Author's Note: I'd just like to say that if any of you don't speak Latin, the Gryffindor password Leo Superbia means Lion Pride in Latin and apparently that's all I can come up with because I'm not that imaginative but... there's your Latin lesson of the day (and google translate is very helpful)

~ Locket

Chapter Ten- Saltigrade

- progressing by leaps -

Metric- Succexy

Where does the time go?

We're waking up so slowly

Days are horizontal lately

Out of body, watched from above

Out of body, watched from above

Passive attraction, programmed reaction

More information, cash masturbation

Follow the pattern- the hemlines, the headlines

Action distraction,faster than fashion

Faster than fashion,faster than fashion

Lonesome for no one when

The room was empty and

War as we knew it was obsolete

Nothing could beat denial

Glitter was sprinkled all over the Gryffindor common room, as well as in all four of the Marauders' hair, and it seemed like snow, people at the New Years party having gotten it everywhere. Now it was quiet, however, everyone having gone up to bed, leaving only the four best friends down in the common room. But it doesn't stay quiet long when the Marauders are together.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Sirius winced as his best friend yelled in his ear. "Isn't it great to see me again?"

James was grinning at him, sitting up with a thrilled look. "It's 1978! And I'm with my best friends in the whole wide world!"

Lily had stumbled into the common room, her red hair tangled hopelessly and her eyes half closed. That was when she spotted James and nearly tripped as she tried to hurry back up the stairs to the girl's dorms. He beat her there, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her back into the room. The Marauders were already there; Sirius had collapsed into an armchair, Remus was curled up on the couch, and Peter was splayed out on the floor, sleeping heavily. Lily shook her head.

"No. I will not be part of your little party. I'm only here because it's four in the morning, New Years has passed, and people want to actually get some sleep."

"Don't be like that, Lily." James pouted. "After all, we have a date soon."

Sirius took that as a sign to inch backwards hoping to not disturb the duo. He'd seen them get into fights like these so many times over the year, but it would only be worse now that they were kinda-sorta-not really dating. It was way too late to fake sleep, like Remus was, or actually be asleep, like Peter, so he did the next best thing and ran for the dorms, only just ducking out of the way as Lily turned to watch his flee with a smirk.

"James! I only decided to take you because I needed someone!"

Peter rolled over but didn't wake up. James shook his head, stubbornly. "You love me!"

"Oh, this sounds awfully familiar."

This time, however, it was her that leaned over and kissed him. He turned to look at her, surprised. She blushed and wrapped an arm around him. "You're not horrible, I'll give you that much."

Vernon knew that he should have never agreed to meet with James Potter and Lily Evans as soon as he heard that Petunia's sister was a witch - more like a freak! If he was honest with himself, Vernon felt that he should have put his foot down, but he was supposed to please his bride-to-be, whatever that meant. Due to his lack of action, he was still stuck in a dark car, despite the fact that the clock had entered into the early hours of the morning. He was tired of hearing her complain about her Mother and her Father. They had seemed respectable enough to him, even if they had allowed a baby with such freakish powers to be born. With all the medical advancements of recent times, Vernon was surprised that they hadn't detected the magic within the child and opted to have an abortion. It was certainly a decision that Vernon would take if Petunia was pregnant with a magical child.

He was certain, however, that he would not create a magical child within their union. The Dursley genes were strong: they would squash any freak genes that Petunia carried. His son or daughter would be perfect, combining Petunia's beauty with his own intelligence, strength and charisma.

Vernon considered himself to be an extraordinary man within an ordinary world. Most of the people Vernon met aimlessly wandered through life's corridors - Vernon obeyed societal norms while ruthlessly climbing through the obstacles thrown at him. He prided himself on being ordinary yet more successful than his peers. He enjoyed a beer at the pub, watching a game of rugby on the telly, sneakily storing top shelf magazines under the bed the two of them shared. He went to church on Sunday, played football or golf with his friends on Wednesday afternoons - depending on the weather - and often found himself watching the motorsport highlights late at night. Despite his ordinary approach to life, he was well on his way to the top of the career ladder and had a wife that was much younger, prettier and wittier than most of the people his own age deserved. He had an expensive car and could already afford to buy the house he planned for them to spend their marriage in. He had even booked a famous opera singer for their wedding, set for the following year. Vernon's current state of affairs, whilst remaining normal in the face of such achievements compared to those of others his age, was why he often applied such adjectives as 'extraordinary' to his person.

Vernon was infuriated when he heard about the magical community. He had worked hard to become so magnificent: the wizards could do everything without working a day in their lives. Petunia said that they could make heavy things float, create fake money that could fool the most shrewd of bankers and even cure the most persistent of diseases! For a man that worked hard to put food on the table every week, Vernon was insulted. Worse still, was the fact that the wizards kept themselves hidden away; they could use their magic to help the world, rather than keep it to themselves. The magicians contributed nothing to society with their fancy tricks. Vernon was not pleased to know that they had to entertain two magicians for a dinner, but he was content that he would be able to argue his case that wizards should reach out towards the ordinary people. From what Petunia had told him, Lily was a sensible girl: maybe the wizard she had chosen was of a decent sort. After all, ordinary folk had good and bad people, why shouldn't wizards? Deciding that he would give James Potter a chance, Vernon confirmed that he would go for a meal with the wizard and witch. Most people would be unwilling to give their kind a chance, especially when they did nothing to help regular citizens, but Vernon Dursley was not most people. He would be magnanimous and spend a cordial night with the two magicians. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

Night had fallen outside the castle, but the fire cast a warm glow over the common room. Ron was stretched out on a squashy, beige sofa, his hands behind his head, staring lazily into space. Hermione was seated nearby, flicking earnestly through the pages of a large book and jotting down notes on a long roll of parchment as she did so. Every so often, Ron let his eyes drift towards her, watching as she repeatedly tucked back a lock of bushy hair, which kept falling over her face while she worked. The two of them had the common room to themselves - Harry and Ginny had both gone to bed - and Ron was relishing the comfortable silence that hung between them, broken only by the scratching of Hermione's quill and the crackling of burning logs.

Eventually, Hermione set down her book, rolling up the parchment and laying it carefully on the table. She turned to Ron, stifling a yawn. "Goodness, I'm tired. I think I'll head off to bed in a minute."

"Finished writing your novel?" said Ron sarcastically, eyeing the long scroll, which was crammed with Hermione's neat writing.

"Honestly, Ron, we're taking our NEWTs this year, and homework's important. Have you finished your Transfiguration essay yet?"

Ron stared at her incredulously. "Here we are, catapulted into the past, and you're still thinking about homework!" He shook his head. "I always knew you were mental."

"Quite the charmer, aren't you?" said Hermione. She raised one eyebrow, an uncharacteristically mischievous sparkle lighting up behind her eyes. "Elizabeth certainly seems to think so, at least."

"Oh, Merlin, don't even mention that-that troll!" shuddered Ron, burying his head in his hands.

"Why, don't you enjoy the attention?" asked Hermione innocently.

"Hermione..."

Hermione simply smiled and moved over to sit next to Ron on the sofa. Ron's stomach gave a pleasurable squirm as he felt her warm fingers brush against his own, and he turned to Hermione, suddenly feeling rather brave.

"Elizabeth's not quite my type, you see."

"Oh no?" Hermione looked faintly amused.

"No. She's too much... well... ogre." Ron paused, his cheeks flushing pink as he forced out the next sentence in a jumble of words, before he could lose his nerve. "And not enough brown-haired, beautiful bookworm."

"Ron?" Hermione stared at him, her mouth falling slightly open. Ron's stomach gave another wriggle, this time in a less pleasant, altogether more uncomfortable way. He silently cursed himself for rushing headlong into such an awkward situation. Still, the only thing he could do now was to press on.

"Hermione? Would you be interested, maybe, just if you haven't got anything else planned, I mean-" Ron stopped, took a deep breath and started again. "Hermione, will you go out with me?"

There was a slight pause, in which Hermione continued to stare at him. Ron closed his eyes, grimacing internally, and then Hermione threw her arms around his neck. "You complete idiot, Ronald Weasley! I've been waiting for you to ask me that for years! Of course I will."

Petunia hurried into the muggle diner, listening for the comforting sound of her high heels clicking across the floor. The steady rhythm helped her calm down long enough to check their reservation, and she got to the table before she blurted it out.

"I can't do this." She'd nearly forgotten why she'd even decided to arrange this except for the fact that she was certain that getting family's approval was part of some unspoken code of right behavior, and she could deal with Lily for one night. So she thought...

Until a way-too-familiar girl with red hair and a sweet smile that Petunia had always hated entered the restaurant, accompanied by a black haired man who was glancing at everyone in the restaurant like they were aliens. Petunia was just about to pretend she didn't know them when Lily spotted her and the two joined them at the table.

Lily's date was muttering to her loudly, something about "Muggles" but that had to be when Vernon stepped in.

"And what is a Muggle?" he asked, red faced.

"Non-magical folk." Lily replied, curtly. "Like you and 'Tuna."

"Lily..." Petunia could keep the anger out of her voice. "We're not ten anymore, don't call me that."

A hurt expression crossed Lily's face, but it was gone rather quickly

Vernon turned purple when he heard what Lily said. "So you even have your own words to describe us. Lazy blitters, don't even work, and you think that you can insult us every turn. I won't have it."

James laughed. "Really, now, and what would you know about it?"

Lily looked at him horrified.

Petunia glared at Lily. How dare she bring along someone like that. He had no respect for anyone.

Vernon was glaring at James. "What car do you drive?"

James smirked. "I drive a racing broom..." he went on to describe it even more detail, right down to the very last twig.

With every word that word that James spoke, Vernon only continued to get redder and angrier.

Lily tried to defuse the conversation, but it didn't work. Thankfully, a waiter came, and they ordered their food. The meal proceeded in an uncomfortable silence. Lily felt her heart sink as Petunia continued to glare at her, and Vernon continued to fume. When it was time to pay, she paid for her and James's food, while Vernon paid for his and Petunia's. That did not go unnoticed by Vernon.

"Wizards must live on unemployment benefits," gloated Vernon, feeling that he finally had something to hold over their heads. "I'll have you know that a hard working man never lets the lady pay."

Lily knew that she was going to cry and sank back into her seat, wishing that she should could be anywhere else or that James wouldn't say what she knew his was going to.

James smirked. "Gringotts is the wizarding bank. Also, my parents have a great fortune stored there in solid gold."

Vernon looked gobsmacked for a moment, before his anger returned worse than before. "Come on, Tuny, let's leave this riffraff." The engaged couple stormed out of the building, leaving a heartbroken Lily behind.

Tears streamed down her face, and she slapped James. "Couldn't you be civil for once? That was my sister, and you completely ruined my chances of reconciling with her."

James felt guilt creep into his chest, and he wrapped an arm around Lily's waist before pulling her into his lap. "I'll make it up to him. I promise."

Lily just nodded; she was crying too hard to say anything else.

Peter sat beside Remus in the Library. Remus was working on an assignment. He had his supplies with him, but he didn't know what he was supposed to be working on, and Remus wasn't helping: so instead he was staring around the Library.

"Stop staring at her, Sirius will take your head off if he learns of it," said Remus, not looking up from his work.

"But I've seen her before, and you have, too."

"Peter, this is her first time to this school. Where would we have seen her?"

"The first Hogsmeade weekend, she was there. I know it was her."

Remus frowned and looked up at Hermione Granger. No, he didn't recognize her, and he easily remembered faces. He was certain that if she was there, he would have noticed. "Peter, as I have told you before, it wasn't her."

Peter opened his mouth to protest, but he was interrupted by Sirius's arrival.

Sirius dropped his bag on the table and said loudly, "I've got it."

"Got what?" asked Peter, a confused frown appearing on his face.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Peter. "If I told you it would completely ruin the surprise."

"Then why are you telling us?" asked Peter, getting even more confused.

"Just watch."

Remus sighed and closed his book. "I think that this is a very bad idea, Sirius."

"What are you talking about? I think it's brilliant."

"I'm not going to be a part of this." Remus stood, packing up his things, and quickly made his way out of the library.

Sirius sent a disappointed look after Remus. "No matter, come along, Peter," he ordered the boy, who had been looking uncertainly after Remus as it wondering whether he should have followed.

Peter jumped and scurried along after Sirius.

"Hermione, my love," said Sirius in what he knew was an overly-dramatic voice, "why did you ever break up with me? We were so good together."

Hermione didn't even look up from her book; she just flipped the page.

Sirius frowned and decided to try something else. "Hey, babe, it's the seventies. Come on."

That made Hermione look up, she had a thunderous look on her face. "How dare you. You think that you can win me back, after what you did." She slammed the book shut and stood. Without another word, she slammed her fist into his face for the second time. "Try that again, and you will regret it." With that, she was gone.

Sirius clutched his nose and looked after her, before turning to Peter. "What did I do?"

"She's dangerous," Peter squeaked.

Ginny was sitting in their makeshift common room, still wondering what was up in her head. Tom hadn't said anything in forever and while she was glad for that, it also freaked her out. She was listing out the pros and cons of this arrangement on a piece of parchment when Harry came in. Hurriedly - and a bit too late - she cast an invisibility charm on it and stuffed it into her bag. He gave her a strange look.

"You practicing your charms?"

"Yeah." She waved her wand, only this time it was to transfigure her quill into a new piece of parchment. "Harry, I'm worried..."

"About what? We're just twenty years in the past."

"Harry! Remember the first wizarding war? That's now!"

"I know." He put his head in his hands. "I know, Ginny. But we just have to finish up this school year, and then we'll figure it all out."

"Harry! You might have had money back in the present, but you don't now. That's James's; we have no way to support ourselves."

Harry put his head down on the table. "Ginny, not now... we have enough to worry about."

"Not now? Okay then, Harry, when?" She sat back down on the couch, leaning back. "Look. I don't mean to... but we're at Hogwarts now, Harry. What is there for us to worry about? No one suspects anything, and it'd be better to think about this now than we're out on the streets without any money."

"What do you propose, then?"

"You're going to kill me."

"I'm serious, Ginny. Tell me."

She gulped. "Propose wasn't that far off."

He shook his head. "No. Ginny..."

"They won't know the difference, Harry. You look just like James and I have Lily's red hair, some make-up and maybe a voice changing charm would go that extra length."

"We can't have an extra set of Lily and James's running around. Everyone will... they'll get confused."

"We'll be careful. Come on, try it now. I'll distract James, and you try to convince his friends. If they buy it, anyone will."

"And if they don't?"

"Don't be such a downer, Harry - or should I say, James. Look at the bright side. Now, go!"

Harry stumbled all the way up to the Gryffindor common room before he remembered that he didn't know the password. If only he had his invisibility cloak, he'd be able to hide and listen to other students give the password first, but it had disappeared - he'd realized - once they arrived in the past.

That's when Lily came skipping up the stairs and spotted Harry. "James... you have to remind me to thank Harry for the double date." She kissed his cheek and whispered, "And thanks for coming with me to see Petunia and Vernon."

Harry tried not to let his eyes widen too much and put on his best James impression. "No trouble at all."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. Leo superbia."

He followed her into the common room, ignoring his supposed friends' whistles. He knew that Mums might kiss their sons on the cheek, but as long as that was all it was. He really didn't think he could keep this up, and while he wasn't looking forward to telling Ginny her idea was no good, it really wasn't gonna work.

Remus and Peter looked up first, motioning him over, and Harry tried his best to appear more confident than he felt. Sirius was the last to look up, but he had none of his wide-eyed energy that Harry had come to expect in his teenage version. He hurried to look back at the textbook that he was actually reading - or pretending to - and even Harry knew something was wrong.

"What's up?"

His future godfather ignored him, and Remus took it upon himself to answer. "He's still sad about Hermione. I told him he should move on, but..." Peter pushed Sirius and their friend didn't do anything in retaliation; he just sat there.

Suddenly Remus's eyes widened. "I know what to do. Sirius, remember the promise?"

Sirius nodded and Remus continued. "And James... remember your idea?"

Harry faltered for a moment before agreeing. "So," their friend concluded, "we shall pull a prank in order to close the deal and cheer up Padfoot."

Sirius looked up, finally. "You actually called me Padfoot in public."

"I did."

"You guys..."

Harry was not going to be able to go through with this.

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, trying to figure out a problem that had taken a hold of in his mind ,and he couldn't think of anything else but it. He wasn't entirely sure, but he was almost positive that Harry Porter, his records stating that he was born December 5, 1959 in Sydney, Australia to a Liam and Jane Porter, had the Elder Wand, which was impossible as he owned the Elder Wand. Albus sighed as he tapped his fingers on his desk. He wasn't sure what he thought of Mr. Porter, nor Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley, and Miss Granger. All four of them were bright students, but all four of them were also very secretive and quiet, except in classes. There they showed their knowledge about the topics at hand when they could, except in Defense Against the Dark Arts, where they pretty much ran the class and completely changed the grading curve. It made Albus wonder why they were so good at DADA.

Albus wondered about the possibility about them being Death Eaters. As much as it saddened him, Voldemort had no qualms about recruiting young people into his organization. In fact, he seemed to prefer it. Voldemort seemed to consider it a win-win. Either he could send the young ones out as bait and have his older Death Eaters safe, or they would prove their worth and would become the older, trusted Death Eaters. The thought presented the logic of why would the four kill Death Eaters, their own, but Albus remembered something that had happened with Gell - Grindelwald. He had found out that some of his older lieutenants were planning a coup and had some of his newest recruits kill them, their mentors, filling their heads and manipulating them into thinking that if they killed killing them, they would saving the cause. The worst part was, Gell - Grindelwald, had gotten that idea from him, something that Albus had said he would do if need be.

Albus sighed. He didn't know if these four were really Death Eaters, but he wanted to know if they were or not. Even if they weren't, they were hiding something and he was going to find out what it was.

He turned back to the papers scattered about his desk. Papers from the ministry, asking him to help with many of the current problems. Papers from the professors here at Hogwarts, begging him to sort out a number of students, mostly Slytherins that had suspected or convicted Death Eaters as family members. Newspapers all basically reporting the same thing, that Voldemort was here, getting stronger, and that everyone had something to fear.

For once in his life, Albus Dumbledore agreed with the newspapers. Everyone did have something to fear. And they should keep fighting because of it.