Author's note: Thank you guys for being so patient with the story, even though some of you have told me that it's making you pull your hair out and that you need a bubble bath. XD

Admittedly, Dumbledore's logic is very confusing and doesn't seem like the best answer, but I had it be that way because in the books nobody understood his logic either. If everybody always understood his logic, they would have realized that Snape was good and it wouldn't have taken long to find the horcruxes. But unfortunately, as much as I love Dumbledore and I don't think he's manipulative, he isn't very good at making people understand his reasons for things, and he sometimes hides information.

As for why Lily couldn't stay in the castle, it wasn't only about there being no room. It was also about not wanting to put her on exile and just letting her live normally.

And who knows? Maybe Dumbledore is hiding some other information...I'm not saying he is, but I'm not saying he isn't. :) Please review.

And everything I thought I knew
Has been redefined by you
Now there's no need for this stupid disguise
I stepped into a different place
The moment that I saw your face
I swear I saw myself deep in your eyes
And I don't know how
All I know now for sure
It's obvious that you're what happened to me

James really hated Dumbledore at the moment, but his hatred for Dumbledore was mixed in with his love for Harry and worry about Lily, so the finished product was a hurricane of emotions waging war in his head. He paced back and forth in the spare bedroom that seemed like a smaller version of a Gryffindor dorm room, tempted to run down the hall and find Harry. But no, Dumbledore told him to give Harry some space. How could he possibly give Harry some space? What made Dumbledore think that was an easy thing to do?

James nearly went insane. His son, who was living and breathing, was right down the hall. The baby he'd loved so much, and still did love more than anything, hadn't been killed and was now a thirteen year old boy. And Lily didn't know about any of this. She was probably at St. Mungo's at the moment, healing people although she could never really heal herself after what they thought had happened to Harry.

But it hadn't really happened. And James could tell Lily that, if Dumbledore hadn't forbidden him to do so.

But since when did James follow orders?

...unless Dumbledore's orders really were just to protect Harry and Lily.

James could barely think straight. He desperately wanted to see Harry and it made thinking rationally about anything else impossible. He could practically feel Harry's heart beating from down the hall. But he knew that he probably shouldn't go looking for him. So what could he do to pass the time?

And then it hit him: The Marauder's Map.

Of course! The Marauder's Map always provided entertainment, even if you weren't using it to sneak around. It was always hilarious to just watch Filch's dot on the map storm around the castle in an angry flurry, probably chasing after Peeves. Filch had always hated Peeves and that much probably hadn't changed since James left Hogwarts fifteen years ago.

But James remembered that Filch had found and confiscated the map right before the Marauders graduated and they never got the chance to get it back. Filch probably locked it up in his office somewhere.

Well, James thought as he made his decision. The fact that its locked up will only make this more interesting.

He held up his wand and said, "Accio Marauder's Map!"

Hogwarts was the most amazing thing Harry had ever seen in his life. He hadn't seen much, admittedly, because the Death Eaters didn't let him get out much and when he ran away to live in the muggle world with Rayden, they mostly had to stay indoors so they wouldn't be seen by Death Eaters. But Harry knew that even if he'd traveled all around the world, Hogwarts would still be the most amazing place.

There were moving staircases and portraits that visited and chatted with each other. There were huge stained glass windows that changed colors and ghosts that wandered from corridor to corridor. Harry could barely believe his eyes as he wandered from floor to floor and gazed around at everything. But as amazed as he was with all of it, he couldn't stop worrying about other things.

Where is Mile? Is he still at the Ministry or did he escape or did he get killed? And if he gets out, where will he go? Will I ever see him again? We weren't the closest of friends but we were all we had for each other after Rayden died...and what about the other horcruxes? There had to be more somewhere, Harry was thinking. And what about that James bloke? He accused me of planning everything with Bellatrix and made me hand over my wand...I only gave him Bellatrix's wand, but he doesn't know that...and then he cut my hand open with the knife and glared at me like he hated me. But then he got knocked unconscious and was much friendlier when he woke up. He kept putting his hands on my face and staring at me...

Harry leaned over a balcony and looked down at a ghost soaring in the air below. The ghost was mumbling something that sounded like, "...not fully headless...ridiculous...should have told him...hopeless, its all hopeless..."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

The ghost looked up at him, startled.

"A student at this part of the castle!" The ghost cried. "Dear me, I haven't seen a student in this part of the castle in ages. Well, yes, I suppose I am alright. However, my request to join the Headless Hunt was denied once again. They said I'm not headless enough. Ridiculous, isn't it?"

Harry had no idea what the ghost was talking about so he just nodded.

"Wait a second...you're not a student here." The ghost inspected Harry. "But your eyes look familiar. I can remember a Gryffindor student who had eyes just like yours. How strange..."

The ghost drifted away, sighing and mumbling to himself.

But something the ghost had said stuck with Harry: "hopeless...its all hopeless..." For some reason, that reminded Harry of something. He just wasn't sure what.

The first thing James did when the Marauder Map came to his room after he summoned it was look for Harry's dot. However, much to James' fright, Harry wasn't in the spare room Dumbledore told him to stay in. James searched the map anxiously, desperate to see where Harry had gone. At last he found the dot labeled Harry Potter walking around in a corridor somewhere downstairs.

James left the room and held the map close to him as he tried to find the corridor Harry was in. To his relief, there didn't seem to be anyone near Harry. The map showed him that the closest person to Harry was himself, and he was only about twenty feet away...

When James finally found Harry, he said, "Didn't Dumbledore tell you not to leave the room?"

Harry jumped in surprise at the sound of James' voice. Then Harry said, "Well, he might have mentioned it."

James grinned.

"Dumbledore also might have mentioned that I should give you some space, but I didn't feel like listening to him." James said. "Although, if you do want me to give you some space, I will."

"Why'd he tell you to give me some space?" Harry asked a bit suspiciously.

Shit, James thought. I might have said too much.

"Who really knows?" James shrugged, hoping he came off as nonchalant. "Dumbledore is a mystery."

"Did he say how long I have to stay here?" Harry asked.

"No, he didn't." James said. "Where do you plan on going once he lets you leave?"

Harry shrugged and didn't meet James' eye.

"You can't go back to the Death Eaters. They'll kill you." James said.

"I won't." Harry said. The sincerity in his voice relieved James a bit. "How did you find me down here?"

"Using the Marauder's Map." James said.

"What's that?"

"Well, once upon a time there were four - actually, make that three - best friends, and then one little git who followed them around all the time. They were surveyors of aid to magical mischief makers and called themselves the Marauders. Their nicknames were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. They called themselves the Marauders."

James' heart was pounding at the interested look on Harry's face. This was the moment James had daydreamed about all the time when he was younger; the moment he'd tell his son about the Marauder's Map. After Harry's "death," James thought he'd never get the chance.

But now here he was, standing with Harry, holding the map in his hands.

"They created this map so they could sneak around Hogwarts at night without getting caught." James said. "It shows the names of everyone in the school, including the teachers and ghosts. But along with making the map, they also became Animagi in order to help their friend."

"How would becoming Animagi help their friend?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, Moony was a werewolf. But he wasn't a bad werewolf like Fenrir Greyback or Ragus Redler. He was a good person with a horrible illness. He had to be locked up in the Shrieking Shack, an old building in Hogsmeade, every full moon. He never told his friends what he was and instead made up excuses for why he had to leave every full moon. But they figured it out. It took them a while but they managed to illegally become Animagi so they could be with him during his transformations."

"They sound like good friends."

"Most of them were." James said. "Except Wormtail turned out to be a pathetic, traitorous scumbag and kidnapped Prongs' son."

"That sucks."

"But its alright, because Prongs found his son eventually and if he ever sees Wormtail he'll use the Cruciatus Curse on him until his head explodes. Because Wormtail is so hopeless, death is too good for him."

Then suddenly a strange expression passed over Harry's face. His green eyes widened and stared off into space, and he looked like he'd just realized something.

"I just remembered something." Harry said. "Something important."

"What is it?" James asked.

Harry looked at James uncertainly and seemed to be deciding whether or not he should tell him.

"Its alright, you can trust me." James said.

"Bellatrix said there's a flare inside of a horcrux that sends out a feeling of hopelessness, and its activated by a Dark Mark on a Death Eater's wrist." Harry said this reluctantly at first, like he wasn't sure if should be telling James all of this. But something about the look in James' eyes must have made Harry trust him, because Harry's voice gradually gained speed and confidence as he continued. "There's a room in Lestrange Manor that's usually locked but I've been in it a few times. Every time I was in there, I felt really hopeless and depressed but I had no idea why. But now I realize there must be a horcrux in there somewhere."

James was both excited by the news and impressed at Harry's cleverness. My son is a genius, James thought. I always used to tell Sirius that Harry was a genius, back when he was a baby. But Sirius always just laughed and rolled his eyes. Well, I was right. Harry is a genius.

"We have to tell Dumbledore." James said.

Harry looked doubtful, so James continued, "Trust me. Dumbledore would know what to do."

Harry continued to look at James for a few moments before nodding. They made their way back up to Dumbledore's office to tell him the news. However, once they arrived in his office, they found it empty.

"Where'd he go?" Harry asked.

James looked around the spacious room, wondering the same thing. But then he saw a paper bird above Dumbledore's desk, flapping its wings anxiously. Written on the bird's head in green ink was James' name. James took the paper bird in his hands; it stopped flapping and unfolded itself. It was a note.

Dear James,

If you are here in my office because you need to talk to me, it will have to wait until I get back. The other Aurors have captured an entire group of Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and are bringing them to Azkaban. However, they need my help doing this. Also, it seems that there was a full moon last night. Sirius and Remus have both disappeared and that's how Bellatrix Lestrange escaped from the Aurors. I have confidence that both Sirius and Remus are alright. I'm terribly sorry to run out like this and I do hope you don't need me for anything important.

Sincerely, Albus

"This isn't good." James said.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore's gone to help the other Aurors arrest a bunch of Death Eaters." James said. And Padfoot and Moony are missing, he thought. "We'll have to wait until he gets back."

"It can't wait!" Harry said. "We already destroyed two horcruxes, the Death Eaters are probably changing all the hiding places of the other ones. They could be moving the horcrux right now. I'll have to go there myself."

"No, you can't!" James said in alarm. "They'll kill you!"

"They might not be there yet."

"You just said they're probably there right now, moving the horcrux." James said. "So which is it?"

"It doesn't matter! I just have to go there!" Harry said.

"Why? Do you want to go back there?"

"Of course not, but I want Voldemort to die, so I have to get the horcrux!"

"Dumbledore can get it, we just have to wait -"

Harry turned around and started making his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" James asked.

But Harry had already left. James ran out of Dumbledore's office and chased after Harry down the corridor.

"Stop! Harry, stop!" James said.

He wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and tried to carry him back to Dumbledore's office, but Harry thrashed around in James' arms and finally broke free.

"What's the matter with you?" Harry yelled.

"I can't let you do this, okay? I'm sorry." James said, hurt by the angry look in Harry's eyes. "I really don't want to manhandle you but I'm not going to let you run off like that."

"Why are you trying to stop me?" Harry demanded. "You don't even know me!"

James closed his eyes because he couldn't handle the way Harry was glaring at him. Like James was just a stranger to him.

But I am just a stranger to him, James realized. He hasn't seen me since he was a year old, so of course he wouldn't remember me. And its not like he knows I'm his dad.

He was so hurt by Harry's anger and worried about Harry's safety that he ended up saying very reluctantly, "Alright...you can go to Lestrange Manor, but I'm coming with you."

Harry's anger was replaced by obvious confusion.

"But...why?" Harry asked. "You could get killed."

"So could you, and that's all I'm really worried about."

This just made Harry even more confused, evidently.

"But why?"

"Look, Harry, its just..." James couldn't think of anything else to say besides 'you're my son, you're my baby, and its a miracle you're alive' because those words were just dying to burst from his lips. "If we're going to get the horcrux, we really have to hurry."

This is a terrible idea. Absolutely terrible. Harry could get hurt or worse...

"We need to be fast." James said. "Promise that you'll hurry and that you won't run off while we're there. I'm not going to let you out of my sight, okay?"

Harry nodded, seemingly confused by how much James cared for him, but not questioning it for the time being.

"Alright, how will we get there?" James wondered aloud. "I highly doubt Lestrange Manor is connected to the Floo network."

"I can Apparate us there." Harry said. "It'll work for me."

"What?" James was both shocked and alarmed by this. "You know how to Apparate?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You have to be at least seventeen to Apparate."

"So?"

"You just turned thirteen!"

"How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess." James brushed off Harry's question. "You shouldn't be Apparating, its very dangerous."

"But I do it all the time." Harry said.

"Oh, that makes it better."

When Harry was a baby, James joked around all the time about all the mischief Harry would probably get up to when he was older. They guessed what kind of rules he'd break. But now that James was hearing about his son Apparating, which was not only against the law but also extremely dangerous, it wasn't as amusing as it had seemed twelve years ago. He was suddenly stricken with worry and it made him feel sick to his stomach.

"How else would we get there then?" Harry said. "There's no other way."

"How about we just don't go at all?" James suggested. But when he saw the look on Harry's face he said, "Alright, alright. We'll Apparate there, although its extremely dangerous and if you get splinched, I'm taking you to Saint Mungo's and personally making sure you never attempt to Apparate ever again. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The corners of Harry's mouth twitched like he was holding back a smile.

"Why are you trying not to smile?" James asked, always observant.

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"I'm really not."

"Sure, whatever you say." James smirked. "Well, back to the point, if we're going to Apparate, we can't do it inside the castle. We have to get past the grounds and outside the safety of the wards."

"But didn't Dumbledore tell us not to be seen by anyone?" Harry reminded him. "If we just walk out the door, won't loads of people see us?"

"Yes, they would. That's exactly why we're not going to walk out the front door." James smiled mysteriously. "Also, you don't strike me as the type of person who listens to Dumbledore, so what does it matter?"

Harry grinned and James grinned back, his heart swarming with butterflies.

My heart is pounding, James thought. My heart feels all warm and fuzzy, and there are butterflies in my stomach. I'm turning into a 12 year old girl. What happened to me?

Then he looked at Harry, who was tiredly rubbing at his eyes with the back of his bandaged hand, and he looked so adorable and innocent that James had to try so hard not to hug him.

Oh, now I remember. Harry is what happened to me.

James led Harry towards a secret passageway that was labeled on the Marauder's Map a few corridors below, being careful not to let Harry see his own name on the map. Surely if Harry saw himself labeled as Harry Potter while James Potter was standing next to him, he'd put two and two together.

Even though a part of James wanted to let that happen.

They sneaked out of the castle using the secret passageway and ended up at the edge of the grounds by the forest. James' heart was hammering with fear at what they were about to do. He desperately tried to block out thoughts of Harry getting splinched or killed by Death Eaters and with each step he took away from the castle, he hated himself more and more.

Why am I going through with this? I just got Harry back. I could lose him again.

"What's wrong?" Harry looked up at him.

James had no idea that Harry had been staring at him.

"I really don't want to do this." James answered honestly.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Harry said.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you go alone." James said. "I'd go by myself and let you stay here if I thought you'd listen to me. But there's no stopping you, is there?"

"No, there isn't." Harry said, seemingly trying not to smile again.

He's a lot like Lily, James noticed.

"Well, we better just get this over with." James said once they were out of the protection of the wards. "Remember what I said. Don't run off while we're there. Stay close to me. And we really need to hurry, alright?"

Harry nodded and held out his hand. James took it, thrilled by the feeling of Harry's hand wrapped inside his own after twelve long years of being apart. Once again, James marveled at Harry's face, awestruck by his very presence. But James didn't have much time to stare because soon he felt the familiar tug of Apparition behind his navel and everything started spinning.

Thanks for reading, guys. :) Please review, it will make me very very happy and motivated to write more. :D