Potter

Disclaimer: i don't own this. Look at the lower part for more specific info.

Petunia's dirty laundry and Deathly business

As he sat in his room at privet Drive number four, James wondered about what to do now. With the current restriction on magic already on his head, there'd be little he could do on magical stuff and much more he could've done on the theory, but still, he was the man he had been before this accident of fate. There was a second where he absently wondered whether Petunia would make him do the garden again.

He looked at his hands, seeing that they were still the same size as before. He had hoped of course for some sort of magical sign that his body was changing, his growth spurt should have occurred by now, or it might just be that this body is not functioning all that well.

"Boy, get down here now!" the harsh barking of the man who apparently was Petunia's current husband made him return to reality, thinking about stuff that went on within his body not being terribly productive for him. He went downstairs, trying to act as normal as ever, well, as normal as he could be, given that he was still adjusting to having all these memories of his other life, along with the memories of this body, giving him an awkward pose if not all.

"Work with your aunt to clean the dishes boy, and don't you dare obstruct her path, or it'll be the same like last year." James grimaced, knowing that the locks on his door were still there. There was a tense silence as Vernon left, James slowly taking his place at Petunia's side, waiting still he heard the television blaring in the other room before he dared to ask the question that was burning on his lips. "What ever did happen to Anthony Green?"

A dish clattered to the floor as she twisted her head towards him, giving him a very abnormal look, one that was usually reserved for things that made her skeptic. "Where did you hear that name?" she hissed out, James looking at her with interest visible on his face, as she picked up the dish and then placed it upon the cleaning rack, before turning to him, looking at him with her eyes boring straight into him, a rather abrupt change from the strict aunt, as he noticed that she was shaking slightly, maybe out of fear or some other emotion.

"He was that man that you took to James and Lily's engagement party, was he not?" there was a silence as she nodded. "Yes, that was the one time I didn't go with Vernon, but how do you know of it? You weren't even born yet."

"Also, being inside this house for quite some time has made me quite aware that you're still seeing him, pretending to go out 'shopping', I believe is your normal excuse, isn't it Petunia?" she gave him a dirty look, one that made him grin, knowing he had the advantage over her. "Why don't you start treating me as if I were James Potter? You would've had nothing to do with him if he hadn't married your sister, right?" "Harry, why do you know these things?" he sighed, threading his hands through his hair. "The pictures. I have a picture-book of my mum and dad, and you're in it too, dancing with that man you meet every now and then."

There wasn't much color left on her face as she seemed to regain her wits. "But how?" "I simply overheard some of your phone calls in the cupboard." She nodded numbly as she knew that Harry would have overheard her talking, since it was so easy to forget the little kid in the cupboard.

"What do you want me to do for your silence?" the words were like music to his ears, despite not really wanting to take advantage of it, he nevertheless took that chance with both arms. "Treat me like you treat Dudley for once. I'm your nephew, not some kid that merely lives with you and is expected to do housework around the house. For instance, let Dudley do some of the housework for once, it'd be good for his muscles."

The rest of the dishwashing went without noticeable difficulty, Petunia eventually managing a small smile, apparently glad that she had bought Harry's silence on the matter of the extramarital relationship she had pursued. James himself wasn't too pleased with himself, as he should've milked it for all that it would have been worth, but still, he wasn't too bad a person not to give her some breathing space. There was a moment when one had to stop, and he had seen that moment. This was merely one thing that would make the 'relationship' between them a bit less strained.

Of course, when Vernon would find out, there'd be hell to pay for her. Both she as well as he knew it, so he didn't even comment on that. The sounds of the television were coming from the living room, some action show being on it and actually managing to rouse his attention. From what he was gathering, there was a hero about to save a princess or lady from a dragon, but the dragon was armored with plate, while the hero used a big machine gun to try and kill it. It was complete nonsense, but it reminded him somewhat of his youth, of the tales of the Three Brothers and other ones.

There was a bag of crisps on the table, making him feel a pang of hunger, as he went to get one, the strange muggle food being quite tasty as he chewed on it, the feeling of the salty taste being quite a different one then most of the dishes of the Hogwarts Kitchen. He still remembered how they used to sneak inside and ask for the strangest dishes, only to see the house-elves skittering around trying to make them with the ingredients available.

"Hey, freak! Don't touch my crisps." A meaty fist hit him in the side, making a jolt of pain go through his body as he was pushed away a few paces, taking a careful distance to assess the danger. There was Dudley looking at him, one meaty hand holding a few crisps, which went into a black hole, which closed and small sprinkles of crisp went out of the mouth as it took breath, the oily texture of the skin being a perfect statement of obesity.

There were no more things for him to do at the present timeas he looked at the fat monstrosity on the chair, sighing to himself as he trudgedup the stairs.

The next day brought a letter from the Weasleys, James absently remembering that Arthur and Molly used to be Order members in their time, and wondered if they still were, or at least were still like before, not really having much contact with them during the entire Order, going into hiding moments after the joining of the Order, just enough to get one picture taken.

The day of their arrival was marked with the 20th day of Dudley's diet. There were some changes in the obese boy that were already apparent by the time that James got out of bed, the look of pure hunger on the boys face being a blessing to see. He didn't really like the fat kid, he was just too much like Vernon in that aspect, Vernon even going as far as to scoff at the diet that the school had visited upon Dudley.

There was a moment of peace as he looked through the paper for anything interesting, something about a minor gas leak being on the front page, with the metro being blocked for the better part of a day being there, as the sound of grunts of pain came from behind the metal grate in front of the chimney, the voices beign clearly those of Ron and the twins.

They tried to floo here… went through his head, Vernon already thundering at him for what the voices were, until a loud bang resounded and the grate went flying through the room, Petunia fainting as loads of dust came throughout the entire room, dirtying it in her mind enough to need to clean it entirely again. She looked at the ceiling as she merely lay there, unconsciously as Arthur Weasley stepped to the fore. " Hello there Harry, fancy seeing you there. There was a big grate in front of the exit, so I blew it away without a second thought. Fred, George, don't even think of… Oh dear."

Fred had let a bag full of brightly colored sweets fall onto the floor, where they scattered, George as well as Fred picking them up without missing a beat, James spotting one of the sweets being pocketed by Dudley, and wondered what trick the twins had been up to, since even they as Marauders hadn't been as bad as those two, going as far as to send a toilet to someone in their Sixth year, but still, that was the only thing they ever did to spite someone.

The rest of the day went on without a hitch, save for Dudley's tongue getting large enough to support his bulk, and Weasley's attempts to get the boy and his mother to calm down slightly, while keeping Vernon at bay. James sure remembered that scolding of Fred and George, as Molly rounded on them like an angry pit-bull. The verbal flogging left him somewhat speechless, as the small woman dug into them with cutting words, making him be eerily reminded of his mother at 13, when she found out that he had been less then honest about his detention times.

The rest of the week went well, as the Weasleys, including all the other members of the family, tried to make it a nice week for them all, not many fights, save some with Ginny, whose reason for fighting was a stolen hairbrush along with some pictures of James. It was never a dull day in this house, and James briefly wondered whether he should just keep his identity a secret for most of his time on earth, or merely tell them straight away. He could offer other insights into the war, Dumbledore be damned, truth to be told., but still, there was a small amount of nagging doubt within his mind, as he heard that the world cup was going to be held, a detail which he had overlooked in the letter, though he hadn't really had the time to look it over. "So, when do we have to go?"

"Oh, very early in the morning. We'll be pitching a tent on the grounds and then we'll be off to see Ireland-Bulgaria, so it'll be about two days till we're back Harry." The older man made him think about his role as Harry Potter, the role that was expected of him and the one that he would play, it being radically different in his mind how the outcome of it all, prophecy included, would be. There was a moment of solace for him in sleep, as no dreams of Harry and Lily dying plagued him, till he was shaken awake by Charlie, who told him that they were all getting ready to leave soon, and that he best hurry up or else they'd leave him behind. Frankly, he got the idea that it was all a joke, so he lazily began to dress himself.

"Up already Harry? I'm sure I told Charlie to wake you in maybe 10 more minutes, but it seems he's gone ahead and woke you up. Ronald's still asleep, I take it?" he nodded, looking at the Weasley matron's cooking, feeling a small pang of hunger go through his stomach, her hands pulling out a plate and filling it with food, placing it in front of him. "Eat up Harry you look like you're starving already, so thin…" there was a moment where he decided that he would eat it all, just to prove her wrong, and that he was not skinny, but merely a bit underfed by his jailors… err, relatives. He looked at the woman as he had finished his plate, about to say something, till Charlie entered with a smug grin on his face. "They're all awake mum. Hey Harry, been served already, I see. Mum, did you have to feed him? The little bugger looks like he'll die with so much food. Can't you see that he's like a Blacksnout? He doesn't need much food, only some water and occasionally a few birds." There was a slightly teasing tone in his voice, as Molly shook her head. "It's no concern of you how Harry eats, dear. He just needs to eat a bit more, or else he'll stay skinny forever. "

"Hey, I do want to have an opinion myself, ya know." He muttered, as he looked at the two Weasley's, who stared at him as if he were some strange creature that they had just discovered. There was a moment for him to look at the two and then shrug his shoulders. "It tasted wonderfully, Miss Weasley."

"Thank you dear. Don't hesitate to ask if you want more, you look so awfully thin." She's going on about me being thin. I need to work out a little, or else I'm never going to find some ass… Wait, I'm loyal to lily, she wouldn't want me to get a girlfriend so soon after… oh wait, if she were up there in heaven, I'm sure she'd want me to live the good life. She'd have wanted me to get someone to share my grief and fun experiences with, have sex with and just be happy with, till we all meet back up there again. The thought wasn't even all that wrong in his mind.

The time before the match started was used to fetch water by the kids, James looking around for any hot women that he saw, spotting a pair of witches from Salem who were looking pretty hot and nice on the eyes, but didn't approach them yet, merely keeping his eye on those two, as they chatted about brooms.

The match was exciting, as he looked it through, the entire time listening to Bagman's comments, while thinking that there would be someone better to present it all to them then Bagman, though the man's sporting presence was not something easy to dismiss. There was a certain air around him nonetheless, that made him quite irritable, the way in which he moved seemingly shady, and James had no idea why, but this man was something else.

The night went absolutely splendid. The moment that the Dark Mark appeared on the sky was the moment that the Death Eaters all attacked, and it was such a spectacle that James almost forgot about the restriction of using magic, though he figured that if it were in self-defense, it'd be okay. He scanned the crowd of people fighting against the Death Eaters, running away further in a strategic retreat, going into the forest, where the sounds of frightened people could be heard, along with a dozen or so pops. Before he really had any idea what happened, Death Eaters swarmed in front of him, his natural reflexes throwing him back against the ground, going unnoticed just because he had opted to wear black pajama's.

There wasn't much to do but watch as spells flew between the Death Eaters and a group of students from another magical school, all looking to be around 17 or 18, a few of them falling to the ground, dead, from the Avada Kedavra, James shaking his head softly as he made out a fierce young woman who fought with a ferocity, being so focused on her that the shout to capture her alive almost went over his head. There was a morbid fascination within his eyes as he watched as the female was stunned, his body moving into action moments later, a few stunners hailing down on the Death Eaters, a scream coming from the girl, one that seemed French, so he supposed that they had at least gotten her clothes off, no matter the manner of execution.

A bludgeoning curse was sent at him, making him roll away, a Death Eater shouting something about taking the bitch down for some time, James throwing a bludgeoning curse to the Death Eater closest to him falling to the ground with at least a broken leg. A branch he levitated, banishing it towards the death eaters, a squishing sound being heard, James not caring as he transformed a pebble on the ground into a leopard, ordering it to attack them.

Spells were trying to hit him, as he ducked behind a tree, hearing the bark being blasted off by spells, none which seemed to be good. Soon enough, he dared to look behind the tree, only to find that the girl was still lying there, the Death eaters having popped away, not willing to risk anymore problems by engaging him in combat. The leopard had turned back into a pebble, the body of the Death eater still on the ground.

He walked carefully towards the girl, giving her a quick once-over and seeing that most of her night clothing had been pretty much destroyed, casting a glance at the body of the Death Eater, the branch he had banished at the Death Eater having pierced straight through the eye. "Do you speak English? "

He asked her that two times, before a softly muttered yes was given. Pulling the cloak off the Death Eater's body, he handed it to her. "Make sure you get out of here, you shouldn't be seen."

"'O are you?" the voice was soft and unsteady, her mind possibly reeling from the things that had happened. "James." He said, not wishing to say more. "Zhank you, James, for chasing zhose bad men away. I svear to repay you someday, i vil giv you zhis oath. I, Fleur Delacour, svear upon my magic to repay you in any way possible."

Without waiting for more from her, he grabbed her by the wrist and hoisted her up, noticing that there would be some bruising in some areas, but other than that, he saw nothing but flawless skin, along with a strange mental pull towards here. "Excuse me, but do you have Veela blood in you?"

"Yes, I am quarter Veela." Came the reply from her, the English which she spoke being very cobbled together, like she didn't really want to speak English in the first place, which would be understandable, since she was French after all. "Just go back to your parents or classmates, I'll be getting away from the scene, wouldn't want any ofusto get implicated."

And so he left her, feeling a bit guilty for doing that, since she clearly did need help, but he would not be able to give it, since it would hit the front page if he had rescued her as Harry Potter. Fame was useful sometimes, but mostly, it was a bother. Especially with that oath she had said just a few moments ago. He didn't need this, he needed some time without any excitement happening….

He met up with Arthur again and told them that he had managed to save someone from the Death Eaters, and if there'd be some action about it. "I don't think you will, the ministry probably will overlook it, since it was a crisis situation and all that. Still, be more prudent next time."

James sighed deeply as he looked at the assorted Weasleys, who all were looking at the other, then at him. "I think that we should all go back to the Burrow now, we've let Molly worry too much about us, wouldn't want her to think that she'd seen us off to our doom. There's bound to be some portkeys out there that will take us back."

And so, the Quidditch world cup ended, not with a bang, but with a riot...

Alright, a new chapter for you to look over. I hope it is to your liking. Madame Delacour has been introduced and sworn an oath, what will James do? Next time, it's back to Hogwarts with James, where he will allow his eyes to roam over the potential females, confident that Lily would want him to move on….

Also, to those who criticize me for writing this, and who told me to put it in better perspective… It's me that's writing this, not you. You don't have to criticize me for writing just a bit awkward…

Also, that tip about a story which is similar to this in plot… I thought up this plot with a little help from my family, who inspires me from time to time. Also, it didn't help that I was looking through my chapters of Genesis to Exodus, trying to spot some faults and got to the crazy idea that James would go absolutely nuts if he became 14 again…

he's kind of nuts, but in a good way...

like Mr. T. in a tank...

possibly...

Next chapter will thusly deal with James going back to Hogwarts, the revelation that the competition is still out there in his year, surprisingly no Quidditch and... a prank