Chapter 5: Waking Up

A few hours later,

Harry groaned as he woke up.

Harry didn't know what to do. He had just had a series of nightmares and suddenly the nightmares turned into better dreams. He woke up sitting up while gripping onto someone's robe. Whoever's robe he was holding was holding him tightly while another person had his or her hand rested on his arm. There was also a weight on his head. (James' head was resting on Harry's)

For the first time in fourteen years, Harry Potter felt truly safe.

Then Harry realized with a start who these people were.

They were James and Lily. His parents.

Harry reached and grabbed his glasses without disturbing his father. However, his mother's hand fell off his arm. It laid on the bed as she remained asleep.

He looked up and saw his mother asleep on James' shoulder. Her red hair draped across her face like a veil.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

"Awww." Molly sighed.

"Where's a camera?" Sirius asked

"Leave them alone, Sirius." Arthur told him

"You know, this is the first time in fourteen years I've seen those three together." Sirius said.

"You saw them last night." Arthur reminded him

"But this time all three are peaceful. Harry was distraught last night."

"What do you think that nightmare was?" Molly asked

"Probably last week mixed in with Halloween of '81 with a touch of some other part of the past we haven't been told about." Arthur told her.

"You make it sound like a dish. I need to grab my clothes. I knew I should have put a sign that said "Padfoot's Room.""

"Harry needed some time alone. He had an…interesting day yesterday."

"I know. Grandparents and parents back in the same day. He deserves it though."

Harry saw his godfather quietly tiptoe into the room towards the wardrobe as the Weasleys left.

"No wonder they called you 'Padfoot'." Harry teased.

Sirius turned quickly and saw Harry awake, but still in the same position he had been in three hours ago.

"What are you doing up at six in the morning during Summer break?" Sirius asked.

"What are YOU doing up?"

"I am an adult with things to do."

"I have homework." Harry retorted.

"You are definitely Lily's son." Sirius stated.

Harry gave him a curious look

"James always had his homework done on the train home from school." Sirius stated as he sat down next to Lily. "Then he left it alone until September. That way he could not say that he did homework over the summer. Of course, your father was never one to boast about his academic abilities. His Quidditch abilities, but not academic. Your mother, on the other hand, spent a month reviewing her work."

Lily groaned and made herself more comfortable on James' shoulder. This caused Sirius to snicker.

"If we could go back in time to our fifth year, and tell Lily what we are witnessing what now, she would laugh in our faces." Sirius stated.

"Why?" Harry asked trying to escape from James' clutches. James only tightened his embrace.

"She hated his guts." Sirius told his godson.

Harry raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"It's true." Sirius said. "Ask Remus, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, Snape, anyone who went to school with us."

"So, why did she marry him? Not that I'm complaining."

Sirius laughed his bark-like laugh, amazingly not waking up the older Potters.

"She began to tolerate your father after he deflated his big head. He had an ego the size of Potter Manor in fifth year. Of course, that was only an act due to the fact half the girls liked bigheaded men. Lily doesn't know that though."

"What don't I know?" Lily groaned as she started to wake up.

She yawned and stretched. As she stretched, she whacked Sirius in the face.

"OW!" Sirius said covering his nose.

"I'm so sor…!" she started to apologize before realizing who she hit. "Oh. It's you. That's okay then."

"How did Dad get her to agree to make you my godfather?" Harry asked Sirius as Lily yawned

"'The responsibility will be good for Sirius.'" Lily quoted.

"I dink you boke by node." Sirius said to Lily.

"You are such a baby." She said giving him a playful shove.

"I prefer the term, "Big Kid", Lilikins." Sirius told her.

His nose wasn't broken.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"This is a typical day." Sirius told Harry. "I vote we wake Prongs up."

"How?" Harry asked.

"Graduation and Wedding way." Sirius stated.

"NO!" Lily told him. "Remus told me about that way. Those times, you blamed him. Besides, you'll get Harry wet."

"Fine. Plan B." Sirius said dejectedly.

POP

If Lily had not been told the night before about the animagus thing, James would have been woken up by her screaming. Instead, he was woken by the wet tongue of his best friend.

"Ew. Padfoot!" James scolded when he woke up. "That is disgusting."

James let Harry go and wiped his face.

Sirius looked and saw Lily looking at Harry, but Harry was looking away from her and James. Sensing that mother and son needed some time alone, Sirius grabbed James' wand from the robe pocket with his teeth and ran out of the room. James would have plenty of alone time with Harry if Sirius had anything to say about it.

"GET BACK HERE, PADFOOT!" James yelled chasing after the Grim-like mutt.

Padfoot just kept on running.

"DON'T MAKE ME USE WANDLESS!" James threatened as he ran down the hall.

"They never change." Lily said looked at the door.

Harry kept looking away.

"Harry?" she asked.

"I'm sorry." Harry apologized.

"For what?" Lily asked.

"For killing you." Harry explained.

"Harry. You didn't do ANYTHING concerning that time era. Except keep your father and I up half the night." Lily told him.

"You don't blame me?" Harry asked.

"Only people we blame are Voldemort and Peter." Lily told him. "We love you, Harry. You are the last person we'd blame. If anything, you tried to warn us. I should have realized something was up when you would act uncomfortable around Peter."

Harry stopped listening at the "we love you". He had not heard anyone say those words to him in a long time. People have hinted and made references, but had never actually SAID it.

Padfoot came the closest.

"I don't deserve this." Harry said with tears forming in his eyes. "I told Cedric to take the cup with me. I told Sirius and Remus to spare Peter's life which allowed him to escape. I convinced Ron and Hermione to go down the trapdoor with me…"

"What don't you deserve?" Lily asked.

"A second chance." Harry told her. "My family back. To be loved."

"Come here." She told him as she inched closer to him and pulled him into a hug.

He had received a hug a few weeks ago from Mrs. Weasley, but that was nothing like being hugged by his biological mother as she stroked his hair soothingly.

"I was so scared when I woke up," He told her. "That yesterday had only been a dream."

"Would have been better than those nightmares though."

"Actually, I think the nightmares were better. They don't give me any false hopes."

"Harry. Dreams are just ways to look into your heart. True, it does no good to dwell on them, but they do give you a start with a goal."

Harry took a deep breath and made the decision to finally look into his mother's eyes. He pulled out of the embrace and looked at her.

Other than a little bit older, she looked JUST like those pictures he found twenty-four hours ago in his aunt's attic. Her bright green eyes shone with happiness, worry, pride, and love.

Lily, however, saw dull green eyes filled with pain, sorrow, and fear. She did manage to glimpse a small dose of joy and hope.

"You've been through so much." She told him as she caressed his cheek.

"You don't know the half of it." Harry told her.

"I want to hear it." She said. "I don't care if it's something I won't like. I need to hear what you've been doing to yourself. Your grandfather told us how light you were. Your father also noticed it last night when we were calming you from your nightmares."

"Dudley's on a diet." Harry explained his weight. "Aunt Petunia has everyone on the same diet. Nothing but grapefruit."

He then chuckled.

"Dudley's actually gaining weight on that diet." He added.

Lily gave a small laugh.

"I don't want to hear about my nephew. I want to hear about my son."

TBC