A/N: - I hope you like this next chapter! And I also hope you like the fact that Lupin is getting a bigger role in this than he's had in the actual books so far – he's such a good character that he deserves more attention! My life is still in a muddle but I think updating will be easier now! Enjoy...

7 – Marauder memories

The group headed their separate ways after the night in the hospital wing. The rest of the day passed in haze for Harry. That night, he fell asleep and found his senses obscured in a thick white fog. As the fog cleared he found himself on the Quidditch Pitch. He was on his broom, but it wasn't his Firebolt. It was a Comet 230…that was one of the fastest broomsticks of its time…but what was he, Harry, doing riding it. He found himself moving and then he saw the snitch. He chased after it and as his fingers closed around the snitch he heard an outburst of cheering from the Gryffindors. He looked for Ron to congratulate him on not letting a single goal through the hoops, an unusual feat for Ron, but he couldn't see him. Ron wasn't there. Neither was Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Fred George, or any of the other members of the Gryffindor team. He didn't even recognise the Slytherin team. He looked towards where the staff members were seated but Lupin and Snape weren't there and Hagrid looked a lot younger, as did McGonagall and Dumbledore. Harry was starting to get scared. He touched down and was immediately surrounded by his ecstatic team-mates.

"Well done, Potter!"

Well, at least he was still Harry.

"Yeah, nice one Prongs!"

Hang on a minute…………Prongs? This could only mean one thing. He was inside his father's sixteen year old body. He turned round and to his shock he saw a young Sirius next to him. Before he could do anything he felt the words slipping out of his mouth. He had no control over his words whatsoever.

"Thanks Padfoot. I wish Moony could've seen that!"

"Who's to say he didn't?" Sirius grinned mischievously

"Padfoot, you know he's still up in the hospital wing. It was a full moon last night!"

"I know, Prongs, but we managed to talk Madame Pomfrey into letting Moony out early to com with me and Pete to the match."

"Then where is he?" Harry heard himself say.

"Here." Said a voice on the other side of Harry. He turned and saw Lupin and Pettigrew. Lupin's arms were folded and he had a look of pure amusement on his face. He was looking very pale but he looked a lot healthier than he had looked when Harry had seen him in Snape's pensieve in his fifth year. Harry was just taking a close look at Pettigrew when he felt the familiar jolting sensation beneath his navel and he was being jolted forward, but it didn't feel like the usual transportation.

He landed with a jolt. This time, he was in a cosy living-room surrounded by several adults who were drinking glasses of what looked like champagne. A small boy was toddling around the room and, with a sudden sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, Harry realised that it was him. He was very young and the adults sat in the room were his mum and dad and the other Marauders. They were laughing and joking watching the young Harry and taking turns to pick him up as he wandered over to them. He went round each Marauder in turn before returning to his mum and dad. They scooped him onto their laps and hugged him hard. Harry felt tears well up in his eyes. He was trying to hold them off but was distracted by the sudden whirling of colour.

Harry looked round him as the room came back into focus. He was still in the living room of Godric's Hollow but it was different. It was late at night and the fire was smouldering. He heard a panicky shout.

"Lily! He's here! Go up to Harry! I'll hold him off! Take Harry and RUN!"

Harry ran into the hall where his father stood, blocking the stairs. A green light shone through the lock and Voldemort burst through.

"You fool, Potter! Let me past and you need not die!"

"NEVER!"

"I gave you the chance! Avada Kedavra! "

James Potter let out a yell and collapsed on the floor. Unmoving. Dead. Voldemort gave a hollow, spine-chilling laugh and glided up the stairs. Harry followed him, stepping over his dead father's body as he went. He followed Voldemort into a room where Lily Potter stood clutching Harry tightly to her chest. She turned sharply as he entered, laying Harry down in his cot and standing protectively in front of him.

"Stand aside, girl!"

"No."

"Stand aside and I will spare you. Give me the boy!"

"No. You'll have to kill me first before I ever let you take my son!" Lily gasped.

"So be it." Voldemort murmured "Avada Kedavra."

Lily let out a cry of pain and a strangled choking noise escaped her as she fell to the floor as dead as her husband. Voldemort moved over her and advanced on the young Harry, who looked at him out of his bright green eyes in confusion.

"You are a threat to me. Killing you will secure my safety for generations to come. Take one last look…Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra."

A luminous light spouted from the end of his wand and there was an enormous bang as Voldemort exploded into nothing. Harry felt himself being sucked backwards.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Harry yelled. He awoke to see his entire dormitory stood above him.

"Harry! Are you alright, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Honestly. Just a dream." Harry said. His friends were obviously satisfied with this answer but Harry was still just as confused by the dream. He had seen many images. Ones that he assumed were from the past, but how could he possibly tell anyone about it? He knew he should tell Dumbledore but how to do it? He thought about it for a moment before deciding that he would do it in the morning. He rolled over as the others in his dorm returned to their beds and fell asleep again.

The next morning, Harry awoke to Ron jumping up and down on his bed yelling that it was Hogsmeade weekend.

The Gryffindors arrived in Hogsmeade at ten O'clock that morning but no-one was prepared for the devastation they were about to see. McGonagall walked to the front and spoke to her students,

"Today's trip is not to enjoy yourselves. It is to show you the terror that had been unleashed on our world and to prepare you for the worst. If the school is attacked and your fellow students or your teachers are killed, you may come across them and you need to know what to do."

They moved among the ruins and most of the Order could be seen searching the wreckage along with many volunteers. The Order could be seen checking buildings that were still standing before allowing any volunteers in to help them check for survivors among the half wrecked shops and pubs. Harry saw Mr. Weasley and Tonks go in to the remainder of the Hogs Head and, whilst they were in it, it collapsed.

"DAD!" Ron screeched.

"TONKS!" Hestia Jones cried, rushing into the building along with Molly Weasley. They dragged the two unconscious people out of the wreckage. Lupin and Snape rushed to help. Tonks and Mr. Weasley were transported to St. Mungo's along with Hestia, Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Ginny. Even Fred and George were there and they went too. Lupin walked over to McGonagall. He, like many of the others, was filthy with blood on his hands and face and his robes torn.

"Minerva, the Order's number is decreasing rapidly. I'd already checked that building. It was perfectly sturdy. Someone made it fall on top of Arthur and Tonks." Lupin's voice was urgent.

"Remus, I hardly believe that anyone from the other side would make it on to this site now that Dumbledore is here…they wouldn't dare."

"Really? Well then, if you refuse to accept that the Order is being targeted…don't you see? We are being picked off one – by – one. Any one of us could be next. Dumbledore won't be able to watch each individual member's every move. We could be struck down at any moment. And when the Order is all dead? The coast will be clear for Voldemort to strike our students and to kill Harry like he has wanted to do for so long. Are you really telling me that the Order is just dropping like flies for no apparent reason?" Lupin's eyes were glittering. McGonagall looked shocked, almost scared.

"Remus, you will scare the students. You are not in your rational mind which is perfectly understandable with the full moon approaching so fast and with Sirius dead and the stakes upped but that is no reason to lose your temper like that."

"Minerva. Get down." Lupin whispered. "GET DOWN!" he pushed her down as a spell came hurtling through the air. He fell to his knees and screamed in agony. It was the cruciatus curse. McGonagall uttered a small scream and looked in all directions for the sender of the curse. Lupin managed to stammer a stunning spell in the direction of his attacker. The curse stopped and he rose to his feet, shaking slightly, but none the worse for his ordeal.

"Now, do you believe me?" he asked. McGonagall just nodded. Lupin escorted them all back to Hogwarts and headed to his office. He knew he should have gone to the hospital wing but he didn't see the point as he had been through worse than that.

Harry was still in shock. He didn't understand why Voldemort was bothering to kill the Order off. After all, it would be just as easy to kill Harry rather than going to all the trouble to eliminate the others first, wouldn't it? Harry wasn't sure about anything anymore. It was soon going to be over for him anyway. The prophecy's words rang true in his head.

Neither one can live while the other survives.

One of them had to die and Harry was starting to doubt his abilities and also his chance against the Dark Lord. If an attack was launched on Hogwarts then many of its students would probably die. Teachers would be murdered. Plants would be destroyed, as would the owls and other animals. The remaining house-elves and the kitchen staff would all die and there was nothing he could do about it. It would be a much bigger massacre than ever before. Harry knew that Voldemort's army would be incredibly strong, far stronger than any force that Dumbledore had to offer. Harry led in his bed, thinking it over, for a long time before coming to a decision.

"If Hogwarts is going to be attacked, and if I must die, then I will die in the final duel against Voldemort," he whispered quietly to himself.

"That's the way to think about it, boy." A soft voice said. The words were prolonged and there were sharp hissing laughs in-between. "No good to let your friends die to protect you and then not get yourself killed as well!"

"Who are you?" Harry asked, sitting up. He looked cautiously around the dorm before turning his gaze to the floor where he saw a long, fat snake with luminous yellow eyes rearing its head and swaying from side to side.

"I am your doom, Harry Potter, boy who thwarted my master………………"

A/N: - Heh heh, evil snake alert! Keep reviewing people! Thank-you!