Nothing Stays the Same: A Year Of Change
By jezebel
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about the plot.
Reviews: I'd really appreciate them
A/N: I am SO sorry that I haven't been able to post. I've been really busy. Again, I'm really sorry, but I will try to update more, okay! So here's the next chapter of Nothing Stays the Same.
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Chapter Five: Bondage Was Never James' Thing and Conversations over Tea
Previously on NST: "Okie Dokie, one stag coming up." He concentrated and focused on becoming his animangis form. He was still standing there in human form a minute later. A stunning spell was immediately cast from Sirius' wand aimed at James. A body fell and hit the ground.
"James!" Lily's voice rang through the air. She sent a glare her husband's way, then moved to where Remus had fallen. James may have been dead, but his auror instincts were still intact. Anticipating the stunning spell, he had redirected Sirius' arm. The escaped convict looked to his fallen friend and to the impersonator that had put him that way. Instantly, the James-look-alike was bound with ropes, and he fell back on the couch. Sirius made his way over to Remus and was surprised to see that the Lily impersonator was trying to help him. She turned around and glared at Sirius.
"Honestly Padfoot, you shouldn't go around stunning your friends. Now can you please wake up Moony so I can explain? And when you're finished with that, untie James; bondage was never really his thing."
Sirius stared in awe at the commanding woman, and instantly obeyed her orders by habit. Now Remus was awake and sitting next to a grumpy looking James. Lily sat in the chair facing everyone and Sirius preferred to stand. After a deep breath, she launched into an explanation.
"Yes, we're alive; we had to crawl out of our graves. James is disorientated and it takes concentration to change into his animangus form, that's why he couldn't change into Prongs. You should know that Sirius. Now, we decided to come to you first. We both missed you and figured you could fill us in on what we missed. Calling Albus would definitely be a good idea, he should probably be aware of what's going on and he might have more answers. I honestly have no clue why we're back, but we are, so we can continue where we left off. Harry will have parents again."
Both men eyed her skeptically. Harry, he'd definitely love to have his parents back. But what if they were just death eaters in disguise? You couldn't be too sure.
Remus stood up, always the sensible one, and walked over to the fireplace. He threw some powder in and called for Dumbledore. Instantly, the headmaster's head appeared in the flames.
"Why hello Remus. Is there a problem? Don't tell me that Sirius is driving you crazy already." Remus shook his head.
"Yes, Sirius is driving me crazy, but that's not why I contacted you. We have a bigger problem, well, we're not sure if it's a problem or not, that's why we need you to come here."
"Is it that serious?"
"Yes."
"Alright, give me a minute and I'll be right over. Do I need to bring anyone else? Backup perhaps."
Remus turned his head and looked at the two people that wore his friends' faces. He wasn't sure if he could trust them yet. So far they had been very accepting of Sirius and his lack of trust. But what if they were sent by Voldemort. Making up his mind he turned to Dumbledore.
"Yes, bring whoever you think is necessary." One could never be too safe. And if they were Lily and James, they would understand his reasons, he also wanted more then one opinion on if he was dreaming or not. It was too good to be true.
Dumbledore nodded. "All right, I'll be there with some backup." His head vanished.
Remus turned back to the group on the couch. "I'm sorry, but it's only to be safe. Now, if you're telling the truth, I'm guessing you'd be hungry after all this time. Would you like anything to eat or drink perhaps?"
James looked at Lily. She turned to Remus. "A drink please. Would you like me to help you in the kitchen?"
When Sirius nodded too, Remus accepted. "Yes, I might need an extra pair of hands. In the meantime, Sirius, do you think you can get, well, James some clothes. I'm not sure what to call you so I'll stick with who you look like, but honestly, you stink."
Sirius went to protest, but a look from Remus shut him up. "Okay, James, let's see what I have. And no funny business, if I think for one second that you're gonna pull something, you'll be in ropes so fast your head will spin." Both men proceeded to disappear in Sirius' bedroom. Remus went to direct 'Lily' into the kitchen, but she was already gone. Panicking he ran to the kitchen hoping she hadn't escaped. He found her making tea. She looked as if she had no problems and she seemed to know the way around his kitchen. She smiled when she saw him.
"Hello Remus. I understand you not believing us, if I were in your position I'd do the same thing. I just wish it could go back to the way it was. Also, I'm really sorry for all the trouble this had caused you, but, we really missed you, James especially. I think he's a little hurt that you can't trust him immediately, but, he'll get over it. I don't think he understands the real danger that Voldemort brings. God, I wish that this was all a nightmare. We were dead Remus, dead. I know you don't believe us yet but, oh, we missed out on everything in Harry's life. Merlin, Harry, he must hate us. We just had to go and get ourselves blown up."
Whether she was Lily or not, Remus never wanted to here those words come out of Lily's mouth. "Don't ever think that. Harry loves you and James. Yes, he wishes he had his parents, but he never blamed anyone but Voldemort for your death, well, possibly Wormtail."
Lily had been staring at the table, but her head shot up at the mention of their old friend. "Oh my god, I'd forgotten. I can't believe Peter betrayed us like that. God, if I know Sirius he's blaming himself for it too." She got up and took the water off of the stove and started preparing the tea. She handed Remus his mug, which he took gratefully, then sat next to the old werewolf.
Remus just nodded. "Yep, he fully blames himself. Nothing any of us can say will make him think otherwise. Hey, how did you know that it was Wormtail?"
Lily studied the table again. "Who else could it have been? Peter was our secret keeper. You know, I never liked him. I realized it right after I crawled out of my grave. Remus, I'll tell you, I think that was the worst experience one could have, I almost wish I could have stayed in peace." She remained silent for a few minutes. Remus was thinking about what she said. He was starting to believe he had his friends back. She continued talking.
"Remus, if you don't mind me asking, What's Harry like? I know you don't trust me yet, but I want to know about my little boy. Is he a good kid? Does he play quidditch? Does he have a girlfriend? Does he blame us?" She looked lost, and afraid.
That's when he knew. He got up and kneeled next to her, then wrapped his arms around her. It was Lily. She placed her head on his chest as he answered her questions. "Well Lils, Harry is a great boy. I taught him when he was in his third year. I've never met a boy that polite. Sure, he gets into loads of trouble, but it's usually to save somebody. He's a hero. The boy-who-lived. I think I'll let someone else explain that to you." He paused. "He plays quidditch, has since his first year. He's a natural on a broom. I can't wait for you to see him. No, he doesn't have a girlfriend that I know of, but he had two best friends that he'd do anything for. A muggle born, Hermione Granger, who is absolutely delightful, she reminds me of you when you were younger, her face always in a book. Then there's Ron Weasley. He's Arthur and Molly's youngest boy. He and Harry met on the Hogwarts Express and have been friends ever since. He's a good kid, kinda like Sirius when he was younger, but he doesn't get into too much trouble. And no, he never blamed you."
Remus would have gone on, except a shout from the living room caught his attention. "Remus, Sirius, are you there? What exactly is the problem?" It was Dumbledore. Slowly, he unwrapped himself from Lily's embrace, then took her hand and led her into the living room.
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Back in Sirius' room, Sirius sat on the bed while James changed into some clothes that weren't covered in dirt. Sirius desperately wanted to believe it was him and that his friends were back, but years in Azkaban had made him a lot more cautious. The other man saw him lost in thought and smiled.
"Earth to Padfoot. Earth to Padfoot." 'James' waved his hand in front of Sirius' face. He jumped and instantly turned his wand onto the now clean 'James', who threw his arms up in surrender.
"Sheesh, just bringing you out of your thoughts. That never was a good place for you to be. I remember that one time-"
"Don't even start reminiscing. You don't know a thing about my friendship with James. As far as I'm concerned, my friend is dead; you can't come back from that."
'James' looked at Sirius sadly. "What happened to make you so, serious? Pardon the pun."
Sirius gave 'James' a cold stare. "Fourteen years in Azkaban made me this way. Now stop talking and get dressed. Dumbledore should be here soon and I can't wait to see him give you what you deserve." Just then they heard Dumbledore shout. Sirius gestured for 'James' to go first, then followed him with his wand aimed at the other man's back.
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The first thing both pairs saw when they reentered the room was Albus Dumbledore standing there, a thoughtful look on his face. Minerva McGonagall was standing to his right looking worried and Severus Snape stood to his left looking like he'd rather be elsewhere.
When they entered were clearly in the room, Dumbledore gave a nod to everyone. "Hello, Sirius, James, Lily, Remus. Now what was the prob- Oh Dear Lord." He stared intently at James and Lily, who had moved to be close to one another. Remus stood protectively at their side and Sirius was smirking at the way Severus paled. McGonagall took one look at the couple, muttered 'Dear Lord', and then fainted. Luckily she landed on the couch.
Dumbledore ignored his fallen companion and took a step closer to the couple. Both James and Lily were uncomfortable under the intense stares, but they knew their friendship with Sirius depended on Dumbledore's conclusion.
The old wizard then gave a sad smile. "Merlin, James, Lily, is it really you?"
A/N: Alright, here's where I leave you. I promise that the next chapter will defiantly be updated sooner. Hoped you liked this one, but feel free to tell me what you think and give suggestions. I just want to say that even though my story is considered AU, I'm going to try and continue it. I knew it would be eventually. I won't sit and rant about OotP here; I don't want to affect your judgment. I will say one thing, though. What she did was wrong. Sirius was my favorite character and so help me if she doesn't bring him back some way in the next book. This chapter happens to be dedicated in his memory. Well, it's after 2 in the morning so, hope you liked this chapter.
Toodles,
jezebel