A Second Chance
Chapter 4 – The Department of Mysteries.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, and Harry Potter to J.K. Rowling. I don't own anything.
TIMELINE: AU. Set ten years before (Around 1988) "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone", during and after Harry Potter book 5, "Order of the Phoenix"(2003). During and after BTVS season 7, "Chosen". Pretend HP book one happened in 1999 during Buffy season three )
SUMMARY: BTVS/HP crossover. After James and Lily reappears, seemingly alive and well, mysterious things start to happen. New allies are made, prophecies revealed...and people keep rising from the dead. What's going on? And what has Voldemort got to do with it? Are the Scoobies and the Potter's second chance at life enough to stop the Dark Lord from spreading darkness across the country? Or is the world in need of more miracles?
PAIRINGS: Too many to count.
Thanks to my beta: Charmed Chick
A/N: This chapter will mostly follow the end of HP & the OOTP with some changes. I.e: The way I think it would have played out in case Lily and James were present.
Dumbledore was at a loss for words.
"How...Lily, James...what?"
"Close your mouth, Dumbledore – it's not proper leaving it open like that," James said, clearly amused.
"This is...how?"
"We have no idea. First, we were killed, and the next thing we know is waking up at a muggle-hospital in Los Angeleswith the Vampire Slayer...s, and finds out we've been gone for almost sixteen years." Lily said. "It's kind of shocking."
"The...Vampire Slayers? I thought it could only be one of them?" Dumbledore said, finally closing his mouth.
"Long story, one we don't have time to tell right now..." Lily said, before biting her lip. "Did Harry survive?" She asked quietly.
"Yes, I was just about to leave for him," Dumbledore said, smiling, as he saw James and Lily's relieved faces.
"What did he do?" James asked, smirking. "Has he gotten himself into trouble like his father? I knew some of the marauder-genes must have been passed on!" He sounded proud.
Dumbledore gave the couple a grave look.
"He's right now at the Department of Mysteries on a rescue mission for Sirius, who doesn't need to be saved: It is all a setup from Voldemort."He sighed."I'm afraid that Harry's in his hands..."
"What!"
"How did that happen?"
" - I would very much love to tell you what has happened to Harry during your...years of absence," Dumbledore interrupted."But now, we have a more important matter at our hands. I assume you want to come along?"
"Yes!" James had already stepped up to the portkey Dumbledore had been about to use when they arrived.
"James...do you have your wand?" Dumbledore said, sounding amused.
"What? Oh..." James said, as comprehension dawned on him.
Dumbledore smiled, and went towards his desk drawer, where he picked up two wands, and gave them to the Potters.
"They were given to me for safe-keeping."
"Then, let's go."
James and Lily felta familiar tug in their navelsas the portkey dragged them away from Hogwarts.
"Harry, I'b sorry!" Cried Neville, his face anguished as his legs continued to flounder.
"I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do – "
"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted. "Just try and stand, let's get out of – "
"Dubbledore!" said Neville, his sweaty face suddenly transported, staring over Harry's shoulder.
"What?"
"DUBBLEDORE!"
Harry turned to look where Neville was staring. Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious. Behind him stood two other people, but Harry didn't pay them any attention – Dumbledore was here. He felt a kind of electric charge surge through every particle of his body – they were saved.
Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry, who had no more thoughts of leaving. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realised he was there and yelled to the others. One of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line –
Only one pair was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrivals. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's yet of red light: He was laughing at her.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" He yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.
Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards...
"Come on, you can do better than that!"Sirius yelled to his cousin whosneered at him andshot of a second spell. It hit him straight in the chest.Sirius' eyes widened in shock, and suddenly, he was falling...
'Is this the end?' he thought.
Then he noticed a shadow moving, coming towards him from the side.
'Harry?'
A hand reached down and grabbed him, hard, to keep him from falling.
Sirius eyes widened even more.
"James?" He whispered, not daring to believe it.
'Okay, I'm definitely dying, because now I'm hallucinating.'
The man in front of him gave him a painful smile.
"Padfoot, you don't think you could at least TRY to get up? You're quite heavy."
"Huh?" 'Am I not hallucinating?'
Siriusnoticed another shadow behind the man that looked exacrtly like his childhood friend. Bellatrix had raised her wand in fury.
Sirius tried to scream a warning, but it was too late.
"AVADA KED - umph!" Another person had come out of nowhere and tackled Bellatrix to the ground.
"Hello, Bella. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Lily said cheerily, smiling.
"Why don't we just start the fighting and get it over with, because I don't have time for small talk.
When you suddenly wake up and realise you've lost more than fifteen years of your life, the phrase 'time is precious' gets a completely new meaning."
"Lily?" Sirius whispered.
"Yes, that's her." James said impatiently."Could you please stop rambling and get up, before I strain a muscle?"
"What? Oh." James smiled, and started to drag Sirius up through the veil.
"YOU!" Bellatrix screamed with confusion and a mix between rage and - was it fear? - at Lily.
"You're dead!"
"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty." Lily said, shrugging, before openly smirking at her opponent."Which is more than I can say for you".
Bellatrix looked at Lily furiously, before shooting of a curse, which Lily easily dodged.
Harry saw his Godfather fall, and called his name, in shock and sadness, as he rushed down towards the veil, even though a part of him knew it probably was too late.
"Sirius!" He yelled. "Sirius!" Then he noticed a figure running towards the veil, grabbing Sirius' hand, keeping him from falling. Harry had almost reached the floor now, his breath coming in searing gasps.
As he reached the ground, Lupin grabbed Harry's shoulder. They watched the scene in front of them, neither of them trusting their eyes.
"James?" Remus whispered. He and Harry watched as the man gave Sirus a wry smile, and said something. Behind them, Bellatrix raised her wand. Both Remus and Harry opened their mouths to scream out a warning, but Bellatrix had already started to yell the killing curse.
"AVADA KED - umph!" Harry and Remus saw how someone tackled Bellatrix to the ground from the side...someone with very red hair.
"Mum?" Harry whispered. Remus couldonly stare. This was impossible! How?
"Hello, Bella. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" They heard Lily say cheerily, smiling. This time, everyonein theroom stopped their fighting andturned to listen.
Neville's eyes was widened in shock,just gawking...And a bit away from him,the Death Eaters, who were now grouped together by invisible ropes, were staring at the redhead that had seemingly showed up out of nowhere. What kind of magic was this?
Mad-Eye Moody, who had crawled across the room towards Tonks to revive her, just stared from Sirius and James, to Lily and Bellatrix. His magical eye was spinning around, not seeming to know where to focus. Kingsley blinked stupidly towards Lily and Bellatrix, not knowing what to think.
"Why don't we just start the fighting and get it over with, because I don't have time for small talk.
When you suddenly wake up and realise you've lost more than fifteen years of your life, the phrase 'time is precious' gets a completely new meaning." They heard Lily say.
James had now started to drag Sirius up through the veil.
"YOU!" Bellatrix screamed. "You're dead!"
"I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you." Lily said, smirking.
Bellatrix gave Lily afurious glare,before shooting of a curse, which Lily dodged, and then the duelling started.
Harry could only watch in awe as he saw his mum fight with Bellatrix. Now he could see why everyone talked about his parents with such respect and proudness...
His mother really was a fine witch; even after only few seconds of her fighting with Bellatrix, Harry could see that. And he didn't doubt his father was just as good.
Remus pointed his wand at Neville's legs and mumbled 'finite', without moving his eyes away from the fight between Lily and Bellatrix. His mind was in confusion, but for now, he didn't really care enough to try and think logicallyso he couldsort his thoughts out. Lily and James were alive, and here, and that was all that mattered.
And if they only were an imagination built on hope in his mind, well, he didn't want to let go. The true marauders were finally reunited.
"Where are the others, Neville?" He asked, without turning around.
"Dey're all back dere," said Neville. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd – and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse – "
The next thing happened so fast that nobody had the time to register what had happened.
Somehow, Bellatrix had managed to hit Lily with a curse, propably the cruciatus, andthe redheadfell to the floor, shaking with pain. James ran quickly towards his wife, and kneeled down beside her, along with Sirius. Remus had also started to move forwards.
Bellatrix Lestrange now saw her chance to escape, as everyone was occupied; she turned tail and ran towards the exit. Suddenly,Dumbledore whipped around and aimed a spell at her but she deflected it; she was halfway up the steps now...
Harry didn't know why he did it.
He wanted to run forward towards his mother and father, but his feet seemed to have a will on their own. He was filled by a sudden anger towards the Death Eater that had almost killed his Godfather and had tortured the Longbottom's to the brink of insanity. Seeing her use the same curse on his mother was the final tip on the ice-berg. He quickly ran after the escaping Bellatrix, scrambling up the stone benches; people were shoutingto him - was that his father's voice? -but he did not care. He only had one thought in mind - to get to Bellatrix.
The hem of Bellatrix's robes whipped out of sight ahead and they were back in the room where the brains were swimming...Bellatrixaimed a curse over her shoulder, makingthe tank with the brainsrise into the air and tip. Harry was deluged in the foul-smelling potion within: The brains slipped and slid over him and began spinning their long coloured tentacles, but he quickly shouted 'Wingardium Leviosa!' and they flew off him up into the air.
Slipping and sliding, he ran on towards the door; he leapt over Luna, who was groaning on the floor, past Ginny, who said; 'Harry – what - ?',past Ron, who giggled feebly, and Hermione, who was still unconscious. He wrenched open the door into the circular black hall and saw Bellatrix disappearing through a door on the other side of the room; beyond her was the corridor leading back to the lifts.
He ran, but she had slammed the door behind her and the walls were already rotating. Once more, he was surrounded by streaks of blue light from the whirling candelabra.
"Where's the exit?" He shouted desperately, as the wall rumbled to a halt again. "Where's the way out?"
The room seemed to have been waiting for him to ask. The door right behind him flew open and the corridor towards the lifts stretched ahead of him, torch-lit and empty. He ran...
...He could hear a lift clattering ahead; he sprinted up the passageway, swung around the corner and slammed his fist on the button to call a second lift. It jangled and banged lower and lower; the grilles slid open and Harry dashed inside, now hammering the button marked 'Atrium.'
The door slid shut and he was rising...
He forced his way out of the lift before the grilles were fully open and looked around. Bellatrix was almost at the telephone lift at the other end of the hall, but she looked back as he sprinted towards her, and she aimed another spell at him. He quickly dodged behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren: The spell zoomed past him and hit the wrought-gold gates at the other end of the Atrium so that they rang like bells. There were no more footsteps. She had stopped running. He crouched behind the statues, listening.
"Come out, come out, little Harry!"Bellatrix called mockingly. Her voice echoed off the polished wooden floors. "Just give me the prophecy!"
Harry flung himself out from behind the fountain.
"Stupefy!" He screamed, but the spell missed Bellatrix with a few centimetres. Harry dodged behind the golden-fountain again.Bellatrix' counter-spell hit the head of the handsome wizard, which was blown off and landed twenty feet way, gouging long scratches into the wooden floor.
"Stop play hide and seek, Harry. You can't win." Harry was edging around the fountain on the other side whenBellatrix sent off a cruciatus cirse towards him, and he was forced to duck down again as the centaur's arm, holding its bow, span off and landed with a crash on the floor a short distance from the golden wizard's head.
Harry could hearBellatrix moving to the right, trying to get a clear shot of him, and he backed around the statue away from her, crouching behind the centaurs legs, his head level with the house-elf's.
"Stupefy!" He yelled. He had edged right around to where the goblin stood beaming up at the now headless wizard and taken aim at her back as she peered around the fountain.
"Protego!" Bellatrix screamed back. Harry scrambled back behind the fountain and one of the goblin's ears went flying across the room.
"Potter, I'm going to give you one chance! Give me the prophecy – roll it out towards me now – and I may spare your life!"
"Well, you're going to have to kill me, because it's gone!It smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! And he knows! What do you think Voldemort'll say about that?" Harry roared and felt pain seared across his forehead; his scar was on fire again, and he felt a surge of fury.
"NO! It's not true; you're lying! MASTER I TRIED, I TRIED – DO NOT PUNISH ME!"
"Don't waste your breath!" yelled Harry. "He can't hear you!"
"Can't I Potter?" said a high, cold voice. From out of nowhere Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry.
"So, you smashed the prophecy?" said Voldemort softly.
"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animaugs Black!" Sobbed Bellatrix.
"Be quiet, Bella".
"But Master – they are here – they are below – "
Voldemort paid no attention.
"I have nothing more to say to you, Potter. You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Harry's mind was completely blank. He barely noticed Voldemorts last words until it was too late, but then the headless statue of the wizard in the fountain had sprung alive, leaping from its plinth to land with a crash on the floor between Harry and Voldemort. The spell merely glanced off its chest as the statue flung out its arms to protect Harry.
"What? Dumbledore!"
Harry looked behind him, his heart pounding. Dumbledore was standing in front of the golden gates.
"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way –"
"By which time I shall be gone, and you will be dead!" Voldemort spat, and sent a killing curse at the Headmaster, but missed.
For a moment, they fought,anda few seconds later,the atrium was full of people, among them the Minister of Magic. Suddenly, alightblinded Harry, and when he looked up, Voldemort and Bellatrix were gone. His heart sank. Soon, Voldemort would know his parents were alive.
"He was here!" Shouted a scarlet-robed man with a ponytail. "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear it was You-Know-Who - he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"
"I know, Williamson, I know, I saw him too,"Fudge said, gibbering.
"Merlin's beard – here – here! – In the ministry – great heavens above – it doesn't seem possible – my word – how can this be – ?"
"If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. "You will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation jinx and awaiting for your decision as to what to do with them."
"Dumbledore!" Fudge gasped. He looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him, as he wanted to scream 'seize him!'
"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men – and win, again!" Dumbledore said sternly."But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I've been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong man, and it's time you listened to sense!"
"I – don't – well – " Fudge blustered. "Very well – Dawlish! Williamson! Go down to the Department of Mysteries and see...Dumbledore, you – you will need to tell me exactly what happened."
"We can discuss that after I've sent Harry back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Harry – Harry Potter?"
Dumbledore didn't pay him any attention. Instead he picked up a coin of his pocket, pointed his wand at it, and muttered 'Portus'.
"Now see here, Dumbledore! You haven't got authorisation for that Portkey! You can't do things like that right in front of the Minister of Magic, you – you – "
" - You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts. You will tell your Aurors to stop looking for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. You will also stop looking for Sirius Black, who is, indeed, innocent. He was not responsible for those muggles deaths, or the betrayal of James and Lily Potter, which I'm sure they will be more than happy to tell you. Lily has always been such a spiritful girl." Dumbledore sounded amused. Fudge just stared at him like he had grown an extra head – what did he mean?
"I will give you half an hour of my time tonight, which should be more than enough to cover the important points of what happened here. After that, I shall need to return to my school. If you need more help, you are, of course, welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters adressed to the Headmaster will alwaysfind me." Dumbledore walked up to Harry and gave him the portkey.
"I shall see you in half an hour. Wait in my office."
Harry paced around in Dumbledore's office, impatiently. He wanted to see if the others were okay, but most of all, he wanted to see his parents...The portraits at the walls tried to keep up a conversation, but they soon gave up when they realised he wouldn't answer.
Harry was interrupted in his thoughts, when the fireplace burst into green flames, and Dumbledore stepped out. Soon to follow was Sirius and...his parents.
Harry stared at them. They looked back, smiling.
"Hello Harry," his father said.
Harry didn't know what to answer, he didn't even have the time to answer before his mother rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
Dumbledore smiled widely.
"I am sorry to interrupt your family reunion, but I need to speak with you all...about the prophecy."
Harry didn't listen. What did he care about a stupid prophecy, when his parents were alive...and here. But when he felt his mother stiffen, he looked up.
"Mum?"
"Yes, that prophecy, Lily." Dumbledore said, sadness in his voice.
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He was sure it was his father's.
"As you know, there is a connection between you and Voldemort, Harry."
"Yes." Harry didn't understand what that had to do with the prophecy.
"More recently, I became concerned that Voldemort might realise that this connection between you exists. Sure enough, there came a time when you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence. I am speaking, of course, of the night you witnessed the attack on Mr Weasley".
"Yeah. Snape told me," Harry muttered.
"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected him. "But did you..." Dumbledore was interrupted by an unconvinced sound coming from his father.
"Professor Snape? Snivellus managed to become a professor? I'm impressed."
"James!" Lily exclaimed, earning herself a sheepish grin from her husband.
"Sorry, Lils."
Harry tried to hold back a laugh, but when Sirius started laughing, he couldn't stop himself. Even Dumbledore smiled.
"If we go back to what I was saying, I was going to ask whether or not Harry wondered why I did not tell you this in person? Why I did not teach you Occlumecy? Why I had not so much as looked at you for months?"
"Yeah", Harry mumbled, "Yeah, I wondered..."
"You see, I believed...
Many explanations later, Harry's head was spinning. And Dumbledore still hadn't come to the part with the prophecy.
"...Five years ago, you arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, safe and whole, as I had planned and intended. Well, safe at least. You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep..."
"...Wait! You left Harry at the Dursleys!" James said, furiously. "ARE YOU NUTS!"
Both Sirius and Harry raised their eyebrows at this expression.
"Sorry", James mumbled. "Spent too much time with Americans..."
Dumbledore chuckled.
"I understand if this seems like a stupid decision..."
"Yes, it does!" Lily said. "I know they're my relatives but I can't really see why Harry needed to live with them! Why not Sirius? Or even better, Remus?"
"Hey!" Sirius said, clearly offended.
"No offence, Sirius, but you are not the most grown-up person I know," Lily said, dryly.
"...And the fact that you spent my first twelve years in Azkaban, made it impossible," Harry pointed out.
"What?" James asked, shocked."Why?"
"Long story, which involves Wormtail, a street full of muggles and an explosion," Sirius answered, "and don't let us forget the fact that everybody believed I was your secret-keeper and betrayed you to Voldemort."
James blinked.
"Oh".
"As I said," Dumbledore spoke up. "I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years. Why did it have to be so? My answer is that I believed Voldemort wasn't truly gone, even if I knew he was weakened. And so I made my decision. You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and which he has always, therefor, underestimated – to his cost. I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died to save you. She gave you a lingering protection that flows in your veins to this day. I put my trust in your mothers' blood. I delivered you to her sister, her only remaining relative."
At these words, Harry looked up at his mother, who smiled at him, tears in her eyes.
"So, where was I? Oh, yes..."
More explanations later
'...The one with the power to vanquish the- Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ...'
The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.
The silence within the office was absolute. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry nor any of the portraits made a sound. Even Fawkes had fallen silent.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said very quietly, for Dumbledore, still staring at the Pensieve, seemed completely lost in thought. It .. did that mean ... what did that mean?"
"It meant..."
Even more explanations later, Harry felt like his head was gonna explode.
How could this be?
Why him?
His parents hugged his shoulders tightly.
"I feel I owe you another explanation, Harry," said Dumbledore hesitantly. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess... that I rather thought... you had enough responsibility to be going on with." A tear ran down his long nose, before he wiped it away and turnedto James and Lily.
"Now, would you care to explain what happened to you? How can you be alive?"
The following hour James and Lily told Harry, Sirius and Dumbledore what had happened to them since they woke up, and what they had found out.
"These Slayers...do you believe they would be interested in coming to help us with our crisis with Voldemort?"
"Yes, they seemed very interested," Lily said. "But they had some of their own matters they needed to deal with first, such as find the Slayers who weren't fighting in the battle of the First, relocate some of them and rebuild the Watchers' Council."
"I see...well, I think I would be able to help..."
It was time for the end-of-year feast. Harry walked slowly down to the Great Hall, his mood better than ever.
Nobody knew his parents were alive yet, since they wanted it to be a surprise, saved for the feast. He smiled. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione, and he didn't think that anybody in the faculty knew, except for Dumbledore, and just a few in the Order.
He didn't know how Dumbledore had managed to stop Fudge from publishing it in the 'Daily Prophet', but he had a feeling that he had done whatever he had to, since Dumbledore seemed to like surprises too. James and Lily walked on each side of Harry, flanking him to the Great Hall, both of them had their minds on places other than the shock everybody would get when they walked inside.
Dumbledore had paid a visit at Hyperion along with James and Lily, where they had spoken to the Scoobies. Dumbledore had given some of them an offer to come and teach at Hogwarts for the next term, and bring the Slayers with them to be trained. They had accepted.
Hogwarts was going to go through a lot of changes. There was gonna be yet another house, called 'Bufaxawidaan', where all the newly madeSlayers were going to attend.
There was going to be a lot of new classes, such as 'fighting skills' and 'wandless magic', available for those in third year and up. Of course, for the Slayers,they wererequired.
The Watchers Council was going to get a new Headquarter in Scotland, not too far from Hogwarts, and 'watcher' was going to be a new available carrier for the sixth years.
Yes, next year was definitely going to be interesting.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, wondering why Harry hadn't showed up. Some of the Gryffindors glared daggers towards Luna, since she wasn't in their house, but she didn't seem to notice, and was simply staring dreamily at the ceiling.
"What is Harry doing?" Hermione said. "He just said he had a surprise for us, and that we would find out at the feast. Well, this IS the feast, so where is he?"
"Maybe the surprise was that he wouldn't show up?" Ron suggested, as he chewed on some bacon.
"Oh, don't be silly, Ron. And close your mouth, it's disgusting!" Hermione said., wrinking her nose.
"Oh, bloody hell, Hermione, take it easy," Ron exclaimed."I'm sure Harry's okay".
"Don't swear," Hermione replied automatically.
Ron, Neville and Ginny rolled their eyes.
When the doors to the great hall burst open with a loud 'bang', everybody jumped in their seats, before turning their attention towards the entrance. And, as on a signal, everybody almost choked on their food.
"Ha - Harry?" Ron asked.
In the entrance stood Harry, but he wasn't alone. Beside him stood the figures of James and Lily Potter.
Hermione dropped her fork, and Ginny started to cough, as she choked on her pumpkin juice. The other students had fallen deadly quiet.
Harry smiled, and he could feel how his father was shaking of laughter.
He found his friends in the student crowd, and waved. They could just stare at him dumbly in return. He barely could hold back a laugh. He looked up at the faculty table, and this time, he couldn't hold back a giggle.
Professor Flitwick had fallen off of his chair, whileProfessor Sprout had grabbed the table so hard that her knuckles were white, and professor McGonagall had put a hand to her heart, as to prevent a heart-attack. But the sight that really was the top of it all was Snape.
The greasyprofessorsat at his normal chair, his hair just as greasy as ever, but the look on his face was priceless. It expressed so much shock, and Harry could swear his face was shifting colour.
Harry looked up at his father, who also was staring at Snape, his eyes glued at Snapes'.
The staring-contest between them continued for awhile, until Snape had to look down, his expression was so full of hatred, even more than what Harry saw when Snape looked at him, Sirius or Remus. For the first time, Harry understood just how deep the hatred between his father and Snape was rooted. And he didn't think it was going to go away.
The Pottersstarted to walk up towards the faculty table. James had a teasing smile at his lips all the time, and Lily rolled her eyes at her husband, but gave the student-crowd a smile as she passed.
When they came up, Dumbledore magically summoned three more chairs, as Harry wanted to sit with his parents. They had barely sat down, before Dumbledore rose.
"As I'm sure you've all noticed, we have two guests at Hogwarts – James and Lily Potter."
At this, the students gasped. How was this possible? When they'd seen Harry walk in with them earlier, they'd believed it was all a joke of some kind.
Everybody started chatting excitedly with each other, discussing different theories.
Dumbledore spoke up again, and the Great Hall fell once again quiet.
"As I said, James and Lily Potter. Tomorrow, the Daily Prophet will post one theory of their return. I beg you not to take it too seriously, since it was Rita Skeeter who wrote it."
Some of the students laughed at this, and Dumbledores eyes glittered with amusement.
"If you want to know the truth behind their return, I suggest you speak to them directly, even though not even them are quite sure how it happened. Now, tuck in!"
A/N: Puh! That was a long chapter! As you noticed, I didn't kill of Sirius. (How could I?) The part circling around his fall was seen in two different views; one from Sirius' point of view, and another from Remus' and Harry's. I hope you liked the way I introduced Lily and James by the way. (Did you notice the lines from 'prophecy girl' Lily used? Both Lily and James has been pretty 'Americanised'...it is soooo easy to take after the Scoobies) If you wonder what the name of the new house came from; 'Bufaxawidaan', I simply put together the two first letters from some of the scoobies; Buffy, Faith, Xander, Willow, Dawn and Anya. I would have like to include Giles too, but then the name would've been waay to long!
Anyway, review lots!
/Ida