The Potter Brothers CH4 rough
A/N - I apologise for the wait and all that crap. Well that was sincere! Leo, go back to your cave and stay there. Never! I apologise, Leo got his metaphorical hands on some metaphorical coffee
So yeah… as I attempt to recapture my consciousness, please enjoy this chapter and review it, it is necessary for you to do this for the sake of my head!
Harry sat with his back to the headrest on the bed late at night. He had been at st. Mungo's for almost a week, he had to decide what he was going to do now he had no way back. He missed Ron and Hermione, almost too much to even think about. He missed dinner at the Weasley's, Fred and George's jokes, everything about them. But he was here now, and it didn't seem like there was any way back for him. Tears welled up at the thought, he would never see them again, at least not like he remembered. Merlin, he'd be twenty when they'd be born! And what about him! What will happen when this worlds Harry was born? Will the prophecy exist?
He sat thinking about all of these things, all of them seemed too big. This whole situation was just too big. He had just finished off Voldemort, what all-powerful being thought he had it in him to do it again? He remembered Sirius saying the war didn't start proper till they were out of school but there were attacks all throughout their time at Hogwarts.
If there really was no way back he might as well make the most of this, Hermione would give him the largest scolding ever if she found out he wasted another possible seven years at Hogwarts. He laughed quietly at the thought but he quickly stopped at another; he could save everyone, he had wished for this, he could grow up with his dad and Sirius. Everyone who had died, Fred, Remus and Tonks, Dumbledore, all of the countless students who had been killed in the battle, they would be alive!
He could grow up with parents.
Of course they wouldn't be proper parents, but when had he ever had those? The Dursleys defiantly didn't count, and he didn't see the Weasleys enough for them to count either. He smiled as he remembered the previous day.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Harry was extremely bored, he had been confined to his bed constantly and was craving action of some sort. James' short visits every day were really entertaining, and when he talked to Catherine, but she was busier with other patients now he was better and James was at school and had already been to see him that day.
He heard the door creak open and was surprised to see his uncle and aunt. They had visited with James before, why were they here now? Harry thought.
"Um, hello." He greeted them nervously, he was still quite uncomfortable with how he should address them and all that, they insisted that he should just call them by their first names but it didn't seem right to do this
"Hello Harry. We have come with a preposition for you, but we couldn't ask while James was around." Charlus started. "We were wondering, if you would like to come live with us during the holidays, you will be going to Hogwarts in September of course but..." He trailed off, thinking he had said enough. He waited for Harry's reaction.
Harry grinning, so wide it almost split his face I two, but then it faltered slightly. "But, won't I be a burden for you?" He asked warily, they had already done so much for him already just by visiting, Charlus had to count in his holidays all at once at the Auror office just to see him.
"Don't be silly Harry, why would you be a burden?" Dorea said smiling. "I've always wanted another child."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Throughout the entire week since his Charlus's offer, Harry couldn't stop smiling, Catherine even swore she saw him do it when he slept.
Finally, the day came for him to be released, the Potters were coming at noon and he sat watching the clock avidly for their arrival.
The door swung open and James ran in full pelt. "Harry! Harry! Harry! How are you today?" He said jumping onto the edge of his bed and moving up so he was lying beside him. He had broken up from school today, and had met up with his parents to come here.
"Alright I guess!" He said grinning at his cousin.
"Good, cause today's the day! We're breaking you out!" He said in what he must of thought sounded like a cool spy movie voice. How James knew about spy movies he had no idea.
Charlus and Dorea came in a bit after James, who had obviously ran ahead. "James, what have I told you about running about the place, you could have knocked someone over!" Dorea admonished, but smiled at her son's eagerness to see Harry.
"Oops, sorry mum." He said not at least a bit guilty.
"So, we'll let you gather your things and then we should be off." Charlus said with a smile, happy that things were finally moving. They moved outside to give Harry some space as he packed his belonging.
He didn't have much, the ragged clothes he had apparently wore when they found him were disposed of and the hospital had supplied him with some muggle tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt he had requested some time after he had started moving about the place, he didn't fancy walking around in the short, light hospital robes they gave everyone.
Once he had packed everything in a small rucksack he opened the door, stepping out into the corridor. Charlus turned to face him. "All ready?" He asked. Harry nodded in confirmation. "Great!" He said grinning, "Then we'll all be on our way!"
They walked down towards the elevator which took them to the reception where Charlus had to sign the release papers for Harry. Once he had done that he led them to fireplace.
"Harry, just stand in the fireplace and take a handful of this powder, clearly say 'Potter Manor' before dropping the powder, keep your mouth closed and if it feels better close your eyes." Charlus explained. "James will go first to show you how it's done."
James, looking happy to show off his experience, grabbed a handful before leaping into the fireplace. "Potter Manor!" He said loudly before green flames erupted from the fire, taking James away.
He grabbed a handful, but just before he stepped into the hearth a voice shouted "wait!" He turned around and saw Healer Catherine. "I just wanted to say goodbye before you went away." She said, pulling him into a hug, accidentally making him drop his powder. "Oops." She said slightly, waving her wand to clear away the mess. "It was a pleasure looking after you Harry. Take care of him, ok?" She asked, looking at Charlus and Dorea.
They nodded solemnly. "We will." Dorea said, looking at the healer straight in the eyes.
"Bye Catherine, I promise I'll visit again." Harry said mid-hug. He took another handful of powder before stepping into the fireplace. "Potter Manor!" He called clearly, dearly wishing he didn't turn up someplace else this time. Tripping slightly, he fell out of the fireplace backwards. Just before he hit the ground, however, he was caught by James. "Floo travel hates me." He stated.
"I'm sure you just need practice." Charlus said as he stepped out after him.
"The first time I used it I ended up in Knockturn Alley and I'm sure I've been sick at least two separate times inside the floo network before, I'm not surprised if some unlucky person got a load of sick shooting out of their fireplace by accident." He said, smiling slightly.
James burst out laughing. "Wow, it does hate you!" James grinned. Harry got up and looked around slightly, he was in a large parlour. The room was very spacious, with large windows on one side of the room, looking out onto a huge garden In the distance he could see the tops of some Quidditch hoops. Red curtains with gold thread hung in front of them, the same colour that seemed to dominate the rest of the room.
"I'll get Dippy, our house elf to take your things up to your room shall I? Then we'll give you the tour." Dorea announced. 'House elf?' He thought, a house elf wasn't exactly what he had been expecting, he had thought only people like the Malfoys and Sirius's family had house elves. However, Dippy was dressed in some sort of uniform and seemed clean and well looked after, nothing like how Dobby had been treated with his rag of a pillow case.
Small tears pricked his eyes at the memories of his small friend but he blinked them away, he would mourn for him tonight, but not in front of his new family.
"Shall we show you around?" Charlus suggested. Dorea excused herself and left to start the dinner, even though they had a house elf Dorea still liked to cook on special occasions.
"First we have the parlour, then through here is the main hall and the entrance to the house." He led him to a door at the side. "In here is the dining room and round here is the sitting room. The kitchen is in the basement, below the stairs. James, why don't you show Harry his room?" He offered.
James grinning and took hold of Harry's sleeve, running over to the stairs. "Come on Harry, hurry up! Don't be such a flobberworm!"
"I am not a flobberworm!" He shouted back childishly, hands on hips.
"Are too if you don't hurry up!" James said.
Harry sped up the stairs past James and onto the landing. "Now who's the flobberworm?" He taunted, he knew it was childish but he didn't care anymore, not now, with James.
His cousin glared but then grinned. "Come on then!" He said running off, Harry only just keeping up. "Here's my room, and the upstairs bathroom, and here's your bedroom, next to mine." Harry opened the door and gasped.
The bedroom was easily bigger than his old one at Privet Drive, it was probably bigger than all the bedrooms and then some. A king size bed sat on one side of the room, a large window looked over the garden, from here Harry could see the Quidditch pitch James had told him about. Two doors led off from the room, one into an en suite and another into a walk in wardrobe so large his old clothes would have only filled a small portion. Harry's small rucksack sat on his bed, it seemed slightly embarrassing that he owned so little in the presence of the splendour of the house.
"Don't worry." James said, as if sensing Harry's thoughts. "Mum's probably going to take you shopping to get more stuff.
XxXxXxXxXxX
And take him shopping she did. The next day the Potters were bundled into the fireplace and out into the leaky cauldron. They already had money on them so they didn't have to visit Gringotts which Harry was glad for, he didn't think he was ready to return to that place yet, not so close after he had broken in.
His aunt and uncle led them down a few alleys to some of the higher end shops, Harry had never been this far into wizarding London, in third year he was told not to go further than Diagon Alley and he had never really been there long enough to look around since. Dorea dragged him through the robe shop, picking out different coloured garments that suited his eyes/hair/skin colour and a whole other amount of things.
James had gotten bored half way through and had begun to whine. "Muuuum, can we go shopping for Quidditch stuff now?" He moaned. "I really really want that new broom."
"Maybe later James, now were getting Harry some stuff, remember he has nothing." She murmured in his ear quietly so that Harry wouldn't hear to no avail. He blushed brightly at the embarrassment of needing things.
Eventually, they left the clothes shop with several robes and other more modern clothes, a mix between muggle and Wizarding.
The next shop they visited Harry didn't know what it was until they were inside. High shelves surrounded the room stacked with magical toys, moving teddy bears, story books with colourful pictures, small brooms for kids that only went a few feet off the ground. A whole host of things.
Harry blushed profusely. "I'm fine really, I don't need anything." He insisted.
"Nonsense!" Dorea said, leading Harry in by the hand.
"Mum! If Harry doesn't want to get anything he doesn't have to!" James insisted. Harry flashed a smile of thanks that was returned quickly.
Dorea debated inwardly for a moment before relenting. "Fine James, let's go to the Quidditch shop then." She sighed and followed and exited James and an equally excited Charlus back to the main alley. Dorea didn't let go of Harry's hand though and he didn't make any move to remove his either. It felt good to hold someone's hand.
XxXxXxXxXxX
They returned much later that day with new brooms for everyone. James had ran into the shop and straight to the latest model of nimbus, the 1002 model. After James had begged and pleaded with his mother, she agreed that the other brooms were getting a bit old and decided to replace them.
Harry, James and Charlus took the first chance available and rushed to the Quidditch pitch, Harry only after Dorea reassured him it was ok to leave her. The Quidditch pitch wasn't old, it was added to the grounds when Charlus was a child here. He had played many games of Quidditch with his brother, his real dad.
The whole parent issue was an odd sensation to him, James was his dad back home, Eddard potter was his real dad here, but Charlus was looking after him. Harry's 'memories' of any parents here did not contain any sign of a mum either, which made Harry wonder what had happened to her. The memories seemed to feel more natural than before as if they had all been sorted through and placed into files, he could easily distinguish between now and then, but here his new memories seemed to be his main ones, and the others were like he had viewed them through a pensive.
"Come on Harry, we're all gonna take off together on the new brooms!" James shouted, drawing him out of his thoughts.
He grinned and forgot all about it, running to catch up to his family.
XxXxXxXxXxX
That night the nightmares came.
Harry was in the burrow, it looked like it had after the remembrance service dinner, full of the dirty pots and pans Mrs Weasley had used to cook for all the visitors.
At the table sat Hermione, her face red and puffy from crying. She had a mug of tea clasped tightly in her hands. "Oh Harry!" She cried, but it seemed as though there were no more tears to come.
The door opened, revealing a tired and dirty looking Ron Weasley. "Still no sign of him." He said angrily.
"Ron! Why are you like this?" Hermione said exasperated, her face half full of disgust.
"I'm not angry at him 'Mione." He said dejectedly, sitting himself down in a chair. "I'm angry at myself, I drove him off, me!" He said, his eyes were welling up with tears, Harry had never really see his friend cry, only once from relief and happiness the day the war was over, and also over the body of Fred.
The dream changed slightly, Ron turned to face where he stood. "Was it me?" He pleaded with tear filled eyes. "Did I send you away?"
"No Ron, I promise you didn't!" He shouted but it didn't seem like he could hear him.
"Tell me Harry, tell me!"
He sat up in bed, sweat covered his body and the sheets and tears streaming down his face. It was a dream, only a dream. But it had felt so real at first, was he seeing what was happening now he had gone?
He felt a wave of guilt, he had been enjoying himself so much, while they've been worried sick and looking for him. He had tried to get back hadn't he? For the entirety of the first three days he had thought over ways to do it but there was literally nothing. And then he decided he could live here, with family.
Dorea was amazing, she bustled over him just as Mrs Weasley had done; making sure he was neat and tidy, straightening his robes when they were crumpled and all the other small things that made her all motherly, was it bad he thought of her in that way? He felt that somehow he was betraying Lily by thinking that.
Charlus was how he had always imagined a father to be, kind, patient but stern. And while going to work took up most of his time he still managed to watch James practice Quidditch every week.
They were both amazing people but it didn't help the guilty feeling in his gut. James and Lily were his parents, no matter what. He couldn't wait to see Lily at Hogwarts, he hoped she really was as amazing as everyone said. James was, well, when he had been in the hospital he was great, making jokes and keeping him company. But in the past few days he had seen another side to him, he had been whiny and moaned to get what he wanted and acted a bit like Malfoy had done, thinking he was better than everyone else.
Suddenly he froze, his instincts telling him someone was just outside the room. Slowly, he heard the door creak.
A/N - MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA my first cliffie! Even though it's not that cliffhangery... ish... thingie... thing. Well done, you have successfully confused yourself! Shut up Leo -.- And now he's sulking, great. Anyway, please review and favourite and follow and all that stuff that makes authors happy, god knows it might draw him out of this mood!