Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.
Author's Note:
Hi everyone, this is the first chapter of my new fanfic, and feel free to skip this author's note if you want to get to the story. Essentially, Voldemort didn't make any horcruxes (the silly boy) and didn't kill James and Lily Potter before baby Harry pulled an Uno reverse card on him.
Why did Harry survive if Lily didn't sacrifice herself? I have no idea to be honest; you and I can probably come up with some explanations, but it really isn't relevant to the story. The point is that Voldemort is permanently dead and the Potter's are alive as one happy, if dysfunctional, family.
The initial point of interest for me here was the idea of Harry being the new kid at Hogwarts (with all the challenges that would bring to the Boy Who Lived) with a younger sister to watch out for slash annoy him, as well as to provide glimpses into the loving childhood he could have had. The story has developed quite a bit from this starting place, but that should give you an idea of the sort of fanfic this will be.
(And yes, there will be a lot of Haphne.)
What else is happening with the Potters? Well, you'll have to read on…
Harry Potter soared through the skies on his Firebolt, his eyes glued to the golden snitch whizzing in front of him, its metallic shell glinting in the midday sun. Harry followed his target's sporadic path across the pitch, weaving between bludgers and opposition chasers, speeding past the other seeker and edging closer, closer…
With a triumphant bellow his gloved hand closed around the snitch, its delicate wings vibrating furiously against his palm before admitting defeat and subsiding its struggles.
"POTTER HAS DONE IT! HARRY POTTER HAS WON THE WORLD CUP FOR ENGLAND! IT HAS COME HOME! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, QUIDDITCH HAS COME HOME!"
Harry was swamped by his teammates as the commentator's magnified voice reverberated across the stadium, only to be drowned out by the chants of those in the crowd.
"Potter, Potter, Potter!"
"Harry!"
"Potter, Potter!"
"Harry?"
"The greatest seeker of all time!"
"HARRY!"
Harry jerked awake, green eyes shooting frantically across his field of vision and affixing on his little sister still shaking his shoulder, her hazel eyes giving him a decidedly unimpressed look. Aside from her eyes, she was the image of her mother when Lily Potter was eleven.
Harry groaned and shrugged her off, collapsing back into his pillows, seeing his alarm clock read only 08:09.
"What do you want Holly?"
Holly Potter tilted her head to her side. "You were mumbling our surname in your sleep again."
"What do you want?!"
Her face then beamed down at him from her perch on the edge of his blue and gold quidditch themed bedsheets. "It came! My Hogwarts letter came!" Holly said this with glee, her small body almost vibrating with glee.
Harry let loose a loud exhale, "That's nice sis, congratulations really." Harry smiled tiredly up at his sister, who smiled even wider in response. "Now if you don't mind," he sighed, turning onto his side, and snuggling deeper into his mattress before closing his eyes, "I'm going to go back to sleep."
"No, you're not," Holly responded with indignation, "Mum said we're having a family breakfast to celebrate and-"
The rest of the sentence was lost in Harry's second annoyed groan of that morning. "Mum and I made a deal; I can sleep in until half nine during the summer!"
"She told me you'd say something like that."
"And?" Harry queried hopefully.
"Mum said that doesn't apply when there's a special occasion."
"Oh for Merlin's sake," Harry growled, pulling back his duvet. Every wizarding child in Britain and Ireland got a Hogwarts letter in the summer before they would be starting their first year, that is not a special occasion. And certainly not an occasion that necessitated being forcefully awoken an hour earlier than he should be! Harry reached for his glasses where they normally rested on his bedside table, only to find empty space.
"Here you go," Holly chirped, handing his glasses over from where she had been holding them ready and giving him a hug, her thin arms clutching painfully around his neck.
"Yeah, yeah," Harry mumbled patting his little sister on the back half-heartedly through a mouthful of her auburn hair, "now go on, tell mum I'll be down in five."
Holly frowned at him. "Make sure you put on deodorant before you do; you stink of BO this morning."
"GET OUT," Harry roared, pulling on his slippers as Holly dashed giggling out of his bedroom.
"Bloody menace she is," muttered Harry.
He didn't mean that though. Ever since Harry decided not to go Hogwarts when he was eleven four years ago, Holly had been his best friend in many ways, with neither of the Potters socialising outside of their family or family friends. Which only consisted of their parents Lily and James Potter, Harry's godfather Sirius Black and Holly's godfather Remus Lupin.
Given that Harry and Holly were the only two children in this circle, it is understandable that they would develop a strong bond.
'And now Holly will be going to Hogwarts,' Harry thought sadly. He was happy for his sister of course but couldn't help but feel bittersweet that he would be alone with only his parents for company come September.
Harry had originally been as excited to go to Hogwarts as any young wizard was at the age of eleven. Seeing the abundance of attention he had received when he visited Diagon Alley for his school supplies had sharply curbed his interest however. Fearing that his notoriety would overshadow his time at the famed castle, Harry elected to be home-schooled instead, though the headmaster Albus Dumbledore was gracious enough to offer Harry a place at Hogwarts should he ever change his mind.
Yet after being home-schooled by his parents for four years Harry had little desire to, as he saw it, subject himself to the whispers of those whose perception of him was dominated by what happened to him on the night of October 31st, 1981.
That night the most evil dark lord in recent history, Lord Voldemort, discovered where the Potters were hiding. He severely injured Harry's father James and stunned his mother Lily before turning his wand on Harry, who was only a year old at the time. Why Lily was only stunned and not killed like so many muggleborn witches and wizards before her is a mystery that none of the Potters or their friends know the answer to.
With Harry's parents defeated, Voldemort then attempted to kill Harry and cast the killing curse at him. However, for reasons that are again unclear, Harry survived the killing curse and simultaneously destroyed Voldemort, making history in the process. As well as demolishing a good portion of their house in Godric's Hollow, which the Potter's moved out of in favour of another residence in the small village.
Harry was ever after known as the Boy Who Lived. The person who survived the killing curse and defeated the greatest threat to magical and muggle kind in the past hundred years. Surely, everyone thought, this boy must have magical power hitherto unseen to accomplish such a feat. Harry unwittingly became the greatest living celebrity in magical Britain, and since that day his parents have fought to protect him from the persona the rest of the wizarding population had constructed of him.
Harry shuffled into the dining room and stifled a yawn as he fell into one of the six wooden chairs placed around the lightly varnished oak table that rested in the centre of the room. Sunlight washed the room with soft, orange tones through French doors that led out to a small patio and grass garden bordered by flowerbeds.
The faint noise of his mum humming in the kitchen in the next room contrasted with the loud, excited exclamations from the two other Potter's at the table.
"I'll have to get new robes of course, I only have one black set, and not a single pointed hat!"
"We're going to buy the works petal," James Potter proclaimed to his daughter. "Your mum and I have already talked and decided to go to Diagon Alley today. Everything on that list and then some."
Holly scanned her letter again. "Is there anything else to get?"
"Course there is! You'll need more robes than just three black ones, and your own broomstick as well! Ooh, there's the new Nimbus that was released last month, and I bet- morning Harry!"
James paused his chattering to greet his son, who yawned a greeting in response as he tried to adjust to the lively, and very much awake, atmosphere that permeated the Potter household. Holly was still in her pyjamas and sky-blue dressing gown, but James was fully dressed in robes of azure and beige, his ever-present smile carved onto his face as he shared in the excitement of his youngest.
"I-," Holly paused and looked at her letter again, "First years aren't allowed broomsticks Daddy."
"Don't be silly petal, of course they are."
"No, they're not! It says here at the bottom that-"
Her dad snatched the Hogwarts letter from Holly's grasp, ignoring her surprised protestations. "Why by Merlin's saggy speedos have they done that! We were allowed to bring broomsticks when we were first years!"
At that moment Lily entered the dining room with four plates filled with a full English breakfast and a carton of orange juice floating along in a straight line behind her, before with a wave of her wand they dispersed and settled onto the table.
Lily took a seat next to her son, pouring herself some orange juice.
"Did I hear you talking about broomsticks again James?" questioned Lily after taking a sip of juice.
James gesticulated with the letter in his hand. "It says here that Holly won't be allowed to have a broomstick for her first year!"
Lily nodded as she cut up her hash browns, "Yes that sounds familiar."
"You knew about this?" James spluttered, whilst Harry and Holly grinned at each other.
"James, the same notice was in Harry's letter as well," Lily sighed, "they changed the rules a decade or so ago after some first year's crash landed in the Forbidden Forest because they couldn't fly theirs properly. Quite right too if you ask me, there's no need for students to have their own broomsticks so young."
"No need?" James gaped, "No need! What about simple fun and exercise Lily, what about that?! Why should other students suffer because some idiots crash landed?"
"They were children James, not idiots! One poor girl broke both her legs! Quidditch isn't everything you know, and you don't need to be passing on unhealthy obsessions to our children."
"I think Quidditch is brilliant Mum," Harry interjected, smirking at the wink his dad threw at him.
"Harry was dreaming about quidditch this morning," his sister chimed in helpfully.
"Holly!"
James smiled proudly at Harry, "That's my boy."
"Oh, he's yours alright," Lily agreed affectionately, reaching up to Harry's hair, "right from his passion for flying down to the rat nest on his head."
Harry jerked away with an annoyed grumble as the rest of the Potter's laughed at his embarrassment.
The conversation returned to the upcoming trip to Diagon Alley while everyone made their way through the delicious spread Lily had cooked. This mostly consisted of James advocating for a plethora of objects that Holly 'simply has to take Hogwarts', with Lily systematically refuting his arguments with a practiced air.
Partway through breakfast Harry's snowy owl, Hedwig, flew in and perched on the back of a chair, where she nipped at some chopped bacon that had been set aside for her. James and Lily had bought her for Harry when he still wanted to go to Hogwarts. Since then, she had slowly become an owl for the family, but it was a well-known fact that Harry was her favourite.
Harry and James were clearing up the table and taking the dishes into the kitchen when they heard the whoosh of a fireplace and a voice ring out.
"Ahoy Potters!"
"Sirius!"
Holly darted into the living room towards the fireplace, where a still sooty Sirius Black knelt to give her a warm hug. "Your dad gave me a call on the mirror, he said we're off to the alley today?" he told her, to which a smiling Holly bobbed her head up and down.
The rest of the family had entered the living room at a steadier pace than Holly and took turns greeting their family's best friend.
"You're more than welcome of course Sirius, but I thought you were working today?" Lily queried with a slight frown. Sirius was an auror and played an integral role in keeping magical Britain safe from any dark witches and wizards.
Sirius flashed her a roguish grin. "Pulling a sickie off work aren't I, told Scrimgeour I've been throwing up since four in the morning, you know he's got that weird phobia of his about vomit. Signed me off faster than I could say 'skiver'."
"Nice," James grinned.
"Sirius…" Lily admonished.
"Ah save it Lily," Sirius waved off her concern with a flick of his hand as if it were a gnat buzzing in his face. "It's not every day my honorary goddaughter does her first Hogwarts shop now is it? Which reminds me, Remus is still working at that shabby place in Diagon Alley, he said he'd meet us for lunch."
Remus Lupin was James and Sirius' best friend at Hogwarts and Holly's godfather. He was also a werewolf, having been bitten when he was a boy; as a result, he often struggled to find long term and sustainable employment.
"Although," Sirius said, looking down at Holly worriedly, "You're not going to change your mind halfway through shopping and decide you don't want to go to Hogwarts like my godson, are you?"
Harry rolled his eyes while his mum hissed at Sirius in warning and him and his sister laughed aloud. The younger Potter's were then ushered upstairs to get washed and dressed before they took the floo to Diagon Alley. As he walked into the bathroom Harry heard Sirius' voice rise in volume from downstairs.
"What do you mean first years aren't allowed broomsticks?!"
Harry sat on the sofa, relaxing after spending his morning and early afternoon in Diagon Alley by reading Vanishing Not Banishing: Transfiguration for the adept, while his parents and Sirius pottered about the kitchen preparing a celebratory dinner (really, his family were taking this 'celebrate receiving a Hogwarts letter' to the extreme). He had always enjoyed transfiguration and subjects with a strong emphasis on wand work but, whereas charms came easy to him, he had to study hard to understand the theory behind transfiguration and master the spells in the discipline.
He had bought the text in Flourish and Blotts today, and during their outing Harry had become increasingly melancholic. Seeing Holly aglow with excitement as she readied herself for her next great adventure, knowing that it was something he wouldn't be a part of, had irked him. He had hoped reading some advanced transfiguration would distract him, but it had done little to assuage his dark thoughts.
Harry's brooding was interrupted by his little sister plodding into the living room and sitting next to him, absentmindedly fiddling with her new eight and three quarter inches birch and phoenix feather wand. Harry noticed she was no longer exhibiting the joy that she had since her Hogwarts letter came in the morning.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
Holly shrugged, swinging her legs gently against the back of the sofa and scuffing her feet against the floor.
"Come on," Harry wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "You've been chipper all day, it's been dead annoying actually."
Holly was quiet for a moment before answering with a soft voice. "It's, you're going to be all alone here…"
Harry released a loud exhale.
"… and I don't want you to be. Harry, I want you to come to Hogwarts with me."
Harry froze. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about going to Hogwarts since he decided to be home-schooled. But then he would remember how people would crowd him and ask him personal, stupid questions that they had no business knowing. He would remember the sporadic articles the Daily Prophet would run about him for no reason but to inanely pontificate about him and his personality, and the stress that caused his parents when they fought to stop such op-eds being circulated. He would remember how today his family and Sirius had to apply glamours so that they could go out without being diturbed. He would think about being exposed to these things twenty-four hours a day in a strange place without his family to support him.
"I don't think that would be a good idea," whispered Harry.
"But why?" Holly asked desperately, "I know you're scared- "
"I'm not scared," Harry scoffed.
"-but you won't be alone! I'll be there, and I'll be alone if you don't go! I don't think I want to go if you don't come with me."
"Don't say that" Harry warned, "Not only did you specifically promise Sirius that you'd go earlier this morning, but it's a great opportunity for you as well."
"Exactly! It's a great opportunity for you too! It's a magic castle, with a magic forest, and magic plants and animals! We could make amazing friends and have adventures like dad, and Remus and Sirius! None of that is going to happen if we hide away here."
"We," Harry emphasised, "are not hiding anywhere. You are going to Hogwarts and having adventures and making all those little friends you want to have." Harry couldn't deny that he felt a little hurt at the implication that his friendship wasn't enough for her.
"No." Holly declared stubbornly, "I'm not going to Hogwarts unless you are."
"Oh for the love of-" Harry had to prevent himself from cursing. If his mum heard him swear in front of Holly, he'd be grounded for at least a week. "You're a right Slytherin, manipulating me like this."
"Please," his little sniffed, "We'll both be sorted into Gryffindor like Mum and Dad, and Remus and Sirius. That's if I get sorted at all."
Harry released a long-suffering sigh.
"Ok," he started quietly, "I promise that I'll think about it."
Holly squealed with glee and wrapped him in a hug. "Oh thank you Harry, thank you, thank you! We're gonna have a great time, this will be the best year ever, I just know it!"
"Oi, I only said I'll think about!" He yelled as Holly ran out the room with a renewed sense of anticipation for the year ahead.
Later that evening after Harry and Holly had gone to bed and Sirius had flooed back to his own house, James and Lily were in their bedroom getting ready for bed. James was already in his pyjamas and was in the process of pulling off his socks, while Lily was likewise changed for bed and brushing out her hair in front of the mirror on her vanity as she softly hummed a tune under her breath.
"What's that one?" James asked.
Lily smiled tenderly at his reflection in the mirror. "It's Mona Lisa, by Nat King Cole. He was an American singer in the fifties, my mum used to love his music, Dad always played it in the house when I was younger."
Indeed, Lily heard a lot of American soul music as a child, and it held a special place in her heart since then, especially when she would softly sing their melodies to Harry and Holly when they were babies to lull them to sleep. Both her and James' parents had passed away when Harry was still a baby and sharing the music they loved with her children allowed Lily to connect her parents with their grandchildren in a small way.
James frowned, muttering the name of the song under his breath a couple of times. "I've heard you mention Nat King Cole before I think, but I thought Mona Lisa was a muggle painting of some sort?"
Lily stood up and joined James where he had climbed under the covers of their bed. "It is darling, we saw it on our honeymoon in Paris, but it's also the name of a song." James furrowed his eyebrows at that, and Lily had to stifle a chuckle at her husband.
Although being a passionate advocate for muggle rights for most of his life, her husband had also been blissfully ignorant of a lot of muggle culture. Since they started dating back in their sixth year at Hogwarts, James had unceasingly attempted to learn about muggles, with varied attempts of success.
Her most memorable moment had been when James met her sister's husband for the first time when James visited the Evans household in the Christmas break of their seventh year. James Potter was in many ways a truly exceptional person and, try though he might, he could not match the utter mundanity of Vernon Dursley. After innocently telling Vernon that he thought beetles were better utilised for cooking than singing songs, that he thought the rug in front of the fireplace looked 'perfect for flying across the English Channel on a summers day', and positing that owls should be utilised by the Royal Mail alongside regular postmen and women to ease the pressure on the postal service, Vernon excused himself from the conversation through tightly gritted teeth, his face having steadily turned a concerning shade of violet.
James, bless his heart, had thought he had blended into muggle society flawlessly. Lily overheard him when they were back at Hogwarts bragging to Sirius that he was 'as knowledgeable about muggle life now as the most muggliest muggle living in Muggleton'.
She knew he was burning what she had told him about Mona Lisa into his brain and silently trying to connect it with the other isolated facts about muggle culture he had learnt from her since they began their relationship almost two decades ago.
Lily did however need to inform James about what Holly had told her as her daughter kissed her goodnight.
She stroked the back of his hand to get his attention. "Holly told me something interesting earlier tonight."
James glanced at her curiously.
"She said she asked Harry to go Hogwarts with her, and he said that he'd think about. She's quite thrilled about it, she thinks he'll go."
Her husband's eyebrows rose to comically high levels. "Did she really? And she thinks Harry will say yes? Great Godric's ghost," he muttered, "do you think he will say yes?"
"I'm honestly not sure," Lily mused. It broke her heart when Harry refused to go to Hogwarts and her sadness turned to righteous anger when she thought of how those in magical Britain hounded her boy and made him turn down the greatest opportunity in his life. Her and James had asked him every summer if he wanted to enrol for the next year, and every time Harry had stubbornly refused.
"Well Harry could never really say no to Holly, wouldn't surprise me if she made him cave in," expressed James. Lily could see the beginnings of a fond smile tug at her husband's lips as he no doubt imagined both Harry at Hogwarts and the persistence of their youngest in trying to make him go.
'He can be very immature at times,' reflected Lily, 'but he adores our children as much as I do, and in their isolated lives has been the perfect father figure. Strong, but flexible, playful, but serious, and above all loving.'
Lily knew James longed for Harry to have a cohort of friends like he did at fifteen, and it pained him that Harry had no friends his age. Hopefully that would soon be rectified, but Lily couldn't help but worry.
"He's never really socialised before, he's more introverted than either of us were at his age, plus so many children will only try to befriend him for his fame."
"Not to mention the vaults of gold everyone seems to think we have," snorted James.
Ever since the Potter's became celebrities after the death of Voldemort, there developed a belief amongst the population of magical Britain that the family were outrageously wealthy. Surely such a well-known and talented family were inundated with gifts and capable of financially benefiting from their victory (or tragedy depending on who was asked).
The truth was that apart from a not insignificant inheritance James received upon the death of his parents, the Potter's wealth was comparable to many other wizarding families in Britain, with James receiving the standard salary from the Ministry of Magic for senior employees, despite him, Lily and Harry all being offered inordinate sums of money to act as sponsors and spokespersons for various companies. Neither James nor Lily was particularly materialistic or cared for appearances.
Their house had four bedrooms, all of which were occupied apart from a guest room that was exclusively used by Sirius or Remus and was the appropriate size for a family of four. The house was always in some state of chaos, with books, toys and clothes strewn across rooms they had no business being in.
Despite the narratives about them, the Potters were a perfectly normal wizarding family, something that both Lily and James had taken great pains to ensure.
"I worry about him," Lily whispered.
James pulled her to his chest and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I am too darling, but we don't even know if he will go yet. And if he does, then we must trust that he has a good enough head on his shoulders to know his honest classmates from the dishonest ones.
"Every teenager goes through friendship troubles and the like when they grow up," James added, "all we can do is be there for Harry and Holly when they go through them."
Lily smiled to herself. Despite all the times her husband acted half his age at times, he really did have his mature moments.
Harry took a deep breath as he stared at his parents who were sat on the sofa opposite him. It had been three days since Holly had asked, well, pleaded to be more accurate, for him to go to Hogwarts with her.
Since then, he had been brooding on what he should choose, but hadn't been able to decide what to do until he had flooed over his godfather's house to see Sirius earlier today. Sirius was the person he had always gone to for advice, even ahead of his own parents. Sirius was relatable and perhaps also objective to a greater extent than his mum and dad could be when he was faced with a problem.
Him and Sirius had sat down with a bottle of butterbeer each, and Harry had explained what Holly had asked and how he felt about it. His hopes and his anxieties, but notably his fears.
"I am scared Sirius," Harry had admitted softly, "everyone thinks that I am some cool, all-powerful sorcerer, but I'm only me. I've never really hung around other boys and girls, I wouldn't know what to say or do most of the time, and everyone's going to be looking to me to see what I do. I just know I'm going to be a big disappointment to everyone."
Sirius reached across and clasped Harry's shoulder. "You are enough Harry. Regardless of what anyone else thinks, you could never be a disappointment to me or your parents. You are incredible Harry, not because you defeated Voldemort a decade and a half ago, but because you are a kind and good young man. Anyone would be lucky to be your friend, but if they don't see that what makes you a brilliant young wizard is your character, and not your past, then they are not worth your worries."
At this Sirius grasped Harry's chin to meet his gaze. "There are going to be people obsessed with your fame for the rest of your life. If you run from that now, you will spend the rest of your life running. Harry, I know that you are a brave young man. The question for me is not whether you will join Hogwarts this September, it's whether you are prepared to face the misconceived perceptions that others may have of you."
Harry had clutched Sirius into a tight hug, his throat heavy with a lump as he fought back tears. He had thought on what his godfather had said for the rest of the day before coming to a decision and asking to speak to his parents.
Harry cleared his throat, "Um, I've been thinking, well, that is to say… Holly asked me about it, and I'd like to go to Hogwarts in September. And enrol with everyone else going into fifth year. I know this is a bit of an inconvenience and-"
"Oh sweetheart, this isn't any trouble at all," his mum interrupted. Lily walked over, sat next to Harry, and squeezed him into a tight hug. "We'll write to Professor Dumbledore in the morning and ask for the arrangements to be made."
James walked over and clapped Harry on the back. "We're so proud of you Harry, we know this wasn't easy but you'll love Hogwarts, I promise."
At this point Holly wandered into the living room. "What's going on?" she questioned curiously.
"Your brother's off to Hogwarts in September as well," declared James. Holly's eyes widened, before whooping in joy and scampering over to the rest of the Potters.
Once Harry had extricated himself from the array of arms he was entangled with, Lily clapped her hands once, her face flush with happiness that was reflected in the joyous atmosphere of the Potter household.
"You know what this means…"
"Mum no, really there's no need for-"
"James, call Sirius and Remus, its short notice but if this doesn't call for a little party than nothing does!"
"Absolutely darling," his dad agreed as he strode out of the room to call his best friends on his handheld mirror.
"I'll blow up some balloons mummy," volunteered Holly, speeding after her dad into the kitchen.
"Now that Harry's going to Hogwarts as well Holly, you'll be able to borrow his Nimbus 2000. Ha! I knew we'd be able to find a loophole petal," Harry heard James say to his sister.
Harry gave a half-hearted protestation, but his face was etched with a full grin that couldn't be shifted.
'I really do have the best family in the world,' decided Harry.
Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, and I'd appreciate reading any thoughts you had. There'll be more on the way sometime soon. I can't give a date unfortunately, but there will be more.