A/N: Okay, so I've revised this story, adding a few things, but it's not that major, so if you don't want to read it again that's fine. I really only changed the last few paragraphs.
crazymacky – I'm sorry my chapters aren't that long; It seems a lot longer in Microsoft Word. I'll do my best to make them longer from now on.
…
James Potter had spent most of the train ride to Hogwarts trying to persuade Lily Evans to go out with him. He had already asked her to the first Hogmeade trip 17 times, and she had refused each time. As they were leaving the train, he spotted her with her friends and decided that the 18th time's the charm. He grabbed her arm and pulled her off to the side. She looked angry.
"Lovely Lily, would you please go to Hogsmeade with me?" He asked before she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. He backed away. "Ow! What was that for?" She glared at him.
"For the last time, no, I will not go to Hogsmeade with you! Get it through your thick scull! I hate you! Stop asking me out!"
"Hate is a strong word, love."
"Well, it's not strong enough. And stop calling me love!"
She stomped over to where the other Marauders were waiting with a carriage. Then she looked back at him. "Hurry up, Potter. We're going to be late to the feast."
He jogged over and climbed in the carriage just as it started to move. Lily had conveniently sat between Remus and Sirius so that he couldn't sit by her. She glared at him the whole ride. When they got to the castle, she was the first one out. James scrambled out after her, yelling, "C'mon, Lily! Give me a chance!"
"I've given you a thousand chances, Potter, and you've blown every one of them." They were walking quickly now, the rest of the Marauders nearly running to keep up. "You're arrogant and mean, and I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid." They had finally reached to Great Hall, and Lily looked annoyed to find that it was full. James watched her sit at the end of the table and quickly rushed over to take the seat next to her.
"Can't you just leave me alone, Potter?"
"Nope."
Suddenly Sirius nudged him.
"Look at the new professor, Prongs. He looks just like you!"
He looked up at the Head table and saw a young man talking to Professor Slughorn. He looked almost exactly like him. They had the same messy black hair, long nose and thin face. They even had the same style of glasses! As the sorting started, he found himself staring at the new professor, wondering who he was.
"I didn't think you had any cousins, Prongs," said Sirius.
"I don't."
"Then who is that guy?" asked Peter.
"I have no idea."
Then food magically appeared on the table, and the group was temporarily distracted. Their talk turned to the summer holidays. Sirius had, of course, spent most of the summer with the Potters, but Remus hadn't seen them for two weeks, and Peter had been visiting relatives in America and hadn't seen them at all.
"How was your summer, Lily?" James asked, just as the food disappeared and Dumbledore stood up. She shushed him.
"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I have the usual start-of-term notices that I would like to share with you. First years must know that the Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds…" James tuned him out and brought his attention back to the mysterious new teacher. He looked too much like him to not be a relative, but his parents never told him that he had a cousin. He started listening to Dumbledore again once he started talking about the new professor.
"Now, as I am sure you have all noticed, we have a new teacher with us. He will be taking over the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and I assure you, you are in for a truly unique experience. You see, I don't believe that there is a more qualified person to teach you this subject. Our new teacher has faced things that you could never even imagine, and has lived through horrors in his short life that have taken the lives of much older and wiser wizards. If he teaches you half of what he knows, then in one year, you will be more prepared to fight the dark forces that are around us than you would be after seven years of magical study.
"You are looking at the only person to ever survive the killing curse." He paused for a moment and then continued. "Twice." The Great Hall was silent except for the sound of people gasping in shock. No one had ever survived the killing curse once, let alone twice. It was impossible to block. Whispers broke out among the students. He looked at Sirius and saw him with his mouth wide open, stunned.
"Do you think it's true?" he asked. Then Dumbledore opened his mouth again. In an instant, all was quiet.
"Let me explain. Our new professor isn't just your average wizard. In fact, he isn't even born yet." He paused again. "In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll say it again. Your teacher isn't from this time. He's from the future." James couldn't believe it. How was it possible? He looked at the other Marauders. They were all surprised too.
"Hey, James, maybe he's your kid. He looks just like you," said Remus. James contemplated that. It was a good possibility seeing as they could pass for twins, but who was his mum? He turned back to Dumbledore, who was officially introducing the new professor.
"Allow me to formally introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor—"
BOOM!
"Harry James Potter!"
Everyone twisted around to look at the entrance to the Great Hall. There, standing in the doorway, was an angry red-head. Everyone was silent. You could have heard a pin drop. As the whole school looked at the new person, all that could be heard was the new professor muttering, "Bloody hell!"
James didn't blame him. The girl looked scary. She was short and petite, but she had a nice figure. Her hair was a flaming red that rivalled even Lily's, and she had a hard, blazing look in her eyes. She was, overall, very attractive, and James probably would have been attracted to her if he hadn't been so in love with Lily. It seemed that he was one of the few boys that weren't ogling her.
Lightning fast, she drew her wand and cast two spells in quick succession with amazing speed and accuracy. She then marched up the aisle to the head table where she surveyed her handiwork. As she did, James saw several teenage boys checking her out, which she didn't seem to notice. She was focused on the professor.
Professor Potter was in a full body-bind, sitting in his chair with giant bat-shaped bogies flapping around his face. He had a look of genuine fear on his face, which caused James to wonder if she was a death eater. When he looked at Dumbledore though, he saw him smiling as if he quite enjoyed the professor's plight. He wondered if the girl was some crazy ex-girlfriend that wanted to make him pay. Then he remembered what Dumbledore had been saying before she showed up. Professor Potter was from the future. Did that mean that she was too?
He broke out of his thoughts when the mystery girl started to speak.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER! HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO ME! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, HMM? ANYTHING?" She paused. "THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! HOW COULD YOU JUST GO BACK IN TIME WITHOUT EVEN TELLING ME? YOU JUST LEAVE IT TO MCGONAGALL TO TELL ME! DID YOU THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE? AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, I THOUGHT WE FINALLY HAD SOME PEACE, AND THEN I FIND OUT YOU'RE GONE! WHAT IF SOME WANNA-BE VOLDEMORT HAD KIDNAPPED AND KILLED YOU! UGGH!" She waved her wand and the professor unfroze. He batted at the bats still flapping around his face, and then without even reaching for his wand, they disappeared.
"Jesus, Ginny! It's not my fault! Dumbledore practically forced me to come! McGonagall sent me a letter in the middle of the night that turned into a portkey as soon as I touched it. I had no say in the matter. I wanted to tell you. Honestly, I did. Do you think I would just leave like that if I had a choice?" She just sighed.
"Well, this certainly has been an eventful night," said Dumbledore. He looked at Ginny. "A Weasley, I presume?"
"Not anymore," she said quietly.
"Professor, this is my wife. She'll be helping me teach if that's alright." Dumbledore nodded before turning to the students. "Nothing to see here. Off to bed. Pip! Pip!"
James was surprised. The two of them seemed too young to be married. Then again, they seemed too young to be professors, but they were. As he drifted off to sleep that night, he couldn't help but wonder what the two people had gone through to be qualified to teach Defense at such a young age. He couldn't wait to find out.