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Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be slash later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP
Spoilers: All books
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 10: Introducing the Real Harry Potter
Harry walked into the warm cosy office of Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, Transfiguration Professor, and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had been easy for Harry to decide on which Professor to approach with the information that James, Sirius, and Remus had discovered his true identity. Only a handful of Professors knew of his situation and of those, Harry had only spent significant time with two: Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
The Headmaster, however, was someone that Harry was still not comfortable with. The events of Harry's past year still haunted him, the apparent betrayal by one that he trusted had hurt him deeply, and the summer had not been long enough to heal him of that hurt. The secrets, the manipulations, and deceptions had all compounded other problems that Harry had faced.
'If only Dumbledore had trusted me' Harry thought. 'Things would have been much different. I've never been an innocent to protect, nor someone to manipulate to serve his purpose.' It did not matter that this younger version of Dumbledore had not yet committed any of those actions. Harry felt as though he could not trust the older wizard to not try and obtain more information than was safe.
Harry was not entirely sure why he had found himself walking towards McGonagall's office. Maybe it was the new knowledge that his Head of House was a friend of his paternal grandparents. Maybe it was because she had stood up for him against Umbridge. Whatever the reason was, it was McGonagall who Harry was about to confess to.
"Can I help you Mr Granger?" the severe looking Professor asked.
"Umm" Harry replied, not knowing how to explain what had happened in the past hour or so.
"Take a seat" McGonagall ordered, waving a hand at the empty chair.
Harry gingerly sat in the chair, but the uneasiness in his stomach grew with every second. Gathering the much-talked about Gryffindor courage, Harry started to talk. He explained how James, Sirius, and Remus had discovered that his real name was Harry Potter, without revealing the existence of the Map. Instead, Harry explained the concealing charm that Dumbledore had cast upon his trunk, how Sirius had discovered it and eventually countered it. He told the Transfiguration Professor how he had been confronted and what details he had already revealed, watching with a certain amount of detachment as McGonagall paled. 'Oh boy, am I in trouble' Harry mused as he finished his explanation by telling the Professor how he had left the three Gryffindors mulling over the revelations.
When Harry had finally finished explaining the situation as it currently stood, he nervously waited for McGonagall's reaction. Raising wary green eyes, Harry noted that McGonagall seemed both surprised and understanding.
"With those four students … three in this case … I was expecting something like this to happen, but I admit, I didn't think it would happen this soon" she murmured, perhaps more to herself than at Harry. "Well what is done is done. Thank you for informing me of this development, however I believe that you should explain this to the Headmaster instead. I shall take you to his office…"
Harry fidgeted in his seat. "Excuse me Professor" he interrupted politely. "I'd prefer not to talk to the Headmaster at this stage. It's why, in fact, I came to you rather than going to the Headmaster himself"
A faintly disapproving look crossed McGonagall's face before disappearing and Harry was reminded of her fierce loyalty to Albus Dumbledore. Harry quickly attempted to explain himself to his Head of House. "The Headmaster always seems to manage to get me to reveal things I don't want to and in this situation, that's not a good thing. I don't want to compound any mistakes I might have just made and change my future" Harry said, surprising himself with the direction of his thoughts. Of course, without Hermione's seemingly infinite knowledge, Harry had set aside a fair amount of time to read about Time-Turners and the dangers of changing time from various books in the school Library.
McGonagall stared intensely at Harry, looking for something specific and so Harry held her gaze, though Harry made sure his mental barriers were standing strong. A few tension-laden moments later she nodded and Harry presumed that she was satisfied with what she discovered. "Well then Mr Granger … Mr Potter" she said, "What else do you wish to discuss?"
Harry let out a sigh. The previous years' events had brought home to him that he had to fundamentally change the way in which he approached situations and how he reacted. He knew that he was impulsive and his temper was so great at times that it clouded his judgement. Not only that, Harry had also realised that he sometimes lacked the ability to foresee the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be.
It had not been easy for Harry to admit those faults to himself, in fact it had caused several arguments, but eventually Remus had been able to make him see sense. To further emphasise the impact of the recent revelations about his identity, Harry had no idea how James would react to the news. Nor could he predict the reaction of the teenage Remus and Sirius. While they displayed several characteristics that Harry could identify with their older selves, they also held an air of youthfulness and impulsiveness that had been lost in the intervening years.
Harry swallowed several times in an attempt to relax his tight throat. "I was hoping that you could help me understand what they might be thinking right now," Harry finally said. "They're sitting somewhere in the castle, doing and thinking Merlin knows what! What if they don't believe me? They might think that this is all some big joke ... or what if they start asking me a whole bunch of questions. Questions that I can't answer" Harry continued.
In the back of his mind, Harry realised that he was starting to panic and thus beginning to ramble. "If I don't answer their questions, will they be angry? I trust them not to tell anyone about me, but what do I do if someone else finds out? Have I done the right thing by telling them? More importantly, have I changed the future by telling James that I'm his son? Will he believe me and can he continue to treat me as he did before? Before he knew who I really was. Can Sirius or Remus?"
"Mr Potter!" McGonagall snapped, stopping Harry's stream of questions. "I admit, you have got yourself into quite a situation, but there's little use in worrying about things you can no longer change. What is done is done," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Ignoring the juvenile behaviour that James Potter and Sirius Black quite frequently display, the two of them are reasonably open-minded and fair"
"Unless you're a Slytherin, or Snape" Harry muttered under his breath. "Though Sirius' family comes in a close second"
McGonagall raised an eyebrow, indicating that she had heard his quiet comment, causing Harry to blush in embarrassment. "Indeed" she said in a disapproving voice. "In any case, I don't believe you will have much trouble with them. As for their behaviour towards you, it may take some time for them to adjust to the new relationship between yourself and James. Don't expect it to be like how it was previously right away. Keep in mind that you've had more time and information to adjust to this situation that you're in, more so than James, Sirius, and Remus. As for revealing future events, I hope that you have enough resolve not to give into temptation. If they do, however, become more insistent in their desire for information, I expect you to inform me or the Headmaster"
Harry nodded, realising the truth in the Professor's answers. Though his worries did not completely disappear, they were somewhat alleviated, and the conversation with his Head of House comforted him somewhat. McGonagall peered over her glasses at him, compelling Harry to ask one more question. One that plagued him and would likely continue to do so for a long time yet. "Did I do the right thing?" Harry asked softly. "Telling James that he was my father? Telling Sirius and Remus?"
McGonagall eyes' softened and she looked at Harry with compassion. "I cannot answer that," she finally answered. "But the circumstances have been such that the relationship had to be revealed. There was no other way to satisfactorily explain everything. Obviously, you trust those three with your secret … that is something they will eventually realise to be both a great gift and a curse"
Harry nodded. It would be easier not to have to continually lie to James, Sirius, and Remus, but that led to the problem of what to do when Peter recovered. He could not allow that traitorous rat to know his secret, but he would then be faced with the problem of explaining why. It was a minefield … one wrong step and Harry's entire future could disappear.
"I believe it is quite close to curfew Mr Potter" McGonagall said, after allowing Harry to sit quietly for a few minutes. "I assume you can find your way back to Gryffindor Tower?"
"Yes Professor" Harry replied as he flashed a small smile at McGonagall. His green eyes widened slightly in surprise when she smiled back at him, before he turned and walked out of her study.
**********
Harry stood, unnoticed for the time being, at the entrance of the Sixth year dorms. He was torn between running away from James, Sirius, and Remus, and throwing up where he stood. It was a feeling like he had never experienced before. Would James, his father … accept him for who he was.
Remus and Sirius were sitting on the werewolf's bed while James sat on the edge of Harry's. The sight of the three bent heads meant that some of the tension to leave Harry's body. 'It can't be that bad if James' is sitting on my bed. If they didn't believe me, they wouldn't be here or nowhere near my area'
Harry took a step into the room and Remus' head shot up. The startled expression was quickly replaced with a warm look of encouragement. "Harry" he said in greeting. "Are you okay?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you three that?" Harry replied. "I did drop a small bombshell on you"
"A small bombshell?" Remus replied, arching his eyebrow.
"Okay, a rather large one" Harry admitted. He bit his lower lip as he glanced at the other two teenagers. "I guess you may have been watching me on the Map. I had to tell a Professor about this ... about you three finding out. I really wouldn't but a friend drilled it into me about the consequences of changing time and in this case, the Professor really had to know"
Sirius raised his eyes to meet Harry's own and spoke. "I can't say I really care about that all that much at the moment"
James nodded his head in agreement. "There are other things we need to talk about first"
Harry let out a sigh. It was a better reaction than his worst case scenario but it could have gone better. Harry quickly cast a silencing spell to protect the room from any eavesdroppers and a locking charm on the doors and windows before slowly making his way to his bed, glancing at the offending trunk as he passed it, and sat down next to James.
"So" he said.
"So" James repeated.
Harry and James looked at one another uncomfortably. The boundary that Harry had unconsciously set himself had vanished. While he had thought about his father quite often, meeting and spending time with James was not immediately associated with James Potter, his father. At some point after his arrival in 1976, Harry had compartmentalised his thoughts and feelings. He most often thought of James as a friend, but now that James knew the truth, the realisation hit him that 'James his friend' and 'James his father' were one and the same. Adding to the confusion was the fact that Harry had little knowledge and experience to base James' feelings and actions upon, since he had never had the chance to grow up with his father.
"How do you..."
"What do you..."
Harry and James glanced at one another after they both started to speak at the same time.
"After you" James said.
Harry shook his head, causing some of his hair to fall into his face. He made a mental note to get his hair cut the next time he went into Hogsmeade as he ran his hand through his hair. "No, you first"
James shot a quick look at Harry before turning his hazel eyes to the floor. "I'm still finding it hard to believe that I'm a father ... or rather, that I will be one in only four years time. I think … I think it will take some time to accept. I mean, I'm still thinking of you as Harry Granger, but now I'm trying to think of you as my son as well. It's really strange"
Harry nodded his head. "I can imagine. It was strange enough when I first appeared, seeing you all so much younger" he said, remembering the previous summer he had spent with Remus. The lined tired face combined with the grey streaks had made him appear much older than he actually was. However, what had distressed Harry the most was the haunted and sometimes even defeated look that had lurked in the recesses of his amber eyes.
The teenage Sirius and Remus, who sat on the bed facing him, did not have that hint of pain hidden in the recesses of their eyes. Instead, curiosity and fearlessness burned there, along with an arrogance of sorts, to prove themselves, pit themselves against the best, and come out of top. Yet, there was a constant undercurrent of playfulness and teasing, of friendship and loyalty. "So different yet at the same time familiar" he continued, mindful of the fact that he was not referring to James since he had had the opportunity to know his father. "It was strange for me too"
"How do you do it though" Remus spoke up. "How do you differentiate between us and well ... the older us"
"I can't explain" Harry replied slowly. "I won't pretend it's easy ... and sometimes I do get confused. I just guess that with all that's happened to me ... this is just one of the less stranger things that's happened to me. I guess I'm just dealing with it like with any other thing in my life. This is possibly the least life-threatening thing to have happened to me"
James' head shot up. "What do you mean?"
Sirius spoke for the first time since Harry had made his presence known. "Life-threatening?" he asked in a sharp voice.
"Were you hurt?" James continued. His voice had risen slightly, betraying the surprise and worry that he was feeling.
Harry paled as he realised what he had inadvertently revealed. "I ... it's not as bad as it sounds" he said nervously, "I mean, I'm still here"
"What happened?"
"It doesn't matter!"
James leapt up. "What do you mean it doesn't matter?" he shouted.
Harry was grateful that he had remembered to put of a silencing spell since it appeared that James was taking on the mantle of fatherhood quite venomously. "Like I just said ... for you, it doesn't ... it can't matter!"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means … it means I can't tell you. What would you do? Do you think you can change it ... can change what's happened to me? If I tell you now, it'll make everything all better? No" Harry replied, also rising to his feet. "Maybe if I told you, it would make it all better or maybe it could make it worse. I don't know. There's no way to know," he said. Harry moved back to his bed and sat down heavily. "I just don't know what to do" he repeated in a defeated tone.
Harry did not see James sit back down next to him, but when he looked at the hazel-eyed teenager, he saw that the earlier anger and indignation had disappeared. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressured you, but I don't see the problem of you telling us what's happened to you. Strange though it may be, having only known that you're my son from the future for only a few hours, hearing that you might have ... had been hurt, possibly badly..." James trailed off.
"Not that we wouldn't have been worried if you weren't James' son either" Remus assured.
"That's good to know" Harry replied dryly, breaking the tension in the room.
"So you're not going to tell us about your past?" James asked.
"Well if it comes up. I mean there's a lot of it that's just plain boring and other bits I shouldn't tell you" Harry replied slowly
"What kind of boring things then?" James asked. "Oh, I know! Are you on your House Quidditch team? I guess you must be, but at least you can answer that"
Harry held back his smile. "Yes I am. I'm the ... was the Gryffindor Seeker, ever since first year!"
"First year?" exclaimed Sirius.
"First year!" James repeated.
"Is it me or is there an echo in here?" Remus asked aloud.
Harry grinned and could not hold back a small chuckle at the dumbfounded expressions on the two dark-haired teenagers' faces. He waved a hand in front of Sirius' blank blue eyes but jumped in his seat when Sirius' own hand whipped up to enclose his own. Emerald eyes met sapphire for a split second before Sirius looked away and released Harry's hand. Inside, Harry pushed away the hurt he felt at Sirius' actions and decided to think about why later that evening.
"How the hell did you get on the team in your first year?" James asked. "There hasn't been a first year on a Hogwarts Quidditch team for over sixty years!"
Harry shrugged. "It was an accident actually. I thought that I was about to be expelled but McGonagall took me to the Gryffindor Captain and told him that I was his new Seeker"
"Expelled for what?" Remus questioned.
"Nothing important" Harry replied. "One of the Slytherins stole a friend's Remembrall and flew off and I chased after him. It sound's a lot worse than it was, but it's the first time I've been threatened with expulsion. I'm kind of becoming used to hearing the threats now"
"Sounds like he takes after you then James" Sirius commented with a small smirk.
James rolled his eyes, but there was a glint of amusement and possibly even prides that Harry thought he recognised. He puffed his chest out. "Of course any child of mine would be a natural on a broom, I mean look at his father! He had to get his skill from someone brilliant and spectacular like me" declared James in a pompous voice.
Harry snorted. "Remember said child beat you in the Seeker tryout!"
"Seems he's got a dose of your cockiness too!" Remus exclaimed.
Sirius and Remus could not help but laugh at the identical scowls that formed on the faces' of James and Harry. It took several minutes for Sirius and Remus to calm down since every time they stopped giggling, Harry and James would share exasperated looks, causing them to burst into laughter once more. Finally, calm was restored in the Sixth year dorm.
"So that broom you have ... what was it called again?" James started. "The Firebolt? Is that a broom from your time?"
"Yes it is" Harry said proudly. "Top of the range"
"Well you got to have the best!" James replied. "No son of mine is going to have some second rate broom. It's not like I won't be able to afford it"
Harry lowered his eyes. "Actually, Sirius bought it," he said. There was a moment of silence during which Harry raised his eyes and finally looked at James. Rather than the hurt, or even confusion, that Harry had expected, James looked almost amused.
Harry turned his head to look at Sirius and his breath was caught in his throat. There was a level of intensity in those blue eyes that caused a shiver to run down his spine, yet Harry could not make out what Sirius was feeling.
"Spoiling him already?" James asked.
Sirius seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts. "Who wouldn't!" he replied with a grin.
James rolled his eyes at his best friends before turning to Harry with a huge grin on his face. "So can I have a go on it sometime?" he asked. "It's got to be faster than all the brooms we have? What's the broom's top speed?"
Harry smirked in reply. "0 to 150 miles an hour in ten seconds!" he said proudly.
Remus raised his eyebrows as Sirius let out a low whistle of appreciation. James on the other hand seemed to have been stunned into silence. When he finally got his voice back, he turned to look at Sirius. "You brought him that?"
Sirius tilted his head and shrugged. Again, Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was behaving peculiarly but he could not quite figure out what and why.
"So apart from new brooms, what else can you tell us about the future?" Remus asked, having grown bored of the Quidditch talk.
Harry bit his lip as he thought. "Umm. Well ... like what?"
Remus shrugged. "I'm not sure. What are we doing in the future then?"
Harry debated the merits or telling them or choosing to remain silent. The problem lay in the fact that if he evaded the question he would run into more problems. Finally, Harry decided to answer the question, thankful for his Slytherin tendencies. "Well, Remus, you taught Defence Against the Dark Arts"
The two dark-haired teenagers began to snicker at the thought of one of the Marauders being a Hogwarts Professor as Harry threw a sympathetic smile at the werewolf. "Remus" Sirius managed between laughs. "Teaching?"
"Merlin. I can just see it..." James began.
"...Professor Lupin!" Sirius finished, before both started to laugh again.
Remus rolled his eyes at the childish behaviour of his friends. Ignoring them, he turned his attention to Harry. "Was I any good?"
"Any good? You're were the best Defence teacher I ever had!" Harry exclaimed. A warm feeling filled Harry as he saw the happiness in Remus' amber eyes. Harry thought back to when Remus had explained why it was so hard for him to find a job. Harry wished that wizards weren't so prejudiced, especially against people like Remus and Hagrid. "The was Quirrell who well ... safer to say he was a bad guy. Then we had Lockhart..."
Harry was interrupted by a loud shout. "LOCKHART?" Sirius exclaimed. It seemed the shock of the news had caused Sirius to forget whatever it was that had been troubling him. "What is that idiot doing teaching?"
Harry shrugged. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you!"
"I don't understand" Remus said. "Lockhart has difficulty with a simple disarming spell. Unless he's got some hidden talents"
"Well you could say that I guess" Harry replied without thinking. "He is rather proficient at some things"
"Such as?"
"Well, he's won the Witch's Weekly Best Smile or something like that for Merlin knows how many years running. He had half the school lusting after him" Harry replied, causing Remus to roll his eyes while James and Sirius looked at each other with a mischievous glint in their eyes. "Mind you … talking about disarming spells. Lockhart tried to start a Duelling club and was demonstrating that particular spell against Snape, but the idiot just completely screwed it up! Snape threw his halfway across the hall!"
Silence met his statement. James' and Sirius' were gaping at him, while Remus looked shocked. "What?"
"Did you just mention Snivellus?"
"..."
"Snape, as in that greasy git? Slytherin Sixth Year … that Snape?"
"..."
"Snape is a Professor?"
Harry looked at three disbelieving faces. 'Oops. Perhaps I should have eased them into it?' he thought. 'Oh well, it's too late for that now, better make the most of it'
"As in Snivellus, junior Death Eater? The bane of our lives? Greasy-hair himself? That Snape?" James asked. The look on his face was of astonishment, disbelief, and horror.
"Yes" Harry replied in a small voice.
"Merlin! The world has gone mad!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Who in their right mind would let that git teach?" James asked.
"Professor Dumbledore" Harry replied.
"Well I always knew he was off his rocker" Sirius muttered.
"What does Snape teach then?" Remus asked.
"Potions"
"Well that's a huge shock" James replied sarcastically.
"Merlin! How disgusting is that? Snape ... a Professor!" Sirius exclaimed. "Wait a minute! Does that mean he was your Potions Professor? From the future?"
Harry hesitated. Finally, he answered with a simple "Yes"
Much to his amusement, all three teenagers' winced, though he could easily guess why. "How did you cope?" Remus asked.
Harry shrugged. "I just did, but it's safe to say that Snape and I don't really see eye to eye a lot of the time" he explained.
"You are so unlucky. You can't hex him when he's being a git since he's a Professor, what with detention and all that" Sirius said sadly before perking up slightly. "Do you prank him though?"
"What do you mean? Of course he would. He's my son!" James exclaimed.
Remus looked at Harry who was smiling indulgently. "So?" he pressed.
"Prank Snape? Not really" he said. Harry saw slightly disgruntled looks form on James' and Sirius' faces and hurriedly continued to speak. "Snape really didn't need another excuse to take even more points of me, but there was one incident in our Third Year. Professor Lupin..."
Harry had to trail off into silence since Sirius and James had not been able to hold back their amusement and were currently laughing out loud again, while Remus blushed in embarrassment. Harry sat back, drinking in the easy, laid-back atmosphere, unintentionally fixing the memory in his mind. Finally James and Sirius calmed down, though still snickering in amusement every now and then, and Harry continued his tale. "We were learning about boggarts. One of my friends, Neville, was deathly afraid of Snape. Anyway, Remus told him to imagine his grandmother's clothes and superimpose them onto Snape!"
Remus looked stunned. "Snape was wearing a dress?"
Harry nodded. James, Sirius, and Remus looked faintly green and he assumed it was due to the mental image of Snape in a dress. He thought back to the incident and the hilarious sight of Snape in the green dress and vulture-topped hat and Harry could not hold back a snort of amusement. This seemed to break the stupor and all four Gryffindors began to laugh without restraint. Every time they managed to compose themselves, something would invariably lead them to burst into laughter once more.
Harry wiped away the tears running down his face while Sirius seemed to be holding his stomach. Harry had the distinct impression that James' facial muscles had locked into the smirk he currently wore. This is what he had imagined it to be, laughing with Sirius, Remus, and his father.
"Merlin!" Sirius gasped out. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Snape in the same way again!"
"Hairy legs?" Harry asked cheekily before turning green at the thought. Sirius shot an incredulous look towards Harry who was still looking rather ill.
Remus decided that if would be a good point to change the direction of the conversation. "Do you know us well?" he asked while scrutinising Harry.
Harry hesitated. He didn't want to lie, but he couldn't claim to know Remus, Sirius, and James as well as he should had he grown up with his parents. However, Harry felt that it was unwise to reveal the fact that he had grown up with the Dursleys for obvious reasons. At the same time, Harry's instinct was telling him that Remus was asking him something different.
Going with his gut feeling, Harry finally replied. "I know that you're a werewolf"
There was a moment of silence following his rather abrupt statement in which Harry wondered whether he should have been slightly subtler. James and Sirius had matching wide eyes though Remus did not look all that surprised upon hearing Harry's admission.
"You already knew!" Harry accused.
Remus blinked. "Not so much" he said. "It's more a hypothesis. You obviously know us ... know me from your own time and you're not in the slightest bit uncomfortable around me. Either you already knew and didn't mind, or you hadn't got a clue. I just took a chance"
"I do and it doesn't bother me at all" Harry reassured.
"You mean we were worrying over you finding out about Remus is a werewolf and you knew all along?" James asked indignantly.
"Well I couldn't just walk up to you and go … oh by the way, I know that Remus is a werewolf" Harry replied sarcastically. "You wouldn't have believed me or trusted me!"
Sirius nodded. "That's probably true. Mind you, if we had know then Peter wouldn't have got that idiotic idea to get you into trouble with Filch!"
Harry's face darkened as he realised what Sirius had said. "I knew it" he growled. "I knew that incident with the ink wasn't my fault!"
"Harry. We're sorry about that, but we didn't know what he was planning until afterwards and then we couldn't do anything about it. You know how Filch gets. We told Peter to apologise to you though. That's why he was on his way to the Library" Remus explained.
"Oh" Harry said. Harry chewed his lower lip as he considered what to reveal about Pettigrew. Although the three teenagers knew that he was James' son, they hardly knew him, where as Peter had been involved in their group almost from the beginning. Adding to the complication was the fact that Harry knew that he could not change time and as much as he hated to admit it, Peter's betrayal was a key incident in his future.
His chest tightened as he remembered how things would end, but he regained control by reminding himself that this way he was getting to know his parents, if only for a short while. Memories he would remember and savour for the rest of his life.
"About Peter" Harry started. "Would you mind if we didn't tell him right now about me? Everyone has to believe that I'm Harry Granger … not Harry Potter, for obvious reasons" he said. Before the other three could start to complain, Harry pressed on. "You must realise that you can't tell anybody about me. Only a handful of the Professors know and McGonagall knows that I've told you three the truth. If someone else were to find out…" Harry thought out loud.
Harry allowed the implications to sink in before continuing. "I've already taken a huge risk by telling you three about my true identity but there really wasn't another satisfactory explanation for what you'd managed to find out. The thing is, if someone else were to find out as well … it's not out of the realms of possibility that the information could get into the hands of the Death Eaters. I don't know about you, but Voldemort would want to know everything about the future by capturing me and I really don't want to be seeing him again anytime soon"
"You said his name!" James exclaimed while Sirius' looked on in astonishment. Harry wondered whether he had a hidden talent for shocking people since he seemed to be inducing the astonished look quite often.
"Voldemort?"
"Yes!"
Harry sighed. "Yes I did. There's not point in not saying his name. Fear of a name increases fear of the person instead. It's stupid and pointless"
Rather than the shocked expression that Harry was expecting, James smiled. "Well said. We don't see the point really. It is what he calls himself, Voldemort. Besides we're the fearless Marauders, pranksters extraordinaires!"
"We live for pranks! Rules and danger hold no fear with us!" Sirius agreed.
"Back to the previous point though" Remus interrupted, trying to keep the conversation on track. "I'm still a bit confused. Why aren't we allowed to tell Peter?" he asked, while James and Sirius nodded their heads in agreement.
Harry had never expected it to be easy but he had not anticipated the depths of his desire to explain Peter's betrayal to James, Sirius, and Remus. "Look, it kind of complicated to explain" he started. "Firstly, my reasoning is that if Peter doesn't know then the rest of us have to work that little bit harder to make sure no-one finds out about me. I think it can only help keep my identity a secret. Secondly, it's my secret to reveal. Not yours, not the Professors, mine and I don't want anyone else to find out right now"
James stared at Harry, who felt slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Eventually, whatever the hazel-eyed teenagers was searching for, he found. James nodded once and a small smile graced his lips. "It's what you want," he said. "It's your right and your secret I guess, but I admit I don't feel at all comfortable having to keep it from Peter"
"Even so, we've kept Remus' secret all these years and we'll keep yours" Sirius added warmly while Remus nodded his head in agreement.
Harry was glad to have finish dealing with that little problem though he knew that it would likely not be the end of the matter. The longer he remained in this time, the greater the possibility that he would do something to affect the timeline. Still, Harry pushed those thoughts away, instead focussing on one of his deepest desires. It had been something he dreamt about ever since he had discovered it in his third year at Hogwarts.
Harry looked at the teenage version of his father with shy emerald eyes. "Would you terribly mind if I were to ask if you could transform into Prongs?" Harry asked wistfully. "I'd love to see him"
James shot a strange look at Harry. "You mean you haven't seen it?"
Harry realised that he'd been caught out and decided to offer a half-truth. "I have" he replied, thinking of his Patronus form. "However, it's been a while and I'd love to refresh my memory"
James shrugged and stood up. He moved into the middle of the circular room and flashed a proud smile at Harry. A second later, a beautiful brown stag stood in his place. The short brown hair gleamed while the hazel eyes looked almost human. The antlers, that his animagi form was named for, were very impressive in Harry's opinion. Harry took several steps forward until he reached Prongs. He brushed his hand against the large creature's flank several times, inwardly surprised at the softness of the stag's coat. The magnificent animal cocked his head at Harry's awed look. Harry had seen Prongs many times but it had been in the silvery light of his Patronus. This was more substantial, more real, the magic of a dream come true.
Harry heard quiet muttering followed by a snort of amusement. He turned around to look at the other two Marauders, only to find Remus and a large black bear-like dog, Padfoot. Harry's first thought was to wonder why Sirius had transformed but he quickly shrugged it off. It was wonderful to see the large dog again. In fact, Harry could have almost deluded himself into believing that Sirius had not fallen behind the Veil. "Padfoot!" he exclaimed happily.
Padfoot approached Harry, nails clicking on the hard floor, and he nudged his cold wet nose against Harry's hand. A grin lit up Harry's face, something that did not go unnoticed by Padfoot, Remus, and James, who had transformed back into his human form. Harry fell to his knees and started to scratch Padfoot's ears. Aunt Marge's monsters notwithstanding, Harry actually quite liked dogs and in contrast to the older Padfoot, this younger version seemed to enjoy being petted, a fact that Harry took advantage of.
"So you know about Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs then?" Remus asked. "I guess it's reasonable to say that you knew what we were upto the other night?"
Harry glanced up though he continued to stroke Padfoot's fur. "If you mean I know that you went to the Shack, transformed, and then went into the Forbidden Forest? Yes I did" he replied. He started to rub Padfoot's chest and Padfoot was obviously quite enjoying the attention if his wagging tail was any indication. "And no ... I won't tell anyone that you're illegal animagi or what you get up to" Harry reassured.
James snorted. "Not that I'd have expected you to!" he retorted.
Harry grinned. "Well it's probably lower down on my list of misdemeanours" he replied.
"Like father like son" Remus muttered, though his smile betrayed him.
Harry turned his attention back to Padfoot, whose tongue was lolling around. If dogs could smirk, Harry would have bet his Firebolt that Padfoot had a smug smirk in place. Harry thought back to the last time that he had seen Padfoot. It had been the first of September when Sirius had accompanied him to Kings Cross station to see him off to Hogwarts. He recalled how he had met Padfoot at the outskirts of Hogsmeade village in his fourth year. Harry was so lost in his memories that he was unaware that he had murmured a soft and wistful "Snuffles"
Padfoot's sensitive ears, however, picked up the softly spoken word and he transformed back in shock. Harry blinked. He had not expected Sirius to transform back into his human form and found himself mid-stroke. Rather than petting Padfoot's head, Harry's hand combed through the silky black hair of Sirius Black, human. He could hear James and Remus' laughter in the background but his attention was fixed on the red face and surprised sapphire eyes of Sirius. Harry snatched his hand back and he felt his own face redden in embarrassment.
Sirius looked as though he was having difficulty in articulating his thoughts. "Who ... or what is Snuffles!" he finally asked.
"You are"
Sirius' eyebrows flew upwards. "Me?"
"Yes" Harry replied emphatically.
"Who was the idiot who decided to call me that ... that..."
"You came up with it" Harry replied nonchalantly.
"I wouldn't!" Sirius spluttered. "There is no way. It's not exactly an appropriate name for Padfoot, is it?"
Harry shrugged. The blush on his face had lessened considerably and he found himself more amused at Sirius' indignation. "I think it's quite a cute name actually" he replied cheekily.
Remus, James, and Harry burst out laughing at the dumbstruck look on Sirius' face. Harry was too busy clutching his sides to notice the gleam that appeared in Sirius' eyes. One moment Harry was laughing, the next found him on his back, lying on the floor with a smirking Sirius ontop of him.
Harry opened his mouth to ask Sirius what he was doing but all that came out of his mouth was undignified giggling and the occasional squeal. Harry realised that Sirius was exacting revenge for the new nickname by tickling him. Unfortunately, Harry was very ticklish. He squirmed and tried to evade Sirius' fingers but to no avail. "Sirius! Stop" he managed to gasp though the commanding tone was lessened by Harry's continual giggling.
"No way Harry" Sirius replied who was looking down at Harry with an evil smirk. "Call me Snuffles will you?"
"No! No I won't" Harry cried out, before dissolving into another fit of giggles. Harry decided to take a different approach. "Remus!" he shouted. "James! Help!" he tried. "Dad!"
Apparently, the last softer cry had worked since James called out to his best friend. "Sirius! Let Harry have a break!" he shouted.
Harry smirked triumphantly at Sirius as he stopped his tickling and sat back. Harry was getting back up into a sitting position while Sirius pouted. "Prongs! You don't let me have any fun!" he complained.
Harry snorted. "Fun for you!"
Sirius flashed a smirk his way. "Weren't you laughing a minute ago?"
"I was being tickled!"
"So?"
Harry mock-glared. "You're not at all ticklish are you?"
"Nope!"
"I hate you!"
"No you don't" Sirius said, looking at Harry with his big soft eyes.
Harry snorted in amusement at the obvious play on his sympathy. "You'll get no sympathy from me Snuffles!" he replied with a smirk.
Sirius narrowed his eyes at the pansy nickname but Harry, who had anticipated more retribution, had started to move closer to James. Sirius admitted defeat by raising his hands. "Okay, okay. I won't tickle you. You don't need to hide behind Daddy-dearest!"
James laughed. "Better than Snuffles. Makes you sound like a poodle or something equally scary!"
"You wait Potter!"
"What are you going to do Snuffles?"
Sirius, who had finally joined his friends in standing up, narrowed his eyes at James before charging. James blinked once before starting to run across the room, away from the blue eyed teenager. "You can't catch me you flea-bitten mutt!" James shouted.
"I think those antlers have made your head too big Prongs!" Sirius shouted, leaping onto Remus' bed as he chased James.
Harry looked on surprise at the two teenagers' behaviour. Remus came up to his side. "Looks like things are back to normal then" he said, his amber eyes sparkling with humour. "Welcome to the mad house Harry Potter" he said. Harry looked at his friend and smiled.
"Sirius!" James exclaimed as he doubled back. At Harry's side, he heard Remus mutter several charms, obviously countering Harry's security spells. Remus had just finished in time as James whipped the dorm door open started to run down the winding staircase, Sirius at his heels.
Harry and Remus exchanged amused looks before following the two dark-haired teenagers down to the common room. Harry looked back into the empty sixth year dorm before following Remus. "It's going to be one hell of a ride" he muttered to himself with a smile.
**********
Author's Note:
I just want to say a huge thank you so much for putting up with me. Sorry that I haven't updated for ages but I have 8 different writing projects going on concurrently and RL issues to deal with. This chapter was especially hard to write since I couldn't reveal too much and it was trying to go off in different tangents so I had to try and rein it in. Secondly, sorry for the mix up with the chapter. I was trying to reload a different Chapter 9 but ffnet did something I didn't expect. Many apologies for my mistake and thanks to everyone who mentioned it to me.
I'm trying to work out whether to set up a Yahoo Group so more of you can check up on progress or talk to me about the Turn Back Time story (and the Missing Scenes Series) since Livejournal is geared towards other journal users. Please leave me a review to let me know whether you think it's a good idea.
I've currently got several writing projects on the go, including a couple of challenges. I'm quite seriously behind on Harry Potter's Diary entries and the Turn Back Time: Missing Scenes Series. I'm going to try and spend a little while on those as well as the next chapter of Happily Ever After? before updating this one. Keep an eye on my Livejournal for updates to my progress.
I'm hoping that I can get to 335 reviews before I next update but if you lovely reviewers can get me to 350 reviews then I'll add on a surprise and concentrate on getting Chapter 11 out hopefully within a few days of the 350th review. I'll leave it up to you!
Warning: The following review responses contain hints and spoilers for future plot points and chapters! HUGE thanks to everyone who took time out to read and review the last chapter of this story, you have my gratitude! These include Dadaiiro, Jaded Angel8, Kel6, liveandletlive, Question!!!, Aurora, walkin', A-Brighter-Dawn, Necromant, Musicstarlover, Alynna Lis Eachann, Golden Chrystanthium, DraconicalPriest, Richan, yaminy-grint4eva, Kael Black, danca, Lady Pyra, Larissa, Prongsblacks, blip-dragon, Krylancelo, Firesword, gaul1, gizachick, walker-of-the-shadow-path, kalena, Jen, Serena12, penny, Ibozun, annon, HoshiHikari4ever, Firefly, Anilia Hawkeye, Dadaiiro, aphrodite_k, me, Stella Delight, dweem-angel, sapphireskies, Ice, glory the pig, Abby, Vasquez1987, Iian Feuerfalke, Hilel, Hushykid3, zorro x, katydidnt, futagoakuma-tenshi01, pameruh qui aime malfoy, Puckstar, I-want-to-fly, Talamh, Tielle, and Mr Happy Java Man.
Dadaiiro - Thank you. It's quite hard to not reveal too much. Protection is one of the many enchantments and for the long reviews and the wait for the next chapter, another charm on the necklace is that only certain people can wear/touch it. The second flashback occurred around a week before that chapter, but it's timing is not really that important. Regarding Pettigrew, I did start off hating him, but as I write more and delve into his character, I do pity him more.
Jaded Angel8 - James, Sirius, and Remus will ask those questions, but right now they're trying to deal with the revelation that Harry is James' son.
Kel6 - It wasn't accidental magic as such but one of the necklaces' unique properties, it 'detected' Harry's distress and the 'foreign body' and acted accordingly. I'm tending towards extending that 'predatory eyes' scene in the Missing Scenes Series.
Question!!! - Yes but I didn't say that! LOL
A-Brighter-Dawn - Sorry! Glad you still like it though!
Necromant - The anger wasn't so much what set the magic off, but rather induced one of the necklaces' properties. *blush* One of the best? Thank you!
Kael Black - Thank you! Reviews like this are lovely and completely pamper to my ego!
Lady Pyra - It annoys me too when everything is revealed. No one in his or her right mind would behave so recklessly consciously. Information revealed by mistakes/accidents are fine though, everyone makes mistakes. Peter? I started off hating him, after all he is a bad guy and a traitor. As I explore him more, look at possible reasons for the betrayal and the way he's treated, I've found myself pitying him. It's not so much sympathy since he knew he was selling out and he deserves the consequences of his actions. I still don't like him much, but it's hard keeping him sympathetic and not evil while still at school.
Larissa - As I've told you before, Regulus will turn up eventually. I quite like the idea of him so I'm hoping to eventually include him in the Missing Scenes Series eventually. Harry won't be a phoenix unfortunately, something a bit more down to earth! I do agree that he feels at home when flying, but I have my reasons *grin* Harry grew up that summer, he had a huge shock after the events at the Ministry. I chose to make him grow up and fast, partly since I think he had to and partly to further the plot. You'll see some of the arguments and conversations at Grimmauld Place eventually, also in the Missing Scenes. In addition, Harry knows that he has to be careful around Peter. By letting his emotions and temper take over, he could jeopardise his entire future.
Prongsblacks - Congratulations! You were the only one to correctly guess whom Harry was going to see. Have a pat on the back!
Firesword - I know what you mean about the lack of time! Lockhart is in Slytherin since he doesn't seem Gryffindor or Ravenclaw material and he's too self-absorbed and lazy for Hufflepuff. As for punctuation, I try my best but I never had grammar lessons so I'm trying my best. Sorry! *blushes* Know any good betas?
gizachick - It's going to change the dynamics slightly but they'll eventually settle down. It's like working in the same place as your partner and being able to differentiate yourself from work and home, but a hell of a lot more complicated. Then again, this group of people seem to be used to dealing with the weird! They'll cope but may hit some stumbling blocks along the way.
Serena12 - The egg will come back into the tory soon. It's still incubating in the charmed box.
annon - He did. The second wand was in his trunk, which was filled with loads of magical items so it was bright anyway, and so the glow from the second wand indistinguishable. I'm of the opinion that Harry's holly wand is a more powerful wand than the average anyway.
Firefly - Yes it is.
sapphireskies - Glad you liked the flashbacks. You should check out my Livejournal for more Missing Scenes which will be similar to those.
Iian Feuerfalke - Thank you so much. I'm trying to keep this as believable as it can be under the circumstances. It's hard but I think it pays off.
katydidnt - To my knowledge, Wormtail had disappeared by the time Harry's Patronus was discovered to be Prongs (though he may have seen it at the Quidditch match? But don't rats have bad eyesight?) and Hermione only suspected that Sirius bought Harry the broom. The confirmation occurs during the train ride back home. I'm assuming that since Dumbledore came back right at the end of term, he would have made sure that Harry got the Firebolt back, especially considering the events at the Ministry. If it were me, I'd make sure I got my first present back as a reminder. *blush* I've only know got the last comment about the snoring. Bad SStar! *chuckle* Yes that was Ron being slightly put out. By the by, Betrayed is fantastic! I'm hooked.
Tielle - I think Peter was more a victim of circumstance rather than being plain evil. Something, or several somethings, must have happened for him to become the waste of a wizard he is now.
Mr Happy Java Man - You guessed my ship! Congratulations. The egg has a incredibly significant role but don't expect to see it featured all that often in the story. It's still incubation but will come up soon. Almost all of the presents (apart from the obvious fillers) are significant in some way or another. I haven't quite decided what James, Sirius, and Remus will discover given Harry's revelations quite yet, but I do have a couple of things that will definitely depend on it. Will they find out Lily is Harry's mother? I can't say! *grins* I can't reveal whether Sirius lives or dies since it'll spoil everything I'm working towards. However, I was incredibly upset when Sirius fell behind the Veil (I take comfort from JK Rowling's comments in her WBD chat) No need for the Coffeeholic Yetis! Sounds scary! See ... I've updated!
I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!
SStar