Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1: The Gathering

**Death Takes a Stand**

**Summary: A year after the war Death is worried about his Master, Harry Potter, and pulls Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys, Teddy Lupin, the Dursleys, Tom Riddle, Lily and James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus and Nymphadora Lupin into a room between the living and non-living world. When Harry asks ****why they're there Death's only answer is "Lets Read". **_ParsleTongue_

**Chapter One: The Gathering**

A tall dark haired, blood red eyed man sat in a large study at a large mahogany desk that had a stack of seven think books, an ink well with a long black phoenix feather quill, and several files scattered over it. There was a wall of floor to ceiling wall of bookshelves behind him, the other three walls were painted a light, silvery gray with black scroll work that looked like ivy with a bay window big enough for four to sit comfortably that was covered in black and silver pillows, and in the middle of them a large brown Brazilian Boa Constrictor. The man looked up at his snake, and smiled. He had found Hostigar seven years ago just outside the London Zoo, and had quickly took him home. Now you may be wondering just who this man was, but that's the thing he isn't a man; he's much more than that. This was Death himself, and currently he was trying to find out what to do about his Master, Harry Potter.

"What to do, what to do," Death muttered to himself as he looked over his files, and glanced at the books. He sighed it was his only choice, _Come, Hostigar, we have work to do._He stood, and walked over to the bay window, shrinking the snake. Hostigar slithered up his arms around his sholders, and sighed, well as much as a snake could sigh, as his master walked out of the study and towards the lands of the living.

The next day Death had gathered everyone he needed into a large mansion set dead center in between the living, and non-living worlds. Lily Evans and Petunia Dursley barely looked at each other while Harry Potter and Vernon Dursley were in a glaring contest. Death bust into the room, the last person to get there: Tom Riddle, just behind him. Everyone looked at the two, and glared at Tom except for the muggles. Tom glared back. "That is enough!" Death hissed, "all of you are here to understand what has happened in the last eight years or more so sit down!" Everyone did as told. Lily and James sat on a three person couch, Sirius in dog form next to them. George and Harry shared an arm chair with Fred at their feet, and Teddy in Harry's arms. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat on a couch with Bill, Fluer, Charlie, Arthur, Molly, and Percy sitting on a large sectional. Remus and Nymphadora sat in an arm chair. Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley sat on a couch looking around in fear. Tom sat in an arm chair, and then between him and the Potters sat a large thrown like arm chair for death. A coffee table sat in the middle of the large dysfunctional circle with seven thick books on it.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Death a promise of pain if his yelling woke his godson in his eyes as he asked, "why exactly are we here?" Hostigar curled around Harry, and George's chair, remembering him.

""Lets read," Death said happily. Tom, Lily, Hermione, and Nymphadora perked up at the mention of reading. Harry almost groaned. "About Harry's life," Death added. Harry did groan at that.

"I'll start!" Lily said excitedly, happy to see her son after so long, and being able to learn about his life. Death smiled at her, and handed her the first book. "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone chapter one: The Boy-Who-Lived."


	2. Chapter 2: The Boy Who Lived

** Chapter Two: The Boy Who Lived **

"Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone chapter one: The Boy-Who-Lived.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud** **to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."**

"You're very welcome," the twins said in unison. Vernon muttered something under his breath about freaks.

"**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills."**

"Drills?" Arthur asked.

"A Muggle tool used to put holes in things," Tom said. Harry frowned lightly, but didn't say anything.

"**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors"**

"I don't spy on the neighbors!" Petunia shrieked. The sound made several think of a banshee.

"**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere."**

"There has never been anything small about that boy!" Harry hissed, "though he has gotten smarter these last few years." Dudley smiled at Harry.

Vernon growled, "You shut your mouth about my son, Freak!"

James pulled his wand, and pointed it at Vernon, "You dare to speak to the Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and Potter that way, Muggle!" Vernon passed out from fear.

"Father," Harry sighed, "You'll soon understand. Sit down." James sat back down beside his wife, and sighed. Padfoot licked his hand.

"**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.** **They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be."**

"One: 'UnDursleyish' isn't a word, Two: James Potter is a hero just like his wife and son, and Three: no one anywhere would ever want to be like the Dursleys," Hermione hissed through her teeth. Ron just held her close.

"**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street." **

"Probably something to the effect of 'Oh, Petunia, I never knew you had such a wonderful little sister, and her husband is such the gentleman'," Harry muttered darkly. George kissed his hair, and rubbed his back.

"**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that." **

"A child like what?" Lily hissed at her sister, "I'll have you know my son was a little angel even when he heard his father murdered by Voldemort!" Petunia whimpered slightly at her sister's rage.

"**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the county. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work." **

"Is my tie boring enough, Gred?" George asked showing off an invisible tie.

"I think mine is more boring, Feorge. What do you think, HarBear?" Fred joked.

"I think Percy's got you both beat," Harry laughed, glad to have Fred around again.

"Hey!" Percy yelled, but it held no heat, knowing that he deserved far worse from Harry and the twins.

"**And Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls." **

"If my child did that," Molly, Lily, and Nymphadroa muttered warningly.

"Don't worry, Droa," Harry smiled, "Teddy is a little angel." Dora smiled.

""**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar- a cat reading a map." **

"Must be an animagus," the now human Sirius said. Harry shook his head at the dark haired man.

"**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen-then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light." **

"Muggles will do anything to make it seem impossible that magic is real," Arthur sighed, and shook his head.

"**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, **_**looking**_** at the sign; cats couldn't read maps **_**or **_**signs." **

"Animgi do," Sirius smirked.

"Hush you," Harry said. Sirius frowned, wondering what he had done to upset him.

"**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks." **

"What's wrong with cloaks?" James asked.

"Dad, muggles haven't worn cloaks since the time of the founders," Harry told him.

"Oh," James said. Lily giggled and rolled her eyes at her husband.

"**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes-the get ups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!" **

"Why is what he's wearing your problem?" Remus asked.

Vernon muttered under his breath about Freaks.

"**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt- these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills." **

"One track mind," Harry said. Vernon growled.

Petunia glared, "we put a roof over your head, feed you, and put clothes on your back, and this is how you repay us!?"

"You made me sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, starved me every other day for no reason, and gave me the clothes that your 'angel' of a son could no longer fit in, but were five times bigger than what I needed!" Harry hissed. Petunia sat in shock from his yelling, this was no longer the baby she tossed into a small cupboard, starved, and lied to about everything. Lily's eye twitched as she started to read again.

"**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more." **

"Very pleasant man," George said sarcastically. Harry leaned against him.

"**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road" **

"He what?" Harry asked sitting up quickly.

"**to buy himself a bun from the bakery."**

"All is right again," Harry said. George chuckled.

"**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.**

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" "— yes, their son, Harry-"**

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead."**

"I'm not that lucky," Harry muttered. James frowned, and looked at Sirius who frowned as well.

"**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone,** **and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid."**

Harry gasped, "He admitted it?" George smiled, and nodded.

"**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry." **

"How do you not know your own nephew's name?" Molly huffed.

"**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold." **

"Harold? Please, I told my _dear_ sister that I named my son after our father," Lily growled.

"**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that…" **

"A sister like what?" James growled, and held Lily close and very possessively.

"**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted," **

"He knows that word?" Harry gasped.

Sirius barked out a laugh, "Good one, pup!" Harry didn't seem to hear him.

"**as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!""**

"Really? Does no one care about keeping our society a secret anymore?!" Tom hissed.

"No," Harry said, "Most believe muggles would accept us which is true for some, but for the most part it would turn into another witch hunt."

"**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was." **

Vernon shivered as he remembered that day. Harry smirked at his uncle's look of pure fear.

"**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination." **

"How do you not approve of imagination?!" the twins asked wildly.

"**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

"Really? Not even a normal cat would do anything at that!" Lily huffed.

"**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife."**

"Why, you aren't scared are you, Uncle Vernon?" Harry teased. Tom snorted at the thought.

"**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!")."**

Molly muttered about spoiled brats, and Harry felt slightly bad for Big D.

"**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise." **

"Trying to get us all killed," Tom muttered darkly under his breath.

"**Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" "Well, Ted," said the weatherman," **

"Ted?" Dora asked hopefully. Harry chuckled, and looked down at his sleeping godson happily.

"**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight.""**

"Shooting stars in Kent? Sounds like Dedalus Diggle to me," Lily giggled softly.

"You just say that because he covered you and Harry in stars when you came to an Order meeting after you got out of the hospital," James smiled. Lily rolled her eyes.

"**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…" **

"If he could piece it together there's no telling how close the muggles got to finding out about us," Ron growled.

"**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously." **

"Really , Uncle Vernon, scared of your own wife? Or is she more like her sister than she likes to show?" Harry smirked. Petunia and Vernon glared at him.

"**"Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"** **As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.** **"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"** **"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.** **"Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd.""**

"Her crowd?" Lily hissed, "her crowd? You stupid…COW! We are descendents of the Ancient and Noble house of Ravenclaw! You're a squib, Petuina! If you had listened to a single word I had told you after my first year at Hogwarts you could have married a very rich man, a very good man, just like me and not have such a spoiled brat for a son!" Lily glared at her sister and Petunia glared back. James kissed his wife's hair, and rubbed her back. Soon Lily calmed enough to continue to read.

"**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"** **"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.** **"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"** **"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."" **

"Really, Petunia? How could you say something like that about your own father's name?" Lily asked sadly. Petunia looked down, she disserved every hateful word her sister threw at her after what she did to Harry.

"**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.** **Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley." **

Harry groaned loudly, "you just had to jinx both of us, didn't you?" Vernon glared at him even though he was thinking along the same lines.

"**The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them… How very wrong he was." **

Petunia glared at her husband and didn't notice Dudley move from the couch with his parents to sit in the floor in front of his aunt and uncle. Lily smiled softly at him and ruffled his hair, knowing that whatever Dudley had done was because of his parents and he and Harry seemed to have gotten over it.

"**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all."**

Sirius frowned, "now that's a little creepy. Not even Lily can sit that still for that long." James bent down to 'talk' to Dudley as Lily reached behind him and slapped Sirius upside the head.

"**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice." **

"Dumbledore," Harry and Hermione groaned as James smiled brightly.

"**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."" **

"Minnie!" James and Sirius yelled excitedly. Hermione and Lily shook their heads.

"**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him." **

"I want one!" Sirius smiled. "Me too!" James smirked. "No," Lily said making the two pout like small children.

"**If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.""**

Sirius and James highfived, reminding most there of the twins.

"**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked. "My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.** **"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily."**

Harry frowned softly and George whispered something into his ear.

"**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news."** **She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle." **

Lily smiled knowingly, "Told you, James." James nodded and sighed.

"**He never had much sense." "You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.""**

"Eleven years?" Tom frowned.

"There was another war after the one with Grindelwald," Harry explained. Tom nodding, obviously very confused.

**"****"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who" **

"You-Know-Who?" Tom and Dudley asked together.

"The man who caused the war, dears," Lily said softly.

"**seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?""**

"What kind of answer is that?" Hermione hissed. Ron ran a hand through her hair to calm her.

"**"A what?"** **"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of." "No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops." **

"Because it wasn't!" Hermione was obviously very upset about something.

"**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name Voldemort."" **

"Even though the damn name's cursed to hell and back," Hermione hissed dangerously, "damn old man sacrificing people's lives to an insane dark lord for no reason!" James and Sirius were so surprised at the accusation that they didn't have time to argue before Lily could start reading again.

"**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." **

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."" **

"Because Voldemort was the only one to truly know what he could do!" Ron smiled apologetically at Lily.

"**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

**"Only because you're too — well —noble to use them.""**

"Dumbeldore is anything but noble," Harry growled for Hermione who had been placed under a silencer.

"**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"" **

"And so it begins," Harry groaned. George kissed his unruly hair softly, smirking.

"**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true." **

"Why does everyone have blind faith in that man?" Percy growled. James and Sirius looked at each other, maybe they should have listened to Lily when they were in Hogwarts when she tried to tell them that Dumbledore wasn't who he appeared to be.

"**Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters.** **The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead." Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.** **"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"** **Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily. Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy.""**

"Does no one read _Hogwarts, A History_ anymore?" Lily hissed, "The heir of one of the founders can _not_ kill the heir of another founder without the backing of at least one other heir! The only reason that doesn't apply to me is because I was the heir_ess _of Ravenclaw not the _heir_!" Hermione was nodding along with the redheaded woman.

"**No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." Dumbledore nodded glumly.** **"It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

**"We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know.""**

"Meaning that he knows but if he said it would ruin his precious plans for me," Harry hissed quietly.

"**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"" **

"Or he told Hagrid to tell her but doesn't want her to know about it," Fred glared at the book.

"**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"** **"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."" **

"Excuse me! I know that my will says that if Sirius can't take Harry he is to go to Remus, Severus, Minnie herself, Amilea Bones, the Longbottoms, and then as a last resort the Lovegoods, but never, ever was Harry supposed to go to my _dear _sister!" Lily yelled.

"Dumbledore had your will sealed until I became of age," Harry said.

"What? Why would he do that?" James frowned. Lily simply shook her head and ran a hand through her husband's unruly hair.

"**"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"** **"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly." **

"The best-that's not the best place for any child!" Lily, Molly, and Nymphadroa growled. Harry and Dudley shrugged slightly looking at each other.

"**"His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." "A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!"" **

"Don't even think about it, George Fabin Weasley," Harry hissed warningly after seeing the sparkle in his eyes at the words 'Harry Potter Day'. Fred and George pouted.

"**"Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk!" **

"Actually Harry could talk, walking was a different story," Lily said.

James looked down, "I said I was sorry."

Lily rolled her eyes, "over protective is better than under protective I suppose."

"**Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?"" **

Harry sighed, "Thanks for trying." George glared at Vernon and Petunia as he held Harry close.

"**She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it. "Hagrid's bringing him." "You think it —wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"" **

"I would trust Hagrid with my life!" James and Sirius said. "I trusted Hagrid with my life!" Harry said, remembering the Battle of Hogwarts when Hagrid found out he was alive as he carried him up to the castle.

"**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore." **

Harry shivered, "that's disturbing." Hermione nodded while Ron looked at him with a pitting look.

"**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"** **A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them." **

Lily glared at Sirius who was smiling like an idiot, "There's Old Betty!"

"Her name's Dora now," George smirked. Dora groaned and hid her face in Remus's shoulder.

"**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins." **

"Hagrid," Harry said fondly.

"**In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.** **"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"** **"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir." "No problems, were there?"** **"No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."" **

"Bristol," Harry muttered, "it's always Bristol." George chuckled and held him close.

"**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning." **

Dora cooed, "dawe look at wittle baby Potter!"

"You sound like Bellatrix there, Dora," Harry smirked. Dora pouted but didn't say anything.

"**"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.** **"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."** **"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?""**

"Please," Harry said and flattened his hair over his scar.

"**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."** **Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.** **"Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog." **

"Hey!" Sirius let out. Lily hushed him with a glare. Remus gave Lily his puppy dog eyes. Lily started to read again to avoid looking at them.

"**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"** **"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —"" **

"Poor Hagrid, no wonder he volunteered to take me to Diagon Alley," Harry smiled softly. Lily smiled at Harry sadly.

"**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two." **

"He just left him there! In a thin blanket in the middle of fall?!" Lily growled. James rubbed her back and pulled her close.

"**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out." **

"Good," Harry said softly, "I hate that damn twinkle." George sighed softly and held Harry closer.

"**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."** **"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."** **Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night."**

"Oh, Hagrid, if only you knew what you were leaving me with," Harry sighed softly.

"**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone."**

Harry glared at the book, "No one says 'Good Luck' unless they think someone's going to have bad luck…" Hermione nodded.

"**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**"

Lily smiled softly, "That's the end of the chapter."

"Good, the sooner we finish these books the sooner I never have to see my _dear_ aunt and uncle ever again," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Harry, love, calm down you know getting angry about the past won't help with the future," George said softly. Harry sighed softly and nodded.

Sirius watched him, "Harry, are you angry with me?"

Harry glanced at his godfather, "In a word? Yes."

Sirius pouted, "why?"

"Because you did it again! You cared more about avenging Mum and Dad's deaths then being there for me! You were a wanted man and you knew no one could find you where you were, and what do you do? You go to the ministry! You fought and called me James, and then you let the bitch kill you!"

Sirius sat open mouthed, "I-I-I…Fuck! Harry, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! All I remember thinking when I left that house was I had to protect you! I swear an unbreakable vow to Lily when James named me your godfather that as long as I wasn't facing Death that I would protect you with my life! The only Reason Bellatrix was able to hit me with that curse is because I was focused on making sure you weren't majorly injured. I know better than to do that when I'm surrounded but like I said I wasn't thinking! If James saw me that day he would have killed me himself!"

"If you had just listened to Dumbledore like you always did you would have been free _and _alive! The one time I want someone to blindly follow Dumbledore and they don't! We could have been a family! Pettigrew was there and the ministry cleared you, but since you were killed I still had to go back to the Dursleys! What makes it worse is Moody and Arthur thought it was a good idea to tell them you were dead!" Arthur frowned and looked at Molly, why wouldn't Harry want his family to know?

Sirius looked down, "I'm sorry, Bambi…"

Harry ran a hand through his hair and leaned into George's side.

"Lady Potter," Tom said politely, "May I read next?" Lily smiled softly and handed Tom the book, "Call me Lily, dear."

Tom smiled back, "Marvolo please, madam." Lily nodded. "Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I am soooooooo sorry about the late update! I got writers block have way through but i will try to update faster.


	3. Chapter 3: The Vanishing Glass

** Chapter 3: The Vanishing Glass **

"Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass," Tom read softly.

"**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed."**

"What's so important about pictures?" James hissed impatiently.

Hermione glanced at Harry who just hid his face in George's neck.

Vernon growled, "damn unnatural faggs!"

"And you had absolutely _nothing_ to do with this outcome?! I was perfectly fine until _you_ became my guardian!" Harry hissed.

"Don't raise your voice with me, boy!" Vernon growled and stood.

Harry jumped up, "Don't insult my boyfriends!"

"Boyfriend_s_?!" Vernon went beat red.

"Have you ever tried dating one twin when the set have shared everything since before they were born? It doesn't work to well," Harry smirked and raised an eyebrow at him.

Vernon couldn't make a sound as Petunia pulled him down next to her. Harry just smirked and sat in Fred's lap as the red head had stolen his seat next to George.

"**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blonde boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother."**

"That's fine and well but what about our HarBear?!" the twins yelled and glared at Vernon. Harry hid his face in his hands.

"**The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

**"Up! Get up! Now!""**

"Banshee," Harry muttered under his breath and Remus, James, Sirius, and the twins all laughed.

"**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove." **

Remus frowned, "Why could you hear that? Your room was on the second floor and the kitchen is on the first…"

"**He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before."**

Death chuckled when everyone looked confused, "my dear sister Destiny knew from the moment you were born you would be my master and so you will remember every part of your life perfectly, Harry Potter."

Harry sighed, "of course."

"Damn freak!" Vernon hissed.

"So that's where you go it from," Remus, Sirius, the twins, Ron, and Hermione growled and glared at the muggle. Vernon shrank back into his seat.

"**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday.""**

"'Look after the bacon'?! 'Don't you _dare_ let it burn'?!" Lily hissed darkly and stood, wand in hand faster than a snake could strike, "You made _my_ baby boy _cook_! At _ten_ years old! You jealous, stupid cow!"

Petunia jumped up, "That damn boy was a burden! You _knew_ how we felt about…_your kind_ and you left him to us! You went and married that _Potter _ and got yourself _blown up_! And I got landed with him!"

"_Left him to you! _I put into my will that my son was to _never_ under _any_ circumstances be placed with _you_!" Lily was turning as red as her hair and the tip of her wand was glowing a sickening green.

"That's not what the letter that Dumbledore fellow left said!" Petunia screeched.

"Oh? What happened to magicals being 'untrustworthy' and 'only out to further themselves no matter the cost to others'?!" Lily stepped closer to her sister and the older woman took a step back.

"W-well, I, uh…" Petunia blanched, frozen in fear.

"That's what I thought you worthless, spineless, horse!" Lily sat back down beside James and he quickly started whispering sweet things in her ear to calm her down while Petunia collapsed next to Vernon.

"Well, I guess we knew where Harry gets his insults from," Hermione smirked. Harry just glared.

"Oh come on, Harry, calling Malfoy 'The Amazing Bouncing Ferrit'! It was the best insult I've ever heard!" Ron laughed.

"Hush it, Weasle," Harry blushed. Ron pouted and looked at the twins for help but they just shook their heads.

"**Harry groaned.**

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door." **

"He didn't say a damn thing!" Sirius growled.

"**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all..**

**"Nothing, nothing..." Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on." **

"Spiders," Ron whimpered, "why is it always spiders?"

"**Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them," **

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Remus growled as Dora held him closer.

"**and that was where he slept."**

"You swine!" James growled darkly, but Harry cast a shield around Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Dora to keep them all in their seats.

"Dad, calm down, or I'll make Death send you back and get Cedric…" James pouted and calmed down.

"**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise" **

Harry winced, "Sorry there, Dud."

Dudley shook his head, "I'll count it towards the payback you owe me."

"**- unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast."**

"Damn right he is! Kid had three pro track teams trying to recruit him in the second grade!" Dudley teased.

"Big D!" Harry pouted when his friends all looked at him, "I've already got enough attention on me as it is!" Dudley just laughed.

"**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age." **

"Only part of it, Pup. Jamsie was a scrawny little git too, until sixth year," Sirius laughed and James punched his arm so hard he nearly fell off the couch. "That hurt you arse!" Sirius whinned.

"Babies the both of you! How Frank and Remus came out of spending 7 years in a dorm with you with half their sanity I'll never know!" Lily teased.

"Lily-flower~!" the two animagi pouted but she ignored them easily as Remus laughed at their expence.

"**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning." **

"You liked it?!"Ron and Hermione yelled.

"Hey, this was before I knew what it stood for! It made me stand out and it and the blanket Dumbledore left me in as a baby were all I had of my parents!" Harry pouted and snuggled into the twins more.

Ron blinked, he'd never seen Harry so defensive of himself. Hermione frowned,"A-are you feeling alright, Harry?"

"What? Of course I am!" he frowned, why did he have to be sick to defend his younger, foolish, self?

"**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it."**

Harry flinched and muttered darkly, "Rule number two: never bring up my parents…"

"**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place."**

"The Potter Curse," James sighed, "said to have been cast by Gyrffindor's wife who hated her brother's bragging over how his hair was better than hers. Since then any male born into the Potter family has been born with untamable hair."

"You just have to grow it out," Harry deadpanned and twirled a piece of, surprisingly tame, shoulder length hair around his finger. James blinked and pouted.

Lily giggled, "I told you my genes would break that damn curse. My Ravenclaw smarts did it rather than my wonderful hair, but my genes all the same." James groaned and hid his face in his hands while Sirius and Remus laughed at him.

"**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig."**

"Harry!" Fred whined. "Don't insult the pigs!" George continued. "It's not fair!" they finished together.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Ignore them, Big D." Dudley just waved him off.

"**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year.""**

"Thirty-six?! I don't even get that many!" James and Sirius yelled.

"I think my parents were trying to make me worse than Dad," Dudley said thoughtfully, "I'm glad they failed." Petunia and Vernon sat mouths gaping at their son, how dare he!

"**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

**Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over." **

"Did ya do that often, Big D?" Sirius teased.

"I was an 11-year-old spoiled brat of course I did," Dudley pouted, "I can't help how I was raised…"

"Leave the poor boy alone, Sirius," Lily growled, "it's obvious any rift between my son and my nephew have been fixed so focus on Petunia, Vernon, and Dumbeldore.

"**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?''**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia."**

"Was I really that stupid, Harry?" Dudley groaned.

"Seems like, Dudley," Harry teased, smirking.

"**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair."**

"SEE?! I was raised to be a spoiled, dumb snob!" Dudley yelled and Sirius only nodded.

"**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can'ttake him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction."**

"'Him' has a name," Harry glared at Petunia and she looked down.

"**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned."**

Sirius shivered, "can't blame you there, Pup, I hate cats."

"So that's why you and Minnie got along so well?" Harry teased. James and Lily laughed while Sirius shivered again and pouted.

"**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this." **

"Because I spend my days ploting on how to make old women break their legs," Harry hissed and Petunia flinched.

"**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, andTufty again.**

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy.""**

"The feeling is definitely mutual," Harry hissed. Fred and George smirked, remembering what Harry had done to the woman.

Vernon growled, "damn freaks blowing up my sister!"

"Well maybe she shouldn't have been talking about things she doesn't know shit about! She met Mum once and you and Aunt Petunia's wedding and that was three years before she even thought about dating Dad! 'If there's something wrong with the Bitch then there's something wrong with the Pup', how would you feel if someone said that about you and your mother!? I may have magic but I'm still human!"

Vernon was about to say something back but Petunia cut him off. "You're right, Harry," she said softly, "Vernon would have reacted just as violently as you did at 13."

"**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?""**

"Yvonne? Isn't that the Patil twins' mother?" Hermione asked softly.

"Yep," Harry smirked, "me and the twins went to primary school together. I'm actually quite surprised they never figured that out."

"**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening."**

"What do you think he'll be doing? He's only just about 11!" James yelled.

"That _freak_ has called child services before! The house would have been torn apart!" Vernon yelled.

Harry snorted, "I would have been out of your hair if you would have just shown them my cupboard. I thought you would have been happy. I understand now though, Dumbeldore was paying you to treat me like dirt and keep me in the house at any cost. Did you know he was paying you out of my school trust vault? My _school money_ was being given to you to abuse me! If that crack pot old man wasn't dead already I would have killed him myself."

"Petunia," Lily said softly.

"Y-y-yes, Lily?"

"You have a reason to fear your death now," Lily hissed. Petunia whimpered and tried to hide behind her husband.

"**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "...and leave him in the car...""**

"My son is not a dog!" James growled and glared at them.

"**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone...""**

"That isn't why he shouldn't stay in the damn car!" James growled. Harry changed into his animagus form, a small black kitten with bright green eyes and hid in between the twins only for Fred to pull him into his lap and pet him as George held a, thankfully, still sleeping Teddy.

"**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted."**

Harry jumped down from Fred's lap and walked over to Dudley who got a loud purr when he scratched behind his ears.

"**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him."**

James laughed loudly, "That's worse than 'Siriwiry!"

"And Jamiewayny poo!" Sirius cracked up beside him.

Remus smiled and explained at everyone's confused looks, "That's what their mothers' called them."

"**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!"" **

"I'm sorry, Harry," Dudley said to the purring kitten in his lap, "you don't spoil everything." The kitten nodded and jumped into his mother's lap. Lily just smiled and pet him as he curled into a ball and fell asleep.

"**He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them." **

"Pettigrew!" James, Sirius, Remus, and Harry coughed.

"I told you someone with an animagus form of a rat couldn't be trusted! What did Harry call him, James?" Lily smirked.

" 'Snake Man', " he said softly.

"And where did he get that?" Lily asked.

"Must have been the dark mark," he muttered. Lily nodded.

"**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside. "I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas.""**

"I really should kill you," Lily growled but Harry nuzzled her hand and 'meow'ed up at her.

"**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly.." But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did."**

"You can say that again!" Hermione hissed having gotten free of Ron's silencer.

"**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen."**

Harry was back in Fred's arms as a human, "well if they had just told me I was a _wizard_ everything would have been fine!" Vernon and Petunia flinched at the word 'wizard'.

"**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly."**

"Metamorphus abilities have popped up in a few Potters," Dora hummed and glanced at Harry who, surprisingly was sitting in Fred's lap with red hair and kissing his dead boyfriend happily. No one could blame Harry he already knew what would happen and Fred had been dead for months.

"**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished."**

"He shouldn't have been punished for any magic use!" Lily yelled.

"**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump."**

"He believed that?" James frowned.

"He was the size of an eight year old in first year and he didn't know about make so it's very highly likely that it was the only thing that made since," Hermione said softly. James just nodded and glared at Vernon.

"**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles."**

"You must love my little boy if you talk about him so much," Lily said a little too sweetly.

"**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying.""**

"Bad choice, mate," Charlie and Bill said softly at the same time, flinching simultaneously.

"**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!""**

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Harry hissed, "what part of ' it was a DREAM did you not get!"

"**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought," **

"So much like his mother," James said playfully. Lily just rolled her eyes.

"**licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond."**

"Why do you insult animals so, Harry?" Hermione teased.

"It's an Evans thing! It's in my blood!" Harry pouted, "It's not my fault!" Hermione just raised an eyebrow.

"**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top," **

Dudley blushed, "actually people were starting to look at Dad and then Harry because Harry hadn't gotten ice cream like everyone else so I figured it was better than nothing, it got everyone to stop watching us…"

"**Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

**After lunch they went to the reptile house." **

"All hell is about to break lose," Hermione and Ron teased. Percy and Charlie nodded.

"All hell breaks lose when Harry's around animals period, not just reptiles," Remus smirked. Harry pouted at him.

"**It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep."**

_Hostigar hissed and made his presence known once more, nuzzling Harry's hair, __"Such a brave little hatchling you were!"_

_Harry blushed, __"I had hoped you'd made it to Brazil."_

_Death chuckled, __"I found him and took him in, young Master."_

_Harry glared at him, __"did you at least offer to take him to Brazil?" __Death nodded and Harry nodded back. Tom was surprised to see a Potter speaking Parsletongue, he hadn't know he was related to Charles or else he would have gotten to know the younger boy better._

"**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house."**

Hostigar hissed out a laugh, _"compareing our lives, Hatchling, doesn't work like that. I don't need much space and I got fed three times a day every day, you did not." _Harry only sighed and pet the large snake.

"**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time".**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?" As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump."**

"My son talks to snakes…" James whimpered, "my son's a parslemouth!"

Lily sighed, "the Ravenclaws and Slytherins are related, James." James only whimpered.

"**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo.""**

Sirius and Remus laughed hysterically at James's face when he realized just how true it was, Harry could talk to snakes. Lily simply shook her head, "I can do it too you know." James just let out a whimper, and Lily sighed softly.

"**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. "But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy."**

"Alcoholic!" Lily coughed, making James laugh softly.

"**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash." **

"Car crash!" Sirius hissed, "how could a car crash have killed Lily and James Potter?!"

"Breathe, Siris, breathe," Remus said softly.

"**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house."**

"You couldn't have even given him the wedding pictures I sent you?" Lily asked, ashamed her son had grown up like he had, he didn't even know what his parents looked like until he was eleven…

"**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family." **

Fred and George held Harry closer as said raven haired man glared at Sirius and Remus who simply blushed and refused to meet Harry's eyes.

"**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang."**

Death cleared his throat, "I believe that we could all use a break and some breakfast. Please, follow me." Death stood and lead everyone to the dining room, just down the hall. Tom left the book in Death's chair, they could decide who read next after breakfast.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I'm really sorry about the long wait! I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow but my dad's 40th birthday party is tomorrow so we'll see! *throws cookies at everyone who's been waiting* I'm so sorry!


	4. Chapter 4: Breakfast

**Chapter 4: Breakfast**

Everyone sat along the long table, with little Teddy in a high chair between his parents, that was full of anything they could possibly want for breakfast. Everyone was enjoying the food and conversation. Fred was happily catching up with his brother and boyfriend, Lily and James were watching Harry happily, and Remus, Dora, and Sirius were all watching Teddy happily. Everything was going fine until Tom cleared his throat, "I'm sorry if I'm over stepping my bonds, Harry, but I thought all Potters were allergic to blood pudding."

Everyone looked at Harry who frowned and looked around, "I've never been allergic to it but I've never really had a taste for it. Fred used to love it and I've found myself eating it since he died. I'm not sure why though, it's like I've been craving it."

George nodded and ran a hand though his hair, "Harry never ate blood pudding while Fred was alive, used to say he ate enough for the both of them, but since Fred died it's the only thing he can eat without getting sick." Harry bit his lip and looked down.

Lily smiled, "I think I know what's going on."

"Y-you do?" George asked nervously, holding Harry close, "I'm not going to lose him to, am I?"

Lily shook her head, "When I was pregnant and James was off on a job all I could eat without getting sick was bangers and mash, his favorite food on earth. I think it was your way of telling me you missed him, Harry."

Harry blushed and ran a hand through his hair, "W-what does that have to do with me though?"

"You have been acting more emotional lately, Harry," Hermione said softly.

"Yeah, mate," Ron said, "when you got mad at me and Mione earlier I'd never seen you so defensive of yourself."

Harry frowned, "even if I was pregnant during the war the killing curse I took to the heart in the forest would have killed the baby and so would the stress, besides the last thing that happened between me and the twins was the night before Ron, Hermione, and I left to hunt horcruxs; I would have shown some sign before now it's almost been a full year."

Lily shook her head, "male pregnancies are longer and more complicated then female pregnancies. Male pregnancies take nine months to prepare the body for the pregnancy and birth and then takes six months for the baby to grow to full term, also males don't gain weight or get that big of a baby bump during the pregnancy because males have the nine months before hand for their bodies to prepare for the baby. Harry, you're probably about three months away from giving birth."

Harry, Fred, and George all looked ready to pass out. Death laughed and smirked at them. Harry glared at him, "You knew about this?!"

Death froze, "well since you are my master Life has to have my permission to do anything in your life. She had to ask me if Teddy could be born, and Fate had to ask if Remus and Dora could get married. Things that, while not being done to you, effect you greatly. The only matter in your life I had no control over was Sirius's death."

"Why am I so special?" Sirius frowned.

"You were thrown through the Veil. I hate that damn thing! Normally I can't take you before your time but that damn thing can make me take you anyway! Only my master can pull someone from the Veil, and no, Harry, you aren't doing it while you're pregnant! You may be immortal but your child is not, well, not yet at least." Harry sighed and nodded. Everyone soon finished eating and returned to the reading room. Harry never took a protective hand from his stomach, and once he and the twins were sharing their chair one hand from each twin joined Harry's on his stomach.

Death cleared his throat once everyone was settled, "I'll read the next chapter. Chapter 3: **Letters From No One**."


End file.

Harry Potter, Family, Hurt-Comfort