This is a letter from James to Harry. I don't often write in first person POV, so it'll be interesting. I hope I have James sorted out well enough in my own head for this. (Older James too, a much more mature version than I usually write.)

It should be stated that James is my favourite character in the entire series, even though he only has one actual scene – in a flashback – and is, in fact, dead before the books begin. James is a good guy – not because he has any reason to be, but just because he is. He cares very deeply about his friendships. He lived his short life with passion and enthusiasm. He was not afraid to take a stand for what he believed in. For all that he was a complete git at school, he was a loveable one.

Yes, I love James Potter. He is fabulous. And even though he isn't alive in the 'present' of the series, he is still well-rounded enough that I can say he's my favourite. I tried in this to outline his view of life, with some optimism for Harry's future.

I think, given half a chance, he would have proven himself to be the best kind of father. That's why this story made me cry.

Disclaimer: As usual, all characters the exclusive property of JK Rowling's imagination.

Ok. Here goes nothing.

Father to Son

To Harry James Potter, my son and namesake, on the event of his first birthday.

Of course, I don't imagine you'll be reading this for a while as yet.

And yet again, with parents as you've got, my boy, you're probably going to turn out a genius. Who knows? Lately we have been discouraged from thinking too far ahead in the future, but in your case I cannot help but wonder where it will take you. I like to think that anything you wanted, you could be.

And since you're my son, and your mother's, I imagine that you won't let anyone stand in your way.

Your mother always rolls her eyes and changes the subject when I ask her what kind of person she thinks you'll grow into. It's fun to speculate, though. We can already see that you've inherited the Potter hair, and Lily's eyes – not to mention an obvious stubborn streak, particularly around bedtime, although I don't care to say which of your parents you got that from. As for anything else; I hope you'll develop your mother's ability to see the good in others, her unwavering strength; and of course my talent for quidditch.

I'm really just holding out for the day when I can buy you your first broom.

We'll do our best to guide you. I'm not sure how exactly one goes about moulding a child into a good person, but I'll certainly give it a shot. I'll try not to be too hard on you, Harry, and I'll give you whatever encouragement you need. I think I might leave the discipline up to your mother – she's always been good at punishment. (Don't tell her I said that.) I'll do my best to be a good example. I've never really been a good example in my life up until this point, but I think your mother would be terribly disappointed if you went to school and caused as much trouble as I did.

And here you'll be faced with a problem, son, because you and I both know that I'll be terribly disappointed if you don't.

Always take an opportunity to have fun. Use your childhood wisely. Never let anyone tell you that it's time to grow up until you're about seventeen or so. You have the right to a proper childhood. You have the right to cause a bit of mischief – that's what childhood is for. You have the right to grow up at your own pace, to take advantage of your innocence. Too many people I know have been robbed of that, that chance for innocence. It is too precious a thing to lose.

Right now our world is a hostile one, on the edge of change. I cannot say for sure that I can see who's winning; except that if anything, it's probably not us. I do not mean to dwell on the war here, or its possible outcomes, but the problems associated with it are going to feature prominently in the events of your life. They have already shaped mine. You are going to have to choose, as Dumbledore says, between what is right, and what is easy.

Don't be afraid of hard work, Harry. The rewards at the end of the day are phenomenal. Even a small reward is made a thousand times greater by the knowledge that it is truly deserved. Fight for your friends, and for your right to exist. No matter what anyone says, you have a right to be here. Don't let anyone say that they're better than you. They're not. Anyone who thinks he's better than other people is a complete git. Ask your mother, she'll tell you. She certainly told me often enough while we were growing up, and she was right.

Always listen to your mother. That's an important piece of advice. She's the most intelligent witch I've ever met – and she's much smarter than I am. I'll admit that to you, no matter how much I might deny it to her face. She never ceases to amaze me. She holds herself with pride, no matter what, and she's certainly not the kind of woman you want to underestimate. I know that well enough by now, I can assure you! (Although occasionally, I do forget – much to my consequent dismay.) Your mother will have no trouble being a good example for you. We're both lucky to have her – I would certainly make a mess of raising you if it were left up to me. Your mother will see to it that you eat your vegetables, do your homework, and that your exposure to Uncle Padfoot will be no more than is necessary. I still maintain that Sirius is brilliant with kids, but she's convinced otherwise and as usual she's probably right.

A woman who knows her own mind is a frightening and wonderful thing. Do not be fooled by her beauty, your mother can be truly terrifying when she wants to be.

She is also the most loving, caring person I've ever met. You, Harry, are her dream come true – I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you. I've spent the better part of these recent years trying to be the man of her dreams, but I don't begrudge you the title. You are everything she's ever hoped for. Since her happiness is my only goal I must thank you for providing it. If I had no other reason to be a good father, that would be enough.

As it is, you're a part of my dream too.

Right now, the world fears for the future. I tell my friends that I have the future right here, and that it will all be fine. You are my future, Harry. You are all that I could hope for. Your mother and I will protect you until you are old enough to take advantage of that dream.

If there is anything that will assist you in this life more than your parents, son, it will be your friends. Take care of your friends. No matter who they are or where they come from, your friends will be your guiding light. Friendship is the greatest thing you can ever possess. I have been lucky to find people who share my views and who trust me as I trust them. Never lose sight of the value of good friends – there is no material reward to equal it.

My friends came from unlikely places, it's true. They tell me that I have a knack for simplifying things, and that I help them out when they go through rough times. They certainly have their share. In turn I suppose, they remind me of how the world is not always so nice a place, and they bring be back down to earth. Sirius and Peter taught me that sometimes people expect the impossible of their family. Remus showed me how horrible discrimination is, as did your mother. Each of them, in their own way, was important to shaping the beliefs that I fight so desperately for today. I have shared the best and worst moments of my life with them. I love them like family, and as Sirius says, you can choose your own family members. Of course in his case it's unlikely that he would include many of the people he is actually related to.

You will find these people as you go along, Harry – family members you never expected to find. I found my brother in Sirius Black, the last person I ever expected to count as my friend. I hope that no matter where you go, no matter who you meet, you will remember that your mother and I will always love you. We hope that no matter who you invite to be a part of your family, we will always be a part of it too.

Speaking of Sirius, your godfather would be offended to no end if I did not include him. As I said, he is my brother even if we are only distantly related by blood. It is the most surprising thing sometimes, as I'm sure you'll find out, the sort of people you end up trusting with your life. I would give mine to Sirius, and I'm sure he'd lay his down for me. He is not without his faults. He is proud, and arrogant, and altogether too sure of himself for his own good. I see these things in him as clearly as your mother sees them in me, indeed, as clearly as I see them in myself. At the end of the day Sirius and I are just that much alike - sometimes reckless, sometimes stupid, and always ready to stand up for what we believe in.

His life has been hard – the things he has given up to gain his independence immeasurable. In that way he is not like me. I have always known my path, and he has forged his for himself. Sirius Black, I would say, is one of the bravest people I know. People have said that I exhibited all the qualities of Gryffindor house, and I admit that I do show off a few of them, but Sirius is the one I would call a true Gryffindor. In time you will come to know him as I do – already you two get along famously. He can make you laugh better than anyone else, just as he always made me laugh. He wants as much as your mother and I for you to have the childhood that he never did.

I am fully confident that, in the unfortunate circumstance that we were not around, Sirius would be able to provide that for you. Knowing as we do how volatile the current situation is, I could not wish for a better plan B.

But no more talk of that. We have considered it, and we have planned for it, far more than any two people should ever have to plan for their own mortality. It is … a daunting job. But the world is full of dangerous people, people too caught up in the idea of revolution to stop and ask themselves about the cost. People who look at a woman like your mother and see only her muggle heritage, and not her beauty, her talent and above all, her passion. They are blind about so many things.

You will come across these people too, son. Be careful in your dealings with them. They are not all lost – some can still be made to see. Others are too far gone to hear you. You cannot change everyone, so don't try. Simply be the best person you can, and hope that you can inspire others to be the same. Don't look down on anyone because of where they come from or who their parents are. We are all people. We are all worthwhile. Everyone – and I do mean everyone – deserves a chance to prove himself. You will get your chance. Don't deny someone else theirs.

So many opportunities present themselves to you, my son. In my heart of hearts I hope that your life will not know the sadness and the fear that I have found in my own – I hope, but I know I will be disappointed. You will know sadness. You will know fear. Only then will you appreciate the happy moments in your life. Only then will you know the value of your friends. Only then will you understand what it is to love someone. Sometimes hardship is the only way we learn. My wish is that your good times will far outweigh your bad ones. So far, and under the circumstances, I have had a good life. I have my friends, my parents, and your dear mother to thank for that. When you have reached my age, I hope that you will be able to say the same.

This brings me back to my thoughts on the kind of man you will become. I try my best not to put any expectations on you, as Lily says I shouldn't, but sometimes I just can't help it. I want to teach you to play quidditch. You'll be a great quidditch player. I want to help you out when you have problems with girls – knowing that you're a Potter, I'm pretty certain you'll have trouble with girls. I want to give you my invisibility cloak before you go to school so that you can get yourself into as much trouble as you please. You'll get yourself into plenty of trouble – I can tell by the way you've taken such a shine to Sirius.

I'm probably not really the best choice when it comes to choosing a father. I'll always be, somewhere inside, that guy who used to hex people in the corridors, the one who thought he was so bloody fantastic, the one who believed that the world revolved around his big fat head. I'm still that guy. I still catch myself thinking that way, especially when I'm in the middle of a raging argument with your mother. I'll always be that guy, no matter how much responsibility I take on. Hopefully I'll be a good dad for you, Harry; the kind you can always come to for help, the kind who takes you to quidditch matches and who always has some words of wisdom; the kind who knows when to comfort you and when to lay down the law. Hopefully you'll see me as your friend, as well as your dad. I'd like that.

It's been suggested that I'm a bit of a joker, and that's true. It's also been suggested (by your lovely mum, among others) that I'm a complete prat, and that's true too. Not everyone in this world likes me, or the way I think – and you will find, Harry, that not everyone will agree with you all the time. Don't stress about it. Not everyone has to like you. As long as you make your voice heard (and you will, because you couldn't be our son if you didn't) you will find others who agree with your point of view. It is important to know that you will never please everyone. All you can hope is to be happy with who you are.

You're in good hands with your mum. She'll see that you turn out right, no matter what corruption you may suffer at Sirius' or my own hands. So that's pretty reassuring – no matter how badly I screw up, your mum's always there to cover my back. She always has been, in a way. I don't know how you could have a better mum. As a parenting team, we seem to balance each other out rather nicely.

I'm not sure what the future holds for any of us, but I am reasonably certain that it holds great things for you. A Potter never does things by halves, is what my own dear dad always used to tell me. Always give your all. Be all that you can be. Never let an opportunity (especially one to cause havoc) pass you by.

You, Harry James Potter, will be a good person. You will be honest and trustworthy and fun to be around. You will be smart – smarter than your old man, even – and considerate and loyal. I can tell all this already.

It's all in the genes, kid. Trust me.

In the end, you will always have your old dad. I'm looking forward to watching you grow up, and to seeing the man that you become. On the day you head off to Hogwarts I want to be there, cracking jokes and telling stories about my own time at school. You're going to love my stories, Harry. I've got millions of them, and they usually end with me and Sirius getting detention.

I envy you the journey to come. Do not underestimate how short these first two decades of your life really are. Before you know it, you'll be all grown up, possibly with kids of your own. (Now there's a scary thought for me to be having on your first birthday.) Time truly flies when you're having fun. One day you'll look back at your childhood and wonder when it stopped, when the point was that you grew up finally. One day you'll realise that there's nothing more your mother or I can teach you.

At the end of the day, none of us can really be certain of anything. But I can be certain that no matter what, I have achieved something great with you. You're not going to repeat my mistakes, Harry – although you will make a few of your own. That's life. Every step of the way, I will help you as best I can. That's my job, and my promise. You can count on me to always be looking out for you. Always. No matter what.

I believe that you will be a great person, Harry – and your mum might think that's expecting too much, but I don't think she knows what I mean when I say 'great'. You don't have to be Minister for Magic. You don't have to be a hero. You don't even have to be particularly good at magic. I'll understand, whatever your choice may be. I'll make it my job to understand.

All I ask is that you hold your head high and defend what you believe in your heart to be true. I ask that you treat everyone with exactly the level of respect that they deserve, without denying them the chance to prove themselves. I ask that you look out for your friends, and try not to make too many enemies. I ask that you be honest, and face your fears rather than run from them.

In short, I ask that you try to be a good person. That is all anyone can ever try to be. As you go along you will learn more about what that entails.

It might not always be the easy choice, doing the right thing. Sometimes it can be very difficult. You may have to give up something that you hold dear, or hurt someone you love very much. But doing the right thing isn't meant to be easy. It is, however, completely worth the effort.

Son, I hope you will understand that I write this today with great optimism. For you I foresee (although to tell the truth I always skipped my Divination class to nick food from the kitchens) a bright future. I cannot wait to see it unfold for you.

So if you take anything from all this, just remember that your dad is always here for you. I would never abandon you to hard times. If you ever need me, I'll be there in one form or another.

You'll always find me if you need someone to believe in you.

Remember to enjoy your life, because it's the only one you've got.

With hope and dreams for you, I remain,

Your loving father.

Tissues, anyone? It had to be written. How about a review?