Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Kudos go to J.F.C. for allowing me to adopt his ideas and allowing me to bounce ideas off him as well as suggesting or improving quite a few of the ideas that are going into this

Chapter 5

It was as good as a disaster. Harry was not entirely sure whether or not it would be suitable to panic visibly or internally, either way he was panicking. He was not sure whether he was ready to meet his birth parents or if he ever really wanted to. He had been perfectly happy simply not knowing about those two people, what he had learned about them was more than enough. Harry really did not want to see the third party of the trio. That infuriating man on his own made the situation worse than it would have normally been had he been only meeting his birth parents.

Harry heard Aunt Carina, Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus come up behind him and catch sight of what he was staring at. He heard Aunt Dorea let out a soft groan. Vaguely he heard Alex and Marcus asking him what was wrong before they were led out of the room by Uncle Charlus. Harry wasn't entirely sure what his uncle was planning to do but he was unable to give it much thought either as his mind rapidly went to work, trying to find the best way to get out of the situation they all knew was coming. There would only be one reason for Dumbledore to bring his birth parents with him. Dumbledore wanted Harry to go and live with the two.

Harry winced at the thought and his eyes flickered over to Aunt Carina as she began moving towards the door. Harry had no idea how she could remain so calm at a moment like this when even Aunt Dorea seemed frozen, even as she muttered furiously under her breath about inconsiderate gatecrashers. Under any other circumstances Harry would have been incredibly amused by Aunt Dorea's words and he was sure he would find amusement in it later while he was in his room, once this entire situation was sorted out. He was not going to live with some couple who he did not know, who were as good as strangers to him. He would fight and argue until he was blue in the face if he had to because he would not let them whisk him off to a new world alone.

It was with grim determination that he met James and Lily Potter for the first time. Their potentially pleasant faces had been pulled into angry scowls as they noted the presence of Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus in the house with them. Dumbledore had invited himself within the threshold of their house, assuming that he would be allowed in after being welcomed with a frigid iciness the first time. He seemed to ignore the tension within the room as he occupied the same seat as he had the last time he had been there with James and Lily taking the seats that Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus had occupied previously. Harry glanced at Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus who to his surprise, spotted shadows of smirks on their faces at how uncomfortable Lily and James looked. Harry had to blink a couple of times before he noticed that expression on their usually cheerful or calm faces. It was admittedly strange but then again, nothing had really been normal for the past few days. He almost missed normal.

He decided to take the time to examine the two strangers. The man had untidy black hair that looked like he had not even bothered to try and neaten it in anyway, a pair of spectacles were supported by his nose. His hazel eyes gazed around the room, holding not a little bit of disregard and haughtiness as he took in all their meagre but meaningful possessions. His posture screamed arrogance in a way that made it seem like he was not someone used to not getting his way in anything. Harry could only assume that this man had never been forced to buy anything but the best and took advantage of the fact that he was wealthy, something that he saw as strange when he considered who his parents were and how they behaved.

The woman had a fiery mass of red hair that had been forcibly tamed with a band at the back of her head, her bright green eyes focussed entirely on him. She seemed to be at ease in the muggle setting which told him that she had spent a lot of time and perhaps had been raised in the muggle world. She did not look around and seemed a lot more controlled than her husband. She had dark circles under her eyes along with a slight redness that had hinted at tears, but her eyes held a spark of hope but there was also expectation lying in her eyes.

Both were dressed in expensive clothing that looked entirely out of place and entirely to stiff bordering on uncomfortable-looking. Harry sighed mentally, if these two were the alternate option for his guardians he was grateful he had not been raised by them. He shuddered at the thought of how he could possibly have turned out, a spoilt brat no doubt. He could only feel pity towards a child who was under their care as his hypothetical twin had been. He still was not entirely convinced that he even had a twin although Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus had constantly been telling him that it was true. They obviously expected the doubt though so they never looked irritated at having to repeat themselves as often as they did.

"Harry," the woman said, eyes roving over him carefully as if she could barely believe he was there. It almost seemed like she needed the confirmation that he was real and not simply a figment of her imagination.

Harry winced at the familiarity in the tone of her voice that implied some sort of previous meeting between them, some sort of trust shared between friends or even acquaintances. He sighed knowing that there was no possible way for him to get out of this situation of forced familiarity without seeming outlandishly rude, but that did not mean he was comfortable with the entire situation so he did not bother to answer. There was no reply that had been voiced within his name, even if there was he was ignoring it. Pointedly.

Harry could see a similar intense interest lingering in the man's eyes as James' unwanted attention was turned to Harry. He could feel those eyes examining him as they roved along his body, looking for tiny perceived errors that came from not being raised by him. Harry sneered mentally, not allowing any of his dislike to show on his face.

"Happy birthday Harry," the man said finally, his examination over.

"Thank you," Harry replied, biting back the words on how a 'happy birthday' had been ruined by their presence. That would have been entirely too rude and would probably reflect badly on Aunt Carina who was currently hiding her shock well but Harry had lived with her for too long not to notice that. She looked just about as shocked as he felt, which was no particularly good for him.

Dumbledore smiled cheerfully and Harry had to stomp down the very strong urge to growl at the wizened man in a very threatening manner. Dumbledore had probably known what he had been interrupting and had planned it so that they would be invited to their private celebration. He had obviously not counted on the fact that his reputation preceded him in this instance, and his reputation was not pleasant amongst the current occupants of their home.

"I take it you have enjoyed your birthday thus far?" Dumbledore asked. The two Potters cast Harry looks of interest as they waited on his answer. They looked as if they expected Harry to answer in the negative. They looked so hopeful that it was almost sickening for Harry to even keep his eyes on the two for much longer.

"I have," Harry grinned as he exchanged a glance with Aunt Dorea and Charlus. "It was one of the few times Aunt Carina managed to surprise me with the party, which made it one of the best birthdays I have ever had."

Aunt Carina sent Harry an appreciative smile in response and Harry took the time to wonder what Uncle Charlus had done with his two friends. He could not have had a more than a couple of minutes to do whatever he had planned. Harry turned around just in time to see the flash of hurt cross the woman's face and an angry expression settle then disappear on the man's face.

"Good, good," Dumbledore went silent for a moment as he thought over his next words. "I have mentioned them in passing the last time we met but I believe the day of your birth was the best time for you to be re-introduced to your parents, Lily and James Potter."

Harry nodded in acknowledgement of the two as they sent Dumbledore sharp glances. Harry wondered at their differing definitions of 'best time.' Harry wondered whether their entire idea of such an occasion was different or whether their entire concepts of such situations were vastly different.

"Besides I wished for other people well versed in the art of magic to be here as a precaution while your block is removed," Dumbledore said almost offhandedly.

Harry felt indignant on Aunt Dorea's and Uncle's Charlus part. What exactly were they supposed to be? Chopped liver? Harry was sure that even singularly, Aunt Dorea or Uncle Charlus knew more than Lily and James knew combined. Dumbledore was simply grasping at straws for a reason to bring his two loyal hounds tagging along. They had no place nor had they any reason to disturb the peace that had existed before them.

Harry noticed that Lily and James did not look surprised at hearing the news of him having a bond, which blatantly told him that they had either known of it the entire time or had trusted Dumbledore enough to do whatever he wished with their one year old son and had not bothered to ask questions. Neither possibility was elevating them in the slightest with him.

"So you will be removing the block today then?" Harry asked slightly nervously. It was a terrifying thought, having something within you that you had never known off, something that you could quite easily lose control over within seconds, something that was powerful and reacted to your emotions as many of the text books had explained.

"Yes. The sooner the better so that you have more time to adjust to your magic," Dumbledore said gently.

Harry took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart and nodded quickly. He led them to the room that Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus had meticulously prepared and warded during their long stay there. Harry had watched them work and asked them what seemed like a thousand questions that they had not minded answering about what they called wards, runes and something else he could not quite remember the name of. Harry lay down on the bed as he had been told to on multiple occasions before hand and had been suggested by the various books on the subject. He wanted to get this over and done with as fast as he possibly could so the unwanted visitors could leave.

Harry received three reassuring looks from the three people who really mattered to him as Dumbledore stood above him, chanting and waving a stick that he had come to recognize as a wand in vague patterns in the air.

Harry felt something break, it was incredibly painful and he could not stop the screams that left his mouth. He felt something that was akin to finding a lost limb that you never knew that you were missing, something powerful that gave him both joy and contentment but also a slight bit of fear. Those feelings were short lived as darkness enveloped Harry's mind and he passed out.