Chapter Two
Harry jumped back as though he'd been bitten. "Sirius?"
Sirius looked annoyed. "No, I'm Snape. Yes, Sirius… You alright, James?"
Harry was too stunned to speak.
Sirius helped Harry to his feet. "I still want to know what you were doing with your trunk, James."
Harry closed his eyes. "I'm not James."
Sirius laughed. "Come on… we've got classes… it's our first day back. Moony is going to kill you. Our first day back, and here you are hauling your trunk into the lake."
Harry shook his head. "I'm not James… I'm serious…"
Sirius laughed even harder. "James, let me get a few things straight. I am Sirius. Not you. You are James. You know, James Potter, quidditch champion… prefect… Not a good swimmer, sadly, but then that's probably what I'm here for." Sirius grinned.
"Too bad he didn't drown. I would have liked to see that."
Harry turned. A thin, oily looking kid with greasy black hair and sallow skin was sneering at him a few feet away. "So, Black, I hear your mother died. Did she look in a mirror or something?"
Sirius stood stunned for a moment, then lunged at Snape. "Take that back!"
Harry, who was used to holding Ron back, grabbed Sirius's shoulders and yanked him back.
"Get off, James!" Sirius yelled.
Snape laughed and turned away. Harry let go of Sirius.
"What did you do that for?" Sirius was shaking. "I was about to curse the little jerk into a million different pieces and send them out into orbit… James? Are you all right? You're looking lost…"
"I told you, I'm not James." Harry took off his glasses. "Does James have green eyes?"
Sirius frowned. "If you're not James, then how did you know my name? So you did something to your eyes… I prefer them brown, myself… I know! You're trying to make yourself look more like Lily so you can talk about your common eye color, right?"
Harry groaned and sat down. Ok, this has gotten a little too far. Here I am, arguing with my Godfather, who just happens to be my age, whether or not I'm my dad. This is not good.
"I am going to kill Malfoy…" Harry muttered.
Sirius frowned. "What about Malfoy?"
"Nothing…" Harry shook his head. "Look, I don't care whether or not you believe me, but for the last time, I'm not James. I'm a new exchange student and the portkey I took didn't exactly put me where I wanted to go… can I talk to the headmaster?"
Sirius smirked. "Ok, then. What would your name be?"
"Harry," Harry winced. "Harry Shoreman."
Sirius laughed. "Ok, then, Harry Shoreman, let's go to the headmaster, then."
Harry got the distinct impression that Sirius wasn't believing a word he said. "And after you get sorted into Gryffindor, I can go introduce you to my good friends Remus and Peter. Won't that be fun?"
Harry groaned. "You don't believe me,"
"Of course I believe you, Harry!" Sirius was laughing so hard he had a difficult time walking. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Come on, James. If you want to pass yourself off as a new student, you have got to change more then your eye color…"
"Sirius, what are you doing?"
Sirius and Harry turned around. Harry tried not to stare. James crossed his arms. "Ok… who's been brewing the polyjuice potion?"
"See?" Harry grinned, then remembered he wasn't suppose to know who James Potter was. "I told you my name wasn't James."
Sirius looked from James to Harry, then back to James. "He doesn't happen to be related to you, does he?"
James shook his head, then grinned. "Who are you? I've never seen you before…"
"Harry Shoreman," Harry said at once. "I'm a new student."
James's grin grew wider. "Have you been sorted yet?"
Harry shook his head. "I'm supposed to go see the headmaster." Hopefully Dumbledore would know what to do…
"Well… if you get into Gryffindor, come talk to me." James smiled.
Sirius was smiling as well. "Ok… now we have a James look alike. This is going to be so much fun."
Harry groaned. "Why do I get a bad feeling about this?"
* * *
"Professor Dumbledore!" Sirius knocked on the headmaster's door.
Dumbledore looked up, his blue eyes twinkling. "Come in, Mr. Black. Another detention?"
"Not exactly." Sirius opened the door. "I found this new student wandering around outside… he says he needs to see you… his name's Harry Shoreman… looks a whole lot like James…"
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Black. I'll speak with him. You may wait outside."
Sirius nodded and left the office.
Harry entered the room. Dumbledore smiled. "Hello, Harry. Interestingly enough, I haven't heard of you. Would you mind giving me a brief explanation?"
Harry blinked, wondering if he should tell Dumbledore all about the time charm.
If you do, you'll never see your dad again. A little voice hissed the words in his ear. You'll be sent back this afternoon. James will be dead. Sirius will still be on the run, you won't see Remus…
Harry swallowed nervously. "I'm… a transfer… fifth year …"
Dumbledore smiled. "You brought your trunk?"
"It's down by the lake," Harry said.
"Well, then, all that's left is the sorting. Here in Hogwarts, there are four houses… Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw. As you missed the sorting last night, you'll just have to try on the sorting hat without the ceremonies…" Dumbledore gestured to a frayed, tattered hat resting behind Harry.
Harry took the hat off the shelf. "I just… put it on?"
Dumbledore nodded. Harry jammed the hat over his head, closed his eyes, and waited.
"Hello, Harry Potter. Here for a little stroll in the past, are we?" the sorting hat whispered.
You put me in Gryffindor once… you can do it again, can't you? Harry thought desperately.
"Well… I don't know… Slytherin… oh, well, if you insist. GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry pulled the hat off. Dumbledore nodded to him. "I'll have one of the teachers bring your trunk up to your room. Mr. Black?"
Sirius opened the door so quickly Harry was sure he had been eavesdropping. "Yes, Sir?"
"Could you escort Mr. Shoreman to the Gryffindor tower, please? Harry, we'll have your schedule arranged by dinner. I'm sure Sirius wants to show you all around…"
Sirius gave Dumbledore his 'innocent' grin. Dumbledore nodded and dismissed them.
* * *
Remus Lupin frowned slightly. James was grinning from ear to ear and speaking a million miles a second. "What?"
"There's this new kid here, he looks just like me!" James grinned. "Think about it, Remus! We could have so much fun off of this… especially if he's in Gryffindor…"
"Who?" Remus ran a hand through his brown hair. "What's his name?"
James shrugged. "I don't know… Harry something."
Remus shrugged. "It's our first day back, James… don't get too many ideas."
James rubbed his hands together, just as the portrait hole opened and Sirius and Harry stepped through. "Oh, I'm getting plenty of ideas…"
Remus groaned. "Heaven help us all,"