InsaneJournal

Tweak says, ""Oh- well, isn't that nice?""

james potter is SUPERBADASSNINJAAWESUM (staghearted) wrote in flippedrpg,
@ 2012-08-03 15:09:00

Entry tags:

ch: knap: james potter, ch: xbwl: james potter, p: annalisa, p: torrin

Who: James² (xbwl & knap)
What: hanging out after the gym
When: after this (backdated to... Wednesday, I think)
Where: the gym --> elsewhere?
Warnings: TBD

James was angry, unbelievably angry. He was aware in the back of his mind that it probably wasn't rational to be this annoyed, but he'd long since reached the limit of his tolerance for people preaching to him about the big picture and the greater good. Yes, Moody had been straightforward rather than manipulative about it the way Dumbledore had been, but she was still asking him to keep secrets from and act without his family, and James simply wasn't having any of it. He didn't believe enough in the cause she was preaching, he didn't have anything in the way of loyalty to her, and everything she'd said in her attempts to reason with him had only pissed him off more. He needed to have a rational conversation about it with his family, but not right now, maybe not until after they'd finished having Christmas. He'd decide that once he had worked off his anger.

It was a hilarious coincidence that the newest version of himself, the one from Cakemonster's world, had also decided to go to the gym as well. He had seen that just before he'd closed his journal and set off for the gym, heading straight for the punching bag and the weights. He noticed the other James there, and nodded to him, but kept his distance, focusing on what he'd come here to do. He was feeling much better by the time he headed for the showers, and let the water wash the rest of his anger down the drain.

Hilariously but unsurprisingly, he nearly bumped right into his alternate self on the way out of the gym. He burst out laughing, and lifted a hand to adjust his glasses. Not that the near-collision had been their fault; he was just a little preoccupied, and it seemed like the other James might be as well. "Well, hey," he said. "Want to grab a bite to eat or a drink or something, other-me?"

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prideofpotters
2012-08-03 11:03 pm UTC (link)

James hadn't felt like himself in days. It didn't help that he'd managed to walk straight out of his world and into a completely alien compound, complete with scientists and alternate versions of himself and the people he loves. But it'd been coming before that, and really, after four decades of dealing with himself, he should have known better than to let it build up so much, injuries or no.

Then he'd tried to tell Lily about the last three years of her life and...He'd just snapped. He couldn't be writing, he couldn't be in the dark, detached room any longer, he had to go. He'd closed his eyes and shoved his wand at the map in the front of his journal and come away with the gym. The gym would be good for him; he'd let his exercise regime lapse the last few months, and he could use the escape.

Something about another James headed to the gym himself, a James who was so close to the Lily he knew, just seemed right. He'd returned the other man's nod, noting that they did indeed look just exactly alike, though the other was clearly younger, and he had to wonder if all the Jameses looked so similar. Instead of dwelling, he punched up the speed on his treadmill and lost himself in the rhythm of running and breathing. By the end, he might not have managed to outrun himself, but he had chased away most of the nervous energy he'd been bottling up.

By happenstance, he and the other James were leaving at the same time. "Hey yourself," he replied, almost reaching for his own glasses before remembering he'd left them in his room. "I...Sure, I'd like that, other-me." James slung his slightly damp towel across his shoulders and indicated other-James ought to lead the way. "You lead, I'll work on our following skills."

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staghearted
2012-08-03 11:19 pm UTC (link)

Since it had been left to him to decide where they were going, he ran a hand through his damp hair and led the way out. The cafeteria was closer than any of the bars on the compound, so he headed there first; once he walked in the door he realized that was a good call, because the mere scent of food made his stomach growl. He secured them a table and a large, juicy steak for himself with a side of chips, popping one of them in his mouth after sitting down.

"Something eating at you?" James asked, amusing himself with the pun, although he could already tell the answer was yes. He had fairly good people-reading skills anyway, but when it came to himself, those skills were (of course) about a million times better. He had a fair idea of what might be eating at this particular version of himself, since they'd already talked a bit, but just wanted to open the floor for conversation. "I've seen that grumpy face in the mirror before."

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prideofpotters
2012-08-03 11:24 pm UTC (link)

They made their way to a cafeteria, and James thought it was probably the one he'd found the other night. At any rate, he hadn't gotten around to eating yet, so it was the best idea he'd heard. He found a cheeseburger and some think cut chips and a couple of water bottles before making his way to the table James had gotten them.

At James' question, he rolled his shoulders and cracked open a water bottle. "Just...Not a huge fan of change, you know? It's a lot to take in." He grinned at the comment about his grumpy face, "I imagine you have a time or two. I just...Needed to get out of that room, you know?" He traded the water for a couple of chips and leaned back in his chair some.

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staghearted
2012-08-03 11:42 pm UTC (link)

"I don't mind some kinds of change," James agreed, "But this place definitely has a lot of the kind that's hard to handle." It was mainly alright in that respect, for him. The things he'd learned about his own timeline since being here had been far more difficult to take in than anything about the compound itself, and once he'd learned those, he wasn't particularly fond of the idea of going back to not knowing them.

He dug into his food, and considered it as he chewed, then swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine. I get restless if I sit around too long. Only gotten worse about that since my family started traveling, really." This was sort of like traveling, and it was keeping James mostly satisfied so far, but Remus felt it more than he did; James was sure he'd feel much the same if he'd been around as long as Remus had. "I mean, we sort of travel here, but it's not quite the same thing."

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prideofpotters
2012-08-03 11:51 pm UTC (link)

"Some change, sure. But...Severus is dead and Lily didn't even know Luna was dead or that Neville had been marked until I told her. I'm not used to not being on the same page with her," he took a bite of his burger and waited a minute, "We've been partners since we joined up. Even when she wasn't in the field anymore, I...I couldn't replace her, you know? She's always had my back. And I know she has it here, but she's at a disadvantage and so'm I." James huffed out a breath; he hadn't really realized exactly how much of his discontent was about being on uneven ground with Lily, but it made sense.

"Yeah? You get to travel a lot? Emmeline does, but, I haven't since I left the Ministry," James couldn't help but be fascinated, here was a James that seemed to have his same wanderlust, but he'd indulged it in a way James himself had never felt able. "Right, Lily was talking about the compound moving and different worlds." He nodded his understanding.

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staghearted
2012-08-04 12:06 am UTC (link)

"What do you mean, Neville got marked?" James asked, surprised. He knew the wording of the prophecy, of course, having been subjected to the consequences of it himself, but all that had happened in his own past, and both Lily and this James were older than him. His first thought was that Neville had been marked as a Death Eater, but he found that difficult to believe. No Longbottom would ever be a Death Eater. "Man. Makes it harder that a lot of it's bad news, yeah?"

He breathed deeply, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm about ten years behind my own Remus and Harry, and a couple years ahead of Lily and Sirius as well. Plus, there's a bunch of stuff that happened to me here when I was here before, that I don't even remember. It does make things a bit complicated."

Thoughtfully, he took a bite of his steak and allowed himself a bit of nostalgia for traveling, for home, before he answered the other question. "More 'have' to than 'get' to, but I can't say I really mind that part," he said with a slight grin. "Although, that's one of the things I'm missing from the time between me and Remus and Harry. All the places they've been to and some of the languages they've learned."

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prideofpotters
2012-08-04 12:16 am UTC (link)

"Part of The Prophecy," James didn't know when he'd started referring to it as a thing with enough weight to need capital letters, but there it was, "That Voldemort would make someone as his equal, all this stuff, and the Longbottom's kid always matched, but we hid them well the first time around. Then he gets taken during the bloody Triwizard Tournament, which he wasn't even in and Voldemort manages to land a scar on the kid's head. I-we'd always kind of hoped we'd find a way around it; you know? Didn't want to put that shit on anyone, least of all a damn kid. Adult now," he corrects himself almost thoughtlessly.

"It does. And it's hard, because she was there for it all, but she wasn't. Apparently. And that's just...Confusing," he finished off a water bottle.

James' eyes widened at that, "Ten years? Blimey. And you were here before? So going home doesn't always mean staying home. Merlin." He knew he should finish off his chips because cold chips were miserable, so he set to work on that.

"Yeah? Yeah, working with intel gathering for the Order, and then with the Quidditch leagues, that was a lot of "have to" travel. Your Remus and Harry? That's who you've traveled with?" He couldn't help but ask, "What about Sirius and Peter? Can't believe they'd let you go off on an adventure like that and not take them along."

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staghearted
2012-08-04 01:08 am UTC (link)

"Oh," James said. "Yeah, I know the prophecy you're talking about." He had frowned at the mere mention of it, but the fact that it had come up later Neville's life, in an entirely different situation, was disconcerting. "He was marked for that in my world too, but it happened when he was a baby. I couldn't do anything about it, I was too busy worrying that it'd be about Harry."

He hadn't put much thought into what it would mean for Neville's future, either. The possibility that Voldemort might come back had been shuffled to the back of his mind along with his loyalties to the Order, and now he found himself wondering whether the war would start back up again before he found Lily and Sirius. Then he wondered whether they would end up fighting in it again at some point, or whether they'd burned too much a bridge between them and their allies, or whether they'd gauge it too much of a risk. Right now, after talking to Moody and feeling rather vehemently anti- everything to do with the Order and groups like it, James wasn't entirely sure he would join the fight again, but it depended entirely on the circumstances. They would be at risk whether they went to war or not, because that was the threat Voldemort posed, so there was a good chance he would end up fighting again whether he liked it or not.

He didn't want to think about that part of his future either, so he put it out of his mind. "Yeah, going home doesn't mean staying home," he said. "Remus has got some theory, actually, about how we go to a different place entirely. I don't really understand it, but he'd probably be willing to explain it to you." He paused, chewed on a chip, and gave a slight smile. "We were looking for Sirius and Lily," he said. "Otherwise we would've had them along. Peter... well, I don't really know what happened to Peter. Dunno if I ever will."

That particular unanswered question was also at the back of his mind, but once he solved the mysteries of Lily and Sirius, he was likely to start wondering about Peter much more. If not for the fact that he had to have been the one who'd turned them in, James would have been looking for him to; as it was, he hovered between wondering whether he ought to be worried about Peter's well-being or worried that Peter might be part of some other plot against them, whether it involved everything that had happened to Lily and Sirius or not.

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prideofpotters
2012-08-04 01:28 am UTC (link)

James nodded, "Neville was the only child who fit the prophecy in our world...I take it a child of a James and a Lily fits the prophecy too? Charlie came after the first war, and I can't even. I was so glad she got to know some peace in her life."

He couldn't help wondering what a child by him and Lily would be like though. Charlie was amazing and he'd never do anything to change having her, but, these H Potters all seemed intriguing. It couldn't hurt to get to know them. James figured there was time for that.

"I'll have to seek him out; I'd be interested in what he thinks about it. My Remus would have a field day with this whole," he waved his hand around, trying to encompass the whole of the compound with his gesture.

"You were looking for them? They...They were gone?" He couldn't comprehend a world in which the Marauders got separated. And...Not knowing what happened to Peter? "I. You don't know what happened to Peter?" James shook his head, different worlds, different realities. Hell, for all he knew, they weren't even the Marauders in this other James' world. "I...I can't imagine not knowing where Peter is. And losing Sirius or Lily or Remus. That's. I'm so sorry, mate."

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staghearted
2012-08-04 01:47 am UTC (link)

"They were born within a day of each other, yeah," James said. "And we fit the thrice defied thing, too. I've heard it actually applies to Harry, in other worlds. But not to mine, and not to your Charlie, so that's something, right?" He took a deep breath. "Voldemort went after Neville in my world, and the Lestranges came after us. They... took Lily and Sirius." He still disliked telling this story; had avoided telling it more times than he had explained it, but this version of himself was closely tied to Cakemonster and had his own upsetting story to tell her, so it seemed like everything might as well come out. "They wouldn't have found us if not for Peter, though. He turned us in, and then disappeared. I don't... I don't even know what to think about that, honestly. I always figured I'd deal with it if I ever saw him again. Figured that might happen when we found Sirius and Lily, and if not, well."

Well, and now he'd found both Sirius and Lily here, but not Peter. He didn't know whether that would be true back home or not. It didn't sound like Peter had been involved in what the Lestranges had done to Lily and Sirius, but he supposed there was still time to find that out; he'd yet to get much information out of Sirius at all, and he was likely the one to know.

He gave a slight smile. "Yeah. But the traveling part was alright. That's kind of all over now that we're all here, though. I honestly haven't even had a chance to be overwhelmed by this place in general, just showing up to find Lily here was big enough, you know?" He shrugged. "I'm leaving all the theorizing to my hubby, as usual. Er, Remus, that is." That slip got a laugh out of him. "I never lost Remus. We've sort of turned into an awesome old married couple in the middle of all this."

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prideofpotters
2012-08-04 02:39 am UTC (link)

"Charlie was born in August. Yeah, I...Am ashamed to say exactly how much relief I have over it not applying to my kid. I can't imagine that burden." He leaned back in his chair and twisted the empty water bottle in his hands.

He heard it crack at the mention of the Lestranges, "Bloody fucking Lestranges," he growled, "I'm so sorry. And, Peter...I can't. I can't imagine Wormtail betraying anyone. That just." He shook his head.

James couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped him, "Your hubby? That's excellent, mate. I always said if I was going to marry one of those buggers it'd probably be him. Well, you know, not that we talked about it, but one too many firewhiskeys and you'll say all sorts of things.

I'm glad you never lost Remus. I don't know what I'd have done without him and the others. They kicked my arse back in gear in the middle of the war."

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staghearted
2012-08-04 06:06 am UTC (link)

"I'm right there with you, mate," James said. "I can't even tell you how relieved I am that it wasn't Harry in my world, too. Things got pretty messed up for us, but we're all alive. And not worrying much about Voldemort, at least in my time. I don't know about the future."

He took a drink from his own glass of water, and dug back into his food. "Yeah. I know he must have turned us in, but I still can't imagine it, you know? I'd have to see him again to believe it, I think. But the only Wormtail here is one that never pulled anything like that."

It was kind of funny, really, telling all this to another version of himself. He'd talked to other people about it, but not a James, yet. Somehow, hearing another James react to it in almost the same way made him feel like he was being normal and reasonable in his opinion of the things that had happened to him. Sometimes he felt overwhelmed and tired and jaded from it all, and he just wanted to be energetic and optimistic and happy again.

He chuckled. "I always thought I'd marry Sirius, if I went for a bloke," he said. "But instead, Sirius is sort of married to Lily and I'm sort of married to Remus... it's going to be hilarious once we're all used to it." He nodded. "Marauders are good at that, yeah? Kicking each other's arses when they need to be kicked."

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