Chapter 3: Peter Conway

It was July 1st, 1997 and there was a fairly large crowd in front of a store with a ribbon tied across the door blocking the entrance.

"Eh Hem." Fred said clearing his throat to people passing by. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WITCHES AND WIZARDS! WE ARE ABOUT TO START THE GRAND OPENING OF OUR STORE!"

"ARE YOU BORED?" George announced. "LIFE TREATING YOU UNFAIRLY? GET BACK WITH OUR PRODUCTS AT WEASLEYS' WIZARDING WHEEZES!"

This got a few people's attention as well as some kids. The older kids knew who these two were.

Fred and George grabbed a large pair of scissors and cut the ribbon.

"WEASLEYS' WIZARDING WHEEZES IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN!" they yelled.

The group of people that were there for the actual ceremony went in. Lily and Spica had to jerk on their husbands' cloaks to keep them from running in and buying out the store. Harry laughed as his father and godfather pouted as the two women started to warn them about prank items lying around the houses.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Cedric Diggory walked in together. Cedric had been invited because he had tied with Harry at the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Because it was that money that was used to buy the shop, Cedric was considered a benefactor. Harry remained anonymous.

The gang walked in.

Boxes were piled to the ceiling. Harry noticed the Skiving Snackboxes, trick wands, specialized self-writing insult quills, etc.

"Look at these!" Sirius exclaimed. "Can you imagine what we could have done with these?"

Sirius was showing James the Nosebleed Nougats.

"We could have skipped classes with these." James realized. "Too bad we didn't do any time traveling in our day. We could have stocked up on these."

The Skiving Snackboxes were starting to sell out as customers walked in. Harry even noticed some adults, other than the Marauders, buying them so they can get sick leave off work.

"What's this?" James asked as he found a shelf with cloaks. He put it on and found he was dressed in a Gryffindor uniform.

"Ah." George said. "That is our Cloak of Many Colors. It is designed to make it look like you're wearing one thing, but really wearing another."

"You can go to class in your pajamas with this." Fred added.

"JAMES POTTER!" Lily yelled "YOU PUT THAT BACK THIS INSTANT!"

Everyone laughed at that as James quickly folded it up.

"Reserve one for me." James whispered to Fred. "I'll pick it up when Lily's not looking."

0000

A few hours later,

"Harry!" Ginny said. "Ron, Hermione and I are going out into the town."

"We'll be right with you." Harry told them. He was helping his mother carry some stuff for the new baby.

"Did you see the look on Lily's face when James picked of the Cloak of Many Colors?" Ron asked as they left the Leaky Cauldron.

"She was ready to kill him." Hermione said. "Again."

"James Potter! You put that thing back this INSTANT!" Ginny mimicked.

The group began to laugh.

"Okay. We have to be careful now." Hermione said. "We're in the muggle world."

Suddenly the boy who was walking in front of them stopped short.

"Hey! Watch it!" Ron yelled after he bumped into the boy.

"Sorry" the boy apologized but didn't look at Ron.

The wizard and two witches started to walk around the frozen kid, but stopped when they saw who the boy was looking at.

It was Dudley Dursley.

"Well, well." Dudley said walking up to boy. "If it isn't Conway."

"Shove it Dursley." Conway said.

"Dursley?" Ginny whispered. "Isn't that…?"

"That's Harry's cousin." Ron whispered back

"Are you threatening me, Conway?" Dudley asked rolling up his sleeves

"You'll have to go through us first." The trio said walking in between the two.

"Having girls stand up for you Conway?"

"What do you think I am you pig?" the Ron said.

Conway winced.

"What did you call me?" Dudley asked Ron.

The trio pulled out their wands and pointed them at Dudley.

"You…You're some of those freaks!" Dudley realized in fear.

"Now you remember me?" Ron asked. "My brothers gave you that toffee a couple of years ago."

Dudley shut his mouth and his hands went to his fat rear.

"Get out of our sight." Ginny told him.

"You…You can't use that…stuff outside of that…school" Dudley reminded them.

"Except in self-defense and when we're seventeen." Hermione informed him.

"and adults can use it." Ron added.

As if on cue, Sirius and Remus came out.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" Remus asked.

"This git was threatening this guy, Remus." Ron told him.

"Ooohhh. A Dursley." Sirius said looking like Christmas came early.

"AAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Dudley yelled as he ran for his pathetic life.

"Doesn't anyone watch the tellybision anymore?" Sirius asked.

"Television." Conway, Hermione, and Remus corrected.

"Thanks." Conway thanked the group.

"Peter?" Hermione asked. "Peter Conway?"

"Hermione Granger?" Peter asked.

Hermione and Peter hugged.

Ron cleared his throat.

"Peter." Hermione said realizing what was going on with Ron. "This is my boyfriend, Ron Weasley. Ron, this was my best friend from primary school, Peter Conway."

"So Hermione got herself a boyfriend?" Peter said looking Ron up and down. "You have my approval. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Ron said as they shook hands.

"I don't need your approval." Hermione told Peter whacking his head

"Any friend of 'Mione's is a friend of ours." Ginny said shaking Peter's hand. "I'm Ginny Weasley."

"Any relation?" Peter asked looking between Ginny and Ron.

"Sister." Ron stated. "And girlfriend to my best friend."

"Speaking of which," Sirius said. "Where is Archimedes?"

"Probably with Prongs and Vixy." Remus said.

"Huh?" Peter asked.

"Archimedes is the nickname of one of my best friends from secondary school." Hermione explained. "Prongs and Vixy are his parents' nicknames. And these are Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meet you." Peter said. "So 'Mione? Why did Dursley….wait a minute. How DO you know Dudley Dursley?"

"Tiria! Red! Nat!" a voice said coming from the unmarked building

Harry Potter was standing in the door. Peter starred in shock.

"It's a world of laughter…" Sirius started to sing when he recognized the look on Peter's face. It was a look of recognition.

"Don't even." Remus warned him.

"You missed it mate." Ron said to Harry. "Your cousin was here."

"I missed a chance to hex Dudley?" Harry asked "Rats."

"Harry! You know you can't…." Hermione started to scold.

"I know Tiria." Harry said. "That doesn't mean I can't threaten."

"Besides." Ginny said to Hermione. "You didn't seem to have any trouble whipping out your wand."

"Ginny!" Hermione said motioning towards Peter. "Muggle."

"Peter?" Harry asked recognizing Peter.

"Harry?"

"It's a world of tears…" Sirius continued.

"Do NOT make me silence you." Remus warned.

Peter and Harry gave each other brotherly hugs.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Peter asked. "You said that we'd meet up at Stonewall."

"Change of plans." Harry said. "I was accepted to the school Mum and Dad went to."

"Really? So you were able to find out more about them?"

"Better." Harry said. "They came back."

Peter placed a hand over his friend's scar to feel for a fever.

"Harry." Peter said gently. "People can not come back from the dead."

"Here's everyone!" a voice called from the door.

Peter looked and nearly screamed when he saw James

"Peter. This is my Dad, James Potter. Dad. This was my first friend from when I was at the Dursley's: Peter Conway"

"Wait a minute." Hermione said as she realized something. "YOU'RE Peter's friend from Surrey that he wrote about constantly?"

"Yea…YOU'RE Peter's friend from Bristol that he talked about constantly?" Harry said as he realized the connection.

"It's a world of hope and a world of fears…" Sirius sang.

"In fact, I was defending Hermione when Harry and I became friends." Peter added as he remembered.

"There's so much that we share…"

"Ironic." Ron said.

"So, why did Dursley run from the sticks?" Peter asked.

Everyone looked at each other.

"Long story." Harry and Hermione said.

"What's going on?" a redheaded woman entered.

It was Lily

"Mum. This is Peter Conway. He was my best friend in primary school. Peter. This is my mother, Lily." Harry introduced.

"Conway?" Lily asked. "Any relation to Christine Conway?"

"My mother." Peter said.

"That it's time we're aware…"

"She was MY best friend from primary school." Lily told them.

"IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL!"

"Sirius! Shut up!" Remus told his friend.

"So, " Peter asked Harry and Hermione. "Where did you two meet?'

"Secondary school." They told him.

"Guys." Peter said warningly.

"What we tell you, you must promise to NEVER tell." Harry told him.

"I promise." Peter said.

0000

On a small wall outside a shop a few minutes later,

The five teens were sitting on the wall eating ice cream while talking.

"Let me get this straight." Peter said. "You four can do magic."

"Yes."

Then he turned to Harry.

"And your parents DIDN'T die in a car crash. Instead, they were murdered."

"Yes."

"And the guy who murdered them tried to kill you because of some prophesy, but messed up because your mother sacrificed herself."

"Yes."

"So now you defeated the guy and your parents are back."

"Yes."

"And Sirius Black, the guy everyone assumed was a mass murderer, is your godfather."

"Yes."

"And you play a sport that is played on broom."

"Yes."

"Best Seeker EVER." Ginny said.

"I'm not that good." Harry said. "I lost one."

"Out of ten." Hermione finished. "Two in first year, two in second year, three in third, and three last year."

"Did we forget to tell you that Professor Lupin's a werewolf?" Ron asked licking his chocolate ice cream on a cone.

"It's the new moon, so there's nothing to worry about." Hermione said when she saw the look of shock on Peter's face.

"Anything ELSE I should know about?" Peter asked in amazement.

"We're animagi." Hermione said.

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"We can't do it now because we're in public, but we can turn into animals. That's where we get our nicknames." Harry told him.

"There you are." A female voice said. "Oh. I see you made some new friends."

The kids turned to see a woman with strawberry blond hair coming up to them.

"Mum." Peter said. "You remember Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

"Hermione? You've grown up." Christine Conway said. "As have you Harry."

"Thanks Mrs. Conway." They said.

"Who are your friends?" Christine asked.

"This is my boyfriend, Ron Weasley." Hermione introduced.

"And this is my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley." Harry added.

"So you two might become in-laws one day." Christine said.

"Perhaps." Hermione said with a blush

"One day." Harry added turning as red as Ginny's hair

"Mum." Peter said. "I just found out that you knew Harry's Mum."

"I did?" She asked.

"Lily Evans?" Harry told her.

"Lily? She's your mother?" she asked in horror. "She's…dead?"

"No." The kids told her.

"But…I thought…oh! She was in a coma."

"No." Harry said. "She came back."

"People can't come back from the dead." Christine said.

"Don't tell me. Tell my godfather. He brought them back." Harry said defending himself.

"Who's your godfather?"

"Sirius Black." The kids answered

"That mass murderer!?"

"He didn't kill those people." Harry said rolling his eyes. "He was framed."

"So, the report last September was true?" she asked.

"You better believe it." A voice said behind her.

She turned and nearly screamed when she saw Sirius Black standing behind her.

"You're….you're…."

"Sirius Orion Black. At your service." Sirius said with a bow.

"Padfoot! Quit freaking people out." James said joining them

Christine just starred at the two best friends.

"Hi." James said noticing the woman. "I'm James Potter."

"I…I…" she stuttered.

"CHRIS!"

"Lily?" Christine asked when she saw her friend. After they hugged, she looked between Lily, Harry, and Peter trying to figure everything out. "I was told you were dead."

"When were you told that?" Lily asked.

"Back when I lived in Surrey." Christine said. "My son made a new friend named Harry Potter who was an orphan. I just found out that his friend and your son were the same."

"That's right." Lily said slapping her forehead. "I've been back for almost a year now, and James and I have been revealed to the public. So now it's like I haven't been away."

"Well, we have to catch up." Christine said.

Then she noticed Lily's mid-section.

"Are you pregnant again?" she asked.

TBC

Forthcoming:

"No more weddings." Harry sighed. "Three in a row was more than enough."

He pulled the covers over his head.

"No more weddings." James confirmed. "For now. Moony, Mistoffelees, and Padfoot are gone"

"You and Mum want to go on a second honeymoon?" Harry asked.

"Not yet." James said. "During Sirius' reception, Scrimgeour, the once Head of the Auror Department and now Minister of Magic, approached me and Sirius. He wanted to know if we could go work for the Ministry again."

"Did you accept?"