Chapter 1—An Incongruous Beginning

At the new table, in the new kitchen, in the new house, the Smith family was eating breakfast on a perfectly normal Sunday morning. Weekend breakfasts were the best, as far as the kids were concerned, because that was when their mother actually made breakfast. Eggs, bacon, tomatoes, juice, bagels, lox, and plenty of cream cheese were spread out over the table.

The Smiths were a perfectly normal family: a mom, a dad, two boys, one girl, and no pets. Mr. Smith was a history teacher, sometimes teaching in a high school and other times teaching in a college; the most remarkable thing about him was his name (Alexander Hamilton).

Mrs. Elizabeth Smith was a happy wife and mother, perpetually in the process of writing a novel. Sometimes months would go by without a single word written, and then the children would come home to see their mother busily typing away. Besides writing, she also kept busy by volunteering and working on the PTA for whatever school the children attended.

The children, Daniel, Diana, and Rob Smith, were likewise normal teenagers. The twins, Daniel and Diana, were fifteen, and Rob was a shy boy of eleven. Daniel and Diana looked like their mother with brown hair, while Rob looked like their father with the same sandy hair, gray eyes, and quiet expression.

"Kids," Lizzie Smith said suddenly over breakfast, "you have to get those rooms cleaned up before school starts. I am not going to let you start school with unpacked boxes everywhere."

"But what about you?" Daniel argued. "There're boxes everywhere in the house. This morning you had to dig through three just to find the frying pan."

"Touché," Alex Smith said from behind his New York Times.

Daniel smiled, please with himself.

Lizzie smiled back. "All right then. Since I planned on spending today unpacking, why don't we all do that? If we work together, the house can be put together by dinnertime, and then I won't have to dig through any boxes for that."

Alex dropped his paper. It landed on top of his bagel, on which was piled cream cheese and tomato. "What? But I don't want to clean! There's a documentary that I wanted to watch about Ancient Egypt." He sounded as young as Rob.

Lizzie shook her head. "Now Alex, our son did make an excellent point. Why should the kids have to unpack if we don't?"

Alex picked up his paper, oblivious to the cream cheese and tomato seeds which were now smeared on the back. "I think the point was that none of us should unpack today," he grumbled.

Lizzie pretended to ignore him. "So come on troops; hop to it."

They all stared at her.

"We can go out tonight, if you get all your work done in time."

Still no response.

"A movie?"

Nothing.

"How about the joy of not being grounded for the first month of school?"

Daniel and Diana exchanged a quick look, and scampered to their rooms, followed closely by Rob.

*****

By noon Diana longed for all of her things to magically unpack themselves, like in Mary Poppins, or at least for a slave to do the work for her. Gone were the days when she and Daniel could get Rob to fill that position. He might be little for eleven, but he wasn't a fool.

Bored, she turned on her computer and logged onto her online diary.

Artemis_Star

August 19

This morning Mom went on an unpacking spree and made us too. That's right: we've moved yet again. Sometimes I wonder if we're secretly in the witness protection program. I'd make sense if Mom and Dad weren't so dull.

School should be exciting. Mom and Dad got us into a really nice one with plenty of science courses for me and history courses for Daniel. Rob will be starting middle school, and frankly I'm worried about him. He's such a shy little kid. I don't know if he can handle it.

It'll be my birthday soon, and I'm very excited. Mom already gave me a present although she assured me that it's not the only one. While we were moving, she found an old necklace that her grandmother gave her when she was a little girl. It's really beautiful, but I think it's giving me nightmares. I had the weirdest dream about running through a dark old castle, chasing someone. Ghosts popped up, but I wasn't the least bit surprised. At last I ran into a group of people, and they were all wearing weird robes like the ones I wear for Halloween. (In case you've forgotten, I am always a goddess/witch/sorceress.) I ran up to them, knowing that there was something of the utmost importance to tell them…

And then I woke up. Oddly enough it was with the word Hogwarts burned into my mind. Whatever that is.

Argh. Weird dreams.

Oops. Better get off. Mom'll get mad if she knows I'm already plugged into the internet. As always, sign my Guestbook, and you'll get a cookie.

*****

"I found them."

"Really? Where? How? Are they okay?"

"Calm down. Yes, they're fine. I found them through the girl; she's got something up on the spider-thing."

"The internet."

"Right, that. I'm having some wizards trace her computer as we speak."

"But they're okay, right?"

"She sounds like they're fine."

"Fine. After all these years."

"Yes. I can't believe we actually found them. So now what?"

"What do you mean? Now I get them back."

*****

Diana didn't get back to her computer until they were almost ready to leave for dinner. Quickly she logged on to check her guestbook for messages from her old friends back in Minneapolis. When she opened it, though, she only found one cryptic and frightening message. It read:

Hello Diana. I know what it is you are looking for. I know who you really are. You are a very special girl, and I have been looking for you and your brother for a long time. Do not be alarmed. I am working for your father.

From Rweasley

"Diana!" Alex Smith yelled from the foot of the stairs. "Ready to go?"

Diana turned at the sound of her voice. Surely her father wouldn't be looking for her? He was right there. Rationally she told herself that it was probably some psycho trying to bother her.

"I'm coming Dad!"

Deep down, though, doubt and apprehension gnawed at her.

*****

Dinner was wonderful, and they talked and ate for quite a while. As a result, they didn't return home until very late.

"I can't believe it's so late," Lizzie murmured as they walked inside. She leaned against Alex who obediently half dragged her up the steps.

Rob yawned loudly and shuffled along. Daniel took his brother's shoulders and steered him along the path.

It was Diana who was the first one in. She unlocked the door and flipped on the lights, despite a nearly overwhelming sense of foreboding.

"Ah. I was wondering when you would get in," a voice said in the shadows. The Smiths turned in shock, and a tall gangly man with red hair dressed in navy blue robes stepped out into the light.

In contrast to the rest of the Smiths, Lizzie looked calm and resigned. "Hello Ron," she said. "I suppose Harry's here too."

A shorter figure with messy black hair emerged out of thin air, carefully folding a silvery cloak. He wore dark green robes and a cold expression.

"I'm here."

"What are you doing here, Harry?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for my children."

"They aren't your children. They're mine. Mine and Alex's. I gave birth to them, and he was right at my side. Where were you?"

"You ran away from me!" the man called Harry bellowed. "Don't try to make this my fault. We all know that you're the one who got unhappy, and you checked out, and you took my children."

"And did you ever wonder why I was unhappy, Harry? Did you ever consider what you could do or could have done to keep me from leaving?"

"Of course I did. I loved you. I loved you more than—"

"Don't!" Lizzie snapped. "Don't make any lies or twist the truth to best suit you. You didn't love me. Well, maybe a little, but not nearly as much as you loved your precious Hermione. Tell me Ron, does he still pine after her? Do you still engage in your fun little parties?"

The man called Ron blushed. "No. We're all grown-ups now."

"Good. Look Harry, as much as I like this trip down memory lane—"

Daniel suddenly jumped in front of Harry holding his titanium baseball bat. "Who are you? Get out of here, and leave us alone."

Harry looked sadly at him. Then he turned to Lizzie. "Do you see what you've done? My own son doesn't know me."

"He's not your son! He's mine and Alex's! We've raised him, we've taken care of him, and we've been there every step of the way."

"He's my blood. You of all people should understand that."

"That doesn't matter. Blood doesn't automatically provide a powerful bond."

Daniel took a step forward. "I'm warning you—" he began, but Harry lazily cut him off.

With a flick of his wrist, and the wand lying concealed in his right hand, the bat flew out of Daniel's grasp. He stared after it in shock. "What the hell was that?"

"I can't believe it. My son, the heir to the most powerful wizarding lines in England doesn't even recognize magic," he said to Lizzie. To Daniel he said, "My name is Harry Potter, and I am your father."

Lizzie snorted. "Oh, don't act like that's because of you. Your family may be old, but mine is the one with the ties."

At that point, Alex, who up until then had been silent, stood with his own wand pointed directly at Harry. "You heard my wife, Mr. Potter. Now get out of my house, and leave my family alone."

Harry smiled lightly. "I don't think you are in any position to make demands, Mr. Smith. I am here to get what is rightfully mine, and to right certain wrongs." He gave a slight nod of his head, and instantly another wizard revealed himself. The silver-haired man in silver robes exclaimed, "Expelliarmus," and Alex went flying against the wall, his wand flying from his hand. Ron took that moment to point his wand at Lizzie and exclaim, "Stupefy!" She fell to the floor unconscious.

The three children looked at each other nervously. Rob's lower lip trembled.

Suddenly, on an unseen signal, all three of them tore off in different directions. Behind them Harry shouted, "You will not harm my children in any way! Or the other one," he added as an afterthought.

When the kids dashed off, Diana headed for the front door to get some help. She was barely out the front door, though, when she felt her entire body go rigid. She struggled to twist in mid-air to see the silver-haired wizard levitating her body back to the living room.

Daniel tore through the backyard, his mind focused only on getting something so he could fight back. Suddenly, he felt his legs go rigid, and he fell stiffly to the ground. Harry came up and levitated him back into the living room.

Rob leapt up the stairs with Ron close on his heels. After turning a corner and diving into a hidden space in his closet, he was able to lose him. Finally though, Ron exclaimed "Accio Rob," and Rob flew through the air to join his siblings on the couch.

"Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions—" Harry began, but Daniel interrupted him.

"Yeah. Who are you, and when are you leaving?"

"As I said before, I am your father."

"Nice, Vader. Who are you really?" Daniel said.

"Just shut up and listen, kid," Draco said. "Your mother used to be married to Potter here. She left him while she was pregnant with you and your sister to be with that Smith guy."

"So? What's the big deal?"

"Yeah, and how did you make stuff fly?" Rob interrupted.

"That was magic," Harry said. "You children have very powerful magic. All of you."

"But magic isn't real," Diana said.

"Of course it is. Haven't you ever done anything strange that you can't explain?" Harry asked, remembering Hagrid's words to him years earlier.

"No," Daniel said. "We're just regular kids."

That surprised Harry, but he plunged on anyway. "Well, regardless, you kids need to be enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry immediately."

Diana looked surprised by that name. Just out of my dream, she thought.

"Where is it?" Rob asked curiously.

"England," Harry said.

"What? We can't go to England. We're Americans," Daniel protested.

"No, you're British wizards, and you will be raised as such. I am Minister of Magic of Britain. Now that I've found you, I'm not going to let you go. Do you know how hard I've been searching for you?"

"Obviously not hard enough if you only just found us," Diana said.

"What about Mom and Dad?" Rob asked. "Where did they go?"

Harry and Ron exchanged a look. "We had to arrest them," Harry finally said. "For kidnapping."

Rob began to cry softly. Diana put her arm around her brother. Daniel glared at Harry and Ron.

There was a long awkward silence, which Ron finally broke by saying, "Look, it's been a long day. Why don't we call it a night? We'll take you back to my house. Hermione and Lily won't mind. You can get some sleep there, and we'll finish this in the morning."

"Why can't we stay here?" Daniel argued.

"A team from the ministry has to come and collect evidence for the trial," Ron explained.

Daniel glared at Ron and Harry again, sitting stubbornly on the couch as if daring them to make him move. Diana wanted to join him, but she was too tired and overwhelmed. She took Rob's arms and pulled him up.

"Come on Rob, let's go with them and get some sleep."

"I duwanna," Rob said, half-asleep already.

Harry moved to carry him, but Diana turned away and finally offered him to Ron, who easily picked him up. "Don't worry. We'll be home in no time."

Ron took his wand and waved it, creating a disperse Apparation field. In an instant, the group found themselves in Ron and Hermione's posh home in London.

Quickly, beds were made and arranged, and Diana found herself tucked into a soft bed wearing a borrowed nightgown. Too tired to protest, she soon fell into a deep sleep. Her last thoughts before unconsciousness were Please let everything be okay. Just let everything be okay.