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A/N) This chapter is much longer then my last few! We're now getting to the end of OOTP, and I estimate about another three-four chapters left. Please read my AUTHOR'S NOTE at the end of this chapter as it is IMPORTANT! Thanks!
Prongs Rides Again
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Getting to know the father
By the following day another Ministry Decree had been put up all over Hogwarts. This one was proclaiming that 'Dolores Jane Umbridge has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'.
Where ever he went James found that the students were constantly talking about Dumbledore's departure. They knew that Marietta had been there but she had been sequestered away from the students and kept in the hospital wing. James was the only one who knew what had happened, however no one approached him, because of his position of Professor.
Speculation went round the school. Ernie MacMillan believed that Dumbledore would return, but that was only because he was remembering the time when their had been attacks at the school regarding the Chamber of Secrets.
However James had to disagree with this. He did not think Fudge would allow Dumbledore to return.
Another thing that annoyed him no end was the fact that Umbridge had created the Inquisitorial Squad, who were hand picked students by the headmistress who were loyal to the Ministry's cause. Most of the Slytherins had been picked, and they were using their unlimited powers to deduct points from other houses and giving them their points instead.
He found it rather unorthodox but when he stumbled upon Malfoy taking points from Harry and his friends, James forbid him to do so, and Malfoy just gave him a smirk.
It turned out he had run to Umbridge who called James to her office and explained to him her 'noble' reasons for choosing those students for the Inquisitorial Squad. He had left the Office annoyed, but he had decided to be a good little boy and see where that got him. With Umbridge in charge, it was a lot more difficult to keep his temper, since her rules were silly and had no contribution to the running of the school. Even James felt like rebelling against her.
He did not realise that things would change drastically in the next few weeks that would change his life forever.
A soft knock at his door echoed through his office. James glanced up from marking a set of Sixth Year work, and waved his wand, opening the door. Harry stood in the entrance, his face set.
"What she done now?" James asked, as his son stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He could guess that something had happened that meant Umbridge had got on his sons nerves - again.
Harry sighed, sitting in a chair. Sirius was sleeping in the other room, completely unaware of his godson's presence. "I was just in the headmistress's office. She asked me where Dumbledore is and…" he swallowed, "where Sirius is. I think she put Veritaserum in my cup of tea. I only pretended to drink it so I didn't reveal anything."
"That bitch, doing that, poking her nose into other people's business…" James muttered, "but why question you where Dumbledore has gone? Heck, even I don't know where he is."
"Perhaps she believes you do know where he is, and since I am your son, she may think that you will tell me these things. Perhaps she think I'm silly enough to trust her." Harry explained.
James nodded. "I see what you mean. We're going to have to be careful. I'm seriously considering sending Sirius back to headquarters, just in case Umbridge realises who he is. Though I doubt she has the brains to figure it out, I feel that by a stroke of bad luck she may just work it out…and with the Inquisitorial Squad breathing down our necks…there's a bigger risk involved."
Harry stood up. "We'll get through this, dad, I know we will."
James grinned. "Of course we will. After all what Potter won't?"
Most of the students at Hogwarts tried to remain on Umbridge's good side. However Fred and George Weasley were an entirely different matter. Ever since Dumbledore had left the twins had been playing pranks round the school making Umbridge's job harder then before. She was constantly running from class to class trying to stop the pranks but whatever she did only add more chaos to the problem.
She could not even identify who was behind it all either. She was feeling quite stressed, but the pranks played made the students forget about what happened and have fun for once.
Even the teachers found it rather amusing especially those who were loyal to Dumbledore. None of them liked the idea of Umbridge heading the school, but they had no choice.
James, had in fact, been rather shocked when he had found a set of Fillibuster Fireworks going off in his classroom that at first he had thought the Castle under attack. It was not until Harry came along minutes later that he realised that it was a Prank. Frankly both he and Sirius were surprised none of them had recognised the potential of a Prank. Even James admitted that being dead had had its disadvantages.
The afternoon that happened, none of the teachers got any work done. The twins had done a very good job in planning the Prank in order to keep the headmistress on her toes. It was a sight to see her rushing from one place to the next trying desperately to get rid of the fireworks, but failing miserably.
Even though James could guess that Umbridge would make sure everyone paid for this.
With Umbridge running Hogwarts and the twins causing trouble, the school was rarely the same, and James soon found himself wondering if teaching at Hogwarts was truly worth it. But the Gryffindor in him refused to give in, and he remained, but only to show his loyalty to Hogwarts and his son. Even if no one believed in him.
A few days later Harry came to his office, feeling conflicted and confused, and he barely talked, causing James to worry about his son's state of health. He at last managed to persuade Harry to tell him what was on his mind.
"I saw a memory of Snape's in the Pensieve." Harry mumbled.
"What's so bad about that?" James asked, remembering all the times he had tormented Snape.
Harry sighed. "You were there, hurting him emotionally. You wouldn't stop. Mum hated you."
"Nah, she didn't." James shook his head. "Lily wanted me to be a better person. I didn't see that until I became Head-boy. It was then that I grew up, and Lily accepted me. I learnt to be a better person and that impressed your mother then any other spell or hex I could throw at Snape."
"You bullied people to impress mum?"
James nodded. "Yeah. I was young and naïve. I had no idea how to attract your mother to me. I thought if I could show her what I could do she would fall in love with me. I was wrong. It was not my ability to do magic that she fell for, but for who I was as a person inside. She hated the bullying, toerag James Potter, but she loved the kind-hearted, fun-loving, carefree, careful James Potter. That was the person I kept hidden all these years from her because I felt that wasn't good enough for her."
"I guess Sirius was right then." Harry replied.
"What did he say?"
"Well, in the memory I saw he made a comment that mum thought you were conceited. He was right. You thought too much of yourself, but you also thought too little of yourself as well. I'm glad mum saw the good in you."
James grinned, reached forward and ruffled his son's hair. "Thanks kiddo."
"DAD!" Harry shouted, trying to move away from James' grip, but failing miserable.
Harry lay in bed thinking of his father. James had told him that his behaviour had been linked to his love for Lily, but it still bothered him how James had found it fun to even torment Snape. Both of his parents had been good people, but even they had their bad points. James, Harry had discovered, had been very popular, and that popularity had led him to being a conceited git for most of his years at Hogwarts.
How did he become Head-boy? Harry wondered.
He found it hard to believe that his father, once the most conceited boy at Hogwarts, had actually become Head-boy and settled down. But then the position of Head-boy was a very privilege place. He figured Dumbledore must've had faith in James in order to have given him that amount of responsibility, and doing so had changed his father forever.
If he hadn't been Head-boy, Harry might never have been born, and his mother would never have got to have known the real James Potter. His mind drifted, wondering what life for Lily and James could've been like if James had never been Head-boy.
Many possibilities passed through his head, and gradually Harry Potter fell asleep, content that his father was here for him, and that he would never go away.
That he would never change.
"I need some Career Advice." Harry said, stepping into his father's office.
"What kind of advice?" James asked cautiously.
"I want to know about the Aurors. Everything you know. I'm considering working to be an Auror when I leave." Harry continued.
James' face lit up. "That's brilliant! That makes you the fifth Potter to be an Auror! The Potter's were one of the most famous Auror's of the past."
"Really? No one's never told me that before."
James shrugged. "Maybe the opportunity never arose."
"I imagine so." Harry agreed. "So what can you tell me?"
"Better yet," James said, walking to hi cupboard, "I can show you."
"Show me?"
"Yes, my pensieve. Let me take you back, Harry, to meet your grandparents in my memories. My mother and father, as well as my grandfather were Aurors." James placed the Pensieve on the table, and glanced at Harry. "That's only if you want to."
"You don't need to ask, dad." Harry grinned.
"Then step up." Commanded James. Raising his wand, he placed it at the side of his head and pulled out memories, dipping them into the Pensieve. Once he was done, he told Harry to fall into the Pensieve, and he watched as his son disappeared. James followed.
Harry landed on the floor of a house. A red and gold carpet covered the floor. James landed beside him. "Welcome home." He said.
"Where are we?" Harry asked.
"The ancestral home of the Potters." James explained. "Unfortunately it was destroyed by Voldemort. This would've been where you could've been brought up, if we hadn't had to go into hiding."
"Oh…" Harry trailed off, as a small, black-haired toddler came rushing forward. Hazel eyes sparkled as the little boy ran. Jet black hair fell in front of the child's face.
"DADDY!" he squealed.
It was then that Harry noticed the arrival of another man, who had short black hair, blue eyes and a black beard. He looked a lot like James, save that his face had more lines, and his chin more prominent. The man fell to his knees and scooped up the running child.
"How's my little Jamesie?" the man asked.
"Ma names not Jamesie!" the boy shouted. "James!"
"Yes, that's right." The man said, grinning, and holding the small boy.
It dawned on Harry. That little boy was his father, probably about three years old, and the man had to be his grandfather.
A young woman walked into the hall, smiling. Her face was young, and hazel eyes shone, her hair was blonde. "How was your day at the office?"
"Interesting. A lot of strange attacks are beginning to happen to muggles."
"At least James is safe." The woman said, reaching forward and plucking the boy from his father's arms.
There was a small beeping noise and Harry's grandfather brought out his watch. It was magical, because he immediately he looked worried. "There's trouble at the Ministry. I should go." He turned to leave.
"Can I come, daddy?" James asked, hanging onto his mother.
"No, son, I'm afraid you can't. Auror business."
"I wanna be an Auror!" James began to cry.
"You will someday." His father said and then he apparated. The little boy burst into tears.
"Come on, lets take you upstairs."
Harry watched as his grandmother took his three year old father up to the next floor. He turned to look at James. "You remember that?"
"Yeah. It's one of my earliest memories. From a very young age I always wanted to be an Auror. It ran in the family, I guess. Dad was very powerful. He was exceptionally, talented Wizard. He was like me at school, always getting into trouble, but he and mum fell in love in second year. They were a couple from twelve years old. I was there only child, because both were Aurors. Mum looked after me for eleven years before she went back to work. When I came home from Hogwarts at the holidays she was allowed leave. Both of your grandparents were brilliant wizards. I just wish you had gotten to know them."
James sighed, "Come, let me show you something else."
The scene began to change, and Harry felt himself moving from one memory to another, his stomach flipping as it did so. He closed his eyes waiting for the dizziness to pass. Finally when his feet slammed into the ground, Harry risked a glance.
His father was beside him.
"Where are we now?" Harry asked.
James frowned. "The day my grandparents were murdered." He said.
They were no longer in the Potter Mansion, instead they were in a small house, that looked homely. Harry guessed they were in the sitting room. Seven people sat in the room, chatting together. On the other side of a room, a young boy was playing with a magical train set, laughing.
"I'm nine years old." James said. "I remember this so vividly. I want to show you how dangerous it is growing up with parents as Aurors."
"Right." Harry nodded. "Who are the other people?"
James pointed out his parents. Then he pointed to a young girl with blonde hair, who looked exactly like his mother. "That's my older sister, Maria. She's sixteen. Next to her is my grandfather and mother, and next to my dad is his brother and his wife."
Harry watched the scene play out, realising that he was about to witness the death of his grandparents. Within minutes, there was a loud blast, and the wall collapsed. Hooded people stepped into the wreckage. Nine-year old James was crying, tears falling down his cheeks, as his terror overcame him.
His mother, Natalie, rushed forward, plucking James from the wreckage. The hooded people advanced, raising their wands.
"Natalie! Harold! Get James out of here!" Harry heard his grandfather shout.
Harry watched as his grandparents and his father made a break for escape, but was cut off by an Apparating Death Eater, who pointed his wand at the boy.
"Don't move, or your son will suffer!" Natalie stopped, clutching James to her body, as much as she could to protect him.
James was still crying.
There was a scream, and Natalie turned as the killing curse hit her husband's father's chest, killing him instantly.
"Granddad!" James called. He was old enough to understand about the killing curse, but he had never seen anyone be killed before. Shock registered through James.
Harry felt his heart pull inside him, as he watched his great-grandfather fall, followed minutes later by his great-grandmother. Then the two other people who had been in the room were murdered ruthlessly, leaving just Harold, Natalie and James Potter alive.
The hooded figures lowered their wands.
Harold spoke up, his voice trying not to tremor. "What do you want with us?"
"Join our lord, and you will be given rewards beyond your wildest dreams. Disobey, and you'll end up like your parents."
Harold gritted his teeth. "No. We Potters stick together. We will never fight for your lord. Leave now."
The hooded figure just nodded his head. "We'll be back for you, Harold Potter. In the meantime you'd better make sure your brat is safe." He laughed cruelly, and then with his companions apparated away, leaving the three remaining Potters to survive the carnage that they had brought upon themselves by opposing the Dark Lord.
Harry had watched this scene. His father had witnessed the death of all those people who he loved. How could he live with that?
"That was one of the major factors as to why I decided to become an Auror." James said.
"Did they ever come back for you?" Harry questioned.
James shook his head. "No. They couldn't find us. Dad used the Fidelius Charm to hide us, and he was the Secret Keeper. The charm was only for protection during my school years. We put wards, everything up at the Potter Mansion, to keep me protected. My parents didn't want to risk my life. I had no clue about this or why we were so well protected until that incident. Mum explained a few things to me then, so that I could understand that some people must resort to these measures in order to keep themselves safe."
"Your parents really loved you, didn't they?"
James smiled sadly. "Yeah, they did. They would've loved you. It was a shame that they never lived to see you."
"How'd they die?"
"I'll show you. I was there." James answered, closing his eyes and calling the memory forward.
Harry felt himself being propelled through memories until they stopped. They were back in the Potter Mansion, but it was a complete wreck. The walls had fallen down, furniture overturned and smoke filled the air.
James led Harry through the remaining wreckage till they came to the sitting room. Laying on the floor was the burnt, mangled bodies of Harold and Natalie Potter. They were smoking, and blood dripped round them in a puddle. In this room also stood three people: James, Sirius and Lily.
"I'm eighteen." James murmured to Harry.
As Harry watched, he saw his father break down, crying. He rested his head Sirius' shoulder. "Why did this happen to me? Why my parents?"
"I don't know Prongs." Sirius whispered.
Lily stepped round and hugged her husband, rubbing his shoulders. "What are you going to do?"
James looked up and stared at the bodies of his parents. "I'm going to do what my father always wanted me to do. Be an Auror. First things first, I'm starting training tomorrow. It's the least I can do to honour their wishes. If I can do this, I will die knowing that I have made my father proud. He always wanted me to be an Auror, but I wasn't sure about signing up after leaving Hogwarts…but now," James sniffed, "now I know I want to do this. I want to save people and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"So that changed your decision about your career?" Harry said.
"Yes. My parents had always wanted me to be an Auror. I decided I had to honour that. As a kid I always said I'd be an Auror, my dad was surprised when I said Dumbledore had offered me a position as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I took it as I wasn't sure being an Auror was right for me. Whenever I was in battle with Death Eaters I always remember this incident, because it was my parents death that changed my future."
"And it set yours in motion." James finished.
Harry nodded solemnly. "I still believe Auror is the career for me even if I have to be fighting dark wizards for the rest of my life. It's something I'm good at. Thanks dad for showing me. At least I know what danger my family might be in if I do take up being an Auror."
"It's a tough life kid, but I'm sure we'll manage." James smiled, ruffling Harry's hair. "Come on, lets get out of this memory and explore."
Father and Son spent the next few hours going through James' memories, seeing some memorable incidents in James' past. It gave Harry the chance to view his father for who he was and what had influenced him in his decisions to hate Slytherins at Hogwarts.
He found that the Potter's had had an enmity with the Snapes for years, and that James' experiences growing up with danger had certainly made him think twice before befriending a Slytherin. Though Harry didn't agree with the punishment that James gave out to the Slytherin's, he felt that perhaps his father had been a bit spoilt by his parents after the murders.
Overall, Harry learned that his father had a good heart and meant well, but certain events in his past had shaped him to act the way he was. He was afraid of losing everything, and he felt that if he let Slytherins beat him, he would lose the respect of others and that by bullying the other students, it had given him the opportunity to rise above the others and prove that he was not a coward.
But it had been this that had been his downfall in wooing Lily in his first six years, but Harry was glad his father had learnt his lesson and settled down. He learnt much about James Potter, and for the first time since making that wish, Harry felt that he had finally achieved the impossible.
He had, had a chance to get to know his family.
"You have got to get down to the entrance hall." Sirius said, as he transformed back into a man, after shutting the door to James' Office. "You will not believe what is happening out there."
"Umbridge having trouble controlling the students again?" James asked, grinning.
"You might say the that twins have gone too far." Sirius pointed out.
James stood up. "Well, I'd better go and have a look. Coming?"
"You think I'd miss this?" Sirius asked and transformed into the black dog.
Walking quickly the two friends made their way to the entrance hall. As they rounded a corner, James was not looking where he was going and he bumped into someone.
"Oof!"
"Watch where you are going, Potter." a voice said.
James blinked and his eyes focused on Snape. Sirius was growling.
"Aren't you meant to be teaching Harry Occlumency?"
Snape scowled. "Didn't your little brat tell you that he saw one of my memories, or did it slip his mind?"
"He told me. We discussed it." James answered.
"I refuse to teach him. I tell him not to touch anything and look what he goes and does!" growled Snape.
"That's not fair on Harry! He needs your help!" James pleaded. "Please can you continue the lessons. He's still having those dreams!"
Glaring Snape was about to say something, when a loud crash echoed from behind them and two broomsticks were suddenly flying towards them. They threw themselves out of the way, and the conversation was lost as James bolted after the broomsticks.
With Sirius running up behind him, James was the first to reach the hall and the sight that met him was a surprising one.
Fred and George Weasley were sitting on their broomsticks grinning broadly, and Umbridge was shrieking at the Inquisitorial Squad, but nothing could stop the twins from escaping. They kicked off into the sky, and fled Hogwarts.
As they disappeared, Fred glanced back and shouted to Peeves the Poltergeist. "Give her hell from us, Peeves!" And to the amazement of the whole hall, the Poltergeist saluted Fred and George, as they sped out into the sunset and away from Hogwarts.
TBC
What did you think? Did James' memories make sense? Let me know what you liked? Disliked?
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTES
As we all know we are coming to the end of Book 5. I also planned to carry this story into Harry's sixth year + James. But I would like your opinion of this. Should I carry on the story into Harry's sixth year under this title or under a different title? Do bear in mind that the whole plot regarding James will evolve more in book 6 and he becomes a lot more important. The story will still refer to him.
Also, due to the fact that I am no longer doing review responses on this site, I will not stop doing them. I have created a Live Journal, where I will post review responses as well as spoilers and previews. You can find the link in my profile under homepage. Go on, take a look!
VITALLY IMPORTANT: One more week till HBP comes out! So that means no update next Saturday, because I will be too absorbed in reading the new book. I also want to give you readers a chance to read the new book, and if I update you might get confused, I know I would! So, next chapter will be coming in two weeks. But it will be a good chapter!
Next chapter: A Sirius Discovery….Umbridge does some snooping…coming July 23rd.
Thanks for all the reviews so far!
MissBlackPotter