The next day, Remus awoke all the boys and swiftly scolded them to pack quickly. James, Sirius and Harry were all extremely groggy and it took them several minutes to wake up properly. As today the Hogwarts students would depart for home, everyone (except Remus, who had of course packed beforehand) spent the morning packing their clothes, personal items and school supplies into large trunks. Harry helped James and Sirius pack, throwing school books, ties, shoes, robes and quills to them from across the room, where they had traveled to over the course of the year. Peter was absent from the common room and boys' dormitory; though nobody dare voice his name in James' presence, they all wondered where he had disappeared to.
Shortly after a break for breakfast, James, Sirius and the other residents of the boys' dormitory finished packing processed down to the Common Room where Hermione and Lily were waiting for them.
"You know Pettigrew?" Hermione asked Harry in an undertone while the others were talking. Harry nodded once. "There's a rumor going about that his parents rescued him in the dead of night. Didn't want to face James."
"Brilliant!" Harry said, grinning, having a hard time keeping his voice down. "And Dad's still furious with him, of course. We might just pull this one off."
They left their packed trunks and caged owls in the Common Room and proceeded down to the Entrance Hall at thirty minutes after ten to board the train and say their goodbyes to their fellow classmates. Lily and James walked hand in hand all the way down, talking among themselves, Lily smiling and giggling all the while.
Lily hugged Hermione warmly as they stood in the midst of the scarlet Hogwarts Express. The station was teeming with students who crowded about the train, laughing and talking. Their luggage had been magically stored on the train and all that left to do was to say goodbye.
"It was really wonderful meeting you, Hermione! Will you write to me over the holidays?" Lily asked, smiling. Hermione and Harry glanced at each other for half a moment.
"I'll try," said Hermione, grinning broadly.
"How are you lot getting home, then?" Sirius asked as students began to board the train. "Parents going to pick you up?"
"Yes, they want to meet with Dumbledore and all that," Hermione responded at once.
"Well then," James began taking his hands out of his pockets. "Keep in touch, Harry, Hermione." He grasped Harry's hand briefly and Hermione hugged him tightly.
"We should all get together this holiday," Sirius said to Harry as they said their goodbyes. "Write to me, will you?" he added quietly to Hermione, slipping her his address. Hermione blushed furiously, her hand on her pink cheeks, and muttered a distant agreement.
"Take care, then, Hermione, Harry," Remus said finally with a smile. The Hogwarts Express whistled very loudly behind them and James, Sirius, Remus and Lily made their way quickly to the open door. When they had found their compartment, each of their faces appeared in the window, waving and beaming at Harry and Hermione. Harry watched his father and his best friends disappear as the train picked up speed and then, all at once, they were gone.
Harry felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned quickly and found himself facing the kindly face of Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor!" he heard Hermione gasp next to him.
"Come now, Harry, Hermione, and I shall send you to your proper time. Miss Granger, if I could see your Yearly Time-Turner?" he said very quietly to Hermione. At once she extracted the Time-Turner from within her robes, pulled the thin, gold chair around Harry's neck as well as her own, and extended it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore tapped the Time-Turner once with his wand and immediately the tiny hourglass within the Time-Turner began to spill very quickly indeed, so much so that it became blurred. Their last fleeting image of the past was that of Dumbledore smiling genially at the pair of them behind his long, silvery beard and Harry felt himself being flung forward. His surroundings became blurred and he and Hermione waited with baited breath at what they might find when the reached the future.
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