The Life that Never Lived ? (Chamber of Secrets)

THE WORST BIRTHDAY EVER

After dinner they all turned in for an early night. They were all eager to start Harry's second year the next morning. Remus and Sirius decided to stay over again, they most likely would until this whole thing was over with, not that anyone else had a problem with that.

Next morning saw Lily and Harry in the kitchen, Lily at the stove and Harry at the table, with the three other boys and the baby goofing off in the living room. Lily and Harry were talking about nothing, just enjoying each other's company.

The boys were still speculating what else had happened in their future, and making some notes on a bit of parchment so they wouldn't forget some of the details.

Then the alarm went off, signaling someone had just apparated onto their property.

They all reacted in an instant, Lily and Harry coming into the other room, while Remus quickly stuffed the parchment in between the sofa cushions.

James already had baby Harry in his lap, so he took hold of his other son's arm, and began toting them both upstairs.

"At least try to act normal-" he heard Lily telling them.

No sooner had they reached the upstairs landing than they could hear the front door opening. While James could guess who it was by the welcoming tones from his friends, they had all previously decided not to take any chances on Peter freaking out and doing something, so they'd come up with this plan.

Pushing the door to baby Harry's room open, James set his infant son down into his cradle, then used his wand to tap on a precise blank spot on the wall on the opposite side of the room.

A panel opened up, and James tossed the invisibility cloak to Harry, saying, "Stay out of sight no matter what, okay? You can take the cloak off when Remus comes to get you, and he's going to say the moment he steps in the room, 'Okay cub, who wants carrots?' Got it?"

Harry nodded quickly, throwing the cloak over himself. He kind of considered the use of a pass-code a bit extreme, but there was no time to argue the point. James paused for a moment to make doubly sure no bit of Harry could be seen, then he took his baby back up in his arms and made his way out of the room, cooing loudly to him.

Harry only lasted ten minutes in the room before the curiosity won out. Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, he made his way out of the baby's room, and crept down the stairs, stopping half way so he could just peek into the living room below.

Why he was doing this, he couldn't even explain fully to himself. It was a feeling though, the same one he had upon first meeting everyone in this house. Seeing his parents for the first time, he'd felt longing. He knew he had never met these people before, and he was eager to learn all he could about them now. Then after that initial feeling, it had faded to be replaced by his empty memories that were slowly being filled in.

With Remus and Sirius, it had been the same, but different. He felt sad. Not like he'd never met them before and wanted to, but like he had only known them briefly in his life and wanted to spend more time with them. Again, that feeling had faded, and he could only recall it when he stressed himself late last night lying in bed and trying to understand the jumble of his life.

This Peter, somehow he just knew he would have another feeling when he met him. He was hoping that his parents were wrong, and that one of his dad's old friends had survived, and Harry would meet him and feel a sense of connection to him like he had with his other two friends.

Then he laid eyes on the man.

Hatred. He had disliked Snape from the moment he'd heard his name, he did not like the Dursleys, but when he saw the profile of Peter Pettigrew, he felt a burning desire to curse him right there on the spot. Sadly, like meeting the others, the feeling faded away as soon as he recognized what it was, and he was left staring blankly at what could possibly be another uncle to him.