Written by Rae Kelly

March

Had Anthony Riddle lived for more than a few minutes after his birth, he would have been in the same Hogwarts class as the boy Tom Riddle was caring for and raising while he was deaged.  Even after nearly three decades, there were days when his grief for his dead wife and son throbbed afresh.  Each birthday and anniversary had been hard.  The year Anthony would have started Hogwarts had nearly broken the powerful wizard.  Perhaps that was why had had become so close to so many students in that class.  While he considered all of his students as his children, some held a special place in his heart.

Lily Evans . . . the bright Muggleborn who reminded him so much of his late wife.

Severus Snape . . . the brilliant but abused half-blood son of one of his classmates.

Remus Lupin . . . the quiet half-blood werewolf.

Cissy Black . . . the beautiful pureblood with a large heart.

James Potter . . . the wealthy, handsome, yet neglected pureblood.

Sirius Black . . . the prankster pureblood who had been disowned by his family for not being Sorted into Slytherin.

They had become his family, more so in the last few years, especially as they had encouraged their children to consider him as a grandfather.  And he loved those children as much loved his nieces and nephews and their children.

Tom had enjoyed these last few months with Jamie, and he sincerely hoped that James would continue to view him as his father when the year was over.  But as much as he had enjoyed these months, it had also been hard on him as he thought about all the things that he had missed with Anthony.

Today they had all gathered at Riddle Manor to celebrate Jamie's birthday.  Tom had hesitated because Jamie would only be deaged for a year.  But in the end he had decided to go ahead and throw Jamie a party.  It was just a small party with Sirius, the Snapes, the Lupins, and the Tonks.  Tom stood at the window of the drawing room, watching as the children romped in the yard with Sirius and Remus in their Animagus forms, while Severus and Dora talked nearby.  He was pleased to see that the news of what Potions Master's father had done to Ted Tonks had not affected their relationship.  Dora needed a father figure in her life and he knew that both Severus and Remus were doing everything they could for the girl.

There was a sound at the door and he turned to see Andromeda stepping into the room.  She walked over to the window and joined him in watching the children playing in the yard.  "You've been good for him," she told the Headmaster.

"I've wondered sometimes," he replied with a sigh.

"Don't doubt yourself, Tom.  You're a wonderful father and when this year is over, he's not going to turn his back on you.  Besides, he'll need all the advice he can get once he's an adult again and trying to be a father to Harry.  And who better than the man that has been the only real father he's ever known?"

"I wish I had your confidence, Andromeda."

She slipped her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

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"Daddy?" Jamie asked that evening as Tom tucked him into bed.

"Yes, buddy?" Tom replied, sitting beside him.  "Did you have a good birthday?"

Jamie snuggled under his blankets.  "I did.  Thank you so much, Daddy."

"You're welcome.  Did you have a question, son?"

The little boy nodded.  "Will I remember all this when I get big again?"

"You aren't supposed to know about that, James," Tom said, frowning at him.

Jamie bit his lip.  "I know, but I heard you and Sirius talking . . . when you told him that we were bullies."

Tom sighed and picked Jamie up, moving over to the rarely used rocking chair in the corner of the room and settling Jamie on his lap.  "You shouldn't have been listening, James, but since you know, I'll answer any questions that you have."

"I . . . I already talked to Uncle Sev and he said that he don't hate me anymore for being a bully 'cause I learned my lesson," the little boy said, snuggling close to Tom.  "I love Uncle Sev and I don't want him to hate me."

"If you really have changed, then I'm sure Uncle Sev won't hate you, Jamie.  We . . . we made you little because there were some things that you didn't learn the first time you were small.  Like sharing and how not to be a bully and discipline."

"Mummy and Daddy never spanked me," Jamie told him.

"They didn't," Tom replied, kissing the top of the boy's head.  "And they didn't give you rules to obey or tell you no.  Those are things that children need."

Jamie was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about what his father had said.  "Did I learn, Daddy?"

"You're learning, son.  And by the time you are ready to be big again, I think you'll have learned everything you needed to learn."

"Will you still love me?" Jamie asked after several more minutes of silence.

"Always, Jamie.  Always."

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July

Today was Harry's 8th birthday, and the usual crowd was gathered at the Lupin farm to celebrate the occasion.  All the children had brought their brooms and were just itching to go outside and play Quidditch because there were just enough of them to form two full teams.

They were kept inside just long enough to eat cake and ice cream and let Harry open presents before the adults finally took pity on the clearly distracted children and allowed them to escape into the yard.  There was a bit of a disagreement as to how to split the two teams before Hal Evans stepped outside and settled the disagreement, suggesting that the seven Weasleys form one team against the other children.  The Weasleys had not considered playing on one team together, but as they each preferred one of the seven positions, it made sense.  Bill and Charlie played on the Gryffindor team at Hogwarts: Bill as a Chaser and Charlie as Seeker; so they took those positions, with Fred and George taking the Beater positions as they did on their Quidditch Little League team.  Percy was not quite as Quidditch obsessed as the rest of his family, but he did enjoy a good game.  He and little Ginny took the remaining Chaser spots while Ron played Keeper.

Dora took charge of the other, and younger team.  She played Beater along with Neville Longbottom.  Jamie had played Chaser at Hogwarts before, but he had been playing Keeper since Christmas, since Harry, Teddy, and Tessa had been practicing to be Chasers together for years.  Tom had been quite proud of his son for stepping aside for the other three.  Draco rounded out the team as Seeker.  It had not really surprised the adults that the small blond was a natural at the position, almost sensing what the tiny golden ball would do.

Sirius stood on the porch watching the children play, though most of his attention was on his deaged friend.  He had been watching his friend interact with the other children for months and he could tell that Jamie had changed.  Jamie wasn't the same child he had been when they had first met as children.

"He'll still be your friend when this year is over," Remus said, stepping up beside his old roommate, Rosie perched in his arms watching the older children fly.

"I've really missed him," Sirius admitted quietly.  "Is he still going to be the same as he was before?"

Remus was quiet for a moment before answering.  "If this all goes as planned, he'll be the same . . . only more grown up.  It's what he needs, Sirius, if he's going to stay out of Azkaban.  One more mistake with Harry and the Wizengamut will go back to their original sentence and he'll end up in Azkaban for ten years."

"He's changed . . ."

"For the better, Sirius.  You have to believe that."

"I'm going to go for a walk," he replied, stepping off the porch and heading out into the yard.

Rosie looked up at her godfather.  "He's sad?"

Remus nodded.  "Yes, sweetling, he's sad.  But he'll be alright."

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Severus was surprised when he answered the door that night after putting the children to bed to find Sirius Black standing on his doorstep.  Remus had relayed his earlier conversation with the Marauder and it was easy to see as he left at the end of the party that the man was deep in thought.  "Come in," he said, stepping aside to let his old schoolmate inside.

Sirius nodded and stepped into the flat.  "I went to talk to Remus . . . but he couldn't really talk and said I should come here."

The Potions Master nodded.  Remus had brought his three children over just before bedtime as Cissy worn herself out with hosting Harry's party, which she had insisted on doing even though everyone had protested.  She was due in just a couple weeks and needed her rest, so Severus and Lily had offered to let their children spend the night with them.  They had then Flooed Tom and asked if Jamie could spend the night as well.  At the moment all five boys were camped out in a makeshift tent in Harry's room, while Tessa slept in Eric's bed in the room he shared with Rosie.  "Lily's making tea in the kitchen," he replied, leading the other man down the short hall to the kitchen.  "Lil. . . we have company."

She turned around.  "Hello, Sirius.  Have a seat.  Would you like some leftover cake?"

"No . . .I  just needed to talk."

She poured three cups of tea and brought them over to the table.  "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting across from him.

"Remus. . . Remus said that James will have changed when he's deaged back . . ."

Severus and Lily exchanged a glance before Lily replied,  "He'll still be James, Sirius.  But this second childhood has been different for him, so he might start thinking a little differently.  With his parents he was brought up to think that his money and status would get him whatever he wanted . . . and he grew up to be very selfish, putting his own needs above everyone else's."  She sighed softly.  "I did love him, Sirius, but he didn't love me.  I was just a conquest to him . . . another notch in his belt.  I was just something he wanted and once he had it, he was no longer interested in me.  He moved on to the next thing . . . the next woman.  That's why I left him."

Severus squeezed his wife's hand.  "He was also brought up to be a bigot.  He was taught that all Slytherins were dark.  Yes, there have been dark wizards from Slytherin, but most people tend to forget that Dumbledore was a Gryffindor.  Think about Tom.  He was a Slytherin, is he dark?"

"No . . . no, he defeated Grindelwald.  And he's been working hard to find Dumbledore," Sirius replied.

"Harry could very well end up in Slytherin.  Will you turn your back on him if he does?"

"Of course not!"

"James is learning differently this time around," Severus told him.  "He's learning things he should have learned before and there is a very good chance that he will think differently when he's re-aged.  That was the point of deaging him.  He's learned to be considerate of others.  The James before would have never given up the Chaser position, yet these last few months, he's been playing Keeper since Christmas, so that Harry, Teddy, and Tessa could all be Chasers.  They've been practicing together for years and they are very good.  He's learned to acknowledge his mistakes and to learn from them . . . and apologize to others without being forced."

Lily broke in.  "The most important thing that he needed to learn was discipline.  When James allowed Harry to do whatever he wanted while at Potter Manor, it confused my son.  He had rules he has to follow here, but no rules at all while with James.  Harry's old enough to understand that rules are there for a reason and that when he breaks those rules, there are consequences.  Even Eric knows that if he breaks the rules, then he has to face the consequences.  So does Rosie. Harry is generally a very good child, but he needs consistency.    We were very willing to sit down with James and explain our rules and reasons for them so that Harry could have that consistency, but James didn't want to listen at all.  Now, after this year, he should be willing.  It . . . it's the only way that we'll go back to sharing custody of Harry with him."

"It was also tearing Harry apart that James was trying to make him choose between his two fathers," Severus added.  "I love Harry just as much as I love Eric and Rosie.  He's my child as much as they are.  Harry loves James just as much as he loves me and he shouldn't be forced to choose between us."

"We didn't have custody taken away from James to get back at him, Sirius.  We were doing what we feel is best for Harry," Lily told him.  "And if James shows us that he's willing to put Harry's needs above his own and to be Harry's father, then we'll be more than willing to talk joint custody again.  Harry needs him, but he needs him as a  father, not a friend or playmate."

Sirius sat there quietly, lost in thought as he stared into his tea cup.  Something else was bothering him, but he just couldn't bring himself to voice it.  To admit just how much he needed James' friendship and how worried he was that he would lose it.

"Black . . ." Severus said quietly, continuing when Sirius looked back up at him.  "You won't lose his friendship.  He may be changed, but that never will."

AKBAKBAKBAKB

October

On the lawn of Riddle Manor, Jamie played fetch with Sirius, in dog form.  Jamie was to be re-aged that night and had been nervous and restless all day, so Tom had contacted Sirius and suggested that three of them go to Riddle Manor for the afternoon to let Jamie play off some of his high spirits.  Sirius had been feeling rather restless himself and had agreed to go along.  He and Jamie had spent a couple of hours flying, but even they had grown bored with that after a while.

Padfoot caught the ball that Jamie threw in mid-air and brought it back over to the boy.  But rather than letting it go when Jamie tried to take it from him, he fought to keep it.  They played tug-of-war for several minutes before Jamie leapt on the large dog's back, giggling.  "Got you, Padfoot!"

They wrestled for a few more minutes, before Padfoot pinned Jamie to the ground. Jamie wrapped his arms around the dog.  "I'm scared, Padfoot," he whispered quietly.

Padfoot started licking the boy until he giggled, wiggling to get away from the big dog.

Tom stepped outside and called to his son.  It was time.

Jamie got up and started toward the house, stopping halfway there to turn back.  The big dog had changed back into Sirius.  Jamie ran back and wrapped his arms around the neck of the man still sitting on the ground.  "You'll always be my best friend," he whispered, running to Tom before the Animagus had a chance to react.

The Headmaster lifted his son into his arms, holding him close.  "It's time, Jamie."

The little boy nodded, resting his head on his father's shoulder.  "Will it hurt?"

"Some, but I'll hold you if you'd like."

"Yes, please."

Tom carried him upstairs and settled him on his bed, before handing him the potion that would re-age him.  Padfoot wandered into the room as Jamie took the potion, settling at the foot of the bed, his eyes never leaving his deaged friend as the boy climbed into his father's lap and closed his eyes as the potion took effect.

Tom continued to hold the boy he considered his son, as his body transformed back into an adult.  His heart broke as he listened to the cries that became whimpers as the body in his arms stretched back to its natural height.  It was almost like watching him grow up again, only this time in a matter of minutes instead of years.  And his father's heart ached for his son and the pain that the sudden aging was costing him.  At the foot of the bed, Padfoot whined and moved closer to his best friend, as if trying to take away his pain.  Tom reached over and scratched the dog between the ears.  "I know, Sirius.  Me too.  Me too."

Finally it was over, and James Potter was a twenty-eight year old adult once again, who stood up gingerly on legs that felt too long and awkward to him, blinking back tears as he gazed upon Tom and Sirius.