Fight the Future
Chapter Three: Building Bridges
Sirius sat across from his longtime friend, struggling to return his thoughts to a more "friendly" category. Remus was once again oblivious to the attention he was receiving. He was immersed in his book, "The Deluxe Transitive Vampire*." In the past few weeks, he had taken James' words to heart and determined that if he was going to be a professor, then by all means he would be the best professor he could possibly be. To Remus, that meant having the ability to be an example to the students in areas other than his chosen subject. He'd always felt the best teachers he ever had were the ones who knew their own topics inside and out but could also offer bits of advice, knowledge and opinion regarding a multitude of other academic divisions. His most recent decision, however, was that professors, even those at a wizarding school, should be well versed in 'Muggle Basics' like grammar and arithmetic.
Thus the reason that Remus was reading "The Deluxe Transitive Vampire." It was one of the few helpful grammar texts written by a magical creature, and therefore the primary source, in Remus' eyes, for any wizard to clarify his grammatical skills. He'd just reached the section on transitive verbs and was committing the idea to memory as he reached for another gherkin. Only Sirius knew precisely how many gherkins Remus had eaten during lunch that day. Sirius knew this because he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the sight of Remus' graceful fingers as they plucked one after another of the sweet gherkins from the automatically refilling bowl. He watched as Remus' hand pulled the gherkin up toward his lips and he watched as Remus' pink tongue flicked out just slightly to catch the inevitable drip from the tip of the gherkin. He watched as Remus pulled the rest of the gherkin into his mouth, gently absorbing the surface moisture before adding force to the suction level. Sirius could actually see the change, the subtle intake of Remus' cheeks as he sucked on the gherkin, the quick sparkle in the deep blue eyes that showed the very moment when Remus knew he was taking all that the snack could give. The entire process was completely natural – as if there were some paranormal phenomena telling Remus exactly how to handle the gherkins, reminding him that the juice wouldn't wait all the way to his mouth, signaling to him when the gherkin had finally relinquished all the fluid it had to offer. At that point, Remus would pop the entire thing in his mouth and chew languidly as he reached for the next.
Sirius was somewhat astonished by the tightening of his trousers. He knew that he'd been making odd connections between Remus' gherkin-eating and other, more private, activities. It just hadn't occurred to him that those connections could lead to full-blown arousal! He's my friend! I'm not supposed to think of him like that! Just then, Remus interrupted his thoughts with a subdued chuckle.
"Sirius, listen to this. It's talking about linking verbs, or technically, copulative verbs. And it gives a list of these types of verbs followed by examples of them being used in sentences. But just before the examples, it says 'And here they are, caught in the act of copulating in various positions.'" Remus laughed quietly again. "No wonder they don't think Muggles would like this book yet. Can you picture Muggle students trying to learn from something like this?"
Sirius did his best to laugh with his friend, but was inundated by images of copulation, all thanks to Remus' book. Finally deciding that Care of Magical Creatures wouldn't be any fun in such a condition, Sirius changed the subject in a desperate attempt to take his mind off this sudden discovery of his.
"So, what do you think about James and Lucius? Doesn't it seem odd that he's suddenly friends with the Slytherin?"
"Not particularly. You must consider the fact that they spent a week together in the future. It was likely a week where they knew very few people and had to rely on each other as the only source of familiarity. It's not at all uncommon for people to forge bonds in such situations."
"Okay, Professor. I see that point. I also see why you'll be going into teaching. You really will make a good teacher."
"Thank you, Sirius. I hope you're right."
Sirius would have responded, but he was suddenly overcome by a quite unexpected image of Remus, in Professor robes, that seemed to resemble some of his previous student/teacher fantasies. It was all he could do to stammer out a bit of gibberish as he rose from the table and nearly ran from the hall. Remus sat still as he watched the spectacle, then casually brushed his hair from his eyes as he reached for another gherkin. "Sooner or later, Sirius. Sooner or later." He smiled to himself in pleasure at the evidence that his "innocent and oblivious" plan was working so well.
--ooOOoo--
James and Peter were pouring over their Potions texts, attempting to get a head start on N.E.W.T. preparations. As they sat in a companionable silence, James could almost forget what he had learned about the future of his quiet, insecure friend. He'd always known that Peter was a follower more than a leader, but would never have expected Peter to be following anyone in that direction. He stole a look at his friend. Peter had always looked a little younger than the rest of them. He still had a bit of that little boy appearance in spite of his seventeen years. It was just so difficult to imagine him growing up to join Voldemort. If I can change other things, I can change that too. For all I know, it was partly my fault. What if I did something that made him feel excluded?
James looked back at his Potions text, gazing blindly over the words as his mind's eye went into overdrive seeking a solution to the problem. He couldn't help but wonder if there were a time paradox at work here – perhaps he had learned something in the future and let it be known in this time, causing that very thing to happen. Or what if their plans to fix the timeline were disrupted by his revelations about the other future? It was all very confusing when he really thought about it, but the theory behind it made perfect sense from a magical standpoint. If that were the case, or even a possibility, he would have to do whatever it took to ensure that Peter felt welcomed, appreciated and cared for.
He closed his book and purposely filled his head with as many happy memories of his friendship with Peter as he could muster.
"Hey Pete?" he said after a moment. Peter looked up, the emotions flickering across his gaze too fast for James to catch.
"Yes?"
"Have you got any new 'project ideas?' You know, we haven't done any special projects in a while."
"You and Sirius always come up with the ideas," Peter said quietly. He was quite confused by this sudden change in things, unsure what it made him feel.
"Well, I know you're a clever guy, much more than you want to let on. I think you could bring some fresh new perspective to our work. I'd like to see what you can come up with." James smiled at his friend, confident that he was being completely truthful in these statements. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding when Peter finally, after careful contemplation, returned the smile.
"I'll see what I can come up with," he promised.
James opened his book again, hoping that he could keep this up and get past the point when Peter turned his back on their friendship.
--ooOoo--
Three days later James found himself sneaking away from Sirius, Peter and Remus in order to meet Lucius in the Room of Requirement. The note delivered by a very nervous House Elf had taken James quite by surprise. The presence of Snivellus in the Room with Lucius took him even more by surprise.
"Lucius," he nodded in greeting, then turned slightly, forcing the cordial tone to remain in his voice. "Snape."
Snape raised one eyebrow and reminded James very strongly of the man who had died to save Lucius in the future – the man Snape would become. He walked purposely across the room, approached Snape and reached out to offer his hand in greeting. "Snape, er, Severus," he began. "It's high time I apologize for the things I've done. I know we've got a lot of negative history between us and I've realized how childish and unfair I've been. I can't speak for everyone else," he amended quickly, knowing that he may not be able to keep Sirius from continuing the torture of the Slytherin. "I can only say that you don't deserve that kind of treatment and I won't be participating any more."
It would have been hard to determine who seemed more surprised by this speech, Lucius or Severus. They both stared at James, as if calculating the legitimacy of his apology and the reliability of his intentions and promises. Severus was blind-sided, having no idea what might have caused such a change in James Potter's behavior. Lucius, on the other hand, was simply shocked that he hadn't had to fight, plead, cajole and otherwise coerce the apology out of his new friend.
Finally, after much consideration to the sincerity James was expressing, Severus accepted the hand, and with it, the apology. "I understand that you and Lucius have come to an accord?"
James nodded. "I would say we've become friends." Severus looked at Lucius in surprise here, only to see Lucius' pleased expression and recognize it as a subconscious agreement with Potter's statement.
"I'm glad. Perhaps, then, you'll be inclined to assist me in solving a problem that has recently developed." His silent gaze dared Lucius to interrupt. He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away; Lucius needed his help too much, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
"I'll certainly try. What is it?"
"I need you to show me the future."
--ooOoo--
Sirius stood near the edge of the lake, cloak wrapped tightly around his chilled frame, dark hair lifting ever-so-slightly in the breeze, warmed only the bare minimum by the sun shining through the cold January atmosphere. As he gazed across the water with the thin sheaf of ice on top, he wondered if a plunge into those icy depths would ease the trouble he was feeling. In his oblivion, he didn't notice the tree next to him blooming out of season. The new little branches and twigs jutted out and soon began to produce the tiniest of leaf buds. Within minutes, those buds were unfurling into baby leaves, adding a green tint to the rays of the winter sun. Sirius still hadn't notice when, a few minutes later, those same little non-seasonal twigs and branches began to produce tiny white flowers. It wasn't until the falling white petals began to land on his head and clothing that he acknowledged there was anything around him. He looked at the tree in wonder, certain that it was too cold for such amazing new life.
"I think it's reacting to you," said a quiet, yet unmistakably amused voice just behind his left shoulder. Sirius turned quickly and found himself smiling into the very predatory eyes of his close werewolf friend.
"Me?" Good job Siri, you managed a syllable without squeaking, stuttering or coming.
"Yes, you."
Did he just take a step closer to me? Why would he…oh – he definitely took another step closer that time. Hmmm… Sirius was having difficulty keeping up with all of his thoughts at that moment. The nearness and radiating warmth of Remus had him well and truly distracted. He was trying to convince himself on some level that it was because of the body heat and the cold January weather. Most of him knew better, however. Most of him knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was reaching instinctively for something he deeply desired. That's what really scared him.
Remus recognized the shift in Sirius' stature. He knew that the reality of things had not clicked yet within the confines of Sirius' head. He felt torn, pulled between the notion that he shouldn't say anything but just wait until Sirius broached the topic, and the desire he had to close the space between them and make sure Sirius understood his feelings. Not wanting to risk anything too soon, yet not willing to withhold the truth completely, he opted for something in the middle, leaning just a bit as he reached for Sirius' hand in what could be construed as purely platonic.
Sirius gasped at the warmth of the contact when Remus reached for his hand. He swallowed harshly and closed his eyes for a moment in a desperate attempt to clear his mind and order his thoughts. The tree. That's what we were talking about. The tree reacting to me. He offered what he hoped was a friendly squeeze to Remus' hand and turned to look at the blooming tree again. "Why would it do that?"
Remus couldn't help smiling. He was always amazed by Sirius' ability to be so clueless to the truest wonders of the wizarding world. Must be the influence of his family. They want nothing but the power to control, so they don't realize all the other powers they possess. "You were standing here radiating emotions, Siri. The tree is alive. It picked up on that. It reacted because you need something."
"I need something from the tree?" Sirius was still confused, but was secretly glad that he was able to hold something resembling a normal conversation. There was a portion of him mind that was focused on nothing but an inner montage of sensual memories about Remus.
"Apparently so. You seemed upset, in turmoil about something. I could sense it as I was coming down from the castle. You were sending out waves of emotion; pain, confusion, worry, denial, lust, sorrow…"
"You could sense all that?" Sirius hadn't missed the casual placement of 'lust' in the midst of that list. What if Remus knew how he felt? What if he had been too obvious? What if…? He thought back over the last few months. He couldn't remember thinking of Remus in a sexual or romantic manner until after James' trip to the future. "It was that statement he made about his godparents." Sirius was mumbling to himself, not even aware that he had voiced the thought.
"I could sense it in your aura; I could recognize in your body language and facial expressions, since I do know you rather well, and I could smell it. You forget sometimes that I'm a wolf, don't you Sirius?" Remus smiled at the quick glance from Sirius and continued. "Now – what was that about the boy's godparents?"
This brought Sirius to attention. Is he a mind reader now? "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking, dear friend," he added a quick squeeze to the hand that Sirius still hadn't pulled away from him, "about your mindless muttering in which you said that something was because of a statement about his godparents. I can only presume that you were referring to Harry. I know we've all been trying to wrap our minds around this new knowledge of the future. It's affecting things here. I can tell already. I know that I've been more conscious of my studies since learning I would someday be a professor. Tell me Sirius, what did you learn during that little meeting that's affected you so much?"
This is it. I have to tell him. I can't answer that question without revealing the truth. But maybe we can just laugh it off and forget about it afterwards. Yes, that's it. We'll just say 'isn't that funny?' and things will go back to normal. "He said you and I were both his godparents. I guess I keep thinking about that. I'm sure I'm just crazy, but it seems that most people choose godparents that are married. Like in the Black family, they usually choose a married sibling and his or her spouse. I mean, Mum's sister is my godmother. So if something happened to Mum and Dad, I would be expected to live with my Aunt Elladora and Uncle Frinkus." Remus nodded in understanding. He knew where Sirius was heading with this train of thought, but Sirius needed to follow the track on his own.
Sirius looked up, nervous about expressing these thoughts, but was immediately calmed by the familiar gaze and understanding expression of his long-time friend. "I guess I was just wondering if there would be some reason that we, I mean, that James would expect you and I to, I mean, if something were to happen to him and Lily then Harry's godparents would …" He recognized that he had begun rambling and tried to stop. The words just kept flowing though, as if they had finally seen a destination and were determined to reach it. "Well then Harry's godparents would be expected to take care of him and that's so much easier when the people are living together and why would you and I be living together, right? I mean it's just sorta funny when you think about it like that and I guess that's why I keep thinking about it. Because it's funny like that, because of course, if we were living together we'd probably be…" He met Remus' eyes again and the rest of the sentence suddenly disappeared.
Remus moved just the tiniest bit closer, holding Sirius' hand firmly and searching those dark blue eyes. The anticipation from them both was palpable, yet Sirius still seemed to think it was one sided. Remus slowly licked his lips, then smiled sweetly as he repeated Sirius' last words. "We'd probably be…?"
Sirius watched, listened, told himself things would all be okay, and then did the only thing he could think of to do. He panicked and ran.
"Damn." Remus stood alone under the lakeside tree, watching Sirius sprint back to the castle, wondering when he would have another chance.
--ooOoo--
Still in the Room of Requirement, James sighed and placed his head in his hands. They'd been trapped in a circular discussion for hours now, and they were still getting nowhere. James had listened patiently while Severus explained his reasoning for wanting to see the future.
"There was something going on in that future strong enough to form a bond between Lucius and me. A bond that otherwise didn't exist, in any timeline. A bond that has been brought back here and has unarguably altered the course of that timeline to proportions as yet unknown. The future that you visited no longer exists in its exact form. It can't because there is now knowledge of it. I've no doubt that's exactly the result our Headmaster was hoping for when he sent the two of you there. However, primary events of that future or even leading to that future may still be intact unless direct action is taken to prevent them. I've discerned that I am somehow intricately involved in various aspects of this future, therefore I believe I should be a party to the prevention of those aspects."
It all made perfect sense to James; he could understand why Severus wanted to know and agreed that it would be helpful in attaining their goals. Lucius, on the other hand, was being quite adamant about their discoveries staying secret. James looked up at the blonde again, wondering at the longevity of his rant. This particular version must have been going on for at least twenty minutes.
"…can't just take these kinds of liberties with our knowledge. It just wouldn't do to be traipsing about showing off our memories of the future as if they were souvenirs or something. Those are powerful memories of very important events. People could get hurt!"
It was that last statement that finally made everything click in James' head. People could get hurt. People had been hurt, or would be, depending on perspective. That was the very thing that Lucius was concerned about, the very memory he was so desperate to hide. He didn't want Severus to see his own death. James, upon reaching this understanding, came to a very quick decision. He stood casually, trying to appear as if he were still in thought, and reached into his pockets. Before either of the Slytherins could react, James had pulled out both his wand and his memsphere. He quickly immobilized Lucius to prevent a struggle, then activated the memsphere for Severus. As the translucent three-dimensional images were projected into the room, frozen, yet prepared to offer a playback of James' memories, he turned to offer a quick explanation.
"Severus, please remember that these are my memories. I tried to remember as much detail as I could, but there may be things missing. There may also be things skewed by my emotions relating to those memories. It was a very surprising and emotional week for the both of us. Lucius is likely to have other memories in his sphere, because we weren't together the entire time. Also, we'll have to do this in sessions. There's way too much to watch it all at once, especially if Lucius shares his as well. Just promise me this; promise me that you won't jump to any conclusions, you won't tell anyone what you see here and you won't turn your back on us. This is too important."
"I promise."
James turned to Lucius. "He needs to see this. It'll be all right. This is the reason we created the memspheres, remember? We need to know and remember so we can prevent things. Please, Lucius. You know what this means. You know what we have to prevent. I want to change it as much as you do, they're our children for Merlin's sake!"
Severus raised an eyebrow at this statement, wondering exactly what had transpired in the future and how children had come to be involved. Lucius simply blinked, unable to show his acquiescence in any other manner. James quickly released him and Lucius grabbed Sev's hand tightly as they all took a seat to watch the first of the memories play itself out.
~TBC
A/N:
*The Deluxe Transitive Vampire is a real grammar book published by Pantheon Books in 1984. My take on this is that it was written for the Wizarding world in the 70s, then revised a bit so the Muggle world could take it as a joke in the 80s.
All righty then! I know this is a bit shorter than the last chapter, but I just seemed the right place to stop. I'm dreadfully sorry for the extreme delay but what with school and illness and family in surgery and a car wreck and writer's block and another fic to work on, well, just be glad I've got an update and remember that your wonderful feedback and comments and suggestions and questions do indeed fuel the writing bug within me! I solemnly promise to each and every one of you that this fic WILL NOT be abandoned. I can't guarantee an update schedule, nor can I offer a proposed completion date, but I can tell you that I will keep writing it until it's finished. There's too much planned for me to leave it as is. Honestly! Now, I just hope you will all plan to stick with me through the journey.
An extra special thanks to my beta – Azhure – for being the best ego-booster, beta, co-author, idea-supplier, research-helper, cd-maker, 80s-music-pusher, ranting-recipient, internet-friend in the world!
On to the replies:
Zaira-Draco: Thank you soooo much! I love to get new readers and am glad you've enjoyed it enough to come this far. I hope to be hearing more from you!
Calimora: Thanks, I must admit that even I chuckled at the "Skeeter Scattered" headline. Please keep reading and PLEASE keep reviewing!
Ichigopocky: Thank you thank you. I'm glad you checked in. If you'd like to join the yahoo!group (details at the bottom of the page) then you'll be sent a special notice whenever I update. I must now give props where they are due – Azhure is the one who came up with Lord DeMalus' name. Isn't she just awesome?
JadedEros: Hey, no worries about the delay – I'm just glad you reviewed! Congrats on the new boyfriend and subsequent distractions. I hope all is still going well for you in that department. As for Peter, well, you can see that he's working his way back into the story. There's just so much going on with the other characters that it's been difficult to get much Peter involvement. In the last chapter, though, he was only a mention because he had detention during that particular scene. Stick around – looking forward to hearing more from you!
StarReader89: Wooohoooo! Another new reader! Thanks so much and let me say "Wow" cuz even I can't read all of this in one sitting. My butt would go numb! *grins*
Jen RedRobe: LOL – you have so many wonderful ideas! Of course, you know I can't tell you which, if any, are the right ones. So, just keep reading and be sure to keep reviewing. I can't even begin to list how many snippets of stuff from this and the prequel came directly from some comment or suggestion I got in a review!
Megdy: How utterly bizarre! I can understand the creepiness of some stranger folding your laundry, but at least they didn't steal it! I can't wait to hear from you again and find out what interesting result came from the time spent on reading this chapter!
LadySnapeIV: I do try really hard to mention everyone who reviews. (That said in response to your "EEP! I actually got a mention in the reviews!) I know I love to hear from my readers, and I know that when I faithfully review other works, I love to hear back from the authors. Therefore I try to be the kind of reader and/or author I would want others to be. Does that make sense? Well, if not, just go read the chapter again and send me a review anyway! LOL!
Tangledhair: Of course you can swear in reviews! At least, in my reviews!! So glad you liked the Lucius/Sev thing. There seems to be a lot of romance/sexual tension stuff running rampant through these chapters right now. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm going with it anyway… Now, when will you be updating again?
Louise4: Oh, now evil!Harry killing timetravel!Lily would be quite interesting, with the one exception of that "not being born" thing you mentioned. Then again, if that happened, and he were never born, the entirety of Blast from the Past wouldn't have happened because there'd be no Harry Potter, and therefore you would be reviewing absolutely nothing! Aren't you glad that's not the case? Now you have something to review! And such lovely reviews they are!!!!
Agrona Taranis: You're another new reader, aren't you? Thank you ever so much, and I'm honored to have you consider my work among your favorites. Do keep reading and please keep reviewing. I love to know what the readers are thinking!
Azhure: Thank you thank you thank you! Butterfinger Bars and Caramel Kisses and Peanut Butter Cups and Snicker Crunch Bars in thanks! *grin* Seriously, you're the best! I can't even respond to your actual review because I keep thinking of how everything you mentioned in the review just wouldn't have been the same without your help. Thanks again!
Malfoy Snogger: Yes, Narcissa is most definitely evil and frankly, I'm a little concerned about that as well. (Okay, I already know the end, so my concern would be pointless.) Anyway, hope you're still enjoying this and 'By Words Alone'. I'll be working on my next chapter for that and I sincerely hope it won't take me as long as this one did.
Aspid: I know it seems like those in the past are learning a lot about the future, but remember, once James and Lucius got back, that future was no longer certain anyway. Change comes of knowledge and right now, James and Lucius want nothing more than to change that future, so they have to use their knowledge of it in order to achieve that goal. Thanks for continuing to read and review!
Additional thanks to Andromeda Snape-Malfoy, Menecarkawan, Prophetess of Hearts, Jazzy Lady and all those other readers who choose to remain nameless by not reviewing. I love you all!
We (Azhure and Wintermoon) have created a yahoo group, so if you want to be notified of any story updates, or if you want to read the saucier versions of our fics, just head to the yahoo group called PageOfPeril. It's at groups . yahoo . com / group / PageOfPeril / (Just remove the spaces to copy into your browser), and join in, or just sign up for special notices if you only want to be updated on new chapters. Thanks!
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Thank you very much! (Big Grins)
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