A/N: Here's chapter two. I admit the reception on this wasn't quite as good as I had hoped, and if it doesn't get better I may scrap the idea entirely. I'm not trying to blackmail or be a review-whore, but it's rather difficult to work purely from memory, and I want to know if my time is better spent elsewhere on a story that would be well received. So if that's not incentive to let me know if you enjoy the story, I don't know what is.

Harry awoke slowly, gradually feeling more alert as the effects of the Dreamless Sleep wore off. Momentarily confused, he briefly examined the room before the events of the day before returned to him. Sirius. His parents. Everything that he knew was nothing more than a dream. It still sounded extremely hard to believe, but a good night's sleep had made the difference. He was beginning to see how maybe Dumbledore could be right. It was just difficult to wrap his mind around the fact that a so-called dream world could be so realistic.

The door opened and Madame Pomfrey entered. She didn't seem surprised to see him awake, and Harry surmised that she had some sort of magical sensor on him that informed her. As she approached the bed, she placed a tray with several potions on it down on a stand. Then, she withdrew her wand and, flicking it in a complicated manoeuvre, murmured something under her breath.

"How are you feeling today, Mr. Potter?" she asked briskly, her wand still moving.

"I'm okay," Harry said, realizing it was the truth. "My head still hurts a little, especially when I try to move too fast, and I'm tired."

"That's to be expected. You had quite a shock yesterday." Clearly, she approved of whatever the scan had told her, because she gave a nod and then reached for a potion. "Here, drink this."

"Why do I have to drink so many?"

"It's a variety of things," Pomfrey answered, setting the potions in order. "For your headache, to help replenish your muscles, to give you a bit of extra strength, and to help keep you calm, to name a few. Now, we need to speak about what you can expect in the next few days."

"Where am I?" Harry thought to ask between potions. "Can I go home soon?"

"You're at Hogwarts." She seemed surprised by the question. "We keep you here during the year so that your mother and father can be close to you. We were just about to prepare to move you back home when you woke up. And I hope you will be able to go home soon, but that depends on how well you rest and how you are at following instructions." Her eyes narrowed. "If you're anything like your father, I'm guessing you're not."

Harry smiled sheepishly, choosing not to confirm her deduction. "What did you say? About what I can expect?"

"Ah, yes. You will feel somewhat weak for several days, and I doubt you will be able to walk for very long without needing a rest. In fact, I do not advise that you push yourself, at least at first. You'll need a full ten to twelve hours of sleep at night, and I will be sending some potions home for you to take. Your headache should go away at some point in the next day or two. I suspect it is some lingering aspect of finally being free from the grasp of both spells. If it doesn't, make sure to let me know.

"You should know that you won't be able to eat much at first. You'll have to take meals slowly as your body readjusts to eating again. You'll be eating several smaller snacks during the day as opposed to the three meals you're used to; I'll be sending a list home with your parents. You'll become full very quickly, as your stomach is very small now. That's another reason for you to take those potions. It would be a painful and long process otherwise. There is also a potion to help your stomach readjust to absorbing food again."

"Guess I better get used to the taste, then," Harry said with a shudder, setting the last vial on the tray. It sounded complicated, and he didn't think he'd be catching a ride on his Firebolt anytime soon. His breath caught at the realization. He didn't have his Firebolt anymore. Before he could get too deep into his melancholy, the door opened again. Pomfrey rose as Sirius, flanked by Remus and two women he didn't recognize, entered.

"I'll be back to check on you later, Harry," Pomfrey said, heading for the door. Remus stepped outside with her, and Harry suspected that the man was being updated on his condition.

"How you feeling today, Harry?" asked one of the women.

"Not too bad. Better than yesterday," he said, remembering the way he had collapsed with an embarrassed flush. He didn't even recall everyone leaving afterwards. "Where's – um – "

"Lily and James?" Remus supplied, re-entering the room. He smiled warmly at Harry, who returned the gesture happily. "They're coming along a bit later. Lily felt that since you recognized Sirius and me, it might be better to give you a chance to be alone with us for a while first."

"Oh," Harry said, feeling an unexpected twinge of love for the woman who so clearly put his own needs ahead of her own. He regretted not being able to call them Mum and Dad, and made a note to do so at the first opportunity. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you," he added, gazing at the two women.

"You know him and you don't know me?" said one incredulously, jerking her thumb in Sirius' direction. "Boy, did you get the wrong end of the stick."

"Harry, this is my lovely younger sibling, Orion Lee Black," Sirius said wryly.

"I've told you before, two minutes doesn't count," Orion countered, frowning. Harry regarded her with amazement. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could see the similarities between her and Sirius. Both of them had the blue-black hair that appeared to be as straight as a pin, though Orion's hung nearly to her waist, and there was also something about their faces that spoke of a family resemblance. But where Sirius had gray eyes, Orion had sky blue eyes. She was quite beautiful, and together, she and Sirius made a striking pair.

"I didn't know Sirius had a twin," Harry said slowly, wondering what happened to Orion in his dream world. Considering the nature of the House of Black, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. "Are you my godmother?"

"That would be me," said the second woman in the room. Harry glanced at her. She had curly blonde hair that was cropped to her shoulders and warm, dark green eyes. He could tell that she wasn't as physically attractive as Orion, but there was warmth in her smile that appealed to him immediately. "I'm Arabella Figg."

Harry started. "I guess I know you after all," he said in surprise, struggling to link the elderly Mrs. Figg with the million cats to the neat, fashionable woman standing before him. She was dressed in a set of deep green robes that drew attention to her eyes. "Except you were much older."

"I hope I aged well," Arabella joked, leaning against Remus.

"Kind of," Harry said hesitantly. "You were a squib."

"Really?" Sirius said with amusement, smirking at Arabella. She rolled her eyes and clapped him on the back of the head. Sirius yelped.

"I'm not a squib, Harry," she said kindly, clearly knowing what he was thinking. "What else was different in your dream world?"

"Everything. I can't believe how peaceful it is here." As he spoke, a house elf appeared in the room bearing a tray loaded down with food. It placed the food on a table, bowed once, and vanished. Harry hadn't even realized how hungry he was until he saw the steaming food. His mouth watered. By all counts, his last meal had been over fourteen years ago, and he was more than ready to make up for it.

He was annoyed to find that Pomfrey had been correct and that he wasn't able to eat anything near what he had been able to consume before. Although he was full, the food left on his plate was still tempting, and he finally had to push the plate away in disgust. His meal was finished long before the others were done, and so Harry lay back on the bed and listened to them chat, keeping his gaze fixed on Sirius with only occasional glimpses at the others. Part of him still worried that his godfather was going to disappear at any moment.

"You don't have to pin me to the wall, pup," Sirius said, as though he'd heard what Harry was thinking. "I'm not going anywhere."

Harry just smiled sadly. The last time he'd heard that, Sirius had gone through the veil, never to return. He wasn't about to take anyone for granted in this new world. It was for that reason that when the door swung open and Lily and James entered, Harry got up and went over to them. Both of them tensed as he approached. Harry didn't blame them. He felt stiff himself. It had been one thing to embrace Sirius, even Remus. But he'd never hugged his parents before that he could remember. What did one do? Would it be like a smothering embrace from Mrs Weasley, or –

He didn't get the chance to finish that thought. Releasing a choked sob, Lily reached out and threw her arms around him, pulling him close. Harry went willingly, folding into her embrace as tears filled his eyes. How long had he been waiting for this moment, when his mother was able to hug him?

Although he was unaware of the people moving around him and Lily, when his head rose, he discovered the room had been emptied and that he and his mother were alone. Lily led him to the bed and helped him to sit, and Harry wondered if she could tell that he had started to feel unsteady. He sat down beside her on the bed and wiped at his eyes, feeling shaky. A mother's embrace, he had discovered, was a wonderful thing. Never before had he felt such a unique combination of strength and gentleness.

"My dear Harry," Lily said softly, her eyes shining as she lovingly ran her fingers through his hair. "I've waited so long to be able to see you again."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault," she said immediately, her gaze fierce. "I only wish that Orion and I had had a chance to do more research on the spells." She sighed and shook her head, absently continuing the stroking. "You were just so young. Just a baby, really. We had no idea what the spell would do. I'm the one who is sorry, Harry. I should have protested when Albus suggested it."

"You had no idea, Mum." Harry tasted the word awkwardly, but knew from the luminous smile that Lily gave him that he had been right to use it. "Dumbledore's ideas are usually for the best. And hey, maybe I did have to live in some fucked up world, but at least I got to come out of it and be here with you."

Lily laughed through her tears. "Oh, you sound just like your father," she murmured, pulling him close. He was too big to fit into her lap, but she drew him down until his head was in her lap. "I just regret all of the time we lost. But I'm so happy that we have a future."

Harry looked up at her, reading the strain in her face, and realized that for a long time his family had been unsure of whether or not he would even have a future. He was incredibly glad that they hadn't given up on him and said so. Lily smiled down at him with a loving gaze, as though to say that there had never been any question. He didn't want to explain that he had spent the first ten years of his life with people who would've gladly tossed him away for anything and instead closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of being rocked by his mother for the first time that he could remember.

Slowly, he became aware of another presence having joined them in the room. James Potter smiled sadly down at his son, from the position he had taken at the end of the bed. He seemed to sense that Harry was somewhat more uncomfortable around him than Lily, and appeared willing to keep his distance. Harry was grateful as Lily helped him to sit up, though she kept her arms around him. She smelled wonderful, like chocolate and raspberries, and he knew that he would remember her scent forever.

"Hello there, Harry," James said quietly. "How are you today?"

"I'm good," Harry said, looking at him closely. There was no hint of the rambunctious teenager whom Snape had hated and Remus and Sirius had defended. Had this version of his father ever been so cruel? He realized that James had asked him a question and blushed. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, what is it you like to do?"

Harry was momentarily stumped by the question. It was such an ordinary question, but it made him sad to know that his parents had to ask. "I like to fly," he said, omitting the fact that he hadn't been able to do so for quite some time, and wondering if it would be any different in the real world as opposed to his dream world. He felt another wave of longing for his beloved Firebolt.

"Really?" James' eyes lit up and a broad grin spread across his face.

Lily laughed quietly. "You've just made your father's dreams come true," she remarked. "For as long as I can remember, he's prayed you would be a flyer."

"I was on the Quidditch Team in my world," Harry said proudly. "I was a seeker in my first year."

"Really?" James said again, looking interested. "Seeker, eh? I hope you were a Gryffindor."

"Of course!"

"So how did that happen?"

Harry began to tell them the story, but before long, he became embarrassed. Here he was, talking about things that had never even happened. He wasn't on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team anymore; he had never even been on the team in the first place, for that matter. The story of how he'd become the youngest seeker was nothing more than a fantasy. As he finished, he stared down at the bed, feeling the heat in his cheeks. There was nothing to tell about his life that his parents didn't know because he hadn't truly lived anything.

"I knew you'd be a flyer," James said suddenly, and grabbed him in a hug.

Startled, Harry hugged him back before he was really aware of what he was doing. He was surprised by how different it felt from Sirius' and Remus' hugs. Whether or not it was true, he'd always felt that he had to make them proud of him. With James, he felt as though his father was already proud, no matter what he had done. It was an odd feeling and Harry closed his eyes, trying to savour it. Still, he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"I'm not really, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never really flown before," Harry said, pulling back slightly. "I've only ever done it in my dream world, which never happened, right? So none of it matters. I'm not a flyer."

"Oh, Harry," Lily said, leaning over so that she could gently brush a strand of hair out of his eyes. "That's not true. Just because your dream world didn't technically happen doesn't mean it's not real to you and to us. We want to hear all about it. It was your world, your childhood, your youth. You don't have to throw it away just because you woke up. It's your past and we're proud of you for everything you did during it."

Harry swallowed hard, soaking in the words. He didn't necessarily believe them, but they were a balm to everything he'd ever had to endure at the Dursley's house. "I had your map," he said, gazing at James. "And your cloak."

James grinned. "Excellent. I hope you got into scads of trouble."

"James!" Lily swatted him. "Don't encourage that kind of behaviour."

"I didn't get into too much trouble," Harry claimed, catching his father's eye behind his mother's back. James winked at him and Harry smiled.

"Is there anything you'd like to do, Harry?" Lily asked, taking a sip of the pumpkin juice left behind from their breakfast. She made a face and took out her wand to cast a cooling charm.

"I want to go home," he said, sounding rather childish. He longed to know what a real home was like. The Weasley's had always been wonderful to him, and it was true that he'd often felt like a member of their family, but he wanted to truly belong somewhere more than anything else. A place where he would never feel out of sorts, where he would know that he could return no matter what.

"Of course, Harry. We'll try to get you to Potter Pound as soon as we can. The moment Madame Pomfrey gives the word," Lily promised.

"Potter Pound?" Harry asked curiously.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You can think your godfather for that one," she said, trying her best to sound cross but actually sounding rather amused. "I should've known better than to send him and James to connect our house up to the Floo Network without supervision."

"Sirius says that Lily attracts strays," James explained. "After that, the name just stuck."

Harry smiled, remembering their Animagus forms. "I see," he said, trying hard not to laugh. It sounded very much like something Sirius would come up with.

"Anything else?" Lily cast a warming charm and handed him a couple of pieces of toast. He ate them slowly, trying to run down the mental list of the variety of things that he wanted to do. There was so much and so many questions he wanted to ask, he didn't know what to do first.

"I'd like to see my friends," he said finally. "Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Both of his parents looked surprised, and Lily shot a quick glance at James before she said, "If you'd like to, Harry, then I can ask them to meet with you at some point soon. We're going to have a party when you're home and feeling healthy enough to celebrate, but if you want to meet them before that, I can certainly arrange it."

He nodded, finishing the toast and accepting a small glass of re-chilled pumpkin juice. "I hope I can get out of here soon."

"Your wish may be granted, Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey said, entering the room unexpectedly. She had several more potions with her, and Harry grimaced as soon as he spotted them. A smile pulled at her lips. "You are recuperating at a much faster rate than I had expected. I'm amazed that you're still awake and functioning; a normal person would have passed out long ago from the stimulation and excitement." Her gaze was speculative as he obediently drank. "I feel that you may be ready to return home as soon as tomorrow."

"Really?" Harry said, looking up from a particularly icky green potion.

"Yes. Your mother has had some experience, and Arabella Figg is quite the experienced Healer at Saint Mungos. I would feel safe leaving you in their care, although of course I will still visit you every night in order to check to make sure you're still healing at the same rate. And I will expect you to take it easy." The sharpness of her glare as she spoke led Harry to wonder how she could know that he regularly ignored her advice. Did he wear some sort of sign around his neck that said so?

"Don't worry, Poppy," said Lily. "Arabella and I will make sure he's well taken care of."

"I trust you, Lily." Pomfrey nodded, making no mention of Arabella, and Harry glanced between them, curious. Lily cupped his cheek before she followed Pomfrey out of the room. Harry downed the last of the potions, shuddering at the sickly sweet taste of the last one.

James said, "There's always been a bit of sourness between Poppy and Mungos, Harry. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but she doesn't speak well of them. She likes Arabella, but I don't think she ever got over the fact that Arabella decided to join Mungos instead being Poppy's assistant here at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, glad that he had no more potions to drink. He was feeling a bit tired, however, and he decided to stretch out on the bed. "Tell me about Potter Pound," he requested.

"It's a nice house," James said. "Quite large, with a nice yard. It's not the place we lived when you were a kid. We had to move when our family began to expand."

"What do you mean?"

"When we had more kids."

"I have siblings?"

"Yes." James was clearly amused by Harry's shock. "You have a sister who is thirteen, and a brother and sister who are eight – they're twins."

Harry was reeling from this new information. The concept of having siblings hadn't occurred to him in the slightest, and now he had three? His hunger to go home only increased. He couldn't wait to meet his siblings. "What are they like? What are the names? Do they know about me?"

James laughed. "Slow down, kiddo. Yes, they know about you, and though they've never met you, they've visited you several times. Your sister is named Aurelia Lily Potter, after your mother's grandmother. She mostly goes by Lia. The twins are Jonathon Michael Potter, after my father and Lily's father respectively, and Annabelle Sky Potter. Lia is a Ravenclaw and she's going into her third year, and the twins aren't old enough for Hogwarts yet."

"Wow," Harry muttered, trying to absorb this. "Does Lia like to fly?"

"Not really. She takes after your mother in that respect." James smirked. "But she can pull pranks with the best of them. Not surprising, considering that she's had Sirius as a guide." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a muggle wallet, which surprised Harry. "I've got some pictures if you want to see."

"Yes!" He snatched at them eagerly, devouring the tiny photos. Lia proved to be a short, slender girl with Lily's auburn hair and James' honey brown eyes. She was cute, but clearly shy, judging by the way her photo kept staring at the ground before darting nervous peeks up at him and waving a little. Harry was pleased to see that she was wearing a muggle tank top and jeans; it would've been strange to be around a family that dressed in wizarding robes all the time.

The photo of the twins showed them fighting with each other over cake, to the point where he had a bit of difficulty getting them to stand still long enough to get a good look. Jonathon had brown eyes and curly dark hair. Isabella had luminous green eyes and dark brown hair shaded with red. Harry couldn't help feeling an instant connection to her as he observed the glow in her eyes. Their innocence and youthful joy was a pleasure to behold, especially because he knew that it would never be destroyed by Voldemort.

"They're wonderful," he said softly, wondering if they would like him.

"So are you," Lily said into his ear. He jumped, have not heard her return to the room. Lily smiled and took the wallet from his hands, returning them to James. "Harry, we have to go now. Poppy says that you need to get some rest if you really do want to go home tomorrow."

"Alright." Much as he didn't want them to go, he couldn't deny that he was beginning to get more tired, and he briefly thought that perhaps Poppy had slipped a sleeping potion into the batch he'd drunk earlier. "Goodbye Mum, Dad."

"Goodbye, sweetheart. We'll come back to visit you later tonight, after you've had a while to rest. Sirius and Remus will too, I'm sure." Lily leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, directly where his curse scar would have been. Harry felt an odd chill shoot down his back and turned his head slightly when James did the same, so that his father would land on a different spot. The eerie sensation he felt ruined the normal contentment he would've gotten at being tucked in for the first time that he could remember by his parents.

"Could you open the window?" he asked. "It's a bit warm in here."

"Sure, Harry." James opened the latch and pushed the window up, allowing a cool breeze to sweep into the somewhat stuffy room. Then the two of them left, closing the door behind them, and Harry was alone to try and understand everything that he had learned that day. He gazed up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, then realized that in spite of how tired he was, his mind was racing too much to even think about sleeping.

After several minutes of trying to fall asleep without any luck, Harry got up and walked over to the window. For the first time, he saw something that was completely familiar to him: the sight of the Hogwarts Quidditch Patch. He could see a couple of people flying around on it, which surprised him seeing as how it was the middle of summer and all of the students has returned home. The image of Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall and Snape playing Quidditch flickered across his mind and he smirked, leaning on the window sill with more interest. Whoever was playing wasn't that good, that was for sure. The shaky grasps they had on their brooms was evident even from the distance he was at.

He was almost asleep against the wall when he became aware of something flying towards the castle – at his window, to be exact. Harry stumbled backwards and tripped, landing hard on his arse as an owl soared into the room. The small gray creature hooted angrily at the ruckus and landed on his knee, claws pinching painfully. Wincing, Harry grabbed for it with gentle fingers just before it was about to take off and unwound the string that had tied a letter to its leg. Immediately the owl leapt free of his fingers, swatting his hair and face with its wings before it uttered one more hoot and disappeared out the window. Harry sat up in time to watch it vanish into a swarm of dark gray storm clouds that had gathered near the castle.

"Bloody bird," he muttered, relieved that Madame Pomfrey hadn't heard him fall. He stood up, wincing as his head protested the movement, and closed the shutters as the first bits of rain struck the ground. It was a comforting sound that he was well acquainted with and he shut his eyes for a moment as he sat back down on his bed. For a moment, it was like nothing had changed.

The heavy parchment crinkled between his fingers, and Harry gazed down at it. The rich creamy color offered no clues, and nor did the delicate writing of his name on the front in black ink. It looked distinctly feminine in nature, but he couldn't be sure about that. Wizards could do just about anything with magic, and he wouldn't have been surprised if there was a spell to change handwriting. He wasn't quite sure he should open it at first.

"I'm not in a dangerous world anymore," he told himself firmly. "There's no one here who would want to hurt me." It was a new thought, and he was still mulling it over when he slit the envelope and winced as a paper cut blossomed on his index finger. "Ow!"

Sticking the injured digit into his mouth, he pulled the sole piece of parchment out and froze as a distinct scent was released along with it. It smelled like something he couldn't quite put his finger on, yet which was rather familiar. He was certain that he had smelled it before, but he couldn't place it. The scent niggled at his mind, trying to jolt him into memory. It was a pleasant scent, heady but not too fragrant, and he lifted the parchment to his nose to breathe it in again. Undoubtedly it had been spelled to hold the scent, because otherwise it would have dissipated long ago.

Harry spent several moments trying to place the scent without any luck. He finally turned the parchment over and looked down at the neat writing. There were only a few lines, but it took him a long time to understand it. And when he did, he read it over and over again, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what he was being told. His heart sank like a stone and his hands began to shake.

Harry,

I hope Evangeline was able to reach you, because the message she is carrying is extremely important. Harry, I am from your world, the world that everyone has told you was just a dream. It's not true. This world is the lie and you must not allow yourself to fall prey to it, or Voldemort will win. I know you are stronger than this.

Below that, filling up the entire bottom half of the page like a signature, was the drawing of a crimson phoenix.

Evangeline means "messenger of good news", which I thought was rather ironic and amusing. This chapter was over five thousand words, which is quite good for me. Do review!

Next chapter: Harry returns home and meets his siblings. He gets the opportunity to speak to James, and finds out more about the world he has awoken into. Then he gets an extremely surprising visitor whom he'd love nothing more to kill, and another clue as to who this mystery person is.