990Birth of a Phoenix
Disclaimer; Everything that you recognise in this story belongs to J. K. Rowling and to other published authors or owners if by chance I include anything else.
Chapter 1; A Lost Cause
October 31 1981
James and Lily both felt the wards fall and the thought that they had been betrayed by Wormtail was the first thing to go through their minds. That, however, was quickly forgotten though as they looked at their twin sons in horror. The time for Voldemort to mark his equal had arrived but they weren't just going to roll over and allow it.
"Lily, take Harry and Ben and run!" James yelled out. Lily only cast a brief concerned look at James before scooping her two fifteen month children from the floor where they had been playing together until their parents had become panicked. She ran up the stairs and into the nursery and dropped the boys into their joint crib before taking up a defensive position in front of the door. The cast every spell that she knew at the door in an attempt to protect her two sons from Voldemort but she knew that it was only a matter of time.
She didn't know what had happened to James but knew her fate was sealed as the door exploded and struck her in the head knocking her out instantly. Voldemort looked around the room in distaste before carelessly aiming his wand at the two boys watching him from their crib.
If he'd paid more attention when he cast the Killing Curse he would have seen that the boys had linked their hands together tightly and drawn themselves closer in their fear of him. The green curse struck the two fraternal twins as one. His eyes widened in horror though as a flash of fire erupted from one and a bubble of magic burst into being around the second. They melted together just as his curse struck and it ricocheted off of it and hit him in the chest before he could react.
With a scream of pain his soul was ripped from his body and it felt to the ground like a rag doll.
When the Order of the Phoenix arrived almost half and hour later it was to find both boys huddled together with the burning magical bubble around them still. It wasn't until they had revived James and healed Lily's wounds that the boy's reluctantly slipped into a deep sleep and dropped the bubble of magic and allowed their relieved parents to hug hold them as they slept.
Voldemort's death was announced to the Wizarding public within only four hours and the identities of Harry and Benjamin Potter as the Boys-Who-Lived and their saviours was known by almost every Wizard or Witch above the age of five.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
1985
Harry opened his eyes blearily as he woke at the sound of his door creaking open. He forced himself onto weary arms as he watched his twin walk into the room with their three year old brother, Damien, in tow. As soon as Damien saw him he streaked passed his older brother and launched himself onto the bed.
Harry sagged against his pillow at the sudden extra weight but without his weight on his arms he drew his arms around Damien's body. He smiled up at Ben as the brown eyed and red-black haired boy smiled at him with every ounce of love he had in him. They were fraternal brothers but were almost identical in appearance. They had the same sort of look to them though Ben had a hint of red in his hair and his fathers brown eyes whereas Harry had inherited his mothers emerald green eyes and black hair. There was also a dramatic difference in both their height and build with Ben being taller and more healthily built than Harry.
Damien hadn't gotten his fathers black hair or his eyes and had vibrant red hair and emerald eyes. Harry watched his slightly older brother grab two potions from the dresser and waited till he could remove one of his arms from around Damien so that he could silently downed them both. Instantly he felt more comfortable as the tightness in his chest faded. Some of the colour also came back to his pale face that even in his tough life hadn't lost its healthy shape and his eyes had never dulled from their lively gaze thanks to the nurture he received under his brother's care.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Harry pushed gently on Damien to get the three year old to back off and was rewarded when the boy settled against his side like he did when Harry read to him. "Did you sleep ok?"
"I got a few hours." Harry replied. If anyone had been listening to the conversation they would never have guessed that it was two five year olds speaking instead of two adults apart from their young voices. They had always been very serious especially in the last two years since Harry had become ill. "And I feel ok." Harry added on when Ben just stared at him.
A grin spread across Ben's face and he settled on Harry's other side and hugged his younger brother to him. Their three year old brother wasn't going to let himself be left out though and he launched himself onto Harry's lap to hug his two older twin brothers.
"Be careful, Damy!" Ben was quick to scold him as Harry flinched at the sudden pressure on his chest. Damien recoiled but Harry reached out and gently brought him back to him.
"It's ok, Benji." Harry smiled calmingly at his older twin before kissing Damien on his forehead. "Just don't be so sudden."
Damien nodded enthusiastically and was about to speak when an echo of a loud voice reached them.
"Ben!" Their mother, Lily, called loudly, probably from the kitchen. "Damien! Hurry up, your breakfast will get cold."
Harry couldn't control the slight flinch at the sound of her voice, he rarely heard either of his parents voices and he could never control his violent reactions to the reminder that he did actually have a mother and father even if they would happily forget their had a third son between their eldest and youngest, especially now that Lily was pregnant again.
Harry shooed his younger brother away with a smile and the small ball went barrelling out of the room and down the hall with heavy steps. He almost jumped when Ben spoke up next to his ear, he had almost forgotten he was there. "I tried to get them to come talk to you last night."
"I've told you not to bother, Benji." Harry sighed and let his head fall onto Ben's larger shoulder.
"I'm not going to just let them forget you!" Ben snarled angrily. "To them you're just an expense that they'd feel guilty for not paying. I heard them talking about shipping you off to the permanent ward at St. Mungos."
"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad?" Harry asked though he didn't believe it himself, he didn't want to be separated from his brothers but Ben had no friends of his own since he gave his whole day to Harry's happiness and no five year old should live like that.
"Just because they don't know what is wrong with you doesn't mean they should just give up!" Ben complained. It was an old argument, as soon as their parents had learnt that his disease couldn't be identified, let alone treated, they had begun to lose interest. First it was just small things like not coming up to sit with him, then it was things like forgetting to bring up food for him but this summer had been the last straw for Ben when they'd forgotten Harry entirely on their birthday. The argument between Ben and their parents in front of a house full of guests had been entertaining for Harry who could hear every one of their rather loud words.
"Don't worry about it, Benji. I'll always have you." Harry twisted his head and smiled up at him.
"Of course you will!" Ben declared. "Cos, I love you!"
"'Love you too." Harry whispered. "You'll take good care of Damy right? You wont let him forget me will you?"
"What are you talking about!?" Ben hated it when Harry talked like this, it normally meant that he was planning something. Last time Harry had downed four pepper up potions and snuck out. He'd summoned the Knight's Bus and taken a trip to Diagon Alley. Ben had been so worried by the time Harry was brought back by the Leaky Cauldron's bartender, Tom, after he had drifted off after buying an early breakfast.
"You know what I'm talking about, Benji." Harry sighed again. Instinctively Ben knew that something else was wrong. Harry sounded sad more than anything else but he didn't know about the packed back under the bed that Harry had made up last night after listening to Ben's brief argument about his parents ignoring him. He had heard them forbidding Ben and Damien from going to Harry's room in case they 'caught' whatever was effecting him.
Ben would have responded but another shout from their mother interrupted him and by the time he looked back at Harry, his younger twin was asleep on his shoulder. He gently manoeuvred himself out from under Harry's head and laid him back down on his pillows before slipping out of the room to go to breakfast. He didn't once realise that Harry was still wide awake.
Harry cried steadily. It had to be today, he felt stronger than he had in months and could miss the opportunity to slip away permanently. He loved his two brothers with every cell in his body but he couldn't ruin their lives because he was so ill. They both deserved a chance to be happy and have a normal childhood.
Before Ben returned after breakfast to see how he was he was already on the Knights Bus heading as far away as he could manage but he would never forget his earliest years and his beloved brothers.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
End Chapter