AN-Here's another chapter, patient readers! Sorry it took so long to post! :D

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry had always thought highly of the Weasley twins, but to be bequeathed the fantastically useful magical map only raised his appreciation for George and Fred further. Following the secret passage behind the one-eyed witch wasn't exactly the quickest route to Hogsmeade, but it served its purpose and got Harry into Honeyduke's without being seen. The surprise on Ron and Hermione's faces was priceless and completely worth the risk of getting caught off school grounds.

There was plenty to see in the bustling village despite the heavy snow which fell upon the heads of the many busy Christmas shoppers moving from shop to shop. Ron suggested they check out the Shrieking Shack, but Harry wanted to avoid the possibility of running into Sirius, so they headed for the Three Broomsticks instead. The promise of a table by the fire with a warm drink in hand sounded like heaven in the wet and bitter chill.

"Harry, wait!" Hermione grabbed his arm and stopped him abruptly with a hoarse whisper before they stepped from the cover of an awning down the lane from the Three Broomsticks.

He glanced over in time to see Sirius walk around the corner in the direction of the pub. He wore a weather-worn, hooded cloak pulled up to keep off the snow, but Harry had no trouble recognizing him. Sinking back into the shadows, he watched to see where his godfather planned on going before making another move.

Sirius did not enter the pub immediately, but halted outside with his head bent over what appeared to be a small piece of parchment in his hand. He did not look up until the sound of a door opening with the ring of a bell drew his attention to the post office across the street.

Harry's stomach lurched before immediately burning with annoyance at the sight of his father stepping into the street to meet Sirius. What was James doing there now? It was nice of him to have neglected to even mention to his son that he was going to be so near Hogwarts. Was he planning on popping up to the school for a visit? Harry did not like surprises.

Cursing under his breath, he glanced around for a way of escape. Ron did his best to blend in with the side of the building they were pressed against while Hermione merely appeared exasperated with an "I-told-you-so" sort of expression without sympathy.

"Now what?" she asked with her arms crossed.

"Hide me." Harry physically moved her by the shoulders to stand in front of him as he ducked down to her height in desperation.

"The man owns an Invisibility Cloak," Ron pointed out, "but does he think to bring it on an illegal trip to town?"

"It's not illegal."

"Yes, don't exaggerate, Ronald." Hermione rolled her eyes. "He won't be sent to Azkaban, only expelled." She cut her glare to Harry next and made her point that he was an idiot for thinking he would get away with it.

"Shut up, both of you," Harry snapped with his eyes on James and Sirius as they began to make their way down the street passed the point where the three of them stood, walking in a lazy fashion mid-conversation. Harry was now very thankful for the heavy snow which helped conceal them within the shadow of the awning. He strained to hear what Sirius was saying without drawing attention to himself.

"Of course I got it," he was telling James. "Not going to walk around with it though, am I? It's at the Shack. We can get it before you leave."

"I'm leaving now," James told him. He held the piece of paper that Sirius must have given him, and he read it with a blank expression before folding it and tucking it inside his cloak.

"You just got here," Sirius argued. "Stop in for a drink at least, it's bloody cold out."

"I can't," James responded in distraction without stopping even when Sirius slowed down. "I need to get back."

"Without seeing Harry?" The question was accusatory, and Sirius meant it to be.

James held up this time and glanced back at his friend. "He'll be home for break soon."

"Why the hell does that matter?" Sirius shot back, before shaking his head in disgust when James did not respond. "I've been up there several times and managed to avoid him," he added, and Harry was sure Sirius wasn't talking about him anymore. "Don't let that stop you from seeing your son whenever you damn well please."

"I'm not." James didn't appreciate the insinuation.

"Then what's the problem?"

Harry's father opened his mouth to respond but was cut off when the door to the Three Broomsticks suddenly opened behind Sirius. Both men looked and caught sight of the form which stepped into the wind wrapped up in frayed, patched cloak and thick, hand-knit scarf.

Professor Lupin stopped short in the snow in uncomfortable surprise to see them both standing there.

"The plot thickens," Ron muttered before Hermione elbowed him sharply in the stomach to shut him up.

Harry watched tensely, his gaze darting between Lupin and his dad with anticipation.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Remus appeared wary but kept his tone cordial.

"It was, yes," Sirius responded snidely.

Harry caught Lupin's jaw tighten as he nodded curtly and prepared to step around James and Sirius without further delay. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Everyone else does," Sirius moved aside with an exaggerated bow, "why not us?"

Lupin appeared as if it was taking a great deal of effort to hold back a retort to Sirius' sharp sarcasm. The two men met one another's glare and held it as James stepped forward by Sirius' side. Only moments before the two were sparing over his parental neglect, now they were immediate allies against a common foe.

"You're looking a little ill, Remus," James spoke. "Are you sure you should be out in this weather?"

"I'm doing just fine," Lupin assured him shortly. "But I'm on my way back to the castle right now. When I see Harry, I'll be sure to tell him that I saw you. Unless you're headed there yourself." He gestured up the lane in the direction of Hogwarts.

Lupin unknowingly hit on a sore spot, and James' dark look deepened with distaste.

"Stay away from Harry," he demanded.

Lupin's eyebrows rose, "A rather difficult request to follow, James. I am his teacher after all."

"Only his teacher."

"I have not claimed to be anything more."

Sirius somehow found this amusing, laughing his boisterous laugh which echoed off the shop fronts and dense mounds of snow in the street. Hogsmeade had grown quiet, nothing but falling flakes of white, the occasional door slam, and the sound of Sirius' mirth. Harry, Ron and Hermione had not moved; Harry barely breathed so as to not miss any word of the tense exchange.

Lupin looked tired. "I have done no harm to Harry," he said. "And I don't plan to."

"No harm?" James shot forward, and his wand appeared in an impulsive gesture. "You call the loss of his mother 'no harm?'"

Lupin's own wand was drawn, followed quickly by Sirius'. A flash of anger appeared in Remus' eyes as color rose in his face. "Enough of the blame, James!" He held his wand at the ready and didn't back down despite the fact he was outnumbered two to one. "I had no control over Peter!"

"No, you were just his biggest supporter," James shot back.

"Lily wanted Peter as secret keeper too," Remus reminded him.

"After you suggested it."

"What difference does it make? Sirius or Peter, me or anyone else… Voldemort was hell bent on finding you. He would have tortured Sirius until death had it been him like you wanted."

"And I would have taken the secret to the grave!" Sirius shouted vehemently with a pointed thrust of his wand in Lupin's direction.

"Stop making excuses for him," James continued his argument with Remus. "Wormtail wasn't tortured. He gave us up willingly! You were wrong about him, like you always were. You were soft and a fool to stand by him. Lily trusted your word, and now she's dead—"

"We all trusted him!" Lupin broke in with voice raised. "But the only one of us standing here who failed her that night, was you, James! You call me a fool yet where were you when she needed you? When Harry needed you? Stand up for him all you want," he gestured madly at Sirius, "but you and I both are waiting for answers on that. Twelve years!" The grief was apparent on Remus' weary expression. "It's over, it's done and there is nothing we can do to change it. Stop taking it out on everyone else. Stop taking it out on Harry."

Harry could not see his father's face, but imagined it matched his own. Anger seethed deep within and bubbled to the surface, threatening to explode. Liars, they were all liars and cowards. His father was the weakest of them all, and Harry hated him for it.

"You know nothing of the past twelve years!" James shouted as he hit Remus with a spell that forced him hard against the wall of the Three Broomsticks . "You know nothing of me, nothing of Harry!You were not here to know!"

"Whose fault is that?" Lupin was pinned and breathing heavy from the blow.

"The fault is mine." James moved forward in two quick steps and grabbed the front of Lupin's cloak in a tight fist. "I admit it without apology. You say you want to do Harry no harm, yet you sympathize with that murdering rat still. Tell me how I can ever trust you? Your judgment is flawed, and the fact that you accept help from Snape is enough proof of that. You may have Dumbledore convinced—"

"Harry?" Sirius' surprise broke James' concentration, and he glanced over his shoulder to find his son standing in the middle of the snow-covered street with his wand pointed directly at his father. James' face lost all color, and all three men stood stunned at the sight of Harry and his expression of disdain.

"Harry..." James released Lupin and stepped toward his son. "You shouldn't be here."

"Why, so I wouldn't hear the truth?" Harry didn't move and didn't lower his wand.

James looked guilty but admitted nothing. Hermione and Ron stood uncertainly a few feet behind Harry and glanced between Sirius and Lupin as if waiting for one of them to tell them what to do.

"Lower your wand." Sirius dropped his own with a lazy wave of his hand at Harry. "Come on, kid. We can talk about this, but not here. I'm freezing my ass off and the snow's not about to quit."

"Let's go," James agreed. "It's not safe for you here. I'll walk you back to the castle."

"Go home." Harry wasn't in the mood to humor any of them. They all made him sick. "Don't come here anymore. Stay away from Hogwarts." He dropped his wand hand and backed away. He spoke to both James and Sirius, but directed his disappointment at his father. "Stay away from me."

What was wrong with him? James Potter was a hypocrite to toss blame like poison darts over pointless details all the while hiding the truth of his failure from his own son. Harry was better off facing Pettigrew on his own. Sirius wasn't any good to him either, just as much as a liar as James.

Harry left them all standing in the middle of the deserted street and returned to Hogwarts through the hidden passage from which he came. He had always trusted what James had told him about that night. Who would doubt that Voldemort had forced his way into the cottage in Godrick's Hallow, injured James in his explosive entry, and killed Lily to get to Harry. It was what he had always been led to believe. Never would he have guessed that James was never there to begin with. How could he do it? How could he leave them there alone, and why?

The revelation brought more questions than answers, and it all led back to one thing for Harry. The Potters were not prepared for Voldemort's malice. He caught them unawares as a result of Wormtail's deception. No matter what came before, it all filtered down to Pettigrew.

Harry wasn't going to stand for his father's over-protection anymore. James no longer deserved the right to hold him back. It was Harry who Voldemort had been after, his mother who was betrayed, and now he would be the one to put an end to the traitor behind it all. Let the rat slip in and find him. Harry would be ready and waiting.


Before there was even a knock on the office door, Fawkes glanced up and notified the headmaster that someone wished to have a word with him. Dumbledore waited for the petition nonetheless and answered it in the affirmative.

"Ah, Mr. Potter." He glanced over the rims of his half-moon spectacles with a pleasant expression from where he worked at his desk. "What do I owe this pleasure? An early Christmas greeting?"

"I'll give it if you want." James moved forward into the room and stood before Dumbledore, waiting for an invitation to have a seat. The headmaster gave it with a nod and a smile at the nearest cushioned chair before the desk. "But that's now why I'm here."

"I thought not." Dumbledore crossed his fingers and rested his hands on the open parchment in front of him to give James his full attention. "What can I do for you?"

"You can explain to me why it is I insist on behaving like an ass in front of my son."

"Just in front of Harry?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and James took the point but wasn't entirely grateful for it. "What did you do this time?"

"Had a bit of row with an old friend in the middle of the village, I'm afraid," he admitted.

"The pain of old wounds tend to linger." The headmaster understood completely.

"Harry overheard a small detail about the night of Lily's death that I had, until now, managed to keep out of the telling."

"Ah!" Dumbledore did not need this to be explained either. "Might I rightly assume that he was not all too understanding?"

"You may." James dropped his head and stared at his hands in defeat. It was quiet a moment as the two men drifted into their own thoughts. Fawkes' feathers ruffled and the intriguing instruments around the room made curious noises of their own.

"I should have listened to you, Dumbledore," James spoke eventually. "You were right. He would have been better off growing up even with those cursed Dursleys than with me. I am a failure as a father, and I will never be able to protect him the way his mother's blood could."

"And yet," Dumbledore input, "he has survived. Both under your care and while at school, even with Voldemort's schemes against him."

"But he could have died." James looked up and there were tears in his eyes. "He barely survived facing a mere fragment of the Dark Lord two years ago."

"But he did," Dumbledore stressed. "Take the good with the bad and be thankful, man. Harry is no ordinary boy. Give him some credit along with yourself. He is a powerful wizard even at thirteen. Part of that comes from you."

"He doesn't want anything to do with me," James lamented, "and I don't blame him. I see the way he looks at me. I've seen it for some time and always tell myself to do better…but I can't." His head dropped once more, ashamed to even meet the headmaster's keen eye. "I don't know how."

"You have forgotten Lily," Dumbledore told him.

James scoffed at this, laughing humorlessly. "She is all that I think about."

"You have forgotten her," Dumbledore insisted. "If you hadn't, you would know what to do with Harry. You would not be so hard on yourself if you recalled her faith in you."

James absorbed this announcement but it was hard for the old professor to tell if it made an impression or not. Potter sighed heavily and sat up straight in his seat as if prepared to take his leave. "It was kind of you not to point out Harry's disregard for the rules for being in Hogsmeade today," he changed the subject.

Dumbledore shrugged it off. "He was with you."

"Yes, well," James chuckled, "we'll pretend that's true for his sake. He has my permission to go from now on. At least, I give it to you to grant at your discretion. My son has expressed his desire that I keep my distance from the school," James got to his feet, " and I don't disagree." He met Dumbledore's eye with a steady gaze before turning and walking to the door. "I leave him under your protection, as I should have done exclusively a long time ago."

"You sound like a man who has given up."

"Do I?" James paused with his hand on the door, appearing thoughtful. "Given up what?"

"Hope," Dumbledore responded.

James shrugged. "Maybe I have. Maybe I'm just tired of being a failure in Harry's eyes."

"All the more reason to keep trying." The headmaster had the final word and watched his old student slip out and close the door.