Harry, like on so many occasions, had been wong. Somehow, he was still connected to Voldemort because he was whisked away to a dark room, probably underground. The floor was covered in dirt and dried blood. Someone was hunched over in the corner, moaning with pain. Chains clinked together, and Harry realized he was in a cell and the figure in front of him was a prisoner. Voldemort strode in, anger coursing through his body.
"Where is the boy?" Harry hissed in Voldemort's snake-like tone.
Yaxley crawled to Voldemort's feet, his shackled hands clawing at the ground. "M-My lord," Yaxley croaked. "Please forgive me. I was trying to-"
"Trying to do what? You had orders to stall the boy until I came. You failed, Yaxley. You failed Lord Voldemort." Harry was taunting Yaxley, making him shudder with fear.
Yaxley's cries echoed around the small cell as he realized his mistake. "I will make it up, my lord. I w-will bring you the boy. I can do it," Yaxley's voice was barely above a whisper now.
Harry felt no pity for the sorry state Yaxley was in. He had to find Potter before another one of his horcruxes went missing. He was angry at Yaxley, angrier than he had been in a long time. With Dumbledore gone, he thought things would get easier. But the Order was making things the exact opposite of easy. The Ministry was his to do as he pleased, but he didn't have enough power to stop the Order. At least he had Severus. Hogwarts was as good as his. Severus was a good and loyal follower, spying on Dumbledore the whole time. He knew Severus could carry out the deed of murdering the old fool. He had had no doubts. But he doubted Yaxley and Yaxley had failed him.
"Where is the boy?" Harry asked again, his patience leaving him. Yaxley did not answer at first, and that angered Harry more. "Answer me!" Harry shouted.
Yaxley flinched at Harry's increased tone and he should've guessed what was about to come next if he failed to answer. Yaxley gulped for air, and said, "The past. I used the new prototype Time Turner on him and sent him… to the past." Yaxley then cringed as he waited for a series of curses and hexes.
Harry would've like to have tortured Yaxley, but his mind had other thoughts. This fool sent Harry Potter, the only one who could stop the Dark Lord, back in time so he could freely hunt down the horcruxes while past him was oblivious to the fact. Yaxley had gone too far this time. He must be punished. But first, one last question.
"How far?" Harry's voice was at that scary-calm stage. He used that voice when feeding victims to Nagini. If Yaxley didn't pull through, that would be his fate. The chained death eater shook his head. A green light filled the cell as Yaxley dropped to the floor, dead.
Harry woke, not suddenly, but gradually as the dream ended. It wasn't like the other times, when Harry visited Voldemort's thoughts. This time, it felt as if the dream was an afterthought, not entirely live and in person. To Harry, it felt like a normal dream. He would have to talk with Hermione about it, since she knew more about time travel and it's effects than he or Ron did.
Voldemort hadn't planned for Harry to end up in his past. Yaxley decided that for himself, the bloody moron. Harry felt Voldemort's rage as he murdered Yaxley, but he also felt a hint of joy. Harry was out of Voldemort's way for now, so he could move all the horcruxes to a safer place. Then maybe, he would follow Harry back in time and finally fulfill the prophecy. Harry wondered if Voldemort had the ability to track the new time turner and decided to talk with Dumbledore about that later.
He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The Hospital Wing was still dark, telling Harry it was early morning still. He looked to his left and saw Ron drooling on his pillows, the sheets thrown off of him. He smirked at Ron's display, but it wasn't anything new to him. He looked to his right, where Hermione should've been sleeping. Her bed was empty, the sheets pulled tightly over the mattress like she'd never slept in it. He swung his legs over the bed and his feet touched the ice-cold floor, sending chills up and down his body. Harry shivered as he leaned over to Ron and shook his friend by the shoulder. Ron's eyes remained closed and his snoring increased. Harry shook harder and shouted, "Ron!"
Ron's eyes flew open and he lurched upward, managing to hit Harry's head in the process. "Bloody hell! What was that for?"
Harry's head pounded against his ear drums and he sat back on his bed because a dizzying sensation filled his body. "Hermione's gone," he managed.
Ron looked over Harry's shoulder at Hermione's empty bed. "Where did she go?" he asked.
The pounding in Harry's head had lessened to an ache, so he stood and moved to his trunk. "That's why I woke you. We need to find her." He opened the trunk and started putting on his school robes. In less than twenty four hours, students would be streaming through the Entrance Hall, so robes would make them fit in with the crowds.
"I swear," Ron groaned, "that girl does not take into consideration the amount of sleep I require." But Ron rolled out of bed and started pulling on his robes.
They passed Madame Pomfrey's office on the way out of the Hospital Wing, and Harry could see the matron brewing a potion in the corner. She wore the same uniform as yesterday, making Harry wonder when she actually slept. They entered the hall, but had no idea where to go.
"If she's not here, where could she be?" Harry asked.
When they were at Grimmauld Place, Harry had been the one to wander off, leaving Ron and Hermione in the sitting room. He had climbed the stairs, looking for something familiar. That something turned into Sirius's room as he felt a longing for his godfather. Being around his things, Harry had felt the hole in his heart close just slightly. Maybe Hermione seeked that familiar feeling. Suddenly, Harry knew exactly where she was.
"The library!" Ron and Harry said together. Some things would never change.
Harry and Ron set down on the path they knew would eventually take them to the library. It felt strange to be familiar with the castle, yet feel so out of place. Harry remembered every day he spent in the castle. It had been his real true home after he left the Dursley's. At Hogwarts, he wasn't useless or a waste of space. In the castle, he was loved by his friends and teachers and he had a purpose. But this castle was alien to him. It's walls didn't sing with the love he'd felt since he was eleven. These walls spoke of a war that would tear the castle down brick by brick. It was morbid and depressing, yet hopeful in all the nooks and crannies. Light in the darkness.
Harry and Ron met no teachers or magical creatures as they hurried down the corridors. Though it was early, Harry had always encountered someone roaming the halls no matter the time of day. Usually it was Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris, but ghosts wandered around, sometimes conversing with the people in the portraits. Harry felt this castle was empty of life. He found himself staying close to Ron as they neared the library, one, so they could stay warm in the icy morning, and two so he would know he was not alone.
Harry was used to Madame Prince shooting him looks as he entered the library because he would always cause some sort of commotion. It got so bad that Harry had asked Hermione to bring him books and study with her in the common room. When they entered the library, though, it wasn't Madame Prince behind the desk. An ancient man with a billowing beard as white as Dumbledore's. He was hidden behind an enormous book, so Harry could barely see him. He paid them no attention, so Harry and Ron hurried past and looked for the table Hermione usually could be found at. Sure enough, when they turned the corner, she was reading by a stack of books on her right and an even larger stack on her left. She too wore her robes, but they were wrinkled, as if she spent the night in them.
"Hermione?" Harry whispered. She jumped in her chair and whirled around to face them.
"You really shouldn't do that," she gasped. They joined her at the table, Harry and Ron taking the two chairs opposite Hermione.
"Where were you this morning?" Ron asked.
"I never slept. I kept thinking about the time turner and the horcruxes, so I came to the library to look at books on time travel just to do some research. I've barely gotten through a fifth of the books. Apparently it's a very discussed topic."
"What did you find out?" Harry asked, hoping there would be something to explain the dream he had.
Hermione shrugged. "It's all very complicated and the books contradict each other about the way time moves. Some say it is an endless cycle while others claim it is a straight line. They go into a very confusing and complex explanation of what the sand in the time turners is. Basically the sand in the time turner is like floo powder. Instead of going through space, the sand lets you go through time."
"That's it?" Ron asked. "You've been here all night and that's all you found out?"
"Well excuse me Ronald if I haven't found the way back yet. Why don't you spend eight hours without sleep going through diagrams even adult wizards couldn't depict," Hermione said, exasperated.
Ron paled and remained silent, his eyes refusing to meet Hermione's glare. "Did it say anything about dreams," Harry said suddenly to break the silence.
Hermione's brow furrowed, concentration painted across her face. "No, I don't think so. But I haven't gotten through all the books yet. Why?"
Harry told her and Ron about the dream where Voldemort murdered Yaxley for sending them to the past. "But it didn't feel like I was seeing into his mind. This time, er, it felt like a regular dream, something that had already passed," Harry finished.
"Harry, even in our time you shouldn't be seeing into his mind. Dumbledore wanted you to practice Occlumency so-"
"So people like Sirius don't die," Harry finished. He knew Hermione would start lecturing him about the importance of occlumency, but he didn't care. "I know that Hermione, but what about the dream. I was still connected to Voldemort-the Voldemort of our time. How is that possible?"
Hermione shook her head, which made Harry's hopes drop. "I don't know how that's possible. We've gone back, so your connection with Voldemort should be severed since he hasn't tried to kill you yet. However, time isn't something wizards have studied and mastered. Especially considering how far back in time we are, we have even less knowledge on the subject."
"But my connection isn't severed, which means… something," Harry said. He wished he could confide in Dumbledore, but he knew Dumbledore of this time wasn't aware of Harry's position as the Chosen One. He didn't even know about the horcruxes. Suddenly, Harry had an idea. "You know, the night Voldemort tried to kill me as a baby, Dumbledore told me that a part of Voldemort was inside me. That's the reason I can talk to snakes and how I can get inside his mind. But what if it's more than that?"
Ron was lost and Hermione didn't look far behind. "What do you mean, Harry?" Ron asked.
"What if a part of Voldemort latched itself onto me that night," Harry began. "What if I was a horcrux, his seventh horcrux." Harry didn't continue in order for Ron and Hermione to react. He noticed both hadn't moved a muscle and were both staring at him with their eyes wide.
After a minute, Hermione spoke. "Harry," she said. Harry was expecting a stream of exclamations stating he was crazy and where did he come up with such a ridiculous idea. Instead, she surprised him by saying, "That would actually make sense, I mean, your connection to Voldemort being so strong, occlumency couldn't destroy it."
"Wait, you actually think it's possible?"
"Yes," she exclaimed. "It makes perfect sense. Neither can live while the other survives. He can't die until…" her words faded as she turned her eyes to his. Tears were welling up. "Until he kills you," she finished.
Harry had come to the same conclusion as he explained his theory to them. Dumbledore had kept him safe at Hogwarts, knowing full well what Harry was and what he had to do. Like raising a pig for slaughter. Harry suddenly felt a considerable amount of rage towards his old headmaster. Not just because of the information he learned from Ron's great aunt Muriel at Bill and Fleur's wedding, but because he never told Harry anything. He failed to tell Harry anything about the other horcruxes or his personal life. Harry didn't want to trust Dumbledore anymore, not with their lives, not with anything.
"Dumbledore knew all along," Ron breathed. His words were barely a whisper, but they hit Harry like a barreling train.
"Ron!" Hermione shrieked. Harry looked over her shoulder at the ancient wizard at his desk. He hadn't moved an inch, his face still hidden behind the book. Harry looked back to Hermione as she continued. "Dumbledore had a perfectly good reason for keeping that from Harry."
"What is it, then?" Harry asked, his anger flaring. "Give me one good reason Dumbledore did right by keeping all of us in the dark!"
"Because you aren't ready yet," Hermione said quietly. "We haven't found all of the horcruxes yet and we're nowhere near to defeating him. You know Dumbledore well enough to know he won't just leave you to deal with everything. Dumbledore has it all planned out."
"Hermione's right, mate," Ron said.
Harry knew he was being ridiculous and Hermione was right. Dumbledore must have it all planned out for him. Had he not learned that the people he trusts always keep their word. Harry guessed he was so used to losing people he kept them close, too close. Whenever they break his heart, he lashes out with confusion and anger. Albus Dumbledore wanted the best for Harry Potter, even after death. Harry chuckled at the thought of Dumbledore sitting in a chair, eating lemon drops and cheering Harry on. It was a stupid image, but it made him feel a lot better.
"She always is," Harry responded.
Hermione blushed, her face reddening to match the sunrise peaking through the library windows. Hermione rubbed her eyes and looked sadly at the large stack of books sitting to her left. "I'm not sure if I want to keep reading those. They are very repetitive and keep arguing with each other if too close."
"Then stop reading. Come on, I haven't had breakfast yet," Ron said quickly. He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of her chair.
"Oh, you and breakfast," Hermione gasped. Harry laughed and they all left the library hand in hand.
The Great Hall was empty when they entered. The wooden tables were polished with a gleam and the candlesticks were shining silver. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down one of the corridors leading off the Great Hall and found the portrait of a fruit bowl. Harry reached out and tickled the pear. It squirmed and laughed as it turned into a bright green doorknob. Harry turned it and led them into the kitchens.
House elves of all shapes and sizes greeted them at the door, but none of them was as excited to see Harry as Dobby had been. He missed the little elf throwing himself at Harry's feet, missed the little tea cozy on his head. But these elves were overly polite when they served the trio eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages, raspberries, and an endless pitcher of pumpkin juice. It was more food than Harry could have eaten, but between the three of them, Ron eating about half, they finished. The whole time, Hermione nagged Ron about overeating while Ron ignored her and kept eating.
As Ron downed his last glass of pumpkin juice, Harry said, "We should do something today, before term starts."
"Great idea," Ron said.
"But what about the library?" Hermione asked at the same time.
Harry narrowed his eyes. "We are not spending the day before term in a library."
Hermione crossed her arms, but she smiled nonetheless. "Well then, where do you want to go?"
Harry thought about his time in school. If they had a day off, where would they go? "How about Hagrid's?" he suggested.
Ron laughed. "Like, introduce ourselves?"
Harry remembered the first time he met Hagrid. Mr. Dursley had taken Harry and his family to a small shack on an island to escape a hoard of letter determined to reach Harry. The second Harry turned eleven, Hagrid had barged in by knocking down the door. He declared Harry to be a wizard before giving Dudley a pig's tail. From that moment on, Harry had considered the man one of his best friends. "Introduce ourselves," Harry confirmed.
They got up from the table, and, while declining any more food from the elves, left the kitchens and walked out of the castle. The sun was higher in the sky and was climbing fast. Smoke rose from Hagrid's hut as they climbed down the path leading to it. Pumpkin plants were growing in the garden, and Harry knew Hagrid would use them for the Halloween feast in October.
They came to the wooden front door. It looked ever so familiar down to the last splinter of wood. Harry raised his fist and knocked twice on the wood. They heard wood creaking as Hagrid approached the door. The door's hinges weren't as rusted as Harry had gotten used to and the door squeaked less as Hagrid opened the door.
"Can I help you?" Hagrid asked.
The half-giant stood the same height above the trio, had the same kind expression, and was wearing the same brown overcoat he could almost never be seen without. Harry could smell Hagrid's tea as the aroma wafted out of the hut. It felt like home to Harry, other than Hogwarts.
Hagrid was still staring at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, expecting an answer. Harry cleared his throat. "Hullo, we're the new students. We just wanted to introduce ourselves to the teachers." Harry hadn't felt this nervous since the Ministry. Harry hadn't relied upon Dumbledore's approval of Harry like he did Hagrid's.
Hagrid's face brightened into a smile. "It's always a pleasur' to meet new students. Can't say I've be'n a popul'r with them. Me name's Hagrid."
"I'm Harry Porter," Harry said.
"Ron. Ron Wesley."
"Hermione Jean. It's very nice to meet you Hagrid."
Hagrid beamed at Hermione's comment. "Do ya wan' to come in? I've go' the tea on." He held out a massive arm, inviting them in. Harry lead the way in, pretending to examine the inside while actually savoring in the small details. Hagrid's tea kettle was hanging over a fire in the corner by a large mass of sheets Harry knew was his bed. A small table sat in another corner, littered with newspapers and old mugs. A plate of Hagrid's infamous rock cakes sat uneaten by the sink. "It's not much, but it's all I hav'." Hagrid had closed the door behind them and guided Harry to a set of couches by the table. Harry sat down, and Hermione and Ron sat on either side of him. Hagrid brought out three new mugs and filled each with a dark liquid which smelled strongly of mint. He handed the mugs to the three before settling down on the largest of the chairs.
"Profess'r Dumbledore told the teach'rs about the transf'r students, but I didn' expect ter see ya until the feast tonigh'," Hagrid rumbled.
"Well, we heard about you, Hagrid, and we wanted to introduce ourselves before classes start," Hermione said around the mug as she sipped the tea politely.
Hagrid blushed and chuckled a little that sounded like a mix between chortling and coughing. "Tha' man. Good man, Dumbledore. Finest headmaster Hogwarts has ev'r seen. But I'm only a gameskeeper. Hardly worth all the trouble."
"That's nonsense Hagrid!" Hermione said. "You are very important, to Dumbledore and to Hogwarts!"
"Thanks, Hermione. It's strange, I feel as if I can tell ya anythin'," Hagrid said. He shuddered once and looked towards Harry. "But I only met ya today. Excep' Harry remin's me of a student here. Loo's a lot like ya."
Harry knew the answer to his question before he stated it. "Who?"
"James Potter. Ya go' the same hair an' build. But yer eyes… It's nothin' ya nee' worryin' about." Hagrid let it go as he finished slurping his tea. "But what about you three? What's life like on the outside?"
"Oh," Harry said, unsure what to say. "We've been sort of, er, underground during the war. Dumbledore wrote to our families saying Hogwarts was the safest place there was."
Hagrid nodded at Dumbledore's name. "He's righ'. Nowhere safer than Hogwarts. I think you'll like it here. I know I do."
Around lunch time, Hagrid had to leave for the castle to help prepare for the incoming students along with the teachers. He had said he'd enjoyed meeting the trio and hoped they would visit once term started. Harry smiled as he watched the man climb up the hill, happy that, for the second time, he had found a friend in Hagrid.
They left Hagrid's hut once they'd managed to dispose of their leftover rock cakes they'd been too polite to reject. Harry was used to hiding his rock cakes in his pockets after an afternoon at Hagrid's. He wondered if anyone rejected his offer of sweets.
There was still a few hours of time left before they would head back to the school. Apparently, as Hagrid said, the Hogwarts Express would arrive earlier at the Hogsmeade station because the death eaters liked to attack under the cover of nightfall. Harry had decided against Hogsmeade because he didn't want to be caught by the hoard of students when the train pulled into the station. They decided to head back to the castle like Hagrid.
Once they entered the castle once more, they had no idea where to go. "Where to now?" Ron asked.
Harry reached into his pocket and brought out the Marauder's map. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," he said while placing his wand on the parchment. Suddenly, the map came to life with ink depicting rooms and corridors all over the castle. There were fewer names since only the teachers were in the classrooms. Harry saw names he'd never heard before, but also recognized names like Professor McGonagall and Flitwick. Harry even saw Slughorn in his office. There were people on every floor except the seventh, where he knew the Room of Requirement was, but wasn't on the map.
"The Room of Requirement," Harry said. "Maybe they have something there to help us."
"Of course," Hermione exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because you love the library too much," Ron joked. Hermione hit his arm, but smiled too.
They headed up the stairs, used to the way it moved on its own accord. They took the less direct route to avoid running into Peeves, teachers, or other ghosts. It wasn't that they didn't want to meet the teachers, but they wanted to limit contact from the people of this time. They found the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy with the trolls and crossed the stretch of wall three times, all while thinking about their need to get home. On the third pass, a large door appeared with a gleaming silver knob. Harry turned it and pushed the door open. They entered, not entirely sure what to expect, but were shocked nonetheless. Instead of some library with scrolls of parchment or even a laboratory with time turners to spare, they found a replica of the Gryffindor common room. Even if it wasn't the thing they needed, Harry felt relieved to see it. The last time he'd been in the real common room, he had decided to go hunting for horcruxes with Ron and Hermione. He couldn't remember if he thought it was the last time he'd see the place, but he knew now he missed it terribly.
The squashed looking chairs were the same, as were the chess boards littered on the spare tables in the back. The fireplace was roaring with smoke and ash as the fire burned and pulsed like a heart. Hermione sniffed somewhere behind Harry and he turned to see her crying. Ron had his arms around her, but he looked as sad.
"Welcome home," Ron said aloud.
Harry slowly crossed the room and sat down in his usual chair. The fabric felt just as Harry remembered, which was odd, considering it was twenty years younger. He memorized the feel all the times he studied or did his homework in that chair. It was always his spot. Now, tonight even, someone will sit in the same chair in Gryffindor Tower, and it would be their spot. Harry still wasn't used to the idea the castle was still the same. Everything from his school days seemed like it belonged to him, but the castle had a past that went back centuries. Nothing in the castle was owned by the students, or staff for that matter. Soon, replacements would start rolling through, changing the castle, but remaining the same.
Harry was glad the Room of Requirement existed, so this way, Harry would never forget his common room. His home where he belonged. But it was still missing things. Fred and George would've been handing out sweets from their joke shop if they'd still been in school. Seamus and Dean would've been discussing Quidditch teams and stats. Neville might've been off in the corner watering a plant or reading up on modern herbology. Hermione would be doing homework while Harry and Ron would be playing chess by the fire. There were so many people gone, lost, or dead that had made Hogwarts home. It was familiar to Harry in every way, but his family, his house, was very different indeed. It tore Harry's heart apart, which was something that happened often. It was like Harry kept swallowing a puking pastilles or nosebleed nougat, but the damage was towards the people he loved.
Something shimmered in front of Harry, almost like a mirage. It kept shimmering until it eventually solidified into a large box. Harry leaned forward to inspect it and saw a familiar logo on it. He furrowed his brow as he held it up to Ron. Ron's eyes widened as he gasped, "Bloody hell."
Hermione looked to see what the fuss was about and her hands flew immediately to her mouth. The words Weasley's Wizard Wheezes stared up at them. The box felt heavy in Harry's hands, so he set it back down on the table, where it started shaking a bit.
He looked to Ron and Hermione. "Should we open it?" he asked.
Before Ron or Hermione could respond with a "yes" or "no" the box started jerking around as if it was possesed. They all shot to their feet, but unsure of what to do next. The lid of the box flew off and hit the opposite wall with a thud. Multicolored fireworks shot out of the box and danced around the room. Harry laughed as he recognized some of them from the prank Fred and George pulled during their O.W.L.s as they left school for good. The fireworks exploded around the common room, each forming a lion, phoenix, or bolt of lightning. It was breathtaking, but child's play compared to the finale. A giant snake erupted from the box, sending emerald sparks to extinguish the gold and maroon ones. It slithered around the room, stopping mere inches from Ron's head as if sensing he was there. Then, a figure burst out, brandishing a sword and bird. Harry realized the figure was him. He held out his sword and sent the bird, another phoenix, charging after the snake. When the two animals met, gold exploded out, showering the fake Harry in gold galleons. Then, the lights faded, and the common room returned to it's regular lighting. The trio stood, too shocked to say anything. Harry understood the twin's message, that Harry would defeat Voldemort, but how did it manage to get here. He slowly lowered himself back into his chair. Ron and Hermione followed.
"That was bloody brilliant," Ron muttered. "I can't believe they never let me in on their joke shop or pranks."
"How do you suppose it got here?" Hermione asked, taking ahold of the box. Inside was a complete set from their Skiving Snackbox. Harry recognized most of them because they had gone around to everyone in the common room testing them out. It looked amazing to Harry, but Hermione shrugged it off, almost fuming at their nerve.
"I was thinking about these before it showed up," Harry said. "I kept thinking it didn't feel like home without Fred or George trying to sell them to first years. Maybe the room felt like it needed to compensate."
"But how does it know about Fred and George?" Ron asked. He had taken the box from Hermione and was pocketing the sweets.
"Perhaps," Hermione said, "the Room of Requirement was a different dimension, one that existed in space, but not time. Then, it could potentially pull something from anytime if it wasn't key to the timeline." She paused. "That is, of course, just a theory. Don't know if I'm even close."
They sat in the common room sharing sweets and watching as they puked, bled, and changed according to the sweet's design. Hermione had been hesitant to try any at first, but eventually joined Harry and Ron as boils covered their faces. She even laughed as Ron tried combining two pastilles and ended up covered in puking boils. They all laughed so much they barely heard a clock strike five. The Hogwarts Express would be pulling into the station any moment.
Harry took a deep breath as he came to the conclusion his parents would be walking through the castle in a few minutes. He also knew Sirius would accompany them because nothing could tear the Marauders apart, except death. He would behave properly and befriend them like any other Gryffindor. He would not change the future and he would not change his mind. Hermione's words held him to that.
They slowly exited the Room of Requirement and Harry was sad to see it go, but he knew they could visit it whenever they wanted. No students knew about it yet, so they would be undisturbed. They trekked down the many staircases they took up and waited outside the Entrance Hall. Once the students started spilling through, they would join the crowd in.
It didn't take long before they could hear voices outside the castle. Harry didn't recognize the voice and hardly paid attention as the first person walked through the door. He didn't look up as five students entered. It was only when a stream started that Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped into the crowd. No one paid them much attention because they were all talking about their summer. It pained Harry to overhear a lot about death eater attacks and more people getting killed. He even thought he heard something about the Order, but the voice was lost among the chatter. When the entered the Great Hall, he could see the empty tables they'd seen earlier were filled with students from their houses. They found an empty section at the Gryffindor table and hoped no one would sit too closely. More people piled in and Harry looked up at the staff table. Dumbledore sat in the middle with McGonagall directly on his left. Harry saw Professors Sprout, Flitwick, Slughorn, and Binns, but everyone else were strangers. Harry briefly wondered how long it would take him to remember all their names when someone sat down not to far from him.
Harry looked at the boy and froze. He had untidy black hair that stuck up in back and wore round glasses. He looked tall, taller than Harry, but more disheveled like he didn't care what he looked like. The boy across from him, shaggy black hair which hung around his shoulders, was accompanied by another boy. He was rather shabby looking with dirty blond hair much shorter than his friends.
"Wonder where Peter went, Prongs," the shaggy haired boy said to the one sitting next to Harry.
"Haven't the faintest, Padfoot," Prongs replied. Harry's heart stopped because he knew the name Prongs. It belonged to his father, according to Sirius. That meant, the boy sitting next to Harry was none other than his dead father, James Potter.
A/N: So sorry I haven't posted in a while. I wanted to get to Harry seeing his dad and a lot of things came between it. I promise to keep updating, but school can get in the way. I appreciate your patience and hope you're enjoying the story so far. I have it all planned out, but the real question is if I can finish it. We'll see. Please review if you like it. Reviews motivate me to keep writing! Just FYI :)