Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 50: I'm Home
"There you are, James." His mother, Euphemia Potter, called for him as soon as he got off the train.
She welcomed him with a smile that reminded him of the old Mrs. Weasley.
"Come here and give your mother a hug!"
"Hey, Mom. How are you doing?" James tried his best to look affectionate. For all his many skills, this was not one of them.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" She gave him an amused look. "Have you said goodbye to your friends?"
James nodded. "We talked enough on the train here." He looked around the station.
He spotted Remus in the distance, next to an older man who could only be his father.
From what little he knew of his family, only his father was a wizard, while his mother was a Muggle, so it made sense that he came to take him home.
He caught a glimpse of Sirius and his little brother as they were being taken away by a grumpy-looking woman in a black dress.
Close to them, he also saw Bellatrix and her two sisters, Narcissa and Andromeda.
He had never interacted with those two, so he had no way of knowing if they were anything like the versions he knew.
At the very least, he could tell that Narcissa was obsessed with Lucius from what he observed from a distance.
Andromeda was a sixth-year, so he didn't have many chances to come across her. She looked very serious and proper, as one would expect from the eldest daughter of such a pureblood family. However, James had the feeling that there was a lot more to her.
After all, she was the only daughter who betrayed the Black family by marrying a Muggle-born.
'Maybe she's gotten really good at pretending at this point,' James thought.
His amber eyes moved back to Bella. Her usual cold expression looked a bit less cold when she spoke with her sisters. It was obvious to him that she cared for them, even if she didn't like to show it.
She had only visited the lab a few times in the last month, as she claimed to have trouble getting away from the other Slytherins.
It appeared that her fiancé, Rodolphus, was getting suspicious of her sudden escapades since no one knew where she went, and was trying to keep a closer eye on her.
Next to the three Black daughters was a middle-aged man wearing elegant robes.
His long black hair resembled Andromeda's, while his purple eyes had a darker shade than Bella's.
'Must be their father… Cygnus Black.' James frowned when he saw him.
He had never had a great impression of the Black family to begin with, but after hearing those things from Sirius, he felt like he liked them even less.
"James? Are you listening?"
He heard his mother calling his name and turned his head to look at her. "Sorry, I was distracted. Did you say something?"
"I was just asking if you were ready to leave. Do you have all your bags?" She looked down at his small case.
"I have everything I need here. I used shrinking charms to fit everything," he told her. His eyes moved to the white ring on his right hand. He couldn't leave Primum at Hogwarts for three whole weeks unsupervised, so he made some modifications to the chimera so it could be morphed into this portable form.
While in this ring form, the creature was in a deep slumber and would not even notice that any time had passed at all when he returned to his normal shape.
"Hmm…" Euphemia looked in the direction he had been staring. "And what is it that got you so distracted?"
"Nothing of importance." He brushed her question off. "We can leave now." James realized he had been staring at Bella and her sisters for too long.
"Is that Cygnus Black? And his daughters…" Euphemia glanced back at her son with a hint of concern. "I believe it is time to leave, yes." She pulled her wand out and held onto his arm.
Once she was sure that no one was too close to them, she spoke again. "Ready?"
James nodded, and the next second, they were gone from the station.
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When they arrived at the ancient Potter home, only the two house-elves were there to receive them.
His father, Fleamont Potter, was the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, and as someone with such an important position, he often had to stay at work until late.
"Welcome home, Master James." Dipsy greeted him in a jovial manner.
"Welcome." Loory, the older male elf, was usually much more serious and only spoke what was absolutely necessary.
Now that he was at the entrance, James stared at the back side of the property. The collapsed towers could still be seen from where he was standing, but the one that interested him was the one still remaining.
He recalled asking his father about that one. Since the structure was unstable, it was apparently sealed when he was a little boy. His parents were afraid that he would venture inside, only for the tower to crumble on top of him.
Repairing it with magic shouldn't have been too difficult to accomplish, but his parents never cared for it enough to put in the effort.
'That tower could make for a good laboratory at home,' James thought.
Although he still wasn't sure how he was going to make the request. They would certainly want to know what he planned to do with the tower if he asked to fix it.
"Come on, James." His mother, Euphemia, called for him. "I've prepared your favorite tart with Dipsy's help. Let's eat it while it's still warm."
"Loory will take Master's briefcase to his room." The house-elf took care of his luggage without having to be asked.
"Master James must be tired after such a long journey on the train," Dipsy said. "Would you like for Dipsy to prepare your bath?"
"Yes, thank you, Dipsy." James took the steps toward the main front door.
His mother was still waiting for him there. "Welcome home, James." She said with a warm smile.
James smiled back, this time more sincerely. "I'm home."
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