Harry had never had heard the common room so quiet apart from the time Ginny was taken in to the Chamber of Secrets. He was unsure of what to do. It was rather uncomfortable having everybody stare at him while he stood there. He felt as if his legs had turned to stone and he couldn't move. Finally, he was saved.
"Come on," Remus said exasperatingly, pushing himself up from his armchair. "This is a party, not a staring contest!" Everybody except for James snapped out of their stupor and began to mingle and celebrate the Gryffindor victory. Remus came up to Harry and held out his hand.
"My name's Remus Lupin," he greeted. "We're in the same year." Harry nodded and shook his hand. It was very odd to be meeting his teenaged Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry tried to give a smile.
"Yeah, McGonagall mentioned you," Harry managed to say. "So, you just had a Quidditch game?" Harry asked, desperate for a subject change. Remus nodded.
"Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. That's another house at Hogwarts. There are four in all. Do you want a butterbeer?" Remus offered. Harry nodded and followed Remus over to the table McGonagall was inspecting.
"I'll believe Mr. Blackā¦this time," said McGonagall aloud to herself. She climbed out of the portrait hole again, leaving the common room.
"So," Harry began as Remus thrust a warm bottle of butterbeer in to his hands. "What're the names of the other two houses?"
"There's Hufflepuff. Anybody from Ravenclaw and Huffflepuff are pretty decent people. But if you see an unpleasant looking lot, that's the Slytherins. It's best just to stay clear of them." Harry nodded. Before he had a chance to say anything in reply, Sirius came running over followed closely by a very white-looking James.
"Whoa," Sirius said when he spotted Harry. His eyes had grown wide and his jaw dropped. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Close your mouth. You're catching flies." Sirius snapped his jaw shut and glared at Remus before turning back to Harry.
"Sirius Black. I'm in your year," Sirius greeted. Harry nodded.
"Harry Potter," he replied with a weak smile. James turned, if possible, even whiter. Sirius clapped a hand to James' shoulder, making his knees buckle.
"The gaping idiot here is your long lost twin, James Potter," Sirius explained jokingly. Harry felt the color drain from his own face. He was meeting his teenage father. James snapped out of his stupor and hit Sirius over the back of the head.
"So, er, play any Quidditch?" James asked. He was just as desperate for a subject change as Harry had been.
"Yeah," Harry said nodding. "I played Seeker at my old school." James' face lit up at this news. His expression, however, faltered when a new face came in to the group.
"Well that's just what we need isn't it?" said a girl's voice sarcastically from behind Harry. He choked on his butterbeer some. He had a small idea of who it might be. "Another Quidditch-obsessed Potter around Hogwarts." The speaker walked up to them and Harry felt his stomach twist in to a knot. It was his mother. Lily Potter. No, it's Evans now! Harry thought to himself.
"Oh, so just because the new kid's a Potter you're not going to even take a chance to know him?" Sirius inquired. Lily took a sideways glance at Harry and took a small step back. Probably out of shock that he looked so much like James.
"For once, I'm siding with Sirius here," said Remus. "For all you know, James and Harry could be totally different and Harry just proved my point!" he said suddenly. Everybody in the group whipped their head around at Harry who was looking confusedly at them all.
"What? What did I do?" Harry asked nervously. Remus smiled.
"James here," he explained pointing at James. "Has a nervous habit of running his hand through his hair. But I saw you just flatten your bangs just now."
"Oh," Harry choked. "That's just a nervous habit too." Lily raised her eyebrows a bit and then to everybody's surprise, gave a small smile.
"I'm Lily, by the way," she greeted. Harry felt his insides grow warm. He had been right, it was his mother. "Lily Evans. Come find me if you need help around the castle." She gave a small wave and departed quickly from the group.
"Earth to James!" Sirius said snapping his fingers in front of James' face. James shook his head and looked confusedly around the group. Sirius laughed and rolled his eyes. "James fancies her," Sirius explained nodding towards Lily who was now standing by the fireplace with Alice. "So if she's ever within three feet of James, watch your step. You might slip in one of James' drool puddles if you're not careful." Everybody laughed a little and James hit Sirius over the back of the head.
"Come on, we'll show you the dormitory," James said. He walked to the staircase with Sirius and Remus at his heels. Harry quickly followed. "Don't even try getting in to the girls dormitories. Although it is a little fun." Harry remembered the day he and Ron tried to get up there to talk to Hermione and smiled to himself.
"So, how good are you at Quidditch?" James asked curiously as he pushed open a door with a sign that was marked 'Seventh-Years'. Harry spotted the trunk that Dumbledore had conjured up for him at the foot of a four-poster bed and he thankfully sat down on it.
"I got on the team when I was in first year," Harry said with a hint of pride in his voice. James, who was bent over his trunk, whipped his head around. Along with Remus and Sirius.
"Wow," Sirius said impressively as James pulled the hangings around his own four-poster shut. "You're even better than James!"
"Shut up, Sirius," came James' muffled voice from behind the hangings. Just then, the dormitory door burst open and Harry's stomach twisted in to a knot as Frank Longbottom, closely followed by Alice, Peter, and Lily came in to the room.
"Wow, you really do look like James," Frank commented, eyeing Harry. "Just thought I'd introduce myself and Peter." He pointed to Peter who smiled nervously. Harry gave a small wave. "And this is my girlfriend Alice Smith." Harry felt horrible looking at all these people. In the room he saw two people who were dead in his time, two tortured in to insanity, one a traitor, one a convicted murderer on the run, and another who could never find a job.
"Are you alright?" Alice asked concernedly. Harry snapped out of his stupor and pretended to yawn.
"I guess I'm just a little tired," he lied. Alice nodded as Lily walked over to James' four-poster.
"Potter, I need to talk to you," Lily said to the hangings. Harry could hear a groan from behind them. "Now!"
"Lily," came James' muffled voice. "this might not have occurred to you, but I might be a little preoccupied at the moment." Lily rolled her eyes.
"Doing what exactly?" she inquired. For an answer, James ripped apart his hangings and jumped down on the floor. He was only wearing a pair of jeans, his Quidditch robes and a t-shirt were in one hand.
"Changing," James replied almost coldly. Lily stared for a moment before throwing him a disgusted look and she turned facing the opposite direction.
"Well at least put a shirt on so I can talk to you properly, Potter," she spat. James rolled his eyes and pulled the shirt on over his head.
"In case you haven't noticed, I call you by your first name," James said with the same cold tone he had a moment before. "You could do the same. It might be a little less confusing too with two Potters around." James pushed his glasses on. "I have a shirt on now." Lily turned around, tossing her long dark-red hair over her shoulder as she did.
"I just wanted to remind you we have to patrol the corridors tonight," Lily said calmly. James rolled his eyes again.
"We've patrolled the corridors every night since September," James pointed out. "What makes you think I need a reminder?"
"Every time we won a game last year your head would get so big that you would conveniently forgot about classes on the Monday following the match!" Lily snapped. James started to take a step back for a second then, he set a determined look on his face and looked Lily straight in the eye.
"That was last year, this is this year," he growled. Lily scoffed.
"And you're still James Potter. No amount of time will change that." she spat venomously. With that she whipped around and stormed out of the dormitory. Alice followed her. Harry stared from James to Lily. He never knew that his parents hated each other so much. This was such a large contrast from the picture album he had with his parents looking happy together. How did they end up together? She hated him.
"That," Sirius said. "was the side of Lily Evans nobody likes to see. Especially James." He nodded toward James who was panting at the spot, staring longingly at the doorway which Lily had just disappeared through. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for his dad.
"James," Remus said exasperatingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "you need to stop acting like that around Lily if you like her as much as you say you do." James snapped out of his stupor.
"Let's just talk about something else," James muttered, bending over his trunk again. He pulled out six boxes of chocolate frogs and tossed one of them to everybody in the room. "Are you some kind of distant relative of mine or something?" It took a moment for Harry to realize that James was talking to him.
"I don't know," Harry lied. "We could be. But my family's all Muggle so I kind of doubt it." James nodded.
"What're your parents like?" Sirius asked curiously. Harry shrugged, slightly glad he was telling the truth. "How do you not know what your parents are like?" Sirius asked, a little confused at Harry's response.
"Well, when they died when you're at a really young age, that's how," Harry said truthfully. The whole room was dead quiet. Harry took this opportunity to rip open the Chocolate Frog package and stuff it in to his mouth.
"Sorry," Sirius muttered. Harry shook his head.
"Ifs alwite," Harry said through the Chocolate Frog in his mouth. Remus, who looked a little sympathetic at first, now looked disgusted.
"I was wrong," Remus groaned. "You two are exactly alike!"
Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed! I thought nobody was liking this story so I was a little surprised when I checked my e-mail this morning and there were review alerts in my inbox! Woohoo! Thanks! I'm off to write the next chapter.
