Chapter Three

The Marauders

The first thing Harry realized was that he was extremely uncomfortable. His neck was bent slightly upwards against a hard surface, the rest of his body sprawled out on the floor, and something oddly heavy was resting on his stomach. Harry shifted his head slightly and opened his eyes.

Sun shone from a nearby window, illuminating the sight before him. He was laying on the ground next to the portrait of the Fat Lady, a bundle of robes topped with fiery red hair lay across his stomach: Ginny. Harry frowned, trying to remember the night before.

It had been strange. A midnight snack, Filch, and then what the Fat Lady had called Ginny; Lily Evans. Lily Evans was his mother, he was sure of it, but why had the Fat Lady called Ginny that, of all things? Of course, Ginny had been said to look like Lily, but the Fat Lady knew her too well to mistake her like that.

The portrait hole swung open and a tall boy with dark hair and gray eyes stepped out. He was followed by a slightly shorter boy with neat brown hair and light brown eyes. Harry felt his eyes widen and his mouth fall open.

Standing before him were much younger versions of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Harry recognized them from Snape's memory, although he was sure he would have recognized them anyways. Sirius had a confident air about him, a smirk upon his lips. Remus was carrying a few books, a bag slung over his shoulder. Harry felt his eyes begin to water at the sight of Sirius.

Just then, Sirius noticed Harry. He grinned widely and nudged Remus.

"So, Prongs, finally got the lady, eh?" he laughed. Remus smiled, brushing hair out of his eyes. Just then, before Harry could question, another figure came stumbling out of the portrait hole. A short boy, round faced and water eyed, made eye contact with Harry.

Harry felt anger boil up inside of him and he would have leapt at Peter if it weren't for Ginny still peacefully sleeping on top of him. Instead, he looked back to Sirius, his mind slowly piecing together what had happened.

"Erm, Sirius, it's really not how it looks," Harry said, struggling to lift Ginny into his arms. He stood up, Ginny's head resting on his shoulder.

"Sure it's not," Sirius teased, following Harry into the common room. Harry rolled his eyes; had Sirius always been like this? So sure and confident in his young age? Harry set Ginny on a couch near the fireplace and turned back to Sirius, Remus and Peter.

"What day is it?" he asked suddenly, aware that it might not be the same as it had been last night. Remus gave Harry a questioning look, but answered anyways.

"It's Saturday," he said. Harry nodded, plans rushing into his head. First, he was going to visit Dumbledore, who even though he might not understand everything, would help profoundly. Then he supposed, well...he really didn't know.

"Mmmharry?" Ginny mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. Sirius and Remus frowned slightly, though Peter was examining a group of girls in the corner with a longing look.

"Um, Lily, can you come here for a sec?" Harry asked, making sure Ginny took the hint. Her eyes were wide as she took in her surroundings, the people staring down at her. Harry helped her up and began to walked towards the portrait hole.

"I'll meet you guys in the library later," he called back to the Marauders. Sirius looked confused, Remus thoughtful, and Peter (in Harry's mind) still looked quite pathetic.

As soon as they were down another corridor, Ginny stopped walking and turned to Harry.

"What's going on?" she asked, her hand on his arm.

"We need to see Dumbledore," Harry answered, taking her hand and leading her down a corridor.

"Why? What's going on, Harry? Was that Sirius and Lupin back there?"

"Ginny," said Harry slowly, stopping to look at her," I think we've gone back in time."

a/n: hey, sorry for the wait. School has been a nightmare, but thankfully it's all over. Just testing now. Thank you all so much for the reviews, I really appreciate them. Now, if you are reading this sentance, push the little gray button and review!