Erin gasped and pulled Harry down behind the bush. "Quiet!" She hissed. It couldn't be…
Harry didn't at all like Erin keeping him from seeing what she was looking at. "Erin! Come on! Let me up!" He managed to get out from under her grip and stood, but quickly ducked down again. "Oh, my goodness! It can't be!"
"It is…" Erin said in awe. "Remus, your dad, my dad and Pettigrew." She practically spit out this last name. "I can't believe, we've gone back to when our parents were at Hogwarts…"
Harry watched in wonder as the four boys walked across the lawn. Sirius, the tallest of the lot, was walking with his arms around his two best friends, his long black hair loose and reaching his shoulders. Beside him Remus was holding a pile of books and looking quite shy and uncertain under his mop of reddish hair, badly in need of a haircut. James Potter looked so reminiscent of his son (or maybe that was Harry was so reminiscent of his father) with unruly black hair and glasses…and behind them came the little blonde butterball that was Peter Pettigrew. "Come on…" He whispered keeping out of sight and following them.
"Harry, this isn't smart!" Erin hissed. "Harry, we should at least take some precautions…being invisible or something…" She knew her pleas fell on deaf ears. When Harry got something in his mind he definitely wasn't easy to stop. "Come on, Harry…hey, where'd they go?"
Harry stopped. "I just saw them a moment ago…they couldn't have just disappeared." What was he saying? Of course they could have. "Umm…we should get out of here."
"Yeah." Erin said turning suddenly…right into someone solid. "What the—?" The girl fell backward into Harry and they both hit the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you heard me." They looked up to see a pretty redheaded girl with a book in her arms.
"Uh, what?" Harry asked.
"Oh." She just a little confused. "You're not—"
"Oy! Lily!" They looked back and knew they were in some real trouble now. Sirius came into sight with James and Remus just behind him and then Peter did also huffing a long after them. "Hey, who's this yer talking to?"
"I doubt know." Lily said. "I thought he was you." She said to James.
James looked at the two knowing that he didn't know them…but they did look so familiar. Peter weaseled his way in between Sirius and Remus wondering why the two weren't wearing robes. Sirius raised an eyebrow, the girl looked an awful lot like Xenia, but her hair wasn't that dark. "Who are you?"
"Would you believe us if we told you that we are your children from the future?" Erin asked a little desperately and a little because it just popped out.
No one spoke for a minute. They just stared at them and then Sirius burst out laughing, followed by the other boys. Only Lily did not join in, she was looking at them wide-eyed and a little pale. Sirius was speaking now though. "Oh, good one, Xenie!" He said. He took a piece of Erin's long black hair in his fingers twirling it around. "You know you can't fool me."
Erin smiled and leaned in. "I could if I was your daughter and not your future-wife." Then in an undertone: "Besides, how could I know what you really are… Padfoot?"
Sirius' eyes widened as he stepped back from her. "What the—"
"But how could they be here?" James asked trying to ignore Sirius' stunned expression.
"I can think of a few ways." Remus said.
"What are your names?" James asked suspiciously.
"Erin Xenia Black." The girl said and shrugged at Harry. She brought out the time turner from under her shirt. Remus nodded when he saw it.
"I'm Harry James Potter." He said and shrugged back to Erin.
Suddenly another redheaded girl came up. "Hey, guys, what I miss?" She spotted Sirius and Erin standing there. "Sirius Black, if I thought for one moment that you were cheating on me, or even thinking about, you are going to be so low that you would wish you were a Snivellus lackey!"
Sirius' moods went up, and he had quite a few, when he saw and heard the feisty girl. "Who me? Come on, Xenie-love, you know I would never do something like that! I'm hurt you would even accuse me of such a thing!" He backed up as she tried to swat him and ducked behind Remus. "Xenia, please! I swear I wouldn't! Oy! Flower! Tell her!"
"Xenia," Lily laughed. "He's telling the truth."
"All right, I believe you, for now." She said and kissed Sirius on the cheek.
He smiled. "Come on, love, you know I would never do anything to hurt you."
"OK." She said smirking a little. Then she turned and really saw Erin and Harry. Her jaw dropped. "Oh, my goodness…I didn't think it was going to really happen…Lily, don't tell me my vision was actually accurate!"
"Ok, I won't." Lily said innocently.
"You saw this?" Remus asked.
"Hello, Remie! Seer!" Xenia tossled the boys' hair, "You won't tell me? Then I know exactly who these two are. Your son and my daughter." She suddenly burst out laughing. "They can't deny it now!" She hung onto Sirius as she laughed and whispered something in his ear. Sirius started to laugh too, practically doubling over with laughter.
"Xenia!" Lily wailed, not at all liking being teased by her best friend and she gave both of them death glares.
James grudgingly admitted to himself that Harry did look like him. Remus was the one who spoke next. "He does have your eyes, Lily." The deadly green eyes now turned on him. "I was just saying!" He said defensively.
"You do have great eyes, Harry." Erin whispered leaning in.
Harry grinned at her and Xenia smiled. "Your son and my daughter! This is great!"
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked.
"Well, Remus did say our parents would be thrilled." She giggled and then faltered. "Oh…uh…" Remus was looking very startled. "You in the future said it when you were here as a teacher…" Erin slapped her hand over her mouth.
Remus nodded. "That makes sense." He knew that even her just saying that much was dangerous. But just knowing that he had a million questions that he knew he couldn't ask.
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked.
"You can't ask them." Remus said.
"One little question isn't going to be the end of the world, Moony!" Sirius argued.
Xenia sighed. "You can't ask them. We can't know about our futures." She leaned against him looking pale and tired. "We can't know…" She slumped against him. No one made a move as if this were a natural occurrence.
Sirius took the girl in his arms and kept her up easily, all thoughts of questions disappearing from his mind. He tenderly brushed a flame red curl from her forehead. "Is she ok?" Harry asked.
Sirius nodded. "She's a seer." He reminded. "It happens all the time."
Xenia's eyes suddenly opened…but instead of the brilliant green they were a light gray. "The dark lord rises…ever he rises gaining power and followers…"
"Voldemort?" James asked. "Yeah, we know he's gaining in power."
The others shushed him quickly. "Now the future comes to us and we must look to them…we must learn what we are supposed to become…and learn who we are…we must face our fates and be what we always were meant to be…" Xenia groaned and closed her eyes again, she brought her hands up and put her palms to her forehead. "Oh! The damn headaches! I hate them! I need to do something to get my mind off this."
"Are you all right?" Sirius whispered. "Do you need to go rest for a while, pet?"
Xenia's brilliant green eyes came into view and Harry recognized that mischievously look on the redheads' face. He glanced over at Erin, who seemed oblivious. She looked at him. "What?" She whispered innocently. Harry shook his head.
Xenia put her arms around Sirius' neck. "Sure, but only if you rest with me."
Sirius grinned. "Don't have to tell me twice."
James cleared his throat. "Ok, guys time to go study."
"Study?" Peter asked. Since when did James have to study?
"Study." James said with emphasis.
"Yes, we should go." Lily said.
"The common room?" Remus asked looking around for approval.
"Yeah." James said. "Let's go…and Sirius!"
"What?" The handsome boy asked with his arm around the smaller girl.
"No making out with Xenia in front of us again!" James warned.
"Yeah, whatever you say."
"No one wants to see that!" Peter said nosing his way in between Remus and James. Although he wouldn't mind kissing Xenia, stupid Sirius, why did he have to get her?
Sirius just waved his hand back at them. He and Xenia were already headed for the castle. "Well, it looks like my parents kiss they way we do." Erin grinned. Harry blushed a little but smiled nevertheless. Erin suddenly paused. "Harry, do you remember when Ron said at least James and Dad didn't kiss like us and Dad said he could tell us, but he didn't want to scare us?"
"Unfortunately." Harry looked around making sure no one was hearing their whispers. He didn't think anyone overheard, but he thought he saw Remus shudder a little as the quiet boy walked beside them. They headed for the Gryffindor common room, taking many shortcuts that made Harry smile. He wondered if they had invented the Marauder's Map yet.
The common room was empty and Sirius led Xenia over to a large couch. He let her get comfortable and sweetly took off her shoes. Despite earlier warnings he leaned down and stole a pretty heavy kiss. Xenia laughed and put her arms around the boy kissing him back.
Erin pushed Harry into a chair and sat down in his lap. He was watching Sirius and Xenia, unable to help himself. Sirius was at the moment getting comfortable and saying between kisses that "This is a great way to get your mind off something." Sirius considered himself a great distraction and luckily for him Xenia found this true as well as endearing about him. Harry turned his attention back to Erin who was flipping her legs over the arm of the chair. "This has been some day." The girl said lightly.
Harry nodded. "It certainly has."
Erin glanced over and saw Lily and Remus at a table by the window looking at something. The redheaded girl, that would be Harry's mother, got up and went into the girls' dorm. James and Peter were on the other side of the room, silent and only pretending to do work. It didn't seem like anyone really wanted to talk, yet. Lily emerged and went over to Remus again. She saw something he was looking at and gave him a hug. They knew she wouldn't unless he was upset by something. "Poor Remus." Erin sighed. "How did he get through all those years without anyone to confide in?"
"I don't know." Harry said. "It must have been truly awful for him to suffer like that in silence."
Erin nodded. "Harry…" She looked at him and swallowed.
"What?" He asked drawing her nearer to him.
"Promise me that no matter what happens between us that we'll never be alone, that we'll always be there for each other…"
Harry nodded. "I promise, Erin, you'll never be alone."
They were silent for a few moments. "Harry, I still don't understand why your uncle even came into your room…" Erin looked at him puzzled. "I mean it's not like anything was going on."
The boy sighed. "Usually, nothing ever goes on in that house. He just bursts in at all hours because he thinks he heard something or saw a light or got a feeling. Usually he just makes himself think he heard something so he has an excuse to come in. I think he's afraid of what I could do."
Erin nodded sighing and then grinned. "I wonder what would have happened if we had been—" She paused knowing that the subject would just make Harry all the more embarrassed. "Harry, I love you."
He smiled. "I love you, too."
She smiled and kissed him lightly. He kissed back letting her know that he was there for her. It was only a moment later, though, that she drew back and looked away. "What is it?" He asked.
"Your dad…he keeps staring at us…not like the others. I am getting this really weird vibe from him." Harry turned slightly in the chair and saw that his dad was looking at them, or was, he turned away when Harry looked at him. Erin rubbed her shoulder unconsciously. "Something is wrong…"
"Do you want me to say something?" He asked.
"No." Erin shook her head. "You know that my feelings aren't anything to worry about. I'm usually wrong." She was lying through her teeth and Harry knew it.
The boy nodded, though they both knew he was smarter than that. He knew that if Erin's feelings persisted he would have to say or do something. At the moment all he could do was rub her shoulder for her. "Will you be all right?"
"Yeah." Erin leaned her head against Harry's shoulder and he put his arms around her tightly.
"Sirius! I said no!" Xenia was laughing and pushing Sirius away from her.
Sirius loomed over the girl grinning slyly. He went back down kissing and nipping at the girls' ear and neck. Xenia's protests and laughing soon grew into the background noise.
"Well, I definitely have to be their daughter. Those genes are just too dominant to ignore." Erin smiled and murmured a little closing her eyes. Harry smiled as he leaned his head against hers. He was the last one to deny what Erin said. He just loved being this close to her, he didn't care where they were, just being this close to her made him think nothing could happen, nothing bad anyways. "You know Harry, you could be a little more like dad, at least in the romance department."
Harry blushed. "It takes all kinds to make up the world. If we were all the same it would be boring…" He glanced at the two on the couch. "Or way over populated."
"Oh come on." Erin laughed. "I am sure they haven't slept together, yet."
"Yet." Harry repeated for emphasis.
The bells rang signaling the end of classes. James looked up surprised. "It can't be!"
He looked at his watch and saw that yes the time was right. Lily stood up swallowing. "What are we going to do?" There was no way they could explain away two new students no matter how much they looked like other people.
"No worries." Erin said holding up her hand and then she wasn't there, a moment later Harry also disappeared. James blinked and his mouth was slightly agape, that was really advanced magic.
A moment later the horde of Gryffindor's descended upon them. No one appeared to even notice Sirius and Xenia, and James was giving anyone death looks if they even went near the apparently empty chair. Lily and Remus went back to studying.
