Unofficial Portkey Archive

A bright light filled the cupboard under the stairs. Harry awoke with a gasp, as if breaking the surface of the ocean, his eyes wide and staring. Something went through him, his head swam with terrifying images; people he didn't know - but felt some kind of connection with - undoubtedly dead, dying, or being tortured, faces twisted into horrified expressions. But then came images that weren't so terrifying, that actually filled his heart with some strange emotion (was that what love felt like?) that made him want to smile instinctively; a red-haired boy laughing so hard his eyes crinkled at the corners like an old man. A pretty woman lying on a bed, her hand holding her head up as she beamed, eyes sparkling with happiness. And a haggard looking man with matted black hair opening his arms as if welcoming a brother. All these and more flashed through his mind in less than a second.

The images changed, becoming like some kind of strange movie made up entirely of still pictures: A room filled with hundreds of hourglasses of varying sizes - an enormous pendulum in mid swing - the bright face of a little girl, clutching a weird shiny thing, and looking up at… him? Then came an image that caused his entire body to quake with a feeling he was very familiar with, for it was the thing he felt every time he looked at his cousin Dudley, only this was stronger - far stronger. The image was of a woman who would have been beautiful, if not for the twisting snarl of pure hatred on her face. She was screaming, pointing a wooden rod at him, which seemed to be glowing. He didn't know what happened next, but he was sure there was an explosion. He could almost hear it.

He blinked, and then awoke.

It had worked.

Harry looked towards the end of the cupboard at the little girl who lay unconscious at his feet, clutching his shiny, silvery Invisibility Cloak. He shuffled forwards and shook her gently.

'Lily,' he whispered, 'come on sweetie, wake up.'

'Hmm?' Lily murmured weakly, then rolled over and bumped her head on the wall. 'Ouch!' she cried, sitting upright with a jolt, and then her eyes widened.

'Shh,' Harry shushed.

'Dad?' Lily gasped, staring at the young vision of her father before her eyes. 'Is that really you?'

'It's me sweetie,' he said, 'it worked. We did it Lily.'

'Where are we?' Lily asked.

'At my Aunt and Uncle's house,' he answered, 'in the cupboard under the stairs. It was my bedroom for the first years of my life.'

Lily looked at him with amazement. 'You're joking,' she said.

'Unfortunately, I'm not,' Harry said. 'There is a reason you haven't met them. The Dursleys hate everything about our world.' Harry examined his fingers, ran his hands all over his body, checked his broken, Sellotape repaired glasses. 'It looks like we arrived in the right time. I think it's just before my eleventh birthday, but I haven't got my Hogwarts letter yet. Anyway, we have to be very quiet Lily, because if my Aunt and Uncle find you, we're in serious trouble.'

'I didn't think we would make it,' Lily said, eyes wide, whispering like she was talking to someone on their deathbed. 'That woman, she almost killed us.'

'I've had a lot of dealings with Bellatrix Lestrange,' Harry said, 'and they never end well. We got lucky kiddo. She sent one powerful curse at us, the Killing Curse, by the look of it. I don't know what affect it'll have on the Time Turner's, but hopefully they were all destroyed, and she can't follow us.'

'What are we going to do now?' Lily asked.

'I'm going to write a letter to Dumbledore,' Harry said. 'I'll ask for a meeting with him, tell him I have something really important to talk to him about, and that it can't wait. Then you'll have to do this next part on your own.'

'What do you want me to do?'

'You'll have to go and post this letter,' Harry said.

'On my own?' Lily's voice quivered with terror.

'It's okay, listen to me sweetie,' Harry said, 'I know it's a scary thought to you, being out on your own, but things are different in this time. You'll be fine. Just stay under my Invisibility Cloak - thank Merlin it came through with us, as well - and you'll be okay. Then I can meet with Dumbledore and start to figure out the next move.'

'What do I do after I deliver the letter?'

'Come straight back here,' Harry said. 'You'll have to be very quick, and get back before my Aunt and Uncle get up. You'll have to spend most of your time under it, just to be safe, while we stay here, I'm afraid.'

'That's okay Dad,' Lily replied. 'I'll be fine.'

'Okay,' Harry said. 'Now I just have to write that letter. Stay here, I'm going to go look for some paper and stuff. Be quiet, okay sweetie?'

'I know Dad,' Lily said.

Harry opened the cupboard and crept silently down the hall, into the kitchen. The Dursleys always kept a pad of paper and a pen by the telephone, which was situated in the kitchen, so that his Aunt Petunia could gossip and cook at the same time. Harry snatched a few pieces from the pad and took the pen as well. Next, he made his way, making sure to be as quiet as possible, into the living room. He wasn't sure where they kept the envelopes, so he checked each drawer systematically until he found them. He removed one and took a first class stamp as well, before he returned to the cupboard under the stairs.

'Got them,' Harry said, holding up the paper, pen and envelope. 'Hang on while a write this…'

Lily was silent for a while, but her thoughts were racing. She had travelled back in time, to a time when she didn't even exist. She was, technically, the same age as her father now, and her mother, who was out there, alive and well, totally oblivious to all that was going on. She hoped she would get to see her soon. It had been three years since her mum had held her. Then there was Uncle Ron, Aunt Ginny, Uncle Neville, Grandma and Granddad Weasley, Uncle Remus and Auntie Tonks, Uncles Fred and George, all of them, all alive again. And then there was Dumbledore, who she had never actually met, the greatest wizard ever to take breath, according to her Mum and Dad.

'That should do it,' Harry said, finishing up the letter at last. He reread it thoroughly, before folding it up in the envelope and handing it to Lily. Lily stared at the address he had written on the letter. Hogwarts…

'Will I meet him?' Lily asked. 'Dumbledore, I mean.'

'Yeah,' Harry said, a smile she hadn't seen in a long time lighting up his features, 'you will. Just you wait. He's like no one you've ever met. You'll see.'

'And everyone else…' Lily let the question trail off.

'Yeah, everyone else,' Harry said. 'Even your Uncle Sirius.'

Lily nodded, looking thoughtful. Harry put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. He kissed her forehead.

'Don't worry,' Harry said, once again. 'It'll work out. Now, you ready?'

Lily took a deep breath, steeling herself. 'Yes. I'm ready.'

'Then let's go,' Harry said. 'Remember, be as quiet as you can.'

Harry edged slowly out into the hall again, followed this time by Lily. He searched in Uncle Vernon's coat pocket for the keys, found them, and then unlocked the door. The wind howled loudly. Harry winced, looking nervously towards the stairs. Even from downstairs, he could hear Uncle Vernon snoring. Harry opened the door further, looked at Lily, and then hugged her with one arm.

'I'm so proud of you sweetie,' he said. 'You're the bravest little girl ever.'

'Thanks Dad,' Lily whispered, tears in her eyes.

'Good luck,' Harry said.

Lily just nodded, clutched Harry in a tight hug, and then slipped through the door and out into the night, the letter to Dumbledore grasped tightly to her chest. Harry watched her go for as long as he dared, and then closed the door. He returned to his cupboard and sat down heavily. He had just sent his barely eleven-year-old daughter out into the night alone, where all kinds of bad things could happen to her. No, he had to shut those thoughts out. He had to have faith. She would be fine. She was his daughter, after all. And she had his Cloak. She would be fine.

Harry lay down, staring at the spiders crawling around above him. His thoughts invariably drifted to his dead wife, who was no longer dead. No, she was an eleven year old girl about to find out she was a witch. Harry closed his eyes, wanting to see her right now, aching for it more than anything.

'Hermione…'

Lily ran as fast as she could down the street, the Invisibility Cloak whipping around her heels. Night was ending, dawn was arriving, the first flecks of sunlight bursting to life on the horizon. She was going to be late, she knew it. Her father had given her one simple job, and she was going to screw it up.

She had delivered the letter safely to the post box, slipping the envelope between the little slot on tiptoes, barely able to reach, uneasily aware of how the Invisibility Cloak left her toes uncovered when she reached high. The letter had fallen with an echoing thunk into the red box, and Lily had wasted no time, running back towards Privet Drive.

But even though she had been as quick as she could, she feared she was going to be late. She had to get back before her Dad's Aunt and Uncle got up, but surely it was too late. The sun was rising and most Muggles got up at that time, right?

Sure enough, as she ran as fast as her little legs could go, she was aware of the lights popping to life behind planes of glass, and bathrobe clad men stepping into the chill morning air to retrieve their papers.

Her feet made clip-clopping sounds on the sidewalk as she turned into Privet Drive. She ran past number two, was sure the old man who had bent forward to gather his paper had heard her, but kept going anyway, as she could see the door to number four opening. An extremely large thickset man appeared in an offensively bright red bathrobe, his great moustache billowing in the wind as he stooped to pick up the paper. Lily put on a burst of speed, trying to step as quietly as she could, ducked under the large arm of her Dad's Uncle and slipped in before he could close the door. He immediately turned and strode towards the kitchen, and Lily had to flatten herself against the wall to avoid him. She was breathing heavily and her face was a bright red from exhaustion and the cold. Luckily for her, Uncle Vernon was whistling tunelessly, apparently already having a good day, and he didn't hear her. Lily breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly, quietly, opened the cupboard under the stairs and stepped in.

'Lily?' Harry whispered, looking up from his position on the floor, where he was struggling into a pair of mouldy, too big socks.

'It's me,' she said, pulling the Cloak off. 'I did it Dad.'

'Great,' Harry said, finally managing to get his socks on. He stood up and gave her a quick hug, ruffling her hair playfully. 'Good job.'

'It was a close call,' she said, still breathing a little heavily. 'I almost collided with your Uncle.'

'You did fine,' Harry assured. 'Anyway, I have to get in there, or they'll come looking for me. You stay here, keep the Cloak on, and try not to make any noise. I know things aren't very great right now, but they'll get better. Just hang in there, okay?'

'I will,' Lily said.

'And I'll bring you some food, if I can,' Harry added, before opening the door and slipping out of sight. Lily sat down on her Dad's "bed" and pulled the Cloak over her head again. It was going to be a long day.

Meanwhile, Harry entered the Dursleys kitchen to a sight he had hoped never to see again. His cousin was wolfing down on a sliver of bacon, holding another in his hand, ready for the gullet. His Uncle peered at him over the top of his newspaper, disapproval in his eyes. His Aunt instantly turned to face him.

'Watch the bacon!' Aunt Petunia snapped at him.

'And comb your hair!' Uncle Vernon added.

'It's like I never left,' he muttered under his breath, going to do as told.

'What did you say?' Uncle Vernon roared at him.

'Nothing… ' Harry replied, automatically, flipping over the bacon.

'I don't have to put up with your cheek boy,' Vernon said. 'I should tan your hide, but I doubt anything would get through to you.'

'More like you don't dare,' Harry said, unable to help himself.

The room went instantly silent.

'What did you say?' Vernon finally said, through gritted teeth, his red face turning rapidly purple.

Harry turned to face him, forgetting the bacon. His Aunt lingered by the door, as if she wanted to leave, but was unable to tear her eyes away. Dudley had forgotten all about the bacon as well - he was watching eagerly, sure Harry was going to get a beating.

'I said,' Harry repeated, 'that you don't dare lay a finger on me. You know what I am, and it scares you.'

His Uncle was nearly foaming at the mouth. Aunt Petunia's eyes had gone wide. Dudley just looked confused.

'Dad, what does he mean?' Dudley asked. 'What is he?'

'Nothing,' Vernon snapped angrily. 'He's just talking stupid Dudley; you don't pay any more attention. In fact, go on, go play on your computer. Go on now!'

Dudley got up slowly, looked curiously at Harry, and then left the room. He shut the door behind him. Vernon and Petunia shared a look, and then looked at Harry. Vernon opened his mouth to speak, but closed it an instant later. Aunt Petunia copied him. They shared another look. Harry could tell they didn't know where to start, so he did it for them.

'I know I'm a wizard,' he said. They both visibly flinched, offended by the mere sound of the word in their home. 'I know my parent's didn't die in a car crash. A wizard called Voldemort killed them. I know you think you can squash the magic out of me, but you can't. It's a futile act. I'll lay it all out for you. I don't want to be here any more than you want me here, but we all know why I have to stay here. So let's make this little arrangement better for the both of us while we have to endure it. I want to move into Dudley's spare bedroom. That cupboard is way too small for me.'

'Now wait just one…' Vernon began, but Harry interrupted him.

'No, I won't,' he said. 'Listen to me; I'm not going to hop around and do what you tell me anymore. I'm not afraid of Voldemort. If you want to kick me out, do it. But I know that not even you,' here he looked at Aunt Petunia, 'are that cruel. You understand more than you let on. All I want is to be left alone. You do that, and I won't be a bother to you. I'll take care of myself. You need me to be quiet for a while, just let me know, and I'll make it happen. Let's agree right now not to make waves with each other. Life will be a whole lot better for all of us if we do that, trust me.'

Silence fell again.

'What happened to you?' Aunt Petunia asked, in a voice that trembled slightly, looking at him like he was a stranger. He supposed he was to her. 'You're different. Why are you talking strangely? How do you know about… that stuff?'

'You wouldn't believe me if I told you,' Harry said. 'So let's not get into it. The bottom line is, you're right - I am different. Do we have a deal or not?'

Vernon looked speechless, which was a first for Harry, in both lifetimes. He looked at Aunt Petunia. They seemingly had a silent conversation. Aunt Petunia turned back to face Harry, nodded shakily, then said, 'we do.'

'Great,' Harry said. 'I'll get my things from the cupboard and go to my new room then. Tell Dudley if he wants to get any of the crap in there, he can, but he better do it quick, because the rest is going where it belongs. In the bin.'

With that, Harry left his Aunt and Uncle speechless in the kitchen. When he opened the door, he ran smack into Dudley, who had been listening at the door. Dudley backed up, a mixture of indignation and fear on his face. He obviously wanted to shout at the unfairness of Harry getting his room, but seemed too scared and confused to do it. It was a mark of how shocked his Aunt and Uncle was that they didn't shout at Dudley, but just gaped at him mutely. Harry left the Dursleys and entered his cupboard. He closed the door behind him.

'Lily?'

'Yeah?'

'I've managed to secure us better lodgings,' Harry said, very quietly. 'The Dursleys are just outside the door, so be quiet. Stay under the Cloak and follow me. Okay?'

'Got it,' Lily replied.

Harry gathered up his pathetic excuse for belongings and led the way out of the cupboard. He made his way up the stairs, then into his new bedroom, the first door on the left. Lily appeared inside the bedroom, pulling the Cloak off her tiny form, and Harry shut the door. Harry dumped his stuff on the bed and looked around. It was just as cluttered as he remembered it.

'This is better?' Lily asked dryly.

'In comparison to the cupboard…' Harry let it drag out, then, 'just about.'

Lily smothered a giggle with her hand.

'Let's get set up then,' Harry said. 'And remember, even though we have this bedroom now, you have to keep silent and out of sight. Don't forget.'

'I know Dad,' Lily said, rolling her eyes, somewhat exasperated.