Changing Times

By Neurotica

Chapter Six: Honesty Really Is the Best Policy

Professor Lupin arrived in the Marauders' and Lily's quarters around ten p.m. later that night. The sight he'd walked into was a bit too reminiscent for him.

James and Sirius were rolling around on the floor, laughing so hard they were crying. Peter looked like he was about to wet himself as he watched his two friends in awe. Remus was struggling to hold in his laughter. Lily sat in a corner watching them over a book she'd found in her trunk.

"What did they do?" Lupin cautiously asked Lily. It was the exact same way the Marauders behaved when they'd pulled off a rather complicated prank.

"They pranked Snape," Lily said flatly.

Lupin closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. Please, God, no, he thought to himself. All he needed was for Severus Snape to get mad at him before the full moon – which, in his time, was coming in a week. "Excuse me, boys," Remus called. The boys couldn't hear him over Sirius and James' laughter. "OY! SHUT UP!" he yelled. He hadn't raised his voice like that in years, but it worked. All four Marauders looked over at him immediately. "Thank you," Lupin said, calming himself down. "I'm not even going to ask how you four managed to make it down to the dungeons, pull of a prank, and back in half an hour."

The Marauders grinned proudly at one another.

"Do you still have the articles?" Lupin asked his younger self.

Remus' grin faded. He nodded and pulled the copies of articles he'd found in the library out of his robes.

"What articles?" Lily asked, setting down her book and moving closer to the group.

Remus sighed. "Last night, I went to do some investigation in the library about the future. And I found some rather depressing news in Pince's Daily Prophet articles," Remus explained. "I was going to show this to you guys last night, but he asked me not to," he said, gesturing to Lupin.

"And there's a very good explanation for that," Lupin began. "Those articles, for the most part, are wrong."

"What do they say?" Sirius asked, ripping the copies from Remus before either Lupin could stop him.

James and Peter moved to read over his shoulder. Three jaws dropped as they read the three different articles. The first dealt with the deaths of Lily and James Potter; the second was about their son, Harry; and the third covered the betrayal of Sirius Black, the murder of twelve innocent Muggles, and Peter Pettigrew.

"I have to sit now," James said, looking pale. Shakily, he moved to a sofa and collapsed into the cushions.

"James… I'd never…" Sirius whispered in horror.

"What?" Lily asked, taking the articles from Sirius. She read them as well, and moved to sit on James' other side with a blank expression.

"Please, tell me I don't…" Sirius pleaded with Lupin.

"You don't," Lupin whispered hoarsely.

"What?" the five teenagers said in varying tones of voice and volume.

"Sirius doesn't betray anybody," Lupin said. "Least of all Lily and James. Sirius was Harry's godfather when Lily gave birth to him." James surprised Lupin by not commenting on Lily's giving birth to his son. Perhaps it hadn't hit him, yet. "He was framed," Lupin continued, looking at each of them in turn. "He spent twelve years in Azkaban due to someone else's betrayal. He was the first ever to escape from Azkaban three years ago. He'd found out that the traitor had been disguised as the pet of a friend of Harry's. I happened to be teaching that year here at Hogwarts. Towards the end of the year, I found out the truth. It was something I never thought I'd hear."

"What was the truth?" Remus asked quietly.

Lupin sighed and looked at Peter. "I thought you had died at Sirius' wand. None of us knew what you had become. If we did, things may have been different," he said sadly.

"Me?" Peter whispered, horrified.

Lupin nodded. "May I see your forearm, Peter?"

"Why?"

"I want to show you something," Lupin said.

Hesitantly, Peter rolled up his long-sleeved robe and showed Lupin his bare arm. "In a few years, you will receive the Dark Mark; you will become a Death Eater. Eventually, you will become the Secret-Keeper for Lily and James, and betray them to Lord Voldemort," Lupin said.

"No…" Peter said, yanking his arm away from Lupin. "NO! I'd never do that! They're my friends!"

Lupin smiled bitterly. "That's what we thought."

None of the teenagers knew what to say. They'd just found out what would happen in a few years time. They'd just found out that one of their best friends would betray them. All eyes were on Peter as they struggled with the revelation.

Sirius had to be forcefully taken out of the room by the two Lupins as he moved to attack Peter. As much as Lupin wished that Peter had never been born, he couldn't allow any harm to come to any of them. Peter excused himself not long after and went to bed.

This left Lupin alone with Lily and James. The redhead was crying silently, while James tried to comfort her. It seemed, however, that James needed someone to comfort him.

"Were we happy, at least?" Lily finally asked, tears streaming from her green eyes.

James looked away from Lily and at Lupin for the answer. "You were," Lupin said, smiling honestly. "You and James were happily married for two years before Harry was born. After that, you were happier than I'd ever seen you." Both of them smiled.

"We have a son," James muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Told you you'd fall in love with me," he said Lily, nudging her in the shoulder and smiling at her.

Lily laughed through her tears. "Things can change, Potter."

"What happened to Harry?" James asked. "He told us before he lives with his aunt and uncle, but I'm an only child, and Lily…"

"Has a sister," she groaned. "Please don't tell me Harry has to live with Petunia."

"I'm afraid so," Lupin said. "Harry hasn't had an easy life, but he's a great kid."

"Well, this sort of sucks," James said. "I'm dead in five years."

"You're not the only one," Lily said.

"How did Harry survive?" James asked.

"Well," Lupin began slowly. He went into the explanation Dumbledore had given him about Lily's love for Harry saving him from Voldemort's Killing Curse. After that, at their request, Remus told them everything he'd ever learned about Harry James Potter. Through it all, Lily and James were shocked, humored, and quite proud of their future son.

Lupin didn't leave until two a.m., but instead of going to bed, Lily and James remained on the sofa. James silently placed his arm around Lily's shoulders and pulled her to him. He was very pleased when she didn't pull away; she instead wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head against his chest. Both fell asleep moments later.