A/N: Thanks so much to all my reviewers! Just curious, does anyone think I should do review responses? I will if you guys want.

My Beta had a Baby! cheers I'm all happy for her. As such, unfortunately, this chapter is un-beta'd. You're all stuck with my sucky grammar and rather twisted and pathetic sense of humor.

On the badder side, I'm now beta-less. Is anybody up for it? It's a tough job! You can go for just this story, of for all of 'em. Any applications can be sent straight to ellentanya at hotmail or rheniel at hotmail.

Without further ado:

Chapter 14

Sunday dawned clear and bright for James Potter – not that he was awake to see it. By the time he opened his eyes, it was well into the afternoon, and he and Sirius were the only ones still strewn across the couches of his room. It was a brilliant sort of day, and, after everything that had happened that weekend, he didn't intend to waste it on serious things. Especially considering everything was pretty well settled – at least for the time being.

"Sirius, mate, wake up." He called out, not bothering to move from his spot. The couch was rather squishy, after all.

"Mmmmmph." Sirius groaned.

"Wake up! It's Sunday! We can go fly!" James continued. Finally sitting up. His words were motivating him, at any rate; no chance he'd miss out on flying.

"Hummm?" Sirius questioned, opening an eye. "Sunday?"

"Yup! The day the pitch is open to all students! The day we always go flying, after breakfast!"

"Don' tell me you bloody well got me up for breakfast." Sirius grumbled, rolling over to face the back of the couch.

"Siri, it's got to be the middle of the afternoon. I didn't get you up in time for lunch, let alone breakfast If we don't get going soon, we'll miss out on flying altogether!" James said, nearly exasperated.

"Really?" Sirius asked, turning over and propping himself up on an elbow. He was already much more awake, at the mention of missing out on flying. "Hmmm. 'Nother hour of sleep, James, or I'll fall off my broom." That said, Sirius flopped back down.

James simply groaned. Of all things, there was no chance he was going to spend another day inside this weekend. The odd dream-like memories of his older self were trying to suggest that he study, or spend the day in conference with Harry and Hermione, or perhaps just with Hermione, trying to sort out the bond. But he was perfectly happy to shove those memories in a box. After all, he might have all the memories of an older person, but he wasn't old – not yet, anyways.

Another part of him, of course, suggested that he delve through those memories to see if he gained any quidditch skill, that he could put to use. A flood of practices and summer clinics assaulted him, as he gained the memories of three more years being Gryffindor house's quidditch star. He'd gotten better, alright. Which, of course, brought a mischievous grin to his face; he might just have to put some of those skills to the test, today.

"How 'bout this, we'll race, and if you win, I have to be nice to Snivellous for a week." James declared confidently.

Sirius grinned wickedly. "Deal. And if you win, I'll do all the work for the next prank we pull on him."

James pouted. "That's not much of a punishment, not considering what I offered."

Sirius' grin widened. "There's not much chance you'll lose, either." He said, but then looked confused. "Where's Remus? And why didn't he wake us up?"

Neville woke first thing in the morning on Sunday, barely after the first rays of light began to fall through his bed-hangings. The day was barely dawning, but, despite his lack of sleep the previous night, he couldn't bring himself to be tired. The possibilities for a day like this one were nearly endless; he and Peter hadn't even gotten around to making plans for the day, but he was pretty sure they'd be spending it together. Even better, his friend seemed to feel exactly the same; Neville could hear the rustling noises of someone awake-but-trying-to-be-quiet.

Considering how badly all this had started, what with exploding potions and evil Snapes and surprise trips to the past and all, everything was going great. In fact, he couldn't even bring himself to be upset that the future he knew was permanently gone. It wasn't like all the people he knew were dead or anything; they'd be born, and live their lives. And, if he had anything to say about it, some of those people's lives would be a great deal better than they'd been the first time around.

They could defeat the Dark Lord in this time, thwart all his attacks, keep his parents sane, keep Harry's parents alive, and generally fix everything that had gone wrong the first time around. Who knew, maybe they could even bring about world peace; after all, they already knew the result of every decision made for the next twenty – odd years.

He wasn't going to change the world all in one day, though; really, most of it would be up to Harry, anyways. At the very least, he couldn't change much while still at school, and even less whilst still in bed. What could be changed, though, and changed immediately, was the life of one Neville Longbottom. Starting right here, and right now, he could be whoever he really felt like being. And he really felt like being himself. Well, himself, but just a little better. A little stronger, a little more brave, and maybe even a great deal happier. First on the list, he was going to befriend a certain herbology-loving Gryffindor.

Poking his head through the curtains, he grinned at Peter, who was standing rather uncertainly as though considering waking him up.

"I'm up." Neville said.

"That's great!" Peter said, excitedly, but then bit his lip, looking even more uncertain, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nope." Neville said. "No chance I could sleep anymore, on a day like this."

"Oh!" Peter said, his grin returning. "That's… um, great!"

"So, what d'you want to do today?" Neville asked, trying to distract Peter from whatever was bothering him.

"Me?" Peter asked, half-breathless. "What do I want to do?"

"Yeah." Neville said. He couldn't really understand why that was such a surprising question.

"I… Well, I'd like to… that is, it'd be good if…" Peter stuttered, then stopped, thinking, and took a deep breath. "Well, honestly, I don't know." Peter said, looking confused and somewhat frustrated for a moment, before he burst into laughter.

"Peter?" Neville questioned. He couldn't really see what was so funny.

Stifling his laughter, though it still showed in his tone, Peter answered. "You see, I've always wanted for James or Sirius or Remus to ask me that. Every single day, every time we've done anything, I've hoped they would just… ask what I wanted, instead of simply expecting me to follow along with whatever they agree on. Even Remus, who only ever wants to study or go to the Library, gets asked now and again." He had to stop a moment, to let out a giggle, before he continued. "Only now someone's finally asked me, and I can't think of a single thing to do!" He erupted once more into laughter, and this time Neville joined him.

"I wonder where they all went." James said, staring about the common room again. They'd searched the entire … wing, or whatever. All of the little hidden set of rooms had been thoroughly explored. They hadn't even been able to find Draco.

"Well, we couldn't get in to Harry's room, in the basement. Perhaps they're having a meeting in there?" Sirius offered.

It was true, they had been shut out of that room, but… "wouldn't they have left a note, though?" Surely Remus would've, even if Lilly and Hermione weren't accustomed to their sleeping habits. "Maybe Rem thought we wouldn't be up yet?"

"Even we don't sleep in this late." Sirius replied.

"Oh?" James asked, teasing "I seem to remember someone wanting to go back to sleep."

Sirius growled at him, before they both broke out in laughter.

"Okay, so they're all in there." James said. "I guess we should just go play Quidditch. No point in sticking around, you know."

Sirius frowned, uncharacteristically, "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course." He grinned.

James wondered where Neville and Peter were. He found himself missing Peter's presence; usually, the presence of the youngest and shyest Marauder went unnoticed, but his absence certainly didn't. Perhaps they'd meet them on the pitch?

"I bet they're already there." Sirius said.

"Huh?" James asked. That was odd, he didn't remember saying anything out loud.

"Of course you spoke out loud. How else could you speak?"

"You heard me?" James asked. This was just too weird.

Sirius stared at him oddly. "… yeah, James, I heard you."

Closing his eyes a moment, James clearly thought Can you hear this?

"Of course, James, you're standing right there, you know."

Sirius!

"What, James?"

Watch my face, Sirius. I'm not talking.

"No way!" Sirius said. "That's so neat!"

James grinned. Let's go play some Quidditch!

"Of course!" Sirius said. But then, he got an oddly thoughtful look on his face. "You sure we shouldn't wait, and tell the others about this?"

"Nah!" James said. "It's not like it's dangerous! I'll just have to keep my thoughts to myself, and keep everyone from hearing what I'm thinking."

"And then, I fell off my broom, right in front of everybody, and landed on my wrist. Broke it. Had to go straight to the Hospital wing to have it set and mended." Neville finished, laughing along with Peter at the description of his first flight.

"Oh, that tops mine, alright." Peter said. "It was merely embarrassing, not being able to get the broom off the ground like that. The worst thing that resulted from it was four years of ribbing from James and Sirius."

"And Remus." Neville added, smiling.

Peter's smile muted a little. "No, not Remus. Never Remus. He's not like that, you know. He doesn't even realize he's really, in a way, the leader of our group, despite how loud and stubborn James and Sirius are. He never notices how they respect him, how he's the only voice of reason they listen to." Peter sighed. "No, Remus wouldn't tease like that, not unless he knew it didn't bother me, and he knows it does."

Neville gave a hesitant smile. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Hermione's kind of like that, with Ron and Harry, though Harry's not really that bad, even if he is a little full of himself now and again. Thinks he can do everything by himself, and all, and doesn't need any help." Neville's smile faltered. "But I've never really been part of their group, like you are with James and Sirius and Remus. I've always been on the outside, even if they're almost always nice to me. It's… more like pity, you know?"

Peter sighed. "I do know. Sometimes, I don't really feel like I'm part of the group, either. They're all so much smarter than me, and so much better than me at everything."

Neville nodded, kicking his toe against the bleacher seat in front of him. Oddly enough, even given the choice to do anything they pleased, the two had wound up out in the Quidditch stands, watching others fly. It amused them both, as they'd always thought they hated this particular Sunday past time, and had spent most of the other similar occasions wishing they could be doing something else. And yet somehow, it didn't seem like a bad thing, with company. Really, it was more something to do with your eyes, while you spent some time getting to know someone.

"Thought you were good at Herbology, though." Neville finally said, smiling encouragingly at the younger boy "You certainly seemed it the other day."

Peter smiled back. "Yeah, I am, I guess. I just never really thought anything of it before, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. It's not one of those subjects other people tend to pay much attention to, like Charms of Transfiguration. You like potions?" Neville asked.

Peter's mouth twisted into a grimace. "I don't mind them, but I'm terrible. It's got to be my worst subject. Madam Roseforth is head of Slytherin House, and she's positively horrible."

"What is it with potions' masters?" Neville groaned. "Ours was horrible, too. Even head of the same house – maybe it goes with the Potions' Professorship? Anyhow, he let the Slytherins get away with anything in his class. I was always too busy trying to keep them from slipping things into my cauldron, and trying to avoid his attention, to do any good at brewing anything."

"Yeah. Same here."

"But after fourth year, I started studying on my own in the summer. By the time OWLs came around, I was pretty decent – even got an 'O'. Wasn't really that hard, really; if you're good at Herbology, and already know the plants and their reactions to each other, Potions becomes nothing more than following directions."

"Really?" Peter asked, sounding excited. "Do you think you could teach me?"

Neville smiled. "Of course!" His grin widened. "How 'bout, for now, we go take some school brooms and coast around a bit?"

Peter seemed to share his enthusiasm. "Nothing too high, and no tricks, right?"

"No tricks."

Severus Snape had spent his entire evening, so far, in a room that was nearly beyond imaging, and certainly portrayed a great deal more optimism than he possessed. Who, after all, would be crazy enough to suggest that all the houses could coexist at all, let alone in the sort of peaceful harmony the décor suggested.

Two boys, looking exceedingly determined to keep quiet, were sitting at a table across the room in the Ravenclaw-ish "library" section of the room, playing board games and bursting into childish laughter now and again, before clapping hands over mouths and glancing up guiltily. Snorting aloud, and finding a great deal of amusement in the odd reaction Granger gave him at the sound, he returned his attention to the conversation with her, Lilly, and Lupin.

"So you intend to use a secrecy charm, then? Perhaps silensus?" He smirked, doubting the girl even aware of the borderline-dark (though rather weak and elementary, and easy to break) spell he suggested.

"Nothing so quaint as that, Snape." Hermione responded.

"Oh? And you know something better?" He challenged.

"If you are to know anything more," Hermione said, her eyes locked with his, "you will submit to a Secrecy Pact."

Snape drew breath sharply, and gazed straight back at her. These children were playing with fire, and he didn't want to be the one to get burned for it. His eyes glittered dangerously. "And who will hold the dagger, little girl?"

Hermione didn't even blink, instead holding out her right hand, palm up, and whispering "Finite Incantatem"

Snape broke the eye contact, then, looking down, and found himself surprised yet again that evening. For this innocent-looking child of light had a dark blue pattern of lines tracing across her palm in a pattern that was obviously for a pact of a much larger scale. A pact like that included the secrecy bond, true, but it included a great many more things, as well. It bound her, magically, to keep the secrets of another; to support, and to protect with her life. It had an odd reciprocal element as well; she was protected, at the least, by the witch or wizard she'd granted the oath to.

It was like the bond Lilly had offered him, except that it was much more inclusive. That, and the bindings were dark magic, blood magic, and not the light magic of a Wizard's Protection Oath. If she went against her oath, her own magic, and even her own blood, would turn against her for her transgression.

Beyond even that, the small scar on the edge of her thumb was of the sort that only developed in one that often cut, for purposes of magic, the same place; it was something he had only seen in his father, though he'd seen them developing in a few of his older peers. Then he noticed that the lines on Hermione's hand emitted a soft glow, as well; whatever bond it was, it was supported, obviously, by a great deal of magic; who knew what else it might mean? What powers it might give the one she'd given control to?

It was, in the end, exactly what he'd needed to see. He was quite certain he could trust people such as this. People who were willing to commit themselves to their cause, and not simply stand back and bid others to do the dirty work. If nothing else, Severus Snape understood the necessity to fight darkness with darkness, all the while trying to keep the evil that hid in it from becoming a part of you. They had power on their side, surely, and they weren't afraid to use the necessary means to protect their own.

And last, and certainly not least, it was rather impressively Slytherin that she kept such knowledge hidden, and that she'd led him into this step-by-step, not giving any information until he'd granted some of his own. These wouldn't be the people blindly running into a slaughter, and he'd never have to follow them into such.

"I will submit to the Secrecy Pact." He said, simply.

Hermione's eyes were hard, he noted, as she summoned a small wooden box from someplace. She didn't look a thing like the innocent child he'd taken her for, at first. She didn't flinch as she removed the silver dagger from its case, nor as she began the steady flow of Latin that was the incantation. She didn't even hesitate as she drew a small amount of her own blood, cutting once more in the place where the scar was, nor as she deftly made the marks required for the Pact upon his arm. This girl, he was sure, would not have hesitated, nor stumbled over, the words or gestures of the Oath Lilly had offered him.

"Pactum Occultus" She finished, and he repeated the words after her. When she was done, his hand briefly glowed, as did hers, and every mark made, unlike those she bore, faded and healed as though they had never been.

Suddenly, though, Hermione flinched, her eyes going out of focus, though it was more like she'd had a pain in her head than her hand.

"Hermione?" Lilly asked. "What is it? What's the matter?"

Hermione's eyes refocused. "It's no big deal." She said. "It's just James – he's been speaking more and more strongly through the link all day, and he's downright shouting his thoughts now, even though he doesn't know he's doing it." She grimaced. "I've been steadily dampening the connection, but every time I do, he gets louder. It's not really a problem, it's just giving me a bit of a headache. I don't like doing it, but I'm going to shut him out entirely."

Severus felt entirely lost, but no-one seemed to expect him to understand.

Hermione turned to the werewolf beside her. "Remus, would you mind going and getting them? I think he and I should talk. He, Sirius, Peter, and Neville are all down on the Pitch."

"Not a problem." Remus responded, immediately getting up to leave. It was rather obvious to Severus that he'd been more-than-a-little unnerved by the blood ritual.

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, then, and seemed to concentrate. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes. Carefully, she set the suddenly-clean dagger back in the case (which she closed and banished). Then, and quite suddenly, she seemed to return to herself. She was even smiling, if rather business like. "So, now, about why we need your help…"

"Good, then." Hermione said, as Severus nodded to the last part of her story. "I'm glad you've decided to join us."

"I didn't quite say that." Snape countered, ignoring his hand in an attempt not to look too bothered by the dark magic. "I only said I'm willing to help you, and was, obviously, willing to take the vow of secrecy on your behalf. I certainly said nothing about joining you."

Hermione made a noise that was at least half-grunt. "And why, might I ask, do you see a difference between helping us, and joining us."

"Well, firstly, you've yet to tell me everything, despite the fact that I cannot now reveal the barest fact you do not wish to have known. I do not wish to commit myself to something I have no knowledge of. And secondly, my help in more than just the limited sense of a single project would require more… compensation, than simply your gratitude."

"And what, since I might as well ask, would be enough to guarantee your… membership, I suppose would be the word?"

"A guarantee of protection would normally be first, though I already have such," he glanced sidelong at Lilly. "I need power of my own, if I am to accomplish anything. If I were to undertake one of these bonds, or at least be given the opportunity to determine if I am compatible, then, I would –"

"Hermione!" Neville's shout cut through, interrupting him. "It's James! He was on the pitch, when suddenly he fell right off his broom, must've been from a hundred feet up. Remus got there just in time to slow his fall, and he didn't get hurt, but he won't wake up. The boys are on their way back right now – they sent me on ahead."

Hermione shot from her place, following Neville out the door without even glancing back. Lilly simply stared straight ahead, seemingly debating whether to follow them or to stay.

"Stay, Lilly, they'll be here in a moment." Severus advised.

Lilly, however, went right on staring straight ahead, seeing nothing.

Severus couldn't quite bring himself to feel ignored.