My · Life

Idea Number ?:

Summary: AU, Lily and James alive, James wants to use Sirius as the Secret Keeper, Sirius wants it to be Peter, and Lily insists that it should be Mary Withers, her best and most trusted friend. James reluctantly agrees and Mary becomes the Secret Keeper. She moves into Godric’s Hollow with the family per Dumbledore’s suggestion for protection. Lily and James have another son when Harry is four and he is named Bennett and called Benny. When Harry is six and Benny is two, Benny runs outside the Fidelius charm and Harry runs after him. Voldemort, who has been waiting for this chance, aims his wand at the younger boy. Harry, filled with love for the boy, jumps in front of the Killing curse and it bounds back onto Voldemort, leaving Harry with a heart shaped scar and the title The Boy Who Lived. Voldemort is turned into a shadow and Lily and James decide to come out of hiding.

Chapter One

Harry ran after his little brother, who was running towards where their Mummy had said to never cross, “Benny!” he yelled. “Benny, get back! You’re gonna get us in trouble!” The toddler didn’t listen though and ran right over the line that they weren’t supposed to cross, which just happened to be the place where the Fidelius Charm ended. Harry groaned, but followed his brother across the line. “Benny, you’re going to get us in so much trouble! I bet you Daddy wouldn’t wait a second to take his wand to us if he knew we were out here. And that’s even worse than the time-out corner! You’ve never felt it, but it hurts real bad. Benny! Stop playing and get back here!” Harry marched over to his younger brother who had plopped down in the dirt and had started to play with the grass on the side of the road. “Benny, I’m gonna tell! I mean it and you’ll be in big trouble!” The six-year-old turned around and started heading back towards the house that only he and his brother could see.

He had only gone a few steps when he heard a noise in the bushes. He turned around sharply. “Who’s there?” he called, looking around nervously. “Show yourself!”

“With pleasure,” a high, cold voice said. A man emerged from behind a tree, only he didn’t look like any man that Harry had ever seen. His hair was black and long, reaching to his chin. His eyes were red and his face as pale as snow. He wore a long black cloak and a wand was grasped in his hand. “The Potter boys, perfect. You do not know how long I have waited to meet you, young Harry.”

Harry stared at the wizard with wide eyes, fear evident in his face. “Wh-who are you?” he asked, taking a step backwards. “H-how do you know my name?”

“I know a lot about you, Harry Potter. My friend Wormtail told me all about you and your younger brother, too. As for my name, well, I like people to call me Lord Voldemort, though, most are too afraid to speak it.”

Harry now knew who this man was. This was the man that they were hiding from, the one who wanted to hurt his family. “You get away from here!” he yelled, glaring at the man. “You’re not welcome!”

“Oh, but I can’t leave without giving your parents a present, little Harry.” Voldemort said.

“What sort of present?”

“Why, the dead bodies of their two sons, of course.” Harry gasped and Benny, who had now realized that something was wrong, started to cry loudly. “I think I will start with the younger one,” Voldemort said, pointing his wand toward the two-year-old. “Just to shut him up. Avada–”

“No!” Harry ran in front of his brother just as the Dark Lord finished the curse.

“–Kedavra!” Harry saw a flash of green light and felt a blinding pain in his forehead and knew no more.

The boy’s eyes flew open and he sat up, breathing heavily. The nightmare that had plagued him ever since the day it had happened had come back again. He wiped the sweat of his forehead with the sleeve of his T-shirt and kicked the blankets off. Glancing at his alarm clock, he saw that it was much too early to get up, but also knew that he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

He climbed out of bed and went over to the mirror, muttering “Lumos,” as he did so. The candles and torches magically lit his room in a soft glow. He fingered the heart-shaped scar, a souvenir from that awful day when he was six. It was redder than it usually was which was normal after the nightmare. He sighed and made his way over to the bookshelf which held books that were predominantly about Quidditch with a few history, spell, and Muggle fiction books thrown in as well as a whole shelf dedicated to the very funny comic series, The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. He grabbed Flying With Puddlemere United, one of the books in the Flying With series, a series of books about the thirteen teams of the British and Irish League filled with interesting facts. Harry had read all the books in the series so many times that he had memorized the books, but he still enjoyed reading them to get his mind off things. He took the book back to his bed and settled in to read until he fell asleep again.

“Harry, Harry,” Harry woke to his mum’s voice. “Did you have another dream?” Harry opened his eyes and stared into his mother’s green eyes, exactly like his own.

“Morning, Mum,” he said sleepily. “Yeah, it came back, but I read until I fell asleep again.”

“I can see that.” Lily said, picking up the book that was lying across her son’s chest and placing it on the nightstand. “Are you okay? Do you need me to call Healer Gregas?”

“No, Mum, I’m fine.” Harry said, sitting up. Healer Gregas was the Healer that had helped him get the nightmares back from every night to once a week to once a month, to once every few months. The last time he had seen the aged Healer was almost two years ago when he had had a particularly bad episode of nightly nightmares.

“If you’re sure,” Lily said.

“I am.” Harry stated firmly.

“All right, get up, breakfast is in five minutes and Sirius should be arriving in a half-hour. Your father was called into work and I have to go to the bakery for awhile since nobody seems to know what they’re doing.” Lily left the room and Harry heard her enter his brother Benny’s room.

He climbed out of bed and pulled a pair of Muggle jeans over his boxers. He pulled off his sleeping T-shirt in favor of his navy-blue Puddlemere United shirt. He glanced at the brush and then into the mirror at the unruly hair that he had inherited from his father.

“It’s a lost cause, boy,” the mirror stated, using the mirror image of the boy to speak. “Best to give up now.” Harry grinned at his reflection and left the brush where it was. He headed out of the room and ran downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Don’t run in the house,” his mother snapped as she used her wand to direct plates of food onto the kitchen table. “Sit down and eat. Where is that brother of yours? Benny!” she yelled up the stairs. “Bennett Potter if you don’t get yourself down here right now I’m giving your breakfast to Rascal!” The Crup in question looked up from where it lay on its mat by the stove.

The seven-year-old came bursting into the kitchen, his red hair as messy as Harry’s, still in his nightclothes. “I’m here. Where’s my breakfast?”

“On the table,” Lily said pointing. “Why aren’t you dressed? I told you to get up and get dressed. Were you playing instead of doing what I had said?” Benny gave his mother a cheeky grin that showed off his missing front teeth and took a bite of pancake. Lily sighed. “I give up.” She left the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with their baby brother, Samuel, in her arms. Sammie had been born nine months ago on Friday, October 13^th, a very lucky day to the wizarding world.

“Mum,” Harry said, setting down his glass of pumpkin juice. “My birthday’s coming up in a few weeks and I was wondering if we could go to the Quidditch museum? And invite the Weasleys and Padfoot and Moony of course.”

“The Quidditch?” Harry nodded. “But honey, we always go to the Quidditch for your birthday and for Ron’s. Aren’t you getting a bit tired of it?” Museum Museum

“Tired of the Quidditch?” Harry stared at his Mum with an expression of shock on his face. “How can you get tired of the Quidditch?” Museum Museum

“Very easily,” Lily stated. “But I guess that it is your birthday and if you want to go to the Quidditch, we’ll go.” Museum

“Yes! Thanks Mum. I’m gonna go owl Ron.” Harry jumped from the table and stormed up the stairs.

“No running in the house!” Lily called futilely.

Harry entered his room and immediately went over to his desk. He grabbed a spare bit of parchment and a quill and scribbled hurriedly.

Ron–

Mum said yes to Quidditch! As always your family is invited too. I can’t wait! Hey, wanna come over soon? Have your mum Floo mine to set up a date. Maybe I can get Mum to invite Smith around as well? Hope you can make it! Museum

–Harry

His owl, a snowy white owl that had been his major birthday present when he had turned eight, flew over and stuck out her foot. “Take it to Ron, Angel,” he told her, stroking her as she took the parchment in her beak. “Have a safe flight.” She flew out the window and headed east towards the Burrow.

“Harry!” Lily Potter called up the stairs. “Sirius is here and I’m leaving! Sammie’s coming with me. Take care of your brother and behave for Sirius! If I hear one complaint you’ll not go flying for two weeks, understand?”

“Yes, Mum,” Harry called, heading downstairs. His Mum kissed Benny on the head, hugged him as he reached the last stair, and disapparated holding tightly to the baby. “Hi, Uncle Padfoot,” Harry greeted his godfather.

“Hey, sport. Now that your Mum’s gone, what do you say we head to Diagon Alley and look at the Quidditch store and the joke shop? Maybe while your there we can start your school shopping, Harry.”

“But I’ve not received my letter yet.” Harry replied.

“But you will, I have no doubt about that.” Sirius replied with a grin. “What do you say, Mr. Bennett? Want to go look at the things in the Alley?”

“Yeah!” the seven-year-old cried. “Let’s go!”

“We will, but you have to get dressed first,” Sirius told the little boy. “And get your face washed. Your Mum made pancakes for breakfast, didn’t she? You’re stickier than a Permanent Sticking Charm.”

Benny grinned and obediently followed the man upstairs. Harry could here muffled sounds of Sirius explaining to his brother why he couldn’t wear his plaid trousers with his striped shirt come from the upstairs as he went into the living room and sat down on the couch. What if a Hogwarts letter never came for him? It had taken a lot of magic for him to turn that curse around onto Voldemort, what if that had turned him into a Squib?

Benny came running downstairs with Sirius close behind him. Harry was glad to see that Sirius had talked his little brother into wearing normal clothes, namely jeans and a T-shirt. “Ready to go, P.J.?” Sirius asked, using the nickname he’d given Harry (Prongs Jr. P.J. for short) after he had successfully pulled off his first prank.

“You bet!” Harry said, grinning. He made his way over to the fireplace and grabbed a pinch of Floo powder from its jar on the mantle. He tossed it in the fireplace and stepped in calling, “Diagon Alley!” A few minutes later the spinning stopped and Harry stumbled out into the Leaky Cauldron.

“Oh my God! It’s Harry Potter!” Everyone in the pub started talking at once and most jumped from their seats and hurried over begging for autographs and handshakes or just trying to touch him as if that would give them better fortune.

Harry backed away as the crowd approached. He had forgotten his hat and now he was paying for it. He hoped Sirius arrived soon. He looked behind him as a few older witches ran their hands through his hair and was relieved to see the flames turn green. Sirius stepped out with Benny in his arms and took in the scene with wide eyes.

“HEY!” Sirius yelled loudly. “EVERYONE BACK OFF!” Only a few people listened. “NOW! DO YOU WANT ME TO CALL THE AURORS? YOU’LL ALL BE ARRESTED FOR HARRASSMENT AND THAT GETS YOU 3 MONTHS IN AZKABAN!” That made everyone listen. The crowd went reluctantly back to their seats and Sirius grabbed Harry’s arm and led him out back. “Are you all right?”

Harry nodded and looked up at Sirius, his eyes wide with unshed tears. Sirius set Benny down and pulled the ten-year-old into a hug. “That was scary, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m never gonna forget my hat again!” Harry declared, wiping his eyes.

“Are you okay to shop or do you want to go back home?”

“No, I want to shop! But I want to buy a hat first.”

“Sure thing!” Sirius cried and pulled out his wand. He tapped the appropriate brick and grabbed Benny’s hand to keep him from wandering off as he was sometimes in habit of doing.

It was only Sirius’ threatening glare and the wand ready in his hand that kept Harry from being mobbed again. It didn’t stop them from stopping and staring or whispering with their friends and pointing though.

“Look, Charlene, it’s Harry Potter —”

“— his brother Bennett —”

“— He loved his brother so much that he jumped in front of the Killing Curse —”

Harry ignored the whispers as best he could and quickly made his way towards Madam Malkin’s. Benny seemed to love the attention though. He was grinning and waving at the gaping people who automatically waved back while their eyes followed the trio’s procession down the cobblestone street.

Sirius bought him a plain black hat (“Just like you’ll need for Hogwarts!”) and then dragged the boys to the bank for a ride on the Gringotts carts. It was when they were looking at Dungbombs in Gambol and Jape’s that the trouble started.

“Um, excuse me, Mr. Potter?” Harry looked around to see a witch in purple robes looking nervously at him.

“Yes?”

“W-would you mind if maybe, um, got your autograph?”

Harry sighed but nodded. “All right, got a quill?”

“Er, no, but, I have lipstick! It’s Luscious Strawberry Delight.” Sirius, who was nearby, listening in, snorted loudly at the name, but quickly disguised it as a sneeze. She pulled out the tube of lipstick from her blindingly pink handbag and handed it to him. “M-my name’s Marie.”

“You have parchment?” Harry asked, not bothering to keep the frustration out of his voice.

“Um, no, but you can sign my arm!”

“Sign your arm?” Harry eyed the girl’s arm apprehensively. What if she had never been treated for cooties? “Er, are you sure you don’t have any parchment? Maybe you could check your bag for some?”

“I don’t have any, I already checked. Please sign my arm, Harry!”

Harry sighed again and shot a glare at Sirius who was trying very hard not to laugh and failing miserably. He opened the lipstick and reached for the girl’s arm. As he finished signing his name, the girl grabbed a hold of him and kissed him on the lips. There was the flash of a camera and the girl let go and ran off.

Sirius started yelling and swearing at the girl and the cameraman. Benny stared at both Harry and Sirius with wide eyes. Harry felt his face heat up in embarrassment and he threw the lipstick tube as far away from him as he could.

“C’mon, Harry, Benny, we’re leaving. Could you send a package of Dungbombs to the Potter House? Put it on Sirius Black’s tab.” This last was addressed to the manager who had hurried over and was apologizing for the disturbance. “It’s fine,” Sirius said gruffly and grabbed hold of the boys’ hands. He squeezed them tightly and disapparated to the living room of the Potter house.

“I’m sorry that happened, Harry,” Sirius said as they set up the chess board. Benny had gone outside to play with Rascal.

“Me too,” Harry said. “You don’t think she has cooties do you?”

Sirius laughed and replied, “No, Harry, I’m sure you’re fine.”

The pair played game after game of chess, only stopping when James arrived home. Harry greeted his dad enthusiastically before going upstairs to his room to listen to the Adventure of Martin Miggs, Mad Muggle radio show on the WWN.

“Harry got mobbed today,” Sirius told James as he buttoned his cloak. “And attacked and kissed and photographed.” He went on to explain their trip to the Alley. “So I told the manager that it was fine and apparated the boys back here.”

“Thanks for telling me, Sirius,” James said. “I’ll talk to Harry about it and see if he’s okay. Think I should mention it to Lily?”

“Lily? She’ll freak out and insist that he go see that Healer bloke who helped him with the nightmares. Nah, I’d keep it between the boys for now. By the way, you’ll be receiving an order of Dungbombs. I told the guy to charge it to my account.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure Lily doesn’t see them. If she does, I’ll just tell her that they’re yours.”

“Oh, thanks, Jamsie. Then she’d get all upset with me and you know what she’s like when she’s upset!”

“Oh, please, Sirius, the worst that would happen was you not getting invited round to dinner for awhile. Speaking of which, want to come over tomorrow night? Lily mentioned bringing home blackberry pie from the bakery.”

“Blackberry pie? Oh, I wish I could but I have a date.”

“Who is it this time? Cindy? Jane? Or maybe that blonde you saw in the bar, what was her name?”

“Carrie, and for your information it’s not any one of them. It’s Jessica.”

“Jessica? Ooh, you dog!” James grinned at his friend and punched him lightly in the arm.

“Daddy!” Benny’s voice sounded from outside.

“I should go,” Sirius said. “See you later.” He apparated away and James hurried to see what Benny wanted.

~*~

Harry looked up from his magazine as someone knocked on his door. “Yeah?” The door opened and James stuck his head in.

“May I come in, Harry?”

“Sure.” James entered and sat down on the desk chair.

“Sirius told me about what happened today.”

“Oh,” Harry said, playing with the hem of his shirt.

“You want to talk about it?”