1976
James, Remus and Sirius walked quietly across the grounds, their path lit up by nothing but the moon and the stars overhead.
"You feeling okay, Moony?"
"Fine, Padfoot. I guess I'm still a little tired from last night, but at least I've got a month before I have to deal with it again."
"True. Maybe we should head back to the dorm?"
"I wouldn't argue with that idea, what do you think James?" They both turned to look at their friend, their very quiet friend who hadn't said much all evening.
"Hmm?"
"Geez, Prongs," said Remus. "You've really been out of it lately. What gives?"
"Oh, I..erm..well.."
"For Merlin's sake," said Sirius. "Spit it out already."
"I've just been thinking about this project from Dumbledore."
"The big 'find the evil and stop it from happening' project?"
"That's the one."
"What about it?" Sirius stopped walking, turning to look his friend directly in the eyes. He had the feeling there was something big going on here.
"Well," James said as he looked into the dark eyes in front of him. "I'm just wondering the purpose of it. I mean, Dumbledore can't seriously be thinking of using our work to help the Ministry, can he? They wouldn't even take it seriously, would they?"
"I don't know, Prongs," Remus said cautiously. "If your work is really that great and that accurate, then he'd have to make them take it seriously, wouldn't he?"
"I don't even know that it's working. I mean, something is supposed to happen on the 17th. That's only two days away and we don't have any idea what will happen or how to stop it. How is that supposed to help anyone?"
"What plans do you have for this phase?"
"Malfoy is working on another potion and, I think, a charm to go with it."
"And then?" Remus tried to sound casual, but he couldn't help being concerned. It seemed obvious that Malfoy couldn't be trusted, yet James was working so closely with him and was apparently going to knowing allow Malfoy to use magic against him.
"And then we'll meet up with Dumbledore and McGonagall and we'll test it out," James said simply with a bit more confidence than he felt.
"Hmmph." Sirius looked over at Remus and saw that the wolf was close to the surface. Even this close to the full moon, Remus was fine, except when provoked and everyone knew that messing with his friends was enough to provoke him.
#*#*#*#
Lucius, James, Albus and Minerva sat around the table in the Potions room looking at each other. Minerva McGonagall was awestruck. Albus Dumbledore simply appeared knowingly pleased. Lucius Malfoy and James Potter were pleased as well, but a bit confused by McGonagall's reaction.
"You were actually there, weren't you?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, ma'am, we were," Malfoy said. "It seemed we just..appeared there..after taking the potion."
"I'm still not certain what's happened," said James. "I know that I drank the potion. I know that it was tonight and I was sitting here, and then suddenly it was the day after tomorrow and I was in the Great Hall. I know that Malfoy and I performed that very intricate charm and then he walked up to Pritchard, you know that fourth year from Ravenclaw? I'm not sure what happened after that, they just talked for a moment and suddenly we were back here. Can either of you explain that?" James looked from the Headmaster to the Professor and back again.
"I believe the explanation is that the two of you..changed the future, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said. "We have it on authority that the day after tomorrow, November 17th, at 4:17 pm, Ms. Pritchard would have walked away from the Ravenclaw table in a deep depression and proceeded to attempt to perform one of the unforgivable curses on a fellow student. Somehow, your presence delayed her long enough for the urge to pass. She will, instead, approach me for some private discussion and we will be able to help her through a very troubling time."
"How do you know all this?"
"Simple, James. With certain assistance, Professor McGonagall and I can be quite powerful seers. Certain wizards can work together to increase their power, as we have been doing for years. It would seem, based on the strength and success of this assignment, as well as the extremely high level of magic involved, that the two of you have that ability as well. This is precisely what I was hoping for."
Lucius and James looked at Dumbledore in shock, then at each other with mutual respect clouded by distrust.
"Why would we WANT to work together, Headmaster?" Lucius voiced the question that both of them were thinking. "We don't exactly get along, you realize."
"I hope you would want to work together to prevent a huge imbalance of power in our future. You see, gentlemen, the department of Future Accuracy and Reparation at the Ministry has found a very strong power that appears to be in the wrong place. It would seem the Scales of Power indicate that a Dark power is rising now and will be struck down in a few years' time by an even stronger Light power. Unfortunately, within two decades, that Dark power will rise again and eventually the Light power will be joining it. We don't know the details of it, but since it would appear that your potion and charm did the job, we'd like the two of you to try it again, for 1997, December, I think. It's extremely important to the future and balance of the wizarding world. This needs to be fixed." He stopped, looking at them with hopeful expectation.
Now, James Potter and Lucius Malfoy understood the expression of awe from their Transfiguration Professor as well as the knowing expression from their Headmaster. Now they understood the implications, the importance of this particular detention assignment. Now, they both understood that there would be a choice for each of them to make. Looking at one another, crystal blue eyes met with deep brown ones. Questions and answers seemed to pass between them all within a look. As one, they turned back to the Headmaster and nodded. James was the first to speak, his voice revealing nervousness and resignation as he asked the inevitable question, "When?"
James, Remus and Sirius walked quietly across the grounds, their path lit up by nothing but the moon and the stars overhead.
"You feeling okay, Moony?"
"Fine, Padfoot. I guess I'm still a little tired from last night, but at least I've got a month before I have to deal with it again."
"True. Maybe we should head back to the dorm?"
"I wouldn't argue with that idea, what do you think James?" They both turned to look at their friend, their very quiet friend who hadn't said much all evening.
"Hmm?"
"Geez, Prongs," said Remus. "You've really been out of it lately. What gives?"
"Oh, I..erm..well.."
"For Merlin's sake," said Sirius. "Spit it out already."
"I've just been thinking about this project from Dumbledore."
"The big 'find the evil and stop it from happening' project?"
"That's the one."
"What about it?" Sirius stopped walking, turning to look his friend directly in the eyes. He had the feeling there was something big going on here.
"Well," James said as he looked into the dark eyes in front of him. "I'm just wondering the purpose of it. I mean, Dumbledore can't seriously be thinking of using our work to help the Ministry, can he? They wouldn't even take it seriously, would they?"
"I don't know, Prongs," Remus said cautiously. "If your work is really that great and that accurate, then he'd have to make them take it seriously, wouldn't he?"
"I don't even know that it's working. I mean, something is supposed to happen on the 17th. That's only two days away and we don't have any idea what will happen or how to stop it. How is that supposed to help anyone?"
"What plans do you have for this phase?"
"Malfoy is working on another potion and, I think, a charm to go with it."
"And then?" Remus tried to sound casual, but he couldn't help being concerned. It seemed obvious that Malfoy couldn't be trusted, yet James was working so closely with him and was apparently going to knowing allow Malfoy to use magic against him.
"And then we'll meet up with Dumbledore and McGonagall and we'll test it out," James said simply with a bit more confidence than he felt.
"Hmmph." Sirius looked over at Remus and saw that the wolf was close to the surface. Even this close to the full moon, Remus was fine, except when provoked and everyone knew that messing with his friends was enough to provoke him.
#*#*#*#
Lucius, James, Albus and Minerva sat around the table in the Potions room looking at each other. Minerva McGonagall was awestruck. Albus Dumbledore simply appeared knowingly pleased. Lucius Malfoy and James Potter were pleased as well, but a bit confused by McGonagall's reaction.
"You were actually there, weren't you?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, ma'am, we were," Malfoy said. "It seemed we just..appeared there..after taking the potion."
"I'm still not certain what's happened," said James. "I know that I drank the potion. I know that it was tonight and I was sitting here, and then suddenly it was the day after tomorrow and I was in the Great Hall. I know that Malfoy and I performed that very intricate charm and then he walked up to Pritchard, you know that fourth year from Ravenclaw? I'm not sure what happened after that, they just talked for a moment and suddenly we were back here. Can either of you explain that?" James looked from the Headmaster to the Professor and back again.
"I believe the explanation is that the two of you..changed the future, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said. "We have it on authority that the day after tomorrow, November 17th, at 4:17 pm, Ms. Pritchard would have walked away from the Ravenclaw table in a deep depression and proceeded to attempt to perform one of the unforgivable curses on a fellow student. Somehow, your presence delayed her long enough for the urge to pass. She will, instead, approach me for some private discussion and we will be able to help her through a very troubling time."
"How do you know all this?"
"Simple, James. With certain assistance, Professor McGonagall and I can be quite powerful seers. Certain wizards can work together to increase their power, as we have been doing for years. It would seem, based on the strength and success of this assignment, as well as the extremely high level of magic involved, that the two of you have that ability as well. This is precisely what I was hoping for."
Lucius and James looked at Dumbledore in shock, then at each other with mutual respect clouded by distrust.
"Why would we WANT to work together, Headmaster?" Lucius voiced the question that both of them were thinking. "We don't exactly get along, you realize."
"I hope you would want to work together to prevent a huge imbalance of power in our future. You see, gentlemen, the department of Future Accuracy and Reparation at the Ministry has found a very strong power that appears to be in the wrong place. It would seem the Scales of Power indicate that a Dark power is rising now and will be struck down in a few years' time by an even stronger Light power. Unfortunately, within two decades, that Dark power will rise again and eventually the Light power will be joining it. We don't know the details of it, but since it would appear that your potion and charm did the job, we'd like the two of you to try it again, for 1997, December, I think. It's extremely important to the future and balance of the wizarding world. This needs to be fixed." He stopped, looking at them with hopeful expectation.
Now, James Potter and Lucius Malfoy understood the expression of awe from their Transfiguration Professor as well as the knowing expression from their Headmaster. Now they understood the implications, the importance of this particular detention assignment. Now, they both understood that there would be a choice for each of them to make. Looking at one another, crystal blue eyes met with deep brown ones. Questions and answers seemed to pass between them all within a look. As one, they turned back to the Headmaster and nodded. James was the first to speak, his voice revealing nervousness and resignation as he asked the inevitable question, "When?"