"Where is Peter?" Harry asked again, his voice odd.
"Harry…" Hermione cautioned, an edge of warning in her voice.
"Naw, c'mon I wanna know too!" Ron pressed. "Where is Pettigrew?"
"Why all this curiosity?" Remus asked, slightly suspicious, feeling there was a negative subtext here that he wasn't privy to.
"Wormtail would be glad that he has such a fan club in the future." James remarked jovially.
"He doesn't even have one in our time." Sirius joked. "Really though, there's nothing sinister going on. He's just in the hospital wing." Sirius answered, smirking. "Thus, he couldn't participate in this adventure. I'm sure he'll be sorry that he missed it though!"
"The hospital wing?" Hermione cried out. "What happened to him?"
Sirius grinned evilly. "Lost a duel."
"With who?"
"With me, of course." James replied arrogantly. "You'd think people would have learned already not to try dueling with me."
"Wormtail always has sadly lacked in dueling prowess." Remus conceded. "He was only trying to get better technique. You should have gone easier on him." Remus chided.
"Come on, you know there is no half-assing wizard duels. You give your all and let the better man win."
"It was for practice."
"Well he's learned now that he has to cast Shield Charms a little quicker hasn't he? So it was a learning experience."
"I think a key element to teaching is not letting your student end up in the hospital wing."
"Whatever, he'll bounce back, Moony. He always does."
"Besides, I can still beat you." Sirius bragged.
"Four times, Padfoot! Four times in all of our history of dueling. Don't let it go to your head."
"I can let whatever I want go to my head, Prongs. And it was at least six times. Fess up now."
"Fine, I'll be extraordinarily generous and give you six, Pads, so that just makes it so you've won six duels against me, while I've won what? A few hundred over these last 7 years?"
"I am just going to pretend that the second half of your snarky comment didn't exist, Prongs. As long as everyone knows of my true victories, all is fine by me."
"Yes, and now we can throw a parade in your honor." Lily commented wryly. "With streamers and balloons, all to celebrate your having won four measly duels against James."
"Well, I know that was meant to be sarcastic, but that sounds like a wonderful idea! I do deserve a good parade." Sirius paused, looking suddenly confused. "But what are Bell-Ahns? Do they taste good?"
Lily, Remus, Harry, and Hermione all laughed. "Balloons." Lily corrected. "They're decorations. And no, they don't taste good unless you like to eat latex."
"What's lay-tex?"
Lily chuckled. "Never mind…just forget it."
Sirius crossed his arms over his chest, looking put out. "No, I want to know! You never tell me when I ask about muggle stuff, and the professor always looks at me funny whenever I ask in class."
"That's because you're always asking about things that aren't in any way pertinent to class."
"Or about things that usually deal with fire or explosives." James added.
"Hey! I'm just curious! Since when is that illegal?"
"Since you became curious about explosives, I would imagine."
"What class do you ask questions about explosives in?" Harry asked, curious.
"Muggle Studies, of course. I daresay our professor has tired of answering his—what?"
Ron was gaping at him. "You take Muggle Studies?"
"See, Ron, I told you it wasn't a worthless subject!" Hermione burst out. "Honestly, you do need to take it!"
"OK, Hermione, we've been through this before." Ron said slowly, as if talking to someone who was not quite mentally sound. "I'm not taking Muggle Studies and I am definitely not going to read Hogwarts, A History."
"But you should! It would do so much for you!"
"You read Hogwarts, A History?" Lily exclaimed. "I thought I was the only one!"
"Really?" Hermione asked, eyes wide, as if daring to hope that another person who had read Hogwarts, A History actually existed.
"Yes, I got a copy of it as soon as I received my invitation letter, to bring me up to snuff with the goings on of Hogwarts. It was so informative!"
"Oh, I know! I don't think I have ever read a book that went that quite in depth especially the part about—"
"About the enchantments including—"
"Including Anti-Apparation and Dis-Apparation Charms!" Hermione finished excitedly.
"Exactly!" Lily beamed. "Finally, someone with sense and good taste!" Hermione blushed and bowed her head slightly, as if in deference. "Honestly, I cannot count on one hand the number of times I have had to explain to these four that no one can apparate or disapparate on Hogwarts grounds!"
"I know! I have to inform Ron and Harry of that at least twice a month, if not more—"
Ron rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You should stop her before she gets to much into it or else she'll never shut it about that book."
James chuckled. "Tell me about it. She even tried to buy Padfoot a copy for Christmas, last year…he just stared at her for a full minute, before saying 'OK, where's the real present?'"
Sirius laughed good-naturedly. "Yeah, Lily was so pissed when I asked that…and I don't quite remember the next few hours after that—"
"That's because she knocked you unconscious with the book." Miranda piped in, matter-of-factly.
Sirius cast her an indignant look. "Mir, I wasn't going to tell that part to them. Some things are better left as secrets, I always say—"
"Only when those things tarnish your reputation." Remus interrupted.
"Well yes, that goes without saying. However, I will say this: Hogwarts, A History is one of the best paperweights I've ever had."
"Sirius!" Lily cried out reproachfully.
"And it apparently made a pretty good bludgeon." Remus remarked, off Sirius' glare.
"I would definitely have to say that that is the number one most frequently cited book that Lily uses to bore us all to tears…" James commented.
"Or, if we're lucky, into a nice, stolid coma." Sirius added. "At least that option has the bright side of a blissful, dreamless, sleep."
"Oh shove off, both of you!" Lily retorted huffily, slapping both of them upside the back of the head. "Anyway, James, what time do you have?" Lily asked.
James looked down at his watch, eyebrows rising in surprise. "Wow. Almost five."
"In the morning?"
"No, in the afternoon." James replied, sarcastically. "A whole day just happened to pass by without us knowing."
"You know, you don't have to be sarcastic about everything."
"Eh, it's fun. And look at the Princess of Scathing Sarcasm trying to lecture me about being sarcastic."
Lily glared at him for a second. "If anything, James, I am the Queen, not the Princess of Sarcasm. Get it right." She flashed him an impish grin, before turning to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. "You three should go to bed. I don't want us to make you miss your lessons."
"Lily, we're in the future and the thing you care about most is if your son is late for class?" Sirius cried out, looking at her in astonishment. "Sort out your priorities, woman!"
"Maybe you should sort out your priorities, Sirius!" Lily retorted scathingly. "If they miss class tomorrow then the professors will come looking for them and we might get found out. I don't fancy spending the rest of my years in Azkaban, do you?" Lily saw, out of the corner of her eye, Harry exchange an odd look with Hermione and Ron, one she couldn't quite read.
"No." Sirius replied begrudgingly. "Point taken. I guess sleep it is then."
"How are you going to hide yourselves?" Ron piped up.
"Lil, couldn't you cast an Acceptance Charm or something?" Remus turned to Lily. "So that everyone will assume we've always been here. Maybe combine it with an Ignorance Charm so that most people won't even notice us, unless they're specifically looking for us?"
"That might work, Remus. Good idea. I'll add a Spatial Displacement Charm to give us some physical leeway…"
"You could top it all off with Concealment Charm, which would unite both of those charms a bit better, and maybe add a…a Warning Ward, is it? To alert you if anyone gets through the other charms?"
"A Ward of Obviation...a Level 4 should do it." Lily corrected, grinning at her. "Brilliant! You sure know your charms!"
Hermione seemed to volley between the urge to be bashful and the urge to be triumphant. The latter won out, and she beamed at Harry and Ron, standing up a little straighter in her slippers.
Lily took out her wand, pointed at James, Sirius, Remus, Miranda, and herself, and said a sting of words in Latin, done with a bit of a lilt, so that it sounded almost like a song. "There, it's done."
"There wasn't a flash or sparks or anything." Ron commented.
Lily smiled. "There wasn't supposed to be. Sometimes spells don't look like they work when in actuality, they do. Often when you see something fancy or outlandish, it means your magic didn't work, or worse, backfired."
Ron furrowed his brow, thinking about this.
"Are you all going to follow us to class tomorrow?" Harry inquired. "Because that would be really cool."
"Sure, we haven't anything better to do," Sirius answered, after a confirming nod from James, Lily, Remus, and Miranda. "And I, for one, want to see more of this Hogwarts of the Future." He walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, beginning to settle himself. "This is where I'm sleeping."
"No it's not." Lily informed him.
"What are you talking about? You cast the charms so no one will even notice I'm here."
"Exactly. Some kid could come and sit on you while you're sleeping and not even notice you're there."
"Point taken. So are we all sleeping in a corner or something?" Sirius stood up and walked back over to the group.
"You got it."
Sirius groaned in protest.
"Seeing the downside of time travel, huh?" Lily teased, turning back once more to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, while Sirius made a face behind her back. "You three should go on to bed. Sweet dreams." She smiled at them.
"Same to you, M—Lily. G'night everyone." Harry responded, though reluctantly.
Hermione tugged on the sleeve of his robe, and Ron nudged him slightly. With a heavy sigh and a look that clearly showed that he'd rather stay downstairs with the newcomers all night, he finally followed Ron back towards their dormitory, looking back over his shoulder the entire time.
"Nice kid, Prongs. You and Lily make 'em right." Sirius commented from behind Lily and James. "Ow!" He exclaimed, as both Lily and James promptly slapped him. "I was only joking."
A/N: Wow, over 1600 hits to this story! Thanks everyone! Please continue to read and review!
sugar-huny-bun: Most of us are not very fond of Peter...I'm sure someone is fond of him...somewhere. I'm glad you can't wait to read more!
gatermage: Yes, things are about to get awkward. Exceedingly awkward in the next chapter, I promise you.
potterfan226: Glad you liked this chapter and that it was long enough. :) I don't plan on abandoning it anytime soon.
mizlovegood: Yep, no Peter...yet. MUWAHAHA!
James'SnitchBoxersLover: I'm glad that you like this story! Yeah, I made James and Lily actually friends in this one considering they do time travel in 7th year (although they do have their squabbles). Love your screen name, btw.
BeCkY6: But it is so much fun to write cliffhangers! At least this chapter didn't really have one.
Daisfunk: Sorry that it started off slow, I had to set forth the exposition. Maybe on a re-write I'll go back and try to tighten it up. I'm glad you like the concept, however. :) I'll try to make it flow more smoothly.
Sparky Nut, JeNnIfEr88: I'm glad you like it and here's another chapter for you.