Fate's Manipulation

Chapter 6

London, England

James Potter awoke with a thunk as two painful weights landed on his chest. His senses were muddled for a moment as he tried to shake the cobwebs of sleep away. After a few moments of utter confusion, he managed to open his eyes.

"Adam? Amanda?" he asked in surprise. The weights on his body appeared to be his confused children.

"What happened, daddy?" Amanda asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Where are we?"

"I..." James started to answer that they were home in their own beds, when full awareness made him sit up in shock. He looked around before reflexively pulling his children into his arms for a tight hug. "I'm not sure, Amanda. Stay very close and keep an eye on your brother."

Amanda bit her lip and nodded, squeezing the confused little boy's hand as her father slowly stood and brushed loose dirt off his hands.

"It is night where we are," James reasoned, peering into the darkness for any sort of landmark.

"Daddy?" Adam tugged at the bottom of his father's shirt. "Is this magic, like in the Harry Potter books?"

James ruffled his son's hair and gave him a wistful smile. If only... "Something like that, Adam." His mind whirled with possible explanations for their whereabouts even as he tried to get a handle on their location. Their predicament was serious; the air was cool and crisp and while he was wearing a casual jumper and jeans, his children had on only their nightclothes and would soon feel the cold.

"Come on," James said, scooping up Adam abruptly. "We'll walk until we can find some streetlights. Amanda, will you be able to walk in your slippers?" Being a protective father was James' only way of coping right now, and he knew that he had to proceed in a rational and methodical way to find answers.

Amanda nodded quickly, and reached for James's hand even as he was reaching for hers. "All right, then. Tell me if it becomes too hard for you." He spent a brief moment smiling down at his daughter. Sometimes the potential in her amazed him.

"All right, then," James said in a calm voice, even though he was on edge. It wouldn't do for the children to see or sense his nervousness. "Adam, hold tightly to my neck. I know that you want to go back to sleep and as soon as we get back home, you can do that, but for now I need you to be big and strong and hold onto me."

' 'k daddy." Adam was quickly falling back to sleep, James realized with a sigh. "Amanda, you must tell me if this becomes too hard for you."

"I will," she replied and tugged urgently on her father's hand. "Can we go, daddy? Adam and I hate the dark."

James nodded and began walking to the west, as if by instinct. After a few minutes, they turned a corner and James realized why the city looked so bloody dark. "It appears that we've had a blackout." The closed shopfronts were all darkened and that was to be expected, but none of the streetlights were illuminated either and the cars proceeded very cautiously along the road. The next block did not appear to be effected as much though, and James decided to go toward the lights.

James took a deep breath, as he looked around. The blackout did not perturb him so much as the reasons for it and his sudden appearance in the street with his children. He realized where he was as one of the shopkeepers shined a flashlight in a window. "All right then, just a short distance to home," he said, hoping to rally his children's' spirits. "We'll ring up mum and tell her what happened."

"What did happen, dad?"

James bit his lip and shook his head. "I am not entirely sure, luv. Come on." When he reached the public telephone, he motioned to Amanda. "Can you get some change out of my pocket and dial home, so I don't have to shift Adam?"

Amanda nodded and studiously placed the coins into the box, dialing her home number. "Hello? Who is this? Is my mum there?" She looked up at James tearfully. "No, this isn't a joke. I can pass the phone to my dad if you like."

James took the phone wordlessly from his daughter. "Hello? Is Claire there?"

"I don't know any Claire." An unfamiliar voice met his ears. "Are you sure you have the right number?"

James nodded, before realizing that the man couldn't see him. "I'm sure." He said heavily and repeated the number back twice to the man before hanging up.

"Why does that man have our telephone number?" Amanda asked.

"I haven't any idea darling." He hunkered down to his daughter's eye level. "Can you walk the four blocks to home, Amanda? My wallet is at home, and it's doubtful that a taxi would take us that short a distance anyway. We can find out then. Please don't worry. Mummy is fine."

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked, and suddenly she looked so young to James. He tended to think of her as much older than her 11 years. James nodded, pulling her into a tight one-armed hug.

"Positive." He stood again, taking her hand in his. "Tell me if we're walking too fast."

The walked two blocks before everything began to appear different to James. There was a park where a block of flats had existed. In confusion, he turned two corners and suddenly found himself in the shadows of a shopfront.

"Daddy? This isn't home. This is Charing Cross Road. Why are we here?"

"I know." James said, staring up at the sign in shock before looking at the shopfronts on either side. There was no explanation for this. He had been here many a time, especially in those dark days after first arriving in this new world. This shopfront had never existed to him since his time at Hogwarts. How was it here now? Was it some clever marketing scheme by the people writing about his son's life? James shook his head to dispel the confusing thoughts and pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Dad?" Amanda asked uncertainly. "Should we be here?"

"I have to check something, love. Please try to understand." He realized that his voice was shaking and tried to give his daughter a reassuring smile. "It will just take a minute and then we can be off home."

Amanda didn't reply, but it was obvious that this didn't please her. "I'm tired, dad." Her voice wavered, and James realized how close she was to tears. He bent down and gathered her close.

"I know, darling, and you have been so bloody brave for me tonight. Hang on a little longer for me, please?"

"I'll try." Amanda looked positively pathetic.

James kissed the top of her head and settled her and Adam at a table near the bar. "I will be done as fast as I can, sweetheart." His daughter's bravery in the face of such strange circumstances touched his heart. He watched her secure her sleeping brother in a chair and sighed before returning to the task at hand. The possibilities flooded his mind but he was unable to allow himself to hope yet.

He walked up to the bar. "Hi, can I have two glasses of milk for my children."

The bartender nodded and placed two frosty glasses on the bar. "Right. That will be two sickles each."

"Two...sickles?" James asked in shock, a hint of awe creeping into his voice.

"Yeah?" The bartender asked defensively. "If you haven't got it, I have to take the milk back." He seemed suspicious of James, and shook his head. "Wandering around with those children without robes or shoes. You should be ashamed of yourself."

James felt rather than saw a bulky presence lumber up beside him. "Leave off, Martin. I'll pay for the Muggle." The man tapped James on the shoulder. "Ye wouldn't be one of us, would yeh? Not knowing about sickles and all."

James turned to face the man. He KNEW that voice. "Hagrid?"

~*~

"Harry! Lily!" Sirius rushed over to the still pair and checked their breathing. "They're just unconscious," he reported to the others and gently lifted Lily to the bed. "It must have been too much magic for them," he said in a shaky tone of voice before turning to Dumbledore for advice.

"Yes, Sirius, I think you must be right," Dumbledore said with a small nod. "They should recover their senses in a few minutes." He looked at Harry's wand and shook his head. "I should have known..."

"Known what?" Remus asked as he made Harry's position on the floor more comfortable.

"They must have been trying a spell together," Dumbledore pointed out.

"I suspect I know what spell that was," Snape added. He strode briskly across the room and picked up the orb. The bright path of fire that was the life force of James Potter glowed a bright brilliant green. "It seems that the elder Mr. Potter is once again among us."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Just as I suspected. Their combined power must have been extraordinary. I wonder..." he trailed off as Harry let out a low moan.

"Harry?" Remus was the closest one to the young man. As Harry's confused eyes fluttered open, Snape slipped an ice cold goblet of pumpkin juice into his hand. Remus supported Harry as he struggled to sit up.

"What happened?" he asked in confusion. "Mum! Is she...?" He placed a hand against his scar and tried to shake out the cobwebs.

Dumbledore placed a gentle hand on the top of Harry's head. "She will be fine, Harry. The force of your magic knocked you both senseless for a moment. Why don't you drink some pumpkin juice and try to get your breath back. I would like to know what spell you cast."

"Later," Harry said, urgency evident in his worried tone. He moved to his mother's bedside and touched her face gently. When her green eyes opened, he choked back emotion. A small part of him had wondered if his mother had come back only to leave him again so suddenly. "Mum?" Harry offered her the cold goblet. "Please drink this. It will help."

Lily gave him a loving look, before turning to the older people in the room. "What happened?"

McGonagall motioned the goblet to Lily's lips, as Snape conjured another one for Harry.

Remus soundlessly handed the drink to Harry, grateful that Harry had not seen that it was Snape that had gotten the drink. "You need to drink, too, Harry," Remus reminded softly.

Harry nodded, and drank thirstily. He could feel the effects of the revitalizing drink almost immediately. His deed done, he turned his attention back to his mother and the Deputy Headmistress.

Lily sighed and drank much as her son had. She was rewarded with answers.

"You and Harry conjured up a spell that was so powerful that its effects knocked you unconscious briefly."

Lily sat up and looked around the room. "James? Where is he? Did it work?"

Dumbledore sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand. "Lily, James is not here." He sighed. "What you did, my dear, was morally and ethically wrong, though I certainly understand your reasons for doing so. You surely know that you must not ever use another witch or wizard's power for your own gain, even though you both may want the same goal." He squeezed her hand. "Let us find James for you, Lily. What happened could have killed both you and Harry. You need to learn to harness your combined power, so that accidents like this one are not a common occurrence."

Lily took in Dumbledore's words with a serious expression on her face. What he said was absolutely right. She should have never risked Harry's life to reunite their family. "I know." She turned to look at Harry and reached for his hand. "I must have lost control, Harry. I never wanted to hurt you. I just wanted to bring you your father."

Harry closed his eyes against the wave of emotion that crested over him. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "I know, mum. I know and understand. All I want is to be able to see my dad." A few tears fell as mother and son moved into each other's arms. They weren't complete, but they would make the most of the miracle they had been given.

~*~

Claire Potter awoke suddenly, and reached for her husband in bed. She felt the unsettling loggy feeling of a deep sleep nap, since it was so early in the evening and so far removed from her normal bedtime of midnight. She glanced at her watch, focusing on the luminous dial that bathed the room in a murky glow.

"I had better see that the children are still asleep and that James is not brooding." Her voice sounded strange to her ears. Claire sighed long and hard, as she wondered what had happened to her marriage.

James had never been as emotionally involved as she had been with him. Claire knew and accepted that fact as a part of her life. She had fallen for him deeply and hard the first day she had found him. His confusion and panic had awakened something deep inside her, an instinct part maternal, part possessive and part carnal. She wanted to protect him, but she also wanted to make him hers.

After a lot of soul searching and a lot of friendship, they had gotten married, but Claire knew deep in her heart that James' past life weighed heavily on his shoulders. He had never been able to open himself up and be her husband, yet he was the perfect father to the children. Claire made a small half sob as a blanket of loneliness descended upon her. She needed to be with people. Maybe she and James could have one of their neighbors watch the children while she and her husband nipped off to the pub for a short while. They needed more alone time together.

Her decision was finally made, and Claire walked out of her bedroom and to the children's room down the hall. Unlike most nights, there were no whispers and muted giggles emanating from the bedroom and she smiled, shaking her head in amusement. "Those Harry Potter books must have really exhausted them. I wonder if they are dreaming of witches and wizards even now."

She opened the door soundlessly, and peeked in. "Adam? Amanda?" she called out as she saw that their beds had been slept in but were empty. Had they gone up to their father's work area to spend some time with him? Propelled by an urgency she could not define, Claire rapidly jogged up the stairs. "James? Are Adam and Amanda with you..."

It only took a moment for her to see that the room was empty. "Where are they? Oh, they must be in the kitchen. James might be warming some milk for them."

When Claire arrived in the kitchen, she found that it, too, was empty and her nerves began to gnaw at her. "James?" she called out, hoping that he and the children were home. There was no note, had James taken the children out for something this late, he would have left her a note.

Claire sighed, torn between nervousness and annoyance. How unlike him to make her worry like this! Yet, James was not himself recently, and his attitude all evening had been atypical. She finally reached for the phone, intending to call James on his cell phone. He hated the piece of electronic equipment, but his job required that he be available and it was always turned on. Moreover, it was clipped to his wallet so that he would never forget it.

Claire dialed the number with a slightly shaking hand. "Hello....James?" Her voice turned confused. "Who is this?" She repeated the number twice, her frown growing deeper each second. "That is impossible. This is my husband's phone. I just rang him earlier today." Her breath came in hitched gasps as she listened intently to the person on the other line. "Yes, I understand. You have had this phone for over a year. Terribly sorry for bothering you," she finally said in a whisper, putting the receiver down gently.

One solitary tear sparkled against her cheek, before slowly sliding downward. She spoke to the silent and empty house. "Who was that on your cell phone? James, what is going on? Where are you and the children? I am getting frightened."