"Where could it be?" Harry wondered aloud as he rummaged through his trunk. Maybe leaving his wand out in the Gryffindor common room hadn't been a good idea. Remembering the heated conversation Harry had shared with Dean brought chills to his flesh as he scoured on, even checking in Hedwig's cage.
"Dean, have you seen my wand?"
"Well… about that wand, Harry…"
"What about it?"
"I had it… and can't exactly remember where I placed it last…"
"You lost my wand?!?!"
"I'm really sorry, but I thought it was mine, see? I had a holly wand too, so…"
"Then what did you do with it?!"
"Well, I realized it wasn't mine, I kind of… just left it… somewhere…"
"You irresponsible GIT! What on earth do you think you're doing!?! You knew it was someone else's and-"
"I'll help you look," offered Dean.
"NO!" screamed Harry.
"Then I think I'd better go."
That was the conversation that made Harry cringe. He could have been nicer. He could have sympathized with Dean. But no, he had to get angry and shout and yell. Looking out the window, Harry wondered how life , how he would have been different if he had been raised by his parents. It was their fault! Harry thought, trying to get mad at his parents, but his feelings remained neutral. They were the ones that left me here with the Dursley's, and Voldemort chasing me every second.
All he experienced though was tears, bitter with sorrow. Harry wanted them, so much. He would have done anything to see them. I am stuck here, and I'll see them again-
You still have Dumbledore… you still have… Harry laughed suddenly. No matter what he was, Dumbledore wasn't his parents. Dumledore wasn't Sirius. In a part of his mind, he still thought were alive, somehow. He'd see them soon. Yet he always realized eventually that they were dead. They wouldn't come back alive. They were lying in the ground. The hope that had come to him made his sob, his whole body racking with heartrending cries. They are dead, he made himself think. They are never coming back. It was time to face reality and get on with it. Instead of those facts comforting him, however, he kept on crying. I wish there weren't such a thing as hope, he longed before he fell asleep right on Dean's bed.
"Oh, Draco, you are so bad!" snickered Pansy as he told the story of gaining revenge on Potter that had something to do with Harry's wand.
The words could hardly be heard over the noise that accumulated in the Potions room. When Snape had left to find Potter, Granger and Weasley, and yet never returned, the room went crazy. Neville was stuck in a desk thanks to a purposeful push from Malfoy. Lavender Brown and her friends were gossiping about the whereabouts on Harry Potter.
"I heard You- Know -Who came and killed him while he slept," she murmured and the crowd of girls erupted in gasps.
Neville tried to say something against this false information, but Lavender pushed him deeper in the slit in the desk as the chaos reigned.
James stuck his head in and saw the dark room filled with laughs and talk, then closed the door again and pressed his body against it.
"I don't know what happened to Defense, but I think I'm going to like it." His eyes gleamed mischievously as Hermione gave him a quizzical look. She decided now was the time to explain.
"James. You are in the future- 1996. I mean…" Why hadn't she given him the exact date? Oh, everything coming out of her mouth turned out terrible!
"That might seem a shock to you. I don't know how you got here, but I think you know."
James looked highly amused and nothing else while Ron's face was pale, as if he had received the shock of his life. "That's… not Harry?" he managed to say, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Of course it isn't! James, you're going to have to pose as this boy, Harry. We're his friends, you know. But we can't have you waltz in there as a new student, can we? Everyone would know you're a fake, and I don't know what else to do with you. I can't exactly bring you to our dorm room, nor Ron's. Where would we hide you? Ron, you go ahead and try to get Harry out of there while we bring in James." She said this all in one breath and secretly congratulated herself on the plan. It was the best she could think of on the spur of the moment.
"Wait a second." The interjection by James was filled of mirth and good humor. "I guess I can believe you on the future. Weirder things have happened, and I'm sure I can get back. But it's your plan that's kind of…. well… full of loopholes. Number one, what are we going to do with Lily?"
At this Hermione bit her lip, until she could think of a good enough retort to fling back at James. Finally one hit her, though not the most imaginative. "Can you think up of anything?" James almost laughed out loud at this comeback but managed to come out with only a snort. "I get to question you first. Mainly, where are Sirius, Peter, Lily, Remus, the whole gang, and where am I? Nowadays, I mean."
"I can't say. It would change your whole world and burden you with what you are to become…"
"Aw, don't spoil the fun."
At that moment, Lily started to wake up. James stopped the pressing about what would happen to all of them and watched as Lily awoke.
"Where am I?" she wondered, her whole senses sluggish and slow. Her emerald green eyes gazed up at James's face, his tousled hair and roguish expression.
At once panic flooded her body as she tried to stand. When James wore that face, something was up, something usually not good.
"Hey, Lily. We're in the future, or so those kids tell us." He pointed a thumb at the still pale Ron and irritated Hermione. "I believe them. Why else would we be sucked in a big black hole?"
It took a second to dawn on Lily, but when it did, she nearly screamed. "Is this some sick joke, Potter? Are you kidding me?"
James shrugged. "Well, I don't think so, unless the bushy haired girl was lying to me over there."
"What is this to you anyway? Is it a game? Something fun? How are we going to live, hidden away all of the time? No, don't interrupt me."
James closed his open mouth, but managed to mutter, "We can get back."
"Who knows if we can?" she demanded. "They certainly don't. They're just as old as us! No, James, we're stuck here. I can't talk anymore. Just… oh my…" and she slide down, her back against the wall to the floor.
"So what if we're stuck here? We could have some fun. We'd know what would happen to everyone we know! Do you think Sirius might marry that girl who he's after? Oh, what's her name…?"
Lily snapped up, her eyes blazing. "This is some kind of fun little game for you. I am disgusted. We're stuck here and all you can do is… is…" She felt an overwhelming urge to cry but swallowed it back down and faced James head on.
Ron attempted to cut in, "Sirius, he…"
"Well apparently I can't think about him at the moment. I have to think about how we're doomed to live here forever. Ever heard of looking on the bright side, Lily?"
"Sometimes looking on the dark side is more realistic. Face it, James." Lily was hurting inside. She would never see her mom, her dad, not even Petunia again; no matter how much she hated her magic.
"Do you think I just automatically think bright and cheery? I make a choice, Lily. I choose to make people happier. I can't dwell on the bad… no. Just forget it. I don't care. Maybe if we are so different, I should stop liking you," snapped James.
Lily felt no joy in learning this information as she would have a few hours earlier. Now all she could do was retort, "Maybe you should."
Silence on both ends. She couldn't believe she had said that, truly she couldn't. She hadn't meant it either. It was in the heat of passion, and she tried to explain. "James, I…"
He stopped listening as he pushed open the Potions door and without turning around he murmured, "It doesn't matter."
For some reason, those words struck a deep chord in Lily's soul. "I've got to go," she said, and started to leave when a firm grip held her fast.
"Sorry, but what will people do when they see you around the hallways?" Ron blushed apologetically.
"You can go with her, Ron. Go out to the courtyards. No one should be there. If Snape is back in there, I'll say you had to go to Madame Pomfrey's. Anyway, I can't think of where else to put Lily. Go!"
Looking back anxiously, Ron left with Lily who had silently shedding a tear and more were falling fast. Ron glanced away. Crazy women! He thought in obvious dismay. Why do they always have to cry? I feel like I have a mini Cho around. But he dutifully followed her out, although mouthing, "Help me" to Hermione all the way.
She sighed and turned back to James. "I guess we can go in now… James?"
But he was nowhere in sight. Grasping around, attempting to get her mind set straight, she immediately thought he followed Lily out. The logical side of her cut this off the list.
Could he have gone to Defense? thought Hermione. I better take a look inside. Peering into the darkness and foulness of the Defense Against the Dark Arts room she heard raucous laughter and out of curiosity stepped inside without a second thought.
There her search was completed by a cocky James laughing with Lavender and her crowd of girls. Malfoy was quite red around the face when Pansy slipped by him to join the Harry imposter.
Hermione slid about the room, listening to him all the way.
"Oh Harry! You certainly are more… social…!" giggled Pansy as she wrapped her hand around his arm. James seemed to take no note of this as he went on, telling his story of the Marauders, or his "summer-time gang" as he called them.
"Then, you know erm… Steve? He said to that girl…"
Hermione had heard enough. Even though he was changing the names and all, she still couldn't stand the clues he was giving to all the silly girls… and Pansy! She shuddered as she pushed forward.
"Harry," she muttered carefully, gritting her teeth to show her displeasure. "Let's go to our seats now."
Walking by her side after flashing the girls a dazzling smile, he murmured, "Are you and Harry a couple?"
"What?" She couldn't believe her ears.
"Just asking." He shrugged. "You said you were friends and all…"
"No, it's not like that at all," she said curtly. "Now sit here and don't talk."
Snape briskly whipped about the castle, trying to get to class before it ended so he could at least issue them homework. He was thinking over and over, "Why did I leave Lily alone?" but there was nothing he could do. What was done was done.
Finally he had reached the hallway which would lead to his classroom. He had 10 minutes to spare before class ended, which was plenty of time to give a lengthy essay. Just before he had begun to open the door, a flurried voice called from above.
"Oh, Severus! Severus!" cried the voice.
He glanced up as Professor Sybil Trelawney flew across the floor to greet him, her open arms greeting him in a wide embrace. His first instinct was to cast Avada Kedavra, but simply went for the "Push Away" technique. "Oh Severus. How could I live without you?" A callused hand went up to stroke his face.
He flinched. Dear God, what was going on? He pushed her away again, only this time, more roughly. She got the hint this time around and turned to him in sorrow, eyes round and watery.
"I thought… I thought…"
"I have no idea what you thought, but I must get to class," he said efficiently and brushed past her sleekly, his black robes gliding across the stone. That should have been the end of the madness.
"I love you, Severus!" She blurted out. He couldn't conceal his horror and disgust. This had to be a joke. It had to be.
"Trelawney…" he ignored the hurt look on her face as he addressed her coldly. "If this is some kind of prank, I would appreciate if you drop the act right now and forget this happened."
"But… I do… love you." Her arms fell to her side.
What the hell was this? "I'm going… to class now," he faltered, and stepped inside. He had to ask someone later. But right now, it was just too much.
James was just about to hex the door to fly off its hinges when Snape entered, looking grim and coolly displeased.
"Granger. I have been looking all over for you. And who do we have here?" He leaned in, giving a horrible grin to James. Hermione couldn't breathe. What if he found out… did he know?