A/N: Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed! I'm sorry it took me a while to update, I am currently working on a number of stories (they're all caught up in my head and I have to let them out!), and with school beginning again, I'm trying to get as much writing done as I can before my life gets super busy again.

Disclaimer: Potter-verse. Don't own it. Never have – never will. Sigh.

Harry lay staring at his canopy above his new bed in his 'new' dorm – which happened to be his old dorm – lost in thought. Ron and Hermione were arguing about the advantages and disadvantages (strategically) of various kinds of magic that they could be learning in the coming year – such as wandless magic, weapons training, learning to become animagi, and the pros and cons of studying dark magic (not to use, just to know – Harry was adamant they refrain from using dark magic as much as possible).

Harry was half-listening, but mostly he was thinking about the fact that his parents and Sirius were here, they were young and innocent and alive. He knew their fates and yet could do nothing about it.

He couldn't even tell them who he really was.

Hermione had been watching him out of the corner of her eye. She was worried about him, but felt there was nothing she could do to help him this time. The fact was she and Ron didn't understand what he was going through – not really. They could sympathize and speculate, but it wasn't their parents who were in danger. Any efforts to save James, Lily and Sirius could wipe Harry out of existence – and consequently doom the world.

Hermione sighed and pulled out her trunk from her cloak pocket. Harry and Ron followed suit. The three had agreed that since they had no idea what they would need as they searched for the horcruxes; they really ought to carry everything. They took their school trunks, shrunk down and made feather light, with them everywhere. So, as luck would have it, they had just about everything they would need (including their school robes) with them, along with many more defensive books, backup wands, food rations, muggle first aid supplies, and hand held-weapons (in their spare time they had begun learning to fight with daggers and – in Harry's case – a sword).

Just as the Trio had unshrunk their trunks, the Mauraders came into the room. At first, no one spoke; they just stared at each other. Then Hermione coughed lightly, seeming to bring them back to the present.

"I'm sorry, how rude of us. I'm Remus Lupin, and these are my friends James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew," Remus said, pointing out each boy as he spoke.

Harry smiled remembering how personable Remus could be even when he wasn't feeling well. He slid off his bed and strode over to the Mauraders.

"I'm Harry Porter and these are my friends Ron Westen and Hermione Gardner." He paused, then with a mischievous glint in his eyes asked, "You're dying to know how we got here, aren't you?"

Sirius ginned widely, while James fell gracefully onto his bed, saying, "Only if you want to tell us mate."

Ron and Hermione smiled at him and sat at the foot of Harry's bed, while Harry simply leaned against the post, reviewing their cover story in his mind. "Just between us?" When the Mauraders nodded eagerly, he continued. "We're time travelers. The summer before our seventh year, we went into hiding from Voldemort (the Mauraders shivered involuntarily, then seemed angry at themselves for doing so) and his followers."

The Mauraders exchanged worried looks, but let Harry continue.

"We despise Dark Magic, and have had to fight against it and those who would be fooled by its evil and deception for a number of years now. When Voldemort found out we had discovered some of his more – unsavory – activities, he came after us." Harry looked grim thinking back on all he had learned Tom Riddle was capable of, even at an early age. "There was a raid, and somehow one of Voldemort's followers cast a spell on us, and here we are."

"So that's why you just appeared out of thin air? Are you from the future?" Remus asked quietly.

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Here was the heart of the lie. Ron took one look at Harry and could tell he didn't want to be the one to do it.

"No, were actually from the past. About nine years, I guess?" He looked at Harry and Hermione for confirmation; they nodded so he continued, "We were caught in some weird vortex, so when we got here we were shocked - "

"To say the least," interrupted Hermione. "We didn't think we'd ever see Hogwarts again."

The Mauraders took a while to absorb this information. The whole idea seemed completely insane – and yet just crazy enough to possibly be real. They still had some doubts and even more questions, but they kept those to themselves for the moment.

"So listen," Harry broke the silence, "Can you guys help with our cover story? Dumbledore gave us one, but we may need some help to make it believable."

Sirius piped up with a huge grin, "You've come to the right place. Covering our tracks is one of the things we Mauraders do best."

The Trio smiled at him, and the seven teenagers spent the next hour making plans and fleshing out their 'cover story' so that no one would question it.

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Now you may be wondering why the Trio told the Mauraders one lie, but told everyone else another. Here was Hermione's logic:

"They're professional troublemakers. And three of them are among the best in the year, probably in the school. We made a very memorable entrance, and they aren't going to buy Dumbledore's story that we were being transferred and something went wrong with the portkey. I think if we add a mixture of the truth and a lie, we can avoid them knowing we're from the future and still satisfy their curiosity."

They knew their story wasn't airtight, but it would have to do.

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After much plotting and planning, Hermione bade the boys goodnight and levitated her trunk in front of her as she headed for the girls' dormitory. The Marauders soon asked Harry and Ron about themselves. You know, the kind of deep, insightful questions that lifelong friendships are built on:

"Do you like to prank?"

"Have you ever snuck around Hogwarts at night?"

"Do you know any secret passages? Bet we know more than you!"

"What's your stance on Slytherins?"

"What Quidditch positions do you play?"

And, of course, the all-important: "Fancy a midnight snack?"

It just so happened that all 6 of the "growing" boys were feeling peckish. James wasn't terribly inclined to reveal his invisibility cloak until Harry produced his own, and the teens split into groups, with Harry, Ron and Remus under one cloak and James, Sirius and Peter under another. Utilizing this much more comfortable arrangement, the six easily made it to the kitchens for a very filling meal.

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The next day, Lily awoke to find one of the mysterious new students in her dormitory, sitting upon her bed reading.

"Oh, hello," said Lily politely.

Hermione looked up at her and smiled. "Good Morning. I was just getting in some light reading before class starts. I'm afraid me and my friends don't have our books for our new classes and will have to order them today."

Lily was puzzled, and so asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

"Oh!" Hermione blushed, "I'm sorry. Hermione Gra – er – Gardener. My friends and I transferred here last night."

Lily took Hermione's offered hand and shook it. "Yes, I think everyone noticed the very moment you 'transferred' here. My name's Lily, by the way. Lily Evans."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly, but she managed to mostly keep her shock in check. This was Harry's mother!

The two unsurprisingly immediately hit it off, discussing everything from classes and the importance of the prefect system, to Hermione and her friends' story and dealing with being muggleborns in a magical world, to who to know and who to avoid at Hogwarts, and finally to the all important girl topic: boys.

"So Hermione, do you have a boyfriend right now?"

Hermione turned bright red. "No, not at the moment."

"Ah!" Exclaimed Lily, "There is someone you fancy though, isn't there?"

"Oh, no!" Hermione rushed to explain, "I just got out of a – well, it wasn't exactly a relationship – but anyway, I hadn't even begun to think of turning my fancy to anyone new yet. Besides, my boys need my attention all the time – they can hardly do without me!"

Lily and Hermione continued to laugh at the dependency of men on the gracious wisdom of women all the way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

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The Marauders had managed to drag themselves out of bed in time for breakfast that morning, primarily owing to the fact that they still needed to come up with a good prank to start the year off right. They laughed and joked with Harry and Ron on the way to the Great Hall, already liking the two new boys immensely.

What they hadn't anticipated was the massive amount of attention they would attract upon entering the room. Hermione and Lily had drawn their fair share, but it was nothing compared to this. It seemed that everyone wanted to know who these intriguing new students were, especially considering that (a) they were completely unknown to everyone, (b) one of them looked almost identical to James Potter, and (c) they were all quite good looking.

The last of these factors had over half the female population at Hogwarts squealing in delight. There was of course, one exception.

When Lily spied the two new boys, one of whom looked so much like Potter, laughing and joking with the Marauders, she almost immediately assumed that they were like the infamous quartet. Her first instinct was to make sure they didn't start trouble, and possibly tell them off if they were arrogant, but she reined it in; the events of the previous year had brought a definite change about in her attitude both towards the Marauders and life in general (A/N see my story 'Walk A Mile' ((WIP)) for details). She had loosened up quite a bit – though not totally.

The six young men quickly made for the Gryffindor table, all quite used to the attention (though for very different reasons) but still not wanting such a direct spotlight on them. Unfortunately, such interest prohibited further plans for the prank, or they would be overheard. So they settled for filling up on breakfast, or in Ron's case, attempting once again to fill the black hole otherwise known as his stomach.

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After breakfast the new friends were conversing when Professor McGonagall turned up to pass out the new schedules to the students. She asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione to wait until last so that she could discuss their career plans and their O.W.L. results. While they were waiting, Lily took the opportunity to observe the three friends.

She couldn't help but notice how much – well – older they seemed from everyone else. Not age-wise, but like they had seen a great deal in their lives, and probably had the scars to prove it. She realized her initial assessment had been a little off about them: while they seemed open to having fun and laughed and joked along with everyone else, they were clearly much more serious individuals, and all in all, she thought they would be good friends, if possibly a bit distant.

She also noticed the amount of attention they drew. And it clearly wasn't because of their sudden appearance the night before. Lily didn't think she'd ever seen so many people come up to the Gryffindor table. It seemed everyone in the school (apart from the Slytherins) came to visit a friend in Gryffindor, just to get a chance to see the handsome new young men and pretty young woman up close. Hermione blushed a great deal, apparently not accustomed to this kind of attention, and Ron had looked menacingly at a few of the boys ogling her, but there didn't seem to be any real mean-spiritedness in it. From the continual laughs of Harry and Hermione whenever Ron did this, it seemed more a habit then anything else.

When they finally all got their schedules, there were only a few minutes left to get to class, which was Charms for all of them, it seemed. They were ambling along, none too concerned since the classroom wasn't far, when someone bumped Harry (who was happily talking with Sirius) on the shoulder roughly. Harry turned and frowned at the assailant, only to come face to face with the very bane of his existence (other than Voldemort) – none other than a young, irate Severus Snape.

"Watch where you are going, Potter. You and your idiot cronies don't own the corridors you know," Snape snapped.

A murderous look took over Harry's features, and he whipped out his wand, looking like he was planning to hex Snape into oblivion. Hermione had gasped when she saw Snape, but immediately stepped between them and spoke to Harry in quick, low tones. While he was thus distracted, Sirius and James leered at Snape, drawing his focus away from Harry.

Snape's own Slytherin crowd immediately came up, and wands were drawn all around, except by Hermione who still had her back to the scene, seeming to try and talk Harry, who was still glaring at the Slytherins with a fiery hatred in his eyes, out of whatever he was planning to do.

It was only the presence of Professor Flitwick, who had come out of his classroom looking for his wayward students, which kept a full out duel from breaking out. The tiny professor's call seemed to bring Harry out of his hateful mood, but he was still clearly distressed. He wrenched away from Hermione's grasp and stormed into the Charms room, glaring slightly at his desktop and not speaking to anyone.

Hermione and Ron immediately sat on either side of Harry and tried to draw him out of his bad mood, until he said lowly, "I don't want to talk about it right now guys. We'll talk later, I promise."

Hermione and Ron dropped it, but their new friends were not so quick to understand. Sure, they thought, the Slytherins were all evil gits, but Harry looked ready to murder Snape. They all had the same thought in tandem:

What the hell was that about?