Authors Notes: I'm more sorry than you can know that it's taken this long to get another chapter out. Real Life sucks sometimes, and when you deal with two stomach viruses, adjusting to school schedules and the normal crap of work, it gets a little overwhelming. I could never have done this without the continued support, urging and occasional threats of my beta, Azhure. Oh, I'm in the process of going through each chapter to make little corrections and minor adjustments (found myself contradicting myself a couple times) and updating a couple letters to reflect OOTP. If you notice contradictions, feel free to mention them if you want, but know that I may be in the process of correcting them already.
There's still more to come (obviously) and I most certainly WILL finish this! Please keep reading and reviewing. I have to tell you all, I finally got the upgrade and started checking the number of hits on my chapters. I'm amazed to see that there have been 395 hits on chapter 24. I had no idea that my fic was being looked at that much, especially since I don't get THAT many reviews! To the 15 of you who did me the honor of reviewing that chapter – an extra special thank you and a chocolate frog to each of you! (Specific replies at the end of the chapter.)
Warnings: This is slash, but if you didn't catch that in the summary or the earlier chapters, or the scenes with boys kissing each other, there's no hope for you.
Summary: Up to this point, James and Lucius have been sent from the past to work with an imbalance in power. Harry's been studying dark arts and is making plans to join Voldie and the Death Eaters in an insane attempt to protect his loved ones. After the big confrontation, Harry's spoken to everyone involved (including those indirectly involved) and that's where we pick up! Enjoy the read!
End of Last Chapter:
James speaking to Harry: Just don't let the sadness and anger twist your intentions, Harry. You're better than that. I can tell."
I'd been looking down at the floor during most of that rambling, feeling a bit embarrassed to be saying these things to someone my own age. Looking up at Harry again, it's quite surprising to see that he's been silently crying. It's instinct. I pull him out of that chair and into a hug. It's an odd thought for me to be hugging my son, but I can tell by the sudden shudders that the emotions run much deeper for him. Of course! This has to be hard for him to accept, to understand. But I hope he finds it to be a good thing as well.
"Thank you . . ." he whispers. Then, even quieter and very hesitantly, "dad".
New Chapter:
'Dad.' Harry liked saying it. He never thought he'd get the chance to say it to James and now he was glad he hadn't passed it up.
Stepping out of the embrace, the two young Potter men regarded each other somewhat hesitantly. It had been an emotionally charged moment and Harry worried he had overstepped some invisible boundary. James worried that he'd said too much, or perhaps he hadn't said enough, or worse yet, that he wouldn't have the chance to say anything else.
When he looked at Harry though, really looked at him, he felt an instinctive sense of love and peace flow through him. 'This is my son! I'm a father - or at least I'm going to be a father. Ahh, bloody time confusion.' Opening up his heart, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Your mother's going to love you so much. You've got her eyes, you know."
Harry smiled. It was a small and very sad smile, but triggered by joy. Harry had often been told that he had Lily's eyes, and he knew it was his mother's love that saved him from Voldemort, but hearing it this time was different. He was hearing it this time from the one person who knew Lily better than anyone. Harry choked, "That means a lot to me, especially coming from you, Dad." He paused to regain his composure, a slightly melancholy look on his face. "What's she like?"
That question only drove home the fact that Harry would grow up without his parents. James knew this, after discussing the Dursley's and Harry's absent godfather, but it hadn't really hit him that Lily would die, too. He felt a lump form in his throat at the thought of Lily's death. 'Harry needs happy thoughts,' he reminded himself. Taking a deep breath to settle his emotions, James thought a moment, searching for the right words to describe Lily Evans. "She's great. She's really smart, always hounding me and the guys to keep up with our schoolwork. Of course, she hardly needs to bother Remus about it, he's by far the most studious of us all." He paused, a thought occurring to him. "You do know Sirius, Remus and Peter, don't you?"
Harry wondered how to go about answering that. "Yes, I know them." He couldn't tell his father that he'd run into Peter just last night at the Death Eater meeting, couldn't talk about Sirius' death, and just didn't know what to say about Remus that wouldn't lead to questions about the others. "Not extremely well, but I've met them all a few times." There, that was truthful, yet vague.
James didn't question it, he was still thinking about Lily. "Well, your mum's just great. She's the first person who's ever made my stomach flutter. I think I first noticed her in our third year, but it was the end of our fifth year before I had the guts to ask her out. You see, by our fifth year Lily had gotten close to all of us, and was almost like one of the guys, but I couldn't help being attracted to her. We've been together ever since and I've never dreamed I could be this happy."
Harry smiled at this and felt a certain comfort at being told first hand how much in love his parents had been. He looked down, thinking. He wanted more. Sighing, he tried to resign himself to the fact that there was much work to be done and explanations to be given, but right then, all he wanted was a normal conversation with his dad. The realization of just what that conversation should be finally came to him.
"Excuse me a moment," Harry said as he walked to the door. Releasing the locking charm, he stepped into the lounge and faced Dumbledore. "Sir, could you have Ron and Hermione brought back here? I think they deserve to be involved." He turned to faced his boyfriend, "Draco, could you come in here, please?"
Draco stood and went to join Harry and James while the Headmaster whispered quietly with his professors. Minerva left in search of the absent members of the Gryffindor Trio.
Once Draco had entered the office and Harry was satisfied that his charms were properly reapplied, there was an awkward moment as the three teens looked at each other. Harry broke the silence.
"Dad?"
Draco and James both looked at him with relief mixed with pride and love. Draco took a deep breath, thankful that Harry had truly listened to him and was giving James a chance while they could spend time together.
"Yes?"
"I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Draco."
Draco opened his mouth to remind Harry that they'd already met, but paused when his mind finally caught up with Harry's words. 'He called James Dad. He called me his boyfriend.' Draco suddenly understood that this introduction was a formality, a bit of normalcy for a teen and his father. It was something Harry had missed out on throughout his life.
Draco stepped forward, offering his hand, and smiled at James. "Pleased to meet you, Sir."
James smiled back and accepted the handshake. He, too, recognized the significance of this. It was as meaningful for him as for Harry. Maybe even more so.
"Nice to meet you, too, Draco."
Harry simply beamed in joy. He felt happier than he had in years. His last memory that even came close was the brief time in third year when he thought he would get to leave the Dursley's and live with Sirius. Something in the back of his mind connected that happy memory with Sirius' death and this one with James' death. He found himself wondering if everything in his life had to revolve around death. 'No, I'm not going to think about that right now. I'm going to enjoy the time I have with my Dad.'
He sat down, motioning for the others to do the same. Looking at James, he thought about what he imagined would be a normal conversation. "Draco is the Slytherin seeker, Dad." He wanted to share information about his boyfriend, and even brag about him a bit. "He's never lost a game against Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Even when Cho Chang was the Ravenclaw seeker – and she was really good - but she could never beat Dray. And he's at the top of our class in Potions, it just comes naturally to him."
"Harry - stop," Draco felt himself blushing, wondering why he was embarrassed by these compliments. "He doesn't want to hear all this stuff." He tried to sneak a glance at James, only to realize it wasn't possible as James was looking directly at him. James smiled at Draco, looking for all the world like the happy father of a seventeen year old. 'Harry would have been a happy kid if he'd grown up with his parents.' Draco was certain of this.
"Don't worry, Draco. I do want to hear it. I'd like to learn more about you both. And you should be flattered that he wants to brag about you." James turned to Harry, "What about you? Do you play Quidditch?"
"Yeah," Harry answered quickly. He felt a sudden wave of modesty, not sure of a good way to mention his winning streak. "I play for the house team."
"I noticed that Gryffindor is the only house you didn't mention as unable to beat Draco. Is that because of you?"
"Well, we have a pretty good team."
Draco rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh yes. They have a decent team," the sarcasm was dripping from his voice. "You could say that their keeper is well trained and they've always had good beaters and talented, driven captains. Their old captain, Wood, is playing for Puddlemere now. And I think his replacement, Johnson, is playing for the Cannons – might give them a hope of a good season. Even the newest Gryffindor captain, the Weasley girl, she's much better than any of us ever thought she'd be." Harry sent a reproachful look at this statement, which James grinned at and Draco blatantly ignored. "Of course," Draco cast a pointed glance in Harry's direction, "their seeker is the reason I've never been able to beat them."
James grinned at this. "So, Harry, you're the unbeatable Gryffindor seeker?"
"Yes." He was suddenly quite interested in something unseen that was apparently resting on the floor near James' feet. "Dray got me the position."
"How's that?" James was interested. He'd never heard of someone from one house having any say over the team of another house.
"In our first flying lesson, he stole a Remembrall from one of my house mates. I took off to try and get it back from him, then he threw it and I managed to catch it before it broke. Professor McGonagall saw me and put me on the team."
"Your first flying lesson?" James considered a moment, thinking back to his first flying lesson at Hogwarts. "Don't they start flying in first year?"
"Yes," Harry answered.
"So, they've raised the ban against first years on the teams, then? It's about time!" He'd wanted to be on the Quidditch team in his first year, but was never given that opportunity. He felt it was highly unfair and had put up quite a fuss about it.
"No, actually, they haven't."
Draco sighed. He'd never seen Harry so modest. He could understand modesty in regards to being the Boy-Who-Lived. That was something he really had no control over. But Harry's talent in Quidditch wasn't just happenstance. Even as a competitor, Draco had to admit that Harry had a natural skill and was very good as a seeker. Deciding that someone needed to speak up for Harry, Draco interrupted. "Harry was placed on the team as seeker because of his natural skill. If I remember correctly, that day with the Remembrall was his first time ever on a broom, and it was simply amazing. He was the youngest seeker in a century and he's brought Gryffindor their best record in over a decade."
There it was again, that fatherly pride welling up in his chest. James wondered if there would be any chance for him to fly with Harry, maybe play a little one on one, before he went back.
The conversation eventually went around to other topics; pro Quidditch teams (James was partial to Puddlemere United), schoolwork and favorite subjects (Harry's was DADA, James preferred Transfiguration), previous relationships (Harry's brief thing with Cho, Draco's unspoken crush on Seamus), goals after Hogwarts (Aurors, they all wanted to be Aurors) and various anecdotes from their individual lives and their adventures with their friends. Overall, it was a wonderful time spent together and both father and son felt much closer when they reluctantly decided (nearly two hours later) that they should get back to the issues at hand.
~*~*~
They walked back into the main lounge and found that lunch had been delivered and everyone was still there, waiting.
"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said. "I trust the three of you had a nice visit?" At Harry's nod, Dumbledore turned his attention toward Draco and James. "We've already eaten, but perhaps you should all have some lunch." He gestured toward the mounds of sandwiches, pastas, fruit and sweets. Also waiting were large pitchers of still cold pumpkin juice. It appeared to be enough food to feed half of Gryffindor, yet there were only nine people in the room.
Harry grinned, "Seems the house elves have outdone themselves again."
"Indeed. You should have seen it when it was first brought in." Dumbledore smiled at Harry. The wizened old Headmaster had obviously recognized the need for a bit of casual, light-hearted normalcy. Harry was grateful for that, especially when he turned to make eye contact with Hermione. Judging by the look on her face, Harry was dangerously close to learning exactly what if felt like when she slapped Draco in third year. He closed his eyes to mentally steel himself against the onslaught of thoughts and emotions running rampant through the room. It wasn't going to be an easy afternoon.
Draco and James each gathered a plate of food and a glass of juice, sticking to an unspoken agreement to wait for Harry's lead in the ensuing discussions. Neither of the had any idea what Harry was planning, but they both knew they loved him deeply in their separate ways and were thrilled that – despite the situation – they had been able to share in some joyful conversation and bonding with him.
Meanwhile, Harry viewed the actions of each person in the room, staying mindful of the reaction he would have if he forgot to distance himself. His distant observations, however, offered a bit of insight into their emotions, without exposing him too much.
Lucius and Severus were in the midst of a power struggle. Lucius was trying to make eye contact and hoping that they could talk privately. Severus, however, was purposely oblivious to these attempts and seemed to be highly intrigued by his fingernails at the moment.
Ron sat quietly, holding Hermione's hand and hoping she wouldn't lose her temper.
Minerva and Albus seemed to be taking everything in, simply observing the odd combination of people in this gathering, not to mention the conflicting body language among the lot of them.
After his mental role-call, Harry felt slightly more secure in his plans, though he was still a bit anxious about the reactions he would get from some of them. He helped himself to a glass of juice and pulled a chair across the room to sit near Hermione. He knew she would be the most difficult to convince. One more glance around the room verified that everyone was waiting for him. Harry took a sip of juice, followed it with a deep, calming breath and addressed the group. "I've learned a lot recently. A lot about magic, my skills and powers, a lot about Voldemort and a lot about each of you. I've probably learned more than many of you realize. I think I know what needs to be done in order to defeat Voldemort, or at least what needs to be done first, but I could really use some help preparing for it. There are a lot of explanations that are long overdue and many things revealed today may be difficult for some of you to deal with. I ask that you all be prepared to shove your personal feelings aside so we can focus on the issue at hand."
He looked around the room, pleased to see that he had everyone's attention. Hermione and Severus seemed skeptical, as did Lucius. Ron, Draco and James looked proud and trusting. 'I'm not sure I deserve that trust,' Harry thought. 'We'll see if they still trust me after I explain it all.' Dumbledore and McGonagall appeared expectant. Harry thought back to the harsher, Snape-like attitude he's adopted that morning. It was a lot easier to hold on to that defense before talking to his dad and Dray. 'I'm caring again. I have to be extra careful because when I care too much, people get hurt.' He shook his head slightly to regain his focus.
"Headmaster, you do plan to erase their memories before you send them back, right?"
"Knowledge of that which has not yet come to pass could pose a danger to that which we know as history, don't you think?"
Severus rolled his eyes and Harry smiled at the confusion on the others' faces. Albus Dumbledore had many ways of avoiding direct answers. It was almost an art form and he took great pleasure in it. Harry was used to it, however, and felt that he knew the Headmaster well enough to interpret (at least sometimes.) "I'll take that as a yes," he paused in case Dumbledore wanted to correct him. "All right then. I think we should plan on sharing everything among those in this room. No one here can really be helpful to this mission if they are left partly in shadow."
"I guess I should start by making sure that everyone here understands the roles of everyone else here. I'm sure I'll be covering ground very familiar to most of us, but since Lucius and Dad don't know our history, I have to explain it." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. 'I can do this, I know I can. It's just details, a story, ancient history.' He opened his eyes and turned to James. "I have been extremely well known throughout the wizarding world since I was a year old. You and Mum are quite famous as well, but for different reasons. You see, you're famous for being my parents, and I'm famous for surviving the killing curse."
"You survived the – but that's not possible!" James was obviously quite shocked by this revelation. "How?"
"Well, Dumbledore suspects that it was because of the love sacrifice, Mum died trying to save me, right after he killed you. I've heard it. When Dementors get close, I hear the whole thing. He told her to stand aside, but she said 'Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead' and he just laughed." Harry again felt that familiar anger boil up inside of him. He didn't even notice the tortured look on James' face. "He murdered you and Mum and then hit me with Avada Kedavra. But because Mum tried to sacrifice herself, it actually did save me. It sort of killed him, but his spirit stayed around and he came back a few years ago."
"I believe," Snape interrupted, "that the remainder of the historic details have been covered, Mr. Potter."
"So I guess you all want to know what I've been doing, right?" The expectant silence confirmed his suspicions. "Okay, I discovered over the summer that I am a bit of a seer. It's gotten stronger since then and I can also pick up on emotions and thoughts if I try. Sometimes I don't have to try. Sometimes I have to consciously block it. I also discovered I can do wandless magic. I mean, I guess I did some when I was a kid, making sweaters shrink or making my hair grow back. But lately I'm doing directed magic. Just before fifth year, when the Dementors came to Privet Drive, I lit my wand when I wasn't even holding it. The summer before sixth year, I used Incendio to light some candles without my wand. I realized the Ministry can only recognize certain magic. I don't know how they picked up on the hover charm that Dobby, the house elf, did. But they didn't pick up the Lumos or Incendio spells. Only the Patronus I sent at the Dementors."
"You can produce a Corporeal Patronus? We're learning that now. When did you learn it?" James was impressed, and by the look on his face, Lucius was impressed as well.
"I cast my first fully formed Patronus at the end of my third year," he looked at his father, wondering. Finally deciding that there was no reason not to reveal this, he spoke again. "My Patronus takes the form of a stag." James simply widened his eyes a bit. A silent look of understanding was shared between father and son.
"So, anyway, I've been practicing more this year. I approached Draco a few weeks into the new term and we started studying together." No one spoke. A pin-drop could have been heard as Harry spent the next thirty minutes or so detailing the events of the last few months, up to – and including – the meeting with Voldemort. Before he had the opportunity to explain the nature of his relationship with Draco, the group was interrupted by a highly apologetic Dobby.
"Headmaster, sir, Dobby is very sorry to interrupt, but Dobby has an urgent message for the Headmaster and Mr. Harry Potter, sir."
The timid house elf walked toward the Headmaster and gave him a roll of parchment. "It's from Mr. Arthur Weasley, sir. He's waiting for Headmaster and Mr. Harry Potter in Headmaster's office, sir."
Harry moved to look over the parchment with the Headmaster, worried about what might cause such an urgent interruption.
~Albus & Harry,
I regret to inform you that the most recent mission of the Order has not been successful. Some of the operatives were caught in opposition crossfire at Buckingham Palace. I would like to meet with you as soon as possible as I feel this should be discussed in person. I've addressed this to Harry as well, because I believe he's in the position of family in this case.
Sincerely,
Arthur Weasley~
"No." Harry's denial was quiet, barely above a whisper. "No, it can't be. He's fine. He's got to be fine." He felt his throat constrict and his eyes burn with forming tears. His mumbling became louder. "He's got to be fine. He just wrote me a few days ago. It'll all be fine. He said he'd see me soon." Draco got up, deciding that he didn't give a damn what Granger thought of it, and went to collect Harry in a comforting embrace. That embrace seemed to trigger something, causing the tears to fall and Harry to nearly collapse against the blonde. "No, not Moony. Moony can't be gone. Please, not again."
At the name, Moony, James stood up quickly. "Headmaster, whatever news you have, might I be allowed to know it, too?"
Albus acknowledged this request with a slight nod, then turned to the waiting house elf. "Dobby, would you please escort Mr. Weasley up here?"
"Of course, sir." With a low bow, Dobby promptly disappeared.
Jeanniiee - aww, thank you! I love that you see these characters in the same manner I do. Please don't go mad, because if you do, you'll never know how it ends!
Jen Red Robe – Ahhhh, you think that's a problem. Don't you?
HPIceAngel – Does this fulfill some of the bonding you were looking for?
Aranami - Thank you, thank you. I can't tell you how pleased I am that James' bit and Harry's last line were so moving to my readers! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Took your advice, hope you like it.
Lanevaly – Oh, thank you! I'm so glad you like it! Now, where's that chapter of Imperio you promised me????
XOX – Awwwww, you are just tooo sweet for words! If only the publishers would react to my original works the way you react to this! I'd be rich! Sorry to make you beg, but hope you enjoyed this chapter...
ShaeLynn – Well, as he said in this chapter, "Knowledge of that which has not yet come to pass could pose a danger to that which we know as history, don't you think?"
Cassa-Andra – Oh thank you so much! It just thrills me when you guys comment on all the things I liked best. Makes me really feel like I'm doing a good job. Thank you for continuing to read it
Jekyll – Oh so you're the one who wrote that sequel. I sent her a review on it, and later realized that she said someone else wrote it. If I can find it, I'll try to send you a copy of the review…
Malfoy Snogger – oh thank you! You are so flattering it makes me feel like my head is getting larger and larger and larger! I'm really glad Harry's coming across as forceful here – I worry sometimes that he's not as forceful as I want him to be. As for the crazy thing when they kissed, you'll have to wait and see. I can't be giving away all my secrets, now can I? And Lucius, don't worry, there's more to come in that department as well. The Hermione bit should be coming up in the next chapter, you aren't the only one waiting for it, trust me!
menecarkawan – thank you! Yes, he's got some confusion going on, but he's dealing with it rather well, all things considered.
Moony-Black – Why thanks! I'm quite proud of that father-son moment, and feeling better about it with every review!
NayNymic – Is this getting any easier for you to deal with? Sorry it wasn't sooner, but Harry's working through a lot of things and that takes time, you know. J
PeachDancer82 – I tried to expand on the Harry/James stuff, hope you liked it. Thanks for the continued reviews!
Azhure – I can't even come up with the words to say thanks to you. You rock! I'm gonna give you your very own sweet shop full of goodies! Oh and never fear, those bits you've been obsessing about – they'll be here eventually!