Encounters of the Future Sort
The Photo Album
Hermione's POV
Hogwarts Corridors
with Ginny and James
"Isn't she loveee-ly—"
Hermione glanced sideways at Harry, who was moving his head to an imaginary tune. A tune confusingly indicating his romantic interest towards Lily Evans, no less. She hadn't quite made sense of it all yet, but if it was dark magic it probably wasn't logical anyway. The key with dark magic was to catch it quickly, so the sooner they got to Madam Pomfrey, the better.
"Where is Evans again?" Harry asked, tousling his messy raven hair very uncharacteristically.
"Um, s-she's in the hospital wing," Hermione glanced nervously around. The last thing they needed today was to run into a member of the inquisitorial squad, or worse...
"Wait—the hospital wing?" Harry stopped short. "Is she all right?"
"She's fine," Ginny reassured, pulling him firmly along the corridor stairs. "I think she, er, needed a calming draught. Pre-exam stress, you know?
Harry nodded, knitting his brow. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense..."
Hermione had been wondering if it would happen—if Harry would give way under the enormous pressure he'd been under. So much had happened in the last few weeks, and she knew he felt responsible for a lot of it. The DA had been caught, Dumbledore had been sacked, and Umbridge was now Headmistress. Not to mention their rapidly approaching O.W.L's. This overwhelming sequence of events had Hermione just as on edge as everyone else, hanging on to a thread of what little piece of mind she had left.
"Isn't she woonderfuul—"
Hermione needed a calming draught too. Or a perhaps a large butterbeer.
Remus
Boys Dormitories
with Sirius and Peter
"Moony…you have to see this."
Remus emerged from the loo to Sirius and Peter sitting on what should be James' bed—but was discerningly not—hovering over a leather-bound picture album.
"Do I?" Remus muttered and a blast of hot air shot out of his wand, which he pointed at his hair like a blow drier. He shuddered from the sudden warmth, feeling quite sleepy.
"Still grumpy, but at least you smell nice," Sirius winked.
"Pushing your luck, Padfoot."
"Look," Peter was wide-eyed. He held up the album and pointed to a photo. "It's us."
Remus crossed the dorm and narrowed his eyes. It was a photo of the four Marauders: they had their arms around each other's shoulders and were laughing. But, there was something strange…they looked more mature. James was taller than Sirius, wherein now they were the same height. And was that—
"Lily?" Remus knit his brow. "Is she—"
"Snogging Prongs," Sirius shook his head solemnly. "Never thought I'd see the day. Wait 'til you see the one of their wedding…"
Peter flipped through the album. Sure enough, Sirius was right. James was wearing black dress robes and Lily was all in white—
Remus met Sirius's silver eyes in accusation. "You aren't pulling my leg?"
Sirius shook his head sincerely. "I wish I was. I think we may have unwittingly entered apocalyptic times, Moony." He got to his feet. "Don't spontaneously combust while I'm gone—if the sun goes black, take shelter!"
Remus ignored him as he disappeared into the loo. "Pete, where did you find this?"
"It was here," Peter pointed to James' bed. "Just laying here!" He looked up and around the ceiling like it had fallen from the heavens. "Do you…d'you think it's really us? It looks just like us."
"I dunno, Pete." Remus breathed out, massaging his eyes. He should be angry, but he was too tired. "Let me think for a moment…"
He laid down on his bed. Or was it even his bed? He didn't know anymore. The facts were outweighing the speculation at this point. He really had been looking forward to a quiet Saturday afternoon of reading—not cleaning up after another one of James and Sirius' barmy excursions. That bloody cauldron…
"So, darling Moony," Sirius flopped onto the bed beside him, jolting him from a nap he must've slipped into. "I know you have some sort of, ah—reasonable revelation? Let's hear it."
Remus rolled onto his back and stared at the celling. He took a deep breath.
Factual, Remus, he told himself. Be factual. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems…
"Well, for one, that kid who called James 'Harry'." Remus held up a finger. "For another, I could have sworn I knew the password—I thought we used it just this morning after breakfast?"
"Yeah we did," Peter nodded anxiously, pulling at a loose thread on the sleeve of his robes.
"The fat lady didn't recognize us…" Remus continued, decidedly not vocalizing that she thought Arthur Weasley's son was the fifth year Prefect and she didn't seem to know who any of them were.
"And the weather also, not to mention I don't like the Cannons—and the photo album?"
"He's getting there, Wormy." Sirius was watching Remus like he was a tornado forming and there was a wind advisory.
Peter held up a photo of himself in a bowler hat with a feather sticking out of it. "I don't wear bloody bowler hats."
Yup, Remus sighed. This was bad.
Peter looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus. "Is no one else concerned about this? This isn't even our dorm!"
"We're all very concerned, Wormtail." Sirius rolled his eyes, quite downplaying the whole situation in obvious guilt. He was a master blame shifter.
"I think…" Remus chewed on his lip. His stomach grumbled loudly. "I think I need food before I implode on myself like a dying star."
"As you know," Sirius smiled dashingly, like the wind of storm Moony had begun and he was encouraging them to take shelter. "I'm quite versed in the language of the stars. I concur—to the kitchens! But first, Wormtail, you bloody reek."
Peter put a hand to his mousy hair, caked with rotten fruit pulp, and grimaced. "Right…"
James
Hospital Wing
with Hermione and Ginny
Hermione, Ginny, and James approached a large stone unicorn fountain that marked the entrance to the hospital wing.
"Wait here Har—I mean James," Ginny winked, red pony-tail blazing behind her as the two girls left him just inside the entrance.
James was nervous. He hoped Lily was here because of exam nerves and not having to do with the exploding cauldron from this morning...
"I trust there is a good reason for this intrusion?" he overheard Madam Pomfrey say. She was spooning some disgusting looking green liquid into a glass which she handed to her patient.
"Yes...er, well, it's Harry…" Hermione motioned over to James, who pretended to busy himself tying his shoe. "He's not, erm, feeling himself."
"That's no surprise, poor soul, having to deal with so much..." Madam Pomfrey sighed. "A calming draught should set him straight."
"Well, you see," Ginny began awkwardly. She glanced around and lowered her voice. "He, er, thinks he's his father..."
My father? James thought. What are they on about?
"Hey, I don't see Evans here," James called. This prank was getting a bit odd. "Tell her I'll catch up with her later, yeah? I still need to find Sirius, Remus, and Peter."
Madam Pomfrey clutched her heart. She bustled over, grabbed James's arm and led him to a vacant bed. "Sit, dear boy."
"Oh-okay?" James sat and Hermione and Ginny peered at him nervously while Madam Pomfrey waved her wand silently over his face and chest.
"What are you doing?" James knit his brow.
She finished her incantations and lit the tip of her wand, shining it into his eyes. "Pupils are dilating..." she murmured. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Is this part of the prank too?" He asked Hermione and Ginny. "Persistent, I'll give you that. Bringing Madam Pomfrey in on it, really next level—"
"Answer the question please, dear." Madam Pomfrey prompted firmly.
"Yeah, okay." James shook his head, a bit annoyed at being cornered by the strict matron. "My name—it's James Potter."
Madam Pomfrey stifled a gasp, but gathered herself quickly. "A-and what year is it?"
"It's April 1st, 1976."
"Harry..." Hermione sat at the foot of his bed with imploring eyes. "It's April 1st, 1996."
"Ohh, so not a parallel dimension? Time travel, is it?" James cocked an eyebrow, leaning backwards onto the bed and running a hand through his tousled hair.
Madam Pomfrey clasped a hand over her mouth as she watched him, like he had suddenly gone spectral.
She turned very seriously to Hermione and Ginny. "There's no sign of injury or dark magic," she assured, like James wasn't sitting right there. "There is some quantity of magical residue...but that's not an entirely uncommon substance, especially when emotions are high."
"Magical residue?" James puzzled. She must be referring to what Remus had sensed in the Room of Requirement. "I'm confused—"
Madam Pomfrey gently set her hand on his forearm. "We know, dear. Let me fix you a calming draught and you'll feel right as rain." She squeezed his arm and disappeared into her office for a moment.
"Look," James turned to Hermione and Ginny when Madam Pomfrey was out of earshot. "I respect your dedication, but this is kind of becoming a drag." He jumped to his feet and waved a hand in farewell, with a disarming smile. "Peeves is at large and I'm a deserter, so...nice to meet you both, I appreciate your time, and see you around!"
Hermione and Ginny stared blankly after him, mouths slightly agape, as he jogged through the large wooden infirmary doors and out of their sights.
Sirius
Corridors
with Remus and Peter
"D'you think Hermione'll let me copy off the essay Snape set us?"
"Probably not. Worth a go though…"
Remus, Sirius and Peter were in a dim corridor in the dungeons, just outside the kitchens.
"Hmm wonder who that is? I hardly ever see anyone down here," Sirius mused. Tickling the pear in the painting outside the kitchens was a bit of a coveted secret.
Two boys about the Marauder's age turned the corner. One had red hair and was quite tall and lanky; the other had spectacles and jet-black hair that stuck up in the back—
"Oi! Prongs!" Sirirus shouted.
The two new boys came to a sudden halt and laid very wide eyes upon the three Marauders. The red head, who had a mouthful of pie, was gaping so widely that crumbs fell to the floor.
"Where the hell did you go off to, then?" Sirius rounded on James. "We had to fend Peeves off by ourselves! Luckily he found some first years to go after…"
James appeared frozen to the spot. He was looking at Sirius like he didn't believe he was real.
"Prongs?" Sirius took a step towards him.
The red haired boy had turned chalk-white. He took a step backwards as Sirius encroached, tugged at James' robes, and swallowed hard. "Harry…have I gone mad or a-are y-you seeing this too—?"
James' eyes began darting back and forth between Remus, Sirius, and Peter, his mouth slightly ajar.
"Prongs? You all right?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.
He felt Remus' gentle hand on his shoulder. "Er—Sirius, I don't think that's James…"
Notes 1/26/24:
Ah! So sorry to leave you all here! Next chapter is ready to go and it starts off quite a bit more seriously with an interesting point of view...then gets lighter with some more banter and shenanigans, don't worry! Let me know what you think :)