Standard disclaimer, I do not own Harry Potter, Harry Potter and associated works are the property of JK Rowling, her agents, and her assignees.
A.N.: Because it has been brought up in a couple of reviews of later chapters: the use of Muggle vs Mundane. I guess my dislike of the word muggle has to do with the disdain that it gets used with even by characters who would never use the insult mudblood in canon. Hagrid, in Philosopher's Stone: "I'd like to see a great muggle like you stop him... Ain't it your luck to grow up in a family o the biggest muggles I ever laid eyes on." It's obviously not a compliment and I could see how someone like Lily or the Grangers would despise the dismissive way it is used.
Muggle: a made up word that has pejorative connotations based on its usage.
Mundane: yes it can have negative connotations but it also means ordinary, everyday. Alternate definition "of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one [and I would say fantastical]"
Father Figure
He came back to partial consciousness, and could hear Harry crying, "Go back to sleep love, I'll take care of Harry." He said before he even tried to get up. When he didn't hear her usual murmured response, he snapped fully alert his surroundings were wrong, this wasn't Albus' house at Godric's Hollow, or the farm in the midlands.
As his surroundings came into focus, he remembered the attack, remembered hoping he'd given Lilly enough time to escape. But this was all wrong their hold out plan was the farm. Harry and Lily should be at the farm. The farm was also under fidelus but with the goblins as secret keeper. Some didn't trust them but he didn't think there was a goblin alive that would break a clan blood oath. The contract to have the fidelus placed on the farm had cost a huge sum to obtain with obscene penalties if the security was compromised due to the goblins. They hadn't given permission for the goblins to tell anyone except themselves.
Looking around himself, he was in a cramped cupboard. He felt cold. He turned around and there was Harry wrapped up in a blanket on the floor crying. This didn't make any sense. First things first, calm Harry then figure out what was going on. -Take care of business now, freak out later-.
"It's okay Harry, It'll be all right, Daddy's here," he said soothingly, Harry reacting to his voice. James reached down to pick him up and couldn't. He could touch his son, but his hands kept slipping right off him. He tried several times with rising panic. He realized he must not have survived. He repeated the mantra, -take care of business now, freak out later-. He could touch him though so that would have to do. He stroked Harry's back and tried to wrap the blanket closer around him, but it took supreme effort to do so. Harry was still crying. James decided to try singing. He'd always left this to Lily mostly because she objected to the things he sang. It wasn't his fault that he really didn't listen to much music until Sirius got in to muggle rock just to offend his parents.
"…Kindled by the dying embers of another working day.
Go upstairs ... take off your makeup -fold your clothes neatly away.
Me, I'll sit and write this love song, as I all too seldom do -
build a little fire this midnight. It's good to be in love with you."
He sang and Harry calmed as he sang. Butchering the last line as he always did, James thought about his wife and hoped beyond hope that she survived and was okay. With his thoughts focused on the love for his family he felt a bit warmer. Harry subsided back into sleep rolling a bit so James saw his face. There was the Eihwaz rune they had drawn in the ritual of protection which might be why he was still tied to this plane. The rune didn't look right. It had been an anointment but this looked angry and raw and twisted. It almost looked like Sowilo in opposition. He placed his hand on the rune and felt himself drawn into Harry. He felt his son's magic and a firm connection between himself and his son's core. There was also a black leech that had a small connection to his son's magic but which seemed to be trying to latch on deeper. James pushed at the leech, trying to dislodge it. It wouldn't budge. In fact it reacted by growing towards him like the blob in that silly old muggle movie Lily had insisted he take her to. He pushed back. He was able to make some progress and tried to push harder. He had to touch Harry's magic closer to where the dark magic tendrils were touching his son's magic. He felt righteous anger and used it to try to burn out the dark magic. Gradually, he made more progress but then it slowed until eventually it felt like he was at a stalemate.
James prayed for strength. He fervently wished Lily were here to help him. Their love for their son made him stronger. He almost felt her fighting next to him. This boost was enough to break the blackness free. With a last effort of will he pushed it out. Taking stock he was now more connected to Harry's magic. Unless he was mistaken, Harry's magic also felt larger. James tried to pull back out of Harry's core and felt stuck. Concentrating, he was able to move back out of Harry but felt an almost tangible connection to his son.
He felt warmer and was able to touch Harry easier, he smoothed his hair and noticed the scar seemed much less inflamed and now looked more like the Eihwaz rune he and Lily had drawn. He made sure that Harry was comfortable. Looking at the door of the cupboard he willed himself through it and came out in sitting room of a fairly normal looking house. There was no one around. Looking out the window, it was obviously the middle of the night. He noticed light switches and telly, so it was obviously a muggle home. Looking around, there were pictures on the wall of the entryway that included a huge walrus of a man and a woman with a pinched face holding a baby. Petunia!
This was all wrong. Why would Harry be at the Dursley's. James had to find out what went wrong. He searched the house, feeling a connection to Harry that let him know exactly where he was at all times. He couldn't find anything in the downstairs. Searching the upstairs, he became more incensed. In addition to the small office downstairs, which could have served as a bedroom for a toddler, although no way would he want a toddler sleeping that far away from him in a house without elves, there were four bedrooms, one obviously made up as a guest room that looked unused and one that was made up as a playroom. The master bedroom held the snoring masses that were his brother and sister in-law. His nephew was asleep in the bedroom right next door to theirs, a bedroom that was decorated lavishly.
Exiting the house, James felt resistance as he moved further away from Harry but he could manage it by concentrating. He was able to see a ward line at the edge of the property which seemed to be still in the charging stage and hadn't taken full effect. This gave him some comfort but he was worried because his limited mage sight was telling him that it wasn't much of a ward scheme. He returned to the house. He still sensed that Harry was asleep so he went back to searching the house.
In the office he found that he could, by concentrating, physically move things. He found a letter on Hogwarts parchment telling the Dursleys of his and Lily's death and letting them know that by taking Harry in, they would receive protection and monetary support. He also found a letter from the ghoblins detailing financial support which matched the amounts that he and Lily had set up in their will. The letter was dated the sixth of November which made him look around and determine based on the most recent paper that it was at least the tenth. It was more than sufficient to contribute to the raising of Harry. The letter also detailed that their mortgage had been taken over by the goblins and that they did not need to make payments to it so that the house having magical protection would not raise questions. In learning to pass in the muggle world from Lily, James had learned about muggle finance and truth be told, the stipend was probably more than Vernon made. So why was his son in a God damn cupboard far away from anyone who could hear him cry out in the night? He would find out. He noticed the sky starting to show the first signs of lightening. Maybe once Vernon and Petunia were awake he could get some answers. He went back to check on Harry.
Some time later, James heard Vernon and Petunia start to move around. When Petunia came down the stairs, he came out of the cupboard.
"Petunia-" he addressed her as she went about putting the kettle on. She didn't react. "Petunia-" he said more forcefully. No reaction. "Petunia!" He yelled. She looked around as if she heard something and then went back to what she was doing.
James walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shivered but didn't turn or react. James tried desperately to get her attention and failed. She distastefully went to the cupboard and took Harry out to change his nappy which James realized he had completely forgotten with everything else. Harry seemed none the worse for wear on that front which caused James to sigh in relief and say a silent apology to Lily.
Petunia then set Harry in a playpen in the corner of the dining room that was devoid of toys again causing James to boil. She went about preparing breakfast and while things were bubbling away, went upstairs and brought Dudley down setting him in the other playpen which seemed to be adorned with an abundance of toys. As James became more upset, he noticed Harry become agitated and reach out for him. He went over to his son and knelt down next to him calming himself and his child.
When breakfast was served, Dudley was placed in a high chair while Harry was set on a stack of books on a normal chair, with nothing to keep him from tumbling if he slipped, James had to control himself while Petunia fed Dudley keeping up a running commentary to her husband and Harry was left to himself. When Dudley knocked his juice glass to the floor causing it to break Dudley burst into tears at the sound- but James was able to keep Harry calm. Petunia looked oddly at Harry but went to clean it up. When breakfast was done, Petunia returned her son to his playpen but left Harry to climb down off the tower of books. He toddled getting down from the chair and fell cutting his hand on a small piece of glass that Petunia had missed. Harry started screaming in pain.
Vernon brusquely grabbed him, not seeming to care that he grabbed the hand that Harry cut and dragged him to the hall- "Little freak, if you are going to scream you can spend the day in your cupboard. You wanted to be in there you can stay in there." He almost tossed Harry physically into the cupboard, causing Harry to cry louder.
James was torn between taking care of Harry and wanting to physically assault Vernon, who he could see wiping a smudge of blood off his hand onto his handkerchief before throwing it away.
"Bloody freak, you better hope Petunia can get that blood out of my kerchief." Vernon stomped to the door, put on his coat, picked up his briefcase and left.
James repeated his increasingly comforting mantra, take care of business now, freak out later. James went to the cupboard to check on Harry, who was huddled in a corner with his blanket snuffling. "It's okay kiddo, you'll be alright-" he said calmingly. "Can Daddy see your hand?" James asked reaching tenderly out and taking Harry's hand.
When their hands touched, once again could feel his connection to Harry's magic. He looked at Harry's hand. It was a small cut, right in the webbing between the thumb and wand finger. It had mostly stopped bleeding. James could feel Harry's magic already healing the cut. He guided his magic more efficiently to heal him.
Harry looked at him and said, "Boo boo gone." Then spread his hands wide to be picked up. James concentrated with all his might and put his arms around Harry kneeling next to him. He couldn't hold him. He felt Harry's arms pass through him and felt his heart break when Harry's gurgle turned to a hiccup and then a sob "Dada?".
"I'm sorry little guy. I'm here but I can't. I'll always be here. It will be okay," he said desperately stroking the toddler's hair as he cried. "Mommy and Daddy love you. It will be okay." Harry cried himself out and then lapsed into sleep. James tried to reassure his son while not letting himself slip in to hysterical sobs.
James felt gut wrenching sadness and anger. This was unfair. Damn it, it wasn't supposed to be this way. Lily was supposed to be with him. She was better at this stuff than he was. Why was his son with the Dursleys? How dare Vernon and Petunia treat his son like this? James thought. I'm gonna give that son of a bitch a piece of my mind and suddenly felt his surroundings shift. He was in the passenger seat of a car. Vernon was driving.
"You son of a bitch!" He said grabbing Vernon's shoulder. "What in Merlin's name do you think…" he started to rant, but never got further because the moment James grabbed his shoulder, Vernon screamed and flinched in his seat. In his fear, he jerked the wheel too hard causing his mondeo to cross into oncoming traffic where he was struck by a lorry. As thoughtful and responsible behind the wheel as he was in the rest of his life, naturally Vernon wasn't wearing his safety belt. He was thrown brutally through the windscreen dying instantly. As James saw the light leave Vernon's eyes, he lost focus and found himself back in the cupboard next to Harry. James stroked his sleeping son's hair.
"I love you Harry, I can't fix everything but I'll do my best to always be there." James said internally swearing to Lily that he would protect their son.
