Sirius turned to his obligated chapter and was fixing to start when Harry spoke up, "Hey Sirius."

He startled slightly, this was the first time Harry had addressed him directly, he seemed rather weary of him and Remus. Plus his Harry shouldn't be able to talk for at least a few more months, so it was quite startling. Still he smiled with pleasure and looked around at him, "Yeah?"

"What's with the nicknames?"

Sirius blinked. Then blinked again. Then cursed slightly as he cast his eyes towards Moony. At school, they had plenty of reasonable explanations for their nicknames. However they had always intended to tell there Harry why, the truth.

However, with Harry's memories being shot, and only slowly coming back, who knew what kind of impressions he had gotten. Had he already heard about werewolves and had a negative opinion of them like most wizarding kind? He didn't think he could stand seeing Harry freak out over one of his best friends, however Harry had addressed him. Yet it was Remus' right to divulge this back story. Torn, and silent for too long, Remus answered for him, having come to much the same conclusion as the others, "That's got a back story Harry, and we'll explain later."

Harry frowned, not much appreciating this, as they seemed to constantly interrogate him and demand his whole truth answers, but at the pained look on the man's face, he decided to let it go for now.

Seeing Harry's nod, Sirius quickly pressed on.

There was another knock so loud, it boomed. Dudley woke up and stupidly said 'where's the cannon' clearly still half asleep.

"Harry my boy," James said, clapping his son on the shoulder, "there are some things that don't need to be stated."

Harry laughed quietly while the others smiled at such an interaction between the two.

Vernon came out of his own room with a rifle in hand.

Lily and Remus frowned in annoyance, forestalling the question they knew was coming Remus spoke up, "A rifle is a muggle weapon, like using the confringo curse through a metal pipe."

"I can't believe he was planning on using that on someone, simply for trying to give Harry back his heritage, his life," Lily grumbled, her anger at the Dursley's continuing to grow with everything they did or said. It also didn't help that she was positive Vernon had attained that illegally, as muggle laws made it nearly impossible for the common citizen to even own a firearm.

Vernon yells out that whoever was knocking had better go away, because he was armed! With one more loud sound, the door came down with a smash, falling right off its hinges.

There was an edge of unease as Sirius read that, then he looked up and asked, "we are sure that this is a friendly wizard just there to give Harry his letter right? Not that many wizards would use such force to get into a muggle house."

The other three exchanged uneasy looks, but Harry leaned back into the couch, completely at

ease. He felt no impending danger, and told Sirius as much, so he went on.

The narrative then describes a giant of a man with long black hair and black eyes.

"Is that Hagrid?" James asked eagerly.

"Sounds right," Remus agreed, beaming as well.

"Hagrid," Harry said the name slowly and distinctly to himself. He had come across it in the first chapter and it had meant something to him, but now saying it aloud, he knew that name, but why? "I think I know him," he muttered, rubbing his temple in frustration.

"Keep reading Sirius," Lily instructed, switching baby Harry in her arms so that she was able to wrap one arm around her elder sons shoulders.

The man comes striding into the place and apologizes for breaking down the door, then asks for a cup of tea while heading towards the sofa. When he spots Dudley there he tells him to scoot over, but Dudley runs for cover behind his mother and father.

Lily couldn't help a slight smirk at this. Reflecting that the Dursleys would be terrified a stranger had come in like this, invited himself something to drink, and insulted their son all in one swoop. While this would normally be the height of rude, and could only make the Dursleys opinion of Hagrid equal to their feelings of Lily. Knowing what she did though, Lily was hoping this was only the beginning.

Then the man turns to Harry and exclaims how excited he is to see him, since he hadn't seen him since he was a baby.

"Well there's are proof that it's Hagrid," Sirius said happily, "cause Hagrid was the one who dropped you off at your Aunt and Uncles, as a baby."

"Like the giant description wasn't enough for you?" Remus laughed.

He comments that Harry looks like his Dad, but he's got his mom's eyes. Vernon obviously does not appreciate this, and snaps that he needs to leave at once. The giant's only response is to tell Dursley to shut up.

"Thank Merlin," James said to the ceiling, "I've been wanting someone to say that to him since this whole thing started."

He reached behind himself, took away Vernon's gun, and then twisted it around as if it were putty before tossing it into the corner.

"Would a gun have even hurt him?" Sirius asked, "With his tough skin and all?"

"I'm not sure," Remus said slowly, "we know his giant skin prevents most spells, but I'm not sure if he's ever tested it against muggle weapons."

"Hang on," Lily said, looking to all the boys in the room, "giant skin? What makes you say Hagrid's a giant?"

"Oh come off it Lil," James said, "smart as you are, you never figured out why Hagrid's as big as he is?"

Lily frowned at them all and stated, "I always thought he had an overdose of Rano Potion, the

effects of which can't be magically fixed, at least as of today's standards."

Sirius snorted in disbelief, "Leave it to you to think a potion would do that to someone."

"Well what made you four think," Lily began hotly, but Harry cut her off and said;

"No, they're right."

All four turned to him wide eyed, and he quickly raised his hands up and said, "I don't know how or why, but I think they're right."

Lily deflated at once, grumbling under her breath about guesswork.

"That doesn't bother you, does it Lily," Remus asked cautiously.

Lily blinked once, then again before gaping and half shouting, "of course not," at Remus, which caused baby Harry in her arms to kick up quite a fuss.

In response Lily got up and handed over the baby to Remus, then bent down and whispered something in his ear before leaving him there. Remus seemed quite happy now and made quick work of calming down his little cub.

Harry watched the whole thing smiling and wondering if the adults even realized he already knew the truth, but Sirius was already moving on.

The giant turns his attention back to Harry and tells him Happy Birthday, and then hands him a cake.

"That was so sweet," Lily smiled, clasping her hands with joy, "he didn't have to do that."

"Glad someone did," James muttered.

Harry's first intention was to say thank you, but instead he couldn't help but ask who this man was.

Lily frowned and wanted to reprimand but Remus quickly jumped in with, "Just be happy the boy has any manners at all Lily, with his kind of upbringing."

"Yeah, I'll bet Dudley wouldn't have even thought to do that," Sirius agreed.

Lily nodded grudgingly before Sirius continued.

The giant laughed and declared himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts.

Harry suddenly groaned, clutching his head in pain.

"Harry," they all said in concern, both Lily and James placing a hand on him.

"I remember this," Harry groaned, "I can't remember, but I know I do..." he trailed off muttering for a bit before sitting back and saying, "please keep going Sirius, the more that comes the less odd I feel."

Still casting him concerned looks Sirius complied.

Then he turns himself back to the room at large and again requests tea, though jokingly adds he would take something stronger if offered.

"I doubt they've got any brandy on hand," James frowned, hating to think if he was wrong and they had brought alcohol instead of anything else that was actually needed.

"Even if they had brought some, I doubt they'd offer it to him," Lily said.

He spotted the empty grate and snorted, bending forward and blocking out the view from the rest of the room, but when he leaned back again there was a fire there.

"Hagrid's not supposed to do magic," Remus chuckled, "though of course who could blame him in this instance."

"Why not?" Harry asked eagerly, thinking he knew the answer to this, and much like with Hagrid's occupation, when he found out the answer another piece of him would feel right again.

"We don't know," Sirius sighed sadly, "we tried all sorts of things to get him to tell us, even got him snockered one night-"

"Sirius!" Lily said loudly, though Sirius kept going, "-but he never told us. Quite disappointing really."

Harry frowned in disappointment but encouraged Sirius to go on none the less, hoping they would find out soon.

He then busied himself for a few moments by taking all sorts of things out of his pockets, and begins a pot of tea, and a few sausages on a poker.

Harry's lips twitched for a moment, feeling there was a significance to a pig for some reason, but remained quiet all the same.

When he was done with the first few pieces of meat, Dudley fidgets, but Vernon snaps not to touch a thing that man offered.

"Really?" Remus sighed sadly. "Does he think they're poisoned?"

"I would like to reiterate that we are just lucky Harry has any manners," Sirius stated.

Hagrid ignores them and instead passes the sausages to Harry.

James smiled sadly to himself, thinking privately that this was most likely the first time in his son's life someone had thought of him first. He resolved that he would have to find some way to thank Hagrid for this.

Harry gladly eats the food, and after he was done he asks again if Hagrid could better explain who he was. Hagrid repeats his title and says that Harry should know all about Hogwarts. Harry tells him he doesn't.

Remus chuckled darkly all of a sudden, causing Lily and Harry to look at him curiously, so he was quick to explain himself, "If there's one thing Hagrid loves most in the world it's his job at Hogwarts, and if there's one man he respects the most, it would be Dumbledore. For these Dursley's to not have told you Harry anything about it, oh Hagrid's going to lose his temper on them."

James suddenly smiled, thinking that this couldn't have worked out better, and that if there was any justice Hagrid would deliver it.

Sirius came to the same conclusion and read on eagerly.

Hagrid looked shocked, and Harry quickly apologizes.

"Why would you apologize?" Lily asked, "It's not as if it's your fault."

Harry merely shrugged, knowing that the quickest way to soothe someone's temper was to apologize and admit it was your own fault, however he didn't think any of them wanted to hear him say that.

Hagrid says that it's the Dursleys who should be sorry, asking didn't Harry ever wonder where his parents learned it all. Harry asks the obvious follow up question, all what?

James and Remus leaned in eagerly, and Sirius was practically bouncing in anticipation.

Hagrid's clearly angry now, getting to his feet and rounding on the Dursleys as he yelled that Harry didn't know about anything? Harry felt a little indignant, thinking to himself that his school marks weren't that bad.

"To be fair," Harry defended himself as his parents through him sympathetic looks, "taking that out of context, how was I supposed to know?"

"It's alright Harry, you will know soon enough," Sirius laughed.

"But I already know," he answered, now looking a bit confused.

"I mean in the book," then when he received strange looks, he just decided to press on.

Harry defends himself out loud, saying he knows math and stuff. Hagrid waves him off and corrects him saying he meant their world. Harry, still understandably confused, asks what world? Hagrid looked ready to explode as he shouts Dursley at the top of his lungs.

"Curse them," James muttered, "curse them into oblivion and I'll leave you all the gold in my vault."

Hagrid doesn't believe it, saying he must at least know about his own parents, they're famous! Harry doesn't really believe him, saying there was no way his parents were famous. Hagrid just looks confused now, finally asking 'you don't know what you are?' Vernon butts himself back into the conversation, snapping that Hagrid needed to stop talking now, he forbad Hagrid from telling Harry anything!

Lily shook her head from side to side, "got to give the man some points, that took a bit of bravery."

"Lily dear," Remus said solemnly, "I learned quite a bit in my seven years at school, one of which was that there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Vernon just crossed that line."

Hagrid gave him such a fearsome look, Vernon shrank back against the wall again as Hagrid begins yelling about how they never told Harry, that they'd kept this from him! Harry is now eagerly asking 'kept what?' Vernon tries one last time to yell at Hagrid, he forbids him to know.

"You can't control the world like you try to on Harry," James said in disgust.

Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

"Afraid all your nasty secrets are coming back at you," venom dripped from Lily's voice as she hissed that under her breath.

Hagrid turns away from the three of them in disgust and tells Harry that he is a wizard. Harry's first reaction is to say, 'a what?'

As all three boys cracked up laughing. Lily told them all to hush before turning to Harry and saying, "a very reasonable answer I assure you."

Still feeling a bit bashful Harry appreciated his Mum's attempt all the same.

Hagrid repeats a wizard is if this is the most normal thing in the world, before sitting back down on the sofa.

"Oh," James deflated at once, "that's it. I was hoping Hagrid would do much worse than shout at them."

Sirius, Remus, and Lily looked disappointed as well, but Harry felt like this conversation was far from over, something else was going to happen he just knew it, so he encouraged Sirius to continue.

Then Hagrid finally hands over Harry's letter.

"High time," Sirius muttered, while Lily and James felt a sense of loss, knowing they should have been there when their boy opened his letter.

The envelope is now addressed to Harry as being on the floor, in a hut on a rock, in the sea.

Remus frowned as he asked, "Hut on the Rock?"

"The Sea?" Sirius reread, ignoring the part that made him see red.

"That is odd," Lily admitted, "normally those letters are absurdly specific, why is it so vague this time?"

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Maybe it was because it was hand delivered this time," Remus offered. "I've never known one to be, so perhaps the magic of it wasn't needed as much that time," Remus used the only explanation that came to mind.

"Where were you anyways?" James asked Harry curiously.

"I've no idea honestly," Harry answered, "it's not like they told me."

The letter inside is addressed to Harry from Hogwarts, labelling the headmaster as Dumbledore, and telling him that he's been accepted at said school. Enclosed will be a list of school supplies, that term begins on September 1st, and that they await his owl. When Harry is done reading, the first thing he manages to ask is, what did they mean by owl?

Again all three boys burst out laughing at that.

After Sirius settled a bit he asked, "You've just found out you're a wizard, read a letter like that, and that's your first question?"

"It's a fair question," Lily defended her son, "after all the deadline was that day, and that is quite a bit odd to someone who's never heard it before."

The others only looked a mite shamed for taking the mickey out of Harry, but Sirius decided to keep going before Lily got to mad at their picking.

Hagrid thumps himself on the forehead, saying that reminded him, and he pulls a real live owl out of a pocket of his jacket

Harry frowned, looking concerned, "is that safe for the owl?"

"So sweet," Lily said smiling at him, "but yes of course, it's probably one of the school owls, and I'm positive he put cushioning charms and engorgement charms on his pockets. I'm sure the poor thing had plenty of room to breathe."

Harry watched her in complete fascination for the explanation. Even being in a house, in this house where the very air must be of magic for him to be living through this, he still delighted in everything, especially her taking the simple time to turn and talk to him.

a quill, and parchment and begins to write a letter which Harry reads upside down.

"A real accomplishment that," Remus chuckled, "since his handwriting isn't exactly legible right side up."

It is addressed to Dumbledore and states that Hagrid has retrieved Harry and that they are going to go shopping tomorrow. Then he gives the note to the owl and tosses the bird out of the window, Harry watching him do all this as if it were as normal as a telephone call.

"What's a telephone?" James asked curiously.

"I showed you one when you came round to my place," Remus told him, "it's that thing on the wall you asked about."

"Oh yeah," James said, then frowned, "you called it a landline right? And you said you could talk to people a long ways off without an owl, but you didn't explain how it worked."

"That my friend, would take far too long," Remus chuckled.

Hagrid tries to turn his attention back to Harry, but Vernon steps forward again and snaps that Harry is not going. Hagrid grunts and says he didn't really think a muggle could stop him. Harry asks what a muggle is.

"He's so innocent," Sirius said sadly, "I feel ashamed he doesn't know better."

Lily rolled her eyes but let that one go.

Hagrid explains that a muggle is what they would call someone who doesn't have any magical ability. Vernon is clearly not listening, still saying he refused to let Harry go, and that they had tried to stamp it out of him.

"Stamp it out?" James repeated furiously. "Does he even realize what that can do to a wizard, to try and force them not to use their magic like that?!"

"But I am fine," Harry said quickly, before another outburst could occur, "and they never did anything more than what you've read."

"Still not right," they all muttered darkly.

Harry couldn't believe his ears, demanding to know that they knew he was a wizard.

Petunia shrieked 'knew, of course they knew!' Harry was the son of her dratted sister, who constantly came home showing off her magical prows.

Sirius shook his head as if trying to get water out of his ears, he hated having to say all that stuff about Lily, but instead asked, "you were doing magic at home?"

Lily nodded distractedly, she had known her sister had disliked her use of magic, calling it unnatural, but she had no idea it had been pent up for this long. Then again, it explained the horrid way her son was now being treated. Treating her baby like this because of the way she was, it made her want to vomit as she realized her son's condition was all her fault.

As the silence dragged on and Lily didn't answer, Remus jumped in, without taking his eyes off of Lily, "yes, muggleborns are allowed to do magic there first two days back home, to prove that they are learning magic at school."

"Lily?" James said softly, reaching around Harry to place his hand gently on his wife's shoulder.

She blinked a few times, clearly distracted, and said in a vacant voice, "Yes dear, Sirius please go on."

Sirius gave James and Remus concerned looks, but decided to do as asked.

Petunia snaps that while their parents doted on her, she was the only one who saw her as a freak! She continues on this rant, clearly having held all this in for quite some time.

Lily pressed a shaking hand to her mouth, but when Sirius made as if to stop again she blurted out, "keep going, I want to hear what all she says."

Looking very concerned by this point, James decided to agree with Lily, for now.

She finishes her little diatribe by saying how Lily had met Potter, and they had Harry, but then Lily got blown up and the Dursleys got stuck with Harry.

Lily went pale as a sheet, and seemed either about to vomit, faint, or burst into tears at any given moment.

"Mum?" Harry spoke softly, and was also the first to speak up.

Suddenly bursting into tears, she threw her arms around her only child, technically anyways, and began apologizing incessantly about how sorry she was, and this was all her fault.

Harry simply sat there, looking frozen and almost fearful, until James got up and went around to her side of the couch. Sitting down on the armrest, he gently pried Lily off of Harry and whispered quietly in her ear for a moment. Lily nodded distractedly for a bit, before Harry finally came out of his shock and spoke up, "I don't blame you."

Lily brushed tears out of her eyes and gave him a watery smile, but Harry kept going before she could speak, "really, it's not your fault how she treated me. You couldn't have known, and it's not like you left me to their care on purpose."

She sighed, still looking relatively unconvinced, when Sirius spoke up from the floor, "Look at it this way Lil, we are going to fix this, stop it from happening if it's the last thing I do."

Remus shot Sirius a dark look, warning him that he didn't appreciate that kind of declaration before speaking up, "it is going to be alright Lily. Look at your boy now, despite all of that, he

doesn't seem to be any the worse for wear," not one hundred percent true, but he was trying for comfort here.

Lily sighed and nodded, squeezed both of her boy's hands and then said softly, "yes, I know. Please let's just keep going."

It was clear that she didn't completely agree with them, that she still blamed herself, but if she didn't want to talk about it then there wasn't a force on earth that could change her mind.

Harry is understandably outraged as he yelled back that they told him his parents died in a car crash.

"Finally," Sirius crowed, "I'm so glad you told Hagrid that Harry. Let's hope Hagrid does a bit more then yell at them for that lie."

Now Hagrid's angry again, jumping back up and shouting that a car crash could never kill Lily and James Potter! Harry urgently asks Hagrid what did happen to them, and Hagrid loses his anger to be replaced with anxious nerves.

"Rats," James muttered snapping his finger, if only Harry had waited a few more moments to ask that.

Hagrid's nervous now, clearly not wanting to be the one to tell Harry this, but reflecting Harry can't go off to school not knowing.

"That would be kind of odd," Remus agreed.

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys,

"Wish he'd do more than that," Sirius muttered darkly.

but then agrees Harry has more a right then anyone to know. So he starts by saying that there was a person, and it was so weird to Hagrid Harry didn't know his name.

"Which is amazing really," James sighed "considering so many people hate saying his name."

"Well, if they didn't know his name, then calling him You-Know-Who would have just been stupid," Lily reasoned.

"I still think it's just stupid," Sirius grumbled.

Harry obviously asks for his name, but Hagrid shivers and clearly doesn't want to tell, instead saying that this was the most evil wizard ever and that's why they all feared him so much. Still he can't seem to spit out the name.

"I hope Hagrid does tell you," Remus said sadly, "I'd hate for you to hear it some other way."

'We should have been the ones to tell him' Lily thought sadly.

Finally he shuddered but manages to say the name Voldemort.

"Well it's a start," James chuckled.

Hagrid goes on by explaining how this dark wizard started looking for followers, and how he got them. Some were afraid and looking for protection, some wanted the power.

"Kind of odd hearing about this past tense," Sirius said, mostly to himself.

"Kind of nice though too," Remus said wishfully.

They were distrustful times. Then there were some that stood up to him, and You-Know- Who decided to kill them. They say Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who feared. Harry's mother and father were an excellent witch and wizard, and they stayed faithful on Dumbledore's side.

"Voldemort and everyone knew that," Remus said with pride.

Sirius remained quiet, hating to think that his little brother had been dragged into that mess, wondering if he had come out of it, wondering if he was involved in the death of his best friend.

Lily and James locked eyes, knowing that if it was the choice of dying, along with their newborn child, or joining Voldemort, their death now made sense.

No one knows for sure why he wanted the Potter's dead, all anyone knew for certain was that he showed up on Halloween.

"Halloween?" Was whispered throughout the room, every occupant going as pale as death.

"That's at the end of this month," Sirius' voice barely came above a whisper as he looked to the two parents who were looking at each other in a way he'd never seen.

"That's so close," Remus muttered, clutching the baby in his arms slightly tighter to himself.

"So soon," Lily whimpered, while James tightened his hold on her.

Harry was a year old.

"A year old!" James yelped.

"So it's not until Halloween next year," Lily let loose a breath, that year suddenly feeling like a lifetime.

"More than enough time to come up with a plan," Remus reassured them all.

Hagrid stutters that he came to their house, but doesn't seem able to get the rest of the sentence out.

"It's okay Sirius," Lily said gently, when it became obvious he didn't want to say it, "we're not going to let it happen."

"I know," he snapped, a little more viciously than intended, "Hagrid's the one that couldn't get the words out." Looking slightly hurt, but also a bit warmed, Sirius mumbled a quick apology before hurrying on.

He blows his nose loudly and apologizes, saying that he knew Harry's parents and it's so awful because they were such good people.

"Definitely need to go by and see Hagrid again," James vowed aloud.

"Count me in for that," the other three agreed.

You-Know-Who killed Lily and James Potter. Then he turned his wand on the baby, and tried to do the same, but it didn't work. That's the story behind the scar on Harry's forehead, why he's so famous. No one had ever survived once Voldemort wanted him dead, but Harry had.

"Hum," Lily murmured, "we must have had time to place some sort of protective charm on him."

"I can't think of very many that would hold off that kind of curse," James offered.

"I know this," Harry muttered, rubbing at his forehead again, "I know the bloody answer to this."

"Well when you remember do please let us know," Remus said, looking intrigued, "It could be used to save our lives."

"Don't pressure the kid Moony," Sirius slightly chuckled, "I'm sure if he knows, he must have found out at some point during all of this," and he waved the book in his hand and at all the others before continuing.

Hagrid even lists some of the other powerful wizards on the good side Voldemort had done in.

"Remember those names," Lily said softly, "we need to warn them as well."

"Those were all members of the Order," Sirius said sadly.

"Those have some pretty big family's," Remus observed, "Wish Hagrid had been more specific if it's just the members of the Order, or their entire family or," and here he stopped and trailed off into muttering.

Harry could feel something truly painful building inside of himself.

"I don't need to remember that," Harry muttered, his head ache beginning to lessen a bit now, but still quite painful. He hoped that gaining back more of his memories wouldn't be quite this bad.

Harry tries to think back to that dream of flashing green light, and now imagines a cruel laugh as well.

"I sincerely doubt you remember that," Lily shivered, "just your subconscious mind trying to visualize what happened."

Harry shrugged, hoping that he really didn't remember that.

Hagrid keeps talking, saying he took Harry from the rubble of his old house himself, but then Vernon finally bumps his way back in by saying it was rubbish. Harry jumped, nearly having forgotten they were there.

"Wish they weren't," Sirius grumbled.

Vernon seems angry again, saying he had accepted there was something weird about Harry, that he should have given him more of a beating to get it out of him.

"How is a beating ever the answer?" Lily cried, nearly lunging to her feet in rage.

"I'd like to give you a good beating," James snarled.

"You are so lucky I keep my word Dursley," Sirius snapped, looking about ready to toss the book into the fire.

Remus simply rocked the baby in his arms around a bit, trying to comfort himself with the knowledge that this hadn't happened yet, that his cub was fine.

Harry looked around at all of them, half smiling with love at their reactions, half afraid of what they really were going to do when things were all said and done.

He claims that Harry's parents were weirdos,

"Only in your twisted world," Remus growled.

"If he keeps going about you two..." Sirius hissed, growing a bit paler with every word he read, then sucking in a deep breath forcing himself to continue.

and the world's better off without them

"Accio!" Lily cried suddenly as Sirius really did look like he was about to chuck the book into the fire.

"That-" Sirius began swearing violently.

"He's speaking ill of the dead, to our son Lily," James said with a look of disgust, probably from referring to himself as dead.

"I still don't want him toasting this," Lily snapped, just as angry at being insulted like this in front of her child, but not willing to take it out on the book. When it looked as if Lily were about to continue the chapter, Sirius strode over and plucked it from her grasp.

After a brief glaring contest Sirius vowed, "I promise I won't try to burn this book again."

When Lily still held his gaze he continued, "or in any way try to destroy it."

Releasing her breath she sat back into the couch and Sirius went back to his place at the hearth before reading.

and that he always knew they would come to a bad end.

"Sirius, you sound ridiculous biting your tongue and reading," Remus said sadly.

"Yes well it's that or nothing," he said while spitting a bit of blood into the fire place and continuing.

But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat.

"Yes!" All four cheered, all malice gone from Sirius' voice as he now eagerly continued.

Pointing this at Vernon he warned them that if he didn't stop talking, one more word out of him, then he trailed off threateningly.

"Oh come on," James slumped back.

"Oh he will say one more word," Remus vowed, "I'd put money on that."

"Hopefully soon," Sirius huffed.

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant,

Lily snickered quietly to herself at such a sentence, relieving a bit more tension in the room.

Vernon took the threat for what it was and backed against the wall again. Hagrid turned back to Harry, who asks what happened to You-Know-Who. Hagrid admits that is a very good question. Some speculate that he died, but Hagrid doesn't believe that.

"Still nice to think about though," Sirius sighed.

Some say he's still out there, waiting his time, but he doesn't believe that either.

"So what," Lily asked in confusion, "he doesn't believe he's dead, but he doesn't believe he's still out there? He can't be both. Even if he was a ghost he would still technically be in one of those two categories."

"I'm not sure," Remus said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully, "there are areas of Dark Magic no decent wizard has even looked at, but as we all know Voldemort's as dark as they go. It really is unpredictable what could have happened to him that night."

"I'm voting for died," James said darkly, not wanting to think too long on it.

Sirius didn't want to think what Voldemort would do if he really wasn't dead, so he decided to read on.

Some say he's still out there, without his powers, just too weak to do anything. Something about the night he attacked Harry must have done something to him, because that same night, You-Know-Who had vanished.

All of the adults shivered in disgust, not wanting to think who Voldemort would come after if he ever did come back. Yet Harry was here, fully grown and healthy, so they felt safe in assuming that Voldemort did indeed die.

Harry was beginning to doubt all of this. How could he be a wizard? He'd spent his life being bullied by the Dursleys.

"Thanks for that awful reminder," James said darkly.

If he was a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?

"If only," Remus snapped in disgust.

If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?

"Cause magic doesn't work like that," Lily said sadly, suddenly wishing that it did.

Out loud he told Hagrid he must have made a mistake.

"With your looks kid, not much of a mistake to make," Sirius laughed.

Hagrid merely chuckles. Asking Harry if something weird had ever happened when Harry

was scared or angry. Harry reflects back on all of the odd things that had ever happened to him, and realized Hagrid was right. The very latest incident for one, releasing the snake when Dudley had punched him...

"All excellent examples of the good uses of magic," James beamed.

Lily smacked him lightly, but privately agreed, though thinking he should have never had to be in those situations.

Harry looks back at Hagrid, smiling, and sees that Hagrid was beaming at him.

"I wish you had told Hagrid about those moments Harry," Remus said sadly, "Hagrid would have taken you out of there faster than you can say Merlin."

"Wait for it," Sirius said with a bit of hope, "he still might."

Hagrid comforts Harry, telling him it was impossible for him not to be a wizard, but Vernon has had enough. He steps up one last time, stating he would not allow Harry to go. Hagrid growls back that he couldn't stop him, that Harry was going to go to the best school of magic there was and be taught by the greatest wizard, Albus Dumbledore. Vernon shouts at the top of his lungs that he will not pay some old fool to teach him magic!

"Yes!" James pumped his fist in the air as if he'd just won a Quidditch match. "If that doesn't get a reaction out of Hagrid nothing will."

"He's going to deserve every moment of it to," Remus said with a dark smile on his face.

Lily was practically vibrating, wanting to hear what had happened, and Sirius was quick to comply.

Vernon had finally gone too far. Hagrid once again pulls out his pink umbrella, shouting that Dumbledore shall never be insulted in front of him, and brings the umbrella down in a flash of light on Dudley. The boy squeals in shock and begins dancing around, holding onto his backside, and when Harry gets a good look he sees a pig tail poking out of his pants.

"Thank you Merlin!" Sirius crowd, tossing the book into the air in celebration.

"Thank you Hagrid!" James corrected, hugging Lily and Harry to him with almost as much joy as when Harry had first been born.

"High time that lot got some comeuppance," Remus agreed, bouncing the toddler in his arms around and making the baby giggle, joining in on the euphoric mood.

"Oh I hope he tried turning Petunia and Vernon into pig's as well," Lily said vengefully, feeling it was a small price for the way her baby had been raised.

Sirius leaned over to where the book had landed and quickly found his place again.

Vernon and Petunia flip out, grabbing hold of Dudley and dragging him into the next room where they lock the door.

"Aww," Sirius groaned after reading that, "I suppose it's too much to ask he goes after the lot."

"I don't think so," Harry said, still laughing slightly at all of their reactions.

"Rat's," all three boys muttered, while Lily privately thought about how they were going to go about explaining the tail to other muggles. She was positive Hagrid wasn't going to remove it, so that was a small amount of punishment.

Hagrid is now stroking his beard and glancing down at his umbrella, admitting he probably shouldn't have lost his temper,

"You should have lost it a long time ago," Sirius said, still slightly laughing.

"He would have if Harry had told him everything we know," Remus agreed.

but it hadn't worked all the way. He had meant to turn Dudley into a real pig.

James actually applauded Hagrid for this, while Lily reached over and shoved him off of the arm rest. Even landing on the floor he was still laughing, and after a few brief moments, he and his friends settled down enough that Sirius kept going while James got up and retook his earlier position on Harry's other side.

Then he casts a sideways look at Harry and kindly asks him not to mention what he'd just done, since he technically wasn't supposed to do magic at all.

"I'm sending Hagrid a thank you note," Remus said gleefully, "and I'm thinking about teaching him the proper way to do that spell."

"I'll help with that," Sirius cackled.

Lily and James were privately hoping that Hagrid would never have to use that spell, but didn't begrudge the two either.

Harry asks why not?

James snorted a bit, "Like he's going to answer you when you ask like that."

"Yeah Harry, don't you remember the whole 'tried getting him drunk and it didn't work' bit?" Sirius asked.

"Well I didn't know that then," Harry told him exasperatedly.

Ignoring the strange looks he was receiving Sirius tried to finish the chapter..

and Hagrid begins to say that he did used to go to Hogwarts himself, but was expelled in his third year. They snapped his wand in half,

Remus gave a low whistle, "wow Harry, he must really like you, we never even got that much out of him."

"Well it is a private matter," Lily scolded, "I wouldn't want to go boasting about being expelled either."

but Dumbledore had allowed him to stay on as a gamekeeper. The affection in his voice for the man is obvious. Harry asks why Hagrid was expelled,

"Blunt much," James laughed.

"Like you were ever any better," Lily reminded him.

but without a hint of subtlety, Hagrid says that it was getting really late and they should head to bed.

"Subtle," Remus snickered.

"Like you were any better," Sirius laughed, "exactly how many times did you use your mum as an excuse to sneak off again?"

"Thirty-three by my count," James input.

Remus was about to counter when Harry asked, "Why were you sneaking off?"

All four paled and deflated at once, wanting to bite their tongues for, again, foolishly forgetting Harry didn't know. It was just so easy for them to forget, since they had never intended to hide anything in this house.

"Er," Remus started lamely when James said, a little too loudly, "How about we explain later."

Harry frowned severely at them, wanting to stop what he felt was just silly, "I've told you guys things I'd rather not, why's this different?" He almost added on that he already knew anyways, but then Sirius said, "Look pup, the chapters almost over, then," he threw Remus a sideways look, and waited for him to nod before continuing, "then we'll explain alright?"

Harry nodded and they all remained silent as Sirius finally finished.

He tosses his thick jacket over to Harry and tells him not to mind if it wiggles, he may have left some mice in the pockets.

Sirius closed the book and then threw a world weary look at Remus, who sucked in a deep breath, and then began to explain.