James was still reeling.

His father was sitting in front of him. The look in Fleamont's eyes told James that he wasn't joking.

"You're joking. Right?"

"Of course not James. Do you think I would joke about something like this?"

"Right," James said faintly. "Right."

"I know this is a bit of a shock for you-"

"A bit?" James, asked, his voice coming back. "A bit of a shock? You're telling me that I'm a prince, and that in the last seventeen years of my life, you didn't think to bring it up?"

Fleamont pursed his lips. "Your mother and I wanted you to have a normal life. We weren't going to tell you until we thought you were old enough."

"How old is that exactly?"

"Twenty-one? Twenty-five? Whenever we felt you ready."

There was a pause. "So what changed?"

"The plan was, that when your grandfather stepped down, your mother was to become queen."

"But?" James prompted.

"Your mother and I met. And we fell in love. But your grandmother never approved. So Euphemia gave up her title and we married." James gaped. "Your grandfather passed away ten years ago, but your grandmother is still technically the ruling monarch, even though the crown was never passed down through her family."

"Surely I wasn't the only one in line for the throne. 'Cause otherwise you would've told me sooner."

"You have a cousin- well second cousin once removed that is next in line for the throne."

"So why don't we just make them ruler? Why involve me at all?"

"Genovia is a small kingdom. A bad ruler would be disastrous and would have fatal consequences."

"So this cousin of mine isn't a great person?"

"Your grandmother wouldn't have asked me otherwise."

"Wait, granny called?"

"How else do you think I know this? Really James, use your brain."

"So granny called you and was like 'please tell your son that he is actually a prince and the heir to a small country.'"

"It's not just that," Fleamont winced. "She's in town and she wants to have tea."

"She's in town and wants to have tea," James repeated in disbelief. There was a pause. "If she's in town, why didn't she just tell me himself."

"Your grandmother felt it would be best if I told you. She'd been keeping in touch with your mother regularly enough. But ever since your mother passed away, she's been more distant."

Euphemia Potter passed away last year after a battle with cancer. It had been hard on Fleamont and James, as well as Sirius Black, who had also been really close with James's mom.

"Why does granny need to meet with me?"

Fleamont fixed James a stare from behind his glasses. "She can't be queen forever James. And, like I said, the next in line- or should I say second in line- for the throne is not a pleasant man-"

"You mean..." James's glasses slid down his nose and he hastily pushed them back up with his knuckle.

"Yes James," Fleamont said softly.

James abruptly pushed back his chair and left the room. He climbed the stairs into his room, closed the door behind him and collapsed face first onto the bed. A few minutes later, Fleamont entered the room and sat down on the bed beside him.

"I'm sorry James, I really am. I'm sorry that we never told you who you truly are, but I didn't have much of a choice."

"Neither do I, do I?" James asked, his voice muffled by the fact that his face was being covered by his duvet.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll have to become King, won't I? If this cousin or whatever of mine is such a bad person, I'll have to assume the throne."

"You don't have to do anything James, remember that."

James sat up. "But I do, don't I? If this person is so bad, that my grandmother contacted me for the first time in seventeen years, he must be some piece of work."

Fleamont sighed sadly. "I wish there was a better way. And I'm really sorry."

James sighed as well. "It's not your fault dad."

Fleamont patted his son's knee and got up to leave. He knew his son well enough to know that James needed some time to himself to think.

There better not be any more surprises, James thought, as he lay back down on his bed.

The next day, there was another surprise waiting outside for him.

James had been upstairs tying his black, grey and white striped tie when the doorbell rang. Frowning, James headed down to the door, tie still in the process of being tied. He opened the door and pulled back slightly.

Outside, there was a man who couldn't have been any older than James himself. He had bright blue eyes and a mop of sandy hair that was curlier than James's wavy mess. He was almost as tall as James- which was a feat in itself- and he had an easy smile on his face.

But it wasn't the man that had surprised James. It was the limo behind him.

"Hello," the man said pleasantly, though his lips were twitching at James's expression. "I'm assuming you're James Potter." James only nodded, still in shock. "Well, Your Highness. This limo has been sent over to you on the behalf of Her Majesty as a gift."

"Don't call me that," James's voice came out scratchy, as if he hadn't used it in a while.

"Of course," the man said, lips twitching again. "I'm Remus Lupin. Could I have a word with you and your dad?"

James nodded, before turning to shout down the hall "dad!"

A few seconds later, a door opened to the left and Fleamont came out into the hall, and this time it was Remus that did a double take. They got that a lot.

James and his dad were almost carbon copies of each other, other than Fleamont's more advanced age. They both had the same messy, black hair- though James's was significantly messier and his dad was going grey. They also shared their warm, hazel eyes, stature and even glasses shape (rounded wire-rimmed that they both somehow managed to pull off). The only other difference was the fact that James had inherited his mother's long, thin nose.

Remus recovered marvellously and held his hand out to shake Fleamont's. "Good morning Mr. Potter, my name is Remus Lupin. Her Majesty has sent me over to discuss some things about your son's safety.

"Yes, of course, come in."

They sat down at the kitchen, James putting the kettle on out of habit. As he was pulling out the mugs, Fleamont and Remus got started on the arrangements.

"Her Majesty wants James to be driven to and from school as well as anywhere he goes."

"Tea or coffee?" James interrupted, looking at Remus.

"Tea, please," Remus replied, before continuing his point. "She also wants him to be accompanied by a bodyguard whenever possible.!

"Right..." Fleamont said slowly, thinking this over in his head.

"Why now?" James asked, setting down two mugs of tea for his dad and for Remus.

"I'm sorry?" Remus asked, visibly confused.

"Why is my grandmother so concerned for my safety now? The only thing that has changed is the fact that I know now. It's not like my new-found knowledge of my own importance will automatically put me in danger."

Remus raised an eyebrow, impressed by James's apparent cleverness. "You make a good point, but I think if Her Majesty had her way, you'd have always had a protection detail."

James didn't have a reply to that. "Who will be my bodyguard?"

"Me," Remus said with a wry smile.

"How old are you exactly?" James asked incredulously.

"James!" Fleamont said.

"I assure you, sir, I am 100% qualified," Remus said with a wry smile.

"Will you be going to school with me?"

"No. Her Majesty thinks that a new guy who just happens to share all classes with you and know you, despite being new, will draw some attention, if only from your best friends. And, as you said, the new-found knowledge of your own importance doesn't automatically put you in danger."

"Okay," James said, still hesitant about arriving to school in a limo and having a bodyguard.

"Is there any chance we could continue this conversation another time? James is going to be late to school," Fleamont interjected.

James glanced down at the watch his mother had left for him. She had originally planned on giving it to him on his seventeenth birthday, since that was when she had received it herself. She never made it to his seventeenth birthday. James noted the time and jumped out of his seat, his decaf coffee only half drank. He bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He dashed into his bedroom, snatched up his bag from the floor and grabbed his jumper from where it was thrown on the bed.

James was not a huge fan of his school uniform. Their school pants were dark grey while their jumper was a lighter shade. They wore white shirts and a black, grey and white striped tie. They also had to wear black, leather shoes, though most people got away with black converse or vans. James didn't know why he had gotten away with his converse. Most people who wore black converse wore the all black ones, whereas his were the original with the white tips and rim. He liked to think that the teachers had a soft spot for him, but it was more likely that they didn't care.

He sprinted back down the stairs, jumping the last few and landing with the appearance of someone who had done this particular habit on a regular basis.

"Ready?" Remus asked, amused. James nodded, a slight blush on his cheeks.

School was interesting, to say the least.

In most ways, it was the same. In some ways- mostly in James's own head- it was different. James had made Remus let him out a street away from the school, so as not to cause a riot with their hearse. He was glad that Sirius had told him he was going to walk to school with his brother. First of all, it gave James more time to create an excuse for the limo. And secondly, James was happy that Sirius and Regulus were getting along a bit better.

Since James had gotten a lift to school, and Sirius was walking, James arrived to school earlier than his best friend. He headed to his locker, eager to lift some of the weight from his bag. James, being one of the tallest people in the school had a top locker. Lockers lined the wall in bunches, four to a column, rows depending on how much space there was.

He pulled the key out of his pocket, manoeuvring it so his coins, mp3 player and earphones didn't fall out of his pocket. He twisted the lock off of his locket handle and looped it around his pants buckle, before setting his bag on the floor and kneeling next to it.

He pulled the books out of his locker that he did not need for his next two classes. His school had two 56 minute classes, small break, two more 56 minutes classes, big break and two final 56 minute classes. They had originally had 55 minute classes, but in order to squeeze an extra half hour of school a week, and therefore get holidays earlier, the teachers had gotten rid of the six minute tutorial in the morning and added an extra minute to each class.

Tutorial was basically a six minute roll call, where each base class was assigned a room where they could take the official morning roll. It also allowed year heads to check notes and uniforms and allowed James six minutes to cram in the German vocab study that he never did the night before, on the two days James had German first class.

Today was not one of those days, as he had music and maths first two classes. Which was quite nice, considering they were two of his favourite classes. He swapped out most of the books in his bag for some of those in his lockers, shutting it and twisting the handle before locking it again.

He turned around and ended up face to face with Lily Evans. Well, it wasn't exactly face to face, considering their height difference, but it was close enough. Too close.

James swallowed, but grinned at her. "Sorry Evans, I didn't realise I was in your way."

"It's fine," Lily replied offhandedly, moving towards her locker, once James had stepped to the side. James tore his eyes away from her and turned to head to music when Lily stopped him. "Will you give this to Marlene please?"

Marlene McKinnon was one of Lily's best friends and was also in James's music class. They were friendly enough, and she was a bit of a laugh, and an expert on the piano.

James took the copy from Lily's hand and glanced down at it. On the cover was Lily's name, printed neatly as well as her class, 5A6 and subject title, Geography homework. Instantly, James copped on to what was happening.

"Cheating on homework, are we now, Evans?"

Lily rolled her eyes at James. "What? Are you going to rat on me?"

James laughed at that, and bid Lily goodbye, before heading off towards music, copy in hand.