Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling.

Sarah's Request - I would really like to read a 'what if' where when Harry goes to the Potter's after finding out the truth only for James and/or Lily find him before he manages to leave...probably just James, I think.

Dedicated to Sarah. I hope you like it!

Finding Out the Truth – The Darkness Within – AU – Chapter 36

Harry dropped the present. It went clattering to the floor. He couldn't believe it. Three of these storage boxes had nothing but his presents in them. There were birthday and Christmas gifts, fifteen presents each. It dawned on him that after trying to kill James, only weeks before Christmas, he and Lily had still bought him a present. It was possible of course, the gift was purchased before the incident at the cliff, but Harry knew both James and Lily hadn't left Hogwarts. The only time they would have left would have been Christmas break, and that was after he he tried to kill James.

Harry realised with a sick jolt that there were presents here for him, marked for his second birthday and Christmas. So that meant that he was taken away from the Potters before he was that age. His mind rejected the idea. It wasn't possible. All of this wasn't possible. He remembered what had happened. He had memories, horrific memories that contradicted everything he saw here and everything Pettigrew had told him.

Harry pushed the box away and grabbed the third and last of the boxes. He opened it to see it held numerous photograph albums. Picking up a large maroon album, he quickly opened it. Pictures of a small, messy haired, green eyed baby smiled up at him. Harry felt his heart skip horribly as he saw his own baby self, smiling and giggling from the pages. He turned the page to see his one year old self being cuddled and kissed by his parents. By James and Lily. On the next page there was a picture of James throwing a baby Harry into the air and then catching him again. The baby Harry was laughing heartily and James would kiss the baby's nose after each throw. Then there was another picture of the baby lying in his crib, a stuffed hippogriff clutched in his hands as he slept.

Harry flicked through the pages, until he got to the end. The whole album was filled with his baby pictures. He opened the next album and found it also filled with his pictures. So was the next album, and the next and the next until Harry realised that every single album in this box was filled with nothing but his pictures.

Harry's world crumbled at that moment, when he realised that he had been lied to. He hadn't ran away from his parents at the age of four, he wasn't abused by James and Lily Potter, he wasn't saved by Voldemort, it was all lies.

Harry saw a photo on the last page of an album that made him stop and stare. It was of James and Lily holding the baby Harry and waving at the camera. James and Lily would share a kiss before both leaned down and kissed the baby.

Harry stared at the picture, tears falling down his face. Tears he wasn't aware of shedding.

xxx

James appeared in a sudden blast of green flames. He stepped out of his living room fireplace and absent-mindedly brushed the soot from his clothes.

"Women!" he muttered tiredly to himself as he hurried out of the living room and headed to the kitchen to pick up the soup Lily had forgotten to bring to the Weasley's 'Bring a Dish to Brunch'.

He saw the large container sitting square in the middle of the work top.

"How could she miss this?" he asked himself as he reached over and picked it up. But he knew that Lily had forgotten to pick up the soup because she had prepared three dishes instead of one and had taken the other two to the Burrow. 'Bring a Dish' was just an excuse for women to show off their cooking skills.

James carried the home-made carrot and roasted parsnip soup back to the living room so he could use the floo and join his family at the Burrow again. It was a faint sound that made him stop mid-step. He was suddenly tense, his eyes darting to all corners, ears strained to pick up any further sounds. He waited, standing perfectly still. Just as he relaxed, thinking his ears were playing tricks on him, he heard it again. It was a strange sound, a faint scrapping, as if something was being dragged across the floor of the room above. James' eyes raised to the ceiling. There it was again. There was no doubt about it. There was someone in the room upstairs.

Quietly, James reached over and put the container of soup onto his coffee table. He reached into his robes and pulled out his wand. He was suddenly nervous. Someone had broken into his home. Why had the alarms not gone off when the wards had fallen? He had the most extensive and powerful wards available, so why had they failed to keep an intruder out?

James crept out of the living room and into the hallway, taking care to keep his footsteps light. He held out his wand, ready to take down whoever had broken into his home. He somehow knew it wasn't Death Eaters, for the simple fact that Death Eaters would have been louder and would have attacked him by now. Death Eaters were not the stealthiest of creatures. James had the suspicion that he was dealing with a burglar.

He reached the landing, keeping to the walls as he crept along. As quiet as he could, he made his way to his and Lily's bedroom. That was the room directly above the living room. The door to his room was left open. James paused, silently questioning the intelligence of this burglar, to leave doors wide open so he or she could get caught. James got ready to attack, his wand held out before him. He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped into the doorway of his bedroom.

The sight that met his eyes was one he would never forget to his dying day.

Harry was kneeling on the carpet, a brown leather album in his hands. The cardboard boxes that held all of Harry's childhood memories were next to him. Colourful wrapped up presents, photo albums and baby clothes were scattered all around him.

James stilled in the doorway, his wand forgotten in his hand. He stared at Harry, at the strange sight of him just sitting there, in the middle of the room. His head was ducked over the album, his hands clutching at the cover, staring at his baby pictures.

Slowly and as softly as he could, James inched nearer to Harry, not wanting to startle him.

"Harry?" he called out quietly.

Harry must have heard him but he didn't move or say anything.

James came closer, his heart beating thunderously in his chest.

"Harry?" he tried again.

Harry looked around at him then, with tear soaked eyes that made James' heart break all at once. James knelt down beside him, his eyes never leaving him. Harry was staring back, his mouth opened once to speak but his voice never left him. He looked away, staring once again at the photos in the book in his hands. He shook his head.

"This...this can't...can't be true." he muttered.

Drops fell onto the album but Harry seemed still unaware of them.

James couldn't bear it any longer. He reached out to his distressed son.

"Harry..."

"No!" Harry suddenly yelled, his hand came up and he pushed James away from himself, hard.

James fell backwards, hitting his back against the bedside cabinet. He stayed where he was, watching Harry as he obviously struggled to figure out what he should do. He was breathing like he had run for miles, his chest heaving, and tears continued to track down his cheeks but he was too angry to notice it seemed.

"This...this isn't true!" Harry said again, holding the album in one hand. He stared at James. "It's not true, is it?" he asked him directly. "It's a trick! Tell me it's a trick!"

Suddenly Harry was upon James, his collars in Harry's hands and he shook James.

"Tell me it's not true!" Harry cried. "Tell me! This is a trick! Isn't it?" he shook James with every question, demanding an answer.

James didn't say anything but looked Harry in the eyes, never allowing his gaze to break.

"Please, please tell me it's not true!" Harry pleaded. "He wouldn't lie to me. Not like this! He wouldn't!"

The pain in Harry's voice brought tears to James' eyes. He didn't fight them back. He continued to hold Harry's gaze and somewhere in his eyes, Harry found the answer.

"No," he sagged, his grip loosened and fell away from James, "no."

At once, James moved, closing both arms around Harry, not allowing the boy to move out from his embrace. Harry didn't have it in him to fight James. He collapsed against his father's chest, tears blinding him as he struggled to accept his entire life had been a lie. Everything he believed, everything he remembered, everything he had lived and breathed for the past fifteen years had been a lie.

xxx

James didn't know what to do. He stayed sitting with Harry, still holding him in his embrace, not wanting to let him go. It had been fifteen years since he had held his son to his chest and embraced him. He felt like he could sit like this forever.

But soon enough, he felt Harry shift, moving away from him. He had regained his awareness it seemed. Reluctantly James loosened his arms and allowed Harry to sit up. He saw Harry's bloodshot eyes and felt his insides twist again. He raised a hand gingerly and cupped Harry's cheek.

"I'm sorry."

He wasn't sure what he was apologising for but it felt like the right thing to say. Harry looked at him, clearly trying to figure out what the apology was for.

"I know that you're hurt, finding out the truth...like this." James tried to explain. "I...I can understand how you're feeling."

"No, you can't." Harry's voice was quiet, broken and harsh.

James stilled.

"You're right. I can't understand. But, things will get better." he assured. "You know the truth now. You're back home. Everything will be better now."

Harry looked up at him but didn't say anything. James suddenly realised while he was sitting here with Harry, Lily and Damien were at the Burrow waiting for him.

"I'm just going to firecall your mum and Damien to tell them to come home." he said to Harry. "Do you want to come downstairs?"

Harry nodded, brushing the back of his hand over his eyes before rubbing a hand over his face.

"I...I just...need a minute."

"Sure, yeah," James stood up quickly. "The en suite is right through there." James pointed at the door.

Harry nodded but remained sitting. James smiled at Harry, unable to stop the feeling of euphoria from taking over him. He finally had his son back.

"Your mum and Damien will be so happy to see you're home." he said. He smiled at Harry. "It's over, Harry. You're home now. It's all over."

Harry didn't respond.

James left the room and hurried downstairs to use the floo to fire call his wife, taking two stairs at a time.

Harry stayed sitting for a moment. He looked over and found the open album again. He pulled it towards himself again and stared at the picture of James and Lily, kissing the baby Harry. Without really thinking why, Harry reached over and slipped the photograph out of the album and placed it into his robes pocket. He stood up, casting a last glance at the room. It wasn't over, not for him. He still needed answers and he was going to get them from Voldemort at any cost.

Harry opened the bedroom window and slipped out, climbing down the pipe to reach the ground. He left without looking back, knowing he could never return to his parents, he was too far gone to be able to come back.

xxx

James hurried back to the bedroom, carrying a tall glass of water for Harry. He had told Lily to bring Damien and come home right now. She was surprised but told him she was on her way. James walked back into the room.

"Lily and Damien are on their..."

He stared at the empty room. He hurried to the en suite but it was empty too. Harry had gone.

James stood in the middle of the room, the glass still in his hand. Downstairs he heard the floo going off. Lily and Damien were home.

xxx