What He Never Had

Root Imps

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

The rat! He's here! In MY house! Pretending to be a friend. Even if he's not evil yet. He has, lets see, a little more over a year before he betrays my parents, that...er...

Lily rubbed her hand in a soothing circular motion over his back. "Hush little baby . . . Its okay, everything is alright . . ."

Oh. I suppose I'm worrying her. Harry stopped crying, and they went for a short walk down the hall. James was waiting for them when they returned. "Peter left a couple of minutes ago. He had an appointment. Everything is all right?"

Lily nodded.

"Anyway, I was telling him about our mahogany table, remember it? It used to be in the living room. Guess what, it's completely gone. I searched everywhere. Every time I ask, the room goes quiet. They know more than they're telling. You wouldn't possibly know anything about that, would you?"

She paused. "Nope. Haven't seen it. Come on, let's go." She motioned with her hand for him to go through the door.

He backed up quickly. "No, no, no, you go first."

She looked at him, suspicious, and cautiously stepped through the door.

"SURPRISE!!"

The room they had left almost empty a few minutes earlier, was now filled with people. Party decorations had magically appeared in every corner, and a long bright banner with flashing colors was stretched across the room, 'Welcome, Harry!'.

"It's a surprise baby shower," James said softly in her ear.

"Wow! I am really surprised! Thanks Love." She gave him a one armed hug.

Yay! A baby shower . . . for me! What? Hey there's Mrs. Weasley! What's she doing here? She could be a friend of Mom, I suppose . . . Oh my god, that's Ron! Mrs. Weasley was carrying a miniature Ron look-alike, complete with smudge on nose, and near her feet bobbed two identical heads, covered with bright read tufts of hair. Harry looked closer. I wonder if they're just as bad at two . . . what's that expression again? Terrible twos, that's it . . . uh oh.

"Okay, all guys out," Mrs. Weasley announced gleefully.

James frowned. "Hey, that's not fair-"

"Very fair. Tradition, you see. No men allowed at baby showers." Lily grinned at him.

Samantha walked by, tugging Sirius out of the room. "Get out, you big oaf- help!" She yelped as Sirius grabbed her forearm and pulled her out of the room. Harry snickered very un-baby-like as he watched them leave over his mothers shoulder.

After the men left, a large blanket was spread out on the floor, and the younger ones set aside, while the women gathered around. Which was extremely annoying. Whose party is this, anyway? The banner says HARRY on it, obviously you've all forgotten who that is-

"Look, I found a go-cart!" Nadine called from the corner.

"Maybe it's a gift for Harry, you know, in a couple of years. Nice dragons, or whatever those are. Hey! Who's present is the go-cart?" Lily called out to the room. They looked on in silence. "Okay... nobody, must've been one of the guys. Probably Sirius... a go-cart, honestly." And with that, James's grandmother's priceless heirloom mahogany table/go-cart was put with the other presents.

Oh. Well now it's my priceless mahogany table, uh, go-cart.

"Look." Fred, er, George, was standing over him suddenly.

"Baby," George explained to his brother. "Ooh, look, knut!" he picked up a coin near Harry's foot. The other one looked speculatively at Harry.

"Maybe." The first one agreed.

Wait... What?!

Fred lifted Harry under the arms, and he walked off, George in tow.

Wait just a second... oh, alright then.

George opened the door for him, and they left, silent and unnoticed. Hmm. This is probably a really bad idea.

They wandered for a while, before Fred got tired of dragging Harry, and they took the next door. It was a bathroom. The waddled in, preparing to settle down on the floor. Suddenly, as they stood next to the bathtub, it sunk in the floor, revealing a slide.

"Slide!" George exclaimed, pointing.

Why is there a SLIDE in the bathroom? Harry wondered, bewildered.

The three of them approached the slide, and sat down, pushing off.

A guest could, of course, be taking a shower, and then... WHOOSH! The floor disappears, sending you-

They tumbled down, landing on the grass in the middle of the back lawn. Hey! That's no way to treat a guest! Though...There is some humor in it, I suppose . . .

"Look!" Fred/George pointed. Near them was a huge oak tree, similar to Harry's dream illusion one. Among the roots scrambled multitudes of little people, carrying little bags, on the move. They looked suspiciously like a picture Harry had once seen in Lockhart's Defense Against the Darks Arts' class, imps. Root imps, to be specific, pesky little mischievous people, who got into everything, and also can be territorially ferocious when protecting their home and kin . . .

"Root Imps!" Harry exclaimed.

Wait, 'Harry exclaimed' . . .? He clapped his hand over his mouth. I didn't know I could talk! I'm supposed to be a baby!

But it was too late, he had attracted the Root Imps' attentions, and all their little faces were now pointed toward him. Swiftly making the situation worse, Fred grabbed a root imp in his fist and scampered back up the slide, pushing Harry up in front of himself. Help! I'm being abused . . . Crap!

Thousands upon thousands of root imps were pouring forth from the bathtub, tumbling over the rim, and passing Harry by, rushing into the house. Fred dropped his imp, who disappeared among the others. Little feet scampered all over Harry in the rush to explore the new land.

That's not good.

****Down, down, in the kitchen-****

Hollow thumping noises were coming from the oven, and a muffled voice suddenly accompanied them.

"What did you say? 'Wait, don't-' . . .what? Don't what? Hey, Samantha, where am I? Where's this hidden room you were talking about? Samantha, that's not fair! Hey? Hey! Anybody . . ."

Sirius was stuck in a very small, dark box, and nobody seemed to be able hear him.

Now I'm pissed off! Sirius slammed his fist against the floor.

****James's POV****

After organizing a beautiful baby shower, I'm not even allowed to be there! James was kicked out, again. He sat in his study staring at the same page for five minutes. He lay down his book and walked out into the hall. Peeking wouldn't hurt, would it?

Suddenly, a whole river of little people swept past him, almost knocking off his feet. They barely parted for his feet in the middle. INFESTATION! Ahhhhhh! NOOOO! Not right now, not right now, not right now...

He followed the stragglers back to the quite empty guest bathroom, where something had tipped off the bathtub. Great, just great. Gramps always had the weirdest sense of humor ... Though I'm still not quite sure which guests he was planning on using this one on. Well, I'll just close it from the outside, and come back through the front door. James slid down, and pushed the section of wall back up. It locked with a click.

He turned around, and headed back through some bushes toward the driveway. Something caught his eye. There, at the top of a pine tree, right on the edge of the grounds, was . . .

Grandma's mahogany table! Damn that Sirius. It was just like him to put it on top of a tree.

He headed towards it, and stopped. What if it was some kind of Death Eater trick? No wait, that was just stupid, what kind of moron Death Eater would lure him out with a table? They wouldn't be able to get it from his house, anyway. And it was safe to go after; Sirius wouldn't put it outside the wards, which were around the fence line. James continued.

"Reducio," he ordered to the tree, and it shrunk down to waist height. He grabbed at the table, but it disappeared, leaving in his had an oddly shaped stick.

Huh? James shook his hand but the stick didn't come off. He felt a familiar tugging, and his feet left the ground . . .

Portkey.

James landed in a black cavern. An eerie familiar voice piped up in the semidarkness.

"I told you! I was faithful to you, My Lord! See, I brought him, James Potter!"

Silence.

"You have pleased me, Wormtail . . ."

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

Where's Harry?

CRACK. Lotta the house elf tugged at her hand urgently. "Mistress Lily, Mistress Lily, there's some people at the door asking to see Harry..."

Oh, there he is, over there on the blanket next to the Weasley twins. What were their names again? Fred and George, that's it.

Lily turned back to Lotta, recalling what she had said. Déjà vu?

Lily shook her head, after picking up her son, who had a very cute worried expression on his face, and went to the door. Everything was okay, they were behind the wards. But who would be at the door?

She walked into the front hall, where some people in white robes with expressionless faces waited. Where had she seen something like that before . . .?

"So, this is Harry. May be see him for a second?"

It clicked. "Oh, did Camellia send you?"

"Actually no, through we are associates of hers." One of the men reached out his hand and gently touched Harry's head. There was a flash of light, and he withdrew his hand. He nodded with satisfaction, and the others smiled. "We shall be off now." They walked away, and Lily stared after them, confused, before closing the door behind.

What was that all about? Lily turned around, and Camellia suddenly leaped for the shadows.

"Ahh- oh, Auntie Camellia don't scare me like-"

"They don't know," Camellia interrupted. "They don't remember, their minds are not focused on the right time period. They don't remember their future pasts completing the move." She shook her hands urgently while she babbled.

Harry jerked in her arms, and she stroked the top of his head.

"What are you talking about?" Lily raised an eyebrow. Hey, seers are supposed to be mentally unstable.

"Do you remember the note I gave you, with the Telepathy Sphere?"

Lily nodded. About time she cracked, I guess.

"Now is the time, child, now is the time!" she insisted. "Can't you feel it? Now, listen to me girl, and listen closely. There is much to be done." She leaned in close. "The Evans' weren't related to you."

What?

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wondered, my Lily, why I'm a witch and the Evans' are muggles?"

Lily stared blankly. Why HAVEN'T I ever thought of that? It makes no sense!

"The Evans' weren't your real parents. Your real mother died while living among faeries, and as traditional with all orphans, you became a Changeling Child. Remember when I said I got the Elven protection spell from my sister's grandmother in law? That's because the man that my sister married was elven . . . I did some research, and discovered he was half faerie as well. They had a son, who went and married a banshee. He got killed in a rockslide accident; just about the same time you were born. They were living with his grandmother in a faerie winter camp at the time, and as custom there, all orphans are switched with humans into normal families. Ever felt the sudden need to sing, or just wail? How about your infant son's ability to knock out an enemy from several feet away just with his voice? That's banshee blood."

Lily stared.

Umm.

Camellia was working herself into a frenzy. "NOW IS THE TIME! Listen to me, James had been taken by Voldemort!"

"What!?" Lily's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"You can save him, Lily, if you go now."

Lily nodded vigorously. The situation became horribly clear.

"You can't rescue him alone. You wouldn't stand a chance. Here, I have this for you. It's a list of your relatives, your real relatives, and where to find them. The faeries, the elves, the banshees, they will welcome you. You have to convince them to help you. Go! NOW!" she thrust a piece of paper in Lily's hand, and ran out the door, disappearing.

James . . . she thought forlornly. A sudden calmness and clarity came over her. I will save my husband. James will come back, and he will raise his son!

There was a fireplace in the kitchen. Without packing or taking anything with her, she walked there. Strange banging noises echoed through the kitchen, but she ignored them, striding up to the fire. There was a small tub of floo in one of the cupboards, and she quickly lit a fire, casting a cloud of green powder.

There was a soft whine. She turned around, seeing Fury forlornly looking up at her. Shifting Harry to one arm, she squatted down, lifting the gryphon's face up too look her right in the eyes. "Fury," she said softly and firmly. "I will be back soon. Take good care of Harry while I'm gone." Briefly, she remembered Sirius explaining the invisible collar to Samantha. She loosened it, and flipped it over, Fury disappeared before her eyes. Lily felt in the air, before finding Fury and getting a good grip on the scruff of her neck.

"There's only one place where he'll truly be safe," she murmured, tossing in the Floo.

"Hogsmead!"

****Severus Snape's POV*****

Professor Snape was sulking in one of the booths in Madame Rosmerta's. Yet another expulsion request had been turned down. What respect would a professor get without expelling at least seven people? He watched sulkily as the fire turned green. Great, someone's coming. Fine, as long as it isn't another professor. He was alone at his table, and he'd like to keep it that way.

A disheveled looking woman burst from the flames, carrying a baby. Around the room, heads turned to watch, curious. Severus peered closer, trying to discern whom it might be.

Lily? Lily Evans? Or should he say, Potter. The little brat must be James's son. Just fantastic, exactly what I need, another Potter. What is she doing here anyway?

Severus hadn't seen her since seventh year- definitely not since he had become a professor. She had been a nice enough girl, he wondered why she had married James.

She looked a bit disoriented, unclenching her fingers in an odd, releasing motion. "I need a professor! A Hogwarts' Professor!" she cried urgently. All heads turned toward Severus. Her eyes landed on him.

"Severus!" Suddenly the baby was thrust into his arms. She leaned closer and whispered furiously, shaking his shoulder. "Here, take Harry. Bring him to Dumbledore. And be careful, it's not safe. Voldemort is after him! I'll be back, he just needs to be safe!" she ran back, showered the flames with Floo powder, and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. She quietly read something off and disappeared.

"Hey," he called a second later. "What?"

He looked down at the baby that had suddenly appeared in his arms. The Potter baby. Who was looking up at him with what he could swear was dislike.

Oh, crap.

****End of Chapter****