Hermione screamed. James took a wary step back.
"Apparently, yes," he muttered, scanning their shocked faces. His eyes widened a bit when he got to Harry's, but he didn't make any sign of recognition. "Look—we come in peace, we're not going to attack you if you're wondering, but we really need that—"
"Who are you?" demanded Ginny, clearly over her sense of shock.
James smiled slightly. "I'm the Doctor. This idiot—" he pointed at the other black-haired boy—"is Sirius Black. The sandy-haired one is Remus Lupin, and her name is Lily Evans, the only one among us with some sanity."
Harry just stared. It couldn't be, his parents were dead, and Sirius and Remus were right next to him…but who else could they be? He was jerked out of his shock by Ron's confused question. "Wait…the doctor? Doctor who?"
James rolled his eyes, as though he was sick of the question. "Just 'the Doctor'. Although to be honest, I prefer James. As I was saying, could you please get out of—" but once again he was interrupted, this time by the younger Sirius.
"Wait a moment, Prongs," he said, narrowing his eyes. "How do we know they're trustworthy? They could be working with him." Whoever him was, it was clear that he was not well liked.
"We're not working with him," Remus interjected. "And we can prove it. Ask the others any questions, and they won't know the answer. However, I really feel that some of us should leave, in order to avoid another crack in the timeline." And with that, he grabbed Sirius's arm and Disapparated.
Harry blinked, still slightly shocked and more than a little confused. The other Sirius seemed to have relaxed, though he still seemed slightly suspicious. Lily was smiling kindly at them, a bit like the way you would smile at a frightened dog.
"Wait…" Ginny still seemed distrustful. "How do we know your not working with Voldemort?"
"Because we aren't," James said impatiently. "Now, once again, may I ask you to please get out of the way? You're in front of the Tardis."
"Er—the what?" Harry asked.
James gritted his teeth. "My time machine. The police box! Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."
"…You have a time machine?" Ron asked.
James ran his hands through his hair exasperatedly. "Yes! Look, I'm normally not this pushy, but we're kind of being chased down by an evil megalomaniac and his cronies—who all have a grudge against me, by the way—and I would really appreciate it if we took this social gathering inside the Tardis where we have a much lower chance of being beaten down and dissected and forcibly kneecapped—although kneecapping isn't really that bad, to be honest, at least according to Jack, but he's immortal and things like that don't really bother him as much and where would he find the time to get kneecapped while we were running through the Zeedlonian Marsh on Q-X4 anyway?—"
"Doctor!" Lily snapped. "Focus, please!"
Ginny giggled. Hermione shook her head.
"Oh—right," James muttered.
"Wait…" Ron said slowly, clearly still lost, "You're…a time traveller?"
"Time Lord." James corrected.
"What's the difference?"
"Well, none, really, but anyone can be a time traveler. Time Lords are my species. Enough talk! We need to get out of here!"
"Uh, Prongs," Remus said nervously, one ear against the door, "I think they found us!"
James shook his head. "Wonderful!" He sprinted across the room and took a small key out of his pocket. Inserting it into the lock on the police box, he opened the door and gestured inside frantically. "In! In!"
Harry had no idea how they were all going to fit, but stranger things have happened…at least, they have to him.
Stepping inside, his mouth dropped open and he slowly turned in a circle. The inside of the police box was…amazing. Like clockwork. He didn't even know how to describe it—the golden pillars, the complex console, the strange hums and sighs—all seemed to dig deep into his subconscious and bring up vague half-memories, memories of playing here as a baby and the laughter of the two people behind him. As majestic as it was, he could, oddly, only bring up one thing.
"It's bigger on the inside…"