'Harry, its time to get up, you'll be late!' a gentle, but distant voice called from somewhere.

'Just a few more minutes,' Harry mumbled into his pillow. He wondered why aunt Petunia was being so nice… what was wrong with her voice? It was different.

A while later there was another voice. A different one.

'Harry! Come one you lazy gi...er, boy. Yes, Lilly - I really did mean boy. Er… no, last I heard Prongs had passed out in the garage. Hey - Moony you wimp. Hit me with your fist not that damn - er - er… cursed encyclopaedia. Go take Lily to make breakfast - now.'

'I made breakfast!'

'Padfoot considerately doesn't want us to go hungry. It seems he's now eating both for a dog and human.'

There was fond tenderness in that familiar voice...

Another teasing sigh. 'I better go whip up dearest Padfoot some dog food then. Remus, care to join me?'

Harry had pulled his covered tightly over his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Remus and Sirius. And… Lilly?

'Harry c'mon!' Sirius's voice broke through. 'I had Wormtail working on that charm to get Prongs out the garage, but it seems your dad really was in a mood that night.' Sirius laughed loudly. 'Wormtail's got his wand stuck in the key hole, now.'

'You're dead...' Harry whispered. 'You're all dead...'

The covered were ripped away from him and Harry rolled onto his back.

Sirius Black was clearly not dead.

Harry stared. There were no deep ragged line etched too far into his once-wasted face. His pale blue eyes were alive and dancing his long hair swung as he held the blanket above his head.

Sirius cocked his head to one side like a dog, noticing the odd look Harry was giving him.

'What's wrong? You have a nightmare or somethin'?'

Harry shook his head, and threw himself on Sirius into a hug. 'I thought you were dead!'

'Jesus, Harry,' Sirius grinned, still managing to stand as the skinny boy threw himself on the man. 'That must have been one hell of a nightmare.'

'No!' said Harry pulling back. 'Lupin said you were!'

'MOONY!'

They waited.

Lupin appeared in the doorway. Harry goggled. Lupin too, looked about ten years younger. His soft brown hair was still streaked with delicate silver, but their weren't so many lines on his face.

'Padfoot? Ah, Harry. You're up.'

'Have you been telling this kid I'm dead?'

Lupin smiled and his amber eyes lit up. 'Why would I tell Harry you were dead?'

Sirius stared at him blankly. 'I don't know…'

Lupin strode over next to Sirius and they stood over Harry's bed, still duvet-less thanks to Sirius who was clutching it protectively.

Harry was glad he never slept naked. Harry froze. Where had he slept? This room was littered with clothes - that were definitely not his. His clothes were large and washed out. These clothes… weren't.

'You look a bit disoriented from being woken… like that.' He shot a pointed look at Sirius and pinched his arm. 'We'll leave you to change. You trunk's down stairs. You left your wand downstairs last night. Have you packed everything?'

'Where am I going?'

Sirius snorted. 'Hogwarts!'

***

Harry stumbled out of bed, and into an unfamiliar hallway. He fingered the delicate picture frames on the wall with curiosity.

This picture featured him - would you believe - at about seven years of age with an oversized helmet on his head stationed on a motorbike. Sirius and Lupin were lounging together in the background on a lush stretch of grass, looking more than comfortable with each other and James looking very good in his own biker robes, holding Harry in position while each swayed from side to side.

'New Hogwart's uniform, huh kid?'

'You!'

It was his father. (His dead father). Almost the exact same voice imprinted on his mind from Snape's memory.

Harry threw his arms around the older, but still very alike image of himself. And then jumped back when he touched solid flesh and bone.

'YOU'RE REAL!'

James looked pretty haggard, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he was still very much alive. He smiled crookedly.

'Have you been eating Padfoot's cooking?'

Before Harry could reply, Wormtail came panting up. Hatred filled Harry's face.

James didn't notice. He turned around and smirked at the little fat man.

'Prongs!' he puffed. 'Please… my… wand…! Back - please!'

'What wand?'

'My wand!'

Harry stormed off with rage. He didn't know what was going on, but people didn't seem to hate Wormtail.

After having walked into the exact same bathroom seven time through different doors, got stuck in a trick stair and almost succumbed to death-by-curtains, Harry looked almost as haggard as his father.

The kitchen was alive with life. Lilly was at the stove, Remus and Sirius were arguing, wands raised from opposite sides of the table while a gleaming fried egg was hovering in the air between them.

A snowy white owl fluttered to his shoulder.

'Hedwig?'

Of all the things different in Harry's life, he was surprised he still had her.

A squelching sound caught his attention.

Lilly had gotten fed up with Sirius's and Remus's 'childish antics' and had used her own wand to smash the egg into the wall.

'You're all to fat anyway,' Lilly said. 'Harry's the one who really needs feeding. You look just like your dad,' she frowned. 'Always doing everything with your food your not supposed to.'

'Sirius stole that potato last night,' Lupin volunteered.

'I DID NOT!'

Lupin chuckled. 'Harry could die from malnutrition Padfoot, and all you care about is minor technicalities? I thought we raised you better than that!'

'I didn't, Lilly,' Sirius was insisting, his eyes were wide and earnest. 'It was Wormtail! I SWEAR! He's so damn greedy I'm surprised he wasn't a freaking pig instead of a rat.'

'Sirius,' Lilly smiled. 'Sentences can be as effective without cussing.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Sirius muttered under his breath as if he'd heard it all before. And for all Harry knew, he probably had.

'And you're having one less meatball tonight to make it fair.'

'YOU CAN'T COMPARE A MEATBALL TO A POTATO!' yelled Sirius in outrage.

'Yeah,' Lupin nodded. 'Meatballs are nicer. I'll be having lots tonight.'

'You two have lots every night,' said Lilly briskly. 'You're welcome to try and cook yourself.'

They all laughed as if this was some big joke. Probably is.

'But Harry won't even get the meatball!'

'Yeah,' Lupin snickered. 'We'll have to send it by post. You don't know what Hogwart's is feeding them these days. '

'House elf á la mode!' and they all laughed again.

'Dumbledore fricassé!'

***

Sirius took Harry on the back of his notorious flying motor, while the rest wished Harry off at the house James had fixed himself up before Lilly saw him and was smiling a broad smile and waving Harry off too.

Though Harry knew he'd never been on Sirius's flying motor bike, he couldn't forget a dream he'd had when he was younger. A recurring dream that Uncle Vernon had never delighted in hearing.

'SIRIUS!'

'WHAT?'

'DO YOU KNOW MY UNLCE VERNON?'

'YOU'RE WHAT?'

'UNLCE VERNON!'

'YOUR VERNON?'

Harry hoped Sirius was not being particularly difficult.

'Sirius,' said Harry once again when the roaring had stopped and they we're at the Kings Cross Station.

'Hold on a sec,' Sirius used the summoning charm on a trolley about to be seized by a muggle. They shot him dirty looks full of masked confusion and he waved pleasantly at them.

'Yeah, what?'

Harry walked behind as Sirius pushed the trolley.

'Do you know un… - anyone - called - called Vernon?'

The muggle started to come up in boils.

'Uncle Vernon? What about him?'

'You know him?'

'Of course I know him, Harry.' Sirius gave him another look. 'The stingy rat threw out my helmet when I left it there. He paid dearly.'

'Why'd you leave you're helmet there?'

'Are you OK, Harry? We put a semi-permanent sticking charm on it. I had to have told you about it at least a hundred times.

'Oh,' said Harry. 'Oh.'

***

When Sirius and Harry had passed through the barrier, everything looked as it should be.

'Sirius,' said Harry wearily, phrasing his question carefully. 'Would you say my friends like me?'

'Bloody hell, Harry! Why wouldn't they like you? Did you and Parvati have an argument?'

'Parvati?' Harry asked. 'What's so special about her?'

Sirius choked on his own tongue.

'Three years, Harry! I barely went three days without someone new - well, until Moony, I mean.' He smiled sheepishly.

'You and Professor Lupin are… are… you know.'

Sirius gave him a look once again. 'We're together. Yeah. Didn't we tell you…? I'm sure we did.'

'No, no,' said Harry briskly. 'I just forgot. So - do you like Parvati, then? Is she nice? - In your… er, opinion, I mean.'

Sirius's eyebrows snaked up. 'I don't think she's as nice as Ron does.'

'RON?'

'Shit Harry! Didn't you know he had the hots for her?! Bloody hell! I mean - I thought it was obvious…'

'But,' said Harry faintly. 'I thought... I though he liked Hermione! You do know Hermione?'

'Harry they've been broken up for AGES! Don't you guys talk anymore?'

'Oh, right,' said Harry dizzily.

'Are you sure you're-'

'Sirius! Who killed... Vol... You-know-who?'

'Who? - Just kidding.'

'WHO?!'

Sirius's eyebrows flew even high. 'And this isn't some sort of pop quiz you forgot to complete?'

'NO!'

'Neville Longbottom,' he said quizzically. 'The Boy Who Lived.'

Sirius shot him yet another look, and was about to ask him of his welfare again, but he'd barely opened his mouth. His eyes narrowed and his hand gripped his wand.

'POTTER! What the hell is going on?!' Never had that voice given Harry so much hope.

Harry spun around to see a very familiar boy stomping towards him. Did Malfoy mean what he though he meant? Did he realise what a nasty trick was being played on his life? The glitch in time, you could say. Or reality.

'MALFOY!' Harry screamed with joy. He leapt the remaining distance and threw his arms around the boy.

Malfoy patted him awkwardly, obviously enjoying the familiarity of Harry before he came to his senses. Malfoy threw Harry off with a snort of disgust.

Sirius seemed to have wandered off. He was no where in sight.

'Get out of it Potter!' he hissed under his breath, glancing around. Relief sparked his face when everyone was too absorbed in crying siblings and farewells.

'Sorry,' said Harry breathlessly. He was still smiling. 'I - uh - so its really you? The real Malfoy, I mean?' Harry's held his breath.

'I bloody hope so! Who do you think it is? Pansy? Do we still have the famous Harry Potter with us?'

'Not famous.' Harry shook his head grimly. 'Now it's Neville Longbottom - the boy who lived.'

'You have got to be fucking with me!' Malfoy snorted. 'That little runt? You're - ah... not lying then?'

'No,' said Harry glumly. 'Do you have anything to do with this?''

Once again Malfoy's temper flared.

'Potter!' he hissed leaning in an under tone. He leant close to Harry's ear so he could almost raise his voice without being heard. 'I'm living with God damn muggles and hundreds of bleeding dogs, Potter! MUGGLES! Filthy disgusting creatures - who - who. Who LOVE me! They fucking LOVE me Potter! My name isn't even MALFOY!'

Harry smiled. This seemed to infuriate Malfoy. 'What the fuck are you smiling about, Potter?! My life's in ruins and I don't even have the Malfoy NAME! Draco fucking DURSLEY would you believe! HAH!'

*~*~*~*

Well, I thought that was a nice ending to chapter one, anyway. I think I'm starting to get obsessed with Harry/Draco ships. Hmmm. Well, reviews appreciated, thanks.