Chapter Four
"Oh look mum, he might be coming round!" A girls voice cried.
There was a sudden movement, "Quick, get Amber!"
Harry gazed around the white room in amazement, people were rushing in and out but he was focused on the couple to his left, his mother was squeezing his hand and his father holding onto her. He had never felt so elated… Somehow… He was back.
This was real. He was finally back.
Only they weren't at the house anymore, the small window was high on the wall showing a stormy day outside. Medical equipment was scattered everywhere, not to mention the mounting pile of sweets that were on the bedside cabinet.
"Harry? Harry can you talk to me? Explain what happened?" A beautiful blonde woman was on the other side wearing a white Healers coat holding a clipboard. She was staring at him with a concerned gaze. He could only guess this was Amber Lupin, they had spoken about her a lot the last time he had been here.
"I-I can't remember." He lied, his voice was dry and chocked, as if he hadn't used it in days. Without asking she passed him a glass of water with a smile.
"I just remember watching a movie." Harry trailed off thinking of Sirius's expression as he had left his own world. A shiver ran through him as she sunk deeper into the soft bed pulling the cover tighter. Lily noticed and pulled another blanket over him in a natural movement, the way mothers do.
Amber scribbled down notes nodding. "I need to ask you a few more questions and run some tests but I will give you a minute." She nodded to James and Lily who looked as if they hadn't slept in days. "We are so glad you are awake now Harry,"
"Oh Harry, you scared us so much." Lily whispered moving the hair off his forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"
He nodded trying not to smile so much; James bent down next to her. "Was it one of the boys? You wont get them in trouble, we just need to find out what happened. You were asleep for seven days. The Healers cant find anything wrong."
"Sorry to scare you." Harry murmered feeling a swell of guilt for leaving but James scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't be a prat. On the bright side, everyone got you loads of sweets."
They all laughed turning round to see the pile, it was take up most of the allotted space. "Are you well enough to see Kal, Jamie and Vi? They were pretty worried." James asked looking to the door where they all must be waiting.
"I'm fine, honestly." Harry promised. This time he was telling the truth. Aside from feeling fairly exhausted he was feeling perfectly healthy.
He was just confused. So completely baffled on why every time he woke up each world, the other body would just sleep. Had he somehow gotten rid of the other Harry and he was stuck between both places?
James patted his shoulder before going over to the door, talking in hushed whispers before letting his siblings in. Jamie was first in, his dark eyes locked with Harry's as he frowned to himself. There was something hesitant about how the two girls came in, they were smiling but for once it didn't reach their eyes.
"You look awful." Violet teased but her expression was concerned, dark lines that pulled at her eyes mirrored her parents.
"I still look better than you." Harry shot back. "Same old Harry," Kally smiled sitting in a chair and picking up various snacks.
Jamie shook his head pulling the chocolate frog from his twins hands. "I bought him that, don't be a pig."
"What happened to sibling sharing? Besides, Harry won't want it." Kally retorted taking it back.
"Actually. I'm starving, pass me one as well." Harry interrupted with a natural smile.
Thankfully they didn't ask him too many more questions, but St Mungos kept him in for another day as a precaution whilst they ran more tests. But it was announced that Harry was fully healthy. They didn't have an explanation no matter how many tests and questions they ran. The healers couldn't understand how his brain activity was so active.
It seemed that he was the only one that could see and feel the heavy circular mirror that was pushing into his robe pockets. Who the hell had given it to him? What was it? And why was it staying this time?
…
Although it was apparently planned that they were going shopping for school supplies, Lily told his siblings that Harry had to stay at home. Not that he minded. He was keen to know more about his mother.
"You don't have to humour me Harry, you probably have a hundred other things to do. Just maybe stay off the quidditch pitch" Lily warned as she began to prepare for tonight's meal. Mentally noting that they had a quidditch pitch in their vast grounds, Harry started to peal potatoes with her.
"I want to help." Harry replied honestly, and a sweet smile spread across her face. "You are so much like your father some days."
Humming slightly to the radio Lily began pulling things out of the fridge, cocking her head to the side as her red curls tumbled past her shoulders. Her hair was darker than the pictures he had seen of her with a touch of grey at the roots.
"Mum?" She turned around, "What was your fifth year like?" Lily paused for a moment with a distant smile.
Turning a light shade of pink, "You don't want to hear about my old years, besides I'm sure your father and Uncles stories are far more interesting."
Harry frowned rolling his eyes. "I want to hear about you."
He wanted to know as much about his mother and father as it could. Despite knowing their two best friends he knew surprisingly little about his parents. So many of his nights had been filled fantasizing about what his parents had been like at Hogwarts and if they were anything like him.
"Fifth year was probably the most dramatic, your father was still a bit of an idiot. I remember one time he fell of a broom whilst standing up to wave at me. Of course Sirius caught him but it was a silly thing to do. Your Aunt Poppy found it hilarious and teased him for weeks about it."
Harry chuckled imagining James trying to get Lily's attention. "I was so mad at him for trying to embarrass me. He was constantly doing that. Only in my seventh year did I realize he was just looking for attention. It's a good job my son is more sensible than that." Lily pointed at Harry jokingly.
"Any girl's have my boys attention? I would love for you to bring someone home." Cho's face flashed into his mind but he quickly shook his head. "Nope."
She raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject. "Anyway, another time he enchanted every piece of parchament to ask me to Hogsmead wherever I walked. Goodness the library took along time to fix. Professor McGonagall was not happy about that one. Gave him detention for two weeks for ruining her students homework."
"I am proud of you Harry. I know that Ron got prefect, but I'm pretty sure your father would have disowned you if you had got the badge."
"Probably." Harry admitted, he liked that his mum had noticed his slight disappointment for not gotten chosen. "You were prefect though. How did dad get head boy if he wasn't a prefect?"
Lily paused to think, "I guess Dumbledore knew the push he needed to mature. It worked well for him, he stopped causing as much trouble and even managed to calm Sirius down. That's when I saw a different side to the two of them."
"Did you spend much time with him before?"
"Only when I had to." Lily smirked shaking her head, "It was at the end of fifth year Remus and Amber started dating and that's when we spent more time with the three of them. I believe I once told James that I'd rather date the giant squid."
He couldn't help but notice how fondly she looked back at her time at Hogwarts. "We did all have a wonderful time, especially at the end of party quiddich parties. Although, if I find out you and your sister start drinking I will have to come and stop them myself." At this they both laughed, but then stopped abruptly and sent her son a sideways glance.
"Don't take any notice of what people say this year Harry, we know the truth and that's all that matters."
He nodded. "Thanks mum, I just want people to believe me."
…
Just like before, the days flew by in a blur of giddy happiness. Most days the Blacks and Lupins would come round to visit. Harry was told that Neville and his family often came but they were currently on holiday and wouldn't be seen until they went back to Hogwarts.
He couldn't imagine what Neville would be like in this world. More confident? He had heard what happened to his parents, but what if they were back and healthy?
Harry sat on Violets sofa as Max and Remus' son Danny. Addison stood in the doorway, staring at Harry with a blank expression. Out of everyone, Addison made him feel most awkward. Now and then he would catch her staring at him as if she knew something the others didn't.
She never seemed to care if he returned her gaze.
It was eary how similar Max and Addison looked at a first glance, with their matching grey eyes and chestnut brown hair, but they couldn't be more opposite. Max's features were comic in comparison to his twins, she had porcelin delectet features that looked pointed and mature. They were both tall but Addison's figure was far more willowy than her brothers broad frame. Energy seemed to exude from Max, in a very similar way to his parents, whereas Addison was reserved, analyzing everything in front of her before speaking.
"Danny mate, you still dating that Hufflepuff?" Max enquired as Violet sniggered.
Danny rolled his light brown eyes and smirked. "I am afraid things with the lovely Susan Bones. Apprently she did not take well to being subject to our Violets ways." He was an attractive boy and Harry wondered if his sister had any interest in him.
Max gave the younger girl an approving nod. "What did you do?"
"She was gossiping about Kally, spreading rumors that she turned Mrs. Norris bright red with gold stripes, so I may have added glitting golden stripes to her red hair." She shrugged casually.
Harry chuckled leaning back on the sofa. "Kally did do that." Addison pointed out, but Harry noticed her lip twitch up. "Maybe so, but no one should snitch on The Junior Marauders. Its an unwritten code."
Max clapped a hand to his heart and the other on Harry's back. "Oh Harry, we have taught the children so well."
"Corrupted would be the correct word Maxim." Addison's voice sounded serious but she was now smiling slyly. Harry was now sure she was just as bad as the other teens in the room.
As they begun to reminise Harry just listened to the stories of their years at Hogwarts and the adventures they had united on. Adventures that he had never been a part of, but he simply enjoyed listening as he hummed responses when required. It sounded very much as if The Marauders children had kept the traditions alive and were in rival with Fred and George.
"Did you hear who the Gryffindor prefects are?" Max asked turning to Harry. He shook his head thinking of his own letter sitting back at the creepy house in London.
"Its Ron and that Hermione girl! Can you believe we didn't get picked?!"
Harry started to laugh now shaking his head. "You would make such a bad prefect. I'm not surprised that Hermione is, its something she would be good at."
Cocking his head to one side, Max frowned. "Probably true, but how do you know? We barely speak to her."
Harry felt his chest began to race. "Yeah, but she seems smart. I have spoke to her a few times." Max shrugged and moved on with the conversation, if he was honest, Harry knew that Hermione wouldn't be as close with him but he didn't imagine they could be that distant.
"Yeah, I probably know her better than you two." Addison chipped in.
Harry wondered if Max's twin was in Gryffindor with them, he had gathered fairly quickly that Max, Danny and Violet were in the same house with him from the way they spoke. But he still wasn't sure about the rest of his extended family. "Yeah she does mostly hang out with the nerdy Ravenclaws."
He yelped as Addison threw a pillow at him rolling her eyes. Ravenclaw. That made sense. She seemed very intelligent.
"Are you nervous about going back?" All the teens turned to Harry as Violet spoke in a concerned voice. When Harry failed to respond, Max jumped in sounding bitter for the first time. "I hate what they are all saying about you. Utter shit. You done everything you could."
Harry's heart sunk. Cedric died here too. Part of him had been hoping that the maze hadn't happened and Cedric was alive, maybe then part of his guilt would disappear. But it turned out their Harry was as useless as him. Even he could save Cedric. How had Harry deserved this incredible gift when Cedric had his stolen away? Did he somehow take Cedric's happiness?
"Please Harry, don't fall into that dark place again." Violet begged reaching for one of his hands. "It's like what happened with you, Ron and Max. There was nothing you could do to save Ginny and there was nothing you could have done. Please don't go there again."
His head snapped up. "What?"
Ginny. Oh god what had happened here to Ginny?
They all exchanged concerned looks. Danny spoke, brushing his dark sandy hair out from his eyes, "We know how badly not rescuing Ginny from Riddle messed you up. We don't want the same thing to happen again, you were lucky to escape when you could."
"Excuse me." Harry rushed to the door finding a bathroom as quickly as possible. He was going to be sick. For whatever reason they didn't reach her in time here, was it something to do with Hermione? They hadn't mentioned her name. Poor innocent Ginny.
He retched into the toilet, again and again as tears blurred his vision. Suddenly all he wanted to do was go home. Go back to Ron, Hermione and Ginny. This wasn't his life. Some other Harry could cope with this. He had already lost too many people to Voldemort.
Standing up to face the mirror he clutched his scar that was starting to burn. He didn't understand how he still had a scar when his parents were alive. Even if he had a family he was sick of the mystery and worry that went along with it. Knowing him, they wouldn't be alive much longer.
He was going home.
"Who are you?" The voice came from the doorway.
Calm and collected she stared at him, but her wand was raised. It seemed to be the last straw as Harry sobbed, crumpling back to the floor as he put his burning head in his arms. He was so confused. So completely exhausted from his emotions.
"I don't know."
