Well, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction! Please feel free to review, constructive criticism welcome, but being mean is not.
I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. All credit goes to the Almighty Lord J. K. Rowling, praise be to her greatness. I can only hope to honor her by doing my best not to butcher her characters.
Prologue
James wasn't listening to Sirius. Sirius didn't notice his best friend's distraction, and continued babbling on about a magic motorbike he had been saving up to buy. Remus, however, watched James closely. It was very unlike James not to join in Sirius' wild enthusiasm, he didn't seem sad or tired, rather like he was deep in thought. Like he was planning something. Remus was so busy watching James and speculating internally he didn't notice Sirius had stopped walking and spun around to face them. He and James, who hadn't noticed either, collided with him. Luckily, everyone kept their feet on the ground, but there was much shuffling, robe untangling, and glasses adjusting. "James, what's your problem today!" Sirius demanded, hands now on his hips, glaring at his slightly taller friend. So he had noticed, thought Remus. James smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, Sirius, I was just distracted, thinking about the Christmas holiday and what we should do, and what I should get you." Sirius grinned at this, distracted enough by the idea of gifts that he accepted his friend's thinly veiled lie. Remus didn't buy it, and he tried to tell himself that if James was keeping a secret, it was for a good reason and he would tell them when he was ready, but it was hard to bite down his natural curiosity and, admittedly, nosey-ness!
The three went their separate ways; Remus to meet up with Peter for Study of Ancient Runes, Sirius to detention (he charmed Professor Flitwick's stool so that it galloped around the room, he just happened to be atop it at the time), and James to his free period. Though he felt very guilty about it, James couldn't help but admit he was a bit happy that Sirius wasn't with him this time, as he usually was, because it meant he could find Lily. He found her outside sitting beneath a tree beside the lake. The snow was taking its sweet time this year, but it was still very cold and most people preferred to stay inside the commons rooms by warm, roaring fires. The frozen grass crunched under his feet, alerting Lily to his presence. She turned and smiled up at him, and he no longer felt the cold. Lily Evans, the most beautiful girl James had ever seen, jumped to her feet. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and her green eyes were wide and bright. James pushed a strand of red hair out of her face, "We will need a warmer hiding place soon, Evans." He laughed. James had not been thinking about the Christmas holiday. He was thinking about Lily, and how to surprise her for their one month anniversary, which was the next day, the day they left for home, after which they would not see each other again for two weeks. They sat beneath the frozen tree, talking for a long time. Lily told him about her day and her classes and her plans for the holiday. Lily was very, very happy, and as she stared up into James' hazel eyes, she knew she was lucky as well. Lily was testing James, if he kept their relationship a secret from his friends, from everyone, until she said otherwise, it would prove he was no longer the spoilt child who cared only for showing off and being admired (though he was still admired greatly, for everything from his Quidditch skill to his oh-so-charming smile, so she doubted she would ever fully lesson his ego), and so far he was passing with flying colors. He had been attentive and kind and loving, and not so much as looked at another girl, even when he didn't know Lily was watching. Maybe it was time for people to know, she was in no way ashamed of dating James Potter like she was once sure she would be, and she certainly would not mind being able to be around him without worrying what others thought. Yes, she thought, he had passed the test. He was currently laughing at a story he had been telling her (sadly, her decision had blocked out most of what he had been saying), something about how Sirius had gotten his detention. Lily giggled dutifully before placing her gloved hand on his arm, "James..." she started, but was cut off when he grabbed her and thrust her swiftly behind him. Before she could even decide whether to ask what was wrong or scold him, she was blinded by a white, warm light.
The light slowly concentrated into a small glowing sphere. James inched towards it and Lily grabbed his arm to pull him back, just then the light imploded with a pop, and in its place appeared a piece of parchment, which floated quietly down to the ground, tumbling slightly in the wind, but not blowing away. They couple stared at the paper, and slowly James inched over and knelt beside it. Instead of stopping him this time, Lily slid down beside him. "What is it...?" She wondered aloud. "I don't know," said James slowly. He reached down and carefully poked the paper with his wand, at which point the paper flipped open, ink spreading across the page in elegant, tiny swirls, slowly forming into what they recognized as words. Lily, overcome by curiosity, snatched the paper off the ground. James protested, claiming it may be dangerous, but she began to read aloud:
James Potter and Lily Evans,
I understand why you would not believe me, and there is nothing I can do to force you, but I implore you listen. I know much of the future, and while I cannot tell you much now, I would like to give you the opportunity to change it. If you wish to find out more, be in the Room of Requirement just before midnight. Bring with you Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, but tell no one else.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Lily looked up at James, "What does that mean? 'A Friend'? This is all very strange James. Tell me you don't have something to do with this." James shook his head and took the letter to read himself. "No, I- Hey!" The ink faded before their eyes, leaving behind a blank piece of parchment. They let the silence hang between them for a moment, but eventually James spoke. "The future… this person wants us to change the future. Why?" "Why us?" added Lily, they stared into each others eyes for a long, long moment. "I think we should do it," James blurted out. He waited for her to list off all the reasons this was a terrible idea, so he was near dumbfounded when she nodded in agreement. "I think so, too." "But we'll have to sneak out, and be back in time to catch the train. We also have to figure out what in the name of Merlin is a 'Room of Requirement.'" Lily just blinked at him, confused. "What?" he demanded. "You don't know? James Potter, who knows every secret tunnel and passage, every hiding spot and false door in the entirety of Hogwarts, doesn't know about the Room of Requirement? I thought for sure you and the rest of your little pack spent half your time plotting in there!" By now Lily was sort of giggling, "I mean, I found it in my first year!" "What? What? What is it?!" James pleaded, hoping the cold would hide his embarrassed blushing. (It didn't, and Lily found it absolutely adorable.) "The Room of Requirement," Lily explained, speaking deliberately slow, causing him to pout and blush more, "is a room on the seventh floor, left corridor, that only shows itself to people who are truly in need of it, and it will fit their needs. I'll meet you, Remus, and Sirius in the commons tonight, 20 minutes before midnight." Lily leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Bye James!" she giggled and walked her way back up to the school, a bounce in her step and a smile in her eyes.
Half confused and half excited, James waited for her to disappear behind the doors before running inside. He continued through the rest of his classes with a stupid grin on his face, unnerving many of his teachers (in fear of a prank) and confusing his friends. When they finally finished their last class, Potions (which the four had together), Peter yawned and made his way up the stairs to bed. Remus and Sirius went to follow, but James pulled them stayed in the common room until the rest of the Gryffindors climbed up to bed. James stood by the fire, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "Guys, the coolest thing happened today!" And he explained, smoothly downplaying the whole alone-with-Lily-Evans part of the story. James took the blank page out of his cloak and looked at his friends expectantly. Sirius' eyes were alight with excitement, but Remus was concerned. "Could I see the letter?" he asked, and James nodded, quickly pulling out his wand and touching it to the paper. Nothing happened. James frowned, "I guess it only worked the once… you still believe me don't you?" James looked so very hopeful, Sirius nodded enthusiastically and Remus sighed. "I can't see how it would hurt, but it is a bit odd. I mean, why the three of us? Why Evans? And why not Peter?" James frowned thoughtfully, he had forgotten about Peter, but Remus was right, why didn't the letter mention him? He was one of his friends, too. Just then, Lily came down the stairs, and James smiled instantly. "Looks like you told them, James. Well, let's go then, before we get caught." James had, for a moment, thought of using his cloak of invisibility to help them sneak through the castle, but he wasn't sure he was ready to tell Lily about it just yet. Besides, it wouldn't fit over all of them. The three boys followed Lily as she slipped unseen through the school.
Lily came to a stop in the left corridor of the seventh floor, just like she said, and stood facing the wall across from a hideous tapestry (Were those trolls wearing tutus?). It was quiet for a moment. After what felt like forever (but was probably closer to just a minute) slow, spindly cracks appeared in the wall, swirling around each other until they formed the shape of a door, which Lily then pushed open. Inside was a wide, round room, with walls draped in violet velvet and a domed, mirrored ceiling. Directly across from the door, that was slowly disappearing now that they were inside, was a large fireplace with a massive fire sending warmth around the room. Facing the fire in a half-circle was a series of plush silver and violet chairs and couches placed on an ornate rug. In the very center of the seating arrangement was a square, dark-wood coffee table, atop which sat a single piece of parchment. On either side of the fireplace were two doors. James was the first to approach, with Lily right behind him. He picked up the paper. This time the parchment wasn't blank. James read the letter aloud:
James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin,
I am glad to see you believed me. Let me preface this by telling you, you will not be held here against your will. You are free to leave whenever you want, but I doubt you will want to. The four of you will stay here until the end of the Christmas holiday. Letters will be sent home explaining your change of heart at sunrise, unless you decide to leave before then. We have gotten permission, though you do not need to know how, for you to stay remain in this room for the remainder of the holiday. The doors to the right of the fireplace lead to a bathroom and a hidden tunnel to the corridor by the kitchen. I'm sure you boys can get food from there, as we know you've done it before. The doors on the left lead to two bedrooms; the larger with three beds, the smaller with one. It should be obvious which room is for who! Before you will appear a book. In order to change the future for the better, you must read the book cover to cover, and all the ones that follow it, (if any do; I'll leave it a surprise.) It will make more sense once you begin the book, which I hope you do.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Just then, the letter burst into green flames. James yelled and dropped it, but it turned to ash before ever hitting the floor. Sirius gasped, "Guys, look!" Three sets of eyes followed his pointing hand to the coffee table, upon which sat a book. Remus picked it up. It was large but not very, with a red hardcover and gold lettering along the spine. "'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'?" He read, looking at James. "Do you know anyone in your family by that name?" "No," said James, not even having to think about it. Remus flipped open the cover and gasped, "It's from 1997!" "I guess that's what they meant about changing the future," Sirius commented, plopping down on one of the couches. "Ohh, cozy. Ok! Let's get reading shall we?" By now, the other three were used to Sirius' eternal enthusiasm, and knew it was best to just go along. James took a seat beside Lily, earning a curious look from Remus and a suggestive eyebrow-wiggle from Sirius, but James ignored them. They all turned to face Remus, who was now sitting beside a slightly-bouncing Sirius. Remus cleared his throat.
Chapter One