Title: Time And Time Again
Author name: Moonstarlet
Author email: sailorcomet18@yahoo.com
Category: Humor, Romance, History
Keywords: Harry, Lily, James
Spoilers: PS/SS, COS, POA, GOF
Rating: 5 stars... I mean... PG
Summary: Voldemort plans to go back in time to kill James and Lily before Harry is ever born. Can Harry save his mom and dad? What happens when the mom *likes* the son? Plus, the Marauders at 15...oh lordy!
Disclaimer: JKR and Warner Bros. own Harry Potter and all related characters, locations and spells. I am making no money from this and intend no copyright infringment. (obviously)
A/N: I love HP. Enough said.
**************************************************************************** *
Winter, 1995, James
James tried to scream, but wind was rushing so fast past his ears that the sound was lost as soon as it was made.
Suddenly, the ground reappeared under his feet, the whirling colors vanished and James collapsed onto the floor.
"Unh.." He slowly stood up from the floor.
Looking around, James saw that Peter had disappeared. There were no longer any shouts coming from the Great Hall.
"How did he Disapparate?" James asked himself. "I thought no one could Apparate or Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds."
For that matter..., what had happened to Wormtail in the first place? How did he get so old? And what happened to his hand?
*It must be a curse.* That had to be it, James thought. Maybe poor little Peter had tried to fight the Death Eater's and was hit with some kind of aging spell or a disfiguring curse. But..., Peter was afraid of his own shadow, literally, and it seemed so unlikely.
*And what,* James thought to himself, slipping the thin chain from around his neck, *is this?*
It was a necklace, with a thin, long gold chain. It had a tiny pendant, shaped like an hourglass, hanging from it.
*Maybe...,* it seemed so impossible, but it was the only plausible explanation. *Maybe Peter didn't Disapparate, maybe I did. Maybe, this thing made me Disapparate. So, if Peter threw this around my neck, he was trying to get me out of there. But, then, why didn't he come with me?*
James' head was starting to hurt from all the thinking he was doing. He found himself wishing Lily was there with him, she'd figure everything out in about a minute.
"Mr. James Potter, I presume?" A voice said behind James, startling him.
James turned around and was shocked. Professor Dumbledore?!
*What the hell is going on here?* James thought.
"Yes, sir?" he asked, instead.
"Ah," the old man smiled, "right on time, boy." He walked towards James then reached out a hand.
James thought the headmaster wanted to shake hands, but quickly, before he could make a fool of himself, he realized that Dumbledore was looking at the gold chain in James' hand. James handed it to the headmaster.
Dumbledore looked closely at the necklace, before turning his attention back to James. "Would you come with me, please, James?" He then turned away and walked through a door hidden behind a tapestry. James quickly followed.
Soon James realized that Dumbledore was taking secret passages and hidden corridors to get where they were going. Why didn't he want anyone to see them?
"Sir? Could I ask you something?"
Professor Dumbledore stopped, turned and smiled again. "I'm sure there are many things you'd like to ask me about, but I'm afraid I must ask you to wait until we get to my office. Then I will answer any question you have, as long as it is in my power to do so."
James nodded numbly. "Yes, sir."
They walked in silence for a few more moments, before turning a corner and coming to the large gargoyle statue that guarded the headmaster's office and living quarters.
"Juxtaposition," Professor Dumbledore said, and the gargoyle immediately leapt aside, allowing James and the headmaster to pass.
It seemed like days since he had last been in Dumbledore's office, not just a few minutes, and James found himself wondering if the headmaster would remember that he hadn't official relieved James of his status as prefect. He hoped not.
They moved swiftly up the moving spiral staircase, and finally came to the headmaster's door.
Dumbledore glanced back briefly at James, then he touched his palm to the oak door.
**************************
Winter, 1995, Harry
When Harry had arrived at the stone gargoyle after breakfast, he found that he didn't have to even try to guess the password; the gargoyle stepped aside for him almost immediately. Professor Dumbledore must have told it that Harry would be coming.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore wasn't in his office when arrived entered, so Harry busied himself by looking around the large, circular room. Out of all the teacher's offices, Dumbledore's had always been his favorite. Pictures of old headmasters and mistresses covered the walls, strange mechanisms that whirred, whistled and smoked stood on small tables and, there, on a shelf behind the large desk, was the Sorting Hat.
In Harry's first year, the Sorting Hat had told him that he could have become a great wizard in Slytherin, but Harry, being terrified of Slytherin's history of turning out Dark Wizards, asked to be put somewhere- anywhere- else. In his second year, during a time when he wondered if he might have been the heir of Salazar Slytherin, Harry had asked the hat if it had put him in the wrong house to which the hat replied, "I stand by what I said before, you would have done well in Slytherin."
Today, Harry was sure that he belonged in Gryffindor, but he wasn't sure what the headmaster wanted with him. To his knowledge, he hadn't broken any rules lately. Unless you counted sleeping in the Common Room, but, surely, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't get involved in something as minor as that.
So Harry waited for the headmaster, occasionally glancing at Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Fawkes had helped Harry out repeatedly in the past, but today, the majestic bird was preening his gold and red feathers regally.
Finally, when Harry began to wonder if he should just go to class and come back later, he heard footsteps outside the enormous oak door.
"Wait here, please," he heard the headmaster say, talking to someone hidden from Harry's view.
Dumbledore walked into the room, saw that Harry was there and nodded shortly, as if to remind himself that he'd asked Harry to be there.
"Hello, Harry. It's good to see you're doing well." Dumbledore circled his large desk, then sat down opposite Harry. "How was your summer?"
*Huh?* Harry thought. *He brought me here to ask about my summer?!*
"Uh, it was okay, I guess."
The headmaster nodded once again.
"Well, that's good." He smiled benignly down at Harry, who was very confused. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here. All will be revealed in a few short moments, but if you don't mind I'd like to give you a little history lesson."
*Wha?* "Okay, sir. Sure.*
Dumbledore looked around the office, his gaze lingering on the door, before he began. "Twenty years ago, I'm sure you're aware, your father, James, attended school here."
Harry nodded, wondering where this was going.
"Twenty years ago, on this very day, a group of Death Eaters attacked the school. They managed, somehow, to break past the many defenses guarding the castle. Your father, at the time, was in my office, being reprimanded for a small prank he and his friends had played on the school." His eyes twinkled briefly at the memory, then grew serious. "Within moments however, the Death Eaters dispersed, and Apparated from the castle. Afterwards, the teachers followed standard protocol and did a head count of the students. One was missing. Your father."
"What?" Harry jumped out of his chair at this. "You lost my father?!"
Dumbledore raised a hand, signaling for Harry to take his seat. "We did not lose your father, Harry." He motioned for Harry to stay quiet. "Thirty minutes later he returned. But during that time he was no where on the Hogwarts grounds."
"So where was he?"
Dumbledore watched Harry, with that odd, uncanny stare he'd used so many times. This time Harry knew for sure that Dumbledore was deciding whether he was ready.
"He was here."
**************************
Winter, 1995, James
James had positioned himself on the topmost step of Dumbledore's moving staircase. He was facing the door, ready to jump to his feet the instant it was opened.
Through the door, James could hear two voices, one unmistakably Professor Dumbledore. The other voice didn't talk as much, obviously Dumbledore was telling that person something.
*Are they talking about me?* James asked himself.
He mentally reviewed everything that had happened that morning. First, the prank. James proudly admitted to himself that it had been a rousing success. Snape had been humiliated, students had been rolling on the floor in gales of laughter, even stodgy old McGonagall had cracked a smile.
Second, his meeting with Dumbledore. James' shoulders slumped. He wasn't a prefect anymore.
Well, technically he was still a prefect. He hadn't handed over his badge to the headmaster.
Which brought him to the third point of the day. The Death Eater attack. How did they get past the wards? When James was a child (he liked to think of himself as a grown-up, even though his voice was still choir- boy high), he remembered his father talking about the defenses around Hogwarts. "No one person knows every spell protecting the castle. And they're changed all the time. Soon as you get through one charm, three new ones pop up..."
That meant a spy. Someone on the inside who could gather information and then pass it on to Voldemort. Was it a teacher? But there was no way Dumbledore could be tricked into trusting a Death Eater. Maybe a student? But, who?
This brought James to the fourth item of his day. Peter. What happened to him? James had seen Peter at breakfast and he didn't look old then.
James shook his head, mentally sweeping those troubled thoughts from his head. He tabulated his total for the day: Prank, good; Meeting with Dumbledore, uncertain; Death Eaters, bad; Peter, uncertain.
*Hmm,* James thought. *One good, one bad, two uncertains. I guess it's too early to decide what kind of day I'm having.*
Suddenly, James heard shouting from the other side of the door.
"YOU LOST MY FATHER?!" the second voice said.
James heard Dumbledore's voice speaking quietly, he couldn't make out what was being said.
Standing up from his sitting position, James leaned against the heavy oak door, pressing his ear to the frame. He still couldn't make out the words.
Then, there was a dull, quick thumping, like footsteps, the door was flung open, and James came face to face with his twin.
**************************************************************************** *
A/N2: I've just started using something that many writers claim to is a god- send: an outline. As such, the next few chapters should come out a little sooner, barring an problems with FF.net's server (also, I have to remember to post regularly, I keep forgetting, oh well..) Also, I've re-posted the first chapters b/c everything was unintelligible. Hopefully this is better. I LOVE constructive criticism, so don't forget to press that little grey button at the bottom of your screen. Sincerely, me.....
Author name: Moonstarlet
Author email: sailorcomet18@yahoo.com
Category: Humor, Romance, History
Keywords: Harry, Lily, James
Spoilers: PS/SS, COS, POA, GOF
Rating: 5 stars... I mean... PG
Summary: Voldemort plans to go back in time to kill James and Lily before Harry is ever born. Can Harry save his mom and dad? What happens when the mom *likes* the son? Plus, the Marauders at 15...oh lordy!
Disclaimer: JKR and Warner Bros. own Harry Potter and all related characters, locations and spells. I am making no money from this and intend no copyright infringment. (obviously)
A/N: I love HP. Enough said.
**************************************************************************** *
Winter, 1995, James
James tried to scream, but wind was rushing so fast past his ears that the sound was lost as soon as it was made.
Suddenly, the ground reappeared under his feet, the whirling colors vanished and James collapsed onto the floor.
"Unh.." He slowly stood up from the floor.
Looking around, James saw that Peter had disappeared. There were no longer any shouts coming from the Great Hall.
"How did he Disapparate?" James asked himself. "I thought no one could Apparate or Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds."
For that matter..., what had happened to Wormtail in the first place? How did he get so old? And what happened to his hand?
*It must be a curse.* That had to be it, James thought. Maybe poor little Peter had tried to fight the Death Eater's and was hit with some kind of aging spell or a disfiguring curse. But..., Peter was afraid of his own shadow, literally, and it seemed so unlikely.
*And what,* James thought to himself, slipping the thin chain from around his neck, *is this?*
It was a necklace, with a thin, long gold chain. It had a tiny pendant, shaped like an hourglass, hanging from it.
*Maybe...,* it seemed so impossible, but it was the only plausible explanation. *Maybe Peter didn't Disapparate, maybe I did. Maybe, this thing made me Disapparate. So, if Peter threw this around my neck, he was trying to get me out of there. But, then, why didn't he come with me?*
James' head was starting to hurt from all the thinking he was doing. He found himself wishing Lily was there with him, she'd figure everything out in about a minute.
"Mr. James Potter, I presume?" A voice said behind James, startling him.
James turned around and was shocked. Professor Dumbledore?!
*What the hell is going on here?* James thought.
"Yes, sir?" he asked, instead.
"Ah," the old man smiled, "right on time, boy." He walked towards James then reached out a hand.
James thought the headmaster wanted to shake hands, but quickly, before he could make a fool of himself, he realized that Dumbledore was looking at the gold chain in James' hand. James handed it to the headmaster.
Dumbledore looked closely at the necklace, before turning his attention back to James. "Would you come with me, please, James?" He then turned away and walked through a door hidden behind a tapestry. James quickly followed.
Soon James realized that Dumbledore was taking secret passages and hidden corridors to get where they were going. Why didn't he want anyone to see them?
"Sir? Could I ask you something?"
Professor Dumbledore stopped, turned and smiled again. "I'm sure there are many things you'd like to ask me about, but I'm afraid I must ask you to wait until we get to my office. Then I will answer any question you have, as long as it is in my power to do so."
James nodded numbly. "Yes, sir."
They walked in silence for a few more moments, before turning a corner and coming to the large gargoyle statue that guarded the headmaster's office and living quarters.
"Juxtaposition," Professor Dumbledore said, and the gargoyle immediately leapt aside, allowing James and the headmaster to pass.
It seemed like days since he had last been in Dumbledore's office, not just a few minutes, and James found himself wondering if the headmaster would remember that he hadn't official relieved James of his status as prefect. He hoped not.
They moved swiftly up the moving spiral staircase, and finally came to the headmaster's door.
Dumbledore glanced back briefly at James, then he touched his palm to the oak door.
**************************
Winter, 1995, Harry
When Harry had arrived at the stone gargoyle after breakfast, he found that he didn't have to even try to guess the password; the gargoyle stepped aside for him almost immediately. Professor Dumbledore must have told it that Harry would be coming.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore wasn't in his office when arrived entered, so Harry busied himself by looking around the large, circular room. Out of all the teacher's offices, Dumbledore's had always been his favorite. Pictures of old headmasters and mistresses covered the walls, strange mechanisms that whirred, whistled and smoked stood on small tables and, there, on a shelf behind the large desk, was the Sorting Hat.
In Harry's first year, the Sorting Hat had told him that he could have become a great wizard in Slytherin, but Harry, being terrified of Slytherin's history of turning out Dark Wizards, asked to be put somewhere- anywhere- else. In his second year, during a time when he wondered if he might have been the heir of Salazar Slytherin, Harry had asked the hat if it had put him in the wrong house to which the hat replied, "I stand by what I said before, you would have done well in Slytherin."
Today, Harry was sure that he belonged in Gryffindor, but he wasn't sure what the headmaster wanted with him. To his knowledge, he hadn't broken any rules lately. Unless you counted sleeping in the Common Room, but, surely, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't get involved in something as minor as that.
So Harry waited for the headmaster, occasionally glancing at Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Fawkes had helped Harry out repeatedly in the past, but today, the majestic bird was preening his gold and red feathers regally.
Finally, when Harry began to wonder if he should just go to class and come back later, he heard footsteps outside the enormous oak door.
"Wait here, please," he heard the headmaster say, talking to someone hidden from Harry's view.
Dumbledore walked into the room, saw that Harry was there and nodded shortly, as if to remind himself that he'd asked Harry to be there.
"Hello, Harry. It's good to see you're doing well." Dumbledore circled his large desk, then sat down opposite Harry. "How was your summer?"
*Huh?* Harry thought. *He brought me here to ask about my summer?!*
"Uh, it was okay, I guess."
The headmaster nodded once again.
"Well, that's good." He smiled benignly down at Harry, who was very confused. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here. All will be revealed in a few short moments, but if you don't mind I'd like to give you a little history lesson."
*Wha?* "Okay, sir. Sure.*
Dumbledore looked around the office, his gaze lingering on the door, before he began. "Twenty years ago, I'm sure you're aware, your father, James, attended school here."
Harry nodded, wondering where this was going.
"Twenty years ago, on this very day, a group of Death Eaters attacked the school. They managed, somehow, to break past the many defenses guarding the castle. Your father, at the time, was in my office, being reprimanded for a small prank he and his friends had played on the school." His eyes twinkled briefly at the memory, then grew serious. "Within moments however, the Death Eaters dispersed, and Apparated from the castle. Afterwards, the teachers followed standard protocol and did a head count of the students. One was missing. Your father."
"What?" Harry jumped out of his chair at this. "You lost my father?!"
Dumbledore raised a hand, signaling for Harry to take his seat. "We did not lose your father, Harry." He motioned for Harry to stay quiet. "Thirty minutes later he returned. But during that time he was no where on the Hogwarts grounds."
"So where was he?"
Dumbledore watched Harry, with that odd, uncanny stare he'd used so many times. This time Harry knew for sure that Dumbledore was deciding whether he was ready.
"He was here."
**************************
Winter, 1995, James
James had positioned himself on the topmost step of Dumbledore's moving staircase. He was facing the door, ready to jump to his feet the instant it was opened.
Through the door, James could hear two voices, one unmistakably Professor Dumbledore. The other voice didn't talk as much, obviously Dumbledore was telling that person something.
*Are they talking about me?* James asked himself.
He mentally reviewed everything that had happened that morning. First, the prank. James proudly admitted to himself that it had been a rousing success. Snape had been humiliated, students had been rolling on the floor in gales of laughter, even stodgy old McGonagall had cracked a smile.
Second, his meeting with Dumbledore. James' shoulders slumped. He wasn't a prefect anymore.
Well, technically he was still a prefect. He hadn't handed over his badge to the headmaster.
Which brought him to the third point of the day. The Death Eater attack. How did they get past the wards? When James was a child (he liked to think of himself as a grown-up, even though his voice was still choir- boy high), he remembered his father talking about the defenses around Hogwarts. "No one person knows every spell protecting the castle. And they're changed all the time. Soon as you get through one charm, three new ones pop up..."
That meant a spy. Someone on the inside who could gather information and then pass it on to Voldemort. Was it a teacher? But there was no way Dumbledore could be tricked into trusting a Death Eater. Maybe a student? But, who?
This brought James to the fourth item of his day. Peter. What happened to him? James had seen Peter at breakfast and he didn't look old then.
James shook his head, mentally sweeping those troubled thoughts from his head. He tabulated his total for the day: Prank, good; Meeting with Dumbledore, uncertain; Death Eaters, bad; Peter, uncertain.
*Hmm,* James thought. *One good, one bad, two uncertains. I guess it's too early to decide what kind of day I'm having.*
Suddenly, James heard shouting from the other side of the door.
"YOU LOST MY FATHER?!" the second voice said.
James heard Dumbledore's voice speaking quietly, he couldn't make out what was being said.
Standing up from his sitting position, James leaned against the heavy oak door, pressing his ear to the frame. He still couldn't make out the words.
Then, there was a dull, quick thumping, like footsteps, the door was flung open, and James came face to face with his twin.
**************************************************************************** *
A/N2: I've just started using something that many writers claim to is a god- send: an outline. As such, the next few chapters should come out a little sooner, barring an problems with FF.net's server (also, I have to remember to post regularly, I keep forgetting, oh well..) Also, I've re-posted the first chapters b/c everything was unintelligible. Hopefully this is better. I LOVE constructive criticism, so don't forget to press that little grey button at the bottom of your screen. Sincerely, me.....
