Return of the Stag :: Book One #wattys2016

Chapter 2 - Reunited at Last

EDITED

James looked at the two with nervous eyes. James looked from Sirius to Remus' faces. Sirius and Remus looked at the man, who looked so like their dead friend. Sirius stared at James before his face contorted with anger. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU IMPERSONATING JAMES POTTER!" He yelled at James, who took a step back towards the door at the harsh words that came from his friend. "Sirius. I-.." He started, but his words failed him. Remus had grabbed Sirius, who was now fighting against his friends' restraints. Remus had never liked physical violence, especially if it involved his friends. "Sirius. Calm down. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this." He said, pulling Sirius away from James.

James studied his friends. Sirius still had his young looks and even though his eyes were filled with anger he could tell that he was haunted by something. Remus, however, had lines on his face and his hair was greying. James knew that this wasn't from old age, but his, 'condition'. Sirius was still fighting against Remus but relaxed after a while(5 minutes). James stood watching them as they had a quiet, yet heated argument about something. James stepped forward towards them, not wanting to wait any longer. "Sirius. Remus. It's me and I'll do whatever to prove it." He said looking at them with a serious look in his hazel eyes. Sirius looked up with a glare. James was tempted to take a step back but didn't. "James Potter is dead and has been for fourteen years. And no spell or potion can awaken the dead." He snapped at James.

James rolled his eyes. "I know that Pa- Sirius." He snapped back. He almost used Sirius' nickname. He wasn't sure as to how he would react to it. James sighed before disappearing. Sirius and Remus stumbled backwards from what stood in his place. A black stag, which had peculiar markings around the eyes. Sirius was helpless when it came to words at this very moment. "J-James....?" Sirius stuttered out in shocked.

James watched the two through the stag's eyes, although he wasn't exactly understanding what they were saying. His hazel eyes blinked before he shifted back into his human form. "Will you stop throwing a fit now Padfoot?" He asks with an amused expression at their shocked faces. He was shocked and surprised when he was knocked to the ground when one of them threw himself at James engulfing him in a hug. "Prongs! Y-your alive?" Sirius asked from atop James. "Yeah, Padfoot. I'm here." He said sitting up, making Sirius end up in his lap. Sirius still had his arms wrapped around James in a tight hug. He had tears streaming down his face soaking James' shoulder.

Remus watched Sirius and James with a smile. The two were almost like brothers. Inseparable. James's death had been the hardest on Sirius, so he wasn't surprised to see Sirius like he was. Remus approached the two with a smile. "It's good to have you back Prongs." He said with a smile. James looked up at him still holding Sirius' shaking figure in his arms. "It's good to be back Moony. How's Harry?" He asked, curious about his son's past. Remus looked down at James, a slight frown casting upon his face. "Harry's fine. He's had his ups and downs. Along with his challenges." Remus said, sitting on the chair that was in the room.

At that moment Albus reentered the room with a smile. "Ah, seems like all is well." He said his eyes landing on James and Sirius. He was holding Remus' and Sirius' wands in his hands. Albus set the wands down on the table in the middle of the room, and front of Remus. "Now Remus, you need to make sure James understands that Harry needs to be ready to share his past with him. You can tell James about Harry's fourth year, but with little detail. Let Harry do the explaining." Dumbledore said quietly to Remus. Remus nodded as he watched James and Sirius before pocketing his wand again.

Remus looked at Sirius and James, who were still on the floor as they whispered things back and forth between the two of them. Dumbledore left with a smile, leaving the door open. Remus sighed. He didn't want to ruin this moment. "James, do you want to learn about Harry's past since you died?" He asked his friend. James looked up from Sirius' form in his arms. "Yes, yes I do." He said, managing to push Sirius off of him so he could sit on the couch opposite Remus. Sirius joined James, his eyes now red from crying tears of happiness. Remus sighed. It was going to be hard to tell James about Harry with little detail. "Well after you died, from what Sirius tells me, is that he went to live with the Dursleys." He said. James' face went from anger to confusion. "Wait but Sirius, you are Harry's godfather. He should have been living with you?!" He said quickly.

Sirius looked up at James. "On the night you died, I had gone to check on Peter and I couldn't find him. Then I went to the house. Found you and lily dead, Harry was sitting in his crib, staring at Lily with big sad eyes." Sirius said. He was about to explain why everything Harry had been through without a parenting figure had happened. "I went after Peter after Hagrid had left with Harry on Dumbledore's orders. I cornered him in a street and he ended up shouting to the entire street how I had betrayed you to Voldemort and then cut off his finger and blasted the street apart killing twelve Muggles. He then transformed into his animagus form and disappeared with the rest of the sewer rats. I was imprisoned in his place. 13 years. He was a pet with the Weasley's second youngest child, for 12 years. Found him in Harry's third year. He then returned to Voldemort that night." Sirius said with a shudder at that. James was still confused. "But how did Harry survive the killing curse?" James asked.

Remus looked up at James from the ground. "When Lily cast herself in between Harry and Voldemort, she cast a protection over Harry, that rebounded the spell. It caused Voldemort to lose his power and become nothing but a mere soul." He said. Remus thought back to the past year, which, had been very traumatic for Harry. "Last year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard tournament. Harry got entered by a disguised Death Eater, and was forced to compete." Remus said with worried eyes at James, who looked slightly furious at this news. "He had to do what NOW?!" He half yelled. Remus sighed, looking at James. "He competed and won the tournament along with the other Hogwarts champion. The two boys witnessed the return of Voldemort and Cedric ended up dying in front of Harry, who then had to duel Voldemort." Remus finished sitting back into the couch.

It was quite obvious that James was fuming at this news. He had just learnt that his son had been forced to live with the Dursley's for his entire life and then had been forced to compete in a very difficult tournament that could've resulted in his death, but instead had to watch a friend die. "What about his other years?" James asked Remus. "Those are for Harry to share with you." He said with a shake of his head.james sighed, wishing that he could meet Harry already and learn about everything his son had gone through without him. James leaned back into the couch, he and Sirius were sitting on and the two friends lent against each other as they had done in their school days. It was their way of telling the other they had a shoulder to lean on and someone to talk to if the other needed it.