Brother

Harry has had a joyful year; it was good, more than brilliant. He would say that the only problem he had faced was that he was a baby with nothing to do other than focus on gaining his motor functions.

Harry had been born to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, his grandparents in his original timeline, though he was a bit surprised to learn about a man named Charlus Potter, Fleamont's younger brother, and a woman named Dorea Black, Charlus' wife. Harry hadn't seen them in person but knew of their existence as he read their names on the Potter Family Tapestry.

Harry is related to Sirius in this life by blood, which makes Harry really happy, though the only thing better about this life would be-

"Harry, meet James, your younger brother!"

The one-year-old toddler looked at the little baby boy with hazel eyes, just like his father, and messy dark brown hair, just like his mother. He was too cute to be alive.

Harry, who couldn't really speak a lot due to being a toddler, exclaimed happily, "Baby!"

Fleamont seemed really pleased that Harry liked James already but Euphemia didn't notice that as she was already fussing over the irritated baby.

And so, the years began to pass.
_

Fleamont 'Monty' Potter is a tall man with broad shoulders and a full beard. He had hazel green eyes, just like his new-born son, and looked rather young for his age as he looked to be in his early forties. The sixty-year-old man was a war veteran from Grindelwald's war on magical Europe and had been in the first batch that Albus Dumbledore had taught.

Though he had met Mia, i.e. Euphemia, early in his life when they were in their early twenties on a trip to Greece and married her soon after on her twenty-fourth birthday, they had to wait a long time to gain children.

When Harry was born last year, he and Mia were overjoyed and considered it to be a miracle, though that joy was overshadowed by the blessing that was given to them in the form of their second son, James. The couple had never considered they would have one son, let alone two.

On Harry's birth, Monty's father, Henry, a cruder and cruel version of Monty himself, ran up to him and gave Monty the best hug a son could ask for. Henry had been thrilled due to the birth of his first grandchild and considered his life complete. The eighty-year-old warlock died the next week. It was as if he was waiting for the time to die.

But Henry, according to Monty, was still alive, in him and Charlus, his younger brother.

Henry, in his youth, was a ladies' man and quite a womanizer. After Monty's mother had died after giving birth to him, Monty could not count the number of women Henry would bring into their house every week. It was as if he had bedded every single woman in Magical Britain. One of those women became Charlus' mother, a French prostitute whose name Monty still doesn't remember.

Monty closed his eyes and opened them again. He wiped his tears.

Harry's birth was special and the kid that Mia had given birth to was more special to him than Merlin himself but James, he was something else.

When James was born, Charlus contacted him after twenty years.

Charlus was born about twenty years after Monty and the two had always been reluctant to get familiar with each other but had been on friendly terms. Monty did not know how to be friendly with a kid that was clearly not his mother's son and Charlus thought that Monty's silence was embarrassment and disappointment, and maybe it was. Henry had not even bothered to take responsibility for Charlus and had given him to Monty. The father had been drunk and had been stumbling around when he had done so, he had just slurred, "Since you can't be bothered giving me grandchildren, I am giving you children."

Monty had to raise Charlus and had to constantly remind him that Henry was his father and not him. When Monty married Mia, she had asked him why he couldn't adopt Charlus as his own. Monty had told her that Henry had forbidden him from doing so.

But that wasn't true, no. The truth was that Monty did not want Charlus and he wasn't Monty's son, not according to him. When Charlus started Hogwarts, Monty used that as an excuse to give Henry custody of his second son and run away from the country with Mia.

Charlus felt betrayed by that and the distance between the brothers grew. When Charlus became an adult, the two brothers fought and the two never spoke again.

Until now.

Charlus had written to him and asked to meet his nephews.

Monty felt a tear drop down.

Harry may be more special but James was his blessing.
_

James was one now.

Charlus drank his wine.

James Charlus Potter, that's what Fleamont named his son. Charlus' estranged, rash, reckless, absent, stupid and irrational older brother had named his son after him. He still couldn't get over it. He had cried about it.

When Fleamont had his first son, Harry, Charlus had been eager to meet the child but had controlled himself. He was still angry with Fleamont and he was scared to face Henry.

When Henry died, Charlus partied secretly. Even his wife, Dorea, did not know about that.

When Fleamont had James, his second son, Charlus had written a formal letter to meet his nephews. His older brother had eagerly responded and Charlus visited soon.

When Charlus entered the house after twenty years, he was met with Harry smiling at him. He had picked up his nephew and hugged him. Charlus had let his tears flow.

The child had looked at him, confused as to who he was and why was he hugging him, but Charlus held him tightly as Dorea watched everything from behind with a sad smile. Soon, he met Fleamont and Euphemia, the tension was still there but his tears and Harry's presence had seemingly fixed everything.

When Charlus held James for the first time, he couldn't bring himself to let go of him. The baby was so perfect. And it was named after him. Charlus was beyond happy at that point.

And now, one year has passed.

The previous twenty years already seemed twenty years ago, he couldn't imagine not being friendly with Fleamont and couldn't imagine one day where he did not play with James or a day where he didn't read a book to Harry.

Heck, he couldn't imagine a day without laughing with them.

In only one year, so much had happened.