A/N) I'm updating early because I'm not sure if I can tomorrow, so a new chapter is better then nothing right?

Important Author Notes

If anyone is interested I've started a Yahoo Group for this story. Come and join and discuss what is going to happen in the future! The invitation is extended to all of you! There are polls available and maybe a few competitions in the future. Anyone interested can find the link in my bio, where homepage is or at the bottom of my Bio. (No one has joined yet so any one is welcome as long as they have a genuine interest in this story!).

The reunion some of you have been waiting for, is now here! Sirius, Remus and James have a little chat…ENJOY!

Chapter Four: Reunion

The words 'James Potter is alive' sent a dozen shock waves through the two Wizards. Neither responded for fear of waking up and discovering it was a dream. Each was waiting for the other to speak. Dumbledore sat quietly, waiting.

Finally Sirius spoke. His voice sounded odd, almost distant. "James can't be…I saw his body. I closed his eyes!" It was unbelievable. No one could come back from the dead. But why would Dumbledore lie?

"Harry wished for this?" Remus asked, finding his voice sounded quite normal, compared to what he was feeling like inside. James was alive….James was safe!

"As I said earlier," Dumbledore explained, "Harry made a wish upon a star. His wish came true. James Potter has been given another chance of life. He is here to aid Harry."

"Where's he now?" whispered Sirius.

"Across the hallway."

Sirius leapt up. "He's here? Right now?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. When James was brought back I felt power surging through Hogwarts. I saw his death and then his re-birthing. Hogwarts knows when a student that once walked through the doors dies. It remembers them all. Likewise, when James was brought back, the Castle showed me where he was. Hogwarts always knows. If I hadn't been at the school at the time, then I would not know. I alerted Professor McGonagall who agreed to keep the Order busy while I fetched James and brought him here. This is the safest place for him, away from any prying eyes."

"What does he know?" Remus breathed.

Dumbledore sighed. "He knows Harry is alive. He knows that the Prophecy is at work. He knows that Lily is dead and can never return like he has done. He knows that you two are alive as well. That is all. Harry will have to tell him what his life has been like, what he has done when he is brought here. Also James will have to be informed of the Ministry's movements against me, and Wormtail." Dumbledore cast a glance in Sirius' direction. "I'm sure I can leave that piece of information up to you."

Sirius' face darkened. "Oh, yeah, James will not be very happy with Peter now, will he? Especially since he is the cause of Lily's death."

"We can't let James go after Peter. James' purpose is Harry, not revenge. He has already made a promise to protect Harry. See to it that he keeps it." Dumbledore urged. "I cannot stress this enough."

Remus' throat was dry. "How do we know this is the real James? How can he not simply be a Death Eater in disguise?"

"With James' looks?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Come on, Moony, if this guy was an imposter, I think Dumbledore would know."

"It's his eyes, and his dedication to his family that tell me he is the real James Potter," Dumbledore said, "he told me what happened on October 31st. I can see in his eyes that he remembers. He even knows what death is like. There is no lie in his eyes. It is James Potter."

James put a hand through his black hair. It hadn't been brushed in ages. Fourteen years. Since Dumbledore had left James' mind had wondered to what Harry's childhood had been like growing up with Sirius. He had always known that his best friend had adored Harry, had always wanted the best for him. A slight smile tugged at James' lips. A memory flashed before his eyes:

"Sirius! Stop doing that!" Lily shouted, as she watched Sirius transform into his Animagus form and then back again. He tossed her a grin and transformed just to annoy her.

Lily flung her hands in the air. "James, tell him its not right for Harry!"

James laughed, his hazel eyes twinkling. Harry sat on the floor in front of Sirius, laughing and watching his godfather with bright, wondrous, green eyes. "Come on, Padfoot, stop it. Lily'll get madder. Trust me. You don't want the dinner burnt. She'll cook it again if it is, just to prove she can cook perfectly every time."

"I heard that James Potter!" Lily replied from the kitchen.

Sirius grinned at James. "She got you there, Prongs. Pity, she has no control over me."

Then Lily's voice rang back out. "Sirius, lay the table for me."

James laughed.

Sirius rolled his eyes and got up from where he sat perched on the floor. Using his wand he conjured knives and forks and plates onto the table. He made a baby-chair for Harry also, who he levitated into it. Harry giggled.

James smirked. "Has no control over you?"

"Shut up, Prongs." Sirius replied.

Lily walked into the room, carrying a bowl of soup. "Dinner's up." She proclaimed.

James sat down and Lily sat next to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, James."

"For what?"

"For annoying Sirius," she turned her gaze on the other Wizard, "And you, can clear up later, while James and I spend quality time with our son."

"Yes mum." Sirius replied, acting the part. James laughed.

The memory ended, and James felt a hand on his cheek. It was his own. Where Lily kissed me. That memory had taken place on James' twenty-first birthday. Harry had not even been a year old then. Now he was fifteen. Had he really missed that much in his son's life?

James swallowed. He really had. Harry was nearly grown up…nearly an adult. If he had survived this long, why had he wanted James now? Why not before? Wasn't Harry's childhood happy with Sirius?

What if he didn't grow up with Sirius? What if something happened that prevented that? James thought.

Before he could answer those questions, the door opened and Albus Dumbledore walked in. Two wizards followed him. James peered over the elderly man's shoulder.

"James," Dumbledore informed him, "I would like you to say hello to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."

Dumbledore stepped aside revealing the two Wizards. James gasped. His two best friends looked utterly different. What had happened to them? Remus looked old, grey streaked his hair, and his eyes looked tired. Probably because of the werewolf thing. When was the last full moon? Sirius, on the other hand, was thinner, paler and the glint that he'd once had in his eyes was gone, replaced by haunted, un-shining eyes. What had happened to Sirius for that to happen?

"I will leave you to talk. I'm sure you've got a lot of things to say." Dumbledore said. "Remus, when you are done, you are needed by Alastor Moody. He will be taking the team to Privet Drive."

Remus nodded understanding, though he hadn't really listened, since his gaze was focused on James. Sitting in front of him was James….Prongs. Dumbledore left, shutting the door.

Silence. No one moved or even dared to make a sound.

Finally Remus broke the quietness, voicing the question that had haunted him since knowing of James' existence, which had only been twenty minutes ago. "How do we know you are James Potter?"

James blinked, understanding that his friends were wary. They were afraid Dumbledore had made a mistake. How could he prove to them that he was who he said he was? And then he knew.

Surprisingly James found his voice was calm: "You are a werewolf, Moony. We confronted you on the twenty-second of November 1972, during our second year. We made a promise to stand together, supporting one another until the end," he swallowed, remembered Peter's betrayal of that trust, "and, who else do we know can transform into a Stag as an Animagus form?"

"I think it's him." Sirius said. "No one else would know the date we spoke to you about the werewolf thing. And no one save me, you, Peter and Lily knew about James being a Stag, up until 1994."

Remus nodded. "Yeah," he smiled and walked forward, grabbing James and hugging him, unbelieving but glad he was there all the same. "It's good to have you back."

"It's nice to see a familiar face." James whispered. He could barely believe it! His friends were alive!

Sirius stepped forward, and gave James a brotherly hug. "Oh god, James, I can't believe it. You're here. Harry will be so pleased."

James looked at him sharply. "I heard that he was not happy? Is this true? Did you not raise him, Padfoot?"

Sirius bowed his head. "No, I didn't."

"Why? Lily and I asked you to raise Harry if anything happened to us!" James shouted. Sirius had promised to raise Harry!

"It's a bit hard to raise a child when you are in Azkaban, James." Sirius replied quietly.

James' mouth fell open. Sirius? Azkaban? "But…?" he couldn't find his voice, "…How? Why?"

"I went after Peter," Sirius explained, regret in his voice, "it was a stupid thing to do. For the first time in that little rat's life he was better then me." he laughed, "Imagine that! Peter! Better then me!"

James looked confused, his mind whirling with questions. "What did he do?"

Sirius snorted. "He framed me for his murder and twelve Muggles."

"Peter murdered twelve Muggles and framed you?" James said, surprised. I never thought he would have the guts to do anything like that…but then he did sell me and Lily to Voldemort. Anger burst through him but he forced it down. Now was not the time to think about Peter.

"Yes," Remus interjected, "Peter cut off his finger and transformed into a rat. He lived as one for twelve years until Sirius escaped from Azkaban and went to hunt him down. Unfortunately Peter escaped before we could take him to the Ministry to overturn Sirius' sentence. He fled…back to Voldemort and helped him return to full strength."

James' face darkened. "That little rat."

James turned his gaze onto his best friend. "So you're not free then?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. I'm still a 'convicted murderer' who is 'insane'. And if I'm captured Cornelius Fudge, our esteemed Minister of Magic has signed the papers to allow the Dementors to give me the Kiss." He folded his arms. "So I'm remaining in hiding until we can catch Peter and prove to Fudge that I am innocent, and that is unlikely to happen."

"I can help." James said.

"How?"

"Well, you weren't our Secret Keeper, so that should help your case."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "As if Fudge is going to care. All he cares about is power. No, James, don't help. Besides who's going to believe a dead man come back to life anyway?"

James shrugged. "It might work."

"Much as it's good to have you back, James, I don't think trying to get Sirius innocent is going to help you. Fudge is against Dumbledore." Remus explained.

"What?"

"He refuses to believe that Voldemort has returned. On the whole, he thinks Harry is a complete and utter loony. They've been printing lies about him in the Daily Prophet all summer."

James paled. "Has Harry faced Voldemort then?"

Sirius nodded. "He did. At the end of June. Harry witnessed Voldemort's return. I can't really say, but it'll be best if you get the whole story from Harry."

James shook his head. Too much information, yet he couldn't believe that his son had faced the Dark Lord and survived, twice.

Remus made a move to rise and James looked at him questionably. Remus answered: "I've got to go and meet Mad-Eye Moody. I'm going on a mission with him."

"Mission?"

"To get Harry. He's coming here James."

"Why can't I go and fetch my son?"

Sirius glared at his friend. James could be incredibly stubborn when it suited his needs. "Because it will shock him. He might think it as some joke…which is what Remus thought when Dumbledore informed us of your re-incarnation."

James growled, but his anger abated. "I need to give what's best for Harry."

"I know. We all do." Sirius laid a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder.

James turned hazel eyes on Sirius. "Who does he live with?"

Sirius hesitated. "I think Harry should tell you. It is not my place to say."

"Damn you, Sirius." James cursed.

"You can see Harry soon. He'll tell you. I promise."

James smiled lightly. "Thank you."

TBC

I'm not sure if the reunion was what you expected. In some stories (that I've read) people tend have them cry and hug, but I just didn't see that happening. I also didn't want James acting insane. And he's not over Lily yet - either. He recovered quickly for the sake of his son, but he isn't truly healed. That will become evident as the story progresses and I start to explore the relationship between Harry and James.

Review Responses:

Thank you's go to the following people: sirius-black-sfan; HarryPotterknowitall; lilypad007; Jb; VladLycan; banks'-gurl-99; jjeeff185; HandsOff; shazia)Riavera; rosiegirl; Pottergirl and Xylia Dark.

IamSiriusgrl: Since Sirius hasn't been around for Harry (being on the run and all) and Remus wouldn't be allowed to take care of him (because of his condition) I don't think Harry would consider them as father-figures in a way, though he does rely on them a lot. Thanks for your review.

angelicmayuka: Did you like the memory? There is more to come but I'm not sure when though. James hasn't got over Lily's death: not by a long shot, he's just accepted it for the sake of Harry. I hope you liked this chapter!

Icy Tears: If Lily was brought back the protection on Harry would be lifted.

magicgirl45852: Sorry for not mentioning you. I hope you liked the reunion. I wasn't too sure on that.

sportsnightnut: Thank you for saying this story has become my own through the edition of James. I'm hoping to go through all of OotP and if HBP has been released I plan to go through that book as well, though I does depend if I change the ending to OotP. Thank you for the review!

Siriusly Sirius Lily Black: I will read your fic when I can. And I'll leave a review. I'll be away for a few days so I won't be able to read your fic, but I promise to do so. If you haven't got a review by next Wednesday, remind me and I'll go and review. Thank you for your comments!

maya100: Harry isn't at Grimmauld Place yet so he doesn't know yet. He finds out next chapter and meets James in the following one after that. Thanks for reading!

HarrysGrrl: Thank you for adding me to your favourites and author alert list! I feel honoured to be considered to be put onto any favourite; author; or author alert lists at all by anyone!

SeriousSiriusFan: As is evident in this chapter, Sirius and Remus didn't believe Dumbledore at first (though they didn't get mad or angry) but they do know he has good reasons for telling them in the first place. And I am working on the solutions for the end of the story. I don't want to kill off Sirius, but it might happen because of the way I want the story to go. It will also depend on how many people want him to remain in the story after fifth year. So…we'll just have to see where I take the story. Don't worry there will be loads of Sirius in the story (more then in OotP). Thank you for the wonderful review!

Lady Taliesin: I have read Charmed Curses and I find it very complex to understand, but after reading a few times I finally understand what is happening to James. I didn't want James to have a big breakdown because that, in a way, detracts from the promise he made to protect his wife and son. If he broke down then he wouldn't be quite the strong person that he is. I hope you liked the reunion between the three friends. I'm not sure if I wrote that well. Thanks for reading and giving me wonderful reviews to comment on.

littlewolf-moony: Yes, this chapter is all the reunion. James really needed to let his anger out, so he basically did what Harry did at the end of OotP. Unfortunately the next chapter, James goes to the Ministry to meet Fudge. That chapter has been fun to write…and yes Lily is dead and gone. Sorry.

Silverspecter: I hope this makes you feel special again. I hope you liked Sirius and Remus' reactions! Thank you for the review!

Lilypad007: The difference between father and father-figure is that a father-figure is someone you look up to as a father (i.e for Harry would be Sirius or Remus) and receives advice and things. Basically the father-figure is someone who acts like a father but isn't. A father is well all of those things but your real father, if you get what I mean. I really didn't explain that very well…

Next chapter is entitled: The Order of the Phoenix: in which James is revealed twice, and includes Fudge, Veritaserum and Harry.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

MissBlackPotter