When he stepped through the fireplace he found Dumbledore's office already occupied by the Heads of Houses who were bringing their meeting to an end.
"Perfect! Just in time, Remus," said Dumbledore jovially. "I invited a few of your former students or classmates to join us for lunch today," he explained to the professors.
"Remus, It's good to see you. I hope you are well," said McGonagall.
"Wonderful, thank you. And you? Enjoyed your summer holiday?"
"It was fantastic! Pomona and I went to South America – the wizarding culture over there is truly riveting."
"Not to mention all the exotic plant species we found! I have already started rewriting the curriculum to include them," Sprout added.
"Sorry for the wait, Moony, we forgot that – Oh, hello! Why, ladies, you look so beautiful and tanned."
"Thank you, Sirius," Minerva said, in rather a chiding tone while Pomona blushed. Remus also caught sight of Snape looking at Sirius with the expression of pure hatred. This caused Remus to sigh inwardly. Ever since the incident in their sixth year, Snape was convinced that all of them tried to kill him, even though James actually saved his life. He hated them as a group and hated them individually – Remus because he was a werewolf, Sirius because he did try to kill him and James because he survived when Lily didn't. This was not something they could apologise for and leave in the past like they could with bullying. He was slightly annoyed with Dumbledore for inviting them to Hogwarts on the same day that Snape would be present. It was irrational and Remus knew it, all of them were adults and should act accordingly, but the tension that was building up was unavoidable.
While he was contemplating this James and Harry arrived as well. Remus actually did a double take, because Harry had done such a good job of disguising that he wouldn't have recognised him if they passed each other on the street.
"Excellent – everyone is here. I think some introductions are in order. These are our Heads of Houses: Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall," Dumbledore pointed out to Harry, even though he knew it was unnecessary.
"How do you do," Harry replied politely. "I'm –, " he bowed his head and murmured something that Remus thought sounded like Roonil Wazlib but wasn't sure, " – John Watson."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr Watson," Flitwick said.
"Are you by any chance a healer or a detective," McGonagall asked.
"I am leaning towards detective work, funnily enough. I am glad you are a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fan – that's why I love my name, It's a good conversation starter."
Remus was glad that Harry used a name of a fictional character. It was easier to remember and that way there was less chance of Remus slipping up and calling him by his real name while in company. However, James and Sirius, who were still unfamiliar with Muggle literature did not have this advantage which was clearly shown on their bemused expressions.
"Is that what the Aurors fancy calling themselves today? Detectives? Pathetic. Of course, Black and Potter are conceited enough to believe they are solving crimes while actually going around and using their status of authority figures to tyrannize everyone," Snape scoffed.
Oh, here we go. Remus quickly grabbed Sirius' arm to prevent him from taking his wand out. They had talked about this several times over the years and Sirius had agreed that whenever they run into Snape, he should completely ignore him as he was unable to keep up the polite façade. Remus could brush off any snide remarks easily and even James had long ago learned how to engage in a round of verbal one-upmanship without losing his temper. Remus didn't feel the need to interfere – James could handle this. However, when he turned to look at him, he was startled to see that James was avoiding eye-contact and that his cheeks and neck were tinted with blush, from shame or anger Remus did not know, but he did know that this was not caused by Snape's words but the impression they might leave on Harry. He looked at Harry who was frowning in James' direction. This was not good. If Snape started talking about his behaviour during their teenage years or if Harry asked about it, James would not deny anything – he was honest by nature. But he would probably shrink away from Harry even more than he did in the past two days, during which he was already unnaturally quiet. Harry; however, wiped the frown off his face and replaced it with a grin.
"That's so admirable! You, sir, must be everyone's favourite professor. I've known a few educators who used their position as an authority figure to "tyrannize" as you've put it – but I'm so glad that is not the case here at Hogwarts. It's no wonder you are a Head of House when you treat everyone equally. It makes you more approachable, doesn't it? Do students always come to you for help? I bet you organise those group therapy sessions to help students to deal with bullying. Is that why you are wearing only black – to promote awareness of discrimination towards Muggleborns, Muggles, Squibs, people in same-sex relationships and magical creatures? Do you wear pink every October to increase awareness of Breast Cancer, too? I agree with you – I think that wizards should do more to help find the cure for diseases that affect Muggles."
Snape, who only looked annoyed when Harry started speaking, now looked furious. He tried to reach the door, but Harry kept blocking his way, never ceasing his flow of words.
"My best friend is a founder of The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare and she would be thrilled if someone like you joined in. We fight for the rights of house-elves who are often abused and overworked. Maybe you could mention it to your students on one of yours group therapy meetings – you see, we collect money to pay the wages to those elves who chose freedom –"
He never did get to finish his sentence because Snape finally managed to leave the room and close the door with a loud bang. Harry slowly turned around and looked at the other occupants of the room.
"What a hero. You see what dedication is? As soon as he heard of those poor elves, he ran to get the money for donation."
Sprout, who had her hand over her mouth, finally let out a laugh that she was holding the entire time. She was joined by everyone else and Remus noticed that even a few of the portraits chuckled. Sirius was beaming at Harry and Remus never saw him look so proud before. He himself was impressed with Harry's ability to call out on hypocrisy without saying anything insulting.
Snape apparently decided that he was not hungry so there was only eight of them in the Great Hall. The food was exquisite and it made Sirius wish to be a student once again. The conversation was flowing freely, Minerva and Pomona were describing their travels, Dumbledore telling bad jokes and Flitwick telling good ones. Whenever they asked Harry something about his past, especially regarding his education or parents, he would get fidgety and Sirius would cut in, helping him come up with answers or change the topic. Several times he forgot what Harry's fake name was and after he asked him for the reminder, Harry said, "John – like Moony's middle name and Watson like What? and son."
"I like that – you should have chosen something easy to remember to begin with."
"Yeah, I can see a person whose name is a serious colour thinking that."
"Shut up, you git."
It was strange, Sirius thought, that two days ago, he didn't know this person sitting next to him. At first, he thought that he liked and trusted him because he was James' son, but he soon realised that Harry was funny, likeable and good in a pure sort of way that made Sirius think that he would have liked him even if he was John Watson and not Harry Potter. On top of that, hearing Harry talk about the other Sirius and Regulus created an emotional connection between them, making Sirius feel as if they've lived through it together. He also noticed the resemblance in their life stories: growing up in a household you didn't like, finding friends that will always be your true family, fighting a war, becoming an Auror. He prayed that the Dursleys were not as bad as his own family, but his instinct was telling him otherwise.
Once the lunch was over, they said their goodbyes to the professors and climbed back up to Dumbledore's office. Remus asked Dumbledore for his opinion on James' role in Harry's predicament which led to a discussion of magical cores and blood magic. Eventually, they repeated the story that Harry told them the day before. He, true to his word, looked completely disinterested in adding anything in. Instead he circled the office, examining the trinkets and books and petting Fawkes. When they finished and everyone looked at him, he was standing beside a Pensieve.
"Can I, professor? It's easier this way."
Dumbledore nodded, looking at Harry curiously. Harry pulled out his wand and placed its tip to his temple and then pulled it away, carefully lowering it into the basin, where the silver strand dissolved and swirled. He repeated this motion several times and then smiled at them.
"If you are ready and if you are interested, I've selected a few memories from my fourth year for you to see."
All of them quickly approached the Pensieve, while Harry stepped away.
"Aren't you coming with us," Remus asked.
"No thanks, once was enough for me. I'll stay here and hang out with Fawkes for a bit, if that's alright."
Sirius sucked in a breath, as if he was preparing to dive into water. When he opened his eyes, he found himself inside the Ollivander's Shop."Unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather." A very small and afraid looking Harry, wearing clothes that were several sizes too big for him reached towards it tentatively. Once the wand was in his hand, he seemed to gain some confidence. He swished the wand which was followed by an eruption of red and gold sparks.
"It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar."
The scene changed. It was night-time and Harry looked several years older. Next to him stood a tall, lanky boy with red hair and a girl with enough hair for three people, both holding their wands like torches. A house-elf came out of the bushes, behaving very oddly. Harry, Ron and Hermione started walking, the Marauders and Dumbledore following after them. They passed several wizards, goblins and Veelas.
"This is the World Cup, isn't it," Remus asked.
"Yeah, it is. I think the same Death Eater riot that happened in our universe is happening here now," James explained.
Not long after he said the words, Bagman showed up and Ron confirmed James' theory. The three kids sat down in the clearing and were alone for a few minutes, but then a voice of an adult was heard – "Morsmordre!"
"Shit," Sirius said, looking up as the Dark Mark rose, causing the people in the memory that were hidden by the trees, to erupt in screams. Twenty wizards apparated onto the scene and Harry pulled his friends down, successfully avoiding the spells thrown at them.
"Great reflexes," Dumbledore noted, but he sounded worried. Sirius had to remind himself that Harry was back in the office, waiting for them so nothing too bad could have happened. They watched the memory unravel, showing the ministry employees arguing, throwing around accusations and for the first time in his life, Sirius felt sorry for a house-elf. The memory changed again and this time, they found themselves in the Great Hall. It was fuller than Sirius has ever seen it before and every person in it had their eyes on Dumbledore, waiting for something. Suddenly, flames erupted from the Goblet that stood beside Dumbledore and he caught the piece of parchment that shot out of it and read a name - this was repeated three times.
"Are the champions the same as in our universe," Remus asked.
"They are," Dumbledore answered.
"Harry Potter," the memory Dumbledore said.
"I take that back. They are not," Dumbledore said breathlessly.
"I can't believe this is happening," James said, looking nauseous.
Sirius did not have to spend too long searching for Harry at the Gryffindor table because every other student was already looking at him. He looked as shocked as everyone else. They trailed him as he joined the other champions in the separate room. When fake Moody appeared Sirius had his attention fixed on him, trying to spot any differences from the real one. He was the only person watching this memory who knew who it really was, but Harry had surely put another memory that would reveal this to the others so Sirius remained quiet.
The next memory had nothing to do with the tournament. They saw Harry and Malfoy throwing spells simultaneously, one hitting a boy who stood next to Malfoy, the other one landing on Hermione whose front teeth started growing. "I see no difference," Snape said coldly and the poor girl burst into tears.
"I guess this was Harry's way of explaining his actions from this morning," Remus muttered darkly.
The grey dungeon walls turned into scarlet tapestries as the Gryffindor common room took its form. It was the first time since graduation that Sirius found himself here, but it did not look much different. Harry seemed to be alone, sitting next to a fireplace.
"Padfoot!" James yelled.
"What? What is it," Sirius asked.
"No, not you. Over there," James pointed towards the fireplace and Sirius saw his own head in it.
"But whoever put your name in that Goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."
The scene changed again. It was starting to make Sirius feel dizzy and opening his eyes only to see a dragon in front of him was not helping. Despite that, this was the best memory so far. Watching Harry on a broomstick left everyone enthralled. Sirius should have known it was too good to last.
The next memory, which was very brief, showed Crouch Sr. saying, "My son – my fault – tell Dumbledore"
The memory swirled. When it solidified, it showed Harry and Cedric standing in front of the Triwizard Cup. "We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."
"One. Two. Three."
This time, when the scene changed it felt different than before. It wasn't a different memory - they just moved along with Harry and Cedric. "Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?"
Someone approached them. Harry dropped his wand and put his hands over his face, simultaneously falling down. He looked like he was in great pain, but Sirius didn't see where it was coming from. "Kill the spare!"
The strangled noises that escaped everyone watching came in three waves. First when Cedric's limp body fell down. The second time when Harry was tied up. Third – the angry hisses that came with the horrible realisation that it was their former friend doing all of this. Sirius felt bile rising in his throat. He looked at Remus, whose face was streaked with tears and James, who had clenched his fists, looking ready to strike. Dumbledore was staring at the bundle with horror – and seeing Dumbledore scared was something Sirius never wanted to see. It kept getting worse. A hand cut off. Harry's arm being cut. "Robe me."
They watched in silence as the Death Eaters appeared. Once Voldemort started talking about Lily's sacrifice, James started crying too. "Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his relations' care. Not even I can touch him there."
When Voldemort started crucio-ing Harry, Dumbledore shed a few tears. Sirius realised he was the only one not crying yet and wondered what could happen to push him over the edge. He kept on watching.
"Did you just see what I saw," Sirius whispered. "Has Harry just broken through the imperius cast by Voldemort?"
"He has," Dumbledore answered. Sirius once again had to remind himself that Harry was waiting for them back in the office, alive, impossible as it seemed. Harry's and Voldemort's wands connected, a gold web surrounding them and a phoenix song was heard.
"Fawkes," Dumbledore said.
And when a smoky, shadowy form of James Potter emerged right after Lily, Sirius finally reached his limit and started crying. It was clear that they were talking to Harry, but the four of them watching couldn't hear what was being said. Harry broke the connection, ran towards Cedric's body grabbed it and summoned the Cup. The colours swirled – again, it was not the memory changing, but the Portkey pulling them. "He's back."
The scene changed.
"It was I, who did that," Moody said. He kept talking about how he pushed Harry through the task. "He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him – and now – I conquer you!" The memory Dumbledore barged into the room and stunned fake Moody. Eventually the polyjuice wore off and Barty was questioned under Veritaserum while Winky kept crying. James looked like he wished the real Barty Jr. was there so he could punch the living daylights out of him.
Next, they were in a dimly lit hospital wing and they could hear Fudge and McGonagall arguing.
"You are prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?" Fudge said.
The memory Sirius growled.
"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who… well…"
"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," Harry said resignedly.
They watched Dumbledore and Fudge argue in quiet disbelief. The last memory showed Hermione pulling out a glass jar out of her bag, explaining to Harry and Ron how Rita Skeeter was actually an illegal Animagus.
When they were finally pulled out of the Pensieve, they found Harry reading a book. He glanced up at them and smiled. "So, how was it?"