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 7

The Potter family sat on the living room floor for nearly half an hour before James decided they should get some privacy. Though Dumbledore had returned to Hogwarts, promising to return for dinner, Remus and Sirius were still hanging around the kitchen. James took Harry's hand and guided him through a different door that led into the hallway. He brought him upstairs, passed his and Lily's bedroom and to the door across from Sirius' room. "It's rather empty," James said nervously. "But we'll furnish it soon, tomorrow even if you'd like."

Harry looked in to find a queen-sized bed that had maroon sheets and more pillows than anyone could ever need. His trunk was sitting by a desk in the corner. Dumbledore must have passed it along to his uncles. "Is this my room?" he asked.

Lily nodded eagerly. "It is. Do you like it? We transfigured your crib into something a bit more suitable for you, and fixed the bedding as well. Is that trunk all you brought? Did you leave anything behind?"

He blushed, embarrassed. "No. That's all I own in there."

Lily and James exchanged a worried glance above his head. "Why don't you try out the bed, son?" James suggested. "So your mum and I can adjust it if it isn't comfortable enough."

Harry waited for them to say it was okay before heading over and climbing on top of it. He nearly moaned out loud. It felt like what he imagined Dudley's bed felt like. He'd longed to sit on it many times while he dusted Dudley's room but never dared to try, lest he get caught. "It's perfect! Have you tried it yourselves?" They shook their heads. "Well, come here!"

Lily scurried over and hopped up next to him. James did the same on his other side and they both slid their arms around him and leaned back into the headboard.

They stayed like that for a while and Harry was so comfortable in their embrace that he nearly fell asleep between them.

"Is this real?" he asked. "Are you really here?"

"We are, sweetheart," Lily told him softly.

"And we're never letting you out of our sight again," James swore.

Harry bit back a smile. "But Dumbledore says I'll be going to school soon."

"I'm sure we can make an arrangement," his father insisted. "You can just floo there every morning and come back at night."

He wasn't sure what 'floo' was, but it was a convincing argument regardless. "I don't want to leave you both either…"

Lily caressed the boy's hair. "We've missed you dearly, Harry. The moment we woke up, our first thought was to find you."

He beamed up at his mother. "I've missed you too. Even though I didn't know who you were, I know I missed you. You've no idea how happy I am right now."

James pulled back to look at him again, astounded by how similar they looked. "We were scared you wouldn't want to come home to us, actually. That you might've loved Petunia and Vernon too much to leave them."

Harry snorted, unable to help himself. "Like that would've been likely."

"They weren't unkind to you, were they, darling?" Lily questioned worriedly.

He wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, if he lied, it would be the first lie he'd ever told his parents, on the first day he'd ever met them no less. On the other, he didn't want to ruin their reunion by talking about the Dursleys.

"It wasn't so bad," he finally answered. "As long as we kept out of each other's way, we tolerated each other quite well, actually."

His father hummed thoughtfully, and Harry knew they could probably see right through him.

"Tell me about my life before the Dursleys, about my life with you."

They didn't like the way he was evading, but decided to let it go for now and grant his wish. "You were the most spoiled little thing in all of England," James deadpanned.

"James!" his wife snapped. "He was not!"

"Yes he was," he argued with a laugh. "I never said it was a bad thing. My boy got everything he wanted. A kiddie broom, cake before dinner, that blasted stray cat that he refused to set loose."

Harry grimaced. He hoped he wasn't anything like Dudley. "But what were we like? Together?"

James noted the seriousness in his tone and decided to set his jokes aside for a moment. "We were… happy, Harry. Very happy. Your mother and I thought the world of you when you were born."

"Still do," Lily commented. "The entire Earth could have gone up in flames and I wouldn't have noticed if I had you in my arms."

"She isn't lying. We had to practically shout in her ear if we needed to talk to her. You were quite the attention hog, Harry."

"And you turned your father into a big softy," she teased. "You see, back in our school days, your father was a bit of an arrogant, pompous, conceited-"

"She's lying, Harry," James interrupted quickly. "I was a wonderful student, humble and always listened to my professors!"

Harry giggled at the way they were behaving. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were far too conservative to tease one another with people watching, and Harry would've probably vomited if he'd seen them acting that way anyway. But his mum and dad were quite adorable when they did it.

"Anyway," Lily giggled loudly. "Your father fancied himself a prince, but you and I had quite the affect on him. He was always tripping over his own feet whenever he tried to talk to me-"

"More slander, Harry! Don't listen to your mother, she's gone mental in her old age."

"And he used to baby talk you more than I did!"

James rubbed his face exasperatedly. "The boy's never going to respect me when I try to discipline him if you tell him how much of a softy I am, Lily."

Harry's chortle echoed all the way down the hall. "No, I will. I promise, no matter hard it'll be not to imagine you talking like a baby." Lily smirked as James groaned in his spot. "Tell me more, anything. Everything! Why did you choose Sirius as my godfather? Why do they have those nicknames?"

Hours passed, and they were still patiently answering every question they asked him. They told him about the Marauders, sans Peter, and their days at Hogwarts. Lily tried to gently explain why Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon weren't huge fans of them and of magic as a whole. James delved into the many rules and regulations of Quidditch when Harry confusedly wondered what James meant by calling himself "the best chaser Gryffindor House had ever seen." They told him about their pet cat, who they hoped found a good owner when they disappeared, and how Sirius and Remus loved him like their very own, constantly showering him with gifts. Lily stated that he was a baby that never fussed and didn't cry much, always smiling, which James quickly disagreed with. "You never saw him in the middle of the night, bawling his eyes out until I got him out of his crib. I couldn't put you down down once I was carrying you, otherwise you'd start all over again."

Harry grinned sleepily, and through a yawn, unconsciously rolled over and threw an arm around Lily. He felt the woman stiffen for a second beneath him and he pulled back, mortified.

"I- I'm so sorry."

"No, Harry," she hushed, pulling him back down and tugging his hand across her until he was hugging her again. "You just surprised me. Stay with me, sweetheart. You've no idea how long I've waited to hold you again."

He hid his face in her side but he was certain she could feel how hard he was smiling against her. Gradually, his eyes began to droop and he could no longer keep himself awake. "I'm so happy… so happy you came out of your comas." Ah, was that the story Dumbledore gave their son? "So happy you both survived the car crash with me."

James sat up so fast he made himself dizzy. "Car crash?"

But it was too late. Harry was asleep.

"Car crash? What does he mean car crash?"

Lily gave him a knowing stare. "Petunia."

His hands balled into fists. "They lied to him?"

"Well, even if they did it with bad intentions, isn't this a good thing? Better than saying 'your parents were murdered by an evil wizard' don't you think?"

"Lily," he growled. "He's about to enter the wizarding world. Don't you remember when we were waiting for Sirius' trial to start? All that talk from the reporters about Harry Potter, the savior? He's a household name. People will be flocking to him and he'll have no idea why because those bloody muggles lied to him! They didn't even tell him a half-truth!"

"Darling, calm down, you'll wake him!"

He jumped up and paced back and forth. "Of course. Of course, it was too much to hope for that they changed their ways, that they would've treated him any different from how they treated you. I bet they didn't spare even one kind word about us!"

Harry stirred in her arms. Lily grabbed one of the pillows and hurled it at her husband. "If you wake him up, I'll throttle you, James Potter," she hissed.

He cringed, knowing it wasn't an idle threat. "Let's go downstairs, Lily. Albus has to be back by now. We need to ask him about what happened at the Dursleys."

She looked down at her son and nodded slowly. "I'll meet you down there. Give me a few minutes."

The anger drained from James' body as he took in the scene in front of him. "If he wakes, tell him where I went."

He leaned down and kissed his son's forehead before leaving the room. Dumbledore had indeed returned and was sitting in the living room with Remus and Sirius. All three of them looked quite solemn which they tried to hide when they noticed him in the doorway. "James," Remus welcomed. "How's Harry?"

"Sleeping. Lily should be down soon. What's going on? You all look like you came back from a funeral."

"We were talking about the Dursleys," Sirius admitted.

"Maybe you should sit, James."

His heart dropped to his stomach. "It's that bad?" No one answered him. "Tell me."

"You don't want to wait for Lily?"

"If it's as bad as you're making it seem right now, I'd rather hear it first."

Albus sighed, worry lines creasing his face. "James, not only were the Dursleys adamant about somehow forcing the magic out of him, but…"

James could feel himself shaking. "But what?"

"But it appears they were very unkind to the boy."

"How?"

Sirius looked like he would run to Surrey if he could. "He slept in the bloody cupboard under the stairs."

James fell back against the wall, horrified and unable to breathe. "What?"

"With a lock on the outside," Albus murmured somberly. "Broken toys, worn out bedding, and all his clothes look far too large for his size."

"The cupboard?"

He pushed himself back onto his feet and stormed through the door and up the stairs, ignoring their pleas to return and calm down. Lily looked up at him when he burst through Harry's door but the boy didn't stir. "James?" She was worried. He would have been too if she looked as crazed as he did. He took a moment to calm himself before kneeling next to them and stroking Harry's face.

"Harry? Wake up, son."

The boy squirmed back and forth until he finally opened his eyes, blinking rapidly. "Dad? This wasn't a dream?"

James smiled at him tenderly and shook his head. "We're here, I promise. But I need to talk to you, Harry."

Lily glanced between her two boys. "What is it, James?"

"The Dursleys… they didn't hurt you, did they? Didn't hit you?"

Harry's eyes widened and he burrowed further into his mother's embrace. "N-no…"

"You promise?"

"I… well, maybe I got a swat occasionally, but nothing too bad. I swear."

"But your bedroom was the cupboard?"

"The cupboard?" Lily gasped.

"It wasn't so bad," Harry insisted. "I didn't need much room, honest, especially with how short I am." James' jaw clenched. How was he to tell his son that he was so short because of the cupboard and what could only be a lack of proper nourishment? "Besides, I have this big room now with this gigantic bed, and you guys! No more cupboard, no more Dursleys, or Dudley or Harry Hunting-"

James inhaled sharply. "Harry hunting?"

Harry could've smacked himself. Of all the things to mention. "It was nothing. Just a silly game Dudley and our friends used to play."

"Your friends?" Lily asked skeptically.

"I'm happy now, with you guys, and I'll never have to go back, right? So what does it matter?"

James didn't want to let it go, and he didn't like the way his son was minimalizing the abuse he'd gone through, but it would do no good to argue about it now. "Your uncles are downstairs getting ready for supper, Harry. Would you like to go down and help them?"

"You'll be there with us?"

"Our first family dinner," Lily promised. "Go on, darling. We'll be right down."

Harry got up and hugged them both like it was the last time he'd be seeing them before scurrying out the room.

"The cupboard, Lily," James spat. "Like my son was some kind of- of animal! I expected he might have had a hard time with them but abused?"

Abused.

Lily wanted to vomit at the thought of it. Her son grew up abused at the hands of her own flesh and blood.

"And you promise you'll be here to wake me up in the morning?"

Lily rolled her eyes teasingly and Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry, just making sure."

"Goodnight, darling. Get some sleep."

James ruffled the boy's hair, resting his hand on the side of Harry's head for a second. "Love you, Harry."

The glee on Harry's face could have brightened the entire world. "Goodnight."

He turned onto his side, still unused to how much space he'd been given, and nestled himself under his comforter. When they were sure he'd be fine for the night, they turned his lights down and went into their own room. Remus and Sirius were in there waiting for them. "For god's sake, did you see how little he ate?" Sirius scowled. "I've never seen a smaller eleven year old in my entire life. You were already towering over most of the first years when we were his age!"

"Calm down, Padfoot," Remus warned. "The boy might hear you."

"I ought to be screaming at the top of my lungs with how angry I am right now!"

"Keeping him up won't do anything to help," James barked. "Lower your voice already. He's had a long day. He doesn't need this."

He narrowed his gaze. "My godson is-"

"My son, Sirius! Don't think you're somehow angrier with this than I am. Ten years he's been living in a fucking closet because none of us were there to take care of him!"

Sirius reeled back, stung. "Well apologies, mate, but I was a bit held up, you see?" he spat scathingly.

James rubbed his temple and breathed out hard. "That wasn't what I meant and you know it."

Though still obviously heated, he nodded and sat down on the bed. "Sorry. I just look at him and feel the urge to go to the Dursleys and kill them myself. I don't even want to think of what else they've done to him."

James took the spot next to him, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "Harry swears they didn't beat him and I'm inclined to believe him, but apparently his cousin and some kids liked playing some game called Harry Hunting, which can't possibly be more than what it sounds like. I can't even stomach the thought that they might have pinched him, let alone slapped him around. I thought I'd finally get some peace, now that we have him back with us, but how am I supposed to sleep at night knowing my son's been tortured his entire life because I wasn't there to stop it?"

"You can't blame yourself for this, James," Remus told him unwaveringly. "You gave your life to save him and Lily before. Do you really think he'd think ill of you?"

"I don't care if Harry fancies me a superhero, Remus," he cried. "What kind of father am I? Couldn't protect my wife from dying, couldn't protect my son from muggles!"

Sirius hugged James to his chest. "Lily? Want to knock some sense into your husband?"

They looked over to the entrance, where Lily had been standing earlier. To their surprise, she wasn't there.

"Lily?" James called out. "Did she go back to Harry?"

Remus jogged down the hall to check but came back with a frown. "She's not there."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Well where the bloody hell did she go?"

Distracted by Sirius and James' argument, no one had noticed Lily slip out of the room and down the stairs. Stopping only to make sure she had her wand on her, Lily ran out of the house and passed their wards so she could apparate to Surrey. Her stride didn't break when her feet touched the ground again. She had missed her mark by quite a bit, noticing that she was at Number 20 Privet Drive, but she wasn't bothered. Soon enough, she was storming up the Dursleys' walkway and banging on the door so loud that neighbors could hear it. Many houses' lights flickered on around her, but Petunia and Vernon had yet to answer the door. She was never one to make a scene, but she reveled in the one she was making now. Tuney, who only ever cared about appearances, would practically fall apart once the neighbors caught wind of what was happening.

Some were peeking through their windows or rushing outside to see what the ruckus was by the time Vernon whipped the door open.

"What in the devil-!"

"Where is my sister?"

Vernon stepped back, eyes wide and face white. "Y-you!"

"Where is she?!"

Petunia appeared behind her husband, looking utterly shocked and dismayed. "Lily? He was telling the truth?"

"You horrid woman," Lily roared. "I trusted you! Even though you hated me, even though you shunned me! You're supposed to be my sister!"

Petunia glanced at the neighbors who were watching them hungrily. "Lily, please. Let's talk about this inside," she begged.

"Albus trusted you to take care of my son while I was in a coma after my car crash," she said it mockingly and Petunia closed in on herself, unused to Lily actually fighting back against her. "And I find out you kept him locked up in a cupboard?! What else did you do to my son, Petunia?! Did you smack him around? Did you beat him?!"

"Of course not!" Vernon bellowed. "We never laid a hand on the boy!"

"Is that right? Not even 'occasional swats?' Have you seen how small my baby is? Did you even feed him?!"

"That boy was well taken care of! More than he deserved, the damn freak!"

"Vernon, no!" Petunia wailed, covering her face in humiliation.

Lily shook her head with disgust, shoving past them and into the house. She found the door she was looking for and tore it open, a sob ripping from her throat at what she found. There was no bed in the cupboard, and she quickly reminded herself that Harry had told her Dumbledore had transfigured it into a trunk for him. There was a light bulb hanging from the ceiling of the tiny closet and broken toys scattered around makeshift shelves. Old, torn up books sat in one dusty corner of the floor and a broom and dustpan were leaning against the back wall, as if in a handy, accessible spot for Harry to grab quickly.

"You monsters," she sneered. "You absolute, horrible monsters. You'll pay for this. I promise you."

With that, she disappeared with a crack, leaving them to find an explanation to give their neighbors as to why she never exited the house. They couldn't even think of how to save their reputation, too scared of what the Potters would do once they returned. Not that it mattered.

Lily Potter had dragged their name through the mud in a matter of mere seconds.