Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling. Also this story is inspired by 'A Shattered Prophecy' by Project Dark Overlord.

Chapter Eleven

The Daily Prophet arrived the next morning, with the main headline, 'The Dark Lord has an Heir!' on the front page. Minister Fudge had released the news to the media late last night that You-Know-Who has a son, known only as the Dark Prince. He gave a full statement, announcing that his elite squad of Hit wizards had captured the Dark Prince and that the boy would be standing trial very soon.

'It is every witch and wizard's right to have a fair, objective trial.' Minister Fudge was quoted in the paper as saying, 'Even those who do not consider themselves a part of our society. These so-called 'Dark' witches and wizards go against the rules and regulations that the rest of the wizarding world live by, but as the Minister for Magic, I will still give them the chance to do the right thing and admit to their crimes. The son of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will stand trial and be judged for his crimes against the wizarding world. The exact details of when the trial will take place has not been finalised yet but I assure you, justice will be served!'

James pushed the paper aside angrily. He didn't want to read any more of the Minister's fabricated and preconceived speeches. He knew Fudge didn't want to give the Dark Prince a trial. He was only doing it to gain public support. Fudge had already decided the boy's fate; the Dark Prince was getting the Dementor's Kiss, there was no doubt about it. The trial was a façade, put up by the Minister so he can show to the world how fair a leader he is. James angrily stabbed at his bacon, almost cracking the plate in two.

"Easy, James!" Lily said at the table. "Those are my favourite plates."

"Sorry." James muttered.

"I know how you feel." Sirius said, before taking a sip of his tea. "I was annoyed too. They don't even mention all the hard work we did to trap the Dark Prince." he pulled a face. "Impressive capture by the Hit squad, yeah right!" he scoffed.

James didn't respond but put down his fork, giving up on breakfast.

"James, are you okay?" Lily asked, giving her husband a concerned look. "You've not touched your food."

"Yeah, come on, bacon and eggs!" Sirius said, elbowing James. "Your favourite!" he picked a strip of bacon from James' plate and bit into it. "Or is it my favourite?" he laughed.

"Why are you here?" Lily asked, her eyes narrowed at Sirius.

"I wanted breakfast." Sirius said, faking a confused expression. "I was hungry." he pouted.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's a never ending struggle with you; feeding the ever hungry!" she said.

Sirius grinned at her.

"Ah, admit it, Lils. You like having me over."

Lily pulled a face as she got up, clearing the table.

"I really, really don't!" she replied.

Sirius chuckled and turned his attention back to James who still looked lost in his thoughts.

"Hey Prongs? What's got you abusing the grey matter?" he asked.

James looked at him but shook his head.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

The door leading to the living room from the kitchen was open and James distracted himself by studying Damien who was sitting on the rug playing chess with Ron. James was glad Ron was over, staying for a week with Damien. It elevated the boredom Damien suffered during the summer breaks.

He watched as his twelve year old son continued the game they had started last night. Damien and Ron had left the chess board set up last night so they could continue it in the morning.

"I don't care what happens, I'm going to beat you this time." Damien said, moving a piece across the board.

Ron grinned at the younger boy.

"Give it up, mate!" he teased. "I'm a pro. You won't beat me." Ron made his move, sending Damien's pawn flying off the board.

Damien looked at Ron annoyed, before returning his gaze to the chess game. He looked determinedly at the board, thinking carefully about his next move. Suddenly he moved his piece three paces over, overtaking Ron's pawn and knocking it out of the way. Even at a distance, James could tell the move was not allowed.

"Hey!" Ron objected. "You can't do that!"

Damien raised an eyebrow at him.

"Can't I?" he asked with a grin.

The simple and innocently spoken words hit James like a punch in the gut. He sat at the table, staring at Damien. The words spinning in his mind. The way Damien had said those two words, his voice, the mocking tone, the slight hint of laughter in his voice, it was all the same. Damien's way of speaking was much more innocuous but still, there was a similarity. A very frightening similarity. The memory of a boy in a silver mask, turning to look at Kingsley, before uttering the same words, in the same way, came back to James like a tidal wave and hit him. The voice of the Dark Prince echoed in his head.

Without a word, James rushed to his feet, now ignoring the two arguing boys in the living room.

"Prongs?" Sirius looked up at his friend as he suddenly got up hastily from the table.

"James? What's wrong?" Lily asked, stepping away from the sink.

"Nothing, I...I just have to, do something." James mumbled, heading for the door.

"James? What? Where are you going?" Lily asked, stepping into his path.

"I have to sort something out." James said, still lost in his thoughts and not really paying attention to Lily. "I'll be back soon." he promised and he hurried to the back door, pulling it open and disappearing outside.

"James?" Lily called but her husband had already gone. She turned to stare at a surprised looking Sirius, still sitting at the kitchen table. "I don't know what's gotten into him." she said. "He's been funny since yesterday."

Sirius got up and walked over to Lily.

"It's all this Dark Prince business. It's messing with his head." Sirius said.

Lily nodded.

"He wouldn't stop stressing about it yesterday." she said, biting her lip in worry.

Her emerald green eyes stared out of the door again, lingering on the spot her husband had disapparated. Sirius couldn't stand to see Lily looking so dejected and so did what he usually did to distract her; he started annoying her.

"This is all your fault." he accused.

Lily turned to him abruptly.

"Excuse me? My fault?" she asked.

"If you did a little more de-stressing in the bedroom, James would be a lot more relaxed and happy." Sirius said.

Lily gaped at him.

"I beg your pardon?" she said. "What happens in our bedroom is none of your business!"

"I know, I know," Sirius dismissed with a wave of his hand. "It's private," he air quoted the word. "But I'm telling you. If you gave James some tender loving de-stressing, he wouldn't care who gets the Dementor's Kiss!"

Lily glared at him.

"You're insane!" she said, walking back to the sink.

"You know what you should do?" Sirius said, following her. "Tonight, cook him your best meal, lit a few candles and wear your lacy, red and black chemise. That will cheer old Prongs right up!" he grinned.

Lily looked completely affronted.

"Have you been going through my stuff, you pervert!" she asked.

"No!" Sirius scrunched up his face. "I would never do that! And I resent the accusation!"

"So how do you know I have such a thing?" Lily challenged.

"I didn't until just now." Sirius grinned.

"Get out!" Lily said, pointing a finger at the door.

Sirius winked at her but went to the door obediently. He blew her a little kiss, his way of saying, 'I-was-only-teasing-so-don't-get-upset' and walked out of the kitchen.

Lily went back to the washing but a little smile came to her lips at Sirius' antics. He annoyed the hell out of her but he could always make her smile.

xxx

It was impossible to tell if it was morning or not without a window to let in daylight. Stuck in a pitch black cell without any indication of the time had Harry feeling like he had been in there for days instead of hours. The single torch had gone out hours ago and although Harry could wandlessly light it again, he didn't feel the need for it. Why have light in his cell anyway? He didn't have anything to study.

He had regained consciousness some time during the night and although his scar was still hurting and his leg and sides throbbed painfully, he felt better than before. The pain wasn't as sharp any more and had dulled down. It was only a small improvement but Harry was grateful nonetheless. He had always been a quick healer.

Harry lay flat out on his back, both hands tucked under his head to protect it from the cold stone floor and he stared aimlessly into the pitch darkness. He hadn't slept, he hadn't been able to. His mind was too focused on his current predicament to allow him to sleep.

The torch was charmed to light itself and as soon as it was time, the torch burned with a sudden blast of fire and threw a flickering glow into Harry's cell. Harry sighed and closed his eyes, preparing himself to withstand the torture that was no doubt heading his way. He knew the guards would use his interrogation as an excuse to hurt him. He wasn't naïve to their intentions. Even if Harry answered all their questions, which he wasn't planning on doing, the guards would still hurt him because of who he was. His father had always told him there were people in this world that would hurt him solely for the reason that he was his son.

A small pop brought with it a bowl and a small goblet in one corner. Harry stayed where he was, ignoring the 'breakfast'. He didn't feel particularly hungry. He told himself it was better if he had an empty stomach. At least he wouldn't have anything to throw up during his torture.

He heard the footsteps echoing in the distance, coming nearer to him. With a deep breath, Harry sat up, aiming to look as less vulnerable as possible.

Jackson stayed true to his word and arrived at Harry's door.

"Morning!" he greeted with a wide smile. He banged his wand on the iron bars, making the sound reverberate around the cell. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Perfectly." Harry returned.

Jackson glanced at the untouched bowl of gruel and goblet of water.

"I see you didn't eat your breakfast." Jackson said. "What's the matter? Not up to the Prince's usual standards?"

Harry smirked.

"I usually have a gourmet breakfast." Harry played along, to annoy the guard.

Jackson tilted his head to the side, studying him. He had to give the boy his due. For someone as young as him in this sort of a situation, he had kept his calm and hadn't displayed any fear. It warranted some sort of respect.

"All right, let's get this started." Jackson said, unlocking the door and opening it. "Stand up."

Harry complied, getting to his feet, ignoring the way his sore body protested. The two guards that came with Jackson went into the cell and guided him out, staying on either side but not touching him.

Similar to the night before, Jackson led the way while Harry followed with the two guards making sure he didn't try anything. The guards led Harry to a set of wide stone stairs and began climbing them. The stairs seemed to never end. They continued to climb, going higher and higher into the fortress of a building until at long last, they arrived at the top floor. The guards pushed Harry into a room.

The small room had only three items of furniture. A rectangular table and two chairs perched on either side. Harry noticed the difference in the chairs instantly. One was high backed, made of solid wood and radiated a sense of authority. The other chair was metal, with armrests that had chains and shackles hanging from it. A long, thick chain was draped across the seat of the chair and it dangled threateningly over the edge.

Harry was dragged over to the metal chair and seated before the two guards set about securing him to the chair. The long thick chain was dragged around Harry's waist and tightened until he could feel it digging into him. His arms were pulled around the back of the chair, surprising Harry. He had thought they would use the shackles on the armrests but the guards decided that would be too comfortable a position for the son of Voldemort. Harry felt the harsh bite of metal cuffs around his wrists as they were tied behind his back. The strain of the tight binding hurt his shoulders already, making Harry mentally groan. He knew he was going to be in this position for a few hours at the very least. What would his shoulders feel like by then? His ankles were shackled to the front legs of the chair, the metal cuffs so tight they cut into his skin. Harry felt the first sting of vulnerability hit him as he realised how tightly he was chained. He couldn't struggle at all, the metal restraints were already digging into the skin of his wrists and ankles and the chain around his waist was so tight it hurt.

Harry looked up as the guards stepped away, after securing the chains and shackles as tight as they could. Jackson was staring at him, that annoying smirk on his lips again as he surveyed him. With slow steps, Jackson walked over to Harry, his footsteps clicking loudly in the room. The man stopped in front of Harry and sat down on the table, sitting directly in front of him.

"You seem like a clever boy," he started, "so you know what is going to happen next. If you answer our questions and give us all the information we need, you'll be pretty much left alone until your trial date." Jackson explained. "However, if you want to be stupid and resist or don't feel like sharing then you're the only one getting hurt. You'll be dragged up here, tied down like this and questioned every day until you give us answers. But I don't want to give Healer Bennett more work to do so let's try and get along, okay?"

Harry smirked in response.

"Get along with Ministry scum?" Harry asked, his smirk turning into a scornful look. "I'd rather die first."

Jackson seemed disappointed. He gave Harry a long look before breaking his gaze. He shook his head before reaching into his robes and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid.

"It's our experience with cold hearted, murdering fiends, such as yourself," Jackson gestured with his hand towards Harry, "that they very seldom tell the truth." he held up the small vial. "A few drops of Veritaserum, however, gets rid of that problem."

Harry stiffened, despite his attempts to seem calm. He eyed the vial with trepidation, his mind trying furiously to come up with a way to protect his father.

Jackson leaned forward and clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, smirking at him.

"Time to tell us all you know, kid." he said.

Harry could do nothing but glare at him. He pressed his lips together tightly and flinched back as Jackson brought the vial closer. Jackson sighed and looked at the guard to Harry's left, nodding at him. The guard turned his wand on Harry.

He muttered a spell and ball of light shot out of his wand. It hit Harry in his ribs, jolting his already bruised and aching body. His side exploded in excruciating pain, making Harry cry out, curling to the side as much as he could in his bindings. The other guard moved behind Harry and reached over, taking a fistful of his hair and pulled mercilessly, snapping Harry's head back. Jackson had already grabbed a hold of Harry's face, his grip unkind and bruising. He dropped three drops of Veritaserum into Harry's mouth. The guards let go of him, allowing the gasping boy get his breath back.

Jackson waited a moment, his blue eyes fixed on Harry, watching as the boy panted in obvious pain but he straightened up slowly. The anger in his emerald green eyes was intimidating, Jackson had to admit that, but the boy was securely tied up so wouldn't be able to retaliate.

Jackson pulled out a small silver orb and touched it, initialising the recording of this interrogation. He leaned forward so his face was only inches away from the boy's.

"Are you who the Death Eaters refer to as, The Dark Prince?" he asked his test question, a question he knew the answer to.

Harry grit is teeth but the answer came from him.

"Yes."

Jackson smiled and leaned back. He crossed his arms at his chest and studied the boy for a moment.

"What is your name?" he asked. He was curious to know.

Harry closed his eyes as the name spilled from his mouth.

"Harry."

Jackson raised his eyebrows.

"Harry?" he repeated. "Very common name. Not what I expected from You-Know-Who." he chuckled. "You don't have a surname?" he asked cheekily.

"I do, but I don't use it." Harry growled out.

Jackson asked the next question, one he had wanted to know since he first saw him. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen." came the answer.

Jackson's smirk slipped from his face. Sixteen? He had thought the boy was older. He acted as if he was older and Jackson had assumed the boy had come of age already. He was expecting the boy to say he was eighteen at the very least. Jackson shared a look with the other two men in the room and even they looked surprised. They were dealing with a minor. Jackson looked back at Harry, staring at the face and saw that he did in fact look young enough to be sixteen but his persona gave the impression he was older.

Shaking away the shock, Jackson resumed his role. He locked eyes with the boy, thinking about his next question and what effect knowing the answer would have on the wizarding world.

"Where is Lord...V-Voldemort?" he asked, hesitating at saying the dark wizard's name.

Harry looked straight at him as he replied.

"At home."

Jackson blinked. That wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"Where is Voldemort's home?" Jackson asked.

"Riddle Manor." Harry answered.

Jackson cursed mentally. They already knew that.

"Where is Riddle Manor?" Jackson asked.

"Under the Fidelius charm." Harry answered. He couldn't answer that question even under Veritaserum.

Jackson stared at Harry for a moment.

"Who is his secret keeper?" he asked.

"Lord Voldemort." Harry answered.

Jackson cursed. He should have expected this. The Dark Lord was not going to trust anyone but himself. He pushed on, if he couldn't get answers for Voldemort, he would just have to settle for his Death Eaters.

"What are the names of Voldemort's Death Eaters?" he asked.

Harry paused, his lips sealed and he stared at the man before him. Jackson knew the potion would force the answer out of him. All he had to do was wait. Sure enough, Harry opened his mouth to answer.

"Igor Karkaroff, Regulus Black, Larry Hunt, Rudolphus Lestrange..."

"The ones that aren't dead!" snapped Jackson, all hints of his smirk wiped from his face.

Harry didn't respond, since Jackson never asked a proper question so he didn't have to.

"What are the names of the Death Eaters that are still alive?" Jackson demanded.

Again Harry seemed to struggle for a moment before he answered, keeping his eyes fixed on Jackson.

"Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange."

Jackson grit his teeth, his eyes blazing angrily at Harry.

"We all ready know about those two!" He spat.

"That's not my problem." Harry replied.

Jackson lost his patience and lashed out. His punch caught Harry, whipping his face to the side. The chair almost toppled to the side with the force of the blow but the guards standing next to it steadied it.

Jackson grabbed a fistful of Harry's hair and yanked his head up.

"Tell me the names of the Death Eaters that the Ministry don't know about!" he yelled.

"Jason Riley ...Thorfinn Rowle."

"They're dead!" Jackson thundered, tightening his grip.

"The Ministry...didn't know, they were...were Death Eaters." Harry gasped, smirking at the murderous expression of the guard.

"You little bastard!" Jackson let go of Harry's hair and punched him again.

"Jackson! Hold it!" one of the guards pulled him back and away from Harry. "Cool it, will you!"

Harry panted for breath, tasting the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. He spat it out, looking up at the aggravated guard.

"He's just testing you." the guard told Jackson. "Don't lose your patience."

Jackson breathed out deeply. He knew the boy was testing him and his patience. He had not told them one single thing that could be useful. He was manipulating the Veritaserum, telling the truth but not giving answers.

Jackson ran a hand through his short blond hair and breathed out again. He walked over to Harry and again, leaned against the edge of the table. He gripped at the edge, as to force himself not to reach out for the boy again.

"All right, Harry." he said, trying to smirk at him calmly. "Let's try this again." he thought carefully how to word his question so it forced some real answers from the Dark Prince.

"Tell me the names of Death Eaters that are alive but are hidden from the Ministry."

"Fenrir Greyback, Mark Jugson and Evan Rosier." Harry replied.

Jackson's grip on the table was so tight his knuckles had turned white.

"All of these men are on the run." he hissed out. They already knew about them being with Voldemort.

Harry smirked.

"And therefore are hidden from the Ministry."

"Right! That's it!" Jackson stood up, gesturing to the guards to untie Harry.

As the guards complied, Jackson turned to touch the silvery orb, to stop the recording. He turned around to see the guards had untied Harry and pulled him from the chair so he was standing up.

"You think you're really smart, don't you?" Jackson asked, walking over to him so he was standing only inches away from the sixteen year old.

Under the effect of Veritaserum, Harry answered truthfully.

"Yes."

Jackson leered at him.

"We'll just see how smart you are!"

He grabbed Harry from the collar of his robes and pulled him, throwing him angrily across the room. Harry hit into the table, the edge of the table stabbing him in his side. He almost fell to the floor in pain. His vision flashed white and he gripped at the table to keep from falling over. A hand grabbed him from behind and turned him over.

That was when Harry's resolve snapped. His instinct to survive took over and he reacted. He knocked Jackson's hands away from himself before curling his hand into a fist and punching him square in the face. Jackson fell back, shocked. The two guards aimed their wands at Harry but before they could curse him, Harry lifted a hand and made a sweeping gesture with it. The two guards got knocked off their feet, as if an invisible spell had caught them. Both guards hit the wall with loud smacks and fell to the ground.

Jackson had his wand aimed at Harry and threw a body bind curse at him. Harry easily dodged the spell before wandlessly knocking Jackson backwards as well. Jackson hit the wall, smashing his head against it. Harry's hand aimed at the metal chair that he had been chained to. He swept his hand and the metal chair skid across the floor, colliding with Jackson, ramming into him with brutal force and making the man double over in pain.

The other two guards were back on their feet, wands at the ready. Both sent their curses at Harry but they failed to hit their mark. Another wandless spell of Harry's and the two guards were blasted to either side of the room, smacking into the walls before both men fell to the floor, knocked unconscious. The door behind Harry opened suddenly and three guards ran inside. Before Harry could react, he was tackled to the ground, two guards pinning him, pulling his arms behind him and holding him there.

"What the hell is going on?" one of the newly arrived guards asked, his question aimed at Jackson. "We saw you through the security orb. Why did you untie him?" the man asked.

Harry felt the metal cuffs back on his wrists, tying his hands behind his back. He was hauled to his feet roughly and held there by the two guards that had tackled him. Harry was breathing heavily, anger and unsatisfied retaliation thrummed inside him as he glared at Jackson. The blond guard was glowering at Harry, panting as well. He couldn't quite straighten up properly because of the metal chair that had smashed into him. Harry knew he had cracked one the man's ribs, at the very least.

Harry smirked at him.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one to get hurt." he taunted.

Jackson darted towards him but the other guard stopped him, grabbing him by the arm to pull him away.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the brown haired guard asked, surprised that Paul Jackson had attacked a prisoner. He was usually the calm one out of them. "What is going on?"

Jackson pulled out of his colleague's grip, his blue gaze fixed to Harry. He pointed a finger at him.

"You'll pay for this!" he growled. He looked to the two guards holding him. "Take him to lower ground, south east." he instructed. He turned to the brown haired guard as Harry was pulled out of the door. "Davis, get me a pair of Kelso cuffs."

"Jackson, what...?"

"Just get the cuffs!" Jackson bit out, before following behind Harry.

xxx

Harry was dragged to the lower ground of Nurmengard by the two guards, Jackson following behind them this time. As soon as Harry was pulled into the long winding corridor of the underground section of the prison, he felt the effects. It was harder to breathe here; the air felt heavy and thick. He didn't know if it was because they were underground or if was a spell. It was also colder here. The cell he was in last night was warm and stuffy but here it was cold. He saw a single row of cells along the wall.

He was dragged to one of the cells but instead of being forced inside, the guards smashed him face first against the bars. The cuffs were pulled off roughly from his wrists and he was turned around to face Jackson. Two wands were aimed at his face by the guards but no spell was fired at him.

The brown haired guard, Justin Davis, handed a pair of cuffs to Jackson.

"Don't try anything!" Jackson warned and to accentuate his point, one of the guards moved his wand to press the tip against Harry's temple. Jackson grabbed Harry's wrists and cuffed them, ignoring how red and raw they were.

Once Harry was cuffed with his hands in front of him, Jackson grabbed him and hauled him towards the door of the cell. The door was unlocked and opened before Harry was pushed inside. Harry turned to glare at Jackson as the door slammed closed, a loud click proving it was locked.

"One night here and you'll be ready to tell me everything!" Jackson growled. He pointed a finger at him. "You brought this on yourself!" He turned and walked away, the other three guards following behind him. A loud slam and Harry knew he was left alone.

Harry couldn't help but shiver. The cold was intense and he only had a thin shirt under his robes. He looked at the cuffs around his wrists, noting the elaborate K on them. He moved his fingers, twisting them to conjure a small ball of fire. Nothing happened. Harry cursed.

He moved quickly towards the door of his cell, placing his cuffed hands on the square panel of the door. He tried unlocking it, like he had done to his cell door the night before. Nothing happened. Harry fell back, disappointed. He knew what the K stood for now. The guards had cuffed him with Kelso cuffs, named after the wizard who invented them, Caluim Kelso. The Kelso cuffs inhibited wandless magic, that's why Jackson had used them on him.

Harry had tried, so very hard, to keep his temper and not use his wandless magic. His father had always told him to never reveal your full potential to the enemy. The element of surprise was what sometimes won the battle. But Harry had not been able to control himself and his instinct to protect himself led to the guards knowing he could do wandless magic and they put a stop to it using the cuffs.

Harry fell back, shivering horribly in the cold cell, his chest aching with the effort it was taking to just breathe. He was stuck here, unable to use his wandless magic to get out or keep himself comfortable. He glanced up at the roof of the cell and breathed out, his breath misting in front of him. He had to wait an entire day to get out of here.

xxx

It was late in the afternoon when James arrived at the headquarters. He was glad to see Remus was over as well, obviously here to see Sirius.

"Hey Prongs!" Sirius greeted as James walked out from the fireplace, having arrived by floo. "This is a surprise. I didn't think Lily would let you come over, after you ran out on her this morning!"

James didn't respond to the joke, making Sirius frown at him.

"Is everything okay?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, it is now." James said.

He hurried over to them, pulling out two scrolls of parchment. He handed one out to each.

"What is this?" Sirius asked.

"Your passes," James said, "for Nurmengard."

Both men snapped their heads ups to stare at him.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"How did you get these?" Remus asked.

"Not easily," James sighed, settling down in a chair. "I had to get Robertson so pull some strings. It wasn't straightforward and it took me nearly eight hours to get him to authorise these." James gestured to the scrolls before pulling off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

"Robertson did that for you?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"Yeah, and that reminds me, you still have that beaters bat, autographed by Bagman?" he asked.

"Of course!" Sirius grinned, "One of my few prized possessions!"

James grimaced.

"Yeah, you're going to have to give it to Robertson." he informed his friend.

"What! Why?" Sirius asked.

"Sorry mate," James shrugged. "It was what sealed the deal and Robertson knew you had the bat and he wouldn't take anything else I offered." James explained.

"I didn't know Robertson was a Bagman fan." Remus added.

"He's not." James replied. "But ever since Bagman's death, anything bearing his signature is worth a small fortune." James shrugged. "I would have offered him money but that would then be considered a bribe."

"I'm sorry, but why am I giving up my authentic, Ludo Bagman autographed, finest beater bat?" Sirius asked, still unable to get over the fact that James had pawned it.

"Because this is more important." James explained, holding up his own pass to Nurmengard.

The two men quietened down, staring at the scroll in James' hand.

"Prongs..." Remus started.

"I refuse to sit back and just accept that someone else got to the Dark Prince first." James cut Remus off. "We did the hard work, we put in the effort and I was almost killed my him," he reminded his friends. "I think that gives me the right to see him."

Remus and Sirius shared a look before Remus turned back to James.

"James, we understand why you want to see him." he said. "It's only natural to feel what you're feeling." he continued, his words spoken carefully. "But, it's not right."

James looked confused.

"What's not right?" he asked.

Remus hesitated in saying the words, instead dropping his head to look away. Sirius took over.

"Look, Prongs, mate," Sirius started. "No one can blame you for feeling angry and wanting to...to do...something but we're not like that. You're not like that!" he pleaded with him.

"What are you two talking about?" James asked, utterly confused.

"James, you've been obsessed with the Dark Prince ever since finding out about him." Remus said. "Even now that he's captured and will be sentenced soon, it's not enough for you." Remus' eyes searched James'. "I know you want to hurt Voldemort." he said quietly. "You want to hurt him for what he did to...to, Harry." He saw the bristle in James at the name of his deceased son, but Remus pushed on. "But if you hurt Voldemort's son, it doesn't even anything out, it doesn't avenge Harry's death. Fighting fire with fire will only lead to a bigger fire."

James stood up, his jaw clenched, hands curled into fists.

"You think I want to go to Nurmengard to hurt him?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Don't you?" Sirius asked quietly.

"No!" James raged. "No, what do you think I am?" he shouted. "This isn't about revenge! I want to kill Voldemort for what that bastard did to...!" he felt his heart clench tightly as the image of his baby boy flashed in his mind again. He couldn't even say his son's name without feeling the ache in his chest. He took a deep breath. "I'm not going to hurt his son." he stated a little more calmly. "That's not my intention."

Remus and Sirius both looked immensely relieved.

"Thank God!" Sirius breathed.

"So what is your intention?" Remus asked. "Why are you going through so much just to go and see him?"

James paused, unsure of what to say. He himself didn't know why he wanted to go and see Voldemort's son. He just knew that he had to.

"To be honest, I don't know." James said, collapsing back in his seat again. "I can't explain it but it's like, like my gut instinct or something, is telling me to go and see him." he tried explaining. "I know how this is going to sound but...but I feel like I need to talk to him, I need to see him."

Remus and Sirius looked taken aback.

"And this is not to do with taking any sort of revenge?" Sirius asked, looking doubtful again.

James shook his head vehemently.

"No, no!" he snapped. "I told you, I don't want to hurt him."

"So, once we get to Nurmengard, then what?" Remus asked. "What do we do? What do you talk to him about?" he asked in his usual serious manner. "Do you really think the boy that tried to kill you will talk civilly to you?"

James went quiet.

"I don't know." he admitted quietly. "All I know is, once I see him I'll figure something out."

Sirius looked between his two friends.

"So, when do we leave for Nurmengard?" he asked.

"Now," James answered. "We've only got clearance until tonight." he explained to the two shocked men. "I've got the co ordinates. We apparate to the nearest mainland and then head out by boat." he looked at them. "Will that be okay?" he asked, realising for the first time that they might not want to go with him.

Remus smiled whereas Sirius grinned.

"What are we waiting for?" Sirius asked. "Let's go to Nurmengard!"

James smiled in relief. He could always count on his two best friends. He held the scroll of parchment tightly in his hand, staring at it.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Let's go to Nurmengard."

xxx