Harry's scar prickled as his eyes closed for the night and opened in a different body. Bellatrix Lestrange was kneeling before him. Her dark hair was wild as always, but unkempt, like she'd went a few days without running a comb through it. It gave the impression she was still inside her cell in Azkaban. Instead of a uniform, however, she was wearing black robes a little too tight in the waist.
"My Lord," Bellatrix whispered fiercely. "I have kept it safe, like you ordered. I have kept it hidden from the others. It is in no safer place-"
"Nothing is safe anymore!" Harry bellowed at her. She shrank away from him, but she did not stop bowing towards him. "Dumbledore found out about it and told Potter before he died. He has one already, but Yaxley sent him away before I could… retrieve it."
"I swear to you, my Lord, I am no fool. I have kept it safe for you, there is no need for worry. No one knew about it, I swear," Bellatrix said quickly.
"No, it must be moved. You must bring it to me now!"
Bellatrix looked uncertain of what to say next. "Journey to Gringotts, now?"
Harry was beginning to get impatient with Bellatrix, his most faithful servant. He took a deep breath and smiled as best he could. "I need it, Bella. We cannot wait for the Potter boy to learn about it. It must be put under my protection."
Bellatrix raised her head to meet her master's gaze and smiled. Her rotting teeth foul and disgusting, but gave her the appearance of a madwoman. Which she was. "It will be done, my Lord," she cackled.
Harry woke in a manner that was far more violent than he was used to: Hermione shaking his shoulders. His eyes flew open and he pulled himself out of her arms.
"What was that for?" he demanded.
"Well, if you want to sleep through our classes, go right ahead," she snapped. She was already dressed in uniform and robes. Ron stood by his bed, struggling to put on his trousers because his eyes were closed. "You have to get used to waking up early now that we're not on the run anymore."
Ron muttered something under his breath, but Harry was too far away to catch it. Being Ron, though, it probably something Hermione should never hear about, for Ron's sake. Harry rolled out of bed and started putting his uniform on. He never thought he'd miss the scratchy sweaters or the uncomfortable shoes, but now as he dressed, he couldn't think of a better uniform. There were many things Harry said goodbye to last year, but the uniforms somehow eluded the list.
They cleared the listening ears of Madame Pomfrey, who was still fuming after the incident last night, before Harry told Ron and Hermione about his dream.
"And I think Bellatrix might have one of his horcruxes," Harry concluded. "She said something about Gringotts."
"Do you think he'd actually give a horcrux to his followers to keep safe?" Ron asked. "Does he trust them enough?"
"The diary, Ron," Hermione said. "Lucius Malfoy had the diary before he gave it to Ginny in second year. Voldemort probably gave one to Bellatrix since she's his favorite."
"The question is, though," Harry said, "is it in her vault now?"
"What, you mean twenty years ago now?" Ron asked. "You're not seriously thinking of breaking into the most secure place in all of England?"
Harry shrugged, as if what Ron said seemed entirely possible. "Voldemort did it, or rather, Quirrell managed to. You remember Ron. It was in the papers."
"Quirrell, the same bloke who had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head?" Ron sputtered. "You're going mad, Harry."
"We broke into the Ministry of Magic, what's the difference?"
"The difference," Hermione interrupted, "being that Gringotts has far more charms and spells protecting the vaults. First, you would need her key. Second, you would need to look like her or her husband. Third, you'd have to find the thing, which we don't even know what it looks like. And fourth, get through all the detection charms. Goblins aren't stupid Harry. Besides, we don't even know if it's at Gringotts now."
"Do you think he's given them out yet?" Ron asked.
"I don't think he has," Hermione said. "If I were him, I'd keep them close to me, but when the Prophecy about Harry reached him, he felt threatened and hid them so Harry couldn't find them."
"But-" Harry began before Hermione shushed him. They were standing in front of the Great Hall, the echo of voices much louder than Harry realized.
"We need to be careful of what we say out in the open," Hermione warned.
So that's what James heard as the trio entered: silence. It was strange to see three people so quiet all the time. Or maybe it just wasn't a common habit among the three boys he hung out with. Out of all the Marauders, Wormtail was the most quiet, and James thought it was because he was shy. How that boy managed to get into Gryffindor, James didn't know. But those three didn't seem as shy and timid as Peter. Their silence spoke of a secret they all shared. James cracked a smile as they sat down far from anyone else because he was going to find out what.
"Prongs, we have first period with the Slytherins, with Binns. Please tell me there is good news this morning," Sirius moaned as McGonagall passed them with their new schedules.
James looked down at his own schedule and saw, to his disappointment, it was going to be a slow morning. History of Magic with Binns, then double Charms. At least those teachers didn't hate his guts like Professor Selwyn. He was the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts and acted as much like a Slytherin as anyone in that house, though he was actually head of Ravenclaw house. James swore he looked for reasons to dock points for Gryffindor.
"I don't think I have anything, Padfoot. You'll have to persevere," James joked, although he was as bummed as Sirius about the dreary morning of classes they'd have to endure.
Lupin, also holding his schedule, looked towards Harry and his friends. "Do you think they'd have the same classes as us, considering they'd been homeschooled for a while?"
Sirius looked at Harry and shrugged. "Only one way to find out."
Harry and Ron had been pouring over their schedule while Hermione was pouting over hers. It seemed Dumbledore was making them take Divination, a class Ron and Harry knew Hermione despised.
"Why is it even a class to begin with," she was sighing. "What purpose does it actually serve besides giving people false hope."
"I can't believe that's the thing you're complaining about," Ron huffed. "Do you see what our morning looks like? I don't know if I'll be able to stay awake!"
"Looked over the schedule, did we?" Sirius plopped himself down next to Ron and grabbed the piece of parchment out of his hands. He then started comparing his to Ron's nodding a few times. "Looks like we'll be in the same classes, Wesley." He turned to Ron and smiled. "Lucky you." Sirius then disappeared as fast as he appeared.
Ron scowled. "Is it bad I miss the guy who spent twelve years in Azkaban?"
Harry laughed. "It's weird seeing him so young. He doesn't look tired or defeated anymore."
"Well, I find him irritating and obnoxious and too much in love with himself," Hermione snapped. "It's amazing how much he'd matured."
Sirius joined the Marauders after comparing his schedule to Ron's. "They're in the same classes," he confirmed with James.
James was glad for the fact, so this way, he'd be able to keep an eye on them. Lupin looked relieved as well. "That's great. We'll get to talk to them some more. Maybe I can study with one of them since you two have never stepped foot in the library."
Sirius smirked. "It's not my fault I'm naturally gifted with everything. Studying is just not my thing."
After a quick breakfast, the Marauders headed towards the History of Magic classroom on the fourth floor. Professor Binns was in his classroom already, his back turned away from the entrance to his classroom. He was mumbling already as he drew complex maps on the board with his wand. James rolled his eyes and took a seat, not bothering to find out what Binns was saying. He was always doing that, teaching before his students had even arrived. It was a habit James felt most annoying and just asked Remus for notes afterwards.
The Slytherins and Gryffindors had a truce when it came to History of Magic because neither houses enjoyed the class. If the Slytherins didn't bother the Gryffindors, the Gryffindors wouldn't provoke the Slytherins. If that wasn't world peace, James didn't know what was.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in just as Binns turned to face his now present class.
"Transfer students?" Binns asked. They nodded. "Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the class.
Everyone was piled in back, including the Slytherins, leaving the front row unoccupied save for Remus, who was furiously copying down the charts. He didn't look up as they sat down next to him, and James was surprised to see the girl, Hermione, joining Remus in their attempt to follow Binns throughout the lesson. They were very much alike, he noted.
Harry and Ron, however, were zoning out. Ron was practically asleep in his chair while Harry was flipping through his new History of Magic textbook. He was going through the pages so fast, James was worried the ruffling of pages would cause Professor Binns to turn around and see his class falling asleep. But, thankfully, he did not. What was he looking for, James pondered.
He felt a poke on his back and turned around to see Sirius. Sirius was pointing towards Hermione and mouthed, "She could be his sister."
James smirked, as if he hadn't already come to that conclusion and mouthed back, "What's Harry looking for?"
Sirius looked around James so he could see Harry. His eyebrows shot up, then furrowed as he tried to come up with a reason. After a second, he mouthed, "Dunno."
James turned back to face the board, having unanswered questions that started piling up. He was contemplating over his questions for the rest of the lesson. A bell rang somewhere in the castle(the Marauders had yet to find the origin of the bell)signaling the end of their first lesson. Binns had assigned them to redraw the maps he'd done so that it incorporated the migration of centaurs during 1465. All of this went over James's head as he packed his books away and followed his friends as they made their way towards the charm's corridor.
The same routine as History of Magic followed during Charms. Hermione, Remus, and even Lily participated constantly as Flitwick asked them questions about the wand movements necessary to do a new spell they'd be learning. A Patronus charm. James, on any other occasion, would've been listening attently since his father had told him the significance of a patronus. Instead, he kept his eyes on the trio, who seemed to be grinning during the whole lesson. Harry even participated a few times, answering Flitwick's question about what was necessary to use a patronus.
Then, during the second half of the class, he had them partner up and practice doing the spell. Remus had walked up to Hermione, but Ron had her by the arm and dragged her to a corner of the classroom. She had gone very red in the face, but said nothing. Harry approached Remus, muttered something, and started practicing with him.
"You ready mate?" Sirius asked James.
"What?" James asked, completely thrown out of his thoughts by Sirius's question.
"You really need to let those three be," Sirius chided.
"Sorry, Padfoot. There's just something about them…"
"I know, but it could be absolutely nothing. Leave them alone for a while and get on with your schoolwork because you've really been slacking," Sirius said, pointing towards James's Head Boy badge.
James nodded and the two of them set to work. James had been half listening to what Professor Flitwick said about the charm. It was a repelling charm used to get rid of Dementors, the hooded figures that guarded Azkaban. Dementors fed on fear, so in order to produce the charm, you had to think of a happy thought.
James thought about his summer, where his dad worked less and bought James a new broomstick. He'd been so happy to spend time with his father. Still picturing the image, James said, "Expecto Patronum." Nothing happened.
Sirius smirked and said, "Something stronger than that."
James thought again, of the time an owl delivered his Hogwarts letter. He'd been so excited, after hearing about Hogwarts from his parents. He thought of meeting Sirius on the train and instantly becoming best friends. He tried again, but nothing happend. Sirius gave him one last chance before he would try. James scrunched up his nose and thought of the one thing that made him happy. Her red hair glowed in the sunlight behind her, lighting up her brilliant green eyes. For six years, Lily Evans had hated his guts, but he knew this year she would be his forever.
"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, and this time, he felt it. The joy surged through his body and a white form burst from his wand. The antlers formed first, then the head, and the body was last to appear. The stag pranced around the room before vanishing at his side.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter. Fifty points to Gryffindor for being the first to produce a corporeal patronus!"
Sirius was beaming at him and patting him on the back. He looked to Remus, who was also smiling, but Harry wasn't facing him. He was looking at his feet, his arms at his side. James thought he looked troubled, but, as soon as he'd thought it, Harry had picked up his head and nodded towards James.
Hermione was the second one to produce hers. It took the form of an otter that swam around both hers and Ron's head before disappearing. Almost immediately, Ron tried and produced a dog. It wasn't like Sirius's animagus form. It was smaller with broader shoulders and pointed ears. Remus's was a wolf, no surprise there.
Sirius had trouble with his, demanding James tell him the secret to casting it. "Just think of your happiest memories and keep picturing it as you cast it," James kept saying.
On his tenth try, Sirius managed to cast it, setting free an all too familiar dog. Compared to Ron's, his was more wild and unpredictable as it ran through multiple people's legs. It stopped as Lily cast hers, a beautiful doe. James's heart almost stopped as he saw the doe. It was almost like destiny was trying to tell them they were soul mates. She looked at James's, but turned away when she saw his prying eyes. Maybe she didn't want to believe it, but James saw it as a sign.
The lunch bell rang and everyone poured out into the crowded halls. Professor Flitwick had been so pleased about the number of people who managed to cast the charm during class, he decided their only homework was to practice. James had been happy because it left less homework for him. He watched as Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked briskly away, their heads together. He wished he could find out what they were talking about.
Harry had felt an immense amount of joy during Charms because he remembered teaching that exact lesson to the DA in his fifth year. Everyone had said he was a good teacher, and it was now he realized how much they needed him. At the beginning of class, Flitwick said he had gotten Professor Dumbledore's permission to teach them this skill because the war was getting closer and closer to the castle. The students must be ready.
It was the second part of the class he didn't enjoy so much. Even though he knew he could produce his patronus in a matter of seconds, he hadn't thought it was a wise decision. First off, because no person could produce one that fast, and two, because his father was in the room. If they saw they had the same patronus, he and the Marauders might ask too many questions. Harry thought James knew something already, and that was the reason he was keeping a close eye on them. He could see his father's eyes every time he turned his head. It was starting to get unnerving.
When the bell had rung, he and Ron and Hermione decided to eat lunch in the Room of Requirement so as not to run into the Marauders again. Once they'd crossed the corridor three times in front of the tapestry, and once the door appeared, they looked over their shoulders to see if they were being followed. Satisfied, they entered.
Expecting the Gryffindor common room, they were surprised to see it was not what the room gave them. Instead, they were standing in the kitchen of the Burrow. Everything was cleaned and cleared away, but it was how Harry remembered it during the summer, without all the food and mess when they were preparing for Bill and Fleur's wedding. The clock Harry was so used to seeing on the wall, with eight hands representing each Weasley, was still there, although each hand was on the Mortal Peril spot.
"Shall I put the kettle on?" Hermione asked. Ron and Harry nodded, and she strode over to the stove and started pouring water into a very beat up kettle.
They snacked on sandwiches Hermione made up and while Hermione buried herself in the time travel books she'd brought from the library, Harry and Ron played Wizard's Chess. Though Harry had improved since he'd been eleven, Ron was always the champion. Harry didn't mind that because Ron deserved to win, even if it was a silly game that meant literally nothing in the real world.
Halfway through their second game, Ron suddenly asked, "What were you looking for in History of Magic?"
Harry had almost forgotten about it and said, "I was looking to see if it had any recent history in it that might help us if we end up stuck here."
"That's a wonderful idea, Harry," Hermione said into her book. She hadn't looked up yet from the book since they'd sat down. "We should all do that."
Ron muttered something, but pulled out his textbook and flipped towards the end. Harry also pulled out his and opened it to a bookmarked page. Harry took the object in his fingers and stared at the image on the front. His parents waved back at him as they smiled at the invisible camera. Harry had taken it out of the pouch Hagrid had given him for his 17th birthday, which he had tucked under his shirt that morning. He felt a warm sensation in his heart and knew he wouldn't let go of the picture until the day he died.