AU. Summary: Harry Potter is the youngest son of Fleamont and Euphimia Potter, he has one older brother by 4 years, James Potter. He's doted on by his mother, pressured by his father, and teased mercilessly by his brother.

AN: I don't own Harry Potter. We'll be jumping around before Harry's first year, to important moments of his life. Hope you enjoy and please comment.

My plan for this story, is to update on Fridays, 3000-4000 words each chapter. Sound good?

July 31st, 1964

12:32 PM

Wednesday

"Push!" The midwife screamed to the woman on the bed, who was screaming. There was another shout, and the order came again. "Just one more Mrs. Potter, one more!" The woman pleaded, until finally Mrs. Potter gave one final push, and a shrill scream filled the air as young life took its first breath.

Mrs. Potter fell against the pillows, panting from the stress of the birth. She looked up when she heard the screaming, and smiled, as happy tears poured out of her eyes. A sob overtook her body as the midwife handed her new baby boy into her arms. She held him close to her bosom, encouraging him to drink, as his crying stopped, and he settled on soft cooing.

Fleamont Potter was invited into the room, and he quickly rushed to his wife, letting out his own cry of joy at the sight of his new son. Following close behind him was a young, chubby cheeked, boy with messy black hair. The family all crowded around the little creature. "Welcome to the world Harry Potter." Fleamont whispered to him.

"He's squishy." Jame's poked the baby's cheek.

July 31st, 1966
4:00 PM
Monday

Harry had been a very quiet baby, for the most part. Never crying unless he really needed something. But lately, the poking and prodding from his brother had caused him to grow fussier. When his mother had scolded him, James had simply said that he was trying to get Harry to do magic.

Mrs. Potter was getting ready for Harry's second birthday, and sighed when she heard her youngest son crying. She put down the party planners, and stood up from the table. She walked into the living room, and felt agitation. "James Potter, what have you done to your brother's hair."

The six year old looked up at her with an innocent smile, a tooth in the front missing. "Nothin' mama." He said. He looked down at Harry who was sporting long lime green hair. "Just testin out the potion cousin Levi gave me."

The woman sighed, and picked poor Harry of the ground, and felt a headache come on when the hair began to get longer. She leveled James with a no nonsense look. "Go upstairs, and tell your father what happened."

The six year old boy pouted, and insisted he had done nothing wrong, but his mother snapped her fingers, and gave him a look that had him trotting up the stairs, but grumbling all the way.

James stood outside his father's office door, and paused, before raising his little hand and knocking on the door. His father told him to enter, and James stood on his tippy toes so he could reach the handle. He stepped inside, and closed the door behind him.

His father set down his pen and looked at James, clearly not amused. "What have you done to upset your mother this time James?" His father asked.

James pouted. "I turned Harry's hair green." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was just a joke potion Levi gave me. He said it comes out after two days. What's the big deal."

His father looked upset, but not angry. He gestured for James to sit down, and the young boy did so. He linked his fingers together. "James, do you know why we didn't give you dreamless sleep potion last year when you were having nightmares?"

"Because I wasn't being brave?" James asked.

His father shook his head. "No, no, what kind of a father would do that?" He leaned over, and messed James's hair up with a fond smile, before it slowly slid off his face. "No, we don't give potions to kids under a certain age, because it could hurt their developing magic."

"Oh."

"Yes, 'oh' James." Fleamont nodded his head slowly. "And what's more James, Harry is different from other babies his age. He was born with a rare disorder that attacks his lungs and heart. His magic is the only thing that's protecting him James, do you understand what I mean?"

James seemed confused.

"If that potion had disrupted the development of his magic, even a little bit, it would have killed him James."

James's hazel eyes widened in horror at the thought, and his mouth went dry. He slipped out of his chair, and toddled out the door, down the stairs, and into the kitchen where his mother was trying to help Harry. James had to stand on a chair, but he managed to wrap his arms around Harry and hug him. "I'm sorry." He whispered, trying to hold back tears. "So, so sorry."

January 1st, 1967
1:00 AM
Saturday

James was not happy that he was stuck looking after his baby brother. The adults were all downstairs having fun, and James was in his room, trying to get his brother to go to bed. "Come on, just shut up and sleep." He demanded. The baby was whimpering, like he was too hot in the blanket. James took the blankets off him, and frowned when he didn't stop crying.

"Rest little dragon
Look at the stars in the sky
Gentle twinkles up above all say goodnight
Rest little dragon
I'll keep you safe and warm
When I have you nothing will ever bring you harm
Rest little dragon
Morning will come soon
Well prance about the meadow all the afternoon
Rest little dragon
I love you very much
I promise when you awake, I won't make you lunch."

James finished the nursery rhyme his mother used to sing to him when he was little. It was dumb, but now Harry was looking up at him with those wide green eyes, and silent.

"J...Jams!" The baby cried happily, and James blinked in surprise. Before a huge grin settled on his face. He picked his little brother up and raced down the stairs, screaming for his mother. She raced to meet with a frightened look on her face. James proudly hoisted the baby into the air. "Jams!" The little boy screamed as loudly as he could, clapping his little hands.

Mrs. Potter squealed happily, and wrapped her boys into a tight hug.

August 5th, 1969
7:30 AM
Thursday

Harry was 5 and James was 9. They were both strapping young boys. But while James was loud and always craving a new adventure, Harry was soft spoken and shy. James had seen his younger brother's nature, and had varied between being a kind, caring older brother one second to being the monster that lived under Harry's bed the next. James was always pulling one over on his gullible little brother, always picking on him. Such as was the case on August 5th. That was a day that would live on in Harry's memories forever.

His brother was chasing him, through the hallways in their home, and the two were shrieking like banshees. Their mother and father were out with aunt Dorea and uncle Charles, and the two young boys were being looked after by their 14 year old cousin, Levi. Said teenager wasn't paying very close attention to the goings on the home. He figured that siblings fighting was normal.

James jumped forward and tackled his brother, pressing his hand to Harry's mouth, trying to keep him quiet. The younger boy struggled to break free from his brother's hold, but it was little use. "You stole my caldron cakes!" James yelled, with a whine in his voice. "Where are they?!" He demanded. He lifted his hand just an inch to get an answer, but put his hand right back down when the young boy tried to scream for help.

James dragged him towards the small cupboard that they kept under their stairs. He opened it, and pushed the small boy into the enclosed space. It was hardly big enough for Harry to fit inside, and the 5 year old had to sit with his knees to his chest to fit. James slammed the door, and locked it. "I'll let you out when you give them back!" He screamed, and stormed away.

Harry's sobs had turned to quiet whimpering, and he felt like the small space was starting to close in around him. It was dark, so dark that Harry couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. He felt panic rising in his chest. He kicked out at the door, but it didn't budge. He felt like he couldn't breathe.

He was found like that, trembling, hyperventilating in the dark hours later by their cousin. The older boy opened the door, looking just as pale and frightened as Harry did. He reached into the cupboard and pulled Harry out, sighing in relief. Levi turned and glared at James, who he had forced to tell where Harry was. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Levi screamed, actual anger in his eyes, something that neither James nor Harry had even seen.

James looked down at his feet, not giving an answer as Levi walked passed them and up the stairs. He went into Harry's room, grabbed some new clothes, and took Harry into the bathroom. It took some coaxing but eventually Harry stopped shaking. He still looked shellshocked, still had tears rolling down his chubby cheeks. The whole night, he stuck close to Levi, and avoided his brother at all costs.

When their parents returned, they were not happy with James, and the 9 year old resented his brother even more, when that was the subject of his first for real grounding. Two weeks, no flying. It totally wasn't fair. Harry had only been in there for a few hours, but his mother insisted that he had done a lot of damage to his brother. That was also the first time James had ever seen his father truly angry at him. It was totally the worst. He was sent up to his room without dinner, while his parents attended to their traumatized younger child.

After that, Harry couldn't stand darkness or tight places, for the rest of his life. James learned of this one night, when the household was woken a few days later to the sounds of Harry's high pitched, terrified screams when he realized that he was in a dark room. James felt like there was a deep pit in his stomach, twisting up his guts when he heard it. He had felt guilt twice in his life, and both times it was because of Harry.

July 3rd, 1971
11:20 AM
Friday

It was finally there. Harry knew it was there because he could hear his brother howling with joy. Harry looked up from the breakfast table, and looked startled as James jumped around, waving a letter in the air. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" He cheered. He ripped it open, and showed it to his father, who congratulated him, with a pat on the head, messing his hair.

Harry rolled his eyes and went back to his food. He let out a startled yelp when James wrapped his arms around Harry's midsection, and lifted him out of his chair, spinning him around, before setting him down on the floor to stumble around dizzily. When Harry steadied himself, he couldn't help but smile right along with James, who began dancing a jig.

Harry turned to his mother, who was looking at her older son fondly. "We're so proud James." She said. She was getting older, the smile cause the wrinkles on her face to show, but it just seemed to make her look kinder than she already did. "We'll have to go shopping today, I think." She looked to her husband, who nodded.

So the family of four saddled up, and flooed to Diagon alley. Euphemia had to keep a tight hand on Harry, to keep him from having a panic attack in the small fireplace they popped into. They stepped out, and Harry gasped softly. It was amazing. It was so alight with color, with warmth, and cheerful chatter, that had Harry's heart fluttering in his small chest.

James was so busy with his parents, pointing at this or that, that Harry was allowed to go off in his own little world inside his head. When they stopped at the bookstore, Harry asked permission to go and look through the books, and was very happy when he was allowed.

He scampered around the books, and picked out a few that he would ask his parents to buy for him. He settled into a corner, and opened the first book. It was about potions. There weren't any potion recipes, but it was more about the theory and why you had to do things at certain times. He was about ten pages in when he was interrupted.

"That's strange, for a child to read." A young voice said. Harry popped his head up, snapping the book shut. The young man was about Harry's age, with pale skin, flat black hair, and a sharp aristocratic look around his face. The crest on the pin he had fastened to his cloak revealed him to be a member of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. The boy raised a dark eyebrow at him. "What's your name?" He asked.

Harry cleared his throat and stood up. He held the book under one of his arms. "H-Harry Potter." He held out his hand. The boy wrapped thing fingers around his hand, and shook it a few times.

"Very nice to meet you Harry Potter. I am Regulus Black." He pulled his hand away, and stood with his shoulders straight. He looked back at the book, a smile twitching onto his lips. "I have that one as well. It's a very interesting read."

"Oh, yeah, it looked like it." Harry said, feeling himself not being so stiff any longer. "I also got down 'Theory of Transfiguration with Herbology' and 'Muggles Through The Ages."'

The last one brought a bit of a twitch to the boy's nose, but he didn't say anything about it. "How old are you?" He asked. "I'll be starting Hogwarts in two years."

"Three for me." Harry admitted, shyly. "My older brother James is starting this year, we're shopping for him now."

"Oh, my brother begins this year as well." He said. "Mother and Father are getting me a tutor this year, so I can be up to snuff when I attend for my first year."

"Oh, my parents don't really do stuff like that. I mean, they buy me books whenever I ask, and they taught me to read and write, along with basic arithmetic, but nothing much more than that."

"A pity." Regulus said softly. "I can see you have a bright mind in there, I'm sure you will thrive at Hogwarts. I wouldn't be surprised if you found yourself in Slytherin or Ravenclaw."

"Slytherin, not so much." Harry said softly. "I think my brother might actually murder me if I got sorted there. Maybe my father as well." He thought for a moment. "I'm sure my mother would still try to love me." He reasoned with himself.

The boy's eyes widened. "Would they truly?" He asked.

"Well, maybe not literally, but my brother might make my life hell, and my father would never speak to me again. They hate Slytherins. I don't really know why, it's just that they do." He shrugged.

"Well, should you find yourself among the snakes, know that you will always have a home there." He said with a gentle smile, that seemed so unlike any of the ones before, devoid of the cold that still reached his eyes.

"What about you? Where will you go?" Harry asked.

"Wherever my brother isn't."

The boy was called away by his mother soon after, but asked Harry to write to him. Harry promised that he would.

September 1st, 1971
10:45 AM
Sunday

They stood around the busy platform, and Harry gave his brother a quick hug goodbye while he was speaking with their parents, promising to write home, to do well in school, not to get into too much trouble. That last one was a lie, and all four of them knew it. James was surprised at first, but hugged his brother close to him, and made him promise not to miss him too much. "I won't miss you at all." Harry told James.

"Bet you will." James shot back with a cocky smirk.

"Not a chance, Jams." Harry crossed his arms over his chest, and the two brothers smiled to one another, as James boarded the train.

When the train was leaving, Harry spotted his brother in the window, and waved goodbye along with his family. Harry saw Regulus in the crowd, and waved happily to his pen pal, who gave him a small nod back.

The Potter's returned home, and it felt strangely empty without James there. Harry stole a blanket off of James bed that night, and his parents pretended not to notice.

To Regulus Arcturus Black
September 3rd, 1971
Tuesday

Dear Regulus,

It's been stranger here, without my brother to cause me trouble. I don't have to sleep with one eye open any longer, waiting for him to play some joke on me. But the house somehow feels empty without him. I notice that father is at work, and mother is with her friends, when before I had never even seemed to care. If that makes any sense at all. Is it like that for you as well?

I'm sorry I didn't go speak to you at the train station, but you seemed to be with your family, and I didn't want to interrupt. I wanted to tell you, I've finally finished "Potions and Theory" last night. The author wrote a sequel, did you know that? I'm going to find it at Diogon Alley this week, mother said she would take me on Friday. If you want, you can come with us, and maybe we can have lunch or something?

How goes the tutoring? I assume that you're doing perfectly fine. Probably smarter than your tutor already?

I hope that everything is well
Your friend, Harry Potter

To Harry Potter
September 4th, 1971
Wednesday

Potter,

While it may also be strange for me, not to have my brother thundering around the house like a hippogriff, it is also a relief. I understand what you're saying, however. While my brother might be a huge pain in the neck, I still am fond of him from time to time, and I'm sure that James is the same. However, my brother isn't very fond of me.

I would be glad to accompany you and your mother to Diagon on Friday. I will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at ten o'clock in the morning. My cousin Narcissa will also be accompanying us, but she will leave us to go off to do her own thing.

Speaking for Narcissa, she is engaged, can you believe it? She's only 12 years old. Her husband to be is Lucius Malfoy. I have met Lucius on several occasions, and he's very sirius for someone who just turned 13. But I must admit that I admire him. He's very intelligent. He will be in his 7th year, when you attend for your first year, but I will introduce you. He's your third cousin on your father's side once removed. Narcissa as well is your aunt Dora's grandniece, and your cousin Levi is her second cousin. Narcissa is my cousin, but you and I are only related by marriage.

My tutor is a slave driver. I have recieved my wand already, and he is beginning to teach me defensive magic.

I am extending to you an early invitation for you and your family on October 31st, this year for my family's annual Halloween party. Inclosed in the envelope, you will find it. Please join us, I wish to have a friend there with me.

Hope to hear from you soon
Your friend, always
Regulus Arcturus Black