Chapter 23
The next month passed in a blur for Harry, he had classes, pulled pranks with Sirius, Remus, James, Ron and the older Sirius and Remus, and had lessons in becoming an Animagus. He was sitting in the room of requirement with Sirius, attempting the transformation for the hundredth time that week.
"I'm getting nowhere," he complained to his godfather. "I can't even get my hair to grow." He flopped down on the chair next to him.
Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder, "It took your father and me years to get it right. It's just going to take time, you'll get it eventually." He handed Harry a chocolate frog. "Just relax, I think that we're going to give you a few days off so that you can think about what you learned in the books."
Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes,"I'm thinking about what I read, it's just not making it any easier. Ginny has already started to grow fur on her hands, Ron can turn his hand into a paw, and Hermione gets feathers all over her body. I can't manage to change at all," he complained.
Sirius ruffled Harry's hair, "You're just trying to hard, you just have to let it come. Let your magic control it, don't try to control the transformation. You just have to let it happen."
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath then opened his eyes and looked at Sirius. "Alright, one more time, then I'm done for today," he told him. He stood up from the chair and moved to the center of the room. He sat down on the floor and closed his eyes. He cleared his mind and just tried to let his magic take over the transformation.
********************
Hermione, Ginny and Lily were sitting in the library, but they weren't even looking at the books in front of them. They were leaning close together and whispering.
"Alright, so operation boyfriend will go into effect tonight. Hermione, by Christmas, you will be dating Ron. Ginny, you will be dating Harry by then too," Lily told them.
"And you will be snogging James before then," Ginny laughed. "You can tell that he likes you, he can't take his eyes off of you. Too bad that Tonks isn't in school yet, or we could set her up with Remus and avoid all of the aggravation that he causes her now."
Lily and Hermione laughed, "I think that she enjoys the game. He tries to keep her at a distance, but she won't have any of it," Hermione said. "I'm pretty sure that he's in love with her, he's just worried about what everyone will think."
"Then we should try to convince him that what other people think is not important. I really like Tonks, she would be great for Remus," Lily said to the two other girls. "Maybe someday he'll get married, I'm just sorry that I won't be there to see him happy."
Hermione smiled at Lily, "I think that Dumbledore had something in mind when he sent Harry and Ginny back. He knew that just sending them here would change our time, but he did it anyway. Maybe he sent them back to change things for the better."
Ginny looked over at Hermione, "You don't mean that he meant for us to change how things are? That he sent us back here to make sure that Harry's parents survived?"
Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know what he was thinking, but he knew that by sending Harry back, things would change." She plucked a few cat hairs off of her robes, "He had to have known that you and Harry would change time, no matter how hard you tried not to."
Ginny looked at the two other girls, "I think that it's time for me to write to Dumbledore and find out why he sent us back to this time instead of sending us back just far enough to keep us safe. He needs to tell us just what he is expecting us to do here."
**************************
The five young men crawled out of the trap door in the basement of Honeydukes. "We'll just sneak upstairs and get some candy, then we'll run over to the three broomsticks and get a case of butterbeer," Sirius told them. They went quietly up the stairs to the store, and slipped past the shopkeeper.
"Harry and I will go over to get the butterbeer," James told them. "That way we can get back quicker, we don't want the girls to worry."
Ron covered his mouth, "Hermione wouldn't notice if she had a book in front of her."
"You shouldn't say stuff like that if you expect her to be your girlfriend," Remus told him. "Speaking of, just how are we supposed to make that happen?"
Sirius smiled and put his arm around Remus' shoulder, "With our charm, Moony." The rest of the group laughed. "What, we just have to show them that we can be charming and thoughtful. Don't forget to pick up something for the three girls, something romantic."
"Yeah, Harry and James can pick up flowers for the girls when they go to get the butterbeer," Remus said. "Don't make it too big a bunch, just enough for them to realize that you were thinking of them while you were here."
"Got it," James answered. "Are you ready Harry?"
"Let's go, the sooner we get back here, the sooner we can get back to the castle and begin the plan," he told them, heading for the door.
**********************
Ginny finished her letter to the Professor Dumbledore in her time, put it in the trunk and sent it with a wave of her wand. "I'm sure that he knew. Us just being here is enough to change time, why would he send us if he didn't expect us to change something."
"I don't know Ginny. Let's just wait and see what he has to say, maybe he did something to keep things from changing," Hermione patted the younger girl on the back.
Lily lifted her head from the book she was reading, "I don't think so Hermione," she pushed the book across the table. "Look at this!"
A/N: Another cliffie, but just wait until you see what she found! Sorry about the wait, we had no electricity for part of the day yesterday, and it cut off before I could save the finished chapter so I had to re-do it. Look for another chapter tonight, if not tonight, it will be up late tomorrow afternoon, barring any problems with the electric, internet or computer. Thank you to all who have reviewed, you guys are wonderful!!!!!!
The next month passed in a blur for Harry, he had classes, pulled pranks with Sirius, Remus, James, Ron and the older Sirius and Remus, and had lessons in becoming an Animagus. He was sitting in the room of requirement with Sirius, attempting the transformation for the hundredth time that week.
"I'm getting nowhere," he complained to his godfather. "I can't even get my hair to grow." He flopped down on the chair next to him.
Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder, "It took your father and me years to get it right. It's just going to take time, you'll get it eventually." He handed Harry a chocolate frog. "Just relax, I think that we're going to give you a few days off so that you can think about what you learned in the books."
Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes,"I'm thinking about what I read, it's just not making it any easier. Ginny has already started to grow fur on her hands, Ron can turn his hand into a paw, and Hermione gets feathers all over her body. I can't manage to change at all," he complained.
Sirius ruffled Harry's hair, "You're just trying to hard, you just have to let it come. Let your magic control it, don't try to control the transformation. You just have to let it happen."
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath then opened his eyes and looked at Sirius. "Alright, one more time, then I'm done for today," he told him. He stood up from the chair and moved to the center of the room. He sat down on the floor and closed his eyes. He cleared his mind and just tried to let his magic take over the transformation.
********************
Hermione, Ginny and Lily were sitting in the library, but they weren't even looking at the books in front of them. They were leaning close together and whispering.
"Alright, so operation boyfriend will go into effect tonight. Hermione, by Christmas, you will be dating Ron. Ginny, you will be dating Harry by then too," Lily told them.
"And you will be snogging James before then," Ginny laughed. "You can tell that he likes you, he can't take his eyes off of you. Too bad that Tonks isn't in school yet, or we could set her up with Remus and avoid all of the aggravation that he causes her now."
Lily and Hermione laughed, "I think that she enjoys the game. He tries to keep her at a distance, but she won't have any of it," Hermione said. "I'm pretty sure that he's in love with her, he's just worried about what everyone will think."
"Then we should try to convince him that what other people think is not important. I really like Tonks, she would be great for Remus," Lily said to the two other girls. "Maybe someday he'll get married, I'm just sorry that I won't be there to see him happy."
Hermione smiled at Lily, "I think that Dumbledore had something in mind when he sent Harry and Ginny back. He knew that just sending them here would change our time, but he did it anyway. Maybe he sent them back to change things for the better."
Ginny looked over at Hermione, "You don't mean that he meant for us to change how things are? That he sent us back here to make sure that Harry's parents survived?"
Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know what he was thinking, but he knew that by sending Harry back, things would change." She plucked a few cat hairs off of her robes, "He had to have known that you and Harry would change time, no matter how hard you tried not to."
Ginny looked at the two other girls, "I think that it's time for me to write to Dumbledore and find out why he sent us back to this time instead of sending us back just far enough to keep us safe. He needs to tell us just what he is expecting us to do here."
**************************
The five young men crawled out of the trap door in the basement of Honeydukes. "We'll just sneak upstairs and get some candy, then we'll run over to the three broomsticks and get a case of butterbeer," Sirius told them. They went quietly up the stairs to the store, and slipped past the shopkeeper.
"Harry and I will go over to get the butterbeer," James told them. "That way we can get back quicker, we don't want the girls to worry."
Ron covered his mouth, "Hermione wouldn't notice if she had a book in front of her."
"You shouldn't say stuff like that if you expect her to be your girlfriend," Remus told him. "Speaking of, just how are we supposed to make that happen?"
Sirius smiled and put his arm around Remus' shoulder, "With our charm, Moony." The rest of the group laughed. "What, we just have to show them that we can be charming and thoughtful. Don't forget to pick up something for the three girls, something romantic."
"Yeah, Harry and James can pick up flowers for the girls when they go to get the butterbeer," Remus said. "Don't make it too big a bunch, just enough for them to realize that you were thinking of them while you were here."
"Got it," James answered. "Are you ready Harry?"
"Let's go, the sooner we get back here, the sooner we can get back to the castle and begin the plan," he told them, heading for the door.
**********************
Ginny finished her letter to the Professor Dumbledore in her time, put it in the trunk and sent it with a wave of her wand. "I'm sure that he knew. Us just being here is enough to change time, why would he send us if he didn't expect us to change something."
"I don't know Ginny. Let's just wait and see what he has to say, maybe he did something to keep things from changing," Hermione patted the younger girl on the back.
Lily lifted her head from the book she was reading, "I don't think so Hermione," she pushed the book across the table. "Look at this!"
A/N: Another cliffie, but just wait until you see what she found! Sorry about the wait, we had no electricity for part of the day yesterday, and it cut off before I could save the finished chapter so I had to re-do it. Look for another chapter tonight, if not tonight, it will be up late tomorrow afternoon, barring any problems with the electric, internet or computer. Thank you to all who have reviewed, you guys are wonderful!!!!!!