A/N: I'd like to start by thanking my wonderful reviewers – you make me come back to write more. I'm sorry if any of you are still confused by what's going on in the story, but stick with me! I'm trying to incorporate details gradually. Since the characters haven't fully comprehended what has happened yet, it's only fair for us to wait it out, too.

Chapter Three: Harry's Home

Lily Potter had mixed feelings about returning home. After all, her last, most vivid memories of the cottage in Godric's Hollow were of hearing her husband's death and of her final confrontation with Voldemort. She wasn't sure that she wanted to relive that after having been denied life for so many years.

"I'll take you Side-Along," Harry said, jerking her out of her reverie. "Since you don't know where we're going."

Lily gave him a quizzical look. "Of course I know where home is, Harry."

"Oh, so sorry dear," said Molly, a look of dawning comprehension on her face. "I think we should all go back to our home, the Burrow, at least for now. Your old home is rather the worse for wear."

"Thank you, Molly," said James, putting an arm around his wife. "That's very kind of you."

Harry was a bit confused about his father's stiff behavior toward Molly. As someone who had never been comfortable with strangers, he knew that it was impossible to meet Molly Weasley and not feel instantly at ease. What could posses his notoriously gregarious father to act so distantly he could not imagine.

"Come now, dears," Molly said. Arthur had offered his arm to James, who accepted it a little too graciously, while Lily grasped Harry's arm.

Almost instantaneously, the rather large group appeared in the front yard of the Burrow.

"Home, sweet home!" said Fred, sighing, as George shook an errant garden gnome off his foot.


Hermione was trying to concentrate on Professor Slughorn's lecture on the importance of proper mathematics in potion making while Ginny drew snitches and quaffles on her parchment when a small first year boy barged unceremoniously into the classroom.

"May we help you, Mr. Audley?" asked Slughorn.

"Professor McGonagall needs to see Ms. Granger and Ms. Weasley in her office immediately!"

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other, both looking supremely confused.

"Do you know what this is about?" Ginny whispered.

Hermione shook her head as she stuffed her things into her bag.

"Good luck, ladies!" Slughorn laughed as they exited.

The girls walked briskly through the halls to the headmistress's office. Ginny shuddered as they passed an obviously new stone wall. In her head, she saw it being blasted apart and collapsing on her laughing brother. Steeling herself, she soldiered on.

"What is the secret?" barked the ugly gargoyle that guarded the head's office.

"The secret is love," Hermione responded, and the gargoyle moved to the side to reveal a moving, winding staircase.

Ginny reached out a hand and grasped the large, phoenix-shaped doorknocker. Something in the phoenix's eyes seemed different to her, or maybe she was just now noticing it. They seemed alive like they had never been before. Light from an unseen source seemed to dance in them, making the phoenix seem alive, winking at her.

"Ginny!" muttered Hermione, and Ginny shook herself and knocked.

The door opened almost immediately. "Ms. Granger! Ms. Weasley!" barked Professor McGonagall, who looked more frazzled than either of her students had ever seen her.

"What is it, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"You are both needed back at the Burrow."

"What's important enough to take us out of school?" asked Ginny, looking extremely concerned.

"Nothing bad, I assure you," said McGonagall with the soft smile that she reserved for those students whom she felt closest to. "Something quite extraordinary in fact. You may use my fireplace, I'll have the house elves send some of your things on for you later this afternoon."

Hermione and Ginny, looking more confused than ever, thanked McGonagall and stepped into the green flames, both shouting, "The Burrow!"


"It isn't much, but it's home," said Mrs. Weasley as she showed Lily and James inside.

"It's so good to be back here again!" said Tonks, who had not let baby Teddy leave her arms since their reunion.

"Here as in 'the Burrow,' or here as in 'among the living?'" asked George, earning him a reproachful look from his mother.

"Both," laughed Tonks.

"You may stay as long as you like, my dear," said Molly, giving her a loving pat on the shoulder and kissing Teddy.

Arthur entered the sitting room. "McGonagall says that she'll have the girls back as soon as possible, probably within the hour."

Harry and Ron looked up, grinning, and then quickly looked down.

James raised an eyebrow at his son and looked to Sirius for information, who just shrugged.

An awkward silence had fallen over the group. Tonks was rocking Teddy, while Remus, James, and Sirius sat together in silent unity. Fred and George stared at the Marauders, hoping to catch them in action. Lily sat off to the side, observing her son from a safe distance.

"So, Harry, you were raised by Sirius?" she said, sounding almost as though she dreaded the answer.

The room seemed to freeze even more. "Tea, anyone?" squeaked Molly.

Sirius laughed cynically. "They'll find out eventually, Molly. Best to just get it out and over with."

"Find out what eventually?" asked James. "You said you would take care of our son."

"Wish more than anything that I could have. But, mitigating circumstances…"

"Sirius Black, I KNEW I was crazy to let James talk me into letting you be godfather! What were we thinking! You just left him?!" Lily was standing, shaking and shouting.

Sirius looked angry at the accusation, but in an uncharacteristically calm manner said, "I was arrested for being a spy for Voldemort, for aiding and abetting in your death. You can't raise a kid when you're in Azkaban for life."

"Azkaban," whispered James, his voice full of fearful amazement.

"Then where was Harry?" asked Lily, sounding afraid of the answer.

"There was no one else for him to go to," said Remus. "I couldn't very well raise a child, and based on the circumstances of your sacrifice, Lily, he was best protected when he was surrounded by your own blood. So…"

"Dumbledore didn't!" said Lily, not believing the conclusion that she had jumped to.

"He had to," said Harry. "I argued with him about it so much while he was alive. Now I know that as much as I hated it, I had to go to Aunt Petunia. I wouldn't be alive, otherwise."

Lily sank silently into her seat.

"Mum? We're home!" cried Ginny's voice from the kitchen.

Arthur jumped up and ran to the kitchen to head off his daughter and Hermione.

"Ginny!" cried Fred, bounding after his father.

The crowd waited, silently listening for a reaction.

Ginny's voice carried through. "George! You look good, bro…No need to hug so hard…Wait a minute, why do you have both ears?"

Then came the loudest scream any of them had heard since the war ended.

Harry leapt out of his seat and ran to the kitchen.

"Harry! Harry, he's dead – I'm dreaming, right? How is Fred in here? George, take off the trick ear, this is cruel. Harry, help!"

Harry put an arm around her. "This is real, Ginny. Fred's alive."

"How?" she shouted.

"Don't know. Something to do with me being rewarded by fate or something."

"Why Fred?"

"I'm not the only one, favorite sister of mine," said Fred, also putting an arm around her.

"Hi, Ginny," said a voice from the doorway.

"TONKS!" shrieked Hermione.

"How're my favorite heroines?"

"Who else?" asked Ginny looking at Harry.

She knew, and he could tell.

"Are they…" she began.

"Yes," he answered. "They're in the sitting room. Come on." He led the girls back to where Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily sat. As they took in the sight, Harry said, "Cedric's back as well."

"Hello, girls," said Remus, getting up to hug them, while Sirius waved from his perch on the couch.

"Ginny, I'd like you to meet my parents."

They shook hands.

"This is my girlfriend," he explained.

"WHAT?" yelled Fred from the door. "No way, mate. Sorry. Not again."

"I've already got it covered, brother of mine," said George. "Bill, Charlie, Percy and I had a long talk ("Too long," muttered Harry under his breath so only Ginny could hear) with him when this came out. Even ickle Ronnikins said ok, so we're just watching like hawks for the time being."

"Very nice to meet you, Ginny," said Lily. "I don't mean to be rude, but Harry, the Dursleys."

"Oh, don't worry, dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "He always knew that he could come here during the summers and school breaks."

"The Weasleys have been my family since I started Hogwarts," Harry explained.

"Wouldn't that make dating Ginny incest?" muttered Fred, who was shot a mutinous look by his sister.

"Lovely," said James, with no sincerity in his voice.


The group continued to get caught up over a large home cooked meal. Bill, Fleur, and Percy soon joined the reunion, and after many delicious courses, the newly alive family members had been told the bare bones of what they'd missed.

Sirius pulled Harry aside. "Is this your home now?" he asked.

"Well, I live at Grimmauld Place with Ron, but it's still home, in a manner of speaking, I guess."

"I think your parents and I will crash at your place, if you don't mind. Don't want to impose on Molly and Arthur any more than we already have."

"It's your place Sirius, and of course that's fine."

After a long conversation in which it was decided that the girls and Ron would stay at the Burrow to give the Potters and Sirius some privacy, they departed.

Lily found it hard to fall asleep. She rolled over to face James and poked him. "You still awake?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure, love. Whassup?"

"Did you notice how Harry kept calling the Burrow home? How he acted like Molly was his mother?"

"Well, once Sirius was gone, and before he broke out of Azkaban, they were all he had. It's only natural."

"I'm his mother. We're his home," said Lily, sounding dejected.

"Life wasn't fair to any of us, Lils. And I don't like being replaced either. I hated seeing Arthur look at my son like one of his own, and I don't think it's just because he's dating his daughter. But the Weasley's are good people. We're lucky he found them."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself, James."

"Maybe I am."


A/N: Harry had to inherit the angst gene from someone, right? Please review!!!