It was a miracle to James that he had actually gotten to sleep that night. He had tossed and turned, sobs causing unbearable headaches. By the next morning, his eyes were sore and his hopes that he was just dreaming were punctured when he felt no warmth come off a certain red head from next to him. Tears threatened to downpour again when he realised that he was in a Gryffindor dorm, but he kept them in when he thought of Harry.
Shooting out of bed in a frenzy, he grabbed his glasses and looked around the room. Sirius was nowhere to be found and James was starting to panic. He turned towards the crib and with a jolt of fear saw that it was empty. Harry was gone.
Throwing a robe around him, he ran out of the room and started down the staircase, hearing voices from below. The voices grew louder when he reached the bottom of the staircase. He threw open the doors to the common room and saw Sirius holding Harry, talking to Remus Lupin, his other friend.
When Remus saw him, he gave a sad smile.
"James-"
But James ignored the two of them. He had eyes only for Harry.
"Harry!" he cried racing forwards and taking the baby away from Sirius. He looked down at the baby worriedly and, apart from the hideous scar plastered on his forehead, he was a perfect sleeping baby. James walked to an empty seat near the fireplace and sat down, rocking Harry back and forth.
"James, he's alright," Sirius said.
"What if he died?" James demanded angrily.
"By coming down to the common room?" Sirius asked bewildered.
James didn't say anything but continued looking at Harry.
"James, I'm sorry about Lily," Remus said softly, sitting down opposite James.
James looked up at Remus as if seeing him for the first time. "Remus, I'm sorry for suspecting you," he said quietly.
"That's perfectly alright, James," Remus said, waving away the apology. "I don't think any of us suspected Peter."
Sirius growled. "When I get a hold of that rat…"
Sirius looked up at James and was saddened to see that tears were welling in his eyes again. He bent down and took Harry off James and handed him to Remus.
"It's all right Prongs," Sirius said, bending down in front of James. "It'll turn out alright in the end."
James put his face in his hands and sobs were heard. Remus turned away, ashamed to admit that a tear was now trickling down his cheek. Sirius put his arms around James in a brotherly embrace. James took his face out of his hands and put his arms around Sirius, squeezing him tightly. His face buried in Sirius' chest, he sobbed harder than he had ever in his life.
"It's alright Prongs," Sirius muttered, hardly noticing that his robe was getting considerably wet.
"H…How could…could he do this to us?" James sobbed. "Lily was too young to die. She was a good person."
Sirius was glad James couldn't see his face, because if he could, he would be sobbing even harder.
"W…What about H…Harry?" James cried. "He…He's not going to have a m…mum…"
Sirius heard Harry give a whimper and heard Lupin get up and move around the room, trying to calm the child.
"Maybe it's my fault," James snivelled.
"Prongs, listen to me," Sirius said defiantly. "What happened last night was not your fault. It was that damn rat's. It was Wormtail's. He betrayed us."
"M…Maybe I could have been nicer to him," James sobbed. "I know I could have been. Maybe if I didn't play so many pranks on him at school."
"You were a good friend James," Remus said softly from behind them, cradling Harry. "You are a good friend. Peter did what he did because he was a coward."
James hung onto Sirius, as though his life depended on it, but Sirius didn't mind. He would do anything for James; he was after all a brother. Not by blood, but by love.
"The Headmaster requests your presence," a pompous looking wizard in a portrait said in the Gryffindor common room as James attempted to feed Harry apricot mush.
"Okay, we'll be there soon," Remus said, watching as Sirius tried to entertain Harry by turning into Padfoot. The wizard disappeared from the portrait.
"Not now, Sirius," James said as Harry gave a loud giggle sending the small amount of mush in his mouth flying. "I'm trying to feed him."
Sirius turned back and looked down at his disappointed godson.
"Come on Harry, look at daddy," James said trying to coax Harry to look away from Sirius.
Harry turned his green eyes to James, looking expectantly at him, a loopy grin plastered on his face.
"Open your mouth now," James said pleadingly; his eyes still red from the morning's depressing incident. "Come on Harry. Please?"
Harry took pity on his father and opened his mouth obediently. James took his chance and shoved in a large amount of mush which Harry swallowed.
"We've got to go James," Sirius said. "Dumbledore's expecting us."
James sighed and closed the bottle and the spoon. He cleaned Harry's mouth and took off the bib.
"Come on shortie," he sighed, picking up Harry.
"I can transfigure the couch into a pram," Remus suggested.
"Thanks Moony," James sighed, mussing up Harry's hair.
When Remus had transfigured the couch perfectly into a pram, James set Harry down into it and buckled him up.
Sirius swung open the portrait for James as he and Remus carefully lowered the pram out of the portrait hole. Together they set off down towards Dumbledore's office. When they had passed the stone troll and had heaved the pram up the staircase, Sirius knocked fiercely on the door as though he were attempting to knock it down.
"Please enter," Dumbledore's voice came from inside. The three entered.
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, stroking his pet Phoenix. Mad Eye Moody was standing in a corner surveying James and Harry with interest. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood on the opposite side of the room, also looking at James with interest.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked, staring at the two aurors shrewdly.
"I have asked Alastor and Kingsley to join us today," Dumbledore replied calmly as James wheeled the pram forward next to a chair and sat down, eyes cast down, as he realised that his eyes were still swollen.
"Why?" Sirius pressed, sitting down next to James as Remus sat down next to him.
"They, if you have not forgotten, they were the aurors in charge of James and Lily's case," Dumbledore replied.
"So was Longbottom," Sirius said. "Where's he?"
Dumbledore's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, and then they turned to normal.
"Frank and his wife Alice have been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital," he sighed. "They were hit with a number of Cruciatus' curses. They will never be the same again."
Sirius felt James give a shudder. Remus let out a shaky breath and he, himself, felt his insides turn to ice.
"On a lighter note," Dumbledore said. "I've informed the Ministry of your innocence, Sirius. They are now searching for Peter."
Sirius gave a small smile. James, however, gave a loud exclamation. Everyone turned to him.
"Albus, there's something you need to know about Peter," he said, eyes brimming with guilt. "Something we've been hiding for many years now."
Sirius gave James a questioning look, but James ignored him.
"When we found out Remus was a werewolf we decided to lighten the mood a bit," James explained.
"No, James," Sirius said quickly as he realised James' intentions. "You can't!"
"Harry is in danger," Remus pointed out softly to Sirius.
Sirius accepted this and sunk back down.
"We're illegal animagi," James said quietly.
There was a silence in the room, where Shacklebolt gave a strangled gasp and Moody growled.
"And you decided to tell us this now?" Moody growled, striding forward towards James. "This would have been very interesting information to us two weeks ago when we were looking at all the animagi that could be in cahoots with Him."
"I…I didn't think Peter would be the one," James said softly casting his eyes down, ashamed.
"What kind of animagus is he, James?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"He's a rat," Remus supplied when James remained silent.
"Figures," Moody growled, walking back to his place, his shoes the only source of noise in the room for a moment.
"We can inform the Ministry of this," Dumbledore said, his voice free of accusations. "Now, as to Harry…"
"I'm keeping him," James said quickly, wheeling the pram with the sleeping Harry closer to him.
"As I said last night, James, no one intends to take Harry away from you," Dumbledore smiled. "But there is some question on his protection."
"What protection?" James demanded. "He's fine with me. Voldemort's gone. Harry destroyed him."
"No," Dumbledore said, shaking his head slowly. "Harry didn't destroy him, just weakened him. Voldemort is not dead. He will return. This is why I suggest you go back into hiding."
"No way," James said, shaking his head. "I'm not going back into hiding."
"I will be your Secret Keeper this time round," Dumbledore said, ignoring James' outburst.
"No!" James exclaimed. "I'm not going back into hiding!"
"Why not?" Shacklebolt asked, roughly. "It is the safest route for you and Harry right now."
"That's what you said last time," James accused. "And now I haven't got a wife."
Moody walked over to the pram and looked down at Harry.
"What's with the scar?" he asked.
"A mark left by Voldemort when he performed the death curse on young Harry," Dumbledore explained, apparently unaware that James was starting to panic. "The curse backfired leaving this scar. I couldn't remove it even if I wanted to. Scars can be useful at the best of times."
"I'm not going into hiding," James repeated stubbornly, trying to get Moody away from Harry. "And neither is Harry."
"And why not?" Moody growled, standing up properly, surveying James with both is brown eyes. "Do you wish to die?"
James remained silent, unbuckling Harry from the pram seeing as how he was awake now. He bounced Harry on his leg, which Harry seemed to enjoy.
"It's either you go into hiding willingly or I'll force you," Moody growled.
"Alastor, that's a bit far fetched," Remus exclaimed.
"I'm not going into hiding," James repeated.
"You're just a boy," Moody growled, while Dumbledore watched on, eyes twinkling. "Can't even take care of yourself let alone a someone else."
"You wouldn't know the first thing about me!" James shouted while Sirius and Remus stood up, sensing a fight.
"You're just an overemotional child," Moody barked.
"I am not overemotional!" James yelled.
"That's not good for your argument," Sirius hissed to James.
"You will go into hiding if I say so," roared Moody. "And you will not come out until I say so."
James clutched Harry tightly as he started to whimper under Moody's thorough gaze. James stood up and kicked the pram out of the way. He glared at Moody for a moment before turning around and striding to the door, Harry clinging to his neck.
"Where are you going, Potter?" Shacklebolt asked.
"I am not going back into hiding," James snapped before opening the door and walking out.