A/N:

Hello everyone! Something I am just now realizing I never explained at the very beginning of this fic is that we are all going to imagine that everything about Harry's backstory is set one year back. So, the potter family was not attacked on October 31st, 1981, but rather 1980. This would mean Harry was only a few months old when his parents were murdered, and that he was adopted by Elise before he was even a year old. I'm going to add something at the beginning to further elaborate eventually, but that should help clear up any old grievances about the way he was written in the first few chapters. This is not super important, except for the fact that it is literally going to be stated that the attack occurred in 1980 and I don't want anyone to be confused.

Anyway, onto the next chapter!

The next few months had passed by relatively smoothly. Harry finished 5th grade with excellent marks and the overwhelming excitement of a new sibling coming soon. He had assumed his role of big brother and taken his job very seriously. Elise couldn't do anything at home without Harry being close behind.

"Harry, I think I can safely wash the dishes…" she had commented once when he stood so close to her she couldn't move her arms properly.

"But dad said I had to watch and help keep both of you safe!" Harry had exclaimed. "I'll do the dishes and you sit down."

Elise had laughed, but did as she was told. That a middle school boy was doing chores of his own volition was a miracle, who was she to tell him otherwise? It had gotten even worse now that she was so close to giving birth.

May 24th was the baby's due date. It was currently May 17th, and Elise was ready for this child to be out. Of course, all she cared about was the baby arriving safely…but she was allowed some impatience, right?

Nick had just returned home from work when she felt a shift. Harry and her were in the living room watching cartoons, he felt it too. The air was thick with magic.

"The baby-" Was all she managed before all she could do was grit her teeth in pain.

"Dad, help!" Harry yelled, shooting up to brace his mum as she doubled over in pain.

Nick came running over, eyes wide. "Is it time?"

Elise shot him an exasperated look.

"Right, right. Dumb question. Harry, grab the bag in our bedroom and bring it here please." Nick instructed, taking hold of Elise's arm.

Harry ran to get it, hearing the distinct pop of his parents apparating away. When he returned to the living room with the bag, Nick waited for him.

"Your mum is at St. Mungos, I'm going to take you to grandma's house so you can wait there. We shouldn't be too long, but you'll probably spend the night, okay?" Nick explained quickly, grabbing Harry's shoulders firmly before apparating them both to Elise's parents.

Sarah and Garret were having a very peaceful dinner in their home, talking about their days at work when a frazzled Nick appeared out of thin air. Despite having witnessed apparition many times, they never quite got used to it.

"Oh!" Sarah dropped her fork in surprise when she noticed them. "Nick, Harry…welcome."

Garret cleared his throat, masking his shock well. "To what do we owe this wonderful surprise, gentlemen?"

Sarah shot out of her chair. "The baby's coming."

Nick blinked. "Yes, that's why, how did you…" he shook his head. "Never mind. Do you mind letting Harry stay with you while I stay at the hospital with Elise?"

"Of course, of course. He's always welcome." Sarah walked over to give Harry a hug. "Go help my daughter, we've got him."

"Hurry up, boy." Garret shooed him off. "Don't keep her waiting."

"Right, thank you!" And with that, he was gone.

Harry held onto his grandmother's hand, terrified. "Is mum going to be okay?"

She cupped his cheek and gave him a bright smile. "Of course darling, your mother is a strong woman. Right now, we have to find a way to kill time for them to come back, don't you think?" She led him to the kitchen. "What should we do…bake some treats perhaps?"

Harry's eyes brightened at that. "Okay!"

—

At St. Mungos, the delivery had gone smoothly. Elise had a relatively painless birth and got to hold her new baby girl. Tears pooled in her eyes as she traced a finger along her tiny face.

"She's perfect." Nick mumbled, rubbing Elise's arms comfortingly.

"She is." Elise kissed her head. "Little Bonnie, your brother is going to be so excited to meet you."

Bonnie Woods was born on May 17th at 11pm on the dot. She had curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her parents loved her immediately, and those who had seen her had all commented the same; That child is, without a doubt, magical. The very air around her was crisp with magic, as it often was when particularly powerful babies with magic were born. But Bonnie's was different, something about her magic was so comforting, so warm.

"It is interesting, considering both of you are muggleborn." A doctor had commented. "If I remember correctly, you also have a son. His magic is also incredibly potent. Must be something in your genes."

They chose not to remind the doctor that Harry was adopted, but agreed with him all the same. Both of their children were going to be very powerful when they grew up.

Bonnie had been handed off to Nick so that Elise could be taken care of. A couple of potions had her nearly back to normal. It was a very content couple that left St. Mungos early next morning, eager to introduce everyone to their newest addition.

At 8 o'clock, they popped into Sarah and Garret's house once more. Hurried footsteps sounded as all three of the people they were waiting on came to meet them.

"Mum!" Harry yelled from the kitchen, bolting toward her as fast as his legs would take him.

She handed Bonnie to Nick just before being crushed by her nearly-eleven-year-old. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her side.

"Hi, little man! Did you miss us?" She ruffled his hair and placed a kiss on his forehead. "We have someone we'd like you to meet, can you sit on the couch?"

He did so, excitedly waiting to be handed his new sibling. Sarah and Garret stood behind him, wide smiles on their faces. Nick handed Bonnie to Harry carefully, teaching him how to support her head.

"This is Bonnie, your new baby sister." He said, pointing to her hat that had her name scrawled out in loopy lettering.

He looked over his new sister, examining her red and gold blanket and funny looking hat. She opened her eyes, meeting his green ones. Harry rested his head on her, doing his best to hug her in this position.

"She's amazing!" He exclaimed.

The adults chuckled. Sarah began talking to Elise about the experience, and Garret had moved to clap Nick on the back. All the while, Harry watched his little sister.

"I'm gonna be the best big brother." He whispered to her, tapping her on the nose.

And the best he was. Over the summer, he and Hermione spent time reading and playing at their house, always including Bonnie as best they could. He wanted to help with every part of her day, whether she needed to be fed a bottle, be put down for a nap, anything really.

Hermione had received a funny letter in the mail last year, telling her she was invited to a new boarding school. Harry had told his parents about it, to which they also pulled out matching letters from when they went to school there. He thought that was neat, but was a little put off by him not receiving one yet.

"I'm magic too, why haven't I got one?" He'd asked his mum once.

"Yes, you are magic, and you will get one." She answered. "But, you're not eleven yet are you?"

He had sulked about his birthday being later in the year after that, wishing it was closer to Hermione's. But how, it was almost time. With Bonnie just over 2 months old, it was the day before his birthday. He waited up excitedly that night, expectant of the letter. When morning came, and there was no post, he took to waiting in the living room with the blinds open. Watching, waiting.

"Happy birthday Harry!" Hermione said as she plopped onto the couch next to him. "Excited for your letter?"

"Hm" was all she got in response.

"You know it will come today, right? It's impossible for it not to." Hermione shook her head, poking him on the cheek. "You might as well enjoy your party, or come eat the cake your mum made at least!"

Harry sighed, it was hard to say no to her when she looked at him so sadly. "Alright, I'll come eat cake."

Hermione smiled, pulling him off the couch and over to the kitchen. "Look, isn't it brilliant?" She brought him over to the cake, admiring it.

It was a red velvet cake covered in shiny chocolate icing. Iced across the top was the text "Happy Birthday Harry!" In gold. He smiled, eager to take a slice for himself.

"Little man, can you come here for a second?" Elise called from her bedroom.

"Yes, mum!" He made his way over, leaving Hermione to go back with the other party goers.

He stepped inside the bedroom, noticing her strange expression immediately. Behind her was a woman he didn't recognize, wearing a long green robe and a pointy hat. From their frequent trips to magical London, he assumed her to be an older witch, though he could not begin to guess what she was doing in his parents bedroom.

Nick came in shortly after, announcing that he'd given the guests some games to keep them occupied.

"Harry, this is professor Mcgonagall, the transfigurations professor at Hogwarts. Say hello." Elise said, voice full of nerves.

"Hello…"

"Good afternoon, Mr. P- …Mr. Clarke. I'm sure you must be very curious as to why I'm here." Her thick Scottish accent shone through each word, but her mistake was not missed by anyone in the room.

"Harry, there was a problem with your Hogwarts letter…" Elise started, making Harry's heartbeat pick up, would he not be receiving one? "Professor Mcgonagall was kind enough to track us down and deliver it herself."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, glancing over at the stern looking woman. She pulled her wand out, summoning the letter to her other hand and presenting it to him. He glanced at the red seal, then turned it over to read the address. His confusion hung in the air like a thick cloud.

"Mr. Harry Potter..?" He questioned. "That's not my name..?"

The adults of the room glanced at each other worriedly.

"Harry, we have quite the heavy story to tell you, but we weren't sure if you were ready to hear it. Are you?" His mum asked, lowering herself to meet his eyes.

He nodded, utterly confused.

Elise glanced at Nick before speaking. "We'll have to prepare some things, but we'll tell you the story tonight, as soon as everyone is gone. For now, let's go enjoy your party."

Harry nodded, but inside he felt nothing but sick. What did this all mean? The professor had spoken a few quiet words to Nick before apparating away, leaving them to their thoughts.

The rest of the party went smoothly enough. Nick and Elise worked hard to wrap things up quickly, sending everyone home with full stomachs and happy smiles just before 6:30.

"Well, that worked out nicely." She sighed. "Are you ready, Harry?"

He nodded, waiting on the couch in silent fear.

"Alright, this is not an easy story, but it is important for you to know before you are off in the wizarding world without us." Elise started, looking slightly queasy. "You saw for yourself in your letter, your name is not really Harry Clarke. That's my last name, and it was forged onto any muggle documents that mattered after I adopted you here."

Nick rested a hand on her shoulder, urging her to continue. Harry said nothing, allowing the new reality of his life to sink in.

"Harry James Potter, last living heir of the Potter family. That's you." Elise paused. "You've seen the books Harry, you've heard the stories. While most of that is purely speculation, there is a common truth held in all of them. The Potter Family was attacked on October 31st, 1980. That night, a very evil man broke into your family's home and…"

Harry's wide green eyes met her own and she felt tears well up before she could continue her statement.

"He did terrible things to many people, Harry, but especially your family. Your birth mother and father, James and Lily Potter, were murdered by him." Nick finished for her, allowing her to compose herself. "He…he tried to hurt you too. He cast the killing curse at you."

Harry gasped, clutching the faint scar on his head, you could hardly see it at all anymore. "My scar you said was healed, that's the same scar in the stories…" He sat back against the back of the couch. "So…my parents are dead, he killed them."

Elise looked down at the ground. "Yes, Harry. I'm so sorry we never told you, I just wasn't sure when would be the right time. Your parents were heroes, they actively worked against this man and his followers to fight for a better future. They were some of the many casualties that happened before he was sealed away for good, by you."

Harry considered this.

"There are many things you are going to have to learn about your family now. We didn't think it necessary to put you in many classes about high society before now, as you were so young, but perhaps that was an oversight on our part. We simply wanted to give you the childhood we thought you deserved, one full of fun and happiness." Elise sat close to him on the couch now, resting her hand on his own. "There are only a few months before you'll be off for your first year at Hogwarts, and until then we're going to start teaching you the fundamentals you'll need to succeed among wizard children. It won't be as fun as playing around all summer, but it will be helpful for you in the end."

Nick stood and brought over some large books, setting them on the floor in front of the couch.

"I thought, perhaps, we could start by learning a little bit about your family. I found many interesting books and old picture albums that we can sort through together, if you'd like." He said, sitting cross legged on the ground below him.

Harry nodded solemnly, sliding off the couch to flip open one of the books. A yearbook, it looked like, with pictures and journal entries from a group of boys. The marauder's, they called themselves. Harry's eyes lingered over the boy on the far right of the four on the first page. He looked exactly like him. He smiled, glancing up at Nick.

"Did you know him? How did you get this?" He asked.

"Professor Mcgonagall left these for us, she'll be a great person to ask questions when you're at school as well, don't forget that." Nick smiled back.

Elise cried silent tears as she watched her son in all but blood discover his birth family, asking questions about anything he could think of to learn more about them. She and Nick did their best to answer, but inside she felt only sadness for the little boy on the floor. She hoped, at least, he could forgive her for keeping this secret from him.