Prologue
Hey, everyone! I enjoy WBWL fics, but as I rarely ever see one with Ron still being Harry's friend, I wanted to rectify that and try one of my own!
I'm also going to be doing my best to avoid bashing James and Lily, or Dumbledore. They did make some bad choices here, but did so with the best of intentions, and I won't make them assholes for no reason.
I also stole my own snake OC from my old Harry Potter fic, A Familiar's Intuition, and am bringing him back, now with a full fledged backstory and more character development!
This is an AU from canon, with familiars being included in this world I'm creating. Some minor characters, like Aragog, will change majorly due to this concept, with the changes causing a butterfly effect that will also affect others like Hagrid. Dumbledore will also be more proactive, and James and Lily being alive, and Sirius being free, will also change things.
...
"Ennervate."
James gasped as he quickly leapt to his feet, meeting the twinkling blue eyes of his mentor, Albus Dumbledore. "Lily... the boys... Voldemort, he..." Before Dumbledore could say anything, he rushed up the crumbling stairs of his half destroyed house, barely even seeing the debris in his hurry to get to his wife and children. Voldemort's taunts rang in his ears.
"I was just going to kill you, but then I decided...The worst thing I can do to you is let you lie here, knowing I'm going to take everything and everyone you love away. It's everything you deserve for defying me…"
Lily…his children...he couldn't bear the idea of life without them. They had to be alive! They just had to be!
Much to his relief as he reached the boys' room, Lily was sitting up shakily, having been revived by one of the Order members. The upstairs was in shambles, shelves having fallen and debris from the roof scattered across the room, like an explosion had happened. He could hear one of his babies crying, and sighed in relief to see his boys being held by Sirius and Remus. While little Dan bawled at the top of his lungs, his hazel eyes squeezed shut, Harry's emerald eyes were closed in sleep, completely oblivious to the terror and shock everyone was feeling, his tiny fists clutching Sirius's robes while he nuzzled his cheek into his godfather's chest.
They were all safe. His family was alive.
James hurried to check them over as Dumbledore came upstairs as well. Dan had a V shaped cut on his cheek, while little Harry had a lightning bolt shaped one on his head. Other than that, they were remarkably unhurt.
Dumbledore looked over both boys, running several quick health scans with his wand while the Aurors searched for any sign of Voldemort. One of them then spotted Voldemort's robes and wand, resting atop a pile of ashes. Everyone's eyes widened.
Dumbledore cautiously went over, examining the fallen items and pulling out his wand, running scans on everything. "It's definitely ashes from a body. It appears that when Voldemort attacked the children, there was some sort of magical backlash that destroyed him." he finally reported after several minutes.
"So he's dead? He's finally dead?" Lily asked in hope.
Dumbledore nodded, but still looked concerned. "Yes, but I do not know for how long. I believe Tom has been undergoing rituals in an attempt to make himself immortal, and his spirit may be still around. We all saw a black cloud escape your house when we arrived, and it wasn't like normal smoke. It evaded my spells. I am sorry."
"But how could this have all happened?" James asked.
"I believe one of the boys may be responsible for the destruction of Voldemort's body. There's no other explanation. Either Dan or Harry is the child of the prophecy as foretold. But for now, let's get you four to Hogwarts and the Med Wing and make certain you're all in good health."
James nodded. "Lily, take the boys. I need to help Sirius and the others find the rat responsible for this, and all his Death Eater pals." he said angrily.
"No, James. Stay with Lily and the boys. They need you. And Pettigrew's mine. It was my bloody stupid idea to switch Secret Keepers. Now I'm going to do what I should have done and keep all of you safe." Sirius said firmly.
"Sirius, it's not your fault…" James started.
Sirius held up his hand. "Maybe, maybe not, but it is my responsibility as an Auror and your best mate." He gave a weak smile. "Now go, you prat."
James finally nodded. "Fine, but don't you dare do anything stupid."
"No promises."
...
"Are-Are you sure?" Lily asked Madam Pomfrey softly a few hours later as she looked down at her boys as they sat in their pram, having been taken to the Hogwarts hospital wing to get fully checked. Dan was awake, hazel eyes looking up at them curiously as he babbled, while Harry continued to sleep peacefully, having woken up for a bit and fussing during the exam before being allowed to resume his nap. James sat in a chair next to her, his eyes wide, not wanting to believe the news, while Dumbledore stood nearby, a somber expression on his face.
The healer nodded sadly. "Dan's magical core is well and strong, but Harry...I cannot detect any magic from him. It appears he's a squib."
Lily let out a soft sob as James held her close. "What do we do?" James asked Dumbledore softly.
Dumbledore was quiet for a few minutes before speaking. "It is obvious Dan is the child of the prophecy. And...while I hate to say this, it may be better if young Harry is left in the muggle world." James and Lily opened their mouths to protest, but Dumbledore cut them off. "Voldemort is likely still around in some form, and Dan will need to be trained for when the time comes. While we hope it will never happen, if Voldemort comes back, he will try to target him any way he can. We'll need to focus all our attention on him to make sure he can survive this. Harry could grow to resent his brother, or worse, be put in danger without magic to defend himself. It will be much better for him to be far away from all this. And..." He looked down sadly. "Our world is very hard on squibs. The ones who stay are often discriminated against and can rarely find jobs. There's no room for them to truly grow here like they could in the muggle world, and it would be very hard on little Harry to be surrounded by magic when he cannot do it himself. It would be better for him in the muggle world, where he can be whatever he wants to be and never has to find out about the magic he never had." He looked at James and Lily kindly. "I'm so sorry and I wish I could do more for all of you. I know this isn't an easy choice, and I know how much you love your sons. You don't have to decide right away, but you need to do what's best for your boys. I'll leave you two to discuss it."
...
James and Lily did, and after much discussion and a lot of tears, decided Dumbledore was right. Dan, as the Boy Who Lived, would need their full attention, and Harry, being a squib, wouldn't be able to thrive in the magical world where he wouldn't belong with no magic of his own. They didn't want him to face the discrimination squibs faced, or the lack of opportunities. It would be far better for him to live as a muggle, where he could grow up safely and be happy with no Voldemort or Death Eaters, cruel words, or disparaging looks.
But there was no way they would put their precious little boy into an orphanage. Anything could happen to him there, and they feared he'd end up with someone cruel. They had to make sure he would be safe, that he could adapt to a normal muggle life.
And Lily knew of only one person who could teach him to do so, even if she hadn't spoken to her sister in a long time. But Petunia was a mother now, and revelled in her perfectly normal life.
And like Petunia, Harry was perfectly "normal." Petunia and Lily had been so close once, before Hogwarts, before magic had entered their life. Even if their relationship had eroded, Lily still remembered how Petunia had once been.
Even if she couldn't love Lily any more, Lily knew she was capable of loving Harry.
Right?
….
"So what you're saying is that you don't want the boy, so you just decided to saddle him with us instead?!" Vernon demanded.
"It's not that we don't want him. We love him! But...he doesn't have magic. He won't be happy in our world. He won't fit in. And with Dan being the Boy Who Lived…" Lily protested.
"And that's the other thing! I'm not having Pet and our Dudders get hurt if one of those maniacs decide to go after YOUR son and see us as a target!" Vernon growled.
"They won't." James answered. "We're prepared to put the strongest wards possible on your home. No Death Eaters or Dark Creatures will find you, nor will any wizard or witch. You'll be safe."
Vernon and Petunia glanced at each other. Petunia finally spoke. "Say we did decide to take Harry in. We're not made of money, Lily. Vernon's just got started working for Grunnings, and with another mouth to feed…"
"We'll of course pay for anything Harry needs. We don't want to see our child or Dudley deprived of anything." Lily reasoned.
Petunia and Vernon relaxed, which Lily noticed with relief. However, what she unfortunately didn't notice were the small sparks of growing greed in their eyes.
"And he'll be normal? We won't have to deal with any f...magic?" Vernon asked.
"No. He has no magic." James replied stiffly.
"That doesn't mean we love him any less, but...he needs normalcy. He needs things we can't give him, that we know you can. Please." Lily pleaded with her sister.
Petunia sighed. "Give us a few moments to talk it over."
"All right. Take as much time as you need."
As Vernon and Petunia headed into the next room, James turned to Lily. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Lily sighed, then nodded after a moment. "It's our best option, James. My parents are dead and the rest of our friends live in the wizarding world. And...while Petunia doesn't like magic, she's-she's still a good person, and Vernon might be brash, but you saw how much he loved Dudley. I know they can love Harry too, and help him adjust to life in the muggle world. They're the only ones who can."
...
Vernon and Petunia returned after a few moments, and both agreed to take Harry in. Over the next few days, the wards were set up, and a vault was linked to transfer funds into Petunia's own muggle bank account so Harry would be well provided for. Finally, the day came where it was time to drop Harry at the Dursleys for the last time.
"Will the two of you be coming to see him?" Petunia asked Lily as James took Harry's crib to his new room.
Lily shook her head sadly as she cradled her son in her arms. "It...It will be too hard on him to see us and for us not to take him home, and even with the wards, I don't want any attention brought to your neighborhood from our world. It's best for Harry if we're not in his life."
Petunia pursed her lips, looking like she didn't know what to think. "Whatever you think is best, Lily."
Still, Lily felt ashamed. And she felt even worse when Harry reached up and patted her face with a little sad "Mama?" as if asking if she was okay. She only realized then that tears were running down her cheeks.
James returned to the room somberly. "That's the last of it, Lils." He turned to Harry with tears in his own eyes.
Lily hugged Harry and tried to smile. "Harry, you're going to stay with your Aunt Tuney and Uncle Vernon for a while."
James shakily nodded. "You're going to have a lot of fun with them. We love you so much." He took Harry from Lily and hugged him tight.
Harry hugged him back, saying "Dada," over and over, clearly trying to comfort him in his own toddler way.
Lily nodded, trying to hide her sobs. "Even though we're going to be apart, we'll always love you. Please, don't ever forget that."
She took him back from James, hugging him one last time before handing him to Petunia. "Please...don't ever let him forget that…"
Petunia nodded stiffly. Lily grasped James's hand and the two left, Lily quickening her pace as she heard Harry start crying behind them. She didn't dare turn, but knew he was reaching for them. As soon as she could she retrieved their portkey, which took them home.
Sirius met them when they got home, eyes red rimmed. "So you really did it?"
"It's best for Harry, Sirius." James said very softly. "You...You know what the people in our world can be like."
Sirius let out a sad laugh. "I know. I know all too well." He handed Dan to Lily, who cradled her oldest son in her arms. "You should have let me take him."
"The aurors need you, Sirius. So does the Order." Lily told him.
"Do they? Do they really?" Sirius asked dryly and she knew he was remembering the raw events of a few days ago where Pettigrew had blown up a street and killed twelve muggles and one of the aurors Sirius had been working with to either get away or take himself out on his own terms. Sirius had been left with scars both mental and physical, and Pettigrew still hadn't been found.
"Sirius…" James started, but Sirius just walked out the door without saying anything else.
Lily sat down on the couch numbly. Dan babbled at her and she cuddled him close, glad that she at least had one of her boys.
It still didn't let her forget Harry's sobs.
….
After James and Lily left, Harry's aunt and uncle awkwardly attempted to comfort him for a little while with the sweets and toys that always comforted Dudley, but when the child proved inconsolable, they grew frustrated and put him in his crib, an annoyed Vernon saying he'd "cry it out." Alone, Harry cried himself to sleep, missing his mum and dad, and not understanding why he wouldn't come back.
As Harry slept restlessly, unbeknownst to James and Lily, his magical core, having been diminished greatly from his accidental magic blocking Voldemort's killing curse to the point where the magic was undetectable, began slowly, very slowly, starting the process of healing itself and regaining its power, something that would take almost four years.
He would spend the next few weeks being poked and prodded by his cousin while the brother he would not remember was coddled and spoiled by his parents as they tried to make up for both the war the baby would go through when he was older and the guilt of abandoning their second child.
Despite his parents' attempts to give him a normal life, the Dursleys hadn't changed, and as Harry proved himself to not be the "normal" child they thought he was, he would suffer a harsh life for many years, never knowing how special he truly was until his fate collided with that of six other lonely children, one snake and five humans, who would change his life for the better.
...
Please let me know what you think! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to tell me either in the reviews or PMs.