Chapter 7:

James wandered down the staircase with Lily close on his heels. Ever since the morning, she had attached herself to either of her brothers. Her age and innocence seeped through her strong façade. It made James wonder what they would've turned out to be if they had grown up the life of their father. He still felt as though his father overreacted, but the grim, serious expressions on the adults' faces were something that he could never ignore. No matter how much he wanted to see differently.

Stepping off the final landing, he saw Albus in the parlor with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They were discussing something in hushed voices and Albus had a charming, polite grin on his face. It was the expression Albus used when dealing with professors, aunts and uncles, or their parents that got him whatever he wanted. The younger boy had an obvious knack for social gatherings and was able to change to meet the mold. It came natural for him. James hated him for it.

"Hey, there's my name holder," called Sirius, waving the other two Potter children over.

Remus hit him in the arm lightly. "It's Justin, remember?"

Sirius shrugged. "No one's around to hear. It's not like I shouted it out to the Daily Prophet or something." He turned back to the kids. "Alex, here." He emphasized the fake name and placed a hand on Albus's shoulder. "Was just telling us some stories from your lives."

Lily's eyes got big in horror, as Albus had been the one to warn about the dangers of time traveling. James rolled his own eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, well, then you're probably not too proud of who got your name in the long run."

Remus shared a look with Sirius, who shook his head. "Actually, your brother was telling me about how you successfully blew up a toilet on the Hogwarts Express before your first year."

James fought himself from looking down, wanting to look anywhere from one of the three men whose stories were engraved in his mind. From the moment he was born, people always shared information on the Marauders. Harry always spoke about them with a great intensity- a proudness- that James wanted to embrace. It was all James wanted to be, but another thing that he never lived up to the expectation of.

He nonchalantly shrugged and feigned a smirk. "No big deal, really. Wanted to start my years off with a bang- literally."

"To Mum's and Dad's disapproval," added Albus, laughing. "Tell them how you did it."

So, James joined in, plopping down on the sofa and informing them the exact details of the plan. He had masterminded it over a period of three months, using multiple Weasley Wizard Wheezes products and testing their explosion in the back yard. There was an essence of inventing to it that thrilled James, not the actual explosion. It was the perfect balance between potions and products that excited him. He felt smarter than he had before. Not that he admitted that in the retelling.

Nor did he correct Albus's comment on their parent's disapproval. For it wasn't shame, anger, disapproval, or even pride, it was four words that held all the meaning in the world: we should've known. What they should've known was beyond James, but he knew that he should've known feeding into their glorified ideas of a prankster would be the first mistake of many to come. He didn't even know what reality was anymore. Not that he'd tell.

"Okay, so, then I waited until the Head Boy and Girl called the Prefects into their meetings. It cleared up the corridors, you know," explained James, smirking. "Then, I snuck in a poured the concoction of potions that I stole from the medicine cabinet and a couple products I had. I had thirty seconds to leave the loo before they exploded."

"You got caught, so what happened?" asked Sirius, more amused than Remus, who was still intrigued.

James shrugged. "Door got jammed and it exploded with me still inside. They sort've figured it out, when I had shoes full of water."

"That sounds disgusting," commented Remus. "They let you shower, right?"

James laughed. "Yeah, after I was sorted. Uncle Neville told me that there was a proper structure to the opening ceremony. Luckily, they used a spell to dry me off."

Sirius relaxed into the couch. "Merlin, I wish I could've seen that. I guess Remus the only one left by then."

Albus and Lily laughed nervously, while James kicked his feet up on a coffee table. "Nah, he dies in about two years, during the Final Battle and all, he has a kid beforehand though."

Albus hit James in the arm. "You bloody prat."

"What?"

"You're going to mess with time and we'll never get to go home or we'll disappear and we'll never see Mum and Dad again!" cried Lily, horror written upon her face. Her eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets and her jaw hung open loosely.

"Relax, Lils. Sirius already knows, it's only right," soothed James, ignoring the beginnings of Albus's lecture. He had been doing so well without being a know-it-all today, thought James. He couldn't resist proving himself better.

"But James-"

"Your brother's right. Our memories will be wiped, if everything is successful. It shouldn't make a difference being that far in the future." It was Remus who acted to end the dispute, while Sirius watched with intensity in his eyes.

"You see?" James commented. "Everything will be fine. And if not, you can just become best friends with our parents instead."

Lily gasped. "How can you say that? We don't even know these versions of them."

"Well, then, maybe you'll learn that they aren't what you think they are."

James didn't understand why he was doing this. Usually, as like earlier, he took extra time in phrasing things to fit Lily's needs. She was scared. They all were scared. But for some reason, at that moment, he could not stop picking at wounds that he knew hurt people the most. He was angry that he was forced to retell the toilet incident and the fact that he didn't find any guilt in telling someone that they'd soon be dead. There was no connection. Everyone was going to end up the same way. It was only a matter of when and where. This twisted anger and frustration swirled inside him, and he had no idea how to make it stop.

"Or maybe you'll realize you're being a prat and that Mum and Dad aren't the problem," snapped Albus, darkening his stance.

James opened his mouth to respond, but Remus cut in.

"You said I had a kid?" It seemed his mind finally caught up to everything James had said, as it seemed paler than moments prior.

Albus nodded, not removing his eyes from his brother. "Yeah, a boy."

"If I was gone… does that mean his mother raised him?" Remus asked, thinking of the only woman he was interest in at the moment and whether or not it was possible. "Did he… Does he have?"

"No and no." Albus finally softened, and glanced over at the older, scrawny man. "His mother died in the battle, as well. I won't say who, but know that he didn't inherit what you have-"

"Except he gets moody around full moons and likes his steaks extra rare," interrupted Lily. She stuck out her tongue in disgust. "It's disgusting. Dad finds it funny though."

"Harry remains in his life?" Remus asked, smiling at the future he knew he'd never get to see.

Albus grinned. "You named Dad godfather. Dad and An- I mean, his grandma, raised him. He's been like another big brother, but not a prat version like James."

"Yeah, he's fun. Dad says he'll be part of the family soon, as soon as he proposes to Victoire," chirped Lily, finally regaining her merry attitude. "I bet he proposes soon." She added, dreamily.

"Victoire?" asked Remus, arching an eyebrow.

"One of our cousins," added James, uninterested.

He always claimed that Victoire was the reason Teddy came over less often and quit going to Quidditch matches. Perhaps, it was jealousy, but Teddy had made it through school and their Dad couldn't have been prouder. Harry always went on and on about how great the bloke was. James didn't understand how Teddy did that. It was as though, like Albus, he got whatever he wanted. And now, thanks to Victoire, James couldn't even talk to him about what's been going on. He didn't have time for James. Slowly, though, James was beginning to not blame him. Victoire was obviously giving Teddy something that James dreamed of girls giving him. The afterthought made his face heat up and he concentrated on his palms.

"Sounds like everything turned out pretty well, then?" Sirius finally added, sharing a look with Remus and then focusing on James.

Lily and Albus immediately agreed, but James remained unspoken. However, he finally broke the concentration with his palm to softly shrug.

Albus's once more grew red in the face and snapped. "Would you please get over yourself already? You're making everything worse than it already is."

"I'm not going to lie, Al. You can't bloody make me. I'm calling Dad and the entire Wizarding World on their bluff." James stood, walking across the parlor. "And nothing will change that, especially not in 1995."

Lily slid farther down the couch and sighed. "I don't think Jamie will ever stop."

Sirius straightened himself up and nudged Remus lightly. The other man narrowed his eyes at his friend, as they had a seemingly unspoken conversation. Lily and Albus nervously glanced at each other trying to figure it out.

Finally, Remus nodded. "I think that might just work."

Sirius grinned. "And it'll be bloody fun watching it play out."

A/N: Hello my lovely readers,

I'm not sure whether all of you will read this, but I suddenly (finally!) had the urge to get myself to together and update this piece and I used it to get the ball rolling on what it going to happen. I will admit that I don't really have it too planned, but I have a general idea and right now, that idea is working really well with what I already have and so I won't have to reedit everything. But yeah, I used this chapter to explain James's motives better and so there is a more concrete idea about him.

Don't worry Albus and Lily lovers, they will have breakthroughs, as well, but the story does focus on the growth of James and how he deals with everything. I thought it would be fun if Remus and Sirius had something to do with it, so you'll have to read and see what mischief those two come up with.

Anyway, thank you all for the past support and hopefully future support. You're amazing people. Please, don't hesitate to review with criticism. I wrote this in a rush, but I hope characterization meets the standards.

Keep Writing and Reading,

Kaitlyn