Chapter 2:
~2006~
Harry Potter age: 26 years
Ginny Potter age: 25 years
Teddy Lupin age: 8 years
James Potter age: 2 ½ years
Albus Potter age: 4 months
It was pouring rain and the sky was a deep midnight black, but that didn't prevent Harry from seeing the smoke that was rising high into the sky above his home. The wind blew hard, adding fuel to the flames that engulfed his home. He and his family were peacefully asleep less than an hour ago.
It was Teddy who first woke up, unaware of the true danger they were all in. Teddy, whose room faced the street, woke up to the bright lights of the muggle armored trucks as they drove towards the house. Teddy had thought nothing of it as it was commonplace for muggle cars to drive passed the house, they did live in a muggle neighborhood. But before falling back asleep, he heard voices, something unusual at night. Teddy sat up holding his stuffed wolf close. He could smell something strange coming from outside. It reminded him of the time Grandpa Arthur burnt toast the first time he used Aunt Hermione's muggle toaster.
Still holding his wolf close, Teddy ran down the hall to Harry and Ginny's room. He moved around Albus' cot and went straight for Harry.
"Uncle Harry." He poked Harry's shoulder. "Uncle Harry." Harry blinked before focusing on the young boy in front of him.
"Something's wrong." Teddy said, hugging his stuffed animal closer. Harry suddenly was wide awake and could smell the smoke, which was growing stronger.
"Ginny!" Harry jumped from their bed, noticing the bright lights outside. Harry threw a sweatshirt on before running downstairs to find his living room engulfed in flames.
"Aguamenti." A jet a water sprung forth from Harry's wand over the flame. Behind him he could hear Ginny running to James' room. As the fire died down Harry could hear the people around his home.
"Guns ready." A man called out. Harry whipped back towards the stairs.
"Teddy get down!" Harry lunged for Teddy. He saw Ginny holding Albus and James' hand move down behind him.
"Fire!"
"Protego!" The sound of a thousand bullets whipped around the home. The bullets that hit Harry's shield, disintegrated upon impact. Harry held Teddy down as the cascade of bullets continued. He could barely hear James and Albus screaming.
Suddenly the bullets stopped, but Harry kept his shield up. Harry turned to Ginny, who held Albus and James close with one arm and the other held her wand. Before Harry could speak, he started to smell gas, he knew what would come next. He motioned for Ginny to follow and helped Teddy stand. He could feel Teddy's whole body trembling. He cupped his face to make Teddy look into his own.
"It'll be ok. I need you to follow me. Ok?" Teddy let a few tears fall onto his cheeks but nodded in understanding.
Harry picked up James and motioned for them to run down the stairs. As Ginny hit the living room floor, the roar of a flame thrower emerged. Ginny spun her wand around, creating a shield to protect them from behind. Harry ran for the back door, James in his arms and Teddy holding onto his sweatshirt. The family ran across their yard into the woods. Once in the woods Harry summed his invisibility cloak and two albums of his family.
The family turned again and continued to run deeper into the woods. On the other side was a small meadow and hill, once at the bottom of the hill, the family slowed. Harry and Ginny listening, but all they could hear was the roaring of the fire in the distance and Teddy as he tried to catch his breath. Harry handed over James to Ginny, who tried to sooth both the boys. Harry opened his cloak.
"Teddy come here." Harry knelt down as his godson neared him. He threw the cloak around him, clipping it by the front of Teddy's neck. The only part of Teddy that could be seen was his head.
"I need you to listen." Teddy nodded his head, looking straight into Harry's eyes. It was just then that he realized Teddy's bright featured hair had dulled. His bright brown and green hair was now a mousey brown and his eyes a light grey.
"This is an invisibility cloak. If I or Aunt Ginny tell you to hide, I want you to pull the hood over your head and face and stay quiet. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Harry turned back towards the rest of his family. Albus was now hiccupping and James sniffling. Harry picked up James and the family began to walk away from their home. Soon it began to rain so the family took cover. Harry watched as the smoke rose into the air from the direction of their house.
"How'd they know?" Ginny asked as she patted a still hiccupping Albus' back.
"I don't know." Harry's mind raced as they watched the smoke rise higher and higher. They had changed their last name to avoid suspicion from their neighbors. The mailbox, which they only received junk mail from, said "Pattersons" and Harry had bought a lawn mower so the neighbors wouldn't become suspicious of a grass cutting spell. While Harry found it annoying and a ridiculous safety measure, his father-in-law enjoyed visiting, just to mow. All the precautions they took to appear as muggles was going up in smoke in front of them.