Professor McGonagall stood in the great hall. She had just introduced the new first years to the school, but she had further business to attend to. She watched as a mob of students came through the doors, and into the Hall. She spotted three infamous Gryffindors pushing their way through the crowd of students.
"Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!" The trio stopped in their place and the two turned in their place. She could see the clear dismay on Potter's face as soon as the boy heard Minerva's voice call his name.
"There's no need to look so worried — I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasley."
Ron starred as Professor McGonagall ushered his best friends away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor.
Once they were in her office— a small room with a large, welcoming fire- McGonagall motioned Potter and Granger to sit down. She sat behind her wand-crafted Cherry wood desk and spoke abruptly.
"Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter."
Potter looked like there was something he would like to say in reply, but before he could, Madam Pomfrey barged in and began to examine the boy as he went red in the face.
"I'm fine," he insisted, "I don't need anything-"
The professor noticed a worried glance or two come from the girl sitting next to him.
"Oh, it's you, is it?" said Poppy, ignoring the boy's complaints and instead bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"
"It was a Dementor, Poppy," said Minerva. They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly. "Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Potter's hair and feeling his forehead. "He won't be the last one who collapses. Yes, he's all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate —"
"I'm not delicate!" said Potter crossley.
"Of course you're not," said Poppy absentmindedly, now taking his pulse.
"What does he need?" said Minerva crisply. "Bed rest? Should he perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"
"I'm fine!" said Potter, jumping up. Minerva didn't believe it and she could tell that Poppy didn't either.
"Well, he should have some chocolate, at the very least," the nurse told the boy.
"I've already had some," said Harry, "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us." It seemed that Albus had finally made a good decision by giving Remus the job of professor of defense of the dark arts; hopefully he would stay. She remembered when Remus was only a student, making trouble alongside James, Peter, and... Black. It felt like only a couple years ago.
"Did he now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. When Remus was a child, after the full moon he would always ask Poppy about all types of remedies for different types of dark creatures and spells. She was glad it wasn't all for nothing. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"
"Are you sure you feel alright, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.
"Yes," said Harry.
"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."
Potter walked out of Minerva's office, with Poppy on his tail.
Once the two were outside, Minerva turned to the young genius who was looking very disappointed. "Miss Granger, do you know why I called you to my office?"
The girl looked at her feet. "Yes, professor. I chose too many subjects this year and I have to cut some of them out of my schedule."
Minerva chuckled softly at the girl. "You got the first part right." Granger's head shot and Minerva saw a face full of hopeful confusion. Minerva smiled softly. She remembered having the same type of spirit as the girl sitting in front of her.
"Over the past two years you have been the best in the class, and I trust that what I am about to tell you, you won't repeat to anyone. Professor Dumbledore and I have discussed it, and we both believe you are responsible enough to handle what I am about to give you."
"What is it, professor?"
"This." Minerva opened the drawer to the left of her and pulled out a golden chain with a time turner on the end.
Granger gasped in awe and excitement. "Is that… is that a time turner?"
"Yes. I suppose you know how they work already." The girl nodded. "You shall use it to only go to your classes. Nothing else. You must promise that you won't tell anyone about this. That includes Potter and Weasley. I'm trusting that you won't abuse this privilege that I am giving you."
Granger shook her head. "Of course not professor."
September 5, 1993
Professor Remus Lupin was preparing for his first third year class with the Gryffindors and Slytherins in the staff lounge. He didn't understand why Dumbledore would have two houses that have a constant and unhealthy rivalry— that has been going on since the founding of the school— be in most of the same classes. It had been like that since as long as he could remember, and probably before he was at school.
Remus realized that he should probably start to get to his class. He looked at his watch that his father had gotten him for his seventeenth birthday. 1:31, it read. The man cursed and ran out of the staff room, and ran to an entrance to one of the secret passages that he and his brothers found forever ago.
He was able to get to the other side of the castle in what seemed like no time. He glanced down at his watch. 1:36. Five minutes. He was still one minute late to the class. He would make up for it hopefully.
The man straightened his shabby robes and walked into his classroom. His classroom. The words still sounded strange in his mind… strange…. but not wrong. When he walked it, he saw that all of his students sat at their desks, Slytherins on one side, Gryffindors on the other. He let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding.
He put his ripped up briefcase, that his fellow marauders bought him for his sixteenth birthday, on his desk.
Remus looked turned to look at the students looking back at him with blank stares.
"Good afternoon," he said nervously. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's lesson will be a practical one. You will only need your wands."
The students looked around at each other in curiosity. Lupin looked around the room, but his eyes stopped at the boy who looked almost exactly like James. Harry. He had two people sitting on either side of him. He remembered their faces from the train, but couldn't put a name to them.
He guessed that the boy was a Weasley, just judging by the hair and facial features and there seemed to be an unruly amount of Weasleys in the school; he had the twins earlier that day. He felt that he would have gotten along well with them in a different setting.
Remus also noticed the girl sitting on the other side of Harry. She was closer to Harry than the boy, and looked like she was the only person disappointed that they wouldn't be learning the traditional way that day.
"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd please follow me."
Professor Lupin came into the staffroom and was about to close the door behind him when Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him.
At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything… difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."
The Longbottom boy went scarlet and Remus could see the resemblance to both his parents. Frank and Alice were good friends of his; they were all in the Order together. Remus still visited them sometimes.
He remembered how Frank, who was a Hufflepuff in their year, would sometimes doubt himself. Alice (a Slytherin in the year below him) would always be there to give him the confidence that he needed; and Remus was hoping he could do the same thing with their son.
"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said encouragingly, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably."
Neville's face went, if possible, even redder. Snape's lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap.
"Now, then," said Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Remus went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.
"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a Boggart in there." but that didn't seem to help the distressing students; it just made them more scared of what was inside.
"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?"
The girl who was sitting next to Harry earlier put up her hand. Granger was her name
"It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."
"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Granger glowed. "So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears.
"This means," said Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville's small sputter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"
Remus could he that Harry was having trouble with the question. "Er— because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"
"Precisely," said Professor Lupin, and Granger put her hand down, looking a little disappointed.
Professor Lupin, McGonagall, and Dumbledore sat in the staffroom after dinner reading or grading papers.
Remus looked up from his book. "I feel like there is something going on between you two, Snape, and Harry Potter."
The other three professors looked up from what they were doing and looked at the werewolf.
Dumbledore finally spoke, "Where did you get that idea from, Remus?"
"It always seems like you three are always talking about him or pointing out certain things. For distinguished professors, you aren't that discreet. I've been here a total of five days and I've already seen it. "
"Should we tell him?" Professor McGonagall looked over to Dumbledore.
The old man shrugged. "I don't see why not. So you see, Remus. A couple years ago, Severus, Minerva, and I created a bet…"
October 16, 1993
"-she doesn't think that other people's pets matter very much," Minerva heard Ron Weasley say from the other side of her classroom door as she was about to open it to let her afternoon transfiguration class in.
When she opened the door she saw Granger and Weasley glaring at each other with a small gang of students surrounding them. Lavender looked to have tears in her eyes while her friends surrounded her.
Minerva let the children into the class to start the class. She couldn't help but notice that Weasley and Granger sat in the opposite sides of Potter; they usually sat next to each other with Potter next to either one of them.
During the entire lesson, the tension was so thick that it could have been cut with a butter knife.
When it was over, Minerva made sure to bring up the topic of Hogsmeade. The first weekend was coming up, and it would be the very first time that these students would be able to go to the town. It was such a shame that Black had escaped; people started to be frightened for their lives, as they should have been.
Minerva hoped that Harry would not find out his relations to the mass murderer. Mass murderer. Sirius Black.
If someone were to ask Minerva fifteen years ago if Sirius Black would ever in a million years betray James Potter she would have straight out laughed in their face and told them that he would, but only if it were a really good pranking opportunity.
So much had changed since then.
Longbottom raised his hand. "Please, Professor, I — I think I've lost —"
Minerva looked at him thoughtfully. "Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," she said, "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that's all, you may leave."
As the rest of the students made their leave, Minerva saw Ron whisper something in Harry ear, only for Hermione to glare at the boy and contradict what the ginger said.
The three of them waited until everyone in the class to move on to their next class. Only when the last person left did Weasley and Granger step outside together, still glaring at each other.
Minerva chuckled to herself. They were like an old married couple who had gotten into a fight, but each too prideful to apologize.
Potter walked to McGonagall's desk where she was currently sitting.
"Yes, Potter?" she asked.
"Professor, my aunt and uncle — er — forgot to sign my form," he said. Minerva looked over her square spectacles at him but didn't say anything. "So — er — d'you think it would be all right mean, will It be okay if I — if I go to Hogsmeade?"
She looked down and began shuffling papers on her desk. "I'm afraid not, Potter," she said. "You heard what I said. No form, no visiting the village. That's the rule."
"But — Professor, my aunt and uncle — you know, they're Muggles, they don't really understand — about Hogwarts forms and stuff," Potter said. "If you said I could go —"
"But I don't say so," said Minerva, standing up and piling her papers neatly into a drawer. "The form clearly states that the parent or guardian must give permission." She turned to look at him, with a look of pity on her face. "I'm sorry, Potter, but that's my final word. You had better hurry, or you'll be late for your next lesson."
She watched as Potter's face darkened and sulked out of the classroom. She watched as he told Weasley and Granger what happened and Weasley's face became bright red and tried to come into the classroom again while Granger held him back.
She couldn't help but feel guilty. She had let other students go without permission slips— Sirius Black being one of them. She knew that some students had a hard home life and couldn't ask their guardians for anything. Sadly, more often than not Muggleborns or students growing up in muggle homes were the prime targets for bad home lives.
From years of watching students, Minerva could usually tell if a student grew up with a bad home life. Some students were lucky that their families accepted them and realized how amazing and special their child was— this was the case with most of Lily Evan's family— but there were also children whose families were scared and jealous of magic— like Harry Potter's aunt and uncle. They were a part of the same family, but grew up with more differences than similarities. Minerva would have done anything to change it.
As I said before, I love the Marauders so much, so don't be surprised if there's a lot of Marauders mentions and stuffAlso, I love the idea of Neville's mom being a Slytherin. I imagine Frank being a lot like Neville, and Alice brought out that courage and deep compassion that is shown in Neville.This is as much as I Have rewritten, but the next chapter will hopefully be out on March 4th.