Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.

"Marilyn, Marilyn, where are we going?" asked Christopher tiredly. He had just arrived home from his mission and was exhausted; the only place he wanted to go to was his bed.

"You'll see," she replied in a fierce whisper. "I want to show you something."

"What- I'll kill him!" hissed Christopher as he saw his sleeping son.

"You'll do no such thing!" whispered his wife as she tugged on his hand and led him away. Once they were behind the closed doors of their bedroom, Marilyn whirled on her husband and unleashed her fury. "You told our son he couldn't see Lily anymore!"

"Marilyn," sighed Christopher. "You know what will happen-"

"No!" interrupted Marilyn. "I don't know what will happen and neither do you! He's your pigheaded son alright, but that doesn't mean he'll make the same mistakes you did. You have no right to mandate whom he does or does not date!"

"But Marilyn, she's muggleborn."

"So?!" demanded Marilyn.

"He can't marry her, so it's just cruel to lead her on," reasoned Christopher.

"HE. CAN'T. MARRY. HER." spat Marilyn.

"Well yeah," said Christopher intelligently as he ran a hand through his hair. "He has to marry a pureblood and continue the family line."

Marilyn was livid. "All his life we taught James to never buy into blood prejudice, that he wasn't better than anyone else because of his magical heritage. And now you decide to reverse eighteen years and tell him that the woman he loves isn't good enough for him because she wasn't born into a magical family!" she thundered.

"He has a responsibility as the Potter heir…"

"Honestly Christopher," huffed Marilyn. "This is the twentieth century not the second!"

"Every single Potter has married a pureblood since the second century, why should James be any different?!"

"Times are changing Christopher; maybe you should learn to change with them! You're just as prejudiced as your ancestors."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you are no different from the Blacks or the Malfoys," she said gently. "Every day you go out to fight against people who are trying to kill muggleborns, and then you come home and do the same thing."

"I don't come home and kill muggleborns; apparently I house them!" shouted Christopher angrily.

Marilyn didn't let herself get riled up again. "But darling, by throwing her out or cutting her out of James's life you might as well kill her; she needs him."

"Give me a break Marilyn," scoffed Christopher as he crossed his arms antagonistically. "They're eighteen; they don't need each other. And don't even try to tell me that they're really in love! They don't know what love is!"

Marilyn surveyed her husband coldly. "Are you going to try to tell me that you weren't really in love when you were his age? That the not-love you experienced when you were eighteen didn't consume you for fourteen years?"

"That was different!" protested Christopher.

"How?" challenged Marilyn. When Christopher failed to produce a value response she continued, "Exactly! There is no difference! You're just a great big hypocrite!"

"But Mary," soothed Christopher. "My father turned out to be right in the end. Eleanor and I would never have worked; you are the one who was right for me."

Marilyn was not so easily won over. "Don't you dare," she seethed. "You only married me because I was the least pureblood girl available, the closest thing to your Eleanor! Just because things eventually worked out for us doesn't mean it would work out for James!"

"Marilyn, I know that you adore her, but she's not capab- right for the task of being a Potter."

"She's not capable?!" asked Marilyn, her brow knit with disbelief. "You saw her at the ball; her table manners are immaculate, her dancing is impeccable, and her small talk is more impressive than yours! I have no doubt that Lily could be a better Mrs. Potter than I am! Her step-mother has spent the last four years grooming her for this life; so don't even try to use that pathetic excuse."

"Please just trust me on this one," sighed Christopher. "I know what I'm doing."

"No," responded Marilyn stubbornly. "I'm not backing down this time. I'm sorry Christopher but I'm not going to play the part of your perfect little wife. I lost a lot of my defiance when I married you, but I still have a spark left."

"You're not going to change my mind Marilyn, no matter what you say or do," stated Christopher firmly.

Marilyn bristled with indignation. "You can say whatever you want to James, but that will not make him respect you or obey you. You had better watch yourself Christopher or you may find yourself without a son to rule over. He's you, but with twice the cunning and three times the rebelliousness. And Lily's staying."

And with that Marilyn stormed out of the room, leaving Christopher staring after her with a mixture of anger and confusion. He couldn't remember the last time that she had actually defied him, and her words certainly upset him greatly. So he did the only thing he could think of, he went to bed and slept. Typical.

Meanwhile Marilyn raged around the mansion and belittled the house elves. They were used to it though; some of them had already started baking the usual chocolate cake.

Elsewhere, Sirius, James, and Lily continued to sleep peacefully. Their involvement in the drama didn't begin until nine.

-----

Later that day Christopher was wandering throughout the mansion avoiding his wife, son, and surrogate son. He was passing the library when he heard a yelp and then a crash. Naturally he went in to investigate.

"Are you okay?" asked Christopher before he could help himself.

"Fine," replied Lily as she got off of the ground and straightened herself out.

"What were you doing?" asked Mr. Potter suspiciously.

"I was looking for a book to read and I saw one that looked interesting, so I reached out to grab it but fell off of the ladder. But, the fall was worth it because I got the book," she concluded, waving said book triumphantly.

"You are something else," commented Mr. Potter with disapproval written on his face.

Lily turned to fully face Mr. Potter, and he caught sight of the large bruise that covered her cheek.

"What happened?" he asked with concern. If James had hit her, he really would kill him.

Shyly Lily put her palm up to her cheek to cover the injury. "My father slapped me," she admitted quietly.

Mr. Potter frowned. "May I ask why?"

Lily shrugged. "I told him that he stole my childhood and called him a coward."

"That's all?" asked Mr. Potter, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I think I failed to mention that he was smashed out of his mind at the time because it was the anniversary of my mother's death," stated Lily objectively. "It's somewhat of a tradition in my family; the drinking part not the hitting part, that was a surprise."

"You have a lot of emotional baggage."

"No offense sir, but so does your son."

"James?" questioned Mr. Potter. Her statement caught him off guard.

"Well yeah," affirmed Lily. "He has been trying to make you proud probably since he was born, but you didn't seem to have a ton of time for him. He told me that one of his favorite memories ever was when you took him to a Quidditch game when he was five. Don't you find that incredibly pathetic?"

"These are very bold words for someone who is depending upon my hospitality."

"Send me back to my father," challenged Lily.

Ignoring this, Mr. Potter gestured to a pair of armchairs and said, "Won't you sit down?"

"I'm not going to suck up to you Mr. Potter; that's not my style. I tell it like it is."

Mr. Potter sat back in his chair, one arm crossed over his chest, the other perpendicular to it and cupping his chin. He scrutinized her for a few moments and then said, "You have brought turbulence into my life since James met you September first in your first year. You have been the object of his fixation for seven years. You're right, I haven't always been there for my son, but inevitably any conversation we had about school contained some reference to you. These references changed as he aged and I could tell that he fancied you. Then you decided to date him, and I was excited for him because I thought he could finally get over his infatuation; I never thought that he would actually fall in love with you. I never wanted that for him.

"I'm sure he's told you about my past, and why I told him I wanted him to break things off with you. You're intelligent; I am sure that you understand my reasoning even if he does not."

"I understand your reasoning, but respectfully choose to disregard it."

"I can see why my wife likes you; she sees herself, herself as she was many many years ago, in you. My wife and I bicker a lot, but then the house elves bake a cake and everything is fine again. I can't remember the last time we actually had a real argument, a real disagreement. Again, you bring chaos into my life."

"I bring chaos into a lot of lives," said Lily reflectively. "I'm a muggleborn who refuses to conform to the mold, a muggleborn who doesn't think she has "dirty blood," who doesn't believe that she is inferior to anyone else. Yeah, I've brought chaos into the lives of the Blacks, the Lestranges, the Malfoys, the Potters…"

Lily let the last word linger and added to its poignancy with a pointed look at her boyfriend's father.

"You really don't beat around the bush do you?"

"No sir," affirmed Lily, her head held high.

"I want you to know that I don't think less of you as a person because of your heritage…"

"You just don't want me contaminating the blood of all of your descendants," Lily cut in.

"You make it sound so…"

"Terrible?" suggested Lily. "That's because it is terrible."

"You make me speechless," admitted Mr. Potter. "I have never been made speechless by a teenaged girl before, not even when I was a teenager."

"Well I'm pretty sure this will leave you even more speechless," began Lily. "And I hope it does because I'm asking you not to convey what I'm about to tell you to anyone by any means, not even Mrs. Potter or James, especially not James. On my birthday a couple of weeks ago, James asked me to marry him."

"He what?!"

"Before you say anything else, I didn't say yes." After Christopher's blood pressure went back down and he sighed in relief, Lily continued. "But I didn't say no because of you; I said no because I'm not ready to get married and neither is James."

"Damn right he's not!" agreed Christopher.

"He asked me to marry him because he's afraid that when I go away in September I'll find someone better than him. I may find someone who has better test scores, or a bigger bank account, but I love James just as he is and no one can usurp his place in my heart. James and I may never get married, we might not even make it through the next three years of a long distance relationship, but I will be here as long as he will have me.

"I know you probably don't believe that James and I love each other because you're a reasonable and sensible man. Honestly, I never used to believe that teenagers could truly love each other either. But I really do think that I love him and he loves me because he has stayed with me through all of my drama and crap. He pulled me out of a very dark place; I'm a psychological wreck, yet he didn't give up on me like everyone else in my life. My best friends, my sisters, my dad, they all closed their eyes to the parts they didn't want to see. James didn't," said Lily, her voice breaking as she tried to choke back tears.

"Everyone saw the dark place, but James was the only who dared to go there to pull me out. I needed him then and I still need him now. He's the only one who stays with me. He knows that he will get in trouble for staying with me but he does it anyway. Now try and convince me that this is a silly infatuation, and believe me I know silly infatuations."

"I don't think this is a silly infatuation," said Christopher softly. "That is what worries me. I'm asking you, please don't see my son anymore."

Lily collected herself, and explained in a clear and level voice. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but I can't do that."

Christopher smiled wanly. "I didn't expect anything else." Then he rose and said, "You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like, and don't let anyone tell you that you are inferior, especially me. Enjoy your book."

"Thank you," said Lily with a slight smile.

Mr. Potter just nodded and left.

As he entered the foyer he saw Marilyn directing the house elves in decorations.

"She can stay," he stated firmly as he passed his wife quickly.

Marilyn smiled as she watched him jog up the stairs. She returned to her tasks with much more enthusiasm and joy.

"James?" called Mr. Potter as he peered into his son's room.

Directly behind him, Sirius was just shutting his bedroom door. "He's thinking," explained Sirius.

"And where would that momentous occasion be taking place?" asked Mr. Potter lightly.

Sirius looked at him skeptically, and suddenly Christopher felt small. "On a broomstick."

"Of course," said Mr. Potter, trying to recover the dignity he had felt he had lost.

"He's probably throwing a quaffle through the hoops on the pitch," added Sirius.

"I'll see you later Sirius," said Christopher as he hurriedly left.

Christopher walked slowly toward the pitch wondering what kind of father didn't know where his son went to think. He had thought they had really… connected at Christmas time; they had spent a couple of afternoons together and Christopher thought he had really gotten to know James. It turned out that a few hours weren't enough to make up for years of neglect. She had been right; James did have emotional baggage because of him.

Before he knew it, Christopher was lost, lost on his own estate. He had lived there all his life and yet he couldn't find the Quidditch pitch in his backyard. Eventually he did get his bearings and strolled through the tunnel and into his son's haven.

For a moment he just stood there, hands in pockets, and gazed around. He hadn't been in the pitch since James was seven. He was dumbfounded by this. How could he have let himself get that carried away by his career? How could he value something more than his only son? It embarrassed him to reflect on how many times he had pushed James aside.

"Hey Dad!" called James. He had just turned eight and was clutching the brand-new broom he had just received for his birthday with such enthusiasm and raw excitement that it seemed to light up his whole being. "Can we go flying now?"

"Sorry son," said Christopher as he absently ruffled his son's hair. "It was a hard day at the Ministry, and I still have some paperwork to do, maybe tomorrow."

James's face fell and his light promptly went out, but he tried not to let his father see that he was hurt. His dad was a big strong auror; he was never hurt by anything or anyone. James vowed to live up to his father's example. He nodded and said, "Sure Dad, sounds great."

If Christopher had been paying a little more attention he would have seen the tears shimmering in young James's eyes, and he would have heard the quaver in his voice. Unfortunately, Auror Potter only had brain space for his latest case and the possibility of a promotion.

He received the promotion. He never went flying with James.

Once he woke up from his reverie, Christopher scanned the sky. James was nowhere in sight. Reacting defensively, Christopher grabbed his wand and took in a 360 degree scan of the pitch. He relaxed as he recognized a messy mop of black hair sitting in the stands. He also recognized the second head with a very similar hair style. When did Harry arrive? Christopher didn't even know he was visiting much less noticed him flying with James. And now they were talking?

"Hey Harry! Why weren't you at the party last night?" one auror asked the younger Potter as he walked into the department that morning.

"I was babysitting my nephew," explained Harry without one ounce of regret.

"But mate, that was an important dinner! Simmons totally kissed the captain's ass! There's no way you'll beat him out for a recommendation now."

Harry shrugged.

"You were babysitting Christopher's kid, James?"

"My one and only nephew," said Harry proudly. "That kid is so smart…"

The auror interrupted him saying, "If anyone would have understood it would be Christopher. There's no way he would have done whatever he was doing if he knew that you were sacrificing your career to babysit his kid."

"He was advancing his own career," responded Harry. "That sort of thing matters to him; personally I would rather spend the evening with my wife and nephew baking sugar cookies and making forts in the living room than suck up to stuffy old men who smell funny."

The auror laughed and asked, "Are you sure you weren't adopted?"

Christopher had heard the whole conversation, and it had stuck with him. How could his younger brother, a Potter, care so little about his career? How could he be so bold as to say such things where anyone could hear? He would definitely have to have a word with him…

"It will be okay James," soothed Harry.

"How will this be okay?" asked James doubtfully. He had just finished telling his tale of woe and he couldn't believe that his uncle's response was so optimistic.

"If your dad kicks you out or Lily out or you both out, either or both of you can come live with me. I'll even let you share your room!" sang Christopher.

"Uncle Harry," said James as his rolled his eyes and suppressed a laugh. "That room has two single beds."

"Therein lies my genius," said Harry with his booming laugh. "But in all seriousness, both you and Lily are always welcome with your Auntie Eileen and me; we would love to have you. In fact, why don't the two of you come for dinner tonight? This time Eileen and I will cook."

"That sounds good Uncle Harry, thanks, and thanks for listening. All dad ever does is yell."

"He loves you James," stated Harry intensely.

"He loves his job; he tolerates me," said James in a rare moment of vulnerability.

Harry stared a James for a long moment; his shoulders were stooped and his gaze was directed to the floor. "My brother has made many mistakes in his life; his greatest one was somehow convincing you that he didn't love you. James, don't doubt for a minute that your dad wouldn't jump in front of any curse for you, that he ever has anything but your best interest in mind, that he doesn't love you more than his own life. If anything ever happened to you I don't think he would ever recover."

Harry paused and then smiled as he recounted a particular story. "When you were a year, maybe a year and a half, your mom brought you to the McKinnon's house to play with Marlene and her brothers while she gossiped with Mrs. McKinnon. One of the boys, I can never remember which is which, had a cold and you caught it. Your dad was going out of his mind. He flew off the handle every time you sneezed. He paced for hours, having the healer check your temperature every ten minutes. That poor healer, all you had was a simple cold that magic couldn't treat, and yet your dad wouldn't let him go home. And of course you cried half the night because you were sick. Your dad must have sworn two dozen times to kill the McKinnon boys, promised you at least a thousand times that he would never let you get sick again, and ordered your mother to never let you outside of the house again at least twice an hour.

"He may not show it like that anymore, but your dad doesn't love you any less now than he did that night seventeen years ago. I regret that you can't remember it; I think you would have a different opinion of your dad," concluded Harry.

"He's a good dad," said James solemnly as he nodded his head. His forearms were resting on his thighs, and Harry realized how old James had gotten. Physically he had changed very little, but Harry could see the growth in his eyes "I mean, look at Sirius's dad or even Lily's."

"Lily's?" asked Harry in disbelief.

James looked at his uncle and nodded. "After her mother died he did absolutely nothing for her or her sisters. The only thing he could think of was to get married and the woman he picked to take care of his daughters was a vicious bitch who ruined Lily's childhood, well what was left of it. And he gets drunk like clockwork several times a year. Everyone else deserts him, can't stand to be around him, but Lily stuck by him and cleaned up after him. And yesterday she finally let out all of the hurt she's felt for the last four years and he slapped her."

"He slapped her?"

"So hard it bruised," James nodded again. "I took her back here, and my mum said she could stay- mum loves her- but I haven't heard from dad yet. I don't know how he'll take it seeing as I was supposed to break up with her, not invite her to live with me."

"He'll probably yell," said James and Harry at the same time.

"And if things don't go well, send Lily down the lane and Eileen and I will take care of her," added Harry.

"I guess I had better go find my dad now then," said James glumly. "Before he finds me."

"Too late," came a voice from behind. "He found you first."

"Mum, you're not going to tell Dad are you?" asked a twelve-year-old James fearfully as he returned home for spring holiday.

"James Christopher Potter! You blew up an entire loo! Your father will definitely hear about this when he gets home!" shouted a livid Marilyn as she raged around the parlor waving the letter from Professor McGonagall.

"But mum," whined James. "Can't you just punish me?! Dad never needs to know!"

"Dad never needs to know what?" asked Mr. Potter suspiciously as he entered the room.

James gulped.

James gulped. "Hi Dad."

"Here's the deal James: she can stay as long as she isn't pregnant. So take this advice, don't take the chance. And for the record, I like her," said Christopher with a warm smile. Then he departed as suddenly as he had appeared.

"He didn't yell," stated Harry in wonder once his big brother was out of earshot.

"He didn't yell," affirmed James also with a look of shock on his handsome face.

A/N. So here's another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to hearing from you (especially those of you who used to review when I set a review quota and now no longer care enough to leave a nice or nasty comment).

Here are some questions to help you leave reviews and in turn get the next chapter sooner:

How do you feel about Christopher now?

Are you happy that Harry has returned? Would you like to see even more of him?

Did you like the flashbacks? Would you like to see more of them?

What do you think of Lily?