Yesterday Came Suddenly by purpleducki88

Index

Chapter 1: What About Tomorrow
Chapter 2: Something's Lost, But Something's Gained
Chapter 3: Here I Go
Chapter 4: It's Later Than It Seems
Chapter 5: Cartwheels Turn to Car Wheels
Chapter 6: 'Til I'm Home Again and Feelin' Right
Chapter 7: Got to Get You Into My Life
Chapter 8: You Can't Be Twenty on Sugar Mountain

Chapter 1: What About Tomorrow

Author's Notes: This is still a WIP, but it's what I'm most proud of right now, so I thought I'd post it first. I have seven chapters completed so far, and the rest are mapped out/in progress. As this is. my first post here, I'd really love to hear what you think!

The scarlet steam engine pulled out of the station at eleven o’clock on the dot, leaving more than a few teary-eyed parents in its wake. Even through the billowy ribbons of steam, more than a few people had noticed a familiar face in the crowd, and they pointed and whispered. The whispers had changed over the years. No longer were they just about ‘the Boy-Who-Lived’ or ‘the Chosen One’, they now included, ‘Savior of the Wizarding World,’ ‘Youngest Head Auror in History,’ and ‘Husband of the Hottest Player on the Holyhead Harpies,’ although, to be fair, Harry quite enjoyed being called the last one.

Long past paying attention to the response he evoked in a crowd, Harry let out a shaky breath, trying to avoid crying right here on the crowded platform. Ginny’s arms, firmly wrapped around his waist, helped to steady him somewhat, but his voice was still a little uneven as he spoke to his wife.

“You alright, hon?�

“I’ve been better,� she replied with a shrug and a watery chuckle.

Harry let out a controlled, calming breath. “I always knew that today was going to be hard. From the minute she was born…� He shook his head, grimacing as a single tear escaped.

“Buck up, Harry,� Ron said, patting his best friend on the back, “I felt the same way, Rosie’s first year. But they’re strong, and brave, and smart, our girls. Smarter than we were, anyhow. They always come back, and they’re always going to need their old dads. They always come back.� Ron took a shaky breath of his own.

“When the hell did you get so wise, Ronnie? Did you swallow Dumbledore’s portrait, or something?� Ginny pulled away from Harry just far enough to lightly punch her brother’s shoulder as she teased him.

“Hey, I can be smart when I want to!� Ron wiped at his eyes, gladly jumping ship to a lighter topic. “You know Hermione wouldn’t put up with just any old dunce for this long.�

“Where is Hermione, any way?� Harry had finally regained his composure, and was searching the roiling crowd of parents and younger siblings for his sister-in-law.

Ron grimaced. “Percy found her while I was helping Hugo with his trunk. I know I should go rescue her, but…� he shivered dramatically. Harry laughed, but Ginny forcefully poked her brother in the ribs.

“Ron, you git, go get your wife. Today’s rough enough without Percy going on at her about cauldron bottom thickness or whatever.�

“Recently it’s been more about portkey permits, and forms being filled out incorrectly,� Harry interjected with a smirk.

“Oh come on, at least she gets paid to talk to him! I don’t get even a single sickle for putting up with his bullshit. Do you honestly expect me to-�

“Oh for fuck’s sake,� Harry interrupted impatiently, “I’ll get her.� He strode out of their secluded alcove towards the empty railroad tracks, scanning the for the telltale Weasley-red hair. Finally he spotted him, near where the front of the train had been. Hermione was looking exhausted already, nodding along like this was not a new topic of conversation. As Harry got closer, he could hear the tail end of Percy’s tirade.

“-It’s just common sense! You’d think no one had ever filled out Request Form 37B before; just imagine the trouble they would’ve had with the old system.� Percy shook his head, horrified at the thought.

“Well, as I’ve said before, Percy, perhaps if the Department of Transportation had a website with clear instructions on the correct forms to fill out, I do believe that the occurrences of incorrectly filed forms would decrease significantly. And I also believe that you, as Head of the department, have the power to make that happen, so if you’ll please excuse me-�

“But Minister-�

“Percy, please just call me Hermione,� she snapped at him. “And for the love of god, if you don’t like my advice, then stop asking for it. Get Teddy or Victoire to help you make a website or just suck it up and deal with it!�

Percy’s mouth snapped shut in shock as Harry tried to hide his amused grin. Hermione caught sight of him and perked up considerably.

“Harry! I was just looking for you, have you seen Ron anywhere?�

“I have. He’s not handling today well. He’s sobbing and wailing about the kids being gone. Practically inconsolable. Mind if I steal her, Percy? I think she’s the only one who can help him.� Harry maintained his concerned demeanor as Hermione turned away to hide her giggles.

Percy stuttered out, “By all means. I’ll see you Monday, Minister.� He bobbed a nod at Hermione and rushed away awkwardly to find his wife. Harry lead Hermione back to their spot, both cackling giddily.

“I can’t believe he still refuses to call you Hermione!�

“I can,� she replied, rolling her eyes. “As if I haven’t known him since I was eleven years old, honestly. Promise me you’ll kill me if I ever get that attached to my job, Harry.�

“Don’t worry, it’s physically impossible for us mere mortals to be as career-focused as Percy. There’s a better probability of Voldemort coming back than of you becoming like him.� They shared a laugh as they reached their spouses.

“Hey love, ready to go?� Ron questioned, grabbing Hermione’s hand as she approached.

“I am, no thanks to you,� she replied, raising her eyebrows at him.

“Hey now-�

“I know you saw Percy grab me, and you sent Harry over instead of handling it yourself, you coward! Some Gryffindor you are…� As Ron began formulating his rebuttal, Ginny took the opportunity to step between them.

“As much as I’d love to see you guys tear each other apart for the millionth time, I was promised lunch, and I’d like to get it sometime before the end of the school year, yeah?�

Ron squinted at his wife, both sizing the other up. “I could do a truce for lunch.�

Hermione nodded solemnly, “Lunch Truce it is, then.� She dropped the scrutinizing look and eagerly took the arm he offered her.

Harry smiled at the two of them. Since the kids had come along, they’d really gotten much better at shutting down their famous arguments. They could still go at it for hours, but they had agreed that there were more important things in life - like lunch, apparently. He turned to Ginny as they followed the other two to their car.

“So, where to, madam?�

Ginny dropped her jaw in faux shock. “As if you even need to ask! Where do I always want to go, you silly man? The cute diner with the nice waitress - yes, exactly!� Harry chorused her answer to her own question. He smiled, pulling her close enough to plant a kiss on the side of her head.

“Silly me,� he shook his head as Ginny pulled his arm over her shoulders. “How could I forget?� Harry shouted the plans ahead to Ron and Hermione, and they decided to abandon the car in favor of the short walk to the favored diner.

They walked in silence for a bit, taking in the glory of London in early autumn. The air was crisp, the leaves just beginning to be overtaken by oranges and golds. Ginny pointed out a squirrel rushing up a tree, shaking the branches with its rambunctious race to the top. They stopped and laughed at his antics, letting the space between them and the others lengthen.

“Do you still want to do it?� Ginny asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the squirrel.

“Hmm?� Harry questioned, tearing his eyes from the spectacle.

“Godric’s Hollow? Now that it’s just us…we don’t have to, if you’re not feeling up to it.� Harry realized he had almost forgotten; it had become a tradition, starting with Teddy’s first year, to bring the kids to the little village after going to King’s Cross. It was on the way home (somewhat), and it was a special treat for the kids not yet old enough for Hogwarts. They usually stopped at his parents’ house, and they always got ice cream. It helped, having nice memories there.

He took a deep breath, and shook his head lightly. “No, let’s go. It is tradition, after all.�

Ginny smiled up at him, and rose on her tiptoes to capture his lips in a chaste kiss. “I’m glad. And afterwards, we have the house to ourselves, remember?� Her arms snaked around his neck, and Harry fell into the comfortable position right along with her.

“Mrs. Potter, are you trying to seduce me?�

“Oi!� Ron shouted to them from across the street, “You two want lunch or not?�

Harry rolled his eyes and shouted back, “Coming, Mum!�

Hand in hand, they hurried to join their friends.

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Chapter 2: Something's Lost, But Something's Gained

Author's Notes: And so it truly begins. Updates will be consistent for a while as I upload finished chapters.Let know what you think!

It was a peaceful summer night at the Potter cottage. The oppressive humidity of the afternoon had finally broken into a gentle summer rain. That particular evening was beautiful, a glorious example of the magic of the season. Unless, of course, one was fighting with a colic-y one-year old.

Lily was in the back garden, bouncing Harry with only the fireflies to witness his cries and hacking coughs. It was nearing the forty-five minute mark since she’d begun the process of putting him to bed, and she could feel her own tears welling up due to sheer exhaustion.

“Come on sweetheart, take deep breaths. Breathe, Harry. You’re okay.�

Clutching the small boy close to her chest, Lily switched to a rocking motion, and began to quietly sing to him. She ran through just about every song she could think of, from the lullaby her parents sang her as a child, to the disco songs James made fun of her for liking. Her voice cracked, and she had trouble reaching the highest notes, but Harry slowly began to still in her arms. Halfway through a half-remembered version of ‘Both Sides Now’ by Joni Mitchell, she realized he was no longer crying. Gently, ever so very gently, she opened the back door and went back inside.

She laid him carefully in his crib, and stood by warily for a minute. Finally, when it seemed that he was well and truly asleep, she collapsed in the rocking chair by the window. Lily was tired to the bone. Her parents had warned her that having a baby was hard work, but of course, they hadn’t been simultaneously fighting a war against the darkest wizard in the world. Take that, mum, Lily thought to herself with a hoarse laugh. She sobered quickly, wishing more than anything that her mother could be there to help her. It had been three years since she’d buried her parents, but the memory still occasionally hit her like a train moving at top speed.

Lily stood once more, her feet screaming at her. She drank in the sight of her happily sleeping son. Though he hadn’t been planned, though his arrival had meant she’d had to put her career on hold, she couldn’t begin to imagine life without him. She mused that a younger version of herself would be appalled at her current life. A housewife with a child at twenty-one? Where was the little girl who read the newspaper voraciously, eager for any update on the women’s lib movement; who’d wanted to burn her bras before she was even old enough to need one? She supposed that girl was still in there somewhere, but with a different perspective. Before, she’d been opposed to 'oppression' in the abstract sense - now she knew it like an old friend. The world was hard enough, she knew. Lily had learned to accept love and happiness where she found it, even if it looked different than she’d expected.

She gently swept Harry’s already-wild hair from his eyes. The poor thing had had a long day, with visits from Sirius and Marlene in the morning, and the Longbottoms in the afternoon. Harry and Neville were quite taken with each other. They’d had a joint birthday party for the boys just a week ago, and the very next day, Harry had asked when ‘Ne-bull’ was coming back. She grinned as she looked to wall behind her. She found the picture of Alice and herself, stomachs round and heavy, smiles wide and excited. It made her happy to think that Harry was already so loved, and that he always would be.

Downstairs the door slammed shut, breaking Lily out of her reverie. Harry squirmed, his small face screwing up. She quickly put one hand on his chest, shushing him desperately.

"Lily, dearest, I'm home!" her husband shouted, causing Harry to finally let out an ear-splitting cry. Lily sighed heavily, lifted him from the crib, and headed downstairs. She wasn’t surprised to see her husband was accompanied by two of his best friends. She gave tight smiles to Sirius and Remus, and headed straight for James.

"Hello James," she said tersely, and handed him a squirming and crying Harry, "Goodnight James.� Lily turned on her heel and made her way back to the staircase.

"Where are you going?" His words stopped her about halfway up the stairs. She turned to look at him. She could see from his vacant expression and the redness in his cheeks that he was well and truly hammered. Helping Remus move, my ass, she thought.

"I," said Lily, "am going to bed. I only spent about two hours getting him to sleep, and now you get to have a go at it. Goodnight, James.�

James looked helplessly at the boy who resembled him so much. He swayed a little, and quickly plopped down on the couch before he could drop his son.

“Uhhhh, okay, shush Harry, iss okay,� James slurred half-heartedly, doing his best to ignore Sirius and Remus’ uproarious laughter.

“You think izzo funny? You get him to sleep then, you arseholes.� Remus, who was nowhere near as drunk, took pity on his poor friend.

“Give him to me, Prongs. Come to Uncle Moony, Harry!� He took the screaming boy from James, and gently rocked him. There was a brief moment of peace, and then his cries became even louder than before.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, put him on the floor, Moony. I’ve got this.� Sirius cracked his knuckles, and faced his godson. “It always had to be me. I’m the chosen one,� he muttered, rolling his neck.

“The wha?� James questioned, from his horizontal position on the sofa.

“Go to sleep, James,� Remus replied, watching Sirius with interest.

“Ok,� he murmured, already drifting off.

“It’s my destiny, as his godfather. This is my birthright-�

“Would you shut up and do it already?� Remus was getting tired of Harry’s screams, which apparently weren’t loud enough to drown out Sirius’ ego.

Sirius frowned at him, but crouched down to Harry’s level. As he did, he transformed into Padfoot. Harry stopped his cries, and crawled over to the large black dog.

“Pafoo?� Harry’s little hand reached out and patted his snout. Remus was once again surprised that a dog could look smug.

Harry and Padfoot played for a while, taking turns chasing each other and having a tug of war with an old copy of the Daily Prophet. While Harry was now in a good mood, any time bed time was mentioned, there was another meltdown. Sirius finally changed back after the third tantrum.

“So, your destiny was what? To fail completely?� Remus lazily ribbed him.

“Shove off. At least it worked for a little while.�

Remus sighed and looked at the clock that hung behind the sofa. It was almost midnight, and he and Sirius were due to go on a mission for the Order tomorrow morning.

“We’ve got to do something. What else do people do to calm babies?�

Sirius shrugged. “Fuck if I know, my mum usually just had Kreacher or the nanny take us away. I remember there was a spell the nanny used on us if things got really out of hand.�

“What, like ‘silencio?’�

“No, it was more complex. I remember she told us once that it didn’t actually stop a tantrum, just sped things up so that they could have some peace sooner rather than later. I think I remember it?�

“I’m not sure I want to bet on you thinking you remember some insane sounding pureblood spell that your nanny used.�

“Come on Remus, would I do anything to hurt Harry? I had this spell used on me tons of times, and look at me! I’m totally fine!�

“Mmhmm. Even if that was true-� They were both distracted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. “Shit. Fine, go for it, but if anything goes wrong, it’s your fault.�

“Well, it won’t, but thanks for the vote of confidence,� said Sirius dryly. As Lily got to the bottom of the stairs, he confidently aimed his wand at Harry.

“Futurum Tranquilitatas!�

And sure enough, the house became completely silent.

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Chapter 3: Here I Go

“Mm,� Ginny hummed blissfully. “Ice cream tastes so much better without the kids around.� Harry rolled his eyes as he paid the teenaged girl behind the counter, and they set off for a walk through Godric’s Hollow.

“You don’t mean that,� he said after a while. “I know you wish they were here. You still got plain chocolate with rainbow sprinkles just in case Lily wanted to switch with you.� Ginny shrugged.

“That might be why I started ordering chocolate originally, but now I just like it. I’m allowed to like chocolate with sprinkles.�

“Ok, then how do you explain the giant wad of napkins you grabbed? The two of us adults don’t need that many napkins.�

“Oh please, ice cream is inherently messy! Besides, it’s never bad to have a couple extra napkins in my purse,� she said defensively.

“Sure. It’s definitely not because you miss them already.� Harry kept an eye on her as he licked a stray drip from the side of his cone. His wife huffed childishly.

“Fine, if it’ll shut you up, I do. Happy? Of course I miss them. But we are allowed have fun without them, you know. We enjoyed life before them, and we can learn to again.�

She reached out to close the space between them, and his free hand easily swung up to capture hers, a dopey grin spreading across his face. They finished their treats in comfortable silence, treading the familiar path to his parent’s cottage. It came up over the hill slowly, looking almost exactly the same as it had during his Christmas visit with Hermione all those years ago. The ivy still enveloped the exterior like a second coat of paint; the hedge still wildly grasped for the clouds. The entire right side of the second floor remained open to the elements.

As they approached the small gate, the ice cream in Harry’s stomach suddenly turned to lead. Ginny squeezed his hand reassuringly. Every year it got easier to see the destroyed cottage, but it would never be an entirely fun experience. They stood in silence for a while, just taking it in.

“Remember a couple years ago,� Ginny said, quietly breaking into his somber thoughts, “when we found that note on the sign, where someone left their phone number for Jamie?�

That got a gentle laugh out of Harry. “And it turned out to be Fred on the other end, pulling a prank on him? That kid’s always playing the long game, I swear. How could I forget?�

“Yes!� Ginny giggled. “Merlin, I can’t remember the last time those two pranked each other now.�

“I almost miss it." Harry enveloped his wife in his embrace, careful not to get his sticky hands on her coat. "No, I take that back: I don’t miss the pranking, I miss when Jamie wasn’t a moody little git.�

“Me too,� she agreed, closing her eyes and sinking back into his chest. “I miss our little boy. I don’t want him to be a teenager anymore.�

“Won’t be a teenager much longer,� Harry murmured. “His seventeenth is only a couple months away now. I should see if I can find my dad’s watch in the vault, to give to him.�

Ginny groaned.

“Don’t remind me. I was trying to distract you, and now you’ve gone and made me sad too." She sighed melodramatically. "Let’s get out of here before we start openly weeping in the street.�

She grabbed his hand once more, and the two of them began to make their way back the way they came. Harry turned back for one last look, and the sound of muffled voices caught his attention. He stopped abruptly, causing Ginny to stumble.

“Harry?�

“Sorry, I just…do you hear that?�

Before she could respond, he pulled away and approached the house once more, wand raised.

“What-�

Harry interrupted her, putting a single finger to her lips. Now that they were closer, it was definitely coming from inside the house. He could make out three - no, four different voices, all arguing. And then, the pit of his stomach dropped. He heard a baby cry.

Ginny’s panicked eyes met his own, and her wand was out as well.

As quietly as possible, Harry opened the long-neglected gate, and made his way to the front door. Although he’d ventured into the house a couple times over the years, he was kicking himself for not taking better notice of the layout. He didn’t really fancy the idea of being ambushed today, if at all possible.

Upon reaching the door, he turned back to his wife. Ginny gave him a small, grim nod. Half of him wished she wasn’t there, and the other half was grateful that she was. If he’d loved her any less, Harry mused, he would’ve have attempted to recruit Ginny to the Aurors long ago.

Harry cast a nonverbal unlocking spell on the door, and took a deep breath before quickly throwing it open.

“Nobody move,� he bellowed. “Wands on the ground!�

The sight that greeted him sucked the air from his lungs.

He knew, logically, that the four shadowy shapes in front of him were not who they appeared to be. But that didn’t stop Harry from thinking it for one shining, shimmering second. A memory flashed in his mind unbidden, one that had been buried for years. The smoky forest quiet around him, branches snapping beneath his feet. The small stone in one hand, the snitch from Dumbledore’s will in the other. His heart pounding defiantly against his breastbone as he somehow moved one foot in front the other. A shiver ran down his spine. Thankfully, Ginny was more present than he was.

“Stay right where you are,� she said sternly, with only a slight tremor in her voice. “No one has to get hurt if you just answer our questions.�

She glanced at him quickly. He knew she was stalling until he got it together, and his heart nearly burst with love for her. Deciding it was time, he cleared his throat.

“Lumos Maxima,� Harry whispered, sending several globes of light around the room. His throat tightened as the light confirmed what he had guessed at in the darkness.

The woman was dressed for bed, in a worn, light purple bathrobe and slippers that were too big for her. Her hair was tossed up in a bun, but it was a deep auburn red, darker than Ginny’s. Though it pained him to look, he had to. The eyes beneath her fringe were the same he saw in the mirror each day.

The men, and there were three of them, were equally familiar to him. There was one with light brown hair, and two with black hair. The lighter haired man was younger than Harry had ever seen him, with less scars. With a jolt, he realized that Teddy now looked so much like him, when he didn’t morph. The shorter of the men with black hair was wearing leather pants, and a worn moto jacket. Harry could easily picture him on the motorbike that currently sat in his garage at Potter Manor. It was excruciatingly difficult to look at him and not see what he would become. And the last man with black hair…

Harry had never really seen his resemblance to the man, not in pictures, at least. But standing here, in front of him, it felt like watching himself in a pensieve. His stance, his nervous hands raking through his hair. The way he subtly tried to place himself between Harry and the others, trying to protect them even without his wand in hand. All but the eyes, of course. Those were all his own.

Before he could fall further into his own thoughts, a squeal came from the small child in the brown-haired man’s grasp. The baby squirmed to get a look at the intruders, and it was all Harry could do to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. His first thought was that the baby was scarily similar to Albus at that age - and his second, of course, was that the baby was supposed to be him. It was fussy, and grabby and had no scar on its forehead. Completely unblemished.

As the silence stretched, the one disguised as Sirius cleared his throat.

“We’re happy to answer any questions, if you want to ask them. But honestly, we have more than a few of our own,� he joked, a roguish smile spread across his youthful face.

The Remus lookalike sucked in a deep breath, and seemed as though he was struggling not to lose him temper.

“Alright,� Harry said, regaining his composure. “Let’s start here: this property has very strong blood-keyed wards around it. How did you get past them? After that, you can address your appearances. I can only assume this is meant to be some kind of revenge-fueled personal attack. Whatever you’re doing, you won’t get away with it.�

He took in their stunned expressions, and cursed internally. They weren’t bad actors, he’d give them that, at least.

“Gin,� he said, never taking his eyes off of the group across the room, “Would you send Flanders a patronus for backup?�

She nodded. Her mare slipped easily from the tip of her wand, and out the open door.

“Well?� Harry demanded. “Any explanations? Or shall we move this little party to a holding cell back at the Ministry?�

“Look, we don’t want any trouble. We were at home, getting ready for bed, and then suddenly, we were in this nightmare version of the house, and that’s when you got here,� his not-mother explained, trying to stay calm.

“Alright, let’s pretend I believe that,� Harry snapped back. “Take off the disguises and let’s do this, already.�

“We’re not - we don’t have any disguises on, sir.� The fake Sirius traded glances with the fake Remus. “I swear, I’m just naturally this handsome.� His smile didn’t make it to his grey eyes.

“Don’t do that,� Harry muttered.

“Harry,� Ginny hissed a warning. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the Lily imposter cover her mouth with her hand.

“Don’t pretend you’re him. That’s too far,� his voice was shaking now, as his fury overflowed.

“Was this what you were after? You want to get me mad, catch me off guard? Well, you’ve done it. Mission fucking accomplished. Now drop it, so I know who exactly it is I’m sending to Azkaban!�

The baby began to wail, and the one playing Lily made a move towards him.

“Hey!� Harry snapped at her.

“Back off,� said the James, deathly quiet.

Harry’s green eyes met his hazel. It was silent for a moment, with nothing but the baby’s cries filling the silence.

“The baby’s a nice touch, I’ll give you that,� Harry drawled. “Maybe you thought I’d be interested in self-preservation, or changing history? As if I would have fallen for that.� He snorted.

The James clone said nothing, just continued to let his eyes bore into Harry’s own. Harry just laughed in response.

“Or maybe you really thought you really could pull one over on me. Maybe you lot were stupid enough to think that I’d fall for you masquerading as dead people. You thought I’d let you into my house, into my life, just because you look like people that I know have been dead for years - for decades!�

“Harry!� Ginny interrupted him. He saw his Deputy Auror’s dolphin patronus floating beside her. Relief flooded his limbs.

“Waiting on your signal, Potter,� the dolphin said before it disappeared.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,� Harry muttered, wordlessly flinging out his wand and calling forth his stag. Ginny later told him that the four intruders seemed entranced by the sight of his patronus.

It only took about half an hour for his aurors to get the imposters into holding cells at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Of course, a good chunk of that time was spent by Harry giving them a good dressing down on their emergency response times, and on the exact definition of ‘backup.’

When the last of them had gone back to work, and it was just the two of them again, she scooped him up into a secure hug. He stood frozen, replaying the last few minutes in his mind.

“What the fuck?� He kept repeating hoarsely. “What the fucking fuck was that?�

“Just try to let it go, Harry. Whoever they were, they were just trying to get under your skin. They’ll get what they deserve, I promise you that.�

She took a step back, and he saw everything he felt reflected in her eyes. She blazed with anger, but her eyes were uncertain as they brimmed with tears.

As the adrenaline left his system, Harry no longer felt anything but very, very tired. He let his head fall forward, until his forehead gently connected with Ginny’s.

“Let’s go home,� he whispered. He saw that look on face, the one that meant she knew that he wasn’t okay. He ignored it for now, knowing she’d get him to talk about his feelings some other time. She always did.

Instead, she just nodded gently, and took his hand. As they walked back to the center of the village, it was almost easy to pretend that nothing had even happened.

Almost.

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Chapter 4: It's Later Than It Seems

Author's Notes: This chapter, and the next couple, are a bit angst-ridden and tough to get through. Just know, I love these characters, and it will get better. That said, I am quite proud of some of the moments to come. To sum up, I'm sorry, but also, you're welcome!!

Much as Harry wanted to pretend that the events of the morning had been nothing but a bad dream, he couldn’t ignore the situation forever. Especially not when he’d told Flanders to expect him in after lunch for the group interrogation.

Once he and Ginny got back to Potter Manor, they tried to get in a quick nap. He was exhausted, but his whirring brain had other plans. He replayed the entire morning over and over. None of it was making sense to him. Why now? Why those four? Why the baby? The more he thought about it, the less it seemed like an elaborate plot, and more like a prank gone wrong.

An accident, even.

And yet, their disguises had been so perfect. They couldn’t have used polyjuice, could they? Maybe grave robbing ought to be added to their list of charges. He made a mental note to send a team to check their graves. Well, his parent’s and Remus’ graves, anyway.

No, it had to be glamour charms. Or maybe some of them were metamorphagi…but they were so rare. He knew from research he’d done when Teddy small, there were only a handful of them in the UK at all, and of that handful, only a fraction in England. And to have manipulated every single centimeter of themselves to that degree would have taken hours; days. It wasn’t necessarily out of the question, but certainly seemed unlikely.

Harry always told his aurors that there were no stupid ideas when brainstorming, but there was one thought that he knew was incredibly, dangerously stupid, the very second it popped into his head. What if? No, he sternly replied. But it’s not impossible…it whispered to him, in a voice that sounded very much like his own as a child. They’re real. And they came back for you.

“Harry,� Ginny’s gentle voice interrupted his internal debate. “I can practically hear you thinking from over here.� She flipped over to face him on the bed. It seemed that she hadn’t had any better luck sleeping.

“Come here,� she whispered, rubbing his arm lovingly.

His hands slipped around her middle and met at the small of her back. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he let the sweet scent of her block everything else out.

They lay entwined for a while, taking comfort in the closeness. Too soon, an insistent beeping shattered the peaceful silence. Harry groaned, and reached for the phone in his pocket to shut off his alarm. Rubbing his eyes, he begrudgingly sat up and stretched.

“You know, I’m sure they could live without you for another hour, Harry.� She played with the edge of the quilt as she watched him put on his glasses. As tempted as he was to stay, the pull of a potential explanation won out in the end.

“I won’t be gone long.� He leaned over her, kissing her firmly. “I’m only going for an update and to sit in on some of the interrogations. I’ll be back by dinner at the very latest, and then I’m all yours.�

“Just…� she caught his hand, “Just promise me you’ll let someone else handle this case. I don’t want to see you get hurt because a few idiots decided to…do whatever it is they’re doing.� She gently caressed his wrist with her thumb, hesitating, before she continued.

“I know that hurt, to see them this morning. Please put yourself first, Harry. Whatever’s going on, whatever they’re up to, you are more important. You hear me?�

Her eyes blazed with unshed tears, and Harry sighed. He couldn’t have this argument today. It was one that they’d been having since the very beginning; since the day after he’d walked into the forest all those years ago. The form it took lately was Ginny’s increasingly insistent requests that he retire sooner rather than later. She argued that he’d done enough; he maintained that there was still work to be done, that he was far too young to be thinking about retirement at all. But it always came back to this: his ‘saving people thing,’ and the way it inevitably ended up with him in St. Mungo’s, or back at the therapist he’d begrudgingly begun seeing around the time of Jamie’s birth. And so far, things had worked out. Ginny knew who he was, better than anyone else, and she knew that this part of him was as immovable as the color of his eyes and the timber of his voice. It played a big part in her falling in love with him in the first place, and in her being alive to do so. But she feared (and Harry did too, if they were being honest with each other); they feared that one day, he would take it too far. That the Boy Who Lived would someday run out of luck.

Harry closed his eyes, fighting the squeezing sensation in his lungs as he cleared his mind of such thoughts.

“I hear you, Gin. I just want to check in, see if they’ve made any progress. I promise I’ll be quick. I’ll be back before dinner at the very latest.� She tilted her head, glaring at him.

“And I’ll…I’ll let Flanders take point on this one.� Her dazzling grin was worth the twisting in his gut as he said it. She got up onto her knees, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Promise?� Ginny whispered, lips hovering over his. Her breath tickled the stubble on his chin.

He slid his hands over her hips, settling on her bottom. “Promise.�

They shared a slow, longing kiss. Her teeth pulled on his bottom lip, and he caught himself before he pushed her back onto the bed.

“I really do have to go,� he panted slightly, his voice a little huskier than just a minute ago.

“And you’ll be back in an hour?� She played with the hair at the base of his neck.

“I’ll be back in 15,� he chuckled. Her sweet laughter followed him down the hall as he hurried to the fireplace.

The silence that followed the closing of the door to the holding cell was more than a little jarring, after the ruckus of the past hour or so. They’d been handled roughly once the aurors took over, pushed and shoved all the way to the nearest apparition point. The worst had come when they arrived at the ministry; they had been separated. Lily had kicked and screamed until they relented, and let Harry remain with his mother. Sirius was still trying to joke his way out of it, but James had gone deathly quiet once more. The worst was Remus, now limp and pale, with the look of a man facing the guillotine.

Though they’d been questioned separately, they were left to stew in the holding cell. Once the guard left them to their own devices, they’d compared notes. After a couple rounds of the expected questions, it seemed that they’d all been subject to just about every method of identity verification that the aurors had access to: they’d had to drink an antidote to polyjuice potion, been asked to produce their patronus, and had even been questioned under veritaserum. Afterwards, they all begrudgingly admitted to being grateful for all that excruciating time spent working on occlumency, since one of the aurors had tried legilimency on each of them in turn.

None of them could truly relax in the holding cell, but James was still tense long after the rest settled in to wait. Sirius sat on one of two benches with Harry in his lap (who was finally asleep, the tiny bastard), and Remus was curled up in the corner of the room, trying to get some shut eye as well. Lily was reclined on the bench on the opposite side the room, head turned to the side to keep an eye on James. He was pacing relentlessly, but never took his eye off the door.

“James, love, please sit down before I kill you,� Lily murmured sweetly.

“Something’s happened, Lily. None of the Ord- of our friends are out there. No Frank, no Alice, no Mad-Eye…� he dropped his voice to a whisper. “I’m beginning to wonder if this is even the real Ministry at all.�

“James-� Lily sighed.

“This is part of the reason they’re supposed to be here, right? So that we don’t end up in situations like this, where we’ve done nothing wrong, facing a bunch of strangers who won’t listen to us!�

“Darling, please-� Lily caught Sirius’ eye as her husband cut her off once more. He could only shake his head in exasperation.

“Of course, maybe I’m right, and this isn’t even the actual Ministry. They could all be Death Eaters in disguise, banking on the fact that we’ll go along with anything they say just because they’re in the uniform. Maybe all of this is their doing. The weird house, the mad bastard yelling at us — maybe this is what Dumbledore has been warning us about. They couldn’t get past the Fidelius, so they found a way to get us out, instead.�

“First of all,� she whispered, “we know there are actual Death Eaters in the actual Ministry, so that theory can just go right out the window. But even if you were right, and they were Death Eaters, why would they go to all this trouble? Why not just kill us immediately?� Lily finally sat up and crossed her arms.

“Because…they’re playing with us.� James’ eyes lit up as he came up with the answer. She wanted to cry. But at least he had stopped pacing.

“They’re angry that we’ve escaped this long, they’re just fucking with us until He gets here.�

“Mmhmm. And if that’s the case,� she said gently, “why did they give us tea and pastries in the interrogation rooms? Why did one of them offer to run out and get Harry some diapers?�

He stumbled over his words, so sure he could explain it all so it fit. Lily felt her heart break for him. She carefully reached out and caressed his arm, pulling his hand into hers.

“Maybe they’re just normal people, doing their jobs,� continued Lily. “Maybe Alice and Frank have the day off, and Mad-Eye’s…I don’t know, maybe he’s in the loo. Or maybe it’s…there’s another explanation. I don’t know,� she shook her head, frowning.

He huffed in frustration, and yanked his hand from hers. She heard Sirius tutting his disapproval as James resumed his frantic pacing.

“James,� she said with as much love as she could muster, catching his hand once more as he passed her. “I hate to say it, but there’s nothing we can do right now. You could exhaust yourself with worrying, or you could sit down and get some rest. How do you expect to take down You-Know-Who if you’re dead on your feet?� She smirked at him, and his shoulders slumped.

For the first time since he’d come home from Remus’ house, which seemed like years ago now, he looked into her eyes. She watched him begin to melt, felt the adrenaline slowly drain from his limbs. He sat next to her heavily, and took her hand, kissing it soundly. Lily sighed, grateful to see him relax, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Thanks, Lil. I’m just…� He growled in frustration. “You know?�

And she did, truly. It wasn’t as if his behavior was entirely unprecedented. She’d never fooled herself into thinking it would be entirely smooth sailing, being married to James Potter. If the first five years they’d known each other were anything to go off of, she supposed she never should have expected to never have a peaceful day again in her life. But he’d changed since then, and so had she. They’d done the usual growing up, true. But the pair of them had gone through so much more in those four years since they’d graduated, that their days of ‘pride and prejudice’ in school felt like a lifetime ago.

They’d both joined the Order right away, and it was exciting and scary and fulfilling and awful, all at the same time. It had also made them targets, even more so than when they were merely a blood traitor and a muggleborn dating at Hogwarts. There had been close calls, agonizing nights of waiting, and hospital visits with no clear outcome. They’d come face to face with the man that terrorized the entire wizarding world himself, and had lived to tell the tale. Both of them had hardened over the last few years, but James never handled it as gracefully that she did. But they got through it all, together, with their merry band of friends. And then, without any planning or warning, Lily was pregnant.

Dumbledore had insisted they go into hiding as soon as they announced it. From the moment the door closed on them, James had become paranoid and grumpy. It wasn’t pleasant, but she had understood, as they shared many of the same worries and fears. It had lessened once Harry was born, and the house filled with the light and love of a new life. That’s the way things were until about six months ago, when word reached them of the deaths of his parents.

James broke, that day. And Lily wanted to break, seeing him that way, but she had to keep it together for her boys. She figured he went into survival mode, after that. He trusted very few, and relaxed around even fewer. Some days he just stalked about the house like feral animal, cooped up in captivity. But she never gave up on him. The James that she loved was still in there, she knew. He was sad, and lost, and desperately, terribly scared; but he was there. And of course, just when he was beginning to calm down, to go out with his friends and be happy once again, they ended up in a holding cell at the Ministry, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, and all her good work was wasted. So yes, she did know.

Not trusting herself to say anything, Lily just buried her head in his neck, and wrapped her arms around him. Slowly, he shifted to return the embrace, and leaned his head on hers.

“You know,� she said after a moment, “you aren’t the only one coming up with mad theories. When we were at the house, I thought…well, it seems rather ridiculous now.�

“Hmm?�

“Nothing, I’m being silly. This whole thing is getting to me.�

He laughed, and she enjoyed the feeling of his chest vibrating next to hers. “I highly doubt that. I’ve been trying to get you to be silly for years, I think it would take more than just one very weird day.�

“Ha ha,� she said dryly in response.

“Tell me, Lils. You always listen to my bullshit. Let me have a go.�

“No, it’s really nothing. I only meant…this is a difficult situation, and you’re not the only one going a bit mad here.�

James hummed and nodded. Lily shifted to find a more comfortable position, and caught Sirius’ eyes from across the room. He held her gaze for a couple long moments, before lifting a shaky hand to brush a stray chunk of hair from Harry’s sleeping face. Sirius looked back up at her heavily. She tried to ignore the sinking feeling that her ‘mad theory’ may not be so mad after all.

“-and then I said, ‘Are you sure about that, sir?,’ and he said, ‘Yes, I’m sure I really am Sirius Black!’ And I said, ‘Excuse me sir, but hasn’t he been dead for quite a long time?� And then he was quiet for a while and I said, ‘Would you like to amend your statement, sir?� And he didn’t say anything-�

“Yes, I think I get the picture, Flanders.� Harry rubbed his scar. Not for the first time, he idly daydreamed about torturing Hermione very, very slowly.

Michael Flanders was tall and skinny, with large dark eyes that seemed perpetually on the edge of tears, and which made him seem even younger than his twenty-one years. He really shouldn’t have been an auror at all, but he had passed all of his NEWTs, and so he’d joined as a trainee two years ago. And that’s where he would still be, if not for Hermione.

Harry had hoped they were past pandering to the few ancient relics that remained in the Wizengamot, but it seemed that the corpses had enough sway with the younger members that that was certainly not the case. Flanders’ great uncle somebody was a member, and had hinted that he would be ‘extremely appreciative’ if his beloved nephew were working directly under the Chosen One. He wouldn’t have gone through with it, except that after multiple delays and deferrals, Hermione’s revised Bill of House Elf Rights was finally going up before the Wizengamot. She’d been working at it for the past ten years, and though her tenure as Minister had slowed her progress, it hadn’t lessened her passion for the cause.

Promoting him wasn’t quid pro quo, he’d told her, rather an attempt to reach across the proverbial ‘aisle.’ Of course, they both knew otherwise, but Hermione had looked so desperate when she’d jokingly suggested it, that Harry knew he had to do anything possible to help his sister achieve her dream. And so here he sat in his office, with the biggest dunderhead he’d ever encountered as his second in command. Though his fingers itched to sign the man’s dismissal papers for any one of the fireable offenses he had already committed, he knew he had to wait until the hearing was over. Harry didn’t enjoy firing people, but he would savor letting Flanders go.

“Sir?� Flanders interrupted his musing. “Would you like me to go on to the next one? Mr. Lupin was quite-�

“The supposed Mr. Lupin, and no, I think we can assume that his interview went similarly, yes?�

“Almost, sir, but instead of insisting he was Sirius Black, he kept saying that he really was Remus Lupin.�

Harry stared dumbly at him for a moment, and decided it was best to just to move on.

“What about our identification measures? Any polyjuice usage?�

“No sir, they all took the antidote and nothing happened, like you said would happen if they were the real thing.�

“And their patronuses?� Harry asked impatiently.

“Mr. Potter’s was a large deer, Mrs. Potter’s was a large deer, but without antlers, Mr. Lupin’s was a large wolf-�

Harry cursed. “And I suppose Mr. Black’s was a large dog, wasn’t it?� He rubbed his scar again, irritation building.

“How did you guess that?� Flanders looked at him with admiration.

“And the veritaserum — you let Auror Blackwell administer it, yes?� Blackwell was a seasoned auror, smart and courageous; Harry trusted her, and if not for the whole mess with Hermione, she would currently be his Deputy Head.

“Yes sir. I started with Mrs. Potter, so as to get the baby back to her as quickly as possible. I asked her-�

“Just give me the transcript,� Harry demanded. He did, and Harry spent a tense couple of minutes reading through it. He had never been more glad to already be sitting down. Once finished, Harry started over, and reread it twice more.

“No, sir! I would never-�

“Mmhmm, well, your file says otherwise,� Harry sighed. His mind was racing, trying to come to terms with what he’d read.

“And the legilimency?� He suddenly remembered. “What did Auror Blackwell see?�

Flanders had the good sense to look ashamed. “She couldn’t get through, sir.�

Harry raised an eyebrow. “None of them?�

“No, sir. She said that you were the only one she could think of that might be able to do it, they were that strong.�

This surprised him, but only for a second. If they really were who they said they were, it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. They’d certainly had enough time to work on the skill, and occlumency was useful against dark wizards. However, while he was wildly curious to possibly see the insides of his parent’s minds, it did feel like an invasion of privacy for people who were essentially strangers to him. And to whom, he was a complete stranger.

"The DNA tests!� He remembered, saving that thought for much later, along with the wave of emotion that was threatening to knock him off his feet.

“The what, sir?�

Harry dragged a hand down his face before answering. “The muggle DNA tests, Mike. To quadruple confirm their identities. They’re in each interrogation suite, next to the polyjuice antidotes?�

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were serious about those-�

Flanders was saved by a knock on the door.

“What is it?� Harry snapped. A young auror with long curly brown hair poked her head in.

“I’ve got a letter for you, sir.� Harry groaned.

“Simpson, I’m in the middle of something here. Can it wait?�

She shuffled in the doorway nervously. “It’s from Hogwarts, sir. I only thought-�

Harry took the two large strides towards her, and snatched the envelope from her hand. She watched him open it uneasily. Noticing she was still there, he told her, more gently than before, “Sorry, you were right to bring it right away. Thanks, Simpson."

She nodded with a smile, and slipped out silently. His eyes devoured the letter, and when he read the words he had been dreading, he almost forgot how to breathe.

…that your daughter has been injured. Please come to the school at your earliest convenience to…

“Sir?� He tore his gaze from the parchment in his trembling hands, and latched onto Flanders. “Is everything okay?

Harry stared at him for a couple moments, his brain unable to form sentences. “I have to go,� he mumbled as his legs finally began to move.

“Sir! We have to finish-� When Harry wheeled around to face his deputy, he found him uncomfortably close.

“Mike, my daughter is hurt. This can wait. Finish up here and get them back in holding.� Harry stopped himself before leaving and added, “And get going on those bloody DNA tests!�

“But..sir!� Flanders called after him forlornly, but Harry was already to the lifts.

Mike steeled himself, and reentered the interrogation room. Attempting a stern look, he bellowed, “Right, who wants to take the first ‘see a way’ test?�

The group stared at him, as if confused by the sight.

“DNA,� Lily corrected flatly.

He glared at her with all the menace of a fruit fly.

“Gesundheit. You’re first.�

Back to index

Chapter 5: Cartwheels Turn to Car Wheels

James (Jamie to his friends) Sirius Potter was not having a great first day of term. As per usual, the Potter family made it to Platform 9 ¾ just in the nick of time. This was usually just fine with Jamie, since his best friend/cousin Fred would always save him a seat with their friend group. It would have been fine today, as well, except now his friend group included his ex-girlfriend, Eloise DeCamp - his very recently ex-girlfriend. As in, just-broke-up-with-him-a-week-before-school-started, recent.

Since he was late enough that any other compartments he might’ve sat in were full, he ended up sitting right next to her for the entire miserable journey. And if it wasn’t bad enough to see her up close and smell her and hear her beautiful laugh, she just would not stop being so bloody nice to him. As if she hadn’t torn his beating heart into a thousand pieces just six days, five hours, and thirty-eight minutes ago (not that he was counting).

He didn’t even get a brief respite when the prefects had their meeting, as neither of them were prefects. The two of them just sat there in uncomfortable silence, waiting for Fred, Daniel, and Isabelle to come back. For the first time in his life, he was jealous of those nerds.

Needless to say, he was looking forward to the welcome feast like a starving man looks forward to…well, a feast. Now all that (literally) stood between him and his usual spot at the Gryffindor table was his stupid little brother.

"Move it, Al," he grunted.

"No, you've had it for five years. Dad said it was my turn." Albus crossed his arms, glaring up at his older brother.

"I don't give a shit, get out of my way." Jamie took a step towards him, and the back of Al's legs hit the bench. Fred, who was already seated, snickered.

"Bad timing, kid, he's just spent the whole train ride talking to She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You might want to try again later.� Jamie growled at him, but Albus ignored his cousin entirely.

"Come on, Jamie. You know I'm right. Quit being a dick and give me the cloak.�

Jamie took a step closer, towering over Al by about a foot and a half, and lightly pushed his chest.

"Make me, Albie.�

Al blushed furiously. Jamie knew it was a blow below the belt, to use their grandmother's most embarrassing nickname for him in the middle of the Great Hall, but he didn't particularly give a shit. They'd had this argument every day since the beginning of summer. He was sick of repeating himself, sick of seeing Al's stupid little disappointed face. Sick of feeling guilty for not wanting to part with the stupid cloak.

Albus let out a frustrated huff, and shoved Jamie out of his way as he headed back to the Slytherin table.

"You're an arsehole," he muttered, his voice cracking as he fought off tears.

Jamie watched him for a moment, guilt ballooning in his chest so that he could hardly breathe. No, he deserved it, he told himself. The little twerp had it coming.

Closing his eyes to dissipate the oncoming headache, he sat and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make it have that effortlessly cool floppiness that always eluded him.

"That was harsh, man. You know he hates being called that," Fred muttered under his breath.

Jamie just grunted in response.

"And he does kind of have a point,� Fred continued. “Teddy gave it to you your first year. It's his dad’s cloak too, you know.�

"Fred, mate," Jamie ground out, "I'd literally die for you, but if you don't shut up right now, I'm gonna punch your lights out.�

Fred raised his eyebrows, and held his hands up defensively.

"Just trying to help, mate.�

"I don't need any help,� Jamie snapped. “How about you focus on yourself, mate. I'll give Al the cloak when you ask out Heather, how about that?"

He knew it was too far as soon as he said it. Fred had been in love with Heather O'Shaughnessy for three years, and had never gotten up the courage to ask her out. Jamie was the only person he'd ever told.

Fred sat frozen for a second, eyes hard as he looked at his best friend. When he finally spoke, it was in a small voice, much quieter than his usual boisterous drawl.

"Al was right. You are an arsehole.�

Before he had a chance to respond, the doors to the Great Hall flung open to reveal Professor Longbottom, followed by the winding river of unsorted first years. Jamie watched them pass in silence, sparing a tight smile for his sister and younger cousin, Hugo.

He ignored the sorting. After all, it would be the same as it was every year, right? Little kids, putting on a hat, their house going berserk, rinse and repeat. He kept an eye on Lily, but instead used his time plotting his biting reply to Fred. If this had happened a couple years ago, he knew exactly what he would have done. He’d have slipped a treat from Uncle George’s shop into Fred’s dessert, everyone would laugh, and they would be best friends again by the time they got back to the dorms. But they weren’t little kids anymore, and this wasn’t some silly disagreement over the Quidditch World Cup, or who had the better belch. They were sixth years, after all. Maybe they were just growing apart, in the natural way that childhood friends sometimes did. After all, no real friend would have sided with their dumb little cousin over their best friend-

A blood-curdling scream ripped apart his inner monologue, making him sit bolt upright on the bench. A crowd of first years was forming around the one currently on the stool. Jamie’s stomach lurched. There was a familiar mop of red hair at the center of the commotion, and he was on his way over before he had a chance to think about it.

"Out of my way," he snarled at a couple third years in his path. "Lily! Lily!�

He finally pushed through the crowd gathering around her, and crouched next to his little sister.

"Are you okay? What happened?" She was shaking, looking smaller than he’d last remembered, with the sorting hat nearly covering her large hazel eyes. He pushed the hat back, and wrapped an arm around her.

"Jamie, my...my hand! It's gone!" Looking down, he was astonished to see that she was right. Her left hand was gone - no, it was…flickering in and out of existence.

"Who did this to you, Lil?" Jamie was gripping her shoulders now, searching her face for any clues.

"N-no one. I was just sitting here and it started happening," she whimpered.

"What is going on over here? Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, explain yourselves!" Jamie had never been more grateful to hear Professor McGonagall's lilting Scottish brogue.

"Professor, she's...her hand, I don't know what's happening," he stammered out, trying very hard to prevent himself from crying in front of the entire school.

The headmistress' eyes widened as she peered down at Lily's hand, still oscillating in and out of existence.

"Has this happened before, Miss Potter?" McGonagall's eyes didn't stray as she interrogated the little girl.

“No!" wailed Lily. Jamie gripped her tighter to his side.

"Professor, what is it? Is she going to be alright?�

Professor McGonagall seemed very far away for a moment before she answered.

“Both of you, come with me. Mr. Weasley," she turned to Fred, who Jamie had not even noticed was standing right beside him, "would you kindly find their brother and bring him to my office?"

Fred opened his mouth to protest, but her piercing glare made him simply nod and scurry away through the crowd.

The Headmistress sharply clapped twice, and addressed the crowd of students.

“First years, line up once more. The rest of you, return to your seats at once. Surely you have better things to be doing than standing around gawping!�

“Wait Professor!� Lily cried. “I haven’t been sorted yet!�

Just as the Headmistress was formulating her response, the seam of the hat tore open and bellowed, “HUFFLEPUFF!�

There was unsure applause from the yellow table, and Lily gave Professor Longbottom a watery smile as he kindly removed the hat from her head.

As he followed Professor McGonagall to the Headmistress' office, Lily's good hand gripping his for dear life, Jamie had a very bad feeling that this year would be even weirder than he could have predicted.

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace in the Headmistress’ office with far less grace than he normally would. As soon as he spotted her, he headed right for his daughter. His heart pounded wildly as he kneeled down and took her into his arms. Harry only released her when she began to protest.

“Daddy, you’re getting me all sooty. I’m fine now!�

He sat back on his heels, taking in the sight of her. Though seeing her in Hogwarts robes was still a shock, she really did seem fine. Her wild red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her big hazel eyes shone brightly at him from her round, freckled face. He spun her around, and examined each precious limb.

“The letter said you were hurt. What happened, pumpkin?� Her pert nose wrinkled at the babyish nickname.

“I was hoping perhaps you could answer that question for us, Mr. Potter.� Harry finally tore his gaze from Lily, and realized that they were not alone. Al and Jamie were seated behind Lily, and the Headmistress herself was stood behind her desk, her gaze soft over her spectacles as she awaited his answer.

“What do you mean?� He stood, but kept his hand firmly on Lily’s shoulder.

“The symptoms that Miss Potter displayed earlier today were…well, I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it, in all my years of teaching. Madam Pomfrey has taken a look at her, of course, but we both agree that she appears to be in fine health now that they have passed,� His former professor tried to appear calm, but there was undercurrent of concern in her voice that he hadn’t heard for many years.

“Hold on, what symptoms? She was perfectly fine when we dropped her off at the station.� Harry was beginning to lose patience.

“Her hand, Dad,� Jamie spoke up, his voice trembling. His hand unconsciously swiped through his mop of auburn hair. “Her hand kept coming and going…going see through and coming back.�

Harry shook his head, astonished. “What?�

“It’s true, Daddy,� Lily whispered. “It was really scary. Can I go home?�

He looked down into her pleading eyes, and spoke before he even considered her question.

“Of course you can, sweetie. Why don’t you go on ahead, and let me have a moment with Professor McGonagall?�

She fiercely hugged him around his middle, and ran over to the fireplace. Harry hardly registered the sympathetic smile he got from the Headmistress as he watched her disappear into the green flames.

“Boys,� she suggested softly, “why don’t you make sure she arrived safely?�

Jamie and Al exchanged a glance, obviously hoping they could stay and hear the adult’s conversation. A raised eyebrow from Harry sealed their fate, and they followed their sister through the floo with only a few complaints.

Once they were gone, Harry sank into the chair that Jamie had previously occupied, and pushed up his glasses in order to rub his eyes.

“Is it true?� He mumbled after a moment.

“I’m afraid so, Potter. I saw it with my own eyes.� Any other time, Harry would have laughed, and teased her about her continued refusal to address him by anything other than his surname.

“All I ever wanted was for them to have normal lives,� he said instead, shaking his head. “It’s her first day, Professor.�

“Go home and take care of her,� she replied with great care. “Take a few days, and monitor her symptoms. If she’s perfectly fine, bring her back.� The other option was left to hang heavily in the air between them.

“What could…I can’t think of anything to make sense of it.� He ruffled his hair in frustration as Jamie had done just moments before, and the Headmistress bit back a smile.

“Take the boys too, while you’re at it,� she said lightly. “No, Potter,� she interrupted his outburst, “I’ll put a team together, and we’ll do some research. Your job in this is to be their father. Before you got here, those boys were scared stiff. I think they could use a little recovery time as well.�

“But, Professor…� Harry tried to protest, in spite of the relief flooding his body.

“Oh please, Mr. Potter,� she scoffed, “You know as well as I, no one really pays much attention to the first days of term.� She smiled at him conspiratorially, and he laughed for what felt like the first time that day.

“Besides, if those children are anything like their parents, a few days out of school will not impact their success in the slightest,� she finished, with a conspiratorial smile.

The morning of September 2nd dawned bright and beautiful at Potter Manor. Golden bright rays of sunshine illuminated the apricots, coppers, and ambers in Ginny’s long hair, and Harry toyed with the idea of staying in bed with her well into the afternoon. Just as he began to draft a letter to Flanders in his head - it hit him. There would be no long, hazy morning in bed enjoying their new status as empty-nesters. Not only were all of his children currently very much in the nest, but he had greater problems that simply couldn’t be put off.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled himself out of bed, and headed downstairs to begin breakfast.

Harry was still grumpy about the dashing of his plans when he made it into the office that morning a little after nine. He was quietly getting stuck into his pile of paperwork when there was a knock at his door. He grunted in the way he always did before his second cup of coffee, and Flanders let himself in.

“Morning, sir. I’ve got those test results for you from yesterday. Also, I just wanted to apologize for not having them done before, I honestly didn’t think-�

“It’s fine, Mike. Thanks,� he tersely interrupted him, and thankfully the wanker knew a dismissal when he heard one.

One lingering trip to the break room later, he was back where he started. He had to try not to laugh at himself, the 'Savior of the Wizarding World', paralyzed by an envelope.

Harry had tried to deny it, but he’d had a feeling from the very beginning. He didn’t really need to see the results of the DNA tests to know exactly who they were. He’d known the moment he saw their faces - terrified, confused, and so heart-wrenchingly young - that they were exactly who they seemed to be. He had to doubt, that was his job. It was who he was. It was what had saved his ass, time and time again. So, he’d doubted the veracity of that gut feeling as strongly as he’d ever doubted anything in his life.

He hadn’t fallen apart, but had stood his ground and treated them like common criminals. He’d followed procedure, and called for backup, and tried with all his might not to look them in the eye. Tried not to hear the pleading voices he knew so well from dementor attacks, and nightmares about gauzy veils and crumbling stone walls. He’d even passed the case off to Flanders, as if determined to show the universe just how deeply he doubted. As if, he didn’t take it seriously, it would cease to be serious. As if the truth would become any less true by neglecting it.

But this would be the end of denial. Though he scrambled furiously, he could find no other hoops for them to jump through once this one was cleared. And that scared him more than he was willing to admit.

In the intervening years, these people had become untouchable in his mind. They were ephemeral visions; mirages, touching his life only for the briefest of moments. If not for the very real evidence left behind: the motorbike, the map, his living and breathing godson, he might very well have begun to doubt that they ever had been real at all. That he might have just...made them up.

It wasn’t so much that he worried how they came to be there in the first place; no, in fact, that was almost the least of his worries. The thing that had kept him up into the wee hours last night was the possibility of regaining those titans - his personal pantheon of gods - and having to lose them all over again. Because wherever they had come from, they surely wouldn’t be able to stay. Neither can live while the other survives, his brain supplied bitterly.

Sweat trickled down his spine, at odds with the chill that came in from his open window. He steeled himself, and grabbed the envelope. It felt quite light, for a document that would inevitably turn his world on its ear. Before he could change his mind once more, he slid a finger under the flap and tore it open.

As he read, the world went to static around him. Harry didn’t know how long he sat there, frozen, before his brain started working once more.

Without instruction, his feet led him to the holding cell. He took in the heavy steel door, pictured the interior in his mind. Hundreds, maybe thousands of criminals had spent the night here since he’d become an auror, but he had never considered until now just how cruel the room was. Well, at least their first night there would be their last.

Though every fiber of his being was telling him not to open the door, to escape the inevitable hurt before it could happen, he heard a voice from deep within that held him in place. The voice that laughed like a million dazzling fireworks when he made a sly joke about a coworker, that cracked like a whip when the kids were being little demons. That soothed his worst nightmares, and turned hard as stone when he berated himself. The voice that tantalized him in his waking hours and teased him in his dreams. And just as it had been the last time he’d seen this particular group of people, as he opened the door, his last thought was of Ginny.

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Chapter 6: 'Til I'm Home Again and Feelin' Right

Lily found herself on the end of a cliff. Strong winds whipped her, and her hair hurricained around her face. Weeds and tall grass buffeted her legs. As she pulled her hair behind her ears, she was finally able to see that it wasn’t just a cliff, but a long crevasse. Just about fifty feet away was the other side of the cliff. And on that other side-

Lily was shaken awake in a somewhat aggressive manner. It was Sirius, not an earthquake at all. She was back in the holding cell at the Ministry, and the boy was nowhere to be seen.

“Wha…what’s happening?� She sat up straight, and her neck, back, and hips protested with a vengeance. Turns out, sleeping on concrete benches may not be exactly what the doctor ordered for an exhausted mum. Lily stretched her arms above her head, and nearly moaned from the relief the little pops from her spine gave.

“Look alive, Evans,� Sirius muttered as he readjusted her giggling son to sit on his thigh. “We’ve got company.�

Lily looked past her old friend, and with a jolt, realized he was right. The Man from yesterday morning was in the doorway, looking pale and sweaty, and holding a large manila envelope. Him, with James’ uncontrollable hair, her father’s eyes, and her mother’s nose. The one the patronus had called, ‘Potter.’ The one the woman had called, ‘Harry.’

James was between Him and their little group in a flash. Her husband was jittery, and his right hand seemed to grasp around for his missing wand, like a child reaching for something to hold onto while learning to walk. Sirius attempted a steadying hand on his shoulder, but James smacked it away, never taking his eyes from The Man.

“Er, hello,� The Man choked out, taking a cautious step into the room. “Lovely to see you again.� His mouth quivered in a half-smile.

The silence that met his almost-joke was deafening, and Lily caught herself feeling some pity for the poor man. He was clearly about as well-rested as any of them were. His anxiety reeked from every pore. It was a completely different picture than the one they’d been presented with yesterday, and she couldn’t help but see a bit of herself in the way His green eyes flitted from person to person, seeking reassurance.

“Thank you all for your cooperation yesterday. I hope they didn’t give you too hard of a time-�

“Thought I was at the Ritz, to be honest,� Sirius drawled, interrupting Him. “Except, I s’pose the Ritz might not have such comfortable beds.�

The Man laughed: a short, surprised sound, and it took a moment for Him to respond.

“Well, good news is, tonight should be a bit better. You’re going to be coming…to my house. With me. Coming home.� He wiped his open palm on his trousers, and the envelope began to look very wrinkled.

After a beat, it seemed that their uneasy silence was not quite the reaction he had been anticipating. An awkward smile flitted across his face, and it was so very James, that she nearly laughed out loud. But she couldn’t, of course. She had learned the hard way not to take everything at face value. There was a war on, after all.

Seeming to take pity on him, Sirius let a warm smile spread over his handsome features. “Not that we don’t appreciate the offer, but just why would we be going home with you? I wouldn’t expect to find a chapter on ‘inviting suspects ‘round for tea’ in the Auror handbook.� “Ah,� He responded delicately. Taking in their various positions around the room, He jerkily gestured to the bench that Lily was sitting on. “You may want to be sitting down.�

Sirius joined Lily on the bench with a quick nod, but Remus remained curled up in the same corner he’d claimed last night. Lily took a moment to take a good look at him as Sirius tried to coax James into sitting with them. Remus had been paler than usual since they got to the Ministry, and Lily couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him speak. His eyes were a bit vacant, as if he wasn’t completely connected to the world around him. She made a mental note to check in with him once they were left alone.

Speaking of which, The Man was now watching with interest as James and Sirius finally reached a compromise. James agreed to at least stand beside Sirius, rather than between Him and them (“James, mate, I love you, but I’m not spending this whole conversation staring at your arse,�) as long as He agreed to sit as well, to even the playing field. The Man raised his hands in surrender, and lightly dropped his weight onto the concrete bench opposite them.

“So,� He began with a heavy breath. “I suppose it was, what? 1981, when you left? Actually, I’m… I’m getting ahead of myself. I should start here: I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but you’ve traveled through time.�

A low buzzing filled Lily’s ears. Seeing the boys were likewise in various stages of shock, she asked faintly, “Which way?�

“…Which? Oh, sorry, forward. In the, uh, the future,� He chuckled. “Sorry, that does seem like vital information, actually. The year is 2019, so I suppose that’s thirty-eight years forward?�

“Oh…kay. Sure,� Sirius said, forcing his face into neutrality. Lily could see that his careful facade of carelessness was beginning to crack in the face of this new information. He continued, “So, why are you asking us to go to your house, then?�

The Man stared at him for a beat, and then looked around at the rest of them incredulously.

“Oh, well obviously…sorry, terribly rude of me, I guess I’m a bit used to people knowing who I am. I, uh, well, because I’m…him,� he finished with a helpless gesture towards the baby in Sirius’ arms.

As Lily tried to absorb the implications behind his words, a sharp, high laugh interrupted the shock settling into her skin.

“That’s what you’re going with? We’ve time traveled into the future, which is nearly impossible to do without killing yourself, and you’re supposed to be Harry, all grown up?� The terrible, crazed laugh ripped from James’ mouth once more.

The Man blinked at him dumbly. “Well…yes?�

James scoffed dramatically, seeming ready for a fight. Harry cut him off before he could begin.

“Look, I didn’t want to believe it either. But we’ve done every test in the Aurors’ arsenal, and the results are all the same. We’ve even done Muggle DNA tests,� He gestured desperately with the envelope. “You are who you say you are. And I, unfortunately, am who I say I am. So the only logical conclusion is time travel.�

Sirius’ eyes narrowed. “Unfortunately?�

The Man scoffed nervously. “Bad joke, but I am…me. I’m Harry Potter.� He lifted a hand to his forehead, and seemed to change course to wipe his nose at the last second.

“And I suppose you think we’re stupid enough to believe you, with no proof whatsoever?� James examined Him with disdain.

“To be completely honest…I hadn’t thought that far ahead.� He laughed as the realization of the truth of his statement swept over him. Lily’s heart sank into her stomach. Try as she might, her heart was beginning to win the battle against her mind.

“Surely that’s enough proof for you, James?� Sirius smirked at his best friend. Her son fussed a little bit, and she gently took him from Sirius in order to calm him. She was reminded of the previous night, before any of this happened.

James only growled at Sirius in response.

“What’s my favorite song?� Lily spoke up suddenly.

“I…uh,� Harry gulped, looking to Sirius for help.

“Nevermind, I bet my favorite song’s changed a million times since now,� she interrupted, absentmindedly smoothing her son’s wild hair. “Then. Whatever.�

“Yeah,� Harry said distantly.

“Where did I grow up, then? I don’t think that would be information everyone would know,� she said, grasping at straws.

Harry inhaled quickly, eyes darting for a moment. “Cokeworth,� he breathed triumphantly.

“Ooh, I like this game! Alright, what’s James’ team?� Sirius asked, eyes alight.

“His…team?� Harry stuttered.

“Yeah, his Quidditch team. You know, the one he never bloody shuts up about?�

Harry thought for a moment, and the room was deathly quiet. “My first thought is Gryffindor, but I think that’s not what you’re looking for here.� Harry paused, long enough to make James sigh in annoyance.

“Puddlemere,� he finally said quietly.

After a beat, James scoffed. “Lucky guess.�

Sirius rolled his eyes. Harry shrugged, his eyes on the ground.

“How do I take my tea?� Lily questioned gently.

He looked taken aback, and the silence stretched uncomfortably. Lily could see that he was far, far away. Despite everything, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to comfort him. The time stretched until it became obvious he had no answer.

“Mate, you’ve got to admit that you’re not doing a great job at convincing us,� Sirius said with a kind, gentle laugh. “A scheme like this takes a little research!�

Harry swiped his hand down his face, taking in a deep breath. “No, it’s not a…it’s just been a while that you’ve been gone. So I don’t…remember everything about you. Kids don’t know everything about their parents.�

“Mum took a little cream and one sugar cube. Dad drank his black. I’ll remember that until the day I die,� said James, acid dripping from every word. “That doesn’t change just because they’re gone.�

Harry met his stony gaze with a look that seemed both surprised and sorrowful. Their eyes locked for a moment, before Harry finally responded slowly, his voice thick.

“I can prove it. I have..the cloak. Well, my son has the cloak, actually.�

“Thatta boy, Harry,� Sirius said with a genuine smile. “Who’s the unlucky girl?�

Harry finally tore his gaze from his father’s, and seemed to relax for the first time since entering the room. He smiled, and his smile was James’ smile.

“I’d tell you, but to be honest, I don’t think you’ll know her. Not sure if she’s been born yet,� he replied. This elicited a bark-like laugh from Sirius.

“Oh, our boy’s a cradle robber, Prongsie! I knew-�

“Show it to us, then,� James demanded, standing suddenly. The laughter on Harry’s lips died out, and he looked to each of them in turn. Lily gave him a small encouraging smile as their eyes met. He finally stood, and nodded solemnly.

“Right. Then to Potter Manor we go.�

Harry truly could not remember the last time he’d felt this nervous. Terrified for his life? Vibrating with adrenaline in the middle of a battle? Angrier than was probably good for his blood pressure? Yes, yes, and absolutely yes; these were just natural byproducts of his chosen profession, and of being a parent. But truly nervous, anxious for someone else’s approval? This was not a feeling Harry had ever become accustomed to. Which, of course, made him even more nervous.

After a brief explanation to Auror Blackwell (he didn’t have the patience for Flanders, not now that he knew the truth), he got the small group released, and led them into his office. He had never been more grateful for the fact he had a private fireplace. As they each grabbed a pinch of floo powder, he felt a bit like he was having an out of body experience. Somehow, he had never imagined his parents doing something as mundane as using the Floo.

They stumbled through one by one, with Harry bringing up the rear. This turned out to be rather unfortunate, as Ginny was on the other end, her wand outstretched and crackling. Before even dusting himself off, he rushed to stand between her and the group.

“Gin! I should have said something before we got here, I’m so sorry.�

She aimed at his heart. “Al’s middle name should have been…?�

“Fred, obviously. I’ll never live that one down, eh?� Harry said, sheepishly. “My tattoo is?�

“Nonexistent, because you’re too indecisive. I still vote for a Hippogriff sleeve.� Ginny carefully lowered her wand, and her eyes melted as she truly looked at him for the first time since his return.

“So,� she said delicately, taking a long glance at the group behind him.

“So,� Harry breathed. “There have been some updates since yesterday.�

“I see. And you’re deathly sure?� Harry smiled faintly at the use of the phrase Jamie had coined as a little boy, which had wiggled its way into their everyday speech.

“The deathliest,� he answered, reaching out for her hand. She rushed to meet him, taking his hand in both of hers. He turned back to face the group gathered, and it almost knocked him over to see them standing there in his living room. His mum was studying the pictures on the mantel, pretending not to listen. Sirius was lounging in Harry’s favorite armchair, clearly enjoying the show. While Remus seemed to be finally coming out of his funk, James seemed more closed off than before.

Harry tried to shake it off, reminding himself that there was still work to be done. “Everyone, this is my wife, Ginny. Gin, this is…well, you know. Everyone,� he finished lamely. She squeezed his hand.

“It is absolutely incredible to have you here. Welcome to our home,� said Ginny, with a heartfelt gaze for each of them. She finally looked back at Harry.

“Is this just a visit, or are they staying with us?�

“Staying,� Harry said firmly, “at least for a while. We don’t know the whole story yet, but they’re here now, and that’s a start.�

She gave him a smile that tried to hold back a tidal wave of emotion. “It sure is.�

Just then thundering footsteps could be heard overhead. Ginny gasped.

“The kids are going to lose their minds. How do we want to do this?�

Harry sighed and muttered, “Fuck if I know. I’m taking all of this one second at a time. But that reminds me, is Albus upstairs? I need to borrow the cloak.�

“Dumbledore’s here?� Lily interjected, abandoning all pretense of pretending she hadn’t been listening.

“Oh, no…my son’s name is Albus,� Harry said apologetically.

Sirius barked out a laugh. Harry’s guts twisted. “And how does Dumbledore feel about that?�

“He’s gone,� answered Lily quickly. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have named him Albus.�

Harry nodded solemnly. Lily buried her head in little Harry’s neck mournfully, and Sirius swore. Remus stumbled, though he had been standing still. James glared at him, skeptical as ever.

“Well,� Ginny said, breaking the silence that had fallen, “You’ll actually need to talk to his older brother.�

Harry groaned and closed his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.�

Ginny shook her head disapprovingly. “He refuses to give it to Al. I swear, he’s even worse than when we dropped him off.�

“That little…� Harry muttered, and turned abruptly to their captivated audience. Sirius and Remus seemed amused, while James pointedly avoided his gaze. Lily met his eyes with a sad smile.

“Excuse me, I’ll be back in a few minutes,� he said tersely. To Ginny, “In his room?�

She shrugged. “Where else?�

As he stomped up the stairs, he suddenly doubled back. “Gin?�

“Putting the kettle on now, love,� she responded knowingly.

“Ta,� he grunted, whipping back around to climb the stairs. As he turned the corner towards Jamie’s room, he heard her inviting the group to take a seat in the living room. Merlin, but he didn’t know how he would ever live without Ginny.

Once Harry’s wife slipped off into the kitchen, the whispering began.

“It feels so weird to be back here. I haven’t been here since…� Sirius trailed off. His eyes filled, but did not spill over. Lily wished she had a free hand to comfort him.

“I know,� She replied instead, “But it’s good, isn’t it? This place deserves to be lived in. It needs people.� Sirius smiled at her gently, and nodded. She hugged Harry tighter to her, not for the first time mourning the fact that he would never meet his grandparents.

“I like what they’ve done with the place,� said Remus, “I think it’s the first time I’ve ever been allowed to sit in this room.�

Lily agreed internally. The sitting room was cozy, and seemed to have been somewhat inspired by the Gryffindor common room. But instead of dark maroons and golds, the room was filled with light and airy pastel greens, blues, and yellows. It felt clean and welcoming, and very lived-in. What surprised her most was that there were several distinctly muggle touches, like the large television (she supposed it was a television, she’d never seen one that flat before), the electrical cords spouting from evenly spaced outlets, and the mix of moving and still pictures that decorated the walls.

“Oh yeah,� Sirius snickered, regaining his composure. “This was the sitting room that no one was ever allowed in! I completely forgot about that. It was strictly for using the floo only. I swear to Merlin, I’ll never understand why people have entire rooms that no one’s permitted to touch.�

“Enough,� James interrupted harshly. “The good news is, I know all the exits and entrances. We’ll have to be quick and quiet, but we can get out if we can just get to the kitchen.� The three of them snapped their heads to James, memories of the past forgotten.

“Seriously James? You won’t even give them a chance?� Sirius hissed back at him.

James did a double take. “You’re not really buying this, are you?�

“Yeah, I am,� Sirius replied, his face settling in grim determination. “I knew from the moment he sent his patronus at the house. It couldn’t be anyone else. I may not know all the details, but I know that’s my godson. That’s your son, James.�

James growled in frustration. “What about you two?�

Lily sighed. “Well…�

“Lily!� His eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

After a long moment, she finally whispered, “I want to see the cloak.�

“Remus?� James asked desperately.

“He knows what I am and hasn’t killed me yet,� Remus met his gaze and shrugged. “That’s pretty good proof to me.�

James slumped back in his seat, defeated. Lily tried to take his hand, but he snatched it out from under hers. She caught Sirius’ eye. This wasn’t going to be easy.

They sat in silence for a few tense moments before Ginny returned, floating a tea set in front of her.

“Tea and biscuits!� she said cheerfully. “Not the chocolate ones, unfortunately. Those never last long in this house. Now, how does everyone take their tea?�

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Chapter 7: Got to Get You Into My Life

The silence stretched unbearably slowly as Harry watched his father stare at the cloak being offered to him. He didn’t move to take it, but his eyes drank in the sight of it hungrily. Harry bridged the gap between them, carefully depositing the cloak into the hands of its former owner.

“Where did you get this?� James finally asked in a whisper. Harry answered slowly, carefully wording his answer.

“I got it from Dumbledore, who borrowed it from you.�

“How did you know I gave it to Albus?� he demanded thunderously, causing Harry to stumble away from him.

The silence afterwards slammed into Harry’s chest with an incapacitating force. This was the fear he hadn’t considered. And yet it came slithering forth from the recesses of his mind; never having left, simply having found a cozy spot to hibernate until the time was right. His mind shoved him back into the cupboard with unerring accuracy. Suddenly he was staring at the spidered underside of the stairs. Your parents are lucky to be dead, Uncle Vernon was booming from beyond the door, They don’t have to see what a waste of space you are! He was curled up on the thin mattress, dreaming of the faceless stranger coming to rescue him. The stranger took a look at him, shook his head, and returned to the bright sunlight beyond the front door.

As Harry tried to catch his breath, his eyes sought out Ginny’s from across the room. He barely registered Lily scolding James. Her gaze held him, anchored him. However this ended, he would always have her. With the sour taste of bile in the back of his throat, Harry quietly responded.

“Like I said, he gave it to me. For Christmas, actually. He held onto it for …a while.�

James shook his head vehemently. “No, you don’t know what you’re talking about - who you’re talking about. Albus wouldn’t do that to me. He said he’d give it back in a couple weeks; he wouldn’t keep it that long. I trust him with my life.�

“Mate,� Sirius said in a low voice, “He’s had it well over a month now-�

“And I’m sure he has his reasons!� James snapped at him, cloak balled in his fists. “It’s only September, there’s ages til Christmas!�

A chill ran down Harry’s spine. It was only September.

“Well, take a look at the cloak itself, then,� He said, fighting to stay in the present. “No other invisibility cloak looks or feels like that one, you can’t deny that.�

James wordlessly played with the edge of the cloak. His stormy countenance did not budge.

“I think I see…yes, look, there’s that hole from that one time we walked straight into a brazier in second year,� Remus said with a forced grin, trying to be casual in the wake of the ticking bomb that was his friend James.

“Four of us under that thing, and not a single brain between us,� sighed Sirius, “Those were the days!�

“That hole could be from anything,� James said through clenched teeth.

“Just put it on, James! You’ll know when you put it on,� Lily took his hand, the gentle pleading in her voice making Harry’s throat contract.

His parents had a silent conversation with their eyes. Harry felt he could have watched them that way forever. Then James swung the cloak in a well-practiced arc, so it settled on his shoulders. With only his head exposed, it was difficult to miss the wonder that stampeded its way across his features. His eyes met Harry’s - but in a different way than they had done before. It was as if he was seeing the other man for the first time. James took a step towards him and-

WHAP! An unsettling thud came from upstairs, breaking the moment. Harry made to move, but his wife beat him to it.

“You’d better not be bleeding by the time I get up there!� Her voice trailed her as she headed towards the stairs.

“Nothing too bad, I’m sure. The kids get along pretty well now they’re a bit older,� Harry said would-be casually. The smile slid off his face as he turned back to his father. James was once again closed off. He silently handed the cloak back to Harry, and stalked back across the room to the safety of his people.

“Lily, shut up! I’m trying to hear what they’re saying� Jamie hissed at his younger sister. Both of them were crouched at the top of the staircase, while Al watched anxiously from the doorway of his bedroom.

Dad had come back from work in the middle of the morning, which he never did unless there was big shit happening. Then he’d barged into Jamie’s room, demanding the cloak with no reasoning, which was totally un-Dadlike. To top it all off, he told them all to stay upstairs, and that he would explain it all later, which he had never, ever, done before. There were unfamiliar voices coming from the living room, talking with Mum and Dad in serious tones. So obviously, some really big shit was happening. Jamie needed, no, deserved, to know what it was, and what it had to do with his cloak. But Lily had other plans.

“I can’t believe you. I am going through a crisis, and you’re telling me to shut up. You are officially my least favorite brother,� Lily whispered venomously, making a face at him. James responded with a gesture that he never would have used if his parents were nearby.

“ooOOOOH I’m telling-� Jamie’s hand quickly covered her mouth, and they both froze as the chatter from the floor below quieted for a minute. After a brief pause, their father’s rumbling voice restarted once more. There were no heavy footfalls in their direction. They both relaxed.

“Sorry,� Jamie apologized reflexively, and released her. “You tell Mum, and I’ll tell everyone at school that you still sleep with Bianca.�

Lily gasped. She hugged the stuffed purple unicorn closer to her chest. “You wouldn’t!� She whispered.

Jamie merely raised his eyebrows in response, and refocused on trying to decipher the conversation happening downstairs. It was difficult to tell the voices apart.

“Al, I think they’re talking about you!� Lily said liltingly to her older brother.

“What? Why?� He scampered over to join them at last.

“No Lily, it was ‘Dumbledore’ Albus, not ‘Dumbass’ Albus,� Jamie sniped with a sly smile.

Al shoved Jamie hard, and his forehead met the wooden railing in a reverberating WHAP. Stars exploded behind his eyelids. When his vision returned, he was looking down through the posts of the railing into the worried face of his mother.

“What happened, who’s hurt?� She demanded. Jamie hadn’t looked at her properly in a while, and was suddenly hit by just how very tired she looked.

When met with a guilty silence, she sighed, and continued, “Jamie, let me look at you. Someone had better tell me what happened because I really don’t have time for a fight.�

Jamie tried to get up, and felt dizzy. His mum tutted, and took the steps two at a time until she got to him. As she checked him over thoroughly, Lily and Al quietly bickered back and forth.

“So, what’s the story? I know it won’t be the truth, because that involves admitting that you were eavesdropping, so what’ll it be?� She summoned an ice pack from the freezer, and gave it to Jamie to hold to his forehead. Both of her younger children were silent.

“Okay,� Mum sighed. “Did he at least do something to deserve it?�

Lily and Al shared a look, and avoiding Jamie’s gaze, nodded hesitantly. Those little dickbags.

“In that case, I feel like I should tell you that violence is never the answer.� Ginny pursed her lips, and continued on, “But on the other hand, it’s also important to stand up for yourself. Can we all just agree to use words next time?�

They nodded again.

“And Jamie, will you please try to be a little kinder to your siblings? At least until you all go back to school?� He nodded numbly, his head swimming as the pain of his injury finally began to set in.

“Great. Since you’ve probably heard most of the conversation anyway, why don’t you come down and meet our guests.�

The kids traded looks - Albus, scared; Lily, excited; Jamie, still a little woozy - and followed her down the stairs.

Dad poked his head out of the living room, and his eyes went wide when he saw their little parade.

“Gin,� he whispered, using his favorite gag-worthy nickname for Mum, “What are you doing? This is way too soon-�

“Harry, please. It’s going to happen eventually. They’ve been eavesdropping since you got back. You’re the one who always says we shouldn’t keep things from them.� Mum was gentle yet firm, in full-on guilt mode.

“I know, I know…I’m just worried. I don’t know them very well yet. I’m not sure what they’ll do,� Dad whispered, his throat tight. Who on earth could be in the living room that would make his Dad cry?

Mum hugged him close, fitting her head under his so she could lightly kiss the base of his neck. Jamie turned to Al and did a fake gag. Al studiously ignored him.

“You do know them. The only thing they’re going to do is love them. You have to trust them, love,� she whispered, just loud enough that Jamie could hear.

“I don’t know about that, not just yet. But I know I trust you.� His dad sighed, lingered a beat longer, then pulled away from his mum. “Alright,� he rubbed his hands together. “Give me a 30-second head start.�

Dad went back into the living room, and Mum turned back to face them. She seemed a little less confident than she had been when talking to Dad.

“I’d explain everything right now, but honestly, it’s your dad’s story to tell. Just know that everything’s fine, this is a good thing. And also, we don’t know everything yet. So there will not be answers for all the questions you have. We’re not hiding anything, we honestly just don’t know. Okay?�

The three Potter kids nodded, unusually silent.

“Okay,� Mum took a deep breath, “Here we go.� They followed her through the archway that led to the living room.

There were a lot more people there than Jamie had been able to hear from the stairs. His head still stung, and he could really only focus on holding the ice pack to his forehead as he entered, so he didn’t get a good look until he took a seat on the couch opposite them. Once he did, however, it took him only a split second to figure out who they were.

“Fucking hell!� he exclaimed, his ice pack falling to his lap. His dad snorted.

“Well put, kid,� Mum said, fighting back a smile.

Jamie wished she had reprimanded him for his language. That would mean that nothing was really serious, that this was maybe some weird prank, or a hallucination brought on by his recent head injury. But instead, they’d gone and treated him like a bloody adult. That, over any other evidence, proved to him that these people could only be who they appeared to be.

And who they appeared to be…were the heroes of many of his childhood bedtime stories. The subjects of the few revered pictures that littered the upstairs hallway. The ghosts that haunted him every time he wrote his name on his homework.

A million questions burned through his mind. Looking at his siblings, they were similarly caught off guard. Al sat with a skeptical tilt to his head, and a smile on his lips. Lily had retreated into Dad’s shoulder, an unusual bout of shyness overcoming her normal exuberance.

If Jamie thought it was fucking weird to see them sitting in front of him, it was practically earth-shattering to hear them speak.

“Bloody hell, those are some strong genes!� said the one Jamie recognized as Sirius. The man sounded older than Jamie had expected him to, with a gruff, scratchy voice that didn’t quite match his young face. Sirius seemed like the type of guy who wasn’t conscious of how cool he was, and didn’t get all weird about it. Jamie immediately wanted to be his friend and learn his ways. With a weird twist in his gut, he realized this was one of the men he was named after.

The man next to him laughed, and Jamie flashed back to earlier that summer, when he and Teddy had laughed themselves silly during an all-day Rocket League marathon. This man was unmistakably his godbrother’s dad. He had the same cinnamon-colored hair that Teddy had whenever he crashed on their couch, and the warm smile that Jamie knew as well as Al’s and Lily’s. Jamie gasped and looked at his Dad. Teddy!

Dad caught his eye and gave a sympathetic smile. Jamie just shook his head and guffawed. He suddenly didn’t blame Dad for nearly crying earlier.

As if that wasn’t enough, the couple (clearly a couple) sitting across from his parents were obviously his grandparents . It felt really weird to think of anyone other than his mum’s parents as his grandparents, but that’s what they were. Weirder still, that they were like, Teddy’s age, and not old and gray. They looked almost exactly like they did in the wedding photo he passed every time we went to the bathroom. Well, except for the baby, obviously. WAIT-

“Fucking hell Dad, is that you?�

His dad dropped his head into his hands and groaned. “I guess we should probably do some proper introductions, yeah?�

Lily’s breath caught in her throat. There were three of them - three. One had seemed like a dream already, but three seemed unreal. Only one of them looked like the grandson - well, son, if she was being honest - in her imagination. But it really didn’t matter, because she knew she'd already fallen head over heels for every last one of them. She took a moment to study them each in turn as Harry went around introducing them all.

The oldest was named James, which brought unexpected tears to her eyes. Harry clarified that he usually went by Jamie, so hopefully she wouldn’t be breaking down every time someone called his name. He was a tall, lanky boy, on the verge of being a man. Jamie nervously tousled his hair in the Potter way, though it was Weasley red and straight as a pin. Lily thought to herself that it was a lovely contrast to his tan skin, inherited from his father. His facial features even resembled Harry’s, but he had his mother’s warm brown eyes. Even with his slouched stance and folded arms, she could see that he was already as tall as his dad.

The younger boy seemed to be in the awkward stages of leaving childhood. This was Albus, she reminded herself. She was relieved to hear that he normally went by Al - the full name seemed rather a heavy burden for a child. His head barely reached his brother’s shoulder, so a growth spurt seemed imminent. But what had her truly entranced was that he looked the most like how she imagined Harry had as a boy. His gravity-defying hair, his tan skin, his lovely green eyes - her father’s green eyes. The glasses he roughly pushed up as they slipped, the shirttail dangling from the edge of his trousers on one side. She could stare at the boy all day and never be tired of him. But upon closer inspection, that’s where the similarities ended. He had that button-like nose she had always admired on Molly Weasley’s face, and her smile to match. Well, she supposed, his mother’s smile, as well.

The youngest of them, the girl, rushed past before Lily was able to get a good look at her. She clung to her father as soon as they reached the room, and he looked at her like there was nothing more precious in the universe. This, she would learn, was the very girl named after her. As if she needed further confirmation that she and James were long gone at this point in time.

It felt odd to think of there being another Lily Potter. It took her breath away, but it didn’t hurt the way Jamie had. The other Lily seemed to be ten or eleven - possibly in her first year of Hogwarts. Her wild and wavy red hair haloed her face, and her pale skin almost glowed in comparison. But what drew Lily’s attention immediately were her eyes. No doubt about it, those were James’ hazel eyes, peering out of this little girl’s angelic face.

“Wow,� Lily said, leaning forward to catch the younger Lily’s gaze with a kind smile. “Has anyone ever told you that you have your grandfather’s eyes?�

Her hazel eyes grew wide, and she shyly shook her head before burying it in her father’s arm.

Harry chuckled. “Not sure why she’s so shy all of a sudden. Normally she’d be bouncing off the walls.� His daughter merely wrapped an arm around his bicep in response.

Lily’s eyes met her son’s in a moment of shared love for the child. It was interrupted by a soft, but clear pinging sound that rang through the house.

“That’s odd, someone just came through the wards,� Harry frowned.

Ginny gasped. “It must be Ted, I invited him round for lunch.�

Panic overtook Harry’s calm countenance. “We have to get you all upstairs. He can’t - this isn’t how-�

“Breathe, love,� Ginny murmured, “You tidy up down here, I’ll get them all settled upstairs.� In a very Molly-ish way, she propped her hands and her hips and bellowed, “Everyone, follow me!�

Her kids dutifully followed her back up the stairs, and Sirius fell in line with a mischievous smile. Remus dutifully followed him. Lily grabbed James’ hand and dragged him along with her.

Lily couldn’t resist one look back to see her son’s love-stricken face. Yes, he was definitely his father’s son.

The last of the teacups had levitated themselves into the dishwasher when Teddy bounded through the front door. He bellowed a joyful greeting.

“In the kitchen, Ted!� Harry replied, starting the dishwasher. Teddy came in and grimaced melodramatically at the sound of it.

“Merlin, Harry,� Teddy said loudly, “Can we move to the living room? That thing is so damn loud!�

Harry frowned at his godson stubbornly, but nodded. He loved the blasted contraption, even if it did sound like there was a whole construction crew in the kitchen every time it ran.

“Whisper quiet, my ass…� Teddy muttered, flinging himself onto the sofa previously occupied by his father. “So I suppose cooking’s off the table, then?�

Harry blinked at him blankly.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not putting up with that racket. I vote for takeout, preferably from the sushi place we tried last time. I’m still having dreams about their crab rangoon!� His head lolled back dramatically, and he dove headfirst into an in-depth recollection of the meal.

Oh, right. Food. Teddy was here for lunch. He didn’t know anything about the monumental change that had taken place. He was too busy rhapsodizing about crab rangoon.

A part of Harry wanted to keep it that way. To let him stay in his safe bubble of normality. To laugh, and argue that the sashimi had been way better. Let Teddy put in the order on the app, though Harry still said it was faster to call. Have one last simple, easy day with his cozy little family, and pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

But it was already too late. Teddy had cut himself off, and was watching Harry with narrowed eyes.

“Something’s up, old man. Tell me.�

Harry tidied a stack of Quidditch magazines, hiding his face.

“Oh nothing. I just already ordered the pizza.�

“No you didn’t,� Teddy shot back, “You always wait for me ‘cause I have the rewards card, and you like getting free pizza. What happened?�

Harry took his glasses off, and rubbed his eyes. Ready or not, it was time.

“Er,� he started confidently, “I’ve no idea how to say this. A weird thing happened yesterday.�

Teddy hummed, and sat up cautiously. “Normal weird, or Harry Potter weird?�

“Both, actually. We had just dropped the kids off at King’s Cross, and Ginny and I went to Godric’s Hollow, like always. When we got to the house, there were people inside.�

“Bloody looters!� Teddy exclaimed. “I can’t believe they got through the wards-�

“I wish it was looters. No, it was a group of people…� He focused on picking at a hangnail on his thumb. “Well, a group of people who traveled through time, actually.�

Teddy froze for a beat. Then: “Pull the other one, Harry.�

The older man sighed. “I don’t know how to say this, it’s not gonna sound real, but…my parents were there. And my godfather, Sirius. And me, weirdly enough,� he said with a shake of his head. “And…your dad, Ted.�

Teddy stared at him. He looked much younger than he had in a long time. His wide eyes and gaping mouth reminded Harry of the little boy who’d clung to him like a lifeline every time Andromeda came to pick him up from a weekend stay; who bawled as he waved goodbye from the open window on his first trip on the Hogwarts Express. Who turned bright tomato-red every time a stranger assumed Harry was his dad.

After a long moment, Teddy swallowed.

“You’re sure,� he said evenly. It wasn’t a question.

Harry nodded. Teddy nodded to himself, drifting off to stare at a spot on the carpet.

“Do you want to eat first or meet them?� Harry asked quietly.

Teddy's head whipped back to him. He fumbled for words. “Fuck’s sake, are you serious?�

Harry grinned, for the first time in what felt like years. “Stupid question. I’ll go get them.�

Back to index

Chapter 8: You Can't Be Twenty on Sugar Mountain

Author's Notes: Well this turned out a lot longer than I thought it would! I think I’ve got it how I want it, but it took me a while to make the pieces fit. The angst is almost over for a while, I swear. Updates will be sporadic for a while, since we're now up to date with the chapters I have finished.
Also because I’m absolutely in way too deep on this story, I put together a spotify playlist if you’re interested. Includes songs mentioned, and songs that inspire me for this fic. link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6EKfueuTrBth24ElIN694S?si=cf52bb0a85bb4270

Jamie plopped on his bed with a sigh. “Well that was fucking weird.�

“So you’ve mentioned,� Al muttered as he rolled his eyes, perching on Jamie’s desk chair.

“Did you hear? I’ve got Grandpa’s eyes!� Lily leapt onto the bed, narrowly avoiding Jamie’s family jewels. “Everyone always says how you two have Mum and Dad’s eyes, and I always got left out. But now they can say that about me too! I’m in the club! The family eyes-having club!� She flopped down next to him, giggling to herself. Jamie couldn’t help but be sucked into her joy, and he leaned over to attack her with tickles.

“Don’t you think it’s even a little strange? How would they come back? Why now?� Albus questioned his siblings intently from the other side of the room. Neither were paying him any mind over Lily’s gales of screamed laughter.

“James! Stop it, this is serious!� Al roughly pulled his brother’s arm to get his attention.

“Ow, fuck, Al!� Jamie rubbed his arm as Lily’s giggles slowly petered out. “What’s your problem? Can you not be cool for like, two seconds?�

“No, I cannot be cool when our dead grandparents are sitting down the hall in the guest room, along with our infant father. This isn’t one of your stupid pranks, James, this is serious!�

“Call me ‘James’ one more time, I dare you,� Jamie snapped at his little brother. As if he could have forgotten about that. Lily wisely picked that moment to insert herself.

“I wonder how long they’re going to be here. I hope Mum and Dad let us stay a while longer and get to know them, don’t you, Jamie?�

Jamie didn’t respond, choosing instead to grab his acoustic guitar from its stand. He pointedly ignored them as he gave it a few despondent strums, but continued to listen to their back and forth.

Al rolled his eyes and focused on his sister. “I hope so too, Lily,� he said softly, “But I’m also worried. Time travel is not something to be taken lightly. Everything we know could change if they’re here for too long.�

“Oh come on, Al! Can’t you just be excited that we get to meet them?� Lily reached out and grabbed Al’s hand. Her bright smile made his heart hurt. “This is like something out of a fairytale!�

Al was silent for a moment. Jamie switched from strumming at random to playing the few chords he already knew. Cycling between C, F, and G Major, he thought to himself that comparing this situation to a fairytale was completely the wrong tact to take to get Al on Lily’s side. Lily was good at getting her way, but Jamie knew Al better than her. Growing up, he’d always been the one who could convince Al to do anything. One word from Jamie, and he’d step into line, whether it was putting on his coat or cleaning the broom shed. Of course, they were closer in those days before he went to Hogwarts.

Jamie decided to stay out of it this time - his head still hurt, and his brain felt like it was lagging behind. Images from the past half hour kept flashing through his mind: his dad choking on his words; his mum, putting on a brave face for him. Sirius Black, discussing his looks like one of Dad’s coworkers. A baby version of his dad putting his foot in his mouth, looking exactly like Al did in old pictures.

“You’re right. It shouldn’t be possible at all,� Al said slowly, bringing Jamie back to the present. “Why are they here? And maybe more importantly, how? From what I know, time-turners go back minutes, not years. I don’t even think I’ve heard of anyone traveling years back or forwards successfully…�

“Al!� Lily grabbed his face and forced him to look into her eyes. “Who! cares! Mum and Dad will deal with all that. Just be a kid for a minute. Our only job is to make sure we do everything we’ve ever wanted to do with our grandparents while they’re still here. I want to make a scrapbook with them, and play the piano for them, and go looking for nargles, and show them the sweater I’m making Mum for Christmas. I bet Jamie wants to play quidditch with them, or plan a prank with them…� she looked enticingly to Jamie for confirmation, and he just shrugged. He caught Al and Lily’s shared look of unease, but stayed quiet. Truth be told, he’d rather just curl up and go to sleep.

“And you…you can find out if any of them can beat you at gobstones!� Lily finished with a flourish.

Al begrudgingly responded with a small smile. Jamie caught the look on his face before it smoothed back into neutrality. The mystery still tugged at his sleeve, begging for his attention. But on the other hand…he was president of the Gobstones Club for a reason. Jamie frowned privately. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who knew Al, anymore.

“I’m just saying, I don’t know how much more proof you could need. He has the cloak, he has Potter manor. Fuck’s sake, James, he looks exactly like you, and your dad!� Sirius nearly smacked James in the face as he gestured wildly. Since they’d been left in the guest room upstairs, he hadn’t stopped lecturing his best friend.

James flinched at the mention of his father, but didn’t respond.

Sirius paused his rant, and laid a heavy hand on his best friend’s shoulder. After a moment, he murmured, “It’s hard to be here without them.�

James nodded jerkily. Lily saw an opening to get through to him, and took it. “But just think…they would be overjoyed to see Harry and Ginny and the kids living here. To see us all together.�

James met her gaze steadily, and she gently took his hand. Emboldened, she continued, “They’d be over the moon, and I think you know that.�

“Oh shit!� Sirius muttered, looking at Remus. “Any idea when the next one is?�

Remus took a deep breath and shrugged. “I feel pretty good, so if I had to guess, a couple of weeks away. We should find out, though. Gotta figure out where I’m gonna go. I shouldn’t be anywhere near here.�

Lily winced, and caught Sirius’ eye. Reading her thoughts, he rounded on James once more. “See James? You’re being selfish. You’re not the only one with issues here, mate!�

As James loaded up a biting retort, she met Sirius’s gaze. Lily gave him a small smile, and got a wink in return. She rounded the bed, so she could sit next to Remus.

“Hey,� Lily said softly, dropping down next to him. “How’s it going over there?�

Remus shrugged, playing with Harry’s tiny socked feet as he lay on his back between them. A quiet moment passed, both vehemently ignoring the rising voices of James and Sirius.

“I wanted to check in with you before, at the ministry…there wasn’t really a chance…� Lily tried to catch his eyes, urging him to speak. Remus’ hands stilled, but he kept his gaze on Harry.

“I really thought that was it,� he finally whispered hoarsely. “I thought for sure that would be the end. They knew…before I even said it under veritaserum, they knew.� He shook his head in disbelief.

“I think things are different, here. Now.� Lily shook her head as she corrected herself. “It doesn’t really seem real, does it?� She watched her friend intently.

He nodded. “Some part of me wonders if this part isn’t just a weird dream. Something my brain came up with as I lay bleeding out in that interrogation room.� Harry squirmed under his hands, but Remus was far away.

“Don’t go there, Remus Lupin,� Lily whispered fiercely. “Don’t even think that. We wouldn’t have let them hurt you. If you’re dead, that means the rest of us are, too.� She pinched his arm hard. “Do I feel dead to you?�

He winced, but gave her a shaky smile.

“Does Harry feel dead to you?� She scooped up the giggling baby and plopped him in her friend’s arms. He grinned his gummy grin at his surrogate uncle, and Remus squeezed him tightly. They sat in silence for a moment, letting the light of Harry’s presence warm them.

“I don’t know how different things are, really. Did you hear, earlier?� Remus nervously played with Harry’s miniscule hand. “He’s worried we wouldn’t love the kids. That feels more like the world I know.�

“What? When did he say that?� Lily sat up straight, bewildered.

“I…well, I may have overheard him talking to his wife before we met the kids. He said he couldn’t trust us yet.�

“No,� Lily said gently, “I heard that too. He said he didn’t know us yet.� The thought seemed to worry her more than anything else.

“Besides,� she sighed, glancing at her irate husband, “It’s not as if we made a very good first impression.�

A soft knock on the door interrupted them, halting James and Sirius’ bickering. “Come in,� Lily called out. Harry slowly opened the door and let himself in.

“Just me again,� he said with a quick smile. “I have one last introduction to make - today, anyway.� He took a few steps in, and a tall, lanky young man followed him in. Lily liked him immediately. His outfit was subdued; a comforting melange of earth tones in classic silhouettes. It was in stark contrast to his hair, which was an unnaturally bright turquoise color. Lily thought there was a familiarity in his face that she couldn’t quite put a finger on.

“Everyone, this is my godson, Teddy Lupin.� That answered that question, she supposed. Suddenly it was clear as day: everything from the arch of his brow to the quirk of anxiety in his lips screamed Remus. The man in question sat dumbfounded, a term Lily never would have thought she'd use to describe Remus Lupin. She carefully extracted her squirming son from his grip as his arms went limp.

After a stretch of silence, Teddy was the first to unfreeze. “One of us is gonna have to change,� he quipped. Sirius burst out laughing, and it wasn’t until that moment that Lily realized that Remus and Teddy were wearing the same jackets, down to the leather elbow pads and worn-in collar. Teddy’s seemed in rougher shape, to be sure, but it was the exact jacket that James had given his friend as a graduation present. ‘So the outside can match the inside,’ he’d quipped.

“I can’t believe he lent you that, he won’t even let me touch the ‘Professor Moony’ jacket!� Sirius howled, doubled over.

Lily snickered. It was true - Remus was exceedingly possessive of the obnoxious tweed blazer that James had nicked from his father’s closet. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, a shiver crept up her spine, and the air stuck in the back of her throat. Laughter continued around her until Remus’ voice skillfully sliced through it.

“No he’s not. There’s no way.� Remus finally said, abnormally calm.

Harry grimaced, as if he’d been expecting this. “He is,� he said simply.

“No, no I wouldn’t…you’re mistaken,� Remus responded with a chuckle.

“You told me yourself, Remus,� Harry intoned softly. “On the day he was born, you asked me to be his godfather.� Teddy looked at Harry, surprised. This was not a story he’d heard before, apparently.

“You’re wrong, I would never have…� Remus laughed quicker, a clear sign that he was getting nervous. “I would never do that to an innocent child. I must have been…lying, or, or, or something like…� his breath was coming fast and shallow, and his hands were visibly trembling.

She shared a quick glance with Sirius and James. The familiarity of the topic must have been enough to bring her husband out of his funk for the moment, for his face bore the same scowl it always did when Remus went down this line of thinking. Because it truly was not new at all. In fact, it was unbearably old at this point.

Lily flashed back to the day she first heard Remus declare that he’d never have children. It was well before she and James were together; before she even knew he was a werewolf. They’d been doing homework next to the lake, in the middle of a particularly long week of their third year, and he’d said it as if it was obvious - a foregone conclusion. He hadn’t elaborated at the time, and she chalked it up to boyish immaturity (though Remus had never been particularly immature). As they grew closer, she realized he must have good reasons - the Remus she knew never did anything without solid reasoning. Combined with his monthly trips to the hospital wing, a growing collection of scars, and his Marauder bequeathed nickname (come on, seriously?), she finally connected the dots about a year later. When she was finally brought into his inner circle, they fought on this topic fiercely. Half of her dreaded his reaction on Teddy’s behalf; the other half wondered if maybe this wasn’t just the kick in the pants Remus had needed for many, many years.

With a sad smile, Harry said, “Show him your natural hair, Ted.�

Teddy shook his hair like a wet dog, and the bright turquoise faded to a soft chocolate brown that matched her friend’s to a tee. With his natural hair color, Lily mused that the two of them could have passed for brothers.

Remus gulped thickly. “But, why would I…? How could I?�

“Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much-� Sirius muttered bitterly.

“Oh my - the mother, how could I do that to her? I-I’ve ruined her life as well,� he looked up at Harry fearfully. “How did we…?�

Harry smiled, eyes seeming fuller than before. “You fell in love. Teddy came along almost a year after you were married.�

Remus was breathing heavily at this point, and Lily wondered if he might throw up. She, on the other hand, felt she might cry out of happiness for her friend. James and Sirius were similarly taken aback, though Sirius didn’t seem ecstatic.

“AND NO ONE STOPPED ME?� he roared. Teddy stumbled back, but Lily noted that Harry seemed more sad than surprised.

“I’m sure the only one trying to put a stop to it was you, you imbecile! The poor girl probably had to drag you down the aisle,� James scoffed. That caught Harry’s attention. Lily very nearly ran and hugged him, sensing the barely concealed longing in his expression.

“Anyone we know?� Sirius joked flatly.

“Well, yes, actually,� said Harry, trading a tight smile with Teddy. “Your cousin, Tonks. Well, you probably know her better as-�

“Dora?� Sirius said faintly. He sat down hard on the edge of the bed, mirroring Remus on the opposite side. “But she’s just a kid, she's not even ten yet.� He was frozen, staring at a spot on the carpet. Remus finally began to cry, and James instinctively went to comfort him.

“Well,� said Harry. He was gentle, yet firm. “She grew up to be an Auror, and a damn good one. Trust me, Tonks knew exactly what she was getting herself into. She loved you far too much to let any of that come between you.�

In the silence that followed, Lily did some quick math. Teddy seemed close to her age, maybe a little younger. Even with a considerable age gap, Sirius’ cousin would certainly be well into adulthood by the time he was born. What had conspired in the intervening years to change Remus’ mind? Had he been with her a majority of that time, or was her friend determined to be alone for over fifteen years?

“She’s not a…?� Remus finally asked thickly. “She’s not like me?�

“No,� Harry responded quickly. “And neither is Ted.� It took Teddy a beat to catch up, but then he shook his head vehemently.

“I get a bit grumpy around that time of the month, but then again, so does my girlfriend.� He shrugged, and tried to lean on the dresser nonchalantly. He knocked over the lamp that rested on it, but caught it deftly before it hit the ground.

Harry groaned. “That joke somehow gets less funny every time you make it, you know that right?�

He just shrugged. “It’s a work in progress, what can I say?�

“Tell us about yourself, Teddy,� Lilly said lightly. “How old are you?�

“I’m twenty one,� he responded, distracted.

She smiled. “Me too.� Teddy’s eyes darted to his father in surprise.

Lily decided to capitalize on his moment of vulnerability. “What house were you in at school?�

“Uh…Hufflepuff,� he gulped. “Excuse me, I’m just going to…� Teddy rushed out.

Ted!� Harry exclaimed. He went to follow, but quickly turned to address the group first. “I’m going to check on him, and then we’ll have lunch. Meet you downstairs?�

The boys were all lost in thought, so Lily smiled and nodded for them. Harry nodded gratefully, and took off after his godson.

Teddy was right where Harry thought he would be - in the little room at the end of the hall which had been his since they’d moved to Potter Manor. He never had lived with them full-time, but he was certainly there enough to thoroughly make the space his own. He was welcome any time, and could stay as long as he liked.

Harry gave a light tap on the closed door. “Ted?� he called softly.

“You can come in, Harry,� Teddy’s muffled voice responded. Upon entering, he saw that Teddy had taken up his perch on the seat of the bay window facing the front of the property. Harry gently closed the door behind him, and took his usual place at the end of Teddy’s bed. Many of the world’s problems had been solved in this exact configuration: misunderstandings with friends, clashes with his grandmother, and of course the whole debacle when Bill found out about his relationship with Victoire. Knowing his godson as he did, Harry didn’t push him, but simply sat and waited for him to speak.

“I don’t know what I expected, exactly…but I don’t think it was that. I know he probably would have been different, if he’d - you know, if he’d lived, but…� Teddy trailed off, before turning sharply to face his godfather.

“Did you know that he was that scared?� Teddy’s pleading eyes only intensified the knot of guilt that was building a nest in Harry’s chest. “I mean, I knew he was scared, you told me that. But that was…I don’t know. That was intense.�

Harry sighed, hating his past self. “I know, and I’m sorry, Ted. It’s been so long, and he’s been gone so long… At first, I figured that you didn’t need to know that. Then time went by, and I think I forgot, a little bit. Maybe in some ways, it was on purpose. I wanted you to know about the best parts of him - of both of them. I just didn’t want you to think that they left you on purpose, because they didn’t,� he said fiercely. “But…he was terrified. We even got into a fight over it, at one point. He-� Harry faltered, and found Teddy’s steady blue eyes urging him to continue. He wasn’t scared; he wasn’t going to fall apart. He was simply hungry for any morsel of the parents he never knew. It was a feeling Harry knew well.

“When he found out your mum was pregnant, he didn’t handle it well,� he went on. “I don’t think I’d really noticed it much before that, but I never heard of him dating before Tonks. And he was always trying to keep himself away from people, to keep them from being hurt. I guess I didn’t think much of it at the time because I was doing a lot of that, myself,� he said with a dark chuckle. With a deep breath, he decided to continue. “You remember how Ron and Hermione and I skipped our last year of school?�

Teddy nodded anxiously. This story was familiar to him; he’d heard the kid-friendly version many times over the years. It was a bit of a shock when Harry had told him the more adult details after his graduation, but he’d had time to adjust in the years since then.

“Well, your mum found out she was pregnant not long after we left. Remus found us, and he…he asked to come with us.� Harry shifted nervously on the bed. Teddy stared at him.

“But that would have been helpful, right? To have an adult - oh.� Harry’s heart hurt as he watched the realization dawn on the younger man. “Because of me?� he asked in a small voice. Harry nodded solemnly. Neither said anything for a long moment.

“I told him he was a coward.� Teddy’s eyebrows shot up under his fringe at Harry’s suddenly harsh tone. “I’d never fought with him before that. And it got bad. We both said things we couldn’t take back. We probably would have had a duel if he hadn’t left. Ron and Hermione were so angry with me, but I had to be hard on him. I had to get him back to you.�

It was Teddy’s turn to shift uncomfortably.

“Do you think he would have come back on his own?�

“I really do believe so,� Harry said after a moment of consideration. “I think it would have taken him longer. I like to think his love for Tonks would have won out in the end. But to be honest, I’m glad it happened the way it did.�

“You are?� Teddy asked, baffled.

Harry nodded. “He was with her through the rest of her pregnancy, and by the time you came along, he was ready to be there for you. He was overjoyed, and so incredibly proud.� He smiled at his godson, and Teddy responded with a strangled smile of his own.

“And…I’ll never know for sure, but I think it’s part of why he named me your godfather. Because he knew that I wouldn’t let you be treated like that. That if - if anything happened, I wouldn’t do that to you.� Harry swallowed hard. “You are so indescribably important to me, Ted. I can never regret that fight, because it made us what we are.�

Teddy barrelled forward to hug him, causing them both to fall backwards onto the bed. They soon found a comfortable position, with Teddy’s head resting on Harry’s shoulder. They’d been here many times before, but not for years. For a moment, it brought Harry back to days when Ginny was at school, or on the road, and it was just the two of them left to their own devices. Before the kids, before they were married. Days when all that tethered him to reality was a chatty toddler with blue hair. He kissed Teddy on the forehead, just because.

“Feeling any better?� He gave Teddy a little squeeze.

Teddy nodded against his chest. “Mostly I just feel bad for him. I want to help, but I don’t think I know how.�

God, this kid. “I think you can give him a little time to think about it, for now. And then just be there for him. Don’t let him get too stuck in his head. Show him you’re not going anywhere.�

Teddy bent awkwardly to look at him. “You think that’ll work?�

Harry smiled, and smoothed his godson’s hair, which was slowly returning to his customary turquoise. “Worked for me.�

They let the moment linger until the feelings felt smaller. Teddy eventually dragged Harry to his feet, and they padded down the stairs in comfortable silence.

By the time they reached the kitchen, the mouth-watering smell of pizza reminded Harry’s stomach that breakfast had been a very long time ago. Thankfully, Ginny had gone ahead and ordered lunch while he had been introducing Teddy to the time travelers. As Harry carefully retrieved enough plates for all of them, he took in the sight of her expanding the dining table.

She had to be just as tired, and confused, and raw as he was, but she handled it effortlessly with her trademark grace and wit. He thought to himself that once things were more settled, he ought to take her on a vacation somewhere tropical and remote, just the two of them. Of course, she’d just laugh, and say he would have done the same for her, without expecting anything in return. They’d stopped keeping track of good turns years ago. Now it was simply second nature. That was how family worked, she’d explained to him years ago. We take the time to take care of each other. That’s all.

In spite of his children’s protests, Harry pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her soundly.

“How on earth do you continue to read my mind?� he muttered once he pulled away.

“As if you’re the only one who was hungry!� Her tone was offended, but she squeezed him lovingly.

“Ooh, pizza!� Lily rushed past all of them and reached on her tiptoes for the plate on top of the stack.

Ginny immediately switched back into mothering mode. “Oh no, miss Lily. You know that we serve guests first.�

“But they’re not guests, they’re family!� Lily whined impatiently. Harry couldn’t fault her logic; they certainly never stood on ceremony when any of the Weasleys came over to eat.

“Yes…but they don’t live here, do they?� Ginny said in the tone that made the kids all bristle.

Lily stamped her foot. “Teddy doesn’t live here, but we don’t serve him first!� Harry decided that maybe Ginny could use a little back up here, after all.

“Lily Luna,� Harry said with a pointed look, “please wait your turn.� Lily huffed, but acquiesced.

Once everyone had taken their plates to sit down at the table, Harry realized there was still an unused plate. He was sure he’d brought out just enough. He surveyed the table curiously, still standing with his plate in hand.

From a couple seats down the table, his mother cleared her throat. Sirius suddenly sat up.

“Oh uh, James is taking a nap. He was feeling a bit tired after…this morning.� Harry nodded, deflated. He took his seat at the head of the table, but was still not able to relax entirely.

Ginny cleared her throat politely. “This might be a bit nosey, but has James always been so…?�

“Stubborn?� Remus offered dryly.

“Paranoid?� suggested Sirius, with an eye roll.

Lily sighed, and paused her work cutting up a slice of pizza for baby Harry. “No, he’s not usually this sensitive.� She shot glares at her old friends, which they studiously avoided. “But it’s not just this…situation, he’s not been himself for the past few months.�

This piqued Harry’s interest. “Since you went into hiding?�

“No - well, yes, actually,� Lily sighed, resigned. “He’s had a rough go adjusting to it, but about six months ago, both his parents passed away suddenly. We couldn’t be there to…� Her voice wobbled, and she sniffed. “They never met Harry.�

Ginny took a deep breath, and reached across the table for the younger woman’s hand. Lily tried to smile, and Ginny just nodded.

“They were really wonderful people, just the best,� Sirius said, voice thick with emotion.

“You told me what they did for you, when I was younger,� Harry offered. Sirius watched him with full eyes. “How they took you in, treated you like their own son.� He spared a quick glance down the table at Teddy, who seemed rather lost in his thoughts. “I wish I could have met them.�

“Me too,� Sirius agreed heavily, his grin turning melancholy. “And that’s normally how James is too, you know. Best bloke you’ll ever meet, loyal as they come.�

“I think he’s rather off balance without them,� Remus continued, as Sirius drifted into silence. “He might have survived losing one or the other, but both at once was just…butal. Besides, I don’t think he really had experience with losing people, before this. His grandparents were gone long before he was born. It was just the three of them for so long.�

“That’s not exactly true, he lost his Aunt in our fifth year,� Lily interjected.

“They weren’t close, though,� Sirius corrected her, not unkindly. “He said he only really went to the funeral to get out of taking that Charms exam.�

Remus chuckled. “Then he had to make it up when he came back anyway. I still can’t believe he didn’t see that coming.�

“My husband is a man of many talents. Unfortunately, considering the consequences of his actions is not among them,� Lily remarked, wiping a bit of sauce from her son’s face. Ginny smirked across the table at her own husband.

“Ah, so Harry comes by it naturally, then?� she teased. “And here I was thinking he wound up in the hospital wing so much just because he had a crush on Madam Pomfrey.� Sirius snorted, genuinely smiling for the first time since they sat down. Jamie choked as he took a sip of water.

“Gross, Madam Pomfrey’s like a million years old,� said Jamie, trying not to picture his dad kissing the stern older woman who’d taken care of his quidditch injuries on more than one occasion.

“She wasn’t too hard on the eyes when we were at school,� Sirius said saucily. “Of course, she was only a little older than us. She was only assisting Madam Jasper at that point.� He leaned forward, balancing his chin on both fists eagerly. “More importantly, I want to hear some of these stories about Harry being naughty at school.�

Lily groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t waste all your time on pranks and quidditch and chasing girls, like these tossers did. Please just lie, and tell me you were Head Boy, and got O’s on all of your N.E.W.T.s.�

Harry grinned to himself. “I played my fair share of quidditch. Pranks weren’t really my thing, though. I left that up to the Weasley twins.� He and Ginny exchanged small, sad smiles from across the table.

“Oh God, those twins drove Molly spare once they started walking! I absolutely believe that they grew up to be little menaces,� Lily said with a giggle.

Ginny leaned in. “You know my Mum?�

Lily grinned. “Of course I do! She and Arthur are in the Order with us. Before she had the twins, she’d bring the boys with her to meetings, and I’d always help her keep an eye on them. Holy terrors, all three of them. I knew you were her daughter right away, you know. You look so much like her.� Ginny laughed, surprised.

“Thank you. Wow, I haven’t heard that since I was a kid.�

Lily just laughed. “Well it’s still true! How many of you are there now? Surely she stopped at six?�

Ginny shook her head calmly. “There were seven of us. I’m the youngest.�

Harry caught the emotions that flitted briefly across his mother’s face. Why had no one told him how perceptive she was?

“Were?� she questioned softly.

Ginny just smiled sadly. “We lost Fred, about twenty years ago.�

Lily’s eyes fluttered closed before she reached and grabbed Ginny’s hand once more. “Oh my…I’m so sorry, Ginny,� she said, and Harry knew she genuinely meant it.

“You know,� Harry interjected carefully. “Fred and George were the ones who gave me the Marauder’s Map.� Ginny’s grateful smile rewarded him from across the table.

Remus almost spit out his drink. “You have the map?!�

“What! How did they get it?� Sirius blurted out over his friend.

“They told me they stole it from Filch’s office in their first year,� Harry said with pride. Sirius whistled in appreciation. Remus, however, suddenly sat bolt upright.

“The Map!� he whispered. “He’s got to believe the Map.�

Harry’s eyes widened. “The Map never lies,� he said, the familiar phrase coming out as a reverent plea. Relief tried to flood his stomach, but he stomped it down for the moment. Remus nodded excitedly, and Sirius grinned wolfishly in satisfaction.

“First thing tomorrow,� Harry promised. “We all need a bit of rest tonight, but we’ll go to Hogwarts tomorrow - Al, you brought the Map with you?�

Al, who had been content to listen to the adult’s conversation as he normally did, simply looked at his brother and crossed his arms. Harry rubbed his temples and counted to ten.

“James, when we’re done with lunch, you and I are going to have a long talk in my study.� Jamie, who had been starting in on his fourth slice of pizza, wilted slightly at the use of his full name, but valiantly tried to defend himself anyway.

“Dad, Teddy had it the whole time he was at school! Why do I have to-�

But his whinging was drowned out by a wail from his sister, who was seated directly next to him. Harry was up with his wand out in a flash. And then, he saw it.

Lily was frozen with fear, holding out her right arm. Just as the boys had described, it was going in and out of existence. His mind nonsensically flashed to a memory, long forgotten, of his Uncle Vernon fighting with the rabbit ears on their television. It somehow reminded him of the way the picture would flicker out and be suddenly replaced by the fuzzy black and white static, accompanied by a monstrous roar that the little black box shouldn’t have been capable of creating.

A similar roaring filled his mind now. He dimly realized that the others were talking, but he was only focused on his daughter. He struggled to take in as much information as he could, like years of training had taught him. But it all went out the window as he remembered that last time, it had been limited to her hand. Bile rose in his throat. This time, it was her entire right arm.

Harry rushed around the table, and sank to his knees next to his daughter. Lily reached to him with her other hand, and he took it. He wrapped his free arm around her back protectively, his wand forgotten on the floor. She buried her head in his chest as she cried, and Harry leaned his head against hers. He felt helpless, watching Ginny cast every diagnostic first aid spell she knew on Lily’s small, pale unstable arm. The room had become silent but for the sound of his daughter’s muffled sobs. Ginny finally sat back on her heels, wand trembling in her hand.

“It doesn’t hurt, does it, love?� she asked Lily gently. The little girl shook her head ‘no.’ Ginny nodded, seemingly lost.

“Jamie,� Harry said hoarsely. His son’s snapped to attention. “Did it last this long, the first time?�

Jamie also shook his head in the negative. On his other side, Al quietly cleared his throat.

“Dad?� he asked tentatively. Harry’s steely gaze latched onto his son’s matching green eyes. “I think maybe you should go to Hogwarts tonight. I’ve been thinking and…what if it’s connected? I mean, this never happened before yesterday…� He trailed off, looking to his mum for confirmation.

“I think Al’s on to something, Harry,� she said as she stood up with a heavy sigh. “It looks like it’s almost done for now, and…I don’t know. What if it helps?�

Looking down, Harry found that she was right; Lily’s arm was present for longer periods of time, and with one final flicker, seemed to be whole once more.

Harry sighed, finding himself suddenly missing his two best friends. “It’s worth a try. Um, Dad can come with me, under the cloak. It’ll be quicker if just the two of us go. Kids, stay here with Mum, just in case. I can tell McGonagall I’m just picking up some things they left behind.� He was coming up with it on the fly, but the plan came together easily in his head.

“Harry?� Said Teddy, who had been quiet for most of the meal. “Do you mind if I come with you? I’d like to talk to Victoire,� he said softly, eyes flicking briefly to his own father.

Harry almost rejected it out of hand; they needed to be in and out quickly. But there was a pleading note in his voice that Harry understood all too well. “Sure, Ted,� he said with a quick smile.

“Oh ho? Who’s this Victoire?� Sirius teased.

“She’s Ted’s girlfriend,� little Lily piped up, smiling shyly.

“And she’s assistant teaching Defense this year,� said Jamie sullenly.

“And she’s our cousin,� Al said with a slightly queasy look on his face.

Sirius’ eyes lit up with each new fact, but Remus beat him to the punch. He finally turned to look at Teddy for the first time since they met.

“Your…girlfriend?� He gently inquired. Teddy swallowed, and nodded.

“Remus, why don’t you go with them? I’m sure Teddy has some great stories from his school years,� Lily suggested in a would-be casual manner. “Besides, I’m sure he’d enjoy introducing you to his girlfriend without an audience.�

Teddy flushed as his gaze flicked to Sirius, who was bouncing in his seat. “Yeah, that sounds nice, actually. Is that cool with you, Harry?�

Harry, who had watched the whole exchange with interest, said quietly “Of course, Ted,� and extricated himself from his daughter’s grip. “If it’s fine with you, I think we should get going.�

There were murmurs of agreement, and Sirius ran upstairs to fetch James. As Harry reflected on the eventful meal, Ginny snuck up beside him. She took his hand, and rested her head on his shoulder. He did the same, and felt the comfort that always came from her leaning into his side. His heart began to beat at a more normal pace. Even if this one last ditch effort failed, he always had her.

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