The Garden Grows (Patreon)

Lily smiled as she saw the spark of magic flash in the mirror. She had found another one that needed her help.

"My darlings," she called as she stepped out of her workshop. "The study, please."

The sound of little feet on the stairs made her smile. Her children spread out on their favorite spots in the study. It was honestly a library rather than a simple room. She had placed a few tables around for written assignments and research, there were a couple of cozy areas with plush chairs for private reading, and in the center was an open area with large pillows that were perfect for gatherings.

Charles, Henry, Iris, and Rose all claimed their favorite pillows. Rose and Henry could have been twins with matching messy black hair, glasses, and green eyes. The same could be said for Charles and Iris, except they had her rich auburn hair. Twins were the easiest way to explain it to outsiders. In truth, they were all her children. The same child from different worlds.

"I found another that needs us," Lily said giving each a loving smile. "I shouldn't be long, but you know the rules."

"No Quidditch, no visitors, and don't trust anything Sirius says is technically true," the four said in unison.

"My smart babies," Lily cooed.

"Mooomm," they once again said in unison.

It was rare when they managed to sync up. Calling them her babies was one of the few times she could get them to harmonize. It tickled her to see them all blush at the same time.

"Line up for hugs and kisses," she announced.

Contrary to their previous moment of embarrassment, they hopped up and formed a line. Lily gave each one a hug and a kiss before she moved to the next. Each one had a preference. Charles liked his kiss on the cheek, Iris wanted one on the forehead, Henry preferred the top of his head, and Rose wanted a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Be safe," Rose whispered as she gave her mother another tight squeeze.

"I will," Lily returned the hug.

Rose had been the most recent addition until today. She was still settling in among the family. Her siblings helped to smooth the process along. A new addition usually did the trick too.

~

Lily stepped through a meticulously crafted portal into Diagon Alley. A quick scan of the area told her a rough overview of the world. The people were happy, families walked together, and no one was looking over their shoulders. Voldemort had been vanquished and was yet to return, if the timeline played out as it did in other worlds. She made herself remember those; the future was never pleasant for the ones she did not reach in time.

She ignored the stares and whispers as she strode through the alley. The crowd parted at her approach. No one dared to stop or question her.

Her pace remained steady as she walked through the doors to Gringotts like she owned the place. Goblins were horrid people regardless of dimension. Sometimes their respect could be won through business or bloodshed. She didn't have time for either option. The one good thing about the creatures was their business acumen. They kept intricate record of the magical bloodlines, at least those that had accounts. It was absolutely necessary to know who was entitled to which vault as well as which lines were gone for them to claim the spoils. They had profited quite a lot from the rise of Voldemort. All the long lines of Pureblood getting wiped out meant they got to keep every single coin in those vaults. It also meant that their records were genuinely the best in the world.

She ignored the goblin perched at the entry and went straight to a teller.

"Goblin," Lily snapped as she reached the counter. "I require proof of identity. You can take the fee from my vault."

The goblin sneered at her as it drew a sharpened quill from its desk, "your key?"

Lily handed it over, then turned her palm upward. The goblin stabbed her hand with the quill. A brief flash of disappointment crossed its face when she didn't flinch. The goblin placed the quill on a clear piece of parchment. It began to fill with her family history up to five generations back. Most importantly, it marked her as Lady Potter. The goblin didn't say anything, it simply rolled up the finished parchment and held it out for her to take. Lily did so, then left without another word.

She had a process these days. Her next stop was one that she counted as a bonus.

~

Severus Snape muttered to himself as he took inventory of his potion ingredients. The school year was approaching once again. That meant another stretch of dealing with idiotic, untalented, oafs that didn't know how to stir clockwise let alone how to properly dice an ingredient. He paused as a familiar scent caught his nose. It was one he hadn't smelled in nearly eleven years. Not since that fateful night when the Dark Lord had broken his promise. The scent of spiced honey, flames, and a gentle kiss of her perfume.

He shook his head. His thoughts were obviously being influenced by the knowledge that the spawn of James Potter would be attending this year. Yet another reminder of how that bastard still vexed him from beyond the grave. It was Potters fault that Lily was dead. She would never have been in danger if that self-important moron hadn't stolen her from him. He must have used some sort of unknown family magic that Purebloods had hidden to charm her.

"Severus," a voice from his dreams called.

He froze; the scent was still there. It was stronger now. Slowly, he turned toward the door. There stood Lily. Somehow she was alive, somehow she was here. It wasn't Polyjuice, he had searched the ruins of her house for a single strand of hair. He had even lowered himself to visit Petunia for a potential source.

"Lily?" He whispered.

She walked over to him with a gentle smile on her face, "tell me Severus, did Voldemort keep his word this time? Did he save me for you?"

"No," Severus dropped to his knees sobbing.

He couldn't think clearly enough to question how she knew about his request. His mind was too preoccupied to activate his mental protection. All that mattered was that his Lily was here. She was alive and with him, as she should have always been.

"Please, Lily, stay with me," he begged.

Severus shivered as he felt her hand on his shoulder. He let her guide him back to his feet. She wrapped him in a hug.

He breath tickled his ear as she spoke, "tell me Severus, did you get to say goodbye? Did you hold my cold body and beg for me to come back?"

"Yes," Severus cried harder now.

"Did you step over the body of my husband and ignore the screams of my child?" Her voice turned hard.

Severus blinked through the tears, "I needed to save you."

"What did you think would happen?" Lily asked tightening her grip on him. "That I would thank you for ridding me of the man I loved and my child? That I would run away with you, profess my undying devotion, and apologize for spurning your affections?"

Severus couldn't move anymore. His body was locked in place. He hadn't heard her cast a spell, but he knew this feeling.

Lily stepped away from him. Her wand rested on the tip of his nose.

"When will you learn, Snivellus?" She asked in her melodic voice. "I chose James. He made me so happy. I hadn't thought of you in years." Lily sighed. "Do you honestly think I would ever love a hateful greaseball like you?"

His lips wouldn't move. He couldn't speak.

"You were less than James Potter when we were students," Lily trailed her wand down his face until it rested on the tip of his chin. "It wasn't his blood status, his money, or his amazing body, though that last one did help. The sex was amazing. Oh, the things I let him do to me."

Severus tried to close his eyes. He desperately told himself this was a nightmare.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a human that deserves every horrible thing that you have brought upon yourself," Lily smiled at him. "Look me in the eyes, Severus."

He tried to resist, but he had dreamed of her eyes for too long.

"Do you know how much hatred you have to have to use the killing curse?" Lily asked. "Do you know how much intent the curse takes? You have to WANT that person dead."

She let her words hang in the air.

"Avada-"

Severus Snape knew no more.

~

Lily walked out of the classroom humming a little tune. That part was always a treat. It was important that she was in a good mood for the next stop.

~

Harry lay on his cot under the stairs with a smile on his face. Magic was real. It didn't matter that his aunt and uncle had locked him in his room once he got back. He could still feel the magic from his wand. Hedwig was upstairs in Dudley's other bedroom. Magic was real. Soon he'd be going to a school to learn magic and there was nothing they could do about it. Hagrid was silly. He liked the giant man. He liked the giant man even more when Hagrid shared the truth about his parents. Harry knew that they were better people than the Dursley's. Hagrid said he might have some pictures of them too!

The doorbell rang.

"Boy! Get the door!" Vernon yelled from the living room.

"He's locked away, dear," Petunia said as she went to answer it.

Harry heard the door open. Then his aunt let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"You… you're dead," Petunia yelled in a panic-laced voice. "They said you were dead."

"Hello, Petunia," a sweet voice replied.

Harry could hear footsteps approaching his room. The door swung open, tearing chunks away from the wall as the locks were still engaged. He looked out to see the most beautiful woman he had ever seen smiling at him.

"Hello, Harry," she held a hand to him. "I'm your mother, Lily. I've come to take you home."

"My mother?" Harry asked in awe.

"Yes," Her smile was bright. "I'm sorry it took so long to find you. It took a lot of magic to get here."

"Is my dad here too?" He asked hopefully.

Her smile turned sad, "I'm sorry, honey. No."

Harry cautiously stepped out of his room. He stared up at the woman. Those eyes were the same as his. His gaze darted to Petunia who stood frozen in the doorway.

"Pet?" Vernon huffed as he rushed into the hallway. "YOU!"

"Vernon," Lily waved a dismissive hand at the man.

Vernon launched into the air. He hit the ceiling with a thud and didn't come down.

"Now, Harry," the smile returned. "I'm going to take you home. There are some questions I have for you first. Regardless of the answer, we're still leaving here. You don't have to worry about that. Ok, honey?"

Harry nodded.

"We have a bank account, one for you and one for our family," She explained. "Would you like to go get it?"

"Sure," Harry shrugged. "What else?"

"There is a little bit of magic I can perform to make that scar go away," his mother said gently. "It will hurt, but it needs to be done. An evil wizard used dark magic to make it."

Harry straightened his posture, "I'm tough. I didn't even cry when Petunia hit my hand with a frying pan."

Lily's attention snapped to Petunia. The woman let out a little whimper. She hadn't used any spell to hold Petunia in place. It was fear, pure and simple. She took a calming breath before she turned back to her son.

"You might pass out," Lily explained. "It's perfectly natural for that to happen. I have one more question then you can pack up your things and we can go."

"Even Hedwig?" Harry practically vibrated as he spoke.

"Of course," Lily said. "We don't want to leave her behind."

Harry beamed at her, "what's the question?"

"I need to do a ritual for us to leave," she explained. "We can either do it the long way, which will take some time depending on the phase of the moon. Or the short way, which requires a sacrifice."

Harry thought it over for a moment, "what kind of sacrifice?"

"I would have to take the hearts from Vernon and Petunia," she said softly.

"You'd kill them?" Harry asked.

She shook her head, "no. I would take them a magical way. They would still be alive, just without their heart. They wouldn't be able to feel happiness, love, or joy."

"They wouldn't change much," Harry muttered.

Lily chuckled, "I bet you're right. The short way, then?"

Harry nodded.

"I'll handle that while you pack," Lily said.

Harry sprinted up the stairs to get Hedwig and his trunk. Lily turned to face Petunia. Vernon fell to the floor with a loud THUMP only to be wrenched back to his feet. His arms were held tightly against his torso.

"A frying pan," Lily glared at Petunia.

The woman stiffened as the magic took effect. Her feet dragged along the floor, leaving grooves in the fake wood.

"I didn't tell Harry everything about this ritual," Lily slowly reached into Petunia's chest and pulled out a heart-shaped crystal that was filled with something that looked like tar. "You will still feel emotions. Every ounce of pain, fear, and loneliness you put him through."

Harry came down the stairs with Hedwig riding on his shoulder. Lily tapped his trunk, shrinking it down to the size of a matchbox, and tucked it in a pocket.

"Goodbye, Petunia," Lily said with stone in her voice. "The spell should wear off in a couple of hours." She paused at the door. "Or days. I don't care which."

~

Albus Dumbledore stared at the open package in front of him. An eerily accurate wooden carving of his own likeness stared back at him. The let attached made had thrown him for even more of a loop.

Albus,Harry is no longer a part of this. The horcrux has been transferred to this statue. Fiend Fire, basilisk venom, and the killing curse will destroy it.Lily

First, he had gone to speak with Severus only to find the Potions Master dead. Once that was handled, he had Fawkes take him to the Dursley's the moment he had read the letter. The two adults were found frozen in the entry hall with the door wide open. Their son, Dudley, was eating ice cream from the tub while watching some television program. He said that they'd been like that since he got back from his friend's house. The boy didn't know how much time had passed since then.

Albus had released the spell and questioned the two. The story was one that made no sense. Lily, a woman that he had seen buried, had shown up, done some sort of magic, then left with Harry. He had checked the blood wards to find they were no longer active. They hadn't been breached or destroyed. Upon closer inspection, it appeared as though they had faded away after their purpose had been filled.

The boy was gone. There was no trace of him whatsoever. His search should have found a corpse if the worst was to have happened. Coming up with no results didn't make sense. None of this made sense. Lily's body was still in her grave.

Further thought was interrupted as the Floo flared with activity. Alastor Moody stepped through. His hair was messier than usual and magical eye spun like mad.

"Alastor, what is the matter?" He asked as he stood.

He started to pace back and forth in front of his desk, "it doesn't make sense, Albus."

"What doesn't?" He asked trying to project a sense of calm.

Moody came to an abrupt stop, "I was called to the DMLE to verify the authenticity of a letter. They thought perhaps it was bewitched or some such nonsense."

"What did the letter say?" Albus asked.

"It was a letter from Lily Potter," Moody growled. "Dated today. It stated that Sirius Black was a decoy and that the true Keeper was Peter Pettigrew."

Albus dropped back into his chair, "oh, my."

"Oh my, he says," Moody let out a single, rough laugh. "You didn't hear the best part."

"And that was?" Albus asked.

 "It was legitimate," Moody said. "Lily Potter was spotted in Diagon Alley this morning, she paid the goblins for a blood test, then disappeared. We got the results. It was her. She even had a key to the Potter vault."

Albus took a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk. For once he really wished that he laced them with something stronger like the rumors said.

"She showed up again with a boy matching the description of Harry Potter," Moody continued. "They cleared out their vaults and disappeared in the middle of the lobby. Fifty witnesses, more than half of them goblins. All swear it wasn't any sort of magic they had ever seen before. One goblin swore she opened a hole in the air."

"Oh, my," Albus repeated.

~

Harry woke on a comfortable bed in his own room. His mother had brought him to Potter Manor after removing that thing from his forehead. Much to his embarrassment, he had passed out from the pain. The scar was barely noticeable once he woke up.

Today, he would get the full introduction to his new home. He wasn't sure what that meant.

A soft knock at the door brought him back to the present.

"Come in!" He called.

The door opened to reveal a small creature with pointed ears. Its skin was a soft silver and it wore a suit that he had seen in fancy movies.

"Hello, Master Harry," the creature stepped inside and bowed low. "I is Jenet. I is a Potter Family Elf."

"Elf?" Harry asked.

"Yes," the elf nodded. "We's be serving Potters for generations."

"You mean your family?" Harry asked.

Jenet nodded, "Lords and Ladies Potter have been our people for a longs time."

"It's nice to meet you," Harry got out of bed and offered the elf a hand. "I'm Harry. I guess you already knew that."

Jenet shook the hand, "Ladies Lily asked Jenet to bring you to breakfast."

"Okay," Harry smiled.

"Master Harry calls Jenet if needs," Jenet said as he leads Harry through the manor.

"Thank you," he said in return. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Master Harry is too kinds," Jenet smiled at the boy. "Elfs lives to works. We's love to have a family like you's."

Harry shrugged, "tell me if that changes. I'm happy to help."

The sound of multiple voices grew as they got closer to the dining room. Harry came to an abrupt stop as he stepped into the room. There were four other kids his age, or around there, already at the table. They all had the same color of eyes, and the two boys could have been his twins. Well, aside from one of them having red hair.

Lily sat at the end of the table with a gentle smile on her face, "Harry! Come sit, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Harry walked over to the table and sat in a daze. He mumbled a thank you when a plate of food appeared in front of him.

"I know it's confusing," Lily said softly. "You are not the first of my children that I have rescued."

"Your children?" Harry asked.

"Technically, you are all Harry Potter," Lily said. "In my world, you and your father died that night. I spent years searching for a way to find you and I've done my best to rescue those that I can find."

"Why didn't you come earlier?" Harry asked, he tried not to sound accusing.

"I can't find you until you activate your magic," she answered.

"My wand," Harry whispered.

"Exactly," Lily smiled brightly. "I created a device that will alert me when it happens. Unfortunately, the system isn't foolproof. Otherwise, you all would have a lot more siblings."

Harry looked at the other kids at the table. The red-headed girl waved at him, the one with black hair blushed, and the two boys paused their magical tug-of-war to wave. He laughed when he saw they were playfully fighting over to see a partially unwound cinnamon roll.

"Boys," Lily said. "No magic at the table."

"Sorry, mom," the two said as they put away their wands.

Harry blinked as the wands disappeared from their hands. He didn't see where they went.

"Wand holsters," the red-headed girl near him said.

"You'll get one after breakfast," Lily added. "Do you have any questions?"

"We can't you rescue more of us?" Harry asked.

Lily sighed, "I travel across dimensions, different versions of our world, to find you. Sometimes, you don't need to be rescued. Others, I'm too late. Time moves differently depending on the dimension. If your magic activates and you get to Hogwarts before I can reach you, then it's too late. Your magic will imprint that reality. The best I can do is try to make your life there better." She paused. "There are dimensions that move faster than here. Rarely, you don't get a wand until you are older."

"There are Harry's out there who are happy?" He asked.

"Yes," Lily answered. "And not everyone is named Harry."

"I'm Charles," the boy with red hair said.

"I'm Iris," the girl with red hair said.

"I'm Henry," the boy that looked exactly like him.

"I'm Rose," the girl with black hair added softly.

"It's nice to meet you," Harry gave an awkward smile. "I'm Harry."