Chapter Four

The Mid- Years II

1 August 1986

Classroom, Potter Manor

"Ok, Harry. Our first lesson is going to be History. Firstly, I want you to learn about our family tree." James stepped aside and gestured towards the tapestry hanging on the wall. Harry stepped close, wide-eyed. It was filled with names, some of which sounded too difficult for Harry's six-year-old brain.

He turned towards his father and asked weakly, "I have to learn this all?"

James gave him a half-smile. "Yes, Harry. You're also going to have to memorise the family trees of other Houses, but take your time, you have three months to learn your own tree, then we'll get to the rest. While this is your homework, in the meantime, we are going to learn about the origins of the magic and wizards." James gestured for Harry to take a seat and he took the tapestry off the wall and rolled it up revealing the chalkboard that had been behind it. "This is your classroom. Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus and I are going to be teaching you."

The 'classroom' was an extra room on the ground floor of Potter Manor that they had turned into a schoolroom. One of the walls was only windows and they had done nothing to change that. There was a chalkboard on one wall and a desk in front of it for the 'teacher'. Harry's and in the near future, Lizzie's and then William's desks were against the other wall. There was a soft board with Harry's artwork as well as a bookshelf in one corner. Remus already had bought a whole list of books and they were displayed on the shelf for all to see.

"What are Uncle Moony and Uncle Padfoot teach me?"

"What will Uncle Moony and Uncle Padfoot teach me?" James corrected. "Or What are Uncle Moony and Uncle Padfoot going to teach me?" He paused and Harry nodded in understanding. "To answer your question Sirius is going to teach you French and Occlumency while Remus is going to teach you Latin, clear?"

Harry nodded again, so James took a deep breath and began explaining. There was no clear detail about where magic had originated from but most people believed that the First People came from Africa, just like humans.

Wizards had researched long and hard on the topic of where magic came from. It was said that witches and wizards had a magical core in their bodies that powered their magic. The size of the magical core depended on the power the witch or wizard had. The lesson went on to explain how wizards evolved and the founding of magical schools, especially Hogwarts. Then James explained the Potter Family Tree to Harry.

The Potters were descended from a wizard who went by the name of 'Linfred of Stinchcombe'. He lived in a village always pottering around with plants in his garden. Over time, his nickname of the 'Potterer' was shortened to Potter. His Muggle neighbours thought of him to be a friendly old chap who had cures for many diseases. He was also described as vague and absent-minded. This allowed him to practice magic in secret and he was also credited with the creation of Skele Gro and Pepper up Potion.

Linfred's first son, Hardwin Potter married a witch from Godrics Hollow named Iolanthe Peverell who was the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell. Ignotus Peverell's Cloak of Invisibility was passed on to her as the only descendent of her family and it was then passed down from father to son in the Potter family. James's father, Fleamont Potter (son of Henry Potter) was credited with the creation of Sleekazy's Hair Potion but the company was sold when Fleamont retired, quadrupling the wealth of the Potter family.

The Potters had a seat in the Wizengamot and the title of Lord Potter of Glasgow, and Duke of Draíochta which was handed to William Potter when he saved the Queen from a terrorist attack. The Potters were also distantly related to the Blacks (Dorea Black married Charlus Potter) and the Malfoys (through the Blacks; Narcissa Black married Lucius Malfoy), they were also related to the Weasleys (Cedrella Black married Septimus Weasley), Prewetts (Molly Prewett married Arthur Weasley) and Longbottoms (through the Blacks).

"Like Ron and Neville? I'm related to them?" asked Harry, fully engrossed in the lesson. James smiled, seeing Harry's enthusiasm. He had never been that interested in History but it was nice to see that Harry was.

"Yes, Harry. Like Ron and Neville. You're related to both of them through the Blacks," said James. "You have the next two months to learn this family tree then I am going to quiz you on it."

12 August 1986

Classroom, Potter Manor

"What did you learn the last time, Harry?" asked Sirius.

"Bonjour, je m'appelle Harry. Quel est ton?" Harry rattled off immediately.

Sirius smiled. "Correct, Harry. Now, we'll start with simple phrases like 'How are you?' and 'I'm fine.' Now, 'how are you' can be translated to 'Comment vas-tu?' How meaning comment, are means sont, and is toi. But, combining 'are' and 'you' can lead to es-tu."

"Latin is a common language in the wizarding world, mainly because many spells are based on this language. If I was to tell you my name in Latin, it would be: Meum nomen est Remus Lupin. If I were to ask you your name, I would say: Quod nomen tibi est?"

"Can you say that again?" asked Harry.

"Certainly." said Uncle Moony. "Quod nomen tibi est?"

"Latin's harder than French," Harry commented an hour later when all seven of them were having lunch.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus. "You hear that, Moony? I'm a better teacher than you." he said, a smug grin on his face.

Remus chuckled. "I don't think that's what Harry said. I think he meant that Latin is a harder subject than French which makes me the better teacher since I am the one teaching him Latin." Sirius pouted and all the adults laughed.

20 October 1986

Ballroom, Potter Manor

"Now, put your right hand on my waist and hold your left hand out for me to take," Lily instructed. Harry complied quickly. The next half-hour was spent teaching Harry basic waltz moves.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, James was trying to teach Lizzie how to dance. Lizzie seemed to have gained an extreme amount of energy over the weekend and couldn't stay still. "Elisabeth, I want you to stand still. The same that applied in gymnastics applies here as well, understand?"

Lizzie nodded rapidly and placed her hands on her father's shoulder and in his hand. Dancing was way harder than gymnastics, she thought. Her six-year-old brain couldn't believe that some people thought gymnastics to be harder than this weird dancing business.

Sirius had tried to take on the job of teaching William how to dance but it proved to be too difficult for the four-year-old. It was a surprise that even Lizzie was managing as well as she was, considering that most kids started to learn to dance after the age of six.

2 December 1986

Azaraians Arts', Edinburgh

"Hold it tight, Harry. Tighten your fingers on the chord, otherwise, the note will be too low." instructed John Carwal.

Harry did as asked, though he still didn't seem to be getting it. It was moments like these when Harry wished that he had chosen a slightly easier instrument like Lizzie and William. But then he reminded himself that he didn't know how to play the piano or the flute so he couldn't know which one was the easiest.

Dad had asked jokingly one day if they would like to play instruments and all three of them had agreed that they wanted to. They were given a list to choose instruments from along with descriptions so Harry chose the guitar, Lizzie chose the piano, and William chose the flute (he had chosen the first word that he saw on the list which had been for Harry and Lizzie but he seemed enthusiastic so James and Lily reluctantly agreed to let him try).

Mum had gotten in touch with a Muggle instructor for all three of them so here they were. Lizzie wasn't going to start learning until next year as she was still a little young, same for William but Harry was deemed old enough so here he was.

21 March 1987

Horse Riding Boot Camp, Aberdeenshire

Harry had to stop himself from jumping up and down in excitement. He had been learning how to horse-ride for almost a year now and this was the first time they had been allowed to do a proper race. He had raced against other students and came in the fifth position. While he wasn't in the top three, he did win from some students older than him which made him ridiculously happy since they had mocked him when he first started boot camp.

He wished Lizzie and William were with him as well but the minimum age the boot camp accepted people was seven years old. He couldn't wait until Lizzie and William were old enough to ride too!

He groomed his brown horse and led it towards the stables. He wished he could have his horse, though his parents had promised that if he kept up his good work, they would get him a horse by the time he went to Hogwarts.

4 April 1987

Grounds, Potter Manor

Harry trudged through the grounds of Potter Manor and angrily tugged at his watch. Most people would expect William to always take his side since they were brothers and whatnot but William was closer to Lizzie in age and therefore, would take her side. To be honest, Harry did not remember what he and Lizzie were fighting about, it was just another one of those petty squabbles between siblings.

He was not aware where he was going and soon found himself near the stone boundary wall. He looked back and saw the Manor at a distance. He sighed and turned around to make his way back before his Mum would worry. He was just about to move past the small forest when he noticed something in the middle of the trees. A snake. He didn't know how it got inside the wards but he supposed it wasn't really harmless. He was about to disregard it when he noticed it slithering forward, close to where he stood.

Harry froze in his spot and wondered what he should do. Should he call Mira and ask her to Apparate him back to the Manor or just run pell-mell away from the snake and tell his Dad. The choice was taken from him when the snake slithered even further.

"Stop!" Harry held his hand out in front of him as if to hold the snake off and to his astonishment, the snake stopped.

"A sspeakerr… I haveee never met thosssee beforeee."

Harry jolted in surprise. "I can hear you!" but the snake just cocked his head as if he couldn't understand anymore. Harry bit his lip when he remembered what he had read in a book about magical languages. Parseltongue was the language that was spoken to snakes. So, technically, he was a Parselmouth. He remembered that he had read that most Parselmouths were Dark wizards, best known examples were Salazar Slytherin and Voldemort. It scared him.

He twisted his head back to look at the Manor. The windows were twinkling with the light of the setting sun which was casting awestriking shadows on the stone wall. He looked back at the snake and backed up a few steps and when the snake just stared at him, he broke into a run towards the kitchen back door. He opened the door before he had stopped completely and skidded to a halt in the middle of the kitchen surprising Mum and Isabelle, the house-elf.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked Mum, a worry line in between her eyebrows. Harry just shook her head mutely which made her frown even more.

Lily instructed Isabelle to tell James that his wife was calling him before leading her son to the kitchen table and making him forcefully sit down. James entered the kitchen a few seconds later with William and Lizzie trailing behind him.

"What's the matter, Harry?" asked James worriedly. Lizzie looked at her brother's pale face and knew if it had been someone else she would have thought they were just being dramatic trying to win their parents favour in their squabble but she knew Harry wasn't like that. And it appeared William agreed with her because he was looking at Harry with worry too.

"I can speak Parseltongue," Harry blurted out suddenly.

James and Lily glanced at each other. They had thought there might be a consequence to Harry being hit with the Killing Curse but Parseltongue? Lily looked at Harry who was watching them worriedly as they were going to declare him Dark and decided that comforting him was the first on her to-do list.

James sat down lightly next to Harry. "So? It doesn't matter whether you can speak Parseltongue or not."

"I'm not Dark, am I?"

Lily sat down on Harry's other side and put her hand on his. "No, Harry. Nothing you do will make you Dark because you have a heart full of love. That's what matters, Harry. It doesn't matter whether you can talk to snakes or not."

"Is there any way I can remove this ability?" Harry asked, his eyes wide behind his silver round glasses.

James spoke up. "I don't think so, Harry." His heart twinged when Harry's face fell. "But you don't have to, kiddo. You're Harry Potter. Never feel bad about yourself. Even if you can talk to snakes. SO what that only Dark wizards can talk to snakes? You can break that tradition. Become the first non-Dark Parselmouth!"

"Love yourself, Harry," she looked around at her other two children. "This is for you both as well. Self-love is very important. Learn to love every part of yourself, and change only because you want to, not because someone else says so. If you want to shy away from Parseltongue then that's your decision, Harry, but don't do it because you think people are going to judge you. The only one whose opinion should matter to you is yourself and the ones who you love."

This struck a chord in Harry's heart. It was a piece of advice that Harry would never forget. It would help shape some important decisions of his life.

15 April 1987

Grounds, Potter Manor

"Where are we going, Dad?" asked Lizzie as she skipped along the stone path. Dad had brought them onto a secret outing where Mum wasn't invited for some reason. Lizzie was joined by her brothers who also didn't seem to have any idea of where they were going.

"You'll see." Dad replied, grinning mysteriously.

The stone path led them towards a small forest inside the Manor walls. Lizzie had always wondered about why this forest was here; it appeared that she would now find out. They were led into the forest and rather than a canopy of leaves that would block the sunlight, nettles and sticks they could trip on, the different species of trees were spaced wide apart with sunlight streaming in and Lizzie was surprised to realize all trees were an even distance from each other. There were signs in the ground next to each tree though Lizzie had no idea what it said.

Dad led them into a clearing which was surrounded by only a few trees. Lizzie peered at the sign near the roots of the closest tree. It read:

James Fleamont Potter

27 March 1960

Son of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter

"Dad, why is your name here?" asked Harry, proving that he was looking at what she was too.

James grinned at them. "Ah, noticed it, did you?" He led them to a bench that Lizzie hadn't noticed until now and made them all sit down before speaking again. "Every family have traditions. Some may seem normal sensible things while others may make no sense to an outsider. The House of Potter has many traditions; one of which is this." He waved his hand around the clearing, motioning to the evenly spaced trees.

"Uh, planting trees?" asked Lizzie sceptically. "How is this a tradition?"

James grinned again. "The first person to plant a tree was Adam Potter in the hopes that he could make our Earth a better place. After that, his children decided to plant a tree as well; then their children and so on and on. Every generation in the House of Potter has a tree here."

William looked around the clearing with wonder in his eyes. "Every Potter before us has planted a tree?"

James nodded. "Yes, it's your turn to plant your own tree now."

Lizzie watched with excitement as her Dad pulled a small bag from his pocket before enlarging it and setting it on the ground. From inside, he pulled out three small shovels, gardening gloves that Lizzie had watched her mother use often, a watering can, three wooden empty signs, and three potted saplings.

"I thought you said one tree for each generation?" asked Harry, confusion obvious in his voice.

"I wanted you three to decide yourself on an option. These saplings are of the holly tree, birch tree and the aspen tree." James responded.

"Cool!"

"Which one would you like?"

There were a few moments of arguments before all three children decided upon the holly tree which, according to James, was only the third holly tree in the clearing. One was planted by Hardwin Potter and his brothers, and the second by James' grandfather, Henry Potter and his brother, Charlus.

The three children were handed the shovels and shown to an area a few feet from James mahogany tree where there was a small 'X' marked in the ground. According to James, this had been marked by his father, Fleamont, for the generation after his son. It took the children about an hour to dig an appropriate hole in the ground. By the end of it, they were tired and sweaty (William, especially was complaining), but they all were excited, regardless.

James showed the kids how to take the holly tree out of the pot and plant it into the ground. Small hands worked carefully to make sure nothing happened to the sapling. After that, the shovels were in use again to cover the roots with soil and pat it down for a smooth texture.

"Wonderful!" praised James, clapping his hands together. "Now, the only thing left to do is to water it and plant your names."

Harry, Lizzie and William took turns with the watering can until it was drained entirely of water. James handed each child a sign to stick it into the ground; something the children did with great enthusiasm. Finally, James used his wand to carve names into each sign.

Harry James Potter

31 July 1980

Son of James and Lily Potter

Elisabeth Lilian Potter

17 August 1981

Daughter of James and Lily Potter

William Andrew Potter

3 June 1982

Son of James and Lily Potter

The children and their father stepped back to inspect their work. The sapling was tilting to the left a bit which was quickly fixed by James, but other than that, the Potter children had done a fantastic job, making all of them proud.

2 May 1987

Carrbridge, Scotland

"Where are we going?" asked Harry, sitting in the backseat of his father's car, with his godmother in the driving seat and his godfather in the passenger one, because, apparently, he was rubbish at driving. Alice Longbottom and Sirius Black smiled at each other, observing his excitement. One Sunday a month, Harry, Lizzie and William spent the day with Alice and Sirius, Marlene and Remus, Minnie and Frank respectively. It enabled stronger bonds between the children and their godparents and gave the parents much needed alone time.

Today, Harry wasn't told where they were going, but judging from the excited glances his godparents were sharing, it was probably somewhere exciting. They always came up with the best places to go. Like last time, they had gone to the 'British Museum', and before that, they had gone to Dunnottar Castle. Harry had enjoyed the outing even though he had been more interested in the surrounding sea and greenery than the castle itself.

While Harry loved going to interesting places like museums, he was still a child and wished that they would go somewhere fun this time. They had taken his dad's magical car to Carrbridge, making the almost three-hour journey only an hour long.

In response to his question, Sirius merely pointed out the window. Harry poked his head out of the window next to him and gaped at the sight before his eyes. He read the sign above the gates.

Landmark Forest Adventure Park.

Harry didn't resist his urge to squeal, making Alice and Sirius laugh at his excitement. The car was parked and the two adults led the over-excited child to the ticket stand. Minutes later, they were inside the big park.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Sirius.

"Uh, I don't know," answered Harry honestly. There were so many places he wanted to go to. Harry looked at the map of the park he held. There were so many places described on it. After several minutes of thinking, he decided upon the water slide. They got into the line which was long enough that they had to wait for nearly half an hour, which was like torture for the impatient seven-year-old.

They had a lot of fun and went onto a lot of rides including the roller coaster, a ride called the 'forest safari ride', as well as the runaway timber train. It was the most fun Harry had ever had.

It was nearing evening when they took a break from all the rides to have something to eat. Harry chose a simple hamburger and fries from the park's restaurant while Alice and Sirius chose butternut squash over white rice. The funniest moment had been when the woman serving them, had commented to Sirius that his wife was really beautiful and his son was adorable making the adults turn red and Harry burst out laughing. Even the woman, whose name was Samantha laughed when she was told of her mistake.

Later, as was the custom, Harry, Lizzie and William bragged about how much fun they had and turned the whole thing into a competition. It never failed to amuse the adults.

24 May 1987

Tonks' Cottage, Brighton

William, thankfully, did not land in a heap when going through the Floo. He was, by no means, graceful the way Harry was, but he didn't manage to fall; heaven knows how much Tonks would have teased him for it. He looked up to see his brother and sister had settled near Uncle Ted and he slowly made their way towards them, almost tripping over a coffee table.

Tonks, as she insisted that all of them call her, laughed. "This one takes after my own heart. Just as much a klutz as I was!"

Aunt Andy said without missing a beat from where she was standing in front of the stove. "You're still a klutz, dear. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise." Tonks laughed but didn't deny that her mother was right.

Lily and Marlene moved to help Andy in the kitchen while Ted, James, Sirius and Remus talked about Quidditch and politics. Tonks, with nothing else to do, decided to chaperone the kids while they played outside. Of course, it couldn't be called chaperoning when she participated in the water fight too and was the most enthusiastic. When Andy called them in for dinner and expressed her disapproval at their activities, none of the children, including her daughter, were able to tell her how they ended up having a water fight when they were simply playing tag.

For dinner, they ate Greek Lemon Chicken, which was the first time Andy had tried to make it, and Shephard's Pie. The food was very delicious and William couldn't help but take seconds, though he did ask politely instead of grabbing whatever he wanted as Ron Weasley did.

For dessert, they had Apple Rhubarb Crumble, which, while he didn't like it much, he did eat two helpings because it was just so tasty!

5 June 1987

Gloucestershire, England

Lily was thankful they had gotten James a driving licence. Ignoring the fact that James had gotten crazy after that and they had over five cars in their garage. But having a car that was illegally magically modified made the five-hour journey to her parent's house in Gloucestershire to just under two hours. They had just parked the car outside the gate when Lily froze.

"What is it, Lily?" asked James, worriedly.

Lily glanced in the back seat where her children were pretending not to listen before looking at James and saying in a low tone. "I should have known Petunia would choose this day to visit."

James glanced at the big silver car that was parked in front of them before kissing her on the temple and exiting the car. "There's nothing we can do, Lils. Let's just enjoy the time we can."

Lily got out of the car as well and she had to laugh when Lizzie and William tumbled out messily. Harry who got out normally, sniggered as well. The family of five moved inside the white gate and up the driveway before Lily rang the doorbell. The door was opened a mere second later and Lily prepared to hug her mother before realizing that it was actually her sister who opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" Petunia spat, glaring at not her, but James. They had a pretty civil relationship outside of anything related to magic and her husband and children were representations of that.

"We're here to visit Lily's parents," said James evenly. "That's not illegal, is it? Or are you the only one allowed to do it?" Lily elbowed him in the ribs even though her lips twitched.

Petunia flushed an unhealthy pink before leaving the door open and turning on her heel, disappeared inside the hallway. Lily ushered her confused kids forward before entering the modest house as James shut the door behind them.

"Lily! James!" Rosemary Evans appeared in the doorway which led to the living room and proceeded to give all of them big hugs. She crouched down next to William and tapped his nose. William giggled before tapping her nose as well. It was a kind of ritual they had.

"Go on, I think your granddad has chocolates for all of you," she said, winking at the kids who gave excited grins to each other before rushing towards the living room. Mum stood up though Lily noticed how much effort she had to apply to do so. James and Lily followed her mum to the living room where her dad, Vernon and Dudley were congregated. Dad was giving the children a bar of chocolate each while Dudley watched on jealously even though there was an empty chocolate wrapper in his hand.

"Thank you, Granddad!" chorused the kids, before moving onto a couch to sit down. Harry invited Dudley to sit next to them but he huffed and turned away. Harry looked at Lily with a confused expression and Lily didn't have the heart to tell him about what Petunia might have drilled into her son's head.

Dad and Mum didn't say anything. She and Petunia did their best to hide their broken relationship from their parents but occasionally, some evidence of it managed to reach their parents, like Dudley's attitude towards others. The atmosphere in the room was tense and awkward and Lily breathed a sigh of relief when her mum went into the kitchen. She jumped up to help her, realizing belatedly that Petunia had had the same idea. Nevertheless, it was too late to back out so she tried to ignore Petunia who was rambling about some of the gossip in her neighbourhood.

"What about you, Lily?" asked Mum, when Petunia had finally gone silent. "What about your neighbourhood? Any gossip for this old woman?"

Judging by the twist of Petunia's lips, she wanted to let loose a rude comment but refrained from doing so because of their mother being present. "Nothing really. There was a wedding in the village. Very cute couple; fresh out of college, I think. The charity closed the donation period yesterday so the food, clothes and other essentials are going to be distributed tomorrow. James and I are helping to distribute them.

Mum smiled at her. "That's nice, dear. It's good to see you and James donating for charity." Petunia huffed but didn't say anything. Lily knew she would sulk and mope around like she always did because she felt her mum's comment was an insult against her. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with not donating to charity!

Loud yelling distracted the trio of women who immediately went into the sitting room (though not without exchanging worried glances) to find Dudley with a squished chocolate in his hand facing off against Harry. Beside her brother was Lizzie, with a red face and clenched fists; William was standing in a corner, obviously frightened while James and Dad were hovering around the children trying to figure out what was wrong.

"It's hers, give it back!"

Vernon walked into the room, from, as Lily later found out, the loo with a look of confusion on his face a the ruckus.

"Enough!" Lily shouted and the kids finally shut up and turned to look at her. Lily gave her son one of her intimidating questioning looks who predictably averted his eyes before looking up again, with a defiant tilt to his chin; his expression was just so James that it made Lily pause for a second.

"What's going on here?" asked Mum.

"They tried to take my chocolate!" shouted Dudley before Harry had a chance to speak.

Petunia huffed. "Honestly, Lily! I should have known your children would be just like you-"

Lily ignored her, and, instead turned her gaze on James who shrugged in response. She looked at Harry and Lizzie again. "What happened?"

Dudley stomped his foot and said quickly, "I told you, this freak stole my chocolate!" He pointed towards Lizzie, not noticing the way his Aunt's face darkened in anger. Lily looked at Petunia whose refusal of eye contact and red cheeks told her everything.

"I didn't ask you," Lily said sharply, cutting into the boy's temper tantrum. Honestly, if her own children ever did this, they weren't going to see anything other than the inside of their bedroom for at least a week! "I asked my son and daughter."

Harry finally got a chance to speak. "Lizzie gave me her chocolate because she couldn't open it, and I was taking it from her when Dudley snatched it from me and said that it was his. I told him to give it back because it was my sister's and that he had already had one but he said he wanted to eat more and nothing would stop him!"

Vernon glared at Harry and Lizzie who shrunk back towards their father, intimidated by the ferocity of his glower. "Liars! My son would never do it—"

"Shut up," growled James. "My son and daughter are not liars and never have been. I trust them. And besides, your son had already eaten his chocolate when we came, and unless Andrew gave him another, which I did not see him do so, the chocolate is my daughter's so I am kindly requesting you to tell your son to give it back." His tone made it clear that this was not a request, but an order.

Petunia huffed. "Dudley, hand it back."

"But, Mum-"

"Dudley, I said, hand it back!" she snapped. "It's not like you need it anyway. We'll get you more on the way home." This seemed to appease the blonde-haired boy who handed the chocolate back to Lizzie, who upon seeing its condition, wrinkled her nose.

"It's all squished!" she cried mournfully and burrowed into her father's embrace. Lily pinched her nose. Just as William was offering her his own (he finally came out of the corner he had hidden in), Dad stepped in.

"Elisa, why don't you have this one?" He handed her a bar of fresh chocolate from his pocket making her grin in happiness. After seeing James' stern look, she quickly muttered a thank you, still beaming.

"That's not fair!" whined Dudley. "How come she gets another one and I don't?"

"Because you have already eaten one, whereas, Lizzie didn't." He replied pleasantly though there was a note of steel in his voice, something which Petunia noted immediately.

She gathered her son in her arms and grabbed her purse off the couch. "We're leaving, Mum. We'll come when they aren't here. Her children and mine don't get along."

20 December 1987

Ballroom, Malfoy Manor

"William, chin up. Elisabeth, back straight," said Lily sharply. Both kids did as requested while Harry smiled proudly that he was not breaking any etiquette. They were going to the Malfoy's Yule Ball and James still couldn't believe that the pompous arse had invited them. Though they were an influential family and James was quickly rising in the ranks of Aurors; there were hints of the Deputy Head Auror retiring and James taking his place (he refused to comment on it); it would have been kind of rude not to invite them.

Since they were going to a proper pureblood ball, they were required to act and dress accordingly. Seven-year-old Harry was wearing emerald green dress robes while Lizzie was wearing a white sleeveless dress and she looked adorable. William was wearing light blue dress robes the colour of his eyes. Lily was wearing a navy-blue gown and James was wearing elegantly cut black robes.

"Now, I want you to step into the fire and say 'Malfoy Manor', ok?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Mum, I know how to Floo," he said exasperatedly and James grinned. Harry took some Floo powder from the can in Lily's hands before throwing it into the fire and stepping into the flames. "Malfoy Manor!" he called out and was gone. Lizzie took some Floo powder too and stepped into the flames. This was her first time going alone in the Floo and she looked pale.

"James, maybe she should just come with us-"

James ruffled Lizzie's hair slightly making her giggle. "Will you show your dad how to do it? He doesn't know how to do it, you see and he would love it if you helped him out."

Lizzie giggled again. "You need to throw some Floo powder into the flames and step into them. Then you need to call out your destination loudly and clearly."

"Wow, that's so clever of you to figure it out, Elisabeth," said James. "Now, what is our destination?"

"Malfoy Manor!" she said, her giggles turned into a shriek as the flames spun around her. A second later, she was gone.

"James!" said Lil, scandalised. "What if she falls?"

"Don't worry. Harry will catch her." He gestured towards the fireplace and she threw him a look before holding William's hand in hers and following her son and daughter. James grinned at his house-elf Filbert who was standing in the corner and disappeared into the flames as well.

He stepped out of the flames gracefully to see his family waiting for him. They followed him over to where Lucius, Narcissa and Draco were standing. He bowed to them and kissed Narcissa's hand, "Merry meet. Thank you for inviting us, Lord Malfoy,"

Lucius' lips curled up slightly as if hiding a sneer. "The pleasure is ours, Lord Potter. Please make your way inside," Lily curtsied to Lucius and Narcissa as Harry stepped up to Lucius. "Merry meet, Lord Malfoy," he said, bowing slightly. James had to marvel at Harry's grace, he had never been that graceful at that age.

"Merry meet, Heir Potter, " replied Lucius.

Harry kissed Narcissa's hand and repeated his greeting. "Merry meet, Heir Potter," she said, with a small smile. Draco stepped forward.

"Merry meet, Harry," he said, bowing slightly.

"Merry meet, Draco," Harry replied.

Lizzie then stepped forward and bowed to Lucius and Narcissa before greeting Draco. She stumbled but recovered quickly. William bowed as well though he was the least graceful, which was expected since he was five. It was with relief that the family moved to the ballroom in search of Sirius. Sirius was standing in the corner with a drink in hand, clearly waiting for them.

"James! Lily!" he hugged both of them before ruffling Harry's, William's and Lizzie's hair. "Hello, Prongslet! Lilibet! Bill! Come give me a hug,"

William shook her head. "No, Uncle Siri," he said in a stage whisper. "We aren't allowed to hug you here,"

Sirius shook his head in mock-despair making Harry laugh. "Look, James. Your wife has corrupted them. What is the next generation coming to?" he asked dramatically.

James laughed as Lily smacked Sirius' arm. " Oh, hush. It's your best friend's fault anyway. He's the one who told me such informal gestures were unacceptable," she sniffed.

When Sirius turned towards James, he raised his hands in surrender. "Not my fault, Padfoot. Not my fault. That's what Dad told me, remember?"

Sirius put his nose in the air. "I'll be talking with Fleamont soon. He seems to be getting too traditional in his old age,"

James stifled his laugh as the family moved to the table assigned to the Potter Family.

Harry sighed in relief. He had just finished dancing with his sister and his toes were aching. It also didn't help that Lizzie seemed to love dancing and was still on the dance floor. Harry watched her twirl with Neville and William dancing with Victoria and wished that Ron was here. Apparently, the Weasley family was a blood-traitor family with no respect for purebloods. He had seen Neville and Victoria and they had talked for a bit but he had to go back to the Longbottom table.

"Heir Potter." Harry turned around to see Draco standing behind him.

Harry inclined his head like he had been taught to. "Heir Malfoy."

Draco sat down beside him without an invitation and Harry turned his gaze back to the dance floor. "Don't you like to dance?" asked Draco, his gaze on him.

"I have been dancing long before this, I thought I'd sit and rest for a bit." said Harry vaguely. Draco hummed in agreement.

"Harry! Your mother's calling you," Harry turned his head to see his godmother and Neville's mother, Alice Longbottom standing before him. "Yes, Aunt Alice. Merry part, Draco," he said, standing up.

"Merry part, Harry,"

Author's Notes: The signs that are placed at the bottom of the trees are coming out wrong. I write the name, dates and parents only one line below each other and in italic but they end up the way they are whenever I save the document. I have no idea whats going on and I feel like tearing my hair out in frustration with the number of times I have tried to fix it. Sorry, but nothings working so if you want the correct version then you can check my AO3 or siye account. The links are at the bottom of my profile.

I know the language lessons were a bit unclear but I have never learned a new language so I didnt know how to write about it.

I am very aware that this is not what Landmark Forest Adventure Park is in real life, but I have never been to Scotland, thus, I have no idea what it is like in real life. I researched what I could, but I made some things on my own. If you have a problem with that, then, I am sincerely sorry but there is nothing I can do to fix it.

Some might say that Dudley's attitude was too horrible for a seven-year-old but stop for a moment and think about it. He has been spoiled his whole life, always getting whatever he wanted and never having to ask for anything. He has met his cousins before but never in his grandparent's house. I doubt it would have gotten into his head that they are his cousins' grandparents too. Seeing them in familiar territory, especially when Petunia vilifies her sister in front of him, would have made him angry and jealous. He wanted more than one chocolate and he was always told he could get whatever he wanted so there you go.

I got a review saying that Cornelius Fudge should not have become Minister because he is just a lowly Ministry worker now and doesn't have Malfoy's support but I am sorry to tell you that that is wrong. No one at this point knows that Death Eaters are marked by the Dark Mark on their forearms and very select people know as the Order and GB. With Dumbledore's support had dwindled after the fiasco with James and Lily's deaths, no one would have believed him. Malfoy is still a strong Wizengamot member and just a reminder, Cornelius Fudge was not included in the mystery of Sirius Black's arrest, Millicent Bagnold, Crouch Sr and Dumbledore were, and even if he was, it wasn't obvious and no one found out. So yes, he does have support.