A/N: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing her characters for this story, if I owned them I'd be doing some serious retail damage right now. And I'm pretty sure you can guess where I picked up the plot for this story. I just love that movie. Okay, here we go with another story. Hope you like it!
A Hectic Morning
"Ten minutes, Ryan!"
The door shut again as Ryan Potter cringed at his father's stern warning. He could hear the familiar chaos of his younger siblings shouting and screaming, a Potter household ritual that took place daily. It was a little more chaotic this morning because it was September the First and his parents were trying to get their brood ready. Ryan put his pillow over his head, blocking out the noise as he snuggled face down under his covers.
"NOW, Ryan!"
His dad left the door open this time and Ryan groaned as the flood of noise disturbed the quiet of his sleepy sanctuary. Yawning and scratching his head he stepped into the hallway only to be nearly run over by his nine year old brother, Ethan who was sprinting down the hallway.
"Ethan, no running down the stairs!" his father called out as he made his way up the stairs. There was a crunching sound and his dad muttered under his breath, stooping down to pick up a small frame of eyeglasses. "Reparo. Michael, what are your glasses doing on the stairs!" His dad looked at him. "Decided to join the land of the living?" he asked. Ryan yawned in response
"Daddy, I have to go!"
Ryan's youngest sibling, five years old, was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Her long dark hair had little pink ribbons in it and her little brown teddy bear was clutched tightly in her arms. His father knocked on the bathroom door.
"Emma, get out of the bathroom. You have a queue here," he said to the door. "Ava has to go."
"I just got in here!" Emma protested, opening the door to let her little sister in.
"Just help her will you?" his dad pleaded.
"Harry, have you seen Michael's glasses?" his mother called up from downstairs.
"Got them right here, Hermione!" he called back.
"Hey can I use the bathroom in your room?" Ryan asked his dad.
"Yeah sure," his dad waved at him as he went back downstairs.
Eventually, Ryan did get ready for the day, shrank his school trunk down to the size of a shoebox and made his way downstairs. The family was settling down at the table for breakfast and Ryan set his trunk down next to his siblings'.
"Oh yeah, well you are a big…poopy head!" Ethan was saying to Michael. Adam, Ava's identical twin giggled furiously as Ava smiled and repeated, "Poopy head!"
He made his way to the kitchen and saw his mother and Emma talking. "I don't know what to do, mum. I mean, I can't seem to get past that friend stage with him, that's all he sees me as!"
His mother had a sympathetic smile on her face. "Oh, sweetie, he'll notice you. And if he doesn't, well, do you really want to be with anyone that daft who can't see how wonderful you are?"
Emma sighed, "I just want what you and dad have. I mean, when was it that he noticed that he had more than friend feelings for you?"
"September the First on platform Nine and 3/4 at the beginning of our seventh year," his mother said dreamily. "I remember Draco Malfoy got into an argument with your father and uncle Ron earlier. He sent a curse in my direction, hitting me. I woke up a few hours later on the train with your father's face hovering above mine. I'll never forget the look on his face. We had our first kiss that night and I knew, just knew, that I was in love with him. That I always was in love with him and that we would be together forever."
Ryan rolled his eyes at this sappy story that his sister made his mum tell over and over again.
"Heads up mum!" Toby shouted and Ryan's hand darted out to catch the blueberry muffin that was just about to make its target on his mother's head.
"Nice catch," his mother praised and Ryan beamed, tossing the muffin lightly in the air before snatching it and taking a bite. "Good to know you aren't the greatest Seeker in Hogwart's history for nothing," she ruffled his brown hair.
"Ahem," his father cleared his throat from the doorway of the kitchen.
His mother's face lit up. "Second best," she corrected as she reached for his dad as he wrapped his arms around her, going in for a kiss.
"Ugh!" Ryan gagged and made a hasty exit.
"Gross!!" Emma protested. "Could you please wait until your children have left the premises?"
"Then go…quickly!" his father said against his mother's lips.
Ryan and Emma sat down at the table where little Ava pointed to her oldest sister. "You eat bogies!"
~*~
King's Cross seemed especially busy today as the Potter family made their way through the crowd to Platform Nine and 3/4. Ryan's trunk fell out of his jacket pocket unnoticed as they crossed through the barrier. It was even more crowded here as the students waited with their parents. The familiar red heads of the Weasley clan made their way over.
"Hullo Uncle Ron!" chorused the three youngest Potters.
"Can you believe how crowded it is today?" he replied.
Ryan's parents reunited with some of their friend's as Caleb Weasley, his uncle Ron's oldest son walked over to him. He was a sixth year Gryffindor but he was Ryan's best friend despite the fact that he was a seventh year. The two of them chatted away as they waited for the whistle of the train to allow them to board.
"Hey Ryan," Caleb nudged him and nodded his head in the direction of a very pretty girl with long dark hair and startling blue eyes. Ryan's throat suddenly felt as if it was swelling and that the atmosphere was closing in around him as she smiled and laughed with her friends. With a sudden panic, he realized that she was headed in his direction.
"Hello Ryan," she waved at him as she passed.
"Er…," Ryan suddenly seemed to lose his ability to speak.
"Hey Emily," Caleb said in a friendly voice as she passed.
The air suddenly returned to Ryan's lungs as he exhaled slightly.
"That is so pathetic that the Quidditch Captain goes barmy around her," Caleb rolled his eyes. Ryan looked up at his father who quickly averted his eyes but he still caught the look of amusement on his face.
Caleb continued to humiliate Ryan further. "She's liked you for forever and you, you can't even form coherent sentences around her. Please, this is your last year, put me out of my misery and just ask her out. You know she's just dying for you to do that."
"Just drop it, Caleb," Ryan muttered. His father opened his mouth to say something but a shout in the crowd caught their attention.
"Oh Remus!" his mother cried out as the family friend, Remus Lupin, made his way through the crowd.
"Hello Professor Lupin," the Potter children chorused.
"What brings you here?" his father asked, shaking his DADA teacher's hand.
"Just…wanted to see you guys off," Lupin said vaguely before turning to Ryan. "So, Ryan, you're last year. Are you ready?" he asked.
"I think I'm going to miss the old castle," he replied.
Lupin smiled. "Oh, I wanted to give this to you before I forget, I wanted to give you this." He handed him a tattered envelope with a little note attached to it that read: Hand this letter to me as soon as you reach the castle, NO MATTER HOW STRANGE YOUR SITUATION IS!
"Um," Ryan said as he read the odd note.
"Don't worry, you'll know," he said with a wink. "I'll see you guys at the castle," he said to the eldest children.
The train whistle blew signaling that the student's should start to board. His parents began their good-bye's as Ryan reached in his pocket to put the letter away only to find that his trunk was missing.
"What is it?" his father asked.
"My trunk, I think I dropped it outside of the barrier," Ryan said as he sprinted past his parents.
He crossed the barrier undetected by the nearby muggles and right away spotted his trunk next to a muggle magazine stand. He sprinted for it, picked it up and turned around only to collide with someone. Little golden globes went flying in the air, landing with tiny metallic plunks as they hit the ground.
"I'm sorry," Ryan said as he helped the woman he had collided with to her feet.
"It's quite alright," she said, dusting herself off and picking up an empty box.
"Here, let me help you," he said, reaching down to pick up one of the globes.
"NO!!" the woman cried out. "Don't touch--."
There was an odd sensation that shot through Ryan as he touched the cool crystal globe with golden metal trim. It felt as if he were being squeezed, as if the air was being rung out of his lungs. Then he felt as if he were suddenly pushed forward violently at incredible force before coming to a complete stop.
Ryan blinked and looked around him. The woman had disappeared from his sight. What the hell just happened? The station had muggles going about their business as if they had no notice that a woman had disappeared before his eyes. Wait a second. Dad. He could report this to his dad, he would know what to do. Ryan stuffed the globe in his pocket and clutched his trunk to him as he crossed the barrier back onto Platform Nine and 3/4.
The whistle shrieked loudly as parents said their goodbye's to their children. He ran to the spot where his parents were but they were nowhere to be found.
"Mom? Dad?" he called out, darting through the crowd to find them. He collided with someone in his haste.
"Oy! Watch where you're going!"
Ryan stared wide-eyed at a much younger looking Uncle Ron Weasley. But it couldn't be him.
"Uh, where's Caleb?" Ryan stammered out.
"Huh?" Ron looked at him in confusion before walking away.
"Ron, don't be rude." Aunt Ginny, also looking very young, came up behind her brother.
Ryan scrambled away from them, his mind reeling. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. A stray Daily Prophet fluttered on the ground, carried by the slight breeze and he picked it up, staring at the date.
September 1, 1997
"Oh, this can't be happening. This can't be happening," Ryan repeated over and over again.
"Hey Potter," a voice called out and he spun around to see a blond haired boy about his age stride toward him, accompanied by two much larger and wider guys. "Didn't think I'd see your face here."
Ryan was about to open his mouth to respond but a voice called out from behind him.
"I could say the same about you." Ryan's eyes widened and he spun around to see his father behind him. Oh. My. God.
"It's fortunate that my father still has friends in high places," Draco said smugly. "What about you? Oh, that's right, you don't have a father, do you?"
"I wouldn't exactly call Death Eater's high society," Harry replied. Ryan couldn't believe it. He couldn't take his eyes off of him even as his father glanced over at him, giving him an irritated look.
"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Ron strode up to his father.
"Harry, let's just get going," came the most familiar and comforting voice. Ryan's heart pounded loudly in his chest when he saw his mother, young and still beautiful, walk up to his father. This was all too much for him to take and he ducked behind a pillar, willing his sickness to pass and his heart to slow down.
The train whistle shrieked loudly, catching his attention and Ryan peeked out from behind the pillar to see that his father and mother were no longer standing nearby. He wanted to see his parents, follow them and he hustled toward them as they walked toward the train.
"I'm going to get the little mudblood once and for all," he heard the blond boy say nearby him and Ryan watched as he drew his wand.
"Mum," Ryan whispered and ran toward her. "Watch out!" he shouted as he jumped in front of her in time for Draco's hex to land square on his chest. Ryan slammed onto the ground hard, his head hitting the concrete. He blinked and looked up at his mother's concerned face hovering over him before all went blank.
-->