THE TIME ANOMALY

CHAPTER 8: Harry

"You are dismissed," said Dumbledore, and all the Wizengamot started getting up and leaving through the door.

The Marauders breathed a sigh of relief - Sirius was free!

Madam Bones approached Sirius and told him to meet her in her office as soon as he could.

"Bring along your friends, too, Mr Black," she added, glancing around the room.

"Yes, Director." Sirius nodded.

OoOoO

Outside the courtroom, James told Sirius to come to Godric's Hollow, and he could get cleaned up a bit from his stay in Azkaban, before he went to see Madam Bones.

OoOoO

After James had given Sirius some of his robes to wear until he could buy some of his own. They also got up a big lunch for him, along with a potion to help him recover from Azkaban.

"We'll give you one of those with every meal so you'll look all the better for when we go see Harry." James said confidently.

"Should we give Dumbledore some advance notice?"

"Good idea. We won't be taking up any of his time," Remus rationalized, "but he probably wants to set up a meeting."

"When'll it be?" James asked.

"Next Saturday? Six days from now, not counting today. Should help Sirius beef up a bit, and Harry won't be busy with classes." Remus reasoned.

"Great! I'll notify him we're coming for Harry." James said eagerly, jumping up and sending off an owl.

OoOoO

On Saturday, Harry was surprised when Dumbledore called him into his office after breakfast.

"Why do you think he called me?" he asked Ron curiously.

"No idea, did you do somthing wrong recently?"

"Well there was the troll incident, but it's been nearly two weeks, I don't think that could be it," Harry mused. "Well, I'll just have to find out when I get there."

"Good luck, mate," Ron replied.

After breakfast saw Harry heading towards the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. After giving the required password (Licorice Wands), he proceeded up the stone staircase and knocked on the door. There was a hurried movement, and Dumbledore called him in.

Harry entered the office looking around curiously. "Hello sir. What did you want me for?" he asked respectfully.

"I wanted to tell you somthing about your father, Harry."

"What?"

"Well, it appears that when he was killed, a very strange and unprecedented thing occured - he was sent forwards in time ten years. He is not dead, Harry, and he wants to meet you today," Dumbledore said solemnly.

"Wha-what?" Harry stuttered, and then fainted.

"Ennervate," Dumbledore murmured, and Harry sat up, blinking.

"What the - did you just say my dad's alive?" Harry demanded, seemingly forgetting the fact that he was talking to the Headmaster. "I was told many times that magic cannot revive the dead!"

"But in this case, he was never dead in the first place, Harry," Dumbledore reminded.

"But - but - " Harry stammered.

"I know it's a lot to take in, Harry. Would it help if you met him and his friends?"

"Met him?" Harry replied, wide-eyed. "B-but I'm just a freak!"

"Just a freak?" Dumbledore replied, surprised.

"Yes. Every time somthing odd happened - accidental magic, I'm told - they'd say I was a freak and didn't deserve parents who cared for me," Harry mumbled.

"Oh, Harry," Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid the 'freakiness' you relatives referred to was your being magical. Your parents were magical too, weren't they? And Harry, your parents loved you with all their heart."

"If you say so," Harry replied in disbelief.

Dumbledore opened a door that had been hidden a moment before. The door was always silenced, so James, Sirius and Remus had no idea of the conversation that had gone on beforehand.

James looked at Harry and saw, not the healthy, robust preteen that had a love of pranks, as he was at that age, but a skinny, pale boy that looked more like almost ten than eleven and a half, and seemed very overawed.

"Harry?" he croaked.

"D-dad?" Harry tried tentatively.

"Harry!" James cried, moving to sweep him up in a hug. "My Harry!"

Harry threw an arm over his face and cowered away from James.

"Harry?" James asked, concerned.

Harry lowered his arm and looked at James guardedly.

"I-I'm not going to hurt you, Harry. What's wrong?"

Harry averted his eyes and blushed.

"I won't press you, Harry," James said tenderly, picking him up. He marveled at how light Harry was. James looked into Harry's eyes - Lily's eyes. He was suddenly overwhelmed with happy memories of Lily. Until now, he had been repressing his grief, making himself as busy as possible with other things to make him forget. But looking at Harry's eyes reminded him, and he couldn't held back the tidal wave of tears that death usually brings. He wept.

Harry looked at him, curiosity winning out over fear. "What's wrong?"

"I just - Lily's dead," James sobbed, holding Harry closer. "I never let myself think about it too much - but Lily's dead - "

"It's okay, dad - we'll see her again," Harry said confidently. "we just have to find her ghost."

"What?" James asked, shocked.

"Her ghost. There's tons at Hogwarts, I'm sure hers is around somwhere," Harry said again.

"Oh, Harry," James cried again. "Only somtimes are people ghosts - they get to choose."

"Then why wouldn't she?"

"Because it's forever. All these batty ghosts can't get back. No one can."

"Look at it this way, Harry," Dumbledore interjected. "Would you want to have her all your life, and then face the chioce of going back as a ghost and just sitting around chatting (which would be very boring, let me assure you), or going on to the next great adventure and never see her again? Or, would you rather be without a mum but meet up with her in wherever dead people go, able to have your mum mother you till you beg her to stop, but it's your mother. And sure, talking together as ghosts would be lovely for, say, the first couple of years, at a stretch, but you'd never get to go back. And then your kids would do the same, because they don't want to have an afterlife without you, right? And the Potters would become a ghost family, just because one of you wanted to stay behind. I'm sure Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington - you would know him as Nearly Headless Nick - could tell you how incomplete it feels to be a ghost. I also knew Lily very well, and I doubt that she would become a ghost, and if she did, she would have come straight here and made sure you were very well taken care of. " *

"Oh," Harry replied softly. "I guess... well, I never really knew her, and of course I've always wished she was here, but I never knew her enough to very well grieve for her much. I don't really have anyone I'd grieve for if they died. Well," he hastily corrected himself, "aside from Ron and Hermione. And I can't imagine either of them dying."

"She was a wonderful woman," James sobbed. "I've just been suppressing it so far - making sure Sirius got out of Azkaban, quashing Remus' self-degrading tendencies - I told myself I could grieve afterwards - but I have to take care of you."

"Don't worry about me... Dad."

"But you're only eleven, and you look more like nine!"

"I am too eleven!" Harry said indignantly. James almost laughed.

"I think you've been very malnourished, and that we need to feed you up some," James said affectionately. "What do you say we go to Potter Manor - the Potter's ancestral home - and introduce you to the House Elves?"

"What's a House Elf?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

Dumbledore beat James, calling "Xaran?". He wanted James to forget his grief... for now at least.

A miniscule House Elf popped into the office, bowing to Dumbledore. "What does Master Dumbledore want, sir?"

"Can you tell young Harry about House Elves? He has never met one before and is quite interested."

"Of course, Master Dumblydore!" turning to Harry, Xaran said, "A House Elf is bound to a master, meaning he has to serve him until he dies or until his master lets him free. A very good House Elf will learn his masters habits and get him what he needs before he asks. Some House Elves, however, are bound to bad families because they were born into that family by other House Elves bound to them, or tricked into it. I know an Elf named Dobby who is very rebellious, and does his best to find loopholes in his orders. His master is very displeased with him, but Xaran cannot blame him. While a House Elf is bound to serve his master, when that master is very mean to him, I think a House Elf should have the ability to leave if they wish. Master Dumbledore let me look over the contract signed by the leaders of the Wizards and the House Elves, and it says that House Elves may do as they wish if their masters are very hostile and mean towards them, but unfortunately, the wizards kept the contract from the Elven heirs, and told them only what they wished, and kept education from them, so that the House Elf species are very un-educated and know nothing of this contract. Master Dumblydore is very kind in that respect, he hired a special tutor for the House Elves of Hogwarts, and they are all very well educated and have a throrough knowledge of the wizarding magics, history, and a few of us can even do Potions acceptably. We also have the House Elf contract, most of us can recite it at a moment's prompting. Any new elves learn fairly quickly. Some elves even come just to ask for such tutoring, and leave for their masters again. The House Elves, as a species, are all very grateful and power Hogwarts' wards so that they are better than any other wards anywhere. Some wards are laid there by the elves, because the wizards do not have the requisite supply or knowledge of magic to cast them themselves - in fact, their magic may not even be capable of it. I do not know." Pausing to take a deep breath, Xaran finished, "that is the brief overview of it all, and if you want to hear more of the details, you are free to call me any time to give them. Now, Master Dumblydore, I have some work that needs attending to, so if you do not mind, I shall leave now."

James had listened intently, as wel as Harry, as most of this was not known to the ordinary wizard, even those who owned House Elves, didn't generally take the time to ask.

"That's interesting," Harry commented. "Are all elves like that?"

"No, Xaran is a special one. You notice, there at the end, he subtly rebuked me for calling him away from his task. Most Elves would be very afraid to do even that, but I encourage the sense of freedom in the Hogwarts Elves."

"Hogwarts Elves, well, most Elves, but Hogwarts especially, are very good at cooking," James said in a significant tone, looking Harry over.

Knock knock.

"Come in," said Dumbledore.

Snape walked in, and became as still as a statue. James' head snapped up. The two arch-enemies glared at each other.

"Snivellus," James snarled.

"Potter." Snape sneered. "and Potter." he added, glancing at Harry. "Headmaster," he nodded towards Dumbledore. "What are you doing here?" he finally spat furiously at James.

"I could ask the same to you," James returned coldly.

"I work here, you moron." Snape said dismissively. "Dumbledore, Longbottom has blown up his cauldron again. I don't suppose you could speak to him and figure out his problem?"

"Certainly, Severus. Tell him that I'l see him tomorrow."

Snape left the office.

"You hired Snivellus to teach Potions?" James hissed.

Harry looked at his father with awe. "You have the guts to call him Snivellus?" Harry asked. "I could never do that! Sure, it fits him, but he'd just steal fifty points." Pausing, Harry thought up the perfect prank. He'd never done pranks before, but it seemed fitting. "From Slytherin." He hadn't been wearing his Gryffindor crest when he was called, so there was nothing about him to contradict that statement.

James gaped at Harry. "Slytherin?" he demanded.

Dumbledore smothered a smile.

"Well of course," Harry remarked. "I had to be cunning to get away from Dudley going Harry Hunting, of course!"

"B-but... you're a Potter! Potters don't get in Slytherin!"

"Potters weren't raised by Muggles who hated them," Harry reminded.

"But - "

"Dad," Harry rolled his eyes. "You're a master of pranks, right? I heard that much from Hagrid. Don't you know one when you see one?"

"B-bu - "

"Look," Harry said, pulling his Gryffindor crest out of his pocket. "Why would I have a Gryffindor crest if I was in Slytherin?"

Dumbledore decided to get in on the joke. "Harry, how did you get that?" he asked, pretending to be exasperated. "I'm sorry, James, apparently he is a mischeif-maker."

"But," James said again, casting around for somthing to say.

Needless to say, Harry was shocked at Dumbledore. "but... Headmaster!"

"I found this crest on the Slytherin table, earlier today," Dumbledore said, handing Harry a crest that had 'H. J. P.' engraved on the rim.

"But!" Harry yelped. "Dad, does Dumbledore do pranks? Please say yes, please!"

James looked at Harry, then Dumbledore. "Okay, spill," he demanded of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at James and laughed.

"Oh, that was a good one, I haven't done that in years," he remarked once he was done laughing. "Thank you Harry. Very few people even let me do pranks in my office. They're all formal and respectful, I haven't had a good friendly conversation in years! Laughter is the best medicine."

James and Harry stared.

Author's Notes:

Okay, really sorry about the loong time between updates, but really I was a bit busy, plus other fanfic.