Alternate path

Summary: James and Lily got married and had Harry right? What if James wasn't the father? It's not Snape either.

Things Left Hidden

She was dead. The woman I have loved all these years was dead.

We started seeing each other quietly in our third year. Long before they realized what I was. She knew about my condition, I told her myself. We made sure no one knew about our feelings, everyone just assumed it was because we were both at the top of our class. No one saw the looks we shared.

I found out that it was nearly impossible for werewolves to get a girl pregnant in our fourth year. It was the same chance of the charm failing for it. We started to fool around about then. Things started to get more involved as time went on.

In our fifth year we did it for the first time, it went beyond words to describe it. I couldn't believe my luck, to find someone who loved me in spite of my condition. Then he decided that he wanted her. I wanted to rip his head off, but no one but us knew.

In our sixth year she agreed to start seeing him, mostly because rumors were starting up about us being together. She hadn't wanted to, but I convinced her that it would be the perfect cover. The entire year we stayed together, right under his nose.

It continued into our final year at school, we told him about what had been going on. He was mad at first, stayed that way for awhile, but eventually understood. He helped us to keep it quiet, helped us hide it from everyone else. Dumbledore himself warned me against being with her, but I didn't care.

After school we thought there wouldn't be anymore problems with us being together. We were wrong. We beat the odds, she got pregnant with my son. We feared the ridicule he would receive by being my son. We enlisted his help again, this time to hide our son.

He had told us he would be glad to, he had recently discovered his inability to have children. Everything was perfect, no one, not even Dumbledore, suspected he was our son. He didn't have my disease, and a potion would disguise him for at least four years. Then things went wrong.

Voldemort came and attacked them, he killed my mate. I felt it in my bones that night. I had arrived in time to see Hagrid take off on Sirius motorcycle and Sirius disappear.

I stood next to her corpse for who knows how long grieving her absence. I stood up with the morning light and began to hunt the traitor, Peter.

I stalked Sirius, he was the better tracker after all. I watched as Peter accused Sirius of his betrayal, but before I could do anything the street blew up. When the dust settled, Sirius stood there laughing, though I could see tears running down his face. No one noticed his tears as they carted him to Azkaban.

I argued that he wouldn't betray them, but I was almost arrested. I began to try and get my son from them, those horrible relatives of hers. No one would even let me into argue my case.

I told Dumbledore what had happened, the truth. He seemed saddened that I hadn't listened, and would do nothing. "Safer with them" he had said. "Don't want the wizard world to corrupt him." I fought for two years in the wizard world for custody, and I learned more than they could possibly believe. The old bastard paid me over a thousand galleons to stop pressing the case in the wizard courts.

I started going to the muggle courts quietly, setting things up so that I could get him. I visited him quite a few times, spending as much time with him as I could with him. I thanked what ever deity only caused the transformation at night. I got incredible good at making rejuvenating potions.

After a full year I had been granted full custody, which would stick in the wizard world as well. Dumbledore was angry that I had gone behind his back, but legally his hands were tied. Few knew that those considered pack to a werewolf would never be harmed by them. I raised Harry as my son, Harry Lupin. He called me dad and I explained about what we had done to protect him and about his mother. I showed him pictures of us together, pictures taken by James.

I told him that in a year, just before he started school, he would go through a painful change. While he would still have some physical resemblance to James, he would gain some of his own back. Over time he would become distinct from James and most likely resemble his mother and me.

I taught him over the next year about the basics, which he picked up rather quickly. On the night of his birthday I heard him screaming. I placed a silencing charm on the room and gave him a pain blocking potion. He cried even with the potion. Hours later he fell asleep the main changes done, everything else would happen slowly. I quietly left him to begin breakfast.

A month later, I took him to school for the first time. I met a young couple dropping off their daughter. We talked while Harry and their daughter, Hermione, played before they were to go in. They asked what I did and I told them that I had the need to be with Harry at the time, so I was in between jobs at the moment.

They asked how I could afford to provide for him, to which I responded that his mother and my best friend had died. They had ensured that I would be able to provide for him if they died. I explained, as I did with Harry, that I was his biological father and had helped my friend to have a child. They applauded my kindness and said that if I needed their help all I would have to do was ask.

A/n: Yes I know I keep starting these new fics, but they won't leave me alone. If I continue this, it will switch to Harry's perspective.