[A/N: Hi there! Just wanted to drop in and say thanks for all the nice feedback now, and over the years. Whether you're been reading from the beginning (2010, holy shit! I was 16 when I started writing this and I think it shows, haha), or just jumped in today, I really appreciate you reading my work. Now more than ever, I'm honestly writing this story for myself, but I'm so glad to see that it's not just me that enjoys it. Just a few more chapters left. I hope you're all doing well! Wash your hands!]
Harry woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. The bedding was scratchy, and smelled musty. He sat bolt upright and took in his surroundings. He was sleeping on a sofa, with a hideous maroon blanket thrown over him. The was a makeshift kitchen in the direction he was facing, and to his right were three doors. Behind him, there was what appeared to be a hallway, shrouded in darkness. He sat still for a moment, calculating. Before he could make a decision, the center door opened, and a young woman with red hair exited from it, making her way towards the door on the left. She took one look at him and screamed.
"No, Ginny, it's me, it's Harry!" He stood in a hurry.
"Harry?" The woman responded. Her voice sounded familiar to Harry, but it certainly wasn't Ginny. He palmed the end table until he found his glasses.
"Oh, you're…" he swallowed, recognizing her immediately. "Hi…Mum."
"You scared the pants off me, kid. I was just going to check on you, but I guess you're not gonna be in that crib anymore, huh?"
His heart beat out of his chest, and he hoped she didn't notice him shaking. It all came back to him. The letter, the fight, coming here late at night, then…it was blurry. He shook his head and decided he needed to get some breakfast before tackling that. "You want some coffee?"
"Oh God, yes. Just let me brush my teeth."
Harry smiled at her shakily. He filled the coffee maker, grateful for something that kept his hands too busy to shake. As he poured water into the machine, he heard rustling behind him.
"You Potters really know how to give a girl a warm welcome." He turned and saw Ginny leaning on the entrance to the hallway. Harry dropped the coffee pot and ran to her, scooping her up and swinging her around as he planted a kiss on her mouth.
"Harry, stop!" She laughed. "Stop, my head's still throbbing from going through that blasted door!"
"Sorry babe, I'm just so damn glad to see you. I'm so sorry I ran off alone, that was so stupid of me."
"Don't move." They both stilled immediately. "Turn around…slowly." They turned to face a very angry James Potter, wand raised in defense. "Who are you, and how did you get here?" James' voice was measured and hard.
"Dad, it's me, Harry. Look," He pulled his wand out, and James tensed. Harry bent and dropped it to the floor. "I'm putting my wand down. This is my fiancée, Ginny Weasley. We came here to take you home." Ginny followed suit and dropped her wand as well.
James barked out a laugh. "A likely story, but you messed up on two accounts. Our son's a baby, and in the next room. And the Weasleys may have a lot of kids, but I know for sure that they don't have any girls."
"Go check on the baby, then." Harry gestured to the closed door. Ginny held back a smirk. Just then, his mother emerged from the bathroom.
"Honestly, James, what's all this racket -" She spotted the younger pair and drew her wand as well. "Who's she, Harry? How did she get in?" She raised her wand suspiciously. James nodded to her, and went into the makeshift nursery.
"Mum, this is my fiancée, Ginny Weasley," Harry took Ginny's hand and smiled at her.
"Fiancée? How -" James emerged from the nursery.
"Well, the baby's not there, I'll give you that. I wouldn't go in there if I were you, Lily."
"What happened?" Lily gripped his arm, terrified.
"Looks like we got the replacement, not the real Harry. We've got Tibbles disguised as Harry. But like I said, don't go in. The smell is bad enough without seeing it."
"Oh God…" Lily covered her mouth with one hand. "So you…how do we know you're really Harry, then?"
"I may actually be able to help with that, Mrs. Potter," Ginny piped up. "I've been researching this time bubble spell, and it turns out that anyone attempting to enter the spell must be deeply loved by someone within it in order to be allowed in. Harry came in first, then once he was in, I could join."
"I don't remember reading that," Harry looked at her, confused.
"You've been here a couple days, love. I'll tell you the whole story later."
"A couple days?" James and Harry said at the same time. James continued, "I've never seen him before in my life!"
"Memory wipes at midnight, dear? Look, she's right, the spell only lets in loved ones. Lets' just get some coffee and something to eat, and then we'll get it all figured out." She pushed past her husband to the coffee maker and resumed where Harry had let off.
After breakfast
"So Molly really had six boys before she got a girl? Bless that woman, we can hardly manage with just the one!" Lily remarked, carefully beginning to stack the plates.
"Please, let me help you with that, Mrs. Potter!" Ginny jumped up and starting collecting silverware.
"Thank you, Ginny. Please, call me Lily." Harry grinned at that, and Ginny stuck out her tongue at him behind Lily's back.
"Look, I'm still not sure of all this, but if Lily trusts you, then I do too. A lot of marriages end because the husband doesn't believe his wife when she says the kid is his, but not this one, eh?" He shook Harry's hand gruffly, and smirked at him. Harry just laughed, relieved. He looked around the kitchen at a scene he never could have dreamed. His mother and fiancée, looking almost like sisters, giggled as Lily washed and Ginny dried. His father took a sip of coffee and asked him with a grin, "So Harry, what position?"
"Sorry, what?"
"Quidditch, mate! What position do you play? I was a chaser, you know."
"Oh, yeah! Seeker, from first year. Ginny's a chaser for the Harpies." James practically exploded out of his chair.
"THE Holyhead Harpies?!" He exclaimed. "The only all female Quidditch team, the best in the League?" Lily and Ginny turned around, startled.
"Yep, that's the one," Ginny replied, blushing.
"Oh how wonderful, darling!" Lily said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Just don't let the fame get to your head. I've heard some Quidditch players get a big head and become real divas." Ginny looked at Harry and grinned.
"I don't think I'll have an issue with that. I've got a little experience being in the public eye."
"Oh really? For something good, I hope." Lily returned to the dishes.
Ginny's eyes lingered on Harry as she replied, "It's a long story…but, yes. For something very, very good."
"That sounds like a story I'd like to hear someday…"
"What house?" James interrupted as Ginny and Lily continued their conversation.
"Hmm?" Harry turned this attention to his father, a fond smile still on his lips.
"Oh, you are smitten. I asked, what house were you in? I know it's going to be Gryffindor, but I figured I should just confirm."
"Well, you are right. Gryffindor, all the way. Both of us."
"Lily, you hear that? Sirius owes me 10 Galleons. I knew the two of us would never produce anything but a good, old fashioned Gryffindor." He raised his voice and clapped Harry on the shoulder.
"What you father means to say is that we'd be proud no matter what, but…well, it's no denying that we were both hoping for Gryffindor." She swooped over and planted a kiss on his head. Smiling up at her, Harry felt a lump get caught in his throat. He never wanted this to end.
"Oh, Dad, I have something that actually might convince you." Harry reached into back pocket of his jeans and produced the Invisibility Cloak.
"Oh shit! That's my Invisibility Cloak." James shook his head, astonished, and took it from Harry. "Better test it, just to make sure," he grinned at Harry mischievously. He swirled the cloak over his shoulders and everything but his head winked out of existence. He laughed like a little boy. "Yep, it's mine alright! Never saw another with a velvet lining like this one. Where'd you get this, anyway?"
"Dumbledore gave it to me for Christmas my first year," Harry recalled, wistfully. "I've taken it everywhere I go since then." James' smile spread even wider.
"That tracks. I gave this to Dumbledore about a month ago and never got it back. You know, my dad told me a crazy story about this cloak when I was a kid. Said it was the one from The Tale of the Three Brothers." He laughed. "I didn't believe him then, but…either you've taken really good care of it, or this cloak really is something special."
A grin that didn't reach his eyes played around Harry's lips, but he didn't say anything. He still hadn't told anyone but Dr. Albright the full extent of what had happened with the Deathly Hallows, and he certainly didn't feel like bringing it up now.
"Well it definitely wasn't that he took good care of it. Harry dragged that thing all over hell and back, most times covering him and his two best friends!"
"As he should!" boomed James. "You can't pull any really good pranks by yourself!"
"Hey, speaking of pulling things off, maybe we should talk about how we plan to get out of here. Not that this isn't great, but we've got a whole life to get back to out there, and there are lots of people who'd love to see you guys again," Ginny interjected kindly. James' face fell.
"Well, that's a bit of a sticky subject. See, we don't really know how to do that. Dumbledore never got the chance to tell us."
"He didn't…huh. If that isn't just typical. Lot of bloody good that'll do us with him dead in the ground!" Harry muttered and kicked a chair, but didn't put any real force behind it.
"Wait…he's gone?" Lily traded a look of despair with James.
"Never thought I'd see the day…that leaves us in quite a pickle, eh kiddo?" James tried to laugh, but it was forced.
Ginny smiled. "Well, luckily for you, my sister-in-law is the brightest witch of our age, and she has a working theory that I'd like to try out."
"Sounds like my kind of girl," Lily grinned. "I can't wait to meet her!"
"If all goes to plan, she should be waiting just outside the door," Ginny replied, rearranging chairs to make a small circle of open space. "Now, everyone take hands. Oh, Harry, go grab our wands. The idea is to channel our magic together, focusing on the idea of being outside. The way this spell works is that everyone has to whole-heartedly want to get out, or none of us do. So get rid of any doubts you have. Just focus on the good to be gained by being out there. Thanks, love," she explained rapidly, taking her wand from Harry. "Ok, everyone ready?"
All nodded in agreement.
"Ok, here we go."
The four powerful casters grabbed hands and closed the circle. Immediately, the lights dimmed in response to the force of their combined magic. A minute or two went by.
"Everyone focusing?" Ginny whispered. "No doubts. Just picture the goodness in the future."
As she spoke, she began to glow, as if lit from within. Harry gasped.
"Ginny, you're glowing!" She looked down, mouth agape.
"I think that means it's working. Focus!"
Soon after, James began to glow as well. A strange wind began to swirl around the four of them, tugging at their robes.
"Fantastic! We're halfway there!"
"I…I can't do this Ginny!" The lights sprang back to action as Lily broke the circle, and leaned on James for support. He helped her to one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
"What's wrong, Lily?" Ginny rushed to examine her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Lily said. "I just…I don't see how I'm supposed to have no doubts at all while that monster is still out there terrorizing the world. It's not fun, but the four of us are safer here while You Know Who is still alive."
"Oh, he…Lily, he's gone. He's been gone for two years now." Ginny held her hand tightly. "He won't hurt anyone ever again."
"How do you know he won't come back? We've been fighting him for years, and there were many times we thought he was gone, but he always came back. Every single time." Lily rocked back and forth in her chair.
"No Mum, he's dead. He's gone for good." Harry's face was smooth stone as he spoke, unable to lift his gaze from the floor.
"Harry, that's no usual man. Unless you saw him die with your own eyes, I wouldn't trust-"
"I did!" His facade finally broke as he barked at his mother. "I saw him die with my own eyes because I killed him, okay? He killed me, and I killed him. I was the only one who could do it, and I did it. End of story." Harry panted, already embarrassed by his outburst. The silence that followed was filled only by Ginny crossing the room and pulling him ever so gently into her embrace. He reciprocated, burying his face in her neck, letting the familiar scent of her hair wipe his mind of all memories of that terrible day.
"You…my son. My son killed Voldemort? And he killed…how…?" James looked absolutely thunderstruck when Harry finally came up for air. Lily simply stared at him, tears rolling down her face. When she spoke, it was in a whisper.
"He killed my parents, you know. Just for existing. Just for being related to me. They had no way to protect themselves. And he murdered them," she spoke directly to Harry. He crossed the room and knelt in front of her, taking her hands.
"Me too," he replied simply, before reaching up to hug her. "I'm so sorry, Mum. I wish I could have saved them too."
"It's okay, Harry," she replied, wiping her eyes as she released him. "It was a long time ago."
He looked into her eyes, the mirror of his own. "That doesn't make it hurt any less."
"No." She squeezed his hand. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a very sweet, very smart young man?" Harry just smiled in response.
"I need to hear that story the minute we get out of here. In fact, that's what I'll be focusing on: hearing how my own son, my boy, killed the man that has terrorized the world for as long as I can remember. My boy's a hero." Pride shone from James' face as he helped his wife to her feet.
"Okay people, let's try this one more time." Ginny clapped and took Harry and Lily's hands. "Focus. No doubts. Here we go."
One by one, Ginny, James - quicker than the first time - and eventually Lily began to glow. The wind picked up, faster than before. The china rattled in the cabinets, and the blanket and pillow levitated off the couch.
"Come on Harry!" Ginny had to shout to be heard over the whooshing wind.
"I'm trying!" Harry yelled back. He looked down at his body, willing it to glow. If he just thought a little bit harder…but no, it simply wouldn't glow. There was still a niggling doubt in the back of his mind, and the spell wasn't going to let him off that easy. He wasn't going anywhere until he confronted it head on.