Full Summary: James Potter, thought dead by the entire wizarding world, turns up after nearly 25 years have past. He and his son don't know how to act around each other, Harry and the remaining Marauders have gone through horrors that he couldn't imagine, and they've all learned to live in a world without him.

Harry had always dreamed of knowing his parents, but now that his dad is back and not living up to the most of the stories that he's heard about him (and matching some of the ones he had), he not sure how to react. He's happy, really happy, for the first time in his life and he won't let anyone, even his back-from-the-dead father, ruin that for him.

Sirius and Remus are thrilled that their friend is back, Harry will get the chance to know his father. But James is stuck in the past and they're not sure that even they can stand behind him anymore.

Minerva McGonagall looked over a preliminary copy of the letter to go out to the returning students. All that was missing were the book lists for a few classes. They had a couple new teachers starting this year and they were set to have their syllabi to her by tomorrow night, just in time for the letters to go out the following week. She set that letter down or began to read over the one for the incoming first years when there was a hectic and heavy knock at her door.

"Come," she called out. She looked up as Hagrid walked to her desk, what was visible of his face was pale.

"Professor, I - out in the woods."

She held up her hand. "Calm down." He nodded and took a few deep breaths and she waved for him to continue.

"I was out in the woods and I found a body." Her eyes widened and he shook his head. "He's alive, but Headmistress, it looks like Harry."

McGonagall stood up. "Is he in the hospital wing?" She strode past him, not waiting for an answer, and made her way down the stairs and to the infirmary, moving so quickly that even Hagrid was having a hard time keeping up with her.

Madame Pomfrey was waiting by the door when they came in. "I can't explain it, Minerva. I've cast every charm I could think of." She led the Headmistress and Hagrid over to a bed that was hidden by a partition even though there was no one else in the wing.

Lying on the bed was a man in his early twenties, a tattered robe barely covering a charred shirt and a scarred chest; it looked like large bolts of lightning were exploding down it.

"Is that -"

"It's James Potter."

"You are absolutely sure?" McGonagall asked over Hagrid's gasp.

"Like I said, I used all the charms I know. I would have sworn it was Harry but there's no scar on his forehead and he's too tall. I've treated Harry enough to know if it's him or not."

"Any sign of him waking up?" She asked. Minerva still hadn't taken her eyes off the prone form on the bed.

"Not yet. I can call you when he does."

She nodded. "Just send a patronus. Be careful, put up wards in case this is some sort of plot to get to Harry or the others."

"Yes, ma'am."

Minerva walked out with Hagrid. "I want you to keep this quiet until we know what's going on. I'll let you know as soon as we do." She made her way back to her office and poured herself a glass of sherry and grabbed a biscuit from the tin on her desk.

Goodness knows that it wasn't only Harry that had been targeted after the end of the war. There had been rogue death eaters and silent supporters of Lord Voldemort that had gone after Harry and other survivors, but there had also been those that doubted Sirius's innocence and those who had disapproved of Remus's creature status. Those people had decided that Harry, their savior and chosen one, was not safe being around them.

It wasn't only Harry that had been failed by those that had promised to protect him, but the other two as well. Minerva was damned if she would let them get hurt again on her watch.

She didn't have to wait long to be summoned back to the hospital wing and her robes billowed behind her as she walked. When she walked in she could hear James demanding to know what was going on.

"You may be out of school but that does not mean you get to harass those that work here, Mr. Potter."

"Minnie!" She raised her eyebrow. "Professor," he said and looked at her.

"James."

"What happened?"

She took a seat near the bed. "I'm hoping you can explain that to us. What is that last thing you remember?"

James frowned and looked down. "We were getting ready...where's Lily? And Harry?"

"James, what do you remember?"

"Where is my family?" He growled when she raised her eyebrow. "We were getting ready to eat dinner. Lily just finished changing Harry and was bringing him into the kitchen when the door burst open." James looked at her and swallowed. "Peter betrayed us."

She nodded sadly. "He did."

"Where are they? Lily and Harry?"

Minerva looked down and Pomfrey wiped her eyes. "Lily was killed, James. Harry is alive."

James fell back into the headboard. "Dead? Who has Harry? Is he with Sirius? Where's my son?"

"He lives with Sirius and Remus."

"I want to see him."

She sighed. "James."

"Now."

"Frankly, until we can be sure you're who you say you are you won't be seeing him. I will not risk any of them being hurt." She met his gaze, not backing down as he tried to glare her into submission. "And there are some things you should know before you see them."

His hazel eyes flicked to her and he frowned. "What else can there be?"

"We all thought you were dead. James, you've been gone for almost 25 years."

The color faded from his face. "25…" James swallowed and stared down at his hands, twirling his wedding band.

"Poppy will check you over again and once she gives you the all clear you can come to my office and see them." She waited till he nodded before standing up. "We'll get all your questions answered and figure out what happened. But, it's good to see you Potter."

Minerva waved Pomfrey away from the bed. "I'm going to reach out to Kingsley. I want to take every precaution." She looked back over towards the bed; James had his head bowed as he tried to process the information that was thrown at him so soon after waking. "I don't want him to leave the wing until we're sure. I don't doubt that he would try to seek out Harry and the others. Reach out if you need anything, I'll check in periodically."

She walked to her office and wrote an urgent letter to Kinglsey at the ministry and tried to decide what was the best way to let Harry, Sirius, and Remus know. In the end she decided to wait until Poppy and Kingsley had both determined that the man was in fact James Potter. The three of them had been through enough, she didn't want to get their hopes up.

Kinglsey got back to her surprisingly quickly, but most people did when it came to anything that had to do with Harry. He was sending over an auror and an unspeakable that he trusted and had fought alongside them at Hogwarts to run more in depth tests than Poppy would have done.

It was the next day that Pomfrey had come to her with their findings; James Potter was alive and, all things considered, in good health.

"Can you keep him distracted while I reach out to them? I want to prepare then as much as I can."

"I'll do what I can, but you know as well as I do how impatient he is." Pomfrey walked out of her office and went back to the wing, thinking of more tests she could run to keep the man busy. She didn't want to tell him too much more; she had answered everything she dared to about Harry and the others. She and McGonagall had agreed that it was best if the information was given to him by them and slowly as to not overwhelm the man even more.

Minerva sat behind her desk, a quill poised over a piece of parchment before she set it down. James wouldn't wait for an owl to deliver a letter all the way to London so she walked over to the fireplace and knelt down. She took a deep breath before throwing the glittering powder into the flames and calling out the address to Grimmauld Place.