The shiny scarlet steam engine extended the entire length of the hidden platform at King's Cross Station. Doors to the cabins stood open in anticipation of the 11 o'clock departure; students ran amuck on the platform, darting from their family and friends to the compartments they had secured on the train. It was choreographed chaos—perfectly harmonized were the sounds produced by the families, the brilliant engine, and the trolley's that took up any space in between. Harry led the way with his trolley, James and Lily following a few steps behind, having gotten caught up by the numerous students buzzing about. He stopped just outside one of the end cars, parching himself up on the edge of the cart, trying to make himself tall enough to see over the crowd for his parents, but to no avail. The trunk was much too heavy for him to heave onto the train but the thought was short lived as two redheaded boys had come from inside the train, wearing not only identical grins but clothes and appearances as well.

"Need some help there?" they chorused.

Harry went up on his tippy toes once again to look over the crowd. He spotted his parents but they were still a ways back. "Yeah! That'd be great, thanks," he responded, grabbing his owl cage and following the two boys to a compartment on the train that was otherwise empty. The redheaded twins hiked the trunk over their shoulders and onto a rack above in one swift movement, something he doubted he would ever be able to do.

"Thanks!" he said, as the trunk slid into place. "Uh, what are your names?"

"I'm Fred, and that's George," the one began when a plump women with identical red hair wearing an eccentrically knitted shawl began knocking on the window, signaling for the boys to make their way back onto the platform. "Sorry that's mum, she'll be wanting us to help ickle ronikins around—it's his first year too."

They helped him to secure Hedwig in the compartment before making their way back down along the narrow corridor. Fred and George excitedly talked about the school as they made their way.

When they got off the train, Harry nodded a goodbye towards the twins as they made their way in the other direction, his hair shifting slightly as he did so—just long enough for George to get a glimpse of Harry's scar.

"Blimey, your Harry Potter! Fred, it's him!" he said excitedly, punching his brother in the arm out of shock.

"H-hi," Harry said, not really knowing what to say.

"It was an honor to help you! Hope you'll be in Gryffindor this year!" They yelled, half bowing in a somewhat mocking way before they turned to face their mother. He could hear them say somewhat loudly that they had encountered "The Harry Potter" on the train, but he was shocked to hear their mother say to leave him alone. He didn't know what to think of that comment until he heard her elaborate that it must be lonely for him to be there alone without his parents.

"Hey there champ," James said, finally having found him. He looked around at Harry's seemingly empty load. "Where'd your stuff go?"

"It's on the train," Harry said quickly, trying to get to his own question quicker. He looked to his mum. "People still think you're dead."

Lily looked to James, who wore the same blank expression on his face.

"Harry, there is something you need to understand before you get on the train. That night, the night that you got your scar, people thought that we had died because no one could find our bodies. Voldemort's was gone, and they knew he had gone, so they thought we had gone too, in much the same way. Everyone knew you lived because Dumbledore, your new headmaster was the first to find us. Dumbledore as you will learn Harry is an exceptionally kind-hearted and wise wizard, one who the wizarding world depends on for much. He did not say that we were alive, nor did he say that we were dead, because at that moment he thought it would be safest for you to grow up away from a world that worshipped you for your defeat of Voldemort. We moved into a very muggle neighborhood, that was away from magic, away from the chaos of the time. He knew that Voldemort's followers would try to find you and hurt you as revenge for killing their master. By leaving the magical world we could get you away from that, and give you the childhood we wanted you to have. Harry," Lily continued after pausing the look her son in the eyes, getting down to his eye level, "when you are at school, or talking to anyone just for the time being, try to avoid mention of your home life, or us."

Harry started to speak but this time James crouched down and looked his son in the eyes. "It's only for a short while, champ. This doesn't mean you can't still talk to us when you need to, Harry. We are with you all the way. We will send Hedwig back to you with a letter telling you when it's ok to say that we are alive, and that you've been with us the entire time."

The train whistle sounded, signaling that the train would depart in a matter of minutes.

Lily engulfed Harry in a long hug, "I love you darling, write soon and write often. We'll be here waiting for you at Christmas break. Have a truly amazing time, Harry." She kissed the scar on his forehead, just like she did every night before he went to bed. He stood infront of her, facing his father as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

James looked down at his son, trying to piece together the right things to say.

He quickly pulled him into a hug, resting his head on Harry's. "Go have your adventure, Harry. I love you, son. I'll see you soon."

Harry grinned up and both of them before hugging them one last time. James and Lily both laughed at his antics and his excitement to begin his Hogwarts journey. He ran to get on the train, just as the doors were about the close. He was out of sight for a moment before he doubled back to the window. He motioned for James and Lily to come closer before he said quietly so only they could hear, "Thank you for protecting me all this time—I love you both too." And with that, and Lily reaching for his hand one more time, the train was off. They both frantically waved at their son's fading figure as the train began its journey north to Scotland for the beginning of another year.

"Mum, I wanna go now!" a little voice rang beside Lily and James, who were still staring down the now empty track.

Lily turned to see a small redheaded girl, gripping onto her mum's arm.

"When will she go?" Lily asked the mother.

"Next year. I'm Molly Weasley by the way," she said, extending her hand to both Lily and James. "She's the youngest of seven. All boys except for Ginny here. My youngest one, Ron just started this year."

"Hi I'm Lily, and this is my husband James. Our son just started too." Lily said, smiling at the two. She noticed a flash of curiosity dance across Mrs. Weasley's eyes, but saw that she pushed it out of thought, her smile resurfacing on her plump face. "But we will let you go, maybe we will run into you again when we collect the boys at Christmas."

"Yes, that would be nice. See you," Molly said, "Come Ginny, we have to pick up a few things before we go back to the Burrow."

The Potters watched as the two witches ran through the barrier along with the last few parents who still remained.

"Ready?" James said, slipping his hand into hers.

Lily glanced one more time to the track where the train stood not more than half hour ago. She nodded, shifting her mouth into a soft smile. James lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to them before he led them back towards the barrier.

"Ok, then let's go."

"…My name's Ron by the way, Ron Weasley."

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"I thought Fred and George were just joking when they came off the train and said you were here. So do you really have…" Ron began, looking around the compartment as if he was worried someone would hear him, "the scar?"

He grinned as he moved his hair out of the way from his scar—proud that someone outside of his parents thought that it was as "wicked" as he believed it was.

The afternoon proved to be a warm and sunny, a change from the constant rain they had been experiencing the past week. Lily shone in her navy sundress, her auburn hair catching the rays. The Thames glistened beneath the sun—London was beaming. After dropping off Harry they had decided to make a day of their outing, stopping first for lunch and ice cream at their favourite, the Embankment Café situated near the river.

"What do you suppose we ought to do?" James said, after licking his ice cream, attempting to stop more of it from dripping onto the fountain's edge.

"About?" Lily questioned, her head thrown back with her eyes shut—soaking up the sun as her feet dipped into the fountain.

"Us and that world. I for one don't like being 'dead'" James chuckled, still finding the idea as absurd as he did on the night Hagrid had told him what people believed to this day.

"Ha, neither do I," she said, looking to him as she slipped her feet out of the fountain and back into her brown sandals. She tied the backs of her sandals together before extending her arm towards his. They walked down the river bank, towards the lot where they had parked the car. "But I don't think we should make any decisions until we talk to Dumbledore. He has a plan, he always does. He'll know we will be coming to him sooner or later to chat."

"How about we go now?" James suggested as he ducked his head getting into the car.

"Now?" Lily asked, kind of startled by the suggestion.

"Why not?" he responded cheekily. He was in the mood for an adventure.

"Well, I guess there is no time like the present," she responded sharing an equally cheeky grin. "Let's go home first and drop off the leftovers from lunch, and maybe change into something more suitable. What time is it anyways?"

"Just a little after two," he said, turning the car down the tree lined street that lead towards Buckingham Palace.

"Oh good, we have plenty of time before the train and the students will arrive."

The car turned briskly onto Trevor Place, rounding a couple of corner's before pulling to a stop in front of number 34 Trevor Square. They quickly unlocked the front door, after having a short conversation with the couple next door who were enjoying the sunny afternoon. Lily quickly ran to the kitchen where she hastily tossed the neatly wrapped box of food into the cool fridge. She found James shortly after on the second floor in the hall closet just outside his study, where they stored their robes as their own closets were too filled with their muggle attire.

"What do you think, Lils? Black or Green?" James said smiling, holding up his two favourite robe sets against him for Lily to decide.

She grinned, as he swapped the robes in front of him repeatedly, successfully making her laugh. The robes she had to admit both suited him perfectly, and made his eyes shine underneath his glasses. They even made his untamable hair look tame.

"The black," Lily grinned, taking the green one out of his hands and placing it back on the rod. She pulled him in eagerly for a kiss, in which he gripped her arms with his hands while his lips remained pressed against hers. James spun her around and placed her where he had stood just moments before.

"Now its my turn," he said, his lips still lingering just in front of her own, her eyes still closed. He pulled away, one hand still remaining on her bare forearm as he scrimmaged with the other through her own set of robes.

"These." James said, gliding his hand from her arm to cup her chin before cupping her cheek in his palm. "You are so beautiful, do you know that?"

She simply kissed him in response, smiling as she did so.

They dressed quickly, with Lily running upstairs quickly with their muggle clothes to put them away. James closed the closet door behind him and made his way to the doors that led to the second floor balcony, latching them shut. By the time he was done Lily had quietly made her way back down the stairs, pausing on the landing.

"You read my mind," she said slyly. "Wait here."

"Where are you going?" he chuckled, yelling after her as she ran down the stairs. Her laugh rang throughout the house, and he could hear her running from one end of the house to the other. The light footsteps on the stairs indicated she was at last ready.

"Did you win the race?" he joked as she tackled him in a hug.

"Har-de-har-har… and yes I did—all the other's were too slow." She said, pretending to run quickly on the spot.

"Ok, speedy—are you ready now?"

"Yes, let's go!"

"Place your arm," he said, taking her right arm and placing it on his left, "here."

The turrets looked as though they had been carved out of the mountain for the way they blended in with the landscape, yet the castle itself still was a thing of beauty just as it had been for thousands of years. The Scottish highlands were quiet, quite unlike James and Lily had remembered them. Last time they roamed these grounds was just a fortnight after the attack and they had been brought here by Dumbledore to sort the last few things out before their move to London. It was dark the last time they had past by the trunk of the wavering Whomping Willow, with a young Harry snuggled into Lily's arms, fast asleep. Now, the grounds reminded them of their times here all those years ago, practicing magic alongside their dearest friends—exploring the castle day in and day out, hoping to one day know all of its secrets.

Hagrid's hut stood out along the forest line of thick towering trees; the slope leading from it to the entrance doors much steeper than they recalled.

Standing back on the cobblestone courtyard brought chills down their spines as their eyes gazed up at the tower that loomed above.

"Come this way," James said, pulling Lily behind him as they ran across the courtyard to a side path that led to a set of double doors.

"I've never seen these doors before," she gasped, giving him a knowing glance.

"Oh, yes well, come anyways," he said, trying to not make eye contact but grinning innocently anyways.

He led her through the somewhat hidden corridor, until they found themselves in the stairwells, many which were in the process of switching from one place to the next in the high spaces above them. They jumped onto one that led to the second floor, jumping off just as quickly when they made it to the landing.

"This way!" Lily exclaimed, this time doing the pulling.

The corridor twisted a few times until they were in the east wing of the castle, face to face with the gargoyle statue that marked the stairs to the headmaster's office.

"Password, we need a password… uh…" James said, scratching his head in confusion.

"It-it's always a sweet isn't it?" Lily asked, equally confused.

"Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans?"

"Chocolate Frogs?"

"Licorice snaps?"

And on they went listing off every piece of candy they knew in both the magical and muggle worlds.

"I actually prefer something a bit more tart at this time of year—allows me to savor the tastes of the Great Hall much more," a wise voice said, slowly making its way up the corridor behind the Potters. When they had turned and made eye contact he spoke once again,"I thought I heard you two."

"Professor," Lily breathed as the silver haired man in wispy silvery blue robes made his way to them.

"I must say it is good to see you both, Lily, James, you look well," Dumbledore, taking Lily's hands in his own before turning and shaking James hands, firmly gripping both of his around the younger man's. He turned slowly to face the statue, which obediently jumped aside as he said, "Sherbert Lemon. Come, let's move to a place far more comfortable."

Dumbledore walked quietly up the stairs, Lily and James trailing behind. The grand oak door that stood at the top of the stairs was as intimidating as it was the first time either James or Lily had visited the office. The Professor pushed the door open and stepped aside to let his two shadow's file in.

"It's been a while since I've seen either of you here in my office." He noted, closing the door behind him. "I feel like I've gone back in time, but alas I know that is not the case. Please, sit, and let's discuss what you have come to discuss. I suspect that the matter of your identities in this world have come into question since your coming back?"

"Y-yes," Lily said, smiling tentatively at his intuitiveness. "We both like the thought of being alive in both worlds, not only one."

The old man chuckled, his eyes shining behind his half moon spectacles. "I can certainly understand why—how is our young Harry by the way?"

"He's better than we could have hoped for, considering the fears that were burned into our minds all those years ago." James said, smiling as he relived every memory he had of the past 11 years with his wife and son. "He's been a happy kid, gets along well with his friends from the Sussex School, and his teachers like him—although they have asked us to consider a tutor for a subject or two. He's just a kid like any other, except he's not."

"Nor will he ever be I'm afraid, but that is a conversation for another time. As for right now I would like to discuss a few things first before we come to the topic of your status with the ministry and such." He stood, and went over to Fawkes, his phoenix, delicately stroking her feathers. "Voldemort, as I said the last time we stood in this office, is not gone as we hoped he was that night he disappeared in Godric's Hollow. I believe as Hagrid does, and as your son now does, that he is indeed alive but weak, very weak. I believe that he will find a way to come back and at such a time we need to be ready."

"Ready? Ready how?" James gulped, not wanting to revisit this subject.

Dumbledore began pacing, from one end of his desk to the other, stopping occasionally to glance at James and Lily. "The Order will need to be ready when he comes back, so we are as strong if not stronger than his forces are. His followers will go back to him as I'm sure you too know. I wanted, James, to bring this to the forefront of the conversation first because I believe it will help to put into perspective my answer or rather my solution to your status as of this moment. The Ministry of Magic right now, has no records of your death nor does the muggle world as I'm sure you also know. When I found you at your Lily's parent's house and had made sure you were alive, I went directly to your sister, Petunia's house. That visit, although not as cheerful as I planned due to some undesirable circumstances, ensured that your sister knew that you were alive and that you were safe as could be. Therefore all muggle security grounds were covered and you would be allowed to live in the muggle world without raising any alarms—as I see you did quite successfully. Tell me, is work still going well for you both?"

"Yes, the market for my company is quite good right now. Of course that means a few late night here and there, but it's nothing I can't handle. It keeps my mind working," James said, squeezing Lily's hand reassuringly as he did so—knowing how much she hated those nights."

"And you my dear?" Dumbledore said, facing Lily this time.

"It's wonderful, sir. The patients are always so kind, and my coworkers are quite amazing to work with." She said, smiling as she did so.

"Good, good. Glad to hear all is well. Now, when it comes to the Ministry of Magic, the issue regarding your status was a bit more complicated to sort out, as many wizards who were on site in Godric's Hollow when the alarms sounded could find no trace of you. They automatically assumed that you along with the Dark Lord had vanished—that you had died. After having found you, and sorting things out with your sister, I went to the ministry and sorted things out as quietly as I could. The minister at the time, Millicent Bagnold, was horrified to hear about your apparent murders, but I sat down with her and discussed quite calmly the situation, and she agreed that the plan the three of us had agreed upon was the right plan of action. Witches and Wizards on the days following that horrific night were celebrating like mad. Back to the topic at hand though. Minister Bagnold sent for papers to clarify the situation and put you back into the living witch and wizard status. Your son, as he was a major topic of interest at the time was said to be placed with Petunia, as she would have been the only relative had things turned out differently. So your status is correct in both the world's in which you once again live, but not everyone know in this world that you are alive. What I suggest for the moment is that you go about your routine's as you normally would, and feel free to talk to people in this world, tell them what happened, and prove it—but only do so to those whom you know would remain on the side of the light should there be a time where we will be divided once more. Any of your old friends, except for one, might I add, are more than welcome to know, and they may owl me to confirm if they feel the need to do as such."

"Thank you, Professor," Lily said, a breath of relief escaping both hers and James' lips.

"Yes thank you, but, Professor, I have another question for you before we go." James said, the thought having been in his mind since setting foot on the Platform that morning.

"You wish to know about Sirius and Remus?" Dumbledore asked, a half grin poking out from under his beard.

"Yes, actually."

"Remus, was torn up after that night, but I thought that it was best to let him know that you were both safe and indeed alive. He struggled for a while after, and still does because of his situation, but he is still the Remus you knew growing up—the responsible troublemaker."

"And Sirius?"

"Mr. Black, was your secret keeper, and therefore…"

"No, no, no…" James said, his head flopping down into his hands.

"Professor, there has been a mistake," she said, standing up to go over to James chair, sitting on the arm rest and rubbing circles slowly and delicately on his back. "Peter was our secret-keeper – we switched."

"Peter Pettigrew? That can't be true—he died later that same night. Sirius killed him.

"Now that isn't possible. Sirius would never…"

"But I'm afraid he did my dear Lily. He may not have been your secret keeper but he still killed Peter and 12 muggles alongside him. He's been in Azkaban ever since—I'm sorry James, and you too Lily." He starred at the young couple for a moment before he glided across his study to a portrait of one of the old heads. He said something very quietly, something that only the picture could hear, and before long the man was gone and Dumbledore had swiftly made his way back to his chair behind his desk.

Lily was whispering comforting expressions, trying to convince James that they would make this right. Neither noticed the green flames roar to life in the fireplace behind them, a tall figure emerging from it. Dumbledore tilted his head down slightly, looking over the half-moon spectacles, which sat on the tip of his nose. A grin spread over his face before he said loudly enough so James could hear, "Hello, Remus."

*Disclaimer: All the recognizable J.K. Rowling content is fully hers and I take no credit for it. Everything else that is not part of the Harry Potter series is from my own imagination and I hope you enjoy it. Any and all reviews or comments about the story are greatly appreciated! Thank-you so much for reading!