"Don't do it."
He remembers.
"Don't do it. Dumbledore will know and he'll do nothing but let fate run its course. Don't make it Peter. Don't listen to him. Protect Remus, Trust him, Keep it Sirius. Youll need them both, your trust cannot waver in them. Don't betray your family's, don't betray your friends. Keep fighting because there's so much to fight for. Stay alive because if you don't many others will break with it. People friends and foes alike. The world revolves around your survival James. So don't do it at all and learn to survive until he's dead."
He remembers it all.
"What do you mean?"
"Just live. That's all I ask of you as Harry that's is all I ask. As a friend and as a fellow student please, just learn to live with it. Push past the grief of those dead, push past everything that you used to mourn. Make it so it doesn't exsist. Embrace it when you need to at the end. Learn to forgive but don't forget. It'll all make since but just listen and watch. Make sure to pay attention."
Everything.
"So, who are you really."
"My name is Harry. You could call me the savior if you want. That's what I've been known as my whole life. Or the boy who lived."
"Sounds a bit depressing if you asked me."
"It has been, but I've learned to live with it."
All the memory's come flooding back.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"What were your parents like?"
"Ah well. You wouldn't want to know."
"I do it's why I asked."
"I lost my parents to war, I've lived my whole life not knowing them. I could regret it but I don't. Im not remorseful, I didn't know them so I don't feel sorry that they're gone. "
"Oh. I'm—"
"Don't be. It's fine truly. Like I said I didn't know them, they're only titles and names that people think I should feel bad about. I wouldn't say I don't love them though. They gave me life, even if it was only to survive."
Harry.
"Do you miss him?"
"Who?"
"Your Godfather. You said you loved him. Then said you lost him."
"My Godfather was... He meant everything to me. Losing him felt like losing a part of myself, I hadn't even known him long and for a while I thought he was the one to betray my parents. But even still He.. He was the only one I trusted enough to hand my soul too. Leave myself bare and give just about everything for. I truly did love him."
"Yeah sounds like it. I can't imagine what would happen if I'd lost Padfoot, Or Moony. Lily and Peter. But mostly Padfoot. I'd tear out my soul just for his survival as well."
"Yes. I can tell."
His life.
"You said you had a love. Tell me what that's like then."
"Yeah." He says softly. "I did have a lover. His name was Draco."
"It was a boy?"
"Is that an issue?"
"No no not at all. Well go on. What was he like."
"It was... Well, hah Draco hated me with his entire being. He showed it in every word he spoke and every time he'd touch me. It was the same with his love honestly. He shows it through violence and loyalty. Our love was– could have been categorized as an enemies to lovers type of love. I showed him the worse parts of myself and yet he still found a way to love me even then. "
"That sounds sweet."
"It was. He said once. I'd do just about anything for you. Tear my soul in two to bandage your wounds. You mean the entire universe to me Harry. I thought he was just telling me how much he loved me. It wasn't supposed to mean anything but... I didn't realize just how far he'd go to get me what I wanted."
"What do you mean?"
"He took the dark mark. I didn't understand why. I dispised him. We were supposed to fight the world together and he turned on me and took to the opposite side of the field. He betrayed me. In return I guess, I almost killed him. I didn't understand it at the time, but he was ready to sacrifice himself to save me. Our love for my happiness. I don't think he understood that he was taking my happiness with him when he'd gone."
"Do you understand now though?"
"I do yes. I survived, just like he promised me I would. In my stead he took his own life by saving me. Gone in just a few seconds. I never even got to tell him how much I loved him."
"I'm sure he understood."
"Yeah."
Oh his son.
"Do you regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Your life? How you lived it. You said it was nothing but misery. Do you regret it."
"Yes. I regret everything."
"Would you change your life."
"I would yeah. I'd make it so my parents lived, I'd make it so I could be in love with Draco and have it so he'd never have to sacrifice himself. I'd make it so my Godfather survived. I'd make it so my world was nothing but happiness. And I could do it. But you wouldn't remember anyways."
"Remember?"
But he does. He does remember. And maybe he can't do anything about it now that he knows but he can change it. He can do what Harry advised. He can live with his son in peace.
"I remember." James says, into the brightly lit room. The meeting coming to a halt. His gaze hardens, his jaw tightening and his hands balling into fist.
Don't do it.
"Remember what dear?" Lily asks at his side, arms wrapped protectively around their baby son. James gaze flits to him.
Dumbledore will know and he'll do nothing but let fate run its course.
"Harry." James turns his gaze to Sirius first, then Peter his jaw tightening until the muscles buldge there.
"You forgot him?" Sirius asks confused. And James, well James laughs. He lets out a derisive huff of laughter shaking his head and smiling through clenched teeth.
"I told him I wouldn't. I promised it. So he made it so I never did." Sirius looks at him confused, Peter stares at him like the traitor he is, and Lily. Lily looks at him as though she's worried for his sake of being.
"Sirius do you remember our fifth year? Just before we found out about the war?" Sirius opens his mouth closes it then shakes his head. James nods turns his gaze back to Dumbledore who watcheds him with worried and wary eyes.
"There was a boy we spent time with who told us alot about his life. About our future."
"What?" Lily says confused. "Darling I think you've–"
"His name was Harry and we joked about how much he looked like me." The room goes quiet, eyes landing on the boy in Lily's arms and James himself.
"He said his Godfather died because his sister had killed him. And he Told me he'd fallen in love with a boy named Draco. You know Draco, Narcissa kid right?" James turns his gaze to Sirius who, with pinched brows, nods.
"Yes. Yeah, Draco is Narcissas child But James—"
"How would he know. Your sister wasnt even pregnant hadnt even thought of an heir just yet or names. But i remember, that Harry told me not to do it. Don't do it, he said. Don't make it Peter, Protect Remus, trust him, Keep it Sirius. Dumbledore will know and he'll do nothing at all but let it happen. You see I never understood. I thought he was loony at the time but I understand now. I understand what it meant don't trust Peter. So we're keeping it Sirius because he is my brother and I trust him as much as my son does. And I'll trust Remus even though my faith in him has wavered I'll do it because my son did. And I'll hate Dumbledore because he heard the prophecy and decided that even though Peter's the traitor he'll let him be our secret keeper.
He'll let him decide our fate and I won't ask why. I won't ask why you decided instead of helping Sirius, to leave him to rot in Azkaban even though when he left he still trusted you when you did nothing to help. And I won't ask why you made it so Remus was gone and made it so we didn't trust him enough to tell him. And I won't ask why you thought my son should grow up with the dursleys when the people in our will were not them. I won't ask why you decided to ignore everything you could have stopped, all because you heard a prophecy that mentioned a child born the last day of the month and decided to wait another seventeen years before this war was over. I won't ask. But what I will do is trust what my son put in me. I'll do everything he told me to do and what he told me not to." Sirius looks furious, but he looks so puzzled that he doesn't know who to aim blame at. Lily looks stricken, paler than normal.
"I trust my son. I trust his words. I'll put faith in everything he told me even if it is all the wrong choice. Because my son told me about his life. He trusted me even when I did not know it was him I was speaking too. He told me everything Dumbledore and you took it away from all of us. Because you knew what would happen and you sacrificed us instead. Your loyal servants right?"
"James. I think you've gotten reality mixed up with time. Harry has never come to Hogwarts. Harry wasn't even born in your fifth year."
"Ah yes. How could I forget. Would you like to look into the pensive and read my memories take them from me before I could kick up a fuss?" James asks, lips pulled into a grin.
"The thing is Dumbledore that I remember everything. Every single little thing. And the one thing I never told you was my last memory with him that I never got to share because he obliviated me before you could get to me. Because he didn't trust you."
"James." Lily says sternly.
"My name is Harry James Potter I'm your son. You and Mother died in a fight against voldemort." They flinch and James doesn't waver even though he did when Harry told him. "Regulus Black was a spy and he told Dumbledore that Peter was not to be trusted. But you went ahead and trusted him anyways didn't you. Sirius dies, he goes to Azkaban and Dumbledore does nothing to help. He leaves him there doesn't even give him a trial and Sirius is left there for years to rot away in blame for your deaths. Remus is left for dead with his wife Tonks and his son Teddy is left alone. Peter gets away, he always manages to survive. He's still out there even now, nobodys found him yet. I would have talked to Dumbledore but instead I went to moody. Moody told me all about Regulus Black, how he took the dark mark by his own will, how he was persuaded by Dumbledore to join him.
How he only did it for his brother and his lover. How he died in the ocean, drowning. His greatest fear you know. Horcrux Hunting all because Dumbledore asked and he trusted him to keep his family and their family's safe. So it seems regulus sacrificed everything for us. His family and isn't that just hilarious because I remember how he told me Draco sacrificed everything for him. Funny how time repeats itself yeah?" James asks rising to stand. Lily Is with him right by his side, holding there son and away from Dumbledore as far as she can get because she doesn't trust him either.
"James, Prongs what are you saying? You haven't gone barmy have you?" Peter asks worriedly and James sneers at him.
"Dont you dare Say a Word to me. How could you. We're family and you just betray us. Why would you do it? Why Peter?" Peter sneers the worry in his eyes gone in an instant he looks nothing like himself.
"You guys always were the famous ones. James Potter and Sirius black and their friend Remus Lupin. Nobody ever mentions Peter though no it was always you three. I'm sick of that. Of being overshadowed by you three because everyone thinks your so much better than me. Why don't I get to be mentioned?, not even as the other friend of theirs. I'm forgotten to this world. The dark lord said he'd protect me and he did. He does." James rears back, shocked and startled and he knocks into lily and Harry starts to cry and Sirius started to scream.
"Traitor! Bastard!" It's all the same. But James gets it now. He understands. He knows. And he'll do everything in his power to protect his family. He can't save Regulus, he's probably already dead. It's a thought that Kills James inside. But he has Lily and Siruus and Remus wherever he is. And Peter has proven himself unloyal.
He looks to Dumbledore who stares back at him mournfully. James stares into the eyes of a man that he used to trust. He stares and then he grabs Sirius by the arm and hauls him hack out of the room as he spits curses and threats. Lily follows behind.
The thing is. James doesn't know what to do now. He's told Sirius and Lily everything he can remember and the next time they see Remus he tells him everything to. And Remus tells them about his missions, about the things Dumbledore has made him do and he declines a mission when he's asked. He goes to James and Lily when Dumbledore tries to persuade him and Remus almost manages to say yes.
He and Sirius used to fight alot because of it, of how he was gone all the time never telling them anything on orders. It's strange and so reliving to see them back to normal again. As normal as one can get in war. Sirius and Remus move in with them until the war is over. They stay in the guest room beside Harrys and they make the house more lively than ever.
When an owl swoops down to drop the daily prophet paper on his lap James hands it Sirius. He holds him while he mourns his brother and then while he doesn't. He holds him back while he tries to fight Dumbledore for letting him die and then he doesn't have to. Because Regulus is at their doorstep, alive and healthy like he never left. And Sirius holds him tightly and drags him to his room so they can talk. It takes a while but the decision to hide Regulus in their safe house is pretty obvious. Of course but Dumbledore knows where they live and they all end up moving to a different safe house. One of Sirius's old safe houses where he ran to when his parents fought and he dragged Regulus with him when they were really young.
It's cramped and awkward but they make it home. Lily and Regulus don't seem to have an issue with one another, they seem fine but James and Regulus can't seem to communicate without it being awkward from one side. Lily teases and prods the both of them. She thinks it's funny how they revolve around one another and can't seem to do anything right. She pulls Regulus aside one day. Tells him that it's fine if he still loves James. That she's okay if they still want to be in a relationship even while her and James are married. Regulus says he wouldn't even in the end, because even though he does love James he wouldn't want to hurt Lily because he can't love her as he does him.
She pulls James aside another day. Mentions that if he loves Regulus she wouldn't hate him for it. Even makes a joke about how they could get married separately from her and she would be there happily smiling and cheering them on. James says he would never do that to her.
What it takes for the both of them to finally understand what she means happens one day where she hands Harry off to Regulus and says:
"You'd be a great father for him."
In the end, when the day comes that Lily and James are to die Nobodys there at the Potter Safehouse. Peter Pettigrew dies that day. James mourns him. Because he used to be their friend. Sirius holds him with Lily and Remus. Regulus doesn't touch him until Lily drags him to help.
The war goes on and Regulus finds the Horcruxes and fights with them in secret. He destroys them, with the help of his family and friends.
And when the day comes that James needs to die with Lily and Regulus by his side they fight. They fight until they can't and then they continue and the person to deliver the final blow is not his son. No. It's the man he loves and The man who he grew up with.
Sirius holds him down from behind, distracts Tom Riddle while Regulus delivers the killing curse. People fall people run and people fight even whilst he's gone.
Regulus is happy with it but he was tired and exhausted when he was jumped on by two of his best friends. Barty crashes into him from one side Evan on the other and they squeeze him until he can't breath.
And the rest goes as told.
Harry grows up with a family. One that is alive and treats him well. He grows up with two fathers and a mother. With a Godfather and three uncles. and when he's old enough he'll be told that he is the only reason that they could defeat Tom riddle.
That it was Harry who saved them all.