“James and Lily loved you as their own.”

“They adopted you with magic, you have their blood too.”

“Piper and Leo didn’t have a choice. They did it to protect you. They did it because they love you.”

Everything Sirius and Remus had told him was running through his mind a million miles a second. He couldn’t stop thinking. “I have a family! I have a family” but then his elation would deflate, “Where were they when I needed them?”

He had run through the halls towards the guest quarters where they had dropped them that first night. He had lifted his hand, but he was unable to knock. And somehow, he didn’t exactly know how, as he ran, as he got more and more confused, he ended up in the Gryffindor Tower and walking straight towards the bent blond head in the corner table.

“Can we talk?” he asked and Wyatt looked up from his homework and the second he saw Chris’s face he knew.

“You know?”

Chris nodded jerkily and Wyatt closed his books and followed his brother silently out of the tower and through the castle until they were out in the grounds and Chris directed him to a secluded spot by the lake. He watched as Chris sat on the grass and crossed his legs, studying his entwined hands with fascination. He mimicked him sitting in front of him.

“Did you talk to mom and dad?”

Chris shook his head nervously.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” Chris whispered. “I don’t know what to do, what to feel.”

“What are you feeling?” Wyatt had a pretty good idea. He had already thought Chris might have been talking to Sirius and Remus because of the confused feelings he was getting from the bond. There was happiness, and anger, and rejection, and a bit of self-loath. But he needed Chris to elaborate on that, so Chris could understand how he was feeling.

“You’re my brother,” he stated more than asked.

“Yes.”

Chris looked at him with lost eyes, “I never had a brother- just Dudley- and I don’t think it counts- I hope not- Ron’s brothers don’t seem to act like Dudley-“

“I don’t know what Dudley did,” Wyatt stopped Chris’s rambling with a hand on his fidgeting hand, “But I know what I am. I am your brother. I have always been. I have always waited for this day. Since I was little and mom and dad explained why they had to take you away. I’ve always waited for the day we’d be reunited; we’d be able to be friends again. To make mom and dad crazy together,” he smiled. “For the day I could protect you, because in the past you’ve always protected me.”

Wyatt had been told the whole story. When he was little all he knew was that he had a brother that had to be away from him but once Leo and Piper deemed him old enough to understand they explained everything. It had been hard for him to hear that in an alternate future he had gone so evil his brother had to travel back in time and risk his own existence to stop him. But the fact that he did, that he thought of saving Wyatt instead of just getting rid of Wyatt, and that he gave his life to ensure that is what made Wyatt make sure he never strayed. Make sure he never abused his powers, he never turned into the man that killed Chris’s fiancé. Piper and Leo hadn’t known exactly what happened but Wyatt could imagine that if she died and if he had been the one to send her to get Chris, he must have been the one to kill her.

“I don’t remember that,” Chris said distractedly.

“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that you did. You might never remember, or maybe you will one day. Mom and dad aren’t sure what’s going to happen since Future you never got a chance to go back to his time,” and here Wyatt looked down at his hands. “Because he died before he had a chance.”

Chris nodded. Sirius and Remus had explained all of that. And even having time traveled just before the summer to save Sirius Chris still had a hard time grasping the concept  that an adult version of himself traveled to before he was born to save them all from a horrible future, to save his brother. A brother he never knew he had. A version of himself that came from a different world. A world where he never was Harry Christopher Potter and always was Christopher Perry Halliwell. A world that never had a Harry Potter and Chris idly wondered what happened to Voldemort in that world. Had there been another Boy-Who-Lived or did Voldemort rule the Wizarding world? They’d probably never know. But that was the whole reason why the Elders thought him a threat. Beings that according to Remus guided, but Chris thought it looked more like they ruled, witches in their path. These beings, which were supposed to be of pure good ,thought him a threat and wanted to kill him.

“Why does everyone want me dead?” Chris asked not realizing he said it out loud.  But why? Why did so many people hate him? Voldemort, Snape, the Elders, the Death Eaters, the Dursleys? Was Uncle Vernon right? Was he just unlovable? A freak people couldn’t help but hate? Maybe even his birth parents were glad to have an excuse to get rid of him.

“I don’t know,” Wyatt answered softly. “What I do know is that all our parents did was out of love. I know that for the last fourteen years they have counted the seconds for the time that they could see you again. I know mom always keeps your room up to date to your age, because she wants it ready for when you move in. And I know everyone in the family has been waiting for the moment you’re back with us, because even those who didn’t know you, who were either too young or weren’t part of the family yet, love you. Want you,” Wyatt didn’t know why he said that, but he knew it was what Chris needed to hear.

Chris looked at him and Wyatt could not only see the disbelief in his eyes but feel it through the bonds. Chris didn’t believe people could love him. He probably thought Sirius and Remus cared for him out of duty to the Potters. They’d have to change that. Chris once saved him, now it was his turn to save Chris.

---

There was a knock on the door and Piper ran to open it to see Chris, to be able to hug him for the first time in fourteen years, but instead of Chris she was faced with an apologetic looking Remus who politely asked:

“May we come in?” she nodded distractedly and her disappointment was such that she didn’t even register the humongous dog that entered the small living room with him. “Hello Leo,” Remus nodded towards Leo who had stood up from the couch and then pointed at the dog, “This is Sirius,” and with the blink of an eye the dog transformed into a thin handsome man shocking Piper and Leo out of their stupor.

Sirius nodded towards them, “Nice to meet you,” he said tightly.

“You haven’t told him?” Piper asked hopefully and Sirius and Remus traded uncomfortable looks.

“We did,” Sirius answered. “He was shocked…he kind of ran out of the room.”

“Oh,” Piper breathed quietly and sat down with a lost look.

“He just needs time to absorb it all,” Sirius said calmly. “I mean. This is huge. We just told him his life was basically a lie.”

Piper nodded sadly and Leo sat next to her squeezing her hand. She looked up and gave Sirius a watery smile.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.”

---

Sirius and Remus had left after talking a lot with them. Piper liked Sirius. She had already gotten a good impression of Remus the day before and meeting Sirius and learning of everything he did to protect Chris last year and hearing the obvious affection he had for him made him an instant friend. She had noticed that Leo wasn’t as enamored of Sirius as she was, actually, she thought he might be a bit jealous. Which was strange, because if you thought about it, Chris had known Sirius for a few months only. And they had barely interacted face to face.

They had discussed lots what happened at the feast the day before and Sirius and Remus shared their suspicions with them. Sirius also let them know that Snape had hanged around a crowd that had all turned out to be Death Eater including some that were blood related to Sirius. Remus, with a sigh and a glare at Sirius, confirmed that yes, Snape had been named as a Death Eater and had a trial but that Dumbledore had vouched for him as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. They also explained what the Order was.

In turn Piper and Leo told them more details of what had happened when Chris had time-traveled and of what had happened with them after they had left Chris with the Potters. Which had led to Remus asking Leo how he could see Hogwarts if he wasn’t magical anymore.

“I’m a mortal now and I don’t have my Elder powers anymore, but the fact that I was once a magical being will always leave a trace of magic in me. I’d be the equivalent to a squib now,” Leo explained.

As they left hours later they gave Piper and Leo a small package wrapped in brown paper to hand to Chris. Sirius said Chris could use it if he needed to talk to them.

“I’ll ask Wyatt to,” she said and Sirius smiled.

“I have a feeling you won’t need to.”

Piper had wanted to believe him, but as the time passed and nothing happened, she was losing her hope. She and Leo were pondering the real need for them to eat dinner in the Great Hall when there was a knock on the door. Heart in her throat she cautiously opened it and was faced with Wyatt who smiled nervously.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi honey,” she said with a sad tone.

“Someone wanted to talk to you and dad,” and Wyatt moved and revealed behind him the smaller and thinner form of his brother, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Hum, hi Mrs. Halliwell- er- hi. Yes,” Chris nodded looking everywhere but at Piper.

“Come in,” Leo’s voice came from behind her and she gave a start. She had forgotten about him.

Chris nodded and entered awkwardly shooting glances at Wyatt almost as if making sure the older boy would not leave him alone with Piper and Leo. They slowly made their way to the couches and armchair. Piper and Leo sharing the couch and Chris and Wyatt taking an armchair facing them each. The silence was stifling.