Chapter 22:
A/N: My son has to be thanked for this chapter. Without his generosity in letting me use his computer until mine is fixed, it would still be on hold. I'll work on the next chapter on Thanksgiving day, probably late in the afternoon or at night, since I am the one that has to cook the giant meal.
Ron and Hermione were the first to arrive at the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. They stood there with their trunks, waiting for their four body guards to show up. The heard footsteps coming from behind them, they turned to see Tonks, Charlie and Remus walking toward them.
"Where is Sirius?" Ron asked, looking behind them.
Tonks smiled, "He's collecting some equipment from Fred and George," she answered. "They wanted to be prepared for everything, and those stupefy stickies are just unbelievable."
Hermione looked at Tonks, disappointment evident on her face. "I don't think that Fred and George's inventions are that important that he is late for our appointment with Professor Dumbledore."
Remus put up a hand to stop her from going further, "It was Professor Dumbledore's idea for Sirius and I to stock up on Fred and George's inventions. He wants us to be prepared for anything. We have special robes for all of us, and Harry and Ginny. They have pockets for all of the stuff that we want you all to carry everywhere, just in case."
She looked shocked, "You mean that I'm going to have to carry around that stuff?" she asked.
"Yes, most of the ones that we're bringing are good for protection, and you will need to have them on you just in case," he laughed.
Sirius ran up to them, a large box in his arms. "I got their entire stock of stupefy stickies," he told them. "They also gave us pea soup bombs, and the counter, and invisible nougats. Everything is shrunken into this box, we have enough for a small army."
Ron looked over at the box, "I can't wait until I get to use some of those things, maybe we'll get to pull some pranks with your younger selves."
"Ron, believe me, you will get to pull pranks. I wouldn't doubt that they've already started corrupting Harry," Remus said.
"Tooth flossing string-mints," Tonks said to the gargoyle. The statue jumped out of the way and the six travelers went up to the headmaster's office.
*******************
Harry was sitting at the Gryffindor table eating lunch when he caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Ron and Hermione walking toward him. "Ginny, am I seeing things or are Ron and Hermione walking this way?" he asked, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
Ginny looked over Harry's shoulder and jumped up from the table. She ran toward her brother and friend. "Ron! Hermione! What are you doing here?" she asked as she hugged the two.
"Haven't you checked your trunk?" Ron asked. "Dumbledore sent you and Harry a letter telling you that we were coming." He leaned in toward his sister's ear and whispered, "Voldemort couldn't get to you, so he was going to come after our family and the Grangers. Dumbledore has them hiding at Hogwarts, and he sent us here with four body guards."
"Who did he send?" she asked as they sat down at the table next to Harry, Lily and the marauders.
Hermione laughed, "Introduce us first and then we'll tell you."
Harry blushed, "Sorry. Hermione, Ron, this is Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily. Remus, James, Sirius, Lily, these are my best friends, Ron and Hermione."
"It's very nice to meet you both," Lily told them. "Ginny has told me a lot about you Hermione."
"Where's Wormtail, Harry?" Ron whispered.
"I haven't seen him, Ron. He's at home with his sick grandmother, he'll be back in a few days," he answered.
Sirius grinned, "It's nice to meet my godson's best friends. Are you up for some pranks?"
"Wait, you said that you would tell us who Dumbledore sent," Ginny said, poking her brother in the ribs.
"Well," Hermione said. "He sent Remus, Sirius, Tonks and Charlie."
Sirius looked at them, stunned. "He sent my older self back here to protect you?"
"And me too?" Remus asked.
James looked at his two friends, "Who are Tonks and Charlie?"
"Tonks is kind of Remus' girlfriend, and Charlie is one of my older brothers," Ron answered.
"My girlfriend?" Remus choked.
Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny laughed. "Your girlfriend. You're fighting it, but she's one determined Auror," Hermione said.
"She's an Auror?" Sirius asked. "Wow, Moony. How did you manage to snag yourself an Auror?"
Harry looked at the marauders, "She's younger and pretty too."
"Does she know?" Remus asked.
"Yes." Hermione and Ginny answered together.
Remus stared at the two girls, "And she doesn't care? I can't believe that."
"Finish eating, or just come on. I'm sure that we can raid the kitchens later. They're waiting for us in the room of requirement," Ron told them. The all got up from the table and headed out of the Great Hall.
*********************
"Awww, Remus, you were so cute when you were their age," Tonks told him. The older Remus just blushed.
The older Sirius started handing out small packages of Fred and George's inventions. "These are for you to use if you get into a situation that you can't get out of. I don't mean for you to use them on the slytherins, only on Death Eaters," he told them as he handed each of them a package. "We're here to make sure that nothing happens to Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell Molly that we failed."
"Too right," Charlie said. "My mum would hex us into the next century."
"I think that it might be a good idea for James and Sirius, the younger Sirius, to teach these four how to become Animagus," Remus said, pointing to Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny. "The Voldemort of our time wouldn't expect it, and it would give the four of them ways to hide if they needed to."
"Good idea, Moony. I can help if they want me too," the older Sirius said, patting his old friend on the back. He quickly changed into his dog form, walked around the room and changed back. "I can still do it you know."
Tonks looked at the younger versions of her cousin and Remus, "It might be better if you didn't call them by their real names," she said, pointing to their older versions. "We'll call them Sam and Rob. We don't want anyone to know that doesn't have to."
"Good idea," the older Remus told her.
A/N: My son has to be thanked for this chapter. Without his generosity in letting me use his computer until mine is fixed, it would still be on hold. I'll work on the next chapter on Thanksgiving day, probably late in the afternoon or at night, since I am the one that has to cook the giant meal.
Ron and Hermione were the first to arrive at the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. They stood there with their trunks, waiting for their four body guards to show up. The heard footsteps coming from behind them, they turned to see Tonks, Charlie and Remus walking toward them.
"Where is Sirius?" Ron asked, looking behind them.
Tonks smiled, "He's collecting some equipment from Fred and George," she answered. "They wanted to be prepared for everything, and those stupefy stickies are just unbelievable."
Hermione looked at Tonks, disappointment evident on her face. "I don't think that Fred and George's inventions are that important that he is late for our appointment with Professor Dumbledore."
Remus put up a hand to stop her from going further, "It was Professor Dumbledore's idea for Sirius and I to stock up on Fred and George's inventions. He wants us to be prepared for anything. We have special robes for all of us, and Harry and Ginny. They have pockets for all of the stuff that we want you all to carry everywhere, just in case."
She looked shocked, "You mean that I'm going to have to carry around that stuff?" she asked.
"Yes, most of the ones that we're bringing are good for protection, and you will need to have them on you just in case," he laughed.
Sirius ran up to them, a large box in his arms. "I got their entire stock of stupefy stickies," he told them. "They also gave us pea soup bombs, and the counter, and invisible nougats. Everything is shrunken into this box, we have enough for a small army."
Ron looked over at the box, "I can't wait until I get to use some of those things, maybe we'll get to pull some pranks with your younger selves."
"Ron, believe me, you will get to pull pranks. I wouldn't doubt that they've already started corrupting Harry," Remus said.
"Tooth flossing string-mints," Tonks said to the gargoyle. The statue jumped out of the way and the six travelers went up to the headmaster's office.
*******************
Harry was sitting at the Gryffindor table eating lunch when he caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Ron and Hermione walking toward him. "Ginny, am I seeing things or are Ron and Hermione walking this way?" he asked, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
Ginny looked over Harry's shoulder and jumped up from the table. She ran toward her brother and friend. "Ron! Hermione! What are you doing here?" she asked as she hugged the two.
"Haven't you checked your trunk?" Ron asked. "Dumbledore sent you and Harry a letter telling you that we were coming." He leaned in toward his sister's ear and whispered, "Voldemort couldn't get to you, so he was going to come after our family and the Grangers. Dumbledore has them hiding at Hogwarts, and he sent us here with four body guards."
"Who did he send?" she asked as they sat down at the table next to Harry, Lily and the marauders.
Hermione laughed, "Introduce us first and then we'll tell you."
Harry blushed, "Sorry. Hermione, Ron, this is Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily. Remus, James, Sirius, Lily, these are my best friends, Ron and Hermione."
"It's very nice to meet you both," Lily told them. "Ginny has told me a lot about you Hermione."
"Where's Wormtail, Harry?" Ron whispered.
"I haven't seen him, Ron. He's at home with his sick grandmother, he'll be back in a few days," he answered.
Sirius grinned, "It's nice to meet my godson's best friends. Are you up for some pranks?"
"Wait, you said that you would tell us who Dumbledore sent," Ginny said, poking her brother in the ribs.
"Well," Hermione said. "He sent Remus, Sirius, Tonks and Charlie."
Sirius looked at them, stunned. "He sent my older self back here to protect you?"
"And me too?" Remus asked.
James looked at his two friends, "Who are Tonks and Charlie?"
"Tonks is kind of Remus' girlfriend, and Charlie is one of my older brothers," Ron answered.
"My girlfriend?" Remus choked.
Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny laughed. "Your girlfriend. You're fighting it, but she's one determined Auror," Hermione said.
"She's an Auror?" Sirius asked. "Wow, Moony. How did you manage to snag yourself an Auror?"
Harry looked at the marauders, "She's younger and pretty too."
"Does she know?" Remus asked.
"Yes." Hermione and Ginny answered together.
Remus stared at the two girls, "And she doesn't care? I can't believe that."
"Finish eating, or just come on. I'm sure that we can raid the kitchens later. They're waiting for us in the room of requirement," Ron told them. The all got up from the table and headed out of the Great Hall.
*********************
"Awww, Remus, you were so cute when you were their age," Tonks told him. The older Remus just blushed.
The older Sirius started handing out small packages of Fred and George's inventions. "These are for you to use if you get into a situation that you can't get out of. I don't mean for you to use them on the slytherins, only on Death Eaters," he told them as he handed each of them a package. "We're here to make sure that nothing happens to Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell Molly that we failed."
"Too right," Charlie said. "My mum would hex us into the next century."
"I think that it might be a good idea for James and Sirius, the younger Sirius, to teach these four how to become Animagus," Remus said, pointing to Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny. "The Voldemort of our time wouldn't expect it, and it would give the four of them ways to hide if they needed to."
"Good idea, Moony. I can help if they want me too," the older Sirius said, patting his old friend on the back. He quickly changed into his dog form, walked around the room and changed back. "I can still do it you know."
Tonks looked at the younger versions of her cousin and Remus, "It might be better if you didn't call them by their real names," she said, pointing to their older versions. "We'll call them Sam and Rob. We don't want anyone to know that doesn't have to."
"Good idea," the older Remus told her.