A/N: I gather some of you dislike the fact that Harry can't get back to the "old" world. I'm sorry, but that was something I had planned on from the very beginning. Essentially, the story boils down to the fact that Voldemort made a huge mistake because of something he had not planned on. I hope that the following chapters will put your concerns to rest and that you'll continue to enjoy my story anyway.

ATTACK ON DIAGON ALLEY; MULTIPLE KILLED AND WOUNDED
By Rita Skeeter

This reporter is certain that all of the Daily Prophet's loyal readers will remember the attack on Diagon Alley that occurred just a few weeks ago. Since that time, the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic has been working tirelessly to find out just who was behind the attack, but all potential leads have failed. The identity of those dark-robed figures has remained a mystery, and it has allowed them to strike again.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the paper is sad to report that yet another attack happened yesterday afternoon in Diagon Alley, leaving over twenty-five wizards and witches deceased and many more wounded.

"They came from nowhere and attacked swiftly, silently, and with intent to kill," says Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, who professed as much surprise and concern as anyone over the attack. "We have evidence that there was ample use of the Unforgiveables, including the Killing Curse. The Ministry would like to take this chance to remind everyone that use of the Killing Curse is strictly prohibited and carries a life sentence in Azkaban."

The attack only lasted about twenty minutes, according to Flourish Inkwell, co-owner of Flourish and Blotts. "I was down in the storage room when I heard my partner yelling at me," he tells reporters. "By the time I was able to get upstairs, the attack was mostly done with... Some people had come inside the store for protection, and it was just dreadful. I saw one woman who had been half transfigured into a chair. I ask you, who thinks of something like that?"

When asked why the Aurors were slow to respond to the attack, the Head Auror had only this to say: "The wards and alarms that we have in place over Diagon Alley were tampered with. Currenty they are being repaired by the best. Needless to say, this will not happen again."

For a full list of the deceased, please flip to page three...

It had happened again.

Harry Potter sank down into his seat at the table and stared at the paper, feeling his stomach churn. Suddenly, the smell of the food Lily was preparing wasn't so good after all. Rita Skeeter's familiar style of writing might have been comforting if it hadn't been for the nature of what she was writing. His throat tightened as he drew the paper towards him and re-read the article. Another attack, and again, the Aurors had been late? It didn't bode well for the future. He didn't expect the ones in this universe to be as war-trained, but surely they could do better than that?

"Harry, put the paper away. It's time for breakfast," Lily said.

"But Mum, there was another attack last night." Lia pulled back from where she had been reading over Harry's shoulder and shook her head slowly. "Over twenty-five witches and wizards dead."

"Merlin." Lily's face grew pale, and the frantic movements of her wand grew still. "What is the world coming to?"

Ignoring them both, Harry flipped to page three and searched for the list of the deceased. He was curious to see if he would recognize any of the names and wondered if someone had been specifically targeted. It wasn't difficult to find, and he scanned it rapidly, pleased that none of the names sounded overly familiar to him – and if the 'dark-robed figures' had been there for someone in particular, he didn't know who. Again, Lia leaned over and glanced at the list. Suddenly, she gasped and grabbed the paper from him, peering at it closely.

"Oh, Mum!" she cried. "Oh, it says Madeline Abbott... That's Hannah's mother."

"No!" Quickly Lily walked over to the table and looked at the paper. Tears filled her eyes when she saw that the name was written about midway down the list. "Madeline was always the sweetest girl," she said, clearly upset. "And Hannah is an absolute angel. The poor girl must be devestated. We'll have to visit tomorrow, Lia."

"You can go today," Harry offered quietly.

"It's your birthday, Harry," Lily reminded him, dusting the tears from her eyes. She picked up the paper and Banished it with a snap of her wand. "The first one we've had the chance to celebrate in years. I'm not going to let it be interrupted. Besides, I'm sure Mr Abbott and Hannah will want a little time to themselves, first, before visitors start coming."

"What are we going to do?" asked Lia curiously.

Lily smiled. "We're going to eat breakfast first," she said. "And then Harry, Remus and Sirius were going to be taking you to Diagon Alley, but I think I'll suggest somewhere else. Lia, I'll need your help around the house getting ready for the party. We have a lot to do. Your father and the twins are off getting Harry a surprise, so it will just be you and me until Arabella and Orion arrive."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "A surprise?" he echoed. "You... you don't have to do so much for me." He felt uncomfortable at the thought of anyone going through so much effort.

"But we want to," Lia said before Lily could. "You're my big brother and I want to help Mum give you an awesome party. Please, Harry?"

"Er..." He blinked at her pleading gaze and looked to his mother for help. She laughed.

"Enough, young lady," Lily said fondly. "Save that expression for your father. Harry, your sister is absolutely right. You deserve a wonderful party and we're going to make sure that you get it. I don't want you to worry about a single thing today, understand?"

That was easier said than done, Harry reflected. Lily had made a spectacular breakfast that included all of his favorite dishes, but he had trouble forcing the food down. He couldn't stop thinking about the attack on Diagon Alley and what it might have meant. With no connection to Voldemort, he hadn't dreamt about a thing, and this time there was no Dumbledore or the Order guiding the fight. For the first time that he could remember, he was operating completely blind. It wasn't the most comforting feeling.

The gong for the Floo boomed through the house, followed by loud voices. Harry glanced up and had to smile as a large black dog bounded into the room and leapt at him, hitting him with enough force to send him toppling off his chair. He groaned and tried to push the dog away as it pinned him down and began slobbering all over him. Clearly, this was Sirius' idea of a greeting on a birthday, and his mother and sister just stood by laughing while he squirmed and protested between licks. By the time Remus came in and had the sympathy to drag Sirius off, Harry was completely slimed.

"Thanks a lot," he grumbled, mopping at his face with a towel Lily had handed him. "I didn't need a second shower, Sirius."

Sirius changed back to his human self, grinning widely. "I could smell your depression all the way upstairs, pup," he replied. "This is your birthday. You have to be happy."

That was news to Harry, who just blinked at him for a minute before he said weakly, "Where are we going today?"

"Ah, I can't tell you that yet, young marauder. It's a surprise," Sirius said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "But I can and will promise you that you're going to love it."

Harry was pretty sure that Sirius was right. It wouldn't matter where they were going, as long as he could spend part of the day with his once-deceased godfather and Remus. He took the chance to look the two of them over as Remus spoke in quiet tones to Lily. Sirius looked so much younger than he remembered, and his slate gray eyes were clear of the haunted shadow Harry was so familiar with. As for Remus, the werewolf moved with a quiet strength and grace that were at odds to the one he recalled. There was no gray in the tawny hair, and his face was free of most of the stress lines Harry was accustomed to. This was the Marauders as they should have been, untainted by war and Azkaban.

"Have fun today, Harry," Lily said finally, turning away from Remus to cross the kitchen towards him. She kissed him on the forehead and straightened his glasses a bit. "Make sure you stay with Sirius and Remus, do not get into any fights, and be back here by four, okay?"

"He'll be fine, Lily," Remus told her. "Sirius and I will keep a close eye on him."

"That's what I'm worried about," his mother said wryly.

Sirius just smirked and pulled out his wand. The familiar sensation of side-along apparition took over, and Harry clung to his godfather as he was wrenched and squished and nearly tossed head over heels. He landed hard on the ground when the two of them touched down and remained there, groaning as his stomach threatened to rebel. Remus appeared with a crack! and rolled his eyes when he saw that Harry was sprawled out on the grass.

"Padfoot, you could have been more gentle," he scolded. "You know Harry's not used to it."

"Sorry, Harry. I haven't done side-along in years," Sirius said sheepishly, reaching down to pull Harry to his feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Harry mumbled, dusting his shirt off. There was no need to mention that he felt like he was going to vomit all over Sirius' dark blue shirt. He tried to think calming thoughts as he turned around, curious to see where Remus and Sirius had taken him. His green eyes went wide. "Hogsmeade?"

"None other. We wanted to take you to Diagon Alley, but Lily put her wand down after she heard about the attack," said his godfather. "You can get re-acquainted with Hogsmeade before school begins." His gray eyes twinkled mischeviously. "Remus and I can show you all of the ways to sneak into Hogwarts."

Harry grinned. "I bet I already know a few of them."

"And we are supposed to be setting a good example," Remus cut in, shaking his head and smiling. "Honestly, I fear the day that you have children."

"You think you fear the day? Professor McGonagall shivers every time I mention it," Sirius said, grinning wickedly. "One of these days, I'm going to find the right price for Arabella to pretend she's pregnant with my baby. I'm going to give McGonagall a heart attack."

"That's a wonderful way to repay her for putting up with you all those years."

Startled, Harry swung around and faced three people, two witches and a wizard, who had come up behind them without his notice. The wizard, whom Harry didn't recognize, was nearly as short as he was, with dark hair cut in a messy style and pale blue eyes. He moved with an obvious limp. Both of the witches had at least a couple of inches on him. The only one he recognized, Narcissa Malfoy, didn't look much different from how he remembered – she was every inch the Ice Queen, with pale blonde hair and the same pale blue eyes as the wizard. The witch who had spoken had long, curly dark hair and dark brown eyes. She pressed her lips together as she stared at Harry, who shifted uncomfortably at the coldness of her stare and glared back.

"I have to repay her somehow, Bella," said Sirius.

Of course. Bellatrix LeStrange. Harry couldn't believe he hadn't known the hated witch, but then, she looked a lot different when years in Azkaban weren't weighing down on her. Her cheeks were plump and flushed with color, she wore expensive and well cut robes, and the tell-tale glint of madness that had always been present in her eyes was missing. Even her wand, once a dark slash of wood, was now a pale, gleaming shaft. Her voice was different, too: smooth and low with none of the cackling raspiness she had been so given to before. He was surprised Ginny had been able to recognize her.

"Harry, these are my cousins, Bellatrix LeStrange and Narcissa Malfoy. And this," Sirius clapped a hand on the shoulder of the wizard so hard that the man's knees buckled, "is my little brother, Regulus."

Brother? Harry stared in wonder at Regulus, who offered him a shy smile and a hand to shake. He took it dumbly, surprised that Sirius and Regulus apparently got along in this world. In his world, Sirius had spoken bitterly of his brother, citing his parents' brainwashing as the reason that Regulus had ever joined the Death Eaters, which had ultimately led to his death. It would never cease to amaze him how many things had changed just because Voldemort wasn't around.

"Funny," Regulus muttered, having apparently picked up on the emphasis. "You're a real riot, just like always."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Potter," Narcissa said. "My son speaks highly of you."

"We're good friends," Harry said after a pause, feeling surreal. This was weird. He looked at Remus, pretending not to notice the hand Bellatrix had extended to him. Her eyes glittered in a familiar way when she retracted the offer and he thought, yes, there she was, the crazed witch he had known. Some things would never change. "Where are we going first?"

"Zonkos, of course," Sirius said before Remus could open his mouth. He wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and began guiding the teen down the street. The other four wizards and witches trailed behind them. Narcissa and Bellatrix spoke in low voices too soft for Harry to hear. "Like you have to ask, kiddo? This might be my one chance to load you down with prank items before the term begins. James promised that he would distract Lily when we take you home so that we can smuggle them up to your bedroom."

"Once again, we're supposed to be a good example," Remus muttered, though he couldn't quite stop his lips from twitching into a smile. Lia Potter was known for being quite the little prankster, particularly when her younger siblings got in on the act. He felt sorry for all of the Hogwarts teachers, because he had a feeling that it would mean fireworks when all four of the Potter children worked together. Lily's intelligence and James' streak of mischief was a dangerous combination. Suddenly, he found himself wondering if it was too late to get on somewhere else.

"So what is the reason for this little outing?" Bellatrix asked. She caught up to Sirius and Harry and moved a few steps ahead of them so that she could peer into a store window that was filled with elegant dress robes. Harry narrowed his eyes at her and sidled a bit closer to Sirius.

"It's Harry's birthday," Remus replied.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Regulus said softly.

Harry smiled at the man. "Thanks."

"Okay, kiddo, when you get to Hogwarts, the first thing you have to do is get into Snape's quarters," Sirius said, coming to a halt in front of Zonkos. He actually rubbed his hands together with glee. "I can show you exactly how to get in. We'll turn everything he has bright pink and make it permanent."

"I wouldn't advise you do that. Not unless you want to get caught up in a war between the two of them," Regulus told him, making a face. "I speak from personal experience. It's not a fun place to be."

"Hey, that was only one time! Just for that, you've been chosen as the test subject for today."

"What? Sirius! Let go!" Regulus' protests fell on deaf ears as Sirius manhandled his brother into the store. Remus, looking more than a little amused, beckoned to Harry and followed the bickering siblings. Harry was about to follow them when a throat cleared behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Narcissa.

"I have a question for you, Mr Potter, if you don't mind staying behind a moment," she said. "One I would like to ask outside of the presence of your family."

"Oh, er, sure, go ahead," Harry said, resisting the urge to self-consciously shove his hands into his pockets.

"It's about my son and the woman he is dating. You have met her, I presume."

"Yes, I know her," he said slowly, wondering if this was going to turn into a rant about muggleborns and purebloods. "She's a very nice girl. Draco seems really happy with her."

Narcissa nodded, seemingly distracted by something that was going on behind Harry. He started to turn so that he could see what had caught her interest, but at that instant a jet of what felt like freezing water struck the middle of his back. His body immediately went limp and he collapsed on the ground as every muscle in his body fell limp. Bellatrix stood over him, tucking her wand back into the holster at her side. A cruel smile lit her face as she leaned down and tucked a small item into his unresponsive hand.

"Thought you could destroy our lord, did you?" she whispered into his ear. "It's too bad that your godfathers are so very trusting. Have fun with my lord." She straightened and looked at Narcissa. "Good job, Cissy. Go and fetch those two and tell them the boy's been kidnapped. Don't let on that I was still around."

Harry's green eyes widened, and he tried to force his body to move, to drop the item in his hand and grab his wand instead as Narcissa nodded curtly, stepped around his body, and walked into the store as calmly as though nothing had happened. But his muscles refused to respond, and less than a minute later, he no longer had a choice when the portkey activated and whisked him away.

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