Harry stepped off the train ready for a nice, easy going vacation. "After what happened on platform 9 3/4, I need a relaxing break!" Harry thought. He didn't see Hermione, so he stretched and walked around a little. His muscles were cramped up from sitting on the train for so long. He looked around- the train station was packed. There were people everywhere, pushing, shoving, hugging and running. He was constantly hearing "Welcome home! We missed you so much…" and "Did you sleep at all on the train?". He saw a little boy with short blond hair clinging to his mom, and later saw him sprinting towards the train as his dad walked off it. The station was gross- the floor was covered with old newspapers and tissues and the smell resembled his sock drawer. Harry couldn't wait to get out of there and into a car. "Harry! There you are!" shouted a woman's voice. He turned, expecting to see Hermione and instead saw a middle aged redhead running towards him, arms about to engulf him in a hug. She hugged him, and kissed his cheek, "Oh, my baby! We missed you so much!". A tall, skinny man waved to him, and started walking towards him. He had shaggy black hair, and glasses. Harry froze. Who were these people- were they kidnappers? Harry back away from the lady and tried to look for a place to run. He was hyperventilating. He couldn't see right, one thing blended into another. People running around him, he felt someone shove him out of the way. "Got to escape! ESCAPE!" his mind screamed. But he couldn't move his legs. They were cement, and he couldn't succumb the energy to move them. He felt weak, and was beginning to feel the air pushing against him as he fell. He felt someone catch him...
Harry woke staring into the man's face, and saw his own eyes… He had seen these people before, but only in pictures. For a second he couldn't breathe, his lungs were tightening up, and his mind was racing. No…they couldn't be his…
"Are…you my…uh…?" Harry stuttered, his heart pounding. His voice was raspy, as if he had just woken up. "Mom? Oh gosh Harry are you all right! You scared me so much, oh my goodness the third day of break and already you're losing it! We've got soup waiting for you in the car, that'll help you recover" The lady said, pulling Harry towards the exit. The man followed, and Harry stared at them, dumb founded. His parents had died 16 years ago, how can they be here, holding his hand? Yet he knew they were his parents. They looked just like the young couple he had seen in the mirror. And here she was, Lily. His mother. Breathing, smiling, and walking with her son. Her son…him. They reached the car, and his father held the door open for him. His parents climbed into the car, and started driving away, as if they did this every year. His father chatted about painting the house, and how they'd finally decided on the color. "James, I've been thinking about that self-sweeping broom we just bought and…" His parents talked and talked and seemed to forget he was there. "This can't be true… I'm the boy who lived! The one who's parents sacrificed themselves for him…" Harry thought. But it all was so real. He felt inside the seat pocket in front of him, and found a paper he wrote in defense against the dark arts last year. He saw a white sock on the floor of the car that seemed to be his size…"This is my car. This is my family, and I'm going…home." He didn't know what the heck was going on, but he was starting to like it.
They pulled onto a deserted road and stopped. While Harry's father was out casting spells to refill the gas tank, Harry talked to his mom. "So you told us you were liking potions better this year, how's the new teacher?" His mom asked. "Uh…He's pretty nice. He...uh…seems to really like me…" He replied, not sure what to say. "That's nice sweetie." She leaned back into her chair and started to hum. Harry wasn't satisfied, he wanted to know what she was like, what books she read, what food she ate! "So uh…what have you and dad been up to?" Harry asked, wishing he could think of a better question. "Oh not much, you know…remodeling the house, yesterday we checked out that new muggle restaurant. It was quite nice- considering they didn't use any magic. It amazes me how much easier they'd all have it if they didn't have to clean or cook…you know?" She added. "Yeah." Harry replied. He'd ask them more later, as for now, that soup next to him was calling his name. Literally. "Harry, eat me!" He heard it say, and Harry laughed as he picked up the charmed bowl.
Harry wondered what Hermione and Ron were like in this world. What was different about them? Did they have new lives? Or was it just for him? Harry's own world… maybe it had everything he had wished for! It was impossible to count all the times he had wished for parents! Right now he wanted a napkin, so he muttered "I wish I had a napkin." He looked around. No napkin magically appeared. No, it wasn't a perfect world…but it was pretty close. He licked his bowl and looked out the window. That's when he realized he hadn't the slightest idea where he was. He was pretty sure he wasn't near Hermione's house, but then again, he'd never been there. He asked his parents. "We're almost home, we'll be there in about a half an hour" His dad replied. The minute his dad had finished, he knew that this would be the longest half hour of his life. In 30 minutes, Harry would be home.
