Chapter 03: James Potter

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 03: James Potter

He felt completely disoriented when he woke up. He was surrounded by people he didn't recognize. Everything was so confusing.

"James!"

"James, you're… alive?"

"My son!"

Voices resounded in his ears, overwhelming him. His head began to ache, and he screamed.

"James!"

"Oh no! Healer, do something!"

Images flooded his mind...places, people. Some were familiar, others were not.

'What is this? …Where am I?' he wondered. The memories of the 'White Place' were gone from his mind. The last thing he recalled was being in his bed, surrounded by his disciples, and then...he was so tired...and now, he was somewhere else...

The pain finally began to subside. Whatever the healer was doing, it was working.

He opened his eyes again and glanced at the people around him.

'This can't be possible...'

He didn't immediately recognize the older couple looking at him with concern, but he had seen them in those visions.

He did recognize the others. No matter how much time passed, he would never forget Remus, Sirius, and... Wormtail.

'They look so young though. Have I been sent to the past?'

"James… how are you feeling? Please, say something," the older woman asked.

He noticed they were calling him James.

'I'm not in my own body? ...But James? That's impossible!' His mind was racing, struggling to make sense of the situation.

"A mirror," he requested.

"You want a mirror?" Peter asked, looking confused.

"You look fine. What do you want a mirror for?" Sirius chimed in, equally puzzled.

"I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave the room, please," the healer interjected. "I need to examine my patient. This amount of excitement isn't good for someone who just woke up."

"Here, honey," the woman said, approaching him with a small mirror from her purse.

"Thanks..." He tried to smile.

"We'll be right outside, son," the older man said, giving him a lingering look before turning to the healer.

"You'd better know what you're doing now."

The older man seemed seriously upset, but he followed the others outside.

"Does anything hurt now?" the healer asked, waving his wand over him.

"No. My head was hurting, but it's better now."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"James." It was what everyone was calling him.

"Last name?"

He opened the mirror and looked at himself. He knew that face. It was one he had seen many times, even though he didn't have many pictures of his parents.

'How could this have happened?' The situation made no sense. He had never heard of or read about anything like this happening to anyone.

"Do you not remember your last name?" the healer pressed.

"Potter. I am James Potter." No matter how absurd it sounded, he knew this was the only explanation. Somehow, he had ended up in the body of his father, James.

"That is correct." The healer wrote something on a piece of parchment.

"What happened to… me?" He needed to know. His father was supposed to live for many more years, so his soul shouldn't have been able to be here.

"In a moment, Mister Potter. I have a few more questions first," the healer said.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

He thought for a moment, his mind still trying to process the images from before. Those must have been James Potter's most recent memories.

"I was flying my broom at… my house. I started to feel bad all of a sudden, and... I think I fell to the ground."

The healer nodded.

"Can you tell me the names of your friends? The boys who came to visit you a moment ago?"

"Are you testing me for brain damage?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Please answer the question, Mister Potter."

"Very well... Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew." He had no trouble answering that.

The healer seemed satisfied now.

"Everything appears to be in order. To answer your earlier question; six weeks ago, you fell from your broom. That was because you had contracted a severe variant of dragon pox. When your parents brought you here, you were unconscious, and soon after, you slipped into a coma. The disease had invaded your brain. It was the fastest-acting case I've ever seen."

"But now I'm fine, and you don't understand how."

"We all thought you would never wake up again. But now you're awake, and there are no traces of the dragon pox. I admit I have no answers at the moment. Hold on."

The healer walked to the door and called his parents. Fleamont and Euphemia hurried inside and rushed to his side.

"How is he?" asked his father.

His mother hugged him tightly. It felt strange. He had never met his grandparents...or his "parents" now. He had some fragmented memories, but it was surreal to have these strangers acting so familiar with him.

"I'd like for James to stay in the hospital for a few more days to run some tests. But for the moment... everything looks good."

"A moment ago, you told us our son would never wake up, and now everything looks good?" Fleamont said angrily.

"Fleamont, stop! This is not the healer's fault," Euphemia said.

"I'm very sorry, Lord Potter. All indications supported my diagnosis. I've never even read about a case of someone recovering this quickly from such an advanced stage of dragon pox," the healer explained.

"And now you want to keep him here for experiments?" Fleamont muttered.

"We just want to ensure the disease is completely gone, that's all. I assure you, Lord Potter, that this is true."

"Fleamont, that's enough!" Euphemia snapped, then turned to James. "How are you feeling, James?"

He tried to smile. "Much better, thank you."

"Since when are you so polite?" Fleamont raised an eyebrow.

"Oi, healer, are you sure his brain didn't get damaged?"

"For now, I'm certain..." The healer looked troubled.

"Can we go back inside?!" Sirius's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Yes, we just want to see him!" Remus added.

"Please, Mister Healer!" Peter chimed in.

"If the patient doesn't mind, it's fine," the healer said.

Harry...no, James nodded.

"Let them in."

A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.

You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 20 advanced chapters.

-patreon.com/Kriogenix