Lily, Peter, Remus, Sirius, and a handful of other students sat in the stands at Hogwarts and watched the practice of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Sirius was tall, lean, with delicately chiselled features, grey eyes, short black lustrous hair, and an aristocratic bearing. Unlike most of his classmates, who wore their school uniforms even after class, he was dressed in black. His outfit in combination with his reputation as a troublemaker and his passion for rule-breaking and mischief had earned him a bad boy image. Together with his best friend James, he was considered the height of coolness among his schoolmates. Over the years, many girls had hoped he would want to be with them. He had found most of them boring and had responded to them in a friendly but reserved manner or had deliberately ignored them altogether.
Sirius talked vividly with his friends, when a tawny owl came flying towards them and sat down on the balustrade in front of him. Surprised, he took the letter which the bird carried. The owl instantly flew away. Lily laughed, "Another letter from a female admirer?". Sirius smiled. "I don't know. At least, I don't recognise the handwriting". Carelessly he pocketed the writ without reading it. After practice, they joined James, and Sirius completely forgot about his mail.
At night, Sirius was the last to remain in the Gryffindor common room. His friends all had gone to sleep, but he had not been tired yet. At first, he had contemplated to assume his Animagus shape, sneak into Hogsmeade and pay a visit to one of the ladies there, who were only too happy to share their bed with him. But then he had decided against it and instead had made himself comfortable in an armchair with a glass of whisky, which they had smuggled into school after Christmas holidays. He put his feet on the table and was lounging in his armchair when he heard a rustling in his jacket. Only now did he remember the letter, took it out of his pocket and began to read with growing amazement.
"Dear Sirius, First of all, I would like to apologise for sending you an anonymous letter. But due to circumstances which much to my regret I cannot explain, it is impossible for me to reveal my identity to you. The day will come when you will discover who I am. Until then, all I can do is begging you to trust me. I assure you that I will not ask anything that is dishonourable or whose outcome is questionable. Be warned, however, that the task which you are assigned is no doubt hazardous. However, I implore you, for the good of mankind and wizardkind, to take care of the matter because you are the only one in a position to do so.
In two weeks, you will graduate from school, pack your things and board the Hogwarts Express for the last time. On your return to London, you have planned to spend a few days with a young lady, whom you met last summer. A week later, you will travel to France with your friends to pass summer holidays there.
Sirius was surprised. How did anybody know about that young lady, whose name he did not even remember? She was a neighbour, and it was true, that last summer they had agreed to see each other when he would return to his flat after graduation.
Dear Sirius, unfortunately, you must change your plans. Instead of staying in London, you should join James and Lily. Everybody thinks that they will see James' parents before you all gather for your trip abroad. But in fact they have accepted an invitation from Lily's parents and will visit them at Cokeworth. As a first and perhaps the most important step in this adventure, you must join them. Get James to tell you about his plans and ask him to take you along. He will be more than glad to have you by his side. And this should be the ultimate proof that my story is not a joke.
A crease appeared between his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair. Why would his friends want to travel to Cokeworth? He did not see the point in staying with Lily's Muggle family. Why had they not let him in on their plans? Sirius had assumed that James had not invited him to come to his parents' home because he knew about the young lady in London. Now he was not so sure anymore. He decided to ask James about it first thing in the morning.
At Cokeworth, you will meet a young girl, Lily's cousin Mercuria, who lives with the family. You will find that she differs quite a lot from all the girls you've met before. But irrespective of whether you like her or not, you must build a close relationship with her. This is your first task. Mercuria has certain extraordinary abilities, some of which will be of outstanding importance in the future. Most crucial for turning this venture into a success is her skill in painting Wizarding Portraits. She is not aware of being able to do this and at some point later you must induce her to give it a try.
Sirius was surprised. Lily had told them about her little cousin, who seemed to be a genuine trouble shooter. From what he remembered, she was a source of constant concern to her relatives. He emptied his glass and had a refill.
Like you, Mercuria will by then have graduated from school. Some weeks ago, she has secretly applied for an apprenticeship at a diamond cutter in Antwerp, Belgium and has been accepted. Her family does not know about this. She won't tell them, because as a Muggle at 16 she is still underage, and her uncle will never allow her to leave Cokeworth, let alone the country. Therefore, she forged her uncle's signature on her employment contract and provided herself with a fake identity card and driving licence. Both documents prove that she is of age.
Sirius snorted. This sounded like the description of an enterprising little lady to him. He had the impression that he would profoundly enjoy meeting her.
When you arrive in Cokeworth, Mercuria is ready to run away. She has bought train tickets and her travel bag is packed. During the week which you will spend with the Evans, you must reveal what she is up to. It will be perfect if James is the one to find out. Try to create a situation where he discovers Mercuria's secret. If this is impossible, you will have to do it yourself. Make sure that James and you will support her to carry out her plans and in return she must give you her address in Belgium to both of you for further usage in the future. Nobody else must have it, not even Lily. And this is your second task.
This was becoming absurd. Sirius had no idea how this was going to end. He summoned a pack of cigarettes from his bedroom, opened the window and lit a cigarette before he carried on reading.
While you will spend your holidays in France, Lily will phone her parents who will inform her that Mercuria has run away and vanished into thin air. But as you have her address, you should visit her regularly in Antwerp. Take the motorcycle that you will buy after your return from France because Mercuria is crazy about motorcycles. By the way, James will propose to Lily during your trip, and they will get married next spring. The following autumn, Lily's parents will die in a car crash. At the end of the following year, 1980, time has finally come to carry out the task which is the reason for me to write this letter. You must instil into James the idea of inviting Mercuria to spend Christmas in Godric's Hollow. Convince him that this would be a nice surprise for Lily, who will then have a little boy called Harry. By the way, you will be his godfather".
Sirius got more and more confused. If this was a joke, it was cleverly done. But up to now he did not see where all this was leading. And how did someone know that he had decided to get himself a motorcycle after their return from holidays? Although he had been harbouring the idea for years, he had never told anyone about it. Not even James. Suddenly he heard steps in his back. He turned around, straightened up and saw two second-year students muttering under their breath as they walked towards the corner where he was sitting. When they recognised him, they stiffened, mumbled an apology, and hurried back to their dormitory. Sirius plopped back into his chair and continued reading.
After Christmas, you will invite Mercuria to a motorcycle tour. You will fly to a small village on the Scottish border called Pensouth. When you arrive there, you'll see an isolated old mansion down in the valley. This is your destination. As you might have guessed it is a wizard's house, the home of Jacques Rosier. Its inhabitants will be away visiting some relatives and only return in the new year. The house will be protected of course. To get inside, you best assume your Animagus shape and transfigure Mercuria into a small dog. Now you can safely approach the backside of the house. Rosier has a pack of non-magical dogs himself and there is a dog flap at the backdoor. This is protected too but an animal can pass through without setting off the Intruder Charm, and thus enter the kitchen. When you step into the corridor, it is safe to change back to your human shape. At the end of the corridor is the library. On the wall opposite the entrance door behind the desk you'll see the portrait of a gentleman, who usually sits in an armchair in this very library. If you are lucky, he will have moved to another painting and is absent. On the left side of the armchair is a small table with a wooden casket on it. Mercuria must memorise this casket to the tiniest detail. Best make her do some sketches. Then she must remove the piece from the portrait.
Sirius frowned. How could anyone but the four Marauders know that he was an Animagus? Besides who was so well-informed about how to get into Rosier's house? And all this just to change a painting? What was so important about this wooden casket? He had no idea, but the whole story sounded inviting to him. What kind of adventure was this supposed to be? He resumed his reading.
This might well be the most difficult and dangerous part of the whole venture. From Pensouth, you will ride to Yorkshire. Your great-great-grand-uncle Phineas lives there. You still remember, how to enter his estate, do you? You must tap the schedule in the bus shack in front of the main gate with your wand. Phineas won't be there. Take Mercuria to the living room, where you will see a portrait of Phineas. Next to him is a small table. Mercuria must paint the wooden casket onto this table. But tell her to apply a security lock. This is imminent.
Sirius wondered. Why would someone want remove an object from one painting and paint it into another? And why above all would anybody take such an effort to make it happen? He had no idea. He emptied his glass, poured himself another drink, and lit one more cigarette.
You certainly wonder, what this is all about. I cannot disclose it to you. And besides, you wouldn't believe it anyway. Only that much: We hope that the casket might eventually end up in the hands of the rightful heir by moving it from Rosier's portrait to the one of Phineas, which will be painted in autumn 1980, or from your point of view in two years' time.
Sirius considered this. Someone needed his help, because he hoped that changing a past event might lead to a different future. But why didn't the anonymous writer of the letter do it himself? Perhaps he could not paint portraits, but wasn't it that girl, who was supposed to do the work? Ok, as a Muggle, she couldn't enter Rosier's premises on her own. But the letter had been brought by an owl and thus must have been sent by a wizard. And why should he be the only one in a position to take care of the matter? Of what concern was all this to him? Sirius lowered his hand with the letter, leaned back in his chair and reflected on this point. It was obvious that the time factor played a decisive role. Perhaps he had been addressed because in three weeks' time, this young lady would be gone to the continent without leaving a trace. Obviously, it was important to keep track of her. The girl was Lily's Muggle cousin. There were very few wizards, who knew about her at all and even less who could get in close contact with her within the next three weeks. Actually, only those whom Lily invited to her home. Which reduced the number of possible candidates to James and himself. As a soon-to-be family man, James was out of the running. Which meant that he himself was the only one who could intervene. He finished reading the letter.
Dearest Sirius, please do not take my pledge light-heartedly. It is of outstanding importance that you intervene in this matter. For yourself, for Mercuria and for the sake of wizardkind and mankind. I come to the end now. I hope that I could convince you to take part in this adventure. It might further motivate you that you yourself will profit massively from its outcome in the future. And if you play your cards right, you might also gain some additional years full of love and happiness. Let me stress again that only if you follow my directions to the tiniest detail, this operation can work out. I keep my fingers crossed that you will be successful.
A friend.
P.S.: Whatever your decision, do not tell anybody but James about this, especially not Lily, Remus, and Peter.
Gain some additional years of love and happiness? And he himself would profit massively? Sirius read the writ once again. When he had finished, he was resolved to further investigate the matter. He examined the letter thoroughly. It was written on sheets which had been carelessly ripped from a pad because it was slightly torn at the top. He took his wand, pointed it at the paper and whispered "Aparecium". In the right top corner of the first page, he discovered weak traces of some imprints which had been extruded on the paper where a pen had been pressed too firmly on the previous page. He looked hard and identified a date. 30/06/2000. For a moment, he did not believe what he saw. He examined it closely again. But there it was. He snorted. Well, there were many reasons to explain this date. Presently, none came to his mind, but this did not necessarily mean that there weren't any. But then again. The author had given several details which only someone from the future would know. But why would he send a letter twenty-two years back in time? And how could anyone have done this anyway? He reflected this question. Perhaps this letter had not arrived from the future at all, but was a prediction made by a contemporary. He had heard that there were seers whose prophecies were astonishingly accurate. But could an oracle really foresee so many details and develop such a complex scenario from them? Had he then also predicted his Animagus form or the Protecting Charms of Rosier's house? On the other hand, travelling in time definitely not made part of a wizard's normal or extended repertoire. In fact, he had never heard of anyone being able to do this. If it was possible at all, this skill most certainly ranked very high among the Dark Arts. But even his family, who had a vast knowledge of forbidden practices, had never mentioned the possibility of travelling through time. Sirius was convinced that his father would have stopped at nothing to acquire this ability. He realised that he needed to find out more and decided to ask Professor Dumbledore. Perhaps then he could identify the anonymous writer by his method. He was determined to embark on the adventure, but to exercise the utmost caution in doing so. True, the letter was signed 'a friend'. But this need not necessarily be true, after all.
Sirius once again refilled his glass and lit another cigarette. The opportunity was just too tempting. And he was curious. Above all curious about that little Muggle girl, who was at the centre of all this. The one who forged signatures. The one who was preparing to run off to the continent. The one that could paint Wizarding Portraits. He smiled ironically. "Well, little lady. I just can't wait to find out what you are all about". Still, he had not decided yet, whether he should inform James immediately. Perhaps it was better to wait and see, how things would develop. Tomorrow he would ask James if he could join them. This would be a first test as to the reliability of the letter. He pocketed it and waved his wand to conjure away the smell of his cigarettes before he went upstairs to bed.
