Hello, lovelies :) I got the idea for May 16th, 1989 from an account called maraunerdsmaps, so please know it's not entirely mine. I love making up headcanons, but some are just too good for me to ignore, so I'll integrate them (with credit of course :)). Also, I know this is quite obvious, but I've never written it before. Harry Potter is not mine, nor are the characters. I'm just obsessed with the storyline and wanted to add my own ideas to the massive pool of fanfiction. Regardless, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! I'm sorry if there are any grammar errors, I was having a lot of trouble editing this one for some reason. xx
January 15th, 1989
This winter was cold. There was still snow on the ground outside, and Harry was just thrilled to get out in it. Lily bundled him up in all his winter clothes and cast a warming charm on him, and he practically leapt outside.
It was delightful watching her only son have so much fun. She loved the bouncing little boy with all her heart. James would hate for her to admit it, but she loved her son more than him.
The thought made her laugh. She cast a quick warming charm on herself before she walked out after her son. The others were still sleeping, and she was eagerly going to soak up time with Harry.
She bent over, scooped up a handful of snow, and packed it. Once her snowball was prepped and ready, she gently threw it at Harry. He looked at her gobsmacked for a second before his face lit up with joy. In a second, he had practically collapsed into the snow and began packing snowballs.
Lily too started to prepare snowballs. She knew her son, and he was too agile for his own good. There was no way she would stand a chance in this snowball fight unless she made enough to tire little Harry out.
For a few minutes, they both remained crouched on the ground making snowballs. Harry finished first, and he collected a handful in his little hands. "Get ready, Mummy," he chirped before he began throwing snowballs at her.
Lily grinned and picked up her own handful of snowballs. They both kept up with the assault of snowballs until they both ran out, then they went back to making them. It was fun, and Harry's smile was blinding.
At some point, the others woke up and joined them outside. Sirius and James had their own rules for the snowball fight, and instead of packing them, they both turned into their animagus forms and began pelleting the others with loose snow. Remus, the logical man he was, used his magic to form his snowballs: for every individual ball he made, another five were created with magic.
Harry had no idea who to hit. It was easy when it was just his mum, but now he had four viable targets. Prongs ran up to him and kneeled; Harry grinned, and he gathered as many snowballs as he could before he climbed onto his dad's back.
Prongs began trotting around the group, and Harry threw snowballs at them all as they went. Padfoot turned back into Sirius, and he groaned: "Not fair! I thought we weren't allowed to team!" Harry grinned mischievously as he aimed all of his snowballs at Sirius.
"Everything is fair Uncle Sirius!" He giggled as he continued his assault of snowballs.
Suddenly there was a mischievous twinkle in Sirius' eyes as he took inspiration from Remus. He took his wand from his pocket and moved it in the shape of a circle. About fifteen snowballs took shape almost instantly, and then with another flick of his wand, Sirius sent them all at Harry and Prongs.
Prongs was able to avoid a few of the snowballs, but a majority of them slammed into the stag and little Harry. Harry screamed as he tried to defend himself from the wall of snow that came flying at them.
Harry leaned down and whispered something into his dad's ear. Prongs nodded, and Harry slid off of his back. Harry crouched on the ground and began making snowballs while Prongs sat in front of him and protected his son from Sirius' continued snowball assault.
"Daddy, are you ready?" Harry asked cheekily. Prongs nodded, and in a flash, he transformed back into himself.
James and Harry huddled together and picked up as many snowballs as they could. Once they were settled, they ran around in circles throwing snowballs at everyone they passed. The back garden was full of screams and giggling as they all threw snowballs at each other.
Harry collapsed into the snow in a fit of giggles as Sirius, Remus, and Lily threw snowballs at him. Instead of packing more, he began making a snow angel. The snow was loose and fluffy, and so the snow easily moved about into the angel.
There had been winters in Godric's Hollow where the snow was icy and cold. Harry knew that the warming charm kept him from being too uncomfortable, but this winter felt different. It was fresh and fluffy instead of icy, and it was delightful.
Sirius collapsed down next to Harry and began making his own snow angel. The others quickly joined, and they completely abandoned their snowball fight. It was wonderful. Harry finished his first and just laid in the snow.
He was hungry, but it was so peaceful out, and he didn't want to get up. They laid in silence for a few moments before Lily spoke up. "Anyone know what time it is? We've been out for quite a while now."
Sirius waved his wand and mumbled something, "It's one-twenty."
"Wow," Remus hummed, "I didn't realise that we've been out for so long."
"It was fun though," James said with a grin, "who do you think won?"
"We were keeping score?" Lily asked curiously.
"Oh, my love," James sighed, "I love you to death, but don't you know everything is a competition."
"You're incorrigible," Lily huffed, "should we go inside and make a bite to eat?"
Harry nodded and began to push himself off of the ground. The others did as well, and within a few minutes, they were walking back inside. Lily made them all hot chocolate and ham sandwiches.
They sat around the dining room table sharing stories of the snow and enjoying each other's company. It was perfectly lovely, and Harry smiled softly. He truly loved being with his family.
Time was a fickle thing, and he would be leaving for Hogwarts soon. Two more years. He was determined to soak up all the time he had with his family before he left them. Although he was excited to learn magic, he knew he would be lonely without them, and so he wanted to gather all the memories he could before then.
May 16th, 1989
Lily and James were laying in bed. It was late, and they had spent the whole day out in the back garden on the brooms. Harry had once again gotten a new one for Christmas, and he was eager to use it in warmer weather.
The winter had been long and cold, and the temperature was just now starting to be comfortable. James was eager to watch his son on a broom. Lily hated to admit it but watching James play Quidditch was one of her favourite things during their Hogwarts years, and she couldn't wait for Harry to continue the legacy.
Lily yawned, and James snuggled closer to her. His body radiated heat, and she absorbed it greedily. "James, can you tell me a story?"
James nodded into her neck, "Which one, my love?" He whispered as he squeezed her a bit tighter.
"Whatever you want; surprise me." She hummed quietly.
"Mkay," James whispered and kissed her shoulder before pulling away from her slightly. "There once was an extremely immature little boy who was off on a new adventure. He loved adventures dearly, and he was eager to go on this one."
"The little boy met another, who was scared of the world and desperate for affection. The new boy didn't want to be rejected as he had been in the past, and so the two boys stuck together. They both shared a love for mischief, and they supported each other, despite stereotypes and what was expected of them by their families."
"They met another set of boys, who like them, wanted to explore and be loved. The four boys were completely different in how they had been raised, but they became best friends and conquered the world."
"The four boys became inseparable over seven years, and they did things one could rarely imagine to help each other. They were reckless in how much they cared about each other, and people either loved and aspired to be like them, or hated them."
"The boys made a pact, and one day, they enchanted a wall in their dormitory of five years to etch in a family tree. It was after one of the boys was disowned and burnt off his own family tree. A sort of retaliation if you want to name it."
"At first, it was just their four names on the tree, but as their friendships and relationships got stronger, those names were automatically added to the family tree as well."
"It was a way for them to mark their friendship. A tangible reminder of how close they were to each other. When they were finished on their journey and onto the next one, the boys looked at their family tree and added one more person. The woman who had raised them and loved them in a way only mothers could."
"They left the dormitory for the last time, but not before hiding their tree from view. They wanted to keep it in the room, but only members of the tree could see it. When they got back to their homes, they cast the spell that had created the tree, and now they had five which were all magically connected."
"When one of the members married, their lines were connected, and when they had a son, his name appeared on the family tree as well. Some names were dulled because of death, but they never disappeared completely, and in times of mourning or celebration of their lives, their names glowed brightly."
"One day, when one of the boys betrayed his family, the remaining boys gathered around their newest tree, the sixth one in existence, and banished the traitor's name forever. No matter what he did, he would never appear on the tree again."
"It pained the remaining boys that the person they thought they could trust with their lives betrayed them, but at least no more names were faded. Whenever they are sad or miss their past, they gather at the tree and study it. They were reminded of the days when they first created the tree, and for some reason, it calmed all their anxieties."
"The boys look forward to the day when the youngest member on the tree goes off on the very same adventure they did all those years ago. They hope that their youngest member is in the same dorm they were and that he can see the family tree that will only be visible to his eye. Until he meets people that are special enough to be added to the enchantment, of course."
"They hope that the tree continues to grow far past their lifetimes, and remains special to those that can see it. It got them through all their hard times, and they could only hope that it would provide others with the same comfort. The end," James finished quietly.
He was staring up at their ceiling, which they sometimes charmed to look like the sky above when they were restless. It was a beautiful night out, and James' eyelids grew heavy. He snuggled closer to Lily.
"That was a really beautiful story. Where is it?" She whispered as she leaned into her husband.
"In Sirius' room. He was the one that cast the enchantment here."
"I've never seen it before," Lily hummed softly.
"You can't see it unless you're looking for it. That was Re's doing."
"Can you show me in the morning?"
"Of course, my love. Now let's sleep, it's getting late." He whispered as he kissed her shoulder. Lily nodded, and together, they drifted off into sleep.
August 16th, 1989
Remus was in his bed. It was a full moon, and he felt terrible. He was always sick the day of, and a few days before and after, but this month felt worse. He felt like his skin was on fire, so he laid in bed shirtless with a thin pair of boxer shorts on.
There was a quiet knock on his door that sounded like a brick in his heightened state. He simply groaned and weakly rolled over in his bed. Sirius and James slipped into the room silently and shut the door behind them. They were well aware of Remus' moods, but he usually felt better when they laid with him for a while.
Sirius laid next to Remus and softly began playing with his hair while James positioned himself near Remus' chest. The man didn't say anything, just let his best friends lay with him and keep him quiet company.
The thrumming in his head dulled slightly with their presence, and any reprieve from the pain was alright with him. Remus didn't know how long they sat there. On the days of the full moon, time was irrelevant. He never ate, and he barely moved until it was time to go.
Remus could sense they had to leave soon. The pain became unbearable, and he began to groan uncomfortably. A few of his bones itched to break, but it wasn't time yet.
"Come on, Moony," Sirius whispered reassuringly, "it's time to go now."
Remus could speak, he simply nodded weakly. James and Sirius both helped to lift him out of bed. It was a group effort, as Remus could barely move his legs without causing pain. They both felt awful, but they had to get out rather quickly; it was dangerous to be in the house.
They made their way outside. James and Sirius were practically carrying Remus with them. They gave their quick goodbyes to Lily and Harry on their way out and said they would be back in the morning.
They were fortunate that their new cottage was so close to the forest, and they quickly walked into its quiet depths. Remus suddenly screamed, and Sirius and James began walking quicker into the thicket. After almost eight years of escaping into this forest, they knew it like the back of their hands.
It felt like they had been travelling deeper into the forest for hours. Each time Remus screamed, it was terrible. They finally made it to the usual spot Remus transformed in, and they quickly stripped him of all his clothes. Sirius hid them in a little tree nook before both he and James transformed into their animagus forms.
Padfoot let out a helpless whimper when they heard Remus' femur break. His biggest bones always made Padfoot whimper. In a sense, hearing his fingers and toes break were easier to hear. Prongs and Padfoot escaped a little further into the forest to escape Remus' cries.
They quickly returned when the human cries turned into those of the wolf. Moony howled and then barked happily when Prongs and Padfoot emerged from the trees. Moony was always pleased when his friends joined him. It made it more bearable; he hated being alone.
He trotted over to the massive black dog and gave him a little nuzzle before he turned to the great stag and nuzzled into him. Padfoot barked eagerly and gestured his head deeper into the forest. Moony nodded, and together the trio walked further into the woods.
Moony knew this place like the back of his paw, and he adored it. There were so many smells and trees. He loved the little creeks and deeper into the trees there was a nicely sized lake that he and his friends would occasionally wade in.
There were frogs and sometimes small mammals there, and Moony was always hungry. He wondered why, because he always got enough to eat normally. Moony barked eagerly as they approached a gathering of birds. They fled, and Moony frowned; he wasn't going to eat them.
Padfoot barked at Moony, and he turned. The black dog waggled his ears and crouched down in a playful stance. He suddenly turned and ran away. Moony, of course, ran after his friend. Prongs ran with him, and it was fun. Moony enjoyed running with the stag as well.
Together, they ran/galloped through the brambles in search of the elusive grim who seemed to disappear every time they got close. Moony stopped running, and Prongs quickly followed his lead. He sniffed the ground and began tracking down Padfoot based on the dog's scent trail.
Moony began running again with his nose pressed to the ground, and Prongs followed closely behind. The stag's ears twitched, and he ran after the quiet noises in the distance, which he assumed were made by Padfoot. The dog was clumsy, and he often made a lot of noise.
They came into a clearing where Padfoot was curled up in the centre of. Moony ran and leapt onto his friend. Prongs came up next to the black dog and sandy-coloured wolf and laid down. He shielded them with his antlers, and together they laid down to sleep.
For some reason, there were many aches in Moony's body, and he felt restless, but Padfoot's breathing and the Prongs' antlers protecting him were calming. Moony fell asleep with his friends.
Remus woke up on the cold, mossy ground. He noticed he was clothed again, which was nice. James and Sirius were gone, and he got up slowly to look for them.
The moon wasn't as hard on him as he thought it would be. There were no scratches on his sore body, so he assumed the wolf was placated. Sirius ran out from the trees, "Oh good, you're up. You slept longer than usual."
"What time is it?" Remus asked quietly. Despite the absence of physical proof of his hardships, he had still broken every bone in his body, and everything hurt.
"Almost midday. James went back to tell Lily and Harry that you're alright; I was just waiting for you to wake up. Do you feel alright?"
"Just sore is all. What did we do last night?"
"You and James chased me through the woods, sort of like a game of tag. We ended up in this clearing where we went to sleep."
"Oh, so nothing too eventful."
"Nope, it was a pretty boring night in all. Are you ready to start walking back? We went quite far. I can always carry you or levitate you if you want?"
"No, no. It usually helps when I get moving straight after. I'm sore, but if there's no broken bones or anything, I need to get off my arse."
Sirius nodded but walked forward so Remus could put all of his weight on him. Remus wrapped his arm around Sirius' shoulders, and together, they slowly began walking through the woods and back to the cottage.
James appeared halfway through, and Remus wrapped his other arm around his friend's shoulders. "Lily is making you a chocolate shake. She said she was going to add chocolate ice cream, chocolate milk, and chocolate pieces."
"She spoils me," Remus said, although he couldn't hide the twinkle in his eyes. He hated making his friends go through all this effort for him, but he truly did love chocolate, and he wasn't covered by blood like he used to be.
It felt like they had been walking for an hour when they had finally arrived home. The walk last night definitely felt longer, but this one was by no means short.
They walked back into the cottage, and Lily practically materialised with his shake. She even brought down a few pieces of Honeydukes chocolate from the last time Minerva stopped by. Minerva always brought Remus chocolate before the full moon, and he loved her for it.
Harry ran into the room quietly and with a big smile on his face. He always knew better than to be loud around the days before and after the full moon, but he always liked to greet Remus happily the day after.
Remus waved at the happy little boy weakly before he took the chocolate from Lily and began munching. His jaw was sore, but he never felt too awful not to eat chocolate. For some moons, it was the only thing that made him feel better.
They sat on the couch, and Remus asked if Lily could read a story quietly. She nodded and sprang up from her seat to their bookshelf, which they had added a few months ago. They spent so many nights reading on the couch that they felt it was time to add a bookshelf for all their stories.
She picked out a wizarding novel about the founding of Hogwarts. Hogwarts' early days did not have separate classes, and it was more so about apprenticing students to become powerful witches and wizards. The four founders taught their own students, and there were rarely interactions between the houses.
The story followed the young boy as he completed his seven years of training under Godric Gryffindor. It was interesting and showed the hardships of being a wizard during that time.
Remus had fallen asleep at some point during Lily's reading, and they were all careful not to wake him up. Lily stopped her reading and dogeared the page. She and the boys curled up together around Remus and fell asleep.
November 19th, 1989
It was getting chilly again. Molly invited them over for a cuppa, and they readily agreed. It had been quite a while since the Potter-Lupin-Black clan had seen the Weasleys, but it was always a fun time.
Harry and Ron had wandered off to Ron's room as soon as they arrived, and the adults stayed downstairs for tea. Molly poured them all a cup and then levitated them to their respective drinkers.
"So, how's it been going for you all?" Molly asked as she studied the adults.
"It's been fine. We've had some fun recently," Sirius chirped.
Molly nodded pensively as she thought of her next question. "Are you still close with Minerva McGonagall? I know she arranged our little meetup the first time, but I haven't heard from her in a while."
The Potter-Lupin-Black clan looked at each other as if to debate what was safe to divulge. Molly was curious; they all seemed to understand what each other were thinking without saying a word. Lily shrugged, and the boys nodded.
"Yes, we see her quite often. Over the summer we see her every week, but during the school year, she stops by a couple of times a month," Lily said.
Molly looked surprised. She obviously wasn't expecting to hear that the group saw the Professor so often. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you do together?"
"She helps teach Harry how to control his magic. He's quite good at it too; he can transfigure his hair and eyes to look like whatever he wants. It takes a lot of his energy, though. You know children, they don't have powerful magical cores yet." Lily said quietly as she took a sip of tea.
"James and I actually taught him that one, Lils. Minnie just helped him learn how to move his magic, but regardless, she does things like that." Sirius smirked.
"And we read books together," Remus changed subjects before Sirius' ego could become too much.
"She deals with our pent up energy quite well," James said pensively.
"When Harry was little, she would turn into a cat and play with him. He really enjoyed her company," Lily chuckled.
"She used to get so miffed whenever Harry would grab her ears or tail, but she got over it eventually," James added mischievously.
Molly absorbed all the information like a sponge and smiled when she came to the conclusion that Harry was a happy child. "Do you see Dumbledore?"
"Oh Merlin no," Sirius spat. He immediately looked down at his cup; his reaction was thoughtless; he needed to control himself better.
Lily cleared her throat, awkwardly, "We don't trust Dumbledore. He hasn't given us a reason to, that is."
Molly thought it was odd, but none of the four looked like they were going to elaborate. She didn't want to push them either. They looked a bit sheepish and uncomfortable, and she didn't want to pressure them into answering her questions.
"What have you all been doing when you aren't with Professor McGonagall?"
"We spend a lot of time in the back garden on our brooms. We're training Harry to be Gryffindor's most wonderful seeker," James said proudly.
"We read a lot of books, and practise magic," Remus added.
"And we like to bake cookies and other pastries together," Lily chimed in.
"We have a lot of free time, and we spend a lot of time sitting around, but it's always nice regardless. Harry never complains, but we try to provide him with whatever he wants. That's what Minerva helps us with; she brings us things from outside that we can't get by ourselves."
Molly nodded, "I understand that. It can't be easy being a child under your circumstances. He seems wonderful, though. You've raised him well."
Lily smiled sadly, "Thank you, Molly. We really appreciate you for opening your home to us."
"It's quite alright, dear. Ron loves spending time with Harry; he always asks how you all are."
"I do wish we could stop by more often, but it's not safe. We don't want to put you and the kids in any danger, and we don't know how safe it is for us."
"It's been quite a while since Minnie came to visit, is there any new war news?" James asked.
"There are a bit of flares. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is trying to recruit pureblood families with similar ideals as himself. Arthur said there are a lot of ministry issues right now. It's not really safe anywhere."
The Potter-Lupin-Black clan all frowned. Nowhere was safe, and it just seemed to be getting worse. Of course, Voldemort had tried to gain the support of pureblood families before, but now that he was trying again, it meant he had a plan. That was never good.
"Did he try to recruit you?" Lily asked cautiously.
"He tried to pick up Arthur when he was at work. He said no, of course, the Death Eaters don't know where we are, we cast a Fidelius charm a little while back. Xenophilius Lovegood is our secret keeper, and we're his."
"Does he know about us?" Sirius asked curiously.
"There's a high chance his daughter knows, but I'm not sure about Xeno."
"Why his daughter?"
"She's a bit of a seer type. She knows things that I can't explain." Molly said cautiously. It was as if the little girl may be listening to them right now.
They all nodded in understanding and looked back to their teacups. This was getting darker than they wanted it to. Lily wondered what Harry was doing upstairs.
Ron had given Harry a book about Quidditch. Harry could never recall a time he had been in Ron's room before. They always spent their time in the back garden. It was a book detailing the Chudley Cannons. Harry didn't think it was as interesting as the books he read with his family, but he read it nonetheless. It was a one-time thing, after all.
It felt like hours had passed, and Ron and Harry spent it laughing and talking about school and Quidditch. Fred and Geroge had started Hogwarts this year, and Ron was eager to talk about the letters they had sent.
They were supposedly playing a lot of pranks on other students. It reminded Harry of the mischief his dad and uncles had gotten into, and he grinned cheekily. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts and carry on his family's legacy, perhaps even with Fred and George.
He heard his mum calling him from downstairs, and together he and Ron ran down. His family was waiting in the kitchen for him, and he eagerly joined them. Ron and Harry said their goodbyes, as well as Molly and the adults.
They walked back to the fireplace. Harry was old enough to go through the floo by himself, and so he went first. The others followed behind him, and within a few minutes, they were all back in their own living room.
It was dark outside, and Harry went straight upstairs to run a bath and then sleep. Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius all poured themselves a glass of elf wine. They talked about lighter times before the war. It was nice.
They eventually all made their way to bed. It was getting late, and they were all exhausted. They separated at the top of the stairs and made their way back to their rooms.
James immediately collapsed onto their bed when they entered. Lily changed into an old Quidditch jersey of James', and then laid down next to him. "Are you scared, James?"
"All the time, my love," James whispered before getting up and replacing his day wear with an old t-shirt and loose pyjama pants. He returned to the bed and pulled her close to him. He lightly kissed her on the shoulder before gradually drifting off to sleep.
Lily stayed up a bit longer because of her raging thoughts. James' steady breathing next to her calmed her, however, and she quickly fell asleep too. The last thought on her mind was how much she loved him, and how she knew that he would protect her and their family to the day he died.
December 1st, 1989
Minerva brought them a massive supply of Honeydukes sweets. Remus smelt the chocolates before they fully materialised in the fireplace. He had been laying in his bed up until Minnie's arrival, and he was thrilled when the sweet, sweet scent of chocolate entered the wards.
"Oh sweet Merlin," he whispered reverently as Minerva stepped out of the fireplace cheerily.
Minerva smiled and reached a hand into the bag she had brought with her. She pulled out a large box of chocolates and handed them to Remus, "Good morning Remus."
"Thank you, Minnie. You are a wonderful person." He said quickly and hugged the chocolates to his chest.
The rest of the household made their way downstairs after Remus. There was a smirk on Sirius' face as he saw Remus with the chocolates. "You're not exactly out of chocolate, are you Moony."
"Well, no, but I only have muggle chocolates now. We haven't had a resupply of Honeydukes in what seems like ages." Remus said happily.
Harry pushed his way through the group and hugged Minerva. "I missed you, Grandma," he said quietly. He pulled away from her, and she smiled down at him.
She pulled out a small box of cauldron cakes, "I got these for you."
Harry's eyes widened, and he broke out into a grin. He took the box of cauldron cakes and looked back up at her, "Thank you, Grandma!"
For James and Lily, she brought sugar quills and some more chocolate, and for Sirius, she brought chocolate frogs. Remus was a bit put off that they all got chocolate, but then he remembered his massive box of his favourite chocolates. They all said thank you, and Lily collected all the sweets and brought them to the kitchen. Except for Remus, he hurried upstairs to hide his chocolate from the rest of them.
They regrouped in the living room, and James urged Minerva to discuss what she had learned from Professor Dumbledore. It had been a while since she had any new information, and James always lapped it up eagerly. He needed to know how he was going to protect his son from the manipulative coot.
Minerva sat down on her usual armchair and flattened her skirt. "I still don't know who he was talking to, but he thinks it's some moral duty to groom Harry. He told me that he thinks Voldemort will come after you, and he thinks it's his job to make sure he's prepared. Of course, we'll avoid that. I'll be the one teaching him everything he needs outside of classes. I believe it's best if we keep our relationship hidden from Dumbledore. He doesn't know that I come here as often as I do so that he won't suspect anything. It's imperative, however, that Dumbledore doesn't find out, and he's a smart man so that may be difficult."
"Will you be able to do that Minnie?" James asked curiously. He agreed with the plan to keep their relationship hidden wholeheartedly, but he wasn't sure if it was plausible.
"It might be difficult, and we can't slip up, but it is possible. I've hidden things from Dumbledore before, but it takes time and mental fortitude. We'll need to begin teaching Harry Occlumency as soon as possible. He needs to be proficient at it in case Dumbledore ever tries to get in his head."
Harry had been sitting idly by listening to the conversation while the adults talked. He was up to the challenge of pretending Minerva wasn't his grandma, but he was nervous when she spoke of how powerful Dumbledore was. The thought of someone else reading his thoughts and being in his head was frightening.
Minerva turned to Harry, "Harry, are you alright with this plan? It's all talk, but you're the one that actually needs to go through with it."
"Of course, Grandma. I don't want to be roped in by someone I don't know, that would be frightening. But what's Occlumency? It sounds scary." He said a bit sheepishly.
"It's a type of magic that blocks your head from other people getting inside. You put up walls, so when people try to search for memories, they can't find what they're looking for. It has a sister branch, legilimency, which is the magic of diving into someone's head." She explained calmly.
"You see Harry, Dumbledore is a very strong legilimens, and he may use that to get into your head, but if you learn Occlumency, you'll be able to block him out. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I don't want anyone getting into my head. That sounds scary," Harry whispered. Unconsciously, he reached for his head and gave it a little pat as if making sure it was still there.
"It'll be hard, little Fawn, and it might take you a few years to master. Are you sure it's something you want to pursue?" James whispered cautiously. He wrapped Harry in a hug and kissed his temple.
"I don't want to be a poppet for someone else to use," Harry said with an uncharacteristic tone of finality. The adults all sighed and nodded. They all knew this had to happen, but it was scary, nonetheless.
Minerva bowed her head in thought and nodded. "Alright, little Harry. Do you want to try it? I won't dig, I'll give you a chance to try and put up your walls," she said quietly.
Harry nodded sheepishly and closed his eyes. Minerva put her hands on the back of his head to steady him before she quietly whispered, "legilimens."
Harry didn't realise how much it would hurt. It felt as if his very skull was being split apart to make room for his grandma to snoop. The memories flashed in front of his eyes, and he could feel the emotions he was feeling in those moments.
The snow this morning when they first woke up, and the joy he felt. When his grandma walked through the fireplace, and he leapt down the stairs excitedly. Then when he heard them talk about Dumbledore and he felt confused.
He could hear her talking to him, "Close your mind, Harry. Stop thinking; just try and focus on your breathing." He wasn't sure if she was actually talking, or if it was just in his head.
Harry tried to clear his mind and think only of his breathing. It was still painful, but it eased, and he felt her pull back. He wasn't sure how long his grandma had been in his head, but it was sweet relief when she pulled away completely.
There was sweat lining his forehead, and he was panting. A few tears were threatening to escape his eyes and run down his cheeks, but he tried to maintain his composure. His grandma removed her hands from behind his head and pulled him into a hug.
"It's alright. We can take a break for now. You have more time before you need to know this. I'm sorry it hurt, but you did so well." She whispered comfortingly to him.
Harry nodded, and she let go of him. Lily stepped forward and gave her son a hug, "How about we spend the rest of the day baking something new. I bought the ingredients for a nice pie."
He nodded, and they all began walking towards the kitchen. Lily pulled out the ingredients they needed for their treat, and they broke out into little baking groups. Sirius and Remus worked on the crust. Lily, Minerva, and Harry worked on the filling. James worked on preparing the kitchen before he joined Sirius and Remus in making the crust.
It was a nice reprieve after having to endure legilimency. Harry hoped that it would get easier when he got better at it. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him that he'd need to learn and master Occlumency, so he concluded that he'd take the training in stride.
It was better to have his family looking around in his head than some random professor. He didn't want to be manipulated as much as he didn't want to die. His little nine-year-old brain knew better than to let people step all over him, and he would do anything he needed to make sure that it wouldn't happen.