A FABLE OF FIRSTS

Summary: A Collection of the first chapters of intended stories I have written over the years that have never kicked off into multiple chapters. Mostly Harry/Hermione or Harry/Harem. Many stories have Severe Character Bashing, including Dumbledore, Weasleys, and others, as well as cliches, such as Betrothals, Time Travel, Betrayals, Helpful Goblins, and so on.

Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns the characters and the world of Harry Potter. I do not. I just like to play in her sandbox. No copyright infringement
intended.

Author's Note: I have several of these "First Chapters" that never grew into bigger stories. I've been debating posting these for a while now. Today is my birthday, and I thought there was no better time than now.

Title: Once Upon A Time (A Harry Potter/Once Upon A Time Crossover

Summary: Emma Swan is sitting in her apartment, when there is a knock on the door. She opens it, and finds a young boy who looks very similar to a famous book and movie character. Why is he calling her "Mom"? That is only the start of her adventure.

Rating: M

Warnings: Crossover, Time Travel/Dimension Travel, Alternate Universe, Manipulative!Dumbledore, Ancient and Noble Houses, Lords and Ladies, Severe Character Bashing – Dumbledore, some Weasleys, others

Ships: Harry/Hermione

Author's Note: This is a Once Upon A Time crossover with Harry Potter. However. Right now, Emma Swan is the only character from that show… and she's not exactly Emma Swan. Okay, she is… sorta… but… well, you'll discover that soon (if the summary hasn't already given it away). Don't worry… I am basing Emma Swan on Emma Swan from the show… early on she'll be the first-season "I don't want to believe in this" Emma Swan.

In this universe, Harry Potter exists in the books and movies, but the wizarding world exists too, and Harry Potter is a person, along with every other character in the books. If – at some point - I do decide to add more Once Upon A Time in the future, then Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest will exist in this universe too. Henry likely won't exist in this universe though. Sorry.

Also, and this is very important: this story takes place in the present, not in the nineties. It is explained in this chapter.

Chapter 1
Mom?

Tuesday, January 30th, 2018

A blonde-haired woman was sitting alone at the kitchen table of her Boston, Massachussets apartment, staring at a cupcake with a lone candle on top of it. Her name was Emma Swan, and today was her thirty-first birthday.

She was a private investigator. This job wasn't what she always wanted to do with her life. It just came to her one day, resultant from an event that took place over nine and a half years ago.

Nine and a half years ago, she woke up in a hospital in London, England after being in a week long coma, with no identity, and no memory of her former life. She was found with a ring on her finger, and when she awoke, the nurse had told her she was possibly a mother, showing signs of having given birth sometime in the past year, to year and a half. But that wasn't the strangest part.

The strangest part was that nobody could find out who had brought her into the hospital, nor where she had been picked up from.

After she got out of the hospital after two more weeks, she tried looking for her husband or her child, but it was a rather impossible mission. She did not know her true identity, nor the identity of her husband or child. Because she did not know where she had lived, nor where she had been picked up from when she was taken to the hospital, any connections to such an area where her husband and child might have been – if they had been in the same area with her – would have been impossible to discover.

Since she didn't even know her name, and didn't want to be a "Jane Doe", she decided to legally get a new name. So she did so. She became Emma Swan – she got the name one evening when she was in a hotel room. It was the night she had gotten out of the hospital. She was watching the movie "Sense and Sensibility" on the television. She decided her first name would be the same as one of the main actresses, Emma Thompson. Swan came from a commercial she had seen during the movie that had swans in it.

Emma Swan was born. She had also changed her looks. Originally, she had long auburn hair and emerald eyes. But that was the old her, whom she didn't know. So she cut her hair, changed it to blonde, and bought hazel contacts. She didn't know why she chose the color hazel. Perhaps the idea had come from a dream she used to have of a dark-haired man with hazel eyes and a wonderful smile. Her mystery husband… perhaps?

After six months of a failed investigation, and a night of much alcohol binging, she decided she needed to start a new life. No, she did not give up the investigation. It had always been in the back of her mind. That was why she wanted to become a private investigator. So that she could legally continue the investigation.

But London, England held too many bad memories for her, and she wanted to get away. Far, far away.

So she moved to Boston, and soon enough became a Private Investigator. She was very, very good at her job. She made a good amount of money doing the job. So much that she could buy a fancy house if she wanted. But the apartment she lived in had an appeal of its own.

But she wanted more. So she closed her eyes and made a wish. Like every other year she did this, for the past nine years, and made the very same wish, she felt dumb for doing so. Because it never came true. Her wish?

I wish this was the year my most important investigation was solved. Who Am I? Do I have a son and husband out there? Is this why my life feels so empty, even though my life has been nice for the past few years? I wish…

She opened her eyes.

"Happy birthday to me," she muttered to nobody but herself, and the emptiness of her apartment.

She blew out the candle, then sighed and picked up the cupcake. Chocolate and cinnamon, her favorite. She was about to take a bite into the cupcake when she heard a knock on her front door. She narrowed her eyes in the direction of the door, and set the cupcake down.

"If it is that annoying old lady looking for her dog for the third time, I am going to scream," Emma said. "Her dog is dead, like I told her the first time!"

Emma sighed, stood up and walked over to the front door of her apartment. She closed her eyes, counted down from five, inhaled and exhaled, then opened the door. It was not an old lady. It was a young boy.

A young boy with messy brown hair, horn-rimmed glasses, and the prettiest emerald eyes she had ever seen.

In fact they look like mine do without contacts – no, no Emma, do not do that to yourself!

Emma inhaled and exhaled and looked at the boy. He seemed familiar for some reason, but she couldn't point out why.

"Uh… can I help you?" Emma asked.

"Are you Emma Swan?" the boy asked.

"Uh, yeah," Emma said, "Are you here for my services? Because this is my home, not my office. And I am not working today, so…"

Emma shook herself. This was a kid. Perhaps he was just lost, and needed help.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name's Harry," the boy said, "I'm your son."

Emma stared at the kid. This had to be a joke. This kid did seem familiar to her. Maybe this was one of her friend's kids, and she didn't recognize him. His parents – one of her friends – were playing a birthday joke on her. She closed her eyes, inhaled and exhaled. When she opened them, the boy had somehow gotten past her and was now walking into her apartment.

"Whoa!" Emma said, "Kid… kid… kid!"

She hurried and followed after him.

"I don't have a son," she said.

Well, I did, I suppose. But from what I can tell – and I don't even know if he's a he – he's probably…

She did not even think that word. She didn't want to think that word. Because it would mean it was true.

"Where are your parents?" Emma asked. "Are your parents Joe and Stacy? Is this a birthday joke from Stacy, because it is very inappropriate!"

Harry turned and looked at Emma.

"Nine and a half years ago, did you lose a baby?" Harry asked.

"I wouldn't say lost," Emma muttered. "Kid, that is a very sensitive topic I really don't want to discuss –"

"You were in a coma, right?" Harry asked, "Nine and a half years ago? When you woke up, you had no memory of who you were, or where you came from. But if you were in a competent hospital, they must have discovered you had a baby at some point."

Emma stared at the boy. "How do you know that? Nobody here knows –"

She froze. The kid's accent! It was not Bostonian, or anywhere near American. It was one of the British accents.

"The baby was me," Harry said.

Emma sighed. "Look Harry – er… what is your last name?"

"Potter," Harry said.

Emma paused and stared at the boy. "Potter. Harry Potter? Okay, now I know this is a prank. Good job kid, you're really talented. The British accent, the glasses –"

"The Scar?" Harry asked, in a deadpan tone.

He put a finger up to his forehead, and moved his bangs apart. There was in fact a scar, shaped like a lightning bolt, that was either really good make-up… or it was real.

"Okay, who are you really, kid?" Emma asked. "Because it seems someone went a long way to make this prank of theirs quite elaborate, to a point of maiming you! That is criminal behavior!"

"Do you own the Harry Potter series?" Harry asked. "Books or movies?"

"Who doesn't?" Emma said. "I read the book series at least once a year. And the movies, I watch them occasionally."

"Occasionally?" Harry echoed, with a smile.

"Okay, so when the movies are on the television, and there is nothing else on," Emma said, "I usually watch them."

Why was he asking her this? Why was she telling him this?

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Excuse me?" Emma asked.

"Why do you watch them instead of something else?" Harry asked. "You're a grown woman in your thirties. I assume you live alone… certainly looks like it. Why do you watch them every time they are on? Do you know?"

"I – they're good movies!" Emma said, "The book series is great!"

"You feel connected to them in a special way," Harry said.

"So do a lot of people!" Emma exclaimed, "What are you getting at?"

Harry sighed and looked around the room. He walked over to a bookshelf and rummaged through it. Then he found a book, and Emma realized it was the first Harry Potter book. He walked over to her and held the front up to her, just below his chin.

"See any resemblance?" Harry asked.

"Okay, so that is why you look familiar," Emma said, "You resemble a book character. Good job. Or I should say good job to whoever hired you, because they picked a great actor for it!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I am not an actor. I am Harry Potter. This is me. And you are my mother, Lily Potter."

"Okay, first of all, I doubt you have ever even read the series, kid," Emma said, "Lily Potter is dead."

"In the story she is, yes," Harry said. "I am so glad that didn't happen in real life."

"Real life?" Emma asked. "You're – great, I'm dealing with a delusional kid."

"I can prove it to you," Harry said, "We can go to London, and I can show you the wizarding world."

"First of all, if Harry Potter was real, he'd be older than me," Emma said, "He was born in 1980. In fact the Epilogue in the last book took place recently if it was real life!"

"JK Rowling is a witch who can see the future," Harry said, "She based the books in the nineties, because that is when she started writing them. She also put enchantments on the books, so the real life versions of the characters could not read the books."

"Aha, I caught you on a lie!" Emma exclaimed, "How do you know about the book?"

Harry smirked. "How can Harry Potter who is my age know about the wizarding world? I'm not even eleven yet."

Emma stared at Harry, who smiled. Okay, that was a really good question she could not answer.

"You're curious now, aren't you?" he asked, "You seem to have forgotten your cupcake. Eat it before it goes stale, and I'll tell you my story while you do so."

"I am going to listen to your story, for one reason," Emma said, "because after it is all said and done, I'll have all the answers I need to begin an investigation about who you really are, and who hired you to do this!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Or you'll realize I am being honest and help me. You are, after all, a Private Investigator, and this is right up your alley. If you won't believe I am your son, you'll help me because it is your job."

"Help you with what?" Emma asked.

"That comes soon, don't worry," Harry said, "Enjoy your cupcake. Happy Birthday, Mum."

"I am not your mother," Emma muttered as she walked over to the kitchen table.

"You only say that because you've given up hope that the son you've been looking for is really alive," Harry said. "Believe me… right now, I'm this close to pinching myself because up until recently, I too thought my mother was dead."

Emma said nothing as she sat down at the table. Harry sat down in a neighboring chair.

"Why do you have more than one chair if you are the only one who lives here?" Harry asked.

"I have friends," Emma said, "I'm not a loner."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Harry asked.

"You were telling me a story," Emma muttered.

"I am not the Harry Potter of this world," Harry said, "Well, alright I am. Technically. But, technically, I came from an alternate universe, where the Harry Potter books and movies did not exist, but Harry Potter and the events in the books happened. Except… there was more happening than JK Rowling wanted to tell you. She wanted to write a fun story that was mostly for kids, but got darker as the sequels progressed. Some of the things that really happened were not in the books and movies. I'll explain this at a later date."

"Not today?" Emma asked.

"It would take me several days, maybe months, to explain everything," Harry said, "I'll tell you some details now, details that I believe will make you want to help me."

"Don't count on it, kid," Emma muttered.

"In my universe, my mother – you – really did die," Harry said, "That is one of the major differences. I could not believe you were alive, when I first discovered what happened to you. The only reason I believe you are alive, is because you are destined to help me."

Emma raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"So, since you're so familiar with the books, you know most of the details of the books, I assume," Harry said.

"I'm pretty familiar with the story, kid," Emma said. "Though I have to admit, there were a lot of flaws and plot holes."

Harry smiled. "Of course there are flaws and plot holes. Those are the important parts you need to remember. You see, the flaws and plot holes exist, because they have to do with things that JK Rowling didn't want to put in her books, things that actually happened. Name a plot hole, the first that comes to your mind. Name several, if you wish. But only from the first book. We'll start chronologically."

"Rubeus Hagrid was not a Professor during the first book," Emma said, "He never should have escorted Harry Potter to Diagon Alley. It should have been someone like Professor McGonagall, or one of the other Professors Harry would become familiar with in his first year at Hogwarts. As in who he would take classes with. Molly Weasley broke the Statute of Secrecy when she spoke of Muggles and Platform Nine and Three Quarters loudly in a Platform full of Muggles. Quirrel screams 'Troll in the Dungeon', and Dumbledore sends the students to their Common Rooms. The Slytherins -"

" – are in the dungeons," Harry finished, with a grin, "Yes. Very good. These three events really happened where I come from. But the reason why they happened was not explained in the books. JK Rowling did not include what really happened, because she wanted to make certain people look better than they truly were."

"Are you trying to tell me Hagrid is not the big, lovable bloke he is in the books and movies?" Emma said.

"He is the big and lovable bloke," Harry said, "But he is also gullible, easily manipulable and trusts people way too easily. After all, it was not Hagrid's idea to get me and bring me to Diagon Alley, now was it? Someone else gave him the order."

"Albus Dumbledore," Emma said. "He was Hagrid's boss, so he gave Hagrid the order."

"Dumbledore," Harry said, nodding. "Dumbledore is also the reason Molly Weasley risked the Statute of Secrecy. Well, somewhat anyway. Doing what Dumbledore wanted her to do, was something she wanted to do anyway."

"You mean when she used these specific keywords," Emma said, "and Harry walked over to her, without a second thought?"

"I was lost and thought I'd never find the Platform!" Harry defended himself, "I thought she was helping me!"

"Okay, I'm going to play your little game for a bit," Emma said. "Let's say you are this boy. If events followed like they did in the books, you grew up with some mean, nasty people. People who locked you in a cupboard and did not feed you for days at a time. Vernon Dursley specifically said 'no meals for a week' as a punishment. They bullied and abused you. That should have made you less trustworthy of practically everyone. Then you come to find out you are a celebrity in this society. Everyone knows your name, including this Professor Quirrel character who could have kidnapped you that day you met him! And you offered to shake his hand! And now you say you walked straight up to a strange lady you don't know, because she said some magic words… literally?"

"You don't need to lecture me," Harry said, "I've heard the same things several times over! Yes! I was a naïve and gullible idiot! Yes, I fell for manipulation and schemes which were being hand-fed to me, sometimes literally! Why do you think I am here? BECAUSE I WANT TO STOP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN!"

Emma flinched at the boy's screaming. Harry stood up and paced back and forth.

"I've read the same books you have and seen the same movies," Harry said, "I wish I led such a nice life. Even with all the violence and near-death, and losses that boy experienced. I did experience a lot of that. But for the whole of my life, at least the years depicted in those books, I was being manipulated, and coerced, and my life wasn't my own. I was just a puppet for several marionettes, the biggest one being Albus 'Too Many Names' Dumbledore! Even my love life wasn't my choice! The girl I really loved was taken from me!"

"Ginny?" Emma said.

Harry turned on her. "Don't you speak that bitch's name to me!"

Emma blinked at the boy's language, and the manner of his tone. He did not sound like a ten year old kid.

"I was never meant to fall in love with her," Harry said. "But Molly Weasley and her two youngest – those fuckers Potioned me. Love Potions, Loyalty Potions, you name it! All because I wasn't falling under their plans! Theirs and Dumbledore's! The girl I really loved – also the same victim. Fed the same Potions. One of the Potions we were fed made us so that we didn't feel our true emotions for one another. All because that stalker bitch wanted to marry me, and she couldn't have it any other way. All because that fat-ass traitor troll was jealous of me!"

"Hermione," Emma muttered, "She was the girl –"

Harry collapsed onto a sofa. "Yes… she was the girl."

He looked hopeful, and looked at Emma. "Do you really believe me, now, Mum?"

The word "Mum" brought her back to reality. "I'm just playing your game, kid. Remember, I need these details for my investigation."

"I don't believe you," Harry said. "But my story isn't over."

Emma sighed and made a hand signal for Harry to continue.

"Fast forward two years after the events of the Epilogue in that book series," Harry said, "My youngest, Lily, was in Hogwarts for a week when it happened. Ginny came home one night, crying, and I thought something happened at work. She told me Hermione, my best friend, my most loyal friend – was dead. Murdered. She was a big name in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, so I thought it might have been related to that. An Assassination. I was an Auror, you see, and I demanded I be in charge of the investigation. It came to a point where I didn't come home for days on end.

"One time, I didn't come home for a week, because I was so obsessed with the investigation – finding the murderer of my best and dearest friend. It was at a point where I wasn't eating. If I had been clear of mind, I'd have realized most of the meals I was getting came from either Ginny or her mother. One day, I woke up, and it was like a fog had lifted in my mind. I suddenly remembered memories and feelings I hadn't felt or remembered for a very long time. I was in love with Hermione Granger, and she was in love with me. Until we weren't… until we were suddenly infatuated with two Weasleys.

"I immediately changed my investigation. I realized I must have been given constant Potions for what had happened to me. So I had a good friend in the DMLE investigate the food Ginny and her mother gave me. It was dosed with several types of Potions. In the end, Ginny and Molly were arrested for these crimes… as was Ron Weasley. During Ron's interrogation via Veritaserum, I discovered…"

"He murdered Hermione," Emma guessed.

"Yes," Harry said, "In a fit of rage and spousal abuse, something that had been going on for years that he and his mother were able to hide, and able to convince Hermione to hide – due to Potions. One day, his temper became too much and he…"

He choked on a sob and buried his face in his hands. Emma just sat there, watching the boy cry. She had the overwhelming urge to walk over to him and comfort him, hug him. But she just remained in her chair.

Harry sniffled and put his hands down. "It was always supposed to be me and her. Hermione. She was supposed to be Hermione Potter, and we would have beautiful kids and a wonderful life. And it was taken from me.

"The interrogations on the three Weasleys brought more revelations. Dumbledore's manipulations, stories about Hermione's attempted murder several times – which I saved her from nearly every time. When I couldn't, others saved her. She was falling in love with me pretty early on into our first year at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore couldn't have that happen, so she was his target. But he couldn't kill her. If it was discovered, he would lose his reputation of 'Leader of the Light'. So his main task when it came to her was to make her fall in love with Ron Weasley, instead of me.

"After I found out all about this, and so much more… I… well, I admit, I didn't want to live. In the end, I lived because of my kids, and Hermione's kids. I took Rose and Hugo in after Hermione died, and their father went to Azkaban. And for years, my life was all about then. Lily was the youngest. When she turned seventeen and graduated from Hogwarts, and started living her own life, I started planning the end of mine. Yes, I wanted to kill myself.

"Then I came up with a new answer. Something that would eventually lead me into this reality. When I arrived in this reality, my purpose, my mission was three things. One: save Hermione, marry her and have the life I always wanted with her. Two: End Voldemort in this world and save as many lives as I could. Three: Get my revenge on those who betrayed me, because you better believe they will do it again!"

"So.. where do I come in, in this tale?" Emma asked, "Aside from – you know – that whole mother-son thing which I still don't believe. You said it was my destiny."

"I came to this reality two years ago, when this Harry was eight years old," Harry said, "I could not believe I had not come back to the eighties, instead it was the mid twenty-tens! That took some investigation. Should have seen my face when I saw my name on several books in a Muggle library. I read those books immediately, and I could not believe what I was reading. I was panicking. Was my whole life in this world a story? Did the wizarding world not exist? But I soon realized the Dursleys exist, so I investigated. The wizarding world exists, it is just takes place in different years. I don't know why."

"The Dursleys," Emma echoed, "You're not trying to tell me you really live with an abusive whale who locks kids in cupboards and-?"

Emma might have believed this kid was delusional. But if he really lived with a family who he compared to the Dursleys in the books… well, that wasn't good news. She might not believe him, but she couldn't let him go back to an abusive family, if that was what was really going on.

"Yes, I've been living with the Dursleys," Harry interrupted her, "But ever since I've been here, I've been doing my best to keep our relationship… civil. You'll find out what I did at some point. Anyway, long story short, I was no longer living in the cupboard and was able to do what I wanted to do… as long as I was outside and out of their hair, the Dursleys didn't care. First thing I did was find Hermione, make sure she was okay, and that she really existed. I never introduced myself to her. I just watched her and kept an eye on her for one purpose. I wanted to see if she was a witch in this reality too. When I watched her do magic, and verified she was a witch, I said my temporary goodbye. I'll see her soon anyway.

"My next mission was to figure out what to do about Voldemort, Dumbledore and the Weasleys. But since I am a celebrity in the wizarding world, I can't go into locations in the wizarding world to investigate. I'm not supposed to know about the wizarding world until I turn eleven.

"So I did other things. Several months ago, I decided I needed to see if this Earth was different to mine in any way. So I went to several libraries and looked up old newspapers. One day, I came across an article. It was about a mysterious Jane Doe, a coma patient, waking up with amnesia. It said she had a husband and possibly a child whom she couldn't remember. I guess the article was written in hopes someone would figure out who this woman was. It gave her description too. Auburn hair, emerald eyes, early twenties."

Harry looked at Emma, who looked away from the boy, and down at her cupcake. She hadn't touched it.

"I thought I was crazy," Harry said, "This was an exact description of my mother at the time. My world changed on that day. Anonymously, I hired a private investigator to look for you."

"A Private Investigator?" Emma asked, "Really?"

Harry shrugged and smiled. "Ironic, huh? I had saved up the cash to do so. So I anonymously hired a private investigator, and let me tell you, that was tough. But they succeeded in finding you, and here I am, meeting you, Emma Swan. Or do I call you Lily Potter? Or Mum?"

"You know I can just call the police on you, right?" Emma asked.

"I'll tell them you kidnapped me," Harry said. "Now, imagine I am telling the truth. You are my mother. Which means…"

"Our DNA would be the same," Emma said, "Which means they would believe the kidnapping tale."

"Be honest with me," Harry said, "Did you become a private investigator to solve your own case? Solve who you truly are? Possibly find your child and maybe your husband? Can't help with the husband bit… Dad really is dead. Sorry."

Emma wiped away a very unwelcome tear that had come to her eye.

"Don't you want to know if my story really is true?" Harry asked. "On the off-chance it is, you will have found what you've been looking for!"

"I take it you want me to go to England with you," Emma muttered.

"Yes," Harry said.

Emma sighed. If she called the police, Harry would likely go with the 'kidnapping' story. If he really was her son… even if he was delusional, she'd want to make sure he was okay. In the end, he would have been looking for her.

And she had been looking for her son all these years, after all. And if he really did live with an abusive family, well, she needed to make sure that was remedied very quickly.

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. Emma and Harry both looked in the direction of the door, then back at each other.

"Answer it, but don't tell them I am here," Harry said, "Whoever it is, they're probably looking for me. I bet they're Dumbledore's minions."

Emma shook her head and stood up. She walked over to the door and opened it. Two people were standing there: a lady, and an older man. The older man had a hood, a wooden cane, and an eyepatch on one eye.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"We're looking for a missing kid," the woman said, "A young boy."

She pulled an item from her pocket, and revealed it as a photo. She showed the photo to Emma. It was a photo of Harry, taken from a distance. Definitely not taken with his permission.

"Haven't seen him," Emma said, "Sorry."

"Take another look," the old man said.

"I am looking, and I haven't seen him," Emma said. "Now go away, or I am calling the police. In fact, you should go to the police. They'll want to know a kid is missing. They'll put an Amber Alert out on him."

Emma noticed that both individuals looked quite confused at the term "Amber Alert".

"Good luck," Emma said, "I hope you find him."

"We'll leave you alone then," the young woman said.

Emma nodded and shut the door. She remained at the door for a moment, and listened for footsteps. She heard the footsteps walking away, one sounded heavier than the other. Emma sighed and walked back into the living room.

"So… who was it?" Harry asked.

"I didn't get their names," Emma said, "But they were looking for you. They had a photo of you from a distance. Didn't look like it was taken with your permission."

"What did they look like?" Harry asked.

Emma gave Harry a description of the two.

"Alastor Moody and Emmeline Vance," Harry immediately said. "Two members of the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore's minions. Yeah, they've been following me ever since we left England."

"Alastor Moody?" Emma asked, "As in Mad-Eye? So where was his eye?"

"I stole it," Harry said, grinning. "But even if I hadn't, do you obviously think he would have worn it while talking to you? It is definitely not a Muggle invention. You would have noticed how odd it is, and he'd have risked the Statute of Secrecy. Also, if he had his eye, he would have known I was in here. He could have looked through the walls and saw me. Which is why I stole it."

"You said 'we'," Emma said, "'We left England'."

"Me and the Dursleys," Harry said, "When I discovered you were here in Boston, I needed a way to get here. So I had the Private Investigator I hired pose as someone, come to my house, and tell the Dursleys that they won an all-expenses paid vacation to Boston. The Dursleys didn't want to take me, but the investigator saw me and said the tickets were for the two adults and two children. Otherwise they would have taken Marge and not me.

"Look, Alastor Moody isn't a dumb ass. Even with blonde hair and hazel eyes, I am sure you still resemble Lily Potter. Sooner or later, Moody's going to remember you and make a connection. You can't be here when he does."

"But he thinks I am dead, doesn't he?" Emma asked, "I mean… if this is really Moody, and he thinks I'm Lily Potter…"

"Obviously Lily's body was never found after the events of that Halloween night," Harry said, "So I am guessing Moody and Dumbledore and others have theories that Lily – you – might very well be alive."

"Well, whoever that guy was, he creeped me out," Emma said, "So I agree with you when it comes to the fact I don't want to be here when he comes back."

Harry grinned. "So… you mean…"

"You've grown on me, kid," Emma said, "I'm going to help you get back home. England, right? If your relatives are abusive, I'll deal with them. You won't be living with abusive relatives."

"Cause I'll be living with you!" Harry said; his grin hadn't left his face.

Emma chose to ignore that.

-
This is a story I might continue in the future. Out of all the "first chapters" I plan on posting, this is my most intriguing for me.

Right now, I am focused on Free Use Experience, but I'll update this with more "First Chapters" in the future.