Harry, Ron, and Hermione were standing around the pensieve, in the middle of the Room of Requirement. It was the only place that they could think of that could provide them with enough space, and of course privacy for what they wanted to do. Harry had had experience with someone walking in on you while you were visiting a memory, and for some reason he didn't think that a hogwarts professor, or student for that matter, would be quite as understanding as Dumbledore.
Harry's eyes were locked on the silvery substance that held his parents memories, it was hard to believe that you could store someone's thoughts in a bowl, out in the open for anyone to access. But never the less, there in front of him was his parents pensieve, and he was going to take advantage of it.
" So, tell me again what it is we're going to do here... " Ron said from his position beside Hermione. He had been surprisingly quiet the trip up there, not asking questions, but now that they were about to actually do something, he seemed a little more talkative.
" We're going to go inside Harry's parent's memories, " Hermione said matter-a-factly. Ron's face went slack with confusion, and Harry watched as Hermione sighed in annoyance. The two of them may have been going out, but that unfortunately didn't change the hot and cold differences of Hermione and Ron. " From what I've read, all you have to do is touch the liquid and it pulls you in, right? " She explained, turning her head in Harry's direction.
" Yeah... " Harry said, feeling as if Hermione knew more about this than he did, even though he had done this multable times. Hermione nodded and Harry glanced at Ron, who was still looking a bit confused, but there was a hint of curiosity about him, which made Harry feel better about dragging him into this.
" I suppose we should get started, don't want to be gone to long... " Hermione mentioned to the both of them, she was looking at Harry thoughtfully, and after a moment he nodded.
" Er...okay, I'm not really sure how it works with more than two people... " Harry said, all the times he had ever entered a pensieve, he had done so alone. He didn't know how they were going to do this.
" Well maybe we should hold hands...so we don't get sepperated. " Hermione said, looking, as usual, as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Not knowing of anything else they could do to enssure that they stayed together, Harry nodded again and grabbed Hermione's outstretched hand. He hoped that she couldn't feel the nervousness that had settled in the pit of his stomach. If his hands were clammy, Hermione didn't seem to notice, she took hold of Ron's hand and moved them closer to the pensieve.
" Alright, on the count of three...touch the thoughts... " Hermione said, Harry muttered his agreement, and Ron, who was still looking a little questionable, nodded his head. " Okay, one...two...three! "
It all happened extremely fast, Harry felt himself being dragged forward by Hermione's firm grip, then, almost totally without relizing it, he dipped the end of his finger in the silver mist. Before he knew it, there was a squel that could have been Hermione, but knowing Ron, could have also been him, and the three of them were pulled into the stone basin.
Harry was surrounded by mist, the only way he knew that Hermione was floating next to him, was the fact that her hand, which had tightened it's grip significantly, was still clasped in his own. It was an odd sort of sensation, being carried around by mist, but it didn't last very long, after a few moments he felt himself land on something quite solid.
At first, he still couldn't see anything other than the silver mist around him, but gradually his surroundings started coming into view, and they were very familiar.
Hermione's hand slipped out of his own, and he only vaguely recalled her asking him where they were. To their right, there was a dense forest, that seemed to go on forever. To their there right was a lake, the sunlight was reflecting off it's glassy surface, and every once in a while a tenticle came sliding out.
Proving his suspisions, there was a caslte looming ahead of them, it's many towers looking the same as they had earlier that day, during Care of Magical Creatures. There were students walking leisurely on the grounds, and it reminded Harry of the students that he knew, it was funny how things looked so simular.
At some point, without noticing, Harry had started walking toward the castle, looking for some sort of trace of his parents. He felt Ron and Hermione walking behind him, and took a quick glance back at them, Hermione smiled and continued her search of the grounds, Ron looked utterly amazed as he grabbed Hermione's hand.
Harry was just turning around when he caught a glimpse of auburn red hair shine out of the corner of his eye. He turned his attention to the owner of the hair. An extremely pretty girl was strolling out of the castle doors, her emerald eye's practically glistening in the sunlight. IMum/I. Harry thought to himself. He was about to run up to his mother nand take her all in, but he stopped dead at the voice that came from somewhere behind him.
" She's bloody amazing... " His father said, causing chills to run up Harry's spine. He knew that voice, it was so much like his own. He heard Hermione let out a gasping sound, and Ron mutter something to himslef. Harry turned around and saw that they were facing the big oak tree that sat next to the lake. Harry spotted the source of the famliar voice, laying on his back, head resting on his arm, and staring avidly at Harry's mother.
James wasn't the only one laying next to the tree. There were three other boys there as well. A muscular boy, with long tusseled black hair was sitting a few feet from James, his back propped againt the bark of the oak tree.
" Sirius... " Harry heard himself breathe, the boy in front of him was obviously his godfather. Althought Sirius had been a lot older and deffinately more worn out when Harry had known him, there were a few dead giveaways that helped Harry identify him.
His eyes, which were a deep brown, only a few shades from being black, and were a complete contrast of the tired and sunken eyes of the Sirius that Harry had known. There was still something in them that was the same, a look of michief, a glint really, something that told you that he was always up for fun, Harry could still remember that look, Sirius used to always have a hint of it in his eyes, no matter what the situation.
" Yeah, she's also a straight 'O' student, and head of the Charms club...and a Gryffindor prefect... " Another familiar voice floated down from a low hanging branch. A dirty blond haired boy looked up from his book. His eyes were a silvery blue, and his cloaks were torn slightly. It was very clear who this was, Remus Lupin was staring at James, seeming to be amused.
" Well Moony, if you haven't noticed, I too am a Gryffindor prefect, and as for the grades, I'll have you know I managed to score an 'E' on my last Charms exam... " Harry's father said proudly. Lupin rolled his eyes dismissively and set his gaze back onto the page of his apparently, very interesting book. Sirius let out a loud huff and adjusted his position against the tree.
" Listen mate, why are you going for something you'll never get? If your really that desperate for a woman, why not just take one of my lovely ladies? " He said, picking at blades of the perfect green grass below him. Harry watched as his father seemed to be thinking about Sirius' proposition.
" Nope, I'm good, thanks though. " He said, still staring off into the distance. Sirius gave him a look of pity, then turned his eye's onto Lupin, who was still deeply emersed in his reading.
" What about you Lupin? You have any ideas on who you'd like to snag for the ball? " He asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Again Lupin lowered the book from his eyes and looked at Sirius with disaproval.
" Snog? How romantic... " He said sarcastically. Harry looked closer at Lupin's familiar, yet youthful face. There were faint little scars running from his temple to the bridge of his nose, they were barely noticable to Harry, but then again, he hadn't been trying to notice them, he was sure that if a girl looking for a date to some ball was looking at him...it would be one of the first thing that she noticed. Not to mention the shabyness of his robes, which reminded him of Ron's, girls usually didn't find that very attractive, no matter how great the actual person may be.
" Hey Padfoot, what about that blond girl that you took to Hogsmeade that one time? What was her name...Mary?" James asked, finally removing his stare from Lily. Sirius looked as if he was thinking about it for a moment and Harry smiled at the fact that Sirius dated so many girls that he had to think back and remember the girl that James was talking about.
" Adkins...yeah, er, pretty girl, " Sirius started, looking as if the mere memory of the date was amusing. " but there wasn't much going on upstairs...if you know what I mean... " He finished, giving Lupin an apologetic look. Lupin closed that book that he had been so distracted by earlier.
" Actually, I did have a girl in mind... " He said, looking down at the ground and then attempting to meet the other boys eyes.
" Well? " James asked, seeming to be rather surprised that Lupin was thinking about taking someone, and he didn't know about it yet. Lupin looked down again and stared at the worn in sneakers that he was wearing. He muttered something thatHarry couldn't quite make out, neither apparently could everyone else.
" Sorry Moony, you'll have to speak up, who did you say the lucky lay was? " Sirius said, cocking his head upwards to get a better look at Lupin.
" Norah Finley... " Lupin said loudly, still looking at his shoes. For a moment no one spoke, then, noticing the silience Lupin looked up at the others. Harry noted to the set expression on the three boys faces as they stared at Lupins pityful looking face. Then quite suddenly, Sirius burst out laughing, so hard that he was holing his side. James managed to compose himself by looking away momentarily. Peter was laughing also, as he sat next to Sirius, he looked completely out of place.
Harry watched as Lupin's face fell, he crossed his arms and leaned back more fulling on the bark of the tree, his position on the branch allowing him to become pretty much invisable once he scooted to the side.
" Norah...you mean...you want to be seen in puplic...with IThe Troll/I? " Sirius asked disbelievingly, at this statement peter let out a loud snort and went back to rolling on the ground laughing. Sirius was still holding his side and wiping the tears that were streaming down his face. James however was turning back around from his position.
" You boys are so horrible... " Harry heard Hermione mutter under her breath. Ron was laughing quite audibly from beside Harry, and Harry couldn't stop the few chuckles that escaped his mouth, but for Hermione's sake he was trying to keep the laughing to a minimal.
James cleared his throat loudly, staring at the ther two boys pointedly. Once Peter caught sight of James' disapointed stares, he shut up rather quickly, sitting up and looking ashamed, it was clear that if James told Peter to jump off of the Astronomy tower, Peter would gladly obey. Harry couldn't help responding to his own thoughts, thinking that he wouldn't lose any sleep at night, if James would have asked that question...
" Okay guys...Iguys/I! I think we owe it to Remus, to at least give this Norah girl a chance. Besides, I'm sure she's a very nice girl. " James said giving Lupin a reassuring look. Lupin smiled gratefully, and removed himself from the shadows of the tree limbs and sighed.
" She Iis/I really nice...and smart... " Lupin said, he was blushing and talking quietly. Hermione was cooeing from behind Harry. James nodded.
" I'm sure she is. You know what? I think you should ask Norah to te ball...we'll help. Wont we Sirius? " He said looking at Sirius, who was gradually calming down. He raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes threateningly. Sirius straightened his composure and looked at Lupin with a sincere, yet strained look of agreement.
" Er...yeah...sure... " He muttered, nodding his head rapidly. James winked once at Lupin and turned back around. His eyes were wondering the grounds and it was clear that he was looking for Lily again. Just when Harry thought that his father was going to give up his search of the grounds, with the thought that Lily had gone back inside, James' eye looked as if they were about to shoot out of his head. He let out what resembled a gasp and turned his head toward the back of the tree, away from the grounds in which he was just so keen to look at.
" Merlin...she's coming. " He breathed nervously. Harry looked to his right and saw what was making his father so jumpy. His mother, Lily Evans was making her way torward the tree that the four boys were sitting around. Harry looked back at his father, who was running his hands through his hair tirelessly, ruffeling it, so that his messy locks just became more tangled and wreckless. Sirius was laughing to himself, as he tried to calm James down.
" Just relax...she's probably not even coming to talk to you...in fact...she's most likely not coming to talk to you... " He said patting James on the back.
" Oh yeah, thanks Sirius...that makes me feel loads better... " James uttered, he was wiping his face and chin, as if trying to get invisable dirt off of it. Seconds later, the gorgeous redhead was stomping her way right next to James...and then looking up at Lupin.
" Hello Remus, I was just wondering, do you have the notes from yesterday's potion lesson? I'm such a clux, I've seemed to missplace them. " She said laughing, and exposing perfect white teeth. There was something about the way her lips curled that reminded Harry of himself, and it was nice to know that, aside from his eye color, there was other things that him and his mother shared.
James let out a strangled cough, that could have been a laugh. Then when Lily glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, he quickly put on a cool, passive expression. Lupin smiled at her calmly and hopped down from the branch he had been sitting on. He reached behind Sirius and pulled out a brown leather bag, opened it up and started rumaging through it. While everyone waited, Sirius, who would never hesitate to give James a hard time, spoke up.
" So Evans...found anyone to go to the ball with yet? " He asked, throughing James a mischievous look. James was was to busy running his hand across his neck and shaking his head threateningly to find the situation the least bit funny.
" Um...not that it's any of your business Sirius, but I do actually have a date... " She said matter-a-factly. Harry felt rather than saw his father's heart sink. James recovered quickly though and quickly turned on his witty attitude.
" Oh yeah? Who's the poor sap? " He asked, causing Lily to turn to him. There was a moment in which Harry saw James' face flush, but it quickly gained it's color back as Lily thought about whether or not to answer.
" Dennis Brown. " She said proudly. Sirius let out a loud cough that sounded alot like the word Iprat/I, then sniffed trying to cover it up. Lily scoffed, then looked at Sirius.
" Honestly, why bother asking, if all your going to do is make fun of me? " Lily said, looking slightly embarassed.
" Brown? " Ron said, looking over at Hermione, then at Harry. " As in ILavender/I Brown? " He asked. Harry shrugged, thinking that anyone related to Lavender Brown probably fit close to the discription Sirius was hinting at.
" Sorry Evan's, didn't mean to bust your bubble, it's just that, you know how much James obsesses over you, just thought that you'd want to go with him... " Sirius said. James let out another odd noise, and his eyes grew wide. Lily on the other side didn't even bother to acknowlage James.
" Please...the only thing you boys are after is attention and...you know... " She said, looking disgusted. Lupin then pulled out a thickly rolled out piece of parchment.
" Found it! " He said holding out the giant scroll. Lily turned her attention to him and smiled again. Lupin seemed to be the only Muarurder that she got along with at the time.
" Thanks Remus, at least I know that some boys aren't that bad... " She said throwing James a dirty look. Lupin looked a little awkward for a moment, then he smiled once and waved at Lily as she turned to leave.
" By Evans! " James shouted as she trudged away, the parchment swinging in here hand. He sighed, looking absolutely pathetic. He collasped onto the ground, putting his face in his hands and letting out a moan.
" Oh come on Prongs...it's not that bad... " Sirius said, for the first time, looking truely understanding, which didn't make much since, considering he was the one who brought up the subject of the ball to Lily anyway.
" Not that bad? Were you in the same conversation as I was? You heard her, she think's I'm a jerk...a selfish, pompus jerk, who uses woman like hankerchiefs! Bloody hell, she thinks I'm like you! " He moaned, sliding over to the tree and banging his head on it's rough surface once. Sirius, apparently chose not to take this as an insult, though it clearly was.
" Well, look on the bright side...at least she doesn't think your like Peter... " Sirius muttered.
Harry was laughing, and he looked over at the other two. Ron was chuckling as well, and Hermione, though she looked as though she was trying hard to fight, let out a quiet laugh. Harry turned back, but to his surprise, there wasn't anything there. Quite suddenly they were floating again, the white mist returning and making it extremely hard to make out Ron and Hermione, who were hopefully floating beside him.
" We must be changing memories! " Hermione's voice carried from somewhere to Harry's right. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach at the thought of what the next memory could be about, he hoped that it would be something at least remotely cheerful, he wanted to learn as much about his parents as possible before a bad memory ruined the feeling of euphoria that had settle around him at the last memory. After a few minutes of floating through the endless mist, they finally landed on solid ground, or rather...solid floor. The mist cleared and Harry found himself surrounded by many nicely dressed teenagers, in a room that looked strangely like the Great Hall did the night of the Yule Ball...