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Future Surprises | ||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, James Potter, Lily Potter Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, General, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 16 Summary: Lily, James, and Harry all meddle with time. One-shot. Hitcount: Story Total: 6196 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. Author's Notes: Please Read and Review! This is my first HP fan fic, and I have more ideas if people like my writing!! |
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April 1978 “James! Must you! Sheesh.” Lily rolled her eyes and pushed James away from her before he tried to snog her for the 4th time - or better yet, attempt to pull her into one of the many broom closets along the way to the Headmaster’s Office like he had already done twice before. James just laughed and picked up her hand, giving it a kiss as he walked along with her. Just being with her was enough to make him happy. He loved having her get all flustered and edgy with him because then he got to see the pretty blush creep across her face. “Lils, I’m only teasing, but you have to admit that you are pretty damn kissable.” Lily sighed with exasperation. “James Potter! We have to go speak with Professor Dumbledore about the Hogsmeade weekend for April. We do not have time for that at the moment.” James wiggled his eyebrows, flashing her one of his devilish smiles. He loved when she was all business and trying to pretend he didn’t have any affect on her. “You didn’t say we don’t have time for it later so I suppose I can wait.” Lily laughed and he saw her green eyes were sparkling. “You are incorrigible Potter.” “For some reason, I’m ok with that Evans.” “You would be.” They walked hand in hand through the 7th floor corridor and ultimately came to the gargoyles in front of the Headmaster’s Office. Lily stopped and looked up at James. “You know sweetheart, we should also talk to him about what we were thinking of doing for graduation while we're here.” James appeared to think about that for a moment, but frowned. “I thought we were still working some stuff out. I suppose we could mention it though. I still wanted to ask Sirius about something first.” Lily glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “You are not going to pull one of your little Marauder stunts at our graduation!” James gave her his best pout. “Awww, but Lily…” “Please tell me you won’t.” James sighed and conceded. He could never resist her when she said please. She was just too sweet. “I suppose we can do it right before or right after.” “James!” James just smirked before leaning over and giving her a quick kiss on her lips, before pulling away slowly and taking in her beauty. He watched her smile and her eyes brighten, before turning his attention to the gargoyles. “Acid Pops.” When the gargoyles moved apart, he led Lily onto the steps and they walked up to the door. The door was ajar, seemingly for the two of them. Dumbledore wasn’t seated at his desk, but James and Lily walked in to wait for him to return from the back. They had a Heads meeting in about 10 minutes or so. Being on time meant being early to Lily. James was just becoming accustomed to this concept. He had actually made it to class two minutes before class started the other day, and to him, this was an amazing feat. They immediately noticed the state of disarray in the office. All of Dumbledore’s things were lying around rather than on the shelves. “He must be doing some spring cleaning, don’t you think Lils?” She nodded as she looked around at all of the unique items. She went over to touch a few that were on his table near the front of the room. “What do you think some of these things even do?” James came up behind her and looked at the item she was holding. “I have no idea. My parents never had a lot of these items in the house. They must be pretty rare.” Lily looked over at him as he spoke of his parents and watched the sorrow etch across his eyes. Lord Voldemort had recently taken to attacking more than just muggles and muggle-borns; he now had begun attacking powerful pure-blooded families who would not join his cause. The Potters had been at the top of the list and his family had been killed a little over a month before. She grabbed his arm and hugged him to her to give him some comfort as he picked up a different item. “Hmmm… I wonder what this does.” “James, you shouldn’t play with it.” “What is it gonna do? It’s just a harmless clock looking thing.” Lily watched as he turned the many dials around. She gently touched one of the dials herself with her free hand. “I still think you should leave it be.” James leaned over and kissed her forehead before pushing the blue button at the top of the contraption. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a pull in his stomach. He immediately looked over at Lily with his eyes wide. Her beautiful green eyes were just as wide as his as they were pulled away like a portkey. Five minutes later, Dumbledore walked into his office from the back expecting to see his Head Boy and Girl. His eyes surveyed the room, surprised to not find them there. Lily always made sure James was on time. His eyes were immediately drawn to a contraption lying on the floor. As he bent to pick it up, his eyes lit up knowingly. “Peculiar. I knew I should have been a bit more careful with all these items lying about if I knew James would be in the office. I guess the meeting will have to wait until they return. I wonder if they’ve gone to the past or the future. Interesting. It would have been more polite to ask permission.” And with that, he took to looking over the items that needed to be put away or replaced. Apparently, his time clock should be the first thing to be hidden away before there was another little accident. --------------------------- ------------------------------- Ap ril 1998 Harry trudged along the familiar path down the 7th floor corridor up the stairs, past the Room of Requirement, and up to the gargoyles. He still felt it was Professor Dumbledore’s office, even though it was almost a year later. He sighed and shook his head to rid himself of his nostalgic thoughts. It was almost over. One more horcrux and finally Tom himself; then, it would be all over. He knew that he had done more than a little growing up over the past year. He had accomplished more in this last year of study than any of the others. He knew he needed to beat Tom, and so he had done his best to prepare. It had taken until last month before he felt any confidence in saying he could do this. “Lemon drops.” The gargoyles didn’t move. He frowned. Professor McGonagall must have changed the password. To what, though? Maybe she got sick of candy; it was more Dumbledore’s thing after all. She was more of a quidditch fan. “Pride of Portree?” Still nothing. “Appleby Arrows, Chudley Cannons, Wimbourne Wasps?” Again, nothing. This was going to be difficult. “Puddlemere United?” Finally, the gargoyles moved. Harry almost sighed in relief. He figured he would have been out there all afternoon. Or maybe the gargoyles just happened to like Harry and would eventually let him in before it got to be too long. He jumped onto the stairs and headed up into the Headmaster’s Office. He had been more than a frequent visitor over the last week. The last horcrux was rather tricky to get a hold of, as it turned out Nagini was not a horcrux. He found that out the hard way last month. He gave a quick knock on the door, and heard a muffled Professor McGonagall say come in. He opened the door gently and walked in cautiously just in case she was busy, but quickly saw she was just working at her desk. She glanced up at him as he walked in. “Let me guess, Potter, you would like to speak with Professor Dumbledore.” Harry gave her a crooked smile. “If it isn’t too much trouble Professor.” She smiled at him before gathering a few of her things. “It’s no trouble Harry. Take your time. I have a few things I need to check on throughout the castle anyway.” Harry nodded as she walked outside, closing the door behind her. He headed up towards the desk before glancing up past it. “Hello Harry. What brings you to see me today?” “Hello Sir. I wanted to ask your opinion on some new leads to the last horcrux. After that attack last week in muggle London, I would like to get this finished as quickly as possible, not to mention with NEWTs only two months away. I’m slowly losing Hermione’s focus as she is beginning to worry and develop study schedules for all of us.” Dumbledore chuckled. “I bet she has. Well, what places were you thinking of?” Harry’s brows mulled together as he thought about the places he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had discussed. “Well, we have already been to the obvious places like the Riddle House, the orphanage, etc. One of the places we were thinking of attempting to investigate was Borgin and Burkes. I know that it’s a shop and it would have been risky to leave a horcrux there, but I wonder if he might have hidden one there when he had been working.” Dumbledore appeared to think about this. “It is possible. He would have found out plenty of dark magic by that time and would certainly have been able to hide the item so it would never be found by the dark wizards that frequented the store. I would almost be surprised to find out if he had attempted to use magic that he was opposed to in order to conceal it there rather than the dark magic those approaching the store would know and be able to see. Interesting, Harry. I believe it would warrant a look, depending on your plan to go inside unnoticed.” “I had been thinking along those lines. Then, Hermione and I had been discussing his time in Albania.” “Ahhh, I’m not so sure of that Harry. He was not in his physical form then. He would have been too weak to create a horcrux in that state.” “I know, but we have little else to go on.” Dumbledore sighed. “Yes, I know. Where else?” “Well, so far, there have been two horcruxes from Slytherin, the locket and the ring; one from himself, the diary; one from Hufflepuff, the cup; and one from Ravenclaw, that exquisite necklace. That only leave Gryffindor. I know you have said that the only known relic has been the sword in this room, but maybe to keep the pattern, he would hide something in Godric’s Hollow, Gryffindor’s home, since he could not get a relic from him?” Dumbledore took a moment to consider Harry’s words. “I still am rather positive that the sword is the only known relic. Your theory about Godric’s Hollow is intriguing and would follow Tom’s way of thinking.” Harry nodded. “Hermione and I think that would be the ideal place to go searching through first.” Dumbledore nodded. Harry was silent for a moment until, “There is also an alternate theory we were all discussing. Professor, do you think it possible he had not completed making his 6th horcrux when he was destroyed when I was born and did it after his return instead? Could he have been planning on using me the night he vanished or perhaps me again in the graveyard after he came back? My parents and myself were important based on the prophecy and it could explain the elaborate set up in the graveyard.” Dumbledore was again thoughtful. “I hadn’t considered that Harry. It is possible that he had not made all of his horcruxes prior to his downfall. However, he did make his first horcrux, the diary, before he graduated Hogwarts. That does leave him plenty of time to make another five.” Harry shook his head. “But he would have wanted to use significant deaths for his horcruxes, Sir. I have a feeling that I would have been his crowning glory, and it would be—“ Suddenly, the Headmaster’s Office erupted with a loud noise as something abruptly hit the floor near the entrance. The portraits all began making startled noises and cries of surprise. Harry immediately waved his hand around behind him as he turned himself around to face whatever danger had entered the room, thinking Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus, Silencio, and Wingardium Leviosa in quick succession. His eyes were angry, his hand holding whoever had appeared slightly off the ground, and only seconds had passed since the sound had entered the room. He pulled out his wand just in case he needed it and caught two wands that had flown through the air. When he raised his angry eyes to see who had somehow made their way into the Headmaster’s Office undetected, he was completely caught off-guard and his eyes widened in stunned disbelief. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment before lowering his hand and waving his wand, uttering in a rather choked voice, “Finite Incantatum.” The intruders were silently staring back at him open-mouthed even though they had been un-frozen. He was completely unprepared for this as he looked back and forth between the two people in front of him. They had to be about his age and looked exactly how he had remembered them from photographs. He immediately offered them back their wands with his shaky hand. They took them from him without taking their eyes off of him. He stood back still staring, but managed to find his voice. “Mum? Dad? I mean, how… Wait, what?” James felt like he was looking into a mirror. There, standing not five feet from him, was a walking replica, not completely of course, as he was also positive Lily’s eyes were looking back at him. He stared into her eyes everyday and would recognize them anywhere. He glanced over at Lily and realized she was definitely thinking along the same lines. The boy in front of them appeared rather confused, saddened, and shocked all at the same time after announcing that James and Lily were his parents and using what appeared to be an amazing amount of wandless magic. James found his voice first and yet the only thing that could come out was, “What the?” Lily was still holding onto his arm, but now it seemed as if it was more of a support as she was squeezing it harder than she had been before. He noticed her blink a few times as if to determine if what they were seeing was actually real. All parties turned slightly when they heard a chuckle from behind the boy. James was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore in a portrait chuckling at him and Lily. His eyes would’ve been shining had he been alive. “I do believe I remember this moment.” He looked over at Lily. “Spring cleaning, am I correct?” Lily simply nodded, her eyes still wide and looking at the boy in front of them who was now looking at his feet trying to take everything in. Dumbledore continued, “Well, I do believe this doesn’t have to take so much time to figure out. You were playing with my time clock and somehow turned the dials to indicate the future. Don’t worry Lily, I’m sure that this was all James’ fault.” He gave her a wink. “I do admit I always wondered where you two went that day. However, I almost certainly did not expect that you would have met your future son in my office of all places. Had I known that fact, I may have modified your memories.” Dumbledore saw their eyes widen, but he just smiled. “The answer to your unasked question is no, James, I did not, or more technically will not, modify your memory upon your return. You both appeared happy albeit a little quiet upon your return so I thought that you must’ve visited the past or something insignificant. But alas, the dials must’ve been turned to the right rather than the left. They automatically reset to the present day after being used so I never knew. I understand that the both of you were rather serious about each other at the time this occurred so I hope it’s not too much of a shock that you two do end up together and eventually have Harry.” James looked at the ceiling like he had been thinking about that for a while, but Lily was still shell-shocked by all this information hitting her all at once. “But Sir, you’re…you’re a portrait now! What happened to you?” Dumbledore looked away from them and sighed. “I’m afraid your first question is one I cannot answer Lily. A lot of things have occurred over the years. Just remember that death is but the next great adventure.” The lights began to flicker in the room. Dumbledore sighed before turning his attention to James’ twin. “Harry….” James and Lily turned to the now silent boy and saw that his eyes had darkened after Dumbledore had mentioned his demise. He closed his eyes briefly and the lights returned to normal. He smiled sheepishly at the portrait. “Sorry Sir.” “Not a problem Harry. I know there are still some unresolved issues that have been left for us to deal with as to my death among other things, but we mustn’t let on anything pertaining to the future to your parents. There is too much at stake and they were not obliviated. I know this will be hard for you, but you will have to control yourself a bit. Otherwise, I may force you to obliviate them before they depart.” Harry nodded. “Don’t worry Sir. I know what is at stake. We won’t need to do that.” James was amazed at Harry’s apparent talent for uncontrolled and wandless magic. “How the hell can you do all that? First the wandless stuff and now the lights That’s amazing.” Harry turned to his father, feeling a little embarrassed by the praise. It was weird seeing them this way, even though all of his pictures of them showed them at this age or a little older. He was used to being praised by people who didn’t even know him, but his parents were completely different because he’d never had parents who were proud of him. Of course, the Weasleys were wonderful, but they weren’t his real parents. “Well, I’ve always had a lot of trouble keeping in my emotions and now, that I can control my power wandless, stuff like that happens more often because the energy is always at the surface. As for the wandless magic, I had to learn it for a reason that I can’t go into. Just know that it has helped a lot.” Lily and James both were aware that he appeared saddened by not being able to tell them too much information. They had noticed this before Dumbledore had reminded him to not say anything about the future. Dumbledore couldn’t resist responding with slight amusement, “Now, I understand why you both developed an interest in learning wandless magic when you returned. Interesting what one can learn when experiencing hindsight.” James and Lily looked at him in surprise. They both learn to do wandless magic? Lily looked concerned at Harry. “Why can’t you control your emotions very well, Harry? Shouldn’t being able to do wandless magic establish better control?” Harry looked at her and into her eyes, his eyes, before looking away and sighing. He glanced over at Dumbledore before speaking. “Wandless magic takes a different kind of concentration, yes. However, I’ve always had a hard time controlling my emotions in general. I believe my lack of control came from you in a way, although I cannot say exactly how without giving too much away. Just know that I’ve never been a calm person.” He glanced over at Dumbledore slightly. “Have I Professor?” Dumbledore chuckled. “No Harry, I believe your 5th year let me know exactly what you were capable of.” Harry gave a small laugh and an apologetic smile to the portrait. James narrowed his eyes, thinking the comment was somewhat of an insult to Lily. “What do you mean? Your mother can control her emotions just fine.” He gave that a thought before smirking and somewhat agreeing with Harry for a moment. “Well, at least when she’s not angry at me.” Lily slapped him on his arm and gave him a stern look. Harry knew that had she been around when he had been young, he would have cowered and did as he was told with her as a mother. He interjected to clarify, “No, that’s not what I meant Dad, although what you’re saying is probably true, from what I’ve heard. I meant that she left me with her ability to love. Both she and I are able to experience and utilize emotions at a higher potential. At least, that’s what I’ve come to understand.” Lily looked surprised by his statement. “Now, I don’t know what you mean.” Harry looked at her almost apologetically. “I wish I could explain more. You will know when the time comes.” Harry’s words were said almost cryptically, but Lily nodded. She looked him over and sighed. “You look so much like James.” James nodded with a small smile. “But you have Lily’s eyes.” Harry smiled at their words. “I’m told all the time.” Lily smiled at him and laughed. “You have James’ smile too. Wow.” When Harry blushed a bit, James couldn’t help but add, “But you blush just like your Mum.” If anything, Harry went even redder. He looked to the ceiling. “Thanks Dad.” James grinned and winked at him before getting a bit serious. “Not a problem. So tell us about yourself Harry. If you are our son, we would like to know a little about you because it appears by the fact that the sight of us saddens you that we are no longer with you.” Harry nodded and his shoulders slumped a bit. “No, you both are no longer here. I wish I could say more, but it is for the best that you don’t know. As for me, I can tell you basic things if you like.” Lily nodded and took in his outfit, touching and adjusting his badge and tie like only a mother would do. “You’re clearly a Gryffindor and Head Boy.” Harry nodded delightedly. James looked him over and noticed that he appeared just as athletic as he did. “And you have to play quidditch.” Harry nodded again with a smile. “Youngest seeker in a century.” James and Lily both widened their eyes. James was shocked. “Really?” “Yes, really. I began playing in 1st year. I would explain how, but it might give too much away about my past and your future. I know you played chaser when you were here.” Lily’s eyes widened, but sparkled at his revelation. “That’s amazing. I hate riding on a broom.” James smiled lovingly at her. “But she lets me take her out every once in a while.” Harry smiled at his parents. They were so obviously in love. It was good to see them this way and have this memory of them looking so happy together. Besides being told that his parents had been very much in love, the only memory other than their deaths he had seen had been in Snape’s pensieve which did not show the couple at this point but rather when they were still at ends. “My girlfriend is a chaser for the team. She loves to fly.” James looked at him with a knowing smile. “Girlfriend?” Harry nodded with a grin. He waved his hand at his side and muttered a charm of some kind. A sort of transparent memory or picture of some kind focused in a square next to Harry. It was of a red-headed girl playing quidditch where she scored a goal and flew past blowing a kiss. Then it changed to her laughing in a garden. Finally, the picture rested on an image of her all done up in gold dress robes for someone’s wedding as she was standing off to the side of a bride. The pictures were all moving, but no sound could be heard. Harry spoke as he looked at the images of his girlfriend with a big smile on his face, “This is Ginny.” He looked over at his Dad with a wink, “I was told the Potters must have a thing for redheads.” He looked over at his mother who blushed. James just laughed. It sounded like something Sirius or Remus would say. He wondered if they were still around in the future, but knew he couldn’t ask. Lily pulled herself together. “She’s beautiful Harry. You better take care of her.” James nodded in the affirmative while Harry answered, “I do my best.” “How do you do that charm? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.” Harry waved his hand and the picture vanished before looking over at Dumbledore’s portrait. He wasn’t sure if he could answer his father’s question. “Sir, was that charm around back then?” Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully. “I’m not sure Harry. Do you remember where you got it from?” Harry looked surprised he would even ask. “Hermione.” Dumbledore nodded. “Ahhhh, of course. I imagine it was around back then, as it probably came from a book in the Hogwarts library, your friend’s favorite location. Most of the library books are rather old, as we do not get many new books each year. I don’t remember James and Lily doing that particular charm around me though so I can’t be sure.” Harry nodded and looked over at his father. It was weird to teach his father how to do something magical. “Ok, the charm is ‘Memoria Aspicio’ and you have to concentrate on the memory you wish to show. It is similar to the patronus charm in that the memory is the driving force behind the magical creation. However, it differs from a pensieve as there is no sound. For me, it’s like watching a muted TV.” Lily nodded at the muggle comparison while James’ brow furrowed. He immediately pulled out his wand and focused on a memory of Lily yelling at him in 3rd year and gave it a try. “Memoria Aspicio.” An image appeared, but it wasn’t clear. Nothing could be made out. Harry encouraged him to concentrate harder on the memory. When he did, Lily began to laugh at the memory he chose of her shouting at him in the middle of the hallway for asking her out. There were other students walking through the halls giggling at the two of them, but James was just looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the whole world. Harry snickered. “Funny, Dad.” Lily immediately pulled out her wand and said the charm with a look of concentration. “Memoria Aspicio.” Her image appeared rather easily. It was of James sleeping in a chair much like one in the Heads' common room. Lily smiled triumphantly over getting it on the first try. She looked over at Harry and shrugged. “This is the only time his head isn’t too big for his shoulders.” James looked at her like he was offended, but was touched by the memory she chose because it was a memory he didn’t know she had of him. “Hey!” Lily gave him a smile and a wink, but then feigned innocence. “What? It’s true.” James looked over at Harry. “So Harry, who’s Hermione?” “She’s one of my best mates. I met her my 1st year along with my other best mate, Ron, who happens to be Ginny’s brother.” Harry waved his hand and another image appeared. First, was of a girl with curly brown hair studying over a pile of books in the library. “This is Hermione. She and I are Head Girl and Boy this year. She is the one who keeps me in line with my studies, as you can see. She is a muggle-born, like you Mum, and is top of my year.” He gave his hand another wave and the image changed to a tall, lanky red-haired boy standing moodily in quidditch robes rolling his eyes while Harry’s girlfriend, Ginny, was yelling at him with her wand out and her broom in her other hand. “This is Ron, and as you can see, he plays quidditch with me as keeper. Sorry Dad, your memory of Mum reminded me of this memory of Gin. I hope I’m not on the receiving end of her temper anytime soon. I’ve already been there a few times and regretted it ever since.” James laughed. Lily was about to add something, but Dumbledore cleared his throat. When all three looked over at him, he sighed knowing they wouldn’t like what he had to say. “I hate to break this up, but if I remember correctly, James and Lily were not gone for more than an hour and the time is running out. I’m afraid if you three go any deeper, information may come to light for James and Lily that shouldn’t. Harry, your destiny is too important to the wizarding world for me to let anything change the way things have come out.” Harry’s eyes saddened, but he nodded. He had to move on and finish his destiny, just as James and Lily had to finish theirs. “He’s right. As much as I wish I could change the past, it is something I can’t do.” Lily looked at him sadly. “You’re important to the wizarding world?” Harry nodded. “Yes, but that is all you need to know. Professor, do you have the time clock hidden somewhere in this office personally, or do I need to find Professor McGonagall and use some clever wordplay so she doesn’t know what has happened?” Dumbledore shook his head. “There will be no need to find Professor McGonagall. I haven’t told her yet where it is, as she has not asked and it was never necessary to know at this time. I felt it best to remain hidden. I’m sure James and Lily will agree that it is a dangerous contraption to leave lying around. Now Harry, you will need to go to where my pensieve was kept before it was passed along to you.” Dumbledore watched as Harry opened up the closet-like area, before looking at Dumbledore for further instruction. Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eyes. “Ok Harry, now you will find the time clock in a rather familiar way, as you have found a room I believe your father did not even find in his tenure here at Hogwarts, a room which now is common knowledge.” Harry looked puzzled for a moment and thought for a second before smiling and turning back to the closet. He closed his eyes and thought three times, I need the time clock, and suddenly it appeared before him. James was looking astonished. “What room are you talking about Professor? We’ve been to them ALL!” Harry looked over at his father with a mischievous smile. “Nope, not all of them. There are actually two locations missing on that map of yours.” James looked astonished, but recovered fast. “What map?” Harry just smiled and nodded his head at his Mum, who was now glaring over at James. “I think that is a topic you may wish to discuss with Mum when you return.” James looked furious. “I’m gonna find that room.” Harry just laughed. “Well, considering I’m in the future, I hate to disappoint you when I say that you won’t find it. I hope you and the Marauders have fun trying to though.” James grumbled, “Anything else you want to tell us, son?” Harry had to laugh at his father’s grumpy face. Lily was giggling at him too. “Sure, Dad. Since you asked so nicely. You happen to be my patronus.” James looked up surprised. He wasn’t expecting that, but feigned disinterest anyway to maintain his grumpiness. “What?” Harry thought he should know exactly what he meant without him saying it, but he added anyway, “A stag?” James’ eyes widened, and Harry had his complete attention now. Lily was looking at James suspiciously again. “What does he mean James?” Harry just chuckled. “I suppose that’s two things you have to tell Mum when you return Dad. I figured you would have told her by now. Trust me when I say Remus won’t mind. In fact, he’d probably tell Mum for you if you won’t.” James felt Lily’s eyes on him and he wanted to glare at Harry, but he couldn’t. He’d seen that mischievous look in the mirror too many times for him to be mad at Harry for having the same look. He sighed. “I suppose I do.” Lily crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at James. “YES you do.” Harry laughed and turned to Dumbledore, “So how do I set this up Professor?” Harry walked over to the portrait after he found out the date they left from his Dad so he could set up the clock with Dumbledore. James watched Lily as she watched Harry. He gave her a nudge and whispered, “Can you believe he came from us?” Lily looked up at James as he watched Harry, and she smiled at the fact that he looked so happy knowing he was going to be a father one day. “No, I can’t, but I’m glad he did.” James smiled down at her and kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand. Harry turned back toward them with a sigh. “Ok, it’s all set.” His eyes looked sad. Lily walked over to him and gave him a hug. “It was good to meet you Harry. Since we are gone now, I’m glad I got to see you all grown up and happy.” James pulled Harry into a hug as well. “Me too, of course. Stay out of trouble.” Harry backed away from the two of them, fighting to keep his emotions back. He couldn’t help but smile at his Dad’s words. “I think trouble has a way of finding me.” Lily laughed, but James just smiled. “A boy after my own heart I’d say.” Dumbledore smiled at the three of them. “Now, all you have to do is push the little blue button at the top while both of you touch the time clock.” He paused sadly before adding, “It was good to see you both again.” James and Lily looked at one another, looked at Harry, and then to Dumbledore. Lily sighed and wished she could take the sad look out of her son’s eyes. “Bye Harry. I may not be your Mum quite yet, but I love you already.” James nodded solemnly while he looked into Harry’s eyes. “I love you too Harry. Bye.” James and Lily couldn’t take it anymore so they both held their breaths and pushed the light blue button together. And then they were gone. Harry just stared at the now empty space even after there was a loud clank when the time clock hit the floor. It was like losing them all over again. “Harry?” Dumbledore’s voice broke him out of his reverie. He turned slowly to face the portrait, happy yet saddened by the experience. “Yes, Professor?" Dumbledore’s face furrowed at Harry’s expression. “Just because they are gone from this world does not mean they have truly left. Remember, they are always with you in your heart. Your heart is capable of so much love; do not let this experience sadden you. You have been given a great gift to see them in such a way. I’m glad I had no idea that this had happened. I feel this was a wonderful reminder of all the power that was left inside of you. Why don’t you come and talk with me later about the horcruxes? I’d still like to discuss some of the things we were discussing prior to seeing James and Lily. I think it best you go and take some time for yourself. Perhaps your friends may help to take your mind away from your sorrow.” Harry nodded and sighed. “Ok. How do I put this back?” Dumbledore watched as he picked up the time clock. “Just think of hiding the time clock this time Harry, and it should disappear.” Harry walked over to the closet and thought I need to hide the time clock three times. He wasn’t at all surprised when the time clock disappeared. He closed the closet gently before turning back to Dumbledore and nodding. “Til another time Professor.” Dumbledore nodded at him and watched him depart. He couldn’t help thinking that it had been an interesting afternoon. -------------------------- ---------------------------------------- - April 1978 James and Lily landed hard and loud in the Headmaster’s Office, again causing the portraits to cry out in surprise. When James looked up, he saw Dumbledore sitting at his desk sifting through paperwork. He was smiling at the two of them with a twinkle in his eyes. “Well, I see you two have made it back ok then. I’m afraid I was a little careless leaving all of my contraptions out in the open like that. If you had been gone any longer than an hour, I may have started to worry.” It was then that James and Lily noticed that everything had been cleaned up and hidden away. Lily spoke first. “We’re so sorry Sir. We didn’t know anything like that would happen.” Dumbledore just chuckled. “If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure this was all James’ fault my dear.” James and Lily just looked at each other with a small knowing smile, attributing to the fact that Dumbledore had not changed in the next however many years. James shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence. “Perhaps, Professor.” “Well, how about we reschedule this meeting for tomorrow afternoon? Would that be alright?” James and Lily simply nodded. James grabbed Lily’s hand and led Lily through the door. They made their way silently down the 7th floor corridor, both thinking hard about everything that had just happened. Lily still was in disbelief. “Did that really just happen?” James nodded, but his face was serious for once. “I am at a loss for words.” For some reason, that struck Lily as funny and she started giggling. James looked at her confused. “What?” “James speechless. I’ll have to remember this moment.” James just rolled his eyes, although there was a small smile on his face. He leaned over and kissed her. “I love you.” Lily smiled and touched his face. “I love you too. Now, tell me what Harry was talking about.” James pulled back and looked anywhere but at her. “Ummm, do I have to right now? I should really talk with the guys first.” Lily glared at him. “Harry said Remus wouldn’t care. Now, what is it already? It can’t be that bad. I mean, it’s not illegal or anything, is it?” James’ face blanched. “Uhhh…” Lily had her answer. “Ok, James. Out with it.” James gulped, looked around and upon seeing no one, pulled her off into an unused classroom casting a silencing charm and a locking charm. “You can’t tell anyone ok? I mean, I know you won’t, but seriously, you can’t.” Lily looked a little concerned now. “What is it James? Harry didn’t think it was that bad.” James relaxed only a little. “Maybe times have changed a bit. Also, if Remus and the guys are around still, they are much older than we are now.” Lily waited for his answer, but it didn’t come. She prodded, “So…” James sighed and looked at her carefully, unsure of what her reaction would be. He grabbed her hands in his. “Remus is a werewolf.” Lily’s eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that. “You’re sure? I mean, what?” James nodded and looked away. “That’s where he goes every month. I’m surprised nobody has picked up on the fact that he leaves every full moon. Well, almost nobody.” Lily watched James’ eyes darken. “Who else knows then?” “Dumbledore, of course, as it was he who allowed Remus to attend school here despite his furry little problem. Then there’s me, Sirius, Peter, and Snape.” Lily’s mouth dropped upon hearing the last name. “Snape?” James looked as pissed off about that fact as Lily was surprised. “Let’s just say that I saved him when Sirius made a huge mistake. None of us talk about it anymore. It was something that happened last year.” Lily didn’t press him as it was obviously something that didn’t need to be rehashed. “So that’s why Snape makes all those taunts to Remus all the time?” “And why Snape hates me even more than he did before.” “Oh.” There was silence for a moment. Lily was still confused and taking everything in. “But what does this have to do with a map or a stag? Harry never mentioned any of this.” James surprisingly backed away from her. When Lily was about to question him, he shushed her. “It’s better if I just show you Lils.” Lily looked confused, but her confusion turned to surprise when the space where James had been standing had now become a great white stag. Suddenly, everything made sense. She whispered, “Prongs?” Just as suddenly, James was back to normal. “Yes, Prongs. Sirius, Peter, and I found out about Remus during 2nd year. We immediately came up with the idea to become animagi to keep Remus from being alone. We mastered it during 5th year. Peter, Wormtail, is a rat, and Sirius, Padfoot, is a large black dog.” Lily nodded still shocked a bit. “And Moony for Remus.” James nodded. “Nobody knows about this. We are all unregistered animagi. Dumbledore doesn’t even know, at least now. Obviously, future Dumbledore knew; however, that ends up panning out.” “I see.” James looked at her concerned when he saw she had paled a bit. “Are you ok?” Lily looked up at him, her green eyes still a bit wide. “I’m fine. I just can’t believe all of this. Poor Remus. I had no idea. How can he go through something like that every month?” “Now, you see why we tried to make his transformations more bearable. All three of us join him when he transforms, you see, and around us as animals, he is able to fight off the urge to kill and isn’t so destructive. He transforms in the Shrieking Shack. There is a tunnel at the base of the Whomping Willow.” “And the map?” James smiled mischievously. “Now, that is slightly off-topic, albeit incredibly helpful during the full moon. Sirius and I came up with it. It’s a map of Hogwarts.” Lily looked at him curiously. “Of Hogwarts?” James tried to explain. “Yup. It shows the whole castle AND everyone in it wherever they are at any minute of any given day.” Lily’s mouth dropped. “That’s how you get away with all of your tricks You should not have made such a thing, although I will give you props for coming up with a good bit of magic.” James laughed at her reluctant praise, but gave her a wink. “Come on, I’ll show it to you. As for getting away with tricks, you know firsthand that my invisibility cloak is a bit more useful.” She hit him on his chest. “I’m not talking about THAT!” James rubbed his chest and pouted. “Hey, that hurt.” Lily laughed at him. “Alright Potter. I think I need to toughen you up then. Now, let’s get out of here before we get in some trouble for doing nothing but talking.” “Me? Get in trouble? No… Now, if you want to partake in behaviors that lead to trouble, by all means, feel free to take advantage…” Lily rolled her eyes, although she was smiling, and grabbed his hand, dragging him out of the classroom. “Come on James. We’ve been gone a long time.” James followed. He noticed no one was in the hallway still. “Lils?” “Hmmm?” “Are you ok with ending up with me? And about Harry?” Lily stopped and turned him toward her surprised he would even ask. “Of course I’m ok with that. I already know I want to end up with you.” James just smiled. “Really?” Lily nodded. He watched her glance around the hallway, and before he knew it, she was pressing him up against the wall and giving him a good snog. When she pulled back flirtatiously, James was thrilled and surprised at the same time as he found himself drowning in her beautiful green eyes. He knew she was the only girl in the world for him. He had known it for a long time. It was especially nice knowing she felt the same way about him. “What was that for?” Lily just smiled and pulled him away from the wall he had been pushed against. “Nothing. I love you is all.” James just smiled and pulled her hand up to his lips. “I love you too Lils. I love you too.” ------------------------------- -------------------------- July 1998 It was dark out. Harry walked with a limp through the now deserted halls of Hogwarts. It was the middle of July, and it had been a glorious evening. Voldemort was gone, and he had done it. He was still incredibly sore despite his euphoria. Although he had mended most of his serious injuries himself on the way (he hoped anyway), his left arm remained completely shattered as he slowly made his way through the empty castle. Everyone would be mad at him for slipping away, particularly Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, especially for not getting treated fully; however, he had to do this now. The mental and magical exhaustion was bound to hit him soon. He slowly made his way down the 7th floor corridor that was now familiar territory, passing the Room of Requirement, and eventually stopped at the gargoyles leading to the Headmaster’s Office. No one would be there at this time. He hoped the last password he had been told would suffice. “Transfiguration.” The gargoyles immediately leapt apart, and Harry made his way weakly up the stairs. He opened the door with a simple opening charm, and proceeded to the Headmaster’s desk. The portraits were all chattering by his entry, as he was wearing a large black cloak hiding his features under the hood. He calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a baby Fawkes and set him gently on the desk. “I will be right back Fawkes. I promise.” Fawkes sang a shrill note in response. “Harry, what brings you to the Headmaster’s Office?” Harry looked up at Professor Dumbledore looking curiously at him from his portrait, and he saw the Professor frown upon seeing Harry’s scratched up and somewhat bloody features. The other portraits had stopped chattering at finding out the intruder was merely Harry. “He’s gone, and I did it Professor.” There were immediate cheers from the other portraits; Harry even noticed some of the portraits leave to tell others by using their other portraits hanging elsewhere. Dumbledore’s face immediately brightened. “Then, what are you doing here for? You should be with everyone celebrating and taking care of yourself. You look like you’ve been through the mill tonight Harry.” Harry nodded, but looked determined. “There was something I needed to do first, Professor.” Dumbledore waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, asked, “What is it you feel you need to do, Harry?” Harry looked up at Dumbledore and reached his good hand into his other pocket and pulled out a letter, with the names Lily and James on it. Dumbledore’s eyes widened in recognition and understanding. “Ahhh... I trust there is nothing of significance written there that will alter what has transgressed during our future?” Harry shook his head while staring calmly at the letter. “No, Sir.” Dumbledore smiled. “Then, go ahead. You remember how to set it, correct?” Harry nodded and made his way slowly to the closet. He thought I need the time clock three times, and it appeared. He moved the dials to the left to set up the correct date he wanted, October 1, 1981 at 2 AM. This would be about one month before his parents were to be murdered. He didn’t know why this was the date he chose. He looked up at Dumbledore and nodded. He also glanced half-heartedly at Fawkes, who trilled at him. Harry gave a small smile and pushed the blue button. He immediately felt like he had just grabbed a portkey as his stomach dropped. It happened so fast and just as suddenly, he had landed in the Headmaster’s Office with a thud. The portraits started to chatter at the intruder, but Harry gently shushed them. “I mean you no harm.” The portraits hushed, but watched on warily. Harry’s features were still hidden under his black cloak so the portraits could not tell who he was, nor would they even know him in this time. Harry didn’t care, however, as his attention was immediately drawn to a particular trill in the room. Fawkes, fully grown, was blinking at him next to Dumbledore’s desk. Harry moved over to him slowly and gently patted him. “Hello Fawkes. I’m not sure if we have formerly met yet, but one day, when Dumbledore is gone, you find your way to me, help me through many things, and become a very dear friend to me. I was hoping you would grant me a small favor now before our time together.” When Fawkes trilled in what appeared to be the affirmative, Harry showed him the letter. “Will you please deliver this to Lily and James? Just drop it on them as they sleep, as quietly as possible so they don’t wake up, ok?” Fawkes gently took the letter, and Harry stepped backwards. Fawkes immediately disappeared in flames, but to his surprise, the disappearance was rather silent. Fawkes reappeared merely a moment later and trilled letting him know the act had been done. Harry thanked him and gave him one more pat before moving toward the closet where Dumbledore’s penseive was kept. He opened it gently and a pale blue, iridescent light filled the room. Harry thought to himself I need the time clock three times and caught it as it appeared. He moved the dials this time to the right and set it for the date that would be known throughout the wizarding world one day, July 12, 1998 at 11 PM. He nodded toward Fawkes and then pushed the blue button once again. The portkey sensation was familiar, and just as suddenly as it had occurred before, he landed with a thud in the Headmaster’s Office once again. Harry reached down to pick up the time clock from the ground from when he had traveled to the past and moved to put it back. “Everything go alright, Harry? That was rather fast.” Harry nodded and upon finishing hiding the time clock, he turned to Dumbledore with a small smile. He felt rather weak and was probably pretty pale. The trip had taken a lot more out of him than he thought it would. “Yes, Sir. Fawkes helped me out.” Both Harry and Dumbledore turned to Fawkes who was sitting peacefully on the desk. Fawkes merely trilled at the attention. Dumbledore chuckled. “He always did take a liking to you, Harry. He met you when you were about a week old, and even then, he seemed to like you.” Harry nodded with a smile, and carefully picked Fawkes up and placed him back in his pocket. “Well, I think it’s best I go, Sir. My arm and leg are killing me. Not to mention, I’m hoping I don’t have any other serious injuries and I’m exhausted.” Dumbledore nodded. “As you should be. Go get rested and healed up, but do come back soon. I can’t wait to hear your thrilling tale.” Harry smiled weakly at Dumbledore, whose eyes were now twinkling with what appeared to be amusement and pride. “That I will, Sir. Although Molly, among others, will force me to be in bed rest for most of the week.” Harry then proceeded out of the Headmaster’s Office and down the staircase, locking the door behind him. Now, he was finally at peace. No more Voldemort. -------------------------- ------------------------------------ October 1981 James woke up when he heard Harry crying. He had been having a rather weird dream, or so he thought. He could have sworn that he saw a brilliant flash of fire, but he couldn’t be sure of any other details. He gently pulled himself out from under Lily, placed her comfortably on her pillow, and gave her a kiss on her forehead. He heard her mumble, but he shushed her and ran his fingers through her gorgeous red hair before going away to tend to Harry. As he opened the nursery, Harry seemed to have quieted a bit, but he was still looking around wide awake. “Hey there little guy, did you wake up from a dream too?” Harry just clapped his hands together and attempted to stand up and move about. James lifted Harry out of his crib and sat in the rocking chair Lily had placed in the nursery with him instead. “Oh no, mister, it’s still really early in the morning. You have to go back to sleep.” James held Harry to him and tried to get him to relax a bit. He supposed this was his fault for letting him sleep longer during his nap the day before, but Sirius had stopped by and he hadn’t seen him for two weeks because he had been on assignment with the Order; not to mention that Lily was better at getting Harry to fall asleep than he was, although he would never admit that to anyone. “Ok, Harry, I know I’m not your Mum, but I can get you to go to sleep too, right?” Harry just fussed in his lap, but seemed happy to be held so James just rocked him a bit, talked about how he was going to grow up to look just like him, how he was going to have his Mum’s temper and blushing ability, and was very important to the wizarding world. After what seemed to be an hour, but was actually only 30 minutes or so, Harry had fallen back asleep. James gently laid Harry back down and walked out of the room as silently as possible, leaving the door ajar. As James crept back into his and Lily’s room, he was surprised to see her sitting up wide awake with a confused look on her face. She had her wand lit and was examining an envelope in her hands. “What is it Lily? Did an owl just come or something?” Lily shook her head. “When you left, I woke up and found it lying on the covers. Mail doesn’t come at night usually so that leaves Fawkes, but this isn’t Dumbledore’s handwriting.” James took it from her curiously as he sat down next to her. He also didn’t recognize the handwriting. “Well, if Fawkes delivered the letter, whoever it’s from is someone he trusts implicitly.” Lily frowned. “Open it. It’s addressed to both of us. It could be important. I checked for obscure charms already, and there is nothing on it but a charm to ensure either you or I open it.” James frowned as well at the mystery, but his curiosity won out. He opened the letter and gave a small gasp when he read the first line. Lily immediately pulled the letter away from him to see and also gasped at the letter. They both looked at each other sadly before laying the letter between them so they could both read it together. Dear Mum and Dad - So I’m sure this letter comes somewhat as a surprise, but I suspect that being as smart as I know you both are, you have figured out how the letter came to be there. Fawkes, after Dumbledore’s demise, finds his way to me so even when I have come back in time for a short while, he seemed to understand that we would be close one day and was willing to deliver this letter to you both for me even now. I’m also aware that it being a few years after you had come to the future, you have both probably strictly analyzed anything I might have said to you and probably figured out a few things. For example, there is only one family with red hair in the wizarding world, and the Weasleys have a son named Ron that was born a few months before me and they have now just had the first daughter born within their family in seven generations, my Ginny. Looking back (for me, our encounter occurred merely 3 months ago), I may have let on more than I should have when we met, but maybe I was supposed to. Time is a very funny thing. This has not been my sole experience with manipulating time, and I felt similarly when it occurred previously, like it was meant to be. So why am I writing to you now? This letter is being written the night before I’m about to do a very brave and dramatic thing, something you will already understand as you have heard the prophecy with Dumbledore. Right now, there is nothing but a bustle of people all around me. All are worried, scared, and fretting. Ginny is incredibly nervous for me even though she is trying to hide it; she is attempting to sleep next to me almost as if to reassure herself that I’m still here. Ron and Hermione keep waiting for me to break down or explode in front of them. They are not the only ones present; there are many people in this room doing similar things, although I have to leave them nameless. I have no idea why I feel detached from the situation altogether. For some reason, I am not scared. I had a choice in the matter, same as Voldemort. I am choosing to act and I have no fear of the outcome because either way, I win. I will never go down before I see him fall first. If you are reading this letter, it is because I have succeeded. He’s gone, and I did it. Why am I telling you the outcome when I know that you should not know the future? I decided that it would be better to offer you hope than to leave you without knowing, that I wouldn’t want my Mum and Dad to be worrying about the future me, and for you both to understand that if it hadn’t been for the both of you, I would not be sitting here writing this letter in the first place. As I told Mum before, you both will know what to do when the time comes. Although I miss you both terribly, we will meet again one day when I experience my next great adventure. I love you both. Love, Harry Lily was crying. Even James was a bit teary-eyed. Both were in a bit of shock. James managed to choke out, “Our son just defeated Voldemort.” Lily nodded through her tears, and James immediately pulled Lily into his arms and let her cry against him as he rubbed her back. Lily mumbled into his chest, “He’s right you know. We were worrying about him a lot. Now, we have nothing to fear because whatever happens, we know who comes out on top. I’m so proud of him.” James nodded and burrowed his face in her hair and neck. “I know. Me too.” Lily stopped her tears and pulled away from him gently. “I think I knew Fawkes and he had a connection already. Remember when we first brought Harry to Dumbledore’s office?” James chuckled. “I remember. Fawkes walked right up to him and just let himself be pat over and over with Harry’s little hands. He even sang a bit for him.” Lily nodded. “We had put together the Weasley connection too. I think the only thing that confused us was the fact that he could produce a corporeal patronus and talk about it comfortably like he had been doing it for years. Both you and I only managed that during 7th year. Well, that and that mystery room.” James grumbled, “I’m still angry about that room. The Marauders and I looked everywhere!” Lily just laughed. “Let it go, love.” James just sighed. “I don’t know. There is just something about Harry even now that is special. He was creating magic even while in the womb.” Lily groaned. “Don’t remind me. I swear my fingertips were shooting sparks for a few days when he was almost due.” James laughed. “Well, no more worrying. Harry’s orders.” Lily smiled and laid down with her husband. “No more worries.” |
| Reviews 16 |
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