Chapter Eight

The night air felt cool and peaceful as the wizard sat in his rocking chair and gazed fondly at the pixies that were dancing around his garden; as the wizard lifted his glass to enjoy another taste of the delicious drink that his wife had made, the wards suddenly went off, letting the wizard know that someone had broken through them and had invaded his property.

Instantly, the wizard shot to his feet, letting his glass drop from his fingers and smash on the hard ground as he ran into the house, his wand in hand and ready to defend his home from whoever was stupid enough to attack it.

As the wizard ran through his home, he couldn't help but frown; the wards around his property were supposed to be incredibly strong, and it would have taken someone of equal or greater strength to break through them, which left the wizard wondering who it was that had invaded his home.

As the wizard turned the last corner and stepped into the greeting hall, his front door suddenly exploded inwards, showering him with debris and throwing him from his feet; as he hit the floor, he felt his wand rip from his hand and clatter to the ground not far away from him.

Dazed but determined to protect his family and home, the wizard tried to lunge for his wand, only to be thrown backward as a blasting curse hit him in the side, throwing him across the room while simultaneously breaking three of his ribs.

Before he had a chance to register the pain of it all, the wizard found himself petrified and slowly being raised into the air so that his feet dangled several inches off the ground as he fought against the pain slowly consuming him.

Through the ruin of dust and broken wood that used to be his front door, the wizard watched, teary-eyed, as someone he had thought long dead strode through the mess, only to stop when he was a few feet from the injured wizard.

"Lord Voldemort…?" The wizard whispered in equal parts horror and pain,

"Hello, Crabbe," Voldemort said with a cruel smirk, "Did you miss me?"

"Your powers have returned?" Crabbe asked as fear coursed through him; he had been among the first to abandon the Dark Lord after his fall so many years ago, and now he feared what would happen to him due to that decision.

"Indeed…" Voldemort said in a silky voice that sent chills up Crabbe's spine, "It took far longer than I would have anticipated, and I had to use some unconventional means, but you must have always known that I would return to repay you for your disloyalty."

Crabbe swallowed hard at that as sweat began to form on his brow, not from the pain but rather from the terror he was now feeling as he gazed into Voldemort's cold, cruel eyes.

"My lord, I-" Crabbe began before Voldemort hit him with a silencing charm, rendering him mute and terrified as he hovered above the ground.

"Silence!" Voldemort snarled, "Did you really think me gone, Crabbe? Did you truly believe that I was so weak, so inconsequential that my end would come from James Potter and his mudblood bitch?!"

Crabbe could say nothing, only stare pleadingly at Voldemort as the Dark Lord continued his tirade, spittle spraying from his mouth as he grew angrier.

"I, who had mastered magics not seen in hundreds of years! I, who had pushed the boundary of magic further than it had ever been pushed! Did you really think me so pathetic?!"

As Voldemort finished speaking, he slashed his wand across Crabbe, cancelling the silencing charm and giving Crabbe back his voice.

"Please…" Crabbe begged as tears ran down his cheeks, "Please, don't kill me, my lord!"

"Terribly sorry, old chap," Voldemort sneered, "But an example needs to be made to the rest of those who abandoned me as to what happens to those who betray their oath of loyalty to me."

As Crabbe began to sob earnestly, a cruel smile spread across Voldemort's face, making the Dark Lord look even more monstrous.

"Now, none of that!" Voldemort chuckled, "You should feel honored! Your death will send a message to all my ungrateful followers that I have returned and that they will return to my service if they wish to continue breathing. Now, where is that lovely wife and charming son of yours? Shall we go find them together?"

Crabbe's eyes shot open in horror at the words, and he immediately opened his mouth to scream for his wife to grab their son and run or Apparate away, only to once again be rendered mute as Voldemort slashed his wand over Crabbe's dangling body again, silencing him.

"Ah, ah, ah," Voldemort said with a smile as he wagged his finger in front of Crabbe's face, "I'm afraid that such a continuous rebellious attitude will have to be punished."

The blood rushed from Crabbe's face as Voldemort strode past him and up the stairs searching for Crabbe's wife; for several minutes, Crabbe hovered in the greeting hall anxiously listening, praying that his wife had escaped when she heard the front door explode.

Those hopes were dashed moments later when Crabbe heard a heart-wrenching scream of pain and terror echo throughout his home before the voice was quickly silenced; Crabbe began to fight against his invisible bonds like a man possessed and had he had use of his voice, the greeting hall would be echoing with the sounds of his fury as he tried to release himself.

Moments later, Crabbe's heart shattered utterly as he heard the sound of his son screaming for help before the shouts turned into incoherent screams of pain that seemed to tear at the Elder Crabbe's soul; after what seemed like an eternity, Crabbe's son finally stopped screaming, and the house was once again silent, save for the sound of Crabbe's heaves as he silently sobbed at the loss of his family.

Moments later, Crabe heard the unmistakable sound of Voldemort's returning footsteps echoing as the Dark Lord grew closer; as Voldemort retook his place in front of Crabbe, the wizard couldn't help but stare in horror.

Voldemort's robe was covered in blood, and the Dark Lord was wearing a smile of pure evil and cruelty that made Crabbe's blood freeze in his veins as he beheld it.

"And now…" Voldemort said with a purr, "It's your turn…."

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Lilly Potter couldn't help but fret as she checked her children's trunks for what seemed like the fourth time so far; it was finally time for Harry and Rose to return to Hogwarts and to say that the house was in a state of turmoil would be putting it mildly.

The Potters had risen at dawn, and after a magnificent breakfast that left them all feeling full and awake, the great adventure of making sure that everything was packed and ready began; Lily knew that the house elves had already packed her children's trunks the previous night, but she just couldn't help but check their work over and over again, much to James' amusement.

Adding to the stress of making sure that her children's trunks were packed, Lily was also frantic to ensure that her trunk was packed correctly and ready for the trip to Hogwarts. A few days before the end of the Holiday break, Dumbledore had reached out to Lily, informing her that the Muggle Studies Professor had decided to end her ten-year-long tenure at Hogwarts early and that if Lily was willing, she could have the position as soon as the new term began.

Wanting to keep a close eye on her children, now that Voldemort had returned, Lily had immediately accepted the position and, as such, would be traveling to Hogwarts via Floo rather than riding on the train.

Needless to say, Harry and Rose's opinions differed on the idea of their mother joining the Hogwarts faculty; Harry was overjoyed that he would get to see his mother every day, even if he did have to call her Professor while at Hogwarts.

Rose, on the other hand, seemed horrified at the prospect that her mother would have a closer eye on her and her friends,

"I'll never be able to safely pull a prank again!" Rose had cried, much to the amusement of James and Sirius, who assured her she would; she just needed to get better at being sneaky.

After completing her inspection, Lily went to her own room to recheck her things, even though she had already checked it not more than twenty minutes ago; as she stormed up the stairs to her room, James couldn't help but laugh from where he sat watching his wife slowly lose her mind as she always did when it was time for Rose to return to Hogwarts.

After Lily returned to her room to check her bags, James turned his attention back to the newspaper he was reading and couldn't help but smirk as he saw how badly Fudge was floundering due to James' machinations.

James and Sirius had spared no expense in getting James' name out into the streets and into the mouths of the ordinary people; thousands of Galleons had been spent so far in making sure that everyone in Magical Britain knew that James Potter would be running against Cornelius Fudge in the upcoming vote for Minister for Magic.

As was expected, Fudge and the Purebloods that backed him had at first sneered at James' powerplay; but those sneers had quickly turned to horror as it began to become apparent that most of the Magical World viewed Fudge as incompetent, corrupt, and just plain stupid, whereas James was seen as a breath of fresh air in the Ministry.

Fudge had naturally tried every dirty tactic he could to try and disparage James Potter's reputation and chances of winning, but quickly Fudge found that task harder than anticipated; James' track record as an Auror and war hero spoke for itself, and the more that Fudge tried to denigrate James, the more that Fudge seemed to make a fool of himself. The actual vote was only a few weeks away, but from the looks of things, come September, there would be a new Minister for Magic, and James was looking forward to all the changes he planned to make to ensure that this time Voldemort would have to fight for every inch of ground he took from the Magical World.

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"Harry, will you calm down!" Rose cried in exasperation as she tried to read her book, tried being the operative word as Harry was proving to be quite the distraction as he bounced uncontrollably on the bed with a large smile across his face.

"Calm?" Harry cried happily, "How can you be calm when it's finally the day?! We're going back to Hogwarts!"

"Yes, and that's all well and good," Rose replied with a smile of her own, "But, if you tire yourself out, rather than spending the train ride getting to know your new classmates, you'll spend it passed out."

The thought seemed to shock Harry out of his jumping, and he quickly sat down on the bed as Rose shook her head with an amused expression before returning to her story.

"Hey, Rose?" Harry asked in a small voice that made her look at him sharply,

"What's up?" Rose asked in a worried voice,

"Um…do you think Hermione and Ron will want to be my friend in this world?" Harry sheepishly asked, "I know they're not MY Hermione and Ron, but do you think they could be?"

With an exhausted sigh, Rose closed her book and set it on the coffee table next to her before fixing Harry with a stern gaze that made him feel more than a little self-conscious.

"Harry, I know that a lot has happened to you over the last few months," Rose said softly, "Being transported to another dimension, finding out you have a family that loves you, that awful business with….him."

Both Rose and Harry involuntarily shuddered at the memory before Rose continued speaking,

"But, I promise, mum, and I won't let anything happen to you while you're at Hogwarts. And I KNOW that Ron and Hermione will want to get to know you once we get there! Poor Hermione has been climbing the walls waiting for you to finally arrive."

"Really?" Harry asked hopefully and making Rose chuckle at him,

"Really," Rose replied as she leaned over and ruffled Harry's hair gently, "Have I ever lied to you?"

"No," Harry replied softly,

"Then why would I start now?"

Unable to stop himself, Harry smiled happily at his big sister as she rose to her feet and walked to her closet.

"Also, before I forget," Rose said as she opened her closet door and began rooting around through it, "I think you should have this back."

Turning back to face him, Harry saw, to his amazement, that Rose was holding his invisibility cloak,

"But that belongs to the eldest, doesn't it?" Harry asked, "So, shouldn't you keep it?"

"I've got my own," Rose replied smiling, "And it's safely packed in my trunk. This one is yours. It's the one you brought with you when you fell through the mirror."

"And it's staying here," a voice said, making both Potter children jump before turning to see James Potter standing in the doorway with a slight smile on his face, "One Potter with an invisibility cloak at Hogwarts is more than enough for your poor professors."

"Aw, but dad!" Harry whined pathetically,

"No buts, Harry," James said sternly, "I want you to be safe this year, which means no late-night excursions around Hogwarts while invisible. Besides, seeing as there are now two Potter cloaks, I wondered if I might borrow yours for work."

"I guess so…" Harry mumbled back as Rose handed the cloak to James, who looked at it for a moment before throwing it over his shoulder and turning to Rose,

"And you, young lady!"

"What did I do, now?" Rose asked defensively, causing Harry and James to both snort with humor.

"Nothing yet," James laughed back, "But I want you to keep a close eye on your little brother, okay? Your mother doesn't want me to let you take your invisibility cloak to Hogwarts, but I'd rather you be prepared for anything."

"Don't worry, dad," Rose said seriously as she threw an arm over Harry's shoulder, "I'll keep Harry safe."

"That's all I can ask for," James said warmly as he took a pocket watch from his pocket, "Well, it looks like it's time. Shall we go?"

With a cry of happiness, both Potter children ran out the door, leaving James to shake his head in exasperation momentarily before turning to follow them.

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An hour later, Harry and Rose were crammed into a compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express alongside Hermione, Fred, George, Ron, and Neville.

As Rose had predicted, when Harry first encountered Hermione, she had taken the poor boy into a bone-crushing hug that had left Harry struggling to breathe until she finally let him go.

The group spent most of the train ride swapping stories of what they did over the holiday break before the twins brought out their exploding snap game; not having been raised on the game, Harry and Hermione did quite poorly, only winning a game each, out of a dozen, but Harry enjoyed himself all the same.

They had just started another game when Harry saw someone that made his jaw clench; Draco Malfoy and his crony Goyle were walking past their compartment, but rather than his usual arrogant appearance, Draco seemed very depressed about something as he passed Harry's compartment. Harry wondered momentarily where Crabbe was when the pair disappeared out of sight.

"Poor bloke," Fred said softly after looking to see what Harry was staring at,

"What do you mean?" Harry asked,

"You mean you didn't hear?" George asked in surprise,

"No, what?" Rose added.

"One of Draco's mates, Crabbe, I think his name was, was found murdered in his home, along with his entire family," Fred said in a hushed tone.

"Brutally killed, too, if the Daily Prophet is anything to go by!" George added darkly,

"That's awful!" Hermione said in horror, her hand coming up to her mouth, "Did they catch who did it?"

"No, that's the thing!" Ron added, eager to participate in the conversation, "The Aurors are stumped about who could have done something so awful!"

Rose and Harry shared a dark look, unnoticed by the rest of the compartment; their father strictly ordered them not to say a word about Voldemort to anyone who didn't already know.

"But enough about that!" Fred said, trying to shift the dark mood back to the joyous one they had been enjoying before, "How's it feel, Rosie, my sweet, to be the daughter of the next Minster for Magic?"

"One, he hasn't won yet," Rose said with a sinister smile and a raised brow, "And two, if you ever call me 'your sweet' again, I'll be forced to remove certain parts of your anatomy that you might end up needing one day."

Fred gulped and unconsciously crossed his legs at the threat, causing the compartment to fill with laughter at the twin's expense.

"My parents say that it is very likely that your day will win," Neville said once silence had returned to the compartment, "Fudge has been making too many enemies at the Ministry lately, and his bungling has caused more than a few embarrassments for Britain on the international level."

"A competent Minister," George said wistfully, "Could such a dream possibly come true? My heart doth pray for thee!"

Again, the compartment echoed with laughter as Rose hit George in the face with the book she had just retrieved from her bag, causing the twin to cry in mock pain.

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Harry gulped nervously as he sat next to Rose at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Professor McGonagall to call him up so he could be sorted; to be honest, Harry didn't know why he was so nervous, he had already gone through with this once before, but this time was different as he was the ONLY one being sorted.

As soon as Harry had entered the Great Hall, the whispers began; it seemed like everyone knew who he was thanks to the Daily Prophet's story about him, and Harry couldn't help but feel DeJa'Vu as he remembered how his first year had begun.

After several minutes of whispers and pointed stares, Professor McGonagall returned to the Great Hall with the sorting hat and an ordinary stool; placing the stool on the ground in front of the head table, McGonagall motioned for Harry to come forward, which he did shyly as his mother smiled at him encouragingly.

As the sorting hat was placed on his head, Harry couldn't help the feeling of nervousness that seemed to shoot through him; would he be placed in Gryffindor again? Or would the hat separate him from his family and put him somewhere new?

"Hmm, greetings, Harry Potter…" the hat's voice purred in Harry's ear, "But not the Harry Potter from this world, are you, lad?"

"No sir," Harry replied softly, making the hat chuckle,

"Don't worry, Mr. Potter, I never tell anyone what I see in a new student's head; it's part of the charm that made me. But that's neither here nor there; the real question is, where should I put you?"

"If you please, sir," Harry responded, "I should very much like to be with my family in Gryffindor."

"Ah yes," the hat replied, "You've spent so long alone that it makes sense that you would like to be with the family you just got back. And you would do very well in Gryffindor too! In fact, you would do well no matter what house I place you in! You have a love of learning that Rowena Ravenclaw would applaud, yet you are humble and willing to help others, no matter their house or titles, something that Helga Hufflepuff would find most appealing in a new student. Your courage in the face of adversity is astounding and would make Godric Gryffindor very proud to have you. Yet, your cunning and ability to outthink your opponents is also remarkable and would make Salazer Slytherin very pleased to take you."

"Not Slytherin!" Harry said desperately, remembering how cruel both the students and the head of house had been to him in his old world, "Anywhere but there, please!"

The hat, rather than being insulted at Harry's plea, seemed to find it hilarious and began to chuckle for a moment before speaking again in a silky voice,

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know?"

"Yeah, so I've heard…." Harry muttered scornfully, "But I don't want greatness; I just want to be with my family!"

"Very well, then," the hat replied before shouting as loud as it could, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Instantly, the Gryffindor table shot to its feet, and the Great Hall echoed with cheers, screams, and congratulations; Lily, too, shot to her feet to applaud, only to sit back down in embarrassment as the other Professors looked at her with amusement.

As Harry made his way back to his table, the other houses began to join in the applause until Harry was sure that the windows would shatter from the noise; only Slytherin refused to offer congratulation, choosing to sit and stare at Harry with curiosity or outright glare at him as he sat back down next to his sister and Hermione, who gave him a quick hug of congratulations.

Nothing could have made Harry happier at that moment than he already was; he had his friends back, his parents back, a new sister, and best of all, he was back at Hogwarts, the place he considered his first home.

Harry knew that his happiness wouldn't last, as personal experience had shown that it never did, but, for just one night, Harry allowed the happiness he felt to swell within him as dinner appeared, and he eagerly dug into his food.

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Author's Note:

I apologize for how long it's been since my last update, I hope this makes up for it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.