Disclaimer: I only own Leo and Fawn
"Before we start the next chapter, why did you guys want us to be here and not other people? I can understand Sirius and his mates, Evans and Scamander, but why are we here?" Regulus asked, pausing before he started to read, gesturing to himself and the rest of the Slytherins.
"Everyone in this room plays an important part in the story, whether it's something they do in the past that will end up effecting us or we meet them and they become important," Hermione explained.
"Also, some of you may not even appear and are only mentioned, but you're still really important to what happens later on," Leo added.
Regulus nodded his understanding before focusing back on the book.
Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass
Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.
"Still mad about that!" Leo mumbled to himself.
The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four of the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living-room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bobble hats- but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large, blonde boy riding his first bicycle, on a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game with his father,
"What's a computer?" James asked curiously.
"I'll explain it later," Lily assured him.
-being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house too.
"Why don't they have any photos of you? You've lived with them almost your whole life, they must have taken at least a couple of photos of you in that time?" Fawn asked, concerned for the young boy.
"You'll see," was all Harry told her.
Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awakened. It was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day.
"Up! Get up! Now!"
Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.
"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on to his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.
"Of course, you remember that," Ron joked as Sirius beamed at Harry.
His aunt was back outside his door.
"Are you up yet?" she demanded.
"Nearly," said Harry.
"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."
"She's making you cook for everyone?" Lily asked outraged. Harry would be only 10, almost 11, at this point and her sister was treating him as if he were a slave!
Harry groaned.
"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.
"Nothing, nothing…"
Dudley's birthday- how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.
"WHAT!?" was the outraged reaction of almost everyone in the room.
The marauders looked as if they were about to commit murder and Lily was going to be right beside them with the pitchforks. Fawn looked horrified, Narcissa and Andromeda sharing the same expression. Even Regulus was outwardly disgusted, Snape was the only one who was able to keep a blank face, he didn't care for Potter or his son at all but he didn't say anything with Lily in the room. Professor McGonagall had no words she was that mad.
The group from the future were all pissed as well but knowing what Harry's old home life was like, they weren't surprised.
When he was dressed, he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table as almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise- unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favourite punching-bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.
"Stupid little Piggy!" Leo growled; he had a deep hatred for the Dursleys.
"I swear I'm gonna kill them! The whole lot of them!" James swore as Lily took a blushing Harry into her arms in a gentle, protective embrace.
Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright green eyes.
Sirius let out a bark like laugh, "That's the Potter in you!"
He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.
"How is he allowed to get away with that?" Andromeda asked dumbfounded that no one seemed to care for Harry when he was younger.
The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like e bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember and the first question, he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he has got it.
"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."
"A car crash!" Lily repeated shocked that her sister would tell her son that.
Don't ask questions- that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.
Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.
"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.
"Like that would help," Ginny laughed, Harry rolled his eyes good naturedly at the red head.
About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way- all over the place.
"It's both a blessing and a curse," James smirked, running a hand through his own messy hair.
Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large, pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes and thick, blonde hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel- Harry often said Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.
Everyone laughed loudly at Harrys description.
"He's defiantly your son, James," Remus chuckled.
Harry smiled widely to himself at Remus's words, happy that he was like his father. He had been told many times that he was like his father but for one of his father's friends that don't know to say that make him very happy.
Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room.
Dudley, meanwhile was counting his presents. His face fell.
"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."
"He can count?" Leo asked generally shocked.
Harry snorted.
"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."
"All right, thirsty-seven then," said Dudley going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.
"What a brat!" Regulus said with a small sneer. If he or Sirius ever acted like that around their parents, they would be beat.
Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"
"Don't encourage that behaviour!" Narcissa scolded. "I would never let my children act like that!"
Harry shared a look with his friends, they couldn't wait until they saw the way that Draco Malfoy, her son, turned out.
Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally, he said slowly, So I'll have thirty… thirty…"
"Oh, Merlin, what an idiot! A two-year-old could figure it out quicker!" Sirius scoffed.
"Thirty-nine, sweetums,' said Aunt Petunia.
"Oh," Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."
Uncle Vernon chuckled.
"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.
"This family is disgusting," Fawn frowned.
Leo nodded his agreement, "They really are. Always hated that Harry had to live with them for so long, better off living with me."
Fawn looked at her future son with a soft smile, she was so glad that she has such a considerate son.
At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a cine-camera, a remote-control aeroplane, sixteen new computer game and a video recorder.
"What's a computer?" James asked again, looking at Lily.
"I'll explain later," she said not wanting to explain what she was sure was something that would just confuse James.
He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone, looking both angry and worried.
"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.
Dudley's mouth fell open in horror but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger bars or the cinema. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.
"Sounds delightful," Remus remarked sarcastically.
"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr Paws and Tufty again.
"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.
"Marge? Isn't that Dursley's sister?" Lily asked Harry.
Harry just nodded with a grimace; he hated that woman.
"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."
"The feelings mutual," Harry scoffed.
The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there- or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand the, like a slug.
Leo growled again, he was getting more agitated as the book went on, they were only in the second chapter and he already wanted to throw something.
Harry moved off the couch he was on and onto the floor next to Leo, grabbing his hand when he was comfortable.
James and Lily were also furious! How could Petunia treat their son like that? Her own nephew!
"What about what's-her-name, your friend- Yvonne?"
"No, she's horrid!" Lily snapped; her face started to turn red in her anger.
"On holiday in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.
"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on the television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer.)
"Have some for fun for once," Ron added, just as angry as Leo is. Harry had told them all about what the Dursleys were like but to hear everything that happened was putting them all on edge.
Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.
"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.
"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.
"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave him in the car."
"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"
"They're treating you as if you're a dog!" Andromeda said shocked that a person could treat another human being so badly.
"You get used to it," Harry shrugged which did not make anyone feel better.
Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying, it had been years since he'd really cried, but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.
"Spoilt little brat!" growled Sirius.
"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!' she cried, flinging her arms around him.
"I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoiles everything"' He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.
Just then, the doorbell rang- "Oh, Good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically- and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at one.
"Can't cry in front of your little friends can you, brat?" James sneered.
"Where the hell are me, Moony, or Wormtail? If we were the one to raise you, none of this would have happened to you! You would have grown up with Leo as well and had a family that loves you, so where are we and why aren't you with us?" Sirius asked Harry with a deep frown.
Harry opened his mouth a few times trying to find something to say that wouldn't spoil anything but couldn't so it was Leo who explain to him, "Don't worry da- Sirius, you'll find out soon," he assured.
Sirius started to frown at Leo then, Harry wasn't sure if it was because Leo had almost called him 'dad' or his answer.
Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursley's car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been about to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.
"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy- any funny business, anything at all- and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."
"He better not touch you!" Lily snarled.
"He didn't," Harry reassured his mother but mumbled under his breath, "at least not that day."
"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"
The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.
Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barber's looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his fringe, which she left 'to hide that horrible scar'.
Leo couldn't help letting out a snort making every look at him confused. "Sorry, couldn't help imagining Harry with his hair cut like that," Leo sniggered. Harry rolled his eyes before nudging his boyfriend in the arm.
Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and Sellotaped glasses. Next morning, however he had got up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He has been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.
"They punished you for accidental magic?" Regulus asked horrified.
"They wanted to stomp all the magic out," Harry admitted much to everyone's growing fury.
"That is so dangerous! You could have developed an Obscurus!" Regulus explained.
Harry stared at the younger Black brother confused, he didn't know what an Obscurus was. Turning to Leo knowing that he usually knew about things like this he realized that Leo looked just as horrified as Regulus did.
"What's an Obscurus?" Harry asked.
Leo looked hesitant to explain but knew that Harry wouldn't let it go. "An Obscurus is kind of like a parasite. They form inside a young witch or wizard who consciously try to repress their magical abilities. Sometimes they are forced to repress their magic when they are being abused, either physically or psychologically, like you were at the Dursleys. When the Obscurus grows too powerful inside your body it will manifest itself in a very violent fury that kills and destroys anyone and anything in its way. There has only been one known case of a wizard surviving when their Obscurus breaks free…"
The room was silent after Leo's explanation. Harry now understood why Leo and Regulus looked so horrified when they found out he was being punished for his accidental magic.
"Leo…" Hermione started slowly, "why do you know so much about Obscures'?"
"My gramps," Leo said with a sad smile. "He travels the world and he's met a couple. He was able to secure one when it broke free from its host, but he wasn't able to save her. He then met another Obscurus in New York, his name was Credence Barebone. Credence is the only known wizard to not only survive his Obscurus but also to control it. He was a very powerful wizard but sadly he went down the wrong path and ended up getting killed in the Great Wizarding War against Grindelwald."
No one said anything after that, they didn't know what to say so Regulus started to read again.
Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old jumper of Dudley's (brown with orange bobble).
"Well, isn't that just a lovely sounding jumper?" Sirius said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood, only a couple people laughed softly.
The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a glove puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.
"At least you weren't punished for something that wasn't your fault!" Lily hissed out through clenched teeth. She was livid with her sister; her son could have died before he even got to Hogwarts if he tried to suppress his magic, all because her sister was jealous that she was a witch and she wasn't.
On the other hand, he'd got into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usually when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as shouted at Uncle Vernon though the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big bins outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.
James let out a snort this time, "I'm sorry, Harry, but no one is that light," he chuckled.
Harry felt his cheeks heat up a little but that didn't stop his grin from spreading.
But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard or Mrs Figg's cabbage-smelling living-room.
While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank and Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects.
"I don't understand how they could hate you so much? They act as if you killed someone? If they just got over whatever it is that they hate so much, they would save themselves so much stress," Leo stated.
"Fear is a very powerful thing," said Hermione with a frown.
This morning, it was motorbikes.
"'... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorbike overtook them.
"I had a dream about a motorbike,' said Harry remembering suddenly, "It was flying."
The room let out a wince all at once. They knew enough about the Dursleys to know what was about to happen.
Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face a gigantic beetroot with a moustache, "MOTORBIKES DON'T FLY!"
Dudley and Piers sniggered.
"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."
But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was a dream or even a cartoon- they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.
"What do they think you're going to do?" Remus asked, giving the book a blank look.
"Pretty sure they thought I was going to kill them or something." Harry answered, Leo let out a bark of laughter at that, he knew that Harry wouldn't hurt a fly if he could help it.
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly. It wasn't bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, expect that it wasn't blonde.
Everyone started laughing, trying to picture the scene in their heads and only laughed harder.
James thumped Harry on his back proudly, "You're defiantly mine!"
Harry felt a strong warmth shoot through him at the words and grinned back at his father.
Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory wasn't big enough, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.
"I want ice-cream now," Peter whined.
Harry felt, afterwards, that he should have known it was all too good to last.
"You're a bit of a pessimist, aren't you, Harry?" Lily asked her future son.
"If you grow up like I did it's hard not to be," Harry admitted.
Lily frowned sadly determined to change anything she had to, to ensure that Harry grew up happy.
After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in here, with lit windows all along the walls.
"It's always so cool in there!" Leo grinned, he had been to the zoo many times, but he's not allowed to go with his gramps. The one time they went together his gramps had snuck into an enclosure and 'freed' the animals, now his aunt refused to let his gramps take him anymore. It was shame he loved playing with the kangaroos.
Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bit of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped it body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a dustbin- But at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.
Harry started to squirm on his seat on the floor, nervous about what everyone was going to say about what was about to happen. Leo didn't even look at Harry as he laid his arm over his shoulders and brought him closer to him. It was enough for Harry to calm down slightly. The two not noticing the looks they were getting from everyone else in the room.
Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.
"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.
"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.
"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.
Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself- no company expect stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up- at least he got to visit the rest of the house.
James growled at the reminded of how his son was treated his whole life. Lily grabbed his hand and gave a squeeze trying to calm the boy down.
The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on level with Harry's.
It winked.
"That's not normal, is it?" Regulus asked uncertain.
"Nope," Leo said happily but didn't say anything else.
Harry started. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.
"That's adorable," said Ginny with a smirk making Harry give her a mocking glare.
The snake jerked its head towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: 'I get that all the time.'
"I know," Harry mumbled through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."
"Are you talking to the snake?" Remus asked quickly.
"Uh… kind of?" said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.
"How is that possible? I'm not a Parseltongue so it should be impossible for you to be one," James said, furrowing his brows.
"It's all explain in later books," said Ron, he knew that Harry would cave easily and tell everyone why he could talk to snakes and the rest of the books would be ruined.
The snake nodded vigorously.
"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.
The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.
Boa Constrictor, Brazil.
"Was it nice there?"
The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sing again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see- so you've never been to Brazil?"
"You can talk to snakes and that's what you ask it?" Sirius asked with a disbelieving chuckle, still trying to understand that Harry was a Parseltongue.
As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT ITS DOING!"
"Just let Harry have something for himself for once!" James complained.
Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could.
"Out of the way, you," he said punching Harry in the ribs.
"Rotten, little git!" the marauders, Leo, and Ron all hissed.
Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened- one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.
"Accidently magic, gotta love it," Leo smirked, happy that Dudley got what was coming to him in that moment.
Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on the floor- people throughout the reptile house screamed and start running for the exits.
As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."
"It's terrible that a snake had better manners then the Dursleys," said Andromeda, everyone voicing their agreements.
The keeper of the retile house was in shock.
"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"
Everyone laughed.
"That poor man, he must be so confused," Hermione said with a little giggle.
The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong sweet tea while he apologised over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hasn't done anything expect snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worse of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"
Everyone groaned.
"Of course, he's able to pull himself together enough to say that," James whined slumping back in the couch.
Snape couldn't help the small smirk that grew on his face, he loved seeing Potter's kid get in trouble.
Uncle Vernon waiting until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go- cupboard- stay- no meals," before he collapsed into a chair and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.
"They can't starve you! They can't even prove that you did anything!" Sirius snarled.
Harry didn't say anything, there wasn't anything he could say.
Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he has a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.
"No one should have to sneak to get food," said Professor McGonagall, disgusted with the muggles they were reading about.
He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinking flash of green and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.
"If anything happens to us from this point on Sirius is taking Harry! If not then Remus!" James said to Professor McGonagall. "If worst comes to worse than Professor McGonagall Harry will be in your care!"
"Of course, Mr Potter," Professor McGonagall was quick to agree. She knew that Sirius, Remus, or her would be ten times the parents the Dursleys would ever be to Harry.
Harry looked back at his parents with a warm, happy smile. The two grinned back at him, they would take care of him, no matter what.
When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it never happened, the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the streets seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed in all green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.
"The wonders of apparition," Leo said with a dreamy sigh.
Harry chuckled next to him; he knew how much Leo loved to apparte.
At school, Harry had no one. Everyone knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.
"And that's it for chapter two," Regulus said closing the book. "Who wants to read next?"
"I will," volunteer Remus.
Regulus handed to book to Remus as everyone started to get comfortable again, ready for the next chapter.
"Chapter three: The Letter From No One," read Remus.
"You're getting your Hogwarts letter this chapter?" Lily asked excited, turning to Harry who nodded, just as excited as her, this was the moment in his life that everything took a turn for the better.
A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, it will finally start to pick up the closer we get to Hogwarts and meet Leo, so get excited about that.
I've been asked by a few people why I only have certain characters and that it because the characters I've chosen are all in some way important to either Harry or Leo who the story mostly focuses on. I would have put Neville and his parents because they do play a big part but I just don't feel they would feel right in my story, plus I'll forget they're even there.
This is just a reminder that is just for fun so I will be uploaded when I can be bothered so no idea when I'll upload next.
See you guys' next time.