1 September 1971
~James Potter~
The Hogwarts Express was intimidating.
A great big steaming machine that would travel away from his home and his parents. When he'd received his letter, James had wanted to throw a temper tantrum until he was allowed to stay home with his mum and dad. Why did he need to go to some stupid school? His mum is the best witch in England and his dad could brew potions with his eyes closed, they could teach him better than any old coot up in the castle could.
He was set to stay home but as soon as his father mentioned Quidditch with new friends, James was more than excited to go to Hogwarts. Until his mother kindly pointed out that he couldn't try out for his house team until he was a Second Year at least. That was certainly a damper on his good mood.
By the time they had popped into the platform with his trunk and owl, his nerves were livewires, leaving him on edge, but there was no going back. Not unless he was willing to embarrass himself in front of everyone at the station.
"Mother?" Euphemia patted down her son's wild hair as he glanced up at her with misty hazel eyes. Fleamont pushed James' trunk towards the compartment ahead of them.
His mother looked at him and smiled sweetly, "Yes, my darling?"
"Is it true that Headmistress McGonagall casts a special jinx on brooms so they can't be flown outside of the Quidditch pitch?" he asked innocently.
"Yes, she does." Euphemia replied curtly. James' face fell and his mother pushed down the feeling to comfort him. "You, James Charlus Potter, had better behave yourself at school. I don't want to receive any letters about you running amuck."
The young child sighed heavily, "Yes, mum."
"That's my wonderful boy," She kissed the top of his head, watching in amusement as a bright blush of embarrassment coloured James' cheeks.
"Mum!" he groaned, but didn't pull away from her. Seeking the comfort of her touch.
On the other end of the station, Fleamont sidestepped away from a couple who were hugging their crying son goodbye. The child looked about James' size and age but James noticed the thin scars along the boy's face and lower jaw, a thin mark over the bridge of his nose that dipped into his left cheek. His parents held onto him tightly and when they pulled away James saw the boy's green, red rimmed eyes.
"Dad! Did you load my trunk?" James asked with an obvious wink, hoping his father knew what he meant.
Fleamont winked back, joining in on his son's conspiracy. Although he hadn't actually packed James' fastest broom in the trunk, he had left him a bit of a surprise that his mother wouldn't approve of either way. A family heirloom. "That I did, mate. Now let's get you onboard before you end up having to sit with Slytherins." Fleamont said with a faux shiver.
His mother whacked Fleamonts shoulder with her purse and scowled. Everyone knew that Euphemia Potter was a Slytherin and James decided that his father had a deathwish, talking badly about his mother's house like that.
James tightly hugged both of his parents goodbye, trying not to cry because he was a big boy and he refused to start his first day among his Hogwarts peers while crying. His mother, on the other hand, had absolutely no quarrel and cried as she waved him goodbye. He nervously glanced back at his parents several times while he continued to walk towards the train. James climbed the stairs onto the express and walked the hallway, looking for an empty compartment where he could sleep for the entire trip.
James scoffed when he saw a Hufflepuff girl sat against a door, legs outstretched and a book in her lap, and had to skip over her legs. There was only one compartment in the first car that wasn't filled with shouting teenagers or crying children.
Inside there was a petite redhead with her nose buried in the pages of a leatherbound book and a black haired boy who glared at James the second he knocked on the sliding door. The girl didn't seem to notice at first but her companion sneered rudely in his direction.
"Can I sit?" James indicated to the barren seat across from the pair. The girl pulled her face out of the volume before nodding. She had the most beautiful bottle green eyes and her hair was long and slightly curly but fiery red. She reminded James of the mermaids muggles described in their storybooks.
"What's your name then?" Snapped the boy next to her.
"James Potter, and you are?" He tried to stay polite in front of the pretty girl who sat across from him. James didn't want to be mean to her friend unless the greasy haired boy kept being rude to him then all bets were off.
She pointed to herself and then her friend. Introducing both of them with a smile. "I'm Lily Evans and this is Severus Snape."
"It's nice to meet you," he smiled. Although in all honesty, James wasn't all that pleased to meet the boy next to her. He seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face.
"Excuse me." Said a new voice from the door. "Do you mind? Everywhere else is full." When the occupants of the room didn't oppose his request, the boy walked inside and sat next to James. "I'm Sirius Black."
Severus rolled his eyes at the new occupant, likely knowing how famous the Black family was in the Wizarding world and not being all that impressed by Sirius. James wasn't bothered and held out his hand for Sirius to shake. They grinned at each other and Sirius stuck his tongue out at Snape when Lily wasn't looking.
Lily quickly introduced everyone again and they sat in silence - the uncomfortable sort that climbed down your throat and wouldn't let you breathe or speak without the knot tightening. Lily continued to read whatever story held her attention and James tried not to be creepy as he studied her pretty face. Sirius played with a bright pink sugar quill in his hands, chipping bits off the tip and popping them in his mouth.
James felt his uncomfortable stare before he even looked towards him, Severus watched him with narrow eyes and an overbite. Sirius looked between the boys curiously and asserted himself next to James, showing his decision between them, clearly the other boy felt like something was off with Snape as well.
After a few more minutes of tense silence, Lily looked up and sighed. "Boys."
Severus sprang up from his seat and grabbed onto Lily's wrist, yanking them both out of the compartment, Lily asking what happened behind him. James glared at the spot the boy used to sit in and wistfully glanced after the red curls that disappeared from his sight.
"What a simpleton," Sirius groaned out and James wholeheartedly agreed. Holding out a piece of candy, James grinned as he took it from Sirius.
During the train ride James decided three things.
One, Sirius Black would be his best mate from that day until his last.
Two, he would marry Lily Evans if it was the last thing he ever did.
And three, Severus Snape was a right git.
Sirius continued to peer through the cracked door, eyes searching for someone. James looked over his shoulder at the empty corridor. "Who are you looking for?"
"My friends Harry and Mya, I tried to find them before I boarded but no luck." Sirius answered distractedly before glancing at his new friend with a disappointed sigh. James decided not to take it personally. "They probably have a special compartment or something."
"Why do you think that?" James asked quietly, hoping to make the other boy feel more comfortable around him.
"They're the Headmistress' niece and nephew." Sirius said simply.
James laughed and reached over to pat his shoulder. "Hey, look at you, already making friends high up to avoid detention."
"How do you know I'll have detention?" Sirius questioned.
James shrugged lightly, eyes alight with mischief, "We'll get very bored if we follow all the rules to the dot for the next seven years."
"I like the way you think, Potter."
Sirius and James spent the rest of the train ride eating chocolate frogs and licorice snaps from the trolley and excitedly talking about Quidditch and who would win in a fight between a wild hippogriff and a thestral. Both decided that a hippogriff would win because its wingspan was smaller by a big enough margin and that made it easier to manoeuvre between trees and get the upper hand. James made a note to ask the magical creatures professor to be sure.
A chill hung in the air of the train station at Hogsmeade and James hugged his thick cloak closer to keep himself warm from the wind. Sirius walked next to him, both boys already attached at the hip after their bonding on the Express. James couldn't wait to write to his mum and tell her all about his new friend.
"Evening' ev'ryone! First' Years behin' me!" A curly bearded man loomed over the young children as they crowded around him. A bright smile lit his face and James felt himself relaxing in the presence of the giant man.
The First Year children were herded together and James looked around for Lily as the giant helped them sit on the floating boats, the wood wobbled slightly to the side as James sat. Hagrid dropped both boys on the wooden bench with a jubilant smile. The bar dug into James' hands and he bit his lip when a piece dug into his finger but he refused to loosen his grip and drown. Splinters were worth it if he didn't fall into the lake.
"Hello, I'm Remus Lupin." A boy held out his hand towards the two dark haired boys sitting opposite of him, sandy brown strands falling over his green eyes and puffy red cheeks. "This is Peter Pettigrew."
James and Sirius took turns shaking the other boys' hands, the former already thinking that the four of them would be fast friends. Even if Peter seemed quiet and Remus too nervous. He liked them, he hoped they were sorted in the same House. Otherwise he would have to sneak into other common rooms and he had promised his mother to try and stay out of trouble - at least for the first few weeks.
But as he stared at his new friends, especially Sirius, James had a feeling that he would be breaking that promise often.
In the dim moonlight, James stared at the hanging lantern Remus held above his head. The shadows danced over his soft features and James noticed the thin scratches over the boy's face. Half a dozen scars marred his cheeks and the bridge of his nose and James wondered what had happened to his new friend.
Remus caught his eye and he looked away, clearly ashamed of the scrapes over his face. James immediately felt guilty for making him feel self conscious and smiled kindly the next time Remus looked up. He looked calmed by the gesture and James took a deep breath.
The closer they came to the castle, the more excited James became. He didn't know why he'd been so scared to come here in the first place, it seemed stupid now as the bubble of excitement contiued to grow in his stomach. By the time they climbed out of the boats, he felt like he would burst.
Looping his arm around Sirius' neck, James pointed to the door, "Onward to the castle!"
"You're so weird, mate." But Sirius rushed to the door with him nonetheless, doing a terrible job of hiding his own excitement at finally being at Hogwarts.
Remus pulled Peter by his wrist out of the boat and ran after them. "Wait for us!"
James bounced on his heels, his cheeks feeling like they're about to split from his smile as the two boys finally caught up with them.
Hagrid waited until all the First Years had gathered at the door, squinting his eyes as he looked over them, before leading them towards the Great Hall.
James, Sirius, Remus and Peter right at the front of the group.
~Harry McGonagall~
Harry watched the magical boats wade over the black water, moving closer to the boathouse at the end of the castle grounds with trepidation. He had already met eleven year old Sirius but he had no idea what to do with his parents.
It had seemed so easy to open his mouth and start a conversation about Quidditch with his future godfather that day, safely tucked away in the robe racks where Death Eaters and Azkaban couldn't touch them. In the two hours or so he had spent with Sirius, Harry had felt more weightless than he had in a very long time. But the more time that passed since their meeting, the more Harry started to feel the importance of what they were trying to do. Sirius' life, Harry's entire family's future, was in his hands.
He wanted that shy boy in Madam Malkin's to grow up into his sarcastic and snappish personality, Harry wanted Sirius to grow up without living almost half his life in a cramped cell being tortured by dementors for a crime he didn't commit. He needed to focus on stopping Voldemort, there couldn't be any distractions.
Harry knew that at this time Lily would still be best friends with Severus, while James would still think of Peter as a brother. Both of which were issues and Harry didn't want to think about what both of those men would go on to do in the future. The betrayal and the blood that would haunt them for years to come. That still haunted Harry.
Hermione had agreed to change time, for him, he knew that. Peter and Severus would be part of that change. Whether that meant making sure they wouldn't turn to the dark or ending them before they could. Harry never thought he would be considering killing someone but when he thought of Sirius in Madam Malkin's, he knew he could do it if it came down to it.
Hermione leaned over the metal railing next to him, her eyes intently following the boats as they docked into the small boathouse next to the castle. Harry shakily reached towards his sister's hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing her tightly. Mya rubbed soothing circles on the back of his palm.
"They'll be coming in soon, we should head to the stairs and meet them there," Mya said, feet firmly planted and unmoving despite what she had said, patiently waiting for him to be ready. "Wouldn't want to make Aunt Minerva upset by disappearing on her."
Harry nodded and let himself be pulled along. They reached the stairs to the Great Hall just as the First Years did. Harry looked up at the stone soldiers that lined the walls and tried not to remember those soldiers in chunks over the courtyard in their version of 1998.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said sternly to the clumps of waiting students. "Now in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your House will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup."
Harry hadn't told their aunt who his parents are, just that they were part of the 1971 First Year students. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was more about what would happen if he and Mya ended up screwing up the timeline and suddenly there was no Harry Potter. Or, Merlin forbid, no James and Lily Potter.
Sirius stood next to James and Remus with a look of unease and Harry remembered how his godfather had been treated because of his Hogwarts House sorting. His grey eyes filtered around the room until they landed on Harry and Mya. He smiled broadly and tried to wave them towards the already forming group of Marauders. Harry's fingers tightened almost painfully around Hermione's as he watched his father and godfather wrestle, Remus telling them to calm down before they hurt or embarrassed themselves.
Harry averted his gaze from the scene and he felt Mya's confused eyes settle on him but she didn't question him. He appreciated how accepting his sister was when it came to his feelings. She could tell that he wasn't ready and she didn't push him into anything. It was why he loved her so much, Hermione was always a support for him.
"There you two are, I was getting worried that you'd gone and abandoned me to the First Years alone." Hermione felt her brother jump as Minerva's hands landed on each of their shoulders. Steering them away from the rioting children as they clambered into the Great Hall.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Minerva, we got carried away watching the boats." Harry mumbled. Not looking into her knowing catlike eyes.
Minerva left them at the foot of the stairs, "Don't make a habit of it, little ones."
They quickly nodded as they stood at the front of the crowd of nervous First Years. There was something surreal about standing underneath the hovering candles and waiting to decide which House would be your home for the next seven years.
The Sorting Hat was eagerly placed on a stool in the centre of the raised platform that led to the professors table, every eye in the Great Hall was glued to the ratty hat as it opened its fabric mouth and began to sing:
Try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry,
Set Gryffindor apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
The hall erupted in cheers as the song came to an end, Hermione and Harry clapping along with the other First Years. They listened and watched as several witches were called to the front of the room, each going to a different House.
"Sirius Black," Minerva read out from the enchanted parchment in her hands. Her eyes searched out the anxious face of Sirius and, when she found him, nodded towards the stool. Harry caught James giving him a reassuring shoulder squeeze and his heart warmed at the friendship already there. Sirius moved between the other students waiting to be sorted.
His legs scissored up the steps in quick successions. Harry could see his curled fists in the sleeves of his robes. When the boy sat on the wooden seat and the hat was placed on his head, there was a hum from the brown fabric. Harry watched Sirius' eyes squeeze shut as he breathed in sharply. Sirius' nose was scrunched as he kept his eyes closed and waited for the decision that would change his life.
Harry looked towards the Slytherin table, as expected the group looked bored, waiting for Sirius to join them - an inevitability in their eyes. A headful of white blond hair drew his attention. Lucius Malfoy had always looked like the type of person who liked to drink his morning pumpkin juice in a crystal champagne flute. But there was something about him now that Harry couldn't understand. His face portrayed clear unenthusiasm but his body was pivoted towards Sirius with keen interest.
"Gryffindor!" Sirius almost fell off the chair as he rushed to the table under the red and gold banners. Thunderous applause came from three of the tables, the fourth only gave a courteous clap. Harry mechanically clapped.
Harry continued to study Lucius underneath the serpent banners. He looked like Draco, an air of superiority radiating around him and designer robes hanging off his built frame. Unlike his son, Lucius didn't sneer at the other Houses, which was shocking enough. Malfoy looked a few years older than Harry, maybe a third or fourth year.
Hermione and Harry waited, holding hands like they really were children again, hoping that their mere presence hadn't changed the timeline already. Sirius was where he should be, three more to go. A little part of Harry hoped that Peter wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor, if only to have one less person to worry about.
Lily and Remus both took the lion mantle with pride, happily accepting the congratulations from their new family as they sat. Sirius still looked shocked to be anywhere other than the green and silver sea of people across the room but he tried to keep his mouth closed. But Harry could see the joy bubbling under the surface.
"Harry McGonagall," Minerva said with more than a little pride in her voice.
Up until that moment Harry hadn't really thought about whether or not he would end up in the same House as last time. A lot had changed since his original sorting almost seven years ago. He had been betrayed, tortured and a fugitive for long months, he had fought in a war and seen both friends and enemies die. What if his place wasn't with the brave anymore?
What if this time he wasn't meant to be anywhere?
The hat barely grazed his brown hair before it shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Pleasantly surprised, Harry sat at the very edge of the table. Watching Mya walk to the stool, her back stiff and face impassive. He remembered a time when she had confided in him that the Sorting Hat almost placed her in Ravenclaw.
"Could you be a lion or an eagle?" Harry saw the mask flicker to reveal her insecurity. "Hm, so many interesting things inside your head, little traveller. Better be Gryffindor!"
He breathed in a sigh of relief when she sat down next to him with a small smile. Both Harry and Hermione took calming breaths when Peter sat gingerly next to Sirius, Harry crushed her hand as he tried to control the anger coursing through him. Soon after, James joined the future Marauders and it was suddenly too much for Harry to handle.
"Severus Snape!" Lily turned in her seat to stare at her friend as he climbed the stairs. Harry noted his father's frown. "Slytherin!"
Sirius growled at the green table and James leaned over to see Lily's disappointed expression. After the rest of the First Years were sorted, the feast began.
James and Sirius pushed food towards Remus and Harry realised that the two of them had already taken the werewolf under their wing - committed to taking care of him even when he didn't want it. Remus laughed into his arm when Sirius placed an entire apple pie on his plate, James passed Lily the salt with a smitten little smile.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Harry said slowly to his sister, picking at the dinner roll next to his plate without appetite. "I'm not that hungry and- well, it's just getting to be too much all at once."
Hermione knew him well enough to know when he needed help saying things that were too hard for him. "Yeah, let's go to the astronomy tower and take a breather."
Harry looked at her gratefully and together they stood from the table. Several of their classmates shot them confused looks and Sirius stared at them with his eyebrows raised. Harry avoided everyone's eyes and Hermione led him out of the hall with a comforting hand on his back. McGonagall caught Mya's eye as they passed the halfway point of the Gryffindor table. The Headmistress began to rise and follow but a fast shake of Hermione's head had her sitting back down with a confused huff.
They didn't make it to the astronomy tower before Harry was fighting to draw breath and the hot tears poured down his cheeks. Hermione helped lower him to the ground and they sat in a little corner, in a forgotten corridor.
Harry felt like this was exactly where he belonged. Away from the innocence in the Great Hall. Away from everyone.
2 September 1971
~Hermione McGonagall~
She was used to celebrating the start of a new school year.
Knowledge, Hermione found, could be precarious. The first time her best friend had ever had a panic attack they were thirteen and Prophet named "mass-murderer Sirius Black" had just escaped from Azkaban. They were on the way to Divination of all things. After it was over, they didn't talk about it. Even Ron had dropped the subject without question.
Last night was different.
Harry had been on edge all night, since before the first boats could be seen coming towards the castle but when he was a metre away from his father, he had started crumbling. Hermione managed to half carry, half drag him a few corridors away from the Great Hall before he collapsed against the wall in a heap. It was the worst feeling in the world for Hermione, holding her best friend while he cried and screamed about something she couldn't help.
She had barely slept all night, choosing to stay in the living room and listen to Harry twist and turn in his bed above her. Waiting to see if nightmares would haunt him again. Hermione was used to taking the late shift because of their year long Horcrux scavenger hunt.
Drinking a Pepper-Up that morning instead of breakfast kept her alert enough to satisfy the professors and it wasn't like she needed to learn any of what they were teaching anyways. When their last class finally came around, Mya was physically and mentally exhausted. She couldn't remember a word that any of her teachers had said and a pounding headache had been slowly building behind her eyes since before lunch.
Charms, as it turned out, was a lot more interesting the first time around. Harry sat next to her, glancing at the bags under her eyes with guilt. She hadn't told him about staying up but he was her best friend, one look at her in Potions that morning and he knew.
Hermione tapped her pen on the parchment paper as she waited for Flitwick to finish his long and drawn out explanation of the Wingardium Leviosa charm, before scribbling down a line or two for her notes. She twirled the muggle writing utensil in her fingers, it was a lot easier to take notes in half a dozen classes this way. Aesthetics be damned.
She heard Sirius snicker behind her as James poked himself in the eye with his own wand while trying to flip it in the air and catch it - no doubt trying to show off for Lily. Remus quietly reprimands them from his seat at the desk behind theirs. Somehow, other than pure rotten luck for her brother, she and Harry had ended up sitting in close proximity to the Marauders.
In all of their classes.
It was a good thing that they had already gone through all of this before, otherwise she would constantly be shushing the rowdy boys behind them.
