A/N) Sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter out but I have been struggling to get my life going again after being diagnosed with Kidney Failure. I am now starting my treatment and I have been put on the transplant list, so hopefully things should settle down for a while. I am starting school again this Monday and I don't know how well I will cope. It will be strange going back after missing a month so it will take me a while to get settled. That means it will be a while before the next update. I will try and make it a long update, if I can.
Thank you for all the reviews so far. They mean a lot to me! All the nice comments about wishing me well - thank you! I do hope to get better soon but that will only be when I have had a transplant and I need a donor for that. THANK YOU!
The Bond
Chapter 6 - The End of the Summer
"So what's the plan for today then, Molly?" James asked, as he sauntered into the kitchen. It was a Saturday morning, and a cool sun was setting its rays upon the house.
Molly Weasley was standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast, frying the bacon, while humming lightly to herself. She glanced up as James entered, smiling lightly. "I promised I would take the others to Diagon Alley. After all they need to get their books, and they want to see Fred and George's shop."
"Ah right," James answered, sliding into a chair. "I'll accompany them. I haven't been to Diagon Alley for ages. Besides being a one time Marauder, I need to give the twins some ideas." he grinned slyly as Molly frowned at him.
"I really don't like the sound of that James. You know I dislike them in their joke shop!"
James sighed. "Molly, you can't force them to do something they don't want to do. Besides having a joke shop around will lighten the mood during this conflict. The students need something to keep them jovial."
Molly turned away and continued working. Finally she spoke: "I just wish it wasn't them putting their lives at stake, and that's what they are doing."
"I know," James sympathised, "but it's there choice. You have to respect their wishes. It may hurt you to know that they are in danger, but its what they want to do with their life. It's their way of giving back to society. I hate the fact that Harry has to fight, but that's his destiny. I can no longer protect him. It pains me to say this but sometimes you have to let your children do this, no matter how much it hurts you inside. You have to let them go at some point. It's hard for you Molly because you've lost people too. So have I but you can't protect them forever."
She did not reply but sighed and continued to work, but James knew his words had at least got through to her. She understood she had no control over her children's actions but it still pained her considerably. If Molly could do something, James realised she would. He was certain that if there was a way she would have a protective bubble round her children.
But then if Lily was still alive, would she be like this with Harry? Seeing Molly like this makes me think Lily would be, but it's not in her character. But I am. I worry and all I want to do is keep my son away from all the danger he faces, but he won't learn to protect himself if I don't let him grow up. James thought.
James stood in the cue, his mouth in a frown, and his eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of movement. He stood behind a little old lady, holding the hand of a small girl, with bright red hair. A miniature Lily. The girl pulled on her mothers? hand, moaning about the long wait.
He was in Gringotts, the Wizard bank waiting to withdraw money from his account. He had not bargained in getting stuck in a very long cue of Wizards and Witches, all of whom were rushing, pushing and shouting to get served, therefore making it very busy.
"Come on!" he cursed.
He'd been standing there for nearly four hours and he was getting frustrated by standing in the same place for so long. The line had hardly moved in an hour. So many people were shoving others that no one was getting anywhere. He sighed, exasperated with himself. Why had he chosen to come here?
Because Harry needed money.
James hadn't realised that it would be chaos at the bank. But of course, the people in the Wizarding world were panicking about the war and feared that if they didn't get money to support themselves then Voldemort would tear down on them and kill them. Chaos. Complete and utter chaos. People were over-reacting.
"Hey! James!"
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, James saw Bill Weasley waving at him from the side of a cue, and he pointed to an empty cashier, where it clearly read Bill Weasley in shining letters. He grinned as he edged his way through the crowd until he finally reached Bill's side.
"Let me deal with your money. I can get it out in a jiffy." Bill explained, his long locks falling around his face. "You've been here for hours. And besides I never leave family locked in a cue if I can help it."
"Family?"
"Well, sort of. You're Harry's dad, and he's like a younger brother to me. I want to look out for him, so in a sense, if he's like my brother, then I suppose you are more like a younger version of dad." Bill grinned cheekily.
"I think I qualify more like an uncle then a dad. I haven't had much experience." James pointed out. "Being dead was one of the things that prevented me from doing that."
"And it's one you've regretted," Bill replied, walking towards his cash point, and sliding behind the desk. He held out his hands for James' details and he read through the documents that James handed him. He checked through each detail before stamping confirm nation and then he led James into the tunnels to his vault, where he watched and waited, while the money was collected in a sack.
Bill's eyes widened as he took in the amount of money James had withdrawn. "Taking out half the bank account, are we?"
"Nope." James said, smiling, "Only a quarter."
"A quarter! I've never seen so much person with that amount of money!"
Grimly James said: "Well, my parents were rich, and they passed it onto me when they left this world."
"And when you died, the rest of yours and Lily's money combined with Harry's to form…"
"…a massive big fortune." James agreed.
"Whoa, that kid is lucky."
"It's a shame that his childhood was ruined by the Dursleys. If they hadn't kept his heritage from him….then he could've had all the money in the world."
Bill shrugged. "Do you really think they would've let Harry have more money then them? If they did they'd try and claim it themselves. Think about it, James, do you really think they care about how they treat Harry? To them he is just a freak, someone who doesn't deserve to be here."
"I know, and that's what angers me." James replied. He grabbed hold of the money bag and hoisted onto his shoulders.
"Anyway," Bill walked forward, "I'd better go and help some other poor unfortunate soul stuck in that cue."
"Hey, you know that old lady who was in front of me? Help her. It's not nice to be with a small, moaning child in a place like this. If she's still there that is…she may have left by now." James suggested.
"Right." Bill clicked his fingers and led James out. He waved good-bye after the other pointed out the old woman and the little girl, and then James weaned his way into the small crowd of people that were rushing through the alley. He made his way into the pub, said farewell to the inn keeper and stepped out into the Muggle world.
Quickly he made his way through the streets before he came to a back alley and then he apparated away to the Burrow.
On the following Saturday Mrs Weasley finally gave into demands to go to Diagon Alley. The Hogwarts letters had arrived and books had to be brought. She could not longer deny them access to the street and she reluctantly informed them that they would be going to see the twins.
Ron was ecstatic, barely able to contain his excitement. However he had managed to anger his mother earlier on in the week and so had to hide his glee whenever she glowered in his direction.
Though he had gone to Diagon Alley to get Harry's money out, James had not taken the opportunity to see Fred and George so he was quite excited to be visiting the next generation of Marauders and see what products they were unleashing on the unsuspecting community. He was on a day off from work, so he was fortunate to be there when Mrs Weasley decided to go. Sirius, on the other hand, had been called into the Office for numerous amounts of paper work which he had spent complaining about the night before. It turned out Sirius had had the opportunity to complete the paper work a week ago but had by passed it, in favour of having the night off.
The Ministry had supplied them with a car but it was only because Harry was with them. The Minister didn't want anything happening to the 'boy-who-lived' so he had commissioned protectors for Harry wherever he went. The Minister had even gone as far as issuing out orders to the Aurors to protect Hogwarts when the students returned. He claimed it would be the best way to help the younger generation. James did not agree with this method but he realised the sense of the decision. People were scared to send their children back to school, and with enforced protection surrounding the school that was both visible and invisible, the Minister was hoping to ensure that the school stayed open, therefore not denying the children their chance to learn.
It was a tactic that James understood. As long as people knew that Hogwarts was being watched by the Ministry, they wouldn't be afraid to send their children to the school, and would willingly let them go. It was only on the off-chance that people would ignore these signs and still keep their children away from Dumbledore. There were some who still refused to believe that Voldemort was alive and running amok, and they would remain a threat to anyone that was sided with Dumbledore.
Sighing James slid into the Ministry car, seating himself next to Harry, who was squashed beside Hermione. Ron was sitting on Hermione's other side, his face bright red as if he was embarrassed by their seating positions. James grinned. He could see through Ron.
Why can't he just admit that he likes Hermione? It's quite obvious!
Maybe he doesn't realise it…a voice inside his head replied to his own thought.
Possibly…James' thoughts trailed off as the car began to move forward, weaning its way through the traffic that was making its way to and from London. He watched the countryside pass and fade as tall ominous buildings appeared on the horizon, signalling their approach into London. He leaned at the window, looking outwards.
It would've been better just to use Floo Powder. It takes forever to get to Diagon Alley by car. If the Ministry had not decided on the strict coming and goings of using Floo, we wouldn't have bothered coming like this.
James hated Muggle transport. He could not see any reason why Muggles would want to waste their money on expensive cars that did the same function. True, they improved as time went on, but was it really necessary? He shook his head.
I should really talk to Harry about Muggles. Maybe he can help me understand their fascination with cars.
"Finally!" Stretching his legs, James stepped out of the car, yawning. They had finally arrived at The Leaky Cauldron where Diagon Alley was situated. Everybody piled out the car, and James swept an eye over the group, noticing that Ron could hardly contain his glee. After all, seeing Fred and George's prank stuff was certainly worth the wait, James was positive of it.
Molly led the way, urging the group forward at a pace. She seemed on edge, her eyes flitting from side to side as if searching for any danger. Her hand was forever in her pocket, clenched around her wand, while the other hand held on to Ginny's.
"We can make this trip shorter Molly, if we split up." Arthur Weasley explained. "I'll go with James to get their books, and you, Molly can take them to get their robes."
Molly bit her lip unsure about the decision. "I don't know Arthur. I'd rather we stay together."
"It'll be quicker." James pointed out.
"We'll take Ginny with us," Arthur replied, "I'm sure she won't mind helping us with the books."
"Ginny doesn't need new robes but Ron does," said Molly. She sighed. "All right. We'll do this. Just look out for her."
"I know Molly. Ginny is my daughter." Arthur was getting angry. Molly was not letting go.
The group parted with James following behind Arthur, with Ginny in between. He looked over his shoulder and shot Harry a passing glance. His son returned his smile and then James was walking away towards Florish and Blotts.
"What books do we need?" James asked, glancing at Ginny.
"The usual," she answered, "All the grade books."
"That'll cost a lot." Arthur frowned. "I don't think we'll have enough."
James felt for the coins in his pocket. "I have enough. Tell you what it's on me. I have enough money for all of us."
Arthur shook his head. "No, I can't ask you to do that. It's too much. We'll manage."
But James was adamant. "I mean it. I want to pay for this. I still have enough money for myself. It's no trouble to me," he smiled, laughing lightly, his eyes alight.
"We'll pay you back." Arthur promised, giving into James.
"No," James refused, "This is for looking after Harry all these years. Consider it child support."
Once they had gathered all the books they needed, with Ginny's help, James paid for them, and then the small group traipsed back to where Fred and George's shop was located.
Molly, Harry, Ron and Hermione were already waiting for them, their eyes scanning over the various products that were being advertised in the shop window. Ginny rushed forward, pressing her hands and nose to the glass and peering inside, her eyes sparkling clearly. She was so unlike any other girl that James had met. Hermione was standing beside Mrs Weasley, chattering, while Ron and Harry stood beside Ginny.
"Did you get everything?" Molly asked.
"Yes we did." Arthur replied proudly, handing Hermione a bag of her books.
"Thanks Mr Weasley." Hermione replied, and she immediately looked inside to see what new reading material she had.
Molly folded her arms and asked: "How much was this? What are we going to have to miss out on for the next couple of weeks?"
"Nothing, Molly dear, because James paid for this stuff."
"You let him?" Molly shouted. "Arthur! You know how I feel about letting other people pay for our things!"
James stepped forward intent on sorting out the situation. "Look, Molly, I don't mind paying for that stuff. I was showing my gratitude to you for looking after Harry all these years and for treating him like he is a part of your family. I beg you to let this go and just to accept the fact that I wanted to genuinely help your family. Besides you deserve this treat, especially after all the hard work you do in bringing up this lot. After all, I've only had Harry to contend with and that was only when he was a baby. I've never really looked after him the way you have. It makes me proud that you have shown Harry a home. And you've taken me into your family as well, and for that I am grateful. No one is a better mother then you, Molly Weasley."
Clasping her hand to her mouth, Molly blushed. Her face died down to its usual colour. James' words had affected her but he had meant every word of it. He cared so much about other people's feelings. He never wanted to see an unhappy smile; it pained him considerably whenever he saw a sombre face. Throughout his childhood James had always tried to lighten the mood, which was one of the many reasons why he had been so carefree had Hogwarts and not had a care in the world. He had wanted to spread his happiness and joy and that had been done through his skills as a prankster. Still, when he looked back on those days, he realised that most of the time he had just wanted fun. And like many young children had used magic to do this.
He wondered if Fred and George had ever felt insecure like that and had wanted to make people laugh which was why they themselves had become pranksters.
"Are you coming, dad?" came Harry's voice.
Shaking his head James re-entered the world. Thoughts continued to swirl through his mind but he blocked them and followed the small group into the shop, where a small crowd of Hogwarts students were gathered round the Weasley twins who were demonstrating some of their products. The crowd was going 'oooohhhhh' and 'aaahhhhh', their excitement growing with each new product that they supplied.
"Hey, it's the famous Potters!" Fred called, as he spotted James and Harry at the back of the crowd.
James inclined his head, a roguish grin spreading across his face; Harry on the other hand groaned. He'd had so much celebrity status that it had started to annoy him.
George Weasley shunted forward, holding out a hand for James to shake. He did so. "Glad that you could finally make it, Prongs."
James laughed. "That's all right. I'd been meaning to come here for ages but it didn't seem fair if Harry wasn't here."
"Where's Padfoot? Didn't he want to share in the glamour of prankinism?" Fred asked.
"He had to go into work today. Auror stuff." James answered. "I'm sure when Sirius has time he will visit. He's just overloaded with paperwork at present."
"Come, let us show you our range of 'serious' products." George motioned for the small group to follow him. They led James and Harry to a small room out the back where a range of products that were not on the shelves were sitting stacked in boxes with the words 'Orders' posted on the top of them.
"Orders?" James asked, "From the Ministry of Magic by any chance?"
"Definitely." George said.
Fred explained: "We created some shield hats last year and decided to expand our range to include all sorts of clothing and the Ministry has just gone wild over it trying to get this stuff for all their employees. I mean, true, that they don't shield you against the Unforgivables, but they help defend you against most minor curses and jinxes."
"It's proving to be a money-making business. They can't get enough of this stuff." George enthused. "Best idea we've ever had."
Fred peered through the doorway. "And now lets go and thrust our products onto the girls. I'm sure they will be delighted with the love potions that we've cooked up for them."
"Especially Ginny," George added.
The twins left. James continued to inspect the boxes, his fingers gently touching each different product, his mind whirling as he tried to decipher how exactly the twins had created them. "Hey, Harry, look at this…" he trailed off.
Harry was no where to be seen.
Where was he? He had been here just now. Hadn't he?
"Harry?" James asked nervously, a gut feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Harry?" his nerves began to rattle.
He rushed out of the room, his eyes scanning the shop for his son but he could not see him anywhere. His heart began to race and he was sure he was near to tears. Nothing could happen to Harry here. Wait a minute…where is Ron and Hermione? For they were no where to be seen as well.
He spotted Molly handing over cash to Fred, while Ginny held a small pygmy puff in her hands. "Molly!" he called.
She turned her head. "What is it?"
"Do you know where Harry is?"
"Wasn't he with you?" Fred replied, before his mother had a chance.
"Yes but he's not anymore. I think he's slipped out with Ron and Hermione."
"Nonsense," Molly exclaimed, "Ron's over there with Hermione…" but they were not. Both of them were not in the shop, and then Molly began to get frantic, her voice coming gasps as she struggled to understand why Ron wasn't there. She had seen him there a minute ago, so where had they gone? All three wouldn't just disappear.
James frowned. What had possessed Harry to leave the shop? "We'll just have to wait and see if they return. If not then we'll worry."
Unfortunately Mrs Weasley had already reached that stage.
Thankfully Harry did return with Ron and Hermione in tow. They appeared out of the back room nearly an hour later. James caught Harry stuffing something into his bag and he realised that it was his son's invisibility cloak. Realization dawned. Harry had gone off, invisible. And Ron and Hermione had accompanied him. James did not say a word but allowed Molly to let her steam go.
They returned to the Burrow shortly after where James took Harry aside in his room, gently offering Harry a seat and demanding to know where he had gone.
"We were following Draco Malfoy." Harry answered.
"Why?" James asked. "I thought you hated him."
"I do, but when you see your enemy sneak away from his own mother wouldn't you be curious?" Harry questioned, trying to turn it back on James.
"I suppose," he answered, "but that still doesn't answer my question."
Harry sighed. There would be no winning with his father. James was stubborn and wouldn't rest until he had the answer he craved. What was the point in hiding it from him?
"I think Malfoy is up to something."
"He's a Malfoy. That's what they do." James commented.
Harry ignored him but continued with his story. "We met Malfoy in Madam Malkins before we came to Fred and George's shop. He left in a bit of a temper when Madam Malkin tried to touch his left arm. When we followed him, he went to Knockturn Alley and to a shop called Borgin and Burkes. He threatened the owner with something on his arm: I think it was the Dark Mark. He wanted something fixed, or told how to fix it. Malfoy is a Death Eater."
"That's preposterous Harry. Draco Malfoy can't be a Death Eater. Voldemort wouldn't let anyone that young into his ranks."
"Then what did Malfoy use to threaten Borgin with? A flower tattoo?" Harry asked sarcastically, his anger flaring.
"It just seems remotely impossible…" James hesitated, "but I'll get Sirius to look into it, alright?"
"Thank you." Harry left, leaving James alone, confused. How could Harry think that a sixteen year old boy would be allowed to be a Death Eater?
For the next couple of weeks James kept a constant vigilance on Harry. He could see his son was annoyed at Malfoy and that he was still trying to work out what he had been doing. Whenever he was alone with Ron and Hermione, Harry was trying to convince them of Malfoy's guilt, but even James could see the logic behind them disagreeing with him.
Finally September 1st arrived; the day Harry was due back to Hogwarts. There was the usual rush of getting everybody ready on time but with some aid from everyone, Molly managed to have everyone ready to leave at 8.30AM. Due to the fact that it took forever to get into London, they were leaving extra early, just to be sure that they were not late on the train.
James was not going to the station so he said farewell to his son in his room. He took Harry aside, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Harry, I am proud of you, and of what you have become, but please, promise me you won't do anything to Draco Malfoy, even if he is scheming something, which I highly doubt he is."
"So you don't believe me?" Harry snapped.
"That's not what I said," James replied calmly, "All I'm saying is, is that I find it highly unlikely that Malfoy could be up to something. I don't want you to get expelled for hurting him, because if you did then our world would be in big trouble. The boy-who-lived not allowed to use magic?"
Harry shrugged.
"Please promise me you won't go too far over this Malfoy issue. If you have to do something about it have him trailed."
"Trailed? How can I have him trailed. I don't own a house elf."
"But you have a friend that's one." James answered.
"Dobby!" It dawned on Harry what his father meant.
James nodded. "Yes. Get him to trail Malfoy and to follow his movements. If what you say is true and he is up to something, Dobby will find it. He has access to all parts of the school, so he is the ideal elf for the job."
Harry grinned. "Thanks dad."
"No problem. Just have a good term and enjoy yourself." James hugged Harry, before letting him leave.
"I will, dad." Harry promised and then he left with the others.
James stood at the window watching them go. "Goodbye Harry. I'll see you soon, and when I do I will have found all those Horcruxes for you."
And that was a promise that James Potter intended keep.
TBC
More coming soon, though I don't know when!
Please tell me what you would like to see in the next chapter: 'The Half-Blood Prince' as it chronicles Harry's school year from James' perspective! It'll really help me write the next chapter quicker! Thank you!
MissBlackPotter