Coming Home
by S. L
James leapt to his feet immediately. "Durlseys!" He roared, his face contorted with anger. "He lives with the Durlseys! As in my wife's evil sister and her horrible husband!"
"Don't forget their pig of a son Dudley." Sirius added, not missing the change.
The outburst had roused Remus from upstairs who was smiling slightly. "Told him about the muggles huh?" He said, Sirius smiled and nodded. Of course neither thought it was a laughing matter, but their friends reaction was funny.
James ignored them, sitting down with a blank stare. "He was raised by them. I can't believe it. They hate magic!" He looked at Sirius in disbelief.
"Yes, actually they do," Sirius said sobering up. "Hagrid had to pick Harry up himself and take him to Hogwarts, they burnt all of Harry's letters. Harry didn't even know he was famous until he turned eleven. Thought you and Lily had died in a car crash too," Sirius held up his hands as James began to argue. "Not to worry though, Hagrid punished them right enough."
For a moment no words were spoken. "He knows who you are though right Padfoot?" James said at last. He couldn't bare his own son not knowing who his godfather was. "He knows you're innocent right?"
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances.
"That's a funny story actually," Remus said in such a tone that told him it wasn't a funny story at all. "You see, in Harry's third year I was hired as the Defense teacher. That also happened to be the same year Sirius escaped from Azkaban."
James' thoughts were turned back to Sirius. How horrible life had been to him. "How?" He said. "It's impossible, you'd go insane."
"James you're in a very unbelieving mood tonight," Sirius sighed. "You see everyone believed Peter dead and thought me your murderers, I was the only one who knew the truth. I kept my sanity, I think by knowing I was innocent. That thought couldn't be taken away from me. It kept me alive. For thirteen years. Then one day Fudge, he's the minister now," James snorted. He had been in line for the position, or at least was headed towards it. "Came to check up on things and I asked him for his paper and told him I missed doing the crossword."
"That scared him," Remus laughed. "That you'd stayed so sane, the ministry thought it was some dark trick. Still do in fact."
"Yes," Sirius sighed again. "Well I got the paper and on the front cover I see the one rat who'd been haunting me all this time. Posing as a family pet for the past thirteen years! Perched on the shoulder of a boy! I knew it was him, his front toe was missing. I knew it was him.
"The idea that he was alive and I was the only one who knew it helped me gain strength. Until I was fit enough to slip through the dementors in my animungi form and swim to shore. No one knew about us then."
Remus took over. "Like I said that was the same year I was teaching. Harry... well he has some knack for picking up trouble and is known for making it his business," he smiled and shook his head. "He believed the stories about Sirius as did everyone else, as did I. I didn't tell him who I was, but it was so wonderful to see him James. So much like you- and Lily. I did my best to protect Harry from Sirius, who was believed to be after Harry."
"For you see, everyone knew I was trying to get to Hogwarts where Peter posed as the pet of one of Harry's dorm mates. Only everyone thought I was trying to get to Harry. It took me all year to get to the rat. Sometime in May I think I finally managed it. Pulled the boy, Ron, also Harry's best friend, into the shrieking shack. He was holding the rat, his pet. Of course Harry and their other friend Hermoine followed. Got my wand away from me and cornered. They wouldn't listen to me. Thought I was going to kill Harry. Harry was going to... well he wanted revenge for what he'd thought I'd done."
"I had seen it happen," Remus continued. "And everything finally made sense. I knew Sirius to be innocent and knew that Pettigrew was really the traitor, it was the only way. I came in then and I must say I scared the kids by helping Sirius. We explained things of course and revealed Pettigrew. They believed us."
"Snape," was all Sirius said with a growl. "He had also seen and come after us, but the kids had knocked him out. Too many hexes, he's a teacher up at the school." He quickly explained. "So the kids believed us and I had Pettigrew to prove my innocence. We all made our way to the castle."
Remus licked his lips, sorrow filled his eyes. "It was a full moon. In the excitement we'd all forgotten. Then the kids knew what I was and managed to get away as did Peter. Sirius drove me into the forest, but then the dementors came."
"I was nothing against them, I couldn't go back." It was the most afraid James had ever seen his friend. His eyes shone with fear. "Harry drove them off, but there were so many. He got them away though and fainted just in time for Snape to wake up and get us back to the castle."
"He still thought Sirius guilty and probably still does. Sirius was held in a room awaiting the kiss." James shivered as Remus said this. He couldn't bear to think somehow he'd be responsible for his best friend losing his soul. For not being alive to defend him.
Sirius shook his head with an ironic smile. "There was some business with a time turner then and the help of Dumbledore. Harry and his friend Hermoine had managed to get me out of the school on the back of a hippogriff! Amazing it was. I've been looking for Peter ever since, though I'm doing my best to try and help Harry out. Dumbledore knows of my innocence."
"We're in hiding," Remus finished. "Waiting for orders from Dumbledore. Have been almost ever since. I stopped teaching that year."
James was silent for a long moment. "Pettigrew got away then?" He was answered by two vengeful nods. He decided to move onto a better topic. "Harry then, tell me about Harry." His eyes filled with tears at the thought. His son was a baby only yesterday for him.
Both of his friends lit up at this subject. "Smart James, he's even smarter than you," Remus put in. "I taught him a patronus charm in only a couple of months!"
"Months?" James said stunned. "It took me over a year to learn it!"
"And Quidditch!" Sirius leaned forward. "Youngest house seeker in a century! Best one there is too! Became a member of the team his first year!"
"First year?" James echoed again, stunned once more.
Remus, too, leaned forward. "Nice as well and very mannered. Doesn't take his fame to be anything, but a nuisance. Brave too."
James blinked his eyes for a few moments. "And house? What house is he in?"
Both of his friends smiled. "Gryffindor!" They said in unison. James smiled.
For the rest of the day James felt truly happy. He was with his friends, alive as was Harry. They talked about many things. About Harry, and his friends, about how Hogwarts had changed, about Hogwarts in their day, and also about how the world in general had changed. Fourteen years of history was a lot to catch up on. Fourteen years without Voldemort, was wonderful.
"I still can't believe Voldemort's gone." James said in wonder. It was well past dusk, but still they hadn't stopped talking. His friends exchanged fearful looks, they seemed to be doing a lot of that. "What?" He said.
Sirius looked away, his mouth hard, just a moment ago he'd be laughing. "That's the problem- he's not."
James sat up instantly. "You said Harry defeated him- you said so!" He had finally gotten over his initial shock and now was in wonder that his son could do such a thing.
"I said no one knew what happened that night, other than he disappeared. Disappeared, but he wasn't truly gone. He regained power about a month ago. That's another reason why we're hear. The Order has been resumed, and we're waiting on instruction."
Thoughts whirled about James head. "But you said- he's really back? And I thought that..."
A knock at the door interrupted anything anyone was going to say at that moment. With a terrified look Sirius shoved James into the closet and transformed while Remus answered the door cautiously.
"Headmaster!" James heard, rather than saw his friend say. He peered through a crack in the door in time to see Dumbledore as he'd always known him enter the room with his arms under a bundle that resembled a small person. "Is that-?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said angrily. James noticed then that his face was lined with a fury he'd never seen before. "It's Harry. I need you to watch him for tonight."
Remus hurriedly nodded while Sirius transformed. "You're not holding him are you!" Remus said incredulously.
"No, of course not, but he's already broken my suspension charm three times on the way over and I don't want him to fall. Here Sirius, you take him."
Sirius was all too keen to take James' son from the old man's arms and lay him gently on the couch. James' eyes filled with tears knowing that that was his son. He caught a glimpse of untidy black hair, just like his.
"What happened?" Remus was saying.
Dumbledore was shaking with fury. "Death Eaters, after him again. Did well on his own while we came. Protected the muggles against two of them. Knocked out a third. Very well indeed, don't know how he did it. I've got to go back and clean things up though. I must also deal with the muggles..." He barred his teeth and his eyes flashed. "I must discuss their care of Harry over the years, seems they haven't been as apt as I was lead to believe."
Sirius muttered something that sounded suspiciously like. "I could have told you that."
James shifted his gaze away from Harry, his son, back to Dumbledore. The old man was speaking with Remus in a hushed tone nodding towards Harry at the couch. Then he turned to go.
"Albus wait," Remus called after him while tripping over the edge of the couch. "There's something we need to talk to you about and-"
Dumbledore held up his hands. "Not now, I'll be back in a bit. Tell me then."
Then with one last huff of anger he dissaperated. The other two men in the room looked at one another. James pushed his way out of the closet and made his way over to the couch mesmerized by the form of his son.
"That's Harry?" He said interrupting his friends hushed discussion. They broke apart and looked at him.
"Yes James," Remus said. "You really should go upstairs though, if he woke up and saw you-"
He just continued to stare. He couldn't see his son's face, but the messy hair was definitely marked him as a Potter. "He was attacked? Who would attack him?"
"Death Eaters," Sirius said just as Remus said, "never mind." The two glared at on another, but Sirius won. "Harry is Voldemort's number one enemy. Ever since Halloween..."
James looked up. "You mean a couple nights ago for me? That night, when..." he choked back a sob. "He wants to kill Harry?"
"Yes James, that had been his attention all along. Even on Halloween," Remus interrupted. "But really, if he wakes up and sees you, I mean. He can't just see his father alive after all these years, you'll shock him."
Both men moved forward to try to urge James away, but he wouldn't have it. He just wanted to watch his sleeping son. The son only a few days ago he'd held in his arms and watched as his wife sung him lullabies. Now he was fourteen years older in less than a week. He couldn't believe it.
"No," he said finally. "I won't go."
"The invisibility cloak," Sirius said suddenly. "Dumbledore brought Harry's trunk, and I know he's got the cloak in there somewhere."
James listened halfheartedly while his friends scurried to the door and began to riffle through his son's things. Somewhere in the back of his mind something clicked. The invisibility cloak, Harry's invisibility cloak, was that his old invisibility cloak?
Before he could think about it anymore the once familiar soft sheet was thrown over him and he was pushed into a chair.
"Stay there, if you will. Don't touch him and don't wake him," Sirius said somewhat sternly then took his place as Padfoot, sleeping next to Harry. Sirius was acting more of the father than Harry's true dad was.
The thought that Sirius was more of Harry's dad than him sent a wave of jealousy over him, but that soon subsided. Just to see his son sleeping there, peacefully, and he'd thought he was dead. Even if he was immeasurably older.
How long they all sat there, James lost track of yet again. Time seemed to have been nonexistent since he had arrived here. He just sat there staring at his sleeping son, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Up... then down... then in... then out... until suddenly it stopped.
James blinked unsure of what had happened to the rhythmic breathing, he bent over his son, daring to brush the wave of messy hair from his face. There he could see the scar, he looked over to Sirius, whom luckily hadn't noticed any exchange, he was, James remembered, invisible. Then he turned back to Harry and was met with two startling green eyes, Lily's eyes, staring right back at him.
*Sorry about the lateness guys, I'm trying to catch up again. Alright then... hope you liked the chapter and please review! Also thanks to those who did last chapter!
~Kelzery
~RedFeather
~Dash and Stash
~Genevieve
~Kaylin
~prongsjr
~*beca*
~Starlight
~vmr
~Nicky
~Phoenix
~Taracollowen
~Shadowdancer
~Sandrine Black
~tsuki tatsu
~starkitty
~AngelStar88: huh, I'd like to hear you explain to my parents that I need a computer so I can post new chapters online, I've been trying to get a new one forever
~child of shadows
~Celtic Ember: thanks for the help
~Bumblebee Bucy
~Erin Potter: THANKS!!
~arcee
~smile7499: actually I haven't worked that out myself yet, but it'll be explained in future chapters, once I figure out what the hell I'm doing
~Mademoiselle Gabrielle
by S. L
James leapt to his feet immediately. "Durlseys!" He roared, his face contorted with anger. "He lives with the Durlseys! As in my wife's evil sister and her horrible husband!"
"Don't forget their pig of a son Dudley." Sirius added, not missing the change.
The outburst had roused Remus from upstairs who was smiling slightly. "Told him about the muggles huh?" He said, Sirius smiled and nodded. Of course neither thought it was a laughing matter, but their friends reaction was funny.
James ignored them, sitting down with a blank stare. "He was raised by them. I can't believe it. They hate magic!" He looked at Sirius in disbelief.
"Yes, actually they do," Sirius said sobering up. "Hagrid had to pick Harry up himself and take him to Hogwarts, they burnt all of Harry's letters. Harry didn't even know he was famous until he turned eleven. Thought you and Lily had died in a car crash too," Sirius held up his hands as James began to argue. "Not to worry though, Hagrid punished them right enough."
For a moment no words were spoken. "He knows who you are though right Padfoot?" James said at last. He couldn't bare his own son not knowing who his godfather was. "He knows you're innocent right?"
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances.
"That's a funny story actually," Remus said in such a tone that told him it wasn't a funny story at all. "You see, in Harry's third year I was hired as the Defense teacher. That also happened to be the same year Sirius escaped from Azkaban."
James' thoughts were turned back to Sirius. How horrible life had been to him. "How?" He said. "It's impossible, you'd go insane."
"James you're in a very unbelieving mood tonight," Sirius sighed. "You see everyone believed Peter dead and thought me your murderers, I was the only one who knew the truth. I kept my sanity, I think by knowing I was innocent. That thought couldn't be taken away from me. It kept me alive. For thirteen years. Then one day Fudge, he's the minister now," James snorted. He had been in line for the position, or at least was headed towards it. "Came to check up on things and I asked him for his paper and told him I missed doing the crossword."
"That scared him," Remus laughed. "That you'd stayed so sane, the ministry thought it was some dark trick. Still do in fact."
"Yes," Sirius sighed again. "Well I got the paper and on the front cover I see the one rat who'd been haunting me all this time. Posing as a family pet for the past thirteen years! Perched on the shoulder of a boy! I knew it was him, his front toe was missing. I knew it was him.
"The idea that he was alive and I was the only one who knew it helped me gain strength. Until I was fit enough to slip through the dementors in my animungi form and swim to shore. No one knew about us then."
Remus took over. "Like I said that was the same year I was teaching. Harry... well he has some knack for picking up trouble and is known for making it his business," he smiled and shook his head. "He believed the stories about Sirius as did everyone else, as did I. I didn't tell him who I was, but it was so wonderful to see him James. So much like you- and Lily. I did my best to protect Harry from Sirius, who was believed to be after Harry."
"For you see, everyone knew I was trying to get to Hogwarts where Peter posed as the pet of one of Harry's dorm mates. Only everyone thought I was trying to get to Harry. It took me all year to get to the rat. Sometime in May I think I finally managed it. Pulled the boy, Ron, also Harry's best friend, into the shrieking shack. He was holding the rat, his pet. Of course Harry and their other friend Hermoine followed. Got my wand away from me and cornered. They wouldn't listen to me. Thought I was going to kill Harry. Harry was going to... well he wanted revenge for what he'd thought I'd done."
"I had seen it happen," Remus continued. "And everything finally made sense. I knew Sirius to be innocent and knew that Pettigrew was really the traitor, it was the only way. I came in then and I must say I scared the kids by helping Sirius. We explained things of course and revealed Pettigrew. They believed us."
"Snape," was all Sirius said with a growl. "He had also seen and come after us, but the kids had knocked him out. Too many hexes, he's a teacher up at the school." He quickly explained. "So the kids believed us and I had Pettigrew to prove my innocence. We all made our way to the castle."
Remus licked his lips, sorrow filled his eyes. "It was a full moon. In the excitement we'd all forgotten. Then the kids knew what I was and managed to get away as did Peter. Sirius drove me into the forest, but then the dementors came."
"I was nothing against them, I couldn't go back." It was the most afraid James had ever seen his friend. His eyes shone with fear. "Harry drove them off, but there were so many. He got them away though and fainted just in time for Snape to wake up and get us back to the castle."
"He still thought Sirius guilty and probably still does. Sirius was held in a room awaiting the kiss." James shivered as Remus said this. He couldn't bear to think somehow he'd be responsible for his best friend losing his soul. For not being alive to defend him.
Sirius shook his head with an ironic smile. "There was some business with a time turner then and the help of Dumbledore. Harry and his friend Hermoine had managed to get me out of the school on the back of a hippogriff! Amazing it was. I've been looking for Peter ever since, though I'm doing my best to try and help Harry out. Dumbledore knows of my innocence."
"We're in hiding," Remus finished. "Waiting for orders from Dumbledore. Have been almost ever since. I stopped teaching that year."
James was silent for a long moment. "Pettigrew got away then?" He was answered by two vengeful nods. He decided to move onto a better topic. "Harry then, tell me about Harry." His eyes filled with tears at the thought. His son was a baby only yesterday for him.
Both of his friends lit up at this subject. "Smart James, he's even smarter than you," Remus put in. "I taught him a patronus charm in only a couple of months!"
"Months?" James said stunned. "It took me over a year to learn it!"
"And Quidditch!" Sirius leaned forward. "Youngest house seeker in a century! Best one there is too! Became a member of the team his first year!"
"First year?" James echoed again, stunned once more.
Remus, too, leaned forward. "Nice as well and very mannered. Doesn't take his fame to be anything, but a nuisance. Brave too."
James blinked his eyes for a few moments. "And house? What house is he in?"
Both of his friends smiled. "Gryffindor!" They said in unison. James smiled.
For the rest of the day James felt truly happy. He was with his friends, alive as was Harry. They talked about many things. About Harry, and his friends, about how Hogwarts had changed, about Hogwarts in their day, and also about how the world in general had changed. Fourteen years of history was a lot to catch up on. Fourteen years without Voldemort, was wonderful.
"I still can't believe Voldemort's gone." James said in wonder. It was well past dusk, but still they hadn't stopped talking. His friends exchanged fearful looks, they seemed to be doing a lot of that. "What?" He said.
Sirius looked away, his mouth hard, just a moment ago he'd be laughing. "That's the problem- he's not."
James sat up instantly. "You said Harry defeated him- you said so!" He had finally gotten over his initial shock and now was in wonder that his son could do such a thing.
"I said no one knew what happened that night, other than he disappeared. Disappeared, but he wasn't truly gone. He regained power about a month ago. That's another reason why we're hear. The Order has been resumed, and we're waiting on instruction."
Thoughts whirled about James head. "But you said- he's really back? And I thought that..."
A knock at the door interrupted anything anyone was going to say at that moment. With a terrified look Sirius shoved James into the closet and transformed while Remus answered the door cautiously.
"Headmaster!" James heard, rather than saw his friend say. He peered through a crack in the door in time to see Dumbledore as he'd always known him enter the room with his arms under a bundle that resembled a small person. "Is that-?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said angrily. James noticed then that his face was lined with a fury he'd never seen before. "It's Harry. I need you to watch him for tonight."
Remus hurriedly nodded while Sirius transformed. "You're not holding him are you!" Remus said incredulously.
"No, of course not, but he's already broken my suspension charm three times on the way over and I don't want him to fall. Here Sirius, you take him."
Sirius was all too keen to take James' son from the old man's arms and lay him gently on the couch. James' eyes filled with tears knowing that that was his son. He caught a glimpse of untidy black hair, just like his.
"What happened?" Remus was saying.
Dumbledore was shaking with fury. "Death Eaters, after him again. Did well on his own while we came. Protected the muggles against two of them. Knocked out a third. Very well indeed, don't know how he did it. I've got to go back and clean things up though. I must also deal with the muggles..." He barred his teeth and his eyes flashed. "I must discuss their care of Harry over the years, seems they haven't been as apt as I was lead to believe."
Sirius muttered something that sounded suspiciously like. "I could have told you that."
James shifted his gaze away from Harry, his son, back to Dumbledore. The old man was speaking with Remus in a hushed tone nodding towards Harry at the couch. Then he turned to go.
"Albus wait," Remus called after him while tripping over the edge of the couch. "There's something we need to talk to you about and-"
Dumbledore held up his hands. "Not now, I'll be back in a bit. Tell me then."
Then with one last huff of anger he dissaperated. The other two men in the room looked at one another. James pushed his way out of the closet and made his way over to the couch mesmerized by the form of his son.
"That's Harry?" He said interrupting his friends hushed discussion. They broke apart and looked at him.
"Yes James," Remus said. "You really should go upstairs though, if he woke up and saw you-"
He just continued to stare. He couldn't see his son's face, but the messy hair was definitely marked him as a Potter. "He was attacked? Who would attack him?"
"Death Eaters," Sirius said just as Remus said, "never mind." The two glared at on another, but Sirius won. "Harry is Voldemort's number one enemy. Ever since Halloween..."
James looked up. "You mean a couple nights ago for me? That night, when..." he choked back a sob. "He wants to kill Harry?"
"Yes James, that had been his attention all along. Even on Halloween," Remus interrupted. "But really, if he wakes up and sees you, I mean. He can't just see his father alive after all these years, you'll shock him."
Both men moved forward to try to urge James away, but he wouldn't have it. He just wanted to watch his sleeping son. The son only a few days ago he'd held in his arms and watched as his wife sung him lullabies. Now he was fourteen years older in less than a week. He couldn't believe it.
"No," he said finally. "I won't go."
"The invisibility cloak," Sirius said suddenly. "Dumbledore brought Harry's trunk, and I know he's got the cloak in there somewhere."
James listened halfheartedly while his friends scurried to the door and began to riffle through his son's things. Somewhere in the back of his mind something clicked. The invisibility cloak, Harry's invisibility cloak, was that his old invisibility cloak?
Before he could think about it anymore the once familiar soft sheet was thrown over him and he was pushed into a chair.
"Stay there, if you will. Don't touch him and don't wake him," Sirius said somewhat sternly then took his place as Padfoot, sleeping next to Harry. Sirius was acting more of the father than Harry's true dad was.
The thought that Sirius was more of Harry's dad than him sent a wave of jealousy over him, but that soon subsided. Just to see his son sleeping there, peacefully, and he'd thought he was dead. Even if he was immeasurably older.
How long they all sat there, James lost track of yet again. Time seemed to have been nonexistent since he had arrived here. He just sat there staring at his sleeping son, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Up... then down... then in... then out... until suddenly it stopped.
James blinked unsure of what had happened to the rhythmic breathing, he bent over his son, daring to brush the wave of messy hair from his face. There he could see the scar, he looked over to Sirius, whom luckily hadn't noticed any exchange, he was, James remembered, invisible. Then he turned back to Harry and was met with two startling green eyes, Lily's eyes, staring right back at him.
*Sorry about the lateness guys, I'm trying to catch up again. Alright then... hope you liked the chapter and please review! Also thanks to those who did last chapter!
~Kelzery
~RedFeather
~Dash and Stash
~Genevieve
~Kaylin
~prongsjr
~*beca*
~Starlight
~vmr
~Nicky
~Phoenix
~Taracollowen
~Shadowdancer
~Sandrine Black
~tsuki tatsu
~starkitty
~AngelStar88: huh, I'd like to hear you explain to my parents that I need a computer so I can post new chapters online, I've been trying to get a new one forever
~child of shadows
~Celtic Ember: thanks for the help
~Bumblebee Bucy
~Erin Potter: THANKS!!
~arcee
~smile7499: actually I haven't worked that out myself yet, but it'll be explained in future chapters, once I figure out what the hell I'm doing
~Mademoiselle Gabrielle