TITLE: Double Back
DISCLAIMER: All things Harry Potter belong J K Rowling... basically, if you recognise it, it isn't mine... Please don't sic the Aurors on me, I'm just here for the fun.
Friday, 13th September
Defence Against the Dark Arts Office
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Highlands of Scotland
"Dad?" Harry asked, knocking on the office door and poking his head inside curiously.
"Yeah, come in." James commented from his desk, idly flicking his eyes up from the book he'd been reading to see his younger self stood in the doorway. "What's up?" He asked curiously.
Harry paused, closing the door as he looked over at his older self. Noticing the casual way he was sitting at the desk, with his feet and heavy leather boots crossed at the ankle on his desk, while he lazed back on the chair, leaning back on it's two back legs.
He was wearing just jeans and a grey t-shirt, his normal style of dress from what Harry was used to by now, but it was still strange to look at him and know it was his older self sat there. His older self with a strong and confident body, relaxing like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Um, we... we had flying practice yesterday." Harry admitted.
"That was yesterday?" James grimaced. "Sorry, I forgot all about that. It's you being in Hufflepuff, it's thrown all my days off. I thought that was today, but that's the Gryffindor's and Slytherins." He admitted. "How'd it go?" He asked, swivelling around and sliding his feet off of the desk so he could sit and speak to his younger self properly.
"It... it was fun, I mean, I know you like flying, and I do, I really do." Harry explained quickly.
"I'm sensing a but here," James said quickly. "What happened? You were with the Ravenclaws right? Any bullies in their group?"
"No, nothing like that." Harry shook his head. "It's just... we were all chatting about quidditch afterwards and... and I started thinking about it."
"Alright?" James cocked his head to the side. "It's alright, I've been here, there, you know, nothing you can say is going to surprise me. So I'm not going to get angry or anything."
"I... I don't think I want to play quidditch." Harry admitted in a quick run of words after taking a deep breath.
"OK, I take it back, you surprised me." James said, blinking in shock as he looked over at his younger self. "You don't want to play quidditch?"
"I don't think so," Harry whispered, shaking his head. "I know you were seeker and you loved playing and you love..."
"Calm down." James interrupted, holding up his hand and pointing to one of the comfy chairs in the office. "Sit down and start from the beginning." He said with a smile.
"After quidditch, Cedric came over and spoke to me and a few of the others." Harry explained as he sat down in one of the chairs awkwardly. "He said he'd been watching and he thinks we'd all make great players in a few years."
"Alright?" James nodded, indicating for his younger self to continue.
"Cedric's the seeker right? And everyone says he's really good, like professionally good." Harry explained. "He wants to play for a job, on a big team. He keeps talking about the Kenmare Kestrels and how he wants to play for them when he's finished at school."
"Right," James sighed, of course Cedric was the Hufflepuff seeker, he'd forgotten all about that.
"It's just... I'd rather be with Susan and everyone else in the common room or the library, instead of being out there playing quidditch." Harry admitted in a quiet voice. "I'd like to spend time with my friends instead. None of them are really interested in playing, and I don't want to try and take the position away from Cedric when it's something he wants to do for a job."
"You do that then." James grinned over, leaning back casually and linking his hands behind his head as he relaxed, noting the surprised look on his younger self's face. "Harry, it's your life, like I told you, I'm not going to try and control you or tell you what to do, if you don't want to play quidditch, then that's up to you."
"You... you're not mad?" Harry asked in amazement, so used to adults getting angry when he didn't do what they expected him to.
"Nope," James shook his head, popping the 'p' as he spoke. "I liked quidditch in Gryffindor because it helped me make friends, it was something I enjoyed." He explained slowly. "If that's not you, then don't worry about it. Spend time with Susan and Hermione and everyone else, catch up on homework, play exploding snap, do whatever you want to." He explained with a smile. "Our dad was a chaser, but I'm sure he'd want you to follow your own path, not do whatever anyone else tried pushing you to do."
"But... I... I wanted to be like you." Harry admitted with a confused frown.
"We're doing this, all of this, so that you don't have to be like me." James admitted. "Look, I did rubbish in school, really." James admitted with a sigh. "I took the easiest courses, barely passed half of them, didn't even go back for my NEWTs." He admitted. "I know, I was busy fighting Voldemort or being in the tournament, or with dementors or crazy ministry psychos, but that's my point, none of that is going to happen to you."
"So... what am I going to be then?" Harry asked curiously.
"Whatever you want." James explained seriously. "Listen, I had people controlling my life all the way through Hogwarts, who my friends were, everything. I've made sure you don't have any of that. No headmaster pulling your strings and turning you into a puppet, no potions teacher yelling at you. No idiot Weasley bullying away everyone else from you, and no Voldemort looming over your future." He said bluntly. "You're free to do whatever the hell you want. You want to be a potions master? Go for it. Apprentice for charms under Professor Flitwick like mum was going to do? I'll cheer you on. It's up to you, not me, not anyone else, you."
"I... I thought you wanted me to become just like you." Harry admitted quietly.
"You're not going to become me Harry." James said softly, fixing his younger self with a grin. "You're going to be better than that." He said with a laugh as his younger self went wide eyed with amazement at James' proclamation.
"You... you don't mind if I don't play quidditch then?" Harry asked in amazement. "Even though you bought me the Nimbus and everything?"
"You still enjoy flying don't you?" James asked curiously.
"Of course!" Harry nodded back excitedly.
"So just enjoy flying," James shrugged. "Though I wouldn't let any of the Hufflepuff quidditch team know you've got a Nimbus two thousand sitting in your bedroom at home, something that like might make a few of the badgers cry." He admitted with a chuckle.
"Alright," Harry smiled back, relaxing and feeling a whole lot lighter now than he did when he'd come to the office originally.
"How's everything going then? Homework? Susan? Hermione? Everyone else?" James asked curiously.
"Really good!" Harry bounced excitedly. "Charms is amazing!" He grinned over. "Professor Flitwick says me and Susan are top of the class already!"
"Knew it," James grinned to himself happily at that.
"Potions is so much fun!" Harry grinned over. "It's like ancient chemistry."
"Something like that," James nodded back. "I never really enjoyed potions actually, not for my first five years anyway." He admitted. "It's strange seeing how much you love it."
"It's really fun." Harry said immediately. "Professor Tonks is amazing!"
"She is, she's also Sirius' cousin, I don't know if she's told you that." James mused aloud. "Her daughter might be coming in to help me out in classes from time to time."
"Is she like family too then?" Harry asked curiously.
"Extended family I guess," James admitted. "We're related to them, a few generations ago and through more twists than a corkscrew, but it's there." He explained with a shrug. "She's like a cousin I guess? A very distant cousin. Something like that, somewhere down the line anyway."
"What's she like? Professor Tonks daughter?"
"About seven years older than you, she finished school last year." James explained. "Bright pink hair most of the time, sort of punk clothing, you know the sort of people that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would cross over the street to avoid or turn around and walk away from in shops?"
"With leather jackets like yours?" Harry nodded eagerly.
"Right," James nodded. "She's like that."
"She sounds amazing!" Harry grinned over, already thinking that anyone his aunt and uncle would hate was certainly going to be an amazing person in his book.
"I'm sure you'll meet her around, she'll probably fall over you at some point thinking about it." James muttered to himself, idly wondering if Tonks' clumsy nature was actually going to be a liability in a defence classroom.
"I can't wait!" Harry smiled at that.
"I'm sure," James chuckled wryly. "Have you spoken to Hermione today?"
"Earlier at lunch," Harry nodded back. "She comes and sits at the Hufflepuff table with Neville and Daphne, everyone's fine with her coming over, she says she prefers it to the Gryffindor table, Neville does too."
"I'll bet they do," James nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright, if you see her this afternoon, could you ask her to come and see me?" James asked. "She's not in trouble or anything, but it's her birthday next week."
"Her birthday?" Harry whispered. "She didn't tell me?"
"She's twelve, next Thursday." James explained. "I know she hasn't got an owl to send down to her parents so she can get a card or anything, so I wanted her to know I can drop by her parents and give them a letter from her or anything she wanted."
"She can't talk to her mum and dad?" Harry asked in shock, feeling sad for his new friend now.
"Not at the moment." James admitted. "She can use the school owls to send letters home, but they can't write back to her without their own owl."
"That's not very good." Harry said with a frown as he thought about it. "Why doesn't the school have anything for people like Hermione?"
"Because the old headmaster and the school governors never really cared about muggle-born students like Hermione. We do." James explained bluntly, thinking of all the times Dumbledore had quite happily ignored the pure blood bigotry and bullying that constantly made muggle-borns lives hell at Hogwarts in his time. "So if you and Susan want to arrange a little party for Hermione's birthday, let me know and I'll help you out with it."
"Definitely!" Harry nodded back eagerly. "Am... are... I don't have a present for her though."
"I'll sort that out, don't worry about it. I can write that it's from both of us." James explained with a grin.
"When is Susan's birthday, or Daphne's?" Harry asked quickly. "They're going to be my sisters and I don't even know when their birthdays are!"
"I..." James frowned thoughtfully. "Actually, I don't know either." He admitted. "Find out from them and let me know as well will you." He said with a grin.
"Right!" Harry nodded quickly at that. "Hagrid invited me down for a cup of tea this afternoon? Is that alright?"
"Yeah, just don't trust his cakes alright?" James informed his younger self. "Oh and his big dog, Fang, big old softy, don't have to worry about him at all."
"Really?" Harry whispered, remembering Aunt Marge's dogs all too well.
"Yup, the most dangerous thing Fang would do is slobber you to death." James smirked over. "Have fun, and say hi to Hagrid for me."
"I will." Harry nodded, bouncing as he stood up from the chair. "Thanks dad, you know, for being awesome."
"Anytime mini-me," James grinned over. "Go on, go and have fun, or do homework, or whatever you do for fun down with the other badgers." He explained, waving his younger self off with a laugh.
"Bye!" Harry grinned back, slipping out of the office door and closing it behind him, leaving James alone at his desk to contemplate what had been said between the two of them.
Harry not wanting to play quidditch was certainly a twist, hearing that he didn't want to add competition for Cedric's spot was certainly the Hufflepuff thing to do, where Gryffindors would have been lining up for the challenge and the spotlight.
It did also raise the question of why he'd actually started playing quidditch in the first place. He'd been railroaded into it really, by Oliver and Minerva, sure, he'd found it was something he was pretty good at quickly on, and it gave him an excuse to fly whenever he wanted, but would he have actually chosen to play if he hadn't been pushed into it by Oliver, Minerva and Ron?
Lazing back on his office chair he contemplated that for a moment. He enjoyed flying, that was true enough, but would he have played quidditch if he hadn't have been forced into it without being asked?
If he was honest with himself, probably not. He didn't like the fame or the spotlight being pointed at him, and if he hadn't been roped into it, he wouldn't have given it a second thought really, especially back in his first year.
That was a rather intriguing realisation to come across, the fact that his younger self had figured that much out and decided he didn't want to play, despite how much he'd told him he enjoyed playing, was quite telling.
He enjoyed the game, but mostly because it was something of his own. Something he could do and enjoy playing with his own skills and talent, not something that was pushed on him for being the Boy-Who-Lived.
But back then, he'd never actually said no to anyone. Not to Minerva or Oliver, not to Ron or anyone, but his younger self had come to him and said he didn't want to play, all the while thinking that he wanted him to grow up to be just like him.
It was an intriguing and amusing conflict that didn't really fit together. Pretty much like most kids really. He was sure his younger self wouldn't understand, but he actually got quite the laugh out of realising that his younger self really was just like every other kid out there, just like he'd always wanted to be.
Life was rather bemusing when you could look in on your own life from an outside perspective.
Saturday, 14th September
"James!"
Being poked in the side was never a good way to wake up, especially after a comfortable nights sleep when he was certain he'd gone to bed alone.
"Hngh?" He groaned, opening his eyes and then closing them quickly as a bright light assaulted them. "What the..." He grunted, pulling the scarlet and gold duvet up over his face. "What's going on?" He groaned. "What time is it?"
"Just after six,"
"It's Saturday, why is there a six in the morning on a Saturday?" He groaned from under the covers, content now that he could at least recognise and identify Amelia's voice.
"Godric's Hollow was attacked last night." Amelia said bluntly.
"What?" James whispered, all drowsiness gone from his voice as that news filtered through to his brain. "What happened?"
"I've got Aurors there now," Amelia explained as James pulled his cover back and blinked at the light coming from her wand. "The cottage, your parents monument, it was all destroyed."
"Voldemort." James hissed out.
"Almost certainly," Amelia nodded in agreement.
"Which means he's found another body." James groaned as he got out of bed, ignoring the smirk on Amelia's face as he rolled out of bed naked and quickly pulled on some boxers and a clean pair of jeans from his dresser. "Any casualties?"
"Eighteen bodies identified so far," Amelia admitted after a moment's pause. "We're having trouble identifying muggle from magical, they hit both and it's all over the place."
"Great," James muttered sarcastically, grabbing a grey denim shirt from his wardrobe and pulling it on over a t-shirt. "I was thinking the bastard had been too quiet. He must have been planning this for his revenge."
"Thats what we think too." Amelia nodded in agreement, watching as James grabbed his wand and coat from the office area of the living suite. "I've pulled Alastor out of the academy, he's up there now keeping an eye on things."
"Paranoia rules the day then." James muttered to himself as he pulled his coat on. "I'll have to tell Minerva what's going on, Harry too. He deserves to hear about this before it's in the papers." He mused aloud before thinking through what Amelia had said. "Wait, Mad-Eye's still working for you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at her.
"At the academy," Amelia confirmed. "He signed the contract, apparently he'd already told Albus to... well, suffice to say, Alastor isn't in Albus' pocket any longer."
"Huh," James muttered, ruffling his sleep mussed hair as he contemplated that. "Didn't expect him to be the first to balk at Dumbledore's shit." He muttered as he headed towards the door that lead out to the Hogwarts corridor.
"He was rather frustrated at how you managed to show off all of Albus plans in a single move, a lot of things he'd missed and is rather annoyed at missing." Amelia explained at James' questioning look. "I'll find Minerva, you go and tell Harry what's happened." She smiled gently, following James out of the living suite and into the corridor, waiting for him to securely lock the door behind them before they both set off towards the main staircases of the school.
Down at the Hufflepuff den, James was suddenly thankful of the sorting night when Pomona had invited him in for the sorting feast. At least now he knew where the entrance was in the barrels and the secret knock to let himself in.
A quick 'Helga Hufflepuff' themed five knocks and the barrel swung open, letting him through into the open and breezy common room that the badgers occupied in the lower levels of the castle.
It wasn't hard to navigate through the various corridors, identifying the left side for boys was easy enough after he saw the stack of heels and shoes off to the side door of one of the right hand side dormitories.
Only Hufflepuffs would be so polite as to take their shoes off so they didn't mess up their dorm room carpets.
Heading down the left hand side corridors he idly started looking for any indications that showed what year the dorms were sorted by, or anything that identified them at all. Which was apparently a lot harder than it looked, as every dorm was on the same level, they all looked the same size, with exactly the same door, like everyone in the entire house was equal.
"Professor?"
Spinning around with a grin at the thought of finding someone to help him, he spotted a young Hufflepuff in pyjamas, stood in the corridor and looking at him in confusion.
"What are you doing in our common room?" The young Hufflepuff asked curiously.
"Emergency, where's the first years dorm?" James said quickly.
"Second on your left," The boy pointed out, indicating a few doors down from where he currently was. Heading down with quick strides he stopped in front of the door in question and looked back to the Hufflepuff. "This one?" He asked hopefully, getting a quick nod back in reply. "Thanks." He nodded back before he opened the door and strode inside without caring what anyone else thought about what was going on.
Inside the room he blinked for a second as he looked around, the dorm room felt a lot larger than his room in Gryffindor had done. Though that might have been because there were only four beds in this room, leaving space for two desks along with some shelves and places around the room for books and other various bits.
It was easy enough to recognise his younger self's bed, spotting the easily identifiable 'Potter hair' instantly he made his way over, kneeling down by the bed and shaking the shoulder of his younger self sharply.
"Wha... huh... dad?" Harry's blurry voice came out half asleep as he squinted and tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
"Here," James nodded, handing over his glasses. "Something's happened. I wanted to tell you about it before I left to deal with it."
"Something... something bad?" Harry whispered, sitting up in his bed.
"Pretty bad, yeah." James admitted, conjuring a bright red thick dressing gown for Harry to wear. "Come on. We need to talk about this privately." He said softly.
Harry simply nodded at that, climbing out of the bed and looking at the distinctively Gryffindor dressing gown before rolling his eyes and pulling it on over his pyjamas and following his older self out of the dorm room. "What's happened?" He asked quietly as they walked back to the common room.
"Godric's Hollow was attacked last night." James explained quietly, indicating to the side of the common room where they could talk quietly and he'd be able to see anyone that was coming around the various corridors to listen in. "It's... it's where our parents were buried." James explained in a whisper.
"Oh," Harry audibly swallowed at that, he'd been told his parents were dead, but he'd never actually thought about where they'd been buried before, or if they had graves or anything like that.
"Their home was there too, the cottage we lived in before... you know." James explained softly.
"Yeah," Harry nodded up to his older self.
"They attacked the cottage too." James explained. "It's going to be in the newspaper this morning, so I thought you should know."
"How... how bad was it?" Harry whispered softly.
"Bad," James admitted. "Amelia just woke me up, we're heading down there now to see what we can find out." He explained with a grimace. "It's just... with our parents cottage, the memorial and everything, everyone is going to be talking about it today."
"Right," Harry whispered, bundling the dressing gown tight around him.
"I didn't want you to..." James trailed off as the common room door opened, flicking his eyes to it instantly before relaxing when he recognised Amelia and Minerva coming through. "I didn't want you to worry like last time." He explained before Amelia and Minerva came over.
"Amelia's explained everything." Minerva said with a nod to James as she led the way over to them. "Do what you have to do." She said firmly.
"I plan to," James said darkly, wishing he'd actually been there to deal with those Death Eaters personally.
"Are you OK Harry?" Amelia asked quietly, looking down at the young boy in question.
"I just... I don't know why they're doing this?" Harry asked, looking up at her.
"Some people are just evil, that's all it comes down to." James said firmly.
"Your father is right," Minerva admitted. "People like this don't care for other people, not for their lives, their happiness, or their families."
"Which is why we fight them with everything we've got." James explained with a nod.
"Precisely." Amelia smiled down. "We'll be back with news as soon as we can be, but if you want to stay in the common room with Susan today, I don't think anyone would blame you."
"Certainly not." Minerva nodded in agreement. "I will have a house elf bring some food to your dorm throughout the day." She explained, getting appreciative looks from James and Amelia for that.
"I'll take care of your dad, don't worry about that." Amelia said, trying to make a joke out of it as she looked down at the youngest Potter.
Harry quickly moved forward and surprised not only her, but Minerva and James as well as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a quick hug. "Make sure my dad takes care of you too. I just got you as a mum, I don't want anything to happen to you now."
"Nothing's going to happen kiddo," Amelia blushed, ruffling his hair as she gave him a quick reassuring hug, ignoring the wry look Minerva was giving both her and James. "You hang around the common room with Susan, we'll be back as soon as we can, alright?"
"Alright," Harry nodded at that, looking up to his older self. "You'll be back soon?"
"As soon as I can be." James admitted as his younger self pulled out of the hug with Amelia.
"You two need to go," Minerva said quietly, looking at James and Amelia. "I will inform Susan of what has happened, I'm certain she will want to stay with Harry today to keep him company."
"Definitely," Amelia confirmed. "Thank you." She said with a small nod over to the older witch.
"Go and deal with these... menaces, I expect you both back here when you can be, at least for the evening meal." Minerva explained, looking at them both to make sure they both got the message to return in one piece.
"We'll be here." James nodded back as he grabbed onto Amelia. "We'll see you soon OK Harry?" He asked, looking down at his younger self before waiting for him to nod back, then twisting on the spot and vanishing with a loud crack, startling both Harry and Minerva in the process.
"What was that?" Harry whispered in awe, looking at where his older self and Amelia had just vanished from.
"Apparating, something that should actually be impossible to do, though it would seem your father has as little care for the rules as a Professor as he did as a student." Minerva frowned thoughtfully, inwardly already trying to puzzle out how James Potter had managed to apparate through the most powerful anti-apparition jinxes in the country.
That was something she definitely need to have a firm discussion with him about, if it was a security risk that Albus had left behind, then it was certainly something she would have to deal with before the weekend was out.
"I can't wait to learn that!" Harry grinned eagerly, watching as Minerva groaned at the prospect before she headed off to find Susan and inform her of the morning's events so far.
Godric's Hollow
West Country
England
"What in Merlin's..." Amelia stammered out as she quickly disengaged herself from James' arm, blinking at the sudden feeling of being pulled along on an apparition as she realised where they were. "Godric's Hollow?"
"It was the quickest way," James admitted as he looked around, frowning at the chaos that was around them with burning houses and destruction littering the roads.
"You do know it's supposed to be impossible to apparate in and out of Hogwarts, right?" Amelia muttered, bemused that not only could James apparently do such a thing, but he would do such a thing in front of Minerva McGonagall without even thinking about it.
"It really isn't, Dumbledore did it all the time." James admitted with a shrug. "The anti-apparition jinx is just like any other jinx, you can break through it with enough determination or counter it with enough power. It's just because everyone's told it's impossible that people don't think they can do it, doubt screws up the determination, if you don't believe you can get through the jinx, you can't."
"Not all of us have power to spare to try something like that, certainly not like you do," Amelia groused as she looked around. "Alastor should be down by the memorial, its where the centre of the attack was."
"Alright," James nodded, getting his bearings for a moment before he headed off in the direction of where he knew the memorial was.
He knew from the various times he'd returned to Godric's Hollow exactly where his parents memorial was, just like he knew exactly where their graves were in the graveyard, and the quickest route to walk up to where their cottage was from there.
It was a route he took every Halloween, taking the time to talk to his parents, as much as he could anyway, and pay his respects to them for everything they'd done.
Ideally he was going to bring his younger self here sometime, that had been the plan anyway, but now he couldn't say anything for certain anymore.
"Alastor."
James looked up curiously at Amelia's voice, recognising Mad-Eye Moody instantly from where he was learnt over a half destroyed pile of rubble that had once been his parents memorial statue.
"Bones, Potter." Alastor said gruffly, not even bothering to turn around from where he was examining the rubble. "It's a shit storm."
"No kidding," James snorted out. "Blasting curses?"
"Probably." Alastor frowned thoughtfully. "Reckon this was him then?" He asked, finally turning around to face the two of them.
"Looks like it," Amelia nodded back, glancing over to James who was looking around curiously.
"What's on your mind Potter?" Alastor grunted over.
"No Dark Mark." James pointed out, gesturing to the sky. "If he'd been here, even just to leave a message like this, he'd have left the Dark Mark so we knew it was him. Especially with this many people killed."
"He's right," Alastor grunted, rapping his staff on the cobbles underfoot. "The bastard would have wanted us to know exactly who it was that'd been here."
"Death Eaters working on their own then," James mused aloud. "Trying to buy favour back with him because they believed he was dead."
"That sounds promising," Alastor muttered. "A group of them, probably not any of them with enough power to cast the Dark Mark."
"Either that or they didn't know how," James muttered thoughtfully. "It was only his inner circle that did, the top arseholes, the ones with the tattoos, it wasn't something they just taught everyone who joined up."
"Kept some of your smarts while you were in hiding then," Alastor growled approvingly at him. "Aye, reckon you've hit the mark there. Probably a dozen or so, none of the inner circle. Low ranking Death Eaters just making trouble to get back in the wanker's good graces."
James snorted at that, grinning in amusement with Mad-Eye's comment. "They hit the only target they could. The Ministry is out of their reach, with all the Aurors you've got loyal to you now, they wouldn't take that risk." He explained, gesturing to Amelia. "You showed 'em what happens when they hit Diagon Alley, don't reckon any of them would have the balls to try that after what you did to Greyback."
"They certainly wouldn't target Hogwarts, not with you there after what you did to Voldemort." Amelia nodded in agreement, spotting Alastor's eye automatically spinning to her as she said his name. "We all know it's a fake name, get used to saying it, I'm not going to cower because of some bad French."
"Actually it's an anagram." James commented off hand, drawing both of their attention back to him. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, it spells out I am Lord Voldemort when you mix up the letters." He explained with a shrug. "Or it could be just bad French and he's a dramatic self-important and grandiose tosser, either way."
Alastor grunted in amusement at that, his twisted smile appearing with approval for James' explanation. "Always knew you had it in you to be the best, good to see I wasn't wrong back then."
"What else have we got here then?" Amelia asked, looking around.
"They hit the statue, the houses, and the cottage." Alastor explained. "Blew everything they could to pieces."
"That's another mark in the low powered idiots box," James commented thoughtfully, continuing on when Alastor turned to him. "No fiendfyre, nothing drastic, nothing destructive, just... well, nothing a fourth or fifth year student couldn't have done in a temper tantrum really."
"You've got a point," Alastor grunted in agreement. "There ain't anything here that's going to tell us much of anything. They tore through the town, targeting anything in their path. It was all about Potter, nothing else."
"I figured as much," James nodded over. "Probably a combination of targeting my name, lashing out because of the new Ministry contracts, and trying to get back into the Dark Wanker's good books." He explained, drawing a snort of laughter from Mad-Eye when he stole his name for Voldemort.
"Aye, I'd say that's about right." Alastor nodded slowly.
"Heard you'd told Dumbledore where to shove his manipulations then?" James asked curiously, looking over at Mad-Eye appraisingly.
"Aye," Alastor said gruffly with a nod. "Always rankled me with his sanctimonious shit about second chances, forgiveness and his greater good waffle."
"You've just summed up every single conversation Dumbledore's ever had." James snorted in amusement, shaking his head at the thought. "Why'd you end up working with him in the first place anyway then? If you didn't like his rules?"
"He was the only one doing anything," Alastor explained with a shrug. "Not like The Ministry were worth shit back then, not with Bagnold in office. You remember her crap, she made Fudge look competent." He said with a snort of derisive laughter.
"At least we're cleaning out The Ministry now." James pointed out.
"Aye, too little, too late." Alastor said gruffly. "Between Bagnold and Crouch, and Albus' bullshit about forgiveness, they hamstrung the Aurors with stunners and knockbacks, might as well have been throwing tickling charms for all the good it did against the scum out there." He groused, hobbling around the destroyed monument. "That war would have been over in less than a year if I'd had my way. Take 'em down hard, and don't let 'em get back up." He said bluntly. "Good to see you finally took that lesson to heart with that that attack on Diagon."
"He won't be getting back up, ever." James nodded back.
Alastor snorted at that, nodding in approval. "It's about time you finally shook off Albus' bullshit." He said with a gruesome smirk. "Got rid of those useless silk robes you always used to prance around in as well, about time you learnt you're a wizard, not one of Malfoy's bloody peacocks." He said with a small nod of approval towards James' more utilitarian wardrobe.
"Anyway, we've got no idea of who, or how many, did this?" Amelia asked, pulling the two of them back on track for why they were all actually here. "Wonderful." She groused sarcastically. "Can I assume the Daily Prophet have already been?"
"You mean the other parasites," Alastor frowned. "Kept 'em away from everything I could, but you know how those buggers are. They'll have the story, ain't no denying it."
"No point in denying it was Death Eaters, anyone with a brain is going to connect the attack on the memorial and the cottage to them." James frowned over. "Well, anyone with a brain who can think for themselves, so maybe a quarter of the country, if that." He commented with a smirk.
"That's being generous," Alastor chuckled in a raspy voice in response to that.
"Probably," James admitted. "I'm surprised they didn't go for the graves."
"Probably didn't see the point," Alastor shrugged. "With you up and walking around, everyone's figured out that the graves are empty now."
"Empty?" Amelia asked, looking at Alastor for an explanation.
"Aye, Albus' plan. Empty caskets, figured people needed somewhere to come and pay their respects. Load of old bollocks if you ask me, word was that whatever destroyed the wanker that night, took out the bodies as well. Not a thing left in the house, 'sides from your kid that is. Least, that was the story before Albus covered it up and organised the graves, but since you're up and walking around, goes to show that old Albus was full of even more shite than he normally is."
"Quite," Amelia said quickly, looking at James to gauge his reaction. "We'll check out the graveyard, just in case, then head up to the cottage."
"Do whatever you want." Alastor grunted, mentally dismissing them as he went back to looking around the rubble with his magical eye.
"Come on," Amelia whispered, grabbing onto James and practically dragging him away towards the graveyard. They walked in silence most of the way, with Amelia only speaking up once she was certain they were alone and entering the graveyard grounds. "Did you know, about the graves?"
"No," James admitted in a choked voice. "I never... I... nobody ever..." He stammered out, automatically setting his pace as he strode through the graveyard to where he'd 'known' his parents were buried.
"Alastor's got a pretty finely honed bullshit detector, if he says he believes the graves are empty, then..."
"I know," James said softly as he came to stand at the foot of the two graves.
They looked just the same as they always did, peaceful and undisturbed, the white marble headstone standing proud with the engraved message in cursive flowing underneath the dates of their deaths.
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." James read aloud in anger as he figured it out, brandishing his wand automatically, it was only Amelia's quick hand on his arm that stopped him from obliterating the gravestone from existence entirely.
"Fucking Dumbledore!" He growled out. "It's another message from him, and I never figured it out." He muttered in anger, staring at the marble headstone and the inscription at the bottom. "The white marble, it's the same as his grave was. The message about death, it's the same crap he pulled with his 'I open at the close' crap to get the resurrection stone when I'd accepted his little fairytale about Voldemort needing to kill me. He probably planned this in case I demanded to see my parents graves before he was ready, it's just another one of his fucking games with my life!"
"You're sure?" Amelia asked quietly, seeing the seething rage in James' eyes.
"Positive," James said firmly. "That white marble, it's exactly the same as Dumbledore's grave was. He must have done this, the inscription, it's all his fucking idea. About me accepting death, going out in a suicidal walk to meet Voldemort, it was his plan all along!" He shouted out. "I'm going to fucking piss on his grave site when I get back to Hogwarts." He hissed.
"Then... then where are the bodies?" Amelia asked.
"Probably the same place as Voldemort's body is," James grunted, flexing his fists tightly as he tried to bleed off some of his anger. "Whatever happened back then, it destroyed the house, destroyed all of their bodies."
"The sacrificial protection?" Amelia asked.
"That," James nodded back. "I'll bet their wands were the only thing left of them in the house. Same as Voldemort's, I know Pettigrew took Voldemort's wand from the cottage. I'll bet galleons to knuts that Dumbledore took my parents wands."
"You think he'd go that far?" Amelia asked softly.
"Almost certainly," James growled out. "I know he got into the cottage after my parents were dead, he'd have had to to get their vault key from them. He could have taken anything he wanted from there and nobody would have even known about it." He explained, pacing around the grave angrily. "I'm going to kill him, I'm going to absolutely kill that thieving old bastard!" He hissed in anger. "He could have ransacked the cottage for anything he wanted before he'd left me on the Dursley's doorsteps, nobody would have known, everyone was too busy celebrating Voldemort's death to care what that old bastard was up to."
"We should go, take a look at the cottage, see if we can find out anything there." Amelia said softly, resting her hand on James' arm to try and calm him down somewhat.
"I've been coming here for years, bringing flowers, talking to the graves, thinking this was where my parents were buried." James admitted angrily. "But it's not, it's just another one of his lies, just like everything else that comes out of his mouth."
"Come on," Amelia said softly, leading James away from the empty graves. "We can discuss what our plans are for Dumbledore later on." She said quietly.
"I've got only one plan for that old bastard, shoving my wand down his throat and casting the strongest blasting curse I've got." James growled out as he thrust his hands into his jeans pockets and stalked off towards the site of where his parents cottage was lying in ruins, feeling angrier than he'd ever been in his entire life.
