"That has to be the wierdest thing I ever saw." Sirius Black said, staring at the space that had been occupied just a moment before.
"Siri, coming from you, that's really saying something." Remus replied, more than somewhat shocked himself.
"Did you guys see the look on her face?" James asked, "and who's Harry, why does she expect him to be invisible, and why does... how did... er... does anyone else get what just happened?"
"I wonder what scared her so bad?" Peter said.
"I think she caught sight of your face, Pete" Sirius teased, "she only really freaked out when she saw you."
Peter blushed, and muttered something inaudible.
Remus snorted, "I sincerely doubt that was it, Siri, she looked downright horrified. Besides, if anyones' face would have scared her off, it would have been yours, Black."
"Why you!" Sirius growled playfully, punching at Remus, who dodged easily, grinning.
"At least we found what we were looking for" James said "She's definately the girl from the feast. Wonder what she was doing wandering about."
"Well, only one way to find out." Remus said.
James and Sirius both looked to Remus in shock. James recovered first "You can't seriously be suggesting we break rules, Moony."
Remus rolled his eyes. "We're already breaking rules. And, honestly, after that... whatever that was she did, who wouldn't be curious?"
"Are you guys sure we shouldn't be getting back to bed?" Peter questioned, obviously tired, and not the least bit curious.
Sirius grinned at him. "'Course not, Pete. Not when ol' Moony's finally up for a bit of adventure."
Peter, however, had no wish to be swayed. He didn't want to risk angering his friends, as there were few who would put up with him, but he was dead tired. So, for once in his life, Peter Pettigrew made a decision for himself. It was, perhaps, the worst possible time for him to have done so. Or, perhaps, the best.
"Um, guys? I'm really, really tired. I think I'll just, well, I'm going to go to bed." he stated the last bit with finality.
The other three were surprised by the determination in the voice of their usually quiet companion.
"Sure, Pete. You need the map?" Remus said, a hint of pride in his voice. He'd been trying to get the other boy to be more assertive for the past five years. Honestly, if a werewolf can feel secure in this group of friends, Peter ought to be able to. He'd do a lot for himself if he'd stop being afraid that we'll ditch him over the slightest thing.
Peter shook his head as he turned to leave, but then turned back a second, searching for approval from James and Sirius.
Sirius grinned, "Alright then, but don't blame us if you miss out on all the fun!"
Peter turned to James. James looked a bit disappointed, but nodded and waved Peter off. Looking relieved, Peter walked off, heading for Gryffindor tower and bed.
After a moment, James shook himself, and exchanged a grin with Sirius - the kind of grin that meant trouble.Remus, for once, shared the mischievious grins of his compatriots. Reaching a wordless agreement, the remaining three Marauders grouped together. James reached for the cloak, and nodded to his best friends. With a swirl of fabric, they were gone.
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Half an hour later, the sense of adventure had nearly gone from the situation. The map was, for once, nearly no help at all. Aside from keeping the three out of the path of the teachers, there was little information displayed that could aide their search. That was the problem with not knowing the name of the person you were searching for. Though they did know that one of the newcomers' names was Harry.
Apparently, the mysterious girl had retreated to wherever she was supposed to be, because no-one appeared to be roaming the halls. They'd considered searching the castle name-by-name, but they didn't know the name of every person in every year who attended the school, and they'd be almost as likely to end up chasing down some random female ghost as anything else.
It was Remus, as often happened, who came up with a way to find the girl. A spell he'd found allowed them to use their wands like compasses, pointing in the direction of their goal. There was only one problem; it had lead them to a wall. A bare, boring, featureless patch of wall.
"Maybe I remembered the incantation wrong?" Remus said, puzzled.
Sirius snorted "Not likely, Moony. I don't think I've ever heard you say a spell wrong."
"First time for everything." Remus said, though he, too, seemed to doubt he'd been wrong.
"Where can she be, then?" James asked, focused more on the mystery of the girl than on what had gone wrong with the spell.
Remus shrugged, but just as he was saying she might have left the castle, and that this wall faced in the direction she'd gone, she came running right at them - through the wall. The three teenage boys were too shocked to even move, so it was good that she was obviously too distracted to notice them, especially as they no longer had the invisibility cloak on. Right at her heels, also appearing through the seemingly solid wall, were two boys - one they recognized as one of the mystery guests, and a blond one who might have been the oldest boys' little brother. All four were running as though their lives depended upon it, looks of varying levels of anxiety upon their faces, all bordering on panic. They were completely oblivious to the the fact they'd just been seen. Or that they'd given away the entrance to their quarters.
"This night just keeps getting wierder" Sirius said. "I think that is now the wierdest thing I ever saw."
"You know, Siri, this time I think you're right" Remus responded. "At least I know I had the spell right."
"Congratulations, Moony." James said, then snapped, impatiently "but if the two of you will stop standing there gaping at the wall, we might just be able to catch up to them and get some answers."
Remus grinned at his friends' impatience "No need to hurry, James" he said, and spoke the compass spell again.
It didn't take long for the three to realize that their quarry had set off for the headmasters' office. They were too distracted to check the map for the name of the girl or her companions, in fact they didn't use the map at all as they snuck quickly through the corridors. They were moving faster than they normally would have on a late-night escapade, but curiousity was driving them past the point of prudence. It didn't take them long at all to reach the stone guardian of the headmasters' office, but they were surprised to find it still moved aside. Surely, the other three teens must have passed this way long enough ago for the passageway to have re-sealed itself.
Shrugging it off, and counting it for good luck, the three teens crept onto the staircase. Just as they reached the top landing, they heard a grinding noise. Whirling to look behind them, they discovered the staircase receding, and the stone guardian once again blocking the way. They were trapped, there was no way back until the occupants of the room decided to leave. Exchanging a shrug, they decided they might as well eavesdrop since they were there. Pressing their ears to the door, they heard the voice of the headmaster, oddly not the least bit tired-sounding, even so early in the morning.
"So, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you this morning?" Came the voice of the headmaster.
James started "Did he just say Potter?"
The other two immideately shushed him, fearing being caught before they'd had a chance to hear the story behind the mysterious strangers. They would obviously be caught at some point, and subsequently punished; they just wanted to get something for all their trouble.
"Professor Dumbledore, we have a problem. A huge problem." Said the girl, in a voice that somehow didn't sound twelve at all. "Draco just took an aging potion, and it made him younger. Years younger. And I'm absolutely certain I made it correctly."
The three boys exchanged a glance, and settled to the floor outside of the door. This was sure going to be interesting, if nothing else. And with their means of retreat closed off, they certainly weren't going to be leaving any time soon.
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Harry, Hermione, and Draco had run straight for the Headmasters office after Draco's startling reaction to the potion. They hadn't stopped to discuss it, or to try and work out a plan of action, or even gone to get Neville. They had simply run for the only person that might have some answers for them; Dumbledore. If anyone had even a clue as to what was going on, it was him.
They expected the Headmaster to have the answer to everything, expected him, in fact, to be unsurprised by this new development. Which is why it shouldn't have surprised them to find him waiting for them, quite wide awake despite the early hour. Shouldn't have, but it did.
As she took a seat across from the professor who was unconcernedly offering her a lemon drop, Hermione spared a thought to be amused at the headmasters' seeming omniscience. Honestly, nothing surprises that man. You would think we'd be used to it by now.
A pale golden glow seemed to suffuse the headmasters' office, giving it an almost etheral quality. It seemed, suddenly, as though there problems were inconsequential, fading to the background with the comforting presence that was positively radiating calm. Yet somehow, the light was more than sun streaming through windows; it was inexplicably intertwined with Dumbledore himself. Drawing strength and composure from the light, Hermione spoke, feeling much more like an adult than she had since she'd first seen herself with the visage of an eleven year old.
"Professor Dumbledore." Hermione began, determinedly. "We have a problem. A huge problem. Draco just took an aging potion, and it made him younger. Years younger. And I'm absolutely certain I made it correctly"
"I see, Miss Granger. Do not worry, I am sure the potion was well made indeed. I do, in fact, know the reason for young Mr. Malfoy's reaction to such a potion. May I ask, however, why you felt it necessary to brew such a thing, and from where you got the ingredients?"
Hermione immediately felt foolish. Who knew how old the potions ingredients were that she'd been using, or where they'd come from. For all she knew, they could have been ingredients tested to be insuitable and stored in that room since the very founding of the school. Suddenly she felt very much the eleven years she looked.
"I'm sorry, sir, we just... that is, I just... Well, I didn't feel that anyone would take us seriously if we appeared to be eleven, and, well, we had a bit of a row over it, and then... when Harry showed me that potions lab I didn't stop to think. I just sort of...well, I didn't realize there might be something wrong. That is, with the ingredients. And when I saw James and Sirius and P-Peter, I couldn't even think to -"
Dumbledore interrupted her. "Miss Granger, do you mean to say you saw Misters Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew yesterday evening? I assure you, while curious, they are certainly trustworthy."
"Well, no, I mean yes, I -er - I saw them this morning, professor. And I would trust them with my life. Well, most of them. Or, at least, I'd certainly trust Professor Lupin - Remus, that is, even at his younger age."
"Sirius is perfectly trustworthy, Hermione" Harry said, defensively "He's just a bit more rash than you are. Which is certainly no surprise, as nearly everyone is. And my father -" Harry stopped, remembering what he saw in Snape's pensive last year. He wasn't entirely sure what to think of his father, anymore. Yet Harry certainly didn't want to share that information, not just now, anyhow, so he simply fell silent.
"I didn't mean it that way, Harry." Hermione said, apologetic. "But, really, trusting them wasn't the issue, it was just seeing them, knowing them in the future, what they're like and what happens and all, and then seeing them in the middle of a corridor tonight, it, well, it threw me off a bit, and I wasn't thinking. What I mean to say is I shouldn't of used the lab without asking, and I shouldn't - "
"Miss Granger" Dumbledore interrupted, with a smile, "that was not my meaning. The ingredients are fine, I'm quite certain, and all of you are more than welcome to use the facilities provided to whatever extent suits your purposes. In fact, consider them your own. While I certainly understand why you would wish to return to your appropriate ages, I was curious as to what would prompt you to make such a potion so soon after your arrival here. Had I considered such a thing a possibility, I would have informed you of the rest of your circumstances immediately."
"The rest of our circumstances, professor?" Draco questioned.
"Yes, what critically important piece of information did you leave out this time?" spoke Harry in an undertone. Hermione stared at him, shocked at such a statement coming from her friend. Draco appeared to be fighting agreeing with Harry's assesment of the situation.
In a particularly Dumbledore-like fashion, the Headmaster ignored the comment, almost seeming not to hear it. Instead, he simply provided the explanation.
"Time travel past the age of ones' birth, as I told you before, is not generally possible. It is, normally, not even plausable, as the longest anyone can travel into the past tends to be days or perhaps even weeks. In some cases of very great power of an individual witch or wizard, and an extremely powerful spell, time travel of a year or a few years may be possible. Should a person travel past the time of their birth, however, several problems are created. Firstly, and most importantly in this case, you can never be born. Because of the duality principle, two of you may not exist in the same time. The way magic is solving this, in your case, is to force you to grow younger. The rate is adjusted between your current apparent age and your time of birth, such that, at the moment you would have been born, you will cease to exist.
"Also, because the magic substance you used to travel back in time did not travel with you, namely, the potion is not still on your persons, at the point in time you arrived here, the future you knew ceased to exist. I believe I mentioned this before, but I will clarify. Anything that you do in this time cannot create a paradox. As far as magic is concerned, you are currently beings composed entirely of magic and your original intent to wield magic, and are, currently, completely outside natural law. Simply put, you were "born" of magic by coming here.
"Which brings me to the solution, which is actually rather simple. In order to stop the de-aging process, you must find a way to bring yourself back inside the realm of natural law. You will need to tie yourself to this time, through blood magic. You will become, in essence, part of the family of someone in this time, and through that person become subject once more to natural law - for the most part. While the bond will tie you more closely to the natural world, it will also tie the other more closely to the pure magic you are currently subject to. There will, therefore, be certain... inconsistancies."
"First, however, we need to go over the requirements of the blood bond. Obviously, you will need to someone from this time. And it cannot be just anyone. Firstly, they must bear some fundamental similarity to yourself. Similarity of background, of basic nature; the more you are basically the same as this individual, the easier the bond-creation will be. That, in and of itself, will not be the problem. The problem is that this spell was originally created by an ancient group of mages who used it in their marriage ceremonies. Because of this, it was originally intended to thouroughly meld the personalities of the two individuals, to make the marrige more harmonious. It also gives both persons access to the others' memories. Not in such a way that the memories would seem to be your own, however. Think of it more as having a muggle video library of another persons' expierences available for your mental perusal.
"Since I doubt you wish to share your entire lifes' memories with anyone just now, I found an alternative that will work for you. It will only work in your particular cases, working, in fact, because of the time travel. When you bond to someone from this past, they will be given the memories of their future-self up to the point all of you left for the past. Hypothetically speaking, just as in the original uses of the spell, the memories will not feel like their own, nor will they be incorporated as though they had been experienced. The spell has never been used in that way, however, and I'm not entirely certain how one would react to the memories of their own future self.
"There is still, however, the personality blending problem. Which is where the diffiulties in finding a person to bond with come in. In order to counter the loss-of-individuality aspect of the bond, you must find a person that, while fundamentaly the same as yourself, displays himself or herself as your opposite. If their personality is far enough different from your own, this aspect of the bond will not affect you. They must be, at once, of the same essence as yourself, and yet display a face to the world that is completely opposite that which you do. The must have something fundamentally in common with you, yet, to all appearences, be your antithesis."
"How is that possible? I mean, how can anyone be just like you, but also your complete opposite?" Hermione asked, clearly lost in the new information, and no longer much considering.
"That is not exactly what I said."
"Professor, could you give us an example?" Hermione asked, in true Hermione style, as it was likely the most sensible question of the evening.
Dumbledore sat for a moment, deep in thought, staring at each of the students in turn, thinking about what he knew of them, and trying to think of someone he knew who would be a match. His eyes settled on Harry, tucked into a comfortable armchair, sitting quietly, staring at his hands. Harry Potter, from what Dumbledore knew of him, was a remarkable young man. Mature, resposible, and dedicated, though perhaps a bit too much of a brooder. So unlike his father. Dumbledore thought. Then almost jumped as he realized the obvious answer. James!
"Indeed, I can." He remarked, sitting forward, "I believe, from what I know of each of you, that James Potter and Harry Potter would be a nearly perfect match. No doubt, being Potters, you had nearly identical upbringings, yet James Potter seems to very much crave the center of attention that you, Harry, seem to avoid. He is loud where you are quiet, rash where you seem to think things through. I have no doubt you are both quite brave, but he is unquestionably Gryffindor in nature where you, Mr. Potter, seem more Slytherin, as was demonstrated in yesterdays' sorting.
"In fact, should James agree to bond with Harry, I believe he would be the perfect candidate. And, considering his nature, I'm almost certain that James would agree. There are, however, many other aspects to this bond of which you must be aware, and which he would have to be made aware of. Physically, you will age differently; perhaps as much as twice or even three times as slowly. This is one of the oddities that would occur since you are currently outside the natural world. For each of you, your magical power would increase, and any minor magical talents you have would be amplified. This is not entirely a good thing, however.
While the increase of your magical power should simply increase the power available to you, having little to no effect on the spells you cast on a daily basis, the talents may pose a problem. There are many magical talents that have been lost or all but lost for centuries; as such, you may suddenly display an ability for which we have no method of training. Such an ability may even be overwhelming. I warn you, it is possible that such a sudden realization of ability may drive any one of you insane.
Also, your life force will be tied to theirs. Should either of you die, the other will die as well. You will have, to some extent, telepathic abilities. The extent will vary according to your compatibility, as well as the effort you put in to training them. As nice as it may seem, it also means you will lose some measure of your privacy. If nothing else, extreme emotions, and the thougts connected to them, will always be carried across this link."
"Professor, can you clarify the part about the memories?" Hermione asked.
"I'm afraid I don't understand what you wish to know, Miss Granger" Dumbledore responded.
Hermione thought a moment, then carefully clarified. "Well, sir, you said that a persons' memories would be, well, "returned", even if that's not the right word, to them up through the point where we left our timeline. The problem is that, in our time, James Potter is dead."
"Ah, I see. The answer is quite simple: he would regain all the memories he had up until the point of his death. I must ask, however; how did James Potter die?"
Harry began, wondering how much detail he should give on a future that could now never exist "Sir, how much do you need to know about that. It is... something I would rather not -"
Dumbledore interrupted "Just the cause of death, if you would; disease, or torture, or accident. If I need any details I will explain further."
Harry spoke, quietly but decisively, "Killing curse. No torture, not even much of a duel."
Dumbledore seemed relieved, but explained gravely, "Yes, that is all I needed. You see, should a person have died in a particularly horrific way, there would be a great risk when giving their younger self access to such thoughts and emotions. Death exists for a reason; for everything there must be a limit. To return the memories to one who had experienced such things, who died in incredible pain; it would be a risk to their sanity."
"Professor..." Hermione began, then glanced pleadingly at Harry, who understood what she wanted to ask immedieately.
"What about Neville?" Harry asked, sounding drained. "His parents - they, well, they didn't die really, so I don't know if the same thing would apply, but they... well, they were... "
"Were driven insane by the Cruciatus curse." Draco finished for him, when it seemed as though Harry was unable.
"I'm afraid that the same holds true even if the person didn't die. Were Neville to bond to his parents, they would almost certainly become as they were in your time."
Harry looked as though he'd known the answer before he asked it. In truth, perhaps he had, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. What a horrible fate to leave a friend to, especially in the midst of what could be wonderful for him. It wasn't just Neville, though. Should he go through with it, and be bonded... even if James Potter were willing to do such a thing, it would mean leaving his friends behind. So instead of looking extatic, or even relieved, Harry looked to be in pain, almost as though resigning himself to a horrible fate.
"I won't accept, even if James agrees, not if it my friends don't have the same choice." Harry said, though he knew it was a battle he would lose.
"Harry you have to!" Hermione said, shocked, "You are the only one who can defeat Voldemort."
Dumbledore was as surprised at the name given as he was that it was spoken, but that was nothing compared to the other shock contained in that sentence. Not that he could allow the youths to see his surprise.
Instead, he simply asked "Harry?"
Harry merely nodded, his expression now completely closed.
"In that case, my boy" Dumbledore spoke, reluctantly "I'm afraid I must insist. We will approach James as soon as you feel ready to do so. There is no great hurry, but it should be done soon. Perhaps, should they prove to be compatible to one of you, Remus and Sirius would be willing to make such bonds as well. They would be ideal, as the secret would certainly be well kept between them, and you seem to trust them as much as I do. We will simply leave the decision to them."
"But that's so much to ask." Hermione said, not sure whether to be afraid the boys would agree, losing so much, or afraid they wouldn't find anyone. She settled for desperate - for any sort of answer. "Do you think they would?"
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James, Remus, and Sirius had decided, early on, that their encounter with Hermione no longer counted as being remotely wierd. Discovering that people who knew you, who you didn't know, who looked up to you as parents and were, in Harry's case, actually your or your friends' child, had traveled into the past, were currently actually older than you, due to a potion appeared slightly younger than you, and were de-aging pending death; that was truly wierd. Compared to that, nothing measured up. By the time they'd figured out the time-travel bit, they were intrigued. By the time they'd figured out the de-aging bit, they were sympathetic. By the time they'd realized Harry was James' (and Lily's) kid they were... well, James was wierded out and Sirius and Remus were snickering uncontrollably.
When Dumbledore mentioned the bonding, they each began to consider it. As they listened to the details, they tried to pick out if any of them would match what they knew of the three in the other room, and of the fourth who was sleeping near by. When James was mentioned as a good match for Harry, the three turned to each other, and began discussing what they should do about the whole thing. Which is fortunate, as it meant they weren't listening as their fates were mentioned.
James and Sirius were some of the least responsible boys of their age. They'd played a thousand pranks that were hurtful or even downright dangerous, an never gave a thought to it. At heart, though, they were a different sort. They were the kind to love unconditionally, to feel deeply, and to protect with all their strength. They were boys, though, and covered such feelings with boyish pranks and false fronts. Remus knew their true nature, though, and was ever thankful for it. He tolerated - perhaps too much - the rash outbursts and the foolishness, knowing all the while that they cared as much as, or perhaps more than, himself.
As they listened, all throgh the dark, early hours of the morning, they'd become attached to the youths, if for no other reason than the familiar way the Marauders heard themselves spoken of. These boys protected, fiercely, any they saw as their own. The second they discovered there was a way to save these others, the strangers who saw them as family, they didn't even need to see the others' reactions to know that they would all do everything in their power to help.
"Do you think they would?" Hermione's voice came through the door.
The fear and desperation in her voice made up their minds. James, Sirius, and Remus, some of the least responsible boys of their age, shouldered, in that moment, the responsibility of their adult selves. They stood as one, and James opened the door. Standing tall, looking far more like warriors of ages past than fifteen year old boys. In unison they spoke,
"We will."
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A/N: Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! I need some help, though. I need ideas for animagus forms for Draco, Harry, and Neville. No Dragons for Drake (unless you can give me a VERY good reason why), and no Phoenixes for Harry (tho I might do that, if I don't get any ideas I like better).