Chapter 131: A Rather Astounding Truth

{A/N: Here's Another Update...}

My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S

Diagon Alley, Wizarding World...

James Potter had been limping quite a bit as he made his way into the building that had been his place of employment ever since his quidditch career came to a screeching hault following injury. It had been quite late in the afternoon and Sirius had not shown up just yet. Pettigrew had gone out to lunch leaving behind a note for his respective "partners" in case they decided to show up. Rolling his eyes, James entered his building or rather the building he believed he still owned making his way to his desk with a mind filled with warring thoughts. He was facing financial ruin, his marriage was in shambles and the courts had taken away his "sons". The fact that he had gotten at least some measure of revenge against Snivellus had been the only boon despite the unwanted cost of having new scars from the alteraction as well as a bit of a limp to contend with. He wasn't a spry young man after all and healing had been much more difficult the older he got. When he was a younger man, he had been the adventuring type. Women from all walks of life had thrown themselves at his feet and then some. Best of all, he could play Quidditch with the best of them. Sadly, his venture came to an end following the injury and it had all been wipped away. If he were at least honest with himself, he'd have admitted to being stuck in something of a rut as of late.

Waking up to one witch and caring for two children had not been how he forsaw his life during his time at Hogwarts. He'd been under the impression that the adventure would go on forever if nothing else. He'd been sorely mistaken as it were and the "party" he believed life to have been was over the moment he awoke in the infirmary and recieved the news that he could no longer play his most treasured sport.

James slammed his fist on the desk in frustration.

Lily had done this to him.

His persuit of her had cast him nothing but misery from the moment he said those dreaded words.

Her constant whining and moping had been more than enough to deal with as it were and looking back he thought that he should have just left her to Snivellus and been done with it. Still, he couldn't bare the thought of the greasy git having anyone let alone a Gryffindor witch on his arm. Scum like him did not belong and he needed to teach the snivelling coward his place if nothing else. The thoughts of Severus Snape returned and enraged him further. The git bastard was also to blame for the series of unfortunate events that befell James Potter just as much as Lily had been and if he believed he'd be the one to get away with his meddling then he had another thing coming.

James continued to stew as it were in his rather dangerous and embittered thoughts, the comparisons between his life and broken dreams and the life of his most hated enemy were astounding. He should have been the rich bloke with success as far as the eye could see not the coward that huddled in the darkened corners with tears streaming down his cheeks because he couldn't handle being in the real world.

The more he thought on it.

The more his rage increased until he found himself seething.

He'd been so enveloped in his own thoughts that he had not taken notice of the rather strange woman that entered his establishment.

"You must be James Potter." she said, her voice in a cool and calm tone dripping with elegance and poise.

James took a few moments to collect himself before turning on the charm and introducing himself.

"Why, yes I am." he replied doing his best to impress what could have been a potential new client.

The strange woman's dark eyes seemed to flicker with a hint of something he couldn't quite fathom. Not that his feeble mind would allow him to in the first place.

"I believe these parchements belong to you." she said handing them over with sheer mirth behind her eyes.

James arched a brow at this and took the parchments well in hand.

"I...Thank you?" he said in confusion recognizing the logo of his business at the head of one parchment.

"Don't mention it." replied the strange woman before pausing. "In fact, do mention it...as I am sure it will lead to some rather astounding truth."

She took her leave of him as polite as any woman he'd seen and he turned his attention to the puzzling documents within his grasp.

The fiscal financial reports of his business had been before him and he wondered just what the strange woman had been doing with them and least of all how she had gotten them. From his understanding, Sirius had been in charge of the financial aspect of the business due to his superior knowledge and vast fortune being invested into the place. Pettigrew had taken to working with the clients directly and he had been balancing being a partner and salesman with playing Quidditch, which left him traveling for most of the time.

James looked over the first parchment carefully now having his interest piqued considerably.

"H-How can this be?" he asked staring at the scribbling as if it were going to change upon notice of his disatisfaction. "Sirius was suppose to handle all of this why is there nothing short of profit loss?"

Just as James flipped to the next parchment, he found the name of one Harry Prince at the head of the document.

"HARRY!?" he said further enraged as well as shocked. "HARRY PRINCE IS THE SOLE OWNER OF MY BUILDING?!"

Shocked as he was that this had happened right under his unsuspecting nose, He had wished to get to the bottom of just whom this Harry Prince had been and why he owned his building and subsequent debt as a result of Sirius Black's bad finacial movements.

One thing James found himself certian of, he'd have a long and interesting chat with Sirius about the consequences of his mismanaging their funds and company. Fury and frustration seemed to be common emotions for James as of late given all that he had recently endured and it seemed everything had been getting worse for him as the near future arrived.

Tired of being within the confines of a building he no longer owned, James headed out just in time to see Pettigrew meeting with a rather dapper looking Lucius Malfoy before heading into the office building he'd seen Snape enter so many times before.

More fury coursed through him but given the recent events, he dared not approach Lucius whom had been no Severus Snape by any means. Believing himself to be outmatched, he simply strode down the opposite street attempting to make sense of all that had gone wrong in his once promising and adventuristic life.