"Bloody...Wizards?"
-Elizabeth Turner
A story of when Pirates meet Wizards
A/N: R & R please!
Chapter Ten: The Marauders (Harry Potter)
"Hermione…" began Harry, struggling to keep up with her. They were in downtown muggle London, trying to fight their way through summer shoppers to the Leaky Cauldron.
She didn't stop. In fact, she didn't even give any recognition that she'd heard him.
"When is she going to stop?" Ron panted behind Harry.
"When we get to the pub," Harry answered, "But I still don't think that the book store is going to be selling what she says they're going to.
She quickly slipped through the front door of the Leaky Cauldron with Harry and Ron following closely behind.
She sighed as they walked in, "Okay, we'll be okay now. Where's Ginny?" she asked.
Harry looked behind Ron, where she'd been moments earlier, but she wasn't there.
"Ginny Weasley?" asked Tom the bartender.
Harry turned toward him, "Yeah, she's got…"
He gestured toward the back of the pub, "She's been sittin over there for near twenty minutes."
Sure enough, Ginny was sitting there, sipping a butterbeer and reading the Daily Prophet
The trio headed over to her, "Ginny, you know apperating isn't a good idea…"
"Oh Hermione, stop being such a kill-joy," said Ginny, setting her butter-beer down so hard that whatever little was left of it slopped over the edge onto the table. She also set the paper down.
Hermione looked affronted, "I'm not, I'm just trying…"
"Yeah, well stop."
"Ginny," said Ron in a part awe-struck, part agitated and part scornful tone.
"It's alright, Herms," said Harry, turning her away from Ginny, "I'm sure she's just…you know…that time of month…"
Hermione let out a quiet giggle, "Yeah, okay."
"Alright, let's go; Ron, Ginny," said Harry, heading toward the brick wall. He tapped the bricks, hoping his memory hadn't deceived him, and they formed into an archway to Diagon Alley, "Are… are you sure they'll sell them here?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded with confidence and headed straight toward Flourish and Blott's. There weren't very many people out in Diagon Alley since it wasn't any time near the beginning of the school year. They were lucky to have seen more than two people in the time it took them to walk to the store.
The clerk walked straight up to them once they'd gotten through the front door.
"Can I sell you a book or two? How about these brilliant love potions we have in stock from Weasleys…" he began.
"No," Hermione said, "Sorry, not to be rude, but we came here for a Year Turner."
His eyes widened as he set the love potion kit back onto the stand, "Oh yes, Hermione Granger? I have four in stock for you, you're the one that contacted me a few days ago? Yes yes, come on back."
They followed him past the cash register into the back of the store. He pulled out four, long slim cases that were all different colors. One was emerald green and had "Harry Potter" written in gold on the top. The next was an obnoxious orange and had "Ronald Weasley" written in gold on the top. The third was a lilac color and had "Ginny Weasley" written in gold on the top. The last one was black and had "Hermione Granger" written in gold.
"Emerald green for Harry Potter; your mother, and you obviously, had the most emerald green eyes I'd ever seen, Harry. This is for you," he said, handing Harry the case, "And a Chudley Cannon orange for Mr. Weasley. Miss Granger mentioned your favorite team. For Miss Weasley, the purest lilac color ever produced. I thought it'd go nicely with your hair."
And indeed it did. But why it had to match her hair baffled Harry, "And miss Granger wanted black."
Once everybody had received their cases, Harry opened his own and found a larger version of Hermione's Time Turner she'd had in their third year.
"It's a Year Turner…or the correct term would be Curro Annus, Latin for Time Runner. Ever half-turn is a full year. These cases are break-proof. No matter how often you drop, smash, curse or crunch them, its content will continue to be unharmed. It will also provide additional assistance to its owner depending on the circumstance. I cannot say what aid it may be for you because it varies with each individual."
"Wow," said Ron, examining his closely.
"You'll want to keep your time-turner in its case anytime you're not using it because it is very fragile and can break with the softest touch. That's why I've given you four of them. You can use each individually or you can string the chain around each member's neck and go all together."
"Brilliant," Ginny whispered.
"Now all we have to figure out is when it was…you know," said Hermione, casting a side-ways glance at the clerk.
"Thank you for your time," said Harry.
"Oh, there'll be no need for that. Miss Granger has paid in advance," he said as Harry reached for his money sack.
"Well, here," said Harry, handing the man twenty galleons, "I know it's a lot and I don't care if you give it to the store or use it personally, you'll need it either way."
All the man could do was smile as the four of them walked out the door.
"Well, R.A.B. told us…or rather Voldemort, that it was in the year 1763," said Harry, trying to recall exactly what the letter had said, "But where he hid it. He could've hidden it anywhere in the world.
"Yes. But we'll have some 200 years to find it," said Hermione.
"No, we can't live that long," said Ron.
Hermione looked as though she were going to burst out laughing, and she did, "Ronald, you can't expect to age while we're in the past, can you?"
He looked a bit puzzled as they headed down the street to the twin's shop.
She sobered up once she realized he was serious, "We weren't born way back then, we never lived back then…there fore, and I know it for a fact because I researched it…you can't age in the past. Physically, mentally, emotionally or any other way. You can't start aging again until you reach the hour, or in this case, the day you turned the turner."
"Uh, right," said Ron, though it didn't seem "right" to him. It confused Harry a bit as well.
They reached the shop, which was closed for the day to their disappointment, and they went back to the Leaky Cauldron where they would spend the night.
Harry only had enough money to rent one room with two beds, seeing as though he'd given over half of it to the store clerk. Ron and Harry shared a bed while Ginny and Hermione shared the other one.
"I think we should try to figure out what exactly the horcruxe is before we even attempt to go back that far in time," said Hermione, taking her shoes off and setting them by her trunk.
"I agree," said Ron and Harry at the same time.
Ginny, however, remained silent.
"Alright, why don't you think we should wait?" Ron asked as he, too, took his shoes off.
"Well, I think we should wait, but not very long. It seems like it'll take a while to figure this out…what if there's a clue somewhere between the time he gave Voldemort and our time?"
Hermione looked deep in thought, "You know, you're right, Ginny. How long dyou suppose we should try to crack this thing?"
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Maybe a few months," Ron muttered.
"Yeah, I agree," said Ginny, grabbing her night clothes.
"Alright then. Mid to late September?"
It seemed so far away to Harry. What if Voldemort and he had another face-off and there was still that one horcruxe out there, letting him hang onto immortality by a thread?
"Harry?"
"Yeah, sure. We've just got to be careful. I think we should go back to…you know…after tonight."
They all nodded in agreement. Ron and Harry turned around to give the girls their privacy so they could change and they, themselves, also changed.
The summer flew by in Grimmauld Place without a single clue as to what the last horcruxe might've been. Mundungus had come back the next day with the locket…Slytherin's locket and Harry had successfully destroyed it, adding it to his collection of Voldemort's destroyed horcruxes. There were only six in the glass case. Three shelves…they only took up two of them. It annoyed Harry that there wasn't one more on the third shelf.
"Alright," said Hermione, throwing the chain over everyone's head so it was securely around their necks. They were in Sirius old bedroom sitting close to eachother. Hermione was holding the Curro Annus, carefully watching it and handling it.
"Hermione," Harry suddenly said, making her look up, "Would you…would you mind stopping it at twenty years? Just…I mean…"
She smiled knowingly, "Of course Harry," she softly said, "We'll have to apperate to Hogsmeade, though…that can be dan…"
"Hermione think of what you're saying," said Ron, "Sure, Voldemort existed during that time, but he wasn't out to get Harry."
"Right," she said, turning a slight shade of red. She then turned the Curro ten times, then stopped.
"It's twenty years in the past," she whispered, looking around the room. It was still empty, but they could hear voices below them. Hermione's eyes suddenly widened, "Mrs. Black," she frighteningly whispered, "Let's get out of here."
She quickly, but carefully, put the Curro Annus back in its case, stuck it in her pocket and stood up with the other three, "Okay, let's all apperate outside of the Three Broomsticks…"
"I can't," said Ginny.
: "Then how'd you get outside of Grimmauld Place?" Ron asked.
"I did it illegally, of course."
"Well, since you're not supposed to exist, they won't catch you."
She glared at Ron, then tightly grabbed Harry's arm. They were suddenly outside of the Three Broomsticks.
"Here, we should wear this…just incase…you know…" he stuttered, pulling his invisibility cloak out and not really knowing why.
Looks from the three others and he quickly stuffed it back into his pocket.
"Harry, if you're nervous about seeing your parents…we don't mind if you wear it," said Hermione.
He nodded, then pulled it back out and covered himself.
They climbed the hill to Hogwarts and easily made it through the front gates without being noticed. Harry's heart was beating more rapidly as they got closer to the front doors where a ruckus was going on. His stomach was in knots…much like the time when he wanted to ask Cho out.
"WHAT! You can't ban me from Hogsmeade because I caused a few slugs to grow out of his ears!" came a loud voice.
Harry squinted and he could see an almost exact replica of himself. The only differences were that James was a little taller, no lightning-bolt scar and he had glasses, but they weren't round.
"Oh Harry," Hermione whispered, "That…that's your…dad."
A few surrounding people, including the people in line behind James, laughed.
"Come one ol squi…I mean, Filch," said Sirius from behind James, "It was just a bit of fun. You can't say Snivelly didn't deserve it."
Filch only glared at him, "Your head of house told me directly that you four aren't allowed in Hogsmeade this time round," he wheezed, then jumped as a rat streaked past him.
Anger boiled up inside Harry as he leapt for it, but ran into a sandy-haired, scraggly-clothed boy. If he hadn't known any better, he would've called him a tramp. But he knew it was Remus Lupin and, by the lines on his face, he knew the full moon had been a day or two prior.
"Woah," he said, reaching his hands out as far as they'd go. Harry stepped out of the way just in time, "I don't know about you, James, but I think someone else here has an invisibility cloak. Or they're using yours."
"What?" James yelped.
"Go on, I'm sure you have homework you haven't done," said Filch, checking the next person's permission form.
James, Sirius and Remus turned around back into the castle and headed down the hall, but not toward the Gryffindor common room.
"Aren't you going to try to find Evans?" asked Sirius, brushing his hair coolly out of his face and grinning at a group of giggling girls that passed him.
"She's probably in Hogsmeade with Alice," said Remus.
"Alice who?" asked Sirius, puffing his chest out and wiggling an eyebrow at another girl that looked more his age. She only snorted in laughter.
"Alice Meaden."
"No, she said she was going to stay in the common room to study for a bit. Don't want to mess those perfect scores up."
Harry immediately spun around, grabbing Ginny's and Hermione's arms as he did so, hoping Ron would follow.
"Where are you going?" Ginny whispered.
"To find my mum."
They made their way up to the portrait hole only to remember that they didn't have the password.
"Er…we just need to know if someone's in there…" Hermione awkwardly began to the fat lady.
"Yes, we were supposed to meet her for the Hogsmeade visit…but she never came down," said Ginny.
"Well, I think I can safely guess you three aren't Gryffindors. I've never seen you around before…"
"You've got to remember us, remember when Sirius broke…" Ron began.
Harry elbowed him in the side, but the fat lady didn't seem to notice.
"I remember a lot of things Sirius Black has broken, but surprisingly not one of them has been his head."
Ginny giggled as someone pushed through them and said, "Open Sesame" and walked in.
Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry followed him.
There she was, her hair almost as red as Ron and Ginny's, hunched over a table, a million books spread out and she was writing feverishly. She actually reminded Harry of Hermione during their O.W.L.s.
Just as Lily Evans stood up, stretched and faced them, Harry pulled his invisibility cloak off, "Potter!" she angrily yelled, "I already told you at least twice today that I'm not going out with you!"
Harry could only look at her. There was his mum, his own age, or almost, standing before him, "How…how old are you?" he asked.
She looked at him in disbelief, "How old am I? Merlin, I thought you'd know that by now. So tell me, how is it that you know the exact date of my birthday, but you don't know how old I am?" she irritably asked.
"I…I'd just like to know. Just to make sure," he said, ignoring the pinches and nudges in his sides from Hermione and Ginny.
She rolled her eyes and leaned her hand on her chair, "I'm almost seventeen, Potter. Leave me alone."
Almost seventeen? So at this very moment he was older than her.
The portrait door opened again and all five of them looked over to see who was coming in.
None other than the Marauders.
It took Lily a moment to realize what she was seeing. She looked from James to Harry, back to James.
"There are two of you?" she asked, "Oh Merlin, this is not good."
Sirius and Remus stared at Harry while James walked right up to him.
"Oooh, I really like this mirror," he said, looking at Harry as if he were James reflection, "I haven't looked this good since…blimey. Hey Evans! I've got your eyes!" he said, turning toward her and pointing to his own hazel ones, "They're green like yours and they're the same shape…" he said with excitement like a child at Christmas.
"No, Prongs, I think he just looks like you…" said Sirius, studying Harry, "A lot like you. And I've got to admit, Evans, he does have eyes exactly like yours…"
Lily rolled her own eyes, "Right, nice joke you guys," she said, walking up to Harry, "Who are you? Potter's cousin? Brother we didn't know about?"
"Uh, no, I…I'm Harry Potter, I'm your…" he began, but Hermione stood on his foot, "Uh…I'm just me. I've never seen him before," he said, gesturing to James. It wasn't a lie, he'd never seen his father as a seventh year.
Lily narrowed her eyes at him, then turned around and conjured two glasses, "Why don't we have a drink?" she asked, handing him one.
He gave a small chuckle, "I'm not stupid, I've been through this sort of situation before. I know you put Veritaserum in there."
She frowned, "I haven't had enough time to do that, but I was about to," she said, then conjured three more glasses for Ginny, Hermione and Ron, "Who are your friends?"
"Hermione, Ginny and Ron," he said, gesturing to each one as he said their names.
"Hmmm," she said, studying each one, "I've never seen you three around this school in six years. Are you exchange students from Durmstrang or something?"
They shook their heads, "Mrs. P…miss Evans," said Hermione, "It's a really complicated story how we got here, we'd rather not explain it just now."
Her gaze came back to Harry, "Right. Well, drink up. It's butterbeer. Those bozos," she said, pointing to Sirius and James, "still have to sneak down in that invisibility cloak of Potter's to the kitchens to get food and drinks. You know, it's really odd. You look so much like James you could be brothers…twins even and you just happen to also have an invisibility cloak like he does. I don't really think this is a coincidence."
Smart, mum. Very bright, he fondly thought, "Yeah, well, like Hermione said, it's really complicated."
"Bloody hell," said Sirius, jumping so badly he almost knocked Harry over, "How'd that piece of dirt get in here?" he asked, pointing toward the window.
The rest of them looked toward where he was pointing and saw a greasy-haired, hook-nosed scraggly, gangly teenager.
"Snape," muttered Harry, his fists instantly forming into balls.
Hermione grabbed the back of his shirt, "Keep your temper, Harry. You can't kill him or you'll change the whole future…our whole future," she muttered.
Lily heard, "What's this about a future?" she asked.
Hermione jumped, "Uh, heh, nothing. Just a bit of nonsense."
Lily gave her a skeptical look and Harry knew that, even if she didn't say anything, she had an idea of what was going on.
"Well I think we should get going," said Ron, digging around in his pockets.
"Don't you think we should give them an explanation…?" asked Ginny.
Hermione furiously shook her head as Harry was yanked around the neck by sixteen-year-old Sirius.
"Well, how bout that. Maybe your parents…"
"No, they haven't had previous marriages and the definantly haven't been cheating…Padfoot you know better."
"Anybody seen Wormtail?" Harry asked, just for a reaction, "I thought I saw him get past Filch as a…"
They shushed him, "Lily doesn't know, you can't tell her…" James began as Lily looked at him.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Potter? I do know."
"Oh."
"Snivelly, how'd you get in the Gryffindor common room?" Sirius asked, approaching him.
Harry hesitated before following them.
Snape, though he was taller than any of them, looked up at them through his greasy curtains, "How'd Potter clone himself? I'll pack my things; I expect the building can't hold this much hot air…"
A blur ran past Harry and mauled Snape, "Don't…ever…me…air…stupid…" was all Harry could hear through the bone-crunching punches. When James pulled back, his own lip was bleeding, but blood was spurting from both nostrils of Snape and was gushing out of his mouth.
"Out," panted James, standing out of his way and pointing to the portrait hole.
Snape timidly stood up and carefully made his way past the three Marauders and Harry, reminding him of a fox expecting to be jumped at any time.
"That son of a…" began James.
"What dyou say…er…Harry, right?" Sirius interrupted.
He nodded.
"What dyou say to joining our special little group?"
"Can I kill Pettigrew?" Harry asked. He sincerely meant it, but they laughed as if it was a joke and he smiled.
"Only if he causes trouble."
"Lets go down to the kitchens," said Remus, "I told Dumbledore I'd do house elf duties today."
Although he couldn't see her, Harry knew Hermione had stiffened at his comment.
"I'll be right back," he told the other three, then left through the portrait hole before they could argue.
"So, there was a full moon recently, am I correct? It'll be about a month until L…Remus…you know…"
James looked at him in surprise, but nodded nonetheless, "How is it you only arrived today, but you know so much about us?"
"Who said I arrived today?"
"I…no one, but I just assumed that since I'd never seen you around before…I mean, other than in the mirror…"
Harry laughed.
"Ah, I bet you're one of those students who started that stupid 'James Potter' club and you admired my looks so much that you magically changed your body. Except your eyes. I can't explain that."
Sirius snorted and laughed his usual bark-like laugh, accelerating Harry's heartbeat. He hadn't heard that laugh in almost two years…
"It was a 'Sirius Black' club. No one in their right mind…except this young chap, would want to look like you. Your hair is a mess."
James grinned, "I know."
"Young?" Harry asked in confusion, "I'm older than you," then added in a murmur so none of them could hear, "For now."
"Are you? Seventeen?" Remus asked.
Harry nodded, "Last July."
They reached the portrait of the fruit bowl and Remus tickled the pear, then went in. Harry made to follow him, but Sirius stopped him, "You don't want to go in there with him. It's boring as hell."
Harry raised his eyebrow, "Sitting out here isn't as boring than being waited on hand and foot?" he asked.
:James shook his hand, "They can't serve you while Moony is inspecting them. It only takes a few minutes."
Harry stood thinking for a few moments, "Hey, you know you guys are missing something on the Marauders map," he stated.
Both James and Sirius raised their eyebrows, "Oh really?"
"Have you got the Room of Requirement on it?" he asked, making to grab it out of his pocket, but realized it would create unnecessary confusing if there were two of them.
"The what?" asked Sirius as they poured over it.
"It's across the hall from Barnibus and Barmy…you have to walk past it three times and think of what you need it to be…then a door appears and…voila, it's what you need."
James looked up at him and grinned, "Yeah, we'll check that out sometime. We'll have to add it to the map."
Sirius looked at him and frowned, "How'd he know about the map?"
Harry grinned mysteriously, "I've got my sources."
In no time they were back in the common room with Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Lily. Harry, Remus, Sirius and James had grown close as ever and Harry wanted to forget about Voldemort, forget about going back in time and just live right where he was.
"Harry, we have to go," Hermione whispered, trying to be unheard by Lily who was near by. So far she didn't seem to hear them.
"Hermione, don't you understand? I've never known my parents and now that we've gone back to the time that they're living…it's so amazing…my dad's my best friend already…we just, you know," he snapped his fingers, "clicked. And Lily, my mum…she knows something's going on and I know she doesn't fancy the idea of it, but she's not stupid. Hermione, one more day. Please. Just one, I need it."
"And then one more day is going to turn into another and another and another until you're witnessing your own birth."
Harry was close to tears. He knew she was right and this was very emotional for him, "I just…I don't know, I want to get to know my mum and dad as they were at my age. You don't know what it's like…"
"No, Harry, I don't, but we have Voldemort's horcruxes to find. If we don't find them soon, we're doomed. We can stop by again on the way back to the future."
"Hermione, Lily Evans is my mother and James Potter is my father…I haven't seen Sirius either for near two years because he died and I'm sure Dumbledore is around here somewhere…I'd like to talk to him again…" he said, trying to stop his tears, but was unsuccessful.
"Harry, I know you're torn up about Dumbledore's death, but that's why we're here, remember? Snape killed Dumbledore…ultimately it was Voldemort…the sooner we find this thing, the better."
He nodded, knowing she was right, "Alright," he said, then sighed.
Neither of them noticed that Lily was facing them, taking in every word they'd said.
