Chapter 3 – Uh-Oh.
Suddenly, the entire hall was silent. Then, there was a resonant scream from the Gryffindor table, and then a commotion as someone fell to the floor. James grabbed Lily's hand and together, they ran as fast as they could to the staff table. James' brain was reeling. Never mind the ruckus they had caused, or the person who had collapsed. James was more worried about what the girl had said. 'It's Lily and James Potter!' Lily and James Potter. Lily and James POTTER. LILY and JAMES POTTER. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, thought James. We get MARRIED in the future? Married? To firehead Evans? No. No way. Not a snowball's chance in HELL will I marry LILY EVANS. By this time, they had reached the staff table. They looked into Dumbledore's face, hoping for him to explain why everyone was so freaked out, but instead they saw him staring at them too, his face ashen, next to Professor McGonagall, who had fainted dead away. "Pro – Professor Dumbledore?" asked James. "We need your help. And…we need to get out of this Hall." Slowly, Professor Dumbledore nodded. He pointed his wand at Professor McGonagall and muttered "Locomotor Mortis." Slowly, she rose into the air, and he guided her out of the Hall, James and Lily hurrying along behind him.
Dumbledore led Lily, James, and the floating McGonagall to his office. He sat them into two chairs, then laid Professor McGonagall onto a couch, pointed his wand at her, and said "Ennervate." Professor McGonagall came to, seeing Dumbledore peering down at her.
"Can it be true?" she whispered. "Lily – James? Back?"
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "I don't know how they got here, or how they're going to get back, but they're here."
Professor McGonagall gave a long, shuddering breath, and remembered a horrible night from 14 years ago, possibly one of the worst nights of her life. 'I can't believe it…I didn't want to believe it…Oh, Albus…' The night Lily and James died, and Harry was dropped on the Dursleys' doorstep for 10 years of hell.
Dumbledore turned back to Lily and James, who were staring dumbfounded at Professor McGonagall, not without good reason. What could shock Professor McGonagall so badly that she totally lost it? James and Lily were totally panicked now; they knew that something horrible had happened to them in the past 20 years. "Professor?" asked James. "I'm extremely confused. What has happened to us?" Lily, whose face was a mixture of gray and green, nodded.
Dumbledore sat down. "First, you must tell me how you got here. Then I shall tell you why everyone is so stunned."
James looked at Lily, who still seemed unable to speak, began to explain. "Well. I had just pulled a prank on Lily, and Remus was making me apologize to Lily. The apology turned into a fight, and in the ensuing scuffle, Lily's Timeturner was knocked off her nightstand, onto the floor and I guess it turned over a few times, because the next thing we knew, it felt like we were spinning very fast, we heard screams and saw flashes of green light, and then we were here."
Dumbledore nodded. "I see. Which prank is this?"
"The showgirl prank," said James, meekly.
"So you are…16. Ok. Now, the way you are to get back is through the Timeturner. Do either of you have it? They shook their heads. "Ah. Well then, I shall write to the Ministry to get you another one. It may take a little while. Now, I will tell you what has happened that made your appearance shock everyone, on two conditions. Condition one, which you do not panic, and condition two, which you do not try to change the future, for it is inevitable. Cast in stone. To change it would be pointless. Do I make myself clear?" They nodded again. "All right," said Dumbledore. "Well, a few years after you graduate, a wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort" – Professor McGonagall gave a squeak of fright at the name – "begins to try to take over the Wizarding community. I start an organization to fight him, called The Order of the Phoenix, and you both willingly join up. A few years later, you are married" – Lily yelped and James turned green – "and Lily gives birth to a son. But, one year after this, Lord Voldemort shows up at your home. You are both killed. But by some miracle, Harry survives and is with us to this day. In fact, I think that he was the one who screamed at the Gryffindor table. Minerva, are you up to walking?" Professor McGonagall nodded. "Then I would like you told hold everyone in the Great Hall, tell them I need to speak to them, and take Harry up to the hospital wing. He needs rest after such a shock. Harry is your son," he added to Lily and James, who both nodded. I hope he's OK, thought Lily. A son! This is weird…but…wow!
"Also," said Dumbledore, "You will have to attend classes here until I can obtain a Timeturner. It may take some time, as I don't have as much pull with the new Minister and it will be difficult to explain that I need it for Lily and James Potter"–James made an involuntary retching noise and Lily glared at him– "not to mention the fact that you have both broken the law by letting yourselves be seen. Your schedules will be given to you at breakfast. Also, I will be adding an extra bed to the boys and girls' dormitories. Now, I would like you to the hospital wing and be with your son while I address the school. Good night. And…welcome to 1999." With that he was gone.