In Ten Minutes

James staggered through the streets of Gordric's Hollow. Reminiscing on the past times he and his friends used to have. It was over they were all dead. Sirius was gone, Harry was gone…his baby was gone. His Lily…his beautiful Lily was gone. She had been one of the main reasons he had even tried in the war. Now…all that he had lived for, all that had meant so much to him, was gone. Ripped from his grasp in one long, and morbid night. Remus had probably died in depression. Peter, the little bastard, he hoped was dead. He was supposed to be at Hogwarts, but he couldn't go just yet. He had to see the house…

He glanced around the street; people seemed to have abandoned the place. Not another soul was in sight. He walked up to a mailbox. It was his…he looked up the driveway. His house…was gone…in shambles, nobody had come to clean it up. James stood in front of the door. It hung off the hinges, swinging eerily in the wind. James stepped through the door, and stood in the middle of the living room.

His eyes fell to the floor. A cloak sat, crumpled in the floor, a bloodstain on it. James shuddered, and walked through the room and went down the hall. He came to a set of winding stairs. They didn't look very stable, but it might be able to hold his weight. James stepped carefully, never standing on a stair longer then two seconds. If the stairs fell, he could always apparate. There were no wards on or in this house…at least, not anymore.

James trailed his hands along the walls, making his way to Harry's nursery. James stood in the doorway, just staring at the charred remains of what used to be such a cheerful place. He sank to the ground, his head in his hands, his shoulders raising up and down, his anguished sobs echoing through the partially destroyed and fully abandoned house.

James couldn't understand how he could have let something like this happen. How he let that monster, touch his family, his precious family? James stood again, looking around his house helplessly.

'What were you expecting to find, James?' James shook his head, and thought.

My family…

Going to find Dumbledore was long gone from his mind. He had nothing to go to Dumbledore for. Nothing at all, but felt that he must at least comply with it. So James turned again, and Apparated to Hogsmeade. James smoothed his hair down, and wiped his face. He squared his shoulders, and straightened his robes. Looking very much, like the aristocrat that he was, James ambled toward the castle.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Harry Potter wanted to die. No one person should feel this much pain, and still be able to breathe. Harry slowly opened his eye, and a rush of pain went through his head. Harry barely had enough to lean over his bed and throw up in the waste basket, conveniently enough, place by his bed.

"Oh my God…My head…" Harry moaned shutting his eyes, trying to keep from looking at the blinding light coming from his window.

"Some one close the fucking curtains!" Harry cried. To his immense relief, and the relief of the person, that was no longer being yelled at, the curtains were hurriedly closed. Harry peaked his eyes opened again, and a blur of black hair pushed glasses into his hands, and a potion vial pushed into his mouth. The pain in his head stopped, Harry relaxed and put his glasses on.

"What were you thinking, Harry?" Sirius whispered, sitting on the side of his Godson's bed. Harry looked away from him; suddenly the sheets had become immensely interesting to him.

"I—I wasn't thinking", Harry responded. Harry figured he would prefer Sirius yelling at him, then the silence of the disappointment laced into his voice. Sirius sighed in resignation, and put his head into his hands. Harry was at a loss, he didn't quite know what to do. He had never seen Sirius like this; he hadn't even known that he had said to cause it. It wasn't as if Sirius was crying, it was more that he wasn't doing anything, just sitting there. Seemingly falling more into himself then he originally had been.

"Sirius…wh—what's going on with you?" Harry asked him. Sirius didn't respond to him.

"Sirius, you can't do this to me, I can't live that. Pushing people away, pushing your friends away, Sirius it won't work…It does for awhile, but it gets lonely and unbearable. Because all you've done is push the people that love you away and it just makes it worse. It doesn't make the pain better; it doesn't go away until you tell somebody, Sirius. Sirius, please…"Harry had stopped talking about Sirius about halfway through his ramble, and had started talking about himself.

Sirius looked at him, seeing the tears falling from Harry's eyes, he sighed. Harry launched himself into his godfather's lap, and cried.

(Okay, I'm going to be nice, and I'll make this a long chapter. Meaning, that James will meet Harry, and you'll get to see Harry, Sirius', and Remus', reactions. Just because I have nothing better to do.)

James wasn't just scared…No, describing him as scared, would be putting it lightly. If you said terrified, horrified, horror-struck, and even any of those would still not quite cover it. James groaned as he opened the tall wooden doors, to the entrance of Hogwarts. He started his rather nerve wracking journey to the Headmaster's office.

James didn't really have to know which way to turn, or what way to walk. He'd been to Dumbledore's office enough times in his short life to know by heart, where his office was. The only problem, James realized, was getting in. Merlin knows how long he had been 'dead', and 16 years is a long time, and many passwords later.

"Umm…blood pops?"

The gargoyle didn't move.

"Fizzing whizzbees? Bertie Botts? Drooble's Best Blowing Gum? Jelly Beans…"

The Gargoyle opened and permitted James to enter. James ambled up the stairs and knocked timidly on the door.

"Come in".

James couldn't help but smile. Dumbledore had always had a calming affect on James, not matter what was going on. Sometimes, though, Dumbledore could push his buttons, and that's when James wanted nothing more than to curse his wise old headmaster. James pushed the door open, and very fearfully said a slight, "Hey, Professor…"

And it was than that his 'wise old headmaster' hit the floor in a dead faint. James stared, shell-shocked. Not really quite sure why his old mentor had fainted. James wrinkled his nose, men did not faint, they passed out. There that sounded better, but nonetheless, James was still in a state of shock.

"Was it something I said?" James asked the passed out wizard. James stood over Dumbledore and sighed, "Enervate". With a wave of James' hand Dumbledore blinked open his eyes.

"Are you alright?" James asked.

Dumbledore stared at him, his eyes twinkling madly, James felt a slight probing in his mind, but since he knew who it was, the ward didn't go up, and no one was thrown out. Dumbledore pulled away and smiled.

"I always wondered why Lily's undergarments were thrown in my office".

James blushed and looked at his feet, but tears were forming in his eyes.

"Lily…Harry".

"Oh! Thank you for reminding me James, I must go check on young Harry. I'd keep you a secret from the Order and young Harry, just for a while, but I'm afraid I've already angered young Mr. Potter enough as it is. He's got quite the temper on him, you know. I suspect he gets it from you. He destroyed some of my things in a tantrum just this May".

James' mouth fell open, not daring to believe that his son was still alive. Not wanting to get his hopes to high.

"Yo—you mean, Harry's alive?"

Of course he's not, he couldn't be…

"Yes, why wouldn't he be?"

"Can I see him? How is he, is he on the Quidditch Team, is he in Gryffindor, does he have a girlfr—" James rambled off.

"I'm afraid you'll just have to ask him yourself, Mr. Potter". James couldn't help but wonder how his eyes always twinkled, when other people couldn't find the humor in situations.

"So, if you'll just step in the fireplace, and we can floo to Grimmauld" Dumbledore instructed him.

(Can I just skip to the part where James and Dumbledore get to the house? Pfft, why am I asking you, I'm going to do it anyway.)

James stood in the sitting area Dumbledore by his side, not knowing what to do.

"I suppose you might want to call somebody or something?" James suggested.

A portly woman with red hair, descended from the stairs, her face pale and eyes puffy. Dumbledore motioned her over and led them all to the sitting room.

"Molly, what's the fuss about?"

Molly wiped her eyes and stared at Dumbledore, "Last night, Harry fell and passed out. He was slightly drunk, and—" she was cut off by another voice.

"Slightly drunk? Molly that is slightly under reaching, Harry wasn't slightly drunk, he was plastered".

Remus…He's still alive oh Merlin…Harry was drunk?

"And why did Mr. Potter think it right, to indulge himself in Alcoholic beverages?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus, who hadn't noticed him yet, shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Sirius didn't get much out him".

Dumbledore motioned for James to step out in the light, and James didn't understand why he was so nervous. It wasn't like he was talking to complete strangers.

You practically are, James. When's the last time you've seen or spoken to Remus? What was it, 15 years?

James made himself known to the group by clearing his throat, his eyes cast forward his eyes unfeeling, and nose held in the air. Remus stared at him, barely able to comprehend what was going on.

"You know, had you not been dead for 15 years, I'd say that was you. You've got your nose stuck up in the air like the jerk that you are, and—" Remus was cut off as James threw himself into his best friend's arms.

"Oh, Remus I didn't know what to think. I woke up, and I could feel her next to me. I touched her arm, she was so cold and I couldn't get out, I had to bust through the tomb. It was horrible", James rasped.

"I want to see Harry, can I see him?" his voice was hesitant, and his hazel eyes were filled with excitement and a small hint of fear. Remus stared at him, and pulled away. He seemed to be thinking. Remus nodded and motioned for James to follow him, and James slowly ambled after him.

Harry didn't know how long he stayed wrapped up in his godfather's arms, Sirius didn't seem to mind, and Harry wasn't so sure that he minded either. Had it not been for the fact that he had just sobbed like a child. Harry jerked away, a scarlet blush laced across the contour of his jaws and neck.

Harry hastily wiped away all traces of his outburst and looked away from Sirius. "Ahem, I-I'm sorry 'bout that, I think I ruined your shirt…" Sirius opened his mouth, but as he was about to say something, and knock sounded at the door. Sirius glanced at Harry, the look on his face told Harry that they would finish the conversation later, not something Harry was particularly looking forward too.

Harry didn't hear much after that, he watched as Sirius walked out the door, opened it, and rapidly slammed the door shut. Harry heard a few heated words, though he could make none out, and then a loud shout of joyous laughter. The door opened again, and a figure that Harry didn't recognize was shoved into the room. The figure turned towards the door again, but seemed to rethink it.

Harry looked at the figure, sizing him up. Not knowing whether to run, or too stay put.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, sitting up on the bed, grabbing his wand off the table. The figure removed the hood of his cloak, and the newly identified man drew in a breath. Harry was met with a breathtakingly handsome man. Messy, raven black hair, finely chiseled jawbones, a tall muscular man, that couldn't have been older than 22, and hazel eyes. Oddly, Harry didn't feel scared at all, and lowered his wand.

"I'm your father…"

Harry, wondering what this man was smoking, raised his wand again, and walked forward, until his wand was pressed, with some difficultly due to the fact that he was so effing short, into the man's neck.

"You might want to rethink that, I may only be 16, but I am not stupid, and I have no problem killing you on the spot, so don't tempt me", Harry whispered coldly, dangerously. A flicker of surprise came to the man's eyes. There was a 'pop' and a gasp was heard from Harry, as he was met with the identical form of his patronus, only this time it wasn't see through, and Harry could actually touch it.

It really was his father…

Harry watched in awe as his father changed back, and grinned shyly. Harry's wand fell to the floor, and James barely had time to open his arms to catch his petite son, as Harry threw himself at him. James wrapped Harry in a warm embrace, arms encircling his waist and a chin propped on his head, and Harry clung to him for dear life. Harry was shivering.

Harry couldn't believe it, he didn't question it, he just didn't care at this point. How long had he waited for this is happen? How long had he waited to hear his father's soft voice, and it not be yelling in fear, as he screamed for his wife to run? Harry buried his face into his father's shoulder. He felt safe…

Yeah, don't get used to the long chapters, it won't happen often. I have narrowed it down to the ships I'm thinking about. You tell me what you want, it's up to you.

Harry/Ginny

Harry/Sirius

Harry/Remus