Title: Every Marriage is a Mirage (EMM)

Author: Arista Ramabra

Rating: T

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Recap of Chapter 1: James thinks about the past year, reflecting on Lily and why he fell in love with her.

Chapter 2- A Condition

x.flashback.x

James Potter slowly crept up the stairs, praying to Lord Jesus that he wouldn't get caught. No such luck. No sooner had his foot touched the second floor landing when a voice called out, "James?"

James held his breathe, hoping that his father would go back to bed, thinking there was no one there. He went down a step, as he heard his father come closer to the staircase. Another step down, and another—SQUEAK!

Damn! James silently cursed I should have gotten that apartment when I had the chance. The lights flashed on, with Mr. Aaron Potter standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at his son and James blinking in the sudden brightness and looking guilty as ever.

"James Michael Potter! Where have you been on this- oh! So lovely, Thursdaymorning?" Aaron asked his son.

James grinned sheepishly. "Oh. Is it Thursday morning already? I thought-"

"Well you thought wrong. Where have you been at 1AM in the morning?"

James gulped, looking around him to see if there was something to help him get out of this mess. Nope. Nothing. Nothing except for wood. And of course his father. He'd have to get out of this one on his own.

"Well… you see… I was just being innocent little me-" interrupted by a small x-cough-x x-cough-x "-NO! Honestly I was! And then along came uh…" He racked his brain for a name, still a bit out of it from his numerous drinks "Umm…Remus!"

"Now don't you blame this on the poor boy. And if I remember right isn't today the full moon?"

Ohh… Damn! James swore again, having no idea that he was speaking out loud. Therefore he was shocked when his father commented on that.

"Damn is right. Since you have no explanation for me I think we should have a little conversation. To the kitchens," Aaron said, gesturing towards the kitchens.

"But… but Ron!" he whined. He could never remember calling him anything other than 'Ron'. Growing up he'd heard his mother call him 'Ron' and the name had stuck. And now, he could NOT think of his father in anything other that 'Ron' which had been quite a problem- for Aaron, a top auror, was often reprimanded for not teaching his son any manners. Eventually however, after Mrs. Jazmin Potter has passed on, people just credited it- which happened to be "his terrible upbringing" and then compared to their own son or daughter- to the fact that James had no mother.

"No buts. Let's go." And Aaron led James down the stairs into the kitchen, James protesting all the way.

-x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x-

Aaron pulled out a chair and sat opposite James. For a few minutes they sat in silence, Aaron thinking ways to confront his son with what he had in mind and James thinking up ways to avoid what he was sure he knew was coming. Their silent reveries were interrupted by Kari, one of the three house elves left from after Jazmin Potter's death, bringing them some hot-chocolate.

Kari, even for a house-elf, was a very strange creature. One day, when Jazmin lived, a house-elf had shown up at the Potter doorstep, sobbing her heart out. Jazmin, who was very fond of these creatures, had taken her in and after a few days had calmed her down quite a bit. After a while she'd grown to love the Potter's place and had become so comfortable there that she'd accepted to work there- or rather insisted. She'd discovered that she liked rhyming when James (who'd been sent to a Muggle school till he turned 11) had learned rhyming words in school and rhymed all her sentences. When she couldn't find a word that rhymed she'd make up her own word.

"Here is chocolate- drink it hot. I'll leave the rest in the pot," she proclaimed and set down two steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front of each Potter and set a pot in the middle.

"Thank you, Kari," said Aaron, taking a sip of the chocolate.

"But Kari must speak contrary." And with a small bow, she was off.

"'But Kari must speak contrary?'" asked James, staring at Kari's retreating back.

Aaron shrugged. "I guess that's her way of saying 'no problem.' You are limited to a choice vocabulary when rhyming." James stirred the steaming drink several times before finally deciding to speak.

"Ron, I have no wish of marrying-" he started, but Aaron raised his palm in the universal sign for 'halt.'

"I know you don't. Don't you ever dream of a family?" Aaron asked, genuine curiosity lining his tone.

"I have one. I have you," replied James earnestly.

"Yes there's me. But what happens when I'm gone?"

"There's Sirius," he answered, without skipping a beat.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Let's just say Sirius wasn't there. What would you do?"

"But since Sirius is here we don't need to worry about that." Duh.

Aaron sighed. James was being… well difficult. And Aaron always lost his temper with Difficult James.

"No James. You don't get it. You're my son and I love you… a lot. And always remember that whatever parents do, it's for the well-being of their children."

James snorted. "I'm not a 6 year old kid anymore, Ron. I know that that's not always true. How do you know that a marriage is the best thing for me? Huh? You don't!"

"I'm your father James. I know. And what do you say? 'Marriage only takes the fun out of life.' Tell me James… How do you know that? Have you ever been married?"

James was rendered speechless. "I- I-" he stammered. His father almost never lost his temper- especially with him. And now he was yelling at James! He was extremely shocked.

Aaron continued, ignoring his son. "No! Then how can you know? That's what. You can't." Then he adopted a gentler tone. "Be open son. Like my grandfather used to say, 'Every marriage is a mirage. What one expects out of it and what one actually gets are two completely and dynamically opposite things.'"

"But-" James started as if he were talking to a small child. "I DON'T WANT TO MARRY, RON," he finished with a roar.

Aaron sighed. "Then… that's your final answer?"

James nodded. Thank god! Finally! Breakthrough!

"Positive? There's no going back," he warned.

James grinned. "Positive."

"Well then… I guess this is good bye son," he said, holding out his hand for James to shake. James simply eyed the hand, ignoring it.

"Why? Where are you going?" he asked, confused.

"Well… I'm going to a highly sophisticated place… called heaven."

James' eyes widened. "You mean… how?" he asked, feeling a bit faint.

Aaron looked at his son with concern. "James? Are you all right? You're asking me how I'm going to heaven? Oh you mean how I know that I'm going to heaven? Well… I've done nothing wrong… why shouldn't I? I mean couldn't the Lord give me at least that? He took Jazmin away from me. And now he's denying the one thing I've wanted to see all my life- you married."

"No- How are you going to die?"

Aaron looked at his son weirdly again. "I don't suppose that really matters but a simple unforgivable curse… Av-"

"You're going to kill yourself- because I won't marry?" he asked incredulously. "You must be joking!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his messy hair.

Aaron shook his head. "Your mother made me promise that I'd make sure that you'd get married before I joined her. I've obviously not full-filled it. And now I know I never will. What's the use of putting it off further? I loved your mother very much and I want to join her as soon I can- but not at your expense. I was to take care of you till you were married and I wasn't to join her before that. But now…" Aaron broke off, turning his face away from James so that he could not see the tears starting to fall from his hazel eyes.

"Damn Indians and their customs!" James cried, he himself now starting to tear up. He angrily brushed away the tears. No! James Potter DOES NOT cry he told himself repeatedly, but that only succeeded only in making him cry harder.

"Don't insult Indians! Your mother was part Indian. Insult me if you like but not your mother… never your mother."

"She wasn't even my real mother!"

There was silence. After James had found out that his part Indian part British mother that he had loved was not the one who had given birth to him that fact was never mentioned again. Jazmin was his mother- the one who had taken care of him and raised him. When a distraught woman came in to say that James was Aaron's son and that she didn't want to keep him, Jazmin had taken him in, loved him and raised him no questions asked. And he knew that his father felt extremely guilty about that especially since he couldn't even get James to do the one thing that Jazmin had asked from him.

Damn this conscience! He screeched in his head, the conscience that was already making him feel guilty for saying anything about Indians and his mother… his mother.

-x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x- -x-

James finally calmed down enough to think somewhat rationally. He rose from his chair, walked over to his father, now sobbing freely, and knelt before him.

"Ron?" he called softly. Aaron looked up, but one look in his son's eyes caused him to turn away, ashamed.

"I'm… sorry," said James. "I shouldn't… I shouldn't have insulted… insulted Indians or… or my… my m-mother."

Aaron smiled slowly through his tears. "They say there's a first time for everything. And this is the first time I'm hearing an apology from my son that sounded like he actually meant it."

James looked away, unable to make eye contact with his father. After a moment's silence he opened his mouth again. Unable to talk, he closed it once again. He tried once more, clearing his throat first.

"Umm… Ron?"

Aaron looked down at James. "Yes?"

"I… I'll do it."

"Do what James?" he asked patiently.

"I'll marry."

Honestly Aaron had heard a million things come out of James' mouth. Yet these words- never. He was elated beyond elated. He was so happy he could-

"But… on one condition…" Happy feeling gone.

"Yes?" Aaron asked, sounding almost a bit… fearful?

"I'll let you pick any girl you want and I'll marry her. I'll live with her for a year… If I like her and married life I'll stay with her..."

"If you don't?" Aaron asked James, sharply.

"If I don't… divorce."