Chapter 135: Princess Elizabeth

"That figures why the girl was so politely suddenly." Arabella muttered. They had gathered back to the inn within five minutes after Lily had sent out the red sparks, with Sirius and Remus being the last two to return. She had just updated all of them about what Rowena had just told her and Ginny. "The last thing we want is to have some unnecessary attention." She leaned against the pillar of the bed with a loud sigh.

"Godric told us that Salazar's stepfather had intentions of usurping the throne.." James frowned as he updated them with Slytherin's information that they heard from Godric earlier. "And we would all be in serious danger if that information is true."

"And Godric is a trained legilimens." Harry added monotonously and ended with a sigh.

"Does that mean that.." Stefanie asked.

"Yes, he knew all about us." James interrupted, frowning slightly. "He warned us about Bell's resemblance, but we did not realize it until - now."

"So now are we going to pretend that Arabella is Princess Elizabeth or what?" Sirius asked in a rather harsh tone, likely to be out of jealousy. He was pacing around the room rather anxiously.

"Jeez, what else can we do now?" Harry mumbled to himself. All of them were deep in their own thoughts.

"If Rowena believes that Bell is the princess, so did the salesgirl at the dress shop, and even Godric himself saw the resemblance, it's a matter of time before rumors spread." James commented. "Let's just say that if we play along, what could happen?" He looked around his friends for approval.

"Bell will be captured for pretending to be the Princess." Lily stated the most obvious consequence.

"Simple, we just don't admit that we're from the palace or that Bell is the Princess." Sirius said sarcastically.

"What are we supposed to admit? We're not from the palace to start with." Arabella muttered loudly. "I just don't feel too good about this whole princess thing."

"People will ask where we're from." Ginny reminded. "Rowena did. And when we told her we can't tell, she drew that conclusion."

"Rumors will definitely spread fast in this small village." Remus analyzed. "And if what Godric say is true about Salazar's stepfather has intention in usurping the throne, he may just kidnap Bell and threaten the king. But she is not the princess and the king would not do anything about a commoner, she will be in great danger."

"We can't allow any of these things to happen either. It will be recorded and our names can't appear in history." Stefanie reminded.

"What do you think the princess is like?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"SIRIUS!" The rest groaned. That was such an insensitive question.

"No, I don't mean that." Sirius defended himself immediately. "I know what you're thinking about but I don't mean that. I mean her personality. Who knows she might be able to help us with this whole Slytherin thing?"

"So how can she help us?" Arabella commented dryly. "What are the possibilities?"

"I don't know." Sirius thought for a moment. "It's just a suggestion." The rest just rolled their eyes at Sirius' thoughtless comment.

"I'll go out and get some food for us." James broke the tensed silence a few minutes later by standing up. Even Sirius was frowning slightly at the disturbance.

"I'll come with you." Lily added softly before both of them left the room silently.

"Meddling with history is a big problem." James sighed. "Is there anything we can do about this whole thing?"

"There is something we can do. But we just haven't thought of it." Lily intertwined her fingers with James as they walked out silently. "Hi Ro, can we get dinner for eight?" She asked in a lighter tone.

"What would you all like?" Rowena asked softly, giving her a nodding smile.

"Anything is fine." James said wearily.

"Okay." Rowena nodded and left the counter passing the orders to the chefs inside the kitchens.

"Is the girl over there staring at us or am I being oversensitive?" Lily hissed. There was a young lady with dark colored hair sitting not far away from the counter staring at them with a frown.

"You're just being oversensitive." James turned to see who Lily was referring to when the lady turned her head away quickly. "It's probably your dress or something." Lily looked at her conjured dress and felt slightly uncomfortable at her stare.

"How about we deliver it to your rooms later?" Rowena came out again smiling at them.

"It's okay, we'll just wait here." James shrugged and took a seat at the table nearby.

"Sure." Rowena smiled at them politely. "Please take a seat first." She poured two cups of tea for them before approaching some other customers who just walked into the shop.

"Hello." The girl whom Lily caught staring at them walked over.

"Hi. Can we help you?" James asked politely. The villagers here were friendly, but not to the extent of approaching strangers.

"Sorry, I don't mean to intrude. Both of you don't seems to be from Hogsmeade. Tourists?" The lady said as she poured a cup of tea for herself.

"Well.. er - hi." Lily greeted her with a polite smile with James was frowning slightly. "I'm Lily and this is James, what's your name?"

"Call me Liz." The lady said. "I've heard that you got a friend who looked like the Princess." She said in a low voice.

"Erm.." Lily was not sure how she was supposed to answer when James interrupted.

"I'm sorry but I don't think it's any of your business." James said in a business-like tone as if he did not want to divulge too much.

"Can I meet her?" The lady asked as though she would not take a 'no' for an answer.

"I don't think so-" The last thing they want was to let more people know about their identities.

"I don't think our friends would like to meet you." James, by now was feeling tired and pissed, answered rather snappily.

"I'm sure she would like to meet me." Liz leaned forward and told them in a low voice.

"And why would that so?" James answered curtly. "Let's go." He stood up taking Lily's hand, who was now looking very hard at the young girl.

"Who are you?" Lily asked directly. I've got this hunch and I hope I'm right.

"I want to meet your friend." Liz insisted and followed James and Lily.

"James, you're holding too tight." Lily wriggled to remove her wrist from James' forceful grab. Liz was now following behind them directly.

"This is your room isn't it?" Liz stopped and pointed to the room they had just walked passed without a second look. James and Lily exchanged a look when she knocked onto the door.

X

"Dinner is here!" Sirius jumped up at the sound of the knock, thinking that it would be James and Lily back with their dinner. "Hi, what's for dinner?" He asked the plain-looking girl when she walked into the room without carrying anything that looked like dinners. James and Lily followed into the room behind her. "Where's our food? Who is she?" Sirius was looking very confused. James closed the door after entering, making sure no one was lingering outside their room.

"Oh my gosh." Liz walked straight over to Arabella and scrutinized her.

"Sorry, I don't know you." Arabella got up straight and headed straight to the washroom.

"You look like me." Liz stood up with Arabella and suddenly her long hair became brownish blonde in color.

"What?" Arabella turned and stared at her when she gasped.

"What?" Ginny and Stefanie ran forward when Arabella gasped. Liz' back was still facing the rest of them.

"Oh Merlin." Stefanie gave a surprised look. "You-" Liz then turned around and faced the rest of the group who looked equally shocked.

"Princess Elizabeth?" Lily asked while the rest were still surprised at the sudden change of her appearance. "You're a metamorphamagus."

"That's right." Elizabeth nodded. "I've heard about you from my friends and that's why I sneaked out of the palace to come here and see you." Although she was wearing a very plain village dress, there was an aura about her that was different from any other ladies. "Who are you all? Where are you from?"

"It's not important where we're from. How did you manage to sneak out from the palace?" Sirius asked, changing the topic breezily.

"I can change my appearance at will." Elizabeth said with pride. "This is how I've been escaping from the palace now and then."

"Someone is bound to notice that the princess went missing." Sirius ushered Elizabeth to his seat.

"I've learn enough magic to conjure another me to stay in the room in case of any emergency." Elizabeth sighed as she sat down. "Sometimes I prefer that I'm a commoner here than a princess locked up in the palace. It's awfully boring and full of rules."

"Tons of girls would do anything to take your place in the palace." Lily chuckled. All girls dreamed to be a princess when they were younger. She, too, was no exception.

"I know. That's why I made some wonderful friends around here. Now can you all be honest and tell me who you are? And where are you all from?" Elizabeth asked, having eye contact with everyone in the room, and lingered slightly long with Arabella.

"How do we know if we can trust you?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Well, first of all, I told you all about my identity, which I must add that none of my friends in Hogsmeade know about this. Secondly, you all know I'm a metamorphamagus, which my friends don't know." It was obvious that this young princess was telling them the truth.

"How can you trust us?" James asked. "You don't even know who we are."

"Well, I learnt Astrology and Divination." Elizabeth sounded slightly impatient. "I knew that I was going to meet my future incarnation soon." She shot a look at Arabella. "And when I heard from my friends that there was a girl in village who is rumored to be the princess, I knew that it was the truth." She helped herself with a fresh cup of tea. "I'm sure you all know about that rumor by now."

"Princess, so how may I assist you?" Sirius bowed and took Elizabeth's right hand and plant a gentle kiss on it. Arabella and Stefanie expressed positively revolting look while James and Harry chortled a laugh at the overzealous Sirius.

"Eewww." Elizabeth took her hand back and wiped it against her skirt. "That's disgusting." She turned her back towards Sirius. "I know you all are here for a reason, and I may be able to help." The seven of them looked at one another, while Sirius did not take his eyes off Princess Elizabeth. "You are all here to prevent the catastrophe in two thousand years time." Elizabeth spoke in a knowledgeable air. "The heir of Salazar is on a killing spree and you all are the only one who can stop him." She glanced around and saw some surprised reaction. "I'm sure you all have heard about the legend of the Supreme Seven. And six of you are part of them."

"Wow, how do you know about that too?" Sirius was amazed by Elizabeth's knowledge and wisdom.

"Zeus Trelawney was the royal seer and he had been my teacher for Divination." Elizabeth answered without looking at Sirius. "I didn't believe him when I was younger, but when the signs are showing, I knew that he was telling the truth."

"What truth?" Lily asked curiously, Stefanie and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"The first sign when Salazar's stepfather wants to usurp the throne." Elizabeth said grimly. "If not for Zeus, this whole land would have been gone by now." She took a deep breathe before continuing. "That's not the important point. The whole point is you all must stop Salazar from having an heir that kills people randomly."

"How can we do that?" Remus asked. "He slammed the door on us even before we managed to say anything."

"I don't know." Elizabeth said in a defeated tone. "All I know that Zeus wanted me to help to stop Salazar's evil doing."

"Can't we ask Zeus what to do? After all, he was the one who made the prediction." Harry asked.

"We can't." Elizabeth closed her eyes, remembering the thoughts of his teacher. "He died mysteriously two years ago."

"Sorry to hearthat." Arabella replied sympathetically.

"Then how did you know about all these?" Ginny asked. Elizabeth sat down once again. "He told me that when I was younger, but I didn't understand anything. He knew he was going to die, so he left me a vial of potion by my bed and told me to drink it after my eighteenth birthday before I sleep. That night he appeared in my dreams and told me the entire story of the future. I've seen all of you in my dreams and, of course, the disastrous future."

"Oh my gosh." Lily and Arabella gasped. Elizabeth gave a small smile.

"Well, I told the story of the Supreme Seven to all the kids in the village after Zeus passed away. That wasn't an instruction he left, but it was something I want to do so people can remember him forever." Elizabeth smiled fondly at the thought of his late Divination teacher. "Okay, so now back to the main point. How are we going to convert Salazar?"

"Why can't you get rid of his stepfather? Like execute him or throw him into jail?" Sirius asked.

"If it was that easy, you all wouldn't have to be here right now." Elizabeth sighed. "There is no evidence against him. Besides, the last time when he was capture for attempted assassination, he broke out of jail, killing all the guards mercilessly along the way. He was too evil and cunning; I am worried for my father too." Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Since Zeus had so much confidence in us for doing this, he must have been sure that we could change history." James stood up and gave something like a pep talk he used to give before a quidditch match.

"Not to sound discouraging or what, but it must have not worked the first time round since – that – had happened." Arabella pointed out.

"It has to happen because otherwise you all will never come into existence." Elizabeth said simply. "We need all the help we can get."

"Who are the 'we'?" Lily asked.

"Godric, Rowena, Helga and Salazar." Elizabeth said. "But they don't know about their future yet. They don't even know that they will come together and start Hogwarts in about twenty year's time."

"Wow, you even know that." Sirius was thoroughly impressed. "We graduated from Hogwarts last year."

"How you managed to graduate is beyond me?" Elizabeth said in a teasing manner. "Given your intellect, I thought you might have been repeating your second year for the last five years." The rest started laughing while Sirius turned a few shades redder than before.

"You've yet to discover my charming intellect which will impress you greater than anything you know." Sirius seemed to have recovered his wit instantly.

"Right." Elizabeth muttered incoherently, looking more unimpressed by Sirius' wild flirtatious moves. "I need to go now. Will come back to see you again in no more than three days. Hopefully by then we can figure something out." She turned towards the door while changing her appearance along the way, back to an average looking commoner.

"Let me walk you back." Sirius offered and followed Elizabeth like a doggy out of the room.

"That's something about the history we never learn." James commented. "What has Professor Binns been teaching us all these time?"

"I don't think we learnt anything beyond the years of our founders." Remus tried to remember. "And even if there is, there isn't much coverage about it since it was so long ago."

"I think we need to find the solution soon." James sat down onto the stool which Elizabeth sat on earlier. Lily joined him and sat down beside him.

"The magic and muggle world have advanced in the last two thousand years, how about we use something from the future to deal with him?" Harry spoke up after several minute of silence. "He wouldn't have expected that since he probably never even knew about their existence."

"That's a brilliant idea, Harry!" James spoke with pride. "I see that you've got my intelligence." Lily started blushing and looked away from James and Harry.

"This is such a logical idea; I bet it must be Lily's genes." Arabella grinned cheekily at the blushing Lily.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway." James draped his arm loving over Lily's shoulders. "So let's think of something from the future that we can use to deal with the ambitious devil."

X

"Honestly, you can't believe that we are going to electrocute him with electricity which hasn't even been invented?" Stefanie sighed at Sirius' tenth muggle-inclined suggestions. They had continued on their discussion the following day instead since everyone was still in shocked about the Princess.

"Why not?" Sirius argued. "We can generate the electrity magically, and attack him with wires. Or we can transfigure a power station which shoots electrity into his house and zapped him."

"Padfoot, your ideas are absolutely fantastic, but they are not feasible." James slapped his forehead. "Try thinking something along the lines of practical and intelligent."

"But I still think that electrity is the best idea out of the gun.. pen.." Sirius started listing out his previous suggestions thoughtfully.

"Ssshh.." Arabella shushed him up. "We're trying to think now."

X

"I'm starting to like the past." Stefanie commented blissfully. Remus and Stefanie had disguised themselves into the commoners and were now walking along the side roads in Hogsmeade village.

"Everything is so much simpler." Remus agreed. They had been thinking of possible solutions for the last couple of hours. Another day had passed without any solutions for their problem and they decided that it would do all of them some good to take a three-hour break before continuing.

"Do you think there are another you and me at this time frame in Hogsmeade right now?" Stefanie asked randomly. They were holding hands, walking inconspicuously along a stream which leads to the future Hogwarts Lake.

"That is possible, seeing Liz and Bell." Remus smiled lovingly at his girlfriend. "And I'm sure even if I met you in the past; I would have fallen for you too."

"Really?" Stefanie blushed slightly. "I know I will fall for you too." She said in a slightly lower voice. Remus tilted her head up and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"I promise that if the present time has changed, I will search all over the world just to look for you." Remus whispered. "There is no one else I rather be with other than you, I promise."

"That's what I love about you." Stefanie leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat down in front of a stream which overlooked the location where Hogwarts would be in the future. "I'm afraid that when we go back, everything will be different."

"It will definitely be different." Remus patted the back of her hand. "We will not have the burden of saving the world by then, and be just ordinary witch and wizard. No werewolf, no Voldemort."

"That life sounds really tempting." Stefanie smiled slightly; her eyes went a little teary with emotions.

"I know that will happen. We will meet again, probably in a different place and time, to continue this relationship that is bonded for eternity." Remus gazed lovingly at his girlfriend, and wiped a tear off her cheek.

"Where do you think we will meet? I don't know if I will even be Sirius' twin or cousin in the future." Stefanie took a deep breath at the fresh riverside air.

"I know that I will go all over the world just to look for the girl I love and want to protect with all my life. There is no one else but you. I assure you, we will definitely meet in the future." Remus pulled Stefanie closer for a hug. They sat there in silence, enjoying each other company, keeping the promise that will withstand the passing of time.