THE TIME ANOMALY

CHAPTER 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I don't grudge it to Rowling either, she deserves it.

On the thirtieth James and Remus Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. Hagrid was waiting for them. James wasin his usual disguise - light-brown hair and slightly altered features - also covered by a hood.

"Hello Remus," Hagrid said delightedly. "Who's this?" referring to James.

"A friend," James answered for himself.

"Hagrid, I heard brought Harry to Diagon Alley?" Remus inquired as they started walking towards the castle.

"Yes, tell us about him," James said, poorly disguising his eagerness. Luckily Hagrid didn't hear him.

"Well he was quite shocked - "

"Shocked?" Remus inquired. "What shocked him?"

"Oh. Well, he was livin' with the Muggles - Lily's sister - "

"Why Muggles? What were they like?"

"I think Petunia - Lily's sister - married a Dursley. Ranted like a banshee about how detestable magic was - and only think, they'd told him his parent's died in a Muggle car crash. Poor kid didn't know a thing 'bout magic. They didn't let him have his Hogwarts letter till I broke down their door. Had ter tell him everything - as if he was Muggle born. He made a good friend of one, 'bout a month ago - Hermione Granger. He's also best buds with the youngest Weasley boy - Ron Weasley."

"The Weasleys are at least a respectable family."

"Yes. They're both pretty good Quidditch fans, you should have seen Harry's game a few weeks ago - "

"But Harry's a first year!"

"Pleased McGonagall so much she bent the rules a bit - she's mighty pleased, too, won the match agains' Slytherin, hasn't been done for seven years."

As Hagrid rattled on, James exchanged a look with Remus. Harry grew up with Petunia? He's on the Quidditch team?

"Wait, wait, wait!" James howled suddenly. "Did you say a troll?"

"Yup,"

"He-he wasn't hurt, was he?"

"He was fine. Couldn't much be said for tha' poor troll, though. Got knocked out with his own club," said Hagrid sympathetically.

"Poor troll? That troll nearly killed my - er - Harry Potter!"

"But his friend Ron knocked it out with it's own club! They're not smart enough ter understand right 'n' wrong," Hagrid pleaded.

"But Harry's mart enough to know when his life's in danger, and to remove the threat," James said pridefully.

"Trolls're misunderstood creatures," Hagrid moaned.

"Maybe," James conceded, but with a look at Remus that said 'people think they're too gentle, rather the other way around' and Remus nodded. "go on," Remus said shakily. But neither of them voiced the concern that Hagrid down-toned magical creatures a lot.

When they got to Dumbledore's office, Hagrid told the password and went back to whatever he'd been doing before.

"Hello," said Dumbledore cheerfuly. "I am a bit surprised to see you, Remus!"

"I'm not the only Marauder here, Dumbledore," Remus said lightly.

Dumbledore looked startled. "Did you bring Sirius Black here?"

"Oh, no, Dumbledore," James said, reversing his disguise."I brought Remus here."

"Who are you?" Dumbledore asked warily.

"Didn't Remus give you a clue?" James demanded. "I am a Marauder."

"But Remus and Sirius Black are the only living Marauders - "

"The key word there is 'living'. Most everybody thinks I am dead, anyway." James Summoned a picture of him, Remus, Sirius, Lily holding Harry, and a cut out spot that probably had been Peter. "Do you have it? If you are this thick it's no wonder a troll made it in on Halloween."

"How did you know that?"

"Hagrid told us," Remus interjected.

"I'm wondering why my son had to fight the troll! Merlin, I thought Hogwarts was safe!"

Dumbledore appeared shocked. "Sorry - I was surprised," he said a moment later. "You're James?"

"Yes, and this'll take all day if you go into 'shock' again," James said ruthlessly.

"Yes, yes, sorry about that," Dumbledore mumbled. "You're inquiring after Harry? He's - "

"Here, yes. I've been out for ten years, it's not hard to figure." James said dryly.

"Where's Harry been living before Hogwarts?" Remus asked.

"At Lily' sister Petunia Dursley's place."

"Did they treat him well?"

"He was a bit skinny when he came here, but otherwise perfectly fine."

"How do you know they didn't just not treat him badly so he looked fine when he came here?"

"I had instruments monitoring his heart rate and overall health. One or two times he was injured rather seriously - by Muggle standards - but he soon healed, whether by magical or Muggle means I do not know."

"You mean you never checked up on him?" Remus asked, shocked.

"He was fine."

"He didn't know about magic until Hagrid had to rip the Dursleys door off to get him letter because they wouldn't let him have it!" James half-yelled. "Harry didn't even know about Voldemort - Hagrid had to tell him! He thought me and Lily died in a Muggle car crash!" James stopped to ponder that sentence - yelling at somebody because sombody else thought that him and sombody else had died - it was the sort of sentence you didn't see often.

"Really?" Dumbledore managed in a small voice.

"Hagrid didn't tell you?"

"I didn't ask. He said the Muggles were horrible he'd had a bit of trouble getting Harry his letter. I thought - "

"Hagrid?" James asked.

"Yes."

"Hagrid didn't come howling in about Harry not knowing a thing about magic? Think maybe sombody put him under the Imperius?"

"There's nobody who'd want to."

"No Death Eaters escaped Azkaban?" James asked skeptically.

"A few did, on plea of being under the Imperius," Remus said bitterly. "But those are people like Malfoy who had enough money to bribe himself out anyway, and only plead Imperius for public image reasons. Anyway, we have to discuss other stuff."

"Well Sirius is innocent. Madam Bones is working on getting him a trial, and I've been visiting him in Azkaban. Did you know that Bagnold and Crouch sent him in without a trial?"

"Yes, but I knew he'd been your Secret-Keeper - "

"It was Peter. We thought to use a decoy. Turns out Peter was spy."

"I know there were two spies, they knew too much - "

"DIdn't account for the spy being an illegal rat Animagus though, did you?" James countered smugly.

"He - what?"

"What I said. He's an unregister rat Animagus with no distinguishing features. If he's still alive though he'd have a missing toe."

"Were there other Animagi in the Order?"

James promptly turned into Prongs.

Remus facepalmed. He'd forgotten that James was still early twenties and prone to showing-off and stuff.

"Anyway," James said. "Why was Harry put with Petunia? I know that the will filed in Gringotts didn't activate because I wasn't dead, and his godparents were out of the picture, but why Petunia? She hated everything magical."

"It had to be Harry's blood relatives or Lily's. The magic invoked when she let Voldemort kill her trying to protect Harry now protects him from anything evil."

"What'd be after him, with Voldemort dead?"

"Rogue Death Eaters avenging their master?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"OK. Can you work on the Minister to get Sirius a trial? Bones is already."

"Yes, if there is any doubt he is guilty."

"I heard they snapped his wand," James said. "You can't possibly agree with snapping the wand when Prior Incantato would show he didn't blow up a street full of Muggles."

"I didn't hear about that."

"Odd. Thank you anyway, Albus. The Minister will probably cave with you on his case. Is there anything else?"

"Yes," Remus said with a smirk. "Me and Sirius are now ten years your senior."

James stared at Remus in horror.

"Yep. You time traveled - we didn't."

"Ahhhh," James croaked.

Remus laughed.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Do you want to see Harry now?"

"No, I want him to see us all togehter - his Uncle M - Remus, Sirius and his dad all one happy group. It just wouldn't feel right without them. We'll come as soon as Sirius has recovered a bit from Azkaban."

"That makes sense," Dumbledore nodded.

"I think we are done here, then." Remus said, standing.

"You're right. See you, Dumbledore." James said as Remus dragged him out the door.

Author's Note:

I'm sorry for not updating in a while, but a new idea seized me and I had to at least get it started. (Read 'The Potter's Ghosts' by me to find out about it!)

Plus I just had to puzzle out the end of the chapter properly.