A/N: New chapter finally up! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Obviously, the characters don't belong to me, but to the wonderful JK Rowling. :D
CHAPTER 2: HARRY'S MAGICAL BIRTHDAY AND THE SHOCKING NEWS
Lily, James, and Harry decided to have a party. Alice and Frank Longbottom, two of Lily and James' close friends, asked if they could have a joint party with their son, Neville. Neville was a round-faced boy with black hair. The Potters happily agreed. The Longbottoms came over a few hours early to the party and helped Lily, James, the Weasleys, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin with the decorations. Neville, Ron, Harry, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown, Padma and Parvati Patil were at Harry's room. They played games such as Exploding Snap and Wizards' Chess. When it was 2 o'clock, they made their way outside to begin the party.
Lots of food was eaten, and there was a spectacular fireworks display from none other than Sirius. It displayed Gryffindor colors, for both Harry and Neville. It was a magical day for all. 30 minutes into the party, 2 large barn owls came and dropped a letter for both of them.
"It's probably from relatives wishing us a happy birthday, Neville." Harry said. Neville nodded his head in agreement. Harry looked over his envelope and it said:
Mr. H. Potter
The Room on the Second Floor
26 Ottery St. Catchpole
The envelope looked a little old. As if it was written a decade ago. It had some yellowish hue on it. On the front was a wax seal, with a coat of arms that Harry knew well. Harry gasped as soon as he saw the coat of arms. Neville turned over his envelope, and gasped just like Harry. Both boys recognized this coat of arms. It was the coat of arms for Hogwarts, the school their parents went to. Excited, both of them ran to their parents, who were drinking a cup of tea.
"MUM! DAD! LOOK!" they both said. Instantly, the adults were alarmed. They took a good look at the envelope, and smiled with relief. They both congratulated their sons for getting their Hogwarts letters. Soon after, Harry opened his letter and read its contents:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear. Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Harry was so happy. He showed his letter to his friends, and they began congratulating him.
"Hey, Harry, there's another piece of parchment. You better read it." Dean said. Harry thanked him for noticing it, and started reading the second paper. It said:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Draughts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"Why is there an emphasis on 'OR'?" Harry wondered. Everyone shrugged. It seemed strange that they would put a large emphasis on 'or'. Maybe someone once tried to bring all three? They continued with the party. More presents were opened. (a Sneakoscope from Ron, chocolates from Lavender, a Broomstick Servicing Kit from both Seamus and Dean, and a Quidditch book from the Patils) The party ended around 9 in the evening. The remaining people were Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys. They started to clean the mess all of them made. Overall, it was a very memorable birthday.
`•.¸(¨`•.• ¸.•´...×..¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨) ×
The next day, Harry was in the living room of the house. Their living room looked sort of like the Gryffindor common room, since Lily and James were Gryffindors themselves. Their red sofa was in the middle of the room, facing a fireplace. Above the fireplace was a mantle filled with family photos and figurines. Above those was a large flat screen TV. Underneath the couch was a red and gold carpet. Across the room was the kitchen, separated by a small bar filled with all kinds of wine glasses. The bar had brown cabinets and wine racks. In the middle of the kitchen was a small island, where Lily was sitting, drinking coffee. James, on the other hand, was sitting by the bar, drinking coffee and reading the Daily Prophet.
He had nothing else to do but to play with his new gifts. He didn't know what a Sneakoscope was, so he asked his parents what it was.
"Well, Harry, a Sneakoscope is something that tell us if someone or something dangerous is near us." James explained. After checking out the Sneakoscope some more, he opened his Broomstick Servicing Kit and started looking at the various things related to broomstick care. He and James went to the clearing behind their house to ride their brooms. James wanted to give Harry flying lessons. Lily placed a certain intruder charm in her house (A/N: this charm is made up by me) to warn if there were unwanted people inside their house. She watched amusedly as her husband and son flew around.
"Hey, mum! Why don't you join us?" Harry yelled.
"No way, Harry! I'm not much of a flyer! Ask James!" she yelled back.
"You are going on a broom whether you like it or not!" James shouted. Lily sighed. It was better to give up now, since they would stop at nothing to make Lily sit on a broom.
"We don't have a spare broom!"
"Oh, yes, we do! I have one! Don't even bother asking how I got it!" James said, coming down to her. Lily crossed her arms and gave a look that made James laugh out loud.
"Are you scared of brooms or something?" he asked her.
"No, I was just thinking about how you could've stolen a broom." Lily replied
"Lilian! I would never steal a broom!" James said in mock shock, which earned him a slap on the head.
After a few minutes of begging from both guys, Lily eventually agreed and rode the broom. It was a Comet 260. At first, Lily was a little scared of riding it, and thought she fell off. She was mistaken. After a while, she had a lot of fun riding the broom, and performed a few basic tricks she saw James did during his Quidditch matches at Hogwarts years ago. She was having so much fun, she didn't notice Harry and James looking at her with amused expressions.
"Are you sure that mum's not much of a flyer? She seems to be enjoying herself." Harry stated.
"It's true. I guess she changed. She's even doing a few of my tricks. HEY! I just realized you weren't even scared of being in the air after a few minutes of taking off!" James exclaimed, realizing that Harry didn't look scared (this was his first time on a broom, after all.).
"Yeah, that's because flying on the broom makes me feel happy. It's as if my problems go away." Harry said. James smiled. I have a feeling he would be a great Quidditch player, he thought to himself.
They have been riding brooms for a few hours. They even had their own Quidditch game. James was Chaser, Lily was Keeper, and Harry was Seeker. Lily had a hard time being Keeper. Harry, on the other hand, was a natural. About 4 minutes after the Snitch was released, Harry caught it. James was about to score when Harry yelled
"I CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" James threw the Quaffle, Lily caught successfully, and they turned their attention to Harry.
"You did? It's barely 4 minutes!" Lily said in shock.
"Yup! It's pretty easy!" Harry said. He was beaming now, proud of himself. Then suddenly he looked self-conscious, since his parents were gaping at him.
"Wow, son! You will definitely make a great Seeker! We're proud of you!" James stated. Harry sighed in relief. He was scared what his parents would think. They played a few more games, until they saw that the sky was darkening a little. They called it quits and went back inside the house to eat dinner. Harry was excited to go to Diagon Alley, but it wasn't Saturday yet, so for the meantime, Harry played with his new broom or watched some TV shows. Once in a while his parents joined him, seeing as they had nothing to do themselves (besides work).
One day, he asked his parents about their days at Hogwarts. The 3 of them were scattered all over the living room and kitchen. Harry lying on the couch, watching the Simpsons on TV, James by the bar reading the Daily Prophet, and Lily by the small chair near the couch, monitoring what her son was watching. Though Harry was watching TV, he was thinking about something else. He had always wondered how his parents had gotten together. He had heard stories from his godfather, Sirius, that his father used to hex and prank people and his mum hated him. When he first heard this, he thought he was joking because his parents were so close, it was hard to think they hated each other in the beginning.
"When did you become an item?" asked Harry. James looked up from the article he was reading with a weird expression on his face. Lily forced her eyes away from the screen just as Homer was doing something Harry wasn't supposed to see. Luckily for her, Harry was looking at his father.
"Well, we didn't start dating until 7th year." Lily said. James nodded, having a faraway look on his face. Harry was shocked.
"What? Why did you start at 7th year? You guys are so close it's like you've been dating ever since you met!" Harry exclaimed, causing his parents to laugh at his statement. He looked confused.
"You're wrong on that one, Harry. Before our 7th year, I constantly rejected your father when he asked me out." Lily told Harry. "Mostly because he was randomly hexing people. I still don't get why you did that, James." She continued, turning to her husband.
"So, Sirius' stories were actually true?" Harry asked, and James nodded his head.
"I only did that to impress you, Lily-Flower." James said.
"As much as I hate that you used to randomly hex people, I did admire the fact that you used spells a little advance. Not only that, you would prank a lot of people, especially a certain person," Lily replied, her cheeks turning slightly pink when James used his old nickname for her. It was a while since he last said it. She really missed the way he called her that. James noticed the slight pink in her face. It's been a while since I last called her that. I have a feeling she missed it. I should probably call her that more. James thought.
"Dad! Why did you hex people! You were the one who told me that hexing people is bad!" Harry exclaimed. At this, Lily raised her eyebrows at her husband. Had he really said that? I find that ironic, she thought. This was weird, since James would always look for Snape or any Slytherin and hexed them in front of people from other Houses.
"Well, it is. I just don't want you to make the same mistake I made, but it doesn't stop me from teaching you a few pranks. I also regret pranking that slimy git. " James replied.
"Well, what did you do that made mum fall in love with you since you were always pranking and hexing people?" Harry queried, confused.
"I grew up." James said simply. Harry looked even more confused at that. "What I meant to say was, I matured a lot. The words that your mum told me during 5th year sort of, changed me little by little. It was hard at first, but eventually it became easier." He explained further.
"Oh. Now I get it. That must've made you happy, right Mum?"
"Of course. Watching the guy I liked for a little while grow up a little? It made me like him a little more." Lily replied, blushing a little. She never really told James before that she used to secretly like him, deep down inside. She just hid all that secret feelings for anger at times.
"What? You mean you liked me before 7th year?" James asked in shock. Lily nodded.
"I sort of started liking you in the beginning of 5th year, but then the incident during OWLs happened. I admit, it hurt me that you attacked Snivellus, but I don't think I stopped liking you. It just decreased a little." Lily replied.
"If you liked me, why did you still reject me when I constantly asked you out?"
"Only because you acted like a prat. Other than that, I thought about what would've happened if I actually said 'yes'." Lily answered. James still looked like he was in shock. Harry was gaping at her as well.
"You mean, if I actually matured sooner, you would've said yes?" James asked, incredulous. She nodded her head. James did his best to bite back a curse.
"I knew I should've started growing up during the summer before 6th year," he muttered, shaking his head. Lily laughed at his words, and Harry did the same. He may not understand what his dad meant by that, but it seemed pretty funny.
"Yes, James. You really should've. I'm not sure what would've happened if you grew up sooner." Lily stated.
"Um, who is Snivellus?" Harry asked. James grimaced at the mention of the word, and Lily sighed.
"Snivellus was my best friend. Actually, his name is Severus Snape. Your father always used to hex, prank, tease, and jinx him." Lily replied, with a sort of cold tone.
"Really, Dad? Why?"
"Ah, I think I'll just tell you that soon." James said. Actually, the reason why I did all those things before was because I was jealous that you were always with that git, he thought to himself.
"James! You better tell!" Lily glared. James looked away, avoiding her question. She planned to ask this question again once they were alone, since James wasn't looking at her.
"Okay, mum," Harry started, sensing there could be another argument between them soon. "Why did you stop talking to him?"
"It was partially because of your dad." Lily answered.
"That's a little true. Though, I didn't expect him to say it." James called out.
"What happened?" Harry asked, curious.
"Well, he was hexing Snape as usual. I was defending him, but then he called me a...a… Mudblood" she said the last word with a low voice. Harry's eyes widened in shock.
"WHAT? He called you a… You-Know-What?" he exclaimed, and Lily laughed at this. When asked why by Harry, she said,
"James sort of said the same thing. I was mad at him and asked him if he would also call me that. He said, and I quote, 'I'd never call you a You-Know-What'" Lily said, tears forming a little in her eyes. James saw this and went over to his wife and comforted her. Harry, who was not facing his mother, didn't see this.
"Well, did you forgive him for saying that?"
"Hmm. I don't know. After that incident, whenever we would pass by each other he would call me that. It still affects me. Though it sort of helped me realize that he wasn't a good friend to me before. So, I think it's a good thing I called him the same nickname that James, Sirius, and Remus used to call him."
James continued comforting her as she cried silently. She didn't want Harry to see her crying.
"No need to cry, Mum. Also, don't bother denying it. I can tell if you're crying or not." Harry said, slowly walking towards his mum. Lily gave her boys a hug, and thanked them for comforting her.
Suddenly, a loud BOOM emitted from outside of the house. Instinctively, James took out his wand and started going towards the door slowly. Lily took out her wand as well, and held Harry close to her.
"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!" a muffled, familiar voice came from the other side of the door. Lily suddenly understood what was going on and tried to warn James. However, James was already by the door. He slowly turned the doorknob, and then it was kicked opened by….. Sirius.
James fell over, looking shocked. Seeing his best mate's reaction, Sirius laughed out loud.
"Hahaha! Mate! You should've seen the look on your face!" Sirius guffawed. Lily and Harry were also laughing out loud. James was muttering curses that only Sirius could hear.
"Well! Glad to know I'm welcomed!" Sirius said with mock sadness. He strode over to Lily, gave her a kiss on the cheek and ruffled Harry's hair.
"What are you doing here, anyways? I don't remember having a guys night," James said as he sat down next to Harry.
"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to visit my favorite family in the whole entire world!" Sirius said dramatically. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Hey, Padfoot!" Harry said.
"Oh! Hey there, Prongslet!"
"Hey! Didn't I tell you all those years ago to never call him that?" James exclaimed. He was getting annoyed that Sirius still called Harry that, despite the many times James told him not to.
"You did? I don't remember. Either that, or I wasn't listening." Sirius said, waving his hand like he was swatting a fly away. So, for the entire afternoon, Sirius spent time with the Potters. He was also a little bored, so he called Remus as well. Then, for old time's sake, they hatched up a great prank to play on Harry. They thought it would be sort of good practice for him about being pranked. They'll never know, but maybe some Slytherin git would prank him just because he was a Gryffindor. It's better to prank him now than let some random kid do it.
The plan of the 'prank' was simple. Sirius used a charm to make Harry's bedroom key recognize the Potters fingerprint (A/N: another charm made up) . If it wasn't Harry who touched it, the key would turn into the key of their bedroom. If they removed the key that would be hanging in midair, some smoke would appear and tell them that it's the key of their room. Once they got hold of the key and went to their room, they were going to be splashed with water that was coming from different directions. Just in case it wasn't Harry that touched it, James did the water bit on Harry's and Lily and James' bedroom. Remus, being the smart one, chose to opt out of the plan. He knew how Lily reacted to situations like these. It was better if he wasn't involved in any way.
When the sky darkened a little, Lily noticed something shining outside. She thought it was Harry playing with the Snitch, so she went outside to tell him to come back inside. She opened the door and found a little gold key hanging in midair. Curious, she went over and grabbed it. In its place, smoke appeared and formed the words:
This key goes to your bedroom. Have fun!
Lily was slightly suspicious at this. She ran towards her bedroom, but slowly opened the door. Once the door was fully opened and nothing seems to be different, she went inside, then -
SPLASH!
The cold water came from nowhere. She was thoroughly soaked. There was muffled laughter coming from downstairs. She stepped aside and muttered a spell that removed the water from the floor of her bedroom. She went downstairs and saw 3 men watching TV, looking innocent. Harry, on the other hand, was on the kitchen table, making a card house. Everything seemed to be quiet…
"WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO?" Lily shrieked, scaring the 4 of them. Neither of them knew that she was already down there, since her footsteps were silent.
"What are you talking about, Lilian?" Sirius said, not turning around and feigned innocence.
"WHY DID YOU SOAK ME IN WATER?" she continued, her voice getting louder. Harry was sure that the Weasleys can hear her screams.
"What are you talking ab- oh." Remus said, as he stood up to calm Lily down. He mock glared at Sirius and James, who were still focused on the show they were watching. "Were you pranking on Lily? I thought you guys said it was supposed to be for Harry!"
Harry, who was trying to rebuild his card house since it fell down because of his mother's screams, turned around in shock, his card house destroyed once more. "What? Dad! You were trying to prank me?"
"Thanks a lot, Remus." James muttered. Now his family was a little pissed at him. Remus and Sirius understood the situation and quickly Disapparated before Lily attacked either of them.
"Explain. Now." Lily's tone was menacing. Harry was beside her now, arms crossed. James gulped and told them the story.
"Well, you see, Sirius said that he wanted to prank Harry since he was never pranked yet," James started and Harry's eyes widened. "He charmed our room key to make it shine like the Golden Snitch, since he knows that Harry likes playing with it. He made the key recognize each of our fingerprints." At the last sentence, Lily's eyes widened. That particular kind of charm was very hard. Even she, the top in Charms during her school years, couldn't do that kind of charm. I might want to ask Sirius how he did that, Lily thought to herself.
"Apparently, Harry was in his room, but Sirius swore he saw someone approach the key, since he can see the smoke forming the words. He heard the door close, but then he saw Harry making card houses at the dinner table. He asked me if I saw Harry outside and I said no. Remus said that it was you, Lily, and Sirius started freaking out. It was hilarious." James continued. Lily cracked a small smile, and Harry dropped his arms. "He tried to go upstairs but he stopped, saying that he wants to know what your reaction will be. So, that's basically it."
"I must say, Sirius is a good actor!" Harry said. James gave him a high-five while Lily shook her head.
"I will tell you this though, it wasn't a flashy as the ones you did when we were still at Hogwarts. Jamsie are you loosing your touch?" Lily asked playfully. James looked shocked at that. Harry was looking at both of them.
"What?" James demanded. "I lost my touch? Well, I do suppose that is a little true. It's been years since our last prank. I do promise that my next one will be as awesome as the Hogwarts ones."
"Sure. Whatever you say, dear." Lily said. "Hmm. Fine, I'll let this slide, but if something like this EVER happens again within the near or distant future, you will suffer my wrath," Lily said, half mencaingly, half jokingly. She burst into laughter when she saw James' expression. He looked so scared! Lily already forgave James for this. She went over and kissed him, causing Harry to gag. They pulled apart and laughed. Lily quickly did a spell to dry herself and they got ready for dinner.
A/N: Another chapter finished! Look out for the next one soon!