Ginny and Harry waited in their rooms for James to get back. He'd taken the news amazingly well, though they shouldn't have been surprised. He was very laid back and just about nothing got to him; he could find the good in every situation, almost.

The door opened and James stepped in looking quite deflated.

"He's an arsehole," James said shortly. "I tried to talk to him, and out of the whole half hour I was talking I probably only got 5 words back!" He sat down in an armchair huffily, which in itself was odd for James.

"He can't be that bad-!" Ginny protested. One look from James said yes, he could. And Harry could believe it, he wasn't very nice when they'd been in London... and when he thought he was finally getting through with Quidditch, he was also then sure he'd dreamed it all up.

"He's a -!" Harry could see James stop himself from saying something nasty. "He's an egotistical wanker who thinks he has it so hard," James added.

"Settle down, James. That language doesn't suit you," Ginny admonished, half heartedly. Harry went to her.

"Don't cry, Gin," Harry told her, kissing her on the head lightly. James looked at the two... he must have found it weird, calling Ginny Gin, when only that morning he had believed she was Alicia.

"I'm just going to go to dinner, I suppose... I am allowed, aren't I?" James asked.

"In the Great Hall?" Harry asked. James nodded. "I don't see why not."

"Thanks, I'll come back soon!" He said, seeming to forget his anger.

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"Where's that friend of yours?" Lee asked.

"I don't know, he had to sort out some family stuff," Julia said, swallowing a mouthful of mashed potato.

"You must have known Harry Potter was here..." Renee added. "If he was your friend in Australia, and they arehis parents..."

"No, I didn't, really," Julia said, looking at the disbelieving faces around her. Jessica Powers was sitting across from her today, and also listening. "I always knew them as Alicia and Harry Jamison, and they don't usually look like that! They must have been hiding from something. James didn't even know."

"Oh."

"Why do you think Professor Roland is retiring? It's not even the end of the year..." Jessica said suddenly.

"I don't know, but he did say he never really wanted the job, didn't he?" Artemis said. "Who do you suppose our next teacher will be?"

"I don't know... maybe Harry Potter," Renee said brightly. Julia laughed.

"Are you obsessed with him or something?" she asked lightly. Renee went bright red.

"Of course not!" she said, but couldn't help grinning when the others laughed. "My mum was his first girlfriend, you know? The only other person he ever went out with was Ginny!"

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James walked up behind Julia quietly, she didn't seem to notice. They were talking about his dad...

"Hey Julz," he said, and she turned around, beaming. Her friends were giving him polite smiles, well, a couple were staring...

"Jamesie!" she said. James put a hand on her shoulder.

"Quit it," he whispered, grinning, "or I'll do something you'll regret," he didn't know what that was yet... but she didn't know that.

"Ok, sorry James. Sit down!" she said, shuffling towards a pretty Asian looking girl. James sat down. Next to him was a chubby girl with blonde hair and a pretty face...

"James, this is Lee," Julia pointed to the girl next to him, "And this is Renee," the Asian girl, "Jessica, my host sister, Artemis and Millicent."

"Hey, I'll try and remember you all! Sorry, I have a horrible memory with names," James laughed. "I'm James Jamison."

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"He killed my father... my father... he was going to live forever, but no, he was killed by Harry Potter... I'll kill him... I'll kill him!"

The sound echoed through the mountains, bouncing off the walls and rocks and coming back again, and again. The wind was strong and the night was dark, and the thunder clapped overhead, drowning out the dying echoes.

A young man stood among the trees, his eyes ablaze with a terrible fury, his curly dark hair gleaming in the little moonlight there was, his stance defiant, determined... he would finish this, if it was the last thing he did...

The older man, who was standing next to him, trembled at the sight of the young man. He reached out a hand to calm him, the moonlight making the silver glow...

"I'll kill him!"

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Thomas had long since stopped wondering who his parents might be, he'd given up on ever finding them again when he was 13, which had been quite a revealing year for him...

Of course, there was the realisation of a world of wizards, which came with being David's friend. There was also the self-realisation that he may harness some power... but, obviously not enough to get him into Hogwarts... the revelation that he actually did have a twin brother, somewhere out there, and the last thing... he realised he'd never find a home and settle. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew that he would not be around long enough to start a family, barely long enough to get a job even, and he knew, that within at least another ten years, he would not be around at all...

Considering the fact he was only just 18 didn't help... it didn't give him a very long time to get things going, especially now that he was basically on the streets since he'd been kicked out of the orphanage and told to find a job.

It hadn't taken too long, he'd wandered into a bar, the night of his departure from the orphanage, and had drunk himself silly, and there a waiter had taken pity on him as he told his life story (he managed to leave out the bits about David being a wizard, and the fact that there was a whole world of wizards and witches...) and had then taken him to her boss, asking if there was anything he could do for the young man...

That is how Thomas came to be standing over a sink, scrubbing dirty glasses, and thinking about his life, and his parents, and the wizarding world... it, of course, was something that always plagued his mind, how could it not? He wasn't sure why he felt so connected, but he believed it had something to do with being so close to David... how very wrong he was... and how very right he would soon wish he could be...

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Dear Tom, David wrote, wondering how to talk about his last few days.

I am, as you know, currently at school, and I have a lot to tell you. I'll be sending this by owl, first of all, because I don't know whether or not you'll be at the orphanage still or have your own house yet. But don't worry, Artemis will find you.

Second, I have found my parents. You knew who my dad was, right? I told you the story about "the famous Harry Potter". My mother's name is Ginny Weasley (now Potter), and they have an adopted son called James, which, I learnt, is also my name. But his name is James Jamison, and I am James Potter (though I am going to keep David Martin, I like it much better, I don't want to be a James). He's my age.

Thirdly, you know how I told you about Julia, from Australia? Well, she's James' friend, possibly more than friend, from Australia, because that's where my stupid parents have been living. So, not only does he take my parents, he then gets the girl, too. Not that I could have expected her.

Fourthly, he then proceeded to give me a lecture about being a good son, or something. He said that's not what it was, but that's what I got from it. And then made me feel guilty about not wanting to get to know my parents... I still don't want to know them. After that, he insulted me.

You may have noticed I am not in the best of moods. Maybe if I looked more like you Julia would like me, or maybe more like 'James'. (Note, I'm saying that name sarcastically.)

How are you, anyway? Have you got a job and a house yet? I cant wait to hear from you soon, you know the drill, send back your letter with Artemis.

David Martin.

David tied the letter to Artemis leg, after feeding her an owl treat. She was a snowy white owl, and blended in with the white looking sky before long.

"Who was that to?" Robert asked, standing at the door. How long had he been there?

"Thomas," David said stiffly, he was feeling very on edge after what James had said to him.

"Why weren't you at dinner?"

"I didn't want to go."

"Oh, alright. That James fellow was there, he seems really nice. I didn't actually talk to him, but Sarah and Daniel did."

"He's an axsxhxlx, in my opinion," David grumbled before he thought. He stiffened.

"Why?"

"Because, he is." David said shortly.

"That doesn't really answer the question..." Robert started.

"Look why do I have to-?" David stopped, and calmed himself. James had been right, in some aspects, and he really did need to change his personality a little. "It's not something I want to talk about," he said quietly. Robert looked a little taken aback at his sudden change in heart, and David climbed into his bed, pulling the curtains closed.

"You can tell me anything, you know..." Robert mumbled.

I wish I could, David thought. I wish I could...

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"James, what do you think about this?"

James stood, staring open mouthed, at his father... surely not.

"Do you want to do it?" James asked, if it was what they wanted, he couldn't stop them, well, he could, but he would not. They were good people and gave him a life he could never have had without them.

"Yes, I think I do," Harry said. He was watching James very carefully, and James fiddled, wondering whether to tell the truth or not...

"Of course I think you should do it, then," James told his father, smiling brightly.

"You are aware we will have to sell the house? Mark said if ever we wanted to sell it, he would take it... we haven't asked him yet, of course."

James felt like he was going to be sick. How could they? He loved that place...

"It's up to you, I'm tired, I'm going to bed," James muttered, and finished off his first day in Hogwarts almost in tears. His room was separate to his parents, and he was glad because he was still awake well after they had gone to bed, thinking.

What could he possibly say? He loved the farm almost as much as he loved his mum and dad, it didn't seem right that he had to choose. And Julia would be going back to Australia, after this year, so he wouldn't be able to be near her if they moved to England, and his father agreed to teach Defence...

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James didn't come out of their rooms for a few days, he didn't feel like it and didn't want to talk to anyone, he just needed to think, and Harry and Ginny respected that. But this was taking things a little far...

"James, do you want to start classes on Monday?" Ginny asked one morning as they ate breakfast in their rooms.

"No," James replied tiredly. He hadn't been sleeping much and Harry and Ginny were worried.

"Maybe we shouldn't have even suggested it," Ginny said as they took a walk around the lake later that day. It was now known news everywhere that Harry and Ginny were back, and in all wizarding papers it was front page news. They had no details on why they were back, only wild speculations...

"Maybe," Harry said, "but it's done now, I don't think he would want us to take it back after he's put all this thought into it."

"Maybe you're right..." Ginny agreed, slowly. She looked close to tears.

"Come on, love," Harry said, stopping and hugging her. "It's going to be alright, everything will work out."

"We could," Ginny stopped with a hiccup, "we could, you know, let James live on at the farm," Ginny burst into a fresh wave of tears at voicing this out loud. Harry held her tighter. "And, Mark could run it until James is ready, and then," Ginny started to cry again, "and then it could be James', forever."

"We'll run it by him, but Ginny, we can't favour David now that we're back. We have to do what James wants, he's been told all these things, and has a huge decision to make, his life has been turned upside down and inside out, and, I don't think he likes it..." Harry said dryly. "I feel he is more ours than David is, James loves us, Gin, David couldn't care about us..." Harry wished he hadn't said that because Ginny cried even harder.

"Harry," she whispered once she'd calmed down and they continued back up to the castle. "I'm not used to this, being in the papers, and everything, and I'm not used to having two sons, and I'm not used to being back, and I'm not used to David... I doubt I ever will be."

"We have to at least try, Ginny, he is our responsibility too," Harry told her.

"I think we may have left it too long, settling into our comfortable life with James, I doubt he can ever be our responsibility now..."

"Well, I do have an idea..."

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James was laying on the couch, fiddling with the pages of his book, King Arthur and his Knights, when his mum and dad returned. Ginny, it seemed, had been crying, and Harry was looking murderous.

"Was it David, again?" James asked, once they'd spotted him.

"Yes, and no," Harry said. He paused, and James felt he knew what was coming, "James..."

"Yes, I've though about it, and no, I'm not sure that this is what I want to do, but I'll do whatever you want me to, I owe you everything, and I'm willing to give it," James said, stiffly. It was all so complicated! He just wanted to swear, or curse, something.

"Damnit James!" Harry cursed, and James was quite startled. Harry rarely ever got angry, and he certainly never cursed in front of James, let a lone at him! "It's got to be what YOU want!"

"Dad, I don't know what I want-!" James began, and got seriously irritated when his father replied with, well you had just better have another long hard think about that.

"I think you should start lessons on Monday," Ginny said quietly, "that's what I think." She was looking worriedly at Harry and James who were both fuming. "That gives you another day; we can go and get your things from Diagon Alley tomorrow, since you haven't been there yet."

So, James found himself the next morning all dressed and ready at 9am, waiting at the front gates with his mum and dad for the knight bus.

When it did arrive a man, well a boy not much older than himself got out, he had curly black hair, and dark chocolate brown eyes, they were a little darker than Ginny's, and he had fair skin.

He stared at Harry for about twenty seconds after he'd got off the bus.

The conductor was looking at them all, wonderingly. He was staring at Harry, too.

"You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" The man asked.

"Yes," Harry agreed slowly.

"Well spotted," James muttered.

"And you're James Jamison," the man continued, he was looking wonderingly at them. "And you're Ginny Weasley..." it was like he was in some sort of a trance, just staring at them...

"Yes, we've got to go," Harry said uncomfortably. The conductor didn't bother to say anything; he just stared at Harry non stop.

"The Leaky Cauldron," Harry said, to the driver, as the conductor seemed to be a bit out of it. He was a chubby boy, who looked about James' age, and he had large pimples all over his face. The driver, however, looked as old as the hills, as though he might suddenly just stop at any moment. He didn't even seem to hear.

"ERN!" The conductor yelled, recovering from his stupor. "LEAKY CAULDRON" he yelled, slowly and clearly.

Ern, James guessed that was his name, looked at the conductor as he started the bus. "Sure thing Stan." The conductor sighed.

"I'm your grandson, Ricky," he told him, still loudly. Ern didn't hear.