couldn't wait for the child to come out. To be able to hold him…or her.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Who is it!" she called from her position.

"It is I. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I come to ask a favor of you and your husband."

Lily groaned as she got up. She made her way to the door.

"Ah. I see your son is developing quite nicely." Dumbledore said when the door opened covering a 'Bloody hell' from a voice under an invisibility cloak. Goodness knows, Lily didn't need to hear THAT as the first thing she would ever hear her son say.

"We don't know what it is yet." She said smiling lovingly as she placed a hand on it.

"Lily. I'm afraid there's been an…interesting development. May we come in?"

"Of course." Lily said moving aside wondering who the others were.

"A few minutes ago, I received some very interesting office guests." Dumbledore said. "I trust you know what a time-turner is."

"A recently developed magical item capable of creating the ability to time travel if only for a few hours."

There was a groan and a giggle from an empty space in the room. Lily sounded JUST like Hermione

"Are you aware of the consequences of a broken time-turner?"

"I believe it's long-distance time jumps."

"Correct." Dumbledore said. "It appears a couple of children from the future have discovered this the hard way by accident after knocking down a time-turner that's kept in one of the broom closets in the school. They require housing for fear a few of my students might tell Voldemort."

"And you want James and me to care for them?" Lily assumed.

"They are young adults…one has taken his O.W.L.s and it's just until we can find a way to send them back. Besides… I think you'll take QUITE a liking to Harry."

"Well…I suppose." Lily said. "Of course, if the baby's a boy, it might get a bit confusing."

"You've already thought of names?"

"Holly if it's a girl and Harry if it's a boy." Lily confirmed. "Sirius wants to name him "Sirius Lee if it's a boy, but I won't let him."

Underneath the cloak, Harry mouthed a Thank you to his mother.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was JUST as he imagined her. He would have to remember to thank Ginny for asking for the Potters.

"Where's James?" Dumbledore asked.

"He's…working late." Lily said.

Harry looked out the window and saw that it was a full moon.

"Well, this should give you time to meet your house-guests." Dumbledore said before turning to the space. "You may come out now."

Harry pulled the cloak off of himself and Ginny. Lily covered her mouth in shock when she saw Harry. She KNEW he wasn't James having jumped time. James hadn't been THAT skinny and petite. Not to mention there were a few facial differences. The most noticeable were the green eyes. HER green eyes.

"Lily." Dumbledore said. "Meet Harry and Ginny."

"Um…Hi." Harry said a little nervously.

Lily looked at Harry, then at her stomach, then at Albus who nodded.

"Harry?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded and then lost it. He embraced his mother as if he hadn't seen her in years (which was the truth, but only Ginny knew it)

Lily, a little confused, returned the hug.

"Well." Dumbledore said. "I'll let you three get caught up."

He then left.

"Well…" Lily said with a sigh. "Let me look at you."

She held her son out at arms length and looked him over. He was the splitting image of his father with a few minor details.

"Where'd you get that scar?" she asked fingering it.

Harry bit his lip as tears started to form. He couldn't tell her that he'd get it in over a year because Voldemort killed her then tried to kill him.

"Long and complicated story." Harry ended up saying.

"That's what your father said when I found out he was an animagus."

"You know about that?"

"Didn't I ever tell you?"

"Long story." Harry said. "I guess Dad's out with Moony."

"Yes." She said. "It really worries me though."

"Don't worry." Harry said. "He's been doing it since 5th year."

"And how old are you?"

"15. I'll be 16 in July."

"That sounds about right." Lily said placing a hand on her stomach. Then she grabbed Harry's hand and placed it on her stomach.

"That is so weird." Harry said with a smile.

"What?" Ginny asked making herself known. "Feeling yourself kick."

"Well, if you're still here when you're born, you can hold yourself." Lily promised then looked a bit confused. "that sounded weird."

"Oh." Harry said before going over to Ginny. "This is Ginny…my Girlfriend."

"But don't tell anyone." She added as usual. They were keeping the relationship quiet for fear of the six problems named Bill through Ron though they could care less about Percy.

"out of curiosity…" Lily asked. "Are you related to the Prewetts?"

"My uncles." Ginny said with a sad smile.

"I've met their nephews." Lily said. "Molly just had her 6th two months ago."

"Ron." Ginny said.

"Hey." Harry said getting an idea. "Think we can visit? I want to find some blackmail information."

Lily smiled. From the looks of it, Harry had her personality. Polite and a tad shy around strangers but when it came to the people he was close too, he was more outgoing.

"Well." Lily said. "It's late and you two should get to bed."

The teenagers walked upstairs and looked around. To Harry, there was a strange familiarity to this house.

"Awww." Ginny cooed when she peeked into a room.

Harry looked in and saw that it was a nursery. At first he thought it was pretty cute himself. But then…

"Stand aside you silly girl."

"No! Not Harry! Please! I'll do anything!"

"Harry?"

Harry snapped out of his memory to see Ginny giving him a concerned though confused look.

"This is where it'll happen." Harry whispered to his girlfriend.

He then stepped into the nursery and stood in the spot where his mother will stand over a year later shielding the last part of James she had left.

"My only memory of my parents… Mum was standing right in this spot…and he was standing…"

He took a few steps forward and turned to the crib.

"Right here. He told her to move. That her life would be spared. But she wouldn't. After…after he…did it… he walked over…"

Harry closed his eyes. Ginny wanted to tell him to get out of the nursery because it was reawakening the memory…but she wanted to hear it. She wanted to know the truth of what made her boyfriend so famous.

"At first I thought it was just a game they were playing. That the hood would come down and it'll be Dad and Mum'll jump right back up. But as he loomed over me, I knew it wasn't Dad or Uncle Padfoot or Uncle Moony or even Uncle Wormtail. Being a baby… I cried. No. I screamed. I screamed in the hopes one of my uncles would come or even Dad would or Mum would wake up. They always did. Then…He said it. He said the curse that gave me the scar. Pain…more screaming, but not mine…the house started shaking…I was so scared… I think…I think a part of me knew that it was hopeless. So I sobbed quietly. I was alone. Nobody could hear me and I knew it."

Ginny felt tears trickle down her face.

"Then I heard Uncle Padfoot." Harry continued. "He was calling our names desperately. He sounded as if he was crying as well. I wasn't alone anymore, so I cried. I cried like I did whenever I was hurt. The pain was still there. Finally, the rubble moved and I saw my godfather. He picked me up and started cleaning my cut vowing revenge on Uncle Wormtail. Then Hagrid came and told Sirius to hand me over. I didn't want to go, and at first Sirius didn't want to let me go either. But he must have realized that he couldn't go after Wormtail with a baby in tow. He told Hagrid to take me to Dumbledore and to use his bike. It was faster and I loved to ride on it. I fell asleep in mid-air and the next thing I knew, I was woken up by Aunt Petunia's screams."

"If anyone's the hero that night," Ginny whispered. "It's your parents"

"I know." Harry whispered. "that's why I hate being famous. I became famous at THEIR expense."

Harry then knelt to the floor and moved his hand across the carpeted floor on which his mother would stand for the last time

"Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I can warn them."

"Harry." Ginny said. "Hermione'll have a fit if she found out. It's bad enough we're breaking the you-must-not-be-seen rule."

"I know." Harry said. "It's just wishful thinking… but Ginny… how will I stop myself from killing Wormtail?"

"You did it before." Ginny whispered and hugged her now sobbing boyfriend

"But before… he hadn't resurrected Voldemort."

"Is everything alright?" Lily asked five minutes later.

"How much did you hear?" Ginny asked as Harry dried his tears.

"I just came up." Lily confirmed looking concerned wondering why her son and his girlfriend were in the nursery crying.

"Sorry." Harry apologized. "It's just… memories."

"Do you have any Dreamless Sleep Potion?" Ginny requested. "I think we're both going to need it after what he described."

"Of course." Lily said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Want…yes." Harry said. "Should…no."

"Ah. A possible paradox?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded.

Lily went up to her son and hugged him.

"Whatever happened," Lily said. "Know that I will always love you."

TBC