Carry On
By: Teenlaunch
Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing if I owned it.
a/n: Ok….How can I apologize again? I really have no idea. I've tried to continue as best I can after such a hiatus, without changing writing style too terribly much though it pains me at times. Thank you to everyone who has pm'd me and left encouraging reviews! Read and review, please, even if it's to say how much you hate it, or me, for how long I've left you all.
"Today we will complete the unit on Animagi. Please turn to page 704."
Harry turned the pages idly, frustrated guilt churning his stomach. James' question had set off the Marauders, not making them volatile, but they were certainly being careful with each word they said and dutifully taking in Harry's returned ones. Remus was least concerned about the lies, but tried to keep up a good façade by being mostly indifferent. If the Marauders found out how much he knew, some by simple deduction, the results would be something he definitely didn't want to be around for.
They were sitting behind him now, not paying McGonagall the least bit of attention. They were watching him, hoping for some slipup. Harry sighed and tried to tune in to what McGonagall was saying. Class was the only reprieve he got anymore.
"As you all know, Animagi are powerful and represent the wizard. They date back to ancient times when tribes in the Middle East-"
"Professor," Harry interjected, stomach turning more and more violently. Represent the wizard?
"Yes, Mr. Times?"
"Is it possible to become more than one animal?" Please say yes, please.
Her brow arched severely. "I don't believe so. The strain would likely kill a person."
"So, there's never been someone who was like five?"
"No." Was her eye twitching?
"Has anyone ever tried?"
"No," she sighed and Harry was fairly sure that expression was his hint to drop it.
"Oh…and what about magical creatures?"
A few people snorted. McGonagall smiled and shook her head. "It is impossible. No one would ever be stupid enough to try. And no natural Animagus would ever dream to be one."
Harry nodded silently and sat back in his seat, ignoring the curious glances from the Marauders. He had been hoping Lupin was wrong and someone, anyone, even Slytherin had been able to become a magical creature. It seemed luck wasn't on his side this time, unless they weren't recorded, but that didn't exactly help him.
James waited until he was sure Harry had gone to bed before calling a meeting in the common room. The Marauders crowded around him, Sirius on the couch, Peter on the floor, and Remus curled protectively around himself in an armchair.
"Well, I think we all know why we're here." Sirius and Peter nodded. Remus' head dropped onto his folded arms.
"So, anyone got any ideas?" No one answered. "Come on, guys. We have to do something. Harry can't continue to lie like this."
"Well," Sirius yawned, stretching out on the couch. "I think we can throw out a bit of the stuff he's told us."
"But we'd have to sort through everything we know." And that was a lot.
Sirius waved a hand. "Or we could use Veritaserum."
James shook his head. "I don't think so. He'd never trust us again."
"Which would you rather, he not trust us, or be left in the dark? Frankly, I know which I would choose."
"But Veritaserum isn't-"
"Verita-what?" Remus grumbled, looking up, bleary eyed and scowling. "What are you talking about?" His voice dragged, gargling with gravel as he forced words out.
The others blinked. Remus was usually the one doing the repeating. "We said-" James blinked, leaning forward. "Moony?"
"Hm?" Remus rearranged his head on his arms.
"Were you asleep?"
"That's normally what I do the night before the full moon."
"Bloody hell. Sorry, Moony. I forgot."
"Never mind that. What were you saying about Veritaserum?" he grumbled, voice muffled by his elbow.
"That we could give it to Harry. But I'm totally against it!" James rushed as Moony surged to Remus' eyes.
"Do you want him to hate you?" he yelped, looking between them all.
"No," James murmured. "It's just…"
"You don't understand why he won't talk to you." James nodded. "Just do what he asked and give him time."
"But, can't we, you know, do a little bit of spying?"
"Prongs…" he sighed, pushing himself up slowly.
"It can't hurt anything! We'll start after the full moon. Please, Moony. It'll drive me nuts doing nothing." Remus huffed and disappeared up the stairs. "I'll take that as a yes."
Harry sighed. This full moon business really could get tiring after a while. Not only had he not slept in almost 20 hours, Moony was trying to get away from him again. It would have been much easier with help.
It was probably, as far as he could tell, about three am when Harry heard exactly what he didn't want to hear. There was the sound of heavy footfalls and a howl behind him before something large bowled him over and tackled Lupin. Harry mentally groaned as the other Marauders appeared. He did not want to deal with this.
Padfoot approached Harry, hackles raised, when Prongs nudged him. Padfoot looked around, confused, then pounced on the nearest wolf. Harry joined him, pulling one from the fray. It wasn't until sunrise that Harry realized something was wrong.
The Marauders stared in shock at the man before them. Scars littered his frame, some hardly noticeable, others large, taking whole sections of skin with their silvery web. He was breathing heavily, out cold on the floor of the shack in nothing-not a scrap on him.
Sirius gulped, hand shaking only slightly as he pointed. "Um, guys, that's not our werewolf."
"No, you think?" James snapped.
"But-but there aren't any other werewolves around here. Dumbledore would've-"
"Shh!" Sirius flapped his arms dramatically, clamping a hand over Peter's mouth. They fell silent. Light footfalls sounded on the steps, followed by a regular soft thump. The Marauders glanced at each other and James went to grab the others but froze as the door creaked open.
A black nose poked around it, nudging the door out of the way. A magnificent black head and sleek body followed. The Marauders gaped frozen where they were. It was a tiger, a huge tiger, and on its back-
"Remus!" Sirius breathed.
The tiger's head turned to them, and Sirius froze in mid step. Piercing green eyes locked on them then turned away. It lowered to the ground and laid its head on its paws, tail flicking restlessly. They glanced at each other before moving forward cautiously.
Remus was draped facedown across the great back, arms and legs hanging limply beside the animal. Carefully avoiding the claws and fangs, James murmured, "Let's move him to the bed." Sirius nodded and Peter trained his wand on the animal though his hand shook.
James and Sirius gently lifted Remus and carried him to the bed, laying him down face-up. The damage was worse than usual, a wide gash over his shoulder and still bleeding. "You remember his robe?"
Sirius nodded and draped it over him. The slight rustle of the fabric, or perhaps the drastic change in temperature, made Remus groan and open his eyes. "'Ry?" he asked, locking hazed eyes on James.
"Er, no, Prongs, mate." He frowned, trying to figure out what Remus meant. It wasn't often he was so out of it they couldn't understand him, though it did happen. "'Ry?' You mean-"
"Me." A low voice murmured. The Marauders spun around.
The tiger was gone. In its place was Harry, looking rumpled and dead tired. They gaped. "The tiger – it-" Sirius pointed to where it had been.
Harry ignored him and walked over to Remus. "You alright?"
"Did fine," Remus answered wearily, shoulders relaxing as Harry took James' place a moment.
Harry nodded and turned, quickly striding to the prone figure on the floor. He produced a robe and slipped the figure's arms through the sleeves. He stood up and stretched, ignoring the Marauders altogether. With a sigh, he walked back to Remus and handed him a flask. He took it and drank slowly, hand shaking. Remus' relieved groan snapped the Marauders back.
"What the hell's going on?" Sirius fumed, stepping forward, like Harry was a threat.
Harry sat down beside Remus and yawned. "I think that's obvious."
"Why were you out with a werewolf?"
"How are you an Animagus?"
The boys rattled off questions, and Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. Finally, he snapped, "Shut up before you wake him!"
The Marauders blinked. "Who?" Peter asked.
Harry glared. "My werewolf, idiot! The one Sirius mistook for Remus!"
Sirius puffed up indignantly, waving his arms. "You did nothing to stop me!"
"I thought you of all people would know if you had the right one!" Harry quipped. Because he had. If someone could tell the difference it should have been Sirius.
"I-"
"Stop it!" James hissed. "Arguing doesn't accomplish anything. Look, Pads made a mistake. It's over now. We can't fix it." Sirius and Harry nodded. "Now, Harry, why were you out with a werewolf all night?"
Well that was a stupid question. "Why do you go with Remus?"
James frowned then smiled. "Figures I would have a smart-ass as a son."
"Course. Look who you gave me as godfather."
James blinked then glanced at Sirius. "I lost my mind, didn't I?"
"Hey!" Sirius pushed him lightly.
"Fine, I'll take that," James went on, ignoring him. "But there are a lot of things you haven't answered yet. Like how long you've been doing this." Harry frowned, looking at the floor. "Harry-"
"Five months?" Had it been that long? "Yeah, five months."
"What? Why didn't you tell us?"
Harry snorted. "You're kidding, right? That's only when I was practically exiled."
James winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh…So, you knew about us, and the full moon the whole time?" Harry nodded. "But why? Did you do it to spite us? You couldn't run with Moony so you found a random werewolf to make up?"
"Random were – NO! I did it to help him!"
"But you just became an Animagus, right? Why now if it wasn't because of us?"
"Are you kidding?" Harry laughed. "There was too much protection. I couldn't sneeze without someone going, 'Oh, Harry, are you sick? Why didn't you tell us? You should have stayed in bed. I'll take you to the hospital wing so you can be there for weeks when nothing's wrong with you!'" Harry snapped in a whisper. "Yes, I had so much freedom to do this at home without getting caught."
The Marauders stared at him. Sirius nudged James, but James shook his head. Sirius sighed. "So, if it's not just some random werewolf, who is he?"
Harry blinked and couldn't help an incredulous, "You can't tell?" He bit his lip as they watched him, confused. "He's-"
"Harry…" The figure groaned, making them all jump.
Harry started. "Re-Remington!" He stuttered. Remus raised an eyebrow from beside him then chuckled, sending him into a coughing fit. Harry flew off the bed, Sirius taking his place as he knelt beside the man and helped him sit up. He leaned heavily on Harry for a moment even after downing a Pepper-Up Potion. Harry set to work healing his face. It was worse than usual. Harry could only think it was the fight that did it.
It was then he realized why the Marauders hadn't recognized Lupin, at least as Century. The blood hid most of his facial features. Besides, the Marauders had never mentioned anything strange about him before. Harry conjured a damp cloth and gently wiped the blood away, trying to be careful of any bruises he had missed. Lupin hissed and tried to draw back, but Harry held him firmly in place, wiping the rest of the blood away.
A curse rent the air. "Century?" James sputtered.
"You're a werewolf?" Sirius asked.
"So uncouth," Lupin murmured, getting up. He swayed for a moment before taking a few steps toward the door. "We've got to go, Harry. I can't be found here by Poppy." He nearly stumbled but Harry ducked under his arm.
"We shouldn't go that way. You can't know she won't come early today."
Lupin nodded. "Back door?"
Harry and Lupin made their way to the door, taking the stairs slow. The Marauders, including a tottering Remus, followed. Unable to get past their shock, they watched as the door was unlocked and opened. Harry and Lupin stepped out into the yard and argued quietly. After a lot of head shaking and frowning, Lupin drew back.
"What-" Sirius began, but stopped. Harry was transforming, his body hunching, fur and feathers sprouting until enormous black wings burst from his back. "What the hell?"
A griffin stood where Harry had been. Lupin glanced at the Marauders. "As you can see, James, you have no need to worry about Harry. His forms protect him from anything I could throw at him." He grimaced and climbed onto Harry's back, burying his face and hands in feathers. He gave a shaky nod and Harry took a running leap and was off.
The Marauders watched in silence as he disappeared behind a far-off tower of the castle. Remus sighed and started back toward the shack.
"You knew?" Sirius asked. Remus stopped. "You knew about Century? About Harry?"
"Yes," Remus whispered.
"Why-"
"Because this isn't something harmless like first year crushes, or the color of someone's underwear, or something! It's life threatening! I couldn't knowingly rat them out." He took a calming breath. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry? You-"
"Leave it, Padfoot," James murmured. He could understand. Really he could.
"Wh-"
"Leave it. We'll take this up with Harry and Century. Moony's conscience has nothing to do with this. We shouldn't expect him to change for us." He should have known Remus knew more than he was letting on.
"But, Prongs-"
"Come on, Moons." He slung the slighter boy's arm over his shoulder. "Pomfrey'll be here soon."
A sharp rap on Lupin's door made Harry look up.
"Professor, open up. We know you're there."
"And we're not leaving until we have a little talk!"
"Pads…"
"What?"
"Never mind."
"What? I didn't-"
"Don't get Prongs mad, Padfoot. That's the last thing we need."
"Shut up, Wormy."
Harry smiled slightly and looked at Lupin. He sighed and nodded, trying to relax even as Harry covered his back to hide it from the Marauders. Harry walked to the door and opened it slowly. The Marauders simply blinked when they saw him. "Can we come in, Harry?" James asked, looking calmest of the lot.
Harry glanced back at Lupin, still sprawled face down on the couch. "Yes, but don't be too loud. You know how it is with Remus." They nodded and quietly settled on the chairs around Lupin.
Harry went about his normal routine, coaxing Lupin to down one of his specially brewed potions. Lupin's body immediately relaxed, one arm slipping from the couch. Harry smiled and removed the robe again. The Marauders winced at the state of him. Had he been that bad in the shack? Harry carefully cleaned the wounds, dabbing on a couple potions where it was worst.
"Harry," James said quietly, loathe to distract him.
"Hm?" Harry answered, placing a pillow beneath Lupin's head. He murmured thanks before closing his eyes to rest.
"How did you become an Animagus?"
"The same way you did, the same way Century and McGonagall instructed us. I've heard you already know about my research. It shouldn't surprise you."
"And how are you a griffin and a tiger?"
Harry shrugged. "Don't know about the griffin. The others, well, let's just say I had a few nasty complications for a while."
"Like what?" Peter asked. His eyes darted around the room. "Is that a kitchen?"
"Wormtail!" James snapped.
"What? I've been up all night running around with werewolves. I'm hungry!"
Harry gestured toward the door carelessly. "There's some breakfast already made. I'm busy at the moment. You'll have to wait, unless you want to get it?"
Peter nodded and hopped up, retrieving a tray piled with toast, pastries, and tea in record time. He immediately started on it, smiling widely at Harry. The other two followed at a slower pace, more interested in watching Harry wrap their professor's wounds as he slept.
"Harry?" James prodded.
"Hm?" His fingers slipped in the gauze but he caught it and deftly wrapped his arm.
"What kinds of complications?"
Harry sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling as he thought. "Headache, nausea, low immune system, brief loss of appetite, er, blackout, aches." He nodded and went back to the bandages.
"What?" James' voice was strangled. Surely he would have noticed all of that.
"What what? You asked the side effects, I gave them."
"All that from the transformation?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "All I had was aches."
"Well," Harry sighed, "when you dump in a mixed vial of DNA, it hits you pretty hard."
"Mixed vial? Why did you mix the vials?" Peter asked around his breakfast.
Harry glanced at them, working on in silence as they stared until- "We mixed them," Sirius groaned.
Harry nodded. "Yeah. You did."
"And you're not…mad?"
"Not really. It helps me control him better." He nodded at Lupin. "He's used to being alone. You can imagine the fit he threw when I insisted. It was already too late by then."
James nodded and Lupin moaned suddenly. "We should leave."
Harry smiled. "Thanks. I'll be back later."
The Marauders left, Peter hoarding what food he could. They each collapsed on their beds when they reached the dorm.
"Hey, Pads?" James murmured.
"Hm? Wha?" Sirius mumbled into the pillow.
"Is Harry lying to us?"
"About what?"
"Century."
"Sure as hell."
They fell silent.
"So what do we do?"
"I don't know, Siri."
"Should we ask-"
"No! Moony doesn't need to know we plan to slip them up. All he needs to know is that we don't think Harry's being truthful."
"But how are we going to trip them up?" Peter asked, sucking sweets from his fingers.
"They are pretty damn good. We'd have to get lucky," Sirius agreed.
Silence fell again for a moment. "Siri?" James asked, excitement suddenly flooding his voice.
"What now, Prongs? I'm tired!" He slurred, forcing his eyes open.
"Century told us his age once. What was it?"
Sirius propped himself up on his elbows. "Er, in the Three Broom Sticks, right?"
"Yeah."
"Uh…I don't remember. Why?"
"Come on, Pads. Try. I need to know." James' eyes were wide though there were bags under them.
"I don't know, Prongs. He's young though. Why do you-"
"Thirty-seven."
"What?" James and Sirius asked, both sitting up and staring at Peter, who blushed.
"He said he was thirty-seven."
A demonic smile broke on James' face. Sirius and Peter glanced at each other. "Prongs?"
"Harry was born in 1980."
"How do you know?"
"When Lucius had him, he said something about it being twenty years in the future."
"Okay?"
"I think they're lying about him, Century, being from this time. I think I have a way to see if I'm right."
Sirius sat up straighter. "Ooh! A plan! Tell us, Prongs, tell us."
James sat forward. "Okay, if he's from this time there is a chance this is the first time we've met him. But, if he's from the future…"
"What?" Sirius prompted.
"He would be about our age now."
"WHAT?"
"We're seventeen, right?" Sirius nodded. "Add twenty."
"Thirty-seven. Holy shit, thirty-seven!" Sirius' face turned into something bordering manic.
"Exactly. And if I'm right, we can almost guarantee he went to Hogwarts because Dumbledore knew him."
"Brilliant, Prongs!"
"Now, the easiest way to see if we recognize him-"
"Why haven't we before?"
"I think he has a glamour or is using Polyjuice." James answered, something nagging his mind as though he had forgotten something important. "Anyway, I say we use a Deaging Potion. It overrides glamours and Polyjuice."
"Excellent. We'll have to brew it without Moony knowing."
"That'll be easy. The short term one only takes three days. We'll use Myrtle's."
"Right. We'll start later."
"But-"
"No! Sleep!" Sirius lay down and burrowed under his covers, thankful it was Sunday.
James nodded and laid down, a goofy grin still on his face. He would win this game, no matter what the cost.