262Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
A/N:This story is AU and a warning for scenes of corporal punishment between parent and child and some talk of corporal punishment, nothing too excessive but if it will bother you, make you uncomfortable or upset you in any way, then please skip this fic.Flames will be ignored.
I decided to try a time travel type of story. Hope you enjoy!
Hogwarts, 1998
Seventeen year old Harry looked around, tears streaming down his face. It was over. Voldemort lay dead on the ground, his death eaters as well. Harry turned to look at Hogwarts, the castle half gone from the brutal fight. The ground was littered with bodies, his friends and his professors were all gone. He sobbed and fell to his knees. The pain was too great. Ron, Hermione, Neville, McGonagall, Remus, Hagrid, the Weasley's...they were all gone. First he had lost Sirius, then Dumbledore and now he had lost everyone. What was he supposed to do now? There was no one left. Even losing Snape hurt, now that he knew that the man had protected him over the years. If only things could be different, if they could all have a second chance. He wished his parents were here...he felt so alone, so lost.
Harry collapsed to his knees, sobbing. Yeah, he had defeated Voldemort but he hadn't been able to save his friends. He had no home of his own, the people he had thought of as his family were all gone. He didn't even care what happened to him now. Not when he had lost everyone.
"Everyone is gone," Harry whispered, tears dripping down his face. "What am I supposed to do now? Why did it have to end like this?"
Suddenly the wind seemed to kick up and Harry realized he could feel magic swirling around him. Confused, he looked around. There was no one causing it that he could see. He felt it get stronger and he gasped as he suddenly felt encased in it. It didn't hurt, in fact it was comforting in a way. What was happening? It seemed to get brighter and brighter and Harry shut his eyes.
Hogwarts, 1977
Dumbledore paused in his writing, glancing up as he felt a surge of magic come through the castle. He stood up. He didn't feel any danger but something strong, something extremely powerful had just come through. It was like a gust of wind had kicked up in his office. Fawkes looked around, giving a trill.
"You feel it too, my friend?" Dumbledore asked softly. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but something big had just taken place.
HP
"How did you get here?" A surprised voice asked.
Harry slowly opened his eyes. He stared in shock at Madame Pomfrey. He was in the infirmary...but how?
"Sweetie, are you all right?" Pomfrey asked gently. "How did you get here, child?"
Child? Harry sat up and glanced down at his little legs. Wait, what? He was little! He began panicking, feeling like he couldn't breathe.
"Calm down," Pomfrey said in alarm. She gently patted him on the back while summoning the Headmaster. "Breathe in and out," she said soothingly. "There you go, you're okay."
Feeling calmer, Harry looked up in surprise when someone entered the room.
"What is the matter, Poppy? Is a student injured?" Dumbledore asked in concern. He stopped in surprise when he caught sight of the child. "Well now, who is this?" He asked in surprise.
"You don't know either?" Pomfrey frowned. "He just appeared on the cot."
"Did he now," Dumbledore murmured.
Harry just stared at the Headmaster. Dumbledore was alive? The castle intact? What was going on? "Dumbledore?" he whispered.
Dumbledore looked at him incredulously. "Do you know me?"
"I did but..." Harry stared at him, a confused expression on his face. "You're alive?" What was going on?
Poppy looked at Dumbledore in concern.
"Can you tell me your name?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Harry Potter." Harry said softly.
"Potter?" Pomfrey asked in surprise. "Well, he does look like James Potter. A relative?"
Harry frowned. "James is my dad," he said.
"What?" Pomfrey gasped.
"Who is your mum, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, looking thoughtful.
"Lily Evans." Harry shook his head. "You know this." He hesitated. "Don't you?"
"Albus, what is going on?" Pomfrey asked, looking at Dumbledore.
"How are you guys here?" Harry asked before the Headmaster could answer her. He blinked in surprise by how much higher his voice was now. "You were gone...everyone was gone. I defeated him but I lost everyone." Tears filled his eyes.
"Defeated who?"
"Voldemort," Harry whispered.
"How could a child defeat Voldemort?" Poppy asked in shock.
"I'm seventeen." Harry insisted.
"Harry, what year do you think it is?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"1998." Harry said. He hesitated at the looks Dumbledore and Pomfrey exchanged. "What year is it?" He asked after a moment.
"1977."
"What?" Harry breathed. "But...how? And why am I little?"
Pomfrey ran a diagnostic. "You are five years old." She informed him.
"Interesting," Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Why were you the one to defeat Voldemort?"
"I'm the boy-who-lived," Harry said, a little bitterly. "The prophecy...Voldemort marked me as he equal when I was a baby. After killing my parents," His voice turned sad.
"Marked you as his equal?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"My scar," Harry pointed to his forehead. "It's from when Voldemort tried to kill as a baby."
"Dear, there is no scar there," Pomfrey said after peering at his forehead.
"There's not?" Harry asked in shock. "But I got it after Voldemort killed my parents and tried to kill me. My mum sacrificed herself to save me and the killing curse rebounded."
"Both of your parents are alive," Dumbledore told him gently. "They're seventh years."
"But how?" Harry asked, hope filling him. His parents were really here?
"I have some theories," Dumbledore said slowly. "Do you mind if ask you some more questions?"
"Okay but...wait. Did you really say I was five years old?" Harry's mouth fell open. No way! He was an adult! "I'm seventeen!" he insisted.
"Not anymore," Pomfrey conjured a mirror and held it up to him.
Harry stared at his reflection. He really was a child! And it was true, there was no lightening bolt scar! "How?" His lower lip trembled. Why did he want to cry? What was going on? "I want my mummy and daddy," he whispered. If they were really here, he wanted to see them. He wanted his family, he wanted to be taken care of for a change.
Dumbledore patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "You can see them, Harry. I have some ideas why this has happened but I need to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?"
"Okay."
HP
"All right James. Out with it," Lily said as they walked up to Dumbledore's office.
"What?"
"Did you get into trouble? Cause some mischief?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Why else would the Headmaster call us? Especially so late in the evening?"
"I haven't done anything," James protested. Since he had been made Head Boy, he had been trying to be more mature. "Maybe you did," he teased.
Lily rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she knocked on Dumbledore's door.
"Come in!" Dumbledore smiled as they walked in. "Take a seat." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.
James and Lily looked at each other and each took a seat, watching their Headmaster expectantly.
"Tea?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.
"Sure, thanks Headmaster," James said taking the cup offered.
"Thank you," Lily said politely. "So is this about Head boy and girl duties? Is James slacking off already?" Her green eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Oi!" James protested. "No way, I've been trying to be more responsible. Ask Sirius, he thinks I'm a right bore now." he grumbled.
"No, no" Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "You're both doing wonderfully. I just wanted to congratulate you on your child."
James and Lily both spat out their tea at the same time. "What?" They both exclaimed.
"Sir? What are you talking about? We aren't, uh, expecting or anything." James said, his face flushing.
"Of course not, he's already here," Dumbledore beamed. "You have a son. He arrived today, appearing in the infirmary."
James and Lily stared at him. "Lily, he's really lost it," James whispered.
"I know. Maybe we should get Professor McGonagall," Lily whispered back.
Dumbledore sighed. "I can assure you, I am not insane. Let me explain. Earlier, I could feel a sense of strong magic. There was a gust of wind inside my office and the magic, well. I've never felt anything like it. It somehow, someway brought your son from the future."
"Like time travel?" Lily asked, her eyes wide. "A time turner?"
"No, something stronger and more magical than a time turner" Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Strength, love and sacrifice. A second chance for you and your son. I need more information from Harry, but he is confused and uh, a little upset."
"Harry?"
"Your son. Harry James Potter."
"How do you know he's our son?" James asked suspiciously. What if this was some kind of trick by the Slytherins?
"I've spoken to him. I also cast a identity charm. He is your son." Dumbledore said with certainty. He cleared his throat. "One thing, right now Harry is five years old. But before he was sent here, he was seventeen. So while he has the body of a child, his mind is torn between being seventeen and five."
"How did this happen?" Lily asked, glancing at James. This seemed so crazy but Dumbledore wouldn't lie about something like this.
"Your son has been through incredible and terrible things," Dumbledore said gently. "I believe at seventeen he was a very brave young man. And an angry one. In his time, he defeated Voldemort and lost all his loved ones."
Lily gasped and James eyes darkened. "Where were we?" He bit out.
Dumbledore just gazed at him sadly. "According to Harry, you both were killed by Voldemort when he was a baby."
Lily's eyes filled with tears. "We didn't get to raise our own child?"
"But don't you see," Dumbledore leaned forward. "I believe that after all the sacrifice Harry gave, magic gave him a second chance. It sent him here, to be a child and to be with his parents. To help Harry heal from all the devastation and loss around him."
"We want to see him," James said suddenly. He didn't care that he and Lily were only seventeen and still in school. If their son was here, he wanted to see him.
Dumbledore sent a message to Pomfrey and a few moments later, the door opened and Poppy entered, followed by an adorable little boy with messy dark hair and glasses. And very distinctive emerald eyes.
"Oh," Lily whispered, standing up. "James, he looks just like you!"
"With your eyes," James said, his heart clenching as he made eye contact with the young boy. My son, he thought. The magic Dumbledore had mentioned … what he was feeling now was stronger, he was sure of it. A bond, a connection with his son. Glancing at Lily he could tell she felt the same way. Love for their child was already in her eyes.
Harry's eyes widened as he looked at them.
"See? I told you they were here," Poppy said gently.
"Mummy? Daddy?" Harry asked, looking uncertain yet hopeful.
Lily stepped closer to him and knelt down. "Harry," She whispered, holding out her arms. She gave a happy laugh when the little boy stepped into her embrace. She looked at James, her eyes shining. "Isn't he beautiful?"
James nodded, also kneeling down and putting his arms around them. Harry seemed to melt into their embrace and when they finally stood, James lifted Harry into his arms. Harry wrapped his arms around his neck, his little legs around his waist. Lily ran her hand through Harry's hair, her eyes full of wonder.
After several minutes, Poppy cleared her throat. "He appears perfectly healthy but exhausted. He needs a good night's rest. I suggest he also takes naps regularly and no skipping meals."
Naps? Harry glared at the medi-witch. "I'm not a child!" He snapped.
"Oh? Do you need to look in a mirror again?" Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Harry scowled and then buried his face in his father's neck. "Make her be quiet," he whined. He was seventeen for Merlin's sake. He had killed Voldemort! He didn't need naps!
James patted his back soothingly. "Relax, little one. I know you're confused right now. We are too, but at least we're all together."
"I lost everyone," Harry whispered.
James tensed, his eyes meeting Lily's sad ones. He tightened his hold on his son. "I'm sorry Harry, for all the pain you've been through. But it's over now, okay?"
Harry didn't understand what had happened, how he had traveled to the past or why he was a child again but at the moment, he was content to be in his parents arms. It was all he had ever wanted. He nodded, his eyes feeling heavy.
"I don't know how you feel about having him here, at school," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "I suppose your parents, James, could raise him until you graduate."
"No!" Both James and Lily said.
"We want him with us," Lily said, glancing at James who nodded in return.
"Harry stays with us." James said firmly. "We can take care of him here. Our friends will help as well."
"If you are sure, then that is fine. You can take him to the Tower," Dumbledore offered. "We can put an extra bed in your dorm, if you think your dorm-mates won't mind."
"They won't mind," James said with certainty. He smoothed his hand over Harry's little back, aware that his son was fast asleep. He exchanged a grin with Lily. They had a son!
TBC: