Take 2 of this chapter! Not too different, except for April.

James had just checked the portrait-room. Nothing was happening, of course. Having the portrait shut up in the Potter Family Vault might be safe, but it sure was boring. He frowned, thinking. He thought it had been twelve years – and a bit more – since they'd arrived. He shook his head; of course it had been. As he was musing it over, he felt a sudden tugging. Then it stopped abruptly. He glanced round warily. Then it happened again.

When it happened a third time, James decided to check the Lake. He was halfway there when it happened a fourth time, and James was suddenly floating in a room standing between his son and... a Dementor?

As James hovered mistily, he saw Moony jump in front of Harry – the Dementor changed to a full moon, and James understood. That was a Boggart. Hang on – his son's worst fear was a Dementor? And what was he? He felt misty...

As he re-emerged in On, he heard Harry call Moony "Professor Lupin". No way...

James blinked. He realised Lily and April were standing next to him. "What happened? Where were you?" Lily asked, with April's eyes asking the same questions.
"Calm down," James soothed, "I just got a few questions answered and posed. Let's go to the Lake; just to check."

"But what-?"
"Lily," James said seriously, "Moony is teaching at Hogwarts as DADA teacher – he must be. I think he's teaching Harry how to cast a Patronus. Harry's worst fear is a Dementor – they must be near enough to affect him. And...Lily, I'm Harry's Patronus. I think."

They arrived at the Lake and confirmed that Remus was, indeed, the DADA teacher, and that Dementors were guarding Hogwarts. Lily wondered, "But why? They're monsters!"

James' mind switched onto a different tack. "Where's Sirius?" he asked the Lake. The water swirled. Then, instead of the Azkaban rock James had seen him in the past, Sirius was hiding out in the Shrieking Shack. The three gasped. "He's broken out," yelped James.

Lily's eyes narrowed. She asked the Lake where Pettigrew was. It showed him in rat form in a boy's dorm. Lily hissed. "And that's why."
April scowled. "Stupid little rat. Poor Wolf-man. He must be so lonely." she said. April was now around twelve years old. Ever since she was three, she had called Remus "Wolf-man". Lily and James let her; she would have been his goddaughter after all, and she was awfully stubborn when her mind was made up.

April peered deeper into the Lake. "Poor Sam, too. I wish the boys could talk to each other..." she grumbled. Sam was Samuel Black-McKinnon, child of Marlene McKinnon and Sirius. He had been born on the 1st of January 1981, but due to the times, only James, Lily, Marlene's cousin John Burbage and his wife Mary had known. Marlene had hidden the pregnancy; she and Sirius had actually pretended to split up before Samuel had been conceived. Marlene had been elsewhere on the night the rest of her family were murdered, and until the end of the war had hidden under the alias of Charity Burbage, John's sister.

When things had gone so wrong that night of Halloween 1981, Samuel had been taken into the care of John and Mary – as far as James understood, it was for his protection; they of course didn't know Sirius was innocent. Though James thought that John had never liked Sirius anyway. April thought that it was "horribly unfair" that Harry and Sam could not even be friends - "after all, they're godbrothers!"

Most questions had been answered. But the most pressing one (for James) had not been. He would have to wait.

#

Over the next few weeks, James experienced the tugging misty feeling in a pattern, re-occurring. Nearly every time, James got a fleeting glimpse of Harry and Moony.

Then came the day. James was walking casually with Lily when there was a sudden shout.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The tugging feeling happened, stronger than ever before. There was a whooshing sound.

He saw the black-cloaked figures and charged them. He laughed harshly, in a take-that-you-pricks! sort of way, when he saw they weren't real. He turned in a 'u-shape' and saw Harry clutching a Snitch in his hand, surrounded by team-mates.

He caught a brief glimpse of Moony's stunned expression, and heard his cry of, "But – but that's Prongs!" He saw the outline of a shaggy black dog in the stands, then...

He was suddenly back in On. Lily was staring at him. He felt exhilarated.
"I'm Harry's Patronus," he said, "Harry's got my stag looking after him."

Lily gasped. "Wow. Hang on; were Dementors -?"

James shook his head. "No, no. Just a bunch of Slytherin idiots trying to distract Harry. Didn't work. He sent out me, and I saw them off."

Lily laughed. "April will be pleased. I hope that's the closest Harry gets to one for a while..."

#

James remained on tenterhooks for several weeks.

One night, he was walking towards Potter House when he felt the tug. "Get to the Lake," he called to Lily and April ahead of him.

He became the stag again. This time, he faced real Dementors – a hundred or more of them – who were swooping at Harry, Padfoot, Snape and a couple of Harry's friends. He chased the Dementors away, then returned to...another Harry?

The second Harry stretched out his hand to touch his sliver form. "Prongs," he whispered as James faded again...

He reappeared in On, and ran to the Lake. Lily was there already. "I think they're saving Sirius with a Time Turner. I saw Harry's friend Hermione had one."
"I could've told you that Mum." April broke in, "She's been using it to get to all her classes this year. She took them all."

James glanced at her. "You seem pleased with yourself."
April grinned. "I'm pleased with them, Dad. The truth has finally been proven! Wolf-man doesn't need to be so unhappy anymore."
They remained watching for a while, somewhat confused, then proved Lily's theory right and were proud of Harry.

"He might have only found out the truth recently, yet he's so determined to save him." Lily said.

When Harry got the better of Fudge, and Sirius got away, James, April and Lily stopped watching, very pleased.

Isn't April cute? I picture her as the reverse of Harry: Lily's red hair & stature, James' eyes. No glasses. Search Google images for Emma Stone.

I hope I provided enough info about the Black-McKinnons. I'll explain more later. And yes, I do mean that Charity Burbage!