Please read the BAD NEWS at the end of the review responses at the end of the chapter! Thank you!

Disclaimer:I do not own the dialogue between Harry and Ron, nor do I own the newspaper cutting or Percy's letter.

Prongs Rides Again

Chapter Fifteen: A Few Talks

It was Thursday evening when James had the next chance to speak to his son. Though he was on patrol duty usually on a Tuesday, McGonagall had asked him to help Severus Snape patrol the castle on a Thursday night. James had no qualms with this. No matter how much he hated Severus, he had to learn to work with him, and doing this would be one step towards achieving that goal. Severus had kept well away from James since the start of the year, but no insults had, thankfully, come from Snape's mouth. It pleased James that he could work in this atmosphere.

Though it was only four days since he had returned to Hogwarts, James already found himself to be a mixture of wonder and fear for the students. The Gryffindors were pleasant towards him while the Slytherins chuckled and ignored him whenever they could - especially the fifth, sixth and seventh years. The students below those years in Slytherin House were far more pleasant. The Hufflepuff's were kind to him, and did not mention anything about death to him, whilst the Ravenclaw's took the opportunity to question him at every turn.

He didn't mind the curiosity: it just got frustrating, especially when different students asked the same questions over and over. At least, in some way, it kept his mind off of Lily.

James strolled down the corridor, hands in the pockets of his robes. He wished Sirius could be patrolling with him, yet, his friend had not been allowed tonight, mainly because Umbridge was on the prowl. He had a nasty feeling that the witch had an idea who the dog might be and didn't want to endanger his friend anymore then he already did. As long as he was locked up in his quarters, Sirius would be safe from Umbridge's prowling.

"Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?"

James stopped and listened. Two very careless people were talking in the corridors, after hours.

Then came Harry's stuttering voice, and James grinned. He would have to tell of his own son!

"It's just a cut - it's nothing - it's -"

James stepped into their line of vision. "It's what Harry?" his eyes full of concern, noticing the other boy - Ron - holding Harry's outstretched hand and was examining it. James was about to ask why Ron was looking at Harry's arm, when his hazel eyes caught the words I must not tell lies etched into his son's hand. Little, dried droplets of blood accompanied the scar, but James knew who had done that: there was no doubt in his mind.

Umbridge.

He grasped Harry's hand from Ron and examined it himself, his eyes growing rounder and angrier as he took in the injury that one of his colleagues had placed on his son. Carefully he ran a finger over the cut, gently, hoping that it wouldn't hurt Harry, but his son jerked as if a thousand needles had pressed against his skin. James quickly moved his hand away, fearful of causing more pain if he continued with the massage.

"Tell me," James whispered, "what has she been doing to you in detention?"

Harry hesitated before replying. What would his father do? Swallowing his pride, Harry told James the truth. "I've been writing lines…but each time I write the words 'I must not tell lies', they carve into my skin, but it heals up straight away…" Harry bit his lip, "but continued use of it, obviously causes more harm then good."

James scowled. "How could she….that evil bitch! If only I could get my hands on her…."

Harry touched his father's arm. "Don't dad. Please. I know what she's done is bad but if you hurt her then you'll be sent away. I won't be able to see you again, not for a long time, and it's quite nice to come and talk to you about my problems."

His anger was abating. Who would've thought that Harry would be able to do that? Not many people had the ability to cool James down once he was in a temper. Only Sirius, Remus and Lily had ever mastered that.

He smiled lightly. "All right, Harry, I won't complain, but if she does anything like that to you again, I will be having words with her. What she does is illegal. She shouldn't be able to get away with it!"

"I'll be fine." Harry countered.

"Go off to bed before someone else catches you." James said, "I'll let you off this time."

Harry grinned and jogged off with Ron.

Instead of heading back to his quarters, James decided to speak to the headmaster. Dumbledore had to be aware what Umbridge was doing. He may not be able to anything, but knowing should be enough. It would at least satisfy James' need for vengeance. Maybe the Weasley twins would come in handy.

He finally reached Dumbledore's office. He said the password "Orange drops" and stepped onto the steps as they began to move upwards, until they stopped and he was facing the headmaster's door. He knocked politely and waited.

"Come in." the headmaster called.

James stepped into the office. "Headmaster."

"James." Dumbledore acknowledged. "Please sit down."

He sat, his eyes boring into the elder wizards.

"What is it, James?"

He sighed. "I just spoke to Harry. He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower after detention with Umbridge. I saw what she was doing to him."

"And what was that?" the headmaster asked, clearly baffled. "I was under the impression she makes students write lines."

"Ha!" James laughed out loud, his anger clearly evident. "That's what she does do, but when they write the words on paper, the words are also etched into the back of his hand! That's illegal! She shouldn't be able to do that!"

Dumbledore sighed. "I wish I could do something about it, but if I do, Dolores Umbridge will complain to Fudge, and it's possible he could get me arrested. I'm truly sorry, James, that I can't be of more use."

"It's all right. It's just…I thought you'd be able to do something."

"I need to remain here. Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge are looking for ways to show the world what a crackpot old fool I am. I am not about to fall into their trap."

James nodded. "Thanks, anyway, Professor."

"You have a chance to look out for Harry more then I do. Look after him from afar. Neither Umbridge or Cornelius can arrest you for looking out for your son." Dumbledore explained, clasping his hands together.

James stood, nodded once and stepped out of the office, heading back to his quarters. He was still angry but with the Ministry being run by an incompetent fool, it would be stupid of him to challenge it, especially as he didn't know who would be on his side and on the Minister's.

Sighing, he forced all thoughts from his mind. He would help Harry in any ways he could, but he would have to be careful not to cross the path of Umbridge.

Reaching his rooms, James noticed that Sirius was sleeping in his dog basket, and quietly he crossed the rooms and fell onto his bed, falling instantly asleep.

"This week has been challenging." James sighed as he sat down. "Now I can relax."

Sirius laughed. "Come on, Prongs! You've only been teaching for a week!"

"I've never done anything like this before." James answered. He had not told Sirius about Harry's hand, wanting to keep it quiet.

"What's been challenging this week that has you in a mood?" Sirius asked.

James shook his head. "Nothing that you should know."

"If it's about Harry, I should know. I am after all his Godfather." Sirius answered.

"Just because you are his Godfather doesn't mean I should tell you everything about him."

"You used to."

James laughed. "I might've done when he was a baby, but not anymore. If Harry doesn't want other people to know other then me, I will honour that. Don't hold it against me Padfoot, but as his father, I should judge what you know about him."

"Fine." Sirius scowled. He hated it when James kept secrets from him. In fact, it was frustrating.

"So what are you doing today, Padfoot?" James asked, grinning, brushing a hand through his hair.

"Well, it's Saturday. I was thinking of taking a trip to Hogsmeade." Sirius answered. "I've been cooped up in this room most of the time. I think I need to get out."

"I suppose I should take you for a walk." James murmured. "After all you'll become unhealthy if you don't exercise."

"Shut up, Prongs. I don't need you to baby-sit me."

Cheekily James added: "I would have to come with you as Umbridge will be looking for a way to trap me. If she sees you wondering off on your own then she'll suspect something. I've got to at least escort you to Hogsmeade to make it look like you are my pet."

"I really hate it when you're in this good mood." Sirius finished.

Harry came to visit him that afternoon. In the middle of marking papers, James was at first annoyed, but then pleased to discover that it was his son who was disturbing him. James had taken Sirius for a walk that morning and now his friend was sitting in the armchair reading the Daily Prophet, which James had bought in Hogsmeade.

"What's up Harry?" James questioned, seeing his son's face.

"I'm wondering…is Professor Umbridge a Death Eater?"

James' eyebrows rose. "What made you think that?"

Harry shrugged.

"Tell me, or I can't help you."

"When I was in detention last night, my scar hurt when she touched me, looking at my hand. I thought maybe if she worked for Voldemort."

James grimaced. "She's not a Death Eater. Dumbledore would know and she'd probably be far more ruthless in her teaching and detentions if she was a Death Eater. Sorry, Harry."

His son nodded, obviously hoping that he was right about the Defence professor. "Thanks, dad. I'd better get back to my homework."

"See you later." James said, waving good-bye.

"Bye Snuffles." Harry grinned, exiting the room.

Sirius nodded. Once his godson had gone, Sirius turned to James and fixed him with a steely stare. "Tell me, Prongs, what that Umbridge woman has done to Harry."

James sighed. Sirius wouldn't let it go. "Just promise me you won't go mad and curse people."

"Fine, I promise."

James told his friend about Umbridge's detentions. At the end, Sirius wore a dark look, however he said: "She'll get her come uppence eventually, and I'm hoping I'll be there to see it."

James just laughed aloud. "You would think that, wouldn't you?"

"Are you really that…Bloody hell!" Sirius said, his eyes widening as he read an article in the Daily Prophet.

"What?" James asked, crossing the room to pear over his friend's shoulder.

"Read this:

BLACK SIGHTED!

"The Ministry of Magic has received a top-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murder who escaped from Azkaban two years ago and has been on the run ever since, has been sighted near Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

James narrowed his eyes. "How can they know you're here?"

"No one's seen me."

"Except in Animagus form," James replied and then his mind clicked. "MALFOY!"

Sirius looked at him quizzically. "Malfoy?"

James nodded. "Definitely. He must know that you are an Animagus."

"I doubt he would know. He's just a kid!"

"I'm talking about his father. Lucius Malfoy," James said, "he's a Death Eater. Wormtail is a Death Eater. He's most likely told Voldemort that you are an Animagus, which means that Draco Malfoy might know."

Sirius growled under his breath, displeasure evident by his tone. "That little rat." He ran a hand over his face. "Do you think I should leave?"

James shook his head. "No. If you left then Umbridge or some Slytherins might guess who you are and then I'll get in trouble. Just try and act like a normal dog, and hopefully this will pass."

Sirius sighed. "I hope so. I don't want Dumbledore sending me back to Grimmauld Place."

"He won't if we're careful." James answered, tapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Let's just forget about this for now. I don't want to think about going back."

James sat back down at his desk, picking up a quill and shuffled his papers looking for something to do. Sirius continued reading the Daily Prophet.

The following day was a Sunday. James had marked all of the work he had received from his students. That morning Harry came to his rooms again, his face grim. Something was troubling him. Sirius had been sleeping when his Godson had arrived but he had quickly transformed back into his human form.

"What's bothering you, Harry?" James asked.

"This letter." Harry held a piece of parchment written in tiny, minuscule handwriting. "It's from Percy, Ron's older brother who works at the Ministry with Fudge. He's sort of become an outcast of the Weasleys because he doesn't believe that Voldemort is back. He sent this last night, but I want you to read it. Ron was outraged that Percy would dare writing to him."

"And he agreed I could read it?" James questioned, giving Harry a curious look.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. It was Ron's idea."

Reaching out, the elder Potter took the parchment and read it through, his hazel eyes blazed as he read what was written on the parchment:

Dear Ron,

I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister for Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect.

I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the 'Fred and George' route -

Here James burst out laughing. "Does the Fred and George route mean playing Pranks all the time? and causing general havoc?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Ron was offended by that as well.

James continued to read the letter:

- rather then following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility.

But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully, you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and awkward questions.

From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternisation with that boy. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this - no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favourite - but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different - and probably more accurate - view of Potter's behaviour. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing - and see if you can spot yours truly!

Seriously, Ron, you do want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking about life after school, too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality, -

"There was no PROOF that Harry had done anything wrong!" James exclaimed.

- if you ask me (which I don't want to, James thought), and many of the people I've spoke to remain convinced of his guilt.

It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter - I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violent - but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behaviour that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a truly delightful woman (James laughed aloud, hardly daring to believe that Umbridge was anything but delightful) who I know will be only too happy to advise you.

This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that, so far, Professor Umbridge is encountering very litter co-operation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week - again, see the Daily Prophet tomorrow!). I shall say only this - a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well-placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years!

I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticise our parents, but I am afraid I can longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore. (If you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders.) I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people - the Minister really could not be more gracious to me - and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions, either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realise how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology (I don think that day would ever come, James thought) when that day comes.

Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming a prefect.

Your brother,

Percy

James handed the letter back to Harry, anger evident in his eyes. To insult Harry, was to insult his parents. Percy had not realised it, but by writing to Ron about Harry, he was insulting Lily by admitting that Harry was a liar. James had rarely lied in his life only when he absolutely had to hide things from others, and Lily, well, James had never heard of her lying either. If Harry had ever lied he had not got that trait from his father or mother.

"I just can't believe it," James muttered.

"What's it say?" Sirius asked, amused by his friend's facial expression.

Harry handed him the letter. Sirius read it through quickly and once he had done so he glanced at James and nodded his agreement to James' unvoiced thoughts.

James put his head in his hands, scrunching up his messy fringe with his fingers. "I can't see how people can believe that Harry could be a nutcase. Those who knew us would know that. Implying that you are like that, son, is saying that Lily and I was liars and insane people. But we're not. Lily wasn't. If she could be here now to see this, I don't know what she'd say. "

"I think," Harry began, "Mum would be proud of how well you're standing up, and continuing with your life. You're fighting against the evil in this world, and yes, he killed her, but you're not driven by revenge to hunt him down, are you?"

James shook his head. "No."

"Then that proves you are not insane or mentally unstable. You may want revenge but I'm more important to you then your own needs. If people are willing to look at you that way, then they should see you as one of them, and if you have confidence in me, then the rest of the Wizarding World will believe in me." Harry explained.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks kiddo." James said. "It's just making them see it, is the problem. One day the others will see it and will beg you for your forgiveness. I just wish people would open their eyes before this war gets any worse."

"So do I?" Sirius agreed.

They sat in silence.

"Severus!" James called, "A quick word!"

The Potions Master turned his head, and a look of contempt crossed his features but he halted so that James could catch up. "What is it, James?"

"I was just wondering if it was possible anyone could work out about Snuffles?" James lowered his voice so that passing students couldn't hear their conversation.

Snape scowled, obviously agitated that he had to be talking about the one person he loathed. "It is if they are smart."

James grimaced. "There was an article in the Daily Prophet about him being seen near here, and I thought that possibly Malfoy might know because of his father."

"It's possible." Snape said. "If that is the case then make him act like a normal dog or his cover will be blown."

"I already warned him. He says he'll be more careful in future." James trailed off, his eyes becoming distant. "I just wish that little rat would show himself."

"Maybe that wish will come true," Snape added, "After all, it did for your son."

James rolled his eyes. He chose to ignore that comment. "Look, thanks for your help, but if you hear anything can you tell me?"

"I will."

"Thank you." James said and started to walk off, then he turned back and said, "I was wrong about you all those years ago. You are a decent person."

Snape couldn't help smiling.

TBC

I'm not entirely sure Snape would smile, but, after all James is being kind to him and hasn't hexed him yet, I mean he's got to smile at some point, right?

Thank you's go to the following: Lunatic Pandora1; HarryPotterknoitall; IamSiriusgrl; Elanore de Lioncourt; HarrysGrrl; Pure Black; Padfoot's Sidekick; dweem-angel; queen-of-monkey-magic; Dracis Tran (they're may be more reactions coming up!); bandgsecurtiyaw; squiddie03; Crazy-Physco; ambereyes2873 (I hope this chapter answered some of your questions!); Kim Kotchanski; amrawo; Shania Maxwell; maya100; Supernova8610; Eric2; PrincessSkywalkerOrgana; emuerz; Barbossa'sApples; Red-head attack; Smorefan; Xylia Dark; zippyfox; luna-rocker and Inumaru12.

Loonie Potter: At the moment I have planned out thirty-six chapters leading up to the end of the fifth book, but as I am planning on continuing this story in the sixth book, I estimate around sixty chapters, but I really don't know how many chapters I will end up writing.

magicgirl45852: I have no idea when Remus will be coming back in, as I am focusing more on the relationship between James and Harry. He will come in later, later on. Hopefully once I get to Christmas and then Summer (again) Remus will feature a lot.

angelicmayuka: Draco was just testing his limits on James. He was seeing how far he could go before James lost his temper. The twigs that James taught were actually taught by Professor Grubbly-Plank to the fifth years in the fifth book before Hagrid returned which is why I used them. I haven't thought more about the prank yet, but if it does come about it will occur around chapter twenty. The memories will feature next chapter and they will focus mostly on James and Lily and baby Harry. Thank you for your kind words. I hope you liked this chapter!

LiLaZnGrLy: Don't worry about the lost review. Whoa, your Chinese? We've got one Chinese girl at my school, and she's really nice, but very quiet. She was a transfer student and I think she's a bit overwhelmed with the english school I go to. Oh, please send my condolences onto your friends and hope they get better soon. Not more grammer mistakes! I don't mind, but I read through the chapters several times before posting. I suppose mistakes do escape me. About the bowtruckles, wouldn't you say that Wood lice and fairy eggs are insects? Because that is why I wrote insects instead of the names. It would be nice for Neville to get something right for once. The sentence 'James raised his eyebrows, unbelieving' is in fact correct because that is how I have been taught at school by my english teacher. Since I'm english I have a different view on the english/grammar language then Americans do. Those scenes were really funny. I liked all of them. Good job! I hope you liked this chapter!

Lady Taliesin: Bad luck that you've been busy. So have I. I haven't even completed the next chapter yet! (which is what the bad news is all about below this response). And you are not going insane, if you did, then your reviews would be full of insaneness and they are not, so you are not insane (and I hope you don't go insane because of your busy life). Yes, the plot information is still open for you. I'll gladly share anything with you, as long as its possible. There are some aspects of the story that I want to keep hidden from everyone (no offense) but then it wouldn't be that fun, really. Whenever you get an e-mail address, I'll be waiting to answer any questions you may have. How long do you get spring break for? I'm on Easter holidays now and I have nearly three weeks before I go back to school for the summer term until July. Dumbledore did set up James' lesson for him, but he was using James' lesson plans - hope that makes sense. Honestly some teenagers are tactless - I used to be the same way - though I'm not anymore. I think if James set Snuffles on Malfoy, he would find a way to get him killed for being a ferocious dog or something. O-o-o-okay that latest bit of insaneness was very strange, but quite funny, once I'd read through it a few more times. Bowtruckles eat fairy wings and wood lice but I just put insects so Neville could get something right for change. Yeah…I think James was a bit out of character with Harry in that little talk. He's just very concerned about him so he's acting not himself but in a protective manner. Don't worry, James will start beginning to wind down after a bit. He's just nervous he'll ruin his chances of passing his almighty knowledge onto the students. Prongs bashing review. Heh..heh…I don't think you've ever done that. Hopefully that won't happen very often. Thank you for your wonderful review! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!

BAD NEWS - please read

As you readers all know, I update on Wednesdays and Saturdays, however due to circumstances I will only be able to update once a week from now on. Therefore I will update every Saturday or Sunday depending on how busy I am. At the moment I do not even have the next chapter ready for posting: it's not even seen the first draft! I like to be ahead in my chapters - by at least five chapters - however instead of depriving my readers of chapters, I have decided to limit the many chapters you get a week. As the summer comes in, I am being faced with exams and lots of dead-lines and I need more time then I do to do work. However on the off chance, I might be able to get two chapters out a week if I can, however it seems unlikely until the end of July when I break up from school. If I do fail to post a chapter at the weekends then I will try to update during one of the days in the week.

It is now Easter holidays here in the UK, but I am very busy so that is why there will be an update every weekend from now on, until the end of the school year. I hope you can all understand and will stick by me.

Thank you for all the support so far,

MissBlackPotter

Next Chapter is entitled: Umbridge's Plot, in which James drinks a potion and Umbridge receives the shock of a lifetime! Coming next weekend!