Chapter 14

James took the decision not to tell Professor Longbottom that their Defence Professor was infact a Death Eater with close connections to Voldemort. He thought that no one would believe him, that they would call him a liar, who just wanted to be his dad. He didn't, James wanted to be anyone but his dad. He did decide to write to his dad however, he was an expert in Dark Magic, and James could probably casually slip in the mention of these Horcrux things, his dad wouldn't be suspicious at all. James, however, did not have the knowledge of what his father had spent his 7th Year of school doing.

Dear Dad,

I know I haven't written to you at all this year, but I thought I made my feelings clear about you. I'm sorry for shouting at you, and I had no right to call you what I did, no matter how true it is. Anyway, I thought you would like to know that I have not attacked Albus once this term, no matter how many times he might like to tell you I have. I got top marks in the year in a Transfiguration test, not that you'd care, unless it was for Transfiguring myself into a crown for Prince Albus to wear.

We were in the Library the other day, Lotte and I, in the Restricted Section, and we found something rather odd about a piece of rare magic. Do you know anything about Horcruxes? Apparently very Dark stuff, and so we thought you were the man for the job. I wouldn't be writing unless we were really worried about it, we think something we found might be one….

Unlove from James, (Gryffindor Seeker, and least loved Potter child. I know you love it when I add that at the end of letters.)

P.S. Why did you never tell me I was kidnapped by Death Eaters as a kid? Just thought I'd slip that in there…

James kept the tone of his letter sour, after all, he didn't want his dad suspicious of him. James heard footsteps behind him, it was late, and so he thought the common room would be empty. He spun around, and came face to face with his little sister. She was in her pyjamas, and her hair was hanging all over her face.

"James!" Lily squealed, enveloping him in a huge bear-hug, "I thought you might be down here, you always stay up late. Who are you writing to? Dad? Can I read?"

She grabbed the letter before her older brother could protest. As Lily read, her face turned miserable, and she gave James a pitying look, obviously more concerned with James' obvious dislike of their dad, than the dark magic and the kidnapping. She was a first year, and wasn't concerned with such things.

"Daddy does love you Jamie!" she squeaked, looking on the verge of tears.

"I never said Daddy didn't love me," said James bitterly, "Just that he didn't love me as much."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Lily said angrily, "Mummy and Daddy love you just as much as me and Al!"

"They sure have a funny way of showing it then Lils."

Lily enveloped James in yet another hug, and they were quiet for a few moments, before Lily asked quietly, "What did you call dad?"

James chuckled, "I'm afraid its too foul for your young ears Lils."

"I'm sure my ears have heard worse, I'm friends with Hugo Weasley." Said Lily, as if that explained everything.

"I suppose." James sighed, "I called him an Albus-loving, Me-Hating, Bastard-Who-Shouldn't-Have-Lived, and then I said, why don't you stick that on the bottom of your letters?"

Lily giggled, "Your really funny James, maybe that's why dad doesn't like you as much, he's a miserable old git!"

James smacked his sister playfully on the head, "Language Lily Potter! You should get to bed before Neville murders me. I have to go to the owlery anyway. And no, you can't come too." he added.

Lily huffed an trudged up the stairs to her dorm, James chuckling as she went. He pulled on his invisibility cloak, and set off to post his letter.

The next morning, the very same letter arrived in Harry Potter's office. It was a huge surprise for his to receive a letter from his son, he hadn't written since third year. He opened the letter, and immediately his grin from receiving a letter from his son, turned to a grimace. I mad my feelings clear about you…. found something rather odd about a piece of rare magic… Do you know anything about Horcruxes?… Unlove from James… least loved Potter child… I was kidnapped as a kid…

Harry sank down further into his chair than he ever had in his life. Two bombshells in one letter, James knew how to give his dad a heart attack. Was all this about Horcruxes some new thing to spite Harry? Had James found out about them from a friend and thought it would be funny to scare his dad? And the way he phrased it… Just as Tom Riddle had done in Dumbledore's Pensieve all those years ago, the memory still stung like a wound, that had been the night Dumbledore died. Harry got up from his chair, and marched importantly over to the fireplace, he stuck his head in and said,

"Hermione, can you come into my office? Don't bring Ron, he'll only jump to conclusions."

"Harry, I'm in the middle of a very important meeting! You can't just barge your head in here through the fireplace!"

Harry noticed a small Goblin sitting at Hermione's desk, and recognised him as Griphook. How appropriate, he thought, considering all this Horcrux nonsense.

"Hermione, this can't wait, It's to do with my son, and the You-Know-Whats we looked for in seventh year!"

He heard Hermione gasp, "Griphook, I'm sorry, you of all people will understand… can we reschedule, for this afternoon? Harry I'll be there in two minutes."

Griphook sighed an nodded, and Harry took his head from the fireplace. Hermione was on her way, even though he was an adult now, it was an oddly reassuring thought.

"Harry!" Hermione puffed as she stepped through his door, she had obviously run, "Whats this about Albus and Horcruxes?"

"Not Albus." said Harry worriedly, "James."

Hermione sunk into the chair behind her, "James?" she asked, "Since when has James know anything about anything which didn't concern Quidditch?"

Harry laughed at Hermione's comment, it was a joke in the family that James was just like his Grandfather, unconcerned with anything but Quidditch. He handed his friend the letter, and she read it in a flash.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione looked on the verge of tears, "How could James say such horrid things like that to you? If Hugo… oh, it doesn't bear thinking about!" She enclosed him in a bone-crunching hug.

"Hermione-can't-breath!" she choked out.

"Oh, Sorry.." she turned red, "But how did he find out about Horcruxes? I mean its hardly something you stumble across every day… and the way he put it… just like Riddle did… How? I thought Albus was the one who knew out this?"

"Exactly, hence why my other son hates me." said Harry sourly.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said in a very Mrs. Weasley-ish tone, "James doesn't hate you! He's just an angry teenager, and you can't tell me you weren't like that too, I distinctly recall being pecked half to death by an owl on your orders."

"That was different," snapped Harry, "I was older for a start, and I was locked up at the Dursley's facing expulsion from Hogwarts. James is at Hogwarts, and he's only been to the Dursley's house once."

"The situation may be different," said Hermione wisely, "But his feelings are probably the same. He feels he's being kept in the dark, while you and Albus go off on adventures-"

"We don't go off on adventures!" interrupted Harry, like an angry child.

"I know you don't, but me and Ron weren't having the time of our lives at Grimauld place, even when you thought we were." Hermione finished, giving Harry a stern look.

He sighed, and sat in his chair, hands on the back of his head, forcing his ridiculously messed up hair to become even more ridiculous messed up, "I suppose so. But how did he find out about being kidnapped? That is worrying."

"I agree," said Hermione, "But I think he probably heard it from another student, I bet Scorpius Malfoy overheard his grandparents discussing it at tea."

Harry chuckled at this, and Hermione gave his another hug, "You and James are going to be OK, you know. He won't hate you forever."

"I know." sighed Harry.

"Incidentally, what did James call you?"

"Hermione!"

"I'm just curious!"

"He called me an Albus-loving, James-Hating, Bastard-Who-Shouldn't-Have-Lived, and then said some thing like 'why don't you stick that at the bottom of your stupid letters!'"

Hermione gasped, "That really is foul language!"

Harry grinned slyly, it was lucky she didn't hear the things he and Ron had taught Hugo. He shuddered at the thought of her ever finding out.

At breakfast on Thursday morning, James received a long-awaited letter from his dad,

Dear James,

I'm really not angry about our fight over the summer, and your letter was nothing compared to what I sent your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione when I was younger… lets just say that owl bites leave scars.

James laughed at this, even if his dad was a git, he knew how to make a good joke.

I want to make it clear that I do not love your brother more than you, I just want to keep him safe, and you know why. I do know you heard me and Kingsley discussing it in your first year.

Damn it, he was good!

As for the kidnapping, I suppose we didn't want to worry you, and you were returned unharmed and unscathed,(apart from the fact that it made you a bit of a git… I'm joking!) How did you find out?

And finally for the Horcruxes, I do know about them, possibly more than any other living person. I was one. I'll explain more at Christmas, so until then, don't do anything too rash about them. You think you may have found one? Whatever you do, don't touch it for a prolonged period of time, or become emotionally attached to it.

I'm very glad to hear that you're doing well in lessons, and that you've kept away from your brother. He needs his head deflating a little, I do agree about the crown, thinks he's a Prince doesn't he?

Stay out of trouble (Its harder than it sounds when you know as much as you do.)

Love Dad, the Albus-loving, James-Hating, Bastard-Who-Shouldn't-Have-Lived (I thought you would like it if I really did add it to my letters!"

James smiled, Harry obviously didn't hate him so much after all. He handed the letter to Lotte and then Fred, who both read intently.

"Your dad was a Horcrux too?" asked Fred amazedly, "Maybe its hereditary?"

"Of course its not!" said Lotte, hitting Fred on the head with her Daily Prophet, "Its something cast by a spell you Prat! Incidentally, I found out what the second part of that spell means."

"What?" asked James.

"Horcruxi peperi vicis strennus," said Lotte, as if it was obvious, "Its a spell used to create a Horcrux, which can only be made 'active' at a chosen time."

"Blimey!" said Fred, "When did our lived get so complicated?"

"If I could have a Galleon for every time I've asked myself that." said James.

Thanks for reading folks :P please reveiw, i feel so unloved.. only 3 reveiws...... I'm going on protest until i have 10 reveiws... THANK YOU!!!! xxx