Harry fell asleep with Ginny on his chest. His dreams were wonderful, but not about the beautiful angel laying over his heart. No, but about a very pretty girl that looked just like her.

"Mummy," Harry said, staring at his mother. "can you tell me a story?"

Lily smiled and pulled her six year old son to her lap and began to speak.

"Once upon a time, there was a small girl with long red hair and emerald green eyes. She had a wicked sister, but very loving parents." She started, winking at James. He smiled widely. "One day, while playing at a park with her sister, the girl met a young boy."

"What was the girl's name, mummy?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Her name was…Isabella." Lily said, smiling at her baby boy, holding him closer to him. "Against her evil sister's annoying pleas, she began to talk to the odd boy. Her sister was very angry. The boy told her secrets that Isabella found hard to believe, but she wanted them to be true."

"What were the secrets?"Harry asked eagerly.

"The boy's mysterious secrets were that Isabella had a very special gift. She knew how to do magic."

"Her very special gift." James repeated, looking at his friends. They all laughed loudly and uncontrollably. Lily glared at them.

"Honestly! How old you are you?" She snapped, trying not to smile. This caused James to laugh louder.

"What was the boy's name?" Harry inquired over his father's loud laughter.

"His name was…"

"Richard!" Sirius smirked. James and Remus burst out laughing.

"No, his name was Christopher." Lily said softly, glaring at her best friends. Harry looked around, looking confused. "Anyway, Christopher told Isabella about her very special gift and told her about a school for other children like them."

"Yeah, her wicked sister said it was a school for freaks." James added, winking at Sirius. He laughed.

"But, it wasn't for freaks. It was for little boys and girls that could do magic, just like Isabella and Christopher."

"Psh. 'Christopher' wasn't very good at using his 'special gift'." Sirius smirked. Remus laughed and James fell off of his chair.

"Padfoot! Shut it!" Lily said sharply before she turned back to her son.

"Ow." James said from the awkward angle he now sat at. Lily glanced at him and laughed. "Oh, love you, too, dear." He smirked.

Lily ignored him.

"On the way to the school of magic, Isabella and Christopher met three boys on a train that weren't very nice to them. Their names were… Riley, Jacob and Andrew. Jacob had a horrible secret; a terrible monster lived inside him."

"Thanks, Lily." Remus muttered. "You're real nice. Love you, too, Lily Flower."

"Maybe you shouldn't interrupt my story, Moony." She said simply. Remus smirked.

"Riley and Andrew made fun of Christopher nearly every day, making Christopher very sad. But, Isabella being the good friend that she was, stuck beside him."

"I dunno why you did, seeing as we were so much cooler." Sirius smirked. Lily glared at him.

"Because, Padfoot, you guys were so incredibly stupid!"

"No, we got top marks in all of our classes, thank you very much."

"You damn well know that's not what I meant." She said, holding laughter in. She turned back to Harry.

"Mummy, why were they mean to him?" Harry asked quietly. James and Sirius bit their lip in an attempt to stop themselves from laughing at Harry's innocent, but reasonable question.

"Because… they weren't friends." Lily said, trying not to smile. "Anyway, one day, Christopher called Isabella a mean name that insulted people just like Isabella. Sad and very angry, Isabella ended their friendship. She was very heartbroken at losing her oldest friend, but she found comfort in Riley, Jacob, and Andrew."

"Why, though, mummy? They were mean to your friend." Harry asked innocently.

"Because… They were nice to her when she needed a friend." Lily explained softly.

"Yeah, and we were cooler than 'Christopher'." Sirius added again.

"Isabella soon found that that her best friends; her princes, as she called them, were right about some of the things they said about Isabella's old friend."

"What's that, mummy?"

"They were right in saying that he was mean and was interested in bad things. Evil magic."

"What's evil magic, mamma?" Harry asked, staring at his mother.

"Things that hurt people, baby." Lily said patiently. The look of pure horror that crossed Harry's face made her smile with pride.

"But, soon, when Isabella and Riley grew up, Isabella realized that she loved him all along." She said softly. James was glowing with happiness when Lily winked at him. Harry clapped his small hands.

"There was then a war, where Isabella's old friend tried to hurt her and her princes. In the end though, the princess and her princes won the battle and they all lived happily ever after." Lily finished.

"Lily, come on. That's such a cliché ending." Sirius complained. " 'They all lived happily ever after.' Honestly…"

"Fine… Erm, Isabella kept the friends she made at school, and are still very close to them today. That better, Padfoot?"

"Nope."

"Well, then, they lived happily ever after."

"Mummy, are you Isabella?" Harry asked wisely. Lily smiled.

"I think it's time for bed time, honey." She said as she carried him off to his bed. James, Sirius, and Remus all followed. Lily carefully put Harry on his bed while James covered him with his Quidditch blankets. He planted a kiss on top of his head.

"Sweet dreams, Harry." He murmured. "I love you."

"I love you, baby. Sleep well." Lily whispered as she kissed his cheek.

"Sleep well, squirt." Sirius said softly, kissing Harry as well."I love you."

"I'll see you in the morning, Harry. Sleep well. I love you." Remus said quietly, following his friends out of the room. He turned out the light and watched his 'nephew' fall asleep against his soft pillows and warm blankets. Remus smiled as Harry smiled. He shut the door quietly and left.

"Harry!" Ginny was saying. Harry didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want the dream to be over. "Harry, you need to wake up." Ginny said again. Harry ignored her and turned his back on her. Ginny kissed him softly and Harry had no choice but to open his eyes in surprise.

"I was having a very good dream, Ginny." Harry pouted as Ginny pulled him out of bed. She threw him a shirt and smiled.

"I know you were." She said softly. "You were murmuring something about your mum and dad. And someone named Isabella…" Ginny said.

"Oh, I was dreaming that my mum was telling me a story…" Harry said quietly. Ginny giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.

"Awww! That's so sweet!" She giggled.

"So, please do enlighten me, dear. Why did you have to wake me?" Harry asked as she pulled him down the stairs.

"Sirius wanted to see you." She said simply. "That and it's like, noon." Harry frowned.

"Couldn't it have waited 'till I woke up?" He pouted.

"He said it was urgent." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"What do you want, Sirius?" Harry asked, sitting at the table and helping himself to a piece of toast.

"Good morning to you, too, Harry!" Sirius said, feigning sadness.

"G'morning, Sirius." Harry smirked. Ginny sat on his lap and took a bite of his toast. He laughed.

"So, what do you want?"

"Remus and I would like to know if you and your very lovely girlfriend (who doesn't snap at me in the mornings, I might add) would like to accompany us to Godric's Hollow today…?"

Harry grinned. "Of course I woul- Ginny?"

"Of course I'll go!" She said happily.

"Well then, go get ready… We're gonna be leaving in a minute. " Sirius said happily.

"Sirius, I have a question." Harry said.

"Of course you do." He smirked. "What is it?"

"Well.. I had a dream last night. And I kinda wanna know if it actually ever happened…" He said. But Harry stopped himself. In the dream, Harry was six; Lily and James died when he was one. "I don't think it did, but I would really like to know."

"Sure." Sirius smiled softly.

"Well, I had a dream that I asked my mum to tell me a story. She started off the story by saying that there was a small girl with long red hair and emerald green eyes who had the gift of magic. And her evil sister was told her to stay away from a boy that told her these secrets. She said that when they were old enough, they'd be going to a school for little girls and boys like them. She said that they met three boys on a train who weren't very nice to her and her friend. And she said that no matter what they said or did to him, she stuck by her friend's side. But she said that one day her friend called her bad name that insulted people of her kind. And the boys that were mean to her friend took her in, and she found out that they were right in some of the things that they said about her friend. And she finished by saying that there was a war and they won and they all lived happily ever after." Harry finished lamely. Sirius was smiling widely.

"I remember that story…" He said happily. "I even remember the names that she gave us."

"You do?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yeah, the girl was Isabella, yeah? And her friend was Christopher, and the other boys were Riley, Andrew, and Jacob, right?"

"So, it actually happened?"

"Yes! I remember it, 'cause James and I were making fun of it as she told us. Remus was pouting because Lily said that 'Jacob had a horrible secret… A terrible monster lived inside him.' We probably shouldn't have made fun of it, but.. the way she sounded when she told a story. Anyway, yeah, that was one of our favorite stories that she told us." Sirius laughed. "Er, well, you."

"But, in my dream, I was six.." Harry said, staring at Sirius.

"Well… you were… lemme see… you had just turned a year old. You loved hearing stories. Your favorites were the Muggle ones, though. Those were Lily's favorite to tell you, too." Sirius said softly, sitting down next to Harry on the couch. "James… He liked to make them up. So, his were usually pretty sketchy and really funny. It wasn't only your story time, it was also ours. We loved hearing stories." Sirius admitted. Harry laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Sirius grinned broadly. "I remember your first word, Harry."

"Was it 'mama' or 'dada'?" Harry smirked.

"Nah, your dad was so proud, too." Sirius smiled. "No, your first word was… Quidditch."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Well, it didn't exactly sound like it, but we could all decipher it pretty well." He smiled. "I was the one that got you your first broomstick, you know."

"You were?"

"Yeah, it was present for your first birthday. It was one of those toy broomsticks that flew only a couple feet off the ground, but it was your favorite toy. Drove Lily crazy sometimes, but she thought it was adorable." He said.

"Remus got you your first book." Sirius smirked. "It was a small book of fairytales that he would read to you when we were babysitting."

"Remus got me my first book?" Harry smiled. "That's so typical."

"Well, he wanted to get something else; I can't remember what it is now, but it was something cool. Lily talked him into getting the damn book." Sirius frowned. "You know… we might have still have that book somewhere…" He said. "Along with an old photo album."

"Really?" Harry said, his voice burning with excitement. Sirius heard it and smiled widely at him.

"We'll have to look when we get back, though. Kay?" He said as Remus and Ginny walked into the room, chatting happily. Harry nodded. "Kay." He said as he took Ginny's hand.

"Ready?" Sirius asked, smiling at Harry. He returned the smile as he nodded eagerly.

Ginny held his hand tightly as they searched the graveyard quietly for Lily and James. Harry could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

None of them were talking as they walked around; the only sound heard was Harry's ragged breathing and their footsteps. Every once in a while, they'd notice a grave of someone with the same surname of someone they knew.

"Sirius? Harry?" Remus whispered, looking up. Despite the tears sparkling in his eyes, he was smiling widely. They ran to where he was standing. Ginny held his hand tighter as they stared at the ground. They were all quiet. When Ginny looked up and saw the tears in Harry's eyes, she wrapped her arms around his waist. In return, his arm snaked around her neck as he stared unblinkingly at the grave below him.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Harry whispered, staring at Sirius. He nodded before he wiped his tears.

"It doesn't mean what you think it means, Harry." He whispered. "It means…living beyond death. Living after death." He said softly, returning his eyes to the grave. The tears were beginning to flow freely down Harry's cheeks and he used his free hand to quickly wipe them away. Before he could stop the thought from coming, it appeared in his mind: he almost wished that he was laying down there beside them. Ginny gasped and pointed to a statue.

It was of his parents holding him. As he drew closer to it, he found it hard to blink. He didn't want to stop looking at Lily and James holding their happy, laughing baby; a baby that didn't have a scar on his forehead. His eyes focused on Lily.

She was very pretty. The videos he'd seen did her no justice. She had very long hair, just like Ginny. The expression on her face was kind and full of love as she stared at her laughing baby resting in her arms. Harry didn't ever want to stop looking at her. He walked forward, and Ginny's arms left his waist, but when he quickly glanced back, he saw that she was smiling at him, pushing him to go on. Harry took his wand out and a bouquet of roses appeared in his hands. He smiled softly and placed them at her feet.

He pulled eyes away from his mother and focused them on James.

He had the same very messy hair that Harry did. And the same glasses that lay lopsided on his face. He was looking at his smiling son and his wife with a very loving and very happy expression on his face. Harry looked just like James, just as everyone had told him. He smiled at him before his eyes turned back to his mother.

Harry knew that he could never look at her; at them enough, but he felt a hand slip into his and lightly pull him away.

"What?" He asked, still looking back at the statue.

"There's the cottage!" Ginny whispered, smiling as she pulled him to where Sirius and Remus were standing with their hands on the fence, looking at the house sadly.

"On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard to ever to survive the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family."

Harry whispered, looking back at the cottage that he had once lived in. He turned to where Sirius stood.

"Can I go in, do you think?" He whispered. Sirius looked at Harry for a long time, searching his face carefully.

"I think you can." He finally said as he opened the gate. Harry shivered as he walked past Sirius and down the path that lead to their cottage. He turned back to look at them before he pushed the door open. Ginny was in the middle of Sirius and Remus, holding their hands as she smiled shakily at Harry. Sirius nodded at him and he walked into his house.

The first floor remained untouched, save for part of the right side of the cottage. On a red couch, Harry saw what looked like a stick. On closer inspection though, he found it was a wand. Harry couldn't move to pick it up.

"Sirius!" He called. He heard fast footsteps and Sirius was soon standing next to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Harry couldn't speak. All he could do was point to the wand on the couch. Sirius gasped.

"Is that…my dad's?" Harry whispered. Sirius didn't say anything as he picked it up gingerly. He turned it around in his fingers, staring unblinkingly at it. When he turned to Harry, his eyes were sad as he nodded. Harry gasped. Sirius began to walk quietly around, looking at everything carefully with such sadness in his eyes. Harry followed silently. Sirius stopped at a place in what must have been the kitchen. He picked something up and turned to Harry.

"This.. was your mother's." He whispered, handing him a wand. Tears sprung to Harry's eyes; he was holding his mother's wand…

"Why do you think they're still here? Why wouldn't Voldemort take them?" Harry asked quietly.

"He was after only one thing, Harry. That was you. But before he could flee, you destroyed him." Sirius whispered. Harry nodded in understanding, not wishing to speak anymore. There were toys scattered about the living room floor, Harry noted, but the one thing he noticed out of them was a small broomstick, sitting by the fireplace.

"Is that… Sirius, did you give that to me?" Harry asked, pointing at it. To Harry's surprise, Sirius laughed and picked it up. He handed it to Harry.

"That was your favorite toy, Harry." He smiled.

"I know."

And they continued to walk around, barely speaking.

"Do you think it'd be a good idea to go upstairs?" Harry asked. Sirius didn't look up from a book that he found on the floor for a moment.

"Er, sure." He said. "By yourself though, Harry. It wouldn't be safe for the both of us to." He whispered, placing the book on the couch next to the broom stick and James and Lily's wands. He took a deep breath and stood at the foot at the stairs while he watched Harry slowly walk up them, breathing heavily.

When Harry reached the top, he gasped. Directly across from the stairs, there was room that was nearly destroyed; this must have been where the curse backfired. There was a crib that lay in splinters, but as he walked slowly and carefully into the room, he saw a rocking chair in the corner moving back and forth. He heard quiet singing.

"Sirius? Could you stop singing? It's a bit creepy…" Harry called down the stairs.

"I'm not singing, Harry." Sirius whispered. Harry didn't say anything, he just walked back into the room and looked at the rocking chair.

"Is someone here?" He whispered. He heard a small laugh and he walked around to face the front of the chair.

She wasn't exactly a ghost, but she certainly wasn't solid. Harry's eyes widened. No pictures or videos he'd seen of her did her any justice.

"Mum?" He whispered. The girl in the chair smiled as she rose.

"Oh, Harry…" She murmured, searching his face hungrily. She looked as though she would never be able to look at him enough. She ran her fingers through her hair, moving it out of her green eyes. Harry smiled, but found that he couldn't speak.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, moving closer to him. Harry still couldn't speak as his eyes searched Lily's face, feasting on her.

"It's okay, mum.." He finally choked out. She smiled sadly.

"We never wanted to leave you, baby." She whispered. Harry nodded.

"I know."

"I'm so proud of you.." She muttered, smiling at him. "We're so proud of you."

Harry once again found himself unable to speak as he continued to look at her. She stared back happily, her eyes roaming over his every feature.

"How come I can see you?" He finally asked. Lily smiled.

"You came back.. I knew you would. I wanted to see you." She whispered. Harry looked confused.

"But.. when I needed you before…?"

"Harry, this was the only place I could see you." She muttered. Harry so badly wanted to reach out and hug her. He was scared that she would disappear if he touched her, so he kept his arms pinned at his side. "I've been watching you, though." She smiled. "Your father and I, we've been watching you all this time." She said, her eyes still searching his face hungrily. "We love you so much, Harry."

Though Harry had never fully know her, he felt his heart swell with her words.

"I love you, too, mum."

He'd never been able to say those words before. She smiled and looked out of the window they were standing by.

"Can they see you?"

"No, Harry." She said, then she pointed down to Ginny. "Is she your girlfriend?" She asked, grinning at Harry. He blushed.

"Yes." And that was all he could say, because his mother had her hand on his cheek as she smiled at him again.

"She's really very pretty. She's a lucky girl." Lily said softly. "Tell me about her."

"Her name is Ginny… She's my best friend's little sister. She's unbelievably kind, and very loving." He said quietly. Lily smiled.

"She sounds lovely." She said. Harry beamed at her and nodded.

"Mum," Harry stared, he didn't want to finish his sentence.

"Yes, baby?" She replied kindly.

"When do you have to go back?" He whispered sadly. Lily smiled at him.

"Whenever you leave me, Harry."

"Then I want to stay here forever." He said. Lily laughed.

"As much as I'd love you to, you can't do that…" She sighed. "You have your own life to live."

"Will you be here if I come back?" He asked. Lily stared at him, still hungrily searching his face. She didn't speak for a minute.

"That, I don't know." She whispered sadly. They stood together in silence, looking at each other for what seemed like a long time.

"Can I see dad, too?" He whispered, sitting on the floor as she sat back in the rocking chair. At this, Lily smiled.

"You can."

"Harry Potter." A deep voice said. Harry looked up and smiled when he saw James standing next to Lily. "You're so big now… So tall." His father stared at him, grinning all the while.

"Dad…" He whispered. James smiled at him.

"I'm so proud of you." He said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, dad." Harry whispered.

"We found your wands. Sirius and I, we found your wands." Harry suddenly said. "And, Sirius found my toy broomstick." He said in a rush. Lily's eyes lit up.

"Padfoot's here?" She asked, grasping her husband's hand. James beamed when Harry nodded.

"Could he see you? If he was with me?" He asked. James and Lily looked back at him.

"I dunno…" Lily muttered. "Would you like to try, honey?" She asked, smiling at Harry. He thought about her question. He wanted them to himself; he hadn't seen them in seventeen years. Sirius had a whole lifetime with them. After a couple minutes, Harry rose. It wasn't fair, he decided. Sirius deserved to see them, too.

"Sirius!" He called. He hears Sirius walked softly but quickly up the stairs.

"What? Harry? Are you okay?" He said in a rush. Harry smiled widely.

"I'm fine. I wanna show you something."He beamed, taking Sirius's hand as he lead him to where his parents stood, waiting. Sirius gasped.

"Lily? Prongs?" He whispered. Harry looked at his mother.

"How come Sirius can see you, but not Ginny or Remus?" He asked her quietly. Lily smiled at Harry.

"I think it's because you two are in the house." She said, rising to touch Harry's hand. He couldn't help it; the tears silently fell down his cheeks at his mother's touch. She wiped his tears and pushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"Don't cry, baby, we'll be with you as long as we can." She whispered, smiling faintly at him. "Don't cry."

"I saw you. When I was eleven." He murmured. "Dumbledore had just given me dad's Invisibility Cloak and I was running around at night and I heard Filch, so… I hid in this room. It had a mirror; the Mirror of Erised. I saw you and dad in it." He said. James and Sirius turned to look at him.

Lily smiled at him and nodded. "I'm so sorry we had to leave you, Harry." She said sadly. James smiled at him.

"You know, I once found that mirror." James said. "I saw your mother with me."

Harry never wanted to leave the house. But when he and Sirius looked out of the window, they saw that night had fallen.

"I don't wanna leave you, mum." Harry whispered.

"I know, baby. I don't want you to leave either… but… you have your own life to live. Remember that." She said as they all stood up. James looked at Harry sadly.

"I love you." He said. Harry smiled.

"I love you, too, dad."

His mother kissed his forehead and his father followed suit. Harry's eyes never left his mother when Sirius and James parted.

"Always remember, Harry, we love you. More than anything." James said, while holding Lily, who was beginning to cry.

"I love you." Harry said, walking away with Sirius. As they gathered the things they had found and Lily had said they can take, they sadly left the house. Remus and Ginny were waiting patiently at the gate when they saw the pair emerge. Harry looked sadly to the house, sad to leave. It was the first time he'd seen his parents; the first time he could talk to them and look at them and touch them. He didn't wanna leave and he was close to turning around to see them again when Sirius put his hand on his shoulder and led him off.

"What'd you find?" Remus asked. Sirius smiled and pulled out the bag.

"We found their wands…" He said sadly, handing them to Remus.

Ginny held Harry's hand tightly as they watched Sirius and Remus examine every item that was pulled out. "Are you okay?" Harry didn't speak for a moment, he just held on to Ginny's hand, remembering every word that Lily said to him, the way she looked at him, and the way James looked at him, he heard their every word replaying in their head.

"I'm fine." He smiled. And, in fact, he was more than fine. He'd just seen his parents for the first time; he'd talked to them, hugged them even. As much as he missed them and as much as he wanted to run back into that house, he stayed put with Ginny. "I'm happy."

"What all did you see?" She asked curiously. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He looked at Sirius, who slightly shook his head. Harry smiled at him and nodded.

"We found their wands," He started. "and we found my toy broomstick that Sirius gave me."

"I found a more complete photo album," Sirius said, walking over to them. "Lily was always good with that kind of thing."

They sat in a circle in front of the house while Sirius and Remus took turns telling them stories that Lily or James had told Harry when he was a baby, and telling them things that Harry did, the things that Lily and James did.

They stayed there until the morning light.

"Harry?" Ginny said from where she lay on his chest. Harry smiled at her and continued to comb his fingers through her long hair.

"Ginny?"

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you, too, Ginny." He murmured, smiling as she put her head over his heart.

"Your heart's racing, Harry." Ginny smirked.

"Is it?" He said.

"It is. I wonder why that is…" She whispered. Harry laughed and pulled her closer to him, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, I dunno…" He said, looking at her. "Maybe it's 'cause I have a beautiful girl sitting with me…" He smiled. "Or maybe it's 'cause my girlfriend told me she loves me." He beamed at her. Ginny rolled her eyes as she reached up to kiss him. When she pulled away, she smiled at him.

"You seem so much happier since we've been to Godric's Hallow." She noted. "Did you know that?"

"I did not know that. But I feel happier. I saw their graves; I saw a statue of them; I saw the house we used to live in… I got to explore it." He wanted to tell her about seeing and talking to his parents, but that was something that he wanted to only keep between him and Sirius. And… Besides… Who would believe them?

"I know. I think that was good for you.. I thing you needed that." She whispered happily. Harry nodded.

"I think so, too."