A second chance at life

James slumped onto the couch, stunned.

"She left," he whispered in shock.

Remus hugged him in silence, afraid that now James would blame Harry for his wife leaving.

James reached for the phone.

"Getting to know him is all I have left for now," he whispered. "Let's continue."

He continued and stopped after a few seconds, looking at his friend questioningly.

"I guess being a bad boy by the Dursleys means he didn't do all his chores fast enough," Remus explained in a whisper, not looking James in the eyes.

They continued to listen. Now that Harry wasn't there and James wasn't mesmerized by his face he gave his full attention to the words. His lips began to quiver when he heard about the oversized clothes, and when Harry discovered that his parents hadn't died in a car accident tears began to fall down his cheeks. He smiled proudly that Harry wasn't fazed by class differences, and buried his face in Remus' shirt when he had to continue doing his chores.

"He was so excited that he got a bedroom that he didn't mind them not giving him food," he choked.

Remus stroked his hair, tearful.

James squeaked excitedly when Harry managed to convince the sorting hat to put him in Gryffindor but burst into tears when he heard the list of the basic things that Harry didn't know until got to school. When Harry moved on to the summer break between first and second years James stopped the recording.

"What happened there? He barely explained what happened. How did Voldemort get there?" His voice trembled.

Remus told him in a quiet, tearful voice, and James cried in horror and pain that he wasn't there. They continued to listen, and Remus explained and elaborated on everything that Harry had summarized.

At some point James was no longer surprised by anything. He winced in terror, sadness or rage now and then, but his crying was now quiet and steady. When they finished the recording it was already three in the morning and James yawned.

"At least he has the map and the cloak," he tried to console himself, his voice hoarse from crying. "the things I wanted him the most to have at school," he laughed.

Remus laughed and stood up.

"Come wash your face," he ordered. "we're going to sleep."

An exhausted James dragged himself after Remus and let him wash his face, smiling at the memory of Remus taking care of them when Sirius and him were drunk. Remus' alcohol tolerance was always higher thanks to his Lycanthropy. He used to thank the universe for that, but in the past eighteen years he wished it was lower. They went up to Sirius' room to find him still awake, caressing Harry's face again and again.

"Padfoot," whispered Remus.

Sirius straightened up.

"I promised him that I would stay with him until I go to sleep," he reminded them.

Remus huffed impatiently.

"And that's what we're doing. Come on," he stepped towards the bed.

Sirius kissed Harry's cheek and stood up. Remus ruffled Harry's hair, waiting for Sirius to stretch, and they left.

James clung to Sirius.

"Lily went to Merlin and Dorcas, to find herself," he told him miserably.

Sirius' eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry, Prongs," he whispered sadly.

The three got ready for bed and sat on James' bed.

"I'm in the middle," James called.

Remus and Sirius burst out laughing.

"I'm in the middle," Sirius protested. "I am your best friend, and your boyfriend. It's clear that you both want me next to you."

James shoved him jokingly.

"You're taking the best friend's privileges too far. You both missed me for years. And this is my bed so I decide."

Remus made himself comfortable in the middle of the bed.

"I missed you both," he said quietly, tears of pain filling his eyes. "I just want to feel you both."

Sirius and James fell silent. They lay down on either side of him and hugged him. Remus started to cry and his friends joined him, feeling horrible for leaving him. Sirius fell asleep first, James followed, then Remus. About an hour later they were awakened by a scream. The three of them sat up, exchanging glances.

"What was that?" James asked tiredly.

Remus suddenly remembered what happened and hugged James fiercely, and his friends rubbed his back, still looking around in confusion.

Another scream was heard, and Sirius recognized Harry's voice.

"Harry," he jumped out of bed, grabbed his wand and ran. James and Remus broke apart and ran after him with wands drawn.

They broke into the room where Harry was sleeping and found him asleep in bed, thrashing and crying. He writhed and screamed again, in pain, then let go of his body with a pained sob.

"He's dreaming he's being tortured," whispered James.

Sirius approached the bed carefully, leaving his wand in James' hand. He waited a moment, then grabbed Harry in a tight hug.

Harry fought to free himself from his grip, screaming in terror.

"Shh...everything's okay Harry," Sirius said in a soothing voice. "I'm here. No one will hurt you anymore. You are safe, Prongslet."

Harry's back arched again with a horrible scream, and Sirius tightened his grip on him.

"Prongslet," he cried, raising his voice. "You are safe, kid, everything's OK. You're ok, baby!"

Harry awoke suddenly and collapsed into agonized sobs, panting and mumbling broken syllables.

Sirius held him, running his hand through his hair.

James turned around.

"He won't want me to be here," he whispered, trying to cover up his wet face with a matter-of-fact voice.

Remus caught his hand and made him stay in his place.

"I told you to stop being afraid of him.  You're friends, and he needs support now," he said.

Remus sat down next to Sirius, wrapping his arm around his shoulders, and his other arm on Harry's shaking back. James sat down on Sirius' other side and held his son's hand as Sirius rocked Harry gently.

"Shh... Prongslet, everything's fine," he said reassuringly. "I love you. OK? You're safe, Bambi."

Harry's crying slowly subsided and he fell asleep again. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sirius moved.

"He's fine," he whispered. "Let's go back to sleep."

He laid Harry down, covered him tenderly, dried his cheeks gently and stood up. He left the room door open.

"If something happens, I'd rather we hear more quickly," he explained quietly to his friends.

They had barely entered their room when they heard a faint whimper. They hurried back to Harry, who was tossing and turning in his sleep again.

"I'm staying here with him," Sirius decided. "go to sleep. I will see you in the morning."

Sirius gently woke Harry up.

"You're having nightmares," he whispered.

"Sirius," Harry began to cry.

Sirius sat on the bed with his back to the wall.

"Come here, Prongslet," he ordered.

Harry clambered to his lap and inhaled his scent, slowly relaxing.

Sirius cradled Harry in his arms.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered in his ear.

Harry fell asleep almost immediately, and Sirius fought himself to keep his eyes open. Earlier when he did it he was successful, but now he was way too tired. He slowly fell asleep, only waking up when Harry started stirring in his arms.

The room was filled with light and Sirius smiled fondly at Harry.

"Good morning, kiddo," he yawned.

Harry shifted in his place, curling up comfortably.

"I don't know about morning..." he chuckled. "It's three pm already."

Sirius laughed and kissed his forehead.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Harry shrugged.

"I'm good. I have you, and Moony, and James. My life is almost perfect."

Sirius frowned.

"What about Lily?" he asked quietly, knowing that he was in a position where he was allowed to ask Harry such a question.

Something crossed Harry's face.

"I feel like she wants her baby. She doesn't like the fact that I'm eighteen," he admitted. "It's like I'm a stranger, trying to take her baby's place in her heart."

Sirius hugged him sadly.

"She's confused," he explained. "I'm sorry, Bambi. And you're right. She left last night. She went to her friends to find herself."

Harry opened his eyes.

"But... but James," he exclaimed. "How could she do this to him?"

Sirius kissed him again.

"It's nice that you care about him," he said quietly. "I don't know what to answer you."

Harry hugged him briefly and stood up.

"Are you coming to eat?" he asked.

Sirius stretched his arms and smiled.

"I'm coming."

They got ready and went downstairs to find James and Remus sitting together on the couch, eating salad from a huge bowl and talking.

"Hey." Remus stood up. He patted Harry on the back and kissed Sirius.

"When did you get up?" Sirius asked. "And why didn't you wake us up?"

Remus buried his face in Sirius' neck, inhaling deeply.

"We got up less than an hour ago," he answered as he raised his head. "We wanted to wake you up but you were so cute. So we took a picture and left you there." he handed Harry his phone. "your phone is almost dead."

Harry opened the camera roll and smiled. He showed Sirius their picture.

"I look like a baby," he said awkwardly.

Sirius ruffled his hair affectionately.

"You're my baby," he joked.

Harry pushed him away with a laugh, then hugged him.

"True," he admitted.

He went to the couch and sat next to James.

"Hey," he smiled.

James returned a hesitant smile.

"Good morning."

Harry grabbed one of the forks and took a bite. James smiled in surprise and continued eating.

Remus and Sirius sat down on an armchair and started making out.

After a few calm minutes all that could be heard were vegetables crunching from the Potters, and kisses from the couple, Harry dropped his fork.

"Should I continue?" suggested.

Remus and Sirius broke apart.

"I'm not sure how smart that is," Sirius said. "I think we'll at least try to be positive at..." he was cut off as Remus bit his neck "...at least at the beginning of the day."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"OK. Oh, James." he turned to his father. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "If I hadn't been here Lily wouldn't have left. I'm really sorry."

James' eyes filled with tears.

"It's not because of you," he said hoarsely. "She specifically said it wasn't because of you. She's just shocked that she's suddenly eighteen years into the future."

Harry exhaled slightly.

"I'm glad to hear," he admitted tearfully.

James hesitated a moment before hugging him and Harry melted into the hug, returning it without hesitation. Sirius and Remus looked at them, tearful. A sound came from Harry's pocket and they parted. Harry took out his phone, hastily wiping his cheeks. He answered the call.

"Hey babe, my phone is about to die. I need a portable charger," he was silent for a moment, listening to the instructions. "Thanks Babe, I'll call when I can. I love you, bye."

Sirius and James looked at him with undisguised excitement, Sirius actually jumping in his place. Harry rolled his eyes and took out his wand, creating a portable charger and plugging in the phone.

"Who is she?" Sirius asked urgently.

Harry didn't answer, wondering how to tell them. After a few seconds Remus couldn't help himself.

"Weasley's youngest, Ginny," he said. "They are such a cute couple."

Sirius looked at James and they giggled, as excited as two teenage girls.

Harry laughed.

"We actually broke up," he said.

The two turned sharply to him.

"So who were you talking to?" James urged him. "Wait, no. Why did you break up if you were cute?"

Harry bit his lip.

"We are still really good friends. When we went out, everything was fine until we tried to fuck," he blushed flaming red, "I can't believe I'm telling...all the adults I actually care about in my life about my sex life," he muttered nervously, "but I want you to understand that it's real. That I'm not just being stupid. So we decided to move to the next stage and it was the most embarrassing thing in my life, because both of us, as soon as we saw each other naked, were so turned off..."

Sirius interrupted him suddenly.

"Remus had the same," he exclaimed. "Oh, sorry, go on."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"And that's how we both realized that she's lesbian and I'm gay," he stared at his knees.

A second later Sirius was on his knees at Harry's feet.

"You do realize you're talking to a gay couple and their best friend, right?" He asked earnestly. "No one in the world will accept you more than us."

Harry shook his head desperately.

"But that means I... won't have children... and the bloodline will end with me," he choked.

Sirius and James hugged him, and Remus moved closer to them and hugged him too.

"That's not what it means," said James. "it means you've found yourself. Partially, at least. And if you choose not to have children, that's fine, because it's your choice, and you have to do what's best for you."

Relieved tears filled Harry's eyes. After a few minutes he calmed down and wiped his cheeks.

"We love you, Prongslet," Sirius said seriously, looking into his eyes.

"No matter what you do we will love you," Remus agreed.

James put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Because you are our little Bambi," he finished.

Harry was still stressed.

"After the war they added another year to Hogwarts because everyone lost a year of studies, and in the last six months the eighth year was very united, all the houses. The Death Eaters were shipped off to Azkaban, and everyone who stayed - even from Slytherin - made an effort to overcome the stupid rivalry between the houses," his voice trembled. "My boyfriend is...he's a Slytherin."

The three hugged him again.

"And we're proud of you for being mature enough to end that stupid rivalry," Remus clarified calmly. "What's his name?"

Harry swallowed, shaking uncontrollably.

"D...Draco Malfoy," he whispered almost inaudibly.

A moment of shock.

Remus took Sirius and James off Harry and cupped his face with both his hands, looking into his eyes.

"Does he make you happy?" he asked, worried.

Harry nodded, soft love filling his eyes.

Remus, James and Sirius' hearts melted as they saw the emotion in his eyes.

"So we're happy you're with him. And we're dying to meet him," Remus said simply, kissing Harry's forehead and moving back to his seat.

Sirius sat down next to Harry.

"I imagine that something happened that made him stop being a bully," he said. "Want to tell us?"

Tears came to Harry's eyes.

"Voldemort and the Death Eaters lived with them for three years," he said. "and in the holiday between the fourth and fifth year, when he came out of the closet to his parents, his father told Voldemort, and every night Lucius raped him after Voldemort tortured him. And since then every time he came home they did it to him, even after Lucius went to Azkaban Voldemort continued torturing him. In our sixth year Voldemort forced him to kill Dumbledore. In the end Snape did it, but Draco was already broken. When I was captured and brought to the manor Draco saved my life, and in the last battle, when it was clear that whoever was on our side would be killed, he switched to our side. He had long and difficult hearings, but he really proved his loyalty. He never wanted to be a Death Eater. Until now I have to heal his arm every few days because he scratches the mark endlessly." his voice broke.

Sirius' breath hitched suddenly, and Harry looked at him in confusion.

"I'm so happy for you," Sirius whispered in his ear.

Harry waved him away.

"I know you well enough, Pads," he said reproachfully. "what did you suddenly remember?"

Sirius lowered his head.

"Regulus. My little brother."

Harry put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you remember telling me he chickened out and Voldemort killed him? That's not what happened," he said.

The three looked at him in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

"Do you know what Horcruxes are?" He asked.

They nodded.

"So he found out that this was how Voldemort made sure he didn't die. He also found out where one of them was. It was inside a cave that one wizard and a child or house elf could enter. Inside the cave was water with inferi, and in the middle was an island with a bowl on it with a potion that causes hallucinations and thirst, and under the potion was the Horcrux. So he took Kreacher with him, and made Kreacher swear to destroy the Horcruxes and not tell anyone alive. Then he drank the potion himself, and went to the water, to drink, and the Inferi dragged him under the water. Kreacher took the locket and tried to destroy it without success until I found out about it and took the locket and destroyed the horcrux."

Sirius held Harry's hand, listening eagerly, his lips trembling. His head rested on Remus' stomach, as he was standing next to him and stroking his hair.

James sniffled.

"Pads, what if he's back too?" He raised the question.

Sirius straightened suddenly.

"Harry, do you think he's back?" He almost begged.

Harry's eyes widened and he nodded his head.

"He should be back," he agreed. "Let's go. But you have to prepare to fight Inferi to reach him."

Sirius hugged Harry tightly.

"I love you so much," he cried. "Thank you, Bambi."

Remus and James grabbed Harry's hands and he disapparated to the cave.

Sirius wiped his face, they pulled out their wands, and entered the cave. Five minutes of a silent fight with the dead passed, and they won. They swam to the other side quickly, wondering why they couldn't see Regulus. They got to the island and saw a trembling sleeping figure folded on the floor.

"Regulus?"  Sirius asked gently, not wanting to scare his brother.

Regulus woke up, saw them, whimpered in terror and curled up into a ball.

Sirius forced back his tears and Harry put a hand on his arm.

"You don't look like how he remembers you. wait outside. If I really look like James he'll think I'm him," he ordered.

"Why can't I just talk to him?" James wondered in a whisper.

"Because you don't know yet exactly what happened. I know what to explain to him," Harry answered somewhat impatiently. "Come on, go."

The three swam back to the other side, and Harry knelt next to Regulus. The latter glanced at him and relaxed a little.

"James," he exclaimed in relief. "how did you know to save me?"

Harry sat down with his legs crossed.

"I didn't save you," he replied quietly. "Voldemort died, and because he did the war return spell thing, you came back too."

Regulus blinked.

"Wait...does that mean everyone knows I didn't want to be a Death Eater?" he asked.

Harry nodded.

Regulus breathed a sigh of relief.

"How long have I been dead? Does Sirius... did Sirius know I died?" He tried to sound uncaring.

Harry nodded.

"You have been dead for eighteen years," he said.

Regulus' eyes opened with an expression so similar to his brother's.

"So how do you look the same?" he asked coldly.

Harry hesitated.

"I'm not James," he admitted. "Wait, don't hex me. I'm Harry, James' son. James and Lily were killed a few months after you, and they also came back now, Sirius died two and a half years ago and came back, and Remus died six months ago and came back."

Regulus thought for a long moment.

"So my brother, who is two years older than me, is thirty-five now, and I'm nineteen?" He was shocked.

Harry nodded, impressed with his math skills.

"Do you want me to take you to your house?" he suggested. "to recover? I understand that it is difficult for you to meet him when he's suddenly so old."

Regulus shook his head.

"I want to see him," he said in a matter-of-fact voice, masking his feelings.

They swam the cave, and came out the other side, drying themselves with a spell. They came out of the cave, blinking against the light.

"Sirius," Regulus still managed to maintain a calm and dignified appearance.

Sirius sat down on the ground as soon as he saw his brother.

"Regulus," he cried loudly, not giving a fuck about anything. "Reg, I can't believe you're alive. Reggie, I can't believe it. I want to hug you," he said through the tears. "but take your time. Just let me see you safe and alive."

Regulus approached his brother slowly, his back straight. He slowly sat down, sitting on the ground next to his brother, and pulling him into a hug.

Sirius pushed his hands off him.

"No, you are not doing that. You're allowed to break down. You don't need to hug me," he scolded through his tears.

Regulus hesitated for a second, then his face contorted and he burst into tears, throwing himself at Sirius. Sirius hugged him tightly, kissing his head again and again.

"Reg, I love you so much," he choked. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that enough. I love you, little brother. I love you so much. Please don't sacrifice yourself again."

Harry looked at him in confusion.

"Have you ever wondered why Regulus killed himself instead of killing the evil elf?" Remus asked quietly, rhetorically. "He didn't think he was worth enough to live. He felt he was worth less than even that horrible elf."

Harry nodded in understanding, then buried his face in Remus' chest, trying to hide the childish jealousy he felt.

James patted his back and pulled him into a hug.

"It's okay, Prongslet," he whispered in his ear. "Sirius knew you'd feel this way too. That's why he made it clear to you before we left that he loves you, and you are his Bambi."

Harry lifted his head and wiped his face with his sleeve. James was watching the two brothers now, crying quietly.

"The last time they really talked, like brothers, was the night Sirius ran away from their house," he told Harry. "He always dreamed of hugging his brother and being there for him."

Remus wrapped his arm around James' shoulders, resting his head on James'.

Sirius kissed Regulus' head one last time and stood up, helping his brother up.

Regulus leaned on his brother.

"where do you live?" He asked. "I'm scared to go home."

Sirius smiled at him.

"Father and mother are dead," he caressed his brother's cheek. "but you're still coming to me. I'm living with James right now."

Remus cleared his throat and Sirius looked at him sadly.

"You live with Dora. It wouldn't be fair to her if you suddenly came back to me," he whispered. "The fact that we're kissing seems bad enough to me."

Remus swallowed a tear silently. They apparated back to the house, and James made a bed in a guest room for Regulus. Sirius made sure his brother was comfortable, and left him to sleep. He apparated into the living room, too lazy to walk down, and appeared on top of Remus.

"What the fuck?" shouted a very shocked Remus.

Sirius kissed him with a smile.

"Sorry, babe," he apologized.

Remus smiled back, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You're a manipulative son of a bitch," he hissed with a smile, kissing him back.

Harry stared at him open-mouthed.

"Is something wrong, Bambi?"  James asked.

Harry opened and closed his mouth.

"Remus...he...he cursed," he blurted out in shock.

Sirius and Remus broke off and laughed.

"You knew me as a teacher, so I couldn't swear," Remus mentioned. "Around the adults I was always a good boy. So I didn't swear even in the order because McGonagall, Molly or Dumbledore were always there."

James laughed.

"Harry, some of your first words were fuck and shit thanks to my talented friend," he said.

Harry gaped again.

"You... I... you... I've been so fucking careful since yesterday not to curse so you don't get mad at me," he cried.

they laughed

Sirius got up from Remus' lap and sat next to Harry.

"Thanks for telling me about Reg," he said seriously.

He kissed his cheek tenderly and hugged him.

Harry closed his eyes.

"I know I'm acting like a baby," he whispered. "but I haven't been next to you for an entire hour, and I already feel a panic attack coming on."

Sirius tightened the hug.

"I'm sorry, Prongslet," he murmured in his ear.

Harry took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax.

"Tell me about your years at Hogwarts," he asked.

Remus straightened up.

"Guys, remember when I filled the Slytherin common room with soda?" he asked, smirking.

James and Sirius burst out laughing. James stopped first.

"It's a bit hard to forget, when we got detention because no one thought you were capable of doing something like that," he chuckled.

Remus wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

"When I was teaching at Hogwarts McGonagall brought up memories with me. I can't remember everything, but this one, I told her it was me." he started laughing again. "She was so angry, she almost gave me detention even though I was a teacher."

Harry climbed onto Sirius' lap, burying his face in his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Sirius worried.

Harry nodded.

Sirius patted his head.

"You're not fooling me. Remus didn't say anything sad. What's the matter, Prongslet?"

Harry raised his head.

"Tomorrow everyone has to go back to school," he whispered. "I don't want to."

Sirius hugged him tightly.

"We'll take advantage of every moment today, we will meet all the people you want, and by tomorrow you will be sick of us."

Harry let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob.

"What stresses me out the most is what will happen with Tonks. Can you invite her here and talk about it?" he asked.

Remus was already in the middle of creating a Patronus by the time he finished his request.

Ten minutes later she came out of the fireplace.

"Hey, guys," she smiled. "Oh, wow, you really look like him, Harry."

Sirius gave her a long hug, Remus kissed her, and James smiled hesitantly at her.

"We need to talk," she told Remus seriously. "without everyone here."

Remus took a step back.

"I... I trust them. I have no problem with them hearing everything."

Tonks sighed and sat down.

"I'll do it without a lot of small talk so that we're over with it," she clarified, and sighed again. "Remus, Teddy isn't... he's not your son," she admitted.

The four men stared at her in shock. Harry moved closer to Sirius, looking for someone steady to hold on to.

Remus moved a little further away from Dora.

"how?" he asked with difficulty.

Tonks bit her lip.

"I had a muggle boyfriend," she began explaining. "When I joined the Order I didn't want to endanger him so I broke up with him, but I still loved him. Then we decided to try to have a child for Sirius, and I almost forgot about Mark, but then... I went to a muggle bar, to forget about everything, and he was there, and I slept with him. I'm sorry, Remus," she was honest. "I know I was with you so it was cheating, but it was my boyfriend. When Teddy was born I was scared to check who the father was, but I did it today." she lowered her head. "It's Mark."

Remus tried to hold back his tears.

"So you want to go back to Mark now with Teddy?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I want you in my life as friends," she whispered.

Remus wiped his cheeks.

"You have me," he said with a shaky smile.

Tonks looked around.

"I... I'll go now. We'll be in touch," and she left the house.

Remus burst into tears and James hugged him, knowing that whatever he was going to say would not be good.

Harry moved away from Sirius in silence, letting him go to his boyfriend, approaching him too.

"Didn't you want her to leave you so you can go back to Sirius?" he asked, using his position as the kid in the room to ask tactless questions.

Remus started to laugh and Sirius smiled at Harry in thanks.

"I didn't want to find out that she cheated on me, and that my child is someone else's child," explained Remus when he calmed down.

Harry sat down on the floor and rested his head on Remus' lap.

"Moony, why didn't you fight to stay at Hogwarts to work?" he asked suddenly.

Remus stroked his hair.

"Because I was really mad at Dumbledore. He made me believe that Sirius betrayed us. He told me he knew it for sure and let me think he had inside information on other things Sirius had done. I also knew he was the one who placed the Fidelius charm, so he knew who the secret keeper was. And that's why Sirius was twelve years in Azkaban," he said painfully.

Harry raised his green eyes to him.

"Do you want to go back to teaching?" He suggested timidly.