When they arrived back at the Snape’s fireplace, lunchtime had already passed, but Lily and her two daughters had decided to wait for the rest of the family. Lily invited Poppy for lunch and everyone sat down at the kitchen table. However, like on so many Sundays before, Harry received his first new memory while he was sitting at the kitchen table.

Lily, Severus and toddler Harry were what seemed to be the Burrow together with Baby Julia. Harry, Ron and Ginny, who still was a bit unsteady on her feet, were running around the kitchen, when they heard a small explosion from the top floor. Ron grimaced and explained to Harry,

“Dat’s my bwodews; dey are expewimenting wif poshuns. Dey want to pway pwanks on ebyone.” Harry’s eyes grew bigger and he asked,

“I like poshuns vewwy much. Can we go and watch dem?” Ron nodded and they started to climb up the stairs, when Ginny suddenly started to cry.

“Won, Hawwy, you mean. I want go too. You hewp me Hawwy?” Harry climbed back immediately, pulled Ginny into a hug and told her,

“Don’t wowwy, Ginny, we will take you wif us. We won’t let you alone, I pwomise.” He took her hand and slowly helped her up the stairs, at the top of which he was rewarded with a huge smile and a sloppy kiss from the red-haired girl.

Harry groaned. Did this have to happen now? He had intended to go looking for Ginny straight after lunch; now the only place he would go was the sofa. Severus handed him a strawberry potion and helped Harry over to his favourite spot in front of the fireplace. When the others were finished with their lunch, Poppy asked Lily and Severus if they would mind her talking to Harry for a moment, and when both of them said they didn’t mind, she came over to Harry and suggested to go to his room to talk for a while. After she had tucked him into his bed, she started to speak.

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“Harry, when you came back from the past, I suggested at first that you should come to my office for a talk once a day. However, as you seem to deal quite well with everything, and as you are physically so affected by the memories, I have not insisted on keeping these talks on. Nevertheless, I would like to speak to you from time to time. Is that alright with you?” Harry nodded and said,

“Yes of course Aunt Poppy, I’m glad that you give me the opportunity to talk to you. Thank you.” Pomfrey cleared her throat and continued,

“As you know, the experiences you have made are very unusual. Nobody else has lived sixteen years through two different time lines and additionally two years in the past. In fact I think this situation is extremely difficult to handle, but you seem to manage very well; I just would like to know how you feel about the situation you are in now? I know your situation is unsatisfactory because of your health problems, but that is not what I mean. I mean more the general situation, to have a different father than before, to have two sisters who did not even exist before, and to have different friends who didn’t exist either. In addition, on top of this all struggling every day with new memories which make you ill. How are you dealing with everything? Of course you don’t have to tell me, but maybe I could help you with this or that, when not now, then perhaps in the future,” she added. Harry sighed.

“Apart from my problems with the memories, which affect me greatly, I’m doing fine. Concerning my father, I am very happy that he is my father and not James. Severus has always been like a mentor to me, even when he was the same age, he loves me very much, and he always takes time to sit with me when I am ill or to talk to me whenever I wish to speak about something. It’s just great, that my mom chose him instead of James. Concerning my sisters, I love both of them a lot and I’m very glad to have them. I wouldn’t want to miss this family – they are just great. My friends? I haven’t lost any friends, I only gained new ones like Anna. I am happy about becoming a teacher next year, although I should go to Transfiguration class and assist Granny with her classes, but due to this kind of illness, I hardly manage to be of any use.

Sorry, Aunt Poppy, I have too much a headache to think properly. But really, apart from my health problem, everything is much better than it has ever been, and I am very happy.” Poppy smiled at the boy whom she knew so much better than the other students.

“Alright Harry; that sounds very good concerning your mental health, however not so good with your physical health condition. I don’t know if you have listened, but the healer at St. Mungos couldn’t give us any advice for your problem. Nevertheless, I am very glad that you don’t have any mental problems, which would not be unusual in a case like yours and might take much more time to heal than your physical problems. Let me quickly check on you, and then I will leave you to your rest.” She waved her wand over Harry and frowned.

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“Severus, may I suggest that I take your afternoon classes this week, so that you can stay with Harry? His fever is spiking again, and first he needs someone to keep him in bed, and secondly I would like you to check this strawberry potion; I have the impression it doesn’t work too well.” Severus nodded; that was exactly what he had feared.

“Alright Poppy, thank you.”

A few days later Harry was occupying his favourite spot on the sofa, Marina on his lap and their father next to him. That week he had been able to attend classes with his Grandmother every morning so far, but in the afternoons, memories were keeping him busy and sick. Fortunately, his father had agreed to let Poppy take his afternoon classes in order to stay with Harry. Harry had just been thrown into the third vision that day and was really suffering.

Harry was sitting at breakfast together with his family. He was very excited – today was the day of his first Hogsmeade weekend, and he was allowed to go to Hogsmeade together with his friends. Just before he was leaving, Julia embraced him from behind, and he noticed that her eyes were filled with tears.

“Julia, what’s wrong?” he asked worriedly, and his sister mumbled,

“I want to go to Hogsmeade too. But they say I can’t,” and started to cry. Harry pulled her in a big hug and said,

“You know I couldn’t go either in my first and second year; wait two years and you may go as well. Is there anything you want from Hogsmeade?” Julia smiled at him and said,

“Could you bring me a chocolate frog please?” and Harry grinned.

“Yes, but I have to leave now. Bye” and left the room.

Harry grabbed his head and tried to throw Marina off saying,

“Sorry little sis, go down please. Dad?” His father threw him a worried glance and mouthed,

“Again?” Harry only gave him a slight nod and protested when his father put the toy thermometer under his tongue.

“Yuwodadidoidaioesowo” Severus shook his head and said,

“Shut up. You know that it is Poppy’s order and we will have to follow it in order to invent a more efficient potion.” The thermometer flared pink only to change to red after Harry had taken the potion. Severus sighed; his potion should work much better than that. It took only a few minutes until the next memory started.

Little Harry had a bad dream; he dreamt of a bad man with red eyes who wanted to kill his mom. With a cry, he woke up and walked out of his room to look for his mom and dad, busily cuddling his stuffed dragon. When he entered the living room, his parents were not there, but his grandparents were sitting around the fireplace reading. He climbed to his Granny onto the sofa and asked,

“Where are my mom and dad, Granny?” Minerva looked at his tear-stricken face and pulled him up onto her lap hugging him fiercely.

“Harry, what is wrong? Did you have a bad dream?” she asked worriedly, and when Harry nodded, she asked, “Will you tell me what it was about?” Harry nodded again and told his grandparents about his dream and the bad man with red eyes. After she calmed him telling him that it was only a dream and the bad man didn’t exist, Albus added,

“Harry, today is the night of the Full moon, and your parents are outside playing with their animal friends. When you’ll be bigger and able to transform into an animal, you will join them too, won’t you?” and Harry laughed excitedly, before his eyes dropped and he fell asleep on his granny.

When Harry opened his eyes, his father was sitting next to him, took his temperature and said, “Now your fever is so high that I have to give you a very strong fever reducer and the normal headache potion instead of the combination.” This time the effect was a lot better and Harry felt much improved.

“Dad, may I ask you something? He asked, and when his father nodded expectantly, continued, “Do you still go out in the forest on the Full moon?” Severus gave him a slightly amused look and raised an eyebrow.

“I was wondering all the time, when you would ask about it.”

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Harry threw his father an expectant glance, and Severus continued sighing,

“Yes Harry, over all these years we have kept our tradition and once a month meet in the forest.” Harry had a surprised look on his face when he asked,

“Who is ‘we’? You, Mom and Remus, or James and Sirius too?” Severus gave him a slight smile and replied,

“All the Marauders, except from you.” Harry frowned and asked a little upset,

“And why without me?” Severus sighed and asked softly,

“You haven’t been here all the years now, have you?” Harry groaned as if he was getting really upset now.

“Dad, I have already been back for three months now; didn’t you have enough time to tell me?” He asked reproachfully. Severus sighed again and put a cold hand on Harry’s forehead, noticing that Harry was leaning into the cool touch.

“Harry, don’t let yourself get so upset, you’re only making your condition worse. I know hat you are back for three months now, but you were always ill when we spent the night outside. I didn’t even go last month, because I stayed with you, and the time before Lily stayed with you.” A little calmed down Harry asked softly,

“When will be the next full moon?”

“The full moon is today, but we never go during the week, because we have to work in the morning; we always go on the Friday night after the full moon. And before you ask, it depends on your condition whether you will be allowed to join us, and when I look at you, I can’t imagine you’ll be well enough on Friday.” Harry sat up excitedly and insisted,

“I will Dad. You know that I always joined you in the past, and I will now! Please Dad, help me. I know Mom wouldn’t allow me, but I really need to go. Perhaps I can take the lemon potion again in the afternoon to avoid any memories. And when I transform into my phoenix form, I will probably feel better anyway.” Severus sighed and said,

“Harry, I will try to help you, but I won’t have you putting yourself in danger. The memories are not the only problem. Remember the past! Every time we went into the forest you caught a cold; and even in this time line Pepper-up potion does not work on you; I don’t know why, and I haven’t been able to invent anything better than the potion I made for you in the past…” Harry interrupted him very upset.

“Now listen, Dad. In the three months I’m here now I didn’t get a cold once, so I’ll be alright.” Severus looked exasperated.

“Harry, there will be many more full moon nights, so even if you have to miss the next one it’s not the end of the world.” Harry snorted and thought inwardly

‘Wait, Dad, I’ll show you that I will be able to do what I want’, before he fell into the next memory, which was again about a night of the full moon. All together, he received five full moon night’s memories during the evening and woke up very cranky in the morning.

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When he returned from classes and lunch on Friday, he transformed straight into his phoenix form and climbed onto Severus’ shoulder. Severus watched him curiously thinking about what his son was going to do.

“Are you trying out if you’ll get memories when you are a phoenix?” he asked him questioningly, and Icicle nodded and held the back of his head near Severus’ hand in order to get his feathers crawled. In the end, the two of them spent the afternoon in the potions lab, Harry as Icicle sitting fast asleep on Severus’ shoulder, while Severus was researching a new potion for Harry. Marina had gone to visit her best friend Brianna, Anna’s little sister. When Lily returned home after her classes, she was not very pleased to see Harry in his phoenix form.

“Harry, didn’t Poppy tell you not to transform as long as you are getting the memories back?” Harry slowly turned his head, leisurely opening an eye and trilled,

#Maybe she did, but I don’t know why; I feel much better like this, and I didn’t have one vision. You know what tonight is, don’t you, Mom?# Lily threw Severus an exasperated look and translated what Harry had said. Severus nodded and told Lily about their conversation the day before. Not wanting to transform back, as Ginny wouldn’t come anyway because she was having Quidditch practise to which Harry wasn’t allowed to go in any case, Harry spent the whole evening in his phoenix form. With the beginning of curfew Minerva and Albus arrived to watch over Marina and supposedly Harry; they would stay in the Snapes’ quarters’ guest room; needless to say that Minerva was very upset to hear about Harry’s plans for the night, and that Dumbledore’s eyes were twinkling with joy.

Harry was just comfortably sitting on Lily’s shoulder, when she went into his room, shut the door and ordered him to transform back, so that she could check on him. After she had made sure, that his condition was in fact much better than in the morning, she instructed him to put on his warmest clothes, before he transformed back. Finally, they departed for Harry’s first full moon night in the present. On the way into the forest, Lily gave him a ride on her shoulder, which Harry enjoyed greatly – somehow it reminded him of the time in the past he had liked so much.

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When they arrived in the forest, Sirius and James were already waiting for them, and Remus joined them only a few minutes later. The three were very happy to have Harry with them, although they couldn’t communicate in their animals’ forms. However, Remus had brought a big basket with butterbeer and other delicacies Dobby had provided for the Marauders, and they had decided to have a nightly party after playing in the animagus forms for a few hours. Lily and Harry went for a long flight over Hogsmeade as well as around Hogwarts glancing curiously in nearly every window. Finally, they transformed back and sat in a more or less comfortable place between near-by trees, so that everyone could have a seat with his back to a tree. Severus took a phial of the lemon potion out of his robe and handed it to Harry, who gulped it down gratefully.

“Thank you very much, Dad,” he said, when he handed the empty phial back.

“Harry!” Sirius and James shouted both at the same time and laughed. “Harry”, James continued. “We really have to thank you for saving both our lives!”

Harry blushed a little and replied “It’s alright; I’m glad I could help.” They sat in the forest drinking butterbeer and talking until the sky was showing a slightly lighter colour. Then they suddenly noticed how late it was and quickly finished their party. James and Sirius went back to the end of the apparition wards to return home. Harry thought for a moment and said,

“I can flash the three of you back; that’s faster.” Severus and Lily frowned, but did not protest; so Harry quickly transformed, suddenly feeling a little anxious about flashing three persons. However, as he had promised it, he waited until the three had grabbed his tail feathers and flashed thinking about his own room at home. Fortunately, he managed to land exactly on his bed, the spot he had imagined; normally he would have preferred the living room, but he didn’t want to give his great grandparents a big fright, in case they were already awake and in the living room. Harry rested a few minutes on his bed before he transformed back – he had completely forgotten that he wasn’t allowed to use any magic at all and felt exhausted, even in his phoenix form. After a few minutes, Severus came looking for him and extended his hand directly in front of Icicle’s feet, so that he could easily step on it. Putting Icicle onto his shoulder, Icicle’s favourite place, he went back to the others. Albus immediately changed to his phoenix form to talk to Harry.

#Are you alright my boy?#

#Yes Granddad, sorry, I’m just very tired. I had completely forgotten that I was told not to use much magic and flashed Mom, Dad and Remus back here.# Everyone laughed at the white phoenix’ big yawn.

“Do you have problems to change back?” Minerva asked, but Harry shook his head.

#Harry, if you can you should change back; you’re giving them a fright.#

#Alright# Harry said, hopped onto the sofa and transformed back.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t want to give you a fright. Thank you Granny,” he turned to Minerva who had cast a warming spell on him. They spent the rest of the morning talking until it was time for breakfast.

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The last week until the start of the Christmas holidays remained uneventful, and soon the carriages departed with the students who were going home over the holidays. Harry noticed that in contrary to the wartime he experienced in the first time line, where many students had stayed at Hogwarts because it had been the safest place imaginable, now nearly all students went home for the holiday. There were only two students who had put their names in the lists at first, but finally they had also been invited by friends and left the castle, so that only a few teachers, especially those who had families, were staying at Hogwarts – the Lupins, Dumbledores, Snapes, Poppy and Hagrid. Lily and Severus decided to invite everyone to their quarters for dinner every evening; it was much more comfortable than the huge Great Hall, where they still used to gather for breakfast and sometimes for lunch. Finally, the dinners in the Snape’s living room were getting more and more comfortable and often ended with everyone finally heading to their own quarters around midnight.

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One morning at breakfast, Harry overheard Anna and Julia obviously planning a trip to Hogsmeade for the day on their own. As he still had to buy his Christmas presents and time was running short, he just asked them if he could accompany them, but Julia said he had to ask their mother. So he asked over the table,

“Mom, may I go with Anna and Julia to Hogsmeade to buy Christmas presents please?” Lily thought for a moment and after a short look in Severus’ eyes confirming that he shared her opinion she said softly,

“No Harry, I’m sorry.” Harry couldn’t believe it – his mother really was a bitch sometimes.

“Why not mom?” he asked forcefully. “When they are allowed to go, why can’t I go? I’m even older than Julia,” he added very upset. Severus, who was sitting next to Harry, put a hand on Harry’s shoulder hoping to be able to calm him a little and said,

“Harry, let us talk about it, when we are back in our quarters, all right?” Harry only gave his mother a glare and stood up to leave the Great Hall, not caring about his breakfast he hadn’t even touched. Lily sighed and turning back to the table from where her eyes had been following her son, apologized to the others.

“I’m sorry to have caused such a childish scene here. I don’t know what’s wrong with Harry; normally he uses to listen when I tell him a decision.” She frowned and looked at Severus questioningly. He gave her a calming smile and replied,

“It’s alright; you did the right thing; we will talk to him after breakfast. In his condition he can’t go to Hogsmeade without anyone of us.”

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Harry was boiling. He ran out of the castle without even thinking where he was heading to and finally found himself sitting on one of his favourite spots next to the lake. Why would his mother be so mean? After all they had experienced together in the past? Moreover, how and when was he going to buy his Christmas presents? The only present he already had, was a present for Ginny. As he hadn’t been able to go to Hogsmeade once until now, he had asked his sister to bring him a catalogue of the jewellers shop in Hogsmeade, where he owl ordered Ginny’s present. It was a beautiful magical watch with two arrows, one for Ginny and one for Harry, who had bought the counter piece for himself. With the two watches they would be able to communicate at any time and everywhere, they just had to say the other’s name to the watch, and the arrows would change into the face of the person called. However, he didn’t have any other presents yet. Should he mail the shops and ask for catalogues? Oh, he should have asked Julia, but that was too late; he had seen her leaving the castle earlier. However, Christmas would be in three days. What would he be going to do? Suddenly he remembered the day before Christmas in his first year in the past, the day he vanished the Dementors; he had just flashed to Hogsmeade – but he couldn’t flash, he couldn’t use so much magic yet; he had suffered enough after the full moon’s night. He really started to panic, having difficulties to breathe. ‘Oh no’, he thought, I have to calm down. He closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back into the tree behind him, and was soon pulled into a new memory.

It had to be Harry’s second or third Christmas; he was so little… Harry was lying under the Christmas tree, with his hands stretched out reaching for the presents, which were neatly piled under the tree. He emerged with a big box he could hardly handle by himself, went to Severus and said,

“A pwesent fow Hawwy Dad; can you hep me to opun it pwease.” Severus laughed at his son and helped him to open the package revealing a toddler’s potions kit. Harry laughed joyfully and said proudly,

“Hawwy now making poshuns like daddy,” placed the cauldron to the side, began to dig the ingredients out of their boxes, and threw them all in at the same time, so that the ingredients exploded with a ‘bang’ and were magiced back into their boxes. Lily smiled fondly at her cute boy and suggested,

“Maybe you ask Daddy to show you how to brew potions sometime; he is very good at it!”

“But don’t ask Granny or Granddad; they are not good at potions,” Severus warned his son ignoring the glares Minerva and Albus were throwing into his direction. Lily was just wondering where Harry had gone – wouldn’t he want to open his other presents? – When he returned, he had one thumb in his mouth, the other hand busily cuddling his stuffed dragon and at the same time managing to hold a book. He went over to Minerva and climbed onto her lap saying,

“Gwanny, pwease, can you weed de book fow Hawwy? De one wif de dagon and Hawwy pwease.”

With that, Harry was back to the lake, wincing, because his head hurt so much. What was it about this book? It was already at least the third memory he had, in which exactly this same book had appeared. He would have to ask Marina if it still existed. But first, he had to wait for his headache to recede. He leaned back again and closed his eyes; not noticing that it had softly begun to snow.