Once Upon A December
A/N: This is a prequel to American Homecoming. It's mostly about James remembering his birth family, the Doggsons of Italy who are Magical Royalty.
James Potter sighed as he looked out upon the snow-covered grounds of Hogwarts. He had been feeling something inexplainable lately, having dreams that left him with an acute, painful yearning. But a yearning for what? He didn't really know, couldn't really explain it. He turned slightly when he heard someone coming into the room. It was Sirius.
"What wrong James? You've been acting odd lately. I know your Mum and Dad passed recently, but I can tell that there's more to it than that." His hair hung slightly over his right eye, making James want to reach over and brush it back like his Mum would do for him. He always did baby Sirius a little.
"I'm fine," he sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. Sirius gave him The Look, the one that says 'I know you're lying now tell me the truth this instant.' He sighed again, turning back to the window as he spoke so softly Sirius had to strain to hear him.
"It's this dream I keep having, especially now that Mum and Dad are gone. "I'm little, really little, and I remember this man and woman who aren't Mum and Dad holding me, singing to me. I remember two boys, older than me, teenagers really, playing with me and calling me 'fratello'. I asked Lily what it meant. She said it was Italian and that it meant 'brother'. I'm an only child Padfoot how could I have brothers?" He turned pleadingly to his best mate, asking for some sort of reassurance.
Sirius crossed the room and took his brother Marauder into his arms. "It's all right mon mâle chéri(1). We'll figure this out I promise. Now tell me more about these dreams. Is there anything else to them? Can you describe the people in it?"
James snuggled closer into Sirius, nuzzling him underneath his chin. "Well the man is tall and slender, with long black hair that's wavy like your hair is. He has sapphire eyes that sparkle whenever he looks at me. His face is aristocratic with tiny laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He has a few streaks of gray, but not many. The woman is short, but not petite, and she's stout. She also has long black hair, but her hair is straight. Her eyes are hazel like mine, and filled with warmth when she looks at me. Her face is round, almost heart-shaped. She too, has a few streaks of gray to go with the laugh lines around her eyes.
The two boys are about a good decade older than me, maybe more. The eldest has long, straight black hair like the woman's but with the man's sapphire eyes. He's also tall and lean with a face like the man's. The younger has short, tight black curls and he too has the same sapphire eyes as the man and the elder boy, but his face is more heart-shaped, like the woman's. Who are these people Padfoot and why do I keep seeing them?"
Sirius sighed. "I don't know Prongs. What else is there to the dream? Maybe we can figure out where these people might be."
James wrapped his arms tighter around Sirius' waist. "We're in what looks like a grand ball room and there's a huge party. There are people dancing and laughing and I know it's Christmas because I see snow whirling by the windows and there's a huge tree in the corner decorated in all manner of ribbons, faery lights, candles, and other ornaments. The man and woman are sitting on a throne and I'm in the man's lap. He pets my hair and croons to me some sort of lullaby. I don't remember all of it, just a few words and the tune."
"Who do you think these people are?"
"I don't have a clue except for what they call me. The two boys call me brother, the man calls me 'il mio principe piccolo' which Lily said means 'my small prince'. The woman calls me 'il mio figlio dolce' which means 'my sweet son'. Are these people my family? Mum and Dad told me I was adopted and that they were my godparents. They said it was too dangerous for me with my family due to their enemies and that they adopted me to keep me safe."
"I never knew that," Sirius spoke softly.
"I never told anyone. I don't know why."
"Do you want to find them?"
"Maybe someday I will. But right now I think I'll just focus on me. I have to get myself together first Padfoot."
"Will you be okay?"
"Yeah mon frère (2) I will. Just stick with me okay?"
"Toujours(3) mon mâle chéri. Toujours."
SCENE BREAK
Harry Potter and his recently discovered family came out of the pensieve. Sirius had sent it to them so they could see some of his Dad's memories. Mariano Doggson, King of Magical Italy, hugged his wife Ornella as silent tears ran down their faces. Raul and Lodovico hugged each other, saddened by the fact that they'd never really know their little fratello. Harry's aunts hugged him, each thinking of calling their own siblings and telling them they loved them just for the heck of it. His cousins smiled sadly at him, each one with tears creeping silently down their own faces. Tommy hugged him the hardest of all, murmuring under his breath 'Thank God we found you Harry. I wish we'd have found Uncle James."
Harry hugged him back whispering just as fiercely "Me too."
END
mon mâle chéri means 'my darling stag'
mon frère means 'my brother'
Toujours means 'Always'