Chapter 9

A/N: I apologize in advance for fucking up Hagrid's accent.

I wasn't planning on updating or even writing this chapter at all today, but I noticed that we've gotten up to 80 reviews, so I was feeling motivated.

To Guest Marie:

Harry and James will be playing a proper Quidditch match soon. It'll be during the Christmas chapter.

I added a Lily and Harry scene at the end :)

Harry and Ron wandered around, looking for an empty compartment, before finally settling in at one on the end of the train. Harry was surprised that he hadn't run into Neville yet, but then recalled that Neville had lost his toad the last time, and was probably dashing around the train, looking for Trevor.

Ron spent a prolonged period of time goggling at him, before finally seeming to work up the courage to talk to him. "Are you actually Harry Potter?" Ron asked.

"Forsooth, I'm Snape's kid, I was just pulling your wand earlier. I'm Snivelly Snape," Harry lied, just barely containing a giggle. Harry felt a scintilla of guilt for messing with Ron, but knew that growing up with Fred and George, Ron could definitely take a little joke.

Ron, being the naive 11 year old kid that he was, seemed to buy his cock and bull story. "Really? The mean professor Fred and George told me about?" Ron lowered his head suddenly, probably realizing that if Snape was indeed Harry's father, he might take offense to that. "Sorry," Ron added quickly.

"Eh, don't apologize. He's just salty because the love of his life married his childhood bully, and ended up having a kid that looked exactly like said bully. He may not be evil, but he's sure bitter as hell. The man should probably see a therapist. It's not normal or healthy to hold onto grudges for so long," Harry remarked.

"Then why were you with those people at the barrier?" Ron wondered.

"Since Dad's a teacher, he couldn't ride the train with me, so he had some friends drop me off," Harry replied.

"B-But...your scar…" Ron pointed out.

"Dad's a big Harry Potter fan. He pays five Galleons a month to be in the fan club, owns the entire Harry Potter broomstick line (even though he can't fly to save his life), and hangs a picture of The-Boy-Who-Lived on his bed frame. Because of his rather unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter, he forced me to get plastic surgery in order to get a scar on my forehead. It was rather painful," Harry answered, trying extremely hard not to laugh.

"Plastic surgery?" Ron asked again.

"Oh, it's this Muggle thing where doctors (the Muggle version of Healers), can put different things on your face and other body parts, reshape them, or remove them. In some cases, it can cause permanent nerve damage, exfoliation, and even death, but Dad thought it was worth it," Harry replied.

"Woah…" Ron looked horrified.

Just then, Draco Malfoy entered the compartment, this time without Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey, Draco," Harry greeted. "Where are your goons?"

"Goons? You mean Crabbe and Goyle? Wait...how do you even know about them? You know what, never mind, you'll probably just tell me you had a dream about them. Anyway, I heard that Harry Potter had arrived on the train, and since I owe you money, I thought I might as well pay you back now. Malfoys don't really like 'owing people one'. As for Crabbe and Goyle? I figured that if I've got a powerful wizard like yourself on my side, then I have no use for a couple of dingbats that don't know one end of the broomstick from the other," Draco explained.

"If you're looking for Harry Potter, that's not him. That's Snivelly Snape, Professor Snape's kid," Ron informed Draco, eyeing him suspiciously. Though Harry was pretty sure that Ron hadn't figured out that Draco was a Malfoy (due to the lack of contemptuous glaring towards the blond boy), he probably suspected that Draco was a future "evil Slytherin''. Although, why Ron hadn't given Harry (as "Snivelly Snape") the same dubious look, he wasn't sure. Maybe because when he'd first met Harry, he was under the correct impression that he was Harry Potter, and he still wasn't over the fact that he'd almost (well, actually) met a celebrity.

Draco dropped the money he owed in Harry's lap, then directed a befuddled look his way. "He asked me if I was really Harry Potter. It was the perfect opportunity to play a little prank on him," Harry explained.

Scoffing, Draco said, "how dense are you, Weasley? Severus Snape doesn't have a child. I should know, he's good friends with my father. Can you imagine him shagging someone?" Draco shuddered. "Not that your lack of intelligence shocks me. My father told me all about your family. You all have red hair, hand-me-down robes, and more children than you can afford. Us Malfoys are much more civilized, and don't bring shame to the name of 'wizard'," Draco sneered. "Besides, who in their right mind would name their kid 'Snivelly', anyway?"

Ron turned beet red, and looked like he was about to pounce on Draco, so Harry stepped in. "Hey, Dray, remember our deal from earlier? If you're going to be friends with me, then you can't insult any of my other friends," Harry reminded Draco. "Same goes for you, Ron," Harry added, just so Draco wouldn't feel like he was being singled out. Plus, as much as Harry loved Ron, the boy could be extremely prejudiced against Slytherins, especially in his younger years. It couldn't hurt to show him that his views were flawed, as well.

The two boys went silent, and instead opted to just glare at one another. Finally, Ron asked again, "so you're actually Harry Potter?"

"Yup," Harry replied. "Sorry about messing with you, I honestly didn't even think that you'd buy that story," Harry laughed. "Your brothers were right, I tend to make a joke out of everything I can. I learned that from my Dad and godfather. But really, I really do want to be friends, that is, if you'll have me as a friend."

"O...Of course!" Ron nearly shouted. The kid seemed even more starstruck than he had last time, most likely due to the fact that this time around, Harry was an even bigger celebrity, due to his merchandise.

"Calm down there, Weaselbee, you don't want to wet your trousers," Draco teased. If Harry didn't know any better, he would've thought the teasing was almost...friendly. Nah, he was probably just imagining things.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron grunted, clenching his fists. So much for the two of them being friendly...

Luckily for Harry, the Trolley Lady arrived right then, momentarily delaying the impending fight between the two 11 year olds. Hopefully, Harry would be able to keep the peace between those two at least until they got to Hogwarts. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Harry and Draco bought a huge selection of sweets, while Ron mumbled about having corned beef sandwiches.

"Hey, it seems as though Draco and I have way more than we can eat. Why don't you share some of our stuff, and I can eat your corned beef sandwiches?" Harry suggested.

Draco looked like he was about to protest, but Harry silenced the Slytherin with a look. It seemed as though appearing more confident and influential, naturally made Draco fall in line with everything Harry said. After all, Draco was a Slytherin, which meant that he instinctively tried to befriend powerful people. And since Harry appeared to know everything about the wizarding world this time around, it wasn't like Draco could try to be the dominant one in their friendship by offering to show Harry the ropes. Quite the opposite, in fact. Harry was the one with the fame, fortune, and talent. All in all, there was nothing that Draco could offer to Harry that he didn't already have, and it seemed like he knew that.

The three boys stuffed their faces mostly in silence, with the occasional 'pass the Chocolate Frogs', or 'are there any Sugar Quills left?'. It was nice and peaceful, albeit a bit awkward, but in all honesty, it was probably better if Draco and Ron didn't talk too much.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," Hermione said, barging into their compartment.

"Hey, I've lost my toad, have you guys seen...oh, hi, Harry," Neville greeted, walking in right behind Hermione. Harry deduced that the two had probably split up to search for Trevor, but hadn't coordinated all too well, and ended up in the same compartment.

"There you are, Nev! I've been looking all over for you. Here, let me summon him for you. Accio Trevor!" Harry waved his wand lazily. At least this time, he could make a good impression on Hermione.

A few seconds later, a very angry sounding toad came soaring into the compartment. Everyone in the compartment, save Neville (who was aware of Harry's magical prowess), stared at Harry, clearly amazed.

"How did you do that? I've read through all of our spell books three times already (and have them all memorized, of course), and I didn't see that spell anywhere!" Hermione exclaimed, looking embarrassed. Of course, Hermione would be embarrassed about not knowing a spell that wasn't taught until at least fourth year.

"That's just Harry being Harry," Neville answered. "Don't ask me how he knows everything. Somehow, without even trying, he's an expert at whatever he does."

"I can teach you how to do it, if you want," Harry offered.

Hermione nodded eagerly, Draco seemed indifferent, Neville appeared to be nervous (most likely insecure about his magic skills), and Ron looked like he'd rather keep stuffing his face.

"Alright, you just move your wand like this, and say, Accio, then whatever object you'd like to summon," Harry demonstrated. "Why don't you all try it," he suggested.

The four of them attempted to summon various objects, but Hermione was the only one who managed to succeed. Her trunk came flying in, nearly knocking Ron out in the process. Draco seemed to find this amusing, and nodded at Hermione in appreciation.

"Blimey, that was amazing! Especially to summon such a large object on your first try! I bet you're going to be the top of our year," Harry commended. Even as a child, Hermione did not fail to impress him. However, he might be lying about her being first in their year, though. Harry was fairly certain that with his advantage of being an experienced, adult wizard, he would outperform Hermione, even if she was a genius. Besides, Sirius would tease him on a daily basis if he let an 11 year old girl beat him in any of their classes.

Draco bobbed his head in agreement. He seemed to be taking a liking to Hermione (at least, thus far), though that was probably because he hadn't learned about her parentage yet. An ignoramus like Draco probably assumed that any talented wizard had to be a Pure-Blood.

"You really think so?" Hermione asked hopefully. "Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — As I've already mentioned, I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

Draco gaped at her. "You're a Mud-" Harry shot Draco a look, "a Muggleborn?" Draco asked distastefully.

Luckily Hermione didn't seem to notice Draco's disgust, as she was likely still far too excited about the aspect of going to Hogwarts, to really pay him much attention. "Yes, my parents didn't even believe my letter when I first got it. They thought it was one of my school bullies…" Hermione blushed, "I mean, one of my friends playing a joke on me," Hermione finished sheepishly, undoubtedly ashamed of admitting that she'd been picked on in the past. "I just, I'm a bit worried that I'll be behind everyone else. After all, most people have probably known about magic all of their lives," Hermione confessed nervously.

"Well, of course you should be-" Draco began.

Not liking where Draco's statement was going, Harry intervened. "There are plenty of people that come from Muggle backgrounds before getting their letters. My mum is one of them. She ended up being the top of her year, so that's just one piece of evidence that shows that Muggleborns aren't any different from Pure-Bloods. Also, I'm pretty sure no one else, myself included, bothered to even glance through their textbooks, so you're probably way ahead of everyone else. You're a talented witch, Hermione. Your successful summoning spell is proof of that. You're going to be just fine," Harry reassured her. "I'm Harry Potter, by the way."

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Oh, I am, aren't I? I totally forgot about that. I'm pretty sure my lawyers are working on suing the publishing companies for historical inaccuracies, more specifically, for libel. However, I'll have to double-check on that," Harry stated.

"Historical inaccuracies?" Hermionie wondered, looking a bit scandalized that someone would suggest that books could be inaccurate. After all, to her, they were probably sacred.

"Oh, yes. Seeing as the only people there that night were Sirius, myself, and Voldemort, and the only people who found out the story firsthand were my parents, Moony, and Dumbledore, none of the books are accurate. Especially considering the fact that none of us gave any interviews, so everything is just pure speculation that is stated as fact," Harry informed Hermione.

"I'm sure some of the written history on that night has to be accurate," Hermione insisted.

"Wizards don't really put much stock into fact-checking, resulting in a lot of libel lawsuits just waiting to happen. Of course, I'm pretty sure that I'm the first one to actually sue a big publishing company, but hopefully, I can set a precedent so others will follow suit," Harry answered.

Hermione looked intrigued, but also appalled by the fact that wizards often printed fiction as fact without any repercussions.

"Anyway," Harry began again, changing the subject. "That's Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, and of course, you already know Neville Longbottom. Say, why don't you and Neville stay here? We have a plethora of candy just needing to be consumed."

Ron looked apprehensive, most likely a bit overwhelmed by Hermione's enthusiasm, and Draco looked appalled at the thought of sharing a compartment with a Muggleborn. However, neither of them said anything, probably afraid to contradict Harry and have him retract his offer of friendship. Am I really that intimidating this go around?

XXXXXXXXX

As the five of them stepped off the train, Harry heard a familiar voice. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

"Hiya, Hagrid!" Harry greeted cheerfully.

Hagrid looked at him funny and asked, "do I know yeh?"

"I'm Harry Potter. My parents, Sirius, and Remus, told me all about you. They said you keep the school up and running." Harry smiled at the first friend he'd ever made.

"R'lly? Yer parents 'ere summa the bes' people 'round here, specially yer mother. She's a grea' lady, yer mum," Hagrid replied kindly.

Harry smiled back. "It's nice to see you, Hagrid." He wrapped his arms around the Half-giant. Hagrid seemed a bit shocked at first, but quickly returned the hug.

Unfortunately, Harry didn't get a chance to say much more to Hagrid, as a hoard of first years had arrived, and they all began walking towards the lake.

"Why were you hugging the school servant?" Draco asked curiously.

"He's an old friend of my parents," Harry replied. "And before you say anything, he's my friend too, so he's included in the list of people that you aren't allowed to insult," Harry added fervently.

Draco just shrugged, and let the topic go.

Harry heard a croaking noise, and noticed Neville's toad, Trevor, on the ground. "Hey, Nev. You must've dropped Trevor while we were leaving the train," Harry said, handing the amphibian to his friend.

"Thanks, Harry," Neville replied gratefully.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out, pointing to the familiar boats he'd ridden in the first time around. Harry briefly wondered why they made first years ride in boats across the lake, when it couldn't be that hard to lead them to the carriages.

Harry quickly climbed in a boat, and Draco, Ron, and Hermione quickly followed him. Neville looked on longingly, awkwardly standing by the boat, looking like he might burst into tears. "Hey, Hagrid?" Harry called out. "Is it alright if I perform an Extension Charm so Neville can ride in our boat? You see, these four are all my best friends now, and I don't want anyone to be left out," Harry said, pointing to Draco, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, and using his cute, green eyes to his advantage.

"I dunno 'arry," the Half-Giant replied, looking conflicted. "School rules 'ave always been no more'n four to a boat."

Harry quickly cast the Extension Charm. "See, Hagrid? Now there's plenty of room for Neville to join us. Hop in, Neville," Harry offered his hand to Neville, which his friend gratefully took.

Hagrid seemed shocked by Harry's advanced display of magic. "I s'pose t'okay," Hagrid relented.

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry responded, smiling at Hagrid to show his appreciation.

XXXXXXXXXX

"The ceiling is enchanted to look like the sky, I read about it in Hogwarts: a History," Hermione informed them as they walked through the Great Hall.

Draco rolled his eyes, "no one cares, Granger."

Ron laughed, seeming to agree with Draco, before quickly turning away, probably remembering that he was supposed to hate Draco.

"That's fascinating, Hermione," Harry reassured her, turning to glare at the two rude boys.

"I wonder how they sort us into Houses," Neville said nervously. "Mum and Dad wouldn't tell me. I hope they don't make us do magic, I'd get kicked out right away."

"Fred and George went on about having to fight a troll," Ron remarked.

Neville turned pale, and the poor kid looked about ready to run out of the Great Hall that moment.

"Don't be daft, Weasel. Dumbledore may be insane, but he wouldn't make a bunch of first years fight a troll. That would just be dangerous and unsanitary," Draco responded, wrinkling his nose.

Hermione ignored them, and began nervously muttering a series of spells, trying to figure out which ones she may need to use in the potential 'sorting test'.

"Don't worry, Hermione, there's no test. Think about it, a bunch of untrained first years firing off spells at once? That's just a disaster waiting to happen. There's an old talking hat that they put on your head. It reads your mind, and sorts you," Harry tried to comfort his worried friends.

Apparently, his attempt to console them did nothing of the sort, since they didn't seem to believe him.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "That's even more unlikely than Weasley's troll idea. Let's entertain the notion that you're correct, just for a second. How did you even know about the hat? Did your parents tell you? Because it's Hogwarts tradition that no one lets slip about the sorting process."

"No, of course not. My parents would never break such an old tradition! I had a dream about it," Harry replied.

His four friends just stared at him as if he was insane. Oh well, they'd find out that he was right soon enough.

When the sorting hat was finally brought to the front of the room, Harry heard his friends gasp, unable to grasp the concept that somehow, though seemingly outlandish, his statement had actually been correct.

The sorting went exactly the same as it had last time, until finally, McGonagall called his name. "Potter, Harry!"

"The Harry Potter?" someone whispered.

"He's said to be the most powerful wizard in existence. Even more powerful than Dumbledore!"

"Yes, yes, yes. It is very unusual to have a celebrity student in school, so I can understand your excitement," Harry announced loudly as he began walking to the front.

Harry noticed McGonagall give him a rather fond, yet exasperated look, probably realizing that she had another James Potter to deal with for seven years. The other teachers just seemed shocked, and as he got closer to the head table, he could've sworn he'd felt either Dumbledore or Snape attempt to probe into his mind. Harry decided that if someone was trying to use Legilimency on him, it was probably the former. Snape most likely just assumed he was another arrogant, attention-seeking boy like his father had been. Hardly something worth using Legilimency to verify.

"However," Harry continued, "I would ask that you please refrain from invading my privacy, or asking me to show you my ugly scar. Seriously, why is everyone so interested in seeing a part of my body that has been permanently mutilated? Scars are very private things that some people can be very insecure about. It'd be like me asking to see your scars from a botched magical circumcision, or something else of the like. If you're a fan, just know that I appreciate you, and I'm grateful for all the support. Remember to buy my merchandise from over 25 stores in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and if you'd like to join my fan club, it's only five Galleons a month. I'll be handing out order forms tomorrow morning if you'd like to order any merch via mail. Thank you," Harry finished, before bowing dramatically.

Looking over in Snape's direction, he could see that the Potions Master looked very much like he wanted to inflict bodily harm on Harry. It seemed like he might actually hate Harry more than he hated the Marauders, if that was even possible. He'd be slightly concerned if it weren't for the fact that Lily would never speak to the man again if he did anything to her little boy, so Harry was relatively safe. Probably, anyway.

Harry darted up to the hat, and quickly put it on his head.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Especially since it seems as though I have sorted you once before…"

It wouldn't be so difficult if you just kept me in Gryffindor. Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but I pride myself on making the best choice...the one that allows you to achieve greatness," the hat countered.

I defeated Voldemort at the age of seventeen, slayed a Basilisk at the age of 12, won a schoolwide death tournament at 14, shall I go on? That sounds like greatness...if you ask me, of course.

"However, going back in time to save your family, even though you never knew them. That sounds like Hufflepuff loyalty to me," the hat argued.

Except for the fact that I tripped through the veil, and had no idea that I was going back in time. I didn't fall through the veil with the intention of saving my family...it just kind of happened. The whole thing was a fluke. Besides, you could call it disloyalty, if you look at it another way. I was disloyal to my friends in the other timeline by up and leaving them.

The hat huffed in frustration. "You don't like making things easy, do you?"

Harry shrugged. Where's the fun in that?

"You seem to possess a great deal of intelligence. Not many 11 year olds have your extensive knowledge. Perhaps Ravenclaw would be a good fit for you," the hat tried again.

You're forgetting that "my intelligence" comes from actually being a 30 year old man. Back in my original timeline, I was rather mediocre. Hell, it took me seven years to defeat Voldemort. If Hermione had been the Chosen One, I'd wager she'd only need around five.

"Fine, I suppose you've got a point there. However, I still see a lot of Slytherin in you, especially with the way you've handled Draco Malfoy. Using your name to appeal to him, in order to gain a Slytherin ally. That's not only very cunning, but it is also ambitious. Surely, Slytherin will help you on your way," the hat suggested.

I don't really fancy being in a House where half the kids' parents support a man who once tried to kill me. Besides, I think Sirius and my dad may actually disown me if I were to be sorted into Slytherin. They're not the most mature people, you see.

"Fine, I suppose I can't force you to be in a different House," the hat relented. "Just know that this would have been a lot more fun for me if you were just a bit more flexible," the hat groaned. "Better be...GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindors gave Harry a standing ovation, cheering louder than they had for anyone else. Celebrity bias, obviously. Harry took a seat between Percy and Hermione, and waited for Ron to get sorted.

XXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Harry put a silencing charm in his area. Sometimes, he still had bad nightmares, and he did not want to scare his new roommates. It really had been an exhausting day for him, and if found himself drifting off almost immediately.

"Lily, it's him! Take Harry and run. I'll hold him off!" James cried out.

Moments later, James's body hit the ground.

"NO! NOT HARRY! PLEASE, TAKE ME INSTEAD!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort yelled.

Lily screamed, and she too, fell to the ground, her body limp.

"AHHHHHH," Harry screamed, awaking with a start. He glanced around at his surroundings, and was relieved once the memories started flooding back to him. It was just a dream, Mum and Dad are fine. Remus and Sirius are alive. I have a baby sister now, I have a family. Everything is fine.

Harry desperately tried to get his breathing under control, but he couldn't quite calm himself down. Whenever this happened at home, he would sneak into Lily and James's bedroom, and sit on the floor, listening to them breathing. He needed physical evidence that they were alive, or else he would go mad.

Checking the clock, Harry noted that it was midnight. He opened his trunk, and grabbed his invisibility cloak. Now would've been a great time to have the Marauders' Map, but he wasn't about to wake Fred and George up at this time of night, especially with classes in the morning.

He made his way through the secret passage that led straight to the Honeydukes cellar, before Apparating right outside the Potter house at Godric's Hollow.

Be quiet. Just check and make sure that Mum and Dad are okay, and then leave. If they catch you here, it'll look really suspicious. And it isn't like I can tell them that I Apparated here from Hogsmeade. Even for me, that'd be unbelievable.

Harry tiptoed through the kitchen, and carefully made his way up the staircase. Halfway to the top, he crashed into somebody.

"What...Harry?" Lily asked, looking concerned. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? Are you alright, sweetie?" Lily started looking him over, presumably for scratches, bruises, or blemishes of any kind that indicated if he was hurt.

Not being able to help himself, Harry threw himself at Lily, and sobbed into his mother's shoulder. "Mum, you're okay!" At the moment, Harry didn't feel like a grown man, but a scared, young child who just craved his mother's comfort.

"Of course I'm okay, honey," Lily reassured him, embracing him tightly. "What happened?"

"I...I had a nightmare," Harry confessed, deciding that it was better to tell the truth (at least, mostly).

"What was it about?" Lily inquired gently.

"Voldemort...he...he found you guys at home with me, and he killed you and Dad," Harry choked out. "I'm sorry for overreacting, but it just felt so real."

"Oh, baby, it's okay, I'm here, I'm right here," Lily wrapped her arms around Harry again, and rubbed a soothing hand on his back.

Harry heard footsteps approach them, before hearing his father's voice. "Lils, is everything okay...Harry? What's going on?"

"Dad!" Harry exclaimed, wrapping his arms around him. "You're here!" Harry sobbed again.

"Harry had a nightmare...about us...and Voldemort," Lily explained.

James nodded in understanding, and hugged Harry back. Lily soon joined in on the hug, and Harry found comfort in the arms of his parents.

When they'd finally broken apart, James asked, "Harry, how did you get back here, anyway?"

Oops, how do I explain this? "I used the One-Eyed Witch secret passageway to get to Honeydukes, then summoned the Knight Bus from there to get home," Harry lied.

"Wow, first day of school, and you've already explored one secret passageway! I'm proud of you, son!" James commended.

Lily rolled her eyes, probably because of course, James would be proud of an 11 year old for sneaking out of school at night.

Not wanting to wake up Alaina, Lily suggested that Harry and James quietly leave the house to Apparate back to Hogsmeade, while she stayed behind with Alaina.

"Bye, Mum," Harry whispered, hugging Lily tightly again. "I'm sorry for disrupting you at night."

"It's okay, Harry. Just...next time this happens, please, promise me you will not sneak out at night again. Something could've happened to you, honey," Lily requested.

"Yes, I promise, Mum," Harry replied fervently. "I love you, Mum."

"I love you too, Harry," Lily responded, kissing him on the cheek. "Don't get into too much trouble, honey."

"Now, as for that, I make no promises. Trouble tends to find me wherever I go. Not that I don't go looking for it a fair deal of times, as well," Harry said honestly.

Lily smiled and shook her head. "You are just like your father," she said fondly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry side-along Apparated back to Honeydukes with James once they were outside, and James walked with Harry all the way to the other end of the One-Eyed Witch secret passageway.

"Oh, this passageway brings back so many memories…" James trailed off, smiling.

"Oh, I bet," Harry said, thinking about all the things the Marauders had probably done.

"Well, I should probably get going. Make sure you use your cloak," James reminded him. "The last thing you need is Filch or Sniv...Snape catching you out of bed after hours."

Harry hugged his father again, regretful to see him go, even if it was just temporary. After all, winter break wasn't too far away. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Prongslet. Now, get going. Try and get some sleep before your classes in the morning."

Harry watched his father leave, and stayed behind the One-Eyed Witch until he couldn't see James anymore. Then he walked back to the Gryffindor common room, feeling a lot calmer than he had been earlier.

I'm okay. My family and friends are all alive, and I have the power to keep them that way.