Daphne: "All right, some of you keep asking me when *Sakura and Syaoran*
are going to admit to their relationship. Well, let me tell you this, it is
NOT going to be Sakura and Syaoran telling everyone, and I can't tell you
who will, so don't ask!
Well, now that that is settled, here is the fourth chapter!
Oh, P.S, I am going on a trip, so don't expect me to update for a while! Sorry!
~*~*~*~
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes.
By: Daphne Li
Chapter 4.
"Deck the halls with gasoline! Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Light the match and watch it gleam, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Watch the school burn down to ashes, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...aren't you glad we played with matches? Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la- la...LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Santa baby, slip a camera under the tree for me, been an awful good girl, Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight!"
"You're a mean one, Mr. Potter! You really are a heal, you're as cuddly as an cactus and as charming eel...Mr. Pot-TER!"
"Rockin' around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop! Mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple avoids it like a disease!"
"McGonagle got ran over by a hippogriff, walking home from Hogwarts Christmas eve! You can see there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and Dumbledore, and Hagrid, and almost everyone else at Hogwarts, we believe!
She'd been drinking too much butter-beer, and urged her to go fast! She obeyed, began a one-man, hundred-yard-dash, and she staggered out the door into the snow!
And when we found her Christmas morning, at the scene of the attack, she had hoof-prints on her forehead, and incriminating claw-marks on her back!
McGonagle got ran over by a hippogriff, walking home from Hogwarts Christmas eve! You can say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and the rest of the celebrating school, we believe (and are delighted!)."
This was the chorus ringing through the Hogwarts halls, as Lily Evans, Arabella Figg, Sophia Heath, Sakura Kinomoto, Tomoyo Daidouji, Rika Sasaki- Potter-Ivers, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley-Craven, Ron Weasley-Craven, Eriol Hiiragizawa, Syaoran Li, Draco Malfoy-Winner, and Harry Potter-Ivers strolled down to the Great Hall the day before all the students were scheduled to leave for their homes for Christmas Break.
Arabella and Sophia had opened with her rendition of 'Deck the Halls', followed by Tomoyo's version of 'Santa Baby'. Lily had followed this up with the supposed 'right' version of 'You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch'. Arabella again had taken up the singing, using 'Rockin' around the Christmas Tree ' as her next tune. It was actually Ron who started the last song, while everyone, even Hermione and Li joined in. Unfortunately, they never noticed how close they were to the Great Hall, and all the listening ears inside of it...
"TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!!!"
The group all turned to see a livid Professor McGonagle, standing beside her chair, hands on her hips, while the rest of the staff table tried not to laugh. Unfortunately, the students didn't have that sort of control.
"Oh! You didn't like the song? Well, perhaps we have a better one!" Bella giggled.
"Baby picture you and me! Hangin' round a Christmas tree, colored lights and an angel up above, Christmas of love!" Bella sang out. Seeing the McGonagle still didn't look pleased, she immediately shut up, still laughing.
"Paddy melt, Paddy melt, Paddy melt on rye! Oh how fun, it is to scarf a great big plate of fries, HEY!!! Chili cheese, chili cheese, chili cheese on top! Stuff it down, eat it all, chow until you pop!"
Everyone turned to Eriol, who had been the one to belt out this stanza. Syaoran snickered, while the rest of their friends laughed hysterically. Even McGonagle, who looked disgusted, could not help but smile (Eriol had sung the words to the tune of 'Jingle Bells').
"The first, milk shake, was a creamy delight! We sucked it down so fast! And we burped it up all night!" Arabella continued for Eriol.
"Load the grill with fatty meat, cook it really fast, and eat, eat, eat! Pile on bacon and blue cheese (ew!), bag the diet, and cheat, cheat, cheat! You'll be buyin' bigger blue-jeans! Medium, Large, oversized! We don't care if we get fatter, give me one more piece, of apple pie!"
This time, it was not the group at the door who sang, but the whole Slytherin table. Everyone looked over to see the Slytherin boys wearing skimpy Mrs. Clause dresses, complete with fluffy white trim and thigh-high skirts. All the Slytherin girls were wearing full-formed Santa outfits, complete with padding to make them look extra fat, and Santa hats. Now the whole rest of the school was in an uproar, because the Slytherins had climbed onto their table, and were now Exotic-dancing to some music that had just happened to have started playing at that moment. The students were beside themselves with mirth, and even the teachers were working to keep from falling to the floor.
"That worked well! By the way, who did the costumes?" Bella questioned, turning to her group. Tomoyo smirked and raised her hand. Bella grinned and clapped her on the back.
"I should have known. And who did the dancing part?" She continued. Four hands from the Gryffindor table raised, and Bella glared at the Marauders, who were now looking quite pleased with themselves.
"Now *that* was a prank worth our time!" Syaoran commented as they went to sit in their seats. Harry grinned and winked at James, who sent him a thumbs-up. Ever since the second day of their Hogwarts year, Harry, Ron, Draco, Eriol, and Syaoran had become quite good friends with the four Marauders. They tended not to play jokes on the girls, with the other boys, but liked to get together and form horrible ways to torture the Slytherins.
"Christmas is tomorrow. Bella and Sophia are going to stay with Lily's family, and all the Marauders, save for Peter, who has to visit his grandparents, are going to James' house. We have this place all to ourselves, if I read the list right." Eriol commented as they sat down at their seats. Everyone else still had their eyes on the Slytherins, who were now lap-dancing some of the not-so-amused teachers, and each other.
"Good. We have to talk to Dumbledore about this staying here, thing. I don't think I can handle growing up with my parents. I mean, it is great seeing them and all, but...seeing them grow up, and fall in love? Kids aren't supposed to know all the details of their parent's life before marriage, are they?" Harry sighed. Eriol glanced at him, and then began to play with his fork.
"I don't see how we can avoid it, Harry. We were brought to this time, during this year, for a reason, and I have a feeling that that is to get your parents together. We have been here five months already, and I highly doubt that we will be arriving anytime soon. Remember when Bella told us that Lily and James didn't even start liking each other until they were in seventh year? Well, I have a feeling..." Eriol stopped here as Harry groaned and Syaoran's head dropped onto his arms in defeat. They all missed home...but they were needed here.
"So, we have to wait for another three years? Man, how long will that be in our time?" Ron hissed. Eriol shrugged.
"Three days." He said, calculating it in his mind. Ron sighed with relief, as did all of the others.
"We sure aren't missing much, then, are we?" Rika giggled, as she began to hum 'Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer' again. The others grinned and went back to their meals.
Little did they know how wrong they were!
~*~*~*~
*Presently, in the year 2002...*
(From last chapter)
"We have a lot to explain." Serius sighed. There was a shuffle from behind them.
"Yes you do! And you can start by telling us how it is possible that we are here!" Came a laughing voice from behind them.
For a moment, Remus and Serius stood frozen to the ground, their faces paling horribly. Even Arabella and Sophia stilled, gasps emitting from their mouths.
"Oh my..." Came Molly Weasley's weak voice, sounding strangled. The group did a slow turn, and faced the two people who they thought they would never see again...alive that is.
James and Lily Potter.
Both James and Lily were looking disheveled, but shockingly ALIVE!!!!! They both had smiles on their faces, although the smiles were laced with tears. James looked the same as he always had. Bright brown eyes that sparkled at everyone, and messy black hair that could not be tamed. He still looked muscular as always, and his hair had not one gray hair on it. Beside him, Lily was looking no different as well. Her red hair curled down to her mid- back, and her bright green eyes laughed at them.
"How..." Arabella choked; Serius, however, was not one to stall with conversation. With a cry, he bounded over to them and smothered them in hugs, and in Lily's case, kisses. Remus was not far behind, with Sophia close on her heals. Bella hesitated, but then bounded forward, catching Lily up in a monster hug.
"Lily! Oh Lily! I thought you were gone forever! Oh, Lils!!!" Bella sobbed, her words coming fast. Lily's eyes filled with happy tears, and she hugged her best friend back; Sophia too, threw herself at Lily, nearly knocking the two other women to the ground. James then found himself buried underneath a pile of arms and legs, as Serius and Remus threw themselves at him, hugging him as if there were no tomorrow; all manly dignity was gone, for the moment. Tears trailed down their faces, and the faces of onlookers, who were watching this in shock and joy. Meiling leaned into Neville's arms, and looked up into his face.
"They are alive! Harry and Rika...they will finally meet their parents..." She trailed off as Neville smothered her lips with overjoyed kisses. The adults, who had managed to compose themselves, were watching the scene with amusement. Then Serius and Remus turned back to their newly-revived friends; Bella and Sophia still had their arms plastered to Lily, while Molly Weasley clutched at her husband's arm in endless delight.
"We have a lot of explaining to do..." Serius sighed, looking from Lily to James, and then back again, smiles writhing across his face.
"I believe that it would be best if we all go inside, so everyone can hear us better. I will enlarge the Great Hall, so everyone can fit in there, and then you may explain yourselves." Dumbledore said. The friends agreed, and within minutes, the whole crowd of stunned and fearful parents, teachers, and students filed into the Great Hall.
~*~*~*~
"Bye, James, Remus, Serius! Have a happy Christmas!" Harry yelled after his new friends, as they climbed into their carriage that would take them to the train.
"Goodbye, Lily! Bye Sophia! Bella, don't mess around too much!" Rika called, much to the amusement of Bella, who grinned, revealing alternating green and red teeth (the Marauder's had hit her with a curse that had yet to come off).
"Don't forget us!" Bella wailed in an over-dramatic voice. Rika rolled her eyes and waved as the carriages pulled away.
"Wa-hoo! We have the whole castle to ourselves!" Ron cheered, running back up the steps and into the front hall, the others following close behind.
"Come on Mione'! I want to show you a special place!" Ron crowed, dragging his girl-friend away. The others laughed as they left, and then turned to each other.
"I have to get some of my homework done, before I forget. Rika, will you join me in the library?" Draco asked, doing a mock-bow, and holding out his arm. She grinned and allowed him to lead her away.
"I want to go talk to Hagrid." Sakura commented, looking out a window.
"I'll come with you." Syaoran whispered, taking her arm and leading her back outside. Now all that were left in the hall were Harry, Ginny, Eriol, and Tomoyo. Suddenly, Eriol got a sly look on his face, and he winked at Tomoyo.
"Er...we have to go spy on Hermione and Ron!" He called, dragging Tomoyo out of the room before she could say anything. When they were safely out of the hall, Tomoyo wrenched her arm out of Eriol's grasp, blushing.
"What was that all about?" She hissed. He turned to her, his eyes sparkling.
"Harry and Ginny are alone. Sure, they may have kissed, but they have yet to admit their feelings for each other. Harry is practically crazy with his love for her, and he won't even admit it to himself, yet. And Ginny...well, let's just say, he had better fess' up soon, because the sexual tension between them is getting a little too thick." He laughed. Tomoyo gasped at his use of words, and playfully slapped him on the arm.
"Come my dear. I believe that we have a little spying to do!" Eriol chuckled, tucking her arm into his, and then leading her away, down the corridor.
~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were standing uncomfortably in the front hall, both trying to act nonchalant. Ginny's face was bright red, however, and Harry was not looking much better.
"Erm...I suppose we are on our own, then." He stated, looking around the empty room dumbly. Ginny sighed.
"Any ideas?" She asked. He frowned, and then a mischievous glint entered his eyes.
"Follow me!" He grabbed her hand and rushed up a long flight of stairs. Two more flights of stairs and twenty hallway's later, they finally reached their destination, the one-eyed witch on the fourth floor.
"Dissendium!" Harry hissed. The statue moved, and Ginny gasped.
"Harry! What on earth? Where are you taking me?" She snapped. Harry smirked and dragged her down the passageway, using the 'lumos' spell to light their way. Ginny kept complaining until Harry finally had to cover her mouth with his hand; they had reached Honeydukes cellar. Silently, Harry and Ginny crept up the stairs and into Honeydukes, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Ginny, who still had Harry's hand over her mouth, was blushing and trying to struggle away. At last, Harry let her go, as they walked out the front door into the cold winter day.
"And that, is how Fred and George managed to get away with much of their mischief." He laughed, grabbing her hand.
"Oh, my! I never suspected...did they show you how to...Harry, where are you taking me now?" Ginny asked helplessly. Harry grinned.
"Yes, they did show me how to do that. And I am taking you to 'The Three Broomsticks'. I reckon you are getting cold." He murmured. It was then that Ginny realized that she was shivering.
"Well, it is your fault that I didn't have a chance to get my cloak." She muttered. Harry laughed and led her into the warm room.
"Two butter-beers." Harry said this to a woman who was standing behind the bar, as they passed by. She smiled and nodded her head, and they went to sit down in a small booth in the far corner of the room.
"Wow! Who would have guessed that the famous Harry Potter would actually break the rules and sneak out of Hogwarts, just to get a drink?!" Ginny giggled, as Harry flashed her an irritable smile.
"I do a lot of things that don't exactly go by the rules, Miss Weasley!" He chuckled. Ginny blushed, and nodded a thank-you to the woman who had just set down a mug of butter-beer in front of her.
"Yeah, like taking girls up to the Astronomy Tower on romantic, late-night snog sessions!" She teased. At this, Harry's laughter disappeared, and his face became serious.
"Let me tell you, Miss Weasley, that I have never taken a girl there, nor have I ever really snogged a girl before. I got pretty close with Cho once, but that was as far as I have ever let it go." Harry stated. Ginny looked surprised.
"But you are the school heart-throb! How did you ever keep that title, when you never even snogged a girl?!" She asked. He sighed.
"Cho was the first, and she just happened to tell everyone that I was a good kisser. After that, every girl that I dated tried to get me to snog them. It was about that time that I would dump them. I am not a snogging god, like they make me out to be, Ginny. In fact, I never even felt one thing for those girls, though with Cho I thought I did. You see, I don't even know why I went out with all of them. Perhaps it was because I wanted something to do...or maybe it was because I thought that each girl-friend would be different. Maybe, they would see me as someone other than the 'boy who lived'. Maybe they would love me for ME and not for some person they made me out to be."
His voice was sad and lonely, and completely unlike the Harry that she knew. During the last part of his speech, Ginny had felt pangs of guilt hit her in the stomach. She had been just like his girl-friends. She liked him because he was famous, played Quidditch and because he was good-looking. She had only been looking at the material things, and had never even thought to look deeper than that, at the lonely, sad, love-deprived boy beneath; until earlier this year. That was when she had started seeing the changes in him. When she had begun to realize that there was more to Harry Potter than met the eye.
He had a god-father that was a convicted murderer, and an escaped convict. He had a sister that no one knew about. He had other secrets that she had yet to learn. There was so much! So much for him to bare, so much that was resting on his shoulders. And yet, the only thing people saw was the shell around Harry, never any deeper.
"Your parents would have been proud of you, Harry. You have become something that even the public and all your admirers could never equal to. Not just outside, but inside as well. I can see that, even if no one else can. But I have a feeling other people see it too. Professor Dumbledore, Serius, Remus, all your other friends, mum, dad, even Fred and George have seen it." She commented. He smiled wistfully.
"Do you really think that mum and dad would be proud of me, proud of what I have become?" He asked quietly. Ginny grinned.
"Lily and James Potter would be proud, Harry, just like I am. In fact, I know that Lily is proud of you, even now! She may not know that we are from the past, and that you are her future son, but she does like you, and what you have become. Does that say anything? And your dad...well, he likes your pranks!" She laughed.
"When we get home, I am going to clear Serius' name, and find a cure for Remus' werewolf-ism. I am going to hug Mrs. Weasley really tight, and I am going to apologize to Professor Snape." Harry vowed. Ginny laughed.
"Apologize? You?" She teased. Harry frowned and without warning, he placed his hand on her waist and began to tickle her. She shrieked and laughed even harder.
"Harry Potter, you stop that right now!" She hissed, tears of mirth filling her eyes. He obeyed and finished his butter-beer in one gulp.
"We had better return to the castle, now. The feast is going to start soon." He said, standing up and helping her up. She mock-glared at him.
"Harry, you are an ogre!"
"I love you too, Ginny." With this, he lead the shocked Ginny back out into the street, laughing.
Little did they know, two pairs of eyes followed them, one pair filled with shock, and the other filled with something close to elation.
~*~*~*~
Well, now that that is settled, here is the fourth chapter!
Oh, P.S, I am going on a trip, so don't expect me to update for a while! Sorry!
~*~*~*~
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes.
By: Daphne Li
Chapter 4.
"Deck the halls with gasoline! Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Light the match and watch it gleam, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Watch the school burn down to ashes, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...aren't you glad we played with matches? Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la- la...LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Santa baby, slip a camera under the tree for me, been an awful good girl, Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight!"
"You're a mean one, Mr. Potter! You really are a heal, you're as cuddly as an cactus and as charming eel...Mr. Pot-TER!"
"Rockin' around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop! Mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple avoids it like a disease!"
"McGonagle got ran over by a hippogriff, walking home from Hogwarts Christmas eve! You can see there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and Dumbledore, and Hagrid, and almost everyone else at Hogwarts, we believe!
She'd been drinking too much butter-beer, and urged her to go fast! She obeyed, began a one-man, hundred-yard-dash, and she staggered out the door into the snow!
And when we found her Christmas morning, at the scene of the attack, she had hoof-prints on her forehead, and incriminating claw-marks on her back!
McGonagle got ran over by a hippogriff, walking home from Hogwarts Christmas eve! You can say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and the rest of the celebrating school, we believe (and are delighted!)."
This was the chorus ringing through the Hogwarts halls, as Lily Evans, Arabella Figg, Sophia Heath, Sakura Kinomoto, Tomoyo Daidouji, Rika Sasaki- Potter-Ivers, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley-Craven, Ron Weasley-Craven, Eriol Hiiragizawa, Syaoran Li, Draco Malfoy-Winner, and Harry Potter-Ivers strolled down to the Great Hall the day before all the students were scheduled to leave for their homes for Christmas Break.
Arabella and Sophia had opened with her rendition of 'Deck the Halls', followed by Tomoyo's version of 'Santa Baby'. Lily had followed this up with the supposed 'right' version of 'You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch'. Arabella again had taken up the singing, using 'Rockin' around the Christmas Tree ' as her next tune. It was actually Ron who started the last song, while everyone, even Hermione and Li joined in. Unfortunately, they never noticed how close they were to the Great Hall, and all the listening ears inside of it...
"TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!!!"
The group all turned to see a livid Professor McGonagle, standing beside her chair, hands on her hips, while the rest of the staff table tried not to laugh. Unfortunately, the students didn't have that sort of control.
"Oh! You didn't like the song? Well, perhaps we have a better one!" Bella giggled.
"Baby picture you and me! Hangin' round a Christmas tree, colored lights and an angel up above, Christmas of love!" Bella sang out. Seeing the McGonagle still didn't look pleased, she immediately shut up, still laughing.
"Paddy melt, Paddy melt, Paddy melt on rye! Oh how fun, it is to scarf a great big plate of fries, HEY!!! Chili cheese, chili cheese, chili cheese on top! Stuff it down, eat it all, chow until you pop!"
Everyone turned to Eriol, who had been the one to belt out this stanza. Syaoran snickered, while the rest of their friends laughed hysterically. Even McGonagle, who looked disgusted, could not help but smile (Eriol had sung the words to the tune of 'Jingle Bells').
"The first, milk shake, was a creamy delight! We sucked it down so fast! And we burped it up all night!" Arabella continued for Eriol.
"Load the grill with fatty meat, cook it really fast, and eat, eat, eat! Pile on bacon and blue cheese (ew!), bag the diet, and cheat, cheat, cheat! You'll be buyin' bigger blue-jeans! Medium, Large, oversized! We don't care if we get fatter, give me one more piece, of apple pie!"
This time, it was not the group at the door who sang, but the whole Slytherin table. Everyone looked over to see the Slytherin boys wearing skimpy Mrs. Clause dresses, complete with fluffy white trim and thigh-high skirts. All the Slytherin girls were wearing full-formed Santa outfits, complete with padding to make them look extra fat, and Santa hats. Now the whole rest of the school was in an uproar, because the Slytherins had climbed onto their table, and were now Exotic-dancing to some music that had just happened to have started playing at that moment. The students were beside themselves with mirth, and even the teachers were working to keep from falling to the floor.
"That worked well! By the way, who did the costumes?" Bella questioned, turning to her group. Tomoyo smirked and raised her hand. Bella grinned and clapped her on the back.
"I should have known. And who did the dancing part?" She continued. Four hands from the Gryffindor table raised, and Bella glared at the Marauders, who were now looking quite pleased with themselves.
"Now *that* was a prank worth our time!" Syaoran commented as they went to sit in their seats. Harry grinned and winked at James, who sent him a thumbs-up. Ever since the second day of their Hogwarts year, Harry, Ron, Draco, Eriol, and Syaoran had become quite good friends with the four Marauders. They tended not to play jokes on the girls, with the other boys, but liked to get together and form horrible ways to torture the Slytherins.
"Christmas is tomorrow. Bella and Sophia are going to stay with Lily's family, and all the Marauders, save for Peter, who has to visit his grandparents, are going to James' house. We have this place all to ourselves, if I read the list right." Eriol commented as they sat down at their seats. Everyone else still had their eyes on the Slytherins, who were now lap-dancing some of the not-so-amused teachers, and each other.
"Good. We have to talk to Dumbledore about this staying here, thing. I don't think I can handle growing up with my parents. I mean, it is great seeing them and all, but...seeing them grow up, and fall in love? Kids aren't supposed to know all the details of their parent's life before marriage, are they?" Harry sighed. Eriol glanced at him, and then began to play with his fork.
"I don't see how we can avoid it, Harry. We were brought to this time, during this year, for a reason, and I have a feeling that that is to get your parents together. We have been here five months already, and I highly doubt that we will be arriving anytime soon. Remember when Bella told us that Lily and James didn't even start liking each other until they were in seventh year? Well, I have a feeling..." Eriol stopped here as Harry groaned and Syaoran's head dropped onto his arms in defeat. They all missed home...but they were needed here.
"So, we have to wait for another three years? Man, how long will that be in our time?" Ron hissed. Eriol shrugged.
"Three days." He said, calculating it in his mind. Ron sighed with relief, as did all of the others.
"We sure aren't missing much, then, are we?" Rika giggled, as she began to hum 'Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer' again. The others grinned and went back to their meals.
Little did they know how wrong they were!
~*~*~*~
*Presently, in the year 2002...*
(From last chapter)
"We have a lot to explain." Serius sighed. There was a shuffle from behind them.
"Yes you do! And you can start by telling us how it is possible that we are here!" Came a laughing voice from behind them.
For a moment, Remus and Serius stood frozen to the ground, their faces paling horribly. Even Arabella and Sophia stilled, gasps emitting from their mouths.
"Oh my..." Came Molly Weasley's weak voice, sounding strangled. The group did a slow turn, and faced the two people who they thought they would never see again...alive that is.
James and Lily Potter.
Both James and Lily were looking disheveled, but shockingly ALIVE!!!!! They both had smiles on their faces, although the smiles were laced with tears. James looked the same as he always had. Bright brown eyes that sparkled at everyone, and messy black hair that could not be tamed. He still looked muscular as always, and his hair had not one gray hair on it. Beside him, Lily was looking no different as well. Her red hair curled down to her mid- back, and her bright green eyes laughed at them.
"How..." Arabella choked; Serius, however, was not one to stall with conversation. With a cry, he bounded over to them and smothered them in hugs, and in Lily's case, kisses. Remus was not far behind, with Sophia close on her heals. Bella hesitated, but then bounded forward, catching Lily up in a monster hug.
"Lily! Oh Lily! I thought you were gone forever! Oh, Lils!!!" Bella sobbed, her words coming fast. Lily's eyes filled with happy tears, and she hugged her best friend back; Sophia too, threw herself at Lily, nearly knocking the two other women to the ground. James then found himself buried underneath a pile of arms and legs, as Serius and Remus threw themselves at him, hugging him as if there were no tomorrow; all manly dignity was gone, for the moment. Tears trailed down their faces, and the faces of onlookers, who were watching this in shock and joy. Meiling leaned into Neville's arms, and looked up into his face.
"They are alive! Harry and Rika...they will finally meet their parents..." She trailed off as Neville smothered her lips with overjoyed kisses. The adults, who had managed to compose themselves, were watching the scene with amusement. Then Serius and Remus turned back to their newly-revived friends; Bella and Sophia still had their arms plastered to Lily, while Molly Weasley clutched at her husband's arm in endless delight.
"We have a lot of explaining to do..." Serius sighed, looking from Lily to James, and then back again, smiles writhing across his face.
"I believe that it would be best if we all go inside, so everyone can hear us better. I will enlarge the Great Hall, so everyone can fit in there, and then you may explain yourselves." Dumbledore said. The friends agreed, and within minutes, the whole crowd of stunned and fearful parents, teachers, and students filed into the Great Hall.
~*~*~*~
"Bye, James, Remus, Serius! Have a happy Christmas!" Harry yelled after his new friends, as they climbed into their carriage that would take them to the train.
"Goodbye, Lily! Bye Sophia! Bella, don't mess around too much!" Rika called, much to the amusement of Bella, who grinned, revealing alternating green and red teeth (the Marauder's had hit her with a curse that had yet to come off).
"Don't forget us!" Bella wailed in an over-dramatic voice. Rika rolled her eyes and waved as the carriages pulled away.
"Wa-hoo! We have the whole castle to ourselves!" Ron cheered, running back up the steps and into the front hall, the others following close behind.
"Come on Mione'! I want to show you a special place!" Ron crowed, dragging his girl-friend away. The others laughed as they left, and then turned to each other.
"I have to get some of my homework done, before I forget. Rika, will you join me in the library?" Draco asked, doing a mock-bow, and holding out his arm. She grinned and allowed him to lead her away.
"I want to go talk to Hagrid." Sakura commented, looking out a window.
"I'll come with you." Syaoran whispered, taking her arm and leading her back outside. Now all that were left in the hall were Harry, Ginny, Eriol, and Tomoyo. Suddenly, Eriol got a sly look on his face, and he winked at Tomoyo.
"Er...we have to go spy on Hermione and Ron!" He called, dragging Tomoyo out of the room before she could say anything. When they were safely out of the hall, Tomoyo wrenched her arm out of Eriol's grasp, blushing.
"What was that all about?" She hissed. He turned to her, his eyes sparkling.
"Harry and Ginny are alone. Sure, they may have kissed, but they have yet to admit their feelings for each other. Harry is practically crazy with his love for her, and he won't even admit it to himself, yet. And Ginny...well, let's just say, he had better fess' up soon, because the sexual tension between them is getting a little too thick." He laughed. Tomoyo gasped at his use of words, and playfully slapped him on the arm.
"Come my dear. I believe that we have a little spying to do!" Eriol chuckled, tucking her arm into his, and then leading her away, down the corridor.
~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were standing uncomfortably in the front hall, both trying to act nonchalant. Ginny's face was bright red, however, and Harry was not looking much better.
"Erm...I suppose we are on our own, then." He stated, looking around the empty room dumbly. Ginny sighed.
"Any ideas?" She asked. He frowned, and then a mischievous glint entered his eyes.
"Follow me!" He grabbed her hand and rushed up a long flight of stairs. Two more flights of stairs and twenty hallway's later, they finally reached their destination, the one-eyed witch on the fourth floor.
"Dissendium!" Harry hissed. The statue moved, and Ginny gasped.
"Harry! What on earth? Where are you taking me?" She snapped. Harry smirked and dragged her down the passageway, using the 'lumos' spell to light their way. Ginny kept complaining until Harry finally had to cover her mouth with his hand; they had reached Honeydukes cellar. Silently, Harry and Ginny crept up the stairs and into Honeydukes, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Ginny, who still had Harry's hand over her mouth, was blushing and trying to struggle away. At last, Harry let her go, as they walked out the front door into the cold winter day.
"And that, is how Fred and George managed to get away with much of their mischief." He laughed, grabbing her hand.
"Oh, my! I never suspected...did they show you how to...Harry, where are you taking me now?" Ginny asked helplessly. Harry grinned.
"Yes, they did show me how to do that. And I am taking you to 'The Three Broomsticks'. I reckon you are getting cold." He murmured. It was then that Ginny realized that she was shivering.
"Well, it is your fault that I didn't have a chance to get my cloak." She muttered. Harry laughed and led her into the warm room.
"Two butter-beers." Harry said this to a woman who was standing behind the bar, as they passed by. She smiled and nodded her head, and they went to sit down in a small booth in the far corner of the room.
"Wow! Who would have guessed that the famous Harry Potter would actually break the rules and sneak out of Hogwarts, just to get a drink?!" Ginny giggled, as Harry flashed her an irritable smile.
"I do a lot of things that don't exactly go by the rules, Miss Weasley!" He chuckled. Ginny blushed, and nodded a thank-you to the woman who had just set down a mug of butter-beer in front of her.
"Yeah, like taking girls up to the Astronomy Tower on romantic, late-night snog sessions!" She teased. At this, Harry's laughter disappeared, and his face became serious.
"Let me tell you, Miss Weasley, that I have never taken a girl there, nor have I ever really snogged a girl before. I got pretty close with Cho once, but that was as far as I have ever let it go." Harry stated. Ginny looked surprised.
"But you are the school heart-throb! How did you ever keep that title, when you never even snogged a girl?!" She asked. He sighed.
"Cho was the first, and she just happened to tell everyone that I was a good kisser. After that, every girl that I dated tried to get me to snog them. It was about that time that I would dump them. I am not a snogging god, like they make me out to be, Ginny. In fact, I never even felt one thing for those girls, though with Cho I thought I did. You see, I don't even know why I went out with all of them. Perhaps it was because I wanted something to do...or maybe it was because I thought that each girl-friend would be different. Maybe, they would see me as someone other than the 'boy who lived'. Maybe they would love me for ME and not for some person they made me out to be."
His voice was sad and lonely, and completely unlike the Harry that she knew. During the last part of his speech, Ginny had felt pangs of guilt hit her in the stomach. She had been just like his girl-friends. She liked him because he was famous, played Quidditch and because he was good-looking. She had only been looking at the material things, and had never even thought to look deeper than that, at the lonely, sad, love-deprived boy beneath; until earlier this year. That was when she had started seeing the changes in him. When she had begun to realize that there was more to Harry Potter than met the eye.
He had a god-father that was a convicted murderer, and an escaped convict. He had a sister that no one knew about. He had other secrets that she had yet to learn. There was so much! So much for him to bare, so much that was resting on his shoulders. And yet, the only thing people saw was the shell around Harry, never any deeper.
"Your parents would have been proud of you, Harry. You have become something that even the public and all your admirers could never equal to. Not just outside, but inside as well. I can see that, even if no one else can. But I have a feeling other people see it too. Professor Dumbledore, Serius, Remus, all your other friends, mum, dad, even Fred and George have seen it." She commented. He smiled wistfully.
"Do you really think that mum and dad would be proud of me, proud of what I have become?" He asked quietly. Ginny grinned.
"Lily and James Potter would be proud, Harry, just like I am. In fact, I know that Lily is proud of you, even now! She may not know that we are from the past, and that you are her future son, but she does like you, and what you have become. Does that say anything? And your dad...well, he likes your pranks!" She laughed.
"When we get home, I am going to clear Serius' name, and find a cure for Remus' werewolf-ism. I am going to hug Mrs. Weasley really tight, and I am going to apologize to Professor Snape." Harry vowed. Ginny laughed.
"Apologize? You?" She teased. Harry frowned and without warning, he placed his hand on her waist and began to tickle her. She shrieked and laughed even harder.
"Harry Potter, you stop that right now!" She hissed, tears of mirth filling her eyes. He obeyed and finished his butter-beer in one gulp.
"We had better return to the castle, now. The feast is going to start soon." He said, standing up and helping her up. She mock-glared at him.
"Harry, you are an ogre!"
"I love you too, Ginny." With this, he lead the shocked Ginny back out into the street, laughing.
Little did they know, two pairs of eyes followed them, one pair filled with shock, and the other filled with something close to elation.
~*~*~*~