"Ginny have you seen Hermione?" Harry asked Ginny as he approached her in the corridor.
"No, I haven't." Ginny answered back. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I don't think so. We've just been looking for her. We didn't see her at lunch. Ron is checking the library again and I am going back to the Gryffindor Tower."
"She was probably in the library studying and forgot about lunch. You probably didn't see her when you checked." She told him.
Harry kept going towards the staircase and he soon arrived at the portrait to the Gryffindor Tower he spoke the password, Mandrake. The portrait opened allowing his access to the common room. He saw Hermione sitting in front of the fireplace, the rest of the room was empty. He walked over to her and said "Where have you been? You flew out of Herbology and didn't even come to lunch, then when we asked Terry Boot if you were acting strange in Ancient Runes, he said you weren't there. Where were you?"
He could see excitement in her eyes as she looked at him. "I've done it Harry. Well, not by myself actually." She squealed.
"Done what?" Harry asked as he plopped himself down on a chair across from her.
"I have created a potion to take us back in time." She said excitedly.
"Why do we need to go back in time?"
"Harry, you'll get to see your parents. Meet them, talk to them. This is your one chance. You'll have to take it." She said to him.
"Hermione is this even safe? How long have you been working on this. Will we be able to get back? What will happen to the timeline now?"
"Let me worry about all this stuff. This will take us there." She said pointing to two vials with a light blue potion. "And this one will bring us back." She said pointing to two vials with a pink potion.
"What about our timeline here? What will happen to this?"
"I'm not completely sure. I think it will go on without us. We will only be gone for a short time and it is perfect timing. The Professors will think we went home for the Spring break and my parents and Sirius will think we stayed here to study for exams. If something comes up Fred will think of something."
"I don't know about this, Hermione. You're not even sure about our timeline. It seems dangerous and risky. What if we mess up everything? And why Fred? Why not Ron?"
"Harry, trust me. I've been working on this for months."
"One problem Hermione…Don't I look exactly like my Dad? Won't they know? Won't they be suspicious? Did you think about that?"
"Of course I've thought about that. We can use poly-juice potion or we can transfigure ourselves, or maybe we should go as we are. We can explain who we are and why we're there, they'll understand. Harry, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have to take it."
"You came up with this all on your own, Hermione?"
"As I said it wasn't exactly on my own. I had a little help."
"Who helped you, Hermione?" He said as Fred Weasley walked into the common room and started over to them.
"Hermione, did you tell him yet? Did you ask him if he has any free time to go on a little journey?" Fred burst out in excitement as he approached them.
"What do you think I'm doing right now? Taking a bath? Of course I told him. He doesn't seem to be on board just yet about going on the journey." Hermione answered Fred.
"Did you put her up to this, Fred? I've known Hermione for 5 years and she has never done anything even remotely out of line and this crosses every line I can think of." Harry said to Fred.
Fred sat down next to Hermione and she scooted over to give him a little more room. He put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and she didn't shrug it off.
This is different, Harry thought to himself. Did something happen? Was he the one losing his mind? Why was Fred hugging Hermione and why was she looking like she didn't mind?
"What am I missing?" Harry asked them.
"Maybe we should go to an empty class room and discuss this. People will be coming in here real soon and we don't want to be overheard." Hermione told them.
"Let's go to the Room of Requirement. We won't be interrupted there." Fred told them.
"I think that is a wonderful idea." Hermione told them while getting up.
They sat down in the room of requirement and Harry said, "Now tell me what is going on. And why are you two together and why haven't I known about it?"
"I already told you. I've been working on a potion to take us back in time. I borrowed a book from Fred and he offered to help me. We've been working on it all year. We've become good friends."
"Why didn't I know this?"
"With Umbridge around we couldn't be as free as we'd like. We had to sneak out to work on it."
"There's one catch Harry." Fred said.
Harry looked a little skeptical but asked, "What's that?"
"Along with this being against Wizarding law, we also know the potion will take you back to the days your Mum and Dad are in school, but we can't pinpoint exactly when, but we think it will be to your parents 5th year too."
"Are you kidding me? So I'm just supposed to go along with this?"
"Yes." Hermione said. "You deserve to have a memory of your parents."
"What about us coming back?"
"That is more precise." Fred said. "It will bring you back to the moment and place you left from. This is groundbreaking magic here, Harry."
"I'm not saying I am going to do it but, are you sure it's safe?"
"Of course. I'm even going with you. Do you think I would make a mistake that could leave me there?" Hermione asked him.
"Listen Harry. If you agree to go, you and Hermione can meet here right after your last class today, take your potion and when you get back it will be like you never left. No one will know about it except us." Fred explained to Harry.
"Then why did Hermione say you would cover for us?"
"A precaution. There's nothing to worry about."
"We just need to make sure not to tell them anything about the future. We can't change anything. Just let you meet them."
"I do trust Hermione. I'll do it. But we need to get back to the common room. Ron is probably looking for us."
"I want us all to make a pact that we won't ever tell anyone about this." Fred told them. "If anyone finds out Hermione and me can be in really big trouble."
"I would never tell anyone." Harry said. "I promise."
"Me too." Hermione said.
When they got to the common room Harry asked Ginny if she'd seen Ron.
She said she hadn't, but that she had only been there a few seconds when they arrived.
"We have to go. We only came to see if Ron was ready to go to class, but he's not here." Hermione said to Ginny as she and Harry followed Fred through the common room door.
"Are you ready?" Fred asked them.
They both nodded, so he said, "Bottoms up."
They drank the potion and they disappeared from right in front of Fred's eyes.
Harry and Hermione looked around. They were in the room of requirement, but they didn't know when.
"What do we do?" Harry asked.
Hermione thought for a minute. "Ok. I think we should send a message to Sirius to come to the room of requirement. We can ask him to come alone."
"Do you think he would? I mean, if I got a message like that I'd bring you and Ron."
"You're right. So how about you hide behind something and I'll be here to meet him. If he's alone you come out and we'll explain everything to him. If he brings James, I'll improvise."
They wrote a short note asking Sirius to come to the room of requirement and waited. They didn't know if he was going to come or not, but sure enough he showed up, but he wasn't alone. James, Remus and Peter were with him.
"I didn't know if you'd show up." Hermione told him. "Why did you bring these three with you?"
"I didn't know if the note was legit or not. Who are you?"
"My name is Hermione Granger. I can put my wand down, if that will reassure you, but I wanted to talk with you alone."
"I can handle this," Sirius told the guys, when she put her wand on a table. "I'll be back later."
Sirius thought Hermione was interested in him and he got a little swagger to his step as he approached her.
"Harry you can come out." Hermione said.
"What the heck?" Sirius said. "Prongs?"
"No, this is his son. We came from the future."
"No way. Is this possible?"
"If you have the brightest witch of our age on your side it is." Harry said.
"So why are you here?"
"Here's the thing. We can't tell you anything about the future because it will change time. By the way, how old are you?"
"15."
"So you're in your 5th year?"
"Yes."
"Hermione, we didn't think this through. How is he going to help us if he doesn't know what we're doing here?"
"I know." Hermione told Harry. "Ok Sirius, we will tell you what we can. There will be holes in our story, but we can't help that."
Sirius grinned and dived onto the couch to make himself comfortable. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Harry never got to know his parents, so we came back in time so he could meet them."
"Why not? You said Prongs was his father. What happened to him?"
"Can't tell you."
"He's my best mate. You'd better tell me." Sirius said angrily.
"Please Sirius. Hear us out." Hermione said.
"Yes. I just want to meet my parents. I don't want to make any changes to the timeline."
"Who is his Mum?"
"Lily Evans." Harry said.
Sirius started laughing a loud barking laugh. "No way. Prongs finally wore her down, did he? How when?"
"No idea."
"So you just want to meet Prongs and Evan's? Then what?"
"We'll go back to our timeline."
"That's it?"
"If you remember this trip we can discuss it then."
"So, I'm in your life in your timeline?"
"You're my Godfather." Harry said.
"Harry! Don't say too much." Hermione said.
"He'll know, when we return to our timeline because we've interacted with him."
"Right."
"So will you help us?"
"Yes. I will."
"Sirius, can I ask a favor?" Hermione asked.
"When you come back can you make sure Peter Pettigrew isn't with you?"
"Why?"
"We'd just rather not see him." Hermione said.
Sirius looked at Harry and saw his fists clench when Peter's name was mentioned. Something to think on later.
"But Moony is alright to come?"
"Yes, definitely." Hermione said. "But that's it. No one else."
"Getting Prongs here won't be hard, but Evan's may be another issue. I don't know if you know it, but Evan's says she hates Prongs. I guess it's an act. Maybe she's playing hard to get."
"We heard something about that." Hermione said.
"I'll go get them. You sit tight." Sirius told them.
After he left, Harry stood up and paced the floor. "What if he can't get them here?"
"He'll get them. He'll definitely get your Dad here and we know Sirius, he'll get your Mum here too. And quit pacing. You're getting me tired."
Harry sat down, but got up almost immediately and started pacing again. He was still pacing when Sirius returned with Lily, James and Remus.
"What? Who?" James asked looking at a replica of himself.
"Please sit." Hermione said indicating the other chairs that presented themselves.
"Padfoot. Maybe you should explain." Remus said as James and Lily were staring at Harry.
"This is Hermione Granger." He said indicating Hermione. Then he pointed to Harry and said, "This is Harry Potter, you son, here from the future."
"Whose son?" Lily asked.
"Yours and Prongs."
"No way. I don't even like Potter. He's a toe rag."
"Maybe not now, but eventually you do like him and this is the result." Sirius said laughing.
"While Prongs and Evans process this can you tell us why you're here?" Remus asked Hermione and Harry.
"They invented a way for them to meet their teenage parents. They wanted to see what their parents were like at their age." Sirius said. "And before you ask, they won't tell us anything about the future. They don't want to mess up time."
"So, you're our son?" Lily asked. "James, he looks just like you."
"He has your eyes." James told Lily.
Lily and James both sat on the couch on each side of Harry.
"Can you tell us anything about yourself? Do you play Quidditch? What house are you in? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" James asked.
"Do you get good grades in school? What year are you in? Do you have good friends?"
"Hermione, can I answer these questions?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I don't see that these questions can change anything."
"Hermione is my best friend and she is the smartest student that ever graced the halls of Hogwarts." Harry said.
"Harry. That's an exaggeration."
"No, it isn't even Remus said so when he taught us." When he said that he caught himself.
"I'm a Professor?"
"We're not saying anything." Hermione said.
"Too late. Harry already did." Sirius laughed. "I knew Remus would become a Professor. He spent enough time teaching us things and trying to discipline us. But, go on."
"We have a third best friend, Ron Weasley. He's usually with us, but Hermione only made enough potion for two people."
"Weasley? I think they're related to the Prewett's." James said.
"I'm in Gryffindor, and I play seeker for the Quidditch team. I'm an only child. We're in our 5th year. I do alright in school, but it's only because of Hermione. She won't let me slack off for a second. We just took our end of semester exams and tomorrow we go home for Christmas break." He said smiling at Hermione. "But tell me more about you."
"I would think growing up in our house you'd know everything about us." Lily said.
"I know plenty. But I don't know what you're like at this age."
"I can answer that. Prongs spent our entire years at Hogwarts trying to get Evan's to notice him, but I guess it worked as you're the result." Sirius said.
"How long are you here for?" Remus asked.
"We have to go right back. We don't want to interact with anyone. We just wanted to meet you." Hermione said.
Lily and James were talking with Harry so Hermione walked over to Sirius and Remus, "Can I ask one more favor?"
"Of course." Remus said.
"If Peter asks about me can you act like you don't know what he's talking about? I don't want him to know I was here. Maybe he'll think he dreamed it or something."
"Why?"
"I just don't want him to know."
"Promise." Sirius said for both of them.
They stayed for a while longer and when they got up to leave Hermione reminded them not to mention this to anyone, as she and Harry could get into trouble for doing time travel. They walked over to the side of the room and took out the potion to take them back, looked at each other and drank the potion.
"Whoa." Fred said. I blinked and you weren't here, then I blinked again and you're here. Did it work?"
"Yes. We have a lovely time talking with them. We didn't tell them anything about the future." Harry said.
"Except that Remus was our Professor." Hermione added.
"Well then it looks like everything went as planned. We can all go home tomorrow for break and no one will be the wiser."
"Harry, are you ok?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I don't know how I can ever thank you. Both of you."
"No thanks are needed." Hermione said.
However, when they left the room of requirement different memories started to assault them.
"Oh, Oh. Looks like you changed some things." Fred said laughing. "Tomorrow's going to be fun. I'd like an invite to your house Harry. There's going to be interesting conversations."
"Hermione, what do I do?" Harry asked.
"I guess just go home and get it over with. Owl me and tell me what happened."
"Maybe you should come with me?" He asked meekly.
"I have to go home. Sorry Harry, but Fred said he'd go with you. Take him. Let's go to eat some dinner. Then I have to go pack. I haven't packed yet."
"Me neither." Both Fred and Harry said at the same time.
When they got off the train at Kings Cross Station Hermione could see Sirius, Remus, James and Lily. She looked for her parents, but didn't see them.
"Oh, they aren't here, Dear." Lily said. "We asked them if you could come to our house for dinner and we'd see you home after that. We wanted to talk with you."
"Mum, Dad leave Hermione out of it. She was just trying to help."
"We just want to talk with both of you." Lily said. Let's have this conversation at home."
When they got to the Potter's house they sat down.
"We've been waiting to have this conversation for so long." Lily said. "We watched to see if you remembered anything from your visit to the past, but there weren't any signs, so Remus suggested we wait until your 5th year Christmas break. I can see you remember now."
"What you did was dangerous." James said.
"Any very courageous." Sirius added.
"Padfoot! We're not trying to compliment them. We want them to see the dangerous situation they put themselves in." Lily said.
"Sorry." Sirius said with a smile in his eyes, like he wasn't really sorry.
"Mrs. Potter, we knew it was dangerous, but we knew we had the potions right. We knew it would be alright. Our biggest fear was changing the timeline, but as you can see it turned out good."
"Yes. Hermione's right. Moony, you taught us. You can vouch for Hermione and tell my parents she is very smart, right? She would not make a mistake in this."
"Yes, Hermione is very intelligent and I know she would have researched every avenue before she let you take any kind of potion. But that's not to say what you did was not only dangerous, but you could have changed our world."
"We know that. We were very careful."
"Mum, Dad. I just wanted to see you happy and carefree. Is that so hard to see? These days all we do is worry about Voldemort and what he is going to do next. Sirius is the only one who seems like he stayed happy all this time."
"He takes this seriously." Prongs said.
"I do. I just want to have a good time doing it."
"I hope you'll forgive us." Hermione said. "And if you can't please don't blame Harry. It was all my fault."
"Good try. We know that it was you that made the potion, but you didn't have to twist Harry's arm to get him to drink it." Lily said.
"Was Ron involved?" Prongs asked?
"No. He didn't know anything." Harry said.
"I don't know if I believe you. I would have covered for Prongs and Moony." Sirius said.
"So it is only the two of you that know about this?" Remus asked.
"Not exactly." Hermione said.
"You told people about this? That is crazy. You can be sent to Azkaban for time travel." Lily said.
"Son, who did you tell? We need to emphasize to him or her how important it is that they never say a word about it."
"He won't say anything."
"I want to talk to him anyway. Who was it?"
"We would rather you don't involve him." Hermione said.
"I'm sorry Hermione, but James is right. We need to make sure he knows how this could turn out if he tells anyone."
"He won't because then he'd be in trouble too."
"How?"
"He helped me make the potions."
"Merlin!" Remus said. "Now we have to know who it is."
"Hermione, he wanted to come with us today, so why don't we just get him over here?" Harry asked Hermione.
"With all the Death Eater sightings his Mum won't let him out of her sight. How are we going to get him over here?"
"I'll go get him." Remus offered. "I can talk with his Mum and tell her I have a question about something. I'll think of a reason."
"Ok. It's Fred Weasley."
"Good God. You got a prankster to help you. I suppose his brother knows?" Sirius asked looking impressed with them.
"No, his brother doesn't know."
"Then how did you get him to help?"
"Hermione got him to help her."
Sirius busted out laughing and soon the rest of them were laughing.
"What's so funny?" Hermione asked angrily.
"If he turns out to be the one for you, your children will be hell on broomsticks. With both of your brains and his penchant for getting into trouble the world better watch out." Sirius said.
Harry started laughing. "He's right."
"There's no problem there. Fred is my friend. We're not sweet on each other."
"Perhaps it's best for us to talk with Fred after the Order meeting tomorrow." Remus said. "I can imagine Molly getting all Mother Hen on us if we try to take one of her babies."
"Too true." James said.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Harry and I know, as well as Fred, that what we did was very dangerous. We won't do it again. I promise." Hermione told them. "We did not mean to make you worry or mad or anything else. We only had good intentions."
"I guess since you are sincere about this we'll forget about it." Lily said.
"Hold on Lily." Remus said. "Where are the instructions for these potions?"
"I have them hidden with a spell at Hogwarts. I can destroy them when we get back."
"I think you should sell them to the Department of Mysteries. They could probably build on it. They pay good money for potions and spells that are far less superior. You can probably make some good money."
"Really? Would we get into trouble?"
"You don't have to tell them you tried it out."
"I'd have to talk with Fred before I made a decision." Hermione told Remus.
"Now that that's settled, I'll get dinner on." Lily said.
"I'll help you." James said getting up and following Lily out of the room.
As soon as they left Sirius put a Muffliato charm up so they couldn't be heard.
"I have a few questions too." Sirius said. "You may as well spill as Moony and me figured out why you hated Wormtail."
"Ok. But how?" Harry said.
"Well when you said you didn't know your parents and I was your Godfather I got me thinking that something happened to Lily and Prongs. Your reactions to Wormtail were very telling too. So naturally Moony and me got together and shortly after you were born we saw the Dark Mark on Wormtail. We turned him in to the Ministry. We naturally watched Lily and Prongs very closely. He was the reason they were killed, right?"
"Yes. He was their Secret Keeper and he told Voldemort where they were."
"Moony, we prevented it. We kept Prongs and Lily alive. Don't you feel good?"
"Yes, but we had some close calls. But Voldemort kept trying. He almost had Lily when he hit you with that spell when you were a baby. Somehow you broke him. He's been trying ever since to get at you, but don't worry, we won't let him near you."
"I know you mean well, but I've been near him plenty of times. Luckily I am surrounded by good people."
"Well we will do everything we can to keep him from you."
"Fred, mind if I have a quick word?" Remus asked Fred when the Order meeting finished.
"Sure." He responded. "Be right back he told George." Following Remus into another room.
When Fred got there he saw Harry and Hermione sitting on the couch and he went over to sit by them. Remus went to a chair and sat down.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Nothing. They want to make sure we never tell anyone about our trip. I assume as soon as Harry's parents get here with Sirius they'll ask you some questions." Hermione answered.
"How did yesterday go?"
"Not bad. They were more worried than anything else." Harry said.
"Have you had any new memories? I want to make sure we didn't mess up anything else." Hermione asked.
'No. I think the only difference is that Harry's parents lived. I wonder how that happened."
"Sirius and Remus figured it out." Hermione told Fred. "They did alter one other thing. Pettigrew was sent to Azkaban when Harry was a baby. I wonder if those two events changed anything else."
"Who cares? My parents lived and a dirt bag got sent to Azkaban. We can handle anything else that comes our way." Harry said.
"That's right. We'll handle anything life throws at us." Remus said.