The D.A.

It was lunch, everyone's favorite time of day. It was a good break for those who had classes outside. It was miserable out, the rain and hail fell down on the roof of the castle like hammers on wood. Quidditch was canceled, this wasn't surprising though, the wind and rain was terrible, there was no way you could get anything done in this weather.

"We've found somewhere to do our first Defense meeting. Tonight eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Katie and Alicia?"

"Oh yes, of course." Hermione said a little taken back. She watched as Harry dug into his food. Biting her lip she continued to watch, it wasn't long before he noticed this and looked up.

"What?" He asked thickly.

"Well, it's just that Dobby isn't a reliable source. His plans, they aren't always safe. I mean, you remember when you lost all the bones in your arm second year."

"Technically, Dobby did not do that, Lockhart did." Ron said in between bites.

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes at Hermione. "This plan isn't just some mad idea of Dobby's. R... John was actually the one who came up with it. He showed it to me before breakfast this morning along with James, Orion and Peter. Besides, Dumbledore has also mentioned it to me, last year during the Yule Ball."

Her eyes widened. "Dumbledore told you about it?"

"Just in passing." He shrugged.

"Oh well, if they told you about it and Dumbledore did as well then that's alright."

Harry inwardly scoffed at this, she accepted Dumbledore and the marauders opinions but not Dobby's. It made it worse that she was the one 'fighting' for the rights of House Elves. Even though they didn't need any rights, nor did they want any rights.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

They had walked into the Room of Requirement later into the night. To get ready for their Defense meeting and the trio was amazing at everything they saw. Hermione particularly for the shelves of books that covered the one wall, she began reading off all the names in shock. "Harry this is wonderful!" She exclaimed. "There's everything in here!"

"And look," said Remus as he popped our from behind a shelf on the other side. "Jinxes for the Jinxed." He said handing Hermione a book he had previously pulled out.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Oh we're all here." He said motioning, the remaining three Marauders came out from behind various things. Apparently there were many places to go in this room.

"Hi!" Sirius said as he jumped out. "Marvelous place, eh? Figured we could come a tad early, find out exactly how this place would look. Not to shabby, am I right?" He grinned at them and plopped down on some of the cushions.

"It is quite nice." James said walking around with his arms crossed and looking at all the accessories in the room. "What do'ya think of all this? Was it what you expected?" He asked Harry.

"Yeah, and more." Harry murmured. "How did you find this place?" he asked his father.

James grinned. "I'm not sure I should tell you that, I don't want my son knowing of all the trouble I've gotten myself into." He smiled when he said son, if Harry couldn't have father son time as he grew up, the least he could do was give him some now.

"Prongs." Sirius said from the cushions. "If he knows me and Remy, then I'm pretty sure he knows all about the trouble we've gotten into."

James smiled and looked at Harry. "I just want you to know, I wasn't a total trouble maker."

"Yes you were." Peter said with a grin.

James shrugged. "In your opinions perhaps, but you want to know how we found it?" He asked walking over to Harry and putting his arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

Harry nodded enthusiastically like a child.

"Okay, it was like third year, right after the full moon; we had just come back in the morning from being with Remus. It was quite early we... or..." He looked over to Remus to be sure he wouldn't mind him speaking of the subject further. Remus nodded and waved his hand to let him go on. "Okay, well, we just came back form being with Moony, see, we were with him, we left into the hallway while he transformed back to human."

"Never did like to see that." Sirius said and shook his head.

"Never did like to do it." Remus mumbled.

"Then we would come back, help him out, he was usually passed out." James explained and Harry saw in the corner of his eye Remus smile.

"You do?" He asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said as though it were obvious. "Since third year actually. We were usually up late or up early working on the Animagus potion anyway, so we always came in. Sorry, I know you didn't like us seeing, but you were always in such... you were just so bad. We had to help ya, man."

"Besides," Peter began. "Who do you think cleaned you up and put that blanket on you? Garden Gnomes?"

Remus shrugged, a smile still gracing his features. "I dunno, I almost never woke up in the shack and when I did I thought it was just Madam Pomfery."

There was a small squeak in the corner. They all turned to see Hermione smiling and her hand was over her heart. "That... is so sweet." She said.

"Hermione, you okay?" Ron asked.

"But it is! It's so sweet! I mean I knew you were all good friends and I've talked to Remus and Sirius from this time period but that is so... darling!" She exclaimed.

"Darling?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a fitting word." She protested.

"Anyway..." James said with a raised eyebrow at her. "Back to the main topic of this conversation, we were coming back from giving ol' Moony a hand and Filch was nearby, now at this time we had not yet constructed the Marauder's Map and we didn't have Remus's little blood hound nose, nor could Padfoot transform yet. But we heard him coming around the corner, he was mumbling something about punishments and whatnot. So we ran."

"Fast." Sirius added. "Someone forgot his invisibility cloak in the shack."

"Lucky Madam Pomfery didn't see it." Peter said.

"I wasn't the one watching it." James said shooting a look toward Sirius for interrupting him and blaming it on him.

"But it is your cloak." The dog Animagus protested.

"Still not the one watching it." He said under his breath before continuing. "But aside from that, we ran, Filch must have heard us because we could hear him hobbling behind us, we were having fun until Ms. Norris joined the chase. Then we got scared, past this little spot enough times and poof there was a door. The perfect hiding place."

"Next day they rushed up to the hospital wing to tell me all about it." Remus smirked. "Snuck me out before Madam Pomfery said I could leave and bought me to it. Took us a good couple hours of walking past it and a detention for missing class to figure it out but we got it."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't have given us detention though, you looked like death, we were just taking you to the hospital wing."

James sighed and rubbed his head. "Sirius, mate, every professor in this school knows of his furry little problem. They knew he should have already been there and we were not taking him there!"

"None the less..." He trailed off as there was a knock at the door.

Harry walked over to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati and Dean.

"Whoa." Dean said looking around. "What is this place?"

Harry proceeded in explaining the Room of Requirement, however by the time he finished more people had come and he had to start over again. Soon eight o'clock had rolled around and he had explained the room one dozen times, but the good news one every cushion was being sat on. The clock struck eight sharp and Harry then moved over to the door and locked it.

"If you're late you're screwed I guess." Sirius said watching him do this.

"Can't take any chances, Orion." Hermione said looking over to him as she marked a page in the book Remus had given her earlier.

"Well," Harry began as everyone became quiet and waited for him to speak. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've – er – obviously found it okay – " he stumbled over his words.

"It's fantastic!" Cho Chang exclaimed and everyone voiced their options on the room, all of them were good.

Harry then began explaining things to everyone, about the room, about the dark detectors. He was about to continue on but then Hermione raised her hand as if she were in class. "What, Hermione?" he asked tiredly.

"I think we should elect a leader." She said quickly and surely.

"It's Harry." Cho said as if it were already obvious.

"Yes, but I think we should vote on it properly." Hermione said to her. "It makes it formal and gives him authority, everyone who thinks Harry should be our leader, raise your hand."

Everyone's hand immediately went up.

"Oh... um... well I'm only fifth year... I think maybe James... or... or Orion... or John... ma – " he said shuddering, feeling uncomfortable with everyone electing him to be their leader.

"Harry, don't be a prick!" Sirius said without missing a beat, his hand along with the rest of the Marauder's was raised. "It's you."

"Er – okay, thanks... what, Hermione?" He asked.

"I also think we should have a name." She said brightly with her hand in the air. "I think it would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know what that means." Sirius voiced.

"No one expects you to." Remus said and patted his back.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina asked hopefully.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" Fred asked with a big smile.

"I like that one." Sirius put in, although everyone ignored him.

Hermione gave Fred a look of confusion. "I was thinking more of a name that didn't tell everybody what we're up to so we could refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" Cho piped up. "The D.A. for short so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

Ginny smiled and spoke up. "Yeah, D.A. is good, only, let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

"I like that more then the Moron Ministry." Sirius quipped.

Everyone laughed and there was a good amount of approval.

"All in favor of the D.A.?" Hermione asked with a smile, already knowing the answer to this. "That's a majority!" Although that was a bit of an understatement, "motion passed!"

Hermione got the paper which they all signed and wrote in large letters at the top 'DUMBLEDORES ARMY'.

Harry looked at the paper and nodded in approval. He then, decided it was time to get started, when everyone was quiet he voiced that they should do Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm. One student decided to argue that it was a stupid charm, the Marauder's were ready to kick him in the face. However Harry held his own and mentioned how it saved his life when he versed Voldemort last June.

Afterward the group split up into pairs and started working on the charm. The four Marauder's split up and went with some inexperienced students. They were all already well known to this charm and did it fairly well.

Some of the students who were having trouble with the spell exclaimed and yelled in joy when they finally did achieve it. A prime example was Neville, he had successfully knocked Remus's wand out of his hand. Although, Harry had a feeling Remus was having a lose hold on purpose, for Neville's sake.

The rest of the meeting went along good, many wands were thrown but many were held onto. There was room for improvement, but not everyone was horrible. Harry had wandered by Neville a few times, he noticed Remus gradually getting a better hold on his wand to make it harder for the fifth year. Harry grinned, even now you could tell that Remus would make a good professor one day.

"You're just like your uncle." Neville said to Remus with a grin.

"What?" Remus asked, forgetting for a moment that he had said that Remus Lupin was his uncle and that he was really John Lupin.

"Your uncle, Professor Lupin?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Right!" Remus cried. "Right!"

"He was the best teacher we've ever had, you know he really taught me things. I guess you could say it's hard to do that, more into Herbology myself. I don't think I've ever thanked him properly before he resigned, could you tell him for me? He had confidence in me, I think he really did."

Remus smiled and nodded. "I think he knows, Neville."

All too soon the time came to end. Harry blew his whistle and stopped the meeting. He suggested that they should meet the same time next week, but the boy, Dean, protested and said they should have it sooner. They agreed on next Wednesday night, Harry proceeded them take out the Marauder's Map and look at it to see what teachers were nearby.

"Okay, better leave now, only one professor on this floor and they're pretty far away."

The students then left until there was no one left in the room except for Hermione, Harry, Ron and the Marauders.

"Gonna come, Jamie?" Sirius asked using the nickname James hated and looking over to the stag Animagus who seemed to be hanging back.

"I'll be with you in a moment, I have to talk to Harry."

"Okay, Prongs, just hurry up," Remus stated. "You don't have the cloak, map, me, or Sirius, you'll be in trouble if you come across a professor."

"I have a map." Harry said.

"Besides," James said. "I've been doing pranks without that stuff for years. I think I'm good." He waited until the six of the Gryffindors to leave before turning to Harry.

"What is it?" He asked shrugging his shoulders.

"Harry, I saw how you handled yourself today and taught those kids. And I know I'm not your father... yet that is, I mean I will be, but me and Lily we've only been dating a few months, and I'm not nearly at a proper age to be a father, nor am I even close to being ready. But I guess I'm still your father – "

"Dad." Harry said making James stop stuttering and look at the eyes that reminded him so much of Lily. "Just tell me."

"Well, I just wanted you to know, that I know I didn't like raise you, I'm sorry I never got the chance." Talking about his death made him uncomfortable, he had suppressed it for so long and finally saying it... well... he felt like he was going to cry. "I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault." Harry said looking down and then back up at his father.

"Yeah, well, just want you to know, I'm proud to be your father, even if I didn't raise you, I'm proud of who you turned out to be."

Harry smiled, but James never gave him the chance to respond he patted his shoulder a couple times and left the room where the awkward silence lay.

Harry looked down and kicked at a cushion a couple times with his foot. He had wanted this moment to happen his entire life, he had waited for it even though he knew it could never happen. But now it finally did, and he couldn't be happier.

AN: Here it is finally, I know, I know, I'm sorry I'm late, but like I've said... my life... meh. But I hoped you guys liked it. It wasn't had to write, I got on a roll and typed this out in like 3 days. It sounds like a long time for non-stop writing, but add school, drama practice and life in there and its hard... not to mention sleep! Well guys thanks for the reviews and all the inspiration, click that button in the corner again and I'll update again. Yeah that's right, you don't review I don't write. Scary stuff.