Harry Potter and the Return of the Parents

Chapter 1 - Reawakening

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"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

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Two sets of eyes opened, and a long, piercing scream broke the deserted silence of King's Cross station. A pair of hazel eyes was found by a pair of green and the scream petered out, leaving only the faint gasping of the two figures that had appeared on the floor.

A woman's voice penetrated the still air once more.

"James. . . Oh, James." Lily Potter whispered, reaching out and drawing her husband to her, neither one noticing, nor caring, that they were naked. In the misty stillness around them, there was no-one to witness their desperate embrace, their bewildered ecstasy that they were somehow, amazingly, both still alive.

"James," Lily whispered once more, her voice, muffled though it was by her husband's embrace, still ringing clear as a bell in the hushed silence around them. "I heard. . . I thought you'd died!"

James rubbed comforting circles in the smooth skin of her back.

"Oh Lily," he replied, with equal reverence. "I'm so sorry; I couldn't hold him. I let you down. I let Harry –" There was a catch in his breath, and an ache in his voice too strong for Lily to bear. She shook her head, tears finally spilling over as she leaned in to kiss him, letting him know the only way she knew that he was not to blame. A tear and a kiss could not, however, dispel the ache that had settled in her own heart, and she let her head drop to his chest in despair.

"Harry," she croaked. "Harry, my precious boy" – she sniffed, and hid her face further, forehead pressing into his heart – "I couldn't save him James. I couldn't. . ." Her moans were interrupted by a sudden movement beneath her as James hastened upright, dislodging her head but keeping his arm firmly around her.

"He's not dead, you hear me?" he demanded authoritatively, conviction betrayed only slightly by the quiver in his voice. "We're okay, aren't we? And I, for one, was definitely hit by Avada." He ignored Lily's whimper, pressing on: "And I'm afraid you probably were too, Lils. If we survived, then there's no reason why Harry wouldn't have – it's not like there's anything worse that could have happened to him in that house." He didn't go on. As members of the Order of the Phoenix, both Potters knew there were a lot of worse things that could have happened to their son.

James stood up, scrunching his eyes against the brightness as he looked around, and Lily took the opportunity to wipe her eyes and regain her famous Evans composure. They needed to find out where they were, if they were to get home as soon as possible. The panic in her eyes was replaced by a steely determination, and she rose to join her husband.

"Alright," James began, seeing Lily beside him. "First things first, we need some clothes."

No sooner had he spoken than two sets of elegant wizarding robes appeared before them. Lily reached to pick a pair up, and as her fingers grazed the material she saw the clothes begin shrinking to her size. She looked over at James expectantly.

"Well," she urged, handing him a pair of his own, "put them on!"

A moment later the two were dressed, and had once again ground to a halt. They had no idea where they were.

The room in which they stood appeared to be a large, white atrium, that glowed with the pearly light filtering down through the large glass dome above their heads. The hall was filled with a thick white mist, which gathered at the threshold of their vision and obscured any edge to the room, making it appear infinite. Lily had a suspicion that, if they walked that way, they might find that it was. Around the room were scattered a few benches, and at regular intervals across the floor ran what appeared to be long tracks. Beside her, James gasped in surprise.

"It's a train station!" he exclaimed as platform signs sprung up all around, inventing themselves before their eyes. Lily felt her own eyes widen in recognition.

"Not just any old train station – James, I think we're at King's Cross!"

As usual, she was right. The room seemed to build itself around them, and in her mind's eye Lily saw once again the steaming, scarlet train on Platform Nine and Three quarters, and the jostling bodies fighting for space to board. She turned, smiling, to her husband, but was met by only a dismayed shaking of his head.

"When in Merlin's name did it look like this?" he asked, and Lily's smile faltered.

"I don't know", she muttered, "but that's definitely where we are." James nodded.

"So where do we go now?" Lily wondered aloud, and her husband's face grew thoughtful.

"How do we get out?" he asked the room at large, and in answer a large signpost materialised in front of them. Lily wondered briefly whether they were in the room of requirement – first the clothes, and now this – but didn't really believe it. After all, it wasn't as though they had called for a train station, and in any case they had been nowhere near Hogwarts.

James, meanwhile, had stepped towards the signpost, and was gazing at it in consternation. Lily followed his gaze. There were two signs. The first pointed to the left, and read 'Godric's Hollow'. The second, pointing to the right, said simply: 'Onwards'.

"I think we need to board a train," suggested Lily, and no sooner had the words left her mouth than the mist around them began to swirl once more. On the tracks now stood the large, red, Hogwarts Express of her memories, though admittedly quieter and more deserted than either of them had ever known it. The door directly in front of them opened, and, clasping each other's hands, the two Potters stepped up and on board. James looked at his wife, and saw the familiar determination still singing from her eyes. She caught his gaze in return and squeezed his hand, taking comfort from the feeling of his on hers.

"I think we need to tell it where to go," he whispered, and she nodded. Hand still clenched firmly in his, and still staring resolutely in his eyes, Lily opened her mouth and spoke the only destination that really mattered.

"Take me to my son."