Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Discovery

James Potter usually didn't spend his weekends in the library at his school, Hogwarts Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When the day was clear and warm, he wandered the school grounds with his three best friends (the Mauraders, they called themselves), or he was flying his broom on the Quidditch field, his favorite past-time.

But there he was, wandering the aisles of books, his fingers running against the seams of the books but his eyes darting in the direction of one of the nearly empty tables. Nearly empty, except for the red-headed occupant sitting in one of the chairs.

Lily Evans could feel James staring at her, but she ignored him, as she always did. She knew he was not going to leave until he got her response. He had been asking her out since the beginning of fifth year, and last night, just before she went to bed, he again attempted his luck. Tired from all of her homework and wanting to get to bed as soon as possible, she replied, "Let me think it over" instead of the usual "no." James was ecstatic, and had been following her, waiting, since.

Lily knew that if she replied no, James would fall back to his casual routine of asking her out everyday. If she said yes...she shuddered at the idea of going on a date with James, which will be a guaranteed disaster. She couldn't win either way.

James drew closer, watching her. Lily, feeling his piercing stare, grew more annoyed.

"James, I told you that I was going to think it over," she huffed, turning to face him. He sat in the chair next to her, smiling.

"I know, but it's been nearly twelve hours and I'm still waiting." He smiled his signature cocky smile.

Have to admire his persistence, Lily thought. She contemplated the idea. Lets say that she did say yes: if the date went horrid, he would probably chase after someone else. She ignored the possibility of the date going well. It certainly won't happen.

"Ok," she said. She looked up at his elated expression. "Why not? Let's go out."

James could hardly believe his ears. She said yes. Lily Evans, the most beautiful and the most intelligent witch in the entire school, actually said yes. To him, James Potter. It is too great to be true.

"Great," he said a little too loudly. "There's a Hogsmeade trip next week. We could spend the day together."

"Okay then," Lily replied. She went back to her work. When she noticed that James hadn't left, she turned to him. "Aren't you going to leave?"

He smiled. "Why?"

"Because you're James Potter," Lily retorted. "I thought you would be outside enjoying the sun and other such." James' smile widened.

"The beauty of the world outside is nothing compared to the beauty in your eyes," James recited. Lily rolled her eyes and desperately tried to her smile.

"Well, if you're going to stay, why not do something productive and do your homework?"

James looked insulted by the suggestion. "I thought admiring you would count." Lily fought back another smile.

"Read a book," she said. James pouted but got up and began wandering the aisles. Lily resumed her work. After a short while, she suspected that James had left the library, but when he heard him gasp, she thought differently. She turned and found him gaping at the cover of one of the books he grabbed from the shelves.

"Is something wrong?" she said, fighting a smile. His surprised expression was hilarious.

When James didn't reply, or look away from the book, she sighed, got up and walked to him. "Potter, what is it?"

James didn't answer but merely handed her the book. Lily looked at the title and picture, and her eyes widened.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," she read. But it was the picture that startled her. The boy on the cover looked exactly like James! The same messy hair, the same features, the same everything!

"Harry Potter," she read again. "A relative of yours?"

James shook his head. "All of my family come together during the holidays, I would know if there was someone named Harry."

"But this boy looks exactly like you," she pushed. "Must be someone else, then."

"My family's the only Potter family in the entire wizarding world."

"Perhaps a Muggle?"

"That looks like me? Impossible. It's too much of a coincidence. Besides, if it is a Muggle, why is it in the library?" Lily, for the first time, didn't have an answer. She opened it to the first page, read it, and then let out a gasp whose echo bounced against the walls of the library.

"What? What is it?" Lily didn't answer but, like James, handed the book and pointed to the words.

James read, and his eyes widened. "This books been published in 1997! That's impossible!"

Lily couldn't believe it, either. Surely, it was a misprint, but then again...what if it wasn't?

"Do you think this book is from the future?" James contemplated. As farfetched as that suggestion was, Lily couldn't argue against it either.

Madam Pince, the school librarian, turned up just then, her face twisted in a scowl. "This is a library, not a Quidditch field! Lower your voices so that other students can continue with their work in peace." Her face was frightening enough that neither James or Lily was brave enough to contradict her by pointing out that they were the _only_ students in the library.

When she stalked away, James whispered, "We have to find Sirius and Remus and tell them about this!"

Lily didn't feel like arguing. She nodded but then added, "We should get Alice, Molly, Arthur and Frank as well." Lily knew that she would not be able to get Alice or Molly away from their long-time boyfriends, and to get one was to get the other.

They checked out the book promptly, promised to unite under the trees near the lake, and separated to find their friends. Within a half-hour, the large group of friends were settled beneath the shadow of the trees, all except Peter, whom was away for the Easter holidays.

Sirius and Remus gaped at the cover. Molly and Alice gaped at the knowledge that the book was published in 1997. Arthur and Frank raised gaped at the knowledge that this book may portray the future.

"Well, shall we read it?" James probed. Everyone nodded.

James opened up the book to the first chapter, the Boy Who Lived


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Boy Who Lived

"Great, a boy who lives!" Sirius commented. Remus glared.

"Are you going to interrupt after every sentence?"

Sirius pretended to think about his answer, then replied, "Pretty much." Lily rolled her eyes and waved for James to continue.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,**

"I've heard that name before," Lily softly interrupted, her face pinched with concentration.

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

"What's so good about being normal?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "That's boring." Remus flashed him warning eyes but didn't comment.

**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.**

"Wow, they must be great to have at parties," Alice joked. Everyone laughed, and even Lily and Remus couldn't stifle a giggle.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"What the heck are drills?" Sirius questioned.

"Sharp, metal things Muggles use to make holes," Remus answered. James and Sirius shared an awed look. Muggles are so weird.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache.**

"Well he sounds handsome," Alice sarcastically remarked. Everyone laughed.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

"That sounds a lot like my sister," Lily said.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley,**

Everyone doubled over with laughter.

"Dudley, what an awful name!" Sirius cried out. "Poor kid."

**and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"I really doubt that," Molly chided.

**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 if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"Hey, what did we ever do?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "We can only imagine." Everyone but James laughed.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister,**

"My mom?" James contemplated. He was horrified at the idea of being related to these people in any way.

"Maybe, but not likely," Remus said. "Remember, this book may be a story about the future." James disgusted expression softened into joy and wonder.

"So that means I have a wife?" His eyes briefly flashed in Lily's direction.

"Most likely," Remus said. Without anyone's notice, his eyes flashed to Lily in wonder. Could it be possible...?

**but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

"Sounds like Tuney," Lily commented but no one heard her.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish**

"That's not even a word!" Remus retorted.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.**

"These people are horrible! What makes them think we'd want to visit them!" James cried out.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too**

Everyone looked to James, who was both excited and confused. "I...have a son?"

"Sounds like it," Sirius said, also happy. Remus smiled. Alice and Lily looked horrified at the idea of having another Potter to deal with it. The others didn't comment but smiled out of politeness.

**, 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.**

"Hey, that's my son you're talking about!" James shouted at the book. Lily rolled her eyes but, despite hating James, she was miffed that these people would think badly of this small child to-be.

**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 country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"Boring!" Sirius was upset. "Seriously, I can't believe these people. Don't they want excitement in their lives?" Remus silently agreed. Even he was astounded by the lack of adventure in these people's lives.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his** **high chair.**

"What a prat!" Molly commented. "I can assure everyone, none of my kids will be like that!"

"With a temper likes yours, Molly, we can all agree," Arthur said. Everyone nodded their heads, each having their own experience to think about.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"Finally! Something exciting!" Frank shouted.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"I can't believe these people! Who'd raise their kids to be that spoiled?" No one answered Alice's question.

**"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," James concluded. Everyone nodded.

**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**

"Must be McGonagall," Sirius deduced.

"What makes you think so?" Lily asked.

"Minnie's animagus form is a tabby cat," Remus told her. "She showed it to us during third year." Lily nodded. She had forgotten that day--it was the most exciting thing she had ever witnessed.

James resumed reading.

**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. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.**

"Must be Minnie," Sirius laughed. "No other cat would stare 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.**

"Oh yes Minnie can." Remus glared at him, warning Sirius to be quiet and gesturing for James to continue.

**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.**

"Wow, this man sounds so exciting!" Frank snorted.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups 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!**

"Well, that's careless," Lily chided. "Why aren't they wearing Muggle clothes like they should? People are going to notice!"

No one even bothered to answer.

**The nerve of him! 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.**

"Man, this guy is an idiot!" James commented.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on** **drills.**

"How boring can you get?" This time, it was Remus who said it.

**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.**

"Owls? In the middle of the day?" Alice gasped at this.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people.**

"I feel sorry for those people," Frank sighed.

"Me too." Sirius snorted. "Can't imagine who would be desperate for money enough to work for that git. I'd quit within five minutes."

**He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Why, to get fatter than he is?" James replied. Everyone laughed. Even Lily couldn't help but smile.

"Must be a regular customer," Sirius added, making everyone laugh harder.

**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 —"**

Everyone looked to James. "Harry. So that's my son's name?"

"Congrats, Prongsie!" Sirius smiled.

"But why are you mentioned?" Remus mused out loud. "I mean, I know the title is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but what made you suddenly so famous?"

James shrugged, paying only half-attention. He was still elated at the idea of becoming a dad. Lily stared, confused at the expression. She's never seen James so...what's the word? Happy was close, but not a good enough description. There was more to it. She also found it surprising that James had a son. With whom? Lily couldn't understand why she was thinking about that, but she figured it was because she was going on an irrelevant date with James the following week. Irrelevant, because in the near future, he was going to be married to someone else.

She shook off the feelings that accompanied that thought. Why should it bother her? It's not like she likes James or anything...right?

She was pulled out of her reverie when James again began reading.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"Yes! He's dead!" Sirius cried out.

"That's just a figure of speech, Pads," Remus pointed out, spoiling Sirius's happiness.

**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,**

"Ew. Horrible mental image," Alice said, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

**hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him,**

"Poor secretary," Frank empathized.

**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.**

Sirius laughed. "Ha, he admits he's stupid!"

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"Yes it is," everyone chorused.

**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. He'd never even seen the boy.**

"What a wonderful uncle he is," Lily sighed. James flashed her a quick smile.

**It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"Ew, no. There's no way I'd ever name my son Harvey."

"That is an awful name," Molly agreed.

**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…**

"Like what? I dare you finish that sentence!" James cried out. "That's my wife you're talking about!" Lily rolled her eyes, but secretly, astonishingly enough (even to her), she envied this woman that James was steadfastly protecting against such cruel thinking, and wondered if her future husband will do the same for her.

**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.**

"Poor guy," Arthur commented.

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

"A wizard!" Sirius pointed out the obvious.

**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!**

There was a stunned silence. James repeated the line a few times, and then Sirius let out a cry of happiness.

"Yes!!! He's gone! Voldie-moldie's gone!" He and Remus high-fived each other. Arthur and Molly hugged, relieved, while Frank and Alice beamed. Lily and James were stunned with shock, but finally broke out smiling...at each other!

"Yes, that's amazing!" Sirius said, and after a few minutes of happiness, they calmed down and began reading again.

Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"

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

Sirius laughed. "Bet he didn't like that."

**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.**

"Non-magical person," Sirius told him.

**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.**

"Man, I'm hating this guy by the second," Remus sighed. "At least try to have some excitement in your miserable, empty life." Lily was amazed that Remus said all this, but she, too, was thinking the same thing.

**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.**

"Minnie again!" Sirius cried out happily.

**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.**

**The cat didn't move.**

"If it's Minnie, she's not going to listen to you," James said, laughing. Lily watched. It was strange the way James laughed. He almost looked...cute. Lily shook her head. She cannot believe that she just thought that. About James Potter, of all people, to add to her shock.

**It just gave him a stern look.**

Sirius laughed. "Definitely Minnie."

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered.**

"No, that's just Minnie."

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined** **not to mention anything to his wife.**

"What a wimp," Alice chided.

**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!").**

"Brat," James and Molly commented. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

**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. 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, "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."_**

"Wow, these wizards know how to celebrate," Frank said, smiling. "Must be excited to have He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gone."

His comment sparked something in Remus' mind. He turned to James. "James, do you remember that those wizards are talking about you, right? Do you think it has anything to do with Voldemort?" Everyone but James, Lily, Sirius and Remus flinched at the name.

James thought about it. "Might be, but why would they mention Harry?" Everyone grew sober at the thought. Why was Harry mentioned?

**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…**

"He's thinking like you," Sirius commented. "That's sad." Remus glared, but didn't say anything.

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

"Looks like he's going to be brave." Alice sighed.

"I feel so bad right now," Sirius said.

"Why?" Molly asked.

"I feel bad for that woman, being married to that whale." Everyone laughed.

**He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

Lily gasped, loud enough that everyone turned to her. "Lily, what's wrong?" James asked.

"M-my sister's name is P-Petunia," she answered. "And I just remember, she's going to marry this man named D-Dursley next month." There was a pregnant pause, followed by howling and cries of happiness.

"YEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!" James leaped into the air, smiling. "YES! YES! YES! I MARRY LILY EVANS! YES!" He and Sirius did a victory dance. Remus couldn't help but smile, his theory proven. Alice and Molly looked at Lily, astounded, for both knew how Lily felt about James. Arthur and Frank looked indifferent. They were happy for James, but not wanting to face Lily's wrath, their expressions remained neutral.

Lily, on the other hand, was completely shocked. Stunned. She, Lily Evans, is going to marry James Potter, the boy she considered an arrogant toe rag since first year. What is happening? And she's going to give him a son?

But as horrifying as that idea was, there were two other emotions that dwelled within. Confusion was the first, because--like Remus pointed out--why were people talking about her and James and her...her son?

Yes. Her son. Harry. A bubble of happiness floated in her stomach, her second emotion. She was going to have a son. While she was currently horrified at the idea of marrying James, the prospect of becoming a mother overshadowed that detail. She was going to have a son...

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down. James drew closer to Lily, almost bursting with joy to know that he would marry her and have a son.

He quickly found the page where he left off.

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a** **sister.**

"Wow, that's so nice of your sister," Remus and Sirius said sarcastically. Lily didn't comment.

**"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!?!?!?" James repeated heatedly. "What is that supposed to mean!?" Everyone gave Lily sympathetic looks.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips.**

"Honey, that is not going to improve your looks," Sirius said, making the others laugh. Lily giggled, even though it was her sister.

**Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.**

"Wimp," everyone said.

**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."**

"Excuse me! My son has a wonderful name! It's a thousand times better than Dudley, you ugly prune!" Lily cried out. Everyone stared, amazed. "What?"

"Did you just admit that he's your son?" Alice said in an incredulous voice. Lily, after a full minute, nodded.

"Just because I don't like James doesn't mean I won't love my son," she huffed. "I can make sure he won't turn out like Potter." James, while hurt by her comment, he was very relieved to hear her talk of their son in an affectionate manner. Yes, their son. Not his, not hers. Theirs.

**"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?**

"No, he isn't." Sirius laughed.

**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. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind…**

"Their kind!?" Alice cried out angrily. "What do you mean by that?"

"My sister thinks we're all freaks," Lily said, her voice slightly wounded. James reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, his expression sympathetic. Lily was surprised that she didn't flinch away at his touch, but found his concern reassuring.

**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.**

"He ought to be, if this book is about Harry," Remus whispered.

**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.**

**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.**

"Did this guy apparate?" Lily wondered out loud.

"Must have, but I thought that there would be a loud popping sound when you did it," Arthur explained. "He must be very good at apparition if he didn't even make a sound."

**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," everyone chorused.

**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.**

"It probably wouldn't be," Sirius said, his thoughts darting to the Dursleys.

**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."**

"See! It is Minnie!" Remus rolled his eyes, not even bothering to keep Sirius quiet.

**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.**

"Wow! He has a Deluminator!" James cried out, amazed. "Those are really rare to find."

**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. 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."**

"Minnie!" Sirius cried out, joined by James and Remus.

**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.**

"It was pretty obvious."

**"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.**

Everyone laughed at this.

**"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.**

**"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."**

Lily sighed. "I admit, she's got a point, but can you blame them for wanting to have fun? This is strict on a whole different level."

Everyone nodded. James flashed her an admiring gaze before continuing.

**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. He never had much sense."**

"Diggle? That 7th year Hufflepuff?" Sirius questioned.

"Must be the same one," James commented. "I will admit, he may be a bloke but he at least knows how to celebrate with style."

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Eleven years?!" everyone cried out.

"Does that mean this is all going to happen in four years?" Molly pondered.

**"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."**

Everyone sighed. If one thing is certain, their Transfiguration teacher is never going to change.

**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 seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

Everybody tensed. Finally, some answers.

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore.**

Everyone cried out in happiness again.

**"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbert lemon?"**

"A what?" Sirius asked.

**_"A what?"_**

"Wow, that was weird."

**"A sherbert lemon. 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. "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."**

Arthur, Molly, Frank and Alice flinched. The others barely noticed, as they were quite used to other people doing it.

**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."**

"Hear, hear," Sirius said.

**"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."**

"That's true." Everyone nodded.

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

James snorted. "Yeah right."

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

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

Everyone burst out laughing. They could only imagine.

**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?"**

The atmosphere tensed again.

**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.**

"Most people do that," James commented.

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.**

Everyone grew dead silent, their eyes darting to Lily and James, both of whom had pale faces and frightened expressions. "I'm not liking where this is going," Sirius whispered. He was fearing the worst for his best friend.

James, shakily, having knots in his stomach and a throbbing heart, continued.

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."**

James voice broke on the last word. He dropped the book.

Alice and Frank were horrified.

Molly and Arthur looked shock.

Remus and Sirius looked downright furious and beyond grief. "That can't be right," Remus whispered. Sirius simply murmured "no" beneath his breath, but when James didnt' contradict him, he cried out, "NO!" loud enough that anyone within a half-mile radius would've heard him.

James looked to Lily. She had tears in her eyes. She was upset that within four years, she was going to be dead. At the age of 21, to add to her sorrow. Too young to die. Far too young.

James was too stunned to speak. He was going to die...he wasn't frightened by that. But Lily was going to die too, and that scared him more than anything else. He was going to die, just at the point where he was going to get everything he wanted: a loving wife and son--that he could deal with. But Lily, sweet Lily...no, he couldn't let this happen. Over his dead body is he going to let her die.

Alice and Molly ran to hug Lily. Remus and Sirius settled on both of James' side, both in tears that they were going to lose their brother. Arthur and Frank just stared, immobilized, unable to comfort either James or Lily.

After a few minutes of crying and shouts of denial, Remus picked up the book and took over reading.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

"Didn't know Minnie cared that much," James said to lighten the mood. It did, but very little.

"You know she cares," Sirius said in a mechanical tone. He was still shaken over the idea of James dying to sound sarcastic.

**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.**

"What, there's more?" Sirius' voice was more frightened than sarcastic. He tried imagining something worse happening other than James and Lily dying.

**They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry."**

"NO!" Lily and James cried out. "THAT BASTARD TRIED KILLING MY SON!?" James added in a deadly whisper. "I'LL MURDER HIM!"

"NOT UNLESS I GET TO HIM FIRST," Lily growled. As frightened as she was at dying, and as saddened as she was to hear that James was dying with her, that was nothing compared to having her baby dying. Anger and fury boiled within her blood.

**But he couldn't.**

"What?" Everyone gaped at the book.

**He couldn't kill that little boy. 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."**

"What?" everyone questioned again.

"Wow, your son is amazing, Prongsie," Sirius complimented. James smiled with relief. His son is still alive. He was dead, but as long as Harry is alive...

**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 all want to know," James said. Everyone leaned forward, tense.

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

Disappointment circulated through the group.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles.**

"I'm going to hug Minnie next class," James said with a sad smile. Lily took a mental note to do the same.

**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.**

"Wow, what a strange watch," Sirius spoke out loud what everyone else was thinking.

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though,**

"Of course, Dumbledore is also odd, so it makes sense he can read that watch," Sirius, earning him giggles from everyone, including a tear-eyed Lily.

**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?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

"Wait a minute, what are they doing there?" Lily questioned, panicked. James stiffened, piecing together everything he had learned. He and Lily are dead in the book. What about Harry? He felt his heart hammering with tension.

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"NOOO!" Everyone cried out, but Lily and James were the loudest.

"No, over my dead body am I going to let this happen!" James and Lily chorused.

"Why are they doing this?" Sirius said, just as angry. "I would've taken Harry."

"So would I!" Alice joined. Molly, Arthur, Frank and Remus nodded.

"No. No. No. No. No. MY SON CANNOT STAY WITH HER!" Lily cried out.

"And he shouldn't!" James rounded on Sirius and Remus. "You two had better rescue him from that dreadful place!" Both Mauraders nodded. They were set against the idea of handing Harry over to those Muggles.

**"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.**

"Go Minnie!" Sirius and James egged her on.

**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!"**

"That boy is a complete prat!" Alice snorted.

"Minnie, whatever you do, don't let him do it!" James shouted.

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"Does he honest think that will be enough?" Remus questioned hotly.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

"See, even Minnie agrees!"

**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!"**

"That sounds incredible," Lily said, but only small portion of her anger had ebbed away.

**"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! 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?"**

"I admit, I don't want my son to be spoiled, but isn't there anyone else better to take him in?" Lily questioned, her eyes darting to Molly and Alice, both of whom were better candidates than her own sister.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course.**

James slumped. Minnie had given up. He was hopeful that she would remain insistent at arguing with Dumbledore about his plan, but he knew that that was wishful thinking.

**But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" 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?"**

"Is he trustworthy?" Lily said, fearing for her son's safety.

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

"Well, if Dumbledore trusts him, then we should as well," Remus comforted her. Lily relaxed.

**"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?"**

"What's what?" Lily's fear returned tenfold.

**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.**

"A flying motorcycle!!" Sirius jumped up at excitement.

"Sirius has always wanted a motorcycle," James explained upon seeing everyone's confused expression.

"Aw, but Hagrid has one." Sirius slumped into disappointment. "Lucky bloke."

**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. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Wow, he grew," Remus said.

**"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."**

Sirius leaped up in excitement again. "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! THE BIKE IS MINE! I HAVE A MOTORCYCLE AND IT FLIES!" James and Remus laughed. Soon, everyone was laughing. After a few more minutes and a victory dance, Sirius settled down and the reading resumed.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir — house was almost destroyed,**

"Either you two put up a good fight, or Harry must've done it when Voldemort tried killing him," Remus whispered.

**but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

"Awww," Molly, Alice and Lily cooed. James rolled his eyes but smiled at Lily's smiling face.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep.**

"At last," Remus murmured before beginning again. James and Lily smiled at each other. Lily didn't bother looking away.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair**

"Oh no, he has your hair," Lily groaned. James laughed.

"It's kinda hereditary, Lily-flower," he said. Lily blushed at the nickname.

"Part of the Potter curse, I assume?" Sirius joked.

"What curse?" Alice said, intrigued. Sirius laughed louder, joined by Remus.

"All the boys look nearly the same," Remus explained. "All have jet-black hair-"

"-the same features-"

"-the same body build-"

"-and the same fondness for redheads," James concluded with a wink. Lily rolled her eyes, but swiftly hid a smile and a blush.

**over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Well, that's weird," James said.

**"Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

James and Lily frowned, realization on their faces.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"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.**

Everyone chuckled.

**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.**

"That must've tickled."

**Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Hey, I resent that statement!" Sirius said. Everyone but James and Remus looked confused but they thought better than to question it. Sirius was weird. That was that.

**"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 —"**

"Wow, I didn't know Hagrid cared so much," James said.

"I should give him a hug next time I see him," Lily commented.

"**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.**

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook,**

"He seems to really care," Remus noted.

**Professor McGonagall blinked furiously,**

"So does Minnie, though she may not show it," Sirius added.

**and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"That's not a good thing," Molly said.

"He must've really cared about us," James said to Lily. They found it odd that their Headmaster was showing such emotion when neither had spoken so much as two words to him.

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"Don't know if I will be among them," Sirius said softly. The others nodded in agreement.

**"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.**

Sirius smiled, but didn't shout with happiness. Even the idea of having a flying motorcycle didn't improve his mood.

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

"And all this time, I thought she could care less," James replied.

"Of course she likes you, you're her favorite student," Remus pointed out.

**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.**

"They can't just leave him there! He might catch a cold!" Lily said. James rolled his eyes. Lily in motherly mode was a strange sight to see.

**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.**

"Aww," the girls cooed again.

**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,**

"That is a horrible thing to see first thing in the morning," Sirius joked. Everyone laughed.

**nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…**

"He better not touch my son," James seethed.

**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!"**

"That's the end of the first chapter." Remus sighed.

Everyone was quiet.

The sky was filled with clouds. Nobody noticed their darkened color.

"Shall we read another chapter?" Alice asked cautiously, her eyes darting to Lily. She and James shared a knowing look and nodded.

"I'll read this time," Frank said and took the book from Remus.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I would like to thank all those who had given me good reviews. This is my first story, so I was a bit nervous, but thanks for the encouragement.**

**To Lovealwayshopes: in order to properly answer your question, I would like to say that I do intend to do all the books but they may be under different titles. Don't worry, though, because I will help you distinguish among them.**

**To everyone: sorry that I had not updated sooner. My laptop broke down on me, literally, into pieces. I had to wait to get a new one. I promise to update whenever I can and hope to receive more reviews next time.**

**PS…Dear Lovealwayshopes—thanks for your comment about Molly and Arthur. I think I forgot to mention that there will be occasional appearances from Hagrid, perhaps Tonks, and I would like to add that McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape may become regular characters. Can't promise, but I will do my best!!!**

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! EVERYTHING BELONGS TO JK ROWLING AND ALWAYS WILL. THIS STORY IS PURELY FOR FUN, AND SORRY THAT I DIDN'T MENTION IT SOONER.**

Chapter Two: Thunderstorm and The Vanishing Glass

Frank took the book, found the page where they had left off and cleared his voice. **"Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass,"** he spoke.

"Do you think it means accidental magic?" Alice questioned.

Sirius snickered. "Prong and Lily's son. Ha, can't wait to hear what magic he's been doing." James beamed but Lily was getting nervous. She could only imagine Petunia's reaction to all this.

Frank started again, but before he could read the next line, a thunderous rage made the group of friends look up towards the cloudy sky. The smell of rain hung on the air and the wind snapped at them like a whip.

"Let's continue this inside," Remus suggested. He and Sirius took the lead, followed by Molly and Arthur, and not far behind, Alice and Frank. James and Lily were the last of the group to follow.

"Do you think this book can tell us the future?" Lily asked James. He shrugged.

"It's possible, but so far, I don't like it," he commented. Lily looked forward. It was going to be a long day.

The group of friends had just entered the school when a sharp voice made them look up. "Really, what are you all doing here?" the voice shouted. "Molly, Arthur, who are watching your kids? And what have you been doing, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black?"

It was McGonagall, as strict-looking as ever.

"Did you two and Mr. Lupin cause that toilet to blow-up earlier this morning?" she questioned. "Because if you did, then—" She didn't get to finish her sentence. James and Lily rushed toward her and simultaneously hugged her. To say that she was startled was an understatement.

James pulled away, smiling sadly at her. "It was us," he admitted. "And I promise that we will serve detention without complaint for it." From behind, Sirius and Remus were nodding steadfastly, giving McGonagall warm smiles.

McGonagall looked from the sad-looking James to the teary-eyed Lily. She had never seen either look so torn. "Mind explaining to me your behavior?" she asked Remus, who looked the most composed person of the group.

"We just found this book, professor, and…" he paused, looking at James and Lily before continuing, "we think it's from the future."

She gave them an appraising look. "Let me see the book." She took _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ from Frank, saw the publishing date and gasped. "1997! Very strange, indeed! I'll take this straight to Dumbledore and figure this out."

James and the group seemed hesitant on the idea. "Um, actually Professor, we want to continue reading the book," Frank said timidly. "We only read the first chapter."

McGonagall nodded. "Come to the Headmaster's office in fifteen minutes, and we will continue from there," she said. Just as she turned, she looked to James with a meaningful look and said, "Professor Dumbledore likes Chocolate Cauldrons," she said, and briskly walked away.

"Chocolate Cauldrons, what the hell?" Sirius said when the Head of his House was out of earshot.

"Must be the password to get there," James deducted.

As instructed, they walked to the Headmaster's office, stopping briefly to give the password to the gargoyle, and entered the Headmaster's office. James, Remus and Sirius had only been in the office once: when Snape had nearly gotten killed by going down the Whomping Willow during the full moon and was very close to being killed by Remus the Werewolf.

When James, Sirius and Remus looked up to find McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape in the office, each experienced their own déjà vu, with Remus looking scared, James apprehensive and Sirius almost believing he will get expelled. But then Dumbledore smiled, and they were brought back to the present and away from that dreadful memory.

"A curious read," Dumbledore said, holding up the book. "We had just finished reading the first chapter." His blue eyes looked straight to James and Lily. _Of course, he was thinking of that_, James said, exasperated. Then again, he felt sad. In four years time, he and Lily will be dead.

"What is he doing here?" Sirius motioned to Snape, who glared at him before darting his eyes toward Lily. Lily stared into Snape's eyes long enough to see the anger in their depths, and then looked away. Neither had spoken since the incident in fifth year.

"I was just speaking to Severus about his career options," Dumbledore said. "And when Professor McGonagall arrived with this book, I thought it would be an excellent read."

James had the strangest feeling that Dumbledore was lying. After all, it was usually Professor Slughorn, Potions master and Head of Slytherin House, that spoke to Slytherins about their career options. But James felt it was not best to point this out, especially when he just realized that Snape was looking—no, glaring at him, with such loathing it was startling.

Snape wasn't sure how to feel. He had a content morning spending time in the library, looking through books normally off-limits to the students, but around lunchtime, his luck changed.

Professor Dumbledore summoned him to speak of the rumors surrounding Malfoy, Lestrange, Avery and other fellow Slytherins—rumors regarding them becoming future Death Eaters—and questioning Snape's own motives. He was spared answering when McGonagall appeared with the strange book.

Snape was shocked to hear of Lord Voldemort's demise, and even more shocked to hear that it was a one-year-old boy that accomplished this. The wizard he admires and was thinking of following is going to meet his end within a few short years.

But none of this was the reason he was glaring at Potter. The one-year-old boy—Harry Potter—is James Potter's son, and the mother is Lily Evans. Snape couldn't wrap his head around the words. Lily, his Lily, his first and most precious friend, and the only woman he can ever love, is going to marry his long-time archenemy and bear him a son. As if that wasn't enough to add to his pain, his beloved is going to be killed by the wizard he admires above all others.

_This is all Potter's fault_, he thought scathingly. No, he couldn't bear to lose Lily like this; over his dead body would he allow Potter to marry her. Not without a fight.

James likely read his thoughts by the expression on his face. He looked over to Lily, and without anyone's notice, he gave Snape a triumphant smirk. It took all of his self-restraint for Snape not to lunge out at him that moment.

Molly stepped forward. "Mind if we used your chimney, Dumbledore, to check upon the babysitter? I'd like to see if there are any problems at home." Dumbledore nodded.

While Arthur and Molly talked through the Floo Channel to their children (Bill, Charles and Percy), Dumbledore conjured up eight chairs arching around his desk. Lily sat in between James and Remus, a good distance from where Snape was sitting. He loathed the smirk on James' face.

When everyone was seated and Molly and Arthur finished their goodbyes, Frank took the book and found the page to continue reading.

"Chapter Two: Accidental Magic," he started.

**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.**

Sirius snorted. "Not surprise to hear that."

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number on the Dursley's 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.**

"Tuney never did like changing or anything strange," Lily whispered sadly. James heard her. Snape glared menacingly as James put a reassuring hand on Lily's shoulder. If they were still friends, he would be the one comforting Lily, not Potter.

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets—**

James and Sirius laughed, and soon everyone followed. Snape smirked but allowed nothing more. McGonagall shook her head, exasperated. _They will be the death of me_, she thought, but she smiled warmly at James and Lily, two of her most promising students, who (by reading the first chapter) are going to die and leave their only son an orphan.

Dumbledore chuckled. As horrid as the day started, things were beginning to lighten up. He couldn't think of a better way to spend the holidays.

When he could breathe again, Frank continued.

**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. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

Lily straightened up. "Did they give him up for adoption?" she snarled.

James sighed. "No offense, Lily, but seeing how your sister and her husband act with wizards, that would be pretty generous of them." Lily relaxed, agreeing, almost hopeful. Snape was seething. How dare Potter call Lily by her name! How dare Potter talk as if he knew Lily better than him!

**Yet, Harry Potter was still there,**

Sirius gave the book a confused glare. "You mean they actually took him in?" Lily was also surprised with this. Could it be possible that Petunia changed?

**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!"**

Lily sighed. It was too much to hope that Petunia's attitude toward magic would be different.

"Poor Harry. That's a horrible thing to wake up to in the morning," Alice sympathized.

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

"**Up!" she screeched.**

"Be nice to Harry, you insensitive horse-faced cow!" Everyone turned to a red-faced Lily, who clapped her hands to her mouth with shock. Three…two…one…

Sirius and James started laughing. Snape smirked. Same old Lily.

Lily blushed. McGonagall was shocked; Professor Dumbledore smiled. Nope, he could think of no better way to spend the holidays.

**Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. 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.**

"He remembered my bike!" Sirius said with excitement. "That's because it's ruddy BRILLIANT!!"

**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 Dudley's birthday."**

"That's no fair! He shouldn't be forced to cook on his cousin's birthday!" Remus glared at the book menacingly.

**Harry groaned.**

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

"**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,**

"Doesn't mind spiders, I see," Dumbledore said, chuckling.

**put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

Three…two…one…

"He…sleeps…where?" Sirius asked, his voice just above a whisper.

"THAT—IS—THE—MOST—HORRID—THING—YOU—CAN—DO—PETUNIA!" Lily screeched. Everyone (except Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall, of course) went into tantrums, yelling insults and making death threats, each promising their own form of torment to the Muggle family.

McGonagall frowned. She normally didn't condone this type of behavior, but even she had to admit, making a child sleep in such a small place…she felt her own anger rising at the treatment of this poor boy.

It took a few moments before everyone grew calm again. Sirius conjured up a paper and quill and began scribbling.

"Padfoot, what are you doing?" Remus questioned, leaning over his friend's shoulder to read the parchment.

"I'm making a list," he said. "Every time the Dursleys do something horrible to Harry, I'm going to write it down and this will serve as proof at any future trials that may have to do with me pranking or hexing those Muggles."

James and Remus smiled mischievously. Everyone else grew nervous at the evil glint their eyes. McGonagall and Dumbledore looked at each other in shock—how can a boy be so mistreated that his room was a cupboard.

Lily frowned but said nothing and motioned for Frank to resume reading.

**When he was dressed we went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents.**

"I'm afraid to ask how much," Arthur commented.

**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 fact and hated exercise—**

James and Sirius snickered.

**unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry,**

At this, nearly everyone growled and Sirius began scribbling on the parchment.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Takes after you, James," Remus said. James smiled.

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

"Exactly like James," Sirius said, laughing at James' pout. Lily eyed the black-haired boy next to her. It was true that James had been small and skinny, but that was many years ago during first year, when they had first met. His shoulders had broadened, his muscles grew and his childish face had gotten sharper and more angular with time. It seemed strange to Lily that she hadn't noticed how much James had grown up since that first day on the train.

Snape, noticing Lily staring at James, quickly concentrated on staring at the floor, breathing deeply and silently until his anger ebbed.

**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.**

Remus looked down at his own shabby clothing. "Couldn't they at least buy him some clothes!" he said with a sigh.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair**

"Why does he look like you?" Lily said, annoyed. James shrugged.

"Part of the Potter curse," he said with a wink.

**and bright green eyes.**

"I'm glad he has your eyes," James said quietly. Lily fought back the smile, but Snape noticed the corner of her lips twitched. He growled beneath his breath.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

Sirius began writing again.

**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.**

"He actually likes it?" Alice said with wide eyes.

**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.**

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

Anyone outside of Hogwarts could've heard the outburst coming from the Headmaster's office. After five minutes, when it became apparent that their shouting was not going to relent, Dumbledore shot a few sparks into the air until they were finally quiet.

"**And don't ask questions."**

"I'm going to kill Petunia," Lily threatened while Sirius scribbled away.

_**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.**

"It won't work," James said, attempting to flatten his hair as demonstration.

**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 most annoying of the Potter curses," Remus teased.

"I kinda like it," Lily whispered, then blushed when she realized that nearly everyone heard her. James beamed; Snape bit back all the insults and death threats running through his mind. He was now seeing the temptation in using the Cruciatus curse.

**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.**

Sirius snorted at the description.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel—Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Everyone roared with laughter. "Seems Harry inherited both of his parents' wit," Remus said. At that, James and Lily smiled.

**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, that's absolutely ridiculous!" Arthur chided.

"He sounds just as spoiled as Malfoy, and that's saying something," Sirius added.

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Margie'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.**

"Inherited Lily's brain, I see," Remus noted.

"Hey, I'm smart!" James argued. Lily giggled. Snape was internally debating whether this was a good or bad thing.

**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?"**

"Two more presents, are you kidding me!" Alice shouted. "And you can't use that money to buy Harry clothes of his own!" She motioned to Sirius to write this down; he obeyed.

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

Sirius groaned. "Are you kidding me? How dumb is this kid?" Sirius asked seriously (no pun intended!).

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

"**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.**

**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.**

Everyone gaped at the book. Sirius finally found his voice and spoke out, "Okay, I've never taken Muggle Studies, nor will I ever, but even I know that this is just ridiculous!"

**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't take him." She jerked his head in Harry's direction.**

"As I recall, he has a name," James said through his gritted teeth.

**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.**

"They won't even let him have any fun!" Sirius growled. "You could at least bring him back something! Why won't they take my godson out for fun?"

Lily narrowed her eyes at Sirius. "What makes you think you'll be the godfather?" she questioned.

James explained, "We already agreed that if I had any children, Sirius would be godfather. If Sirius had kids, Remus would be godfather. And if Remus has any kids, I'd be godfather."

Lily raised her eyebrows at James. "What about Peter?"

"He says he doesn't want any kids," Remus answered.

Lily huffed, and then nodded. "Fine, but I choose the godmother."

"Anything you want, Lily." James gave her a winning smile. Lily rolled her eyes and Snape growled.

**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.**

"Ugh, I hate cats," Sirius commented.

"I'll explain later," James promised, seeing Lily's confused expression.

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

Sirius chuckled.

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

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

"Seems like everyone in that family does," Remus commented.

**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.**

This time, Lily growled.

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

"**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.**

"That's not going to improve your looks, honey," Sirius said. Everyone laughed.

"**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.**

"Do it anyway, just to get back at them," Sirius egged him. Lily smacked his head, though silently, she was agreeing.

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

"PETUNIA EVANS, DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE HIM IN THE CAR WHEN HE SHOULD BE OUT HAVING FUN!" Lily scolded. James and Remus, the closest to the temperamental red-head, inched away—they knew better than to be near Lily when her anger lashes out.

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

**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.**

"Spoiled brat," Molly sighed, frowning at what she considered to be the result of failed parenting and vowing not to let her children grow up the same way.

"**Dinky Duddydums,**

There was another roll of laughter. "D-d-d-dinky d-d-duddydum," Sirius gasped. Snape didn't comment but watched Lily's face flush with giggles. Both McGonagall and Dumbledore tried looking disapproving and utterly failed.

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

"It's a wonder if her arms are long enough to wrap around him," Sirius mused.

"**I…don't…want…him….t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the tap in his mother's arms.**

"This boy seems adept at manipulating others," Remus said, sobering up.

**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.**

"Wonder if Peter has any lost relatives," Sirius whispered teasingly.

"Make sure he doesn't hear you say that about him," Remus warned.

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.**

"What a charming guy," James said sarcastically. "They both must be really popular."

"I'm not liking my nephew at all," Lily added.

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

"Huh, guess when his friends are around, he's not his mother's dinky duddydum," Sirius said. This started another roll of laughter.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursley's car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life.**

Lily and Remus, who both took Muggle Studies, frowned at this. James and Sirius weren't able to fully understand, but the way the words were spoken made them depressed.

**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 at 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."**

"They wouldn't," James said heatedly but uncertain. Lily whimpered. She wasn't aware of how harsh Dursley was—she had never met the man, and by the looks of it, she never wants to.

Sirius was scribbling furiously on the parchment.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

Arthur smiled slightly. "It's too bad," he said, "because he seems like an honest person…"

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

"Accidental magic," everyone chorused.

**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**

"NO!!!!! They're cutting off the famous Potter hair!" Lily rolled her eyes at James while Remus and Sirius snickered silently and sadly.

**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.**

Lily let out a small whimper. Alice and Molly looked at her sympathetically. Everyone else looked at the boy sadly. Even Snape sympathized for this neglectful boy. When Sirius had finished writing and conjured up another roll of parchment, the reading continued.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"HA!" James shouted gloatingly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Potter hair never dies," he muttered. At this, James glared at Sirius and Remus.

"You should know," he grumbled. Sirius and Remus smiled innocently, which made everyone in the room extremely nervous, as they recognized the gleam of mischief in the smiling boys' eyes.

"What do you mean?" Lily looked between the boys. Remus was shaking with struggling laughter. Sirius didn't bother hiding his amusement.

"I can remember two certain monkey-brained idiots who tried to play a prank on me by cutting all of my hair and dying it green and silver," James growled.

Sirius was now rolling on the floor, laughing. "I don't really understand why you were so upset, your hair grew back," Remus pointed out.

"Yeah, it did, but the dye was still there in the morning," James reminded him.

Lily wasn't sure if she should laugh at this or not. She could only imagine James' reaction when he finds that his hair was glowing Slytherin colors. Everyone returned to the story but James continued glaring at Remus and Sirius, who thought it safer to slowly inch away closer to Dumbledore.

Frank cleared his throat, trying to will back his own laughter, and continued.

**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.**

Everyone sobered up at the sentence. The only sound heard was the scratching of a quill against parchment.

**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.**

"I thought your sister knew about magic," Remus said to Lily.

"She does."

"Then she must be in great denial if she thinks that pathetic-excuse-for-a-sweater shrunk in the wash and not even contemplate that Harry's doing it." Lily didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if Petunia was being honest, either, or if her sister hated her enough that she would think anything abnormal (including Lily) was a figment of her imagination.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"Yes, he's a mini-Marauder!" Sirius said enthusiastically. Remus and James snickered, as did Arthur and Frank. Everyone else sighed, exasperated or apprehensive depending on the person. Not another one.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual**

Sirius was writing again.

**when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.**

Sirius snickered. James and Remus shook their heads, but were smiling nonetheless.

**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.**

Remus snorted. "Oh, come on Harry. Even I can come up with a better lie than that."

**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.**

Lily motioned for Sirius to write down this information for future use. He obeyed.

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry,**

"Hey!"

**the council, Harry,**

"What did he ever do to you?"

**the bank, and Harry**

"Now really!"

**were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

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

Sirius smiled triumphantly. "Mine's better."

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

"Uh oh. He shouldn't have said that," Remus said.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front.**

"Good, let that stupid car get damaged!" Sirius shouted.

**He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

"Mine does."

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

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

"NO, IT WASN'T!" Sirius practically screamed. "It wasn't a dream, Harry!"

Remus' face was pinched with concentration. "That's strange."

"No, it isn't!" Sirius shouted again. "Motorcycles can fly and—"

"Not that," Remus sighed. "I was talking about Harry."

James turned to his friend. "What do you mean?"

"Doesn't anyone find it weird that Harry remembers something from when he was one-year-old, when the rest of us can't even remember the first time we did magic?" There was silence. Indeed, all of them have been using magic for so long that none can remember the first bit of magic—even accidental magic—that they had done.

**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 of even a cartoon—they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"They know," Lily growled accusingly. "They know about magic. That's why they're doing all this."

**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.**

"That was nice," James said.

"I like that lady," Sirius added.

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

Everyone (except Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore) roared with laughter. "A Marauder in the making," Sirius said while Remus cried out, "No doubt, he is definitely your son."

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time.**

James smiled sadly; Lily felt her eyes cloud with tears.

**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.**

Sirius hung his head as he wrote. "Why doesn't he fight back?" He was asking no one in particular, but they heard him and could not answer.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"That was surprisingly kind of him," Alice commented, grasping straws.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

Everyone groaned. "This is going to be bad," Sirius mumbled.

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

"Cool!" Sirius and James chanted.

**but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

"Oh, how disappointing," Remus sighed.

**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 away.**

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

Sirius snorted and shook his head in disbelief. "Never thought I would hear of a boy as bad as Malfoy," he said. Snape threw a defiant glare in the dark-haired boy's direction but said nothing, as Lily was nodding in agreement with Black. She didn't have a high opinion of Malfoy either.

**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 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.**

"Is your son actually sympathizing with a snake?" Frank said, dumbfounded. He whistled. "Well, to compare your life with such a creature, he must not have had the most pleasant childhood." Lily cringed. She didn't even want to think of what Petunia and her whale-of-a-husband had been doing to her baby.

**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.**

"Winked?" Remus, along with the others, gaped at the book. "That's not possible. Do they even have eyelids?"

**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.**

Sirius asked, "Why is he doing this?"

**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, as though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

There was silence. "My son is a….Parselmouth?" James said. There was the faintest trace of disgust in his tone.

"Isn't that supposed to be a hereditary trait?" Arthur looked to Dumbledore. Dumbledore's light blue eyes gazed at the book pensively, at a loss for words.

"**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?"**

James shook his head, denial hitting him. "Parselmouth…how can that be…" The rest of his sentence was lost and incoherent muttering.

**As the snake shook his head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T **_**BELIEVE**_** WHAT ITS' DOING!"**

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

"Oh great, here comes ratty and fatty," Sirius joked. Everyone laughed lightheartedly.

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

Lily snarled and James looked murderous.

**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.**

"Yes! That's my boy!" James cried out. Catching Lily's eyes, he quickly backtracked and said, "I mean, that was very wrong, Harry, very wrong!" He tried to sound stern but utterly failed to hide his exultation. Lily couldn't stop from smiling.

The others—besides Snape, who was glaring at James with such fury it was amazing that he wasn't set afire that moment—were all surprised by what had just happened that they barely noticed James and Lily.

**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."**

"Yup, definitely a Marauder," Sirius proclaimed proudly, pretending to wipe away a fake tear.

James smiled. "Parselmouth…my son….useful, though…."

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

Remus lingered on that question. "Yes, 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 can 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, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg,**

Sirius snorted. "I wish."

**while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Wow, talk about dramatic," Alice grunted.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

Nearly everyone groaned. "Great, Harry's gonna be in trouble," Remus said.

**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,"**

"What?!"

"You can't do that!"

"He didn't do anything wrong!"

"He needs to eat, you whale!"

**before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

**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.**

Sirius smiled. "Another confirmation that he's a mini-Marauder."

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years,**

Lily sniffed. James hung his head. _It's not fair_, he thought bitterly. _I can't even see my son grow up._

**as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash.**

McGonagall's nostrils flared at the lie. Sirius snarled and there was the faintest of amber in Remus' eyes. Everyone just shook their heads in disgust.

**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died.**

"Because there was no car crash!" James contradicted.

**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.**

At that, there was great silence. Snape finally whispered, "The Killing Curse?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "It appears so, and if I could guess correctly, then that must mean that your son had survived the curse." Lily smiled, but James was confused.

"How, though?" Dumbledore, again, was at a loss for words.

**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.**

Lily felt her eyes clouding. James reached for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. For once, Lily didn't pull away, nor flinch away from James' warm fingers. Snape glared, but again, it went unnoticed. Everyone else looked at the book sadly. McGonagall blinked rapidly, hoping her misty eyes would go unnoticed.

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs in the house.**

This time, Alice and Molly went weepy. There was a lot of sadness in the air of the Headmaster's office that hour.

**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.**

Remus perked up. "That reminds me, where are we? You would think that we would visit Harry, if nothing else."

"Yeah!" Sirius cried out. "I mean, I'm his godfather, why the heck didn't I come and get him!"

"I would've taken him," Alice chimed in.

Dumbledore thought over his words carefully. "Perhaps, something else has happened?" he suggested. At the look of their confused and pale faces, he quickly added, "I do not mean that I would believe any of you are predeceased, but that there is more to this story than meets the eye. Certainly, if anything, I believe that growing up with this Muggle family might benefit him in the end."

Everyone slowly nodded, still doubtful. How would growing up with the Dursleys be useful?

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

"Wizards!" Sirius cried out, his vigor returning.

**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.**

"They Apparated," Sirius explained. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Like he can hear you, Padfoot," he said.

**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.**

"I can't believe my nephew can be so cruel!" Lily cried out, her eyes still wet.

Dumbledore looked to his clock. "We might be able to read a few more chapters before we can call it a day. If I may." He stretched his hand out to Frank. Frank handed the book gratefully, eyeing it as if it was the most distasteful treat he ever ate.

Dumbledore found the correct page and prepared the next chapter of their story.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: To inform all those reading this story, within a few short days, I will be working on another story that may or may not have to do with Harry Potter but with other books, depending on my mood. Please give reviews when the first chapters come up! Thank you! ~Isabella248**

**Disclaimer: What difference is there between Rowling and I? She owns Harry Potter and I never will!**

O~O~O~O

Lily stiffened, watching with nervous eyes as Dumbledore flipped through the pages. Snape saw the fear in Lily's eyes and desperately wanted to comfort her. He wanted to put his arm around her shoulders and tell her everything was all right, and he would've done so, had they still been friends. If anything, he could at least postpone the reading until she was ready.

But he was not the only one to notice Lily's anxiety, and so before Snape could do anything, James spoke up.

"Headmaster?" Dumbledore looked up. "Perhaps we should take a break," James suggested. "We can continue reading in about—let's say—thirty minutes, when our nerves had settled." All the while speaking, James looked over to Lily.

Dumbledore nodded and closed the book. "Perhaps it is time for lunch," he said. He and McGonagall—who also noticed Lily's nervousness—led the students out of the office, down the moving staircase and towards the Great Hall. While everyone cheerfully ate, Lily moved outside to be alone with her thoughts. James was quick to follow, with Snape watching with vengeful eyes.

Lily also noticed James. "Why are you following me?" she said in an irritated tone.

"Didn't think you want to be alone," he replied.

Lily snarled but otherwise did nothing to stop him. Truthfully, she really didn't feel like being alone.

They both sat together in the courtyard, eating silently under the shelter of one of the buildings from the tranquil rain. Lily was, to say the least, a bit surprised that James wasn't annoying her, as usual. Instead, while he nibbled the corner of his sandwich, he was looking upward toward the cloudy sky with a thoughtful expression.

Lily never saw James look like that before, ever! And in a way, he looked…cute. Lily shook her head—she couldn't believe she just thought that! This was James Potter, for crying out loud! The same boy that annoyed her since first year, the same boy that was always smiling a stupid cocky, arrogant smile whenever she saw him…but he wasn't smiling at all right now. He looked…serious…

"What are you thinking about?" she asked impulsively.

"The rain," he said all too quickly. Intuition flickered—Lily sensed he was lying.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Nothing in particular," Lily said. James smiled—he knew she was lying, but since this was the longest he's been with Lily that didn't involved shouting at each other, he decided not to push the matter.

After ten minutes of silence, Lily asked again, "What are you thinking about? And this time, tell the truth."

James hesitated. "Harry."

She looked at him, surprised, caught off guard by his response. "You were?"

He nodded and smiled. "Same as you, am I right?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you—"

"Great minds think alike," he said and winked at her. Lily rolled her eyes. There was the James that had been plaguing her since first year.

She sighed in defeat. "Yes, I'm worried. I hope he's okay." James chuckled. "James Potter, this is not funny!" Lily snapped, her flashing green eyes looking to meet his amused hazel irises. "Aren't you worried about him?"

James grew somber at the question, all humor gone. Lily was surprised—she had never seen James so serious-looking before. But there was a new emotion in his eyes that surprised her more—it was grief.

"Of course I'm worried," he whispered. "He's my son, and I care deeply about him. And I want him to have the best life possible." His mouth twitched, fighting a smile. "Weird, isn't it, though? You and I are both fretting over a boy that doesn't even exist yet."

Lily tried smiling back. "I guess." She paused. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For stopping Dumbledore." Lily looked ashamed. "I wasn't ready to continue with the story. Not after hearing everything Harry's been through."

James was silent, watching Lily beginning to blush from the intensity of his stare—or maybe because she was uncomfortable admitting weakness to anyone, especially to him. He looked away to look at the rain.

"Truthfully, I wasn't ready either," he admitted. He smiled sadly. "I mean…he doesn't remember. He doesn't remember me, or you. I guess it's good, in a way, because of what Voldemort did, but I'm just sad that I…that you and I…will never get to see him grow up. It's not fair!"

Lily felt her eyes tearing up. Her baby…her poor baby…so confused about the magic he's doing and doesn't even understand that he's doing it all! She knew Petunia hated her—called her a freak to her face a fair number of times—but she never once believed that her sister's hatred and prejudice against all things magical would extend to her baby boy.

Without even thinking of what she was doing, Lily leaned over and rested her head on James' shoulder. He stiffened, and then relaxed. He put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Do you think…we can change the future? If we read these books, I mean," Lily whispered.

James twirled a lock of Lily's red hair, savoring how silky it was between his fingers. "Maybe. If not, we could use this to our advantage."

Lily looked up and met his eyes, confused.

"If, for some reason, we can't change the future, let's use our time wisely, read this book, and see our son grow up." He smiled brightly. "Maybe that's why we found it in the first place—someone's giving us a chance to hear about our son. I'm grateful, if nothing else."

Lily smiled back. She leaned back on his shoulder. "I'm grateful, too." For another few minutes, they sat in silence.

Snape, who had snuck after James and was now hiding behind a pillar, saw this, and a rage he never felt before roared in his heart. He forced himself to look away. He hated that book! He hated that boy that would be James Potter's son! He hated that boy that would be his beloved Lily's child! And he hated that James Potter had Lily—his Lily—in his arms. He hated him!

He took off running, confident that the rain disguised his thundering footsteps. He ran so that he could no longer see the husband and wife-to-be.

O~O~O~O

When their thirty minutes was up, everyone had gathered into the Headmaster's office. Snape was still seething with rage. He shot James a reproachful look as he and his sweet Lily entered the room. They settled in their original spots, and Lily—who felt Snape looking at her—did not bother to acknowledge his presence.

Dumbledore picked up the book and found the correct chapter. He hesitated.

"What's wrong Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"There's a note here in this chapter," Dumbledore replied. " _'Dear readers, in addition to your reading, I will be sending you two people who will be more than delighted to join you. Signed, a friend.'_"

As soon as he finished speaking, a bright blue fire appeared behind them. Everyone looked as two teenagers, a boy and a girl, appeared, backs facing them and both looking curiously around their surroundings.

The boy was red-haired, tall with freckles over his face. The girl had a pretty heart-shaped face and long brown hair braided into plaits. Both were wearing casual clothing.

The girl turned to her partner with an angry look and smacked him upside the head. "Ow!" he yelped.

"Ronald Weasley, what did you do?" the girl demanded.

"I swear, I didn't do anything Hermione," the boy named Ronald retorted.

The girl named Hermione huffed. "Then you tell me why we're suddenly in the headmaster's office!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. Both figures turned around. Their eyes widened and within half a second, both whipped out their wands and pointed it at them. Sirius, Remus, James, Lily, Snape, Arthur and Frank took out their wands, ready to counterattack. Alice tentatively stood beside Frank, her wand already in hand but the look on her face told that she didn't want a confrontation. Molly looked at the boy named Ronald Weasley. Surely, it can't be…

Dumbledore stood up. "Now, now, there's no need to act rashly," he said.

Neither Ron nor Hermione relaxed their positions. "Reveal yourselves, Deatheaters!" Ron demanded.

"Watch who you're calling Deatheaters!" Sirius shouted. "How do we know you're not the Deatheaters here, huh?"

A few minutes of tense silence followed. Dumbledore walked around the desk and stood between the groups of teenagers. Ron tightened his grip on his hand, wavering on the decision to point his wand at the imposter whom resembled his old headmaster; McGonagall quickly rushed to be behind Dumbledore. Hermione kept her glare on the others.

"Now, now, there's no need for alarm," Dumbledore said, trying to console the newcomers.

Hermione eyed each of the kids. She was alarmed when she recognized the younger versions of Remus, Sirius and Snape. She was surprised to see Neville and Ron's parents. But what really shook her confidence were the other two people in the room, the boy with messy black hair and a girl with pretty green eyes. They look so familiar…

O~O~O~O

James kept his glare on the boy, but focused his attention on the girl named Hermione, as she was eyeing each of them with a weary expression. He watched her eyes widen with each face she took in. But her gaze faltered entirely when her eyes touched his and Lily's. She gave them a puzzling look, as if she was trying to remember something.

Suddenly her eyes widened again. Her elbow brushed against her partner's and she whispered something they couldn't hear. The boy looked away from Dumbledore to me and Lily. His eyes widened as well.

What the hell is going on here?

O~O~O~O

Hermione kept her glare on the boy with messy hair and the girl with green eyes. She was scanning through her memories, trying to figure out why they looked so familiar. Surely, they haven't met before, but why did it feel like she did?

A horrible realization fell on her as she closely examined the boy with messy hair. He looked like Harry! The same facial features, the same muscled physique, the same height, the same everything! Well, except the eyes. But then she looked at the pretty red-haired girl with the familiar green eyes. Harry's eyes…

She let out an inaudible gasp. She now remembers where she has seen their faces. After the war, when Harry had moved in with the Weasleys, he decorated the walls of his new room with portraits of Sirius, Remus, Tonks and many others that had died in the war. Among the moving pictures was a portrait of his mother and father. Every time she entered his room, the first picture she always saw was that portrait of his parents. James and Lily Potter…

Hermione nudged Ron's elbow. "Ron, look at those two next to Dumbledore," she whispered so low that no one else could've heard her. Ron obeyed hesitantly.

He, too, has seen the portrait of his best mate's dead parents. Like Hermione, his gaze faltered when he noticed that the dark-haired boy resembled Harry. Except the eyes, of course, but when he looked at the pretty red-head next to the boy, he saw the familiar green irises he always associated with his best mate.

"Bloody hell," he cursed beneath his breath. He and Hermione looked at each other and then turned to Dumbledore.

"What year is it?" Hermione asked, her eyes drawing hesitantly to James and Lily.

Dumbledore smiled. "1977," he answered.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other again, and then lowered their wands. The others looked surprised by how relaxed the two newcomers were, when, seconds before, they looked prepared for battle.

"So, you're not Deatheaters," Ron sighed with relief. "Good thing, too, because we were a bit outnumbered." He looked around the office. "Huh, shouldn't be surprised that your office looked like it did when we went to school," he commented.

Hermione, while certain that there was no immediate danger, she continued eyeing the others in the office. She was now certain who they were.

Dumbledore cleared his throat to gain their attention. "Would you mind introducing yourselves," he said smiling.

"I'm Hermione Granger, sir," Hermione said. Her eyes drew to James and Lily for the third time.

"Ronald Weasley," Ron said. Within seconds after saying so, two arms enveloped around his neck and red hair brushed against his face.

"Oh, I was right, I was right!" Molly cried out. "You must be our future son! Oh, I'm so happy!" She turned and gave her husband her famous deathly glare. "I cannot believe you were ready to attack him! He's your son!"

Arthur faltered under the glare of his wife. "Need to be cautious nowadays, sweetie," he said. But he smiled as he looked at Ron. "But I'm glad. Another son! One more to the family!" He walked up and hugged Ron as well.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintances," Dumbledore said. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. This is Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House." He gestured to the others standing on his other side.

"This is Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Frank Longbottom, Alice Mason, Molly and Arthur Weasley, James Potter and Lily Evans," he said. Hermione and Ron's gaze fell on James and Lily again. James was getting annoyed by the furtive looks.

"Why the hell are you looking at us like that?" he snapped. Ron and Hermione looked taken back.

"Sorry but…it's just weird that we got to meet you two in person," Ron said sheepishly.

Lily looked taken back now. "Do you know us?" she asked.

Hermione gave them a wistful smile. "Of course we do. You're James and Lily Potter, Harry's parents," she said, her voice growing sad at the end.

Sirius looked them over. "You know Harry?" he asked, almost suspiciously.

Ron nodded. "Of course we know Harry, everyone in the Wizarding world does," he said.

Hermione looked at James and Lily a fifth time before adding, "Harry's our best friend."

Everyone lowered their wands. "You Gryffindors?" Sirius questioned.

Hermione rolled their eyes. "Of course we are, _Padfoot_," she said, putting some emphasis on the last word. He, James and Remus suddenly grew nervous, but when Hermione gave them a comforting smile, their worries waned. Lily watched this exchange and felt that she was missing something.

"So, what's going on?" Ron asked.

"We're reading a book about Harry," Remus answered. "You've been sent to read it with us."

"There's a book about Harry?" Ron questioned. Hermione smacked him upside the head again.

"There were plenty of books about him before, Ron!" she said in an exasperated tone. "You would know that if you picked up a book once in a while." Sirius and James snickered.

Dumbledore conjured up two more chairs and everyone settled in their seats. "What's the title?" Hermione asked.

"_Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_," Lily said.

"So, it's basically about our first year at Hogwarts," Ron whispered. She nodded. Hermione wondered how James and Lily would take it once they hear about all the stuff that happened throughout the year.

Dumbledore flipped through the pages until he prepared to read the chapter for the third time. "**Chapter Three: The Letters From No One**," he spoke.

Sirius' face lit up. "This is it! Hogwarts!" James and Lily beamed.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment.**

Hermione and Ron groaned. "Harry told us about that particular incident," Hermione explained at seeing everyone's questioning gaze. "He said the punishment lasted a while." She added that last part ruefully.

"I'm afraid to ask how long," James muttered.

**By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started**

Hermione and Ron both growled. Everyone else shouted out:

"What?!"

"That's totally unfair!"

"You big prunes, he didn't do anything wrong!"

"You had better have fed him, Petunia!"

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Brat," everyone chorused, including Hermione and Ron, whom had met Dudley once since the war and did not plan to meet him ever again. Even McGonagall couldn't help but voice her opinion on the horrid boy. Never had she heard of someone so vile.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Aw, the philosophy of the world," Sirius joked. He sobered at the next sentence.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

Hermione sighed and Ron groaned. "I can't believe his aunt and uncle didn't care enough to stop it," Hermione whispered. She hated to hear how horrible Harry's childhood had been.

James growled. "I never heard of someone going this bad before," he sneered. Well, besides Voldemort but the cases were different.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope.**

"You think he knows about Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"Not likely," Frank answered. "Otherwise, he would know the truth about magic." Everyone looked at Ron and Hermione for confirmation.

"He didn't know," Ron answered.

**When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings.**

"What kind of name is Smeltings?" Sirius scoffed.

Lily shuddered. "Vernon went there—he thought it was a great school. I don't trust his judgment." James and Snape personally agreed.

**Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school.**

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, right. Like he's actually going to go to that school."

James nodded. "He'll be coming to Hogwarts." With Lily being the only one to hear, he added, "That means he'll find out the truth." Lily frowned. Her poor baby.

Hermione and Ron looked at them, both sad because they knew too well how much Harry had suffered.

**Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

Molly shook her head. "How can that boy's parents allow this to continue?"

"He better not have done anything to Harry," Ron warned.

"**No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it—it might be sick."**

Everyone (excluding Snape, Dumbledore and McGonagall) burst out laughing.

"Yup, that's our Harry," Ron said between laughs.

**Then he ran,**

"Smart move," Sirius said.

**before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

"That might take a while," Frank said, and they laughed even harder.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before.**

"Ha! Good, I hate cats!" Sirius said. Lily gave him a questioning look, and then looked over to James and Remus. Both were shaking their heads, but smiling. Hermione and Ron were both trying to hold in laughter. This only strengthened Lily's suspicions that they were all enjoying a personal inside joke, and that joke was known to Hermione and Ron. She remembered what Hermione said to Sirius—did this secret have to do with the nicknames? Padfoot…did that mean dog?

**She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

Sirius grimaced. "Well, at least she tried being nice," he said. Everyone nodded.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

Everyone else scrunched up their faces in distaste. "Never heard of a more horrible outfit," Arthur said.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How is that good?" Sirius questioned.

Remus sighed. "Something tells me that stick is going to be painful for Harry." Lily and James growled. Hermione and Ron were already plotting what hexes to put on Harry's large cousin the next time they meet.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.**

"He must've had a sad life," Sirius commented, and everybody laughed.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up.**

Everyone laughed harder. Even Snape couldn't hide a smile.

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

Everyone in the headmaster's office showed no sign of hiding their laughter. McGonagall tried to look disapproving and utterly failed. Dumbledore chuckled, enjoying the time with his students. It took about five minutes before everyone settled.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast.**

"Your sister cooking?" Sirius joked.

Lily couldn't hold back a smile. "Maybe."

"Hope it's not a pig," James said, "because if they eat it, that would be considered cannibalism."

Lily laughed. Snape glowered at James. James pretended not to notice and instead savored the fact that he made Lily laugh.

**It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

Lily was confused. "Did their washing machine break?"

"Can I ask what that is?" Sirius asked. Remus sighed.

"You would know if you've bothered taking Muggle Studies," Remus said. Sirius only smiled.

"It's easier just to ask you two." Remus and Lily shook their heads.

"It's a Muggle machine that washes clothes," Hermione answered.

Sirius looked at her. "Muggleborn," she said, and that answered his unasked question. He simply nodded.

"**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

Hermione huffed at that. She wouldn't have been able to stand not asking questions. How did Harry survive was beyond her comprehension.

"**Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

"**Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Ron, Hermione, Remus and Sirius burst out laughing. Ron and Hermione, because that was definitely something Harry would say. Remus and Sirius, because Harry reminded them of James.

"He is definitely your son," Sirius said to James and Lily. Both were smiling, as were everyone else (excluding Snape).

"**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"I seriously doubt that," James said.

**Harry seriously doubted this,**

Everyone looked from the book to James. "Whoa, that was weird," Remus said.

**but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High—like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

Everyone laughed again. "I like your son, he's funny," Frank said.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

"Man, I hate he has that stick!" Sirius said, cringing at the thought of Harry's torture.

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

"**Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

Molly huffed. "Didn't think he would make his son do anything productive," she scoffed.

"**Make Harry get it."**

"**Get the mail, Harry."**

"**Make Dudley get it."**

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

Nearly everyone growled at this statement. Nearly everyone. Snape was hiding his smile so that Lily wouldn't see.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight,**

"Ugh," Lily groaned. "I can't believe she's still alive."

James looked at Lily with an incredulous look. "Who is she?" he asked.

"Like the book kindly pointed out," Lily said, smiling grimly, "she's Vernon's whale of a sister, that cow." Both James and Sirius burst out laughing, Remus smiled.

When Hermione and Ron burst out laughing, everyone looked at them. "Sorry, we just remembered something Harry told us about Aunt Marge," Ron said, smiling widely. "Happened in third year. You might hear about it." He and Hermione tried to reign in their laughter before continuing.

**a brown envelope that looked like a bill,**

"What's a bill?" Sirius asked. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Must you ask pointless questions," he said in a tired tone. Sirius smiled mysteriously, his own way of saying yes.

**and—a letter for Harry.**

"YAH, HOGWARTS!" Sirius cried out. Everyone rolled their eyes but otherwise made no preference that they heard him.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, ha d written to him.**

At that, James frowned and looked to his two best mates. Sirius looked down, and answered the question in James' eyes. "I don't know why I didn't write him." Remus nodded, equally confused by this action.

Dumbledore sighed. "It is possible that I asked no one from the Wizarding world to contact him," he said. Sirius huffed and Remus shook his head. Neither was happy with the decision.

Lily turned to Hermione and Ron. "We write to Harry," Ron answered before Lily could ask. "We know that he really needed the company." Lily nodded, glad that Harry made good friends.

**Who would?**

"We would and we do," Hermione huffed. She hated to think how horrible Harry has been treated at Privet Drive.

"I would," Sirius said.

"Me too," Remus joined in.

"Anyone here would," Alice chimed. Everyone nodded but Snape. He refused point-blank to have any contact with the boy.

**He had no friends,**

James, Sirius and Remus both cringed at the idea of having no friends, and their sympathy for Harry grew. Everyone else just looked sad at those words. Even Snape, grudgingly, couldn't help but feel sorry for this boy that would be his beloved Lily's child.

Lily whimpered. She had to comfort herself on the idea that soon enough (she sneaked a peek at a saddened Ron and Hermione) he would have friends.

**no other relatives—he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back.**

"That's sad," Sirius whispered.

"Is it wrong if my son wants to learn or read books," Lily snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. Sirius had grown accustomed to it so he was not necessarily afraid.

"No, it's not," he answered. "I just think it's sad he's desperate enough for recognition that he would want strangers writing him other than friends."

Lily gave Sirius a perplexed stare. Never had she heard this Marauder sound so…serious **(A/N: That may or may not be a pun. You decide. ****).** Instead, she looked to Dumbledore to continue.

**Yet here it was, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard Under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

James growled at the address. Lily hung her head. Why, oh why, did her sister hate her enough to make her baby suffer so? Both Hermione and Ron cringed. Harry had only recently told them about his childhood. They knew about the cupboard, and outright exploded at the idea of their friend suffering like that. It was no better hearing it the second time around.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

"What's a stamp?" Sirius asked Remus.

"It's something that Muggles put on their mail," Remus answered.

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion,**

"GO GRIFFYNDOR!" James and Sirius cried out.

**an eagle, a badger and a snake**

Sirius booed and James frowned. Snape rolled their eyes at them.

**surrounding a large letter H.**

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

Sirius gaped at the book. "That…was a joke?"

James shook his head. "How is Harry supposed to develop a sense of humor growing up with that man?"

"Believe us, he has a sense of humor," Ron reassured them. They both smiled in anticipation.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"Bad move," Remus said.

"Why?" Arthur asked.

"Petunia and Vernon must know about magic, so they'll know about Hogwarts," Remus pointed out.

Hermione and Ron tried to stifle their laughter. Harry told them about this. They were feeling giddy at what would happen soon enough on that little island.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"**Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

Lily narrowed her eyes at the mention of the aunt. "Good, I hope she stays ill," she prayed.

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

Everyone groaned. "Please, please, please don't take away the letter," James pleaded.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Crap," James muttered.

"Give Harry back his letter, you whale!" Sirius shouted.

"**That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon,**

"I would, if I was allowed," Sirius grumbled. Remus nodded in agreement.

**shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was a grayish white of old porridge.**

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

"Oh please, talk about drama," Hermione groaned. Ron laughed.

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"What a drama queen," Lily huffed. James laughed.

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness—Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"If I did that, I would be stuck in my room for the rest of my life," James pointed out.

"If I did that, mum would kill me," Ron whispered.

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"Good point, now give him back his letter!" Sirius again said.

"They'll have to give him his letter," Remus pointed out. "It's not like they can just ignore it." Hermione and Ron smiled.

"**Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

James smiled. "Awww, there's Lily's temper," he joked. "Glad that didn't get lost." Lily smiled sheepishly. Snape strengthened his glare on James.

Hermione and Ron weren't sure whether to laugh or shudder. Harry's temper was great. His anger was enough to put Molly, Ginny and Lily's to shame. The few times they saw it weren't exactly the most pleasant.

"**Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall**

"Hey, don't touch my son!" James cried out.

**slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole;**

"Please tell me Harry won that fight," Remus begged.

**Dudley won,**

Remus sighed and everyone else groaned.

**so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between the door and floor.**

"That's a good alternative," Alice pointed out.

Sirius huffed. "At least that fat boy didn't sit on him."

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address—how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

James snorted. "Please, as if any of you besides Harry are worth spying on."

"**Watching—spying—might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"They are so full of themselves," Frank grunted.

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want—"**

Remus looked at Dumbledore. "What would happen if they wrote back?"

Dumbledore looked at each of them with a pensive look. "I feel that even if we have received such a response, it would be a wiser choice to allow us to teach young wizards how to control their powers rather than let them accomplish it on their own."

He returned back to the book.

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer…Yes, that's best…we won't do anything…."**

"**But—"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

Everyone, even Snape, glowered at the book. "Stamp…out…that…dangerous…nonsense?!" Hermione said in a threatening tone.

"I can't believe they would think that," Sirius huffed. "They should know that trying to block magic would have the opposite effect! The way they treat him, it's no surprise that he can do powerful accidental magic."

Lily hung her head. "My sister thinks we're all freaks," she whispered. Only James and Snape heard her. Snape was ready with a retort when James spoke up.

"You were born with powers, you're special, Lily. That isn't a bad thing," James said. Lily looked at James and smiled.

"Thanks."

Snape bit back the insults that circulated through his brain. He didn't want to make a fool of himself, especially with the headmaster in presence, but his thoughts remained bitter that he wasn't the one Lily smiled at.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

Ron and Hermione's glare darkened at the mention of the cupboard.

"**Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

"At least he's persistent," James added. Hermione smiled and Ron laughed.

"You have no idea how right you are," Hermione said mysteriously.

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"What?!"

"You ugly fart, that was his letter!"

"Petunia, when I get my hands on you…"

"**It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

Even now, as angry as he is with his best mate's uncle, Ron couldn't hold back a shiver at the mention of the spider.

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"That's because it's not Halloween yet, he only wears that smile when he wants to scare children away," Sirius joked. Everyone laughed.

"**Er—yes, Harry—about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking…you're really getting a bit big for it…**

"He grew too big for it at the age of five, you whale!" Hermione growled. "You shouldn't have let him sleep there at all, for that matter!" Ron thought it safer to inch away from Hermione. He knew better than to be near her when she was angry.

**we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

There was a loud uproar. "THAT-SPOILED-CHEAP-OVERBEARING-LARGER-THAN-LIFE-BULLYING-ELEPHANT-HAD-A-SECOND-BEDROOM-AND-MY-SON-HAD-TO-SLEEP-IN-A-CUPBOARD!?" Lily seethed with rage.

Hermione conjured up a life-size mannequin of Vernon. By the time she and Ron had finished throwing hexes and curses of sorts, the dummy was completely unrecognizable. James repaired it and the others took shots at Vernon. Their anger was still not waning by the time they started reading again.

"**Why?" asked Harry.**

"Don't question it!" Alice said frantically, still angry with the book. "They might change their minds!"

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursley's house had four bedrooms:**

Everyone simultaneously threw different curses at the newly-repaired mannequin to vent their anger.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visits (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.**

"Spoiled brat," Molly growled.

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room.**

Everyone's anger waned to sadness at how little Harry possessed for himself.

**He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog;**

"That's just sick! Somebody should arrest him for animal cruelty!" Sirius cried out. Lily was the only one puzzled by the statement. What was with his obsession with dogs?

**in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled;**

"Brat," everyone chorused. Snape wanted to remark that this Dudley character reminded him greatly of Potter, but thought better not to. Even Potter was not that horrifying.

**there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.**

Sirius grinned evilly. "Ha!"

**Other shelves were full of books.**

Hermione snorted. "Don't tell me that whale actually reads!"

**They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

"That explains so much," Alice grunted.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there….I need that room…make him get out…."**

"You don't need it!" Ron cried out. "Harry needs it. It should've been his in the beginning!"

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday, he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter tan up here without it.**

"I wish that, too, but it would be better to have both at the same time," Remus suggested.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Merlin, if I did all that, my mom would kill me," James said.

"You and me both," Ron said, throwing a glance at his mother.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall.**

"That would've been the better option," Frank said critically.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

Lily sighed. "Petunia isn't going to tell him anything," she said.

James looked nervous as he began to say, "I'm not sure if I want him to know about our deaths."

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.**

"Only because he's afraid of Harry," Hermione answered when everyone looked quizzically at the book.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive—'"**

"Damn, pup should've gotten it instead!" Sirius groaned.

Lily gave Sirius a suspicious glare. "Pup?"

Sirius shrugged. "It's my nickname for him." Lily thought there was more to it. There was more to the Marauders than just pranks. It definitely had something to do with their nicknames. She looked at James. He didn't seem bothered by what Sirius said. What was their secret?

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.**

"Go Harry!" Sirius, Ron and James cried out. Sirius added, "Don't give in without a fight."

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick,**

"Does that mean Dudley hit himself?" Sirius snickered.

**Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"**Go to your cupboard—I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley—go—just go."**

"Damn," James groaned.

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again?**

"Glad to know he has Lily's brains," Remus teased.

"Hey, I'm smart," James retorted while Lily beamed.

"I beg to differ, Mr. Potter, but are you aware of your current grade in Herbology?" McGonagall pointed out. At that, James smiled sheepishly.

**And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"YES! He's a Mini-Marauder!" Sirius and James cried out. McGonagall wasn't sure if she should groan or just cry. Not another one! Why, oh why, did this have to happen? The only thing she could pray for is that this Harry would not be as troublesome as his father.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

"Wonder what his plan is?" Remus questioned.

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.**

"That's a good plan," James approved.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door—**

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

"Awww, Headmaster, sir, you need to shout out things like that!" Sirius pouted.

Dumbledore let out a hearty chuckle. "I am not one to yell, Mr. Black," he said.

Sirius huffed, muttering under his breath, "I would've yelled."

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat—and something alive!**

Sirius recovered his good mood. "I would bet my new broomstick that it was his uncle's face."

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

Sirius laughed. "I wish I could've seen his face!"

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do.**

James snorted. "Huh, smarter than I thought," he admitted grudgingly.

**He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green link.**

"**I want—" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

Everyone sighed. Everyone, that is, except Hermione and Ron, who didn't seem at all disappointed that Harry hadn't got his mail.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

Frank snorted. "Like that's really going to stop us," he said.

"It's true," Lily sighed. "My parents thought it was a prank but the letters kept coming and eventually they began to believe it."

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry.**

Lily smiled. "My parents started believing it was real after this."

**As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

Sirius and James snickered. "This is getting funny."

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

Sirius almost fell to the floor laughing. "Man, this guy is going crazy," he said between breaths.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.**

Remus joined in on the amusement. "You're right, this is getting entertaining."

**While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in their food processor.**

"**Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"Everyone at that time," Ron muttered.

Lily heard this. "Was he really that popular?" she asked. Ron laughed.

"He had his own fan mail. 'Course, he wouldn't get it until he was of age, but when he does, it'll take three months to get through the first batch," he snickered. "I can't wait for it to happen. The look on his face will be priceless."

Hermione looked at him with a smug smile. "Don't laugh at Harry, Ron, or else I will help him find that particular moving letter you sent to him when you were six," she threatened genially. Ron blanched; the others (mainly the Marauders) laughed at the red Weasley.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today—"**

"That's not going to stop us," Frank said smugly.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one—**

"Get it! Get it! Get it!" Sirius and James chanted, joined by Frank, Alice, Arthur and Remus.

"**Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

"Leave pup alone!" Sirius threatened.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

Everyone laughed. "I wish I could've been there to watch this, this is precious gold!" Sirius said. His face brightened, he conjured up ink and a parchment, and began writing. McGonagall was, to say the least, worried. She recognized that glint in the Marauder's eyes. Another prank was coming.

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue.**

"More like, 'He looked so stupid with half his mustache missing that they nearly died of laughter,'" James said. Everyone broke out laughing. "See, like that!"

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

Lily huffed. "Didn't think he would bestow any discipline, he actually spoils him more than anything else!"

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off…shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

This time, James laughed. "You were right Padfoot, he is going insane!"

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"You spoiled brat, Harry had it far worse than you! How dare you complain about bad days!" Hermione snapped.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"Wondering what?" Lily questioned.

"Doesn't say, Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, chuckling at the blushing red-head.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next morning.**

Both Ron and Sirius scrunched up their faces with distaste. "Pup needs more than that if he's going to survive for the day," Sirius said dramatically. Ron nodded wholeheartedly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Harry doesn't have a black hole for a stomach," she said. Her eyes narrowed. "Though, I have to agree, he needs to eat more than that."

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"'**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

"Wow, you don't take 'no' for an answer do you?" Remus looked to the aged headmaster. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Not in this particular case, Mr. Lupin, no," he said.

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"Dang it," Sirius grumbled. Hermione and Ron's smiles widened. They knew what was coming next. Lily was puzzled by the expressions on their faces but figured that maybe something good was about to happen.

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

"Ha! Even his wife knows it's pointless!" Sirius snickered. "They can't keep hiding forever." Hermione and Ron tried stifling their laughter.

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

Remus shook his head while his two best friends laughed their asses off. This guy was getting funnier with each passage.

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"See, even Dinky Duddydums knows it," Sirius said. Everyone laughed. Hermione and Ron snickered at the nickname.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

"I want, I want, I want—is that all you care about?" Hermione snapped. She was losing her patience with Harry's cousin.

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday—and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television**

"Probably the only thing he's good at," Sirius commented.

—**then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

"Awww," the girls cooed, especially Hermione. But this made Lily sad. This only reminded her that she's dead, she would never get the chance to know her son.

**Of course, his birthdays ere never exactly fun—last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

Everyone growled, Ron and Hermione's were especially loud.

Sirius looked at Ron and Hermione. "Do you send him anything for his birthday?" he asked, his tone harsher than necessary. They both nodded, and he relaxed.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

"That's true."

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"**Found the perfect place!" he said."Come on! Everyone out!"**

"Um, why is he smiling?" Sirius was getting nervous. Anything that makes that man happy isn't going to be good for Harry.

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

James shuddered. "He can't seriously mean for them to stay there! It sounds horrifying!" His thoughts were on Harry; he could care less for the aunt and spoiled nephew.

"**Storm forecast for tonight," said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

James shuddered again. "He's actually serious." Lily's feelings mirrored James'. This was going a bit far.

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Only two rooms?" he spat.

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"NO!!! They'll never survive!" Sirius cried out dramatically. Lily rolled her eyes.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

Hermione and Ron were getting increasingly worried. The way the book described it was about ten times worse than what Harry had told them.

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Don't give up yet, Harry!" James cried out.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.**

_Please, please, please let her show Harry that same kindness_, Lily futilely prayed to whoever was listening to her thoughts. _Please, please, don't let him suffer._

**She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blankets.**

Molly was beside herself with anger. "THAT-IS-NOT-THE-WAY-YOU-SHOULD-TREAT-A-C HILD!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her tiger-like expression softened. "Poor Harry. He really doesn't deserve this. How can anyone be this cruel?"

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger.**

"My baby," Lily silently whimpered, starting to sob uncontrollably. James held her close, and surprisingly, she didn't pull away.

Sirius, Remus and the others felt horrifyingly upset rather than angry.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. They would need to find a way to make up for all those lost years.

**Dudley's snores were drowned b the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"They won't give a damn, and they're probably sending a letter right now," Sirius answered Harry's thoughts.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

"Won't he get hurt if that happens?" Alice pointed out.

Ron shrugged. "He probably thinks it would keep him warm from the wind."

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

"That could work," James said. Hermione and Ron smiled. Here it comes…

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

Everyone looked at each other in confusion (excluding Ron and Hermione). What's going on?

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds….twenty….ten…nine—maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him—**

"Do it, do it, do it, do it," Sirius and James chanted. Remus rolled his eyes at his best friends.

**three…two…one…**

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" Sirius and James shrieked.

Lily clutched her chest, breathing hard. "Bloody hell, never do that again! You two scared me witless!" she scolded.

Remus stared at Lily in astonishment. "Did you just curse?" Lily blushed and pleaded with her eyes that Dumbledore continued.

**BOOM.**

Nearly everyone fell out of their chairs, for Sirius produced a similar sound with his wand. He and James were rolling on the floor laughing (ROTFL) at everyone's reactions. The next ten minutes were dedicated to Lily and Hermione separately scolding their childish behavior, which was entertainment for the others.

After everything was said and done, they continued.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"That is the end of the chapter," Dumbledore proclaimed.

"I'll read next, if no one minds," Arthur said, grabbing the book.

Just before they could continue, bright blue flames appeared once more behind the group. A girl with flowing red hair appeared.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey readers! Sorry I waited so long to update…new ideas for fanfiction pouring in. I already started another story, so please read and give reviews! I promise to get updated faster! Thanks for the support to those who read my stories!**

**~Isabella248**

**To all readers: I think I've failed to mention this but this story takes place nearing the end of James', Sirius', Remus', Lily's and everyone else's 6****th**** year. They should be about two months away from the summer holidays. Thought I should point this out in case there's any confusion in the story.**

O~O~O~O

Hermione and Ron both cried out in excitement at the new arrival. The girl looked no more than sixteen, with long red hair and brown eyes. As surprised as she was to find herself in the headmaster's office, she too was excited at the sight of her brother and friend.

"Ginny!" Ron and Hermione called out. They both ran to hug the surprised Weasley.

"Ron! Hermione! What are we doing in the headmaster's office?" Ginny asked. She looked around and spotted the others in the room, all of whom were looking at her with curious expressions. Her eyes widened at the sight of James and Lily.

Her hand instinctively reached for her wand, but Ron shook his head. "Don't worry," he reassured her. "They're not Deatheaters."

Ginny wasn't all too certain but relaxed at Hermione's nod. She gazed warily at the others in the room, surprise flitting across her face at their familiarity, but her eyes continually darted back to Harry's parents-to-be.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Remus asked, though when he noticed the red hair, he had a suspicion he knew who she was.

"Ginny Weasley," she proclaimed.

"My little sister," Ron added proudly.

Molly squealed and ran to hug her daughter-to-be, Arthur following close behind. "A girl! A girl! At last, a daughter!" Molly said affectionately. Sirius whispered something to James. Whatever it was, no one knew, but everyone assumed it was something inappropriate because Remus and Lily (who had obviously heard) both smacked the laughing Sirius and James.

Dumbledore conjured up another chair.

"What are you all doing?" Ginny asked, sitting next to Lily.

"Reading about Harry, what else," Ron shrugged.

"It's called _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_," Lily added, smiling at the girl. Ginny smiled back, but then the title sunk in.

"This is about Harry's first year?" Everyone nodded. "What part are you at? Is he at Hogwarts?"

"Not yet," Hermione answered. But then she smiled evilly. "We're just about to read when Harry gets his first Hogwarts letter."

Ginny, who had been told personally by Harry about the entire thing, choked back her laughter. This was going to be amusing.

Not bothering to discover the reason for his daughter-to-be's strange behavior—nor did he stop to think of why Ron and Hermione were smirking evilly with anticipation—Arthur picked up the book and began reading.

**Chapter Four: The Keeper of the Keys**

"Hagrid?" Sirius asked.

"Maybe," Remus answered. "But he could've retired by then, so it may be someone else."

James snorted. "The day Hagrid permanently leaves Hogwarts will be the same day I give up Quidditch," he exclaimed.

**BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

"**Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"What's a cannon and why is he dreaming about it?" Sirius asked. No one bothered answering, as this seemed entirely irrelevant to everything else.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands—**

"Oh no, he has a rifle!" Lily gasped.

"What's that?" Sirius looked to Hermione.

"A Muggle device used for hunting…or hurting people," she added softly, but everyone still heard her.

**now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"**Who's there?' he shouted. " I warn you—I'm armed!"**

Sirius snickered. "If it really is Hagrid, I don't think that Muggle thingy is going to help him any."

**There was a pause. Then—**

**SMASH!**

An equally loud noise resonated through the office. No one would've been surprised if Sirius or James had done it, but the noise came from beside Lily. Ron and Ginny, who had caused the noise, were laughing uncontrollably at everyone's bewildered expressions. Most of them fell out of their chairs at the noise and were staring at her in shock.

"Sorry, but the mood was so tense and I couldn't stand it," Ginny apologized, but laughing at the same time. "Thought I should lighten the mood a bit."

Sirius, James and Remus were shocked to find that this girl had outmaneuvered them and done something so freaking hilarious!

Lily was clutching her chest and breathing deeply to steady her heartbeat, paying no mind to the three Marauders ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing), their faces blue from lack of breath. Everyone else, when recovered, shook their heads, especially Molly. Raising her daughter was going to be on hell of an experience.

Arthur picked up the book and continued, throwing his daughter a proud smirk as he was doing so.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"HAGRID!" Sirius and James cried out, their faces brimming with exultation. Remus, who was still chuckling, did not bother reprimanding them.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling.**

Everyone who knew Hagrid chuckled, knowing the half-giant's aversion of what he considered "rooster-sized" doorways.

**He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

"**Couldn't make us a cup o'tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"**

"Good ol' Hagrid," Sirius laughed. Everyone else smiled.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"**Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

Sirius, James and even Remus burst out laughing. Ron, Hermione and Ginny joined. Everyone else chuckled slightly at the comment.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Oh, please," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"**An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

"**Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."**

Sirius, Remus and the others smiled warmly, looking at the couple. James and Lily beamed at the description. Ron, Hermione and Ginny smiled, wondering when it had started annoying Harry whenever people pointed that out.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

Sirius started wheezing, almost like he was having a stroke. "Is that how he sounded?"

Lily rolled her eyes while James laughed. Remus just shook his head in amusement.

"**I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"**Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant;**

Everyone burst out laughing.

**he reached over the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

And harder. James and his two brothers were practically dying of laughter.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

Sirius whispered to Remus and James, "Don't think Wormy's gonna like that comparison." They chuckled. Lily looked at them suspiciously. Wormy…mouse?

"**Anyway—Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh.**

Lily smiled. "He remembers," she breathed.

Ron chuckled. "Of course he does," he said. "He wouldn't forget; he sends him gifts during every occasion."

**Got summat fer yeh here—I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

"Uh oh," Sirius gasped dramatically. "Hagrid's cooking." Anyone who tasted the half-giant's food shuddered and chuckled at the same time.

"Poor Harry," Ron shook his head but sniggering. "No one warned him about the food."

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

"Awww," the girls cooed. The boys just smiled at the warmth.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

Lily huffed. "That was rude."

James laughed. "He meant to say thank you. Shows he has manners, Lily." Lily frowned, but then smiled. Snape rolled his eyes. He still considered the situation rude.

**The giant chuckled.**

"**True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

Sirius smiled. "Glad to know he's still there. He'll take care of Harry," he said.

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

"**What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

Everyone laughed. "Same as ever," Sirius smiled.

Lily frowned. "He better not drink in front of my son."

**His eyes feel on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there.**

McGonagall stiffened. "Did he just do magic? He's not allowed to," she said in her ever-so-familiar strict tone.

Albus waved his hand. "Tis a minor detail, Professor McGonagall," he said. McGonagall huffed, refusing to let it go and already planning to visit the gatekeeper on the matter.

**It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

James' smile widened. "Good, Harry won't be cold anymore." Lily smiled at that; Snape just glowered.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

Lily huffed but said nothing.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.**

Sirius groaned. "Aw, this book is making me hungry again," he complained.

Remus rolled his eyes at his friends. "The mere mention of food would make you hungry, Padfoot."

Frank shook his head. "It's a wonder how he kept all that in just his coat!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had an animal in there somewhere!" **(A/N: I couldn't help but put that in!)**

**Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

"**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

"YEAH!" practically everyone shouted in the room. Sirius added, "Give some to Harry, though."

"I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing," Lily whispered.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful,**

Sirius' eyes widened. "Whoa, you mean he actually cooked something edible!" he gasped. "It' a MIRACLE!" he and James shouted in unison. Everyone else shook their heads at the antics.

**but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't know who you are."**

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

"**Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts—yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

Ginny, Hermione and Ron all smirked—this was going to be amusing. The others just stared at each other nervously. Hagrid upset is not a good thing.

"**Er—no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

"**Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

Remus shook his head. "Why is he apologizing?" he asked.

Ginny huffed. "He always thinks something's his fault when it's not," she growled. "Trust us, we know better than anyone!" Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.

"**Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows.**

"As they should," Alice huffed.

"**It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters, but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"**

"**All what?" asked Harry.**

"**ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.**

"Yah, you yelled!" Sirius cried out while others jumped up from their seats. That was the first any have heard Arthur yell.

Arthur shrugged. "I'm a bit angry myself about how Harry was lied to," he explained before returning to reading.

"**Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"Wish I could be there to see this," Sirius said. Like Hermione, Ron and Ginny, he was smirking evilly at the Dursley's discomfort.

"**Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy—this boy!—knows nothin' abou'—about ANYTHING?"**

Hermione and Lily huffed. "Don't say that about him," Lily growled. "He's plenty smart."

"That'll just make Harry feel bad," Hermione reprimanded.

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

"They better not be, Petunia's already in enough trouble. If I hear he's failing school, I'm going to risk expulsion and do illegal magic on her arse!" Lily threatened. Both James and Snape found the mental image very entertaining.

"**I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."**

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. Yer parent's world."**

"**What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

Sirius, who had summoned a house-elf to ask for food just moments earlier, was happily eating popcorn from a bowl, getting more and more entertained. He passed the popcorn around but kept his eyes on the book as if he were watching a movie.

"**DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

Sirius smiled as Arthur yelled; the others groaned, their ears beginning to hurt.

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like, "Mimblewimble."**

James and Sirius laughed; the others chuckled.

**Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

"**But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

"Are we really?" Lily asked Hermione, Ron and Ginny.

All three nodded. "You're plenty famous," Hermione replied. "Everyone in the Wizarding world knew who you two were."

Lily smiled; surprisingly, James didn't.

At that, Snape could no longer hold in his vexation. "What's the matter, Potter? Is your head too swollen from fame that you can't even speak?"

Everyone stiffened, looking from James to Snape.

"Severus," Lily scolded.

"Leave him alone, Snivellus!" Sirius cried out, his hand drawing toward his wand, ready with a hex in mind.

Even more surprisingly, in a low voice that held no venom but only pain, he whispered, "I'm not pleased with the reason for _why_ Lily, Harry and I are famous, unless you've failed to notice, _Snape_!"

Everyone frowned when James said that, the mood now solemn—they wouldn't want to be famous for that, either. Sirius, Lily, and Snape were shocked rather than sad. They were surprised James hadn't hexed Severus, insulted him or called him Snivellus.

It took a while before the reading continued, but Lily continued looking at James from the corner of her eye.

"**What? My—my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

Lily frowned. Now that she thought over James' words, she didn't like being famous, either.

"**Yeh don' know…yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

"**Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

"Of course not, or else he would've known about Hogwarts!" Remus pointed out, getting impatient.

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"**Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

Sirius snorted, still not entirely over what Snape said to James, so his voice was a bit harsher than intended. "Try and stop him, you whale!"

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

Everyone smirked evilly (everyone except Snape, who was looking at James, still shocked that he hadn't been hexed or insulted yet).

"**You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

Sirius cackled evilly. "I hope Hagrid gives them what they deserve!"

McGonagall huffed—angry or not, she didn't want to hear of Hagrid doing illegal magic.

"**Keep what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

"**STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"Drama queens," Ron muttered.

"**Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry—yer a wizard."**

Everyone cheered.

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

"**I'm a what?" gasped Harry.**

Everyone laughed. "Good reaction, mate," Ron said between laughs.

"I've always wanted to know if Harry left out something when he told me this story," Ginny giggled. She smirked evilly. "I'm going to make sure he's never going to forget this." James, Sirius and Remus (all seriousness forgotten) looked at each other, entertained by Ginny's words. They liked this girl—no doubt, she is a prankster!

"**A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit.**

"Hagrid wasn't lying when he said that," Ginny whispered to Hermione and Ron.

**With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?**

James beamed and Lily blushed at the compliment.

**An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"Yah, he gets his letter," Sirius cried out happily.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**

James frowned and Lily growled at the address. Everyone else (excluding the teachers and Snape) were forming their own plots of revenge against these horrid Muggles.

**He pulled out the letter and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**

**OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDY**

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**

**Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

James beamed at his Head of House. "I'm glad you're still there, Minnie," he said sincerely.

McGonagall smiled, but then frowned. "Don't call me Minnie," she had tried to say curtly but her voice was softer than usual. The others just smiled.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"Good first question, pup!" Sirius said, laughing. The others just shook their heads in amusement.

"**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl—a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl—**

"An owl?" Remus gaped at the book. "He pulled an owl out of his pockets?"

"Poor owl," Frank said.

"Don't know why you say that, it's funny," James said laughing. His laugh was contagious and soon everyone began laughing.

**a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

**Dear Professor Dumbledore**

**Give Harry his letter.**

**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**

**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

**Hagrid**

"Hagrid's really funny," Alice commented, who was among the two people in the room who wasn't as close to Hagrid to know his personality (the other is Snape).

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

"It is normal," Sirius commented.

"Not to those raised by Muggles," Hermione contradicted. "I found it really weird the first time I've seen that."

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

"**Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

"Of course he's going to try and stop Harry," Lily growled.

"**He's not going," he said.**

"I'd like to see him try," Sirius snorted.

**Hagrid grunted.**

"**I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

"**A what?" said Harry, interested.**

"Hagrid's gonna tell him," Ron interjected before Hermione could launch into her speech about Muggles.

"**A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them.**

"Let it go," Ginny whispered to Hermione, who looked like she wanted to add on to that explanation.

**An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

Sirius laughed. "Does he mean that literally because he wouldn't be lying."

"**We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

"Stamp it out of him?!" Hermione growled. "That's absolutely ridiculous! It's people like them that give Muggles bad names!"

"**You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a—a wizard?"**

"Harry's not too happy, either," Sirius said sadly—why couldn't he and Remus have been the ones to raise their best friend's son?

"**Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?**

"Excuse me, what did you call her?" James cried out, venom in his words. Snape glowered at the book, looking like he wanted to set it on fire.

Everyone else just glared angrily. Arthur read the next lines angrily.

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that—that school—and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats.**

"I thought we couldn't do magic outside of school?" Ron questioned, trying to lighten the tension. It worked, slightly.

Lily shrugged, sad at her sister's words. "We can do magic, to show our parents that we're being taught something." She waited for Arthur to continue.

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was—a freak!**

Ron huffed. "She's not a freak!" he and Hermione growled. He snorted. "I bet the real reason she's so bitter is because she's jealous."

Lily smiled slightly at Ron's words.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family."**

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"Yes, she probably wanted to," James said. He was getting more and more tempted to hex Lily's sister with each line.

"**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you,**

Despite the situation, James couldn't help but smile at that. Lily blushed, just another proclamation that she would marry James in the future.

**and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as—as—abnormal—and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

Ginny wasn't sure if she should be livid or sad. "I can't believe she would say that to Harry," she sighed. "It's no wonder he always looks sad when you two are mentioned."

Hermione and Ron frowned. They didn't like those moments when Harry was upset. James and Lily flinched. They didn't want to hear of their deaths causing Harry so much pain.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

Sirius's evil smile returned slightly. "Hagrid's not gonna like that."

"**CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

"Don't say that like it's a good thing," Ginny murmured. Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, she answered everyone's question, "Harry hates being famous, too."

"**But why? What happened?" Harry said urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

Dumbledore sighed. It looked like Hagrid would be the one to explain, and he wasn't sure if that was the best decision.

"**I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh—but someone's gotta—yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

"Wonder what it would've been like if he didn't know," Ron mused.

Hermione shuddered at the mental image. "If he didn't, he probably would've been confused—and frightened—by everyone's staring. I'm not sure hearing it from other students or even the teachers would've been any better."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh—mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"**

Sirius frowned. He didn't really want to hear how James died.

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with—with a person called—but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows—"**

"Not everyone," Hermione contradicted. "Muggles didn't know."

"Lucky them," Sirius grumbled.

"**Who?"**

"**Well—I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

"Still?" James said in disbelief. "Oh, please, it's just a name!"

"**Why not?"**

Ron looked at Hermione. "Why were you so scared to say his name?" Ron asked. Hermione blushed and scowled.

"I read about him in some books," she answered softly. She shivered. "I really didn't like learning about what he did to Muggles and wizards." Ron nodded. That was reasonable. He heard the stories, too, and that contributed to his fear of the name greatly.

"**Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went….bad.**

"More than bad," Remus added.

**As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…."**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"**Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"He probably can't spell it," James pointed out.

"**Nah—can't spell it.**

James smiled smugly.

**All right—Voldemort."**

Remus, Sirius and James started clapping. Everyone stared at them. "He made Hagrid say the name, that's a huge accomplishment!" Sirius said happily.

Everyone rolled their eyes but clapped along, much to the Marauder's enjoyment.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this—this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers.**

Unwillingly, James' eyes drew toward Snape, but he looked away before anyone noticed.

**Got 'em, too—some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was getting' himself power, all right.**

Everyone shuddered—they didn't like hearing about that.

**Dark days, Harry.**

"And we're living them," Sirius muttered darkly.

**Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches…terrible things happened.**

James looked over to Sirius and Remus—he trusted them wholeheartedly, along with Peter. But he flinched when he thought about the other students. He was friends with practically everyone in Gryffindor, and was polite with a few Hufflepuffs ad Ravenclaws (obviously no Slytherins). Would most of them go down that path? Which friends would betray them as soon as they leave Hogwarts?

**He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him—an' he killed 'em.**

Remus and Sirius flinched at that, their thoughts directing to James.

**One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

"Of course not, since we have you headmaster," Frank commented, smiling at the aged wizard. Everyone was smiling, except those from the future.

Ginny, Hermione and Ron didn't dare look up—they mentally cringed at how everyone was going to respond when they read about Dumbledore's death. Only Dumbledore noticed their silent behavior but thought better than to comment.

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew.**

James beamed. "Thank you, Hagrid!" Lily blushed but was also smiling at the half-giant's compliment.

**Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!**

"WHAT!?!?" Sirius cried out. Everyone was gaping at James.

Lily didn't notice. She squealed and was jumping up and down in victory. James was staring at the book, dumbstruck.

"B-b-b-but," Snape was stuttering. He always wanted to believe that he would be made Head boy. If it had to be someone among the Marauders, Remus would've been the better candidate, but Snape never dreamed that _Potter_ of all people would be given that title! What was Dumbledore thinking?!

"YOU TRAITOR!" Sirius shouted. "You've broken the Marauder code! You said it yourself, 'Never be a Prefect or Head boy'," he quoted.

"What about Remus?" Alice pointed out.

"That's different," Sirius explained with a lazy wave of his hand. "Remus wouldn't become one of those overpowered, too-serious-that-he-can't-even-take-a-joke Prefect, he knows better than to let power get to his head. But James…Head boy? He's a Marauder! We've dedicated out entire careers at Hogwarts at pranking! How can he do that now when he has to act serious?"

He fell to the floor, grasping James' robes in his hand, pretending to weep. "Where, oh where did my brother go?" he said dramatically. "When did you become so unSirius?" Everyone who was watching this began laughing.

McGonagall was relishing the idea of James becoming Head boy—no more pranks! She smiled, unsure if that was Dumbledore's intention but happy that this may be a result. Dumbledore just smiled mysteriously.

Lily was still bouncing up and down. She was Head girl! Yes! James was Head boy, of course, but as Sirius pointed out, no more pranks when that happens! That had to be the reason he was picked!

When everyone has settled and Sirius stopped pretending to have a heart attack (which made everyone laugh harder), Arthur began reading again.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before…probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' to do with the Dark Side.**

"Of course not," James said offhandedly. He was still in shock at the idea of being Head Boy.

"**Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em…maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way.**

The tension returned. Sirius sobered and Remus frowned. They didn't want to hear this.

**All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just one year old. He came ter yer house an'—an'—'"**

Sirius bowed his head and Remus just stared blankly at the wall. Both fought against the tears that threatened to show in their eyes. Snape was staring at Lily—sweet Lily, who was going to die by the wizard he admired for a long time.

Everyone else just looked sadly at the grim-looking couple.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

"**Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad—knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find—anyway…**

Remus smiled. "He's right about that," he said. He and Sirius both smiled at James. James smiled back, albeit weakly. Snape would've liked to point that he didn't think James was the nice person Hagrid portrayed him to be, but his thoughts were on Lily still.

Everyone else smiled, but the tension didn't lift. Hermione and Ron looked at each other. Poor Harry.

"**You-Know-Who killed 'em.**

Everyone flinched.

**An' then—an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing—he tried to kill you, too.**

Despite knowing that Harry was alive and well, James couldn't help but grind his teeth. Lily growled. Hermione, Ron and Ginny didn't look at each other. Thoughts of Harry dead circulated in their brains and none of them wanted to think about that.

**Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it.**

Dumbledore grew thoughtful at that. His eyes drew to Lily without meaning to.

**Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh—took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even**

Sirius and Remus flinched again.

—**but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry.**

"And that's exactly why he hates it," Ginny added sadly.

**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age—**

Arthur stopped, reading the names and his face growing pale with horror.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked. Arthur didn't answer but merely handed Dumbledore the book, wrapping both arms around his very confused wife. Dumbledore read the next line, looked at the others sadly, and read.

**the McKinnons,**

"You can't mean Edgar?" Frank cried out. When Dumbledore didn't answer, Frank bowed his head at the thought of his best friend's impending demise.

**the Bones,**

Lily covered her mouth and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think Amelia was going to die. Not her, not her good friend and dorm mate.

James, hesitantly, wrapped his arms around her. She didn't pull away but merely buried herself in his chest, sobbing.

**the Prewetts—**

Molly whispered "no" beneath her breath. She whispered, then cried out, and finally screamed, crying. She buried herself in her husband's arms, remorse for her two younger brothers.

Ginny and Ron grinded their teeth. Neither had known their uncles Fabian and Gideon and for that they were angry and sad.

**an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

James and Lily both smiled. Harry was alive. That should be enough for them.

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before—and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

"Oh dear," McGonagall gasped.

Everyone else shuddered, especially those from the future.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

"**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yer ter this lot…"**

Sirius felt himself getting angry. He could've raised Harry, and Remus and Peter would've helped. Why didn't Dumbledore allowed it?

"**Load of tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there.**

"So did we," Frank commented. A few people chuckled, not entirely over the sad speech Hagrid made.

**Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

"**Now you listen here, boy," he snarled. "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured—**

James and Lily growled. Sirius looked to Hermione, Ron and Ginny. "They didn't hit him, did they?" he asked harshly.

"He never said," Ron said. His face darkened; Hermione and Ginny's expression were murderous and frustrated. "But Harry never tells us things like this. He prefers to keep his troubles to himself, that git."

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion—**

Sirius and Remus threw dozens of hexes at the Vernon mannequin that lay in the corner of the room. Hermione repaired it so that she, Ron and Ginny could vent out their frustration and hatred. No one bothered to repair the thing when the kids were finished.

Dumbledore, who had read the next few lines of the paragraph, conjured up enough Vernon mannequins to occupy the empty space in the office. He didn't bother answering everyone's puzzling looks but instead continued reading.

**asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types—just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a stick end—"**

Dumbledore, James and Lily ducked to the floor to avoid the curses flying from every direction. Even McGonagall found herself livid from the Muggle. She destroyed a few mannequins herself. A good twenty minutes had passed before it was safe for Lily, James and Dumbledore to emerge. All of the mannequins lay destroyed, burnt, and beyond repair and recognition.

Remus was sitting still with his eyes closed, breathing deeply, meditating. Sirius and Snape were both glowering at the floor; their vexation for the Muggle had not passed and destroying the mannequins did little to ease their frustration. The others just slumped into their seats, exhausted by the amount of magic they had burned.

Another five minutes passed before Dumbledore felt it safe to read again.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley—I'm warning you—one more word…"**

"Good," Sirius said. "Hex him, hex him, hex him, hex him." Soon a few people began chanting along with him. Ron, Hermione and Ginny fixed their faces to reveal nothing of their anticipation and glee.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"**That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"**But what happened to Vol-, sorry—I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"Just a name, cub," Remus sighed, who seemed the most calm among the group. "Don't fear it."

Lily stared at him. "Cub?" she questioned.

Remus shrugged, not looking at her. "My nickname for him," as if that was all that need to be said. Lily turned away, her suspicion peaking. Snape, who knew the reason, bit back the smile that threatened to appear on his face. How he wished he could talk to Lily and tell her the Marauder's dirty little secret! He'd had to do it when Dumbledore's not looking…

"**Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you.**

"Thank goodness," Alice breathed.

**Makes yeh even more famous.**

"Like he needs it," Hermione sighed.

**That's the biggest myst'ry see…he was gettin' more an' more powerful—why'd he go?**

"No need to question it," Sirius said with a shrug. "As long as he's gone, there's no need to worry."

Everyone but Dumbledore failed to notice how silent the kids from the future had gotten. Dumbledore began reading quickly before it was noticed.

"**Some say he died.**

"I wish that happened now," Sirius whispered, and not only for the reason of wanting James and Lily to stay alive. Sirius still didn't like that Harry was raised with those Muggles—what good did it do for him to suffer like that?

**Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.**

Dumbledore paused at that, his twinkling blue eyes flashing toward the future kids, who were suddenly very interested in the decorations of the room. _You need a soul to be human, a soul to die, unless it was torn…rip to pieces…could it be…_

Only a few seconds had passed before he began reading again. No one had noticed Ginny, Ron and Hermione's strange behavior.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don't believe it.**

"Why not?" Sirius questioned.

**People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

Everyone shuddered. There was only one spell they knew of that could make people do something against their will…

"**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on—I dunno what it was, no one does—but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

Hermione lowered her voice so that no one but Ginny and Ron could hear. "Lucky for us," she snarled, her voice relieved and shameful at the same time. "That bought us a few years of peace."

Ron could understand why Hermione was so ashamed of herself. If not for that night, who knows what state the Wizarding world would've been in?

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

"Why?" This time it was James' turn to be confused.

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon;**

Everyone (besides Snape and the teachers) growled.

**if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

"Doesn't work that way," Sirius explained. He sighed dreamily. "If it did, I would've turned my mother into a cockroach a long time ago." Everyone chuckled.

"**Hagrid," he said quietly. "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

As did everyone else in the room.

"**Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

"Yes," was the unanimous answer. _And a lot more happened in the future_, Hermione and Ron both thought.

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it…every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry…chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach…**

"That was awesome," Sirius said, pretending to wipe away a tear. Everyone laughed.

**dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back…**

"That is useful," Remus said, sniggering, as was everyone else (except James, who was embarrassed and angry, and the future kids, who did know of the prank that was played on James involving his hair).

**and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

"You set it free, you didn't tell him to attack him," Remus corrected.

"Better if he did," Sirius added.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

"**See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard—you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Just what he's always wanted," Hermione said, sniggering with Ron and Ginny, who also knew of Harry's aversion to fame.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

James grumbled. "Hate to admit it, but you got to admire his persistence. Doesn't know when to give up."

"**Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish—spell books and wands and—"**

"**If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid.**

"YAY HAGRID!" the Marauders cried out, Remus more softly than his two companions.

"**Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad.**

Sirius huffed. "He shouldn't say that! The only one worthy of that title is our headmaster!" he proclaimed proudly. The aged wizard merely nodded and smiled; the others chuckled.

**His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled—"**

"Why did you stop, it's true?" Frank teased.

"**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"Oh boy," Sirius said, grinning evilly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Oh dear, Hagrid won't be pleased with him."

"That's exactly what we're hoping for," Ginny said. This time, neither she nor Hermione or Ron bothered hiding their anticipation and evil smirks. Everyone stared, confused, but then looked away when their headmaster began reading again.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER—" he thundered, "—INSULT—ALBUS—DUMBLEDORE—IN—FRONT—OF—ME!"**

McGonagall sighed, defeated. "He's going to use magic, isn't he?"

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley—there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

Ginny, Hermione and Ron, who were already roaring with laughter at McGonagall's question, laughed even louder. Everyone joined in. Frank, Arthur and Sirius practically fell out of their seats. The others were holding their stomachs and some looked like they were crying.

Everyone practically died when Sirius began impersonating Dudley (holding his butt and howling). It seemed like hours before everyone's giggles had stopped and McGonagall ordered Sirius to stop his Dudley impression, long enough for Dumbledore to begin reading again.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

This made everyone laugh again. They stopped almost instantly at the sight of McGonagall's glare.

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

"**Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully," but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

McGonagall's glare, for the first time in Hogwarts history, failed to silence the room. Everyone was shrieking with laughter.

"You have got to love Hagrid," Sirius gasped between laughs. It seemed a while before everyone gained control again.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said.**

"Big dilemma," Sirius said, pretending to be serious **(A/N: is it a pun? *evil smile*)**. "Should Harry be honest or should he protect a friend?"

McGonagall sighed. Being James' son, of course it would be the latter.

"**I'm—er—not supposed ter to magic, strictly speakin'.**

McGonagall's nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. "No, he should not be doing magic at all," she huffed. "I'll be sure to speak to him on the matter."

"Of course, after we finish the book, Minerva," Dumbledore said, his voice friendly but his eyes filled with finality. The elderly sorceress knew better than to argue when he looked like that.

**I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to ye an' stuff—one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job—"**

"**Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

"He never does tell us why," Sirius pointed out. "I asked him once but I don't think he heard because he was trying to give his pup a bath."

Remus shrugged. "He always changes the subject when people ask." As he was looking in their general direction, Remus saw Ginny shift uncomfortably in her seat, Hermione blush and Ron's ears go red (as Arthur's did when under extreme pressure). Do they know something?

"**Oh, well—I was at Hogwarts meself but I—er—got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

"Yes, he truly is," Sirius agreed wholeheartedly.

"Still, I would like to know the reason he was expelled," Frank commented. He looked Dumbledore but the aged wizard pretended he didn't hear.

"**Why were you expelled?"**

"**It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

Ron snorted. "That's only going to make him curious," he pointed out.

"Which means that Harry will try to find out, one way or another," Hermione sighed.

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

"**You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

The girls shuddered. "Ew, mice!" Lily squealed.

Dumbledore looked at the clock. It was getting close to dinner. "Perhaps one more chapter, and then we shall go and have ourselves a small feast," he suggested.

"I'll read, if no one minds," Remus said, taking the book.

O~O~O~O

**A/N: Three questions to all who read this chapter, which of course means you, a possible reviewer! I am thinking of making a few more characters turn up in later chapters, but am undecided about who to invite to the party. Along with reviewing, would you mind answering the following questions? It'd be much appreciated.**

**~Elizabeth248**

Question 1: which characters would you like to appear in this fanfiction?

(PS cannot be Harry and Ginny's future kids, or anyone else from that generation! Sorry but I wouldn't know how to fit them into this fanfiction)

Question 2: Harry and Neville will definitely show up (without a doubt!) but the question is when you would like for them to be introduced?

Would you, the esteemed reader, like for more romance to be involved, and not just between James and Lily?

**I would like the results before Wednesday, April 21 because by then I would be probably finishing the chapter! Thank you!**


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Harry Potter, Family, Romance