"You need to set up Quidditch practice, you know that. Right?" Frank Longbottom, one of the other seventh years, told Harry during lunch a few days later.
"Mm?" Harry asked. He had not been paying attention, but instead had been thinking up a way to look for the wardrobe that would send him back to his own time. As he began to get more settled into his father's life, the urgency to get back became greater. Harry didn't want to get too deeply involved.
"Quidditch," Frank repeated, frowning. Harry thought he resembled Neville Longbottom, who was in his year in his own time, vaguely. Neville looked more like his mother.
"Didn't we have the first game already?" Harry asked, confused. The first Quidditch game of the season usually took place in the fall, and it was December, as far as he could tell.
"Yeah, but we still need to practice," Frank persisted. "Or have you forgotten that you're Captain?"
Harry might have said he had, and it would've been the truth, but he kept silent. Thankfully, Lupin came over and asked, "What's up?"
"Quidditch practice," Frank told him. "We haven't had one in ages, and I need something to do."
"Is tonight good? Right after dinner?" Harry asked, hoping the Quidditch pitch would be available.
"Fine," Frank replied briskly. "I'll go tell the others." With that, he got up and walked away. Lupin frowned.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" he asked slowly.
"What?" Harry asked. Another problem occurred to him: facing James' parents. His grandparents. He'd never met them before, and had no clue how to act. "Oh, I guess I'll just…stay here. You?"
"I'm going home," Lupin said. "My mum insisted. She said she needed one last Christmas with me before I go off into the world. But it's not like I wouldn't have come home anyway, right? I still would."
"Right," Harry said. He couldn't share the sentiment, because his parents were dead. The closest he'd had was Sirius, who had also died, and the Weasleys. But James had parents, and Harry felt it was his job, yet again, to act the part. "D'you know what everyone else is doing?"
"Oh, you know Sirius is staying here. He's got no family to go to…"
"He's got mine!" It was just the thing his father would've said.
"He said he'd rather spend his last year here. It's kind of sentimental, really, seeing as we'll never be back." Here Lupin sounded rather sad. "Peter's going home, too. Lily's staying." At that point, Harry decided to stay. His father would've stayed just for Lily's sake. Lupin checked his watch.
"You'd better get going. The Quidditch pitch isn't going to book itself, you know," Lupin said, grinning slightly. Grabbing his bag, Harry left the Great Hall.
Luckily, Harry had experience with being a Quidditch Captain because he had been appointed one in his sixth year. However, he had never played the position of Chaser, while his father had been an expert. Harry was a Seeker.
He walked down to the changing rooms with Sirius, who was apparently the team's Seeker (and was surprised that it had never been mentioned to him before), and Frank Longbottom, who played the position of Beater. The rest of the team, people whom Harry didn't recognize (except for one of Lily's friends, though he didn't know her name), were waiting. They took a few moments to change into the Gryffindor Quidditch uniforms before Harry began to talk.
"Since there's no upcoming game, I just thought we would use what we already know during practice," Harry told the team, feeling slightly awkward as he did so. "We'll play like a regular game. Chasers try to score against the Keeper, Seeker gets the Snitch as many times as he can before practice ends, and the Beaters should prevent the Chasers and Seeker from fulfilling their goals. Got it?"
Everyone nodded, and Harry felt a bit happier knowing that they were convinced he was James. But once they started playing…
Harry dragged the crate of balls out; they included the two black bludgers (which tried to knock people off their broom when the beaters hit them, the Quaffle (a red ball used by the Chasers for scoring goals), and the Golden Snitch (a small, golden ball with wings which was caught by the Seeker and gave that player's team 150 points).
He released the balls and then shot up into the air on his father's broom, hoping that he at least had some talent for Chasing. After ten minutes, in which he fumbled with the Quaffle several times and didn't score once, Harry fully appreciated how hard the Chasers' job was. Trying to score or receive passes with other players zooming around and bludgers being pelted at him was a bit scary. At least when he was Seeker he had stayed out of the thick of the game, and even then had received his fair share of injuries.
"Are you okay?" Frank asked, pausing on his broom for a moment when Harry called a break.
"Yeah," Harry replied breathlessly. A few more players came up to his level on their brooms.
"At least the Slytherins aren't watching, like they sometimes do," said the girl Harry recognized to be one of Lily's friends. She had brown eyes and shiny brown hair, and was very pretty.
"They didn't know, Danielle," said Frank in a tired way. "This practice was last minute." Harry noticed that the faces of everyone on the team were flushed, and it was getting colder by the minute. It was dark, too.
"What d'you reckon, one more game?" Sirius asked, shivering slightly as he spoke.
"Yeah," said Harry, also shaking with cold. "Yeah. Then we'll go in."
In the ten minutes before Sirius had caught the Snitch and ended their 'game', Harry had played progressively worse, the cold numbing his hands and making them clumsy. The team seemed relieved to head back into the warmth of the castle.
After everyone had changed, Harry told them "Great practice guys." A few people exchanged looks but left in silence, except Sirius and Frank, who were walking back with him.
"Don't," Harry muttered, "say a word about it." They walked up the marble staircase.
"About what?" Sirius asked.
"I was terrible!" Harry complained. He knew that the other two were wondering why.
"Was Lily on your mind?" Frank asked, eyeing Harry with something like understanding. Harry stared at him, then looked round at Sirius.
"He knows?" he asked hoarsely. "He knows?"
"Prongs," Sirius said, looking tired, "you've been after Lily for…years, now that I think about it. It was obvious! How would Frank not know? Unless he's been living under a rock for the past three years, but he would've known."
Harry had forgotten about how obvious his father had been, and felt his cheeks redden slightly in embarrassment. "Right," he murmured grudgingly.
"Speaking of, how have things been with Lily?" Sirius asked. "You've been together loads of times these past few days, and yet you've never told any of us anything."
"Oh, we've just been getting to know each other better," Harry replied, remember his talks with Lily. "She talks about her sister a lot." Lily's sister was Harry's Aunt Petunia.
They entered the common room, and Frank headed off to the Boy's Dormitories. Harry and Sirius went to sit by Peter and Lupin next to the fireplace.
"Her sister?" Sirius asked as they sat down; Peter and Lupin exchanged confused looks. "What about her?"
"How was practice?" Peter asked.
"Terrible," Harry said miserably. "I'm horrible."
"There's something I've never heard," Lupin said, frowning. "You mind was on Lily, wasn't it?"
"Oh, yeah," Harry replied, thankful for the excuse.
"What about Lily's sister?" Sirius asked impatiently.
Peter looked stunned. "She has a sister?" he asked incredulously. "I've never heard of her! She doesn't go here, we'd have known!"
"Well, her sister's a Muggle for some reason," Harry explained. "She's older, but didn't get any powers. But Lily did, and it seems like she's jealous."
"I would be too, if my brother ended up with powers and I got nothing," Sirius said. "And you'd think she would've gotten something because she's older…"
"Her sister's name is Petunia, and she's been really mean to Lily ever since, calling her things like 'freak'. It's sad, actually. Her own sister hates her now. But her parents think it's wonderful." A lot of this Harry had been told by Lily, but on rare occasions his Aunt Petunia had spoken, not too kindly, of Lily and sometimes James.
"Wow," Lupin said softly. "That must really hurt Lily."
"It does," Harry said. "Lily wishes that her sister would just accept her powers, but she can't. She hates anything out of the ordinary, anything to do with magic."
"Lily should curse her," Sirius said.
"No, she shouldn't! And she wouldn't!" Lupin said looking shocked. "Honestly, the ideas you come up with…" He shook his head.
"What? Lily's of age! She can do magic outside of school," Sirius retorted. "Her sister deserves it, obviously. I would do it."
"And that makes it right? It's right because you would do it?" Lupin asked, his eyebrows raised. Harry thought he sounded a bit like a teacher.
"Sure, if you say so," Sirius replied, grinning slightly. Harry wondered what he would do. After spending years living with his Aunt Petunia and her husband he, at times, would have cursed her without any regrets. But there were other times when her knowledge, however limited, of the wizarding world made Harry appreciate her.
"Honestly!" Lupin said again. He took out his Potions book and started reading something. Harry remembered his own homework and took out his wand to practice Conjuring spells, which he still hadn't gotten the hang of. Professor McGonagall warned him that he had better learn the spell because they would be starting advanced Human Transfiguration soon, which was harder.
"Still having trouble?" Lupin asked over the top of his Potions book. Harry nodded. While his father had been very bright in school, Harry was just average.
"Here, I'll help," Sirius said, taking out his own wand and standing up. "Forget Conjuring tables, and forget McGonagall's complicated theories. In the end, it's rubbish. Concentrate hard on something you really want to Conjure up, anything."
"And please, nothing inappropriate," Lupin said.
"Why, I would never," Harry told him, half laughing. "Just trust me."
"What are you planning on Conjuring up anyway?"
Harry thought of something he would really want to appear, something that wasn't overly complicated.
"Lily," Sirius answered for him jokingly. Harry hit him in the arm and said, "No, not Lily. She's too difficult anyway." Lupin rolled his eyes. Peter was watching in anticipation of what would happen next.
Harry decided on a large plate of treacle tart, which was his favorite dessert. After voicing this aloud, he concentrated with all his might and then said the incantation. To his surprise a large plate full of treacle tarts appeared in midair, hovered there for a few seconds, and then fell with a loud crash to the floor. Several others looked around in shock.
"Sorry," Harry told everyone in the room. He waved his wand and muttered, "Evanesco!" The plate and desserts vanished.
"You did it!" Lupin exclaimed. He and Sirius were beaming.
"Yeah, good thing too. McGonagall would've had a fit if I didn't learn it," Harry said, grinning. He wondered whether Hermione would be proud of him. After all, this was magic beyond their sixth year level. Then again, Harry thought to himself, Hermione's probably mastered the spell already. She's always learning things ahead of time.
They practiced for quite a long time, until Harry had managed to Conjure up chairs, tables, and several other large objects with almost no difficulty. It was nearly midnight when they headed upstairs.
As he got ready for bed, Harry noticed the Marauder's Map on Sirius' bed and was tempted to take it. He needed to find out where that wardrobe was, and the map would be a great help in finding it. He resisted the temptation, though, for fear of being asked why he needed the map. Harry wouldn't be able to give a straight answer. The map haunted him in his dreams that night.
"This is ridiculous," Lupin mumbled, shoving several Hogwarts robes into his trunk and then picking up a few scattered books.
"What's up?" Harry asked. He was sitting on his bed, watching Lupin move things around.
"I've lost my Potions essay, and I need to hand it in before I leave!" Lupin replied frantically, throwing the book aside and looking under his bed.
"Try this," Sirius told him. He raised his wand and said, "Accio Moony's Potions Essay!" From somewhere in Lupin's trunk zoomed a piece a parchment, which flew into Sirius' outstretched hands. He handed it to Lupin, grinning.
"I hate you," Lupin muttered as he took his essay. "I'm off to see Slughorn." Professor Slughorn was the Potions master.
"He's tense," Harry observed as soon as Lupin had left the room.
"It always happens," Peter said. "He's just worried about getting everything done before the holidays. He and I are leaving this evening."
"But you're not having kittens over your homework," Harry said.
"Yeah, well, I don't do as well in class, do I?"
"No, not at all," Harry answered. Peter's cheeks turned slightly pink, but Harry didn't care. He wasn't going to be nice to the person who had betrayed his parents.
"So, you're staying then, Prongs?" Sirius asked, trying to sound casual, as if it wasn't really important. Harry knew it was, though. Sirius would want the company, considering the fact that he now had no family.
"Yeah," Harry said. He wasn't quite sure that James' parents knew, but he could always write them a letter. "So is Lily. I think it's just us three, actually, for seventh year."
"I heard Snape was staying too," Peter piped up. Harry grimaced; if anyone could ruin Christmas it was Snape.
"I should warn the Professors then that anything that happens to Snape over the holidays is not my fault," Sirius said with a smirk. Harry laughed and wished he could play pranks on Snape in his own time. It was impossible, though, because in his time Snape was a teacher, and doing anything to him might result in suspension, or even expulsion from Hogwarts.
"No one'll believe you," Peter told him. "I'm glad I'll be away. I don't want to know what McGonagall's gonna do to you if you break the rules again."
"I've been good this year," Sirius replied. "It's like a present to myself. Besides, Snape still needs to get what he deserves for putting that curse on James. We promised revenge."
"Well the 'we' turned into you," Peter said.
"That's only because you're going away," Harry pointed out. Peter nodded slightly.
"Well, it doesn't matter," Sirius said to both of them. "I've already got a few things in mind…" Harry and Peter exchanged curious looks, knowing that whatever Sirius had in mind couldn't be good for Snape.
But that wasn't the only thing on Harry's mind. He was still wondering how to get back to his own time, but now something even more pressing invaded his thoughts. How would he spend Christmas with Lily? What would he do? What would James do?