Existence

First Meetings and More

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Well, I did it again. I started another story when I haven't even updated any of the other ones I've started. I appreciate all the reviews and I haven't forgotten any of my stories, not at all. It's just that, all of a sudden, real life has caught up with me. I tried not to let it affect my writing, and it didn't…to an extent. It's easy to write things in my notebook, which I carry everywhere, but it's a whole nother story to find time to type and edit them. I really need an editor. Remember, if there are any questions, comments or criticisms, please review.

Summary: Single mother, Lily Evans is raising her son, Harry, by herself, but when the father gets a whiff of his son's existence, he wants more than just a glance…

"Hey kid, want a ride?"

Harry looked at the sleek black limousine that had pulled up beside him in surprise. Cars like that weren't usually seen around this side of town. Harry shifted nervously and readjusted his soccer bag. He wasn't so naïve as to believe that people randomly offered rides to anonymous young boys out of the blue. But by now, the door had opened and a good-looking brown haired, brown-eyed man had stepped out.

"Hi, my name's- No, no, don't run; I won't hurt you." James called out.

Harry just shook his head and turned to run. Frustrated, James reached out and snagged the back of Harry's jacket. Quickly, Harry slipped out of his jacket and left it on the ground along with his backpack and soccer bag. There was nothing in there he couldn't replace.

James, on the other hand, was left holding his jacket in the middle of the street. He cursed aloud before tossing the two bags in the limo, telling the driver to follow him in the car, and then sprinting after Harry himself.

Harry whipped through the streets, speeding up when he saw the man running after him. "Go away!" he yelled.

Instead of heeding his words, James sped up, grabbing the small boy with one arm and hauling him back towards his chest. Harry snarled and kicked out, catching James on the shin.

"Shit!" James swore, hauling the boy over his shoulder and carrying him back towards the limo, "Come on, Harry, relax. I just want to give you your stuff and talk to you about…soccer." he ended lamely.

Harry fought him tooth and nail until he was placed in limo and handed his stuff. Suspiciously, Harry yanked his things out of James' hands and held them protectively in his own.

Sighing, James turned to the driver. "Why don't we take Harry home."

Harry blinked, surprised. "You're not going to- How did you know my name?"

Sheepishly, James held up the newspaper. "I read an article about you a couple of days ago. My…daughter is a huge fan. She watches all of your games. I was just wondering if I could have an autograph for her..." James trailed off suggestively, letting Harry think what he would.

"Oh…" Harry blushed, raking his hand through his hair. "Sorry for kicking you. I thought you were- Hey, are you okay?"

James stared at Harry, only just stopping himself from mimicking Harry's actions. This couldn't be anyone other than his son. He talked the same way; he walked the same way; his embarrassed smile- crooked but endearing, and his eyes- an everlasting green were purely Lily's, but everything else belonged to solely to James.

James felt his heart clenching in an odd sort of way that he had never felt before. He figured that this was what Sirius had meant when he had said to be careful. James suddenly wanted to know more about this young boy smiling with his green green eyes. He wanted to laugh and talk and enjoy being with him. He wanted more than just a cursory glance. It was as if Harry was seducing him into his life and James found that he didn't mind falling into the trap, if indeed it even was one.

"Sir?"

"Do you know who I am?" James asked abruptly, changing the topic. He suddenly wanted to know what this child of his thought of him.

Harry, on his part, looked confused. "I…should I?"

James shook his head at his own pig-headedness; not every kid in America knew who he was…still, "Don't you watch movies?"

"Um…actually, mom isn't too big on theaters. She got really mad when my friends took me out to see one once. They kept telling me I looked exactly like some famous actor or another…oh."

James grinned at him. "It is rather peculiar, isn't it? But anyway, tell me, does your mom always have the final say in household matters?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your father…"

"Never had one. Mom doesn't even talk about him."

James frowned. "She never even told you who he was?"

Harry looked at him curiously and James realized that he was probably coming off as too intrusive. "She asked me once if I thought that we needed him," he said slowly, "and I said that we didn't. After that I stopped asking…I figured that he ran out on her when she was pregnant with me, and well, obviously, he's scum, but there are plenty worse sob stories out there. At least I have one parent, that and soccer."

James's fists clenched. "That's a very mature way of looking at it Harry." he said tightly, already swearing revenge on Lily Evans for making him the bad guy.

"Thank you." Harry said quietly, nervously playing with his messy chocolate mop of hair.

Slowly the car eased into a comfortable chitchat, broken only by the softly voiced directions that Harry gave to the driver. Harry grinned eagerly to himself. A tingling feeling had begun to grow in his gut sometime during their limo conversation. He didn't know whether it was excitement or anticipation, but this man was so interesting! He was an actor, and a famous one at that. He had been places and done so much amazing stuff. He seemed so cool and collected, someone who knew when, how, and where to do things. Harry, himself, always felt as if things around him were about to fall apart, balancing tediously, held together only by thin strands of friendship and love. Maybe one day, he'd be able to be like James. Hopefully, he thought; it was something you grew into.

"We're here."

"Huh?" Shaken, Harry blinked, losing his trail of thoughts.

"This is your home, isn't it?" James asked gently.

"Oh, yes. Yes, of course." Harry stuttered, grabbing his backpack and soccer bag, "Thank you for the ride. I really appreciated it." he said regretfully, sad that it would never happen again.

"Well, maybe we can do this again sometime, Harry. I'd like to make it up to you for scaring you like that." James said wistfully.

Harry grinned happily. "I'd like that. Maybe we can see one of your movies."

James playfully scuffed up his hair. "Whatever you want kiddo." he promised, "What you say…after school tomorrow?"

"After soccer practice." Harry corrected, his smile almost blinding, "But, yeah, that sounds great."

James felt his heart jump. "See you then."


(Two months later…)

"Harry" Lily screamed hysterically, running forward and throwing herself onto Harry's neck, "Don't you ever do that again! You're supposed to be home by the time I get here. How do you think I felt when I found out that you weren't here?" she dragged him into the small apartment and shook him hard, "I called Ron and he couldn't find you either. Everyone's in an uproar and I was terrified! Absolut- What!"

Lily stopped dead as James stepped elegantly into the living room after Harry. Eyes widening, Lily drew Harry closer, pressing him against her body as if to turn the two into one. James ignored them for an instant, looking around the small apartment in disdain before wiping his shoes on the carpet and smiling disarmingly at Harry, his frosty eyes never leaving Lily's.

"Mom…" Harry said hesitantly, wrinkling his nose at the apparent stench of alcohol "This is James Potter. He offered to give me a ride home a couple of months ago and he's been taking me out to movies"-Lily, though seemingly ignoring her son, stiffened-"and for dinner. He's even helped me out with my homework. I'm sorry that I didn't come straight home, but…" Harry couldn't help himself, his excitement burst through the obvious somber tone of the room, "but he had tickets for the San Diego Gauchos' soccer game. It was so amazing! All the players were so good and-"

"Go to your room." Lily said suddenly, cutting him off.

"Mom, I-"

Lily frowned and taking her eyes off James for a moment to look at her son, she calmly repeated, "Go to your room, Harry, now."

"I-"

"Harry," James interrupted smoothly, "Why don't you go to your room while I have a talk with your mother. Maybe I can try to explain things." Smiling gently at the fuming boy, he winked clandestinely, making Harry giggle and grin happily. Then he nodded and ran off to his room, trusting his new friend to make everything all right.

Lily and James both waited for Harry's footsteps to fade down the hall and for the door to slam, Lily counting to five afterwards. Then she whipped around and hissed, "Don't tell my son what to do."

"Well," James countered, "It was obvious that you weren't handling the situation with our son very well so I decided to step in."

Lily turned a pale white. "You…you're not…"

"You seriously aren't going to try to tell me that. Have you looked at him lately? Have you listened to him? Have you even paid him the smallest, barest amount of attention? He's my ditto copy."

"Get. Out. Of. My. House." Lily snarled, opening the door.

"Actually I believe I'd like to talk about this more. How come I had to find out about a son from the newspaper? Is there any particular reason for that Lily?" James asked, his own anger growing.

"You didn't deserve him." Lily snapped heatedly.

"Oh," James threw back, "Well, shouldn't the parent who can provide for him, deserve him?" he looked around the small apartment in disgust, "This is sickening. My son can't live in conditions like this."

"Your son?" Lily shrieked, "DON"T CALL HIM YOUR SON! You've known him for all of a month. Of course you like him, he's a wonderful kid, but don't pretend to know him or even think that you love him. He's your son, maybe in name, but never in heart. You know nothing about him. You were never there when he was five and had nightmares about the monsters in his closet or when he was six and he scored his first goal in a tournament, or when he seven and wanted to know why his fath- father couldn't take him to Father-son outings in school like everyone else. You-"

"YOU NEVER LET ME!" James all but roared, "I don't know what you thought of me, but if you thought that even for a second, I'd let a Potter go hungry, or be born a bastard, then you were dead wrong, woman."

"Yes, of course," Lily said bitterly, tears starting to fall down her face, "he would have been treated like a king, just like all of your other possessions, but Harry's not a possession, he's a little boy, and he needs more than the careless disinterest you show everything."

"No, its…it…" Suddenly James started to stutter. What was Harry to him?

"Harry is my son." he said firmly, gathering his resolve, "It doesn't matter how long I've known him because I want to know more. He constantly fascinates me. I could watch him sleep for hours on an end, that's how much he enthralls me. And what kills me…what kills me," he repeated bitterly, "is that you kept him from me for eleven years. I could have spent eleven years taking him to soccer practice and watching grow up, but no, you selfishly took that away from me. What kind of person takes the joy of child away from another person?"

Lily grimaced sadly and pointed out the door. "You gave up any rights to him long ago. Get out of my house before I call the police."

James stared at her long and hard. "Good, while you're on, hand it over. I'd like to report a kidnapping." Lily gasped "it is illegal to withhold information about the birth of a child from the father. I helped make him, so I have the same rights as you."

"You wouldn't dare." Lily said, turning paler and paler.

"Why not? We both know who the courts will decide in favor if this comes out." James sneered, "I'm really the victim in all this."

"No," Lily said, closing her eyes, "Harry is. And if you have even an ounce of the love that you say you have for him, then you won't say a word."

James clenched his fists readily. "Why not?"

"Because," Lily answered unsteadily, "Harry is already pretty famous, at least in sports circles, but he hates it. All the media exposure and the pressure of being your son would kill him. He'd hate the fact that his private life was suddenly under a microscope. If you care for him at all then you'd forget all about this and move on. Get married or something and have another kid. Ruin his life, but stay away from my Harry."

James stood there flabbergasted, until-

"Mom, James…" Harry's timid voice peeked around the corner, "Um…I heard yelling and I was worried…" Harry trailed off when he saw his mother's face, "Mom?" he said beginning to panic, "What's…what's wrong?"

"Noth-"

"Harry," James said suddenly, coming to a decision, "Come on. We need to talk…alone."

"I…but mom…"

"Please, Harry," James said desperately, "I need to tell you something important, something I should have told you when we first met. We'll only be gone for a couple minutes."

"O…okay…" Harry agreed cautiously, nervously tugging on his ear.

"Good…get your jacket first, Harry. It's cold outside." James said softly.

"Um…Okay, wait a second." Harry whispered, looking between the two adults.

"Harry…" Lily murmured faintly, "No, just…just stay here with me. Don't go with him…" she blinked back tears, "please…"

Harry frowned pensively. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "but maybe you should leave. My mom-"

James slammed his fist against the wall, making Lily scream and Harry scuttle to her side, standing in front of his mother as if to protect her. "Damn it, Harry. Just…just…" James looked at his scared and upset face and backed away from him, "Sorry." he muttered quietly, "I'll…"

James turned, and sending one last mournful glance at Harry and another hate-filled one towards Lily, left the apartment.

Almost immediately, Harry whipped to face his mother. "What did you say to him?"

"Me?" Lily asked surprised, "Harry, honey, he wasn't a good man. You shouldn't hang around people like-"

Harry stamped his foot. "No, you don't understand." he yelled, "He was so cool and he…he helped me with stuff…and I liked him. He was my friend and you ruined it! You ruin everything!"

"Harry…but Harry," Lily tried, watching as he left the room, "Harry come back here, now."

"Why," Harry threw back bitterly, leaving the room, "Don't you have to have a drink or something soon?"

In a daze, Lily sank to knees. He hated her. He didn't even know about James and he already hated her. This was worse than any and every possible nightmare…and…and- There was really nothing left to do, everything truly had been ruined, so she did the only thing she could, she cried.

To Be Contined…