DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This fiction is purely for my own enjoyment and yours. No money is being made by me or anyone else from this fiction.

Author Note: I just want to thank you for your patience with me...I know I haven't posted for a week or two. I'm hoping this chapter makes up for it! Harry's Dream is coming to an end...

Chapter 4

"What in the name of Merlin's saggy left is going on here?"

The mud slinging immediately ceased and everyone turned to look at Monica Potter, who hand marched down to the pitch and was now eyeing them all with a stern glare. She reminded Harry very much of Mrs. Weasley in that moment, her hands on her hips, eyes flashing and speaking in a tone that made boys tuck their heads down ashamedly. Well, all boys except Sirius Black.

"We were just having a bit of fun, Monica," said Sirius, casually flicking his long muddy hair and making sure he hit James in the process. Harry hastily covered up a snort.

"Don't you Monica me, young man! Behaving like a bunch of five year olds, the lots of you! What kind of example is that for Harry?"

"Actually," Harry began, but his grandmother ignored him. I just had the time of my life.

"But Sirius started it!" burst out James, pointing an accusing finger.

"Way to act your age," retorted Sirius. "Blame it on me. Actually, I think it was you who pushed me in the first place—"

"Which I wouldn't have done if you weren't making eyes at my wife!"

"Oi! Leave me out of this," Lily interjected. Harry and the others tried to hide their smiles.

"That's enough! I don't care who started it, I'm ending it," Monica shouted over all of them. They stopped. "And none of you can go inside looking like that. Aguamenti!" Monica pulled out her wand, gave it a large swish, and a stream of water burst from the end of it, showering all the muddy quidditch players with ice cold water.

"That's freezing, woman!" Francis called out.

Monica smirked at him. "Then you shouldn't have been playing in the mud, dear," she retorted. Harry's teeth were chattering, but he laughed all the same. I've just gotten yelled at by my grandmother, he thought, and I couldn't be happier.

Slowly but surely Monica's ice-cold stream of water rinsed the sticky mud from Harry, James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, Francis, Hal and Rachel and they were left shivering on the wet field. With another flick of her wand, Monica sent a blast of hot air flying at them. Harry blinked and laughed at the air sent his already messy hair flying in all directions. Moments later they were all clean, dry and warm. Overhead the rain clouds had dispersed, and the evening sun was peeking through the clouds, sending an orange cast over the pitch.

Monica smiled at her handiwork. "That's better," she said. "Now, who's hungry? I say we all head in for some dinner."

"Oh, yes!" agreed Lily. "I made blueberry pie!"

At that Harry's stomach grumbled. Perfect timing, Grandma. Mum made blueberry pie? I've got to make sure I get a slice of that... He followed his parents and grandparents off the field, towards a thick wooden arch that framed a gravel path, but Harry couldn't tell what lay beyond it. They walked through this arch and suddenly found themselves in the front hallway of a house. Harry shook his head, trying to orient himself to his new surroundings. Is this was apparation feels like?

"Shoes off everyone! I'll not have you tracking mud into the dining room," Monica announced over the chaos. There was a chorus of "Yes Ma'am," from everyone in the hall. Harry wondered how they all fit, since it seemed to be a small house, not much bigger than the Dursley's house, but he quickly shrugged it off as the smell of roast beef drifted in from the kitchen.

"The bathroom is just down that hall to the right," Lily whispered into Harry's ear, so you can go wash up." Harry nodded, even though they had just been pretty thoroughly cleaned by Monica. Lily smiled at him and then disappeared into the kitchen with Monica and the other ladies.

"Want to play a game of Exploding Snap, Harry?" James said, sidling up beside him. Harry grinned.

"Absolutely."

James grinned back. "Moony! Padfoot! Let's go. Harry and I are challenging you to a game of Exploding Snap."

"You're on," said Sirius immediately. They hurried off towards the living room. First quidditch, then a mud fight, and now I get to play Exploding Snap with my dad. Is this how it could have been? Harry's heart ached at the thought of it. He wanted this life so much it hurt.

"You coming, Harry?" called James, and Harry shook away his melancholy thoughts.

"Yeah!" he called, and tromped into the living room after his father. James and Sirius had already set up the game when Harry arrived, so he plopped down between Remus and James, a smile of anticipation on his face. Grandpa Francis and a few more of the Potter relatives, including cousin Hal had joined them in the living room. The room was cramped but cozy and there was a buzz of conversation in the air. This must be what real family gatherings are like, Harry thought. The Dursleys never had family over unless it was Aunt Marge, and Aunt Petunia was such a neat freak that things never got out of hand. The only time Harry had ever felt this kind of camaraderie was with the Weasleys or with the Gryffindor House after winning a quidditch game. But even that couldn't compare to the feeling of belonging with his family.

Too bad they're only a dream, a dark part of his mind whispered. For a moment Harry was confused. It all felt so real; it was easy to forget he was only dreaming. He soon forgot these dark thoughts however, as the game got started.

"Oi! No cheating, Remus!" James hollered.

"Don't look at me," Remus countered. "If anyone's cheating here, it's Sirius."

Sirius dramatically put a hand over his heart. "You wound me, Remus, to make such claims against me. I thought we were allies!"

"That was before you were cheating."

"I'm not cheating!"

Harry snorted. "You were totally cheating, Sirius."

Sirius gave an aggravated sigh. "Alright, so I was cheating. But don't think I didn't notice that stunt you pulled just a few moments ago, James," he said, giving James the eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about," James said nonchalantly. The conversation throughout the game sounded a lot like this, with Hal and Grandpa Francis occasionally chipping in to offer advice or urge Harry on. He smiled as his grandpa and father got into an argument about whose wand had touched the card on top first. "My wand very clearly hit the card first, Dad," James argued.

"Don't argue with your father, James, I know what I saw and the point goes to Harry!" Francis crossed his arms firmly over his chest and raised an eyebrow at James, daring him to retort.

"I know Harry's fast, but the point clearly belongs to me," James said, stubbornly refusing to back down.

"Come on Dad, it was one point, can't you cut your son some slack?" Harry joked. Though the point does belong to me. My wand definitely beat Dad's.

James shook his head. "You can't be given everything in life Harry, how else would you learn?"

"Yeah," Sirius cut in. "If you were, you'd end up like your fathead father!" His eyes flashed merrily and he threw a smug smirk at James.

"Hey! My head is nowhere near fat! Just because I messed up the bubblehead charm one time…" James trailed off indignantly.

Harry turned towards his father, surprised. "You actually gave yourself a fat head?"

"It was an accident! If your mother hadn't been wearing a short skirt that day…" James trailed off, obviously getting lost in old memories of that day.

"Lily's skirt wasn't any shorter that day than it was any other time," Remus commented. James shot him a look, which Remus shrugged off. "Just because you had your head in the clouds any time Lily entered the room doesn't mean it was her fault you messed up the charm."

James's face turned a little red, but he quickly shrugged it off. "What can I say? My dear Lily is a charming woman. Who was I to resist such loveliness?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, James Potter." Everyone turned at the sudden sound of Lily's voice and Harry barely covered a laugh as his father ducked his head, abashed. He recovered quickly though and gave Lily a cocky grin.

"But you love me anyway," he said.

Lily smiled. "Unfortunately, yes. Now clear away this mess and come to the dining room. Supper is served!"

Her words caused a flurry of movement as the boys jumped up and made their way towards the dining room, their stomach rumbling loudly. "That point was still mine though," James said as they walked.

"No way," Harry argued back. "You heard Grandpa Francis, the point was mine!"

"I hate to break it to you son, but your grandfather is old. His eyes and reflexes aren't what they used to be. It's just wishful thinking, I'm afraid," James said mock-sadly, patting Harry on the shoulder.

Harry shrugged him off and gave him a shrewd smile. "So what you're saying is, because you're younger, faster, and-"

"More good-looking," James cut in quickly.

"Right," said Harry wryly. "Because of all that, you must have gotten the point and Grandpa Francis was wrong?"

"Pretty much," said James.

Harry grinned. "Well then, since I am younger, faster and-"

"More good-looking," Sirius added quickly, a large grin splitting his face.

"Right," nodded Harry, his grin matching Sirius's, "The point must be mine!" Take that, Dad.

James's mouth dropped open. "Well that's just, I mean you can't, I meant…"

Remus clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself, James. Harry clearly has the best of both his parents in him…how can you expect to compete with that?" Harry gave him an innocent look.

"Sweet Merlin, you're right. Look at that, he's got Lily's eyes, and everyone knows I can't say no to that. Fine! I concede." James threw his arms up in the air in defeat.

"Yes!" shouted Harry, pumping a fist in the air. He sobered quickly at the look on his father's face and patted him on the arm. "Better luck next time, Dad," he said, but failed to completely hide his grin.

"Don't push your luck son," James said. Harry, Remus and Sirius just laughed.

When they got to the dining room, Harry saw an impossibly long table sitting in the center of the room, looking like there was no way on earth it should have been able to fit. I love magic, he thought with a grin. "Harry dear, come sit next to your mother," Lily said, quickly sweeping Harry aside. "Just there," she said, pointing out a chair near the end of the table. Harry plopped himself down. The smells wafting in from the kitchen were mouthwatering.

James joined in on the other side and Remus and Sirius followed suit. "Best part of the day," Sirius told Harry. "Your grandmother's cooking is to die for!"

"Don't forget my blueberry pie," Lily chimed in. Together with Monica she waved her wand and loads of dishes came floating into the room, the empty ones settling down in front of each person and the ones filled with steaming food coming to rest in the middle of the table.

"Everything looks great Mum, Grandma," Harry said, eyeing the steaming mashed potatoes in front of him. Both women smiled at him.

"Thank you dear," they chorused. The rest of the table hummed in agreement.

It was, in Harry's opinion, the best feast he had ever been to, better even than any Hogwarts feast he'd ever attended. His grandma and mum had gone all out, apparently. There was roast beef and roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, and Yorkshire pudding. The desserts looked delicious too. Harry spotted his mum's blueberry pie, treacle tarts and fresh strawberries nestled among the dishes. While he ate, Harry laughed and joked with his parents and their friends, listened to stories told by his grandparents, and told everyone about how school was going.

"Do you have a favorite class, Harry?" Lily asked.

Harry shrugged. "I would like Defense Against the Dark Arts if the toad wasn't teaching it. I wish you could have stayed on as our teacher, Lupin. You were the best we've ever had."

"Thanks Harry, but you know why I couldn't stay," Lupin reminded him.

"What about your other classes, Harry?" Lily urged him. "What about Charms or Transfiguration? Potions?"

"Charms and Transfiguration aren't too bad," Harry said, "but Potions is awful."

Lily made a confused face. "Why?"

Harry grimaced. "Snape hates me," he said. "And pretty much any other Gryffindor. He's really horrible to Neville. Poor bloke is so scared of him he's always messing up in class. It's why I'm in this dream, I think. Neville's potion exploded, which is odd since Hermione usually helps him out—Snape hates it when she does that."

"It's Professor Snape, Harry, and why would be hate you?" said Lily, reminding Harry an awful lot of Hermione in that moment. That's exactly what she would say. I wonder where she is right now?

"Because he's a jealous slimeball, Lily," James said simply. "He hated me and now he's taking it out on Harry."

"You weren't exactly friendly with him, James," Lily scolded.

James nodded his head. "You're right. I was every bit of the arrogant toerag you said I was. The thing is, I grew out of it and Snape didn't." Harry's heart swelled with pride. My dad is a good man.

Lily pursed her lips but didn't contest it. Instead she changed the subject. "What other subjects are you taking, Harry?"

He swallowed his mouthful of roast beef and thought for a moment. "I've got Divination, which is frankly awful—Trelawney predicts my death nearly every class—History of Magic, which is boring, Care of Magical Creatures—never know what to expect with that one, especially with Hagrid teaching—and Herbology. You can get a good bit of conversation in during that class."

"And you're studying hard, aren't you? Fifth year is when you take your O.W.L.s, and there isn't any reason why you shouldn't get several, Harry," Lily told him firmly. She sound just like Hermione...and just what I'd expect from my mum.

"Well, " said Harry, suddenly ashamed that he didn't study more often, "I do my best."

"Good." Lily beamed at him and suddenly Harry decided when he got back, he would spend just a little more time studying.

"Potter."

Harry head snapped around. Did someone say my name? He listened for a moment more, but the call didn't come again, so he shrugged it off and helped himself to more potatoes. A few minutes later, her heard it again.

"Potter."

Harry's head snapped around again, and this time he noticed a window towards the back of the room he was certain hadn't been there earlier. "Did you hear that?" Harry asked James.

"Hear what, son?"

"Potter."

"That!" said Harry, looking around for the person saying his name. Everyone at the table seemed to be engrossed in their meal or other conversation. "Someone's saying my name," he said, still looking around. His gaze shifted back to the window and he frowned. "Well, not my name in particular, just 'Potter,' but somehow I know they're talking to me." He craned his neck to look out the old window at the back of the room. It seemed to be growing. How odd.

"What is it dear?" Lily asked, placed a soft hand on Harry's forearm. He shook himself out of his brief daze and looked at his mother with confusion.

"Was that window there before?" he asked. He gestured towards the back of the room, then gaped as he saw the window was now almost the size of a small door. It's still growing. Why is it growing? Harry felt odd. Suddenly everything around him seemed to be fuzzy, like a channel on the television flickering in and out. The faces of his cousins faded and suddenly the table was much smaller, seating only his parents, grandparents, Sirius and Remus. "Where did everyone go?"

"Mr. Potter."

"Oh dear," said Lily sadly.

"It was nice meeting you, son," Grandpa Francis said.

"You're a lovely boy," Grandma Monica said.

"But wait, where are you going?" asked Harry desperately. He was getting a bad feeling about that window.

"Not far," answered Monica, but her voice was fading, just like her. Soon she and Francis just disappeared.

What's happening? Where did they go? Harry's desperation was growing. Suddenly Sirius and Remus stood. "We'll see you around, yeah Harry?" Sirius said. Remus gave a little wave.

"But where are you going?" Harry cried, his voice rising a little in pitch.

"Out," replied Remus calmly. Before Harry had a chance to respond, he and Sirius disappeared, just like Harry's grandparents had. Why is this happening?

"Mr. Potter!"

The voice was growing more urgent now, and Harry noticed the window had somehow changed into a door. It was open, and through it Harry saw strange shapes moving in the distance in a bright, open room. He didn't like it. I'm not ready to go back yet, he thought.

"I can't go yet," Harry said. He was a little embarrassed to hear his voice crack with emotion. Lily and James smiled at him.

"Come here, sweetheart," Lily said, pulling Harry int a tight embrace. "All things must end. It's part of life."

"But I've only just arrived," Harry whispered, trying to hold back tears.

"And you can visit us anytime, son," James said, wrapping his arms around Harry and Lily. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then the voice echoed even louder than before, reverberating in the room around them, which seemed to be shrinking.

"Mr. Potter!"

"We love you, Harry," Lily said and she and James let go of him. As soon as their arms released their hold on him, Harry felt himself being pulled towards the door and the now somewhat familiar voice. Or was it voices? Harry thought the calls were coming form two different people now, one of them sounding annoyingly like Snape. Trust him to ruin the only good dream I've had in ages...

"I love you too, but..." Harry trailed off as his parents smiled and waved at him.

"Go on, sweetheart. Don't fight it," Lily told him.

"But I'm not ready! I don't want to go!" Harry cried. His mum and dad smiled sadly, then Harry felt himself pulling pulled violently by the navel and everything turned to blinding whiteness.

Author Note (2): References to Exploding Snap and how it is played was taken from Harry Potter Wiki. According to that page, the rules of the game are thus: "The rules are simple: when you see two identical pictures, hit the card with the top of your wand – one point is yours. The player with the most points wins the game. The hard part is, the cards shuffle faster and faster."