A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been awhile. I'm not even gonna explain it. And hey, guess what, at some point, this story passed 50 reviews! That makes me so excited! And it has over 160 favorites and almost 300 follows. That really means a lot to me, you guys. You just have no idea.
To those of you who read both of my stories, it's probably pretty obvious which one gets most of my time. I really try to give them both an equal amount of attention, but sometimes, that's hard, especially if I'm tired. I'll try to do better in the future, and I apologize. That is partly why I take a little longer to update, though. I don't like giving you guys a rushed or unfinished chapter (or shoddy work) just to have something to prove that I'm working. I think that undermines all of us.
Anyway, here is chapter 8. A nice, long chapter, too. I had to start another journal during this one. I edited this chapter so many freaking times it's not even funny. So I hope you guys like it. It's kinda sad, but still good. Kind of a filler. It's just something that sort of came to me and said hey, what if…well, yeah, that could work. And then I played with it, and it's kind of a development chapter. So I'm sorry if some people don't like it, but I think it's needed. You guys will hopefully see why at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except James' study, which I came up with all on my own. :D Anything you recognize I sadly, did not think up and therefore get nothing for.
Chapter 8
The next morning, Harry woke up extremely early. No one else was up yet, and he was sure because it was only just now eight o'clock. That didn't concern Harry much, as he had other plans for this morning. He had to find that parchment with his medical history on it. He was fairly certain that his parents hadn't read it yet – if they had, they would have already tried to talk to him about it. But since they hadn't, Harry didn't know if he was ready for them to see it yet, to know everything. Surely they would understand that?
'Dad said he put it in his study,' Harry thought. 'But where is that? They never showed me a study.'
Harry felt slightly uncomfortable about roaming the house while his parents were asleep, looking for his dad's study. He was never allowed to do that at Privet Drive, or at Hogwarts. He decided to take the invisibility cloak, just in case.
'But this is my house,' Harry thought forcefully. 'With my parents and my stuff. I should be able to go wherever I want here.'
So Harry made his way out of his room and down the stairs, covered by the invisibility cloak, wand in hand. He searched everywhere around the library and sitting room; he even tried looking for hidden rooms or things that might be transfigured and would open a door. Harry searched near the kitchen and dining room, also to no avail. Finally, he decided to try the back corridor.
This corridor ran the entire width of the house, as far as Harry could tell. There were a couple of store cupboards, but he knew that his dad's study would be…different. Disguised in some way, but not obvious. Harry decided to try the left wing of the corridor first.
About halfway down, Harry slowed. He felt as if he were missing something, or that something was hidden. As he backed up, he decided to tap the wall with his wand.
A handle appeared and Harry could see the outline of the study's door. He tried the doorknob, only to discover that it was locked.
'Maybe there's a password?' Harry wondered. 'Like the map!'
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry whispered as he tapped the doorknob. He heard a soft 'click,' and the door swung inward to reveal James' study.
'Yes!' Harry thought. 'Now to find that parchment.'
The study was incredibly disorganized. In the center stood a handsome desk that Harry was certain had also belonged to his grandfather and probably several generations before, covered with parchment and quills. There was a bookcase set into the wall that reached the ceiling, containing books on everything from basic Transfiguration to the finer points of the Animagi Transformation to advanced Defense tactics to an updated history of Wizarding genealogy, and everything in between. Harry was fascinated. If he hadn't been here for a specific reason, he would've picked up a book and started reading. Instead, he carefully rifled through the pieces of parchment on the desk, and then moved to the desk drawers. He continued to search the room, carefully putting everything back in its place once he had looked there.
~Meanwhile, upstairs~
In the master bedroom, Lily awoke to the strangest buzzing sound. She turned over and saw that James was still asleep, his mouth wide open. On the nightstand next to him, his paperweight seemed to be glowing and vibrating.
"James," said Lily. He didn't stir. Lily tried poking him in the side. James merely turned over and snored loudly.
"James!" said Lily more urgently, this time pushing his shoulder.
"Uh-uh, your turn," James mumbled.
Lily giggled. She missed those days.
"No, James," she said gently. "Wake up. You paperweight is glowing and buzzing."
James groaned and reached for his glasses. When he put them on and sat up, he grabbed his wand and paperweight from the bedside table and shook his head in confusion.
"That's impossible," he mumbled, yawning.
"What is, dear?" Lily asked.
"This tells me when someone has broken into my study," he explained as he put on clean robes for the day. "But I don't know how that's possible when no one even knows where it is, or the password."
Lily suddenly perked up, her eyes bright with interest.
"So does this mean I finally get to see your secret study?"
James debated for a moment, then an impish grin spread over his face.
"Sure, but I'll have to confund you on the password. Hurry and get dressed, I have to find out what's going on."
"That's so unfair," muttered Lily as she slipped her robes on, too.
As they walked past Harry's room, Lily put her ear to the door for a moment.
"He still must be sleeping," she said with a small smile.
James immediately stopped walking. A stony expression came over his face and he knocked on his son's door. When he received no answer, he opened the door, revealing an empty room.
"No he's not," said James simply, his temper rising. "But I know where he is. At first, I thought this thing was malfunctioning, but now I know better."
"Oh no," Lily sighed.
James led the way to his study, practically stomping the entire way.
"James, wait," Lily said when they were halfway there. "I know why he went in there."
James turned to her expectantly with an irritated look on his face.
"The diagnostic scan," she said hurriedly. "We haven't read it yet, and I don't think Harry's ready for us to know what's on it. He's just scared. Don't be too hard on him."
James' face softened slightly as he thought this over.
"Well, he wouldn't be able to find it anyway," said James with a slight smirk. "That's how the room works – if you aren't me, unless I'm with you – you won't find what you're looking for. I doubt he even got the password right, since it alerted me."
"But it let him in," Lily argued, slightly confused.
"Exactly. You can get in, even with the wrong password, but you'll never find anything of significance or what you're looking for. It's a trick. If you even find the room at all, that is."
Lily stared at James in disbelief.
"That's sort of brilliant."
James smirked at her and raised his eyebrows.
"I can be when I try."
They walked down the hall in silence, James' temper growing again. As they neared the door to the study, they slowed their pace.
"I really don't want to do this," James muttered. Lily patted his arm comfortingly.
"And I'm really sorry, Lily. Confundo," James whispered. While Lily was confounded, he quickly prodded the door and whispered the password. (A/N: Come on, you didn't actually think I was going to give it up that easily, now did you? Hahaha.)
The door opened quietly and James took Lily's hand and pulled her slightly into the room. At first, there didn't seem to be anyone there. Then, over in the right corner of the bookcase, a book moved and some papers resituated. James turned to Lily and motioned for her to stay quiet. He walked over to his desk and picked up the parchment his son was looking for and silently sat in his chair. He watched the invisible figure continue to move and replace things for a few minutes, oblivious to the fact that he was being watched.
Suddenly, James flicked his wand and summoned the cloak to him. There Harry stood in front of him, reaching to replace a book. He could've almost laughed if he wasn't so angry – his son had turned one of his own pranks around on him!
Harry knew he was caught. He was too scared to move even though he knew he wasn't invisible anymore. How long had they been there? Why hadn't he heard them come in? How much trouble was he in?
"Looking for this, Harry?" James said dangerously as he held up the parchment.
Harry's heart hammered in his ears. 'Dad is really, really mad. I've done it now.'
"Look at me, Harry," said James quietly.
Harry slowly turned and looked at the roll of parchment in his father's hand.
"Is this what you broke into my study for?"
Harry quickly looked down at his feet and nodded his head.
"I didn't hear you," James said. "What was that?"
"Yes, sir," Harry said quietly.
"Do you understand that my study is kept private for a reason? There are things in here that can hurt you. We never brought you here because you aren't supposed to be in here."
Harry continued to stare at his feet in response.
"We haven't looked at this yet," James continued, indicating the parchment, "but we will, as a family."
Harry's head snapped up to stare at his father, his eyes full of alarm.
"No, Harry, that's final," James said firmly. "Mum and I have to know in case something happens in the future. We need to know if there's anything that's happened to you that we should be doing something about now. We're going to go over it together, as a family."
Harry was staring at his shoes again.
James sighed. "You know Harry, I'm really kind of shocked that you broke into my study. I really did not expect that of you. And you used my old cloak. I know exactly how you got in here. I really hate to do this…"
James thought for a moment. "You're on medical restriction for what, another week and a half? Well, I'm grounding you for that amount of time, too. And as another part of your punishment, I'm keeping the cloak at least until you go back to school, and then I'll decide if you're mature enough to have it back. And you know what, while you're grounded, you won't have any need of your wand, either. Students aren't supposed to use magic outside Hogwarts anyway, and I know Ron's parents don't let him and Ginny do magic. A few weeks won't hurt you. So hand it over, young man."
Harry stared at James, open-mouthed in horror. He couldn't be serious. His wand?
"But – "
"Harry, don't argue," James said, pinching between his eyes. "Please don't make me take it from you."
Harry slowly pulled his wand from his back pocket and stared at it. He carefully handed it to his father.
James opened the top drawer of his desk and placed the wand inside.
"You can have it back when I decide you've learned your lesson. For now, just go to your room and stay there."
Harry hurried out of the room. Once he was far enough from the study, he ran the rest of the way to his room and shut the door.
Harry was shaking as he sat down on the edge of his bed. 'Go to your room and stay there…' He knew what that meant. He was in for it now.
'Maybe Mum can convince Dad to go easy on me.'
Harry almost snorted as that. Why should she? He'd learnt a long time ago that he deserved whatever punishment he got and that he would do better no to complain.
Harry sat waiting in his room for at least an hour or more before he ended up falling asleep.
James sat in his chair in his study, toying with the parchment in his hands.
"I was too hard on him," he said finally.
Lily walked forward and sat on the edge of the desk.
"Maybe a little," she said shrugging. "I think you did alright, overall."
"I just can't believe he broke into my study with my own cloak," James said in disbelief.
Lily laughed. "Well, he is half yours. It had to come out sometime." She looked over at the clock on the wall.
"It's just now ten-thirty. Harry missed breakfast, and he doesn't need to. He can't skip his potions, either. I'll go make him a snack and then we'll have lunch in a bit."
James nodded. "I think I'm going to sit in here for a few minutes and then I'll head to the sitting room or something."
Lily gave him a quick kiss and left the room.
A few minutes later, she was standing outside Harry's door with a snack. Lily knocked on the door.
"Harry?" she said. When he didn't answer back, she opened the door and walked in.
Harry was asleep on his bed. Lily smiled softly.
'I won't wake him,' she thought. 'He can eat when he wakes up.'
She sat the tray on the desk for when Harry awoke. Lily smoothed his hair and kissed his forehead, then left the room.
A little while later, Harry awoke from his nap with a start. He looked around and noticed that a tray with food and his potions had been set on his desk. Harry sat down at his desk and decided to eat something. He quickly took the potions and finished the snack, then took the tray to set it back outside his door. He still wasn't entirely sure that he was allowed out of his room, so he didn't want to risk it.
Harry did not come downstairs when Lily called him for lunch.
He paced his room a few times, and then went to go sit on the floor next to his bookcase. The waiting was the worst part; it gave him time to think about his punishment. He just wanted to get it over with.
'What are they going to do?' he thought. 'Will I get punished like at the Dursley's? Maybe Dad won't be as mean, he doesn't hate me, I don't think – he's just a little mad. But what if they've decided they don't want to put up with me anymore? Would they get rid of me? Or would Sirius take me? Probably not, if I'm so much trouble that my own parents don't even want me anymore… I'm old enough to take care of myself, though.'
Harry drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He was crying softly, hoping he was wrong. Before long, he was full on sobbing into his arms.
~Downstairs~
Shortly after lunch, Remus fire-called Potter Manor.
"Lily? James?"
James rose from his seat on the couch in the sitting room and crossed the room to the fireplace.
"Hey, Moony, what's up?"
James looked tired and upset.
"You okay, Prongs? Sirius was going mad and wanted me to ask if there was anything we could do at your place before the meeting tonight. Dumbledore told everyone at last night's meeting that at least for today the meeting would be there."
"Yeah," commented James absently. "You guys come on through. I'll tell you what's going on when you get here."
He faintly heard Remus calling for Sirius, and a few minutes later they were both stumbling out of the fireplace.
"Bloody floo," Sirius mumbled as he dusted himself off.
"So what's going on, James?" asked Remus.
James sighed as they all sat down.
"Where are Lily and Harry?" Sirius asked.
"Lily is in her potion lab brewing," James said quickly. "She's slightly upset. Harry is in his room. He's grounded."
Sirius and Remus looked from James to each other, slightly surprised. Sirius was the first to speak.
"Surely not my godson," he said. "My godson is perfect. What could he have possibly done to merit such a punishment?"
Remus snorted.
"Your 'perfect godson' broke into my study," said James. "So I grounded him for a week and a half. He used the cloak, too! So I took that back, at least until he goes to school. I took his wand for good measure because there's no reason for him to be using magic while he's home."
"Ouch," Sirius winced. "That's kind of harsh, mate."
"What?"
"Taking the cloak and grounding him, yes," elaborated Remus, "but his wand? That might be a bit unfair. But you're his father…"
"How is he taking it?" Sirius asked.
"How are you taking it?" Remus asked.
Again, James sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Harry's been in his room all day since it happened. He didn't even come out for lunch. I feel bad about it, I guess, because no parent wants to punish their child. But then, it was the right thing to do because he did something wrong and Lily and I have to set boundaries for him."
Sirius and Remus looked at each other and snickered slightly.
"What?" James asked, a little offended.
"It's just… Prongs, being all parental and worrying… That's kind of Moony's job," Sirius explained.
"Hey!" Remus protested. "Besides, I was going to say I thought the irony was overwhelming here; Harry took James' cloak to go do the same kind of thing we used to do – sneak around where he's not supposed to be."
Sirius laughed. "That's true."
James ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Can I help it if I am a little worried? I've apparently been dead for fourteen years, now I'm suddenly back and instead of having a toddler son like I remember, that child is now a teenager. Who, by the way, was recently nearly beaten to death by the uncle that he lived with since his mother and I died. And Merlin only knows what else happened to him in that house. I don't even know everything that's happened to him at school! I've only had Harry back for a week or two and he's probably terrified of me now. I don't know how to deal with this."
Sirius looked slightly stunned at this realization and Remus looked like that was a reasonable reaction to have, given the circumstances.
"I'll go talk to him and see if I can get him to come down. He was always pretty comfortable with talking to me about things," Sirius said.
Harry heard footsteps outside his door, and the sob in his throat died.
"Harry?" a voice called.
He didn't answer back, but rather sat tighter against his bookcase.
The door to his bedroom creaked open and Harry tensed, waiting for what he knew was bound to come.
"Harry? Prongslet? Where are you?" came Sirius' slightly worried voice.
'I guess I'm Sirius' problem now,' Harry thought. 'Mum and Dad don't even want to seen me.'
Sirius walked over to where Harry was sitting against the bookcase and knelt down to him.
"There you are kiddo," he said, sounding relieved. "What are you doing over here on the floor? You have a bed, you know. Why didn't you answer me when I called you?"
Harry began to panic slightly. He knew he should have answered the first time Sirius called. Now he was in more trouble. And worse, he had practically trapped himself between the bookcase and the wall.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, not looking at Sirius.
"It's okay. I was just worried about you. Why don't we get you up off the floor and let's talk, yeah?" Sirius said.
Sirius was already reaching a hand out to help Harry up, and the moment he touched him Harry flinched violently. Sirius stopped for a moment, then ran a comforting hand through his godson's hair.
"Hey, pup, it's me," Sirius said soothingly. "It's okay."
After a minute or so, Harry allowed Sirius to help him up and lead him to his bed.
"So, you dad tells me you got into trouble this morning," Sirius said seriously.
Harry's eyes widened and he stared at Sirius fearfully.
"How mad is he?" Harry asked quietly.
Sirius thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Fairly angry, I'd wager. His study is pretty off-limits. He and your mum want to know why you didn't come down for lunch, though."
Harry looked at Sirius, bewildered.
"Dad told me to go to my room and stay there. He hasn't given me a punishment yet," Harry said slowly. Even as he said the words, he hated them; he felt like he was giving away precious information.
Sirius felt horrified. Surely Harry didn't think the same rules applied with Lily and James? 'Of course he does, you dolt, he's never known anything else, what's he supposed to expect?' he thought.
"Harry, Prongslet, when your dad said that, he didn't mean you couldn't ever come out," Sirius said calmly. "He didn't want you to assume that food was part of your punishment. You've already been punished. You won't be punished that way ever again."
"I didn't think I was allowed out," Harry said quietly. "I never have been before. I didn't want to make it worse. Just tell him I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
"Kiddo, that's nothing to be sorry over, you didn't understand," said Sirius, rubbing Harry's shoulder comfortingly. "But if it makes you feel any better, you can tell him yourself."
"He's not gonna – I mean… They – they still want me?" Harry said in a small voice.
Comprehension dawned on Sirius. Of course Harry was afraid. Why wouldn't he be?
"Oh, Harry. Come here, pup," said Sirius, pulling Harry into a hug. "Of course they do. They love you. I think your dad needs to clear some things up with you. I'll go get him for you."
Harry nodded and reluctantly pulled back from the hug. Sirius gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and left the room again.
On his way downstairs, he ran into Lily (almost literally), who was headed back from her potions lab.
"Sirius!" she said in surprise. "When did you get here?"
"Erm, it's probably been about an hour ago now," Sirius said distractedly. "Remus is here, too."
"Oh," said Lily, understanding. "I assume James told you what happened this morning?"
Sirius sighed. "Yes. I've just been to talk to Harry about it."
"Really? He talked to you? Congratulations. I always knew he liked you best…"
"He's just upset, Lily," Sirius placated. "But James really needs to talk to him."
Lily followed Sirius into the sitting room and took a seat in one of the armchairs.
"Well? What happened?" James asked. "Oh, Lily, how did your brewing go?"
"Hi Lily," Remus interjected politely.
"Hello, Remus. And it was pointless, I don't have updated potion books, I'll have to get some this week," she said, sounding rather irritated. "Sorry, Sirius, you were saying?"
Sirius nodded and looked pointedly at James.
"Harry is a bloody mess up there," he said bluntly. "You need to go have a talk with your kid."
"What?" James asked, bewildered. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Hen I got up there, he was curled up on the floor, sobbing, terrified that you're still angry with him," said Sirius. "He was so sure he was going to get beat again or that you didn't want him anymore."
"That's not true!" James and Lily shouted indignantly.
"I know, and I told him that. But how is he supposed to know that things are different here? He only knows to expect one kind of punishment, and unfortunately it's not that way that any of us would discipline him. You just have to reassure, no matter how many times it takes, that you guys are different and that it will never be like that here."
James and Lily nodded, Lily looking close to tears.
"Hmm," said Remus, looking thoughtful.
"What?" asked Sirius.
"First, James, acting like a parent, now you, giving mature, adult advice," said Remus, smiling. "What has gotten into the Marauders? Next thing you know, I'll be acting just as irresponsibly as the two of you normally do."
This earned a smile from James and Sirius.
"Good, you need to loosen up, Moony," said Sirius.
"I think I'll go have that talk with Harry now," said James, standing suddenly.
"Good luck," everyone said collectively.
James eventually reached Harry's door and knocked.
"Harry? It's Dad. Can I come in?" he said gently.
A muffled 'sure' was his reply, so James opened the door and walked into the room.
Harry was sitting on his bed, his arms wrapped around his legs. He had obviously been crying, as his face was still red and his eyes were puffy.
James sat down on the bed and looked at his son for a moment. Harry still refused to look directly at him, but every now and then, he'd steal little glances and then quickly look back down, as if hoping not to get caught.
Finally, James spoke up. "Harry, we need to talk about this morning."
Harry's head snapped up to look at James.
"I'm sorry," he blurted out.
"Apology accepted. And after speaking with Sirius, who tells me that you were rather upset earlier, I realize that I might not have been completely clear with you," James said. "Whatever rules you had there don't apply with your mum and I. Okay? We would never hurt you, no matter how angry we got. If you ever get hurt here, it's by accident. And Harry, we would never ever willingly give you up. We didn't the first time. No matter what you do, son, you aren't going anywhere. I mean, you could go stay with Sirius or Remus or your friends, but they have to swear to give you back. I think your mother would be worse to deal with than Voldemort if they didn't, honestly."
Harry was trying really hard not to cry. He shut his eyes tight to stop tears from betraying him. He wanted to know why; why did they choose to care when everyone else had been indifferent to him or cruel?
James carefully pulled Harry's arms from around his legs and pulled Harry onto his lap. So what if he was fifteen, he was small for his age, and he had been comforting himself for far too long.
Harry cried for a while. He had never really been 'allowed' to cry, nor had he ever really been comforted by anyone before. After a while, his tears turned into wracking sobs that wouldn't stop. James just rubbed his back, saying, " It's okay, Harry. Let it all out. Daddy's here. Just let it all out."
Eventually, he calmed down and his sobs turned into whimpers and shaky breaths.
"Shh, shh," James soothed. "It's okay. Shh. Everything is all right. Feel better?"
Harry nodded.
"Good," said James, lifting Harry's face up to wipe his cheeks.
"D-Dad?" said Harry shakily.
"Yes, Harry?" said James.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why?"
"Er – why what?" James asked, confused.
"Why are things different here?" Harry asked, resting his head back on his father's chest. "Why are you and mum – and Sirius and Remus, too – nice to me? Why do you care so much?"
James was speechless for a moment. He didn't know?
"Because Harry, we love you. Your mum and I are your parents and we've loved you since we found out we were going to have you. Since we dreamed of having you. And Remus and Sirius are like…uncles, sort of. They both love you as their own, too."
"Oh," said Harry.
James leaned down and kissed Harry's forehead.
"Son, I love you very much. More than everything in this world and the muggle world. And more than Quidditch. But you're still grounded."
Harry's face fell slightly at that.
"Let me outline those terms for you," James said. "Your mum and I have to know where you are at all times. During the next week and a half, you will use the time to finish your summer homework and study for your O.W.L.s, since your mum is bound to be on about that. You won't go within fifty feet of any Order meetings. Or my study, or your mum's potion lab, if you manage to find that, too. No magic, whatsoever. No Quidditch. (Merlin, that hurts to say.) If Ron or Hermione owls or floos, you have to tell them you can't see anyone except during Order meetings until you're off your punishment. Also, don't go out of the boundaries of the wards, but that's just a rule in general. If I think of anything else, I will let you know."
"Yes, sir," said Harry.
"Okay, then," said James. "So, kiddo, you missed lunch. You wanna come downstairs with me and get something to eat?"
Harry shrugged. "Sure."
"Oh, bring some of your old potions schoolbooks for your mum; she wants to see if things have changed that much since we've been gone."
Harry quickly rummaged through his trunk and gathered his potions texts.
"She can keep them," he muttered.
"You don't like potions, I take it?" James asked with a smirk.
"It wouldn't be so bad if Snape wasn't such a git."
James stopped in his tracks.
"Snivellus? He's your teacher?"
"What?' said Harry, confused.
"That's what the Marauders called him back in Hogwarts – Snivellus," James said, smirking. "Oh, wait until your mother finds out! They used to be best friends! Snape and I hated each other!"
"Mum was friends with a greasy bat like him?"
James laughed. "Greasy bat! That's perfect! And yes, she was. This is just classic! I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out we're back!"
James was practically skipping to the sitting room now.
"I bet he's awful to you, isn't he?" James asked.
"Well," said Harry, "he definitely isn't fair…"
"Hmm," said James, "your mum and I will fix that."
They reached the sitting room, James leading the way.
Lily stood, appearing as if she were about to ask a question, when she spotted Harry.
"Harry!" Lily said, surprised. "What have you got, sweetheart?"
"Dad asked me to bring you my potions textbooks because you wanted to see what's changed since you've been gone."
"Oh, thank you, both of you," said Lily, pleasantly surprised.
"Yeah, and you'll never guess who his teacher is," James said.
"Who?" said Lily.
"Snape!" blurted James. "Remus, why didn't you tell us? You could tell us you got the cursed Defense job, but not that you worked with one of our sworn enemies at Hogwarts?"
"Sorry," said Remus, chuckling at his friend's shock. "I'll do better on what I classify as 'important information' next time."
"Severus is really your teacher, Harry?" said Lily in surprise.
"Yeah," said Harry sullenly. "He hates me, too."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "He treats you unfairly? I'll fix him."
"Just think about his face when he finds out we're back!" said James excitedly.
Lily thought for a moment, then grinned wickedly.
"I do hope we get to tell him ourselves – he'll think he's seeing things!"
Remus and Sirius shared a grin.
"You'll get to, alright," said Sirius.
"He's in the Order," Remus elaborated.
"How?" asked James. "Sorry, but he doesn't seem like the type who would be loyal to Dumbledore."
"He's a spy for Dumbledore," said Remus. "That's all I can say right now."
He nodded slightly in Harry's direction, who had pretended to be interested in a book that his mother had left out. Lily and James gave knowing nods.
"Harry, sweetheart," Lily called.
Harry pretended to be startled out of reading.
"Yes, Mum?" he said innocently?
It was obvious that he fooled no one, as they all gave him 'nice try' looks. Harry sighed and put the book down.
"You haven't had lunch, so why don't you and I go to the kitchen and get you something to eat?"
"Yes, Mum."
A/N: So there's chapter 8. This is kind of one of those chapters that I had to split in half (good on you if you got that). While we're on those kind of things, how did you guys like the 'Sirius seriously' thing I did? Hahaha. Even Jo did it once, so I had to take my opportunity. I swear, swear that you won't be waiting for the next chapter as long as you waited for this one. The next chapter will be the Order meeting, Snape, etc. So, fun stuff! This chapter was a little mushy. I get that it kind of feels like a filler, but I felt like it was kind of necessary, because Harry has to test them and build trust, he needs the reassurance. This might be my longest chapter yet. I really didn't plan for it to be this long, which is partly why I decided to wait and push back the Order meeting until next chapter. But I hope you guys enjoyed it! Also, let's see who can guess the password to get into James' study! Please review! Thanks you guys! :)
