As Harry was shutting the door, he heard his mum ask Sirius, "Who's Ron and Hermione?"
Harry almost ran down to the Great Hall with a grin so big that it looked like it hurt. Once in the hall Harry spotted Hermione and Ron talking with worried looks across their faces.
"Hey guys!"
They looked up and saw Harry's face.
"Harry, what did Dumbledore want?" Hermione asked.
Harry gave them a small smile "Oh, nothing really."
"Come off it Harry!" Ron complained.
Harry shook his head and then dove into his dinner. He kept pinching himself to make sure it was not a dream. Ron and Hermione looked at each other with worried expressions.
They had not seen Harry's smile for so long they had almost forgotten what it looked like. Also, most of the weight in his eyes seemed to have been lifted. Hermione and Ron wondered what Dumbledore could have told Harry to bring him back so quickly from his depressed state.
Seeing Harry actually eating with out prompting was another new thing.
Up at the head table, Dumbledore looked down upon them with a bright twinkle.
They all finished in rapid speed. Harry left with Hermione and Ron in close pursuit.
"Come on Harry, something's up! Tell us!" Ron said, sounding very much like a five-year-old.
Harry only said; "Go up to the common room. I'll meet you there later."
Grudgingly they did as they were told. Only after whining to Harry to tell them what was going on which was to no avail.
Harry watched them go, then set off to Remus's office.
He stopped at the door and listened in. Harry could hear Remus and Sirius telling Lily and James about the night they died.
"I gave Hagrid my motorcycle to take Harry to the Durleys."
"HARRY WENT WHERE!" Harry smiled when he heard his mum shout this out.
He went into the room. "It's only me." Harry went over and hugged his parents and Sirius
"We haven't gone anywhere Harry." Sirius said with a smile on his face.
"Just making sure"
"I thought you would have brought Ron and Hermione" Remus said.
"Yeah, they begged me to tell them what was going on. But, I told them I would meet up in the common room. Ron and Hermione would love to see you Sirius, and meet you . . . Mum and Dad." Harry inwardly stuttered on the last words. They were so foreign in his mouth.
"Oh and Moony, Hermione is freaking out with the essay for homework, she thinks she got one question wrong and would like you to look at it." Harry said, rolling his eyes at the last part.
Remus smiled and shook his head.
"I, well it should be we, have not been to the Gryffindor common room in twenty years!" said James in excitement.
Harry looked at Sirius; it had been only three years that he had set foot in the dormitories. Sirius looked back at Harry; neither of them said anything but shared a smile.
"I'll take that as a yes?" Harry said as James and Sirius transformed into the stag and dog. Lily slipped on the invisibility cloak. Harry checked the map and the five of them were off
Luckily they did not run into anyone along the way. They got to the fat lady, she did not say anything about James and Sirius, but gave them strange looks as they entered.
Ron and Hermione were sitting in armchairs when Harry, Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily entered the common room. They looked up as James and Sirius 'popped' back into human form.
"Harry?" Hermione and Ron said at the same time, looking at James.
Hermione suddenly screamed, pointing at Sirius. "Sirius?" she whispered. Ron went over to him to give him a hug. "Your back!"
Hermione was warily looking at Sirius.
"You seemed to hit it off with my son's friends, Padfoot."
Ron let go of Sirius and looked at James.
"Harry?" Hermione said again, looking from James to Harry to Lily.
"This is my mum and dad." Harry said with a note of pride in his voice.
Hermione looked at Harry with pity in her voice. "Harry . . . you're mum and dad are, well, dead."
"Thanks Hermione. Isn't Sirius also supposed to be dead too?"
"Oh, right." Hermione turned a soft shade of pink.
"Okay Hermione, ask me something only I would know." Sirius said with a smile.
"Um . . . what were your last words to us in third year when you and Buckbeak escaped?"
"Good Merlin that far back? Okay, give me a minute." Sirius put on a thoughtful look. "I got it. First I was blabbering on about thanking you, then you both were screaming at me to go. Then, to quote myself, 'We'll see each other again. You are, truly your father's son, Harry.' and I left on Buckbeak."
Hermione looked at Sirius and then ran to him, knocking him back a few feet in a hug. "Sorry" she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Shhh, its ok," Sirius said, trying to comfort the girl.
Hermione released Sirius a minute later and went over to James and Lily; "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Potter."
"Really it must be Lily." Lily said hugging Hermione.
"Same for me, though I would like to be called James, not Lily," He said with a smile and hugging her too.
"And you must be Ron." James said to Ron.
"Yeah,"
James shook his hand and Lily swept him into a hug, turning the tips of his ears red.
The seven of them found chairs around the fire; Harry sat next to Hermione who was next to Ron on the sofa. Lily and James shared a loveseat, Remus and Sirius found their own armchairs.
"You do play Quidditch, right?" James asked Harry.
"Yes!"
"You good?"
"Pretty good."
Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius's jaws settled themselves nicely on the floor.
"Harry. . ." Ron started.
"Yeah?"
"Shut up. Harry is the youngest seeker in the century; he got on the team in our first year."
Harry started to blush.
"And he's never lost a game, well once but that was with the Dementors and you would have won anyway." Hermione said.
"And can pull off one hell-of-a Wronski Feint." Remus added.
"And last game he got the Snitch in 30 seconds."
Ron opened his mouth to add another comment but was cut off by Harry.
"So, how much did you tell them?" Harry asked Remus and Sirius, changing the subject quickly before Ron and Hermione could embarrass him anymore.
"What, about you and Voldemort?"
Harry nodded; James and Lily's faces went from smiling to worried and concerned.
"Nothing, we only got to the beginning your first year." Remus said.
"Oh Merlin, we're going to be a while." Ron said, getting comfortable.
Harry laughed. Lily looked at her son. "What's he talking about?"
Ron chuckled, "Possessed evil teachers in first year, not to mention Fluffy- "he shivered - "Fake loony teachers in second year and the Basilisk. Escaped innocent murderers in third year; the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year. Dreams that are real, feeling You-know-who's emotions in fifth year."
They all noticed Harry looking at Ron, giving him a Snape-worthy glare. "Fine, Fine, Voldemort."
Harry nodded, "You've been through it all with me Ron. There's no reason not to call the scum by his name. Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing its self." He said coolly.
Ron nodded.
Lily and James looked worriedly at Harry.
The trio launched into telling about the Sorcerer's Stone from there to their second year and the Chamber of Secrets.
"YOU FOUGHT A WHAT WHERE?" Sirius shouted standing over Harry,
"A Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said calmly, looking up at his godfather with amusement in his eyes.
"You never told me that!"
"Because you're an overprotective godfather and I knew this would happen. Plus, you never asked."
"And you never told me you're a Parselmouth."
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione like 'How long will this go on?' They smiled and shrugged at him.
"Ssso, does this freak you out at all Sssiriusss? Dad? Mum? Remusss?" Harry hissed.
They all jumped, except Ron and Hermione, at hearing the hiss escape Harry's mouth. "Where did you learn to do that with out a snake around?" Ron asked Harry.
Harry shrugged, "Over the summer, I had nothing else to do. Plus, it scared the Dursleys half to death. And they could not do anything about it. Did you know that my Aunt has a very friendly garden snake in her flower beds? I got him to scare Dudley for me a few times." Harry grinned evilly.
James looked at Harry. "You want to explain how you can do that?" he asked weakly.
Harry told them all of how when Voldemort tried to kill him, he gave Harry some of his powers. After they had totally exhausted that subject; the trio, Sirius, and Remus started to explain about third year.
"You scared me to death Sirius! Standing over me in the middle of the night with a knife," Ron exclaimed. "It's not the best way to wake up. And you didn't look that great either."
Sirius wickedly smiled, "Yeah, but I would like to see you, Mr. Weasley, stay in Azkaban for 12 years and come out looking healthy and radiant. Anyway, I had a headache after that. Anyone ever tell you that you scream like a girl?"
Ron blushed. Everyone else tried to cover up his or her giggles. "We never did ask how you got out of here so fast. All I heard was the door slam, and Ron's scream."
"You're not going to let me forget that are you?" Ron asked Harry, who shook his head.
"I don't really know. I just ran out of here and transformed, then raced in the shadows towards the forest. All that practice running from Prongs when he woke up to a prank he didn't like probably helped."
"Padfoot, when did I ever like waking up with pink hair?"
Sirius just shook his head in laughter.
"I went looking for you. Could smell you," Remus said.
At this Sirius muttered loud enough for them all to hear, "Stupid Werewolf senses."
"You don't remember Padfoot? We could never hide from him because of that. Came smelling us out." James said.
"Yeah, it does have certain advantages. But I believe you, Prongs, were the one who tried to charm a clothespin onto my nose."
Hermione, Harry, and Ron went into silent giggles.
"Well it was not as bad as what Padfoot did." James retorted.
"True, dog boy tried to bewitch ear plugs into my ears."
"Because Fangs has way to good of hearing."
"You too have fangs, dog breath. Mine are just more impressive."
"'Bout' a inch more impressive and sharper! You too have dog breath."
"Shut it, mongrel."
"That's a bit rich coming from you, isn't it, wolf-boy?"
Harry, Hermione and Ron had tears coming down their face they were laughing so hard. Remus took notice of this. "You do realize that I have to teach them when term starts again. This is going to be hard to live down."
Harry was the first to be able to talk minutes later. "This is Moony, right?"
Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.
"Have you ever met Professor Lupin? He's calm, relaxed, never raises his voice. This professor can talk civilly to Snape and never plays jokes." Harry said, starting to laugh again at the looks on James and Sirius's faces. Remus was also smiling.
James jumped up from his seat and went over to Remus and shook his shoulders. "Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend!"
Remus smiled. "Please pay attention students."
The trio sat up a little straighter. James started to back away slowly, holding up his hands. "Moony, now, don't do anything you'll regret later."
He pulled out his wand. "Don't worry Prongs, I won't regret it," he said before muttering a few choice words. The room exploded with laughter. James paled and looked into a mirror.
Looking back at him he saw him self with wolf ears, silver fur for hair and a wolf tail coming out of the back of his robes. James turned back. "Mooonnny."
"You mean to tell me you haven't worked out the counter-curse after all these years?" Remus said in his best disappointed-professor voice.
James shook his head.
Hermione raised her hand. "Professor, may I try?"
"Of course Miss Granger."
Instantly he was back to normal.
"5 points Miss Granger."
James sat back down in his chair. "Stupid w-"
"Do you really want to finish that?" Remus asked, twirling his wand lazily.
"I don't think it would be wise Prongs." Sirius said laughing.
"You want to be next Mr. Padfoot?"
Sirius stopped laughing. "Mr. Padfoot presents his admiration for Mr. Moony and begs him to keep his wand to him self."
"Mr. Prongs sincerely agrees with Mr. Padfoot and would like to remind Mr. Moony who his best friends are."
"Mr. Moony acknowledges Mr. Padfoot and Mr. Prong's statements and agrees to keep his wand to himself, for the moment that is."
"Harry would like to know if Misters Moony, Padfoot and Prongs are completely insane and if they realize that they are talking in the third person?"
"Mr. Padfoot would like to agree with Prongs jr. and add that he has also spoken in the third person."
Harry shook his head.
"Mr. Moony would like to say that he does not include himself in the 'insane' category"
"Merlin, you never would have thought you two" Ron started looking at Remus and Sirius. "Are . . . what was it? Oh yeah, 'Purveyors of aids to magical mischief- makers', usually you are so serious. And yes! We know Sirius!"
"So, getting back on track" James said, anger flashing behind his brown eyes. "Wormtail is still out there and everyone thinks you're mass murderer?" James asked Sirius.
"Everyone except those in the Order," Sirius said.
James nodded.
"And my little boy," Harry reddened when his father said this. "Fought off a hundred Dementors all by himself!" James reached over and messed up Harry's already messy hair.
"Not really, Moony helped." Harry said, still blushing.
"I only taught him the spell. He did the rest," Remus said, looking at Harry with pride.
"Well would famous Mr. Potter care to show off his patronous?" James said smiling at Harry.
Harry looked nervously over at Remus. He was the only one who knew what Harry's patronous meant or is for that matter. Remus gave Harry an encouraging smile the latter smiled back. James and Sirius looked between the two; the werewolf had a knowing look in his eye.
Harry got up and walked to the edge of the semi circle made by the sofa and chairs around the fire.
He stood next to James, who was sitting on the loveseat with Lily. Pulling out his wand, Harry thought of the moment he first saw his godfather that night.
"Expecto Patronum!"
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