Chapter 2: Back to the Beginning

"James, get up!" a voice yells. It is a voice I have not heard for two years. The voice of my mother. Wasn't she supposed to be dead? Albus said so at least.

I slowly open my eyes, and wince at the sunlight coming through a nearby window. It takes some time before I realise I'm lying on a bed.

I try to move, but once I try my head protests loudly. It feels as tough a spike has been run trough it. My mind is very fuzzy.

I cautiously look around the room. I realise I'm lying in my old room in the Potter house in Godric's Hollow. I haven't entered this house for at least two years.

I spot a potion on my bedside table, I recognize it as a hangover cure. That is when I realise that my tongue is very dry. I quickly drink the potion and instantly my headache clears, and I feel normal. It must have been one of Albus's hangover cures, but I realize that doesn't make any sense. Albus is dead. If my mum made the potion I would be feeling horrible the whole day.

"QUIDDITCH!" yells a second voice. This is the voice of my sister Lily. She used to joke that one of the ways to wake me up was to yell Quidditch at the top of her voice. But honestly, Quidditch is the last thing on my mind at the moment.

I put on my glasses and stumble towards the mirror. Looking back at me is a seventeen year old boy with messy black hair and hazel eyes. They say I'm an exact copy of my grandfather James. From the messy hair, right down to the knobby knees.

But this is not the appearance I remember. I used to look a lot messier, I remember having a small beard, but there is only some stubble now.

"You know, usually you come running straight down when I yell Quidditch," a voice says from the door. I turn around to see my sister leaning against the door frame.

"Lily!" I yell shocked. She looks exactly as I remember her. Flaming red hair falling down around her head like a fiery waterfall. Chocolate brown eyes twinkling happily. And her locket resting around her neck.

"No need to yell, even if you are naked, it is nothing I haven't seen before," Lily says shrugging.

"What is going on?" I ask warily.

"Going on? Breakfast, that is what! If you don't come down soon, Al will have eaten it all," Lily says exasperated, while she turns around and moves out of the room.

Al? Albus? The last thing I remember is him lying against a kitchen counter dying. What the hell?

I move to put on some clothes so that I'm decent. It is then that I notice that I'm holding something in my right hand. Opening that hand I see that I'm holding Lily's locket. This confuses me, since I could swear I saw that locket hanging around Lily's neck just moments ago. I try to open it, but can't. This should be logical, seeing as only Lily seems to be able to open it.

Shaking my head, I put the locket on my night stand and put on some clothes. Before leaving the room I pick up the locket again and put it in my pocket.

I warily walk downstairs and the smells of a grand breakfast made by Maddy reach my nose. I remember that Maddy used to be our house elf. I have no idea what happened to her after I left the family.

When I enter the kitchen I get the biggest shock of my life. There sitting at the kitchen table is my family. Dad is sitting at the head of the table, the Daily Prophet in one hand, and a fork, with which he is eating breakfast, in the other. Mum is sitting next to him eating her own breakfast.

Albus and Lily are sitting at their usual spots at the table. At least where I remember them sitting.

"Dad?" I ask warily, barely able to believe my eyes. Dad turns to look at me. He looks exactly the same as I remember him: messy jet black hair, piercing green eyes behind half-moon shaped spectacles which always gave me the feeling as though he was looking straight into my soul.

"What is it, James?" my father asks concerned. It seems he picked up on my tone of voice.

"You're alive?" I ask stupidly.

"Yeah, glad to see you are among the living too," dad says smirking.

I stare owlishly at dad, trying to figure out what is going on.

"Or maybe that is too much to hope for," dad mutters under his breath.

I shake my head to clear it and sit down next to Albus, who is looking at me suspiciously. Mum and Lily are shaking their heads at me, exasperated.

"Seems you had fun last night," mum says, smirking.

I dumbly nod my head, trying to figure out what is going on and look for anything smart to say.

My eyes fall on the Daily Prophet dad had been reading and I see the date. It reads the 13th of August 2022. I blink and see that the date has not changed. It should have been the 20th of June 2024 at the very least. Then the significance of the date hits me. It is one day before dad dies.

When that realisation hits me I start coughing, and I quickly excuse myself. I run to my room and grab the locket that is in my pocket. Albus's dying words ringing in my head. 'Save... Her...' For I know now that they were his dying words. I realise now that I time travelled somehow — that I have been given a second chance. I just hope I don't screw it up, for Albus's sake.

Before I can figure it all out the door to my room opens again. I quickly stuff the locket back in my pocket and see Albus standing in the door.

"What is going on with you?" Albus asks suspiciously.

"Nothing," I say, hoping that Albus won't ask any more questions.

"Right, nothing acts like he is hungover while you clearly have used one of my hangover cures, nothing runs up the stairs after seeing the date," Albus says, narrowing his eyes at me.

I forgot how inquisitive and observant Albus can be. "The cure was one of mum's," I lie, hoping to keep Albus off track.

"Nice try, I put the cure in your room myself," Albus says.

"Mum must have replaced it," I say determinedly.

"Hmm, could be," Albus says thoughtfully before turning around.

"By the way, I hope you enjoyed your date with Alice," I hear Albus say from the corridor.

Alice? I ask myself, what has she to do with anything? She used to be my girlfriend, but I haven't seen her for two years now. Not since my father died. I shake my head, I can figure out what to do about Alice later. I have to figure out what is going on now.

I pull Lily's locket out of my pocket again and examine it. 'Save... Her...' What did Albus mean by that? Save Lily? Save mum? And why have I returned to today? Should I save dad? Can I save dad? But Albus did not say to save him. He told me to save Her. But what happened to mum and Lily? How can I possibly save them if I don't know what happened to them? Well, let's do one thing at a time. Let's try and save dad.

He would die tomorrow. In the finals of the two-yearly international Ministry duelling tournament. This year the finals are in Russia, of all places. It was... I mean, is the first year the finals are held there. We are to leave by Portkey later today. Dad died in his duel. Some kind of accident they said. His whole body turned into dust. I think his opponent put too much power in his Reducto spell or something. I don't really know, I never researched it. I left the family shortly after our return to England.

Well, let's start at the beginning and talk to dad. I walk out of my room, straight to my father's study. As expected I see him there sitting at his desk, reading a letter. I politely knock on the open door to announce my presence.

"Come in," my father says without looking up.

I walk into the office and sit down on a chair near the door.

My father looks up and looks me in the eye.

"What is it James?" dad asks.

I open my mouth to say something, but can't find anything to say, so close my mouth again, trying to figure out how to bring up the subject of his upcoming death.

Not coming up with anything I decide to start with a simpler subject.

"What time did I get home yesterday?" I ask, just to be talking about something.

"Quite late, what do you remember of last night?" dad asks, raising an eyebrow.

Albus dying? But I know that is not what dad meant. I try think back to the last date I had with Alice. All I remember is that we went to a dance club, and that there was a lot of alcohol involved. Whether I forgot what happened due to the alcohol, or due to the time that has passed since then, I don't know.

"Alice and I went to a dance club, there was a lot of alcohol involved, that is all I remember," I say warily.

"I see," dad said, eyeing me closely.

"I will contact Alice after your duel tomorrow, maybe she remembers more," I say confidently.

"That will work," dad says, nodding.

"Dad, what will happen if you die in the duel?" I ask, finally working up the courage to ask.

Dad seems momentarily surprised by the question, but then sits back warily.

"What would you do if I died tomorrow?" dad asks in return.

"I don't know," I answer truthfully. Last time I ran away, I know it is wrong, but who is to say I wouldn't do the same thing again?

"What would you do if Ginny and I died tomorrow?" dad asks, staring at me intently.

The question catches me of guard. What would I do?

"I don't know, is there a chance of that happening?" I ask fearfully.

"There is always a chance of that happening," my dad says, shrugging.

I nod and look down at my hands. It is odd to be discussing this with my dad. He is talking about death as though it is the most normal thing in the world, but it scares me. What would I do if both mum and dad died?

"You better get ready, James, the Portkey will leave in a couple of hours," dad says, saving me from my musings.

I nod and get up to leave the study.

"Remember, James, that no matter what happens, you always have a family," dad says, just as I'm leaving the study.

Just as I go back to my room, mum shouts up the stairs reminding us that our Portkey is leaving in two hours. When I enter my room I take out Lily's locket again, and wonder what more I can do to try and save dad. I know he has to fight in the finals tomorrow, there is no changing that. I quickly realise there is nothing more that I can do. I have to trust my father to get through it on his own.

But what if he doesn't ? a voice in my head asks. Well, then I'll just have to look after the family, right? That is what dad wants of me, anyway. He said it himself. Once again I ponder the words 'Save... Her...'. Albus said that Lily became the Dark Dryad. And mum died. He didn't say how that happened.

Well, I'll just have to keep a close eye on Lily then. And figure out a way to save mum. Albus gave me this mission, so he must think I have a chance to succeed.

"James, the Portkey leaves in ten minutes!" I hear mum shout up the stairs. I jump at the sound, and realise I still have to pack. I quickly throw together some clothes and put them in a backpack. I make it downstairs with only three minutes to spare.

"If you would go any slower, you would go backwards James," Lily says in a teasing tone.

"Going backwards is not that slow," I hear Albus mutter under his breath.

"OI!" I shout out, mock annoyed. I missed this kind of banter.

"Good, you are ready. Quickly, touch this comb!" mum says, holding out an old comb.

Dad, mum, Lily, Albus and I touch a piece of the comb, and one minute later I feel the tell-tale pull behind my navel of a Portkey.