Early Saturday morning, Hogwarts was greeted by its first snow fall of the year, it was mid-November and December was approaching.
As there were no classes, most everyone was sleeping, that is with the exception of Harry.
While he had not had any visions as of late, his scar had begun to be irritated once more, thus his early rise.
He sat in the common room, which he shared with Draco and Ginny, sipping a cup of tea and staring into the empty fireplace.
His mind was currently in a bit of a jumble, he was thinking of everything there was to think about.
Being in the past was taking its toll on him, though he hid it well. He was glad to be able to see his parents and all, that part was fantastic. But he missed his friends and Remus and Sirius. Though the last to were here in the past they were just students. He could hardly walk up to them and ask for advice or talk like godfather and godson, it wasn't an option. Not to mention every day he saw his parents, saw their smiling faces and their almost innocent looks, and then he thought to their futures, the futures that did not exist. It was just hard to cope, but he would do so, he had too.
The possibility that Voldemort could and most likely would return if he should fail, kept him from turning his back on the past that was becoming more and more difficult to cope with. He didn't know how he planned on doing it but he was going to make sure that Voldemort couldn't return ever again., Harry had worked too hard and too long to stop him, and he wasn't about to step aside and let all his work go to waste.
He worried if before all this was over somebody would discover their secret. He worried even more that it would be his parents and the marauders that were to do so. The marauders had already come so close to doing just this once already who was to say that they wouldn't find out before they left. They couldn't find out it would ruin everything for sure.
Ginny… that was a thought of which he was clueless on. He knew that he certainly liked her more then a friend, hell he might even love her more then a friend. She was so easy to talk with and laugh with, and he could just see them working together. But telling her all this was another matter entirely. There was no way in hell that she felt the same way about him, it couldn't be that simple. All his life nothing ever was simple, Voldemort's downfall hadn't changed that and he doubted that that would ever change.
His thoughts were interrupted just then by a door opening and closing softly behind him. He turned his head to see who it was, to find Draco stumbling into the room and taking a chair opposite him.
"Morning," Harry said.
"Same to you," Draco replied wiping the sleep from his eyes.
They sat in silence for a minute, and Harry almost returned to his thoughts when Draco spoke again.
"Ginny up yet?"
Draco had been bringing Ginny up a lot with Harry lately, desperate for something to help them along the path they had started to form. After the speech lily had given him and the marauders he was sure to make sure Harry knew the points she made. He would bring them up ever so casually and made sure Harry was paying attention.
Harry shook his head, "I haven't seen her come out of her room yet."
"Oh, why are you up?"
"Scar, honestly you'd think after getting rid of him twice the pain would go away but no, he is still here and he is still causing all that pain and torture," Harry said, absentmindedly rubbing his scar a habit he had picked up over the years.
"You didn't get another vision did you?" Draco said, he agreed with Harry; he wished all the pain and suffering would just go away.
"No, just twinges. There is nothing to worry about just yet. But December's approaching and well remembers what lily told us. I know something's up, he is planning something. Something big
"And he's not alone either. Lucius will be among the lot that will be there in support, and well he has his own scores to settle," Harry said with a scowl.
Draco glared down at the coffee table that lay before them. He hated his father with a passion that ran deeper then the earth. Lucius Malfoy on so many occasions had tried to persuade him to join him and the dark lord. While he was younger he just went along with it, but as things went on he developed his own values and beliefs and following the dark lord wasn't one of them. And then there of course was the issue of befriending Harry Potter that surely had raised a few rows between them. He knew that before all this was over these issues would need to be resolved one way or another.
"The sooner we are rid of him, the better," Draco snarled.
Harry held sympathy in the glance he gave his friend, he knew that Draco had risked a lot going against his father, but he was glad that he had.
"So what is your oh so great plan for this battle then?" Draco asked.
In the past (future) Harry always had some wild idea of confrontation between themselves and the enemy, and nine times out of ten the plan worked.
Harry shook his head, "this time I don't have any leads. My connection with Voldemort is weaker here than in the future. We both are able to control are minds better here, only some things get through."
"Why do you suppose that is?" Draco asked.
"Probably because in this time, I had yet to be born and save the world, we weren't always connected. And… well I don't entirely have a theory as to why we still have a connection now, we'd need Hermione for that," Harry said before drifting back to thinking of his friends.
"What do we need Hermione for?" Ginny asked coming out from her bedroom tying back her hair.
"Never mind it doesn't matter," Harry said quickly before smiling at her to say good morning.
She grinned back and their eyes were locked on each other for a minute or so.
Draco rolled his eyes from where he was sitting; those two really needed to get together soon before someone decided to just smash their lips together for theirs- and everyone else's- own goods.
Gryffindor Tower; Boy Dorms:
James woke suddenly from a gust of cold wind coming through the window. He pulled his covers over his arms, so only his head was showing and tried to shut his eyes for a few more hours sleep; but it was too late once he was up, he was up.
Not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of his four-poster bed he simply lied their underneath the red duvet thinking. Not just any old thinking either, he was thinking about something- or rather someone- whom lately was driving his brain to complete and utter mush. This someone had ginger hair and emerald green eyes and was the only person that could take full control of all his emotions. You guessed right if you said that it was Lily Evans.
Why had she been pointedly staring at him during her entire advice-giving session, of all the spots she could have picked, why did she pick his face and his hazel eyes to look at?
How was he supposed to act around her now? He- according to what she had listed- had done not one thing right, how was he going to get the girl of his dreams when nothing was working in his favor?
He gave up trying to think he could find the answer anytime soon, and decided to go take a shower in hopes that some kind of solution to his problems would appear quickly, for he feared that if nothing was going to work anytime soon he might as well give up all together because it would surely prove that they weren't meant to be.
The students all enjoyed a late breakfast that morning, before they all grabbed their skates (or conjured them) in order to go skating on the lake (which had frozen over the previous night).
Among the students who ventured outside that day were the marauders and Lily, Harry, Ginny and Draco also came out claiming that they needed a bit of fun (they themselves were still kids after all).
All around the grounds students were building snowmen, while others were participating in rigorous snowball fights with their friends, or making snow angels in the soft, yet cold, snow.
Harry and Ginny joyfully linked arms and headed out on to the iced over lake, leaving Draco to follow behind them.
Draco just shook his head before seeing Remus, Sirius, and Peter motioning him over from the patch of ice they were balancing on.
Draco himself stepped onto the ice, and glided over to them.
"What's up?" Draco asked.
"What's up, what's up? Don't you see our plan is working," Sirius said in a flamboyant tone while flailing his arms wildly.
Draco looked over to Harry and Ginny, what Sirius had said seemed true. They were laughing and joking about and seemed to be in their own little world all together, but nothing yet had happened to prove that the plan had indeed worked.
"it would seem so. So where is your ringleader gone off to?" Draco asked.
"Well a lovely little redhead asked him to skate with her," Remus informed him with a grin on his face. It was about time.
"Did she now?" Draco said smiling himself.
"Yep and he was completely gob-smacked to, it was well funny," Sirius spoke.
Draco looked over to see James and lily gliding over the ice side by side, chatting and laughing about just like another hopefully soon to be couple were doing just across the ice.
Harry and Ginny were gliding along the ice, completely wrapped up in conversation with one another.
Both were laughing and smiling at what the other was saying and they were generally enjoying their time.
"Race you to the other side," Ginny suddenly called out before she skated off quickly.
Harry at first looked confused, but after he caught on was chasing her to the other side.
Ginny had beaten Harry by a landslide with her overall lead and was looking proud and triumphant as Harry approached her.
Their obvious and clear flirtations could be seen clear across the frozen pond by another couple who were just as oblivious to each others noticeable flirtations.
"When are those to just going to give it up," Lily spoke looking over at her professors.
"Hopefully soon, it would surely benefit everyone if they did," James replied though he was not looking at his professors but at the girl skating next to him. The only one he had eyes for.
They skated along silently for a few minutes before James brought up something that had been bugging him for a few days now, ever since they had gotten help from lily.
"Lily…" he started uncertainly.
"Yes," she answered her eyes now focused on him.
"Um… well I was wondering… erm if you might be able to… um… expand on what you were telling us the other day?"
"Why do you have someone else who needs romantic help?"
"Yep"
"Whom"
"It's a secret"
"Well I am afraid that I can't possibly help someone I don't know the name of," Lily spoke.
"Well… he wishes to remain anonymous but he is having trouble getting the girl of his dreams and needs some help and thinks your perfect for the job"
Lily looked thoughtful for a few moments wondering who would want to remain so anonymous…
"I'll consider helping. As long as it isn't Dumbledore or Flitwick in need of the assistance," lily said repressing as shudder.
James laughed out loud at that image, "nope, nope they might do but they weren't who I had in mind"
"Well okay then. What do you need to know?"
"Well the other day you said something's that I was wondering if you could elaborate on maybe"
"Okay what did I say?"
"Well I believe you said something about possession"
"Yeah I did. Well I just mean that its annoying and insulting to have someone treat you like you're a piece of meat rather than a human being," She spoke, knowing that James had done so on many occasions in the past.
"Oh and what about that whole be themselves thing, because personally I find that one hard to do when in the presence of a lovely lady," James admitted a hint of a blush on his cheeks.
Lily thought for a second, 'whoa, did James potter just admit that he doesn't know how to be himself, is he blushing, bloody hell he is'
"Well erm… I know what you mean about it being difficult but it would pay off if the person you or in this case your friend likes met the person you really are rather then an imposter of sorts don't ya think"
"Yeah I guess so, what about that overprotective, what's wrong with a guy being protective of his girlfriend?"
"Nothing, but when protectiveness has its limits. Just because we might be smaller and less muscular doesn't mean we're not as tough. We like to keep our dignity just as much as you guys do. We can fight our own battles James," she said looking him directly in the eye so he knew he got that message.
They skated once more in silence before James spoke again, "Lily I really think I need to apologize"
"What for?"
"For being everything that you didn't want, and for everything I ever did that insulted you in some manner or another"
"That's okay James. Its part of the past now, you've changed I can tell"
"Really?" James said astonished at what he was hearing.
"Yep," She said smiling at him before skating onwards.
Ginny and Harry skated around the rink a few times, playfully shoving each other and joking about.
It was fun to just be carefree teenagers for once; usually everything had to be approached with seriousness as they could not risk carelessness in their adventure filled lives.
"So… how do you like it being here with your parents?" Ginny asked, it was a question that had been spinning in her mind but one she didn't know if she should bring up.
"It's great really. I finally can have a memory of them, and speak to them. It's wonderful" Harry said with a cheerful tone in his voice, though his eyes showed a small glimmer of sadness.
"I'm happy you can have that Harry"
"Me too, But I just wish that I could change their futures. Their so bright and full of life to know its all going to be over for them soon is terrifying and torture…I almost don't want to leave…" Harry said the sadness dripping into his voice as he spoke.
"I know Harry; I wish I could change their futures as well. But… it's the way it has to be its destiny."
"Destiny… how I despise that word."
"Yeah well you have every right to"
By this time they had stopped skating and were just standing their in close proximity talking with quiet voices so they wouldn't be overheard.
Harry chuckled slightly.
"but you don't have to think about that just yet Harry, you should be enjoying all the time you have left this year with them, and fill it with as many memories of them as you can"
"Your right… when did start taking after Dumbledore with all that wisdom"
"Oh it's been there for years you just only now noticed," she said with a smile.
"I noticed," Harry said staring at her.
"Did you now"
"Of course I did, it's not easy to miss, just like you," Harry said a serious tone behind his playful words.
Without realizing it they were moving closer and closer, their eyes lost in one another's, and soon enough a cry of YES! Broke out from across the ice. Those good old marauders surely knew how to ruin a romantic and memorable moment!
A.N. phew finally the chapter is done with. I am so sorry it was not out sooner but I have been really tied up and then this chapter just wouldn't flow and I am not entirely happy with it its far to cheesy and phony but it will have to make due I guess. I realize it took me a while to get it up and I hope that this won't happen again the action will be returning in the next couple chapters I know a lot of you have asked were it went it will be coming back soon! I was having trouble as you might have noticed getting Harry and Ginny together so I just kind of wrote it forgive me if it is utter bollocks. Umm… I think I had something else to say but I think I forgot so oh well… well I hope in the time I haven't written I haven't lost any reviewers please do comment and try to leave something you liked or something you didn't so I know what to avoid in the future if I'm able too.
This chapter has not yet been betaed as I thought I would get it out as soon as possible but thanks to madoleine tolkein when it is!
Cheers
Petroleumjellydotone the one who deeply apologizes