Harry Potter: Another Chance

Chapter 14: Back to School

Disclaimer: 
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
 
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
$Parseltongue$
 
Chapter 14: Back to School

 "I'm fine!" Harry had to raise his voice after his mother refused to let go of him for the past five minutes. 

"Lil, come on, let the boy breathe a bit," said James with amusement.

"I was so scared!" She cried.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Calm down, Mom, we are all fine. " Harry looked at his dad.
"Oh, I just recalled something!. Dad, where is my jacket?"

"Is inside the small wardrobe on the corner. Do you remember something else about the attack?" He asked while opening the dresser and taking his small jacket.

"Something like that." Harry extended his hand and grabbed the piece of clothing from his father.
Lily and James watched with attention, wondering what Harry could be looking for now.
They then saw him pulling out a fiery red feather from the inner picked.

"Ahh, good!, is still there!" Harry said with elation. 

"A Phoenix feather?" Lily was the first one to recognize the item in question.
"Not just a Phoenix feather…" He handed it to his mother.
"This is your wand core. I managed to retrieve it from the ground after your wand was burned and put it in my jacket."

"Well done, Harry! Exclaimed James.
"If you bring it to Olivander, I'm sure he can recreate your old wand with no problems." He told his wife.

Lily said nothing and just hugged her son again.

<><><><><><><>

After leaving the hospital, there was only a week left before it was time for school.

They celebrated Holly's birthday and Harry made sure to enjoy his time with his family as one would never know what the future held for them.

As the date approached, Harry wondered how different his first year at Hogwarts was going to be in this alternate reality.

Voldemort was alive, Neville was the boy who lived and his family was alive and he had two new sisters.

What else would be different?

<><><><><><><>

September 1st, King Cross station.

"Are you sure we are not forgetting anything?" Asked a worried Lily.

"I am sure, and you helped me pack, remember?" Said Harry, looking at the familiar train with increasing anticipation.

"Do you really have to leave?..." Holly looked at him with teary eyes.

During the last few weeks, the two of them have grown very close. Harry would often read her stories and they spent a lot of time together. 
Harry knelt next to her.
"I do, but it won't be for long. I'm coming back for Christmas, and I will write you letters every week, okay?" He used his finger to clean up the tears.

Holly sniffed and noted with reluctance and Lily picked her daughter up.

"Well, son." James patted him on the back.
"Remember, it doesn't matter what house you get sorted into we will be proud of you, no matter what."

"Of course we will, you don't h-" Lily was interrupted by James.

"Even if it is Slytherin!, although hopefully not." His father said the last part in a low voice.

Lily gave him a stern look.
"I'll remind you that one of my best friends was in that house."

James raised his hands up.
"Let us not start that argument again, I don't want to talk about that guy…"

"Well, you are going to see him again at some point, he is going to be one of Harry's teachers." Said Lily while James grumbled something they couldn't hear.

Harry looked at his sister, Lyra. She returned the look and nodded politely.
Their relationship has improved a lot from what it once was, but Harry knew that it was going to take more time to heal those wounds completely.

He offers her a sincere smile and a goodbye.

"Look, it's him! is the boy who lived!" 

A commotion started to break out as soon as Neville Longbottom arrived at the station.

Harry was not able to see Neville as he seemed to have been surrounded by a crowd of people.
'I wonder what kind of person has Neville become this time.'

The one he knew was still very clumsy and insecure at this point in time. 
His upbringing under Augusta Longbottom was not a pleasant one. The woman was hard and strict. 
She would push her grandson to his limits and constantly remind him that he was not as good as his father.

Both he and Neville had very harsh childhoods. But it was also this that gave them their humility and empathy. 

He looked at the crowd for a bit longer before deciding to move one. He would be seeing Neville later on in any case, and there would be plenty of opportunities to meet this new version of 'the boy who lived'. 

He finished his goodbyes to his family and embarked on the train. He wanted to get on one of the last train cars before it got too crowded.

As he walked through the hallway, he spotted some familiar faces. It a somewhat hard to recognize them while being this young, but he encounters Susan Bones, Seamus, and Lavander Brown.

"Where is he? Can you see it?"

Harry stopped.in front of one of the cabins? With an open door, he heard a familiar voice.
Inside it was a little boy with blonde hair. He was looking out of the window at the crow. 
Two burly boys were at his sides.

"I can't find it, there are too many people here!" said one of the big boys.

"You two are useless! Let me know when he enters the train." The blonde boy, who was a very young Draco Malfoy, sat down while frowning. 

Harry decided to move on before Malfoy saw him, he didn't want to deal with that little troublemaker at this moment.

He finally reached the very last cabin and looked inside. Only one person was sitting there, one that he remembered very well. A girl with crazy bushy hair was peacefully reading a thick book that was obviously not part of this year's curriculum.

Harry opened the door and she looked up from her book.
"May I sit here?." 

Little Hermione Granger smiled at him.
"Of course!"