Harry Potter and the Secrets Within

Chapter 2 – A Swim in the Lake

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew sat by the shores of the lake in late 1976 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The four friends were watching as the giant squid's large tentacles danced in and out of the water, tickling the feet of unsuspecting first years. It was abnormally hot for September, and many students were spending their Saturday outdoors.

The four boys and many others had removed their robes and were basking in the sunlight in just their under uniforms. Sirius's shirt was unbuttoned slightly at the top, revealing his tanned skin. James watched a group of girls and boys across the lake, glaring enviously as a Slytherin boy flirted with a red haired girl.

Said redhead's name was Lily Evans. James was very interested in her, but she never seemed to want to give him the time of day. Her green eyes sparkled with mirth as she laughed at the Slytherin's lame joke. Turning his attention back to his friends, he saw Sirius wink at a few fourth year Hufflepuff girls that were walking by. The girls giggled and ran off quickly. James ran a hand through his unruly, jet-black hair and sighed.

"Must you tease the pretty ladies, Padfoot?" he asked, looking at his best friend through his glasses with a raised eyebrow.

"Why Prongs," Sirius said with mock disbelief. "What ever are you talking about?"

"Nothing Padfoot," James replied. "Nothing at all."

Remus looked up from his book and watched the short discussion with a slight frown. He shook his head, his sandy brown hair fluttering in the gentle breeze. He went back to his reading when it was over, and said nothing.

"I'm bored," Peter sighed. The mousy haired boy scowled with frustration and looked expectantly at his friends. James raised an eyebrow at him and grinned.

"Well there isn't much we can do today," he said.

"Why not? The teachers aren't out here!" Peter argued.

"Well if we did try to pull something, everyone would know it was us," Sirius said.

"But don't they always know it's us?" Peter asked with a frown.

"Yes Peter," James answered.

"Then…Why can't we do anything?" Peter asked.

"Just drop it," Remus begged. Peter huffed.

"I wish something would happen. Anything," he said. "Something exciting! Something that will leave us asking for more!"

Then, high in the sky, there was a flash of green light. Everyone around the lake looked up and saw a figure emerge from the light and fall rapidly towards the ground. Many girls screamed and people pointed and gaped in surprise. As it got closer, they realized it was a boy – he looked about fourteen. He fell through the sky and landed in the lake with a splash!

Sirius, James, and Remus jumped to their feet as the boy went under the water and didn't come back up. Sirius and James hurriedly tore off their shoes and socks and dove into the water without thinking. Remus, his book forgotten, ran towards the castle. Peter watched in shock as the two black-haired boys swam out into the center of the lake before going under.

James's glasses had a permanent charm to repel water, and another to keep them on his face. Sirius's long hair fluttered around him and his skin had a greenish tint under the water as he swam lower and lower. James followed, thankful that he didn't have his robes to weigh him down. James squinted as he saw a sparkle of green.

They swam down lower and found the boy. He was sinking slowly, his eyes closed and his head lolled to the side. He was clearly unconscious, for he made no move to reach the surface. The sparkle of green was a gem on a chain that was around the boy's neck that floated above him. Sirius grabbed the limp boy's wrist and pulled him up, hooking his arm around his unmoving waist.

James helped Sirius pull the boy up towards the surface of the lake. James and Sirius took deep gasps of air, but the boy between them didn't move or take a breath. His head lolled lifelessly and landed on his shoulder. James and Sirius swam as quickly as they could and dragged the boy onto the shore. They set him down on his back, where he lay motionless. Lily hovered over them as they kneeled next to the boy. She shoved Sirius away and put her ear over his slightly parted lips.

"James, when I tell you to, push down on his stomach," she instructed. "Now!" he pushed onto his stomach as she counted to five, then she pinched his nose closed and lowered her mouth to his, breathing for him. James, taking a few seconds to get over his shock, quickly pushdown on the boy's stomach when Lily told him to. She leaned over and breathed for him, but pulled away quickly.

His eyes flew open and he coughed and sputtered, water dribbling out of his mouth. Sirius took him by the shoulders and propped him up, letting him spill out the water from his mouth. The unknown boy clutched his stomach as he regurgitated water onto the grass. Lily rubbed his back soothingly as he finished, gasping for air.

Sirius gently lowered the boy to the ground and wiped hair out of his eyes. James wrung the water out of his shirt as he watched. Remus was running up to them, followed by Headmaster Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. The three teenagers looked down at the boy they'd saved. The boy looked back up at them with wide, emerald green eyes.

"Am I dead?" he croaked.

"No, you're going to be fine," Lily said gently, cupping his face in her hands. He took a deep, shuddering breath and didn't reply. His eyes went unfocussed and he closed them, falling unconscious again. Sirius looked up at James.

"Prongs," he whispered. James looked up at him. "He looks just like you."

James studied the soaked boy they were all leaning over and realized for the first time. The boy's unruly black hair matched his, and his features were almost the same, but the boy's nose was smaller and he was much skinnier.

"Who do you think he is?" James asked. Sirius just shook his head in response. Remus skidded to a halt next to them, falling to his knees. He was red-faced and out of breath, but he looked more concerned than tired.

"What exactly happened here?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"He just – fell out of the sky!" Sirius said. "And he landed in the lake. When he didn't come back up, we went in to get him…"

"That was a very brave thing you did, boys," McGonagall smiled. "Ten points each."

"Let's get him to the hospital wing," Dumbledore said. He looked up when he heard panting. Peter stopped next to them, dropping the trunk he'd been dragging along with him. They gave him a questioning glance.

"It fell out of the sky just after James and Sirius dove into the water," he explained. "I thought I should bring it along."

"Thank you, Mr. Pettigrew," Professor Dumbledore said. McGonagall levitated the trunk and Dumbledore levitated the boy, and the two teachers went into the school and into the hospital wing, where the boy lay peacefully sleeping, oblivious to everything going on around him.


Harry opened his eyes slowly, looking around at the white walls in confusion. He recognized the place as the Hogwarts hospital wing, but he couldn't understand what was going on.

He remembered his conversation with Remus, and then he blacked out. When he woke up again, he remembered seeing his dead parents and Sirius leaning over him, all sopping wet. But he didn't remember anything else.

He looked up as Dumbledore entered and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Harry stared at him for a while.

"Hello there young man," Dumbledore started. "You gave my students quite a scare."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked confusedly, blood pounding in his ears.

"Well, dear boy, you fell out of the sky and into the lake," Dumbledore said. Harry blinked stupidly.

"I did?" he asked.

"You did," Dumbledore agreed. "Now tell me, what is your name?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked slowly. "Don't you remember me, Professor?" Dumbledore eyed him curiously, a frown on his face.

"No, actually I have never seen you before in my life," Dumbledore stated with a slightly raised eyebrow. Harry stared at him with wide eyes.

"Professor, it's me, Harry," he said. "You know, Harry Potter."

"Potter?" Dumbledore repeated.

"Yes!" Harry said exasperatedly. "What is wrong with you? It's me, Harry Potter – son of Lily and James Potter. Remember?"

"What year is it, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's 1996. Are you feeling alright?" Harry asked.

"I am, my dear boy. I'm afraid it is you, who are confused. The year is not nineteen ninety-six, but nineteen seventy-six," Dumbledore clarified.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked dumbly.

"I'm afraid so, you seemed to have traveled back in time," the wise old man said. "Do you have any idea how it happened?"

"I was – I was with Remus," Harry whispered.

"Mr. Lupin?" Dumbledore clarified. Harry nodded.

"He was saving me. The Death Eaters attacked the house, and we were up locked in my bedroom. He gave me this," he said, pulling the emerald stone from underneath the white pajama top he was wearing. "He told me Sirius wanted me to have it. He said Sirius wanted me safe."

"Mr. Lupin gave you this necklace from Mr. Black," Dumbledore repeated. Harry nodded, pressing the heels of his hands under his eyes to stop the tears.

"Sirius wanted me to have it, because it would bring me to a safe place, all I had to say was the activating word. But after I activated it, the door blew open and the Death Eaters were attacking Remus, so I let go. But then I got pulled away," Harry said. "I want to go back. Send me back! I need to save Remus!"

"Mr. Potter, I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do at the moment. But perhaps you can answer a few questions for me," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded distractedly.

"Sure, go ahead," he said.

"How old are you, Mr. Potter?"

"Sixteen." Dumbledore gave him an odd look, but kept going.

"Your parents are Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter?"

"Yes."

"And they are your guardians?"

"No," Harry answered. Dumbledore waited for more.

"They aren't?"

"They died. When I was one," Harry said stonily. Dumbledore nodded.

"Voldemort?"

"Yes. He killed them."

"Who do you live with then?"

"My Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. My aunt is my mother's muggle sister. She hates magic, and so does Uncle Vernon."

"Why don't you live with Mr. Black?" Dumbledore asked in confusion.

"Sirius was in Azkaban. He escaped, and then he was killed."

"And you cannot live with Mr. Lupin because of his Lycanthropy?" Dumbledore asked.

"Correct," Harry answered.

"You go to Hogwarts?"

"Of course," Harry said briskly. "Gryffindor might I add."

"Excellent. You can start classes on Monday," Dumbledore said, standing up. Harry gave him a horrified look.

"What?" he squeaked. "Monday?"

"Well we can't have you lazing about in the hospital wing, now can we? If you are anything like your father I'm sure you're in here enough as it is," Dumbledore said with an amused smile. Harry nodded.

"Can I go to the tower now?" he asked pleadingly.

"I think one more night in the infirmary will be good for you, Harry," the professor said seriously. "You're still weak from your near drowning experience. I don't want you to be sick for your first day of school."

"Yes sir," Harry scowled, leaning back on the pillows. "I'll stay if I must."

"Get some sleep Mr. Potter. You can amuse yourself by thinking of a history you can use for your new friends and classmates," Dumbledore suggested. Harry nodded, sulking. After a little while of sitting alone in the quietness of the hospital, he drifted off.


James sighed, clearly frustrated. The boy that had fallen into the lake was one of the many mysteries that everyone in Hogwarts was talking about. He needed to know why the by looked so much like him, and he needed to know quickly. Sirius looked equally as frustrated and Remus was frowning with concentration. Peter was flicking Every Flavor Beans at first years.

"This is pointless," James growled.

"I agree!" Sirius said.

"I think we should take matters into our own hands!" James said.

"I agree!" Sirius repeated.

"I think we should be allowed to see him!"

"I agree!"

"I think we should go now!" James said, rising to his feet. He looked at Sirius expectantly. "Well?"

"I don't agree," he said. James sat down. "I think we should go later, after everyone has gone to bed. We should sneak out under the cloak, so no one can stop us."

"I agree!" James said enthusiastically.

"That's my line!" Sirius pouted. James rolled his eyes.

"Tonight then," Remus said. "We'll stay up and leave when everyone's asleep. Good idea James."

"That was my idea!" Sirius said, shock and disbelief written all over his face.

"Sure it was, Padfoot. Sure it was." James rolled his eyes and stood.

"It was! Hey, where are you going? Come back!" Sirius ran to catch up.


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Tant - Thanks for the compliment, but then...that last part...what's that supposed to mean?

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