When Harry opened his eyes again he was dimly aware of three pairs of eyes staring at him. "Ouch." he moaned when he felt someone touching his head.
"Easy there. Rest for a while, we have tended after you. Don't you worry you'll be fine in a minute." Harry heard a gentle feminine voice calling after him soothingly. He heard a manly cough, which sounded as if others presented around didn't totally agree with the girl's prediction. He tried to open his eyes. He could still feel bright stars dancing in front of his eyes, and his head still ached a lot. He tried to remember what he had seen.
It all came to him in a moment.
He tried to sit up, but at that moment he became aware of a dim throbbing in his back. It seemed that he had hit something hard. The girl probably understood what he was thinking.
"Yeah you got a bad fall. Landed on old Rover here," she patted someone, and Harry was aware of a loud bark.
"He got a good blow. Never seem him give a yelp like that. But don't you fret, you'll be fine in a moment."
Harry had a sneaking suspicion this won't be the case, but he couldn't say anything. His mind was still in frenzy. He tried to imagine those eyes. Those eyes he had seen before fainting down. Such Green eyes he had never seen before. He could remember the amazement they seemed to show. And Harry supposed that it was only right for them to be curious. After all, it wasn't an everyday happening for them to see a man just appearing out of thin air!
He lay there for a few moments. He could feel something soft and fluffy under him. After a few minutes the shock finally subsided and he felt that he could open his eyes.
Tentatively, he opened his eyes and found himself lying in a four-poster bed, just like his bed in his Hogwarts dormitory. The curtain was open and three faces were peeping in curiously.
Harry's heart fluttered when he registered who they were. He felt an immediately urge to scream out their name, hug them and tell them who he was. He was just about to get up when he realized something. He stooped in his tracks. He remembered the words of his mentor spoken long ago; yet still fresh in his mind.
"Playing with Time is a dangerous thing, Harry. Time is a not a thing to be messed with. Remember Harry, if you are faced with time-traveling, remember one thing, never try to change the future."
Harry now realized how far-sighted Dumbledore was. He knew that Harry might think of traveling back in time and changing the history so that the evils that had been done would be amended. But now Harry realized that Meddling with the time could be dangerous. Very dangerous. As much as he longed to get his parents back; he couldn't afford to meddle in the affairs of time. He realized that by some way he had traveled back in time. He realized at once that Voldermort was still powerful in this timeline. What if he told them about his identity and the way of defeating Voldermort! Probably, Voldermort would be defeated but what may be the circumstances? Things would change dramatically and…
"No" he told himself.
"I can't meddle in the affairs of time."
Grinding his teeth he tried to open his eyes again. The three faces were still looking at him with curiosity.
One of them was a very pretty red-haired woman of about his own age having very green eyes. Both the others were boys of the same age; one, a tired looking youth who had dull sea-gray eyes showing flashes of intelligence. He seemed to be extremely tired for some reason. The other was another youth, but of more stockier and stronger built. He had messy, Jet-black hairs, goodish tan and Harry noticed that he was holding the girls hand very firmly.
Harry's heart took a double take. He was lying in front of Lily Evans, James Potter and probably Remus Lupin! So this was how his mother and father were like? He looked at them once again, now openly starring at them. James, contrary to his belief was not exactly like him in build and structure. Sure he had inherited his father's hairs, his short height. But Harry was much more muscular, and bit less stockier in the waste then James.
Her mother was a very beautiful woman. She reminded him distinctly of Hermione. Her eyes showed intelligence, yet they had a very protective and caring type of sense around them. But right now, these two eyes were staring at him questioningly. Harry wanted to jump out of the bed and hug to death his parents. He would have done so if it had been for the pain in his back. For a moment a stray tear rolled down his cheek. Lily Evans at once took out a handkerchief and wiped the tear off his cheek.
"Now, Now…no need for crying. Here take this. This would help you."
She gave him a small slab of chocolate, which Harry recognized as a Hogsmeade special. He felt instant warmth flooding him as soon as he ate the chocolate. His thoughts became subtler and his mind cleared. He still ached for his parents. He badly wanted to hug them. To tell them who he was.
"Hey, don't stare at her like that. Lily, you don't need to feed him the chocolate. As far as I can see he is perfectly capable of eating himself." The black haired boy, who was Harry's father said a bit haughtily. Harry blushed a bit but Lily just rolled her eyes at James.
"Oh come On Jamie, he is ill. He is tired. Don't you see he has had some severe mental attack?"
"Err, its all right, I can eat for myself. Thank you." Harry feared that he might have sounded a bit rude, but Lily just shrugged her head and gave him the rest of the chocolate. Harry noticed that as soon as Lily had withdrawn, James had drawn her protectively to his side, clutching at her tightly and almost glaring at Harry menacingly.
Now Harry realized how much his father loved Lily and in this love he sometimes also behaved foolishly. But Harry's heart warmed at this affection. It was so good to see his parents in real, sharing love.
"Just like I thought." He said to himself.
He felt the ache in his back lessen a bit so he tried to get up. He only succeeded to sit up with considerable pain.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing? You are tired. You need rest. Don't mind Old James here. He is a dear but he can be a total prat at times." Lily said moving forward, patting James shoulder impishly. Harry noticed that they still held hands and Lily had not attempted to break the contact.
This was just the thing he would have done for Hermione.
Remus followed his gaze and nodded his head a little, then rolled his eyes and uttered something which sounded vaguely like,
"Both, Mental." Harry smiled a little.
James thought that he had smiled at Lily and at once drew her to his side.
"Hey, I said to you that she is with me. So you better watch what you do."
He said the last sentence so menacingly that Harry back away, but Lily just laughed.
"Non-sense James. The poor guy is in no situation to make a pass at anyone. Can't you see he was smiling at Remus?"
"At Remus…what! Hey, Remus is not Gay, besides he is already taken so you go find…"
"James, get your mind out of gutter. He was smiling at Remus for he had just certified your mental state." Lily frowned at James, although Harry could see that she was playing along.
"Oh I see. Well sorry mate. But a guy can never be too careful. With all these handsome Quiditcher's roaming around, trying to get in the pants of every girl form the age of 14 to 45." James muttered, just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"James!!!!!" Lily said apparently horrified.
"What dear?" James asked innocently.
"How dare you…" it seemed that Lily was really angry, when he caught Remus face. It was twisted in an expression of disgust and Harry realized what this was leading to.
He screwed his face. As much as he liked his parents, he was in no mode to see his parents, showing love…like that!
"How dare I what?" James said leaning closer.
"How dare I do…this?" Before the sentence was over, James leaned over and kissed Lily's cheek.
She didn't responded for a while, but then she joined in leaning closer and closer to him…they were so engrossed in themselves that they didn't saw Harry and Remus making disgusted signs and pointing towards their direction. James leaned closer to lily and lifting his both hands, gently cupped Lily's chin, tilting her head over. Before any of them had any time to say anything, James was kissing Lily's lips. A moan escaped her mouth as she responded at his warm touch.
"Uhm…Lily, James…" Remus said loudly.
"They didn't budge. They were looking at each other with oceans of love behind their eyes. Anyone else would have called this a lovesick stare, yet Harry was joyous to see their love for each other.
"Err. Lily! LILY! Can you get a room please? We are err…no mode of…" Remus said motioning towards Lily with his hand and then moving his hands in a strange motion, which looked suspiciously like someone strangling himself.
"OW!"
"Ouch!"
"James Potter, How dare you step on my toes!"
"Hey I didn't step on them! You leaned on me, I got over balanced and stepped on your toes 'cuz of an accident."
"Oh sorry dear."
"Err. Lily and James as I said before, go and get a ROOM!" Remus bellowed the last words.
Not they became aware where they were standing. When Lily saw Harry looking at him with a strange and amused expression, she blushed a little. She seemed very cute just then. James muttered something meant for Remus hearing. But Remus just smiled and shook his head.
"So…err May I know your name? You haven't told us that?" Remus turned towards Harry.
Harry felt as if the deciding moment had arrived. Now or Never. He had to make the decision.
"My name is, my name is Rick wormtongue." Harry answered in a very small voice. He felt someone talking in his mind.
Now was your chance potter. But you have screwed it all. Go tell them who you are. Just consider how many lives this would save. And, and you will get your parents back. Just go for it Harry! Don't wait. Wait would only delay the demise of Lord Voldermort. Tell them who you are…
The voice was so strong in his head that for a moment he succumbed to it. But his senses came back just in time.
"No I can't do that!" Harry cried startling the others. He at once put his hand on his mouth. He didn't mean the others to hear this?
Think about it Potter. But hurry…just remember you will get your parents back forever.
With that the voice stopped in his mind and he took a sigh of relief. Looking around he saw Lily, James and Remus Looking at him questioningly.
"Oh, nothing. Sorry." He mumbled an apology.
"Just, past memories. They hunt me." This was to an extent true but other then that complete fib.
This seemed to satisfy the trio.
From now on Harry Potter will be called Rick, as long as he is in this timeline.
"So Rick, we are sorry for not introducing ourselves properly. I am Remus Lupin." Remus pointed at himself smiling a bit apologetically.
Harry wanted to say that he bloody well knew whom these were but kept quiet.
"And these two big, loving prats here," He pointed towards Lily and James who were glaring at Remus but smiled at Harry when Remus mentioned them.
"They are Lily and James, the brightest students of the school, the best Quidditch players of the school, the hot-cakes of the school and the biggest prats of the school." Remus narrated a long list of the good and not-so-good achievements of Lily and James.
"Oi Remus, we are not that great! Let me introduce you to our guest." James looked towards Remus with mock horror.
"Here is Remus Lupin, the most brilliant student of DADA, a really great friend, a not-so-quiet-tongued man and believe it or not a real Hot cake among the girls and the boys also." James said to Harry. Remus blushed at hearing this and Harry wondered how young and hale Remus looked all these years back He was nothing like the always passive and sad-face Remus he knew and associated with.
But the next question caught Harry with dread.
"So Rick, would you care to explain to us just how you appeared out of thin air as my girlfriend here keeps on repeating me that Apparition is not applicable inside Hogwarts?"
Disclaimers: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
James Potter, how dare you step on my toes! © Madeline.