Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 135: Too Much Work
"James, you are looking rather dreadful this morning," his mother, Euphemia, commented during breakfast.
Today, it was just the two of them and Dipsy, one of their house elves, who was still finishing placing the plates in front of them.
"Ehm… I had to stay up until late last night. I had some… homework to finish." Of course, James was going to look tired...he had just come back home an hour ago and passed out for around thirty minutes before he was called for breakfast.
"Oh dear." His mother looked at him with concern. "You need to pace yourself, my son. You still have plenty of free days left."
James nodded while taking a sip of coffee. "I know, it's just… a lot of work to do."
A grin appeared on Euphemia's face. "I'm glad to see that you are taking school so seriously now. I'm sure you are going to have a brilliant future ahead of you."
"You may be right. I believe I'm going to take a rest today," James said as he ate his breakfast.
He had already planned to rest for the day but could not stop going out at night. It was just a matter of time before the news about what he was doing started to circulate around and put everyone on high alert.
If those groups of criminals believed that there was someone hunting for them, they may move to different locations, making his information completely useless.
'Mmm… there is also the matter of visiting that tomb. I had wanted to get that done during this break, but there may not be enough time.' He had to give priority to completing the stone. The object hidden in those ruins was not going anywhere, so he could always pick it up during the summer.
"James, were you listening?" Euphemia shook his shoulder slightly.
"Sorry, I had my mind somewhere else," he glanced at his mother. "What were you saying?"
"I was saying that your father won't be coming back home for a few days. Apparently, something came up and he had to travel to France," she told him.
"France?" James asked.
'That can't be a coincidence…' He didn't find it surprising that their Magical Government already found out what happened, but he did find it odd that they would involve the British Ministry in it.
His father is the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. This means that they were worried about Muggles finding something out and requested assistance to ensure the Statute of Secrecy.
'But that's odd… I made sure to take precautions.' He made sure not to show any change in his expression.
"Did something happen in France?"
"Oh, you know your father. He doesn't like to talk about work, so he only tells me the minimum, as always." Euphemia shrugged. This was a common occurrence for her, so she didn't even question what could have happened.
'There were still a couple of hideouts in France that I was planning on visiting tonight, but I better leave those alone,' James thought.
<><><><><><><><><>
Three days later.
A knock on the door woke him up all of a sudden.
"Urgg…" James rolled on his bed.
"Master James, are you awake?"
He recognized the voice. It was Loory, one of the two house elves of the Potter family.
James had forbidden them from entering his room without permission to avoid any possible complications, so Loory could only call him from outside.
"You may come in…" James told the elf while moving the sheets off his body. "What time is it?" He didn't even recall when he got to bed, but his muscles were still aching.
Using magic to enhance one's body always comes with a price. Not to mention the dozens of 'Pepper-Up' potions he had drunk during the past week.
'Maybe I could come up with something stronger,' James thought for a moment, even though he wasn't too sure if that was a good idea.
"Master James," the house elf opened the door, came inside, and offered a polite greeting, "Master Fleamont is requesting your presence in the main dining hall."
"My father is back?" James hadn't heard anything from him since his mother gave him the news that he was going to be away for a while.
"Wait, the main dining hall?" They never ate there, that place is too big for three people, so they always ate in the kitchen or the second hall.
He made sure to stay far away from Paris on his next visits. This meant that he had to buy more illegal portkeys. He got one for Germany, Italy, and lastly, one for Spain.
"Okay… tell him that I will be there in five minutes. I need to get dressed," James told the elf as he got off the bed.
As soon as the elf closed his door, James took out the stone that was always hanging from his neck and looked at it closer.
It had acquired an intense crimson tone, and if one looked at it for a while, small lines of light could be seen running across its surface.
It was a very mesmerizing sight.
"It's almost there," James said in a soft whisper. One more trip should do it, and he knew the perfect place to finish this quest.
'I won't be needing a portkey for that one.'
He got dressed properly, as he knew how his father could be when pointing out flaws.
Once he was sure that nothing was out of place, he went out of his room and walked all the way to the other side of the castle, where the biggest dining room was.
'Why would he call me there?' He could not help but wonder about the motives behind that decision.
His father was a very meticulous man, and everything he did had a logical reason behind it.
The only thing that James could think of… is that they had an important visit.
The question is… who?
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