Nearly Perfect

Nearly Perfect

Harry fidgeted with the handlebar of his trolley as he watched his father and godfather speaking in hushed voices a few feet away, beside the platform entrance. He then felt his mother's hand on his shoulder as she bent down to tell him he just had to run straight at the barrier - she would be with him in a manner of seconds. She promised.

He nodded silently and stepped forward, leaving Lily's hand hanging in mid-air. At first he just walked towards the barrier, but as he got closer, he began to run; he closed his eyes and headed straight into the wall...and through. He opened his eyes again and was staring at a fantastic, scarlet locomotive. There were people everywhere, hurrying around with bags in tow. He was stunned into silence at the vastness of the track, the newness of Platform 9¾. After he took a moment to gather it all in, he turned around to find his mother. She smiled brightly at his surprise.

"C'mon now, Harry, or we'll miss the train," she said cheerily, tugging his hand in a firm sort of way.

"What about dad and Uncle Sirius?" Harry asked, looking around her at the wall.

"They'll be here in a moment," she replied.

Sure enough, as Harry and Lily were walking towards the train, James' hand slipped into Lily's, and Sirius' hands thumped on his godson's shoulders in an attempt to scare him. It worked, making Harry jump at the sudden contact, and he made a tiny gasp as Sirius barked out laughing. His hair was tousled and Sirius smiled down at him fondly.

"You ready for your first year at Hogwarts, Harry?" he asked, adjusting to the small boy's strides to keep in step with him. "Gonna knock the teachers dead with shock, you will."

"Because he can charm already?" asked Lily with one eyebrow raised.

"No, no," said Sirius, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Because of how well he can charm."

James smiled down satisfactorily. "He'll blow them away. Perhaps literally, eh, Harry?"

The boy broke into laughter but quickly stifled the noise when he saw his mother give his father a hard elbow to the ribs. Sirius snorted.

"Don't worry about your mother," he whispered, bending down to reach his ear. "She just doesn't want you to become popular like your old man...and, of course, yours truly." He winked.

"Sirius Black, what kind of wicked ideas are you putting in my son's head?" Lily was staring at the both of them, her eyes narrowed.

"How come you always think my ideas are wicked? I could've been telling Harry that I wanted him to do good in school and never to cheat or annoy any of his teachers..."

Lily and James stared at him. Harry joined them.

"And when that happens, I'll be waiting in a bomb shelter for the world to explode," said James, smiling broadly at the intensity for which his best friend had to hold his tongue.

"Once Harry's on the train," Sirius said, pointing a finger at his offender, "you're gonna get a piece of my mind."

"No, don't give it away. You haven't got much left, with all the rest rotting away in there."

"I'm about to hex you, and I don't care if children are present. Harry," he said sternly, "close your eyes."

Lily and Harry were the only things separating the two quarrelling mates and, by this time, Harry was no help since he was laughing and covering his eyes with one hand. The trolley almost lost control with only one hand to guide it along, veering off in front of Sirius. He quickly grasped it with both hands and steered it straight again.

"Be careful. Driving blind, I ask you..."

They all cracked smiles at this - even Lily, who had managed to stay somewhat stolid throughout the entire trip.

"Neville!" Harry called as he spotted his best mate, Neville Longbottom, heading down the platform in front of his parents.

"Hey Harry!" he shouted back, but his parents, though waving and smiling at the Potters in turn, headed in the opposite direction where the Hogwarts Express was being loaded. He waved and yelled, "See you on the train!"

Harry waved back and then spotted the Weasley caravan, to whom his parents and Sirius waved. He had made friends with their youngest boy, Ron, but they were too busy to visit often being as they had six children to take care of. Harry waved and Ron waved back, but they too were headed for the train.

"You'd best be going, Harry," James said, holding out a hand to indicate he should stop his trolley.

Once he stopped and turned to face his parents, he noticed his mother was crying. "We'll miss you," she said between sobs, and James put an arm around her.

"Don't be like that. He's just going to school. It's not the end of the world."

"Actually..." Sirius made an 'oof' sound as he was knocked in the stomach by a concealed balled-up fist. He patted Harry on the back, and the boy nearly ran into his arms.

"Don't make too much trouble--oh, who am I kidding?" he asked earnestly, hugging him tightly. "Drive 'em batty."

Next he hugged his father, who whispered to him, "Don't set Whiskers on fire again. Your mum's still upset about her precious cat's tail."

"But that was four years ago!" said Harry, incredulous.

James shrugged and stepped back to let Lily smother him, of which she did quite a good job. After he was covered in his mother's tears and lipstick, he asked where Uncle Remus and Peter were. Apparently they had stayed in Godric's Hollow to baby-sit Amelia. Harry didn't blame them for wanting back up. His little sister was two handfuls.

Harry grinned. "I'll see you at Christmas," he said and, glancing behind him as he went, trailed off into the crowd of bustling students getting onto the train. They waved until he was in the compartment with Neville and a few other first year students. He rolled down the window and yelled out, "I'll write you, Mum!"

Smirking, Sirius shouted over the train engine, "You mustn't tell lies, Harry!"

* * *

Harry Potter woke up with a start, his jaw aching with the uncomfortable feeling of lying on his fist throughout the night. He looked around the room, letting the maroon- and gold-colored walls tell him that he was once again back at school. Sunlight shown through the window and he blinked at its brightness.

He looked down at the parchment on the table before him and realized he had only completed the introduction of his Charms essay. He would have to enlist the help of Hermione if he wanted to get any credit for it. He obviously didn't know the material.

On the common room desk he spotted his groggy face looking up at him from within a mirror, the phrase 'I must not tell lies' engraved across his jaw line. He rubbed his skin furiously with his hand until the marks faded away. Then, he drew in a deep breath and tried to clear his mind of the perfect dream that had just drowned his mind in agony. He lifted two fingers subconsciously to the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and jumped at the footfalls he was suddenly aware of.

"What's up?" asked Ron. Then with a little more concern, "It's not your scar, is it?"

Harry shook his head, his mess of tangled hair following the movement. "No, I was just... I'm fine."

"Good. You had me worried there for a second. It's not supposed to hurt anymore, right?" Ron took a whiff of the air and his nose wrinkled. "Merlin's pants, Harry, you'd better take a shower before you go down for breakfast. No offense, mate." There was a slight nod in response. "Is that your essay?" Another lazy nod. "Don't worry about it. I'll get Hermione to do it for you."

He was assured. "Thanks, Ron," he said, heading off to the bathrooms. As the ice cold water rushed over his body, he grinned slightly at the thought of beginning another day to his nearly perfect life.