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.

AN: So my story has recently gone in a different direction than I wanted it to, which in turn makes me rescind my earlier statement about ending this well before puberty for the kids (Obviously, since Harry is now going to be thirteen) BUT I'm still not focusing on the pairings. Sorry for anyone that's been begging me for Harry/Hermione or Ginny/Harry or Ron/Hermione or even those who think i might make it Neville/Hermione. I'm more focused on the familial relationship Harry has with his parents over that. That being said, I think if I were to delve into the relationships, it would probably be canon relationships, but still. None of you really have to worry about that for this fic. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 26

"You'll be all right?" James asked his son as he hugged him for the tenth time. "If we leave you here? Just for a quick second."

Harry nodded firmly. "I'm all right."

"You're sure?" Lily whispered. She kissed his cheek lovingly. "Absolutely sure?"

"Worry not, Lily," Dumbledore assured her, a bright smile on his face. "We'll rope him down if we must."

"I'm fine, mum," he promised. They let him go hesitantly and Remus and Sirius immediately took their place when they were gone. Harry laughed as the two men began rubbing his back and ruffling his hair. "Guys, really. I'm okay."

They didn't have much time to coddle him because Dumbledore's office door opened once more and Lucius Malfoy swept in.

With Dobby at his side.

"Is Master Harry still upset?"

Harry clenched his eyes shut and shimmied under his blankets to hide his irritation from Dobby. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Dobby's feelings when it obviously wasn't the house elf's fault that he was so annoyed.

After a brief run-in with Lucius Malfoy in Professor Dumbledore's office, and Harry's rather clever idea of somehow freeing Dobby with a destroyed diary and his sock, Lucius Malfoy was down one house elf. James and Lily, who had left Harry with his uncles so they could talk to the Weasleys about what had happened, nearly went into a murderous rage when they found out that Malfoy had tried to attack their son for freeing the abused elf. In fact, they nearly went into a murderous rage on Sirius and Remus when they found out they'd let Harry run after Lucius in the first place. "We went after him, didn't we?! And he didn't get hurt!" was Sirius' excuse. His afterthought of "...Besides, it was kind of funny seeing him throw the diary on the ground and stomp away like a child" didn't help his case.

It took a lot of convincing from Dumbledore not to find Malfoy, though it helped loads when Remus recounted the way Dobby had blasted Lucius off his feet for raising his wand at the youngest Potter. As a reward for his valiant efforts to protect Harry, they had taken Dobby into their home. The house elf now had a decent wage, a bed to sleep on, and a burgundy shirt with the Potter Family crest emblazoned on it. Dobby took great care of his prized possession and wore it as proudly as he wore the numerous layers of socks on his feet.

Harry peaked out from under his covers and groaned when he saw Dobby smiling at him happily.

"Dobby, for the thousandth time, can you please stop calling me 'master?' You aren't a slave anymore."

Dobby puffed his chest up as if to point out the crest sitting on his chest. "But Dobby is a servant, Master Harry! Dobby is a servant of one of the oldest and bestest wizarding families to ever exist! And even paid servants treat their masters with respect. Especially kind, wonderful masters like the Potters." The elf sniffled and wiped at his teary eyes.

Harry did his best not to roll his own. "Can't you just call me Harry?"

The look of horror that crossed Dobby's face was enough of an answer for him.

Harry sighed and sat back up. What started out as his parents' generosity quickly turned into a nightmare for Harry. It was clear that they had an alternative reason in hiring Dobby- so that their son would have a constant watcher with him always. Needless to say, his parents and uncles had become overwhelmingly protective of him after the events in the Chamber. Luckily for them, Dobby, who was absolutely smitten with the young master, never left his side. It was rather endearing at first, that is, until he came out of the shower to find Dobby standing at the ready with a towel, clearly oblivious to his nakedness.

"Dobby," Harry called pleadingly. "I'm not upset, okay? I promise. Now, can I just have some peace and quiet to myself? Go take Sally for a walk or something."

"Sally!" Dobby cried. The snake was sitting at the edge of the bed, watching Dobby curiously. "Poor Sally."

Harry bit back the urge to groan.

Sally, who had been hidden under Harry's shirt while he was fighting the basilisk, was a bit shaken up after the battle. He had felt his friend's heartbeat slowing and could smell the poison in his wound. Sally was all but ready to grieve until Fawkes came and healed the boy. While his family frantically checked Harry over for any more injuries, Sally finally came out from his hiding place and greeted his friend joyfully. Dobby cared for Sally ever since, usually murmuring words like "gentle snake" and "traumatized poor thing" over and over again as he fawned over him.

"He's fine, Dobby," Harry gritted out.

Dobby nearly pouted at his master. "Dobby is not saying it was your fault, Master Harry! But little Sally was so scared when you brought him down there." Dobby picked the snake up and cradled him to his chest like a baby. "Poor Sally… so scared for Master Harry like Dobby was." Sally hissed and reveled in the attention he was getting.

Harry flopped back on the bed and waved a hand at them. "Well, go on then! Go bond about it all so I can have some peace and quiet."

"But Master Harry! Master James and Miss Lily told Dobby to stay with the young master today and Dobby-"

"Dobby will do as the young master says and leave him alone," he growled.

Dobby squeaked and nodded immediately. "Y-yes, Master Harry. Dobby will go," he whimpered before running out with Sally.

Harry smacked his forehead and jumped out of bed to follow him.

"Dobby, wait! No!" He could have killed himself for talking to Dobby that way. After years of being a house elf, Dobby still had the habit of punishing himself for displeasing his employers. He got into the kitchen in time to see his mum wrestling a frying pan away from Dobby. "Dobby, don't!" Harry begged, lunging forward to help her. "I don't want you to punish yourself! Stop it!"

"Harry James," Lily hollered as she tugged on the pan. With one great heave, she managed to pull it out of Dobby's hands. She tossed it on top of the stove before turning back to her son to find out what was happening, all while grabbing Dobby and holding him by his arms to stop him from reaching for other objects. "What did you do?!"

"Nothing!" he responded immediately. Lily stared down at him in disbelief. "It was nothing!" he insisted. "I just got a bit… nasty when asking him to leave me alone."

"Oh, sweetheart," she murmured disappointedly. "You know how sensitive Dobby is…"

He squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze. "I know that, mum, that's why I ran down to stop him. Dobby, I'm sorry. Please don't take it to heart when I act like that."

The house elf nodded, though they could tell Dobby wouldn't be changing any time soon. "Dobby is sorry, Master Harry."

Harry kneeled down and shook his head. "Dobby, do you know why I don't like it when you call me Master? It's because you're my friend, not my employee. It makes me feel weird when a friend calls me that. And as your friend, I don't like seeing you hurt yourself or apologizing when I was the one being mean." Dobby's eyes watered once more and he bawled loudly as he threw himself into Harry's arms. The bespectacled boy patted the elf's back awkwardly. "There, there. It's all right."

"Dobby," Lily called gently. "Why don't you go help Sirius and Remus pick vegetables from the garden?"

"Yes, Miss Lily," Dobby wept. "I will leave Master Harry with you."

With that the house elf disappeared from sight. Now that they were alone, with the exception of Sally who was sitting on the counter where Dobby had placed him, Lily pulled her son into a hug and stroked his hair gently.

"Mind telling me what's got you so upset, baby?"

He pushed away softly. "I'm not a baby, mum, and I don't need a babysitter."

Lily followed him as he stormed away, squeezing her lips together as she fought the grin that was forcing its way onto her face. "And what is that supposed to mean, my little love?"

"Mum," he groaned. "Would you please?"

"Please what, poppet?"

"Mother, really! I'll be thirteen in three weeks!"

Lily laughed loudly, grabbing his hand before he could race up the stairs. "Come sit with me, will you? Or should I leave you alone to go through your teen angst tantrum?" Harry simply rolled his eyes and followed her into the living room. They sat down together on the couch and she couldn't help but notice that, despite his words, Harry still relaxed against her side and allowed her to hold him close. They were quiet for a while, simply enjoying being in each other's company, before she decided to breach the topic again. "So?"

He sighed and became irritable almost immediately. "I get why you have Dobby following me around-"

"Hm, because you jumped down a hole, completely disregarding your father and me?"

"I…yes."

"And instead of waiting down there for us, ran headfirst at the basilisk?"

"That- that wasn't fully my fault," he spluttered.

"And then your father and I had to stand there and watch you nearly die?"

Harry flinched.

"And not to mention, the man who betrayed us is still on the loose?" She gazed down at him knowingly. "Can't you just humor us, baby? We just want you safe."

He rubbed his eyes irritably but leaned into her all the same. "Whatever. I guess."

She pinched his cheeks and cooed. "That's my big boy! Mummy's so proud of her thirteen year old! My widdle baby's all grown up, isn't he?"

"Mother, honestly!"

"Hermione!"

Neville and Ron nearly tackled her back into the fireplace when she finally showed up. The bushy haired girl squealed in surprise as they hugged her tightly. "Oh, really now!" she said with a bright blush. She squirmed desperately, trying to free her arms, which were pinned down to her sides. Sirius, who was sitting on the couch, watched the children with great amusement. Since she'd been petrified, Hermione's friends had been especially attentive to her. For the rest of the school year, Ron was nearly glued to her side while walking to classes, Neville always had a plate of food ready for her during meals, and Harry had even offered to do some homework for her. "Is this going to go on forever?"

The two boys pulled back sheepishly. "Sorry," Neville told her.

Ron scratched the back of his head with great embarrassment. "Right… what he said. Just got caught up in the moment, you know how infectious Neville's anxiety can be."

He glared at the redhead. "Me? You're the one who's been whining about how 'she's late! What if she's hurt? What if she's dead?!'"

Hermione stifled a laugh when Ron elbowed Neville sharply.

"All right, all right," she giggled. "Where's Harry?"

Ron frowned as he led them into the kitchen. "He's still upstairs with Fred and George. They've been trying to get Ginny out of Remus' room since this morning."

"Ginny's here?" Hermione asked happily. "How has she been? Better, I hope?"

"Not exactly," Neville answered sadly. "She doesn't have the nightmares anymore but she's still too embarrassed to face any of us. Mrs. Weasley had to drag her here in the first place."

"It's all the twins' faults," Ron scowled. "She wouldn't have written in that stupid diary in the first place if they hadn't continued teasing her about Harry."

"They didn't mean any harm by it, Ronald," Hermione defended. "How were they supposed to know that something like that would happen? Besides, you were right behind them when it comes to teasing her for her crush."

His ears turned red and he glared at her. "Well, I didn't keep going, did I? Not after that time I made her-"

He stopped, his entire face turning red now. He'd been poking fun at her one day and the poor girl had run to the bathrooms crying. After that, knowing he'd get an ear lashing from his parents if she told on him, he decided it'd be better to leave his sister alone. Fred and George, on the other hand, couldn't help themselves no matter how much they doted on their sister. "It was cute to see her get all gooey-eyed and pink-cheeked!" Fred protested. "I didn't know she was going to up and get herself killed because of us!"

"The point is that I stopped," he concluded, though Hermione merely rolled her eyes.

"Maybe, you should go help them," Neville suggested. "She might come out if there's another girl around."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Ron snorted. "At least send someone up that Ginny didn't almost accidentally murder. Send Hermione up and we'll be carting Gin off to St. Mungo's. She can share a room with Lockhart."

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. "You have absolutely no empathy, Ronald!"

He watched her storm away, baffled. "What'd I say?"

"I have no idea, Ron." Neville's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "And you have such a way with words, how could Mione have possibly misinterpreted that?"

Ron shrugged as he stuck his head into the fridge and searched for something to eat. "Don't ask me, mate." Neville stared at the boy before shaking his head, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him towards the stairs. "Oi! Nev, what-"

"Shut up, Ronald."

He dragged him along, passing James in the hallway on their way.

"All right there, boys?" he asked kindly.

"Yes sir," they answered in tandem.

James patted them both encouragingly and nodded upward. "Go on and help them, then. And don't give Lily and Remus any problems while Sirius and I are gone."

They swore they wouldn't before disappearing upstairs. He heard some muffled laughter, a few pleading voices and a jiggle of a doorknob.

"They'll never get her out of there at this rate," he muttered to himself as he walked into the living room.

Sirius sat up at the sight of him. "You ready?"

James sighed. "As I'll ever be. What do you think this will be about this time around? Another meeting to try and smooth things over between us? Maybe he's forced Snape to come this time, have him apologize to my face."

Sirius rubbed his chin pensively. "Probably not. This meeting will most likely be something along the lines of Harry's impending doom."

"Not funny, Padfoot."

"Who said I was trying to be funny?" James stared at him balefully. "Okay, okay. Let's get this over with."

Seconds later, they were in Dumbledore's office. The old man was not sitting at his desk like they expected. Instead, Albus was hovering over a Pensieve, a grave and tired expression on his face. He nodded hello to them and beckoned them over. Sirius and James glanced at each other. For the past few months, Albus had been trying to mend what little friendship he still had with the Potters. It was hard gaining their trust back, but it was being fixed little by little. It helped that Albus was not as willing to hide things from them any longer, not if it directly involved them.

But it appeared this invite wasn't for a quick check up on how the family was doing.

"I'm assuming you didn't call us for a spot of tea?" Sirius murmured grimly.

Albus smiled humorlessly. "Horcruxes? I'm sure you know what they are."

"Bloody hell," James breathed with wide-eyed disbelief. "Don't tell me someone's made one recently."

"You've both encountered one already."

They were both confused until realization hit them at the same time. "The diary," Sirius stated quietly. "God alive, Moony destroyed a bloody Horcrux."

"Indeed," Dumbledore answered. "And knowing Voldemort's soul had once possessed our late Professor Quirrell…"

The implication was clear. "Two Horcruxes." James was horrified. "He's made two Horcruxes. But the process that-" He swallowed the lump that had formed in his thought. He didn't want to think of what Voldemort had to do to make those Horcruxes. "A human Horcrux? I didn't even know that was possible. I- Oh God, that's how Voldemort survived that night… that's why he wasn't fully destroyed. Because Voldemort had the diary."

"And more."

"More?! You think he made more?"

Albus sighed. He walked over to his desk, where a canvas sack lay crumpled in the middle. He picked it up and, very gingerly, emptied its contents onto the table. Out tumbled the diary, a cracked ring and a damaged tiara.

"When you described your experience with the diary, with the memory of Tom Riddle, I grew suspicious. I could only hope it wasn't what I feared it was, but… I spent most of this summer meeting with old colleagues, trying to find out information and convincing them to share their memories with me." They glanced over at the Pensieve. "I've come to the conclusion that there are at least three more Horcruxes out there that are tethering him to life. He's practically immortal if we don't destroy them."

Sirius waved at the ones on the desk. "What are these, then?"

Albus picked the tiara up. "Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. It was here in the castle. The Sword of Gryffindor was strong enough to destroy it. I believe he's taken a relic of Slytherin's and Hufflepuff's as well- a locket and a cup. Their locations are… still yet to be determined."

James nodded slowly as he stared at the diadem before shifting his gaze to the other. "And this one?"

"Marvolo Gaunt's ring," Albus said as he pointed to the second object they didn't recognize. "An heirloom that Tom used to wear quite openly when he was at school. I knew looking at the Gaunt shack would be a good place to start. I didn't know it would lead me to one immediately… Would you believe my luck?" he chuckled quietly. Sirius caught him ball his hands into a tight fist.

"You aren't telling us something, Albus," Sirius accused gently. "What's going on?"

He uncurled his fingers and waved his wand above it. James let out a silent curse and Sirius gasped at what they saw.

There was a ring of black around his finger, as though ash were staining his skin and spreading out into his other appendages.

"Albus… what did you do?" James questioned sharply. "Did this come from destroying the Horcruxes?"

He shook his head. "Do you remember the Tale of the Three Brothers?"

Sirius gaped open-mouthed at the man. "You're obviously cursed and you think this is the time to bring up Beedle the Bard?"

Albus stared at his blackened fingers. "It wasn't just a fairy tale, you see… The three brothers, the Deathly Hollows- the Resurrection Stone, the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak. They're all real. And two of us in this room possess at least one of them." He brought his wand out in front of him. "I gained possession of it after defeating Grindelwald." And odd looked cross his face before disappearing. They thought it best not to ask him what was wrong. It obviously wasn't the time for it. "I wanted to change its long, bloody reputation, use it for good. I'd like to think I did my best by it. And you, James."

He waited for James to think of which one he had. "The invisibility cloak? It's the one in the story?"

"Your ancestors, the Peverells, passed it down their family until it came into your possession."

"And now Harry's," he stated, unsure of how to feel knowing that his son was the owner of a Deathly Hollow. "And the last one? The Resurrection Stone?"

Dumbledore pocketed his wand and picked the ring up. "Even an old man has his faults… I knew this was the Stone the moment I saw it. You must understand me when I say I know what it is like to feel loss, to lose people that mean the most to you… I thought if I could see them just once more… Just for a moment."

"You didn't, Albus," Sirius whispered.

Dumbledore stared at them sadly. "The ring was cursed by Voldemort. It was over for me the moment I slipped it on and I may have destroyed the ring but it didn't stop the curse. Severus managed to trap it in my hand, but we both know that, eventually…" Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I've asked Severus that once the time comes, he be the one to… to end it."

James felt a stinging in his eyes that he blinked away as rapidly as he could. "No," he spat harshly. "No, there has to be a way to stop this. Albus, you can't ask us to watch you die."

Albus smiled kindly, like the teacher they once knew, like the man who used to get them out of trouble when Professor McGonagall caught them in the middle of mischief. "Severus was rather adamant in his refusal as well, but would you rather it quick and painless for me or shall I endure great suffering before my death?"

"Albus," Sirius choked. "What can we do? What can we do to help you? We'll do anything-"

He nodded slowly. "What I'm about to ask you will be hard. Harder than anything you've ever faced back during the war, but it will be the only way to ensure Voldemort's end." They stood straight and waited for his orders. "I need you to look for the remaining horcruxes and destroy them."

"The locket and the cup," James reiterated quickly. "Do we have any idea where they can be?"

Dumbledore sighed. "We have no real leads. I can only assume that if it isn't hidden in a location from his past- as the ring was- then he entrusted it to a Death Eater like he did the diary. There aren't many in Voldemort's inner circle, but I can't imagine he would give more than one to a single person. Malfoy can't possibly have a second Horcrux, so if isn't him-"

"Bellatrix," Sirius interrupted suddenly. Dumbledore did not look surprised by the suggestion.

James turned to his friend with consideration. "Your cousin? You think so?"

"She was bloody mental for the bastard. She'd probably turn herself into a Horcrux for him if given the chance."

"I had a great suspicion that Bellatrix Lestrange could be in possession of one," Albus agreed, "though I don't know how useful that information to us. Even if Azkaban hasn't driven them mad, the Lestranges will never surrender it."

James snorted. "They won't have much choice, they're too busy locked up. We'll find it. Whatever it is."

"Bellatrix used to dote on Regulus," Sirius said with mild disgust. "Maybe he knew something. I'll go back to Grimmauld Place, search for anything of his that could be of use to us."

"If you don't mind, Albus, I'd like to review the memories you have," James requested. "Maybe there's some hint in them that'll steer us in the right direction."

Albus nodded. "By all means, James." He appeared to be struggling with what he wanted to say next. "I hope you understand, this won't be quick. With only speculation and guesses, this mission could keep you away from your family for months at a time and… and this has to start as soon as possible."

James felt an ache in his heart. They were going to have to leave, stay away from home to keep it safe from anyone that might cause them harm for doing this. He'd miss his son's birthday. He wouldn't get to see Harry off at the train this year. He'd be away from Lily... "They'll understand."

"Remus will take care of them," Sirius told him, hoping it would make him feel better.

"I was hoping to take him with us," James confessed.

"The moon's taking a toll on him enough as it is, Prongs. He doesn't need this on his mind as well," Sirius sighed. "He'll stay home and take care of our family."

James acquiesced, albeit reluctantly. "If you'll excuse us, Albus. We need to prepare them for what's to come."

They bid the headmaster farewell, leaving him standing at his desk.

When they were gone, Severus stepped out from where he was hiding. "They never asked about the third Horcrux."

"Maybe it's for the better… for now at least," Albus told him. "Have you found a way to destroy it without harming the boy?"

"No."

"Keep looking."