As soon as Harry arrived at Number 4 Privet Drive, he got his 
trunk and pet up to his room without the Dursleys objecting.  His uncle 
still looked a bit queasy at finding about Harry's godfather. Harry 
debated and pulled out the new trunk and enlarged it.  He tapped the 
white button to open the pathway into the interior of it.  He was not worried 
about the Dursleys finding out, since it was past dinner.

	"I'm not going to take the chance that they'll destroy the 
portrait," Harry mumbled, as he let Hedwig out of her cage.

	The white owl looked at the trunk curiously and went to her water 
dish as Harry entered the trunk.  Harry looked around and was amazed 
by the size of the first room.  There was a large clock against the 
wall to Harry's left.  On the wall to Harry's right was a painting of a 
forest scene.  Mint green carpeting and wallpaper with trees on it 
added to the forest feel of the room.  On each of the walls, there was 
an archway that led to another room.  Harry walked through the house 
inside his trunk.  Each of the rooms, save the bedroom and bathroom, had a 
painting of a location or still life.  Harry could not understand why the 
library had four paintings of shelves filled with books and in one of them was 
a desk.  Underneath the painting that had the desk was a small empty 
bookshelf with what looked to be a bottle of ink placed upside down on 
the top of the shelf.  Harry shook his head and saw that on one wall 
was a panel with a series of seven blue buttons over the top of it.  
Walking up to the buttons, Harry tapped one and the panel slid sideways 
and stopped showing another shelf of books.  Harry tapped another and 
the shelf moved to reveal another shelf.  Harry tapped the same button 
again and the panel reappeared.

	"Nice.  I can stick books on the shelf and access them outside," 
Harry said to himself.  "I better find the panel with the red buttons."

	Harry ignored what the remaining rooms looked like until he found 
the panel with the red buttons and tapped the second one going left to 
right.  The panel slid sideways revealing a room with a painting lying 
on the floor.  Harry carefully picked the painting up and looked at it 
it.

	"Hi, mom.  Hi, dad," Harry said.

	"It's going to take us some time to get used to that Harry," Lily 
replied with a rueful grin.

	"Harry?" James said.  "Why is that wall glowing?"

	Harry turned around and saw what his father was talking about.  
It was a blank wall and there was a glowing square that was recessed a 
bit.  Harry took another look at the portrait of his parents and saw 
that the frame was also glowing.

	"I think...," Harry muttered, as he approached the glowing 
square.

	The glow from the square and the frame grew a bit brighter.  
Harry placed the portrait inside the square and stepped back.  A screen 
quickly slid over the front of the painting and a series of sounds 
like a heavy doors being slammed open started up.  Harry spotted a 
small travel album underneath the portrait and pulled it out.  As he 
opened it up, the screen in front of the portrait went opaque.  Harry 
looked at the travel album and saw that it was the portrait of his 
parents done a bit smaller.

	"What's going on?"  Harry muttered.

	"I think that where you placed our portrait is where we are 
supposed to go.  This small portrait really isn't," Lily explained.  
"It's more like a video telephone with only one place it can call."

	"A what?" James asked.

	"I'll explain later, James," Lily said.

	"So you have any idea what those sounds were all about?" Harry 
asked. 

	"I think so," James said. "Head into one of the other rooms and 
close that portrait."

	Harry did as he was told and headed into the library and waited.  
Lily hesitantly walked into the painting and looked around.  She smiled 
when she saw Harry.

	"James, he's in here," Lily called.

	James came into one of the library paintings and smiled at Lily and Harry.

	"I was right.  We can go into any of the rooms inside this trunk if they 
have a painting," James said.  

	Lily nodded and looked at her son.  "Harry there is something you're going 
to have to do for us.  We're going to need a magical painting of clothes and 
have it stored somewhere out of the way."

	"Why?"  Harry asked.

	Lily gave a laugh.  "If you were raised in the Muggle world you know what 
paper dolls are.  I just never thought I'd actually be one."

	"Oh.  Um.  Is there a difference between you and the portraits at 
Hogwarts?"  Harry asked.

	"Quite a bit," Lily said. "We are here Harry.  It's just like we were 
obliviated and transfigured into a painting.  I found a set of instructions for 
us written by me.  The books in this library painting for instance is filled 
with books that have been destroyed or hidden in one form or the other.  James 
and I can access these books and we can create temporary copies or permanent 
copies in that small empty bookshelf with the upside-down, ever-full inkwell.  
If you place a written work inside the shelf, a copy is sent into the painting 
that bypasses any copy protection spells on the book.  This entire trunk is 
created with a lot of different forms of magic and is why it can support the two 
of us and all of the various things that it can do."

	"How are you here?"  Harry asked.

	"That, I can't tell you.  Apparently, I was an Unspeakable and I don't 
have my memories or notes on how I did this.  I just know it has something to do 
with that pendant," Lily replied.  "By the way Harry.  This trunk has more 
levels than just this one.  If you head into the kitchen, we'll show you."

	Harry quickly went to the kitchen and waited for his parents to arrive.  
Lily showed up in the painting of wizarding home's kitchen and James showed up 
in the painting of a park with a barbecue in it.

	"Harry?  Do you see those two doors?" James asked and continued after he 
received a nod.  "The right one has stairs that lead up to the next level and 
the left one has stairs that lead down.  After you go upstairs, there is a 
staircase that leads up to the next level which only has a room with a single 
door that leads into what looks like the outside.  There is an enclosed 
Quidditch stadium and small forest on the top level.  The level below this one 
has physical exercise rooms and the level below that is a swimming pool with 
appropriate locker rooms."

	"What's on the level above this one?" Harry asked.

	Lily answered that one.  "A planetarium that shows the position of the 
stars regardless of whether it is day or night or any adverse weather 
conditions.  A room that allows you to see outside the trunk and the control 
room that allows you to warp the trunk to other locations.  I got the idea from 
the show Doctor Who.  Apparation, Floo or portkey wards can not block the warp.  
There is also a map room that shows all the magical areas of Europe, even those 
that have been rendered unplottable or under the Fidelius charm.  It does it, 
because it is in another dimension and not affected by spells that only 
target the outside world.  There are also a few storerooms and a Muggle 
workshop."

	"Mum, you outdid yourself with this trunk," Harry said in awe.

	"Why thank you, Harry," Lily said, blushing a bit.  "I'm a bit in awe at 
what my future self pulled off with James' help."

	"Moving on to the next bit.  Owl post and talking via Floo," James said.  
"You can not do so from in here.  You'll have to talk to Sirius or Remus to get 
the magic mirrors that we used to talk with each other during school."

	"How do you know so much about the trunk?  You were just activated," Harry 
asked a bit confused.

	Lily smiled.  "You can't see them, but in each painting there is a list of 
instructions and information about the rooms."  

	Lily held up a book that was hidden out of sight.  "There is also this.  
It covers the entirety of the trunk.  There is also a map to the trunk and to 
the paintings in here.  There is a small room in your bedroom closet that can 
store paintings of clothes or other things."

	Harry pulled out his wand and looked at it.  "Brother wand to Lord 
Voldemort."

	James and Lily looked at each other and then at Harry.

	"Harry?  We would like to know more about our son," James said.

	"All right, but in the front room."

 	He went back into the front room of the trunk and sat down facing the 
painting of the forest.  Lily and James came into the forest painting and waited 
for Harry to speak.  He looked at his parents and then down at his hands.

	"Where do I begin?"  Harry asked.

	"Start at your first memory," James said. "If you choose to remain quiet 
on something, we won't force you to answer."

	Harry took a deep breath and told them of his life at Number Four Privet 
Drive and went on to explain his years at Hogwarts.  James and Lily were 
horrified at what their son had to put up with through the years.

	"I don't understand why Dumbledore violated our will," Lily said.

	"He did?" Harry asked.

	Lily nodded and held up a scroll.  "If things got too bad, you were 
supposed to be sent to my cousin David Evans in the United States.  At no time, 
were you supposed to be left with the Dursleys.  If it is about Blood Wards, 
David does qualify to activate them."

	"Well, you did write that you felt that Dumbledore would violate the will 
and place me with Aunt Petunia," Harry said.  "Wouldn't the Death Eaters make an 
attempt on the United States?"

	Lily started laughing.  "Hardly Harry.  Voldemort or Riddle, now that we 
know his real name, is interested in the Old World.  The US is not that and is 
much larger than he would expect.  Most people from Europe make the mistake that 
the United States is like their own country.  There are people who actually 
travel more than sixty kilometers just to get to work in the States."

	"Oh," Harry said and looked down at the pendant.  "Mum, I have to tell you 
something about when I first put the pendant on."

	Harry went on to explain what happened and how he recalled the compulsions 
that Snape put in him.  Harry looked at James and sighed heavily.

	"All of this, because I look like you and Sirius pulled that trick on 
Snape."

	"And you believed him?" James said.  "I'm not proud of being a bully and I 
did bully Snape quite a bit, but you have to understand that Riddle and his 
Death Eaters were going around at that time.  Apparently it had been removed 
from everyone's memory but Snape's and ours.  Sirius was seeing a Muggleborn 
witch who was murdered by Death Eaters and the Dark Mark put above her house.  
Snape made a crude comment to Sirius that the Mudblood bitch got what she 
deserved for trying to fit into the Wizarding world and should have stayed with 
the Muggles."

	Harry winced.

	Lily took up the explanation.  "There was a war going on.  At first I 
hated your father for the way he treated Snape, but after a few Mudblood 
comments and seeing the sheer hatred that Snape had for anyone like me or any 
that were better than he was in some way, I came to see that there was something 
else going on."

	"There is something that bugs me, Riddle said he didn't want to kill you.  
He wanted to kill dad and me, but not you.  I wonder why," Harry said.

	"I have no idea.  I have a suspicion though.  If you see a chance, get 
Voldemort's wand," Lily said.  "You can use that to restore our memories.  A 
person killed by a wand leaves an imprint of himself or herself on the wand.  
Since your 
wand is brother to his, you can force it to happen without the need of spells."

	"Okay," Harry said, nodding.

	Lily appeared to take a deep breath and stared straight at Harry.  "Don't 
take this the wrong way, but you are being as arrogant as Draco Malfoy."

	"What?"  Harry said in shock.

	"You have faced Voldemort twice at school along with a troll, a basilisk, 
a werewolf (no offense to Remus), and several Dementors," Lily said.  "Hogwarts 
is no longer safe and you can't rely on the stuff you learn in school to protect 
you.  You have to learn how to defend yourself.  You have been very lucky so 
far, but you really can't count on luck to get you through the rest of your 
school years."

	Harry sighed deeply and thought about Hogwarts and his classes.  Despite 
the fact they were paintings of his parents, Harry felt more at ease with them 
than any adult.  Looking at James and Lily he realized why.  It was because they 
weren't adults yet.  They were still teenagers and could relate to him better 
than if they were adults.

	"You're right.  I have been goofing off," Harry said.

	"It's not completely your fault," James said comfortingly.  "Snape did 
some of your thinking for you and then there was the problem of you getting a 
better grade than Dudley does.  I am not calling that thing my nephew.  No 
offense Lily."

	"None taken," Lily said with a sad sigh.  "I can't believe Petunia went 
that far.  As to Snape, you will have to learn how to shield your mind."

	"Well, Harry?  Are you up to learning from the two of us?" James asked.

	"What will I be learning from the two of you?" Harry asked.

	"Transfiguration is my strong suit.  Charms was Lily's, but she was also 
good in Potions, Arithmicy and Ancient Runes.  I can cover Astronomy, History of 
Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.  Muggle Studies is pointless for you.  
Care of Magical Creatures is a bit hard for the two of us to teach, being as 
we're only paintings."

	"After we get you up to speed in those, we'll start on other subjects," 
Lily said.  "I'll probably add various Muggle subjects to round out your 
education.  Which brings us to the clock in this room.  If you move the minute 
hand backward, you can go back up to twelve hours.  However, you can't go 
forward and it does take twice the amount of time traveled to recharge itself 
after it returns to the proper time and you can't leave the trunk until the 
traveled time has past.  Right now, it can't be activated since we were just 
placed into trunk's circuit."

	"So, I get an extra half-day to learn from the two of you and no one will 
be the wiser," Harry mused.

	"That's right," Lily said with a nod.

	"What about shielding my mind from Snape?"

	"Head into the library and we'll find a book on mind shielding," Lily 
said.

	Harry quickly left for his library and waited.  Lily entered the painting 
with the desk and pulled a book off of it.

	"Okay, Harry.  Head over to the opposite wall and go three shelves down 
and eight books from the left," Lily said.

	Harry followed the instructions and pulled down a book called Mind Arts.

	"You'll have to learn this on your own," Lily said.  "Currently, we don't 
know it either.  We'll work with it as well.  This way we can talk to you 
without speaking."

	Harry nodded and headed for the front room.  "I guess I had better do my 
homework first and then read this book.  I really dislike the quills, but if I 
don't use them...."

	James pointed to a small jar on table in front of a couch.  Inside it was 
some very thick pens.  Harry pulled out a red pen and pulled the cap off.  
Instead of a normal ballpoint pen, he saw a wide tip that looked like it 
belonged to an old-fashioned dip pen.

	"A calligraphy pen with an everfull ink charm on it," James said.  "I used 
those when I was at home.  Writing with those looks like using a quill and they 
don't suffer from easy breakage.  By the way Harry, don't mention any of this 
when you're outside the trunk.  There is something up with the wards around the 
house."

	Harry nodded.

	"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Harry said, as he walked outside the 
trunk with the book and pen.

	"See you tomorrow," James said.

	After Harry left, James looked at Lily.  "Well, Mrs. Potter?  What do you 
think of our son?"

	"He's a good person who has been betrayed by the great Albus Dumbledore," 
Lily said, laughing at James' joke.  "If Harry ever doubts us, we'll have to 
reveal the spell upon our portrait.  He might not like it, but at least he'll 
know there is someone who he can trust without reservations."

	James nodded.  "I think you had better check the wards around the house.  
I'm surprised you built this so quick."

	"I didn't.  I started building this trunk early last year...er...in my 
sixth year," Lily said, her face a bit flushed. "It was meant as a place for me 
to live in safety in case Riddle came after me.  I never thought I would become 
a part of it.  The paintings are definitely a new touch and how the paintings 
of all the books, means that they are copies of books is something I'm going to 
have to look into."

	"So, what are you going to teach Harry first?" James asked.

	"How to make a pensive that not only Harry can use, but us as well," Lily 
said.

	The next day, Harry did his chores and grimaced at the idea of having his 
food curtailed, since Dudley was on a diet.  Apparently, Aunt Petunia thought 
the best way to keep Dudley's morale up was to make sure Harry had less food 
than Dudley.  Harry ate what was put before him without comment and hid a smile, 
when he thought of his trunk.

	'Yeah, right.  Mum did a real number with that trunk.  It is stocked with 
food,' Harry thought.

	Finishing his grapefruit wedge, Harry went up to his room and entered the 
trunk.  He took a look at the clock and swung the minute hand backwards twelve 
times.  The clock tolled a few times and Harry felt wind rushing past him.  He 
looked at the door out of the trunk and noticed it had an energy field across 
it.

	"Time to get something to eat," Harry said, and headed for the kitchen

	Looking through the larder of the kitchen, Harry saw that he had at least 
three years of food stored in the kitchen under preservation spells.  Smirking, 
he prepared himself a submarine sandwich and started eating it.  As he ate, 
James entered the portrait in the kitchen and looked at Harry.

	"Hungry?"  James asked.

	"You could say that.  I used the time-turner in the front to help me out," 
Harry said, and quickly explained Dudley's diet and how it affected him.

	James shook his head at that and frowned.  ""What are you going to do at 
the end of the time you are here?"

	"I have two hours after my time is up in here and then I go to bed," Harry 
replied.  "I'm going to need another wand.  If Snape or the Ministry checked my 
wand, they would see spells that shouldn't be there.  I've been threatened with 
expulsion once by the Ministry.  There also has to be a way to get rid of 
Dementors.  The only thing that works is the Patronus charm."

	"Hmmm.  Lily was going to teach you how to build a pensive, but the second 
wand sounds like it needs to be move to the top," James said.  "I'm not sure 
what you could use though."

	"I do have the basilisk corpse.  The eyes were ruined, but the fangs 
should still be useful," Harry stated. "What are you going to teach me first?"

	"Animagus.  You need it as an escape route," James answered.

	"That's going to take time to learn," Harry muttered.

	"Not as much time as you think.  The Ministry labeled all the good 
Animagus books as dark.  Lily found a book on Knockturn Alley that was banned.  
Using it, she achieved her Animagus form in under a month.  She's a red fox if 
you are wondering," James said.

	"That explains the fox on the pendant," Harry muttered  "I don't 
understand why the books were banned."

	As Lily entered the portrait, she responded to Harry's statement, "The 
Ministry of Magic is concerned that there are people who are much better at 
magic than they are.  So in response, anything that takes a great deal of time 
or effort is labeled as dark.  Psychic shielding and Occulmency and labeled as 
dark, since they allow to resist Veratiserum and block Legillimency."

	"How do you know this?" Harry asked.

	Lily held up a small book.  "I'm reading entries in my diary that my 
future self made.  This trunk for example, can no longer be built without 
getting thrown into Azkaban.  Numerous spells that I used to create this trunk 
have been banned and restricted.  And before you ask, there is a set of self-
updating books in the library that lists all the magic that has been banned and 
restricted.  One book can show the current laws and the other can show what they 
were previously."

	Harry nodded and explained that he wanted a new wand to prevent the 
Ministry and Snape from getting him into trouble.  Lilly rolled her eyes and 
sighed.

	"I wanted you to work on a pensive, but I agree the second wand should 
probably come first.  You can't buy a second wand without permission from the 
Ministry or have a dangerous job.  In the case of Bill, he passed his old wand 
to his younger brother to help his family out and he also works with dragons.  
The problem with making a second wand is the fact that the Minsitry has 
restricted the books to wandmaker families. Having a copy of the book on hand 
without being a wandmaker is a heavy fine and/or time in Azkaban."

	"Then how am I supposed to learn it?" Harry asked.

	"Remember what I said about the books in the portraits are actual copies?  
One of the books is the wandmaking book.  Trying to arrest someone for a book in 
a painting is going to get the Ministry laughed at," Lily said.

	"That sounds..." Harry began.

	"Like a Slytherin?" Lily asked with a smile.  "My Animagus form is a fox, 
an animal well known for intelligence and cunning.

	Lily's smile faded, as she looked at her son.  "Harry, Slytherin has gone 
downhill ever since Riddle.  It is not meant to be a place for pureblooded 
bigotry and uncaring ambition.  Cunning means more than being sneaky or cheating 
to win.  Ambition means more than wanting to dominate people.  You have an 
ambition to be free of the Dusrleys once and for all.  Is that evil?  It is an 
ambition.  Slytherin has become a refuge for laziness, ruthlessness, and bigotry 
under Snape.  Professor Horace Slughorn, the previous Slytherin Head, understood 
that skill should be recognized no matter what the house.  He was prejudiced to 
those who had skill or something to offer the Wizarding World.  With what you 
have told us so far, Snape seems to believe that the only ones who should be 
wizards are those of Slytherin House.  You should write to Professor McGonnagall 
and tell her that you will be learning potions elsewhere and want nothing more 
to do with Professor Snape."

	"She'll want to know why," Harry said with a sigh.

	"There is a letter to you that can be duplicated and sent off to her.  It 
states bluntly that Severus Snape was the one who took a prophecy to Voldemort 
and put the Dark Lord on our trail.  Even though it looks like he might have 
repented, he is still one of the three responsible for our deaths.  Voldemort 
and Pettigrew are the other two," Lily said.

	"He did what?" Harry demanded.

	"Calm down, Harry.  There is nothing you can do about it now," James said.  
"It will rattle Dumbledore.  You now know there is a prophecy about you.  All 
Voldemort knows is the first few lines that states that a boy born at the end of 
July to parents who defied him three times will have the power to destroy him.  
It could refer to you or Neville Longbottom.  There's more to it than that, but 
we don't have it in here."

	"So, it could be Neville that Voldemort is after," Harry said.

	"I tend to doubt it," Lily said.  "The rest of the prophecy probably 
details more on who it is and judging by that scar on your forehead, it probably 
is you and Voldemort will keep coming after you until either you or he is dead."

	Harry dropped to his knees and stared up at the painting.  "If I had known 
that, I wouldn't have wasted time on things like Divination or Care of Magical 
Creatures or even Quidditch.  I would have prepared to fight him."

	Lily shook her head.  "I think Dumbledore believes that there will always 
be time later and that you should have a happy childhood."

	"A happy childhood?  Here?" Harry demanded.

	Lily rolled her eyes upward.  "Dumbledore has a belief that family never 
turns on each other when they are truly in need.  He always brushed my 
objections about Petunia off as exaggerations."

	"At least with Quidditch, you have some happy memories," James said.  
"Seeker?  Hm?  I tried that once and I was not that good at it.  I was a much 
better Chaser."

	"Let's get to that wand and onto the pensive," Lily said.

	"Why a pensive?" Harry asked. "What is a pensive?"

	"A couple reasons.  If we enter it with you, we'll be able to hug you," 
Lily explained.  "And then there is the fact that James and I can use some of 
the pensive liquid to make clothes for ourselves.  As to what it is, it is a device that allows you to review any memories placed within it."

	"Oh.  Yes, let's get right on it," Harry said.