Alright! I was positively baffled by the amazing positive responses to the first chapter!
Thank you all so much!

I hope you'll like this chapter as much as the first one!

Disclaimer; I don't own anything Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling does and does it VERY well!

Also, for those of you who haven't realized, this is a Snarry fic, meaning it'll eventually pair Severus Snape and Harry Potter romantically. If that's not your thing, stop reading before you get invested! ;P

ENJOY!


As I sat down I refrained from looking around me. I could see Sirius, Peter and Remus sitting down from the corner of my eyes, but I did my best to ignore them. How was I ever going to keep this charade up? I knew next to nothing about my father and his life at Hogwarts.

Sure, he'd been a Marauder and his patronus was a stag, like mine. And he played Quidditch, like me. Other than that, I knew he was an obnoxious brat who randomly hexed others just because he could.

Don't get me wrong, I looked up to my father for who he was after he left Hogwarts. I felt proud to be his son, but I don't actually think I would've liked him very much if he had been in school with me.

So what else? I knew from Snape's memories that he and my mother didn't really get along until later. I mean, they'd have to have been dating at some time in school, because they married right after graduation.

Oh bloody hell! This couldn't be- I couldn't possibly- Fuck! What if my dad and my mother were already dating? I can't go around kissing my own mother, could I? And if I didn't, would I ruin their relationship? What would happen to me if they didn't end up getting married?

Or maybe things worked like with Hermione's time turner, that time can't be changed because any changes made had already happened. Because Hermione throwing that stone at herself to alert us to Dumbledore and the Ministry delegation approaching, happened before we actually went back in time. And I'd already seen myself cast a patronus before I did. We didn't change anything and going back in time had been inevitable.

But still, even if I couldn't change the time between now and the time I came from, I still had to find my way back. And screwing up now could still screw up my own chances of having a future beyond 19.

I got pulled out of my musings by owls flying over and dropping the morning mail. To say I was surprised when a parcel landed next to my empty plate, would be putting it mildly. I nearly jumped up from my seat and might have even yelped.

I eyed everyone around me before reaching out and pulling the strings that held the brown paper together. The package revealed a box of liquorice wands, a few pairs of socks, a leatherbound book and a white envelope addressed to 'James' in a bold and curly font.

I looked around me again and noticed Sirius holding out his hand without looking at me. I shook my head and opened the letter.

Dear James,

Before I write anything else, your mother insisted on telling you that these are the last pairs of socks you'll receive before the summer. She strongly believes that there is no reason at all why a young man like yourself would go through socks as fast as you do. So please try and keep them in one piece before I have to secretly send you my own.

Having said that, I do hope you enjoyed your weekend, it was a Hogsmeade weekend, am I correct? I'm sure you stocked up on sweets, but I sent you some of your favourite liquorice wands in any case.

I was very happy to learn that you again caught the Snitch in your last Quidditch match against Hufflepuff and landed another victory to Gryffindor house. You do make your old father proud.

The book is something I found the other day in Flourish and Blotts and I thought you might enjoy it.

Lots of love from me and your mother,

tell Sirius we love him too,

and don't forget to share your sweets with your friends,

Your father.

Tears were forming behind my eyes and I quickly blinked them away before looking back up at Sirius. He was now watching me closely with a smirk on his face.

"Don't say they didn't tell you to share," he said and nodded at the liquorice wands. I rolled my eyes and opened the box before handing it over.

"They love you," I said and he responded by rolling his eyes as well.

For a moment I forgot I wasn't James and that I wasn't a careless boy receiving gifts from my loving parents. My Grandparents. I didn't know anything about them but what I learned from that package. They had loved my father and spoiled him rotten from the looks of it. Though it seemed like at least my Grandmother was able to hold some form of authority. The few lines about her actually reminded me of Molly Weasley.

The Weasleys and Hermione, would I ever see them again?

Remus bumped his arm against mine and I turned to face him. "What?" I asked more irritable than I meant to.

"You should really tell Padfoot to stop eating your socks, James. Your mother is right, this is getting ridiculous," he said and threw me a mischievous grin.

"What, are you reading my mail now?" I snapped and stood up. Remus looked at me like I was growing a second head and I felt the eyes of Sirius and Peter on me from the other side of the table.

And then I noticed her, my mother. If I hadn't seen her in Snape's memories, I would have recognized her anywhere. Her eyes, my eyes, stared at me with curiosity, but when I hesitantly smiled at her, they grew cold and she averted her gaze.

Well, that was one problem less. With a look like that, I was sure my parents weren't dating yet.

Remus jerked at my robes and I quickly sat back down.

"What is going on with you?" he asked me and I shook my head. I was going to have to come up with something more believable than a bad dream, but I was drawing a blank.

"Nothing, nothing at all! Just leave me alone!" I practically yelled and stamped off.

"Where are you going?" Remus called after me, but I ignored it. "Well, don't be late to Defense! Lance will have your hide!"

Okay, that was fairly helpful. At least now I know who this professor Lance was, and what class I was supposed to be at first period. Though I still had no idea what my father's actual skills were at Defense Against The Dark Arts. He's been one hell of a fighter after school, the prophecy said my parents bested Voldemort three times, you don't do that without skill, myself excluded.

The first few times I got away I was relying mostly on luck and friends. After that, well, I had still been lucky. Hadn't I?

It wasn't like I deliberately took Draco's wand because I was well prepared. I just figured it out before Tom did. Had I not, he wouldn't have killed Snape, but Draco. And if he had, I wouldn't be standing here, I wouldn't be alive.

Sure, I had some skill and from what others told me some larger than average power, but in no way was I anything special. Truthfully, I was more likely to make my father's grades drop dramatically than I was to stand out by showing unusual power. Unlike me, my father managed to do at least some extraordinary magic in school, like perfecting his animagus form.

I'd better study as much as possible to make up for my obvious disadvantage.

I quickly made my way back to the dorms to get my books and hopefully find my father's timetable. I was lucky, it was crammed into his Transfiguration books.

Arithmancy

Astronomy

Care Of Magical Creatures

Charms

Defense Against The Dark Arts

Herbology

History Of Magic

Potions

Transfiguration

Oh, Merlin. Almost the same subjects, but for Arithmancy, which looked like Chinese to me. In Divination I'd been able to struggle through by prediction my own death on a weekly basis, but Arithmancy required actual skill and calculation. Even if I were able to understand it, I'd never have enough time. According to this timetable, this was O.W.L. year for my father. And judging from the wear on the backs of his books, he was roughly 3 months away from examinations.

Alright, so. Plan of action: 1. Get Snape to not kill me, but help me. 2. Study my ass off to keep up in all my father's subjects, even though I already passed my own O.W.L.s. 3. Study even harder to try and not fail my father's Arithmancy O.W.L. if it got to me having to take it. 4. Making sure they wouldn't notice me not being James Potter. Though that was simultaneously point 1, 2 and 3 as well. 5. Get back to my own time and body.

Right now I needed to hurry to the DADA classroom and manage to avoid Remus, Sirius and Peter in the progress. Right, no problem. I put the letter, socks and book in my dad's trunk and rushed out of the dorm. Keeping to the shadow of the hallway as I made my way to class.

When the professor strode in, I understood Remus's strange glare this morning. "Good morning, sir," I mumbled obediently with the rest of the class as he greeted us.

"Right, as I promised Monday, we'll start with dueling today," he said in a bored tone. "I need a volunteer."

No-one responded and Professor Lance let out an annoyed sigh. "Mr Potter, if you would kindly assist me in a demonstration," he said and beckoned me over. As I made my way to the front of the class I could hear Remus mutter something to Sirius and they both snickered. I couldn't help sending them an accusing glare which shut them both up.

"Alright, I've explained the proper dueling etiquette last week, so after that we aim to disarm and incapacitate each other. At least, you will attempt to, Mr Potter."

I grimaced, remembering my first time dueling against Malfoy and how that ended.

"Don't fret, my boy, I will not seriously maim you," Professor Lance chuckled and stood to face me. We bowed and held our wands in front of us. "One, two, three..."

Lance waved his wand and cast 'Expelliarmus', but a quick 'Protego' let me keep my wand.

"Very good, Mr Potter, very good," he said and smiled.

"Stupefy," I yelled and a scarlet jet shot towards Lance, but a quick wave of the Professor's wand stopped the spell and in the same breath he cast 'Incarcerous'.

I wasn't fast enough to avoid the ropes curling around my legs. "Diffindo," I yelled and the ropes fell in severed strings to the floor.

Lance opened his mouth for another attack, but a flash of adrenaline had me conjure a waterbeam and I directed it at him. His eyes widened for a second before it hit him and swirled around him.

I had no intention to drown him, but I had an amusing idea. "Glacius," I shouted and the maelstrom of water froze, effectively encasing the man in ice.

A bright flash of light broke the ice into a million tiny sharp needles that came flying at me with great speed.

"Aresto Momentum," I gasped, making the ice slow down enough to give me a second to think. I raised my wand above my head and brought it down, yelling "Ventus!"

A blast of wind shot from the tip, sending the icy needles back to Professor Lance, who cast 'Fianto Duri' just in time to turn his magical shield solid. The ice hit it with a high tingling glassy sound and fell to the floor like confetti.

A moment later the floor underneath me started to vibrate and cracks were forming under my feet. Without even thinking I raised myself into the air and while keeping myself hovering, I gathered the familiar calm feeling of power together and let the next spell leave me in a barely audible whisper as I closed my eyes. "Everte Statum."

A loud crash startled me and when I looked down I could see Professor Lance in the far corner of the room between the remains of a wooden beam, surrounded by the shattered glass of a tall window.

I quickly and quietly descended to the ground and put my wand in my pocket.

Lance stood up with a moan and cast a quick healing spell on himself before he strode back to the front of the classroom. Fuck! Classroom! I completely let myself get caught up in the moment and forgot where I was and who I was supposed to be.

Ah well, I'm sure my father could've done the same, if not better. I did get surprised by those ropes after all.

I quickly glanced at the rest of the class and was shocked to see the horror-stricken faces. Fear was clear in every pair of eyes that met mine, all but one. Two narrowed black pupils watched me carefully, as if calculating me. Snape.

"That'll be enough for today," Professor lance said. "Class dismissed."

I looked back at him and caught him staring at me. I wanted to say something, but when I opened my mouth he turned away shaking his head, like he was dismissing some thought from his head.

I got back to my desk and picked up my bag to rush out of the classroom, but Sirius grabbed my arm. "Anything you care to share?" he said.

"Like what?" I asked him, trying to show annoyance, but failing.

"Like the fact that you somehow managed to learn wordless magic over the last few weeks? You failed horribly the last time I saw you try," he said while folding his arms over each other.

"I practiced," I snapped and pushed past him, but he stopped me again. Hurt flashed through his eyes and his shoulders slumped.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked and sighed. "It's not the gay thing, is it? I mean, I told you I'm not attracted to you. You really don't have to worry that I'll try something."

What? Sirius was gay too? I let out a sarcastic snort. Keeping it from him for an entire year after I found out myself, trying to come to terms with my own sexuality, worrying that he would reject me if he found out. Now I learn that he was gay too?

His eyes closed and he stepped back.

"No, Sirius, I don't care that you're gay. I just-" What could I say? I couldn't let him find out I wasn't James. "I'm just trying to figure some stuff out, okay?"

"Can't you tell me what's going on with you?" he asked hesitantly. "We're best friends, we share everything!"

"No," I said a little harshly. "Not this, just back off a little, okay?"

He nodded and took off, joining Remus and Peter at the door.

"Mr Potter," Professor Lance called out. "I suggest you bring some of that determination to class more often. It might give me the idea you have some skill in the defensive arts."

"I'm sorry?" I asked, managing to sound somewhat innocently.

"We all know you're talented in hexes and jinxes," he said with a sneer. "But what you've done here today suggests there's more to you than just a charming bully."

I blushed at the implications the man made. My father really had been a bully, and apparently my mother and Snape hadn't been the only ones who had noticed. Other than that, I'd nearly exposed myself in my miscalculation and distraction. I lost myself in the duel and used magic my dad obviously wasn't capable of yet. I needed to be more careful.

"Yes, sir," I said and made my way out of class when he dismissively waved his hand.

I rounded the corner into what I thought was a deserted corridor when the point of a wand was shoved against my throat. I couldn't see who was attacking me and the hairs in the back of my neck rose in anxiety.

"You," a low and dangerous voice growled. Snape. "Who are you?"

"J-James Potter," I mumbled as I tried to get my wand from the pocket of my robes.

"Looking for this?" he asked as a second wand pointed at my throat. "Now let's try again. Who are you?"

"I'm James!" I cried out. "James Potter!"

"Don't. Lie. To. Me," Snape spat. "Potter might be deluded into thinking he's perfect, but there's not a chance that impertinent spoiled brat has this amount of power. I can feel it buzzing, prickling the air around you still. I can taste it! So tell me, who are you!"


I hope you will let me know what you think!