Hi everyone,

Back for the end of the holidays.

HARRY V

1992

Harry woke up early, like every morning when he was home. Ron was loudly snoring not far from him, in the second bed his mother conjured so his friend wouldn't have to sleep on the couch or the floor. He quietly left his bedroom, leaving Ron to sleep behind, and went to the kitchen like he usually did. Today was the last day of their holidays vacations and he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could. When he arrived in the kitchen, his mother was already there, but she wasn't preparing breakfast like she usually did. Instead, she was reading the newspaper. However, she let it down on the table and looked at him as soon as he walked in.

"I was hoping you would wake up soon," she said quietly.

"I always do." He found his mother strange this morning. She was smiling at him, and at the same time, he knew her well enough to see that something was saddening her.

"Do you mind if we take a walk in the park, before your friend wakes up?"

"No, I don't."

He found her behavior stranger by the second. It wasn't like her to ask him to walk with her outside, in the park, in the middle of winter. Nonetheless, he followed her and wrapped himself up in as many winter clothes as he could.

Outside, snow wasn't falling anymore, and the winds were quiet enough so the snow would remain on the ground instead of being blown into their faces. Roads were cleared by snowplows, so movements were quite easy for this time of the year. However, the day was cold, very cold. It didn't feel like the beginning of January, but rather like the coldest day in February. What retained Harry's attention though was not the weather, but his mother who kept smiling at everything with the same smile filled with regret. She had placed a hand on his shoulder, and they walked forward into the park. She made him sit with her on a bench only half-cleared of snow. Harry's backside froze instantly. His mother was looking ahead of them, towards the children's rides and the sandbox that were covered in white.

"I brought you there the first time when you were three. We had just moved in. You loved the swing so much you cried every time I tried to take you out. I ended up swinging you for two hours until you got asleep. Then I got you back home."

Harry didn't remember this as he was too young. He wondered why his mother was telling him this.

"There." She pointed another spot in the park with her chin. "This is where we had our first snowball fight. You remember that?"

"Yes, I think I do." He wasn't sure that he did, but he and his mother truly threw snowballs at each other, and the farthest Harry could remember it had taken place here.

"And there." She pointed this time the empty white poles that made a goal in summer when nets were installed. "This is where you played your first game of football. You scored the decisive point one minute before the end of the game."

That, Harry remembered. It was one of those memories he could never forget. They were in late May and Harry was only nine-years-old. His mother had bought him an ice cream cone after the game.

"I'm going to miss this park," his mother said all of a sudden. Harry looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean? Why do you say you're going to miss it?"

His mother straightened herself and looked back at him. "I've been thinking... ever since you left for Hogwarts. You remember I told you that we moved into the world of Muggles so you may have a chance at a normal childhood?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, your childhood is over." She looked at the park in front of her again. "From now on, you'll be spending ten months out of twelve at Hogwarts. You made friends there, all wizards. And unless I misinterpreted your letters, you love Hogwarts more than you've ever loved any other school you went to, and you love Quidditch more than you ever enjoyed football. Am I wrong?"

After a moment, Harry dared to answer, uncertain of what he should do. "No, you're right. I like it at Hogwarts, and Quidditch..." There were no words to describe what he felt when he played on the pitch.

"I lost my job." The bomb hit Harry with all the force of a real bomb.

"What? When?"

"About three weeks ago. Don't worry. I put money aside in case something like that would happen. I have more than enough until I've arranged everything."

"Arrange what?" Harry asked.

"We're moving." Harry was at a loss of words. "I've been thinking about this through and through, and I think it would be for the best. You're used to the magical world now, and I don't want to impose you a world without magic during your vacations. And I'm missing our world as well."

Harry couldn't believe what he just heard. "You're serious? You want us to move into the wizarding world?"

"Yes. I'm sorry if you're upset..."

"Upset? Why would I be? It's fantastic! Why didn't you tell me before?"

His mother laughed nervously. "I was afraid of your reaction. I know you love Hogwarts and your new friends, but there are so many things that happened in the world of Muggles. I wasn't sure you would really be happy about it. I wanted to let Christmas go and then tell you, to make sure you would spend good holidays."

"What? You should have told me before." Harry realized he was repeating himself, but he was too excited. "It's the best Christmas gift you could give me."

Her mother's smile grew even wider. "I guess I am more attached to this world than you are."

"When do we move?"

"When you'll come back for your summer vacation, it will be somewhere different than here. We'll have moved by then. I'm not sure of the exact place yet. I'm checking more than one."

"Thank you, Mom."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, which she returned warmly. While they were doing this, Harry thought about how their new life would be. He had all kinds of different scenarios running through his mind, when he realized something.

"But Mom, what are you going to do? I mean, where are you going to work?"

She had an embarrassed smile on her lips now. "Well, I'm not sure if you're going to believe me, but..." She told him of the opportunity she just received. First, Harry couldn't believe it.

"That's impossible, Mom. I mean, you are..."

"Don't start saying that your old mother is too old, my dear," she warned him with a wicked smile.

"No, that's not it. Anyway, you're not old, and even if you were, I would never say that." She pinched him on the head as a punishment, which elicited further laugh from both of them. "It's just... You can really do that? After all these years?"

"It seems so. I have an appointment at the Ministry of Magic in three days, and we will confirm if I can start."

"But... How are we... I mean, you're not going to get paid at first. I mean... You're going to be trained. How will we..."

"Don't worry, my dear. In the wizarding world, we don't lack of anything, especially considering what your father left after he died."

"What do you mean?"

His mother took a heavy breathing. "Your father... was rich, Harry. The Potters are a very ancient family of wizards. Their wealth was accumulated over the centuries. When your grandparents died, James inherited everything. We left Hogwarts, and we joined the Order of the Phoenix right away, fighting Voldemort full time. Your father and I never had a job. We lived on his family's fortune and used all our time to serve the Order, for free. After your father's death, his will gave me everything, and I left it in a vault at Gringotts. It slept there over the years, untouched, while we lived among Muggles. The interests accumulated and the fortune is even higher today than what it was when he died. I could decide to not work and live on your father's money if I wanted."

"I didn't know we were rich."

All his life, Harry never lacked anything, but the life he and his mother led was simple. They never had much, and Harry never asked for much either. And now he learned that they were rich. He was stunned.

"All this to say, you don't have to worry. It may take some time before I receive a salary, but it will not be a problem," she resumed.

Was it real? Was this really real? He would not return to Northampton in the summer? He would not live among the Muggles again? He could be a full-time wizard and not hide anymore to the world who he was? Harry was excited.

"That's all I wanted to tell you," his mother concluded. "I'm glad you're taking it so well."

"I think you're brilliant, Mom. I know... I know you think it is insufferable to be famous. There are still people in Hogwarts who whisper behind my back everywhere I go. But after some time, they just disappear, or I don't notice anymore. At the end, I'm just a normal student like everyone else."

"You're not just a normal student. You are my son. For me, you will always be special."

Harry couldn't hold back a smile. They walked back home not much later and had breakfast prepared just in time for when Ron woke up, yawning as if he wanted to take off his jaw. Harry had to refrain himself from breaking the news to his best friend during breakfast, but he did so right after they had filled their stomach again. Ron was excited for him as well, thinking this was fantastic news. They spent the rest of the day playing magical games. His mother often told them to be careful and to make as few noise as possible, unless they wanted to warn the neighbors. She threw a few spells to reduce the chances of it, magically soundproofing the walls and fogging up the windows. They remained inside the whole day, talking about their return to Hogwarts tomorrow.

When the next morning came, Harry's excitement had somewhat mitigated. When he went to the kitchen to help his mother prepare the breakfast like always, he realized it would be the last time he would ever do it in this kitchen. He looked at the counter, the cupboards, the table in the living room where they ate, the couch, even the dishes and the utensils. He wondered if his mother would bring some of these things with her or if they would start everything anew. Now he understood what his mother felt yesterday. It was nostalgia, and Harry was experiencing it just before they left for London. He was attached to this place, no matter how much he was looking forward to live among wizards.

They left early at eight o'clock in the morning. The Hogwarts Express was still leaving at eleven. As he made his preparations, Harry noticed all sorts of little details, all the things he did, all the objects he saw for the last time. When they left the apartment, Ron yawning again and needing to be pushed to go on time, Harry reflected that it may be the last time he saw the apartment where he grew up. He had taken a last look at his chamber before they left. His mother reassured him that she would bring all his stuff with her.

For the last time, he went down the outside stairs. He looked at the park, where he once played football. Although he didn't like it as much as Quidditch, like he truthfully told his mother, he realized he would miss it too. Would there be any chance for him to play football at all during summer? And there was the skating he and his mother did every winter. Where would they go now. As the car left its parking place, Harry took a last look at these places where so much had happened in his life. He felt he already missed them.

During the trip, he sustained the conversation with Ron the best he could, but his mind was partially somewhere else. He wondered if it was the last time he made a trip in this car. Would they even need a car where they were going?

After two hours and a half of travel, they arrived at King's Cross. The Hogwarts Express was waiting for them on the other side of the barrier. They had more than enough time to charge their luggage. Just as Harry came back on the platform to take Hedwig's cage, he heard a keen voice from the other side of it.

"Harry!" He turned to see Hermione approaching with a trolley.

"Hermione!" They hugged. "How was your Christmas?"

"Wonderful! And you?"

"Fantastic! Ron also loved it." He turned to see where Ron was, but he was nowhere to be seen, probably inside the train, placing his luggage.

"Well, I'm already eager to go back. I can't wait for classes to restart." Harry was probably happy to go back to Hogwarts, but he wasn't as eager to go back to studying as Hermione was. "But Harry, you've never met my parents. Come."

Harry was then introduced to Hermione's parents. They seemed to be very nice people, and they also introduced themselves to his mother, and looked very pleased to meet them. Ron never left the train as they discussed.

When the whistles blew off, Harry and Hermione knew it was time to get into the train. Harry helped his friend get her luggage inside. He came back to briefly hug his mother, who kissed him on the front and ruffled his hair like always before he left. Just as the train was moving forward, he opened the window of his compartment and shouted to her.

"Good luck at the Ministry, Mom!"

She waived her hand at him as he was leaving. Harry wasn't sure whether she was crying or not this time. But he would see her soon enough, and in another world.

As you can see, there are some major things about to change in Lily's life. Don't miss the next chapter to discover what her new occupation will be in the world of wizardry.

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Next chapter : Lily