As soon as we walked into the common room, exhausted but content, we were confronted by a very angry Lily Evans. "Where have you been!? We've been looking all over for you!"

"Er..." I said unhelpfully, shrinking away from my girlfriend's angry glare. Regulus walked forward anxiously. "Hi."

"We thought something had happened," Regulus said. "What happened?"

"Ask Sirius," said Remus.

Sirius crossed his arms. "I've told you, I don't know!"

"Let's talk up in the dorm," I suggested. "I don't particularly want anyone overhearing."

Lily and Regulus nodded, and we climbed the stairs to our dorm room. Peter was already in there, and he looked up. "You're back!"

"Yeah," said Remus.

"Okay, you might want to sit down," I said. Regulus flopped down onto his bed, and Lily situated herself comfortably on the floor. "Last night, Sirius led us to the Heart."

Lily, Regulus, and Peter gaped at Sirius, who turned red and hid behind the curtains around his bed.

"How?" asked Peter.

"That's the thing, we have no idea," Remus said. "He seemed to know everything about the place, but he also seemed surprised that he did."

"It was weird," said Sirius in a small voice. "I mean, I would just know things and I don't even know how. I'd only seen it twice, in dreams."

"That is weird," said Regulus. "Do you think it has something to do with your dreams?"

"We should ask Dad," I decided.

Peter nodded. "Yeah... we did tell him you guys were missing."

Sirius and I exchanged glances. "We're in trouble."

"Dad?"

Sirius and I poked our heads into the door of Dad's office. He looked up, and grinned broadly, beckoning us in. "I was just about to call your mother, James."

"Thank goodness you didn't," I sighed.

"So," said Dad. "Where have you been?"

"We found the Heart," Sirius beamed. Dad looked taken aback.

"Correction," I added. "Sirius found the Heart. He led us there last night, and that's where we were all day."

"I like it," Sirius said awkwardly, as Dad was staring at me.

"You found it?" Dad asked. "How?"

"We don't know," I answered patiently. "But, hey, if you ever need an expert on the Heart of the Forest, ask Padfoot. He seems to know everything about it."

Sirius turned red again. "We were wondering if you knew why."

"Ah," said Dad slowly. "That would be something you should ask Dumbledore. I'm afraid I don't know."

"Oh," Sirius looked slightly disappointed. "Alright, we'll ask Dumbledore."

"I understand you must be confused," Dad said kindly. "Everything will work out, okay?"

Sirius nodded glumly. I smiled at Dad. "Thanks, Dad. Do me a favour and don't tell Mum we were gone."

"I don't plan to," Dad chuckled, grimacing slightly.

We left the room, Sirius still looking very upset. I put a hand on hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be fine. Dumbledore will be able to explain. Besides, it isn't a big deal, really."

"You don't understand," Sirius muttered. "You aren't having these weird dreams. You don't have all this weird new knowledge all of a sudden."

"But it won't hurt you," I said, not completely sure, but still pretty positive. Sirius nodded, reassured slightly. "We just have to hope Voldemort doesn't find out about this."

Sirius looked at me, bewildered. "Why?"

"He wants the Heart, right?" I said. "I read that no one has ever found the Heart before- at least, they haven't been able to tell anyone about it. That means Voldemort probably can't find it, either. If he finds out you could lead him there..."

"But I wouldn't!" Sirius exclaimed defensively.

"I know, I know," I reassured him. "But when we were in the Forbidden Forest, something just came over you, like you were possessed or something. I don't think you'd have a choice."

Sirius looked fearful. "Then he can't get me! I can't lead him there, he'll destroy the place! It's peaceful, they're happy living without humans. What, does he want the lake? For immortality? That's a legend, the lake doesn't give immortality, it just heals- and it only heals good people!"

I stared, taken aback by the determined look in his eyes, and even more surprised that his eyes, usually a warm grey, were an icy blue colour. "Sirius... what's up with your eyes?"

Sirius blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. "Huh?"

"When you were talking," I said slowly. "Your eyes changed colours."

"They did?" Sirius asked, looking disconcerted. "I didn't... how? I mean, I'm not even sure how I knew all that (go figure). Are you sure they changed colours? It wasn't just a trick of the light?"

"No," I said. "They were kind of blue... like ice. It startled me, that's all. One more thing to ask Dumbledore, I suppose."

Sirius buried his face in his hands. "I'm not normal, am I?"

I paused, mulling over this, before shrugging. "Join the club, mate. Neither am I."

"Ice Mice?"

"Lemon drops?"

"Sugar quills?"

"Hmm... what about chocolate frogs?"

"Should we try something other than candy?"

"No, his passwords are always candy."

We had finally reached Dumbledore's office. The problem was Dad hadn't told us the password, leaving us to guess. Doesn't sound that hard, considering his password was definitely a sweet.

There are a lot of sweets.

"Hmm... pumpkin pasties?"

"Nope. Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans?"

"Having trouble?"

Sirius and I jumped, turning around. Dumbledore was standing behind us, smiling serenely.

"We were just coming to see you," Sirius said.

"I can see that," Dumbledore chuckled. "Allow me. Cockroach clusters."

The gargoyles moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase. I raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you don't actually eat those?"

Dumbledore just gave me a twinkly-eyed smile, and led us into his office. "Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you," I said. Sirius also passed.

"Now," said Dumbledore. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, I don't know if you know, but I've been having these dreams," Sirius started pensively. Dumbledore nodded and motioned for him to go on. "And... last night... I led James and Remus to the Heart of the Forest."

Dumbledore looked immensely surprised. "Indeed? The Heart of the Forest?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "And the strange thing is he knows almost everything about it. Earlier he was talking, too, and his eyes changed colours."

"This is... interesting," Dumbledore said slowly. "I suppose you wish to know what is happening?"

Sirius nodded eagerly.

"I will have to disappoint you," Dumbledore said. Sirius deflated. "I do not know myself, though I will look into it. May I suggest talking to the centaurs? I believe that whatever may be happening is well out of the range of human knowledge, at least at this moment."

He fixed us with a serious gaze. "It is important that you keep this new development from Voldemort."

"Yeah," said Sirius darkly. "I know."

And, perhaps it was a trick of the light, but his eyes were black as night.

It had been a few days since we'd talked to Dumbledore. I seemed to be the only one noticing, but Sirius's eyes continued to subtly change colours with his emotions. It was barely noticeable, but I, of course, was paying close attention. This had never happened back in the original timeline. Had we really changed things so much?

Yes, we had. We'd run in to Voldemort too many times to count by now. By the end of my fifth year in the original timeline, we'd only met him twice. Regulus had been in Slytherin the entire time I'd been in the original timeline (though didn't he say he was resorted?). We'd changed things a lot, but enough to cause all this? It didn't make sense. And why Sirius?

That was a stupid question, of course, it was always Sirius. I felt bad for him, really, as cool as it would be to have eyes that change colour and knowledge of a strange sort of civilization most thought to be a legend. Still, I'd be pretty bewildered too.

Tonight, we (me and Sirius and, strangely, Lily, who'd forbidden Regulus from coming on the premise that it would be too dangerous) were sneaking out to go talk to the centaurs. Regulus, Remus, and Peter, meanwhile, had gotten as many books as they can that might be related, and were going to scour them for information.

"Ready to go?" Sirius asked as soon as we were the only ones left in the common room. I nodded, and pulled out my invisibility cloak. We waved a quick goodbye to the others, before I threw the cloak over our heads.

We had to huddle close. Lily was clinging to my arm nervously. "We're breaking the rules..."

"Isn't changing the future illegal, though?" Sirius pointed out. "You've been breaking the law ever since you got here."

"Yes, but the Minister made an exception!" Lily replied. "We can give them the memories and we have written paperwork that's magically sealed."

Sirius scowled. "You always find a way to prove me wrong."

Lily stuck out her tongue. I rolled my eyes as we got closer to the forest. "Shh, guys. Quiet, who knows what else is in there. We won't go in too deep, just in case Sirius goes wacky on us again."

Sirius grumbled something under his breath.

"Oh, don't bother," I said. "You know it's true."

As soon as we were concealed in the trees, I took off the cloak and put it in my robes. Lily nodded approvingly. "Good. The centaurs wouldn't like us to be disguised."

"How will we find them?" Sirius asked.

"Think you could lead us to them?" Lily quipped innocently. Sirius stuck his tongue out at her.

"Guys, get along," I said, stepping forward. "Let's start walking. Perhaps we'll run into one. Be ready to explain."

We didn't walk very long. I kept an eye on Sirius just in case he did go all possessed on us. Suddenly, out of nowhere, and arrow shot past us, nearly hitting my arm, which I jerked back quickly. A centaur approached us, ready to shoot. All three of us held our hands up in surrender.

"We come in peace?" Lily offered.

"Humans are not welcome in this forest," said the centaur.

Sirius narrowed his eyes, not angrily, but looking thoughtful. "You- the centaurs- you help to protect the Heart?"

I was, by now, used to Sirius spouting random information about the Heart, but Lily looked surprised. Sirius's eyes were still grey, so I took that to be a good thing.

The centaur, too, looked taken aback. "How do you know that?"

"That's kind of what we want to know," I said, stepping in. "He knows a lot, but we don't know how. He even led us to the Heart the other night."

The centaur smiled suddenly. "My apologies. Come with me. The stars have foretold this."

That, at least, didn't surprise me. We followed the centaur deeper into the forest, into an area much less dark and foreboding. Sirius looked around, smiling happily and walking with a sort of bounce in his step. Lily seemed to be in awe. Ha. Imagine if she saw the Heart.

"This is our camp," declared the centaur, as we walked into what looked like another little village. "Not many are welcomed to the Heart. Those who are not cannot find it. This means you are friends."

"Has Hagrid ever seen the Heart?" Lily asked.

"No, not even Hagrid," said the centaur.

"Do you know how I found it?" Sirius asked. "Why I know about it?"

"Why his eyes keep changing colours?" I added, as Sirius's eyes had turned a shade of yellow in his distress. Lily looked at him in surprise. Yep. I had been the only one to notice.

"I cannot answer that," said the centaur. "But I can say it is a gift of the stars. All will be revealed in time, of course, as are all things."

Sirius obviously didn't like this answer. "But why me?"

"Don't ask me," said the centaur. "I don't know everything!" he chuckled to himself. "So nice to meet young humans who think we know everything."

"I guess we should leave then," said Lily sadly.

"You may visit again," the centaur offered kindly. "No harm will come to you in the Forest, not as long as you are friends of the Heart- well, no harm from anyone of the Forest. There are some who have entered who are not welcome here. They seek harm, and harm they shall get."

"Death Eaters," Sirius noted, eyes going dark again.

"Hmm, is that what they call themselves?" asked the centaur curiously. "Curious."

For a moment, he reminded me of Dumbledore.

"Go before the other humans realise you are gone," advised the centaur. "The morning is soon, though darkness grows closer than ever. Good luck. I fear the next time we meet may not be under as good of circumstances."

He turned to leave, but Sirius rushed forward. "Wait! You didn't tell us your name!"

"My name?" said the centaur amusedly. "It is not my name that is important, Sirius Black."

With that, he disappeared into one of the strange sort of huts. Sirius frowned confusedly. "I never told him my name."

"I think," Lily said, crossing her arms, "that we've gotten ourselves into something that's way over our heads."

Dark fog started to spread as we walked, and Sirius eyes grew dark again.

Yes, I thought, we've gotten ourselves into a right mess.

A/N: Long chapter! Yay! Okay, I've probably just confused you guys a lot. And I'm probably going to make this even more confusing once I figure out how to work something in (no spoilers!). But, no worries, it'll all be explained. I don't have a name for the centaur... suggestions in case he appears again? Big thanks to my reviewers, Lady Loophole, Red Moon Lollipop, jeremiah123, and sk8boards4ever. Thanks for your suggestions on Reg's form, if you gave any! Er... nameless centaur stuffies for you (virtual, of course)! I hope you all enjoyed and that this wasn't too stupid.

I still don't own Harry Potter.