Chapter dedication: Jess Noe, Happy Belated Birthday. This one's for you!
-Tori
And Happy Belated Holidays to all! I got a new computer! March 7th! The GoF DVD COMES OUT!
Sorry this update took so long, I promised myself to write thirty-nine before I posted thiry-eight...
Chapter 38: Surprise?
Harry rolled over to find a body lying next to him. His hand smacked the owner's chest, the victium ooph-ed in reply. Both beings scrammbled for their glasses. Each brought to a mirror, but it wasn't a mirror. It was only father and son looking at each other laughing.
"Morning." James said. "Thanks for the wake up call." He added sarcastically.
"No, problem." Harry joked, he looked around the room and smiled at the moving pictures on the walls. James looked at his son for a moment longer before getting out of the bed they had shared. He strolled over to his dufflebag to change into fresh robes. Harry saw his father and copied his actions. James frowned as his eyes landed on the old scars from Harry's childhood. Harry noticed adn quickly put his shirt on.
"I just wish you'd let me pay them a quick visit." James whined.
"No!" Harry said, muffled by his shirt. He decided on simple jeans with a long sleeve shirt and cloak over top.
"I, personally, don't see why you are so keen on protecting them. They treated you like dirt and you cover for them? I just don't get it." James explained.
"I suppose it's just who I am, sorry." Harry replied, grabbing his toohtbrush before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth. James followed in close persuit with his own toothbrush.
"But the tourchure you endured! How can you just let it go?" Exclaimed James quietly in fear of waking anyone else in the house.
"Who said I had?" Harry muttered dangerously. James was taken aback by his son's tone, but regained his composure. His son shoved his toothbrush into his mouth and began brushing furiously.
"You'll kill your gums doing that you know." James implied.
"I don't care right this moment." Harry replied cooly. He didn't like people making assumptions about his feelings or thoughts. 'I'd never do well with a therapist.' He thought to himself. His grip on his brush loosened and the pressure released from the circular motion. Harry and James both noticed how white Harry's knucles had become, but neither said a word about it.
"Sorry." James finally said.
"For what?" Harry said, testing to see if his father knew what he was apologising for.
"For making assumptions." James answered.
"Apologee accepted." Harry said, smiling to his father through the mirror. James laughed at Harry who had purposely smiled with foam covering his mouth, dripping with white substance.
"Goofball..." James muttered.
"I am your son." Harry said stressing the word your.
"Nope, Lily's." James replied.
"Ooh! I'm telling my Mummy on you!" Harry joked.
"Oh no!...Not..." He whispered and paused. "The Mummy!" James said appearing to be scared.
"I am going to tell her though." Harry said returning to his sixteen year old self again.
"All she's going to do is say 'James!'" James mocked Lily perfectly in tone. Harry laughed at his father's impersonation.
"You two are so funny to listen to." Krystal said from the doorway.
"Morning." The two replied. "And thank you." They both said again.
"Hey!" They both said together. "Stop that! I mean it! Don't make me!" They said pointing wands at each other. "Silenco!" They both shouted. Krystal, now joined by Abby, was laughing at the two hysterically that were now both silenced.
"Alas! The James Potter finally quiet!" Abby said laughing.
"It's a miracle!" Krystal added smiling. Harry laughed silently, the two women laughed even harder at this. Harry pointed to his mouth frantically.
"What do you think he wants?" Krystal asked Abby, pretending to be confused. Harry scorned at the two and waved his hand. Both were silenced, it was Harry and James's turn to laugh. James smacked Harry in the back of the head. Harry gave him an angered look. He held up his hands as if questioning James's actions. James waved his hands frantically at Harry. Harry gave him an odd look and recoiled, afraid James was to hit him again. James narrowed his eyes at his son. Harry put up his hands.
"What?" He mouthed.
"Magic!" James mouthed in reply.
"What?" Harry mouthed back. James took out his wand and wrote the word magic in the air. Harry's mouth formed into the shape of an "O" as he waved his hand. His own voice had reinhabited his throat.
"Ah," Harry said. "That's better." THe adults looked at him with fake distaste.
"Who wants breakfast?" Harry asked. James raised his hand. Krystal and Abby scorned at the Potters. James and Harry ran from the bathroom and into the living room. Still unfamiliar to the layout of this house, James and Harry were confused on where or where not to go. The two women were gaining fast. Harry waved his hand, letting his father speak.
"They were on the team with Sirius and me." James told Harry.
"Oh, no wonder." Harry said rounding a corner. He ran straight into a wall.
"Ouch." He muttered, slidding down clasping his nose. A streak of red fell over his lip and dropped onto the floor. James's laughter died down once the first drop his the floor.
"Come here." James said, pulling his son over to the couch. James took his wand and waved it over Harry's nose.
"Here's a wash cloth." Abby said, holding out a damp cloth to Harry. He took it and began to wash off the blood that had already begun to dry.
"Thanks." He muttered.
"No problem." Krystal said, dabbing his nose with a second wash cloth.
"Uh oh." James said, clearing the rest of the blood.
"That's never good." Harry said looking at his father's face.
"Nope. It's not in this case, you've got a broken nose from the looks of it." James said examinging his son's nose.
"Really?" Harry asked feeling his nose, soon regretting the movement when the pain shot from his nose then to his temples and began throbbing.
"Bad idea." Krystal joked as she washed his face.
"No kidding." Harry muttered bitterly.
"Here, I'll fix it." James said taking out his wand again, he had been examining his son's nose.
"You sure? I can do it if you want." Harry said in a dull tone.
"But you're only a sixth year!" Abby finally spoke, she had been waiting for Harry to slip about his power.
"Doesn't mean my magic is limited to such level." Harry said in a Remus like fashion with a calm, cool, dangerous tone.
"Don't bother him about anything reguarding his magic level." James whispered to the two. "Now, Harry, it's always better to have someone else fix your nose for you. There's always the chance you will fix your nose crooked. ONe time Sirius got hit square in the face by a bludger and it obviously broke his nose." James began, waving his wand around to fix the injury. "He had just learned how to fix injuries from Lily. He tried to fix it himself right when he was un-noticed by us, who were trying to figure out who would be better to fix it, Lily or Madam Pomfrey. As soon as he got the chance, we had tried to prevent him of course but we were too distracted, he fixed it himself. He had figured he had done it right and it was done flawlessly, along with proving us wrong as a plus. He expected we thought he didn't know how to preform the charm. But, soon he realized, after we conjured the mirror to prove our point, that he had fixed his nose crookedly. Let's just say, he didn't like his...handywork." James laughed at the memory.
"Oh, Harry, dear. It was so funny to see his reaction!" Krystal began laughing. "He screamed out about how he was no longer handsom, and how no girl in Hogwarts would ever want to date him." Harry laughed imagining his godfather having a fit about his nose.
"So, anyway," James continued, frowning. Harry wasn't sure why, until he rebegan the story. "We had to rebrake his nose without any potions." He noticed James twitched at this.
"Oh, how he screamed! It was torchure to watch." Abby said, covering her eyes at the thought of rememberance.
"Yes, I was the one who had to do it. I took the beater's bat and took a good swing at his face. It took be fifteen mintues just to pick up the bat, and another ten to at least attempt a swing." James said closing his eyes, clearly picturing the event with every detail that hung with every second. "It was so hard."
"I couldn't imagine." Harry said, feeling his, newly, fixed nose.
"I had nightmares about it for a while, that is until Sirius told me that he was thankful for me hitting him, and that he deserved it for not listening to us in the first place." James laughed, his mind wandering to that memory instead of hanging on the one before.
"I'll have to ask him about that." Harry said wondering the reaction of his godfather may have. He gave a short quiet laugh at the thought.
"He won't mind." Krystal said, she too laughing. "He'll laugh as well as you may more than likely."
"That's the spirit he posses." Abby said smirking to herself.
"Yup," He agreed, nodding his head. "Thanks, Dad." Remembering that he, Harry, had not thanked James yet for fixing his nose properly.
"No, problem, son." James said. "I'm sure I'm' not the only person who doesn't want you to have a crooked nose right?" James joked, elbowing him playfully."Ha-ha." Harry sarcastically replied.
"Hey, who wants breakfast?" Krystal asked before a duel broke out, as the two had been prone to doing such as in the past.
"I do!" The two Potters choursed.
"There's no doubt that you two are related." Abby giggled recieving scorns from the two.
"I hope so." Krystal said smartly. As the four walked into the kitchen, Abby began taking out the nessacary ingrediants for their breakfast.
"Here, Abby, please let me help you." Harry urged in a non-assertive voice.
"No! Go and sit down, relax, I'll take care of it." Abby said, pushing him into a seat. This surpised Harry, he never guessed Abby to be the physical assertive type. James had thought the same thing as his son.
"What would you two gentlemen like?" Krystal asked the two.
"Food." James smartly commented as Harry said. "To help." He smiled using his so called Potter charm. The two women seemed immortal to said Potter charm for their answers were sarcastic and negitive.
"How witty, James. As for your's Harry the answer is still no." Abby said, wagging a finger at Harry.
"Please?" Harry whined, although his comment was more like a statement than a request.
"You may want to listen to him." James warned, he had found some grapes on the table in a ceramic bowl. He picked one off the stem and popped it into his mouth.
"Why's that?" Krystal asked, her tone curious like a cat's mind.
"What's a sixth yearing going to do that would make us quiver with fright, preytell?" Abby questioned in a cocky tone. Although, this tone had been dripping with sarcastism to say the least.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know." Harry whispered, quietly, to himself (or so he thought).
"I would actually." Krystal urged crossing her arms, her look was one with self-confindent power, and the familar tone of being deprived of knowledge from a certain bookworm of his dreams. Harry smirked at her actions. "Oh, she's definatly Sirius's." He thought to himself with more comedy of his own, for him to secertly enjoy.
"I wouldn't. Although I have, so take it from someone with personal expirience." James warned again, hiding the smile that threatened to creep upon his lips.
"What type of power would he have over us three?" Abby quirked with doubt.
"Two." James said, with another grape entering his mouth.
"What!" Krystal and Abby exclaimed in astonishment as they had finally witnessed James Potter back down from a duel.
"Don't test him." James said out of the corner of his mouth. The two women glared daggers at the older Potter. Yet, they proceeded, without heeding the warning, to unleash their wands. Harry stiffled a fake yawn, which, in turn, angered the females futher. Harry gave them the moment of raring for the quick duel about to take place.
"One." James counted, seeing both parties were ready. Harry looked at the two women opposite of him, his eyes fixed with theirs.
"Two." James's voiced seemed to be filled with excitement as the duel drew closer. Harry hadn't even removed his wand from it's holester yet. This had tempted the girls into thinking this would be a very easyily won duel, not to mention very quick considering it was two against one.
"Three!" James shouted with enthusiasim. The two females cast a stunning and slowing spell. Harry dodged them both. His wand still lay comfortably in his holester.
Cast after cast came at Harry and cast after cast he dodged them without any magical assitance. The two were getting more and more frusterated, as well as tired, at Harry's skills and techniques, as well as his appearance of restlessness.
"How," Abby inquired, panting with each syllabal. "Is-he-do-ing-that?"
"I haven't a clue! Krystal said, only in the hearing range of her room mate and James. James smirked at the fact his son dodged two very well aimed stunners with ease.
"JAMES! A little help here?" Abby asked desperatly, for she realized how much she had underestimated the boy.
"I won't be much help. I can't beat him either." James said, eating his last grape, and taking a stand next to the women, removing the wand from his cloak pocket. He began with simple, but advanced spells with flawless aim. If only Harry had not have had his quick agility. Harry still dodged all the spells by no means of magic, but did have close encounters with a few stunners from his father and about two each from the ladies.
"Are you going to give up...yet?" Harry taunted, knowing the effect it would have with the two women.
"Never!" The two shouted, this influenced him further.
"Okay." He amirked and waved his hand and they all froze in mid cast of jinxes, which still moved at normal time, although Harry dodged those as well. The three were petrified.
"I think," Harry added a dramatic pause. "I win." He smiled and began to finish making the breakfast Abby and Krystal had started only fifteen mintues ago. James's eyes could be seen, sparkling with mirth, while the two women's sparkled with nothing but defeat and awe. Of course, anger was a element consisting within their orbs. Harry smiled again at his victory as he made scrammbled eggs, many hashers of bacon, and a dozen pieces of toast.
"Breakfast!" Harry announced, waving his hand to stop the spell.
"HOW! IN! THE! NAME! OF! MERLIN! DID! YOU! DO! THAT?" The two women screamed. Harry and James shared a look before saying, "I told you so." Then added, with a stomach rub. "I'm hungry." Before sitting down at the table piled with food. The two scorned, a natural habit since these two men arrived, with extreme distaste at the boys.
"Potter!" They both screamed.
"What?" They both whined in the same tone. THey both looked at each other as both women looked at them and at each other in surprise.
"Weird." The boys said together. They shared an identical laugh before the two continued their meal. Harry and James enjoyed a small chat during their feeding time, while Krystal and Abby watched on in silence.
"Alright, so aren't Sirius and Remus going to be suspicious as to where you are?" Harry asked.
"Possibly, but knowing them, they're still sleeping. If we pop back in and pretend to be just waking up they're think we've...I've been there all night." James said simply, thinking of himself very intelligent.
"True, that may work. That reminds me," Harry said, glacing at the two others. "Remind me to tell you later." He added, James knew it was about his son's visit with Sirius that previous morning.
"Okay, remind me to remind you." James said, as if he hadn't heard Harry's comment.
"Alright, sure thing, just remind me to remind you to remind me about my remembering." Harry smirked.
"Will do as long as you remind me to remind me about reminding you to remind me to remind you as to what you need reminding of." James smiled.
"Just remind me to do so." Harry laughed.
"You two are encouragable." Abby said as she hid her smile. Krystal, unable to control herself any longer, burst out laughing at the two.
"What have we all missed out on all of these years?" She asked.
""More than you'll ever know, hopefully." Harry muttered under his breath (or so he thought). The adults frowned at him. Their hearts ached to know of his tourchure, to help mend his pain, to have been there for him when he needed them the most. Harry knew this and hated the fact he even mentioned his comment. He wished to be by himself.
"I'm going for a walk, Dad, are you going to be all right getting home?" Harry asked with a look that James understood completely. It was a look of an individual.
"Yeah, just remind me of what needs reminding when you get back." James said trying to lighten the mood.
"Sure, Dad." Harry said, particularly no longer in the mood for the game any longer.
"Be careful." Krystal said to the retreating boy.
"Don't do anything rash!" Abby called to his further moving figure. Having known James to do such things in moods such as these.
"Come, Godric." Harry called, ignoring the adults concerning replies. Godric came, bounding from the hallway he skidded to a halt when he noticed the change of mood in his master.
"What's wrong?" Godric purred in an inquiring tone.
"I'll tell you later." Harry said aloud to his furry compainion. The adults knew how he could communicate with his pet, but didn't expect him to reply aloud. Harry walked out of the front door and began his walk. Godric followed his friend looking up at him with interest. Harry noticed and looked down at him with a forced smile.
"That was a little fake." Godric commented.
"Don't push it. You have and will never see what I've seen." Harry said dangerously. He regretted for talking to his friend that way. "Sorry, I just hate thinking about...the memories...they hurt so much. To see death over and over again isn't something you want your dreams filled with. You never forget...I see them fall to their deaths, the innocents...Sometimes I remember my mother dying. I hear my father yelling to my Mum, telling her to take me and run. I think I know why Voldemort really tried to kill me there and then. Well, besides the prophecy, I think I giggled at him. He looked at me and laughed about how easy, he thought it would be simple to kill me. I giggled at his ignorance. I think I knew even back then how powerful I really was going to be...am..." Harry began to tell Godric about his dream. "I was so brave."
"You still are." Godric said, laughing at Harry's modesty. "Look at you! I've seen your memories. You're the bravest human I know!"
"I'm the only human you have seen or whose memories you've picked at rather, so I won't be taking that as much of a compliment." Harry said bitterly. "Am I right?"
"Yes, but, that man with the long beard fears you." Godric said.
"What makes you so sure Dumbledore is afraid of me?" Asked a surprised Harry.
"He flinches at your aura. He's scared of your power." Godric said smirking if it were possible.
"Great, he's scared of me. Just like everyone else!" Harry muttered.
"No, not exactly he's proud of you. He told me himself." Godric said honestly.
"When?" Harry asked in a shocked manner, again.
"A while ago actually, I was walking past his hidden place. He came down those moving stairs. Dumbledore, as you call him, invited me up to his "office" as he called it." Godric began. Harry's eyes flashed at the mentioning of this.
"What did he ask you?" Harry asked aburptly stopping.
"He asked how you were doing and wondered if there would the slightest chance if you could forgive him or how he could make it up to you. I told him you were still not happy with him still." Godric continued. "He told me how sad he has been about all this fighting between the two of you. He also mentioned how wrong he had been, but how wrong you were for thinking he had been trying to control you. He even said that he believed no one in this universe, or any other for that matter, could control you. Even if you didn't have your magical ablities such as you have." Godric finished waiting for Harry's response.
"Oh,..." Harry stayed in thought for the rest of their walk.
Harry began to consider the possiblity of talking to Dumbledore again. He argued with himself the pros and cons of talking with Dumbledore again. He, of course, debated with himself over this topic for a very long time.
James bid his friends a final fairwell before their next meeting. He apparated into the townsquare of Godric's Hollow. This time he stopped to notice his wife's relative's statue. He admired it a moment before he started to walk to his house. As he walked into his house and listened for any movement in the house. James snuck up to his and Lily's bedroom to hide. He heard movement from Remus's room above. James quickly stripped down to his boxers (like father like son), climbed into bed, and set his glasses on the nightstand. He rolled over to pretend to sleep. He heard his door open then close silently. (Haha) He rolled over and carefully blinked open an eye. No one was there, from what he could see without his glasses. James, like Harry, were farsighted and could see figures and objects far away clearly, but could only make out objects and people very close to them. He sighed and fell back asleep. He awoke only a minute later when someone or something jumped onto his bed next to him. James's eyes shot open to see nothing there.
"Hello, Pronglet." James muttered.
"Hello, Prongs." Sirius said, taking the disillusion charm off himself. James's mouth dropped open.
"So Harry was or is here!" Sirius exclaimed in triump.
"No, I just figured that he found I came home and he came-" James began.
"Liar! His stuff is in his room." Sirius said smartly, or so he thought.
"Because it is his room maybe?" James threw back. SIrius smirked with satisfaction, dispite the fact James had just stated the obvious.
"But what is his pet, Godric, doing there then?" Sirius asked, still smirking at his best friend.
"I dunno, maybe he crawled into my bag or something." James said pretending to still be in a dazed sleeping mode.
"Don't toy with me, Prongs. You can't lie to me. Why is he here, and why didn't you tell me he was here?" Sirius asked clearly and slightly hurt tone. "I like hanging around my godson!"
"Your godson is a bit...err...what's the word?" James said, trying to figure out the word.
"James, is he mad at me?" Sirius asked, pain etched on his face from the words that had passed his lips.
"No! No, well at least I don't think so. Wait a tick, did you say Godric was in his room?" James asked suddenly.
"Yeah, little golden ball of fur with bright green eyes?" Sirius questioned. "Why?" He added suspiously.
"No reason. So have you had breakfast?" James asked.
"Yes, Remus and I went out this morning actually for a spot of breakfast." Sirius explained to James a little resturant they had passed a little ways down the street.
"Sounds good." James said encouragingly. He wanted to distract Sirius from the subject of Harry.
"So, where is Harry?" He stressed is, figuring James didn't know where he was. Just then Remus came into the room with someone's cloak collar in his hands. The person made a movement to break away from Remus.
"Look at who I found." Remus said, pushing Harry towards James and Sirius. Harry stummbled to catch his balance.
"HA! I was right!" Sirius exclaimed jumping up from the bed and pointing at Harry. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, he had yet to speak.
"What's going on?" Remus asked very confused. Harry and James exchanged similar looks before they each sighed and shrugged.
"Why are you both home?" Sirius asked sternly, or as sternly Sirius could get. (Haha)
"Can't tell you." James said, putting on his glasses.
"What?" Sirius and Remus asked. "Plead the fifth." Harry said, first speaking since he arrived in the room.
"Huh?" The other three asked, having never heard the American phrase before.
"It's a saying in America that means to have the right to remain silent, it's in their consitution. Chris, Kate, and Tori say it all the time." Harry explained.
"Well, you're not American. So spill." Sirius said pointedly.
"How about no comment...that works." James said as Harry jumped onto the bed next to him.
"Yes, I second that motion." Harry said, nodding his head and raising his hand.
"All right you two, tell the truth. It's not that we're not glad to have you guys home, but you wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. Remus began with logical thought. (I could so picture David Thewis saying this...)
"Exactly, so isn't it better to just mind your own business. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't important, nor would we tell you if we didn't think you needed to know right this very moment, you both will find out eventually." Harry explained with as much logic thought as Remus had used.
"Very well." Remus said, reading the picture of Harry's face. He had seen that look before of determination before alit on this boy's face. Remus remembered this look when he taught Harry to cast the Patronous.
"But!" Sirius whined desperatly.
"We have to respect their wishes, after all, we don't tell Harry or James anything." Remus said, trying not to stress James as much but still make it noticable. Sirius suddenly remembered the potion incident.
"I do suppose you're right." Sirius said acting as if he were now begining to agree, although he really did want to know what the two were hiding.
"Sirius let's leave these two alone for a while." Remus said, he needed to tell Sirius something very badly, catching a whiff as Harry walked by him. He had been on his way to get Godric. The two left the room after Sirius gave a curt nod having heard the rushed tone. The two went into Remus's room and he, Remus, closed the door shut and a look of panic flooded his face.
"What's wrong, Mooney?" Sirius asked.
"I smelled Abby and Krystal on him." Remus said with a choked voice.