Hindsight

Summary: "Ten years," James whispered to his wife. "We've been dead for Ten years… how is this possible?" Ten years after the tragedy at Godric's Hollow, James and Lily come back to life and find their world turned upside down.

Chapter 6

Lily rolled onto her side with an exhausted huff.

It was another restless night for her. She glanced up at her husband, who was sitting against the headboard, dark circles around his eyes. Although they had spent most of their previous day cleaning and fixing up rooms for Sirius, Remus and Harry, neither one of them had gotten even a wink of sleep. "You too, huh?" she asked rhetorically but he nodded all the same. She sighed, crawling up his body until her cheek was pressed against his chest. She splayed her fingers across his stomach and let her eyes flutter close when he began rubbing the small of her back. James craned his neck down and gave her a peck on the forehead. "What do you think he's doing right now?" He knew she wasn't talking about Sirius who was sleeping down the hall from them, or Remus who, by the smell of it, was probably downstairs cooking them all a big breakfast.

"Well," James breathed out. "It's only Sunday. Maybe he's sleeping in."

"Or maybe he's eating breakfast. Wolfing it down if he's anything like his father."

He snickered, unable to deny it. "He's a growing boy, Lils."

She hummed in agreement. "Do you think he's excited about Hogwarts?"

"Do you think the Dursleys even told him about it?"

"… I guess not."

Sure they were considering that the Dursleys had taken proper care of their son, but that didn't mean they would've told him the truth about his heritage.

"You don't think they tried to repress it, do you?"

"I'd like to see them try! He was doing accidental magic before he was a year old. They'd never be able to stop him."

She couldn't help but grin. "I can't believe it. In two months, we'll be taking him to buy a wand."

"And school robes."

"And books and maybe a cat."

James scowled. "Not a cat! Harry nearly killed the last one we had."

"Because of the broom you told Sirius to get for him!"

"Regardless. Not a cat."

"A toad?"

He resisted the urge to pinch her. "Is a toad going to hop across the continent to deliver letters to us?"

"An owl then."

"Obviously. How do you expect him to tell us about all the pranks he'll be pulling on-"

"On no one. My son isn't going to be an arrogant toerag like his father was."

"Oi! You fell in love with this arrogant toerag."

"And I live to regret it."

"Why you horrid-!" He swung his leg and pushed her onto her back so he was straddling her hips.

"James, no!" she begged, but he ignored her, his squirming fingers attaching themselves to her sides like leeches. Her bark of laughter was so loud she was sure that it woke Sirius. "James! Please! Please, stop!"

"Live to regret it, she says," he muttered. "I'll give you something to regret!"

"James, w-wait! W-AH! My back!"

He scrambled off of her, hurriedly, watching with horror as her hand flew to her lower back. "Lily! I'm so sorry, are you o-omph!" He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but he was suddenly hurtling off the bed and onto the ground, Lily's red hair fanned all around his face. The moment she sat up, mischief clear in her smile, James wanted to smack himself. "You tricked me!" She brought her hands up and wiggled her brows. "No… no, Lily, no! Wait!"

But his pleading didn't work. Lily attacked his neck with the same vigor that he had used on her. Giggling madly, he attempted to tickle her sides once more to gain the upper hand but it was clear that she wasn't giving in.

"L-Lils! Please! I'll d-do anything!"

"Anything?" she pondered, pausing for a moment.

"Anything!"

She grinned and slowly leaned down until their lips were centimeters away. They were just about to kiss when-

"Gross."

James groaned, pushing himself up and tucking his chin into the crook of her neck so he could glare at Sirius over her shoulder.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"Funny, I don't remember you being one to knock back when we were still living at your mum and dad's."

"Well, I don't remember anyone asking you to polish your bloody wand while-!"

Lily clapped a hand over James' mouth and happily chirped a "Good morning, Sirius," before their argument could escalate. "Is Remus up?"

"Downstairs. Just put the kettle on. He asked me to come fetch you two."

"You couldn't wait like, three minutes, Pads?" James whined.

The shaggy haired man shook his head amusedly. "I would've but Dumbledore's down there with him."

"Albus?" Lily gasped, all but trampling James in her haste to get up. "Did he go to see Petunia? Is Harry alright?"

"Didn't tell me anything. Might as well dress and go talk to him yourself." He left to let them get ready. Lily and James locked eyes, both of them more nervous than they'd ever been before.

"This is it," she whispered.

"Do you think?"

"He wouldn't come to our house just to give us bad news, would he?"

"Are you ready?"

James looked down at himself. He was shirtless, donning only his boxers. "After I put some clothes on, yes."

Lily forced a laugh, but she couldn't hide her anxiousness. "We should probably wear something nice, in case we get to see him today." The two hurried to their closet. Though their selections were very limited, they had trouble choosing what to wear. Nothing looked quite right to for a reunion with their son. Finally, Lily settled for her blue casual robes while James put on a pair of muggle slacks and a white button down shirt. "Do you think we look… like parents?" she asked him. James shrugged helplessly. "Well, if you were Harry and you looked at us, would you think 'now those are my parents' or would you think we were just, just a couple of strangers who have no business being in your life?"

"Honestly, Lily, I have no idea how to respond to that but we look fine."

"You're sure?"

"I think?"

She rubbed her face fretfully but gave in and took his hand. "Alright… let's go."

"Yeah… Come on."

They walked out of their room together and were just about to reach the top of the stairs when James cursed under his breath and let go of her.

"What is it?"

"Stupid, I- I just forgot my shoes, love. Go on. We don't want to keep Albus waiting."

"You're sure?"

James brushed the pad of his thumb along her cheek then leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll be right behind you."

Lily watched him disappear into their bedroom before heading down. She stopped in the kitchen first to greet Remus good morning, but found him and Sirius grinning madly. "Is everything all right?" she asked them. The werewolf nodded towards the living room, where she could hear Dumbledore talking to someone. "Did he bring the Dursleys?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Here?" She supposed they'd want to talk to her and James, but they wouldn't actually show up to a magical house, would they?

Sirius looked as though he would burst. "Not quite."

"Well, who-"

Her confusion melted away when the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard floated in from the living room.

"So when my teacher's hair turned blue? That was me?"

"Indeed, my boy. Indeed."

"And all the times Aunt Petunia cut all my hair off just for it to grow back the next morning?"

"Magic."

"Wow. Were my mum and dad magic too?"

Lily covered her mouth with trembling fingers to mask the sound of her sob.

Harry.

Harry was in their house.

Harry was sitting in their living room, asking about her and James.

"If you'd excuse me for one second, Harry. Let me see if I can grab some more biscuits for you from your parents' friends."

"Oh, of course! Thank you, professor!"

Albus pushed through the door connecting the two rooms and gave Lily a brilliant smile. "I do believe someone is waiting for you, dear girl."

Lily let out a joyful weep and, embarrassed, rubbed her tears away forcefully. "He… He wants to see us?"

The headmaster stepped out of the way and held the door open a crack for her. "Go on."

She took a few cautious steps forward, breathed in shakily, and then walked into the living room. She stopped the door from swinging with her foot, not wanting to startle the boy. There, with his back facing her, sat her son. His hair was just as dark and unruly as his father's, sticking up in all directions and she knew just by looking at it that she could try to comb it all down bit it would never sit flat. Though she couldn't see his front, she tilted her head and saw glasses' temples running along the side of his face and hooking behind his ear. Harry was busy munching on a biscuit, his legs swinging back and forth as he stared at the empty bookcase.

Summoning all the courage she had, Lily folded her hands together in front of her and called his name tenderly.

"Harry?"

"I'm a what?"

Harry felt like his entire world was tilting off its axis, or wasn't on an axis, or something… Just an hour ago, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of his future school, came and picked him up from his house with news that his parents had survived the car crash they were in and were looking for him. He'd never moved so fast in his life as he did when he was packing his room up, not even when he was running away from Dudley and his friends. Then, Dumbledore had shrunk the trunk he'd made for him out of his bed and stuck it in his pocket, so normally that Harry suspected he did unworldly things like that every day. He made him hold onto him as they apparated- was it called apparating?- away from Privet Drive and to an empty field. They walked a few yards and, to his amazement, a rather large house appeared out of thin air.

And now Dumbledore was telling him that he would, very soon, be able to do all the magic he'd seen today?

"A wizard," Albus replied from across the coffee table they were sitting at.

Harry took in the room he was sitting in. When he had asked Albus where he had taken him, he simply said it was a safe house. It appeared normal, but after all he'd seen today, Harry was sure something in the room would suddenly begin to dance or maybe float from one side to the other.

"You mean… a wizard with magic?"

"The very sort," he chuckled. "I don't suppose you know any other kind of wizard?"

"Well, no! Do you?"

"Just the one."

Harry stared up at the man in wonder. "But there's no such thing as magic! …Is there?"

"But what else would you call everything you saw? Your bed becoming a trunk? Transporting to a new place in the blink of an eye?"

He wasn't sure what to say. "But Uncle Vernon said so."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Do you make a habit of listening to everything your Uncle Vernon says?"

Harry blushed a deep red when he heard someone chuckle behind him. "Sorry," the light haired man apologized. He was balancing a tray of biscuits in one hand and a teapot in the other. "You must be Harry." He stood and hurried to help him. "Now, now, none of that! You're our very special guest today. I won't have you doing the serving. Unless, you aren't Harry?"

"No, I'm him! I mean me, err..."

The man laughed again as he finished setting everything down on the table. "Remus Lupin, Harry. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you."

"Is it?"

Though the man's face was heavily scarred, and he looked rather worn out, he seemed to be quite nice. "Your parents are the closest friends I've ever had. I've been waiting for the day that I got to see you again."

Harry perked up at the mention of his parents. "We've met before?"

"Of course!" the man huffed. "I was your favorite uncle!"

"He's lying," a new voice sounded. Remus scowled at the man who walked in. Harry smiled politely, but the long-haired man was having none of his formalities. He sat on the arm of Harry's loveseat and threw an arm around the boy. "I'm your favorite uncle, and your godfather to boot."

His heart beat faster. An uncle and a godfather? He'd never felt part of a family before and now he had two people arguing for his attention… "My godfather? Truly?"

The skinny man kneeled down to talk to him face-to-face. He gave him a broad grin and introduced himself. "Sirius Black, Harry, but you can call me Padfoot, and the old geezer next to me is also known as Moony."

The nicknames were odd to say the least, but they were nicknames. Harry had never used nicknames with anyone before.

"Sirius, Remus, why don't you go on and fetch the others?"

"Already did it, headmaster. They'll be down in a few minutes," Sirius said then followed Remus out of the room, though not before ruffling Harry's hair affectionately.

"Are they wizards too?" Harry asked when they were gone.

"Indeed they are," Dumbledore told him. "Some of the cleverest ones I've ever known and by far the best, or maybe the worst, pranksters to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts."

He couldn't help but snicker at the description. "And Hogwarts, that's where I'll be learning magic?"

"This coming term."

It was too good to be true. "But, er, professor?" Judging by the pleasantness on Dumbledore's face, Harry assumed that he didn't have a problem being called by his title already. "I still don't understand. It's not like I've done any magic yet."

"Nothing? Not even accidental? You've never made something happen when you were angry or scared, perhaps?"

Harry drooped in his seat. Of course. The glass that had vanished at the zoo, and all those things that had happened when he was younger…

"So when my teacher's hair turned blue? That was me?"

"Indeed, my boy. Indeed."

He was getting excited now. Could it really be possible? "And all the times Aunt Petunia cut all my hair off just for it to grow back the next morning?"

"Magic."

"Wow. Were my mum and dad magic too?"

"Your mother was one of the smartest witches that Hogwarts had ever seen, and your father was a very powerful wizard himself."

"Wow… This is amazing!"

Dumbledore seemed pleased to have finally convinced him. "I'm happy you would think so, but if you'd excuse me for one second, Harry. Let me see if I can grab some more biscuits for you from your parents' friends."

"Oh, of course! Thank you, professor!"

A second later he was left alone in the unfamiliar living room that for some reason he felt more at home in than he ever did at Privet Drive. He swiped what looked like a jammie dodger off the tray and took a big bite of it, savoring the taste. Dudley always made a point of eating the entire package in front of him, refusing to share even a crumb. He wondered if maybe his parents would buy jammie dodgers for him if he asked.

His heart leapt for probably the thirtieth time that morning.

His parents. He had parents. It was still so hard to accept. He'd hate it if this was all a dream and he woke up in his cupboard, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia waiting for him to cook breakfast that he wouldn't be allowed to eat.

Would his mother cook breakfast for him? Would she light up when he entered the room, the way Aunt Petunia did when Dudley appeared every morning? Would his father be sitting at the table, reading the paper like Uncle Vernon did? Would he get birthday presents?

Suddenly, his stomach dropped. What if he wasn't a good wizard? What if he got to school and they found out he wasn't a wizard at all? Would they be upset with him? Would they still want him?

"Harry?"

Harry dropped the biscuit into his lap and crumbs sprinkled all over the seat and the floor. "Oh!" he gasped, jumping up to clean the mess he'd made.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

The woman rushed over and gently swatted his hands away so she could dust the cushion off herself.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm sorry, mam. I didn't mean to! I was a bit distracted."

"Don't worry! It's no trouble at all, sweetheart." She looked up at him and he found himself caught in the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Dark red curls pooled down to her shoulders, brushing her cheeks softly. With her lips slightly upturned and small crinkles in the corners of her eyes, she had to be the kindest looking woman he'd ever laid his eyes upon. "I'm Harry," he nearly whispered, still hypnotized by her appearance. "Are you another friend of my parents?"

"Something like that," she murmured back, not noticing the way all the crumbs were sifting out between her fingers and down to the carpet.

It distracted Harry away from her face. He frantically tried to catch them as they fell. "Would you like me to vacuum this up? I'm really sorry. I should've-"

"Lily?"

Harry froze and looked at the door Dumbledore had disappeared through. Lily? Was his mother here? Who was calling for her? He didn't recognize that voice… It couldn't possibly be his-

"In the living room, James," the woman in front of him answered.

Harry just about dropped to his knees in shock. His mouth was wide open and he didn't dare blink as he drank in the sight of his mother.

His mother…

"Lily? Is everything alright?"

The door swung open again, but he didn't have the strength to tear his gaze away from the woman. "You're… you."

"I'm me," she said quietly.

He gawked at her with a helpless frown. "Aunt Petunia never told me what you looked like," he explained desperately. "Otherwise I would've… had a better first impression, I suppose."

His mother laughed, a tear trailing down the side of her face. She used one hand to intertwine their fingers and another to cup his cheek. "Oh, Harry… my baby."

He trembled in her hold. Never once had he cried in his life, but he was quite close to sobbing like a baby now. "Mum."

The word broke all her resolve and she tugged him forward roughly, pulling him almost completely onto her lap as she threw her arms around his waist and back. Harry reciprocated without a thought by winding his arms tightly around her neck. He breathed in her scent and tried to memorize it. She smelled like flowers and a sunny day.

His eyes flickered to the man in the doorway and he beamed even brighter. He didn't need to hear Lily call him by name. The glasses and messy hair said it all.

That was James Potter, his father.

Noticing his son gazing up at him with complete adoration, James scurried over to his family, tripping on the way and landing right behind Lily, who was still crying into Harry's hair.

"My boy." James said it so lovingly, Harry thought he'd explode with happiness.

He tucked himself under his father's chin when James leaned forward to embrace them. Harry hoped he'd never hear the irritating way Aunt Petunia knocked to wake him or the stomping of Dudley's feet above him that pulled him out of his dreams.

He finally had a family.