Sorry it took me so long! I have no excuse...at least not one you'd believe so, forgive me! If I still have any reviewers for this, please review and again...I'm sorry!

Chapter nine: Twins?

"Look, I really don't want to talk about...anything." Harry snapped. James sat back in his chair, his face white. They'd only been talking for fifteen minutes but already they were fighting. "Hell, no wonder your son hates you! You don't listen."

Harry ignored James's confused expression and got out of bed, pacing the room and finally throwing the cup into the corner of the room where it smashed. "Harry, please, sit down. Just...relax."

"Relax?" Harry yelled, spinning around to glare at his father. "Relax? How can I relax?" James sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I was attacked tonight! I saw something in the woods! I saw a dead man and you want me to relax?"

"I could get you something." James said, turning in his chair and starring at the door as though it would spring open and a healer equipt with potion would come waltzing in. Harry shook his head.

"You're sure a little celebrity." The healer said, smiling and setting the potion down on the nightstand beside him. Harry shrugged and glared in the opposite direction from his dad. When the healer had given him his potion, the healer left, pushing his way through the milling reporters outside.

"Yes, unfortunately in this world or another I will always be the center of attention." Harry said. His father's brow furrowed. "Yeah, that's one thing about me you don't know."

"There's a lot about you I don't know." James said simply, leaning forward. "Like why you hate me." Harry let out a deep-frustrated sigh. "Well, you act like I wronged you somehow! You act like I hate you!"

"Well, I don't know how you got that! You're never around! How are you going to get to know me?" Harry snapped. James simply stared at him.

"Do you remember how things used to be?" Harry shook his head, rubbing his face with a shaking hand. "You and me...we used to be close. I remember the first time I held you. You were two days old and I was finally...brave enough to hold something so small and precious." James smiled reminiscently. "I know when you started hating me. It was when I got the minister's job, right?"

"How did you guess?" Harry asked sarcastically. James sighed and nodded.

"I know, and I'm sorry." James said simply. "I know this won't be a band aid for all the hurt I caused you but...I love you so much and now, if you want to tell me or ask me anything, go ahead." Harry closed his eyes and thought.

"Why did you hate Snape? Why did you torture him when he didn't do anything?" James's face went pale and he leaned back in his chair.

"I was a bully Harry. There's no denying it. Drunk on my own power I was. Why? What has that got to do with anything?"

"Everything. I saw it in Snape's pensive...well, Dumbledore's pensive and Snape's memories." James's brow furrowed.

"Dumbledore?" He asked. Harry shook his head.

"Never mind. Anyway, I saw you go after Snape, unprovoked." James looked as if he was thinking. Finally he nodded.

"Yes, I did. That's when..."

"You turned him upside down." Harry said. James thought a bit more and then smiled.

"Well, that happened a lot." His smile faded at the look on Harry's face. "I'm sorry son. It's just...like I said, I was arrogant, a bully."

"Okay, then do you love mom?" James's face clouded.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Harry sighed.

"Do you love mom? You fight with her; you accuse her of being with Sirius. Do you love her?"

"Of course I love her. Do you have to ask?" Harry watched him closely. "All people fight. She didn't like me when we were younger but I got her to go out with me and we married a year later. I love her so much. I can't believe you have to ask that." Harry shrugged.

"Look. I have so many questions that...I don't have the time." James got up, leaned over Harry and hugged him close. Harry took in his father's scent as tears welled in his eyes. He had never thought about being hugged by his mother, all the years of missing his parents and wanting them and now he had them. The other Harry had no idea how lucky he was. James pulled away after a long moment and straightened.

"Okay, I want you to get a good sleep and I'll answer you're questions in the morning. Kay?" Harry nodded and leaned back in the bed. "Okay, I love you. I need you to know that."

"I love you to dad. I miss you." James smiled sadly and moved to the door. Harry watched the spot where he had disappeared; even long after the other had gone. He had finally had a conversation with his father. He'd finally communicated with him and connected with him. "I love you dad." His eyes moved to the roof and heaven, which was beyond. "I miss you dad. I love you."

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed, running down the halls of the department of mysteries. He needed to get to the arch. There was something different about this place though. The black doors...the spinning room...the time room...it was all gone. It led right to the room with the benches and the arch, rising on a dais. Harry skipped down the benches two at a time and reached the bottom, leaping onto the dais. He grabbed the veil and ripped it down.

There was a hall beyond it, dark and forbidding, much like the halls of Hogwarts only darker and gloomier. Harry entered and went half way down the hall, turning to see the arch had vanished. Where had it gone? Resigned to the chance of never knowing, Harry slowly made his way through the halls and then down a flight of steps to dungeons. They were dank and gloomy and dark. His eyes could barely penetrate the darkness around him.

As he turned another corner he froze. Two dementors were gliding towards him. Pulling out his wand, he prepared himself for the attack, which didn't come. Instead they floated right past him and disappeared. Knowing now where he wanted to go, Harry continued down the hall and found a door. He opened it slowly and peered inside. What he saw made him gasp.

Harry flung awake and stared around, blinking sweat out of his eyes. He was in Grimwald place again, the room was dark and he was alone. Light from candles in the hall shone from under the door crack, drawing Harry's eyes. The window in the corner of the room was dark, therefore it must be night.

Getting out of bed, he padded across the floor in bare feet, his overlarge sweats dragging on the floor beneath his feet but he ignored them. He had to know, was this another trick or was it real? Would he find dementors around the corner or Mrs. Weasley? He pushed open the door a crack only to stop himself. He needed a wand! It was to stupid to go out without a wand!

Turning, Harry rushed back to the nightstand beside his bed, fumbling around to find his wand. It was there, beside a glass of half drunken water. Harry grabbed it and then went back to the door, peering through the crack and into the hall beyond.

It looked fine, everything the way it should be...it was Sirius's old home, not his brothers. Going out onto the landing, Harry winced as his foot hit a creak in the floor. He stopped, holding his breath and waiting for the axe to fall but it didn't. Everything was still.

Harry moved through the hall, every shadow a looming figure until he reached the landing to the stairs and stopped, his eyes watching the bottom. There were no lights on...the lamps were out and so was the chandelier. Moving cautiously past the mounted elf heads, Harry tiptoed through the dark space between the portraits and the stairs to the kitchen, his heart pounding loudly in his throat.

There was merry talking behind the door. Harry stood there, listening, his ear inches from the cold black wood. Dare he push through? Should he go back to his room and assess the situation? What would he find on the other side?

Making up his mind to go back to the room, Harry had just started to turn when the door opened and Ginny was suddenly there. She stared at him, he stared at her and they stayed like that for a long time before Ginny sprang up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh my god Harry! You're awake!" From behind her there was a corus of voices.

"Harry?"

"Did she say Harry?"

"Is Harry there?"

"He's awake?"

"What?"

They were all mixed together that Harry didn't even try to sort them out. When Ginny pulled away, Lupin was there to bring him down he rest of the stairs and into the kitchen. It was freezing down here, the hard wood floor cold on his bare feet and, even though there was a fire, Harry wished he were wearing a shirt.

"Oh...Harry." Lupin pulled him into an unexpected hug but Harry didn't care. He held onto the man as if he were Harry's only anchor in a raging storm, tossing his body like a tub toy.

When he pulled away there were tears in his eyes but nothing compared to Mrs. Weasley. She grabbed him and held him to her for so long, Harry didn't think she'd let go. When she finally did, Hermionie had him. This went on for a long time until he was finally settled and Mrs. Weasley had piled food onto his plate.

The talk only ceased when Mr. Weasley walked in. "Hey everyone." He announced to the whole kitchen. "Look who I have. He somehow got to St. Mungo's." Everyone gasped as they stared at the young man who stepped out from behind him. Harry couldn't find any thoughts or feelings as he stared at the boy...

Or rather himself.

To my reviewers:

Alteng: Hey! Yeah, the healers should have zapped him but I didn't want that so...just say they were all on important calls. Who is back with Voldemort in the house of horrors? That is a pondering question...you'll just have to read and find out. Yeah, I really feel sorry for Piper. Harry can never catch a break with her can he? Well, about Harry in the sick bed, if you refer back to Harry in the first chapter, he was attacked. I'll explain it all in the next chapter.

DragonHunter200: Hmm, how did Dumbledore die? We'll just have to wait and see. So, you think it was James in Voldemort's cell? How intriguing! Very cool. You'll know sometime! Yeah, I burnt off my eyebrows! The funny thing is, my grandpa was a fire inspector.

Nikki101: You to a chill? Cool! That means I'm doing something right! You don't like Dumbeldore? Well, to each his own. Please, keep reviewing.

Laughing Dragoness: Yeah, I feel you! I wake up at six though, to feed horses and such, help my dad. Then I'm on the bus at eight and get to school at nine. I get out at 3 and get home at 4 :15 then do chores. I didn't have a summer either. It'll be okay though...Thanx and please, keep reading.