James Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the lines that came directly from the book.

A/N: Okay, if you have any questions about the plot of this story, then here's the place to look! Basically, what's going on is that James and Harry have switched times - Harry's in the past, while James (who is fifteen in this story and is therefore already an Animagus) is thrust forward into the future, on the night that Harry turns thirteen. He's pretty much going to live Harry's third year for him:) He's only going to tell a few people that he's James, and TRUST me, there will be plenty of fluffy moments, NO SLASH, Marauder-ing, Snape pranking, and James's reactions:) A lot of this is copied from the book (although some things have been changed, in order to make it not so wordy and stuff that you've already read). Trust me, if you love Marauders, James, The Golden Trio, and shocking moments, you'll like this story:) Any questions, just review and I'll answer them! [Oh, and this'll probably end up being AU by the end...I love James too much to let things go on as they did in cannon, don't you?:)] Oh, and this story will be told entirely from James's POV until the very, very end :)

Chapter One: Owl Post

James Potter woke up gasping, and that was highly unusual for him.

James couldn't have told you the last time he'd had a nightmare if he tried, and he had a hard time explaining the cold sweat and shaking to himself now.

'It's nothing,' he told himself. 'Probably just some bout of the flu that's going round - James Potter doesn't get scared like some silly first year girl.'

James sat up in bed, expecting to see his golden walls and red comforter; however, the sight that greeted him was much different.

He was in some small, shabby little closet of a room! The walls were stripped of their wallpaper, so they looked awful. There was nothing in the room at all that said it belonged to a wizard, especially to James Potter. There weren't any Quidditch posters, or Zonko's products...there weren't any pictures of himself, his family, or any of the Marauders...no, scratch that...on the bedside table there was a picture of himself...a picture of himself, looking quite a few years older and dancing with - with Lily Evans!

"Yes!" James shouted, thrusting his fist into the air and - momentarily - forgetting everything else. "I'm dancing with Evans! She doesn't loathe me!"

"Wait-" James continued, the gears in his brain turning. "Why do I look so bloody old?"

James continued his inspection of the room. There wasn't much in it. He poked around a bit, completely getting out of bed. He was dressed in clothes that were way too big for him (that he was quite certain he hadn't worn to bed), and his head was pounding with a headache. There was a photo album on his dresser, but it didn't look like anything he'd be interested in. Everything else seemed relatively tidy (which confused James further - even if he had somehow changed rooms over the night, nothing James ever owned or did was tidy).

"Maybe this is all some bloody joke." James decided. "Maybe Sirius or Moony is messing with me!"

"Sirius!" James shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth. "Moony! C'mon out, you idiots! I've figured it out, joke's over now!"

James barely registered the sound of thumping feet that suddenly were right outside his door. He barely registered the unlocking of a lock and the opening of the door. However, he most certainly did register the fat idiot with the huge mustache who was now screaming his bloody head off at him.

"Potter! Quiet down now!" he screeched. "D'you want the neighbors knocking on our door? Now shut up and go to bed or there'll be no meals for a week, you hear me, boy?"

"Who in Merlin's name are you?" James asked, standing his ground.

"Excuse me?" Vernon asked in a venemous tone, his eyes narrow slits in comparison with the rest of his enormous features.

"You heard me." James said, feeling around his body for a wand. "Who are you? You're not my dad, nor my mum. You've no right to tell me to do anything." When finding no wand, James sighed. "Hey, wait a minute!" James said suddenly. "You're Sirius in disguise, aren't you! Oh, what a laugh! Kay Sirius, or Moony, or Peter, or whoever you are - the joke's up."

The man - instead of cracking a smile or turning into a chuckling teenager - looked murderous. James wasn't expecting that. He also wasn't expecting the sudden outburst that came from the man's too large mouth. "ENOUGH!" he shouted. "NOW STOP THIS NONSENSE, GO BACK TO BAD, OR YOU'LL WISH

YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN, YOU FILTHY FREAK!"

"Well then!" James sighed, turning off his lamp and crawling into bed. Just as the beady eyed stranger began his retreat, James's Marauder senses kicked in, and he yelled a hearty, "Night, mum!"

The fat idiot didn't even turn around.

At about one o'clock, James woke up again, this time to familiar sound of owls.

Momentarily forgetting where he was, James mumbled, "Could you get that, mate? M'too tired..."

When Sirius didn't jump up to get the window as James asked, the young wizard felt annoyed. "C'mon, Padfoot. Can you get that?" he tried again, putting on his best puppy face with his eyes still closed. "I got the door last night when you were too tired...can't you walk two feet over and get the window?"

"Wait-" James said. "I don't have a window...?"

The memories of what had happened two hours previous struck James like a whip, and he was sitting bolt upright in the unfamiliar bed. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness, and sighed.

Why hadn't Padfoot and Moony changed anything back yet? Why were they still pranking James? Wasn't it blindingly obvious that they'd been caught?

"Guys!" James whined.

The hooting from outside the window snapped James back into reality, and he bounded over to let the three owls in. Each carried a package or letter, and James set everything down on the tiny bed. He thanked the owls one by one, and let them back outside. One owl stayed, however - a large, snowy white female. She seemed nice enough, and there was a cage over on the floor...

"Dunno..." James mumbled to himself, eyeing the owl. "Maybe she belongs here. "

Sighing, James opened the first package. In it was a birthday card and a newspaper clipping.

The clipping seemed almost pointless to James - just a family of wizards vacationing in Egypt. The card intrigued James, however, and he read it with keen interest.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday!

Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he rekons I shouldn't have shouted.

It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses the old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff.

I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year.

We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there?

Don't let the Muggles get you down!

Try and come to London,

Ron

PS: Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week.

James was growing more and more confused. Who was Harry? Who was Ron? Who was Percy? Sighing, he leaned over and unwrapped the present that had come with the card. His eyes bulged out of his head when he saw the object - a Pocket Sneakaskope!

Granted, it was a cheap one, but James had just been complaining the other day because Sirius had accidently broken his state - of - the -art one. Maybe this really was all just a prank, and this was Sirius's stupid way of saying, "Sorry James." But then, James noticed another letter written by the 'Ron' fellow attached to the gift, and he read it.

Harry-this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize that Fred and George had put beetles in his soup.

Bye- Ron.

Why would Sirius and Remus go to such lengths to trick him? And why explain what a Sneakoscope was? James knew perfectly well what one was...

'What if-' he thought suddenly. 'What if this isn't a trick?'

Sighing, James put the Sneakoscope down on the nearby bedside table, and retrieved the parcel that the white owl had been carrying.

In this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from a girl.

Dear Harry,

Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right.

I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you - what if they'd opened it at customs? - but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Darily Prophet (I've been getting it delievered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world). Did you see the picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous - the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating.

There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out. I hope it's not too long - it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for.

Ron says he's going to be in London the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first!

Love from,

Hermione

Okay, that sounded scarily like Remus - if not for the girly handwriting, James would have sworn it had been Remus. Two rolls of parchment more? Really? That was a definite Moony action...and okay, James understood being jealous of someone who was in Egypt, but not because it gave one more homework opportunities! Hmph!

Actually...come to think of it, that letter could have been written by Lily...

'Or maybe,' a small voice in James's mind said. 'Her name really is Hermione and something's going on.'

Okay...Things James knew:

One: Everyone thinks his name is Harry for some reason. Oh, and his last name's still Potter.

Two: Harry's birthday is apparently not a much-recognized event.

Three: Harry lives with his aunt and uncle - who are Muggles - and he's apparently grown up without magic.

Four: This isn't a practical joke.

Hoping to find more clues (and almost feeling guilty about opening this 'Harry's' birthday gifts, since he obviously doesn't get many of them) James split open the package from Hermione.

James almost dropped it he was so excited - a sleek, black leather case with silver words stamped across it, reading "Broomstick Servicing Kit."

"Harry is the luckiest kid ever!" James whined, nearly bowing in respect to the gift. "Thank you, Hermione!"

The next gift was an updated version of 'The Monster Book of Monsters'. Being a Pureblood, James knew perfectly welll how not to handle the snapping books, so he set it aside without unwrapping it any more than necessary, and instead, read the note that came with it.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday!

Think you might find this useful for next year.

Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you.

Hope the Muggles are treating you alright.

All the best,

Hagrid

Oh, Hagrid! Seems that the friendship that the Marauders had formed with him had survived through the years that had apparently gone by.

James was sure he wasn't in his own time anymore - partly because the Monster Book of Monsters had been updated, but also because the Calendar in the corner of Harry's room said that it was decades later than James remembered...he was taking it all rather well, everything considered. James shrugged and moved onto the letter he was sure was from Hogwarts.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parents or guardians to sign.

A list of books for next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Ah, Minnie!

So...Harry was in his third year. James himself was in his fifth year, but he was sure he could still pass for thirteen...wow. Harry's birthday was today, and he had just turned thirteen.

Sighing, James put down the letter and got up from the bed. He walked back over to the dresser, where the photo album was from earlier. Sure that there was no chance he would be getting back to sleep, James opened the front cover of the album slowly.

The first thing James saw was a picture of himself, Remus, and Sirius. He didn't recognize the picture at all. At the bottom - in a messy scrawl - it said, 'Seventh Year'. Huh. So James was really far in the future...so far, that he had already left Hogwarts.

James flipped to the next page, which was a copy of the picture of him and Lily that was in the frame. It said at the bottom, 'James and Lily - Engagement'.

"Engagement?" James muttered happily. "I'm going to marry Evans? No way! No way, no way, no way! WOOT!"

The next four pages were all from James and Lily's wedding. Sirius was the best man, and Remus and Peter took part in the occasion as well. And Lily actually looked happy to be there...Lily looked happy to be standing next to him at the alter, happy to be holding his hand, happy to be Mrs. Potter...

The next page was dated, 'October 4, 1981'. It was a photograph of James and Lily with a baby. Underneath it said, 'James, Lily, and Baby Harry'.

Baby Harry?

"Harry's my son!" James exclaimed happily, completely forgetting the ill tempered Muggles a few rooms down. "I'm forward in time and everyone thinks I'm my son!"

James flipped through the rest of the album, but there were no more pictures of anyone he recognized. Just a few of Harry and two others - people James was sure were Ron and Hermione. Harry really did look exactly like him - it was easy to see why people were so mistaken.

James was about to close the album...when a letter in the back caught his attention...

'In Loving Memory of my parents, James and Lily Potter, who both died trying to protect me on Halloween, 1981. Everyone says I look just like Dad, but I have Mum's eyes. I'm sorry that I never got to know two such wonderful people. I'll always love you both. -Harry'.

James dropped the album in shock, leaned back on the bed, and closed his eyes in a dead faint.

Please excuse any misspellings or grammatical errors, though I'm pretty sure it was all good:) Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! I know that I sort of went MIA from FanFiction for a lil while cause of school, but now I'm back, and updates will (HOPEFULLY) be a bit more frequent:) Actually, I've just finished typing the Chapter 'The Dementor' (which I THINK is chapter five) for this, and I hope you enjoyed:) Please review!

~PeachyKeen13