What He Never Had

The Telepathy Sphere

*****

****Harry's POV****

Harry kicked hard in frustration. He hiccupped angrily.

"OW! James, I swear, your son it either trying to kick his way out of me, or he's practicing to be a beater one day! He's never kicked that hard before!" There was a slight pressure, and he got the impression of large hands moving him in rubbing motions. The voice, even though complaining, was light and caring, and the hands radiated love. Harry stopped kicking, curling himself up. Could it possible be-

"You okay, Lily?" this voice was different, deeper, and male. It radiated the same strange familiarity. Harry hiccupped. Lily and James- No.

The voice sounded in Harry's head abruptly.

It was a simple statement and Harry would have retorted angrily, but the second brain, the small, soulful, happy, unthinking, non-violent one, told him to be at peace, nothing was wrong-

Hiccup. Hiccup.

Hiccup.

The presence removed it self. Oh great. Now what?

Suddenly it hit Harry. Wow, I've gone back in time. I might even stay here until I'm born! Wow, that sounded weird. Hiccup. Blasted hiccups. They shook his whole body and jolted him out of his thoughts. Maybe I'll get to relive being a baby! Until- Until- The voice said that there is much to be done, or something like that. Hmmm. But if he changed something, wouldn't that also change the future? Or maybe- he had to do things so that things stay the same? It's possible that he had already gone back in time, and in the past changed things so that it would be possible for him to go back and keep things going right? He would make it possible for the other him, the peaceful one- baby Harry- he realized now, could later in life come back in time and do the same things that he was supposed to do now?

What if I make a mistake? Harry thought, hiccupping. I could kill my younger self and never exist and then Voldemort would take over the world, or something. But then the voice,(or voices perhaps, the voice had referred it itself as 'we') wouldn't have brought him back it time.

Well, Harry concluded, there was time to worry about that later, if he stayed long enough in his little body. He wasn't in a position, no pun intended, to do anything right now. If he did however, stay, then he could meet his parents! Truly, and stay with them, and have them love him.

The gentle pressure of the resting hands disappeared.

"James, there's someone at the door," the feminine voice- er, his mother called.

"GOT IT!" Sounds. "Sirius!" his father said joyfully. Sirius- of course, he was here too! Baby Harry, who seemed to be slowed merging with future Harry, reacted to his excitement and wriggled with joy. Wriggled? Harry thought. What am I doing-

"How are Lily and the baby?" Sirius asked.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's happy to see you!" Lily called. Laughter. Hey, I guess since I'm a baby I'm entitled to some things!

"So how are things," James asked Sir. "With Remus, and everybody?

"Full moon last night. Remus didn't feel up to coming with me, he was too tired. Dumbledore says that You-Know-Who hasn't been up to anything lately- but the spies say that he's plotting. He has some new information that he had been brooding and plotting over, which can't be good and what's the babies name."

"Sirius, have many timed have we told you, it's a surprise! You can't sneak it out of us either!"

"Aw, please? You already said I get to be the godfather! Let me in on your little secret! I won't tell anyone! Except for Moony, of course, and Dumbledore, and what's her name, my new blonde girlfriend- Marianne, that it, or something like that."

"Oh, great, NOW we're gonna tell you!" James said sarcastically.

"Oh- look, the fire's going green, someone's coming," Lily said cheerfully.

****Lily's POV****

Lily was cheerful on the outside, but on the inside, she was preoccupied. Her baby felt. . . different. Not wrong, because it was all alright, just different, in an almost good way. What was with that sudden vehement kicking fit a minute ago? He seemed upset. Well, as nothing seemed to be currently going wrong, she turned her attention to the fireplace, over Sirius's left shoulder. A figure burst forth, and they all turned around.

"Albus!" James was first to hug him, Sirius exchanged grins, and Dumbledore patted her on the belly. "Nice to see all is well, here, I hope?"

"Oh, yes, everything is absolutely fine." Lily beamed. "What brings you to our humble abode, Albus?" Her voice rising in question. What had Sirius said about Voldemort . . .?

Lily knew the man was after her husband and unborn child, though not even James, Dumbledore or Lily herself knew why. The spies had reported that You-Know-Who was practically obsessed with her pregnancy, and asked them every day if there was any news of a birth. All of the Aurors knew of this, and everyone was over paranoid when it came to her. Maybe, Voldemort knew something they didn't and wanted them on his side? They would never go to the dark side, never. Still, Voldemort tried- and if they ever had to deny him to his face, they would die.

Not my Harry! Never! She thought, and rubbed her belly, and the baby responded, pressing back. He could be born any day now . . . what would he look like? Would he look like James? Would James see him born? Would he see him grow up? What would happen if anything happened to James. . . or to me? I'm not going to think like that! Stop it, Lily!

"Nothing serious," Dumbledore assured them quickly, seeing Lily's stricken look. "I got this, a couple of days ago- were you aware, Lily, that you have a great aunt?"

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. "Auntie Camellia!" All dark thoughts were forgotten. "I haven't seen her in ages. She has this habit, of disappearing and then showing up again when you least expect it. She probably heard word of my pregnancy.

"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded, looking relieved. "I couldn't figure out what was inside, charmed wrapping paper, you see, and since it was addressed to you I didn't open it, after all, Hogwarts is the safest place in the world- Even for your mail!" he laughed.

He reached inside of his cloak, feeling for some pocket or another. "Here!" He pulled out a square box, wrapped in a shimmering, layered wrapping that appeared to by woven and compresses Acramantula web.

"Wow," she fingered it. "Look, there's a note! It says, 'Lily, dear, have faith. Wait for the signals, you will know what to do when the time comes. Protect Little Harry, but don't worry about him All things in life have a possible second chance. This is for you; it's a Telepathy sphere. All touching it will be able to shortly bond with the mind of all others touching it. It's not really very useful unless you're in a room when you don't want anyone to overhear you're conversation. It is also sometimes used with people who have had incurable strokes or are paralyzed and can't move their mouth. In some instances however, who will find that there are more thoughts than you thought there were.' And then she repeats, 'have faith,' and it is signed 'Camellia'."

"Protect Harry?" Then suddenly James turned white. "How did she know his name? We haven't told anyone!"

"Is that really his name?" Sirius asked, astonished. "How could she know something like that?"

"Strange," was all that Dumbledore said.

"Er, guys? Remember when I said she has strange habits? Well, what I really meant was, that she, well, she's Camellia Chant."

They gasped. "Camellia Chant? As in one of the only known true seers in the whole world?" James asked.

"Camellia Chant, as in that lady who wrote the Seven Prophecies and than spent a decade engraving them on the side of that mountain, the volcano one? Which they later broke off and moved it to become the west wall of Gringotts?" Sirius asked, jumping up and down in excitement. "So you think you could ask her to dedicate that to me, since I'm like, the best friend of the father of her, what is it, great, great, nephew? Please? I always thought that my name would look good on the bottom, you know? Right under the, 'through time and always, Camellia Chant?"

"Sirius!" James and Lily said at the same time. "Be quiet, okay?"

"How interesting. I've heard of those. Also known as a T.P. Sphere." Dumbledore had that strange smile on his face, the one that you never really think about until later and you wonder if Dumbledore knew what was going on the entire time.

"Aren't teepee's triangles? I mean cones?" Sirius asked, shaking the box.

"Give that back! You could break it!" Lily snatched it out of his grasp.

"So, she's a seer. Hmm, lets check out what this Telepathy Sphere thing is, then," James prompted, and Lily carefully unwrapped it, folding the paper. She was one of those people who saved nice wrapping paper. She had a whole box, in the garage, with little scribbling on the back, '16^th birthday, from Odette Anderson', and 'Engagement, James!'

She reached into the box and pulled out a round, cold object. It looked a lot like a crystal ball, but there was no obscure swirling mist, it was completely clear. Instead of being hard crystal, it gave a little to her touch, like a water balloon.

"Come on!" Sirius pulled them over to the sofa. "Lets all touch it!" They scooted in closer, Dumbledore on one side with James and Sirius on the other. Once they were all touching, strange warmth crept into their bones, and into their mind. The sphere began to glow a bit, and soft voices began to speak in Lily's head.

That one sounded distinctly like Sirius.

Obviously James.

she answered, sending her laughing voice through the small globe to the others.

Came a different voice. Wait- weren't there only four of them there?

They all asked at the same time.

Who was the other voice? Lily shifted her weight while Harry kicked a bit inside of her, hiccupping again . . .

****Harry's POV****

Harry was dreaming. He was sitting, no- crawling around under a land oak tree on a bare dirt hill.

Dang! I'm even a baby in my dreams! I can't even walk! Great, just great . . .

Something wiggled in the grass below him.

He wriggled closer to look. This crawling thing is harder than it looks!

It was a medium sized green snake. It looked up at him.

"Hello."

"Oh- hi!" Harry said back, surprised that he could talk.

The bright sunlight the shone everywhere was getting into his eyes, so he followed the snake back under the shade of the oak tree.

"Took you long enough," the snake grumbled, then whipped it diamond shaped head back around. "No, wait, aren't you here a bit early?!" He shook his head in disgust. "This is all Gabriel and Arlene's fault! They tricked me into this! Stupid warm-blooded creatures. No offense of course."

"Who are Gabriel and Arlene?" he asked. Baby Harry's mind took over for a second and he grabbed instinctively at the snakes tail.

"NO, NO, NO! Bad boy. Don't touch."

"Don't be such a grouch, Raphael. He's just a baby," said a different voice.

There was a sudden pressure on the back of his head, and he flipped over. The bird there hopped onto his stomach and looked into his eyes. The bird, obviously female from the voice, looked like a strange mix between a phoenix, a hawk, and a raven. It had the long shimmering tail and red feathers of the phoenix, with the head of a hawk and the large body and glossy feathers of a raven.

"Hello, there," she said kindly. "My name is Arlene, and this is Raphael. He's only pretending to not like you, he's just hiding the fact that he thinks your baby form is adorable. He had this thing about babies, you see, and he thinks it ruins his reputation."

"Oh." Harry couldn't think of anything else to say. She settled down on his stomach, and he stroked her feathers clumsily with one hand. Raphael grumbled in the back round.

"Who's Gabriel then?" Harry asked after a moment.

"I AM!" came a booming voice. The shade under the tree grew suddenly very hot, and there were flickers of flame in the corners of his eyes. He looked up. In front of him, a huge flying dragon came to the ground with a thump. His scales were pure black; an intense heat came from his mouth in burst of blue flame. Harry kicked back, and as he touched the bark of the tree trunk, he suddenly woke up-

came a chorus of voices.

Harry answered.

****Hermione's POV****

Back at Hogwarts, Harry's body lay motionless. Another day of classes was over, and the Ron and Hermione sat dejectedly on wither side of Harry's bed. Word had gotten out that Harry had gone catatonic, and wild speculations were spreading. Hermione squeezed Harry's hand, and as usual, there was no response. Outside of the infirmary, voices approached. Hermione listened, recognizing Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Dumbledore, I'm really getting worried. It's not just Harry, but this Death Eater business. Everyone knows that when Voldemort lies in wait he's plotting something . . ."

****Lily's POV****

Everybody's eyes widened as the voice responded.

Sirius said adamantly.

the voice retorted.

Lily was thinking. How was this possible? Only the people touching the sphere would be included in the conversation. But there was nobody else in contact with the sphere.

Dumbledore told them.

Lily thought.

James said excitedly. He was intrigued, Lily could tell.

Dumbledore added.

In the background, Sirius and the voice were still arguing.

James interjected.

"Uh . . .yeah, something like that.>

Silence.

James added.

Sirius sounded disappointed.

Silence. An Audible thought-gasp came through the sphere. To Lily, he seemed to be in shock.

Dumbledore explained.