Not Forgotten

July 31, 1991

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" James and Lily said as their eleven year old son entered the kitchen.

"Thanks," he smiled as he sat down at the table for breakfast. Lily loaded all of their plates with eggs, bacon, and toast as Harry looked hopefully at his parents.

Lily immediately understood. "So, do you want to go to Diagon Alley to get your things for Hogwarts?"

"Yeah! I'll go and get ready!" he grabbed a piece of toast before he ran upstairs.

"You think he's a little excited?" James asked sarcastically.

"Only just a little," Lily grinned.

In a few minutes, James, Lily, and Harry were all in their red convertible, driving to London. Lily was driving because, while James knew how to drive, Lily knew that James would get impatient and want to charm the car to fly or something ridiculous like that – just like he was the one to charm Sirius's motorcycle to fly. And even though Sirius had had that motorcycle since before Harry was born, Lily still refused to get on it.

As they had never moved from James's parents house, it took just over an hour to get to London. And just as Lily had expected, as soon as they had entered the Leaky Cauldron, every head turned to stare at Harry. Many of the wizards and witches in the pub came forward to shake Harry's hand.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, I can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

"So, proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."

"Always wanted shake you hand – I'm all of a flutter."

Somehow, they managed to push there way through the crowd of admirers. But when they were nearly to the back of the pub, they hear someone calling them.

"Hey! Lily! James!"

They immediately turned around to see an extremely large man with a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard and glinting black eyes.

"Hagrid! It's great to see you again!" said James as he shook hand with his old friend.

"Yeh too," Hagrid replied as he shook Lily's hand as well.

"Harry, this a friend of ours – Rubeus Hagrid," introduced James. "He works as Hogwarts,"

"Oh, its nice to meet you, Mr. Hagrid," Harry replied as he too shook Hagrid's hand.

"Call me Hagrid, everyone does. So, yeh here to get yeh things fer Hogwarts, eh, Harry?"

"Yeah,"

"So what brings you here, Hagrid?" Lily asked.

"Oh, Dumbledore sent me here himself. Hogwarts business, yeh know." Harry looked from Hagrid to his parents confused, but he could have sworn he saw a flicker of understanding pass between the three adults.

Hagrid smiled as he looked around the pub. "Oh, Professor Quirrell, didn't see you come in,"

A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.

"H-H-Harry P-Potter," he stammered as he took Harry's hand into his own, shaking one, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you. And y-you must b-be L-Lily and J-James,"

"And what subject do you teach, Professor?" Lily asked, even though she already had a good idea.

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, sounding slightly afraid. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.

"Well, we need to get going...Nice to meet you, Professor." said James as he began to leave.

"I'll go ahead an' follow eh to Diagon Alley," said Hagrid as he followed the Potters out of the Leaky Cauldron.

"So what's Quirrell so nervous about?" James asked Hagrid as they exited the pub.

"He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience...They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag – never been the same since. But you an' Lily should know its diff'rent than what those books say."

Lily and James couldn't help but laugh as they approached the brick wall; Hagrid was right, they knew the difference between an idea of fighting and actually fighting better than most. Lily tapped the right bricks and the seemingly normal wall transformed into the gate way to Diagon Alley. It was so crowded that hardly anyone notice The Boy Who Lived as he got his Hogwarts supplies. And for that, Lily was grateful. It seemed impossible to believe everything that her family had gone through to even be alive today. All that Lily wanted was to move on, but most of the wizarding world could not forget quite so easily. After a full day of shopping, James, Lily and Harry headed home, their car's trunk full of spell books, potions ingredients and, sitting next to Harry, a beautiful snowy owl.

When they got home, Sirius and Remus were sitting in the living room, like it was there own – not that it was a big surprise. But they had decorated for Harry's birthday. They spent the rest of the day eating cake and watching Harry open his presents. Once the sun had set, they all headed out to the backyard and set off a box of Filibuster's fireworks, which had been part of his gift from Sirius.

000

September 1, 1991

"Ready, Harry?"

"Yeah, Dad," he replied nervously as he started running at the barrier between Platforms nine and ten at King's Cross, followed closely by his parents.

Lily couldn't help but smile as she saw the gleaming scarlet steam engine as the whistle blew. James went onto the train to help Harry with his trunk. Once they had found a compartment, they meet Lily on platform. She hugged her son and said, "Have a good time, sweetie. And behave,"

"We'll see you at Christmas," said James as he, too, hugged Harry.

Once Harry was back in his compartment, he, like the hundreds of other students, hung his head out of the window to wave goodbye as the train pulled out of the station.

"Don't forget to write!" Lily called. Tears welled in her brilliant green eyes as she and James waved back at their son until they could no longer see him.

"Are you alright?" James asked as he put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah," she said as she wiped her eyes as they began to move towards the barrier with the numerous other family members. "I just can't believe that he's eleven already. I mean – it seems like just yesterday that we were on that very same –"

But what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were walking across Platform 9 3/4, with an air that they were better than anyone else there. But the very sight of them made Lily breathless. She knew that she shouldn't be afraid of them – but the last time she and James had met the Malfoy's, they had been under Death Eater masks, and she and James barely survived. Luckily, Lucius and Narcissa didn't see her or James before they Dissapparated.

James bent his head and whispered, "Don't worry about them Lil," he said gently and gave her arm a squeeze.

"I guess I'd just forgotten they had a boy that's Harry's age...Draco, right?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well, if it isn't James and Lily Potter!"

They turned to see who was talking to them to see Augusta Longbottom. She was just the way that Lily remembered her – she was wearing a lime green dress, a hat complete with a stuffed vulture and carried a bright red hand bag.

"Hello, Augusta," Lily said. "How have you been?"

"Oh, just fine, just fine. I had almost forgotten that Harry was the same age as Neville."

"Well, Neville is only a day older than Harry," James said.

"Of course, of course,"

"So how is Neville?" Lily asked.

"Just fine, hasn't got quiet the talent that his father had – we had almost thought that he wouldn't be accepted to Hogwarts, but here we are,"

With an angry jolt in her stomach, Lily noticed that Augusta had not commented on Neville's mother's powers, but only his father's.

As they bid Mrs. Longbottom farewell, Lily could not forget just how well Alice Longbottom and her mother-in-law got along.

It was early May and the Order of Phoenix's meeting had just ended. Everyone was still lingering around, catching up with their fellow members. Lily and Alice had always been friendly at school, but once they both joined the Order, they had become very close because the Potters and the Longbottoms were the only married couples in the Order. And to give them something else to relate to, both Lily and Alice were just over seven months pregnant. They had just sat down at one the tables that were scattered around Headquarters.

"So is it just me or are you about sick of being pregnant, too?" Lily asked her fellow expecting mother.

"Oh, don't worry, I feel the same way...Oh, I never told you, did I? Frank and I found out that we're having a boy,"

"That's fantastic, Alice. But I thought you two wanted it to be a surprise."

"We did, but we had our appointment last week, and when the Healer asked if we still wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise, I caved,"

"So have you started narrowing down names yet?"

Alice narrowed her eyes. "Well, if by 'we' you mean me and Frank, then, no. But if by 'we' you mean everyone else but me and Frank, then, yes,"

"Let me guess...Augusta has already said what names she likes."

"Exactly. I don't know if you know this, but Frank's full name is Franklin Michael Longbottom Jr., and Augusta thinks that our baby should be named Franklin Michael Longbottom III."

"Now, I'm just guessing, but I take it that you don't want to name your son that,"

"Yes,"

"I told James right up front that if we have a boy, we are not naming him James Jr. And to be perfectly honest, I don't think I could handle two James's running around,"

Alice giggled. "Lily, I don't think the world is ready for another James Potter...or another Frank Longbottom while were at it,"

A/N: Okay, so I'm not sure if I like how I ended this chapter, but I honestly can't think of another way. Anywho, thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Your comments really do make me write faster! (Hint: keep reviewing!)