James and Harry were at Quality Quidditch Supplies at Diagon Alley, admiring everything Quidditch about the store. The store was filled with various brooms, broom polish, items for brooms service, and various Quidditch themed souvenirs like Quidditch player collector's cards, keychains and small broom models for showcase. Even the Firebolt had a much smaller broom model that sold faster than the actual Firebolt as it looked elegant as a souvenir in a showcase. They browsed through the Quidditch Player Collector's cards.
"I used to collect these," said James.
"I've never heard of any of these players," Harry admitted.
James picked up a magazine near the cards stand.
"Read this for a year and you'll be filled in. I used to subscribe to this. I used to be more engrossed reading this than my school books," said James nostalgically.
Harry took the magazine and looked at it's cover that read "Quidditch Illustrated". Right at the top of the magazine's right side read "August 1993 Issue". Around the cover, there were headings like "Firebolt: Latest Release and Popular for the Quidditch World Cup 1993-1994", "Firebolt: Broom Review", "Bob Riley retired from the Serpent Strikers", "Sprezles: Latest Energy Drink for Qudditch Players" and "Chudley Canons Poster Inside". Harry browsed through the magazine. It was a more interesting read than his schoolbooks. How had he never noticed the magazine before?
"Chudley Canons is Ron's favorite team. He'd be glad to have their poster. Did you have a favorite team dad?" asked Harry.
"Phoenix Pioneers. Your grandfather used to take me to their games every chance we got," said James reminiscently. "The offered to have me try-out for the team after seeing my final Quidditch game at Hogwarts. It was my dream since I was a boy, but I turned it down."
"Why'd you turn down you dream job?"
"With the war and Voldemort getting stronger, I couldn't just sit back and not get involved. I could have remained neutral during the war and pursued my dream of joining the Pioneers, but joining the Order and helping felt like the right thing to do," said James nobly.
Harry felt a surge of admiration and pride for his father. "That was really admirable, dad," he said as James ruffled his hair in appreciation.
Harry and James purchased the Quidditch Illustrated and several Quidditch Player Cards. As they were heading out of the store, Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy entered the store with their identical sneers.
"Potter"
"Malfoy"
"Potter"
"Malfoy"
"Heard you rose from the grave, Potter" said Lucius
James rolled his eyes. "Yeah Malfoy. I'm the Walking Dead".
"My dad was never in the grave," said Harry indignantly.
"Indeed. Saw where Dumbledore landed you Potter? You always blindly trusted the old fool. Your son was just as foolish in hero-worshiping Dumbledore," he shook his head as he twisted his lips.
Harry and James exchanged annoyed looks before glaring at Lucius Malfoy.
"Still think I was wrong for trying to get your headmaster fired, boy?" asked Lucius.
"But you didn't try to get him sacked for noble reasons. You wanted him out because he was in your way of attacking muggle-borns," said Harry.
"In my way, boy," Lucius sneered in amusement. "He let the school continue to run even after three attacks. Anyways, Potter. I heard you filed a lawsuit against Dumbledore. I must say I'm impressed. How about we take Dumbledore down together?"
"Malfoy, you and I have vastly different reasons for being against Dumbledore," said James.
"Perhaps, but we have the same goal of taking Albus Dumbledore down," said Lucius.
James shook his head as he crossed his arms. "I don't know what my goal with Albus Dumbledore is, but I'd rather handle my problem with Dumbledore on my own, thank you very much, Malfoy."
"Fine, suit yourself," said Lucius. "By the way, I'd check the company of rift-rafts your son unwisely keeps, Potter."
"Yeah Mr. Potter. Your son never mixes with anyone of class. He only mixes with the Weasleys, half-giants and muggle-borns," said Draco.
"I forgot that we're appealing to the wrong person, Draco. Keeping the company of riff-rafts runs in the Potter family," said Lucius with distaste as Draco sniggered.
Both Harry and James gripped their fists and had to control their urge to pounce on Lucius Malfoy.
"Well, we'd rather keep the company of kind and loving people that you both call riff-rafts than the company of bigots and murderers," said James as Harry smiled. "Come on Harry. Your Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus should be waiting for us at Flourish and Blotts by now,' he ushered Harry out of the store.
Both identical looking father-son duos glared at each other a last time as Harry and James were at the door.
"I don't know how such people are related to us," said James incredulously as they walked towards Flourish and Blotts.
"We're related?" Harry gasped, horrified.
"Unfortunately. But only distantly on your grandfather's side though," he quickly added. "Draco Malfoy and you are fifth cousins once removed."
"Still too close," Harry scowled. He didn't like idea of even being distantly related to Draco Malfoy.
"You think that's bad. Your Uncle Sirius and Draco are first cousins once removed,"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You mean Lucius Malfoy is his first cousin?"
"Narcissa Malfoy, his wife is Sirius' cousin. But most pureblood families are related in some way. Neville Longbottom and Ernie McMillan are your third cousins once removed on your grandmother's side. Your grandmother's maiden name was McMillan," James explained.
"I suppose it's alright, since we're closer related to Neville and Ernie," said Harry.
The rest of August passed blissfully but uneventfully as Harry enjoyed spending time with his dad and uncles. He continued his training under their wings and developed his skills in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Transfiguration. Harry and the Marauders went out on many outings together, which included the cinema, the zoo, the museum, restaurants, Diagon Alley, and muggle malls. They often stayed up late, watching rented videos or just talking. The Marauders told Harry many stories about their school misadventures which he found more interesting and eventful than his own school adventures. With the exception of their relationship with Snape, they were very like the Weasley twins and in many ways, they were also quite like Ron, Hermione and himself. The Marauders brewing the complicated potion for an animagus transformation reminded Harry of Hermione brewing the Polyjuice potion. But James had his dad's Potions lab, so they didn't need to find a secret place at Hogwarts like Hermione did.
Currently, the Potions lab was only used to brew the Wolfsbane potion for Remus as neither Harry nor the Marauders were much interested in brewing Potions. James would sadly recall that the Potter Manor's Potions lab was Lily's favorite place in the house but she had so little time with it. Harry himself told James, Sirius and Remus stories of his adventures with Ron and Hermione. At certain points, James would be unsure about whether to rebuke Harry or laugh at his misdeeds because he himself would have done the same at Harry's age. The Marauders however admired the fact that Harry and his friends mostly misbehaved for achieving something good. "If we only had the mysteries of the Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets during our school days, we might have channeled our mischief and adventurousness into something good more often," said James. Harry only caught himself recounting stories about his days at the Dursleys and his muggle school once, but was careful never to do so again as not to upset James, Sirius and Remus.
Harry also learnt a bit more about his family history. He found out that he was named after his great-grandfather, Henry Potter who was nicknamed Harry. Grandpa Harry was James' favorite grandfather who stood up for muggles during World War One when the Minister of Magic refused to help muggles in the war. There were various old portraits of the Potter family members. Harry noticed that his father looked more radiant in the portraits as a child and teen. The glow and mischievous glint that James had in the portraits were largely missing from the thirty three old James Potter who had suffered loss and misery.
One Potter family portrait in particular from back in 1923 caught Harry's eye. It was a portrait of a middle aged Henry Potter, his wife Elsa, their twenty one year old son Fleamont and seven year old son Charlus. They had a certain royal look about them and it wasn't just the elegant wizard robes that they were wearing in the portrait. This royal look could be seen in all the Potter family portraits, but there was something striking about this particular portrait. Henry and Fleamont resembled James and Harry up to their messy black hair, but with different eyes. Henry's eyes were grey while Fleamont had his mother's magnificent big blue eyes. Elsa was an attractive woman with blonder hair and a slender figure
"That's Uncle Charlus, the father of my cousin who's coming over," James pointed to the seven year old kid in the portrait. The kid had his mother's blonde hair and blue eyes but was overall a combination of both his parents in looks that he had a passing resemblance to both Harry and James.
"Your father's cousin is also my cousin once removed," said Sirius.
"We're related?" Harry perked up hopefully.
"Sirius and I hoped we were. We researched our ancestry to death, but we're not related as far as we can trace. The only family connection we have is my Uncle Charlus being married to Sirius' great aunt, Dorea," said James.
"Did they get burnt off your family tree? I mean, since you said your family usually burns off those who don't agree with their ways," Harry asked Sirius.
"Unfortunately, they did agree with my family ways," said Sirius as Harry's eyes grew wide.
"Uncle Charlus was a Slytherin and he bought into the pureblood supremacy, but your grandfather said it was mostly because he was poisoned by his Slytherin friends and Aunt Dorea. This caused a huge rift between Uncle Charlus and our family decades before I was born. Uncle Charlus blamed Grandpa Henry for our family not being included in the Sacred 28. He realized his mistakes eventually, and patched up with our family when Grandpa Henry was on his deathbed. But that only happened during my first year at Hogwarts," James explained.
"What's the Sacred 28?" asked Harry.
"It's a list of pureblood families that were still fully pure in the 1930s. The Potters were excluded because we had a common muggle name and because Grandpa Henry was outspoken in his support for muggles and muggle-borns," said James.
"We would have been excluded once I was born anyways cause I'm half-blood," said Harry, looking down.
"Son, our family doesn't care about blood status. We're glad not to be included on that blasted list," said James.
Eight days before September first arrived, the Weasleys had returned from Egypt and the Grangers had returned from France. James arranged for the Weasleys and Hermione to be picked up and brought to the Potter Manor. Hermione's parents were unable to join them as they had to get back to their jobs the next day. The Weasleys and Hermione had agreed to stay at the Potter Manor for the rest of the summer break. It was the moment the Marauders and Harry had been anticipating. To confront the slimy, conniving, rat.
The Weasleys and Hermione exchanged greetings with Harry and the Marauders. Courtesy was not to be forgotten amidst their desperation to catch Peter. Scabbers in his cage finally caught their eyes as Ron laid him on the coffee table in the hall. James, Sirius and Remus stood in front of the cage with identical maniacal looks on their faces. Scabbers squeaked in the cage, his fright evident.
"Hello Peter," they said together, grins on their lips but murderous glints in their eyes.
=to be continued=
A/N: Please, Please review!
I apologize if this chapter was too long. Hope you guys liked this chapter. Yes, I can't wait for slimy Peter to receive his due from James, Sirius and Remus too, but the chapter already went on for too long. I had to break it.