Harry Potter 1. Return to King's Cross

Finally June came, and Harry and Ginny gleefully drove off to king's cross, little Lily in tow jabbering happily while planning events for her brothers' return. Her parents in the front of the car knew that it would be a shouting match in under five minutes, but her excitement was adorable, and a welcome change to the surliness Lily took on in distaste of being an only child.

As they arrived at the station the little family saw that the train must have come early, because most families had already departed. Despite this it was still difficult to find either Albus or James in the crowd. Finally, seemingly out of nowhere, James emerged from his large posse of friends and embraced lily enthusiastically.

"Next year, Sis! I've warned all my mates to watch out for you and your nasty pranks, so you'll have to be extra sneaky" Lily giggled and blushed, charmed by her brother's ever so rare praise. He turned to his parents hopefully

"Mum, Dad, Andy's asked me to his house for half the holiday. can I go? His parents already agreed, and they'll even take me there today! I'll just kip home by floo sometime in July." Lily's face fell, her plans obviously marred beyond repair. James noticed immediately.

"C'mon, pal. We can still practice your keeping in July. And Al can help in the mean time." he said, trying to coax approval out of her.

"Al's not even chaser. I'll never be on the house team at this rate." she looked like she might be on the verge of tears, and James felt like a total ass.

"Look, Lil,-"

"I'll go find Al so you can say goodbye to him" she said with a sniffle as she disappeared into another crowd.

"Do we even know Andy? or his parents?" Harry asked dubiously before looking to Ginny.

"He's right I don't know why Lily's so convinced you're going. We haven't even said yes yet." Ginny said to her son.

"Why don't you go meet Andy's parents and decide whether James can go, and I'll try and grab the other two before they've run off for good." Harry said, obviously out of sorts.

"Course," Said Ginny, amused "meet you here when you've got them?"

Harry nodded and wandered off hearing fading cries of

"You can't let Mum decide! She'll never let me out of the house….."

He searched for a very short while before discovering his daughter still fighting back tears while staring blankly at the gargantuan steam engine. He sat next to her.

"James was right, you know." he said giving her a glance "next year." he sighed with nostalgia.

"You and Mum will be home alone every day, just trying not to be too depressed without little old me" Lily joked, still trying to hide her hurt.

"Nah," replied Harry "once you and Hugo are off to school your uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione and Mum and I'll party all the time." Lily gave a feeble giggle "Hell, we'll even have Malfoy and his wife over. That is, only after we've cleared the house of nargles so Luna and her husband can join us."

Lily was nearly shrieking with laughter by the time Harry had finished talking. Her parents, partying? rubbish. They were the most boring people she'd ever met. Professor Longbottom had more fun than they did!

"He will be back in July" Harry said in a fatherly voice. He patted down a few of Lily's loose hairs.

"Yeah, but one day he won't be." She said sounding partly angry, and partly sad. "He's so much older that one day, I'll just be home for holiday and suddenly James'll be moved out. he'll get a house and a job, and I'll be left just with Al. I mean Al's great and all, but can you imagine? I'd never have fun again."

"I wouldn't be so sure." said Harry, a smile creeping across his face.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, her curiosity piqued just enough

"Have you met his friends, Lil? They'll be dying to prank him. Al's gonna be like a fish in a barrel." Harry said smirking

"Look, there they are!" Lily said. And, sure enough, a small group of kids sauntered slowly in an undetermined direction, looking absolutely unwilling to part ways.

More like his father than his brother Al had not made a multitude of friends his first year, but rather joined a tighter-knit group. In the middle was Albus, having grown a few inches since Harry had seen him last. Next to him was a tall wiry black girl with a smile that could kill, and a cloud of black hair streaked with other colors, and on his other side a burly latino boy whose playful punch looked like it could floor a viking, and a rosy cheeked girl with jet black hair and a hint of freckles, who glared the Latino boy out of smacking the last one in the group. A fairly thin boy with more freckles than all the Weasley's combined, broken glasses, and curly auburn hair, his ratty clothes reminded Harry of a first-year Ron.

"Al! You buttwipe, get over here!" Shouted Lily. Her brother looked up in a haze of horror and amusement, and Harry and Lily could see his friends torment him as he walked toward them. He quickly hugged his father before blathering quickly to his sister

"Lil, you'll never believe how fantastic it is! I wish I could show you it now, but we'll only have to wait for September, eh? " she nodded excitedly He went on to tell them about the friends he'd made insisting that whichever one was named Theo absolutely _had_ to visit the house sometime as he too lived in Godric's Hollow. Harry agreed and Albus went to say his last goodbyes to his friends.

Minutes later they met Ginny and James where they had parted earlier, James looking ecstatic.

"They said yeah, I'll see you in July!" he said to Al. Al, looking almost as excited as James, embraced his brother and said

"Why not wait till August?"

"Shut up, you'll be moaning for me in no time, little brother."

James gave his parents quick hugs and kisses as well as promises of letters and good behavior before kneeling before his sister

"We'll do twice as much practice as usual when I get back to make up." He said, hopefully. "And I'll write you all the time, just like when I was at school. I'll come back, Lil."

"Fine then you ugly louse. Go on." She said affectionately. James waved before Joining his friend and heading to the supply of portkeys that would take the pair to Andy's home. The rest of the family headed out to the parking lot with barely any families left (Ron and Hermione had taken Rose and Hugo out to see their Grandparents. so, they hadn't taken the train home.)

"Isn't that a friend of yours, Al?" Harry asked in reference to the auburn haired boy, who stood idly at the edge of the concrete, waiting for someone. " It's getting dark, I think maybe we should wait with him"

"Yeah, that's Theo. I asked him if he wanted a ride home earlier, but he really seemed like he didn't want to talk about it. I think maybe his parents are really strict or something."

"Yeah." Harry said, but something felt wrong as they all piled into the car, Ginny could sense it too. Halfway home it started pouring rain, and the kids began to fight again. everything was back to normal.


	2. A Dodgy Deal

Three weeks into summer holiday the family's routine was pretty much habbit. In the morning Al would go off with a group of muggle boys from the neighborhood to play football (he'd really gotten quite good, and some of the other boys' parents came to Harry and Ginny with slips for exclusive teams that he might join next summer.), and Lily would sometimes go with Al, or else she would meet some girls she went to muggle school with down by the park.

Harry and Ginny would go off to work, and depending on how much news there was that day, how many criminals to catch, and how much football to be played one of the four of them would eventually make up a diner, and occasionally the family would sit outside after dark just being on vacation. Catching fireflies and the like.

Harry almost always got home last and so he took the shortest possible way to his house which happened to mean going through one of the roughest parts of the Hollow to get there. The houses there were crumbled past a point that should really be legal, and the block was always filled with sinister laughter, or a shouting match, and sometimes the sound of a telly on its last legs blasting jeopardy. It was odd, because Harry often heard children's voices from these houses but never actually saw any kids come out.

James would be back in a week's time and Harry was trying to get ahead on some paperwork so he and the family could go to visit Teddy and Andromeda. So, he was out quite late and was walking home far later than usual when he heard it. The crumbling buildings were pathetic at masking sound, so Harry could easily hear the sound of a boy's pained scream accompanied by a bang that Harry knew had to have come from a wand.

He ran to the source of the noise but the roads in these parts were nearly unnavigable, and he barely knew where he was when he knew he'd found the right house. A young boy, maybe eleven, paced barefoot through a yard in front of one of the buildings.

"Do you need help?" Harry asked worriedly

"No. Thanks." answered the boy shorty. And suddenly Harry recognised the curls and the broken glasses.

"Theo?" Harry said questioningly The boy's head whipped towards Harry and his eyes widened in recognition and fear.

"Don't tell Al. I'm really fine." he said unconvincingly, as crimson poured from his, now visible, misshapen nose.

"Come here" Harry ordered, and Theo slumped defeatedly over to him. Harry held up his wand and Theo cringed away as if Harry might hex him

"Episky" Harry said, and there was a series of loud cracks as the boy's nose fixed itself.

"You're going to tell Al, aren't you?" Said Theo fearfully as he sat down in the grass. Harry sat by him, and ran his fingers through his hair. Stressed.

"It's not Al's business, is it Son. It might be someone else's, though. I might have to call the ministry, Theo. You understand? we can't have adults using magic to do these kinds of things to kids."

"You don't have to do that" said Theo, his panic obviously mounting. He was whispering now, afraid someone in the building might hear. "Please, Mr. Potter. I'm only here for holiday. I'll be fine. Just-" he looked Harry right in the eyes, now, "please, don't tell Al. I don't want any of them to know."

"I get it. I really do, but this looks _bad_, Theo." He whispered

"Look" replied Theo "I only overreacted. This is like, a one time thing. Okay? My dad was yelling at my little sister and I got mad. It's not going to happen again."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, Once again with the feeling he had at King's Cross. Like he should be waiting with Theo. Like he shouldn't leave.

"Positive" The boy whispered. And as Harry looked at his blood-soaked face he couldn't help but remember the summer before his fifth year, when Dudley had gotten really good at boxing. Harry couldn't imagine how bad things would have gotten if he had tried to get away that summer, and though he knew the situation was vastly different, and that Theo was, most certainly, lying, he decided that it would be best if he just kept a close eye on the house from now on. And maybe have Al invite him to sleep over quite often.

"I'll be back tomorrow. And everyday. I'm going to keep checking in,and if things get to a point that I think I need to step in, I will. Deal?" Theo looked at him, contemplating. It didn't take long.

"Deal." He said, before standing and, wiping the blood from his nose, walking right back into the building, looking more like a warrior than a schoolboy.

Harry walked home feeling like he might be wrong. He almost turned back about a thousand times before he came up the walk at his home. Ginny was putting away some horrid concoction made by Lily and Al, as both of them had gotten home late.

"Hello, love." she said, kissing Harry's cheek " You know, as talented as they are at other things our children are just terrible cooks." Harry chuckled exhaustedly as he looked in the fridge, and pulled out some jam as Ginny popped some bread into the toaster.

"You're right, I suppose." Harry agreed "It's odd, isn't it? I would never want any of them in the sort of world we were in as kids, but it did teach us loads. Sometimes I just wonder how they'll learn." Ginny handed him a piece of toast and jam and they sat at the kitchen table, holding hands.

"I know what you mean. They just can't understand some things about our lives. Not just because they're kids, either. I mean, even Fred Jr. is never _really _going to get why George is always so quiet when it's Fred's birthday. Things like that." she said

"We really can't expect them to understand everything, but it just kills me how James and Al are _always_ at odds. They don't get how good they've both got it." Ginny sighed

"Sometimes I look at them and I can't help but think about everything that happened with Percy." Harry kissed her head thinking how Theo knew more about life than he needed to at his age.

"I don't think that could happen. Lil'd torture both of them until they worked it out." He said

"Probably right. Lets go to bed we've got work" Ginny said

Theo's House was quiet the next day. and the day after. Harry was staring to think the deal, though admittedly extremely dodgy, was a good one.


	3. James's Return

Theo's house remained quiet in the week leading up to James's return. All that was to be heard from the building was children at play, sometimes the noise of a fussy baby, and occasionally radio announcers of football games.

Apart from Harry's path home from work everything was the same. Harry looked forward, most of all, to the second half of the holiday when he and the family would go visit everyone in the family starting with Harry's godson, Teddy, who would join them for the rest of the traveling.

James would be in their fireplace at noon precisely that day, so Harry and Ginny cut short their last days of work before the trip to be home when he arrived. Lily, Al, Ginny, and Harry all waited silently for about five seconds before they started talking and laughing as they finally had some time to just be together. So, when James arrived, sort of quietly, in the fireplace none of them really noticed on account of a story of Al's about a game of football.

"Well it seems I've not been missed after all" James said feigning offence

"Not even a little bit" said Al, whose skin had browned slightly due to all the sun it was getting. But Lily ran to her eldest brother saying

"Finally, jesus. thought I'd die of boredom! C'mon we've got things to do." She said pulling both her brothers out of the house.

"Wait just one minute! None of you've even had lunch"

"I have!" said James

"And we're not hungry, are we Lil?" said Albus

"nope, not even a little bit." she agreed immediately. Harry and Ginny looked at each other as the three kids stood hopefully in the doorway.

"It is their only time to have just the three of them" Harry offered. James gave a fist pump

"Please, Mum….?" begged Lily

"Fine then" Ginny answered "but be packed by tomorrow morning, and don't forget to eat diner!" she called after them as they ran down the walk to god-knows-where.

"Well," said Harry "I've already packed so think I'll have to go back to finish up at work if we're not with the kids"

"That's fine," said Ginny "I'd actually love the time alone, before we have to share rooms all month"

Harry, as usual, worked longer than he should have, and ended up walking home in the dark. The kids would be asleep by now, and Ginny would be angry no matter when he got there at this point, so he snaked around, once again, to Theo's house. When he arrived the block was void of its usual noise. It was in a constant titter whenever he visited, but today the violent silence gave Harry a gut wrenching fear. As he approached the house he heard but one noise. A baby crying. It was a fearful cry and, as far as he could tell, was unresponded to by a parent.

A little girl, maybe five or six, stood in the doorway to the home, staring out at the street.

"Hullo?" Said Harry gently "Is something wrong?" the child looked, for a moment, like she might speak, but remained silent "I'm going to go into your house, now. I'm only trying to help." Harry said, slipping past her. As he walked by he could see that she was trembling.

The inside looked like it had been scorched recently, Harry assumed by magic as the flames had failed to spread. What looked like blood was smeared at the base of the stairs, so Harry carefully began to climb them. ust around the corner Was the crying baby, so Harry crept over to the noise to make sure it was alright.

He knew something was wrong as soon as he entered the nursery. There had obviously been a fight here. He rushed to the crib and peered inside. An infant lay inside in a jumper with a cut on its face and also a few on its hands from a shard of glass off of a picture frame that had toppled into the crib. Harry lifted the child up, knowing that Theo had to be here somewhere.

"Theo" he whispered urgently "Theo, we have to leave. The baby's got some cuts we need to go to the hospital."

Harry rounded a corner into another short, cramped hallway. Through the nearly total darkness he could just make out a heap on the ground. Harry crouched, baby still in hand, to identify it. _It was Theo. _

Harry shifted the baby to his left arm and shook Theo's body with his right. His hand came back wet with what he assumed was blood.

"Theo!" He whispered "C'mon, son answer me. what's wrong?" When there was no answer Harry put his ear to the boy's chest… he could hear a slow weak thumping.

Harry had seen this at work several times, and knew that it was probably the effects of sectumsempra. His heart jumped with fear.

He heard a board creek behind him and whipped out his wand turning toward whoever was there

"Lumos" he said aloud, no longer bothering to whisper.


	4. Inside St Mungo's

The little girl from the door outside stood in the light of Harry's wand

"Is he dead?" she asked fearfully, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"No," Harry answered quickly "who did this? are they still here?" he asked

"I,.. are you sure he won't die?" her voice quivered this time

"What's you name, love?" he asked gently

"its- it's Andromadus, but I'm called Mouse"

"Come on, then Mouse. We have to get these two to some doctors."

"magic doctors or normal doctors?" she asked

"Definitely magic ones" Harry answered. "I'm going to have to apperate all of you there, all right?" She nodded, mustering up as much courage as she could. Harry handed her the baby, then grabbed an arm of Theo's, and put an arm around her, before disapperating.

The familiar sense of being shoved through a cramped rubber tube overcame them as they apperated. Harry stumbled onto the linoleum floor of St. Mungo's, both kids still in hand. As a healer rushed over to them looking horrified Harry got his first good look at Theo.

Still unconscious, the boy's face was unusually pale, and his hair was matted with sweat, but Harry's eyes were overloaded with the amount of blood on him. This was more than sectumsempra. This was worse.

A young healer had taken the baby from Mouse and several, more experienced-looking workers crowded Theo, pushing Harry away as the worked. One of them looked at him

"His name." the healer demanded

"Its, um Theo. I… I dunno hi last name." Harry said

"O'dowd." Said Mouse. "our last name's O'dowd."

Harry showed his auror badge to a burly healer who looked like he might hit him.

"Where can Mouse, here, and I find him?" Harry asked the burly healer who had just understood that Harry was there to help, not hurt, the kids. Theo had been carted away by a staff large enough that Harry was now very worried.

"Level four. Spell damage. You'll have to wait in the waiting room for quite a bit for that one. Tell the desk you're there for him and they should update you when possible," said the healer "I'm Rory, by the way. Rory Abbott."

"Pleasure," said Harry with as friendly a tone he could muster. He took Mouse up to the waiting room on the fourth floor, doing everything Abbott had said, and sent a patronus to Ginny

"_I'm at St. Mungo's. You'll have to start travelling without me- I won't be a able to leave for some time. Send Teddy my love, I'll join you when I can."_

Harry's buttondown was smeared a spattered with Teddy's blood, and just as he took it off, leaving only his undershirt in the freezing waiting room, a healer arrived with the baby in tow.

It was asleep and where there used to be cuts were slightly pink marks that Harry knew would be gone within the hour. With Mouse asleep in the next seat over he took the baby, realizing he still didn't know it's name. He stopped the Healer as she turned to walk away-

"Sorry," he said, uneasily. "but, do you know it's name, or… anything about it? I'd ask her," he gestured towards Mouse "but I'd really rather not wake her."

"He's a boy. That's all I know." She said before hurrying off.

Holding the nameless little boy in his arms Harry decided that It was time to call the Magical Children's Relocation Service. A relatively recent branch of the Auror office, created after the battle of Hogwarts when a surge of failed foster homes proved that the muggle foster system was unsafe for magical children. Most especially ones too young to be in school.

He sent off a letter there by owl, using a bird the hospital staff kept in the waiting rooms. As soon as the owl flew off he heard his name in undertones at the front desk, behind him.

"Yes Harry Potter. He's an auror, I believe he checked in tonight."

"Not on this floor M'am" said the worker. There was a clatter and Harry turned to see his wife holding a healer by his front collar with his eyes just inches from her's.

"Oh," she growled "so you're telling me my injured husband is up in the gift shop, then." She must have searched from the ground floor, up as the only floor above this one was a shop of knick-knacks and a cafeteria. He didn't understand why she thought _he _was the injured one, though. Surely he hadn't made it unclear...

"Ginny? I'm just over here. I'm waiting for a patient" relief visibly relaxed her whole body, before it tensed again in anger, she stalked towards him.

"Bloody hell. You absolute ignoramus, why the hell didn't you tell me you weren't hurt?"

"sorry," said Harry "I really thought I did…"

"Well," said Ginny, less angry but still irritated with him "you didn't. And who's that then?" she asked more gently, in reference to the baby.

"It's a baby" Said Harry, not realizing how stupid the explanation sounded until it came out of his mouth.

"Merlin's Pants!" exclaimed Ginny with an affectionate sarcasm "You're right! human offspring, what a revelation!" They both laughed Harry relieved that Ginny wasn't too furious, and Ginny just glad Harry was okay.

"It's the little brother of Al's friend, Theo, from school. You remember him from King's Cross?" Harry explained "That over there's his sister, Mouse"

"And where's Theo?" Ginny asked, her voice dark in a way that meant she already knew the answer.

"We're still waiting to hear anything, it was pretty bad." Harry said, all masks of humor gone once again.

"Well, I'll wait with you if you want of course. First, though I've got to send word to James, your patronus woke him too- he's worried sick"

She walked off and guilt filled Harry- he knew he'd have to make it up to his oldest son, and he would.

When Ginny returned, Mouse, still half asleep, curled up next to her, and a healer approached them for the first time

"Here for Theo O'Dowd?" The healer asked

"That's us." said Harry Bracing himself.


	5. Back at the Potter's

James awoke to his father's voice when the sky was still pitched black. He knew something was wrong immediately, and crept towards his parents room in silence.

_I'm at St. Mungo's. You'll have to start travelling without me- I won't be a able to leave for some time. Send Teddy my love, I'll join you when I can._

It was a patronus. James's heart squeezed in fear, wondering how his dad had been hurt while finishing up paperwork. He could hear his Mum shuffling about. Probably getting ready to go to St. Mungo's. Overcoming a heaping desire to tell his Mum that he had to go with her he knew he'd have to watch Al and Lily. He tore himself from his spot, and stole away, back into his room. Minutes later he heard the door open

"James, Love. Wake up," His mother said with a quiver in her voice. She sat on his bed and gave him a nudge, he rolled over to look at her. "I've got to go, Dad might be in a touch of trouble, so-" she paused, searching his face carefully "but you heard, didn't you?" James nodded silently- she must have seen his fear.

"I'll keep an eye until you get back," he said quietly, trying to be comforting.

"Thanks, Love," Ginny Patted his face gently, and left the room. He heard the fireplace surge, and knew she'd taken the floo, and he was alone in knowing that something was wrong.

James walked shakily to the kitchen and brewed some coffee, he drank a steaming cup, as he read his dad's old copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ Focusing on the parts about chasers. Since Al was a seeker, like his dad, he usually would get to be the hero of the matches, so James loved the stories of when chasers, like him, got so many points that the other team's seeker couldn't even catch the snitch without losing. Lil, a keeper, was always having James shoot on her whenever they could get out to this big empty field a ways away from the hollow. She was, like her uncle, a fan of the Chuddley Cannons, but her mother maintained that Lily would one day beat them as keeper of her Mum's previous team- The Hollyhead Harpies.

After getting no word for four hours James, who had finished the pot of coffee sat on the front steps watching the sunrise. It was six o'clock, and when he walked back into the house he could hear someone awake. He hoped t was Lily and not Al. He could explain something like this to Lily. They were close, and she would be okay, she would be strong, but Al… Al's being upset would only make james angry, and he didn't want to fight right now.

He was glad when he saw Lily in her pajamas walk from her room to the bathroom, and he started making up a breakfast.

Lily came to the kitchen several minutes later to find James plopping same eggs and toast onto a plate for her

"James Potter, making breakfast? I must still be asleep." She joked. Seeing her brother's face, though, she knew something was wrong "What's the matter?" James sighed, and explained what he knew.

"you know, James, you can't be sure he's actually hurt." She said. James looked shocked and confused

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Well" Lily explained "He never actually said he was the one who was hurt did he? He just said he'd have to stay at St. Mungo's a while, right? Wouldn't it be just like Dad to accidentally sound like he's hurt but he's actually just, like, interviewing a patient there, or something?"

James laughed, comforted by this theory

"You're right, Mum'll be furious if that's what's happened" he said, amused. The two of them burst out into laughter that was one part humor two parts nerves.

Al stubbled gracelessly out his room and scratched his head.

"What _are_ you two gabbing on about?" he said irritably. The laughter fell from the air in an instant when James explained again, this time to his brother.

"but he might not even be hurt," Lily was sure to interject.

"Yeah," replied Al, quieter now, than most mornings. Jame had been right, Al's quietness picked at a nerve with him for some reason.

"Oh, come on." He said looking rudely at his little brother.

"What've I done, now?" said Al, sounding exhausted. This only made James even angrier.

"Oh, please. Here you are, acting the victim I'm the one who had to stay up all night worrying. And Lil's the littlest, she shouldn't have to be the calmest." James said, with as much venom as he could muster.

"What are you getting at?" asked Al, warningly. James was sick of Al, and he said as insultingly as he could

"I'm saying you're a spoiled brat, and I'm sick of Lil having to take care of you rather than the other way around, I mean what the hell did you do when I was school?" He had pushed just the right buttons, and Al was now angry with both of his siblings despite the fact that Lily had, so far, said nothing.

"Since when does Lily need me me to take care of her? I personally think she's capable of taking care of herself." Al retorted angrily "And if she needs me, she should _ask._ Sorry, if I don't delude myself into thinking everything's rainbows and cuddles when Dad's probably dying. Who's taking care of him?" He was screaming by the time he had finished

"Take it back." James said in a voice that was so cal it was terrifying to both Al and Lily.

"No" Al replied nearly whispering, now. They began to lunge at each other, but both went rocketing to opposite sides of the room, where their little sister had shoved them, with the help of some poorly controlled magic.

"Break it up." she said, livid. "Don't you _dare_ talk about me like I'm not in the room. And stop fighting like this, where the hell do you think this is getting us, _jesus_." She stormed out of the room, and Al and James were too nervous to move from where they were when she had left.

She stepped back into the room where they were a few moments later holding a letter from their Mum.

"I was right, Dad's not the patient." she said as she read "but they just got news about whoever's actually hurt." She looked up from the letter seriously, "Al, you should probably see this"

both of her brothers crowded behind her, reading the news over her shoulders.


End file.

Harry Potter