Chapter 4

James headed to the room of requirement later that night, still slightly dazed. His dad seemed to like him here, and so did his aunt and uncle which was good. It was super weird though, to sit there across from them, and have them be the same age as him. Pictures didn't do the three of them justice. James hadn't realized just how small his father was when he was younger, or just how big Aunt Hermione's hair had been. He supposed that he should probably start calling them by their first names in his head, just so he didn't slip up. Honestly, that was his biggest concern so far, that he would accidentally tell someone that he was from the future, or that he knew something he shouldn't.. At least their first interaction had gone okay, and he didn't seem too weird, or at least not crazy enough for them to immediately ignore him. Ron had actually invited him to a game of chess, but James had to refuse to go meet Teddy.

Part of him wondered if it would be easier to not be friends with them, and to start hanging out with someone else in his house, or even some people from another house. But, he actually enjoyed talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and not just because they were family. And who else was there? Neville might be more awkward, because he was James's teacher. And, James hadn't met anyone else in his dorm or the school yet, at least not that he knew of. James figured that he would just figure that out later. Who knows, maybe a decision would be made for him. But, so far the past didn't seem too bad. This would be easy.

James looked both ways in the corridor to check for people before heading to the small door on the seventh floor. Given that the door was there, Teddy must have already arrived. Going in, James flopped on the sofa that the room had recreated, one identical to the one in his living room, and looked up at Teddy, sitting across from his in a burgundy armchair. Teddy looked awful, his face was devoid of color, and he had his concentration face on. Apparently his first day hadn't gone as well, thought James.

"What happened," James asked, his small smile leaving his face. Teddy just groaned and buried his head in his hands. James waited patiently for Teddy to speak, knowing that something was definitely wrong. Teddy finally sighed and sat up.

"We know this year is the triwizard tournament, right?"

"Yes," replied James.

"And do you remember any details about the tournament?"

Well, I remember that Dad, err I mean Harry competed in it, and I'm pretty sure he won it too. And, there was something about Voldemort that happened at the end of it. It may have been when he came back, but I can't recall the details." James looked at Teddy. "You know that da.. Harry doesn't talk about it much. He says it's too hard."

Teddy waited patiently for James to grasp what he just said, eyebrow raised. It takes a minute, but then James connects his previous statement to their current predicament.

"Oh Merlin, this is awful. Could we have come at a worse time?"

Teddy shook his head. "And when I arrived in the Hufflepuff dorms, I met the worst of it. You see, I actually asked dad about the tournament a while ago, and Harry gave me a few more details, such as the fact that a boy died at the end of the tournament. And the one who died is the guy I was talking to in my room, Cedric Diggory."

The brothers sat in silence at the end of Teddy's statement, both in a slight state of shock. James hated this. He had thought that it was going to be fine, but now he was realizing that there was not a happy future ahead for many of those he would be interacting with daily. Cedric wasn't the only one who died. Many students were not alive in the future, and one of those was his Uncle, Fred. And the ones who weren't going to die still were going to suffer and be constantly worried about death, including his parents.

"There's a lot that's going to happen to the people of this time period," James spoke quietly. "I see why it would be tempting to change part of the future. Maybe… we could make it better. But, if we do…" He shook his head. "Man, this is such a mess! Why can't I just be a normal kid who doesn't discover old creepy rooms and have time turners falling on them!"

Teddy chuckled a little. "We both know that's completely impossible. You got too much of your parents in you. It's in your blood to follow their accidental trouble making legacy. But seriously, about the changing time thing, I think we should wait. I mean, it's September, and the first chance we have to go back is in…" He counted back on his hands. "March. We should just go in not changing anything and see what happens. If we want to change the timeline, let's decide later in the year." Teddy paused suddenly. "Do we even know the current timeline?"

James laughed. "Well first the champions come to the school, Harry gets chosen and then they do the first task. And then they do the second task. And…"

"You forgot about the Yule Ball. Merlin, that's going to be awkward if we go."

"Okay, the yule ball and then the second task, followed by the last task, and then Cedric dies and Voldemort comes back." James frowned. "We really don't know much details. Chances are we're going to change the timeline and not even realize it!"

Teddy nodded. "We both know Dad only talks about his past when he has to. I know a little bit more than that luckily. I'm pretty sure Moody isn't the real Moody, but I don't remember which death eater was pretending to be him. There was also something about the unforgivable curses as well. We know plenty about the Yule Ball, of course. Who knows how many times Hermione has argued with Ron about it. And the champions are Aunt Fleur, and the Quidditch player, Viktor something. The tasks are dragons, rescuing someone from the lake, and then the maze." James waited as Teddy tried his hardest to remember anything else. "I ally don't remember much else." Changing the subject, Teddy continued. "Did you have the chance to see any of our family yet? You're in the same common room as most of them, which also means that it's probably going to be harder for you to keep this secret because you'll have daily interactions with most of our family.

"I know, I know. Be careful… But, Harry, Ron and Hermione actually waved me over to talk when I arrived. I tried to not look creepy, but it was so weird, Teddy! Dad, is so small, and it's true, he looks so much like Al. Ron and Hermione do nothing but bicker, but unlike at home, there isn't the same lighthearted friendliness, they're actually fighting! All three of them are the same people, but there's something different about them, like they are not their true selves yet. Dad especially. Harry just seems so intense, and honestly seems less happy than he is back at home. Besides those three I didn't see anyone else I know from the future yet though."

"That's to be expected," Teddy replied. "We've only been conscious and in this time period for a few hours." He gave James a sharp look. "Now it's a little hypocritical for me to say this given that I freaked out when I realized who Cedric was, but you need to be careful about your reactions. I know that's not your strong point, but please try. And remember, the rest of the introductions are going to be worse." Looking concernedly at James, Teddy continued. "James, Fred's alive. Have you thought of that?"

Hearing that's James's mouth dropped open. The Weasley twins were complete here, and who knows how many others that he had heard stories about were also alive. He wondered just how many of his new classmate's graves he had been to.

"I'm worried about you, well, and myself of course. We're going to have a hard few months, no matter what." Teddy looked grave. "Either we leave here knowing our new friends will die, or we will never get to see our families in the same way again. And who knows what could happen if we change stuff."

James saw that Teddy was getting emotional again, and went to join him on the armchair. It hadn't fully hit him yet, but the circumstances had certainly hit Teddy. "Let's not stress too much. You know you always like to have a plan, but I don't think that's really possible. We should just follow the flow and not get too bent out of shape about anything." James felt like for once he may have actually given good advice, and Teddy soon snapped out of his funk.

"Good plan. We should probably get back to our dorm rooms before we get in trouble our first day. Remember," he warned James, "we are trying not to draw attention to ourselves, hear me?" With a nod from James the two exited the room of requirement and went back to the common rooms, their fears still prominent in their minds.

A/N I'm trying to write longer, fuller chapters, but it's hard, so we'll get there eventually.