A/N: I noticed after the fact that in the last chapter, I referred to Harry's youngest sister as both Isabella and Annabelle. Her name is Annabelle; it was originally Isabella but I changed it at the last minute and forgot I had mentioned her twice. This is quite a long chapter, and I'd like to say that Aurelia Lily Potter (Lia) and Orion Lee Black are my own creations, as is anyone else you don't recognize.
It was gratifying to see that the Hogwarts of the real world looked virtually identical to the one from his dream world. Harry stood in the midst of the Great Hall with his neck craned, gazing overhead at the beautiful blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and he couldn't help thinking that it was an ideal day for flying. The very idea, however, probably would have sent the hovering Madame Pomfrey into a conniption, so he wisely remained silent and instead continued to pretend he was avidly listening to her rather long-winded combination of instructions and scolding. She had caught him after he had snuck out of his room that morning and cornered him in the hall.
"And if you don't follow what I have told you, Mr. Potter, I guarantee your recovery will be a very slow one."
"I promise to be good," Harry said, wondering if for once he would be able to follow through on that promise. "Can I go now? Please?"
"Just like your father," she said, amused. "Don't forget what I've told you, but yes, you may go. I'll be coming to see you tomorrow to make sure you're still doing well. Now, I trust you know the way to the Headmaster's office? Your parents are waiting for you there." She narrowed her eyes. "You're actually late because I had to track you down. If you had stayed in your room like you were supposed to, you would be gone by now."
Harry only vaguely registered the last of her words as he sprinted out of the room. Since he finally had the official agreement to do so, he was anxious to see his home for the first time. He ran the whole way to the Headmaster's office and was winded by the time he got there. For a minute, he leaned against the wall, struggling to draw in deep, even breaths, not wanting anyone to see him in such a state for fear they would make him stay longer. Although he felt fine mentally and magically, his physical body was having a difficult time keeping up with the demands he wanted to put on it.
The gargoyle leapt aside as soon as Harry looked up at it and he stepped forward onto the stair, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His right hand came into contact with a slightly crumpled piece of parchment and he winced, immediately jerking his hands free. Thoughts of the letter that he had received had kept him from napping at all, and he had been preoccupied during the evening visit from his parents. Only a Dreamless Sleep potion had forced him into bed for the night, but it was the first thing on his mind that morning.
Who was this person? Did he know them? Why had they chosen to contact him by letter and not in person? How was he to know if he could trust them? Fourteen years in a war-driven society had only given him a healthy amount of scepticism when it came to the unknown. The letter hadn't offered many details and that alone made him think it wasn't worth following up on or alerting anyone. After all, how could Voldemort win if he didn't even exist? It was entirely unlike the dark lord to remain hidden to the point where no one knew of his existence. There were just too many unanswered questions and no one he could direct them to. For the most part, he was ready to forget about it and move on. Well, that's what he wanted to do.
And yet... he could not stop thoughts of the parchment from niggling at him. Someone had felt that the message was important enough to send to him. Whoever this person was, he or she knew about his dream world and – more importantly – knew about Voldemort. No one knew about him or the atrocities he had committed except Dumbledore, his parents, Sirius, Remus, Arabella and Orion, and he hadn't even given them any detail. Besides, somehow he didn't think one of them had sent the parchment; it would be easier to just talk to him in person.
The whole matter had been going around and around in his mind with no sign of a resolution. Even if he wanted to do something about it, he wasn't really sure what the letter writer expected him to do. He certainly didn't want to tell anyone about it, because he was worried that a fuss would be made of it, and that was the last thing he wanted. Harry was through worrying about Voldemort and Death Eaters and people dying. All he wanted was to live his life like a regular person with regular parents and a regular family.
"Harry!" Professor Dumbledore's voice came through the door as the stair finished moving. "Do enter, my boy, don't be shy."
"Sorry it took me so long," Harry began, pushing the door open. The room was filled with Dumbledore, his parents, Professor McGonagall, and, shockingly enough, Professor Snape. Harry stared at the man, who looked pretty much identical to the Snape that he remembered, sallow skin, greasy hair and all. The only question was, did this one hate his guts? This Snape didn't know him at all, but then, the Snape in his world had hated him just for being James' son. He tore his eyes away and finished with, "I, uh, was with Madame Pomfrey. She was giving me some last minute instructions."
"Quite alright, Harry. I imagine you're anxious to be off. Lemon drop?"
"No thanks." He sat down on the couch between Lily and James. James placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "How are we going?"
"We're going to Floo," Lily told him. "We're just waiting for the Floo network to finish setting up the connection. Albus doesn't have his office fully connected, and Poppy thought that it would be the easiest way for you to travel."
"Oh." That he wished they could fly, he didn't say, though it was certainly going through his mind. He knew, though, that it would be dangerous to climb on a broom when his hands still gave way to shaking at odd times, and his legs often felt like jelly beneath him. Another visit to Madame Pomfrey was the last thing he wanted.
The fire flared green, and a smartly dressed young wizard emerged. He tugged at his robes, nodded to them all, and said, "Headmaster, your fire has been connected."
"Thank you, Demetrius," Dumbledore said. "Lemon drop?"
"Don't mind if I do, Headmaster, thank you." Demetrius plucked a yellow drop from the canister, popped it into his mouth, and turned back to the flames, reaching into his pocket as he did. He drew forth a handful of glistening dust, which he tossed into the fire as he strode forward the practice of someone who did it twenty times a day. "Good day, everyone. Ministry of Magic!"
"Have you used the Floo Network, Harry?" Lily asked, straightening the front of her green sundress as she stood up. She looked at him with concern. "All you do is take a handful of powder, toss it in, and tell it where you want to go very clearly. You just have to say 'Potter Pound' and make sure to enunciate. Merlin knows where you could end up if you don't. James will go through first in case you have any problems."
"Okay," Harry said with a slight grimace, recalling his visit to Knockturn Alley in his first year. He'd never quite developed an appreciation for the Floo Network; as handy a way as it was to get around, it didn't agree with him at all and he usually felt a bit ill afterwards. Glumly, he watched as Dumbledore produced a small silver box which was full of Floo Powder. James took a handful, tossed it at the fire, and called out his destination before moving forward into the brief flare of green. Lily waited a minute, then placed her hand on Harry's shoulder and indicated the box.
"Your turn, Harry dear."
"Yes Mum." Harry dug his fingers into the fine powder and scooped some up. He held it loosely between his fingers and approached the fire, which seemed to spark and crackle menacingly. Behind him, he heard Lily speak.
"Albus, thank you so much for everything you've done. And you as well, Minerva, for keeping Harry here at Hogwarts for all these years. Severus, I appreciate your help in making the Potions that will give him strength." Lily's voice caught slightly. "I'm so glad that we're taking him home."
"We're glad for you, Lily," McGonagall said. Her voice was so tender that Harry glanced at her in surprise. Lily was smiling tremulously and McGonagall had placed a kind hand on her arm. Harry studied the two of them, realizing that the professor clearly adored her old student, and then glanced at Snape. The man wasn't looking at his mum, but by the tilt of his head, he was peering at her through the corner of his eye. "And for you as well, Harry. I'm looking forward to seeing you at Hogwarts this year."
"Thank you, Professor," he murmured. Turning back to the fire, he felt a pulse of excitement in spite of himself as he tossed down the powder and shouted, "Potter Pound!" before stepping forward. The fire caught him up into its grasp and flung him into a sea of rapidly moving people that were identifiable only as blurry shadows. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, spinning so fast that he became dizzy and his stomach began to protest, and was startled when his body was abruptly thrust forward out of the Network. He stumbled over the hearth and would've gone arse over heels had James not sprung forward to grip him by the shoulders.
"As good at this as your mother is, I see," James said, laughing as he righted his son. He made sure Harry was standing before he returned to the fireplace. "She's never caught on, either."
The fire roared again and out came Lily, who tripped just as Harry had. She would've fallen as well, but James was there with open arms. He caught his wife with practiced ease, spinning her around and placing her delicately on her feet. Lily closed her eyes and put a hand to her head, leaning against him briefly. Harry leaned against the wall as his stomach settled and watched them eagerly, absorbing the interaction between his parents.
"Must that Network be so bloody pushy?" Lily muttered.
"Language, darling. Ow!"
"Don't mock me, James Potter." Scowling, Lily pulled away from him and walked over to Harry, gently brushing the soot away from his hair and clothing. "How do you feel, Harry? Are you hungry? Poppy sent along some potions for you to drink, but you can take them later if you'd prefer."
"I am hungry," Harry admitted. Although he was eating several small meals a day, it seemed as though he felt constantly hungry. He hesitated briefly, then added, "My head hurts, too."
"Let's go down to the kitchen, then, and we'll get you a Headache Potion," James said, opening the door. Harry looked around the room they had landed in quickly. It appeared to be a study or library of sorts, for there were numerous bookshelves lining the walls – and each shelf was as stuffed with books as could be. There were also some plush looking armchairs scattered through the room. He smiled faintly, imagining Hermione's reaction if she could get just five minutes in the room. She would have an absolute field day. A wave of longing came over him then for his studious and warm friend, and he held in a sigh as he stepped out the door. When would he get the chance to see her again?
Harry followed Lily down the hall, forgetting about Hermione as his eyes greedily drank in the sight of Potter Pound. He passed several rooms with closed doors, and he knew that he would have to return at some point to investigate and satisfy his curiosity; he wanted to know every single detail there was to know about the house. Oddly enough, and he suspected this was because of Lily's influence, the house wasn't decorated solely in shades of red and gold. The kitchen, for example, was decorated in emerald green, a cool shade of blue, and white. It was a good combination and he appreciated it over Petunia's stark white kitchen as Lily motioned for him to take a seat at the breakfast nook and then went over to one of the cabinets. She removed a vial and handed it to him, then opened the refrigerator.
"This is a muggle house," Harry noted with surprise, downing the potion in one gulp. The sickening aftertaste was worth it when the pain in his head immediately began to disappear.
"Yes, it is," Lily said, smiling as she removed a pitcher of orange juice from the fridge. "James and I made the decision after we graduated to move to a muggle community, but it took me a while to convince him to actually do it. We moved to Godric's Hollow at first, because it was a wizarding community that was still fairly close to a muggle one, and then shortly after your accident, we moved here to Cliffside."
"I'm kind of surprised he wanted to come."
"He didn't at first. But I wanted you and your siblings to grow up knowing both the muggle and wizarding community, Harry, so that when you were older you could have the choice to decide which one you wanted to be a part of. I've never believed that you should cut yourself off from either one, although there are many wizards who believe that you shouldn't even need to make a choice." Lily's voice was slightly bitter. "James had never lived in a muggle community before. We've made some compromises over the year, let me tell you."
"I grew up in a muggle community," Harry said suddenly.
Lily looked at him, her eyes widening. "You did? With who?"
"Um..." Inwardly cursing himself for blurting out that information, Harry looked down at the counter and fiddled with the vial. "The Dursley's," he mumbled.
"The Durs – PETUNIA?" Lily's shock was evident. She dropped the knife and stared at him, clearly horrified. "Merlin, Harry, you were left with... with that?"
"It's a long story," he said sheepishly. "After you and Dad were killed, Professor Dumbledore evidently decided that I would be the safest there. I was just a baby at the time, of course. There were some bad wizards who would have been trying to kill me, and he figured they wouldn't have thought to look for me there." As he spoke, Harry was very aware that he was making excuses for the elderly headmaster. Dumbledore's decision to place him with the Dursley's had been a monumentally bad one no matter which way you looked at it – but he couldn't quite bring himself to admit that to Lily.
"Petunia," Lily said the word as though it left a bad taste in her mouth. She began chopping tomatoes rapidly. "I adored her as a child. I looked up to her so much. She was everything I wanted to be. But once I received my Hogwarts letter, that all changed. Petunia became extremely jealous of me, of the attention that Mother and Father lavished on me for being a wizard. I didn't want them to, but how could I make her understand that? I begged Professor Dumbledore to accept her as a student as well, but of course, you can't make a muggle have magic if there's nothing there. So she decided that she abhorred magic." Setting her knife down, Lily lowered her head. "Every year after that we only grew more distant, and when she met that vile man whom she ended up marrying... Well, that was the end of it. I haven't seen her in years but I'm sure her attitude towards magic and me hasn't changed one bit. Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry."
Lily came around the nook towards him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing him against her. Tears glistened in her eyes and he closed his own eyes as one dropped onto his cheek. "I shudder to think of what kind of childhood you must have had with her," she whispered, running her fingers through his hair. "I can only imagine what Petunia and that man would do if they thought they had the opportunity to get revenge. If I had known... I never would have allowed Dumbledore to cast that dreadful spell."
"It's okay," Harry said, his voice muffled by Lily's dress. He closed his eyes, trying to force back the tears he could feel pricking. This was the sum of every childhood dream that he had ever had while in his cupboard. How many times had he lain there and wished that his mother and father would come and take him away? If only he had known that he was dreaming... Perhaps he would have been able to force himself to wake up. It was too difficult to think about, and after taking a deep breath, he whispered, "I... I'm here with you and Dad now, right?"
"Right," Lily agreed, smiling a little, though he could tell she was still bothered by what he had shared. He made a mental note to never share exactly what his childhood had been like and to gloss over the details as much as possible if asked. Lily would be crushed to find out he'd spend the majority of it in a cupboard, playing servant to a spoiled fat boy and his equally horrific parents.
"Oh!" a voice said suddenly. "Mum, you're... you're home."
Harry and Lily both turned to regard the doorway. A young girl was standing there, earphones around her neck, empty glass in her hand. He recognized her instantly as Aurelia Lily Potter, the thirteen-year-old sister that James had showed him the day before. She had her thick, curly auburn hair tied back in a ponytail and was dressed casually in shorts and a tank top. There was a small rectangle attached to her waist that she reached down and touched, causing the faint staticky sound of music to stop instantly. Her dark brown eyes regarded him curiously, examining him like he was her.
"Lia," Lily said, releasing Harry. "Where's your father?"
"He's not here," Lia answered, glancing briefly at her – their – mother. "I was outside, but I just came in to get a new book. I didn't hear the bell. That's why I thought you guys weren't home yet."
"Where in Merlin's name has that man got to now..." muttered Lily, clearly annoyed. She shook her head and sighed. "Well, Lia, this is Harry. Harry, this is Lia, your sister."
Lia approached slowly, clearly wary, and stopped a couple of feet away. Harry tried to smile at her, feeling awkward. He'd never had a sibling before. What did one do? How was he supposed to act? Did she expect to be hugged? He tried to remember how Ron had acted with Ginny and recalled the warmth and familiarity between them. But he didn't know Lia at all; they were virtual strangers. The moment grew more uncomfortable the longer the two of them were there, and he shifted his weight, not wanting to disappoint the hopeful Lily.
"Hi," he said finally.
"Hello," she returned, smiling a little. She looked remarkably like Lily when she smiled, Harry realized, warming to her a little. Perhaps this wouldn't be as difficult as he thought.
Harry groped for something to say and settled on, "I heard you like to pull pranks?"
Lia smirked, a mischievous spark lighting up her eyes. "I can pull pranks with the best of them," she said confidently, hopping up onto the seat beside him. "The Weasley twins and I are close. Uncle Sirius has shown me all kinds of things, and they gave me this really great map that lets me get all around Hogwarts without being seen."
"The Marauder's Map!" Harry said with delight. "I had it in... in my dream world."
"Really?" Lia studied him. "Did you pull pranks with it?"
"Sometimes."
"And here I had hoped to at least get one child who could behave," Lily said with amusement, returning to the sandwiches. She was watching them with obvious joy. "I'm sure that when the two of you return to Hogwarts in September, you'll be terrors. I wonder if I should send out a warning now..."
"Hey, someone has to keep the legend of the Marauders alive," Harry said innocently.
"Right on," Lia giggled. "Are you a Gryffindor?"
"Yup. Dad said you were, too."
She nodded. "I'm glad I was. I probably would've been disowned if I had ended up somewhere else," she said slyly, glancing at her mother.
Lily huffed. "Aurelia Lily, you know your father didn't mean that."
"He told me that if I got into Slytherin, not to come home," Lia whispered to him. "Mum went mental on him after she found me crying in bed because I was so scared. It was absolutely brilliant, almost worth the nightmare I had."
Harry laughed. "I almost got put into Slytherin," he said, then paused. Why had he told her that? He'd never said that to anyone before. It had been one of his most well-kept secrets, and not even Ron and Hermione knew. Enough people thought he was evil already. "The Sorting Hat thought that I was very cunning."
"I was almost a Ravenclaw," said Lily.
"So was I," Lia admitted. "But I love pulling pranks so much that the Hat thought I would be better suited to Gryffindor and someone like McGonagall."
"She certainly can keep students in line," Harry agreed, thrilled that neither one of them had been upset about his nearly being a Slytherin. The information had been accepted so smoothly. There was no fear of the Boy-Who-Lived having evil inside him and Harry loved that, loved that for the first time in his life he was just a normal kid. Well, as normal as a wizarding child could be, anyway.
"I'll say. Almost makes me wish I had been a Ravenclaw after all. I've heard Professor Sinistra is nothing like her," Lia said, propping her chin on her hands.
"Minerva is fair to everyone," Lily told her, slicing the two sandwiches she had made and placing one in front of Harry and one in front of Lia. She went to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses. "It doesn't matter what house you're a part of. If you do something wrong, you're going to be punished. She is likely one of the fairest professors that Hogwarts has. Furthermore, she does you good, Lia, and you know it."
"Yeah, yeah," Lia grumbled good-naturedly, tucking into her sandwich.
Harry picked up his own sandwich and bit into it. Tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, and turkey filled his mouth. It was good, but he wouldn't really have cared if it wasn't: it was the first thing he'd ever had created by his mother and that meant it was the best thing he'd ever tasted. Lia seemed to be in agreement, as she was making quick work of her own. Lily looked at them with fondness in her green eyes as she placed two glasses of juice in front of them before pouring a third for herself. He picked up his glass and took a gulp, startled when the crisp taste of orange meant his tastebuds instead of pumpkin.
"I'm not that crazy about pumpkin juice," Lily said, obviously anticipating his question.
"But it's the main drink at Hogwarts."
"I know," she said wryly, wiping down the counter with a rag. "After seven solid years, I had more than enough and I haven't touched it since the day I graduated. James and Anna love it, so if you like it I do have some, but I prefer to stick to orange, apple, and grape."
"My favourite is apple juice," said Lia, setting down her empty glass. "If you make friendly with the house elves, they're surprisingly receptive to adding things to the menu."
"I bet Hermione would've loved that," Harry muttered to himself.
Lia looked at him sharply. "Hermione? Hermione Granger?"
"Yeah. She was one of my best friends."
"Really..." Lia cast an odd look at Lily, who shook her head silently. Harry glanced back and forth between them in confusion. "I wouldn't have thought she would be your type."
"My type?" Harry's eyebrows rose and he grinned at the idea, amused. He had never felt that way towards Hermione, and he was pretty sure that she hadn't, either. She had been the closest thing that he had to a sister in that world, and it had always been evident to him that she and Ron were made for each other. "Hermione wasn't my girlfriend. I've never had one before. She was just my friend, that's all."
"Both Ron and Hermione will be coming to visit you tomorrow, Harry," Lily broke in. "They were a little surprised to hear you wanted to meet them, but they're very excited."
"Great," Harry said, wondering what the strange looks had been about. He got them whenever he mentioned that he was friends with Ron and Hermione. For the first time, a bit of doubt began to creep over him. As Lily had just pointed out, he didn't really know the two of them. All he knew was Ron and Hermione who had never really existed. Were the "real" versions so very different? Would they even like him? He sighed and noticed that both Lily and Lia were staring at him. To change the subject, he asked, "Where are Annabelle and Jonathon?"
"Anna's out with her playgroup," Lia said, glancing at the clock. "She won't be home for at least a couple of hours. Jon's away. One of his friends invited him to go on a trip. They've been gone since Saturday."
Harry was about to say something else when he was cut off by the sound of a bell. It sounded like the bell in the tower at Hogwarts that rang every once in a while, a deep gonging that seemed to resonate through his whole body. He pressed his hands to his ears and looked at Lily and Lia with alarm, but both of them just seemed annoyed, not panicked. The sound faded away slowly, leaving a ringing silence in place. No one spoke for a moment.
"I'm going to kill James for leaving that charm up," Lily growled suddenly, tossing her rag at the sink. "He promised that he would take it down after the time it woke Jon up when he was sick. It drives me bloody crazy every time someone comes through the Network."
"It gives me a headache," Lia murmured, rubbing her forehead. "Why does it have to be so loud?"
"What does it mean?" Harry asked at the same time.
"Dad installed it so that whenever someone arrived by Floo, we would know. He got a little paranoid about having the Network open to everyone, instead of having it directly linked to just a couple of places, and decided that some kind of warning was needed. Why he couldn't choose an alarm that was a little quieter, I have no idea."
"Because your father has to do everything with as much attention as possible."
"I heard that," James said as he entered the kitchen. He was grinning broadly, clearly not as annoyed by Lily's remark as he was pretending to be, for he walked straight over to her and kissed her on the cheek. Lily put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look, though Harry could tell she was more amused than anything else.
"Where have you been?" she said.
"I was gathering up the rest of the strays."
"Says you," said Sirius, entering the kitchen. Lia yelped with joy and raced over to him. Sirius caught her up and swung her around, narrowly avoiding clipping Remus, who was just behind him. The man dodged out of the way, shaking his head. "I'll have you know I've been claimed by Arabella, and Remus here has Orion. We're not strays anymore, my man, although judging by the look on your wife's face, you're not sleeping in the kennel tonight."
"Not all of us are claimed," a new voice announced as James glared at Sirius. Harry felt his chest tighten as Peter Pettigrew edged in around Remus. The man looked a hell of a lot better than he had in Harry's world, an improvement that he didn't deserve as far as Harry was concerned. He was still on the chubby side with thinning, greying hair, but the rat-like appearance so prevalent the last time Harry had encountered him was not nearly as apparent. "Harry, my boy, it's good to see you," Pettigrew said, beaming.
Harry was trying to figure out how to politely explain to Pettigrew that he was most definitely not 'his boy' when he caught sight of Lia out of the corner of his eye. She had moved from holding onto Sirius to clinging onto Remus, but there was a look of mild disgust on her face as she gazed in Pettigrew's direction. A visible shiver traveled through her body when Pettigrew walked past her and she clung tighter to Remus, pointedly turning her head away. He couldn't help it: he was immensely glad that at least someone didn't like him. It was positively eerie to see Sirius, Remus, and his parents acting so casually around the man who, in his world anyway, had destroyed them.
"Do I know you?" Harry said then, looking up at Pettigrew with the upmost innocence. There was no way to express his distaste with the man, not when almost everyone around him appeared to be so happy. James, Sirius, and Remus were obviously still close with Pettigrew, and he suspected that they would not take news of his supposed betrayal well. The easiest thing to do was feign ignorance, which thankfully – after years of Hermione's lectures and rants – Harry was an ace at.
Pettigrew looked surprised. "You don't recognize me?"
"No. Should I?"
James and Lily exchanged looks. Then James came around the counter and said gently, "Harry, this is one of my old school friends, Peter Pettigrew. I had expected that since you knew Sirius and Remus, you would know him as well, but..." he trailed off.
"Sorry." Harry shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "Can't say that I do. The Sirius and Remus I knew never even mentioned you." It was cruel, yet he delighted in seeing the hurt flickering in those ratty little eyes. Good! Harry hoped that it kept him up at nights, wondering where their friendship had gone wrong in Harry's world.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Pettigrew said after a somewhat awkward pause. He extended his hand. Harry hesitated, but he didn't really see a way out of touching the man. Gingerly, he gripped Pettigrew's hand and shook, hiding the shudder of revulsion that passed through him and pulling back as soon as he could. On a conscious level, he knew that this Pettigrew had not done anything wrong and so did not deserve his animosity, but he couldn't help it. Every sense within him screamed that this rat could not be trusted and vehemently protested having him anywhere in the vicinity of Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Lia.
"Anyone up for a quick game of Quidditch?" James asked, glancing outside. It was a sparkling sunny day, and as Harry moved across the windows, he could see that there was indeed a mock Quidditch path set up in the backyard, hoops and all. Being that Lily had remarked they lived in a muggle community, he suspected that it was enchanted and that it was one of the compromises she had mentioned.
"I can't," said Pettigrew. "I really only came to meet Harry, and now that I have, I must be off."
"Got a hot date?" Sirius said, smirking and elbowing Remus.
"No, Sirius, not as such." Pettigrew shook his head at Sirius in a fond manoeuvre that irritated Harry. "Just a business meeting at the Ministry."
"So glad we never have to deal with those, eh, Remus."
"I don't think you could handle them if you tried," Remus said dryly, loosening his grip on Lia and straightening his shirt. She was all too happy when Sirius promptly dropped an arm around her shoulders.
"What do you do for a living?" Harry asked curiously.
"I'm the charms professor at Hogwarts," said Lily.
"Defence Against the Dark Arts," Sirius replied. "Arabella works as a Healer at St. Mungos, and Orion owns a small clothing store in Diagon Alley."
"Care of Magical Creatures professor," Remus chimed in, and Harry stared at him, realizing that without Voldemort, Hagrid hadn't been accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets and killing a student while he was at school. His wand hadn't been snapped. He would've gone on and graduated like he was supposed to. A flicker of sadness went through Harry, and he wondered what his first friend ever was doing. Wherever he was, he hoped that Hagrid had ended up as happy as caring for creatures like Aragog had made him.
"Are you a professor, too?" he questioned, glancing at James.
"Sometimes," James said. "I'm the flying instructor. I teach the first and second years from September to December, and then I monitor the Quidditch games and practices. Occasionally I also do Auror work for the Ministry whenever they need some extra help, but I stay at Hogwarts for the year."
Harry considered this. "What about Anna and Jon?"
"They usually come along. We have a suite of rooms at Hogwarts and they stay with us. It's unusual, but since James and I are both professors, Albus wanted to accommodate us as much as possible," Lily explained.
James nudged Harry. "He was dying to get your mum in there as a charms professor," he whispered in Harry's ear. "Albus would've agreed to anything."
Lily's glare indicated that she had heard. "Usually we hire a governess during the school year to keep them in hand during the day," she said stiffly. "And to give them some basic lessons that most wizarding children receive. We all come home for Christmas and now you will, too."
There were no words to describe how much Harry was looking forward to this. "That sounds great," he said simply.
"Well, I must be off," Pettigrew announced, and was gone before anyone could say anything. Harry, gazing after him, realized that the rat never had announced what he did. Then again, he was just as glad, because he wouldn't have wanted to bother faking interest in anything Pettigrew said or did.
"We're off to do a match," James said, beckoning the rest of them.
"Harry, dear, I don't think you should play yet," Lily said, peering at him with concern. "Poppy said it might be some time before you were up to full strength, and I'm worried that you might fall off of your broom. You look quite tired. Why don't I take you up to your room and you can rest for a while?"
Although he didn't want to admit it, Harry was getting a little tired. Playing a game of Quidditch with his father sounded amazing, but he knew that Lily was right. "Sure, I guess that would be okay."
"We'll wait for you outside, Lils." James pushed the back door open and stepped out. Sirius and Remus followed. Lily left the kitchen, leaving Lia and Harry alone. She looked at him silently for a minute, her dark eyes questioning, before she spoke softly.
"You don't like him."
It wasn't a question, but Harry nodded anyway. "He did something... terrible in my world."
Lia bit her lip. "I don't like the way he looks at me," she said quietly. "At any of us. Even you. But especially Mum. It's not... right."
Harry felt an instant flash of protectiveness. "Don't worry, Lia, he can't touch you." But as he spoke, Harry was recalling the things Pettigrew had done in his world... and knew that someone didn't have to physically touch you in order to hurt you in the worst possible way. Frustration rose up inside of him. Was Pettigrew every bit as dangerous in this world? And if so, what was he to do when Pettigrew was one of his father's best friends?
"Harry!" Lily called.
"Coming!" he answered automatically, still gazing at Lia. "Go outside," he suggested, "even if you don't want to play Quidditch. It's impossible to be miserable around Sirius."
A tiny smile broke out on her lips. "That's true. You know what, I even think I might play a bit."
"Play for me," he said, and was rewarded with her grin. He watched her exit the kitchen before heading in the direction Lily had gone, glad that he had been able to cheer Lia up a tiny bit. Concerned, at the same time, for what might be brewing behind the scenes of a world that he had been thrust into.
Lily led him upstairs and down another hallway. She stopped in front of one of the many doors and turned to look at him. Her smile wavered, but her emerald green eyes were shining. "I didn't know if I'd ever have the chance to show you this," she said, putting her hand on the doorknob and twisting it slowly. "I hope you like it."
Harry stepped into a room that was easily the size of the fifth year Gryffindor boy's dormitory, looking around in wonder. It was artfully decorated in softer shades of red and gold, with green and blue accents scattered here and there. There were two doors on the far side of the room, leading to what, he had no idea. Two windows bordered the wall directly across from him; one had a large window seat with plush crimson coverings decorated with blue lions, and the other was smaller with an owl perch built right into it. The bed was massive, with several gold and white pillows. Sitting in the middle was a tiny, worn golden lion with bright green eyes.
"That was your favourite toy as a child," Lily told him, following his gaze. Harry walked over to the bed and picked up the lion. It fit comfortably into his hands, the perfect size for a toddler to hold onto. "Sirius bought it for you, and you adored it from day one. James was so jealous that your favourite toy was something he bought you..." She smiled, her eyes misty. "He bought you an endless amount after that, trying to coax you to give that up."
"Did I have a name for it?"
"You called it Pad. I think you were probably trying to say 'Padfoot' but you were too young to pronounce it properly."
"Huh." Harry yawned then, a wave of tiredness coming over him so forcefully that he nearly dropped right there. "I guess I was more tired than I thought."
Lily laughed. "I guess so. Go to sleep for a while, Harry. I'll wake you up when dinner is ready. You can drink the rest of your potions then." She approached and kissed him on the forehead, then walked back over to the door and turned the light out. "If the sunlight bothers you, just touch this button," she said, pointing to a small silver button beside the switch. "It activates a charm to keep the light out."
"Thanks." He nodded, relieved as the door closed and Lily walked away. After so many new experiences in one day, he desperately needed some time alone to sort things through. Harry sat down on the bed and looked around the room slowly. It was hard to believe that the lavish and undoubtedly expensive furnishings were intended for someone like him. "This is what my life should have been like," he said to himself, feeling anger burn through him. A fall? Something as stupid and insignificant as a fall down the stairs had ruined his childhood? The thought of the kind of life and memories he could have had made him sick to contemplate.
Sighing, he stretched out on the bed, placing Pad on his stomach. As he moved, his fingers struck something hard and flat. Curious, he picked up and experienced a jolt of shock when he identified it as yet another creamy envelope bearing his name in that delicate, black feminine script. Harry sat up slowly, holding the envelope tightly between fingers that had begun to shake. Did he want to open it?
Before common sense could stop him, Harry tore the envelope open and peered inside. He could see two things. One was another piece of parchment, and the other was a hair. A single strand, long and limp, that looked brown in the light of his bedroom. Puzzled, he placed it carefully on the nightstand and took out the parchment, unfolding it carefully. His heart had begun to hammer in his chest, for he knew that whatever he was about to read was probably going to turn his world upside down... again. The first thing he noticed was the crimson drawing of the phoenix, painted carefully beneath the short message.
Harry,
You have to believe me and you must not tell anyone, because I have no idea who you can trust. He will kill everyone that you have regained if you choose to ignore my warnings. The Death Eaters cannot be trusted. Do not allow them to sway you. No spell, dream, or fall could ever erase the taint that has stained their souls.
You'll notice that James said he teaches the first AND second years; in this world, the second years receive refresher courses in flying before they're allowed to try out for the Quidditch team. Please review!
Coming up: Harry meets Ron and Hermione, as well as his two other siblings.