Harry Potter and the New Bloom (A Marauders AU)

Only You Can Save Mankind

Harry sat in the passenger seat of the mustard-yellow Vauxhall Astra, flumped against the seat, staring at the little house just outside the window. He rolled his head and looked at his father, who was making a face at his to-go cup of tea.

"Milk, they always put milk in," he muttered, putting the tea down in the cup holder.

"Dad, can't I just go and hang out with Uncle Padfoot at the shop instead?" Harry whined.

James was moving his tongue trying to get the taste of the milky tea out of his mouth. He looked over at Harry. "What's wrong with Mrs. Figg's?"

"There's just so many cats."

"Yeah, but she loves seeing you. She used to baby sit you when you were a baby, you know."

"I know."

"Only person your Mum trusted when the four of us weren't available," James added.

"Why though?"

"Mrs. Figg once did something very kind for your mother and she never forgot it," James said.

"What did she do?"

"I'll explain it to you one day but that day is not today. I've got to go and meet Uncle Moony and you dallying about will make me late."

Harry looked at the house, then looked back at James. "But Dad, hear me out, Uncle Padfoot likes it when I'm 'round his shop. I help out. He says I can have a job there one day."

"Yes but today he has a show being put on and there's a lot of people going to be crammed into that little shop and Sirius is going to be extremely busy and last thing he needs is to be keeping up with you in all that hallabaloo." James reached over and nudged Harry's chin with his knuckles gently, "Hey Bub, it won't be so bad. I'll come and fetch you in no time. Just a couple hours."

Harry sighed.

"Besides, you like Rodger - cats aren't so bad."

Harry looked at James.

"When I get home, we'll toss the quaffle about."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Alright." Harry sighed and pushed open the Astra's door. It took a couple tries before it let out and when it did it creaked horribly.

"Gotta get that door fixed again it sounds," James murmured. He smiled as Harry climbed out and bent down to grab his bag from the floor, which he'd stuck in one of his textbooks for perusing. Harry waved half heartedly as he wandered up the walk way to the door, rang the bell, and waited for Mrs. Figg to answer. James used his pointer fingers to indicate for Harry to smile and Harry frowned all the harder back and James chuckled. "Why is he so much like me, Evans?" he muttered quietly. "Gods, you'd be havin' flashbacks everyday. Reckon he'd be as much like me if it was you that'd raised him? Or have I simply corrupted our boy?" He watched the door open and Mrs. Figg shuffled out in her furry house shoes and exclaimed over Harry, hugging him with wide open arms and excitedly kissing his forehead. James smiled as she ushered Harry inside and took a deep breath. "Nah, he'd be more like you if you were here, I know it. And that'd be a good thing."

James shifted off with the Astra then, pulling away from the curb and rolling down the road. He turned down Privet Drive, passing Number 4 he glanced over and wondered how Lily's sister Petunia and her family were doing, whether they were alright, and thought for a moment about maybe sending them a letter. Hadn't their boy just recently had a birthday, too? Dudley was his name, wasn't it? Horrid name, that. Who would name their child something as terrible as Dudley?