Chapter 3
This wouldn't be so bad. Out of seven positions, there was only one that he couldn't play. What were the odds that his son would be a Seeker? Well they were 1/7 but that wasn't the point and James didn't want to think about that. Harry was probably not a Seeker. The fates wouldn't be that cruel to him. Thinking this calmed down James' insides as he walked into the sunlight onto the pitch.
"Finally Potter gets here. Great Captain you make. You forget your own practices!" That boy with the black and red hair yelled at him with a grin. James assumed the kid was just teasing him, or at least he so hoped anyway. He later found out his name to be Devlynn Karnoth. James soon found out that Harry wasn't a beater, seeing as how no one handed him a club. Devlynn and the other black haired boy, Diablo McKintiere, from the library, were the two beaters. James thought it suiting to have the beaters' names both refer to the Devil. Somehow it just fit; bludgers create hell and who better to instigate it than two devils? They were frighteningly accurate with their aim as well and James was glad they weren't after him. He still didn't know what position Harry played, however, but the position of keeper was just knocked off the list of possibilities as Natalie McDonald resumed playing that. A boy named Zeta Holluaff apparently played Chaser, seeing as how he had the quaffle. James took a moment to stare. He had never seen a boy with purple hair much less with it braided down to mid calf. Halfway down the braid the purple faded away into white. That left two Chasers and Seeker and James with growing apprehension. James decided he'd join in as Chaser and if Harry wasn't a Chaser. Well then James didn't wanna think that far ahead.
James couldn't help but notice the confused faces of Harry's teammates as he scored against a dumbfounded Keeper a few minutes into the game. He felt like his stomach had just fallen out through his feet. Harry was a.
"Harry, well. uh, that was brilliant and all but. mind telling us just what the hell you're doing playing Chaser?" Diablo asked.
. Seeker. BLOODY HELL!!! However to Diablo he replied calmly, "Just giving. um. a few pointers." James smiled innocently. If Harry was the captain then he could certainly give pointers if he wanted to. He had a feeling, however, that Harry would not give a pointer by playing someone else's position.
"Yeah, well, knock it off now. We're playing Slytherin and every second of practice counts. They play dirty. You know that better than any of us. Play your own position now. You do remember what it isn't don't you?" Devlynn grinned. He liked Harry and lord knew everyone needed a laugh here and there, but there was just something funny about Harry today and he couldn't figure out what. But he would.
"Of course I do!" James turned bright red.
"Good to hear, now play it," What was wrong with Potter. He wasn't acting himself. Devlynn would swear to it that if anyone in the school could make a Polyjuice Potion that they had and that this really wasn't Harry. If that was the case then they shouldn't be practicing with him. He might be a spy. Dev kept an eye on Harry as he flew. To anyone who wasn't paying particular attention to the kid, it may have looked like everything was normal. To someone who was paying as close attention as Dev was, it was obvious that the boy, though he may look like Harry, he certainly didn't fly like Harry did. There was something physically different, too, so it couldn't be a Polyjuice Potion. Besides that would have worn off already. "Hey Har? Can we call it quits early? We've been practicing longer than you have today and well, honestly you're the best Seeker that Gryffindor has seen in a while and you've won us every match but one so I doubt you need that much practice anyway."
"Uh. sure, why not. It's getting dark anyway," James was glad that Devlynn had suggested they end early, but he still had an uneasy feeling in his gut. He didn't want to embarrass Harry even more than he already had. He coasted to the ground and hopped off Harry's Firebolt, which was an amazing broom, James couldn't help but think. He wondered where Harry got it. It couldn't have been from Sirius. It would have been too expensive. James felt an arm drape around his shoulder holding him back just as he was about to head off to the dorms to put back Harry's broom. He glanced sideways and noticed that it was Devlynn.
"Hold up a sec, wanna talk to you, Harry."
"Sure," 'uh-oh. I think I'm in trouble.' James watched as the others left the pitch feeling very nervous. 'What could this be about' James wondered.
"Anything wrong? Anything you feel like telling me? Like, I don't know. Your real name?" Dev grinned when he saw the boy's face visibly pale. So he had guessed right. This wasn't Harry. Then who the bloody hell was it?! And why did he look like Harry?
"I. well. uh."
"I'm soo sorry, Dev! Pomfrey just let me out of the hospital wing. Knocked my head earlier, then when I went to get my broom it wasn't there!" Harry came running over and James couldn't help but register the shock in his son's eyes when he saw him. "Oh, there's my broom."
"So who is this guy? I already figured out he wasn't you. He tried playing Chaser and actually he's quite good at it, but he's not cut out for Seeker."
"Uh well. he's my. twin, James," Harry's eyes begged James to go along with it. He completely forgot how observant Dev was and that he'd most likely notice the look and would also see through the ruse, even if he did happen to miss the look. Keara was the only one who could ever fool Devlynn which everyone assumed was because they were related and Devlynn doted on his older sister.
"Oh? Then why has he not been here with you?" Dev looked at the two suspiciously after noticing the look Harry had given James. Apparently Harry hadn't meant identical twin because James was a bit taller and didn't have Harry's green eyes. That's what was different about them!
"I've uh. been at a boarding school in the states. In Salem," James hoped it sounded believable.
"I'll go with that for now until you decide to tell me the truth," Dev grinned at them. This could be fun. It really wasn't hard to mistake one for the other. They had to be related somehow if they naturally looked that much alike. He'd figure it out eventually. The expressions each wore were identical. At the moment it was one containing fear. 'Best to ease their minds.' "Don't worry I'll go along with that story and even help you with it if you want. I won't tell a soul." Again they donned identical expressions, this time of relief.
"Thanks, Dev." Dev laughed when he saw their shocked faces. Apparently they hadn't realized how alike they were other than physically. They seemed to think alike as well, seeing as how both said it at the exact same time.
"Okay then. Twins won't work. No one will ever believe that. Cousins is more logical, but not first or else Harry would have gone to stay with you instead of the Dursleys."
"THE DURSLEYS! Whose bright idea was it to send you to those awful Muggles?! THEY HATE MAGIC!! They HATE Lils! Not to mention me!" James roared. "They probably thought that we deserved to die!"
Harry's eyes went wide with shock and Dev smirked. He had a feeling he had just figured out what was going on. James Potter. If Potter was here then more than likely Evans, Black and Lupin couldn't be far. He hoped Pettigrew wasn't with them.
"I. uh.it was. Dumbledore," Harry stammered quietly.
"I thought he had better sense than that! I mean, yeah he's odd, but he should have known better than to stick you with them! When I get my hands on him."James trailed off as Dev put his hand on his shoulder.
"It wasn't your son's fault that he was stuck with the Dursleys. It's not as if he wanted to be there. Stop yelling at him," Dev said gently.
James' mouth dropped open, but Harry wasn't surprised that Devlynn had figured out the truth. Not with the way his dad was carrying on and with Dev knowing about time travel, being a wizard as well.
"Oops, I mean it wasn't your cousin's fault," Dev's grin widened.
"Wait a second. What do you mean was?" James looked suspiciously at Harry. "You aren't staying with them anymore?" James looked relieved.
"Well. Erm. No, I'm not."
"Great!" James smiled, thrilled. "So who are you staying with? Sirius? Remus?"
"Staying with both now that I can."
"What do you mean now that you can?" James started becoming suspicious that there was more to the story than he had originally thought.
"Er."Harry answered intelligently.
"You know, it's too bad you got Lils. My sister, Keara, would have liked you. Oh, that reminds me. Did I tell you Harry that she was gonna visit today?" Dev effectively interrupted the conversation before Harry was forced to tell something that he probably shouldn't be telling.
"Oh no," Harry groaned. "How long is she staying for?"
"Couple weeks. I think. Never really know with her. She that bad?" Dev laughed.
"Sometimes when she's hyper and bouncing off the walls. Quite literally I might add. She's been known to do quite a lot of damage. She put me in the hospital wing for three days when she rebounded off a wall and smacked into me! Pomfrey was furious with her. She said it was bad enough how much I already visited her!" Dev laughed remembering that incident. James just looked confused. "We're going to need to stock a lot of sugar for her."
"Sugar? Wouldn't that make it worse?" James looked even more confused.
"You'd think that. Somehow it actually calms her down. We're not sure how that works."
This wouldn't be so bad. Out of seven positions, there was only one that he couldn't play. What were the odds that his son would be a Seeker? Well they were 1/7 but that wasn't the point and James didn't want to think about that. Harry was probably not a Seeker. The fates wouldn't be that cruel to him. Thinking this calmed down James' insides as he walked into the sunlight onto the pitch.
"Finally Potter gets here. Great Captain you make. You forget your own practices!" That boy with the black and red hair yelled at him with a grin. James assumed the kid was just teasing him, or at least he so hoped anyway. He later found out his name to be Devlynn Karnoth. James soon found out that Harry wasn't a beater, seeing as how no one handed him a club. Devlynn and the other black haired boy, Diablo McKintiere, from the library, were the two beaters. James thought it suiting to have the beaters' names both refer to the Devil. Somehow it just fit; bludgers create hell and who better to instigate it than two devils? They were frighteningly accurate with their aim as well and James was glad they weren't after him. He still didn't know what position Harry played, however, but the position of keeper was just knocked off the list of possibilities as Natalie McDonald resumed playing that. A boy named Zeta Holluaff apparently played Chaser, seeing as how he had the quaffle. James took a moment to stare. He had never seen a boy with purple hair much less with it braided down to mid calf. Halfway down the braid the purple faded away into white. That left two Chasers and Seeker and James with growing apprehension. James decided he'd join in as Chaser and if Harry wasn't a Chaser. Well then James didn't wanna think that far ahead.
James couldn't help but notice the confused faces of Harry's teammates as he scored against a dumbfounded Keeper a few minutes into the game. He felt like his stomach had just fallen out through his feet. Harry was a.
"Harry, well. uh, that was brilliant and all but. mind telling us just what the hell you're doing playing Chaser?" Diablo asked.
. Seeker. BLOODY HELL!!! However to Diablo he replied calmly, "Just giving. um. a few pointers." James smiled innocently. If Harry was the captain then he could certainly give pointers if he wanted to. He had a feeling, however, that Harry would not give a pointer by playing someone else's position.
"Yeah, well, knock it off now. We're playing Slytherin and every second of practice counts. They play dirty. You know that better than any of us. Play your own position now. You do remember what it isn't don't you?" Devlynn grinned. He liked Harry and lord knew everyone needed a laugh here and there, but there was just something funny about Harry today and he couldn't figure out what. But he would.
"Of course I do!" James turned bright red.
"Good to hear, now play it," What was wrong with Potter. He wasn't acting himself. Devlynn would swear to it that if anyone in the school could make a Polyjuice Potion that they had and that this really wasn't Harry. If that was the case then they shouldn't be practicing with him. He might be a spy. Dev kept an eye on Harry as he flew. To anyone who wasn't paying particular attention to the kid, it may have looked like everything was normal. To someone who was paying as close attention as Dev was, it was obvious that the boy, though he may look like Harry, he certainly didn't fly like Harry did. There was something physically different, too, so it couldn't be a Polyjuice Potion. Besides that would have worn off already. "Hey Har? Can we call it quits early? We've been practicing longer than you have today and well, honestly you're the best Seeker that Gryffindor has seen in a while and you've won us every match but one so I doubt you need that much practice anyway."
"Uh. sure, why not. It's getting dark anyway," James was glad that Devlynn had suggested they end early, but he still had an uneasy feeling in his gut. He didn't want to embarrass Harry even more than he already had. He coasted to the ground and hopped off Harry's Firebolt, which was an amazing broom, James couldn't help but think. He wondered where Harry got it. It couldn't have been from Sirius. It would have been too expensive. James felt an arm drape around his shoulder holding him back just as he was about to head off to the dorms to put back Harry's broom. He glanced sideways and noticed that it was Devlynn.
"Hold up a sec, wanna talk to you, Harry."
"Sure," 'uh-oh. I think I'm in trouble.' James watched as the others left the pitch feeling very nervous. 'What could this be about' James wondered.
"Anything wrong? Anything you feel like telling me? Like, I don't know. Your real name?" Dev grinned when he saw the boy's face visibly pale. So he had guessed right. This wasn't Harry. Then who the bloody hell was it?! And why did he look like Harry?
"I. well. uh."
"I'm soo sorry, Dev! Pomfrey just let me out of the hospital wing. Knocked my head earlier, then when I went to get my broom it wasn't there!" Harry came running over and James couldn't help but register the shock in his son's eyes when he saw him. "Oh, there's my broom."
"So who is this guy? I already figured out he wasn't you. He tried playing Chaser and actually he's quite good at it, but he's not cut out for Seeker."
"Uh well. he's my. twin, James," Harry's eyes begged James to go along with it. He completely forgot how observant Dev was and that he'd most likely notice the look and would also see through the ruse, even if he did happen to miss the look. Keara was the only one who could ever fool Devlynn which everyone assumed was because they were related and Devlynn doted on his older sister.
"Oh? Then why has he not been here with you?" Dev looked at the two suspiciously after noticing the look Harry had given James. Apparently Harry hadn't meant identical twin because James was a bit taller and didn't have Harry's green eyes. That's what was different about them!
"I've uh. been at a boarding school in the states. In Salem," James hoped it sounded believable.
"I'll go with that for now until you decide to tell me the truth," Dev grinned at them. This could be fun. It really wasn't hard to mistake one for the other. They had to be related somehow if they naturally looked that much alike. He'd figure it out eventually. The expressions each wore were identical. At the moment it was one containing fear. 'Best to ease their minds.' "Don't worry I'll go along with that story and even help you with it if you want. I won't tell a soul." Again they donned identical expressions, this time of relief.
"Thanks, Dev." Dev laughed when he saw their shocked faces. Apparently they hadn't realized how alike they were other than physically. They seemed to think alike as well, seeing as how both said it at the exact same time.
"Okay then. Twins won't work. No one will ever believe that. Cousins is more logical, but not first or else Harry would have gone to stay with you instead of the Dursleys."
"THE DURSLEYS! Whose bright idea was it to send you to those awful Muggles?! THEY HATE MAGIC!! They HATE Lils! Not to mention me!" James roared. "They probably thought that we deserved to die!"
Harry's eyes went wide with shock and Dev smirked. He had a feeling he had just figured out what was going on. James Potter. If Potter was here then more than likely Evans, Black and Lupin couldn't be far. He hoped Pettigrew wasn't with them.
"I. uh.it was. Dumbledore," Harry stammered quietly.
"I thought he had better sense than that! I mean, yeah he's odd, but he should have known better than to stick you with them! When I get my hands on him."James trailed off as Dev put his hand on his shoulder.
"It wasn't your son's fault that he was stuck with the Dursleys. It's not as if he wanted to be there. Stop yelling at him," Dev said gently.
James' mouth dropped open, but Harry wasn't surprised that Devlynn had figured out the truth. Not with the way his dad was carrying on and with Dev knowing about time travel, being a wizard as well.
"Oops, I mean it wasn't your cousin's fault," Dev's grin widened.
"Wait a second. What do you mean was?" James looked suspiciously at Harry. "You aren't staying with them anymore?" James looked relieved.
"Well. Erm. No, I'm not."
"Great!" James smiled, thrilled. "So who are you staying with? Sirius? Remus?"
"Staying with both now that I can."
"What do you mean now that you can?" James started becoming suspicious that there was more to the story than he had originally thought.
"Er."Harry answered intelligently.
"You know, it's too bad you got Lils. My sister, Keara, would have liked you. Oh, that reminds me. Did I tell you Harry that she was gonna visit today?" Dev effectively interrupted the conversation before Harry was forced to tell something that he probably shouldn't be telling.
"Oh no," Harry groaned. "How long is she staying for?"
"Couple weeks. I think. Never really know with her. She that bad?" Dev laughed.
"Sometimes when she's hyper and bouncing off the walls. Quite literally I might add. She's been known to do quite a lot of damage. She put me in the hospital wing for three days when she rebounded off a wall and smacked into me! Pomfrey was furious with her. She said it was bad enough how much I already visited her!" Dev laughed remembering that incident. James just looked confused. "We're going to need to stock a lot of sugar for her."
"Sugar? Wouldn't that make it worse?" James looked even more confused.
"You'd think that. Somehow it actually calms her down. We're not sure how that works."