Prompt #540 – Affidavit – Antique – slashluv18 – Harry Potter

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Title: Antique
Fandom: Harry Potter
Prompts: #540 – Affidavit
Warnings: None
Pairings/Characters: Harry, James Sirius
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 646
Summary: James goes to his dad with a question.

James Sirius Potter walked in nervously. His eyes shifted to the antique picture frame that held a family portrait before he stared at his father. "Dad, can I talk you?"
Harry looked up from his book. Although he would never be as avid a reader as Hermione was, he could honestly say he learned to find some joy in it, though. He closed the book with a soft thud "What can I do for you, James?"
"Uncle Ron said something to me."
Harry furrowed his brows. "What did he say?"
James bit his bottom lip. Despite the fact that he was twenty-two, when he had to face in dad, he still felt like a thirteen year old boy about to be punished. "Well, he said when you first found out Mum was pregnant with me, you were terrified. Why? Did you not want children?"
Harry stood up. "Of course not. In fact, I have always wanted a family. Since the day you mum and I married, I dreamed about having children. If I had my way, I actually would have had five or six kids, but your mum cut me off at three."
James smirked. "After she got the daughter she wanted."
Harry chuckled. "I might have got my five or six kids if it took awhile for Lily to be born, like it did for your grandmother and grandfather."
"Too bad you didn't have their good luck."
"Yeah, too bad," Harry murmured nostalgically.
James shook his head, realizing he had gotten off track with that little tangent. "Dad, back to my question. If you wanted children, why were you terrified when you first found out about me?"
A shadow seemed to come over Harry's eyes. Something dark and sad.
"Dad?" James quietly probed, suddenly worried that maybe his question was out of line.
Harry sighed. "I guess you're old enough to hear about this, but I'd rather you didn't tell your brother or sister."
"Of course, Dad. What is it?"
"You know I grew up with my mum's sister and her husband because my parents died when I was a baby. Well, my aunt and uncle didn't really like me. In fact, they pretty much hated because I was magical. It didn't matter that I didn't know about magic or the fact that I was wizard until I was eleven when I got my Hogwarts letter. They still hated me. Until I was eleven years old, I slept in the cupboard under their stairs, and when my letter kept getting sent to me, they did everything they could to keep me from attending Hogwarts or even finding out about magic. I did all of the chores, and if I was lucky I got leftover scraps of their meals. As soon as I could leave their house, I did, and I never looked back."
"Dad..." James trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"The reason why I was terrified was because I was afraid I wouldn't know how to be a dad. I never experienced real familial love until I met your Mum's family, and I was afraid that I wouldn't know how to love you. I should have known better because I did know how to love. I loved your mum, and of course, I loved your Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. I was just afraid that love wouldn't transfer properly to my child."
James wrapped his arms around his dad's neck and the two embraced tightly. "I never once doubted your love," he whispered into his dad's shoulder.
"Good to know." They pulled back. "So, what's with the sudden question about my feelings before you were born?"
James smiled nervously. "Um, Dad. Congratulations! Cynthia and I are going to make you a grandfather!"
"Really?"
James smiled. "Do you need me to sign an Affidavit to prove it to you?"