Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"So pup got into a spot of trouble, huh?" Sirius asked as they lazed around the fire in the common room. Harry was already upstairs asleep, tired from playing with Bill and Charlie. James was telling their friends about their day with the Weasley's.

James ran his hand over his face. "He got on a regular sized broom but once in the air couldn't control it. Which I have warned him about before. When he fell -"

"He fell?" Sirius paled.

"He's okay though," Remus said, as if reassuring himself. "We saw him earlier, he's fine."

"He's fine," James agreed. "He's grounded from his Starduster for a week."

"He deserves it for being so disobedient," Peter muttered.

Remus shot Peter a warning look. "He's just a kid, Peter. All kids disobey once in awhile."

"Or if you're Sirius, everyday," James joked.

"Oi!" Sirius laughed.

"Anyway, after grounding him I -"

"Poor pup," Sirius said sadly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "He could have killed himself, Padfoot."

"I know but...how can you stand to punish him?" Sirius shook his head. "I don't think I could."

"It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do," James admitted. "When I took him into Arthur's study to punish him -"

"You spanked him too?" Sirius exclaimed.

Peter snickered.

"Sirius, I love Harry too but he deserved it," Remus said exasperatedly. "He could have been killed so easily."

Sirius reluctantly nodded. If Harry had been hurt or worse... He glared at Peter, who quickly stopped his snickering.

"What were you saying, James?" Remus asked.

"It's so hard for me to have be stern with him," James said. "To make him cry, it breaks my heart honestly. Now I know how dad felt when he punished me. And you," he said to Sirius. Sirius had been living with them for the last few years and unofficially adopted him. Sirius definitely felt like the Potters were his parents as they included him in everything, even discipline.

"True," Sirius agreed.

"Merlin, remember when I would say that I would never punish any children that I have? That I would let them do whatever they want?" James chuckled. "My parents would just laugh at me and now I see why."

Sirius and Remus laughed.

"Being a dad fits you like a glove, Prongs," Remus said. "Same with Lily being a mum."

James nodded. "It's weird, when Dumbledore told us about Harry first I thought it was some prank or something. And then I saw him. I didn't feel fear or anything, at realizing I had a son at seventeen. I just felt love and a connection with him. I can't imagine not having him."

Lily wandered over and James pulled her onto his lap. "Hey, beautiful." He nuzzled her neck with his nose.

"Hey handsome," Lily said, smirking when Sirius began making gagging noises. "Smack him for me, would you Remus?" she asked sweetly.

"Gladly," Remus said, cuffing Sirius on the backside of his head.

"Hey!" Sirius whined.

"Maybe you should raise Sirius," Remus teased.

James snorted. "And do nothing else but punish him for bad behavior? No thanks."

"Is this pick on Sirius day?" Sirius huffed.

"Yes," James and Remus said together.

"So, have you thought about Mrs. Weasley's offer?" Lily asked, running her hands through James messy mop.

"Yes, I think it's a good idea," James said. "We should check with Dumbledore though, make sure he thinks it would be safe. And I think it should be kept just between us."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked curiously.

Remus also was looking at them curiously and Peter had an eager look on his face as he waited to hear the answer.

"Mrs. Weasley wants Harry to go over for lessons twice a week," Lily explained. "That way he can have school with kids his age, get socialization."

"Sounds like a good idea," Remus said. "It would be good for him."

"I'm still surprised you don't just dump him with your parents," Peter remarked.

James glared at him. "We would never dump our son, anywhere! How could you say that?"

"Sorry," Peter said, shrinking back.

Suddenly a piercing scream filled the room. A child's scream.

"Harry!" James and Lily took off upstairs, Sirius, Remus and Peter right behind them.

James got to Harry first, the child was thrashing in his sleep. "Harry! Wake up!" He pulled Harry to him, holding him tight.

"Baby, wake up," Lily pleaded, taking one of Harry's hands in hers.

"Pronglet," James said. "You're okay." He rocked his boy back and forth.

Harry finally opened his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Daddy? Mummy?"

"We're here, love," Lily said, kissing his cheek.

"I thought -" Harry sighed in relief. "I thought it was real."

"What was real?" James asked, loosening his hold so he could see his son's face.

"I thought I was back in my reality," Harry said in a shaky voice. "I was standing at Hogwarts and the castle was half destroyed. Everyone was dead and then I realized I was still five years old and I was all alone." He started crying again.

"Shh," Lily said soothingly, putting her arms around him. "You're not alone, we're here."

"Yeah pup, you couldn't get rid of us if you tried," Sirius said, putting a bright smile on his face. Merlin, those screams had been horrible.

"We love you so much," James said, feeling Harry relax against him. "And we're going to keep you safe. Okay? Do feel you can go back to sleep?"

Harry's eyes widened a little and he shook his head. He did not want to go back to sleep.

"Perhaps some hot chocolate first?" Lily offered, winking at James.

"Sounds good. Us too?" James grinned.

Lily sniffed. "The offer was for Harry."

"Yeah," Harry giggled.

"But Harry wants us to have hot chocolate with him," Sirius pleaded, playing along.

"Yeah, he won't have any without us," Remus added, his eyes sparkling. "Right Harry?"

"Well," Harry said, watching his dad, Sirius and Remus look at him with begging in their eyes. "That's right," he smiled.

Lily sighed. "Well, then. I suppose they'll have to have some too. Come on, love. We'll go downstairs."

"His screaming..." Remus shook his head after Lily and Harry had left the room. "That was horrible."

"I know," James exhaled. "I'll have to speak with Pomfrey about it. See if there's anything we can do to make him stop having them."

"I can't imagine what it was like, when he was in his own time." Sirius said. "Poor kid."

"I can't believe so much responsibility was put on a kid," James shook his head. "Makes me furious." How could so much have been placed on one boy? In his time, Harry never had a proper childhood and was fighting Voldemort even in his first year! Where was his protection? It made him want want to travel there and confront that Dumbledore! Thankfully, the Dumbledore in this time and place wasn't trying to use Harry in the war or manipulate him. Now Harry could just be a kid.

"Let's go get some hot chocolate," Sirius grinned, heading out of the room.

"None for me. I'm going to turn in," Peter said, plopping down onto his bed.

James nodded and left the room, a small frown on his face. He didn't like Peter's attitude tonight. He knew Peter wasn't comfortable around Harry, as his son had a tendency to glare at him whenever he was around. But still, he shouldn't be so rude about his son. He would have to have a talk with Peter.

HP

The next day, Harry frowned as the mixture he had just made didn't set in the mold he had poured it into. It was supposed to do set automatically. He was sitting under a tree on Hogwarts grounds while his parents sat nearby working with a study group for their Potions class. He was playing with his potions kit that made candy but it wasn't working right. He debated interrupting his parents study session to ask for help.

"You didn't stir the mixture enough."

Harry glanced up to see Snape standing in front of him. "I didn't?"

Snape shook his head, looking in amusement at the child sized cauldron. "You have to mix it until all the ingredients dissolve completely. It won't set otherwise."

"Oh," Harry poured the mixture back into the cauldron and stirred more. "Is that better?" he asked a few moments later.

"It is," Snape nodded. "Can you see the difference?"

"It looks smoother," Harry said thoughtfully. "And the color is a darker blue."

"Correct. Now pour it into the mold."

Harry did and grinned with it immediately set. He picked up a piece and ate it. Blueberry, yummy! He held one out to Snape.

Snape hesitated and then took the candy, popping it into his mouth. "Not bad." He admitted.

"Thanks Professor. Oh, I mean, uh -"

Snape frowned. "Merlin, I did sound like a Professor." He breathed in horror.

"Maybe you could be one someday, just a little nicer," Harry suggested.

Snape smirked. "Was I that bad?"

"Well, you called students dunderheads a lot -" Harry said.

"Most are."

"And yelled if students accidentally melted a cauldron -"

"They would deserve it for being that idiotic."

"And you took points all the time, especially from Gryffindor." Harry grinned.

"Naturally."

"You didn't like me though," Harry's grin faded.

Snape was silent for moment. Sadly, he could see himself doing that out of spite. The boy did look just like his father, except for the eyes. Although the boy was also Lily's and he couldn't imagine being that cruel to her child. Lily was the best friend he had ever had. He had hurt her with his words and with his insistence to be a death eater. He wanted the friendship back, even if it meant putting up with Potter and Black. Although Potter was different now, perhaps being a father changed him. Lupin had been decent and Black, well, he was a menace but he hadn't been as bad as before. An influence by Harry, he was sure. "I'm sorry if I was mean to you." he said finally.

"It wasn't you, I mean, not yet anyway." Harry said easily.

"I won't ever be mean to you," Snape said firmly.

Harry's eyes brightened and Snape found himself starting to smile.

"Sev?" Lily said, coming up. "Oh, you made some candy!" She beamed at her son.

"The future professor helped me," Harry said mischievously.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," Lily said to childhood friend.

"Your kid, he has a way of getting past one's defenses," Snape said wryly.

"I know," Lily said fondly. "He's a great kid."

"He's lucky, he'll have parents that love him and want him," Snape said in a low voice.

Lily looked at him sadly. She knew how tough he had had it at home. "How are your parents?" she asked hesitantly.

"My mother had a stroke and passed away months ago," Snape said with emotion. "My father began drinking even more and several weeks ago died when he crashed into a tree while drunk."

Lily gasped. "Sev, I'm so sorry." she whispered.

"I miss my mother but my father, he hated me," Snape shrugged, though his eyes were pained.

"Your father was a mean drunk," Lily said bluntly. "He should have loved you, Sev. He should have taken care of you. You deserved it."

This was one of the reasons Snape missed Lily. Only she had ever told him he deserved to be loved. Even his mother hadn't told him that, she cared about him in her own way but she was too broken from his father. "It was another reason I thought being a death eater would be good, I thought they would become like a family to me." he admitted. "People to have my back. I was very wrong."

"I'm sorry, Severus," Lily sighed, feeling horrible for him. "You have us." she said tentatively. "We'll have your back."

Severus sighed. "Your boyfriend and friends don't like me. And I've never been overly fond of them." he said wryly.

"You guys don't know each other," Lily pointed out. "And they do like you now. Give them a chance. Please?"

Snape hesitated and then caught sight of Harry, who had clearly been listening. His emerald eyes were pleading with him to say yes. He sighed. "Okay."

Lily grinned.

"Oi, we need help over here!" Sirius called, waving a piece of parchment in the air.

Lily sighed. "The essay on Veritaserum," she explained to Snape.

"I could help," Snape offered. "I finished mine."

"Really? That would be great," Lily said. She glanced at Harry. "Sweetie, are you doing okay? Do you need anything?"

Harry shook his head.

"Okay," Lily smiled as she and Snape went over to the study group.

Regulus wandered over. "You're making candy?" His grey eyes brightened.

Harry nodded. "Wanna help me?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure," Regulus plopped down next to him. He saw Sirius grinning at him and gave a wave before turning his attention back to Harry. "So what flavor are we making?"

"Um," Harry looked at his choices. "Strawberry?"

"Sounds good," Regulus said as he reached for the ingredients.

HP

"Okay, Harry. Ready to go?" Lily asked, holding her hand out.

Harry took it. "I guess." He sighed. It was his first day to have lessons with Mrs. Weasley.

"Cheer up, pup. You'll get to see your friends," Sirius said, ruffling his hair.

"I want to be on your best behavior, Harry." James said. "You follow all Mrs. Wealsey's rules. Understand?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Have fun," James said, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. "I can't wait to hear all about your day."

Lily took Harry to the floo in McGonagall's office to use. "The Burrow!" Lily said as she threw down some floo powder.

"Welcome Harry," Mrs. Weasley beamed once Harry and Lily had flooed through. "Excited for your lessons today?"

Not really, Harry thought. He was excited to be at the Burrow and play with Charlie and Bill, just not excited for lessons. "Yes ma'am." he said politely.

"Wonderful," Mrs. Weasley said. She winced and put a hand to stomach. "Honestly, these two. They never stop moving."

Harry grinned.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Lily said. She bit her lip. "Make sure you do everything Mrs. Weasley says, okay? No going outside unless she is with you, no flying adult brooms and -"

"He'll be just fine, Lily." Mrs. Weasley said gently. "I'll keep a close eye on him."

Lily nodded and gave Harry a hug goodbye. She flooed back to Hogwarts and went to the library where James, Remus, Sirius, Severus and Peter were studying for N.E.W.T.s. Regulus was there too, only studying for his O.W.L.s.

James look up from his notes. "Everything go okay?"

"Yeah." Lily slid into the seat next to him. "It was harder than I thought it would be, to leave him there."

"He'll be fine," James assured her. "The Burrow's wards were re-enforced. Dumbledore did it himself, he told me."

"Yeah," Lily picked up her Potions book. "But I miss him already."

HP

"Hi Harry!" Bill said when Harry walked into the sitting room.

"Hi Bill. Hi Charlie." Harry grinned. He noticed there were three desks set up as well as a blackboard.

"Yay, you're here!" Charlie crowed. "Want to play with my train set?"

Harry nodded eagerly.

"Wait a minute, we have lessons to get through," Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "You can play during break time. Now, take a seat and we will begin."

Mrs. Weasley had them do a math worksheet and then went over their letters and writing. After that, she had them take a break and go outside to run and play. She stayed outside with them, sitting on a chair and watching.

Harry enjoyed playing, tossing a ball back and forth with Bill and Charlie. They then went back inside for some more lessons and Mrs. Weasley read them a book about dragons. Harry smiled as he saw how interested Charlie was in the book.

Mrs. Weasley made them a nice lunch and then they had art time. Harry drew a picture of his dad playing Quidditch while he and his mum cheered him on. At least, that's what it was supposed to be. He wasn't sure it turned out very good but Mrs. Weasley told him it was very nice and that his parents would love it. After art, they got to pick a book to read.

"Mum, I wanna show Harry my train," Charlie whined.

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "No need for whining, Charlie. Go ahead and get your train."

"Twain!" Percy clapped, toddling over to them. He plopped down next to Harry and eagerly watched as the train began moving on its own.

The four boys were still playing with the train set when Lily and James flooed through.

"Mummy! Daddy!" Harry jumped up and ran to hug them.

"I missed you, love," Lily laughed, kissing the top of his head. "Did you have fun? Did you learn anything?"

"Uh huh. We did math and letters and Mrs. Weasley read a book about dragons and we played outside and we -"

"Calm down, Pronglet," James chuckled. "Take a few breaths."

Harry took a deep breath and then ran to grab his picture. "This for you guys!"

James took the picture and his eyes brightened. "This is great, Harry!"

"Oh! I love it!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm going to frame it."

"Really?" Harry asked eagerly, his eyes shining. He had never had anyone to draw for as a kid, the way Dudley had for his parents. They had always gushed over his drawings and put them on the refrigerator. One time he had drawn a picture for his aunt and she had tossed it into the trash.

"Really," Lily assured him.

Harry beamed.

"So was he good?" James asked, winking at his son.

"Good as gold," Mrs. Weasley nodded, giving Harry a fond smile.

Back at Hogwarts, James and Lily proudly showed off Harry's artwork to Sirius, Remus and Peter.

"Very nicely done," Remus said, giving Harry a fond look.

"Yes, very nice," Peter said politely.

"Brilliant pup! Next time do one of me," Sirius said.

"Okay." Harry said happily. His smile faded when he saw Peter look at the picture again and roll his eyes. No one else saw it so he didn't say anything. Peter caught him looking at him and narrowed his beady eyes. Harry narrowed his eyes right back. Who cared what the little rat thought of his artist ability anyway?

TBC: