Disclaimer: I'm not lucky enough to own Harry Potter & the gang—they all belong to the incomparable JK Rowling!
What happens when your boyfriend's 'spare bit of parchment' takes you and your arch-nemesis twenty years back in time? With the Marauders involved, things can get pretty interesting. ..
Mischief Managed: Ch. 10—
Draco Malfoy was an instant celebrity and he was relishing every bit of it, even a week after his 'miraculous' defeat of James Potter, Princeof the Quidditch Pitch.
"Would you look at him!" James Potter vented to anyone who would listen, "he's really laying it on thick, isn't he?"
"Honestly Prongs, you're like a broken record! Just get over yourself for five minutes and accept the fact that he beat you fair and square," Remus Lupin said, sounding quite perturbed.
"He must have cheated!" James muttered to himself.
"Don't worry Prongs," Sirius said sympathetically, "everyone will forget about him in a day. But you have to admit, he ran directly into the goalpost and still caught the Snitch, that is pretty impressive."
"Traitor! How can you believe that he beat me squarely when I WAS UNDEFEATED" James snapped bitterly.
"James, drop it!" Remus said firmly, "honestly, there is more to life than a game of Quidditch!"
Sirius looked at Remus with horror.
"Well you could argue that there is more to life than grades, Mooney," James said, almost hatefully.
Remus blushed bright red, "grades are very important. In case you haven't noticed, your grades determine your entire future."
"Quidditch is my future!" James yelled.
Remus looked thoroughly disgusted, "well, if that's the only aspiration you have in life, I'd say you're leading a pretty meaningless existence."
"Oh do you? That's great, especially coming from you. You who may study as hard as you want, and get the highest grades in the year, and be Dumbledore's golden boy; but what are you going to do when you get out of here, Remus? What kind of a job are they going to give you! No matter how good of a person you are, the people out there aren't going to accept you, and they don't give a damn how many books you've read."
Remus' lower lip began to tremble, and tears filled his big blue eyes.
"Prongs—" Sirius gave James a dark look. He moved to put his arm on Remus' shoulder, but the other boy would have none of it.
"I suppose that's quite easy for someone who has been born with everything. I am going to bed now. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your wallowing in self-pity over one lost Quidditch match, since that is the only thing you seem to care about. You make me sick! I'm surprised that you managed to get your broomstick off the ground with that fat head of yours on it."
Ginny was playing with her food restlessly as she listened to the Marauders argue. James looked at Draco as if he'd like nothing more than to strangle the blonde's throat. Draco, of course, took no notice of this. He was too busy being his usual charming self, full of imaginary bravado and arrogance. To make matters worse, Lily seemed to buy into his rubbish. She was Draco's most devoted disciple, and was currently staring at him in a way that reminded Ginny of Hermione's utter devotion to that moron Lockhart when he was around.
Suddenly, she noticed that the three Marauders had become two. Remus was storming out of the Great Hall. Ginny decided to follow him.
She caught up with the young werewolf fairly quickly. Like Hermione, Remus' favorite hiding place was the library. He was sitting down on the stone floor, curled up like a cat, and obviously crying.
"Remus?" Ginny said softly, kneeling on the floor beside him, "are you okay?"
"How did you find me?" he wiped his eyes roughly.
"I knew where to look," Ginny smiled slightly, "you didn't answer my question though, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said softly, "James just said some things. Never mind, I shouldn't take it personally. He's just...so weird about Quidditch."
"Still," Ginny said hotly, "he shouldn't take it out on you. You're the nicest guy in the world..."
"I don't know about that," his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Of course you are! Tonks wouldn't like you otherwise..." now she had done it, she thought. Damn it, how thick was she? Tonks probably wasn't even born yet.
"Tonks?" he looked puzzled, "am I supposed to know who that is?"
"No," she said a little too quickly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm curious, Ginny."
"Curiosity killed the Kneazel," she said in a tone of voice that would have made her mother proud.
"You aren't telling me something," he said accusingly.
"You aren't telling me something," she snapped back.
Remus looked frightened now, but was now on a mission for the truth.
"Who is Harry Potter?"
"Nobody," Ginny retorted.
"When I first met you and Draco on the lake, Draco called James 'famous Harry Potter'. Is Harry Potter a relative of his?"
"Umm...in a way."
"I knew there was something about you and Draco, something very familiar, your scents..."
"What are you trying to say, that Draco and I stink?"
"No, not at all. I just..."
"Oh I see. You have a sixth sense, like an animal instinct."
His face paled, "I don't know what you mean."
"Let me enlighten you. You're a werewolf, and that's how you knew there was something odd about Draco and me."
His eyes widened, "how long have you known?"
"Long enough," she said sharply, "don't worry. I won't say anything, and I don't really care."
"How did you figure it out?" he said, barely speaking above a whisper, "it's not just about me being...you know. It's everything. The way you look at James and Sirius; it's as if you've known them for ages."
"I haven't known them for ages!" Ginny protested.
Remus looked very skeptical. "Well, who is Tonks then?"
Ginny grinned slightly at the thought of the Metamorphmagus who was like the big sister she had never had, "Someone very, very cool."
"And she likes...me…but how is that possible if I've never met her?"
"Remus, can you keep a secret?"
"Of course...I mean, you've kept mine apparently."
"Draco and I aren't really transfer students..."
"That much was obvious…you both act as if you've been to Hogwarts before."
"That's just it, we have been."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm in 5th year and he's in 6th. He's a Slytherin prefect actually."
"Slytherin?"
"Yes, that's why he was so taken aback at being put in Gryffindor."
"He's a Malfoy isn't he?"
"Oh, it's that obvious, huh?"
"Lucius did just graduate last year, and the resemblance between them is striking."
Ginny laughed at his insightfulness, wondering if he would have been as quick on the uptake if it had been Harry in this mess with her, instead of Malfoy.
"So, what relation is he to Lucius...cousin, younger brother?"
Ginny swallowed hard. She was probably very close to breaking some Ministry regulation on time travel, but it was Professor Lupin she was talking to, albeit at sixteen years old, but it was Lupin nonetheless.
"Well, actually...Draco is his son."
Remus' eyes widened, "but how? How did you get here...a Time Turner? Or has someone sent you? Does it have anything to do with the Dark Lord that everyone's been talking about?"
Remus had been watching entirely too much Sci-Fi in Ginny's opinion. He certainly had an active imagination, but he was close to being right. He was like Hermione, as Ron has always said: brilliant, but a little scary.
"Not nearly that exciting, I'm afraid," Ginny said carefully, "we fell through a rather curious magical object, and I'm not really sure how it works; but Dumbledore seems to know what's going on, and I can't help but feel like we're here for a reason. I just hope we don't change anything permanently."
"So, you know me…and all of us...in the future?"
"Yea," Ginny laughed, "you were my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher my second year."
"I'm a teacher?" Remus said joyfully, "that's wonderful!"
She couldn't bear to tell him that his tenure at Hogwarts was only one term long.
"What about the others?" Remus said excitedly, "James plays Quidditch for England no doubt? And Lily, I bet she's teaching Charms! Does Sirius own his own pub yet? Are all of us married?"
"Ok, ok...enough questions!" Ginny said firmly, "look I can't tell you everything, because you have to live your own life; and besides, not all of it is happy. However, I do have to tell you one thing...You Know Who is getting stronger."
"You Know Who?" Remus asked, confused.
Ginny bit her lip, "V-Voldemort."
"Oh that Dark Wizard," Remus nodded knowledgeably, "nobody seems too terribly concerned, but my dad says he's got a load of new followers...wait, he's stronger in your world..? So, he's still alive?"
"Worse than that, he's stronger than ever…and there is only one who can stop him."
"Dumbledore?" Remus asked.
Ginny shook her head, "his name is Harry, Harry James Potter."
"He's James's...James's son?"
"And Lily's."
"Did hell freeze over?" Remus said contemplating what scheme James had come up with for Lily to actually marry him.
She grinned at Remus' shocked expression. "Apparently it was a match made in Heaven, but at the present they hate each other, and that concerns me."
"They've hated each other since first year," Remus said, "I can't imagine a world with James and Lily being civil to one another, let alone married. So, what's their son like?"
Ginny had to smile once again. "He's the living image of James with big green eyes and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead."
"Lily's eyes?" Remus said with awe, "that's very interesting…"
"I remember that they started talking in their 6th year though, and began going out in 7th. Tonks told me, and she knows everything."
"So you're thinking that they should be together now, and they obviously aren't, so that's why you're here?"
"Maybe. I honestly don't have an answer though," Ginny sighed, "But I do know that if James and Lily don't get together, there will be no saving the Wizarding World. There will be no Harry Potter."
"You really care about Harry, don't you?" Remus said kindly.
"I do," Ginny said softly.
"Well as long as he's not as much of a prat as his father," Remus grinned, "but he can't be too bad, after all, Lily would have raised him properly."
Ginny's smile faded.
"What is it?" Remus said, "Is something wrong?"
She decided not to tell him about Harry's parents; he had heard enough for one night.
"It's fine, Remus," Ginny said as they walked towards Gryffindor tower, "I just can't tell you anything else, that's all."
"One more question, please Ginny," Remus said, with a slight redness in his cheeks, "am I married?"
Ginny laughed, "No...But you could be if you would ever get up the nerve to ask her."
Remus' jaw dropped, "so, how old am I?"
"You're pushing forty, sport."
"Oh please don't tell Sirius or James. I'd never hear the end of it! A forty-year-old virgin, goodness me! As soon as you get back, make sure you slap some sense into me."
Ginny was greatly amused as she imagined slapping her forty year old former Professor.
"Consider it done."
"So," Remus said after both of them had finished laughing, "Project James and Lily, what's your plan?"
"Well," Ginny said, "the first order of business would be to pry Lily away from Saint Draco. Honestly, what she sees in Malfoy I'll never understand."
Remus gave her his most lupine smile, "You sound as if you have the same opinion of Draco as Lily has of James; could this be foreshadowing a relationship in the future?"
She punched him playfully on the shoulder as they reached the common room. "I wouldn't have a relationship with ferret boy if my life depended on it."
"Watch who you're calling ferret boy, Weasley," the blonde in question said from his perch on the couch.
"Weasley?" Remus mouthed excitedly as Ginny motioned for him to shut up. She wasn't particularly keen on Malfoy knowing she had spilled all to Remus.
"Well, I am going to bed," Remus announced happily, "I'll leave you two...alone. Oh, and Ginny, I have a Prefect's meeting tomorrow. I shall speak to Lily about what we were discussing."
"So what were you and Professor Lupin discussing?" Draco mimicked Remus' soft voice.
"Oh drop it, Malfoy. It's none of your concern," Ginny said, taking a seat next to him, "actually, now that you mention it, keep your grubby little paws off Lily Evans."
"Why should I, Weasley? You aren't jealous are you?"
"Of course not! Ugh, don't flatter yourself Malfoy."
"So why should I keep my 'grubby little paws' off of Evans?"
"Because, you wanker, if they don't get together this year, they won't ever...then where would we be?"
"We'd have a world without Saint Potter. It wouldn't bother me at all, Weasley."
"Then you condemn the rest of us to death. Harry is the only person who can kill Voldemort, and as much as you'd hate to admit it..."
"There you go Weasley! Potter could kill the Dark Lord; the Dark Lord could kill him! Either way we're fucked, so why shouldn't I enjoy my stay in 1976?"
"Because Draco, we aren't supposed to be here. We can't alter history!"
"We are living history Weasley!"
"Well, Draco, tell me this. If Harry were here instead of you and fancied your mum, would you want him to just live through history?"
The sneer on Draco's face melted away very slowly. "Fine Weasley," he said through clenched teeth, "but don't expect me to turn chummy with Potter Sr."
"Excellent," Ginny said brightly, "you should know that next weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend, it's our perfect opportunity, maybe our only chance. Well, goodnight Malfoy."
They stood up at the same time and stared directly into one another's eyes.
Draco pushed a stray bang out of his face. "Uh...goodnight, Weasley."
Ginny moved toward the girls' dormitory. "Sleep well, Draco."