Changing Times

By Neurotica

Epilogue

The headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, was worried. This was a rare event; Dumbledore never seemed to worry about anything. But when the Hogwarts Express arrived the night before, it was missing five Gryffindor sixth years. No one had even seen them board the train that day, nor did they see them in the train station before the train left. Had Voldemort captured them on their way to the school? Perhaps they were being tortured, or worse…

Dumbledore walked down the stairs from his private sleeping quarters to his study to write letters to the missing students' parents, but stopped short. The five Gryffindors were no longer missing; they were standing in front of his desk looking confused and lost.

James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily had no idea how they came to be in Dumbledore's office. James and Lily were standing quite close to one another; something the headmaster had learned long ago was not a good thing.

"Well, I see you've arrived," Dumbledore said, approaching his students.

"Er, hello, sir," Remus said, looking around the office confusedly.

"Hello, Remus," Dumbledore said.

"How'd we get here?" Sirius said, looking from his friends to Dumbledore.

"That's a good question, Sirius, one I would like the answer to as well," Dumbledore said.

"We were just looking around the train for a seat, like, two minutes ago!" James said.

"We wouldn't have had to look for a seat if Sirius hadn't set off Dungbombs at James'! We would have been on time!" Peter said.

"Shut up, Peter, no one asked you," Sirius muttered angrily.

"How about you all shut up? You're giving me a headache," Lily complained.

"I can take care of your headache, Evans," James grinned.

"Prat," the redhead muttered.

Remus looked down into his right hand as he felt something there. It was a parchment envelope he definitely had never seen. "I think this is for you, sir," Remus said, holding the letter out to the headmaster uncertainly.

The Marauders and Lily watched Dumbledore read the front of the letter, smile, and place the letter into his purple robes. "Well, I believe the five of you have missed your first day of lessons, so you may go to your common room until dinner. I must inform Professor McGonagall of your arrival. Off you trot," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling maddeningly.

The five sixth years left Dumbledore's office more confused than when they had arrived. What was in that letter, and why was Dumbledore looking at them so oddly?

None of them were quite sure how they'd gotten into Dumbledore's office – that was all true. It seemed only five minutes before they were looking for an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

Something had changed, however. Instead of speeding past them like she normally did when the Marauders were in her way, Lily walked beside James the entire way to Gryffindor Tower.

Remus said the password ("Obliviate") and they climbed through the portrait hole.

The common room was empty; the students must have still been in classes.

"Right, well, I am going upstairs. I feel like the last ten minutes have dragged on for weeks," Sirius said.

"I know what you mean," James said, his brow furrowing in deep thought. "Hey, when was the last time we played Quidditch?"

"I don't know… a few weeks ago?" Sirius said.

"It seems like only a few days," James said thoughtfully.

"I'll, er, see you guys later," Lily muttered feeling embarrassed in front of James for a reason she couldn't begin to understand. She made her way up to the girls' dormitory while James watched her progress until she disappeared behind a corner.

"I'm going to the kitchens," Sirius said. "Want to come, Prongs?"

"Thought you were going upstairs," Remus said with a raised eyebrow.

"Changed my mind. Want to come?" Sirius asked, setting his owl cage on an end table. Remus and Peter agreed, but James began to slowly make his way up the dormitory stairs.

"Prongs?" Remus said questioningly.

"I'll meet you guys there later," James muttered.

"Okay," Sirius said slowly. "See you then."

The three Marauders left the common room as James stepped up the stairs. Instead of going left to the boys' dorms, however, he took a sharp right and nearly collided into Lily who had just run down the stairs.

"Oh, Lily, um, sorry about that," James said sincerely. "You alright?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, fine, thanks," she muttered. Something odd was happening.

James made to run his hand through his hair, but remembered Lily saying she didn't like that, so he put both hands in his pockets and stared at his shoes. "So, um, I was wondering… Hogsmeade will be coming up soon, and uh, I know you hate me and all, but, um," James stuttered. He sighed and looked up at Lily. "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me, Lily?" he asked shyly.

Lily had never seen James Potter look as sincere or shy or nervous as he did now. (Or had she?) She felt like she'd gotten to know him and he didn't seem as bad as he had before. For some reason, she wanted to know more about him. "Sure, James," she said with a smile.

"I mean, if you're busy, that's okay, too. I was just wondering," James rambled.

"Potter!" Lily said loudly with a laugh. "I said yes," she added quietly.

"Y–you did?" Lily nodded. "Oh, um, o–okay, then. Er, are you hungry? The guys just went to the kitchens," James said.

"Yeah, okay," Lily said, taking James arm and walking down the stairs with him.

As they left the Gryffindor common room together, neither James nor Lily had any idea that in twenty years time their one and only son would be in that exact room going over thoughts of night time Quidditch, two Lupins, and the overwhelming feeling of finally meeting his parents.

Perhaps his heart would be lighter now that he'd personally known what his parents and their friends were like. As anything that happens to the Boy-Who-Lived, it could only make him stronger.

End