Chapter 18: Shocks and Tears
Harry and Ginny had gotten as far as the end of the second task of the tri- wizard tournament when they were interrupted.
"Classes are about to let out, maybe we should find somewhere else to finish this," Lily told them. Harry and Ginny nodded their agreement.
"I know just the place," Harry told them. Lily removed the silencing charm and they followed Harry to the seventh floor.
"What are we doing up here?" Sirius asked, "There's not a lot up here."
Harry and Ginny walked past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy three times, concentrating on a place that they could tell their new acquaintances in comfort, with no one being able to overhear. On the third pass, a door appeared.
"What did you do?" Remus asked.
Harry looked at them and laughed, "It's called the room of requirement. We used it in my fifth year, to have defense meetings. The teacher we had, wouldn't allow us to practice any of the spells that were being taught, but we'll get to that."
*****************************
Two hours later, they had finally finished their tale.
"I can't believe it, I'm dead?" Sirius asked. "All of that hiding to be killed by Bellatrix? I never trusted her, she's such a Slytherin."
Remus looked at his friends, "We can't tell Peter anything, and we need to start watching him. If there's anything that we can do to keep him from joining You-Know-Who, we have to do it."
Lily looked around, "I don't think that you understand, we can't change anything!" she shouted. "We have to protect Harry in this time, but we can't take the chance of changing the future."
Harry watched his mother carefully, "There are some things that I left out," he paused.
James quickly interrupted, "Yes, like how you don't remember me, and how we're related."
"I'm getting to that, but like she said, you can't change anything. It would change the future, and that's something that we don't want to do."
"I understand that, but just knowing is going to change things," Remus told them. "We just have to try to keep the changes to a minimum."
Harry looked at the group, "Alright, Dumbledore knew that sending us here was going to change the future, let's just hope that it doesn't make it worse."
James looked at Harry, "Okay, how are we related?" he asked.
"I'm actually related to two people in this room, James and Lily," he paused. "James is my father, and Lily is my mother."
*********************************
The silence in the room was like a presence, the six teens were looking around, not knowing what to say.
Remus was the one to finally break the silence, "Well, that explains your eyes," he told Harry. "There's not a single guy in the school that doesn't get lost in Lily's eyes." Lily looked over at Remus and smiled, then turned toward Harry and examined his features.
"Harry, you said that you were raised by your muggle relatives," she said. "James isn't related to any muggles, who raised you, my mom?"
Harry hesitated, "It was your sister, Petunia and her husband Vernon. Dumbledore left me on their step, and they spent the next ten years treating me horribly. I slept in a cupboard under the stairs until I got my Hogwarts letter, then they were afraid that they were being watched so they moved me to their son Dudley's second bedroom."
Lily's eyes filled with tears, "I'm sorry, I wish that there was something that I could do to change what you've been through," she told him. "I know that it's wrong, but we have to do something James." She looked over at James, "We have to make some kind of arrangements so that Harry doesn't have to go and live with Petunia," she spat, "My sister shouldn't be allowed to raise a dog."
Remus put his hand on Lily's shoulder, "We can't change anything, Lily," he told her.
"Dumbledore told Harry that he could tell us if he had to, he knew that we were going to change some things," she explained. "If James and I die to save Harry, we should at least make arrangements for someone to take care of him properly."
"I'm pretty sure that we did that when we made Sirius his godfather, but there were problems with that," James told her. "Let's think about this for awhile, we have the rest of the year to decide what we need to do, and if it comes down to it, we can talk to Dumbledore."
************************************
The group left the room of requirement and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, Ginny and Lily bringing up the rear, whispering and giggling.
"What is with girls and giggling?" Sirius asked, glancing behind them at the girls.
"Don't ask me, I have no idea," Harry answered.
James winked at Harry, "But we Potter's have great taste in women, Ginny's a very pretty girl, Harry."
Harry blushed and gave James a shove, "She's my best friend's baby sister, I couldn't do that to Ron," Harry told them.
Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulder, "Your friend Ron isn't here Harry, do you like her?"
Harry glanced back over his shoulder at Ginny walking with his mum, "You know Sirius, I think that I do."
Remus laughed and opened the door to the Great Hall, "Well then, we Marauders will need to assist you with acquiring her as your girlfriend."
The group ate lunch, making jokes and planning pranks on the Slytherins.
**********************************
Harry enjoyed spending time with his father, and the younger Sirius and Remus. He found that it was kind of like spending time with Fred and George Weasley, there was always a prank waiting to be pulled.
"So, what should we do today, young Harry? Turn Snivellus' hair pink? Prank the Slytherin table during dinner? Give me an idea," Sirius said, looking from Harry to Remus to James.
"Guys, maybe you should try being nicer to Snape," Harry said, earning shocked and appalled looks from the three others. "Look, he's a professor in my time. He hates me because of the way that the three of you treat him." He leaned over toward Sirius, "And don't even think about sending him through the tunnel that goes to the shrieking shack. That is an event that scars him for life, and makes him hate you and Remus. The fight against Voldemort in my time will be made much easier if he doesn't hate the three of you."
Sirius leaned back, "Alright Harry, for you, I'll try to curb being so rotten to Snivellus. We don't want to make things harder for you."
Harry and Ginny had gotten as far as the end of the second task of the tri- wizard tournament when they were interrupted.
"Classes are about to let out, maybe we should find somewhere else to finish this," Lily told them. Harry and Ginny nodded their agreement.
"I know just the place," Harry told them. Lily removed the silencing charm and they followed Harry to the seventh floor.
"What are we doing up here?" Sirius asked, "There's not a lot up here."
Harry and Ginny walked past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy three times, concentrating on a place that they could tell their new acquaintances in comfort, with no one being able to overhear. On the third pass, a door appeared.
"What did you do?" Remus asked.
Harry looked at them and laughed, "It's called the room of requirement. We used it in my fifth year, to have defense meetings. The teacher we had, wouldn't allow us to practice any of the spells that were being taught, but we'll get to that."
*****************************
Two hours later, they had finally finished their tale.
"I can't believe it, I'm dead?" Sirius asked. "All of that hiding to be killed by Bellatrix? I never trusted her, she's such a Slytherin."
Remus looked at his friends, "We can't tell Peter anything, and we need to start watching him. If there's anything that we can do to keep him from joining You-Know-Who, we have to do it."
Lily looked around, "I don't think that you understand, we can't change anything!" she shouted. "We have to protect Harry in this time, but we can't take the chance of changing the future."
Harry watched his mother carefully, "There are some things that I left out," he paused.
James quickly interrupted, "Yes, like how you don't remember me, and how we're related."
"I'm getting to that, but like she said, you can't change anything. It would change the future, and that's something that we don't want to do."
"I understand that, but just knowing is going to change things," Remus told them. "We just have to try to keep the changes to a minimum."
Harry looked at the group, "Alright, Dumbledore knew that sending us here was going to change the future, let's just hope that it doesn't make it worse."
James looked at Harry, "Okay, how are we related?" he asked.
"I'm actually related to two people in this room, James and Lily," he paused. "James is my father, and Lily is my mother."
*********************************
The silence in the room was like a presence, the six teens were looking around, not knowing what to say.
Remus was the one to finally break the silence, "Well, that explains your eyes," he told Harry. "There's not a single guy in the school that doesn't get lost in Lily's eyes." Lily looked over at Remus and smiled, then turned toward Harry and examined his features.
"Harry, you said that you were raised by your muggle relatives," she said. "James isn't related to any muggles, who raised you, my mom?"
Harry hesitated, "It was your sister, Petunia and her husband Vernon. Dumbledore left me on their step, and they spent the next ten years treating me horribly. I slept in a cupboard under the stairs until I got my Hogwarts letter, then they were afraid that they were being watched so they moved me to their son Dudley's second bedroom."
Lily's eyes filled with tears, "I'm sorry, I wish that there was something that I could do to change what you've been through," she told him. "I know that it's wrong, but we have to do something James." She looked over at James, "We have to make some kind of arrangements so that Harry doesn't have to go and live with Petunia," she spat, "My sister shouldn't be allowed to raise a dog."
Remus put his hand on Lily's shoulder, "We can't change anything, Lily," he told her.
"Dumbledore told Harry that he could tell us if he had to, he knew that we were going to change some things," she explained. "If James and I die to save Harry, we should at least make arrangements for someone to take care of him properly."
"I'm pretty sure that we did that when we made Sirius his godfather, but there were problems with that," James told her. "Let's think about this for awhile, we have the rest of the year to decide what we need to do, and if it comes down to it, we can talk to Dumbledore."
************************************
The group left the room of requirement and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, Ginny and Lily bringing up the rear, whispering and giggling.
"What is with girls and giggling?" Sirius asked, glancing behind them at the girls.
"Don't ask me, I have no idea," Harry answered.
James winked at Harry, "But we Potter's have great taste in women, Ginny's a very pretty girl, Harry."
Harry blushed and gave James a shove, "She's my best friend's baby sister, I couldn't do that to Ron," Harry told them.
Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulder, "Your friend Ron isn't here Harry, do you like her?"
Harry glanced back over his shoulder at Ginny walking with his mum, "You know Sirius, I think that I do."
Remus laughed and opened the door to the Great Hall, "Well then, we Marauders will need to assist you with acquiring her as your girlfriend."
The group ate lunch, making jokes and planning pranks on the Slytherins.
**********************************
Harry enjoyed spending time with his father, and the younger Sirius and Remus. He found that it was kind of like spending time with Fred and George Weasley, there was always a prank waiting to be pulled.
"So, what should we do today, young Harry? Turn Snivellus' hair pink? Prank the Slytherin table during dinner? Give me an idea," Sirius said, looking from Harry to Remus to James.
"Guys, maybe you should try being nicer to Snape," Harry said, earning shocked and appalled looks from the three others. "Look, he's a professor in my time. He hates me because of the way that the three of you treat him." He leaned over toward Sirius, "And don't even think about sending him through the tunnel that goes to the shrieking shack. That is an event that scars him for life, and makes him hate you and Remus. The fight against Voldemort in my time will be made much easier if he doesn't hate the three of you."
Sirius leaned back, "Alright Harry, for you, I'll try to curb being so rotten to Snivellus. We don't want to make things harder for you."