Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling, and I make no claims on it. I make absolutely no money on this. I don't even owe the plot, since it's been done countless of times.
Warning: Child Neglect, Character's Death.
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Albus Dumbledore looked at the two small children in the crib. They were identical. The only difference was their eyes. One of them had hazel brown eyes, inherited from their father. The other had emerald green eyes, which could only belong to their mother, Lily.
A more recent difference that they had just obtained this very night, was two scars. Two different scars, on two different places. Harry, the green eyed twin, had a scar with the shape of a lightning bolt on his pale forehead. Alex had a pentagram on his little chubby cheek.
He then made a decision. A decision which he, and many others in the years to come, would regret. Albus took the hazel eyed child into his eyes, before turning around, looking at the child's parents.
He opened his mouth, and spoke.
The words that he uttered that night, destroyed the destiny that Fate had bestowed upon them...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Four Years Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A small child at the age of five, sat staring out of the window. He watched as his Daddy played with his brother. Why didn't his father wanna play with him too..?
He sighted. He knew that his dad wouldn't notice him. After all, he didn't save the world from that bad man... Small emerald eyes pressed close, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He would never be like his brother.. Not as smart, not as cute, not as popular, not as powerful, not that good.. But worst of all.. He would never become as loved.
It hurt. It really did. They were twins! And still they managed to forget.. Still they managed to forget that it was just as much his birthday as it was Alex..!
He hugged his knees tighter too him as he watched his father helping his brother. He was teaching him how to fly. After all, Alex had gotten a broom for his birthday. He had to learn how to fly it, didn't he?
Alex got nearly a hundred birthday presents today. Most people would think that he was exaggerating when he said that. But it was the truth. Not all of the presents were from family and friends, oh no! far from it! His brother just had so many admirers, that sent him birthday presents as well. After all, buying him a birthday present was the least they could do, to thank him for saving their lives. No, their saving their world. At least, in their minds..
No one once thought of the saviors twin brother. He wasn't even sure if anyone actually knew, except Uncle Padfoot, Uncle Moony and his parents. Hell, sometimes he doubted that they even knew!
Harry dug his nails into his arms, hugging himself tightly. He pressed his nails into his skin so hard, he would be surprised if he didn't bleed. And today, Harry was doomed to not be surprised. He watched as a drop of blood trailed down his arm. He didn't care.
While Alex had gotten a hundred presents, Harry didn't get any. Not even a single present. Nothing. Rien. Nichts. Nada. Niets. Ingenting! It hurt.. It hurt that his own parents couldn't even remember his birthday!
But it was nothing he could do about it.. He tried, he really did try to get them to notice him. But they never did!
Harry blinked a couple of times, trying to get rid of the tears that was building up. He noticed that it started raining. He saw his father and Alex walking back towards the house. They were laughing, smiling.. Harry felt jealousy build up in him.
Why couldn't his daddy laugh and play with him too..? Was he really that worthless?
Harry shook his head. The small child pushed himself up from the floor, and went to the bathroom. He had to fix himself up. They were going to take a family photo. Himself, his mom, Alex, his father and his uncles. The small child smiled in spite of himself. Just the thought of it.. the thought of doing something together with his family cheered him up. All thoughts about jealousy, hurt, sadness and all those negative emotions that had filled the small child just minutes before were gone.
Replaced by the biggest smile that the child was capable of.
______________________
The huge grin on his face was wiped off as soon as he entered the living room.
There, sitting at the couch were his family. A man stood by the wall at the other side of the room, taking picture after picture, photo after photo. And they just sat there, smiling...
At one edge of the couch sat Remus Lupin. His face was marred by three nearly faded scars over his face. His hair was brown, though you could catch a hint of gray here and there if you looked close enough. He smiled at the camera. He seemed extremely happy. After all, why wouldn't he be? He was with his family..
Beside him sat his uncle Sirius Black. He had his arm wrapped around Remus, a huge satisfied grin on his face. In fact, the grin was so huge, it looked like it would split his face in half. Sirius had long black hair that reached to his shoulders. He was a very handsome man, but he only had eyes for Remus. Harry might be young, but he did understand that his uncles loved each other a lot.
At the other edge of the couch were his father. His father had the same messy, midnight black hair as he and his brother had. He had hazel colored eyes, which twinkled in happiness at the moment. After all, James Potter had everything a man could wish for. A famous son, a beautiful wife, and the best friends in the world!
Between his father and his Uncle Sirius sat his mother. His beautiful mother. Lily Evans Potter had long, silky red hair that reached about to her mid back. Harry felt like he had a special connection to her, a connection that his brother didn't have to their dear mother. He, not his brother, but he, Harry had inherited his mother's eyes. The emerald green eyes. Or, as Harry called them, the Killing Curse green eyes.
When he had first called them that when he was three, well.. That was the first time he got any real attention since that night. And the last at that. He had gotten scolded for saying that, and gotten house arrest for a week. Not that they didn't forget that after six hours, but that's beside the point.
And then you had the last of the group. Alex Potter. His twin brother. The reason why he was neglected. The reason why his parents had forgotten all about him. But yet, Harry had never blamed him for that. He loved his brother, despite Alex never noticing him ether. His twin brother, so much like him, and yet at the same time not. They're eyes were completely different. Not only in color. But Harry's eyes were older, the years of neglect having put it's scars on his young mind. While his twins hazel eyes sparkled with happiness. Just like their father's. Another difference was their skin tone. Harry was paler then his brother. After all, it wasn't often that Harry spent any time outside.
As Harry watched the happy family before him, something deeply inside of him broke. It broke like a fragile glass would if you dropped it to the floor. It broke into millions of tiny fragments, far too many, and far too small to ever put together.
It was when this thing inside of him broke, that Harry accepted what he had known for quite some time. What he had known, but wouldn't accept. What he refused to be true.
He now accepted that the people sitting there on the couch was a happy family. The perfect family.
The family that he wasn't a part of, and hadn't been for a long time...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Five Years Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harry stared out of the window, just as he had at this day for the last few years. Today was his 10th birthday. And in a year, he would enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He stared out of the window. Would anyone notice him? Or would they just care about his brother? He didn't really know. And frankly, he didn't care anymore. He was used to it anyway. He got up from the floor, and started walking towards the living room. He wanted to see what everyone was doing. Now that it was the Saviors 10th birthday.
He walked into the living room. The room was filled with children. He could see all of the Weasly's spread around in the room. The youngest son, Ronald, was Alex's best friend. Harry snorted. Ron didn't even know who he was. He had crashed into Ronald once, and Ronald asked him who he was. He just left without answering.. If he didn't know, that was his problem, wasn't it?
The Longbottoms were here as well. He could see several other families that his parents got along with. It was other people he'd never seen nor heard about. Most likely, his parents invited as many people as they could. The bigger birthday party they held for their son, the better.
And speaking of the devil.. Alex was right beside a mountain of presents, opening one after another. It had never been that much presents before..
Harry just closed his eyes and walked into the kitchen, where his mother was. She was making everything ready for the cakes. After all, his mother had grown up as a muggle, and she wanted to preserve at least some of her culture. Besides, his mother's cooking was much better then what the house elves cooked any day! But still, Harry couldn't help but wish that his mother would make him a birthday cake too..
He shook his head. Better not step on dangerous grounds. There was no reason playing "What If"
He was just about to turn when his mother spoke, "Harry, I didn't see you there!" He stared up at her, startled. They hadn't even acknowledged his present for three months now! So why exactly did she do it this time..? Perhaps she remembered that it was his birthday as well, and were going to congratulate him!
"Would you be a darling and help me carrying out some of the cakes?" Lily's gentle voice broke through his thoughts. Of course. How silly of him. Thinking that she might have remembered that it was his birthday. He sighed before grabbing a cake and carried it out into the living room. He helped his mother with 6 cakes, before he attempted to leave the room. Attempted being the key word.
"Where are you going Harry? Have you forgotten that it is your brother's birthday today? You haven't congratulated him yet! Actually, when I think about it, you haven't congratulated your brother's birthday for years now!" She looked at him sternly, "Perhaps you should start now."
Harry could hear the small fragments breaking even further. He didn't even know it was possible to break something that many times..
He glared at her. "Well, none of you have even acknowledged my birthday for several years now. So I don't see why I should! It's not like he'll notice ether way." With that, he turned around and stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked Lily Potter behind.
What was going on?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Five Months Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Finally, it was Christmas Eve. In most homes, you could see families together, talking about good times. You could see them sitting at the table, laughing, joking and teasing each other.
It was no different in the Potter Family Home. Two proud parents, to grinning uncles and a child that had a huge grin on his face. He had just told them of his newest accomplishment, and his parents were very proud of him for it. They were truly a happy family. If a reporter had arrived at the house, the reporter would be unable to find anything wrong with this family. Everything was perfect.
Except for one member of the family. One forgotten family member. He sat at a couch in the living room, just waiting for them to get done eating. He didn't want to eat with them. He'd just get the house elves to cook him something afterwards. It hurt. listening to them. But then again, it always did. But it hurt the most on this day. Because Christmas was a family holiday. But to him it was just a holiday to remind him that his family didn't want him.
He heard movement in the kitchen, and knew that they were done now. He watched saw Sirius exiting the kitchen, and then he looked straight at him. Sirius froze. "Who are you?!" Sirius practically yelled out as he saw him. Harry felt something squeeshing at the fragments, but that might just have been his imagination.
"Remus! James! Lily!" Sirius yelled, "Get in here!" He saw Remus, his father and mother appear behind Sirius. "What were you yelling for Sirius?" James snapped at his friend. "Look!" Sirius exclaimed, pointing at Harry. "There someone on the couch!" James pushed Sirius away and stared down at his son. He blinked. "Sirius, that's just Harry!"
"Harry who?" Sirius asked, confused.
"Harry, my son! Alex's twin! Remember?" James looked at Sirius like he just grew a second head.
"I don't remember you having a second son, James.." Remus said carefully.
Harry felt like he'd just been hit. His uncles didn't even remember him..?
"You don't remember me, Uncle Moony? Uncle Padfoot..?" Harry whispered in such a broken voice, that everyone turned to stare at him. His emerald green eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
"No, kid. I don't remember ever seeing you before!" Sirius exclaimed, not hearing the broken tone in the child's voice. And not having noticed Harry's use of his nickname.
Harry stared at them all for five seconds before bolting out of the room. Tears were streaming down his cheek. He felt something inside him break beyond repair. The neglect, the feeling that no one cared, no one noticing him finally catching up with him. It broke him, tore him asunder.
The only thing Harry knew anymore, was that he needed to get away. Quickly.
He ran into the woods that surrounded the Potter home. He ran as fast as he could. He needed to get away. He couldn't bear the neglect anymore. He was right. It would be far better if he died. They wouldn't notice if he was there or not, and he wouldn't be hurting anymore... It really was for the best.
But no. He wanted to live. He wanted to be recognized. He wanted someone to be Missing him!
He was getting exhausted. It was so cold.. So extremely cold. But he didn't care. He was numb anyway. He ran into a clearing. It was beautiful. The snow seemed to sparkle around him like crystals. It was a small waterhole there. But it was frozen to ice. It was snowing softly. No wind, nothing. the snow just fell straight down, making the night even more beautiful.
Harry sat down, leaning against a tree. He wrapped his arms around his feet, and rested his head on his knees. He started to sing in a broken, soft voice:
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"
You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,
Isn't something missing?
Isn't something...
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"
You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,
Isn't something missing?
Isn't something...
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
As he sang, flashbacks of the neglect flashed through his mind. The scene with Sirius and Remus kept popping up between the scenes. He couldn't believe that they had forgotten about him..
He repeated the song several times. Until after a time, he was so frozen, he could only hum the melody.
Harry was so cold, he couldn't move anymore. He knew, he knew no one was coming for him. And if someone found him, it would be to late.
A single tear dripped down his cheek, as he filled his lungs with the cold air for the last time...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - One Week Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A scream echoed through the forest.
They had found him.
The search was over, but the results were not what they wanted.
Harry James Potter, Son of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter, Brother to the Savior of the Wizarding World, was found frozen to death on New Years Eve, at 11:59 PM.
Exactly 10 years and 5 months since his birth.
______________________
Lily stared at her frozen son that sat there, leaning against the tree, hugging his knees tightly. He was one example of how death could be beautiful. His pale skin was now white with a tint of blue in it. His once beautiful emerald green eyes were closed, and there, frozen on his cheek was a single tear. His face seemed so calm, and yet, so sorrowful. It broke Lily's heart to see her son like this.
Why couldn't they have arrived earlier?
______________________
The day before Harry's funeral would take place, Lily was in her sons room, looking through his stuff. And locked in his desk, she found two peculiar items. One was a journal, the second.. A pensive. How her son managed to get his hands on a rare item, such as a pensive, she didn't know. She didn't really care ether. "James! Get up here!" She heard her husband running up the stairs ant barging into the room behind her. "What is it Lily?" He asked her, panting slightly. After their son died, all of them started to get a little paranoid. If anyone called, someone would be there just seconds afterwards.
"It seems that our son had a pensive.. How about we look what memories he placed in it?" James just stared at the pensive for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Yes, I think we should."
James came over to her, and the both of them reached into the pensive, to watch the memories in it.
They were now back to that night. That night, so many years ago. Where everything went awry. The night Voldemort attacked them, and their son, Alex killed him.
Lily watched as her husband bravely stood infront of Voldemort, trying to protect her and their children from the monster. Even though Voldemort stunned James easily, because James didn't have his wand with him at the time, Lily felt pride swell up in her. Pride for her brave husband.
James watched as his wife refused to give their sons to the Dark Lord. She was willing to sacrifice herself for their beloved children. Voldemort didn't kill her though. He simply stunned her. Most likely he wanted the children out of the way before he killed them. But James couldn't have been more proud in his beautiful wife.
They both watched, horrified as Voldemort turned his wand on their children. They didn't want to see this!
They watched, shocked beyond belief as Voldemort said the dreaded words of the killing curse. And the killing curse did not head towards the hazel eyed child. No, it headed straight towards the green eyed child. As soon as it hit, the whole room was filled with a brilliant green light. When it faded, Voldemort laid on the floor, in the same position as he had when they found him, all those years ago.
He was dead. And it had not been the child they had given all their love all these years that killed him. It had been the child they nearly forgot. The child they neglected ever since this night. The child that was now dead.
the house started to crumble. And a piece of jewelry fell on Alex's cheek. It was of metal, and it had been heated up as soon as the fire started. It burned it's way into his cheek, making the child cry in pain. While Harry, just sat there. Staring right at them as though he could see them. But how could he? After all, it was just a memory..
Suddenly the scene changed. They saw that they were now back at the mansion. Yet, they weren't on Harry's room. This was another memory.
They watched, for what seemed like hours they watched. They watched as Harry cried himself to sleep, they watched as everytime on his birthday, no one as much as said hi to him. They were to busy looking at Alex. Alex that they all believed saved them. When in fact, it was the lonely, small boy with the green eyes.
They watched memory after memory. Memories that only entailed neglect. But the worst memory was on his 5th birthday.. The Family Photograph. Lily sobbed as she saw the heartbroken expression on her baby's face. It was too much..
When they got out of the pensive, James didn't even have time to breathe before he had his arm's full with a sobbing Lily. He tried to be strong, tried to be strong for her sake. But as he felt tears streaming down his own face, he broke down and grieved with his wife. And as they cried, one sentence echoed in both of their minds.
What had they done?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -The Next Day - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harry James Potter's funeral was a sad affair indeed. The Potters had told the wizarding world the truth about that night. So now, the whole Wizarding World was grieving the death of their savior. Guilt was another emotion that seemed to be spread all over. They felt guilty for not noticing him. For only paying attention to his brother. They felt guilty not knowing that he even existed!
However, no one was plagued by guilt as much as six certain people. Albus Dumbledore, for choosing the wrong child that fateful night. James and Lily Potter, for neglecting their son. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, for not even recognizing Sirius own Godson. They forgot him, believing him to just be a fragment of their imagination. Or perhaps a good dream. After all, nether of them never wanted to acknowledge the fact that their friend, their brother wouldn't spend a lot of time with one of his sons.
And of course, you had the mirror image of Harry. Only difference was skin tone and eye color. He hated himself for not spending a lot of time with his twin. And now, he would never have that chance.. Never. For Harry was now gone. Gone to a place where he could not follow for a long time. He hated himself for looking like his brother. He hated himself for not being completely identical to his brother. He knew, that it pained his parents to just look at him, because he looked so much like the one they lost. It only hurt them more to see the differences between the two of them. He wanted his brother back.. He really wanted his brother back!
Harry was buried where they found him. In that little clearing far into the forest. That way, he would be far gone from the memories of neglect. And he might finally get some peace.
As Alex laid a single white rose on his brother's grave, he let his hand trail over the gravestone and what was inscripted there. As he sat there, he noticed a single snow flake landed on his cheek. Alex looked up at the sky, and saw the snow that was softly falling downwards. He whispered softly into the wind, before standing up. He took one last look at his brother, before turning and left, catching up with his mother.
And the what the child had whispered to his brother, the wind carried with it. Now, if you were to visit Harry's grave, you would hear a soft whisper in the wind...
"Did it snow that night?"
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In Beloved Memory
Harry Potter
31.07.80 - 24.12.90
Forgotten And Beloved Son And Brother
You Saved Our World
But Not Once
Did You Receive Gratitude
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A/N: There we go. And yes, I am aware that the "Harry is neglected by his parents, and his brother is believed to be the Boy-Who-Lived" is a very used plot... But I wanted to try my hand on. And it has quite the twist to it, doesn't it?
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