AUTHOR NOTES AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER - PLEASE READ!
Prongs Rides Again
Chapter Three: Understanding
"This….this is the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix?" Incredulously, James could barely believe it. "The ancient house of Black?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Sirius was kind enough to lend it to the Order."
"He's still alive?" James asked. I wonder if he's still an Auror. If he is, he's done quite well to survive this long!
"Yes, and Remus too. Both are here, but neither knows that you are alive. It is just myself and Minerva McGonagall."
"When will they find out?"
"When you are better," responded the Headmaster.
"Better? What do you mean: Better?"
Dumbledore turned sad, old eyes on James. "You are not well, James. Your anger is bottled up inside you. I know you are upset, confused and wary of everything. Until you let it go I can't risk having you see your friends….in case you accidentally hurt them."
"I wouldn't though." James said stubbornly, though he feared that he would lose control. Ever since learning of Lily's death he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her green eyes; his hands playing with her soft hair….her irresistible lips. "Lily…" he whispered. He swallowed. He had loved Lily so much….and now she was gone. He would never hold her again, never brush her lips with his, and never sleep next to her again. Worst of all, she would never get to see Harry grow.
Dumbledore needed to say no more. James was ill and getting him better was top priority: especially if he was going to help Harry. The headmaster had no doubt that once James discovered Sirius reputation as a murderer he would go to any lengths to free him and get him proclaimed innocent. He also feared that James would go off in search of Peter Pettigrew in revenge for what had happened to Lily. Lovesick men did that. Harry needed his father. If James wasn't capable then the thing that Harry had wished for would not come true. James had to be strong, and the first thing Albus needed to do was set him on the road to healing.
He wrapped his elderly arms round James, steering him to the front steps. "Come, let me take you inside."
"Won't they see me?" James asked.
The headmaster shook his head. "No, they won't. I've cast a Disillusionment Charm upon you. That should protect you from the others that dwell in this house. Also, Minerva is keeping the others busy in the kitchen. I will take you upstairs to a room where you will remain until I see fit that you can meet your friends. Hopefully your recovery will be speedy."
"Me too." James accepted. He knew he was not right, he knew he had a long way to go before he would truly understand everything, but he was willing to try, for Harry. His son was important. Lily would've wanted him to. Taking a deep breath, James followed Dumbledore inside the house.
The front door opened at its own accord. James had a feeling that the headmaster was the Secret Keeper for the Order so the house would obey him. He could hear raised voices from the kitchen. Some sort of argument must be going on, James thought. And then above the bustle of voices and the scraping of chairs he instinctually heard the name 'Harry'. He paused in his step, heart beating fast. He wanted to know…his heart wanted to hear.
But Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him round. "Come James. All will be explained."
"Harry…" James mumbled. He wanted to see his son.
They took to the flight of stairs. Dumbledore led him high up onto the third floor, where he turned right and unlocked a door. The room was bare, save for a bed and a few dark arts books stacked on the shelves. Dumbledore gently pushed James into the room, and the young man crossed it until he came to the bed where he sat down upon it. Dumbledore conjured up a chair with his wand and sat in it. Then he turned to the door, and locked it, and cast a silencing charm upon it, so that their conversation couldn't reach unwanted ears.
James felt a shiver as the charm protecting him was removed.
"James," Dumbledore began, "can you tell me what happened the night you died?"
Slowly, James nodded. He swallowed but for some reason he found it difficult to speak. Finally he began, explaining all about the traumatic night…the night he had lost everything. "I remember waiting for confirmation from Peter, but it never came. He said he would contact me at the end of the every month. October 31st was to be the first time. He never did. I should of known something was wrong the moment it happened," James struggled to find words, "Voldemort came. I know not what time it was. He said he wanted Harry and that if we obeyed, he would leave. I told Lily to run and that I'd hold him off. I told her to protect Harry. Voldemort duelled me. I cursed him half a dozen times, but he got me, eventually, when he'd had enough of my defiance. He killed me, barely ten minutes after he entered the house, I believe."
Remembering hurt. Death had hurt. When the killing curse had hit, James had felt immense pain. His body had felt like it was on fire. His heart had bled, and slowed, his brain had stopped working. Everything had been painful, and then it was gone. He had been floating in a haze, when light had restored him.
"Death was painful too." his voice was hoarse, almost broken.
He looked up at Dumbledore, a questioning glance in his eyes. "How did Harry escape and Lily did not?"
"A simple magic. The power of love. Lily sacrificed herself to save Harry. That simple act of love saved your son's life. Voldemort tried to cast the killing curse upon him but it rebounded and hit him instead, however Voldemort did not die. His spirit was torn from his body, and up until this summer, Voldemort has been nothing but a spirit wondering the forests. He has now been restored to his body and will wreak havoc upon the world once more. Upon Harry's forehead is a scar. The mark of a dark curse failing but still potentially lethal. This scar has given Harry a connection to Voldemort. He can feel him when he is near or feeling particular murderous. Harry's fate is the one of the prophecy."
James gasped. "Not Harry…he can't….he's just a boy." He and Lily had known of the Prophecy before they had gone into hiding. Both had hoped that Harry would not be the one to bear it, but now, it seemed, he was.
"What Harry has seen has been more then any Witch or Wizard his age has ever encountered. That is why you are here James. Harry needs you to guide him through this. The heavens granted him this because of all the misery and danger he has been forced through."
"What exactly has Harry done?" James gasped.
"I will leave that for Harry to tell you."
James nodded. Ever more his thoughts fled back to Lily and to happier times. Why did this have to happen to my family?
"James?" Dumbledore sounded concerned.
James met his eyes. "I'm fine."
"It's Lily, isn't it?"
Nodding, James said: "Yeah, I miss her. I want her back. She didn't deserve to die…no one does. She deserved to see Harry grow. Oh god….I have to live without her…." Then James flipped. His anger went loose and all he wanted to do was throw something, however nothing was in reach. "WHY? WHY ME? WHY LILY?" Tears flowed down his cheeks. "WHY MUST I BE PUNISHED IN THIS WAY?"
James closed his eyes, sinking back down onto the bed, his anger quickly abating. "Oh god…I'm so screwed. I just wish the best for Harry."
"And you can," Dumbledore said gently, "Be the father to him that he so rightly deserves."
James lifted his head which had fallen to his chest. His eyes met Dumbledore's. "I promise Harry will have a father. He needs me. I will not go away from him…ever. No matter how much I miss Lily, Harry is my main priority. Lily would do it if she was here. I promised Harry…and Lily that I'd look after them. I failed Lily, but I won't fail Harry. I promise that."
The heavens twinkled above Privet Drive. Unbeknownst to fifteen year old Harry Potter, his father had just made a promise. A promise that would change his life. The Dursley's were still ignoring him. Harry hardly cared. He sat on his bed staring - once more - at the photos of his parents. He missed them terribly.
If only they were here to help him….
Three days later…
Dumbledore closed the door to James' room. He had been talking to him every so often to help him understand what the world was like now. The young man had only been in the world for a few days, and he had already accepted the burden of which fate had placed on his shoulders. James still hurt about Lily's death, but he was a strong man. Letting his anger out had been a good thing…it had showed the headmaster that James was letting everything go now rather then later. He was healing, but it would take time, and he might not even do that until Voldemort was dead.
For now, James had accepted that Harry needed him.
It was time.
Time for Sirius and Remus to know the truth. The Order would know soon after, with Harry following.
"Sirius! Remus!" Dumbledore called, over the ensemble crowd of the Order. "May I have a word with you?"
The two wizards looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and made their way through the crowd to where the Order's head was waiting for them.
"I have some news that might shock you." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he spoke.
He led them from the room and out into the hallway, up the stairs and to a room opposite the one where James was currently staying in. Dumbledore locked and silenced the room.
"Is there a good reason for these security measures?" Sirius asked, a bit wary, though around Dumbledore he had no idea why.
The headmaster dismissed the question. "I have news that may shock you." he repeated.
"What is it?" Remus asked, "It's not Harry?"
"No, nothing about Harry…" he hesitated, "though in a sense it is."
The other two wizards looked dumbfounded. What an earth was Dumbledore talking about?
"Harry made a wish three days ago under the stars…wishing for a father-figure…someone to guide him through this dark period in his life. Normally wishes are not granted by the heavens, but this time it did. The reasoning I do not know, but I can tell you this: James Potter is alive."
TBC
Well, there you go, Sirius and Remus have now been told. But the question is…Do they believe him? Or not? (I also apologise for the use of the words 'father-figure' at the end).
AUTHOR NOTES
I would like to say that I am writing ahead of myself with this story. I am already writing Chapter 6, and the following chapters are already planned and ready to be written. To keep up with my updating schedule (Wednesday and the weekend) I am writing ahead so there is something to post on each day. I will inform readers of when I may not be able to update because of certain pressures (such as work; exams; and holidays). I will make an effort to update at least once every week, but hopefully twice. At the moment I am finding a lot of time to write so I can update twice a week.
Also, I might update this Tuesday and not Wednesday because I will be out of town for three days and I believe I'm going on Wednesday morning. If that is the case, I'll update on Tuesday. The next chapter will be there!
Thank You's
Thank you to the following people who reviewed Chapter 1 recently: ravenfarie; ambereyes2873; Xylia Dark; magicgirl45852; Black Fleet Foot (thanks for the advice!); twinsrthebest; and silverspecter (and I'll read your story when you get it up if you want me to!)
Thank you to the following people who reviewed Chapter 2: RebelHanyouofDarkness; Stasya; RoschLupin-Black; Jeran; HarrysGrrl; Black Fleet Foot; RougePriest; sirius-black-sfan; Sexy Black; VanilliaKatie; Zippyfox; floro13; Silverhawk27; A.J. of Gryffindor; Avlyn; Elvett and rosiegirl.
Responses
SeriousSiriusFan: I don't know if Sirius will die at the end of fifth year, but I'm working out two solutions that could happen. It's a long way off though: we've got a long way to go before we get to that point in the story.
littlewolf-moony: James was outside Godric's Hollow when he woke up. Yes, he was buried but since he was brought back he no longer has a grave. It's still there but no James. He was put back where he died, where the last imprint of him was left. The voice in James' head was his own subconscious's. His brain was telling him to wake up. As for the other questions, I can't answer them as answers will be found in the coming chapters. If you didn't read my Author Notes, I have a plan for this story already and I am already writing ahead. I'm nearing completion of Chapter 6. Thank you for the review!
Handsoff: Unfortunately, Harry doesn't make an appearance until Chapter 6. No reunion until then - sorry - but there is other stuff to get through first (such as Sirius and Remus meeting James; the Order being informed: and Cornelius Fudge still to come!)
IamSiriusgrl: James had a mental breakdown with Dumbledore...Sirius and James meet in the next chapter.
HarryPotterknowitall: James' body was in a coffin, but he was brought back where the last living imprint of him was. So he was at Godric's Hollow. I hope that clears that up!
angelicmayuka: You liked how I portrayed James? Thank you! There is a memory of Lily in the next chapter. And will Sirius be cleared? Um...maybe...maybe not. Thank you for reading!
Ambereyes2873: Yes, this is the summer before fifth year.
Xylia Dark: Umbridge is definitely in the story, Look out for her in the coming chapters.
Lady Taliesin: As with the others I have said that James was buried but he has been brought back to where the last living imprint of him survives on the world which was Godric's Hollow. That is where he is in Chapter 2.I don't think I have explained that in the chapters that I have written so far – in fact I'm not sure if I will or not. Thank you for the review!
Dadaiiro: You'll found out those questions in the next couple of chapters. You'll see Sirius' reaction in the next chapter!
Until the next chapter,
MissBlackPotter
Next Update
Tuesday (or Wednesday)