Again, I'm sorry for the wait. This chapter is longer than usual, so hopefully that makes up for it. I hope those of you who are still interested enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the reviews!

--x--x--

The sound of a gasp sliced through the emotionally charged air. All heads whipped towards the source of the sound. Petunia Dursley stood in the doorway, peering in through a crack in the door. "Lily?" she asked softly.

"Hi, Petunia," Lily greeted her sister, smiling gently.

"No," Petunia whispered. "You're-you're dead. How…what…how?" she stammered.

"Petunia, it's all right. Just calm down. It's kind of hard to explain, but for lack of better words, I'm back. Just for a while."

Petunia looked paler than usual and ready to faint. Perhaps it was the sight of her formerly dead sister that made Petunia say what she said next. "I'm so sorry. For everything. I was horrible to him. And I know if it had been us who died, you would have taken care of Dudley like your own."

Harry stared at her in shock. Was she really apologizing for everything she had put him through? It was like his wildest dreams come true. His parents and Sirius back, the Dursleys, or at least Aunt Petunia, apologizing. Now if only Voldemort would just evaporate or something. Then his life would truly be perfect. His mother's words replayed in his head. His eyes widened and he rounded on his parents. "What do you mean, 'for a while'? You're not staying?"

Lily shook her head sadly.

"Why not?"

James tilted his head. "Yeah, why not?" he asked McGonagall. "If we go back, we'll know what's coming. And since I'm not too keen on dying, we'll probably end up re-writing history. If we stay, it'll be just another chapter in the Harry Potter saga."

McGonagall pursed her lips. "I don't know, James. I honestly don't know."

"Please, Professor," Harry begged, wanting more than anything to have his family back.

With a heavy sigh, McGonagall said, "I suppose. But I'll have to talk this over with Albus before I give a definite answer."

But neither the Potters nor Sirius heard the last part of her answer, for as soon as the words 'I suppose' left her lips, they had all simultaneously tackled each other in something that resembled a group hug.

"I feel like a Brady," Harry commented, grinning broadly.

James and Sirius knit their brows in confusion, but Lily, having been the only one of the three raised a Muggle, laughed. Harry joined in and soon, so did James and Sirius. The four laughed until their sides hurt and only then did they calm down.

"Ouch," Harry said softly.

"I know what you mean, son," James told him, clutching his own stomach. When Harry failed to reply, James glanced over at him and his eyes widened in shock. Harry was clutching his scar, eyes screwed up in pain, and rocking every which way. "Harry! HARRY!" he screamed, scrambling to his son's side, Lily and Sirius only a step behind him. Harry let loose a blood-curdling scream and then fell limp.

Lily had just bent over him when the door flew open and two teenagers raced through, wands drawn. All heads whipped in their direction except Lily's. Her eyes remained trained on her unconscious son. James felt a spark of recognition and realized these two were Harry's friends, the same friends they had seen with him by the lake on the day of Dumbledore's funeral.

"Who're you?" The red-haired boy asked.

The girl, however, was eyeing James shrewdly. Her gaze traveled to Lily and finally came to a rest on Sirius, the sight of whom caused her eyes to widen slightly. She nudged the boy and pointed at Sirius. The boy did a double take.

"Sirius?" he asked, squinting at him. "That really you, mate?"

"Oh, honestly, Ron," the girl said exasperatedly. "If he isn't, do you really think he'd tell us?"

"Oh, er, right." The boy – Ron – flushed and his ears turned a vivid red. He averted his gaze and his mouth dropped open when it landed on James. "Hermione, look! He looks just like Harry!"

Hermione stared at Ron, waiting for him to make the connection. A minute later, realization dawned on his freckled face and he said, "Blimey! Is that Harry's dad?"

James turned to Sirius and muttered, "Not the sharpest hippogriff in the herd, is he?"

Lily's voice cut off Sirius's reply, sounding oddly high-pitched. "Now that the introductions are done, can we do something for Harry?"

Hermione gasped, for she had forgotten Harry was lying there, and hurried to his side. "What happened?" she asked Lily, worry evident in her voice.

Lily looked at her. "I don't know. One second we were laughing and then next he was rolling around and screaming and holding his scar." She saw Hermione exchange a dark look with Ron and asked, "Is this – Does this happen often?"

"Well, no. Not this bad, anyway. But the last time it was like this…" Hermione trailed off and she shot Ron, who had paled considerably, another worried glance.

"'Last time it was like this' what?" James demanded.

"Last time it was like this, it was catastrophic, to say the least," McGonagall finished for them. She had been curiously silent during the entire encounter and now was shooting anxious looks at Harry and his friends. "We have to wake him. Immediately."

But that wasn't necessary, for a moment later Harry's eyes popped open and he sat bolt upright, glancing around wildly.

"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"He's coming," Harry whispered.

"Who's coming, Potter? And when?" McGonagall asked, although everyone in the room had a pretty good idea who.

Harry turned to her and said, "Voldemort. I dunno when, soon, I guess. Few days, maybe? I heard him planning."

The others stared, mouths half hanging open, until Harry asked loudly, "Why are we just sitting here? Voldemort is on his way any day now. Maybe even today." He scrambled to his feet and went to walk out of the room, but his father reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Harry, how do you know this?"

"I saw him!" Harry explained, sounding frustrated.

"Harry, are you sure you really saw him? And that he isn't just manipulating you again?" McGonagall asked gently. "You do remember what happened last time you went rushing off without stopping to think, don't you?"

Harry's eyes flashed. "Of course I do. How could I forget?"

"Then perhaps this time you should stop and consider the possibilities. Why would You-Know-Who come here, of all places? Why not wait until you no longer have your mother's protection?"

Harry raked his hair with his hands. "I don't know," he answered sharply. "All I know is he's coming here and I'm not going to let him take my family again." With that, he stormed out of the room and a few seconds later, his bedroom door slammed shut.

A long silence followed as Hermione fretted, Ron waited for a good time to ask what was happening, McGonagall frowned, and the Potters and Sirius tried to sort everything out in their minds. Finally, James couldn't take it anymore and asked, "What happened last time he got one of these visions?"

Hermione exchanged another dark look with Ron and then her eyes flickered to Sirius. "The last time Harry had a vision, he saw Sirius being tortured by Voldemort at the Department of Mysteries. Harry rushed off to save Sirius, but it turned out that Voldemort was just manipulating Harry's love for Sirius to get him into the Department and Mysteries so he could steal the Prophecy."

"Wow," James whispered.

Lily, on the other hand, eyes Hermione knowingly. "That's not all that happened, is it?"

Hermione shook her head slowly. "No. The members of the Order found out what was happening because of Snape –" Ron, James, and Sirius all let out snarls at the mention of Snape – "and came to fight. Sirius was killed and Harry had to watch it."

Lily looked crestfallen, tears brimming in her eyes. "Why did all of this have to happen to him? I just don't get it. Why would Peter betray us and cause all this misery and pain?"

"I don't know, Lil," James said. "I just don't know. All I know is that we have a second chance of sorts here, to make things a little better for him. At least, I hope we do," he added with a glance at McGonagall.

She sighed. "I'll go talk to Dumbledore about it, but I can't make any promises, James."

"All we ask is that you try," Lily said.

McGonagall nodded understandingly before apparating away. Petunia let out a little gasp, reminding the others that she was still in the room.

"'Tunia," Lily said," Why don't you take Vernon and Dudley and go out for a while. Just in case. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Petunia nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips, and scurried off to find her husband and son.

James knew why Lily had really sent her sister away. He turned to Sirius and suggested, "Why don't you take Ron and Hermione here to Diagon Alley for a while? Maybe there are some things they need?"

Sirius understood and agreed. The other two quickly followed suit and soon only Lily and James remained in the room. A few minutes later, Lily was knocking on Harry's door, a chocolate chip cookie clutched in her hand. Harry didn't answer, so she tentatively pushed the door open, keeping the cookie in front of her as a peace offering. "Harry?"

He looked up. "What?" he asked wearily.

"We'd really like to talk to you. Could you come downstairs? I've got more cookies," she added, hoping the aroma of freshly conjured cookies would lure him. Turns out the way to a teenage boy, even the 'Chosen One,' really was through his stomach. Harry polished off the cookie his mother handed him and followed her downstairs for more. An uncomfortable silence shrouded the three. At last, Lily broke and said, "Harry, we're so sorry for all this. We should have been there for you."

Harry gulped down his cookie and insisted, "No, it wasn't your fault. It was Voldemort's. And he will pay for it. I'll make sure of it."

His parents exchanged dark looks similar to those of Ron and Hermione's. Lily slapped James's hand like teammates in a relay, indicating that it was his turn. "Harry, don't do anything stupid. You shouldn't go up against Him unless you have to. I don't think you realize just what he is capable of."

Harry felt his jaw set and realized he was standing up, although he couldn't remember getting to his feet. "I don't know what he's capable of? I've watched him kill more than one person. I've heard him kill you thousand of times, thanks to those bloody dementors. I've battled him and just barely escaped more times than you know. But no, I have no idea what he's capable of."

"That's just it," James shot back, just as loudly. "You barely escaped. I don't think you realize just how lucky you were that help came at exactly the right time. He will kill you, Harry, if he gets an opportunity. Make no mistake. But I'm not so sure you'll be able to kill him if you get the chance and that may very well lead to your death and many others."

"Don't you think I know that? But everyone's counting on me to save them, as if I have all the answers. I'm only sixteen, but they expect me to save the world from one of the oldest, most powerful Dark wizards of all time. I have no clue what to expect or what to do. The best I can do is follow my instincts and hope for the best." Harry paused, looking his father in the eye. "I need all the help I can get. Ron and Hermione are great, but it would be even better if you could help me figure out how to kill him."

James smiled slightly. "Of course, I'll be right there fighting him with you."

"No," Harry told him sharply. "I have to fight him myself. Please don't fight me on this. It's just the way things have to be. But please, help me get ready for it."

James looked like he wanted to say something, but Lily rested her hand on his arm and said, "Of course, we'll help you, Harry. We love you."

Harry grinned and took a step closer to hug his parents, but stopped suddenly, a grimace of pain taking over his face.

"Harry?" Lily asked, her voice full of concern.

"We have to go," Harry said suddenly. "Can one of you apparate me side-along to Number 12 Grimmauld Place?"

James nodded curtly, grabbing Harry's handed tightly. Lily disappeared with a loud pop and James and Harry quickly followed suit.