FRIENDS IN HARMONY
by: tweety-src-clt9

Prologue

"Oh! Hello, Pet! Where's Vernon?" Emma Puckle Granger greeted her college roommate and dear friend, Petunia Evans Dursley. She may have studied dentistry while Petunia studied home economics, but they did become great friends after the crazy adventure that was university.

"He's parking the car. He'll bring Harry with him," Petunia replied as she shifted her plump baby, Dudley, on her other hip.

"Who's Harry?"

"My sister's son… Em, Lily… Lily she – she's dead," Petunia sniffed.

"Oh, sweetie! I am so sorry," Emma placed a hand on her friend's shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

"I don't know what to do Em… They left behind a son. A boy who's slightly younger than Dudley in my care… I just – I can't believe Lily's dead... We didn't even patch things up," Petunia sobbed and Dudley started crying too.

"Shhh!" Petunia swayed side to side to calm her baby.

"Oh, where are my manners! Please sit! Sit! I'll go prepare some tea," Emma pointed to the couch.

Suddenly, little Hermione, her adorably smart toddler, started being uneasy in her kiddie chair. She was yelling too, making some cute sounds of delight.

"Mama! Mama!" Hermione squealed as she extended her pudgy arms out.

"Oh, Hermione! Are you still hungry?" She cooed at her daughter as she lifted her from the kiddie chair and settled the toddler on her hip.

"Hello, Grangers!" Vernon Dursley's strong voice reverberated the entrance hall. Emma turned to face her best friend's husband and smiled. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the very lovable baby in his arms. The baby was clearly over a year old, that she knew from Petunia's stories about her sister's pregnancy. What made her enamored with the baby was his messy raven hair and his large innocent eyes that were like emeralds.

"Baby! Baby!" Hermione yelled as loudly as her tiny body could allow. She chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. Since Hermione was the only child her age in their neighborhood, it must be the reason why she's so overjoyed to see another baby.

"Alright, alright, little Madam," she laughed as she walked to greet Vernon and baby Harry.

When she was standing near Vernon, to help the poor man with all the baby items he was carrying, something strange happened. Hermione extended her little hands toward baby Harry who seemed to have understood the message as he too reached out his hand.

As Harry and Hermione's skin touched, a white light shrouded the two babies while they only smiled at each other. When the glow dissipated, the babies just giggled as they groped each other's hand.

"Okay… what the bloody hell was that?" She exclaimed. She noticed Vernon giving Petunia a wary glance.

"Em, I think there is something you should know about Lily," Petunia started.

"This is something big isn't it?"

"We're not sure… Although I have a theory," Petunia continued. Glancing at Vernon again, she remembered the poor man was struggling to balance the baby bags and little Harry on his hip.

"I'm sorry, Vernon. Please sit, I'll go make tea," she pointed to where Petunia and Dudley were settled on the couch.

"Thank you, Em," Vernon muttered as he walked towards his wife and son.

"Right, so I'll go make tea, I'll be back – "

"Baby! Baby!" Hermione screamed as tears started to fall down her cherubic cheeks.

"Shhh! Okay! Okay!" She placated her daughter as she followed Vernon and little Harry. She had a feeling that her daughter did not want to be separated from the adorable baby.

She took the empty spot on the couch which was a rather tight fit given Vernon's rotund body. As soon as she was settled, Hermione fidgeted on her lap and turned to the baby squatting on Vernon Dursley's lap.

"Baby," Hermione grinned. Harry must have understood that Hermione was calling out to him since the little boy shifted on his uncle's lap. Once again, Hermione reached out to Harry and once they held hands again, they giggled.

"So, it seems that these two are going to be best friends," she rolled her eyes as she looked at Petunia and her friend chuckled.

"Why don't we watch Hermione for a bit, Em, and you can go make tea? We all know how much it bothers you if you don't get to serve us tea," Petunia suggested.

"Is that okay with you, Vernon?"

"Yeah, sure... Harry is a rather shy baby. So, it makes us happy to see him connect with your Hermione… He and Dudley don't really get along much yet," Vernon shrugged.

"Hermione?" She turned to her daughter.

"Mama?" The doe-like eyes of her little girl were now focused on her but she was still holding Harry's hand.

"I'll go make some tea, okay? Will you be okay playing with Harry and Auntie Pet and Uncle Vernon?"

"Baby!" Hermione squealed and they chuckled.

"Alright, little Madam," she gently passed Hermione to Vernon who easily balanced her daughter on his other thigh, with Harry on the other. There was one arm wrapped around each toddler's body and she was reassured that her daughter would be alright.

Again, Harry and Hermione looked at each other with big grins on their faces. This time, it seemed they were hugging while making cute baby sounds to each other. Petunia only shook her head in fond exasperation as she looked at the two cuddling toddlers on her husband's lap. She was busy nursing Dudley so she could not do much for Harry and Hermione except to make sure that they didn't fall off as they communicated in the way only babies understood.

"Well, I'll be back with tea and some biscuits," with that parting statement, Emma got out of her seat to prepare something for her guests.

They were enjoying tea, well at least Emma and Petunia were since Vernon could not do much with a sleeping toddler on each arm. Emma decided it was now time to ask Petunia the important question about the weird phenomenon that was the bright white light that glowed upon Hermione and Harry's first tactile contact.

"Pet, do you know what that was a while ago? The light?"

"This seems rather farfetched Em but, well… you see – er, Harry's parents, my sister Lily and her husband James were, let's say rather special," Petunia looked at Vernon who only nodded encouragingly.

"Special?" She prodded.

"Yes, Em... Well, Lily – you remember how I told you that she used to be my best friend until she went away to study in some boarding school?" She only nodded at that.

"Well, Lily, she – she went to this school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was a witch you see... She had special powers beyond our imagination. There's a hidden world out there Em, and just like Lily, her son, Harry, is magical too," Petunia explained in a gentle voice.

"But isn't that rather farfetched? If so, then why aren't you like your sister?" She was dubious. She trusted her best friend but truly this story was just so weird, perplexing, and impossible. But then again, she could not deny the strange light show between the now sleeping toddlers awhile ago.

"I don't know really… I have never understood why. Lily is someone called a muggleborn, a magical person born from non-magical parents… Anyway, her husband James was the son of two rich magicals, they even had a title… Honestly, Em, I don't know how to explain this to you but I am not lying," Petunia's eyes were pleading for her to understand.

"Okay, I believe you… I mean, even I could not deny the lights. We all saw that… I just, do you think this will affect the kids in some way?" There was a worried tone in her voice.

"This is actually why I visited you, Em… I am so worried and aggrieved. My sister and her husband are dead. Murdered actually… I wasn't even able to visit their graves since I don't know where… And now, I am to raise a magical child… Somehow, I feel there's something wrong here. I mean, where were Lily and James' friends? What happened to them? Harry was just left at the foot of our doorstep with a bloody letter," Petunia's voice started to get louder and the three sleeping toddlers started shifting. Vernon hummed a lullaby and Petunia continued talking in a quieter voice this time around.

"I am scared, Em… What if the one that killed Lily goes after Harry? Goes after all of us? Also, I feel scared… I don't feel we're safe at #4 Privet Drive… The wizards know we live there," Petunia fretted.

"Isn't there a last will of sorts? From Harry's parents?"

"I – I don't know! Maybe there is, but I don't have an idea – "

"Do the, er, magicals have a bank?" She suggested gently.

"I, yes! I do remember a bank. My parents and I accompanied Lily when she purchased school supplies every summer," Petunia mused.

"Do you need me to accompany you? I mean, I am interested in asking information about the light myself… Besides, come to think about it, I well – I reckon my Hermione is just like your sister," she confided.

"You think… Hermione is a witch too?" Petunia gasped and she merely nodded.

"When should we go to this bank?" Vernon joined the conversation once the toddlers were fast asleep once again.

"Why don't we go today? I'll call Dan and tell him we will be going somewhere. He'd be rather late coming home, he has to stay in the practice. A lot of clients today," Emma wanted to have her curiosity satisfied as soon as possible.

"Are you sure, Em?" Petunia confirmed.

"Yes, we need to know as soon as possible, Pet. For the safety of all our children... Besides, if your fears have some semblance of a possibility to be haunting us, then we best be prepared."

"So… should we go now?" Vernon prodded as he gestured to the sleeping toddlers.

"I'll call Dan and then I'll drive all of us to the place Petunia told us about. Pet can ride on the front seat while Dudley can be seated on Hermione's car seat… I'm afraid you're still in charge of the two new friends at the back, Vernon," Emma pointed to Hermione and Harry.

"Sounds like a plan," Vernon shrugged.

"You're a lifesaver, Em," Petunia sighed gratefully.

"No problem, Pet… Besides, I have been getting worried about Hermione, with books flying towards her and other things… Maybe, I will finally get my answers today," she smiled at her friends as she stood up to call her husband.

Meanwhile, in a hidden sacred tome at the Department of Mysteries, things have already started to unravel…

Harry James Potter (Born July 31, 1980) and Hermione Jean Granger (Born September 19, 1979) are magical equals whose souls are the perfect complement of the other, forever together, and for always be united.

Page 935 - The Sacred Book of Magical Connections

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: The idea for this story is suggested by one of my readers, Sanchi. I'm not sure if he's still active here on FFN but if you are, thank you for this idea.

Alright, let's talk about details about the update schedule.

I imagine this story as a 10 chapter piece at least.

I cannot tell you how often the updates will be because I have a lot going on. This is like an experiment of sorts. More like a yay or nay. So, updates will be sporadic just like my other WIPs.

I have prior writing commitments, usually for fests. I have two stories scheduled for February 14. I also have this regular one-shot deadline that's twice in one month for a writing forum. Rest assured that all my stories are not abandoned. I'm just a fly by the muse kind of gal, whatever comes to me, I write.

I don't want to write multi-chapters anymore. So I think this would be the last one until I finish something else, maybe Zero Visibility or something. I think I'll be writing one-shots from now on until I mark one or two WIPs as a completed fic.

Cheerio! Reviews, faves, and follows are highly appreciated.

If you're a beta, your help is highly appreciated if you're free to offer your services.