Lily was released from the hospital wing on Sunday and allowed back to classes on Monday. She went to breakfast Monday morning feeling refreshed and eager to get back to a normal routine. As she entered the Great Hall, she walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Alli. The marauders were down the table a bit, and James gave her a smile as she sat down.
"So," she said cheerfully to a very tired Alli. "How was the dance?"
"It was great," Alli said, stifling a yawn and handing Lily some buttered toast. "You did great with all of the arrangements."
"And," Lily dropped her voice to a whisper. "How was Sirius?"
"Surprisingly, we had a really good time. He was polite, but funny. He made jokes as we opened the dance because he knew I was nervous. I don't get it, he always seems so.. Different with the other girls."
"Maybe he doesn't care as much about them," Lily said, glancing down at the boys.
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"They're talking about us," Peter said uneasily. His watery eyes kept darting over to where girls were sitting, giggling over their toast.
"Yup," said Sirius confidently, shoving a large piece of bacon into his mouth. "Of course they are, how could they resist?"
Remus stared at him. "Really, Sirius, your modesty amazes me."
Sirius thought for a moment, came up blank, and then grinned and said "Thanks, Mooney. Nobody's ever told me that before." He then began stuffing his face with pancakes.
"I wonder why," James said, laughing. He glanced up at the girls too, smiling at Lily before looking back down at his own breakfast of eggs.
"Oh, Prongs, I forgot to tell you," Sirius said, putting down his fork and becoming uncharacteristically serious. "I got the things."
"The things?" Peter asked, clueless.
"Oh, good," James said, rubbing his hands together. "Is the plan in action?"
"Oh no," Remus said, nervously looking up to there the teachers sat. "I didn't think you guys would actually do that..."
"Yup, the plan is all set and should be in action in a couple minutes."
Remus sighed. "You're really going to go through with it?"
"GO THROUGH WITH WHAT?" Peter asked, annoyed at being left out.
The other three boys blinked at him as if they had just noticed he was there.
"Well," James started, but was cut off by a small explosion coming from the Slytherin house table. There were a few screams, and then Severus Snape furiously came out of the crowd wearing a pink polka-dotted dress.
Sirius grinned. "We got a bit of inspiration of Prongs's dream. That's not all though.. Wait for it- "
There was another bang, and Lucius Malfoy was suddenly wearing a purple polka-dotted dress. Then, BANG- Regulus Black was in a lovely yellow polka-dotted dress, and BANG- Bellatrix Black was wearing a black tuxedo. Not only that, she had grown a long black beard. The cross-dressed Slytherins all ran out to get changed (And shaved, for Bella), and the Great Hall erupted in laughter.
It wasn't hard to know who was responsible for the prank, as James and Sirius had both fallen to the floor and were completely hysterical. Even Lily was laughing, although she was trying to hide it. She stood and walked over to where the boys lay rolling.
"Guys.. Hah.. Detention. That was bloody hysterical. Tomorrow night, trophy room. How did you guys do that? Hah. Don't be late." And she walked away laughing. Dumbledore's beard was even twitching suspiciously.
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"So, what's the spell?" Lily asked. Her and Alli were in the library, and Alli was trying to get Lily all caught up on the work she had missed.
"Well I think it's 'macaroni' or something." Alli was lazily leafing through a magaine.
"Alli!"
"Alright, alright. Um, give me your hands. This spell is supposed to transport us across the room, without a portkey. It's like dual Apparation or something, but can be done inside the castle because it isn't real Appararion, and can only take you a couple feet. It needs two people to work." Alli took Lily's hands in hers and frowned in concentration. "I believe we have to flick our wands, like this, and say 'portacola'."
They flicked their wands and said 'portacola', and everything went black.
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"Lily? Lily, are you ok?" a man's voice asked.
Lily blinked her eyes open, aware that she was still gripping one of Alli's hands. That's when she realized something had gone very, very wrong.
She was in a strange house, and a man was standing over her. Not a man- James! But there was something different about him. She frowned, realizing that he was about ten years older. She sat up quickly and looked around.
The house was warm and comforting; Thick, dark carpet and white walls surrounded Lily where she was laying. She blinked and looked down at herself and almost screamed; Not only was she wearing totally strange clothes: black jeans and a dark red shirt, as opposed to her black school robes, but her stomach popped out in a totally unnatural way. There was also a diamond ring on her wedding finger, set in a white gold band.
"No way," she said, shaking Alli awake.
"What the...?" Alli sat up fast. Her hair was longer, and surrounded her face. She was wearing a white blouse and tight jeans. "Dude, what's wrong with your stomach?"
"Alli," James scolded. "You know how self-conscious pregnant women are!"
Lily almost fainted. Pregnant?
"What the hell is going on?!" she asked, practically screaming.
Two children ran into the room: a boy of about the age of 7, with thick black hair, bright green eyes, and a girl of about the age of 4, with long red curls and the same green eyes. She looked like a miniature Lily. The boy looked like a miniature James.
"Mommy, Harry won't stop teasing me! He said my dress is ugly." The little girl ran behind Lily and wrapped her arms around her, sticking her tongue out at her brother.
"Oh, Mum, I did not!" the boy said. "I only said it was different. And look at it, it is!"
The little girl had somehow attached Christmas lights to her red and green dress.She grinned and twirled so that her skirt flowed out around her.
"Harry, Ella, please." James said. He was still frowning at Lily, scared that she had hit her head or something. "Why don't you guys go put on that Christmas video Uncle Sirius sent by owl? I left it on the mantel." He smiled at his children; It was evident that he adored them, and they obviously idolized him.
'My family is beautiful,' Lily thought, still looking around in amazement.
Lily looked the older James up and down. He had certainly aged well; His hair was as wild as ever, but his body was still perfectly in shape. He was wearing black pants and a navy sweater, and toned muscles were visible through his shirt.
"Um, James?" her 'husband' turned to her. "What's today?"
He walked over and smiled lovingly. The same damn smile that made Lily grin like an idiot. "Christmas Eve, silly. Did you bump your head when you and Alli ran into each other?"
Alli cracked up. "Ran into each other?" They both looked around the room and took in their surroundings; thick carpet that turned into hardwood floors, and a table set with a large meal.
"Yea, you were trying to catch the glass Ella knocked over on her way out of the room. Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, fine," Lily said, trying to signal to Alli with her eyes. Alli nodded, silently agreeing to not let on that anything was wrong.
"Well in that case, would you come upstairs? Sirius and Remus will be here in about half an hour, and I need help getting the rest of the gifts wrapped. I'm sure Alli can watch the kids." He leaned forwards and kissed her. As James had grown, his kiss certainly had too; It was passionate and suggestive, giving Lily chills and melting her all at once.
"Sure," she said weakly, making to follow him.
"Wait," Alli said, grabbing Lily's elbow. "I.. I need her help with something. Go ahead up, I'll send her up in a few."
James nodded and exited the room. Lily turned to Alli, a dreamy look still on her face from James's look.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Why can't I go upstairs?"
"Lily, wake up and smell the mandrake. He thinks you're his wife. His older, pregnant, mother of almost three wife. And, look at yourself; look at me! We both look older, look at my hair! Look at your hair, it's at your shoulders again, and straight, and you highlighted it. Anyway, you can't go upstairs with him because although you're around 27 on the outside, you're still barely 17 on the inside. And trust me, girl, he did not want to wrap gifts up there." Alli said all of this in a hushed whisper.
Lily blinked and came to her senses. "No, he didn't. But how are we going to get back to the school? Even better question, how are we going to travel back 10 years in time?" she asked, frowning around the house.
It was exactly as she would have decorate her house, and she smiled at the fact that her taste wasn't going to change over the years. There was a family portrait on the wall; She and James were sitting on the beach, with their knees pulled up against them, while the two kids stood behind them. Lily was wearing a tasteful bathing suit, but she could still tell that she'd kept her figure after the first two kids. James had the same goofy smile, but he seemed happier. He seemed to be in better shape, too. Lily found the reason for this also hanging on the wall: A certificate proclaiming him to be a top-rank Auror. Also hanging on the wall were finger painted pictures, signed by 'Ella Potter' , and sketched drawings by 'Harry Potter'.
Lily and Alli quickly looked around the house, which was of a nice size, quite big, really, but still somehow modest. The room they had been in was the dining room. Next was the huge country kitchen, then the den, which was beautifully furnished with big squishy chairs and couches, lit by a huge fireplace. There was also a play room, and it was evident that Lily and James spoiled their kids; Small broomsticks leaned against the walls and dolls were lined up on shelves.
As Lily looked around, she feel deeper and deeper in love with her family. It was everything she had ever dreamed for. Feeling the child inside of her kick and move was the most amazing sensation she had ever felt, like a small reminder that she and James could create miracles.
The children dancing in front of the TV in the den to a sing-along looked like they didn't have a care in the world. It appeared to be a world without violence, a world without the Dark Arts, a world without the fear of being killed. Lily knew in her heart that there would never be a time when all evil was gone, but looking around her warm house, she felt as if anything were possible.
"We have to talk to Dumbledore," she said finally.
"About what?" James asked, coming down the carpeted steps.
"Well.. "Lily started, looking to Alli for help.
"Don't worry, he'll stop by tonight." James said distractedly, looking out the window at the bottom of the stairs at two figures that had just appeared out of nowhere. "Sirius and Remus are here, by the way."
Sirius and Remus were covered in snow when they came in. Remus was with a girl he introduced as Lucy. He hugged Lily and Alli hello, then gently touched Lily's stomach, and then went to see Harry and Ella, who were chanting "UNCLE REMUS! UNCLE SIRIUS!"
Sirius handed James a stack of presents ("Padfoot, you really shouldn't spoil them so much!"), gave Lily a kiss on the cheek, and then went to Alli. He kissed her in greeting, and Alli's eyes popped open in surprise. Why was Sirius kissing her? Were they- No! They couldn't be!
Sirius's hair was a bit shorter, and he had entered wearing a leather jacket and jeans. Remus looked a lot older, his hair starting to gray and his face looking tired, but his eyes were just as happy as always. He was wearing khakis and a red sweater, and he matched his date.
Eventually everyone calmed down and sat down to dinner. Lily served everyone, which proved hard since she didn't know where anything in the kitchen belonged. She eventually got everything together, and the old friends began their Christmas dinner together.
Lily was sitting next to Ella, who was sitting next to Harry, who was sitting next to James. Harry ate calmly and carefully while his sister danced in her seat and ate messily.
"So Lily," Remus said pleasantly, putting some stuffing on his plate. "Have you decided what to name the baby?"
"Um," she said, looking across the table at Alli. "I.. How about James?" she spit out the first name that came to her mind. Then she became aware that everyone in the room was staring at her, until Sirius began to laugh.
"Yes, Lily, wonderful. James the little baby girl. Well, I think it fits," he said, still laughing, but now at James. James threw a roll at him.
"I meant Jamie," Lily amended, putting up a hand to prevent James from throwing another roll. "Jamie, after James."
"That sounds good," Alli said, coming to Lily's rescue. "I mean, the other children were named for.. What were they named for?"
James smiled. "Harry was named after my grandfather, and Ella was named after Lily's grandmother. But we thought Harold and Eleanor were too old-fashioned for children, so we gave them shortened versions."
Lily looked down at Harry, who was staring at her over his sister's head. She sensed that he knew something was different about her. He gave her a small smile and went back to his dinner. Ella was eating with her tiny fist gripping her fork, trying her hardest to scoop up peas with it.
The rest of the meal was mainly just Sirius and James talking about quidditch, and James talking about work. Eventually most of the food was gone and the kids got bored and left the table.
"Delicious, Lily-darling," Sirius said with that same old grin. "Alli," Sirius continued. "Would you join me outside?"
Sirius and Alli went outside while Remus and Lucy took the kids into the den to open one present each. James watched Lily start to clean up, frowning suspiciously.
"Lily, is something wrong? You seem so distant tonight."
"You have no idea," she mumbled, trying to figure out which appliance was the dishwasher.
"Ah, but I do," said another voice, coming from the sliding glass doors that opened from the kitchen. It was Dumbledore, smiling tiredly at Lily. "Mrs. Potter, would you care to join me outside? I'd like a word."
James smiled and waved her on, starting to load the dishwasher himself. "Go ahead, I'll take care of this, and then I'm going to get the kids into their pajamas; Merlin knows they'll have us up at the crack of dawn tomorrow."
Lily walked out onto the big, beautiful porch with Dumbledore. She came across a grinning Sirius and an amazed Alli, both sitting on a bench swing.
"Sirius, could I have a word with the women, please? Just for a moment." Dumbledore bowed slightly. "And congratulations."
Lily looked curiously at Alli, who simply held up her hand in disbelief; on the ring finger of her left hand was a sparkling diamond. Sirius grinned and went into the house to talk to James.
"I.. I didn't know what to say," Alli stuttered. "I have no idea if my future self loves Sirius or not. I was so confused."
"Calm down, Miss Landry." Dumbledore said. "I have two very confused students running around the school, one claiming to be pregnant and the other complaining that she was going to get proposed to tonight. After talking to your future selves, I knew what had happened. And I'm going to return you to your own time now."
"Professor," Lily said, looking up at her house and into one of the upstairs windows, where she could see James playing with the children as they got into their pajamas. "Is this really our future?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, Miss Evans, it may be, and it may not be. When we are born, we are given a number of possible futures. Tonight you got a glimpse of one of yours. Truthfully, this might not be the future you get to live at all. So many things can change our destinies; For all we know, you and Mr. Potter may never get married. It is just a possibility. Now, are you both ready to go back to the school?"
They both nodded, too lost in thought to speak.
"Very well. I'll send you both to your dorm, and you will be returned to your proper bodies. I believe the spell you were trying to perform was the portabola, right? Yes, even one letter changed can change the way a spell goes. Ok, here we go."
Dumbledore took their hands and said the incantation. There was a blast of light, and Lily was laying in her bed.
"Als?" she said, peering through the darkness.
"Yeah."
"They were beautiful." Lily was thinking of her children, the intelligent Harry and the happy-go-lucky Ella.
"They really were." Alli's voice sounded sad, like she didn't want their trip to the future to end.
"Do you think that, if we want it enough, we could choose our futures? Control our destinies?"
Alli turned on her side. "No," she whispered. "Dumbledore is right, too many things influence our lives. Especially in these times of darkness. For all we know, some dark wizard could come and kill us all tomorrow."
"Yeah," Lily said right before she fell asleep. "But it was still kind of nice seeing that it's possible to have a world where we can be safe and happy."
A/N: OK, It's 2:00 in the morning, so please excuse any Typos, hehe. Kind of interesting to see how Lily and James could have lived if Voldemort hadn't killed them, huh? Yes, Peter isn't in their future, because he would have been sent to Azkaban if Voldemort's plan had backfired more and Lily and James were alive. Or something like that. I'm so tired. Ok, review, and see you guys next chapter!
-Ria