Agent Potter

Chapter Five

"I don't believe you," Harry said promptly. "There's no magic that can bring back the dead. Everybody knows that."

"That's true," Bearclaw said, still relatively kindly even though Harry had implied that he was jeopardizing his honor by lying. "No magic can bring back the dead but there is magic that can make someone who is very much alive disappear for a while. In this case your father is here today because he never died."

"Now I know that you're lying," Harry said angrily, furious with the goblin but still in enough control of his temper that he didn't draw his wand and curse the bastard. He already had enough problems with Voldemort. He didn't need to be starting a war with the notoriously battle-happy goblins as well. He sure as hell wouldn't trust the goblins as much after this, though and he'd be seeing about getting a new account manager as well. How dare Bearclaw lie to him like that? Harry knew that his father had been a prat as a teenager but if there was one thing that was a certainty was that James Potter had been a good father. Harry knew that his father wouldn't have abandoned him to Voldemort and the Dursleys. "My father has been dead for nearly 16 years!"

"No Harry," a soft voice said, as someone stepped out of the shadows.

Harry jumped out of his seat and backed away, on the verge of hyperventilating, from the man he was sure had to be an impostor. The man was clearly older but he was a passable copy of the James Potter he'd seen in the photo album Hagrid had given him. Sadly, though, as much as Harry wanted it to be true he knew it was impossible. Like his mother, Harry's father was gone and not coming back. "You stay away from me!"

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry Harry but I can't do that. You're my son and I've already missed out on so much of your life. I won't miss out on any more."

James stood in the shadows and watched as Bearclaw talked with his son. He'd been breathless ever since this young man that so strongly resembled himself had walked in. The last time James had seen his son Harry had been a baby, barely able to walk and 'mama' 'dada' and 'Pafoo' being about the extent of his vocabulary. Now Harry was nearly 17 years old, practically a man, and James didn't know how to handle the situation. He decided that he had to intervene, though when Harry started yelling at Bearclaw. James knew that his goblin friend was a tolerant kind of guy but everyone had their limits. It was obvious that Harry knew nothing of their family's history with the Claw clan and he didn't want his son to unknowingly start a feud that would affect, not only them, but their ancestors as well.

His heart constricted in his chest as Harry yelled that his father had been dead for nearly 16 years. James hadn't had a bad relationship with his own father per-say but Charlus Potter had already been quite old when his only child was born so James missed out on a lot of the father-son experiences that most took foregranted. James had had so many plans when Harry was born; so many things that he wanted to teach his son and for them to experience together, things that he hadn't been able to do with his own father. It killed James that he'd missed out on doing these things with Harry as well.

"No Harry," he said, stepping out of the shadows as his son clearly wrestled to maintain control of his temper.

"You stay away from me!" Harry exclaimed, shying away from him with an expression on his face that broke James' heart. The expression was disturbingly similar to how Padfoot had looked at his parents whenever he saw them at Platform Nine and Three Quarters after he ran away from home.

James shook his head, though; shaking off his melancholy. Harry may not trust him now but they were both alive. That was the important thing. As long as they both stayed that way there would be time enough for them to build the sort of relationship they should have had all along later. "I'm sorry Harry," he said. "But I can't do that. You're my son and I've already missed out on so much of your life. I won't miss out on any more."

Harry eyed his so-called father suspiciously, not sure what to think or feel. It would be great if this man was his dad - it was everything Harry had longed for since he was a child - but he just didn't see how it could be possible. From the handful of history of magic lessons Harry had actually paid attention to he knew that the goblins had killed witches and wizards for much lesser offenses than impersonating customers so he doubted they would be having this meeting on Gringotts soil if the goblins weren't 100% convinced this man was his father. Harry still needed more, though. If this was his dad then a shit storm of astronomical proportions was going to be unleashed and Harry needed proof before he accepted such a possibility. "Prove you are who you say you are."

Harry saw his supposed father glance over at Bearclaw. The goblin nodded. "My superiors and I have already considered this possibility, James and we are prepared to offer you a 30 minute exemption to the wand ban at Gringotts. If you feel the need you can use magic in this time to give your son the proof he needs."

"Thank you," James said, whipping out the wand he'd found in one of the Potter vaults. He and Harry would need to have a long conversation sometime soon but right now the most important thing was proving his identity to his son. "I hereby swear upon my life and magic that I am James Christopher Potter and that I did not willingly abandon my son, Harry James Potter. So mote it be."

Harry cried out and stumbled backwards as the man - his father's - vow took hold. After the way he'd been trapped into participating in the Triwizard Tournament Harry didn't have much faith in 'binding' magical contracts but he knew from research he'd done during fourth year that magical oaths and vows were different. You literally staked your life and/or magic on your truthfulness. As shocking as it was, given that the man was still upright and breathing, Harry had no choice but to believe that this was his father. "Oh my god!"

James could see that he was starting to get through to his son. "Harry please believe me when I say I never would have left you if I'd had a choice in the matter. I came back as soon as I was free from the spells that bastard put on me and I realized that you were still alive. I never would have abandoned you willingly."

Harry did believe him. The vow left absolutely no room for James to lie. He just didn't know what to do now, though. Harry had wanted a father for as long as he could remember but now that, apparently, he had one Harry had no idea how to go about building a relationship with the man. "What bastard are you talking about?" Harry asked, assuming the answer to be Voldemort but needing to stall for time.

James winced, knowing that this could go very, very wrong. Bearclaw had forewarned him that, in the wizarding world, Harry had a reputation as being 'Dumbledore's man through and through.' James knew that Padfoot was dead and Moony had played almost no part in Harry's life. After growing up with Lily's foul relatives James had a horrible feeling that Harry had grown to see his 'kindly' old headmaster as his only real family, something which he suspected may have been Dumbledore's intention all along. How was he going to tell his son, who he'd only just been reunited with, that the 'hero' of the wizarding world was actually a no-good bastard who was nearly as bad as Voldemort? "Yeah, buddy, we should probably talk about that," he said awkwardly.

"Tell me," Harry said, really hoping that his father wasn't going to act like all the other adults in his life and start keeping secrets from him 'for his own good.'

"Are you sure you want to know?" James asked seriously, wanting to protect his son from the knowledge but knowing that, after being absent from most of Harry's life, he couldn't waltz in and start dictating his son's life. Harry would, after all, be of age in just a few weeks. "You really aren't going to like it."

Harry appreciated the fact that his father was giving him a choice. It was something that almost nobody had ever done for him before. Judging by the way his father was acting Voldemort wasn't the one responsible for their separation and the true identity of the bastard was going to hurt him badly. Harry had a lot of problems at the moment and he was reticent to create any more for himself but he knew that if he was ever going to end the war he was going to have to get used to dealing with information that was unpalatable to him. For that matter if he wanted to be treated like the adult he considered himself to be he was going to have to get used to doing and hearing about things that didn't necessarily make him happy. "I want to know," he said firmly.

"Okay," James sighed, having hoped for a different answer but expected this one. After all, if his and Harry's positions were reversed he would have wanted to know and Bearclaw had said that he and his son were very alike. "I'm really sorry, buddy, but it was Dumbledore. It was Dumbledore who ruined both our lives."