Life Changed Year III

Summery: Lily and James Potter are alive and have believed their son, Harry, to be dead. What happens when they find out he is actually alive?

Life Changed Year III

Chapter Two

Birthday

(Evening time in Houston Texas. A little after 7:00PM)

There were only a few days left until Terri's birthday. For her birthday a small party was planned with her closest friends. Her family wanted to have their own celebration; as they did with all of their kids, on their own. For their family birthday celebration they planned to go to Denney's for dinner. Denney's was a favorite place for the Potter family and they often went there at least once a month.

Terri sighed as she read through the menu. She already knew what she wanted; she wanted to get what she reserved as her birthday dinner. Pancakes and French toast with bacon. It was normally a breakfast meal, and she often had it for breakfast, but there was something special about having it for dinner; she didn't understand why, she just knew how she felt. Matt and Jamie were looking through their menu's, and Corbin was coloring in the coloring book he was given when they were seated.

The voice of her father brought her out of her thoughts. "Have you picked what you want?" He asked as he folded his menu.

"Pancakes, French toast, and bacon." Terri answered grinning.

"You always get that!" Jamie, her ten year old brother complained.

Terri grinned. "That's because I love it."

"So, try something knew." Jamie continued to complain.

"Kids." Their mother, Lily, interrupted. "Jamie, don't bother your sister. It's her birthday dinner, and she can pick what she wants."

The waitress came over and asked for their order, stopping Jamie from commenting further.

"Can we get the breakfast platter for the birthday girl," He said shooting Terri a grin and a wink, causing her to blush. "Two chicken nuggets and two hamburgers, a cheese burger and fries, and two steak dinners, please." James finally finished. The waitress finished writing their order and walked back to the kitchens.

About fifteen minutes later, and two new colored pictures from Corbin, their food arrived.

(England/ The Dursleys/ About 10:00 AM)

Rubbing his eyes to try and wake himself up a little, Harry sighed as he heard the door close and lock. The Dursley's were leaving him alone for the morning so they could go to brunch with friends, and Harry couldn't be happier with that arrangement. It kept the Dursley's out of his hair, and it allowed him some alone time.

He had been given a list of chores to complete by the time his relatives arrived home. Thankfully, they were all indoors chores. He was still sick, his cold had been fluctuating from better to worse. Harry assumed this was because when he got really badly sick his relatives would decrease his work load, not much, but a little. But when he got a little better, they would increase his workload again, effectively causing him to get sick again.

His list of chores was long today. Today was one of his better days with his long lasting cold. The list was in Uncle Vernon's untidy scrawl.

Do the dishes

wash the bed linings

wash the clothes

clean Dudley's bedrooms

dust the house

vacuum the living room, and upstairs rooms

Harry sighed. He had a lot of work to do and figured he had better get to it before his relatives got back. He knew he had about five hours before they came back home. Personally, he preferred to sleep, but he didn't want to suffer the consequences of not completing his chores.

Finally after the Potter's finished their dinner at Denney's they began to go to a book store. Terri had been given a choice of where to go after dinner and she had chosen the book store; much to Corbin, Jamie, Matt and James' displeasure. They hated books. Terri, however, loved books; as did her mother.

Entering the book store, Maggie's Corner Book Store, they separated and began to look around. Lily told her children they had a choice of two books each.

Terri was ecstatic to be back to this book store. It had been there for years, but they hadn't found it until a few months prior. And she loved it!

Finally, finding her two books she found her mother, who also had her own two books and they went to the counter, where not surprisingly, the men of the family had their books picked out.

"Ready?" James asked as they arrived at the check out counter.

"Yes." Lily answered showing her messy haired husband her books.

"Are you ready, dears?" A grey haired woman who was wearing a deep purple dress asked at the counter.

"Yes." Lily called as she gathered all the books her family had picked and placed them on the counter.

"You certainly found a lot." The woman commented as she began to scan the price tags. Lily just smiled.

"Maggie!" A voice from the back room called briskly.

"Hang on a second Mini." Maggie called as she gave James the change and began to bag the books. "That's my sister. Don't mind her, she's quite impatient. Visiting from Scotland." Maggie explained.

After a moment the impatient sister from Scotland entered the store from the apartment behind. She was dressed in a deep green dress. She gasped as she saw who else was there; causing James and Lily to look up.

They both gasped in surprise as well. The woman who had just entered the room was their old teach, Professor McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall!" Lily and James chorused.

"How…?" McGonagall said barely above a whisper. She was rarely stunned to the point of speechlessness.

"How what?" James asked in confusion.

"Your dead!" Professor McGonagall suddenly cried.

"Excuse me?" Lily said surprised. How were they dead? They were standing right there. "We're not dead, Professor." 'Old habits die hard.' Lily thought after calling her old teacher Professor, even though she wasn't her professor any longer.

"But they said!" Professor McGonagall cried, looking as though she was seeing ghosts. "They said you had died!"

"My Mum and Dad aren't dead." Jamie cried at the strange woman who seemed to know his parents.

"Maybe we should all sit down and discuss this." Maggie interrupted.

"I think maybe you are right." Lily said decisively.

Maggie led everyone to her apartment and into her small living room. After everyone was seated Maggie spoke up. "Can someone please explain what this is all about?"

"That's what we would like to know." James said quietly but curiously.

"How is it that you are alive?" McGonagall suddenly spoke up.

Maggie interrupted before anyone could comment further. "Who is it that you are, first of all." She asked James and Lily.

"My name is James Potter, and this is my wife Lily." James explained. "These are our kids, Mathew, Terri, Jamie and Corbin."

Maggie froze. She knew their names. Everyone in the Wizarding community knew the name Potter. She knew it specially because of how their 'deaths' had affected her sister, who had been devastated by their 'deaths.'

"You're the Potter's?" Maggie asked stunned.

"Yes." Lily said in a confused voice.

"I think I know why my sister is so surprised at seeing you." Maggie said; her voice still slightly stunned.

"After the attack on Godric's Hollow everyone was told you had died." McGonagall said for the first time making a proper sentence.

"What?" Lily asked. "Why?"

"I don't know." McGonagall continued. "It was all over the Daily Prophet. It's in history books, how you two died and Harry survived the attack."

"Hang on!" James interrupted in an angry voice. "We're not dead! And Harry did not survive!"

"But Harry did!" McGonagall insisted shocked. She couldn't understand why they were saying Harry was dead. Or where they got that idea from. Surely they knew their son was alive. Why did they leave him behind? "Harry is alive! I have him in my class! He's in my house!" McGonagall informed the two stunned, and angry parents.

"You have to be mistaken." Lily insisted before James could voice his anger, which could clearly be seen. Harry was a sore subject with them. They had been devastated when he had died, and it had taken a long time to get over it; well, they had never really gotten over it, they just learned to deal with it. "Harry is dead." Lily said matter of fact.

"I am not mistaken!" McGonagall insisted, slightly ruffled. She didn't like being told she was wrong. "Where did you get the idea he was dead?"

"Minister Fudge told us." James said after taking a deep, calming breath. He didn't want to blow up at his former teach. He wanted to get through this ridiculous conversation without raising his voice.

Matt, Terri, Jamie and Corbin stayed quiet. They knew about their brother. Lily and James had many pictures of him around the house, and told them about him and his death.

"The minister told you!" McGonagall asked shocked. "Minister Fudge told you your son was dead?"

"Yes, when we woke in St. Mungo's." Lily answered. "After the attack we were informed by Minister Fudge that Harry had died. We left soon after so we don't know much of what's happened or what everyone was told."

"Why did you leave so soon?" McGonagall asked curiously.

James sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "It was difficult after we were told Harry had died. We just wanted to leave – to move on." James tried to explain.

"Losing a child is hard." Lily spoke up. "We knew the attack at our home in Godric's Hollow would be big news and we didn't want to deal with it. We just wanted a quiet life with our remaining children."

"You still don't believe me." McGonagall stated as a fact. "You don't believe that Harry is alive."

"I'm sorry." James said. "I really do want that to be true. It would be a dream come true. But there is no reason for the Minister to have lied about his death. I can't believe it."

"I can show you proof." McGonagall said determinedly as she stood and stalked off to another room.

After a moment she came back in carrying a book. She thrust it into James' arms and pointed to a picture. "That's Harry!" She said pointing to a Wizarding picture of a boy standing next to a bushy haired girl and a red headed boy. The boy in the middle was be-speckled with messy black hair and bright emerald green eyes. His hair blew out of his face showing his forehead and they saw a lightning bolt scar.

James sat stunned. The boy in the photograph looked just like him when he was a child. The only real differences were the boy's emerald green eyes, and that he was thinner then James ever was. And the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. He didn't want to get his hopes up – he really didn't – but the boy in the photo looked so much like him it was scary. "This- this can't be Harry. He can't be alive!" James finally stuttered out.

Lily moved closer to look at the photograph and gasped. The boy did look like their baby Harry, only now much older. He even had her eyes. But that scar…

"That's Harry." McGonagall said, bringing their attention back to her.

"H – how?" Lily finally spoke.

"I don't know." McGonagall said. "But that is your son, Harry."

"How can it be?" James spoke up. "I'll admit. He looks like our Harry. He looks like me. He had Lily's eyes. But how is this possible?"

"I don't know. I don't know why the minister lied." McGonagall said with a small frown. "I just know that everyone has been lied to."

"If this is Harry, where has he been?" James asked. "Did he have a good life with Sirius?"

McGonagall seemed to get nervous all of a sudden. "He didn't grow up with Mr. Black."

"What do you mean he didn't grow up with Sirius?" Lily asked outraged. "Sirius was listed as his guardian should anything happen to us."

"Mr. Black was blamed for your deaths." McGonagall explained.

"What? Why?" James asked outraged.

"Because he was your Secret Keeper." McGonagall answered.

"He was not." Lily answered. "Peter was."

"Mr. Pettigrew was your Secret Keeper?" McGonagall asked shocked.

"Yes." James answered. "We figured he'd be the last person Voldemort would suspect of being our Secret Keeper so we switched."

"That complicates things." McGonagall answered.

"How?" Lily asked. "Can't we just get Sirius freed by letting it be known we are alive?"

"Mr. Black escaped Azkaban." McGonagall breathed. "Just a few weeks ago, actually."

"Still can't we get him legally declared innocent?" James asked.

"Hopefully." McGonagall answered.

"So what now?" Lily asked. She was really too stunned to figure out any plans. Her son may be alive? The Wizarding world believed them dead. Sirius had been arrested for their supposed deaths. It was all very complicated.

"I'll floo to Albus and tell him that you are alive." McGonagall said decisively. "He'll want to see you and question you of course. From there we'll see what he says."

"We'll head home to wait for you." James answered as he took out the stub for the books they bought and wrote his address down. "Here's our address."

"Thank you." McGonagall said as she took the offered paper. "I'm glad to see that you are alive." She said quietly before she grabbed some powder off the mantle and threw it into the flames. The flames turned green and she called 'Albus Dumbledore, Headmasters Office' and stepped into the green flames.

"We had better get home." Lily said as she stood, Matt, Terri, Jamie and Corbin following her actions.

"Is Harry alive?" Terri asked also stunned.

"I don't know honey." Lily said facing her only daughter. "We hope so."

"Come on, let's get home." James interrupted. "Thank you for the books Mrs. Maggie."

End of Chapter Two

A/N: How was that? I hope you liked it! Thank you cooroo for the suggestion of James' job! Please REVIEW!

Have you heard of the story of Owen and MZEE? The tortoise and the hippo? Its been all over the news!