Disclaimer: Yep, I owe Harry Potter.  *several lawyers appear with a pop*  Damn!  *scowls at the lawyers*  Fine, I don't own Harry Potter.  I make no claim on him or anything related and so on and so forth.  But I do own Saerry Snape and the kids, so pah.  *sticks tongue out at the evil lawyers*

Summary: Set eleven years after Harry Potter and the Dark Defenses.  Harry and Ginny were married during the summer after Harry defeated Voldemort and now have three children; eleven-year-old James, eight-year-old Lily, and five-year-old Sarah.  Draco and Hermione's daughter Kallianne is now a 6th year at Hogwarts and their eleven-year-old son Damon will be a first year.  Sirius and Remus still teach their Dueling class, Snape still teaches Potions, and Hermione still teaches History of Magic.  Ginny took over the Transfiguration class when McGonagall retired from teaching after a heart attack that nearly killed her.  Draco has finished his time as Snape's assistant but stays around to help the aging professor and keep close to his wife and children.  Harry continues teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and has had Saerry as his assistant for two years.  Life is peaceful.  But a new threat has begun to rise in the magical world . . . .

A/N: Yes, I know, I really should finish Harry Potter and the Dark Rising before I start this one but this idea has been nagging at me and won't go away.  So, I'm starting on it.  Hopefully I can finish it, HP&tDR, S&W:TF, and TD.  And, AND, I have another HP story I'm working on but as I'm not sure if I'm going to post it or not, it's being beta-read first.  *sigh*  Anyway, moooving on . . . .

Harry Potter and the Dark Reborn

Chapter 1 – Happy Times and Memories

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER, GET YOUR TAIL DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!!"

An eleven-year-old boy with a mop of unruly black hair and big blue eyes appeared at the head of the staircase.  He looked down at the bottom at his father, whose piercing green eyes were glaring up at him from under the same mop of unruly black hair that he had.

The only difference was his father was soaking wet.

"Uh, hi dad."

"Don't you 'hi dad' me, James.  Did you set that trap above the door?"

James looked down at his father.

"Maybe . . ."

"Why?"

James shivered.  His father's voice had gotten that soft tone that it normally got when he was angry.

"It was supposed to be for Lily!"

Harry Potter sighed and brushed back his sopping wet hair.  He looked up at his only son and said, "Next time make sure that it won't drop on anyone else but Lily."

James eyes brightened.  "You mean . . ."

"You can pull as many pranks as you want just don't let them get out of hand.  And don't let your mother find out."

"Thanks dad!"  James bounded down the stairs and leapt into his father's arms.  Harry grunted from the weight but held onto the boy.

"You're getting too big for this."

"Oh, c'mon dad . . ."

"I'm not joking, James.  You're taller than I was when I was ten."

James blue eyes brightened.  "Really?"

Harry nodded.  "Yep.  Now, where's your mother?"

"Over at Uncle Ron's."

"Well, you're lucky she wasn't the one who tripped your trap."

James giggled and Harry smiled.  He then asked, "Got your trunk ready for tomorrow?"

"Yep!"

"What about Lily and Sarah?"

"Lily's packed, I think, and mum said she's going to pack Sarah's."

"Well, that's that then.  How about we see what Tessa has for supper?"

James beamed and chirped, "Chicken."

Harry grinned at him and said loudly, "Oh-ho!  Been in the kitchen already have we?"

"Yep."

"Sneaky boy."

James grinned and Harry set him down on the floor.

Only to have his arms immediately filled again by a squirming five-year-old.

"DADDY!"

Sarah Potter hurtled out of the library and threw herself into her father's arms.  He swept her up and kissed her head, ruffling her dark red hair.

"Hello pumpkin.  What were you doing?"

"Reading."

"Reading?  Reading what?"

"Book."

"Sarah, honey, what book?"

Sarah's tiny brow furrowed in thought then she said, "Hwogwarts, A Hwistory."

Harry laughed.  He loved the way the five-year-old girl put a 'w' behind her 'h's'.

"Aunt Hermione will be happy to hear that."

Sarah smiled and James coughed, trying to cover a laugh.  Harry looked at his son then turned around as there was a pop behind him.  He smiled and said, "Hello, love."

Ginny smiled and walked up to her husband, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

"Afternoon, love.  Ich, why are you wet?"

"Oh, no reason."

Ginny gave him a look and said, "Mmmhmmm."  Her blue eyes flicked to James, who was looking as innocent as he possibly could.

Harry grinned then asked, "Where's Lily?"

"In her room.  At least she was when I left."

"Oh dear . . ."

"You don't think . .?"

"I do."

"Merlin, she's worse than you, Ron, and Hermione all combined."

Harry chuckled and shifted Sarah from his arms to Ginny's.  He said, "Imagine what she'll be like at Hogwarts."

"Oh Merlin, I don't even want to think about that."

"Too late, love.  James said Tessa's cooking chicken so you three get ready to eat.  I'll go find Lily."  Harry kissed Ginny's forehead, dried his robes with a flick of his wand, then stalked out the door, grabbing his Firebolt from its spot leaned against the wall as he did.

As soon as he was outside he mounted the old broom and kicked off, soaring down the property to a spot where he knew Lily liked to go.  The property was his, had been his parents.  They had built a fairly large manor on the property but nowhere near the site where Harry's parents house had been.

That was where Lily had gone.

Harry found her sitting with her back to an ancient willow that had probably been there for years.  Her bright green eyes were focused on the grassy expanse that covered what remained of her grandparent's house.  Harry landed silently a little away from her and walked over to her.  She never noticed him until he lowered himself into the grass beside her.

Harry wrapped an arm about her shoulders and said, "Lil?"

Lily turned and looked up at him.  She smiled and said, "Hi dad."

"Hey.  What are you doing out here?"

"I just wanted to come look.  See it all again."

Harry sighed and squeezed her shoulders.  He and Ginny had only told Lily about his past a year ago.  They had waited until she could fully understand it, same as with James and as they would do with Sarah.

They sat in silence, Lily leaning against Harry, until the eight-year-old asked, "Dad?"

"Mmm?"

"Can I see it?  The Dark Mark?"

Harry stiffened slightly.  Lily was the only one of their children to know of his darker past and that was only because she had stumbled into their bedroom after a bad dream and seen it.  They had explained the situation to her and had had her swear not to tell her brother and sister.

Lily suddenly sat up, looking at him with worried green eyes that matched his own.  She asked, "Dad?  Did I say something wrong?"

Harry sighed and smiled slightly.  "No, baby.  Its just . . . . I wish you didn't have to know about that part of me."

"You'd have told us sooner or later, dad."

"Yes, I would."

"When will you tell James?"

"Tonight."

"He'll be pissed when he knows I knew before him."

Harry chuckled.  "That he will."

"Dad?"

"Oh, fine."  Harry rolled up his left sleeve to his elbow and held out his arm to his daughter.  Lily traced the faded gray mark with one finger, following the line of the skull and the serpent.  Harry's skin twitched under her touch and she said, "Sorry, dad."

"Its okay, Lil."

"Does it hurt?"

Harry sighed and pulled his sleeve back down.  He looked down at the dark-haired girl and replied, "Sometimes."

There was silence again until Harry said, "C'mon.  Your mum'll be furious if we don't get back for dinner."

Lily nodded and asked, "What's Tessa cooking?"

"Chicken."

"Should've guessed."

Harry chuckled and ruffled the wild, black hair.  Lily was the only one of their children to inherit both his hair and eyes.  James had his hair and Ginny's eyes while Sarah had Ginny's hair (only darker) and his eyes.

"Da-ad!"

"What?  Don't I get the right to embarrass my own children?"

Lily laughed and Harry hugged her to him, kissing her hair.

"C'mon now, Lil.  Your mum'll be after us soon."

Lily nodded and they both rose, reach picking up their brooms.  Mounting, they kicked off from the ground and flew away from the ruins

~ * ~

"Dinner, ma'am."

Ginny smiled at the house-elf and said, "Thank you, Tessa."

Tessa beamed and bowed before disappearing from the room.  Sarah looked after the house-elf with wide green eyes.  Tessa had always fascinated her.

From the wing-backed chair across from her James grumbled, "Can't we eat yet?"

Ginny frowned at her oldest child and said, "Now James, you know we have to wait for your father and sister."

"I know mum.  I just hate waiting, y'know."

"Yes, I do.  You get that from your father."

James smiled then jumped up as they heard the sound of the front door opening.  A moment later Lily entered the library, followed by a grinning Harry.  He said, "Look what I found in the yard, love."

Ginny smiled.  This was one of their games.

"Oh, she's so cute.  Can we keep her, Harry?"

"I suppose, love."

Lily giggled and leaned into her father's side while James snorted with laughter.  Sarah giggled softly as Ginny rose from her seat on the couch, gathering the little girl in her arms.

She looked at her family and asked, "Well, shall we eat?"

"Yes!" was the chorus of voices that answered her and they left the library and headed straight for the dining room where Tessa greeted them in her high-pitched voice and entertained all of them with her antics.

A/N: Well, I think that ended up being a good first chapter.  What do you guys think?