Disclaimer: All characters herein except those otherwise noted belong to J.K. Rowling, who I think, on occasion, to be some sort of goddess. Inspired by another fic of mine, and throught out while sitting through much boredom at work. Spoilers for all five books, I suppose.

Notes: Thanks so much to Kathy, for beta, and for helping over rough spots plotwise. Love ya, babe. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and given me such wonderful feedback. Thanks also to my mom, who has asked me so many times whether I've written more, and maintains that it will always be Ron/Hermione. Even though… eww.

Through Time

Fifteen: The Solution

James stood in stunned silence, looking around at the group that still remained in Dumbledore's office. Remus had his eyes closed, and a murmur ran through the gathered crowd.

"Oh my," said Dumbledore, looking mildly shocked. "My, my."

Lily looked up at James. "It didn't work," she said.

"Bloody hell," said several Weasley brothers.

Dumbledore agreed wholeheartedly.

~`~

Lily and James were sitting on the steps just outside Honeyduke's. Hogsmeade was slowly emptying of Hogwarts' students as the sun began to creep below the horizon and a chill began to settle more firmly in the air. It was cold, but Lily couldn't feel it. She was numb.

She vaguely recognized the sounds of James unwrapping candies beside her. She could hear a clicking noise, but was unsure what it was. Then she realized that it was her teeth chattering.

"Shite, James," she said. "It's cold."

"Yes," James said.

"We should go in," she said.

"I'll wait with you as long as you intend to sit here," James told her. Lily could smell cinnamon on his breath.

"Oh," Lily said. James waited for her to say something else, and she knew that he expected her to explain why they were sitting outside in the cold and the snow on the steps of a candy store while the shadows were growing around them and they MIGHT be late back to the castle. Lily said nothing.

"Is there a reason we're sitting here?" he finally asked.

"This is wrong, James," she said after a moment. "We were supposed to go back. We did what we came to do, and now we can't get back. We're supposed to go back."

"I know," James said. "Dumbledore wants to try again, though. He's trying to figure out what went wrong."

Lily was silent again.

"Do you think that we have to be in that hallway?" Lily asked. James shrugged. He was damned cold.

"There are a lot of variables, Lily. It could be anything." James said.

"Maybe Harry has to be there," Lily said. She stood up. "That's got to be it. We have to be in the hall, and Harry has to be with us. Come on, James, I have to go see Dumbledore!"

She stood up and headed back towards the castle at a run—or as quickly as she could manage with her feet sliding in the snow and slush. James chased after her slipping and falling in the slush once, and standing to find himself very wet and cold, and muddy.

They raced for the gargoyle, intent on telling Dumbledore of Lily's idea.

~`~

Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat at a table in the library, in silence. They simply stared at each other.

"Malfoy," Ron finally croaked.

"Yeah," Harry said. Ron's face was grayish-green, and clashed horribly with his flaming red hair. It didn't look very good with his freckles, either.

"Well," Hermione said, the voice of reason in the situation, as usual. "He is quite good looking," she said. Harry looked at her, green eyes wide with shock. "Oh, come on Harry. He is. I mean, of course I wouldn't want to be his girlfriend, because I'm yours, but he is quite gorgeous. Not that you aren't. But I can certainly understand where Ginny is coming from."

"He's MALFOY!" Ron cried. Madam Pince came toward them. Ron cringed.

"Out of my library," Pince hissed. "Go on with you! All you do is sit about talking, so out to your common rooms with you!"

She came after Ron, hitting him about the head with her wand. Hermione actually giggled as they ran from the library.

~`~

"I suppose anything is worth a try," Dumbledore said. "I think it best that you return to your own time as soon as possible. Prolonged stays in another time are extremely hazardous to one's health."

"How do you know?" Lily asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"My dear girl, I cannot tell you my secrets," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you find Harry."

~`~

An hour later, they were gathered in the hallway where James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily had first appeared. Instead of the large congregation that had gathered that morning in Dumbledore's office, only McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore, the four travelers, and Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were present. Hermione and Ginny hung back near the wall, watching, Ginny clutching Hermione's arm. Something was digging through the fabric of Hermione's robes, and into the skin beneath. She said nothing.

Dumbledore was standing silently, with Snape and McGonagall muttering to each other behind him, his dark blue robes almost black in the faint light from the wall sconces.

"Goodbye," he said plainly, and lifted his wand into the air, beginning the incantation that would send Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus back to their own time.

"Wait," Ginny said, and everyone turned to look at her, even Dumbledore, whose eyebrows seemed to be launching from his forehead in surprise.

"Miss Weasley?" McGonagall said, her voice strained, and annoyed.

"I… I have to…" Ginny stuttered, and her face turned scarlet. She rushed forward and kissed the sixteen-year-old Remus Lupin firmly on the lips. "Thank you," she said, and fled into the shadows down the hall.

Everyone stood in silence for a moment, before Sirius let out a bark of laughter and clapped his friend on the back. Remus blushed and ducked his head.

"Now then," Dumbledore said, a soft smile lighting his wizened features. "Any last kisses?"

"Yeah!" James declared, and swept Lily off of her feet. The red-headed girl shrieked and slapped at him. The small, gathered group laughed.

"Then I bid you all farewell," Dumbledore said, his old blue eyes twinkling as he raised his wand once more and began the incantation to send the four travelers back to their own time.

Lily reached out suddenly and locked her arms around Harry, hugging him tightly.

"Never forget me," She said, then the weight of her body against Harry's was gone, and so was Lily.