At the entrance to the great hall, Sirius paused long enough to pull James's hood up. "Honestly, mate," he growled, "think about it. Your kid looks exactly like you. Someone's going to wonder why there are two Potters at the Gryffindor table."
James pulled it back down. "I look like an idiot," he observed.
"He has a point, you know," Remus pointed out, shaking his head. "You both do. The other three of us can probably pass as other people, goodness knows we can't look too much like anyone, but you . . . you look too much like your son, James. But, yes, on the other hand, you do look like a complete idiot."
James glowered. "I'm not going around with the hood of my robes up," he announced irritably. "And no, I don't want sense talked into me."
"Gave up on that by second-year," Remus muttered. "Both you and Padfoot."
Sirius gave him half a look but didn't waste any more time on it and returned to arguing back with James. "You have to! I don't think it'll be the best idea to advertise that the four of us are here. And goodness knows with your son you'll be a beacon yelling 'I'm not supposed to be here!'"
"Sirius!"
Sirius, however, was entirely unmoved. "You don't expect me to give in?" he asked. "For once I've got sense on my side, Prongs. . . ."
A heated argument quickly developed between the two of them, centered on the fact that James would be somewhat conspicuous as it was, as the only one in a hood. Remus shook his head and motioned for Peter to continue on without them— again.
"We aren't waiting?" Peter asked.
"They won't be finished before supper's over, and I don't suspect they'll be before morning," Remus pointed out. "They never are."
Peter nodded, all too eager to get down to the Gryffindor table and eat, be he gave James and Sirius apprehensive looks, as if expecting them to jump on them both for leaving without them. Remus wondered, as he did from time to time, how on earth Peter got into Gryffindor.
As they wandered off, however, James apparently decided that there was no way for him to win. With a cry of "Oh, alright!" he yanked his hood back up and followed. Sirius, smirking in an extremely self-satisfied way, did the same.
Remus, in the lead for the first time in several years, tried to position them as far away from James's son as he could. Unfortunately, the table was more or less full, and anyway, James and Sirius wouldn't have stood for it. It was Sirius, not Remus, who finally sat down, about three feet away from the boy that looked so much like his father.
"The eyes," James whispered spontaneously, "he's got Evan's eyes."
Sirius rolled his own eyes and shoved the pumpkin juice into James's chest. "You would notice something like that," he grumbled. "At least there may be a way to tell you apart, then."
"Why did I let them do this?" Remus asked absently.
"Because you don't want to admit you're curious, too?" Sirius suggested, handing him the pumpkin juice, or at least what of it hadn't been spilled down the front of James's robes.
Remus sighed and shook his head. "But enough not to risk getting into more trouble." Sirius irritably left it at that, and the whole idea of being twenty-some years in the future was laid to rest for about ten minutes. Then, it wasn't James or Sirius who brought it back to their attention, but the gangly redheaded boy sitting next to James's son. "Who d'you reckon they are, Harry?"
Harry turned looked in the same direction his friend was and started. "It can't be," he answered.
"What can't be?" the girl beside him asked. She had busy brown hair and, like Remus, the air of someone who spent a lot of time in the library.
Harry shook his head. "Last year, in Snape's pensive, I saw my dad and the others. I told you about that, right? Well, I might think that now I'm seeing them again."
"But that's impossible," she answered, looking a little puzzled. "They were in the past, and I don't think there's a way to send people into the future, is there? And, anyway, James and Sirius are—"
"I know that, Hermione," Harry hissed.
"Maybe we should just ask them," the redheaded boy suggested, shrugging.
"You know, Ron," Hermione said. "That may be the first sensible thing you've said all year." She turned to Sirius, who, after all, was closest, and watching the conversation with a little bit of interest. "Hello," she announced. "I'm Hermione Granger. Those are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. I don't believe we've ever met before."
Remus sighed watching it. The problem with it being those two, of course, was that Sirius was absolutely addicted to girls, though it usually didn't last past the first date (and James thought the things Lily yelled at him were bad. . . .). Sirius, however, appeared to keep at least a little composure for once. "I'm Sirius Black," he answered, and started pointing to each of the other Marauders in turn. "That's Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and James . . . Smith," he added at the last second, at the cost of an elbow in the ribs.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry all exchanged significant looks. Sirius got the unsettling feeling that they had already known who they were. "Your sure it's not Potter?" Ron asked finally.
"Oh, you have no tact," Hermione grumbled. She turned back to Sirius. "Harry did think he'd recognized you. But how did you get here?"
"We don't know," Sirius admitted. "Dumbledore said he'd have to check things out."
"That doesn't bode well," Hermione muttered under her breath. "Do you have any idea how long you'll be here, then?" she added.
"A couple of days?" Sirius guessed hopefully.
"I doubt it," Remus interjected. "With the amount of clutter in his office, I doubt he really remembers which of those things he had with him twenty- some years ago."
"Voice of reason," James muttered irritably under his breath. Ron gave him a sympathetic look, which turned into a glare directed in Hermione's general vicinity.
Peter squeaked and attempted to jump behind Sirius again— unfortunately the table, Remus, and James were all in his way, and he only managed to nearly start a domino effect.
"What is it now?" James demanded.
"Snape!" Peter squeaked.
"Oh, yes," said Sirius irritably. "I'm sure Snivellus was eavesdropping at the door and whatever sent us forward in time got to him to. Stop being so paranoid, Peter."
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all exchanged significant looks again, but this time even Ron kept his mouth shut tight.
James pulled it back down. "I look like an idiot," he observed.
"He has a point, you know," Remus pointed out, shaking his head. "You both do. The other three of us can probably pass as other people, goodness knows we can't look too much like anyone, but you . . . you look too much like your son, James. But, yes, on the other hand, you do look like a complete idiot."
James glowered. "I'm not going around with the hood of my robes up," he announced irritably. "And no, I don't want sense talked into me."
"Gave up on that by second-year," Remus muttered. "Both you and Padfoot."
Sirius gave him half a look but didn't waste any more time on it and returned to arguing back with James. "You have to! I don't think it'll be the best idea to advertise that the four of us are here. And goodness knows with your son you'll be a beacon yelling 'I'm not supposed to be here!'"
"Sirius!"
Sirius, however, was entirely unmoved. "You don't expect me to give in?" he asked. "For once I've got sense on my side, Prongs. . . ."
A heated argument quickly developed between the two of them, centered on the fact that James would be somewhat conspicuous as it was, as the only one in a hood. Remus shook his head and motioned for Peter to continue on without them— again.
"We aren't waiting?" Peter asked.
"They won't be finished before supper's over, and I don't suspect they'll be before morning," Remus pointed out. "They never are."
Peter nodded, all too eager to get down to the Gryffindor table and eat, be he gave James and Sirius apprehensive looks, as if expecting them to jump on them both for leaving without them. Remus wondered, as he did from time to time, how on earth Peter got into Gryffindor.
As they wandered off, however, James apparently decided that there was no way for him to win. With a cry of "Oh, alright!" he yanked his hood back up and followed. Sirius, smirking in an extremely self-satisfied way, did the same.
Remus, in the lead for the first time in several years, tried to position them as far away from James's son as he could. Unfortunately, the table was more or less full, and anyway, James and Sirius wouldn't have stood for it. It was Sirius, not Remus, who finally sat down, about three feet away from the boy that looked so much like his father.
"The eyes," James whispered spontaneously, "he's got Evan's eyes."
Sirius rolled his own eyes and shoved the pumpkin juice into James's chest. "You would notice something like that," he grumbled. "At least there may be a way to tell you apart, then."
"Why did I let them do this?" Remus asked absently.
"Because you don't want to admit you're curious, too?" Sirius suggested, handing him the pumpkin juice, or at least what of it hadn't been spilled down the front of James's robes.
Remus sighed and shook his head. "But enough not to risk getting into more trouble." Sirius irritably left it at that, and the whole idea of being twenty-some years in the future was laid to rest for about ten minutes. Then, it wasn't James or Sirius who brought it back to their attention, but the gangly redheaded boy sitting next to James's son. "Who d'you reckon they are, Harry?"
Harry turned looked in the same direction his friend was and started. "It can't be," he answered.
"What can't be?" the girl beside him asked. She had busy brown hair and, like Remus, the air of someone who spent a lot of time in the library.
Harry shook his head. "Last year, in Snape's pensive, I saw my dad and the others. I told you about that, right? Well, I might think that now I'm seeing them again."
"But that's impossible," she answered, looking a little puzzled. "They were in the past, and I don't think there's a way to send people into the future, is there? And, anyway, James and Sirius are—"
"I know that, Hermione," Harry hissed.
"Maybe we should just ask them," the redheaded boy suggested, shrugging.
"You know, Ron," Hermione said. "That may be the first sensible thing you've said all year." She turned to Sirius, who, after all, was closest, and watching the conversation with a little bit of interest. "Hello," she announced. "I'm Hermione Granger. Those are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. I don't believe we've ever met before."
Remus sighed watching it. The problem with it being those two, of course, was that Sirius was absolutely addicted to girls, though it usually didn't last past the first date (and James thought the things Lily yelled at him were bad. . . .). Sirius, however, appeared to keep at least a little composure for once. "I'm Sirius Black," he answered, and started pointing to each of the other Marauders in turn. "That's Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and James . . . Smith," he added at the last second, at the cost of an elbow in the ribs.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry all exchanged significant looks. Sirius got the unsettling feeling that they had already known who they were. "Your sure it's not Potter?" Ron asked finally.
"Oh, you have no tact," Hermione grumbled. She turned back to Sirius. "Harry did think he'd recognized you. But how did you get here?"
"We don't know," Sirius admitted. "Dumbledore said he'd have to check things out."
"That doesn't bode well," Hermione muttered under her breath. "Do you have any idea how long you'll be here, then?" she added.
"A couple of days?" Sirius guessed hopefully.
"I doubt it," Remus interjected. "With the amount of clutter in his office, I doubt he really remembers which of those things he had with him twenty- some years ago."
"Voice of reason," James muttered irritably under his breath. Ron gave him a sympathetic look, which turned into a glare directed in Hermione's general vicinity.
Peter squeaked and attempted to jump behind Sirius again— unfortunately the table, Remus, and James were all in his way, and he only managed to nearly start a domino effect.
"What is it now?" James demanded.
"Snape!" Peter squeaked.
"Oh, yes," said Sirius irritably. "I'm sure Snivellus was eavesdropping at the door and whatever sent us forward in time got to him to. Stop being so paranoid, Peter."
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all exchanged significant looks again, but this time even Ron kept his mouth shut tight.