Disclaimer – as always I own absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter, characters, places and such they all belong to JKR, the chapter extracts in the story belong to JKR, Harry Potter and the Prisoner and Azkaban along with every thing you recognize.
A/N - Exams are over so the updates will be more frequent, big thanx to Mitchicul my beta. All readers please see the A/N at the end of the chapter. 30 Days left everyone to HBP : )
Chapter 8
(Flashback)
James sat shivering either because he was cold or his nerves were getting the best of him he wasn't quite sure, he sat in the office that could only belong to Albus Dumbledore. The shelves was cluttered with magical objects that whizzed loudly every few minutes, objects that looked as if they had hidden eyes staring at him. Yep it was his old Professor's office and it hadn't changed since the last time he had set foot in it, all those years ago when the Professor had told him and Lily the news that changed their lives.
He couldn't quite remember how he got to the office but he remembered standing in the rain still at the same spot that he had watched the boy fall from his broom - his son fall from his broom.
He had jumped and was ready to attack the person that had tapped him lightly on the shoulder only to come face to face with the headmaster. Who was looking at him with wonder and disbelief clear on his old, tired face.
James began to panic as everything he had planned to say to the Professor flew out of his mind and he looked around planning an escape route but the Professor had placed a hand on his shoulder and simply said "Come on James" before leading the way to the castle with his hand still on his shoulder.
Walking up to the castle he became more frightened he hadn't planned for this to happen this way, if he was honest with himself he hadn't planned what to happen at all he just wanted to know the truth about Sirius but once he reached Hogwarts and watched the quidditch match all thoughts of Sirius had left his mind.
As they walked through the corridors to Dumbledore's office, James cast glances in every direction scared that some one would see him. He wasn't ready to reveal his identity just yet and know that he knew his one and only son was alive all he wanted to do was be back in his room in the Leaky Cauldron and brood over the news like he did when he heard about Sirius.
It was the only way he knew how to deal with it now that he couldn't talk to no one but now he sat in Dumbledore's office waiting for the Professor to return.
He sat nervously turning his hat over in his hands, when Dumbledore returned with a unreadable face. He sat opposite James and peered at him curiously.
"James?" he asked uncertainly
James nodded in response and continued to turn the hat over, "But how?" the Professor asked in complete wonder nothing like this had ever happened. The dead returning back to life was unthinkable.
James still said nothing and merely shrugged his shoulders at the Professor, as he stood up and came to stand in front of James. As if afraid he would disappear if he were to blink. Dumbledore rested his hand on James' shoulder and sighed in relief that he was real. He had done the same outside but he watched to make a second assurance.
"Can you remember anything?" he asked gently conjuring a chair next to James and sitting himself in it,
"About what Professor?" James finally said in a quiet voice
"About how you woke up?" it wasn't the question he wanted to ask. James knew he wanted to know if he remembered anything the night that Voldemort had turned up at Godric's Hollow.
"I…I" James began recalling the night over in his head, "I remember waking up in the dark. It was really really dark and the space I was in was small and I could hardly move. I tried to sit up and hit something…the air was horrible and I had to get out so I fought my way out"
"You fought your way out of your own coffin?"
James nodded with silent tears sliding down his cheeks,
"What then?" Dumbledore asked
"W…when I was out I blacked out I think but when I woke up I found my way to the house of Mrs Mann and she looked after me"
Dumbledore nodded as he had visited the old woman himself and got all the information he needed about James' whereabouts. "They you left to go after Sirius?"
James quickly looked at the Professor in shock before nodding and looking down again, "I stayed in Diagon Alley till October before I left"
"And where did you go then?"
"I travelled trying to find Sirius before I came here"
"What do you want to do now?"
"See my son" he said in a demanding tone and his hazel eyes staring into Dumbledore's blue ones.
"I don't think that is wise James" Dumbledore replied standing up and walking behind his desk again, "Harry has had a lot to deal with so far this year I think it will be wise to keep this from him as long as we can"
James sat clearly confused, he wanted to see his son and Dumbledore was refusing to let him? What had happened to Harry that was so bad?
"I think it would be best" Dumbledore continued, "That we find you a place to stay until we can come up with the right idea on what to do"
(End of flashback)
To say he was speechless was an understatement, he had travelled almost a whole month to get to the headmaster to find the truth out. Yes, discovering his son was alive was a shock but not being able to see him was an even bigger shock, then to add to it Dumbledore had suggested they moved him to a house where no one would be able to find him. That left him staring at the old wizard with wide eyes.
Dumbledore had left him alone in the office and returned with Professor McGonagall, who burst into tears at the sight of him and continued to hug him until Dumbledore suggested that he needed to breath.
He had then told McGonagall of his plan and she had agree with no hesitation, that left James even more at a loss as to what was happening with his son. Now he was in a house that belonged to a friend of the headmaster and he had been here for at least six months.
The weather outside had turned from cold and rainy to cold and snowy and now in June it was sunny and warm and the sun was slowly sinking away. James stood on the back porch looking over the mountains that he knew hid the Hogwarts castle.
He had spent most of his days standing where he was looking at the mountains knowing that his son was only a distance away. Wondering what he was doing, what lesson he was taking, was he happy or if he was at quidditch practice.
He knew Harry was on the team from the quidditch match he had seen when he had first arrived but McGonagall had visited him to make sure he was ok and he had questioned her on everything he could about Harry. She was also proud to state that Gryffindor had reached the quidditch final and Harry was forever being hounded by the teams captain to make sure he caught the snitch.
That fact had left James with an idea in his head, he found out exactly when the match was and escaped his safe house to go watch his son lift the cup. He smiled to himself as the memory came back to him.
(flashback)
He woke up early on the day of Hogwarts quidditch final and quietly slipped out of the bed that Dumbledore's friend had set up in the spare room. His friend, Matt had kindly welcomed James into living with him as it got lonely on this side of the mountain he said to him on the day he first came.
He felt bad that he was betraying Dumbledore's and Matt's trust, he had promised them that he wouldn't do anything rash and Matt had promised Dumbledore that he would watch out for James but nothing could stop him from going to see the match. Not even himself.
He quickly changed into his day clothes and fixed his pillows under his quilt to make it look like he was still sleeping. Making sure he had his cap he left the house and transformed into Prongs and headed towards the castle.
When he arrived it was still early and no one was on the grounds at all so he quickly found a hidden spot in in the stands where he could oversee the match and waited for the students and teachers to arrive.
He was beginning to nod off when the sound of chatter was heard. "Ok…no wind to speak of … sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it … ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kick-off"
James felt himself smile slightly at the sight of the young man that was clearly the captain as he made his analysis of the pitch, the rest of the team walked silently behind him and James' heart jumped when the boy with black hair came into view.
There was no mistaking that this was his son, his hair alone gave it away but he could clearly see what McGonagall had told him about Harry looking exactly like him.
He continued to watch Harry as he followed his team into the changing room as the rest of the school came down to the pitch. He didn't know his son like a father should but the fact that Harry had survived the attack that night left James with the impression that his son was extremely powerful for his age.
He moved back slightly as more students filled the stands he was nervous that he would get caught, only to move forward again when the teams exited the changing rooms. His eyes fixed onto Harry as he mounted his broom and rose into the air as the whistle that started the game sounded.
He didn't pay attention to the commentary as the match progressed keeping his eyes on Harry, he marvelled in the fact that his son was a natural on a broomstick and this was proved when he sped off down towards the Slytherin end.
James' heart jumped again and felt like it was lodged in his throat when one of the bludgers went past his right ear followed by the other bludger near his elbow. His breath was held as he realised both of the Slytherin beaters were flying towards Harry with the clubs raised but it was quickly released along with a 'wow' when Harry shot up last minute away from the beaters causing them to hit into each other.
He continued to watch with an awed look on his face as his son flew around the pitch looking for the snitch, he never knew how hard it was for a seeker to look out for the snitch and stay away from bludgers as he was a chaser when he was at Hogwarts but watching his son he knew Harry was more than capable to do so.
When Harry put on the burst of speed for the snitch but was stopped by the Slytherin seeker he was booing along with the rest of the crowd not caring who spotted him he was to caught up in the match to care.
By the time the Slytherin seeker was diving to the ground as Harry helped out a chaser James was ready to run out and shock the crowd so Harry would get to the snitch. But his distraction was not needed as Harry became level with the boy in green and pulling out of the dive with the snitch in his hand, James felt a swell of pride inside him and knew that he had a big goofy grin plastered onto his face.
(End of flashback)
After seeing Harry lift the cup with the look of happiness on his face he knew that the risk he took on sneaking out to the castle was worth it. He knew that Dumbledore had seen him after the match, he had turned around and glanced at him sending him a secretive smile before heading back up to the school.
On returning back to the house he snuck in as quietly as he could only to find Matt working in the front garden singing along to a tune on the WWN. He went out to see if any help was needed and to see if Matt had noticed he was gone. Matt only laughed at him and called him 'Lazy Bones' before handing him a shovel and pointed to the grass that needed to be overturned.
He still stood on the back porch looking at the top of the castle towers as the moon surfaced as the clouds glided by, whenever he looked at the moon he couldn't help but think Remus Lupin. One of his best friends and fellow Marauder.
Another thing that McGonagall had told him was that Remus was a Professor up at the school teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. James had laughed when she told him this he always had a sneaky suspicion that Remus was the teacher type but never thought he would be able to do it due to his illness.
On his visit up to the school for the final he had tried to caught a glimpse of Remus after the match to see how he was but couldn't spot him anywhere in sight. He wanted to know how his old friend was doing since he had to go through his monthly experiences alone now.
An unsettled feeling fell upon James as he stood on the porch, it seemed that the world had gone quiet and all that could be heard was the sound of his own breathing. The moon had fully surfaced from the clouds and was shining brightly - more brightly than James had ever seen it.
Suddenly a loud howl broke the silence, and James snapped his attention back to the castle without thinking about what he was doing he transformed into his animagus form and sprinted towards the castle.
So what does everyone think?
A/N - ok when i was going over my base plan for the story i realised that its not going to reach twenty chapters. I think that it will reach 15 or more at a stretch. Due to this i would consider doing a sequel that will be a complete AU of the Goblet of Fire if enough readers what it.
also i know that there is a big time jump from the first couple of chapters and this one but i have reasons for it and for Dumbledore's decision, if anyone is unhappy with it tell me and i'll explain in the next chapter or in my live journal.
Big Thanx to -
Mitchicul - am not admitting it! Obsessed is a strong word! By the way where are those updates? remember curious reader not demanding beta
Amrawo - i hope i dont lose you as a reader : (
Eric2 - erm... soon
Snapelet aka Illusionist2788 - it takes time Gem - am getting there - and you finally posted a story so its mine and Mitchicul's turn to bug you to UPDATE!
MarauderKid - lol, i would of already suggested the kick if it wasn't my story
Queenofdakittys - its alright, am sorry this chapter wasn't quick i had exams to deal with
Gohan/videlgoten/trunkslover - here's an update.
please R&R