Story 1 of the Travelling Husbands Series. A series depicting the adventures of MOD Harry, who has spent the last milenia hopping from universe to universe dealing with wondering souls who refuses to move on, and his husband, the only soul with the power to reincarnate with memories - even if it takes some time for him to remember. Each story will have a different pairing but technically Harry's husband will always be the same person as they will have memories of their other lifes. World 1 is their first meeting. Each story will have a main plot and additional drabbles. There will also be smut in the future.

Story 1 Love Rivals: Pairing: Harry Potter/James Potter. No blood relation because this Harry is Harry from another world.

Summary: There was a new transfer student in school and James Potter wanted him gone. Normally he wouldn't have cared who studied at Hogwarts but this student has somehow attracted Lily's attention and that wasn't acceptable. However, after trying in vain to embarass him in front of Lily, he decided his new plan was going to pretend to be his friend, understand what made Lily interested in him in the first place and do it better then him.

He just didn't expect falling in love.


James Potter was a busy person.

Admittedly he was only a student, but he was also his Father's heir and his House's Quidditch Team Captain, so not only did he have homework to contend with - and boy did those get harder and harder the closer they got to graduation - he also had Quidditch and Family stuff to worry about. With that said, it was understandable something as small as "there was a new transfer student in school" only reached his ears 2 weeks after said transfer student had appeared.

And by then, the whole school was talking about it…talking about him.

To his knowledge, while it was rare for Hogwarts to accept transfer students - especially in the middle of the year - it wasn't technically impossible. As long as you met the requirements for transfer students - as strict as they may be, there were always one a two each year who could do so - and applied, it was technically possible for the school to accept you. Although why you would want to transfer to a new school in the middle of the semester was beyond James, but he knew a new student shouldn't have generated the buzz that it did. He remembered the last student who had transferred to Hogwarts a year ago - a blond haired girl named Laura something - only garnered interest for about a day or so before she faded in to obscurity.

That was usually what happens with transfer students. They garner interest for about a day after they appear and unless they did something to keep people's interest on them, people tend to move on to other things.

But judging by what he was hearing, it's been two weeks since this…person appeared and people were still talking about it.

And while what topics of conversations his classmates liked to occupy their time with was usually not his concern, this time was a little different.

Because this time, even Lily - with her dedication to her studies and her refusal to let anything waste the time she could have spent with her books - was affected.

And that was something James found utterly unacceptable.

In his mind, the first boy Lily would eventually find interest in - once she got to the age where boys were more interesting then books - should have been him - he ignored the fact that Snape was technically the first boy Lily was interested in because Snape was Snape and James regarded him as a joke more then anything else - and not some random transfer student of unknown origins.

He didn't care what the boy did to make Lily take notice, he needed to get her attention away from him as soon as possible…before the problem becomes irreversible.


The thing with Lily was that she was a very stubborn and determined girl - a reason why James liked her so much - and once she puts her mind to something or something caught her eye, it was very very difficult for anyone to distract her. James knew if he wanted Lily's attention away from that student and back to her studies - or back to James, if that was possible - he needed a plan.

But before James could put together such a plan and execute it, he needed more information about the target and the potential challenges he might have to face.

And the best person to go to in this situation was Remus Lupin.

While Remus was no where near as outgoing as James or Sirius - and no where near as popular for that matter - he had something none of them had; he knew how to listen. As easy as that might sound - because everyone can technically listen - being a good listener and not simply a listener was a very rare characteristic for anyone to have, especially among teenagers.

But Remus had it.

And because he listened and listened well, he was the information hub of their little group.

Admittedly Remus did not know nearly as many people as James or Sirius did, but that didn't matter because he was good at being in a crowded place - such as the Great Hall or a classroom - and simply listening to the conversation around him. While James or Sirius would have great difficulty extracting any information from the cacophony of noise around them under those circumstances, Remus could easily piece together whatever was going on with the ease of a supercomputer - not that they know what the was. With this special ability of his, even without talking to a myriad of people every day,

Remus knew more about what's going on in this school then both James and Sirius combined.

James felt himself really lucky to have Remus as his friend.

If there was one person who could give him the information he needed at the moment, it would be Remus for sure.

He wasn't wrong.

He found Remus in the library, reading his Potions textbook diligently while making notes on a parchment nearby. While under normal circumstances, James would not bother him with his own problems when Remus was busy doing homework, this time James couldn't wait for him to finish before talking to him.

"You want to know about Hadrian?" he asked once James had told him his reason for coming. He didn't sound surprised by the question and was looking at James with amusement as if he knew something James didn't - which was probably true.

"Is that his name?" James tried to sound nonchalant but the way he was leaning towards Remus betrayed him.

"Yes, Hadrian Black - but no relation to Sirius though."

"Do you know what he's like?"

"It's about Lily, isn't it?" Remus asked instead of answering him.

James found himself blushing.

"Of course not," he stuttered, crossing his arms defensively. "Not everything is about her."

While his crush on Lily Evans wasn't much of a secret among the Marauders but it was still a little embarrassing for him to admit how much he cared about her when she made it abundantly clear she could only tolerate his presence.

"I heard a few girls from Lily's class talking about it," Remus smiled in a way that it made James want to blush even more, "Lily has been staring at the boy instead of taking notes like she normally did. They were wondering if Lily had developed a crush."

"What!?" James hissed, eyes widening, his air of nonchalance breaking in to tiny little pieces at the mere insinuation that Lily had a crush on somethat that wasn't him. "Lily can't like him!"

"Why is that?" Remus' grin widened as he took in James' reaction. It was always fun to see his friend act so uncool. "I talked to him a few days ago. He was very nice."

"Well, that only means he's good at keeping up appearances," James was not happy at all that Remus was saying good things about his rival - yes, he decided this Hadrian was his rival now. "You don't even know what he is like."

"That's true," Remus admitted thoughtfully, "I didn't get much of a chance to speak to him. He's always surrounded by people. I've never seen someone like him; he's not like you or Sirius; he's something else. It's really difficult to explain; he has this charm about him that makes people actually listen when he talks. I think it's called charisma."

"Wait!" James' eyes narrowed, "Are you saying Sirius and I don't have charisma?"

"You have a boyish charm about you," Remus looked at him seriously, nodding his head at his own explanation, "It's different. People look at you and they want to play with you or be your friend. People look at Hadrian and they want to follow him."

This comparison made James shiver, as not so nice thoughts filled his mind.

"You make him sound like you-know-who," he hissed and Remus blinked, taken aback.

"Oh no," he shook his head quickly, looking at James disapprovingly, "That's not what I mean. He's really really nice James. Just because Lily likes him doesn't mean you can cast aspersions upon his character."

"Lily doesn't like him," James retorted before wincing when his voice earned him a hush from the people at the table next to him. He lowered the volume before continuing: "She's intrigued. It's different."

"I'm sure it is," Remus did not look as if he believed him, but James didn't care about that at the moment.

"So where do I find this Hadrian?" he tried to keep his tone conversational but Remus was Remus and immediately knew that he was planning something.

"Don't bully him James," he warned, suddenly sounding serious, "He did nothing to you."

"I'm not going to bully him," James protested, wondering just what kind of person Remus thought he was. He only bullied people who deserved it - like Snape - he didn't bully people just because he didn't like them.

Remus must have believed him - at least a little - because he sighed.

"If you really want to see him, you can go to the Charms corridor in about 10 minutes. I think he's helping out the teacher with teaching the younger students so you should see him when class lets out."

"Great, thanks Remus. You are the best," James said, getting up and waving at Remus distractedly as he made his exit, leaving the other boy looking at his back with a frown.


One of the reason why James Potter and Sirius Black were best friends was because beneath their veneer as model students, they were both egoistic, self-centred bastards who thought a little too highly of themselves.

James, of course, was a lot better - comparatively - because he still had his father keeping him grounded and telling him just how normal he really was and not to get a big head just because he had good grades.

Sirius, on the other hand, no longer talked to his family and spent most of his time not with the Marauders in the company of his fans. And since he was good looking, athletic and knew what to say, he had a lot of them.

Fans, as some people might know, were a very special breed. They tend to only see their idol's good side and ignore their faults, showering them with praises regardless of their appropriateness. In addition, they tend to idealize their idol's actions, making them out to be more impressive then they really are. And while it was very ego-boosting to have some of them by your side, too much time spent in their company and you will end up addicted, valuing their attention more then it was healthy to do so.

And that was what happened to Sirius.

Unlike James, who would only dislike someone if they took Lily's attention away from her books - not from him, because Lily still didn't pay much attention to him - Sirius would dislike anyone who took his fans' attention away from him.

Remus had once explained it was because Sirius had a loveless childhood and was desperate to keep any "love" he received, no matter how sincere that love might be.

James had to agree with Remus - not that he would ever admit it to Sirius lest he wanted Sirius to punch him in the face.

But no matter what the reason was - and they would never know unless Sirius decided to speak up, Sirius has developed over the years a constant need to be the centre of attention, the star, and anyone standing in his way of becoming the star was his enemy.

It was very childish on all accounts and while normally James would do his best to ground him and prevent him from going after the people he had deemed his enemies - and make a fool out of himself along the way - this time he decided he was going to take advantage of Sirius' little weakness and convince him to help him with the Hadrian Dilemma.

But, to his utter confusion, Sirius didn't seem all that keen to go after Hadrian.

"What do you mean you don't want to help me? Don't you want the school to see just how inferior he really is compared to you?" James pressed, eyes narrowed. They were standing just outside the Great Hall after James had stopped Sirius on his way to class.

Sirius shrugged, looking uncomfortable. He shifted from feet to feet and adjusted the strap of his book bag before giving James a look.

"Admittedly, I was a little…mad, but that was a week ago, before I actually talked to him. At first it was true that I didn't like the way everyone was looking at him, always talking about him and ignoring me. Even that girl Mary, who vowed she would love me until the day she died, stopped trying to follow me around and instead joined his fan club. And yes James, he already has a fan club. But then…"

He trailed off and James wanted to shake him.

"And what?" He asked, wandering where it had gone wrong.

"I talked to him," Sirius said, looking at James with a seriousness that he rarely displayed, "Like really talked to him. He's really nice actually, not at all arrogant like I thought."

"Maybe he's just good at keeping up appearances," James repeated what he had said to Remus, "You are too."

"I know," Sirius bit his lips hesitantly, "But I don't think it's like that. He's not like us James."

James blinked at the familiar wording.

Just a while ago, Remus had said the same thing, that Hadrian wasn't like them.

James still didn't understand what that meant.

"It's difficult to explain. Hadrian is…very charming. And when he looks at you, puts all his attention on you, you feel like you are the most important person in his world."

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" James took a step back, eyes widening, having never heard Sirius talk like this about anyone, let alone a boy. It almost sounded as if he has a crush. "Sirius, you are scaring me. Why do you sound like a lovesick teenager! He's a boy and your rival for that matter! Don't tell me you…"

He didn't finish but the rest was heavily implied in the look James was now giving him, a look that told Sirius that James was wondering if he ever knew Sirius in the first place.

Sirius looked alarmed.

"No, no, no," he quickly explained, afraid that James would come to the wrong conclusion, "I'm not…gay."

While it was true that in the wizarding world, homosexuality was not explicitly illegal or met with severe disdain - this relatively open attitude existed mainly because magical couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, had the option of conceiving children through the use of potions - it would be misleading to claim that homosexuality was universally embraced. Some individuals, predominantly from pureblood families or muggle families—since the muggle world held a less tolerant stance on the matter—continued to hold the belief that conceiving a child with assistance was unnatural and would disapprove of anyone who chose this path.

James, for his part, remained largely indifferent to how a child is conceived, but his views on homosexuality were influenced by his father's stern opinions on the subject. While he did not harbor a strong aversion to same-sex relationships, he did not feel entirely at ease with the topic and certainly did not want his close friend to be involved in one. This was largely due to the concern that his father might disapprove of his friendship with Sirius if it were revealed that Sirius was gay or even worst, suspect he and Sirius were a couple. And while he loved Sirius in his own way, the thought of him and Sirius as a couple made James want to gag.

Luckily, over the years, Sirius had never shown any indications that he had any inclinations towards boys, always surrounding himself with girls of all ages. But after today, James really couldn't be sure anymore, no matter what Sirius said in protest.

"Really James I'm not," Sirius repeated, grabbing James' arms in a vice grip, making him wince a little in pain. Sirius however mistook the wince for one of disgust at the mere thought of him possibly being gay, and immediately let go.

"James, I'm not," he tried once more, looking desperate now. He was afraid this was going to make a dent in his and James' relationship and that was something he'll never forgive himself for.

"It's okay buddy," James sighed, patting his shoulder in reassurance, "It's not I'm really against it if you were. You know I will always support you. I was just…surprised."

"But I'm not," Sirius repeated, blushing a little now, further diminishing the credibility of his words.

James decided it was time to change the topic because this one was making him very uncomfortable.

"Anyway," he interrupted Sirius before he could say anything else, his voice louder then it was polite, "I think I'll be going now. Remus said I can find Hadrian in the Charms' hallway after his class lets out. I want to go see just what kind of person he is."

"I'm coming with you," Sirius insisted, taking a step forward, "It's not that I don't trust you James, it's just I think I know what is going on here. This is about Lily, isn't it?"

Now it was James' turn to blush.

"Why do you all assume it's because of Lily," he protested, "Not everything I do is because of her."

"It's because of Lily," Sirius repeated, this time with conviction, "I've heard the rumours too, but I don't think it's because Lily has a crush. I think it's just fascination."

"Which is why I need to see him," James explained slowly, as if he was talking to a 3 years old, "I want to see if he deserves Lily's fascination."

"You are one stubborn bastard," Sirius laughed, putting a hand on James' shoulder even as they made their way to the Charms Hallway, "Just don't do anything okay? He's really popular right now and has a lot of fans. If you hurt him, you really won't like the consequences."

"Of course I'm not going to hurt him," James said before adding in his head: "I'm going to find a way to embarrass him."

His plan was simple. He was going to find a way to embarrass Hadrian in public.

According to Sirius and Remus, the primary reason for Hadrian's popularity stemmed from his remarkable charm - or charisma as they called it. Many regarded him as cool and sophisticated, but perceptions, James knew, can be easily changed.

For this reason, James believed that if he were to publicly embarrass Hadrian and reveal his ordinary side, it could potentially alter people's perception of him and reduce their interest in him. He was aware that this approach wasn't particularly kind and might leave lasting emotional scars, but James found himself in a state of desperation. As a man in love, he believed he should be granted some leniency when it comes to dealing with his love rivals.

Sirius, if he knew, would probably try to stop him.

Remus, if he knew, would definitely try to stop him.

So, for the first time in a long time, James Potter was operating alone - he didn't even think about the fourth member of their little group because Peter was as reliable as a rat in these type of situations.

However, James didn't care he was operating alone or that he can never tell anyone about this. As long as Hadrian goes down, everything would be worth it.

Lily would go back to her books.

Sirius would, hopefully, get over this little phase and go back to normal.

And he James could go back to his school work.

But before any of this could happen, James had to learn more about Hadrian; learn about his habits and weaknesses so he knows where to start.

And then? Strike.


Despite having made a detour to get his partner in crime - which turned out to be a waste of time as his partner in crime refused to be his partner in crime and was now insisting to stick by him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid - James still made it to the Charms Corridor only 5 minutes after class was supposed to have let out. And just as he thought he was late and probably won't be able to see Hadrian, he realized that the classroom door was still closed and a group of people have gathered around it like fans waiting for their idol to make an appearance, all talking excitedly amongst each other, the name Hadrian a constant in their conversation.

It was absolutely ridiculous and it made James stare for a few seconds, his mind unable to process.

Although he had been told that Hadrian was very popular, but knowing about Hadrian's popularity was one thing and experiencing it first hand was another. He didn't think this sort of thing was possible at Hogwarts or in real life for that matter; he nor Sirius ever had this treatment and James already considered them pretty well known around the school.

"Has this been going on for the past two weeks?" He couldn't help but ask, pointing towards the crowd.

"No," said Sirius and just as James was about the relax, he continued, "It was worse. I remembered the day he arrived, the crowd was so bad the teachers had to come out and do crowd control. This, in comparison, is quite tame."

"Merlin's balls," James muttered, not quite able to imagine that particular sight, "Just what is about him that turned all of these people in to rabid fans?"

Sirius shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by the answer.

James turned his attention back to the crowd and grabbed the nearest student to ask him why they were gathered here. Although he had assumed it was for Hadrian, but he was still holding on to the hope that he and Sirius were wrong and these people were for some other reason.

"We heard Hadrian was teaching the younger students and wanted to see what he was like as a teacher," the boy - yes, it was a boy as, shockingly enough, there were actually a lot of boys here waiting along with the girls - explained.

"But how do you guys even see in to the classroom?" He couldn't help but notice that only a few students in front of the crowd had the opportunity to peak through the small window on the door in to the classroom while people behind them watched on in envy.

"It's okay," the boy shook his head, "Discussing amongst ourselves what he would look like teaching is also fun."

"I heard he's only 16," another piped up from beside the boy James had been talking to, "I thought he was going to be a student like us when the Headmaster had introduced him as a transfer student; but when none of us ever saw him in class, we started wondering where he was. We never thought he would be teaching the younger students."

"He must be very strong and very talented to be teaching at such a young age," a girl piped up from their left.

That, James had to agree, was true. Becoming a teacher's assistant or - in Hadrian's case - a substitute teacher was not an easy task. Not only did you have to show the teachers you were good enough at your chosen subject to teach younger students, you also had to show the teachers you had enough time on your hands to take on the additional responsibility. While finding a student or two in their Seventh year that met these qualifications wasn't impossible, for a Fifth year to do the same was, admittedly, very impressive.

"No one seems to know where he came from," another girl sighed, also joining in the conversation as if she had been there all along. "He just sort of appeared and he never told us about his family or his past schools. I would have loved to know what kind of environment he grew up in to be so…perfect."

James resist the urge to roll his eyes at her.

But unfortunately he seemed to be the only one to find fault in her words because everyone around them seemed to agree.

James took a step back after that, as if he was afraid their craziness would get to him.

Luckily for James' sanity, the classroom door finally opened - 10 minutes late James noted - and it was then he finally saw Hadrian for the first time.

A strikingly handsome young man exited the room, capturing the attention of all who were present. His tall, confident stature exuded an air of self-assured elegance. With chiseled features, his strong jawline framed a face that could have been sculpted by a master artist. High cheekbones added to his sculpted look, giving his countenance a regal quality. His piercing eyes, a beautiful shade of emerald that reminded James of Lily, held a magnetic quality that drew people in, conveying both intelligence and a hint of mystery.

A well-groomed, dark mane of hair, almost as dark as midnight, added to his allure, flowing with a touch of unruly charm and framing his face in a way that accentuated his features. Every strand appeared meticulously placed. Dressed impeccably in a tailored suit - and not the uniform the students were all wearing - that accentuated his broad shoulders and slim waist, he moved with grace and purpose. The suit's deep, rich color only enhanced the aura of sophistication that surrounded him. Each step he took seemed to ripple with confidence and charisma.

His presence seemed to elevate the ambiance of the room, as if he brought with him an air of refinement and distinction. The collective gaze of those in attendance gravitated toward this captivating figure, making it clear that he was not just a handsome man but a truly remarkable one, leaving a lasting impression on all who had the privilege of seeing him.

"Merlin," James heard a girl murmur from beside him, her tone a mixture of wonder and excitement "How is he even real?"

James unfortunately had to agree.

With looks like this, no wonder he was so popular.

With looks like this, no wonder Sirius didn't want to go after him.

With looks like this, even James was starting to waver in his determination to stick to his plan…

…that is until he saw Lily amongst the group of fan girls and boys…

…Lily who was supposed to be either studying for her classes or in the library doing homework…

…Lily who had said, on more then one occasion, that boys were unnecessary distractions…

…Lily who was now staring unblinkingly at Hadrian as if he held the key to the secrets of the universe…

And suddenly, just like that, all hesitation was gone.

Hadrian had to go down.