Sitting On The Baby By HPOD sufferer
Date: Saturday, 29th April , 8:39PM
Rating: K+ (Scary and Supernatural themes may scare young children, includes character death)
Summary: Sirius bounded into the compartment, making to sink into the seat next to Lily. The seat in which a sleeping baby...well, slept.Eyes popping, James grabbed his friend's wrists, stopping him from sitting. Sirius Black was frozen in a strange, half-sitting, half-standing position. Lily grabbed the baby quickly, and James released his friend."You know," said Lily " Baby sitting doesn't usually consist of actually sitting on the baby."
A baby has appeared. Where from? Why? Who does the baby belong to? Harry travels to Marauder Era. AS A BABY! Something went seriously wrong on that Halloween night.
Chapter 5: Mental Constipation
Bad, unhealthy food leads to complications,
My mother always says: vomit,diarrhoea and constipations.
Food for thought, now that's a different matter,
It can make you smart-or mad as a hatter.
So question little, make sure you find out less
And forget important details when you confess.
The Headmaster, in James's opinion, was a brilliant man. Crazy, odd, yet brilliant. He held the old man in the highest esteem.
It was this said man that looked up from the paperwork on his large desk. On a perch, a phoenix sat watching the scene. Upon seeing baby Harry, he crooned softly.
"What do I owe you this pleasure, Mr Potter?" Dumbledore asked.
James held out the note, and Dumbledore took it. "Madam Pomfrey asked me to give you this."
If this surprised Dumbledore, he gave no show of it. "Take a seat."
Dumbledore opened it up, and he adjusted his half-moon glasses. Then he lowered his gaze to the parchment. James was sure the headmaster was double-no, triple reading it, because twenty minutes later his eyes were still fixed on the paper. James gave a small cough. Dumbledore looked up.
"Oh...sorry Mr Potter. Quite interesting, this." Dumbledore lifted the page in gesture.
James, not knowing the contents, just sat there.
Dumbledore rested the letter on his desk, and inspected James. James could not meet his eyes for some reason and instead played with the short black locks of hair on Harry's head. It was like a very soft version of his own.
"James, may I ask you some questions?" Dumbledore asked.
"It seems so, as you already have," James said, still looking at Harry. Harry did not seem to have the same troubles as James-he was looking directly at the great wizard.
There was a pause, then Dumbledore asked. "How are you doing, caring for young Harry?"
"Alright, I suppose...no, actually I'm not doing very well," James admitted. "I have no idea what I'm doing- I almost lost him in potions, and he attacked Professor McGonagall this morning, and well...I'm sure you heard of the werewolf fiasco."
"James, that wasn't my question. How are you doing, caring for young Harry? "
James sat and thought. "I'm ok. Apart form being hopeless at it, it's been fun. He's like a little brother or something. You just want to protect him."
James summed up the courage to look up into the eyes appraising him. There was an almost knowing look in their depths. "Yes. Sadly I have a feeling he was not protected when he needed it, hence his arrival on the train." Dumbledore concluded.
"Have you found his parents?" James blurted.
"James...I have."
James looked around, as if expecting the unknown couple to step out from the corners of the room. "Where are they?"
"I assure you I am keeping a very close eye on them, to make sure they come to no harm."
"Yeah, but- but why don't you give Harry back to them ,surely they're worried sick!" James trailed off, noticing the sad look in Dumbledore's eyes.
"Mr Potter, I don't think that Harry parents know he is their son." Dumbledore's eyes looked slightly far away, then refocused on the boy in front of him.
"WHAT! How could they have had a child without realising, I mean, it'd be a bit hard no to notice!" James cried, not realising he had stood in his anger. Harry slipped from his lap gracefully onto the floor. Dumbledore's eyes seemed to follow the fifteen-month year-old's progress through the wood of his table. Blushing, James retrieved Harry and sat. Taking care to catch his breath, he rephrased his outburst. "Sorry sir. However, I don't honestly think that is possible."
Dumbledore sat, his fingers steeped as he inspected the head boy. The silence stretched.
"James," Dumbledore began. "I think it is appropriate for you to know what I saw when I- against my better judgement- sifted through our young ward's memories."
James found himself sitting very far forward on his chair.
"It was rather hard, as Harry is a child, and his memory is not as good as yours or mine," Dumbledore said. "But I think the memory I managed to come across, the one that revealed his parent's identity also answers the question of how-and why he came to be here. A good hypothesis, I feel, as if it were his last memory before ending up in the arms of our head girl, it would be the easiest for him to remember."
James shifted back, when he noticed he wasn't actually on his chair anymore, sitting on thin air in his eagerness.
Dumbledore looked James full on. "Harry's memory started off black- I almost dismissed it. But then, I heard voices. 'He's here! it's Him! Take Harry and RUN! I'll try to hold Him off!' "
James sat frozen in his chair, shock plastered over his white face. Dumbledore had not finished his recital, not yet though.
"Harry seemed to wake up at this moment, as suddenly a woman came into view and kissed the man on whose lap Harry happened to sitting on. The woman took him and ran into his bedroom, judging by the cot. i unmistakably heard the thump of a body."
James thought he might combust with anticipation.
"And then, someone entered the room. It was to my shock that I saw, through Harry's eyes, the face of Voldemort." James suppressed a shudder. "It surprised me even more when Harry's mother and Voldemort spoke to each other…'Step aside girl, I've been here long enough'…'No! Leave him alone, what has he ever done to you, he's only a baby!'…'Step aside, and I'll let you live'…'No, just go!'…'Step aside you foolish child!'…'Why won't you just leave him, he's only a child, defenceless, he'd never harm you!'…'You don't have to be so silly about this-'…'I'm not letting you have him!' "
"She got some nerve, that one," James joked weakly. Dumbledore looked stern.
"Harry's mother was killed."
James felt awful. How could he have been so unfeeling? Then James looked at the kid in his lap. The poor thing was an orphan, James realised. He frowned...Dumbledore had said he was watching over Harry's parents though-it didn't add up...
"Sir, I don't understand. I thought this memory makes it clear Harry's an orphan...yet you said you're watching his parent's actions. How is that possible?"
Dumbledore had that knowing glint in his eyes again. "Well done, Mr Potter, I was wondering when you were going to ask that."
James just sat in his cushioned chair, waiting for Dumbledore to elaborate. Soon he realised Dumbledore was not going to...not without prompting. "Um...so..."
"Ah...you want to know?"
Well duh.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Not today, perhaps at a later date. Nougat?" Dumbledore extended some of the white, sticky sweet and James realised himself to be dismissed. He stood, politely refused (Harry snatched a piece nevertheless) and walked out, hoping to contain his anger. He couldn't justify the boiling temper at the moment, but for some reason, he really wanted to know.
He stormed all the way down to the Great Hall and slipped into his seat, reaching bursting point.
"Hey, James!" Remus said, ladling him some orange concoction. James sniffed curiously.
"It's curry, seems the house-elves are angry about something," Remus explained. "Though this bread tastes real good-try some." And with that, a piece of bread was stuffed into James's hand. The black haired boy absently handed it to Harry, who rolled the rest of his nougat in the bread and munched contently, eyes closing in bliss. James stuck his fork into the food and took a bite.
Suddenly his mouth was ten times hotter than his anger. He spluttered, reaching for his goblet, choking. Ten minutes later Sirius and Peter arrived. "Are you crying mate?" Sirius asked after glancing and doing a double-take.
James shook his head and put his hand up, his eyes still streaming. Remus watched the events, eating bread. He had only rice on his plate. Seems he sort of blamed James for the biting incident.
Sirius shrugged and took a bite of the curry. His face grew red. It was when it had turned purple that he snatched the water jug from James's grasp and started gulping frantically. The boys started fighting over the water, which was soon gone. They started pouncing on other students-Sirius being so desperate as to steal a pitcher from the Ravenclaw table. Peter eyed his friends confusedly as he shovelled the red meat, vegetables and sauce into his mouth. He had no scruples with the spices.
James and his best friend panted until the deserts appeared. James tucked into his treacle tart with relief.
Sirius took the bowl of sugar cubes provided for those who liked tea and started sucking.
James soon left, his detention on his mind. His feet took him the well worn path to McGonagall's office. He stood outside the door a few moments, debating with himself whether to go in-or skive off. He knocked.
His head peered around the doorway and his grip around Harry's waist tightened. McGonagall raised her eyes from the homework she was marking and flicked her eyes towards the seat infront of her desk. Sit down.
James slipped in, quiet and sat.
McGonagall continued to mark, ignoring him. James wondered if she was doing it on purpose. His mind wandered further.
"He's here! it's Him!"
McGonagall scratched out a sentence. She lowered her quill.
"Take Harry and RUN!"
"Now, Mr Potter..." McGonagall began, her eyes glinting as they rested on the student in front of her. She spared a glance at Harry, then her eyes went back to James.
"I'll try to hold Him off!"
"You may think that my reasons for giving you a detention were a bit...off."
"Leave him alone, what has he ever done to you, he's only a baby!"
"And you're right. I never planned to give you detention Mr Potter." McGonagall leaned forward over her desk. "Ginger newt?" James numbly took one.
"Step aside, and I'll let you live. Step aside, foolish girl!"
"No, I won't let you! He's only a child...he'd never hurt you!"
"ENOUGH! Avada Kedavra!"
"MR POTTER, ARE YOU LISTENING!"
James jerked from his reverie. "Sorry...thinking...sorry..." He muttered.
McGonagall paused, as if to check he was really listening. "The reason I have called you to my office this evening is give you an offer."
James searched the face of his teacher, as if trying to find traces of a joke. All he saw was honesty, sadness and pride.
"Mr Potter, what are your views on You-Know-Who's actions over the past years?" She questioned delicately.
James hated Voldemort, long before today. But the boiling hate he felt after learning of Harry's situation would have turned almost anyone. "I hate him, and want him gone. He's horrible. That's why I want to be an Auror or part of the Law Enforcement Squad. I want to fight him, and be one of the people who makes sure he's gone." James spat venomously.
McGonagall put a hand in her lap. "Good. Mr Potter...have you heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"
James had. He had heard his father talking to his mother in hushed whispers one night-he had been eavesdropping. All he got from it was that the Order of the Phoenix was a secret organisation aimed at fighting Voldemort. "Yes, but not much."
"I didn't think so. Mr Potter, the Order of the Phoenix was founded during the summer holiday prior to your second year by Albus Dumbledore. It is a society of select witches and wizards with a common goal: to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Me and Albus have been talking, and were wondering if you would like to join, when you leave school."
Slap James with a fish and he couldn't care less. Although he was doing a good impression of a fish: mouth open wide, eyes popping. "What about...my friends?" He croaked at last.
McGonagall gave a rare smile. "They are some our other candidates, but I prefer to do this individually. But, as I said, would you like to join?"
James's mouth started to form the words before he even thought about it. "Yes, miss."
McGonagall nodded to herself as if she had been expecting that answer. She passed the ginger newt tin and he gratefully took another. Her face turned even more serious. "There is another matter," she said slowly.
Harry started to breathe softly-he had fallen asleep.
"Mr Potter, as I am sure you well know, you are one of, if not the best Transfiguration students in this school. My offer, something I have thought over a great deal, is to teach you to become an Animagus."
Mental Note for James Potter: Leave the country.
"Uh...I...well, so very kind of you..." James stuttered, thinking desperately of a way to get out of it. "I really...waste your time...I couldn't...I'm sure I could...on my own...not necessary."
"Of course I'm not asking you to decide today," McGonagall jumped in, "but something to think about, eh?"
"Well, yes..." James said weakly. How could he get out of this? He didn't think "Sorry, miss, but I learnt to become one illegally with my friends three years ago," would go down to well.
McGonagall gave him a rare smile. "You can go, I'm sure Flitwick won't be so forgiving if you forget another essay, especially one as important as the Constipere charm." She waved her hand and James left.
It was only as he slipped behind a tapestry that would take him up two levels towards Gryffindor Tower that McGonagall had been talking about the Constipere charm-in other words, the constipation charm. He laughed.
So it was to his great disbelief when he opened up his homework diary (his mother, got it?) that he found she was not joking.
"Shit."
Sirius looked up from where he was struggling to write the afore mentioned essay. "Yep, that 'bout sums it up."
James groaned.
A/N: The poll people, the POLL! Review... Or I'll get Voldemort to come after you (him and I are on first name terms), muhahahaha! It might get a bit sadder in the next chapter, but I have nether regions to abuse (Blu Pixi knows what I'm on about)...
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