Beginning of the End

by sav2003

Hours after the Final Battle, Harry and Hermione find themselves sitting in the Room of Requirement, wishing they could change the way everything ended up. What happens when the Room gives them what they want?

1. The Room of Requirement

Hey y'all!
If you've read my other stories, I expect by now you've figured out that I quite like time-travel. I had the idea for this story a couple months ago and I couldn't get it out of my head. Now, thirty-plus pages later, here we are! In addition to working on this fic, I've also been working on a few others as well (both published and not), and I'm hoping to have the next chapter for Scars of the Future out soon, with an update for Mia Potter and the Order of the Phoenix after that. I'm so excited to be posting the first chapter of this fic, and I can't wait to see what you all think of it! As always, sit back, relax, enjoy, and on with the story!
- Sav

May 2, 1998

The war was over. Voldemort was dead.

"We should feel happy, Harry."

"We should."

"It's finally over."

"It is."

"I don't think I've ever felt worse." Her voice cracked. More tears slipped down her cheeks, leaving little trails of clean skin in between the layers of dirt, ash, and blood that coated her face. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not bothering to wipe his own tears. There was no point, really. No matter how hard he tried, the tears would only keep coming. They were persistent, relentless.

"I don't think I've felt worse either."

It was just the two of them- Harry and Hermione, sitting alone in the Room of Requirement. The Room of Hidden Things had been destroyed by the fiendfyre Crabbe had cast earlier that night, but the Room of Requirement still worked.

They had left the aftermath of the battle- concealed under Harry's invisibility cloak- and, with the extra help of the Marauder's Map, they made their way to the seventh floor, where they asked the Room of Requirement for a space. Somewhere- anywhere, really, that was quiet, empty. Just a room. The room delivered, creating four walls, and some stairs leading up to a fireplace. The entrance door was at the bottom of the stairs, but other than that, that was it. Just a room, some stairs, and a fireplace, nothing more.

They did not want to talk to people- listen to the praises and gratitude of those who were elated that the war was finally over. They did not want to hear the heartbroken sobs of those in mourning. They did not want to nod and thank those who gave kind sentiments and words of encouragement to help them through their own losses. They had lost so much. Everyone had.

They just wanted to be alone. They wanted peace, and quiet, and-

"I wish we could have done more."

"Me too, Mi. More than anything."

They had sat down together on the steps, about halfway up, with the fireplace crackling quietly behind them. They had barely moved since, apart from the hug, which they had yet to come out of. They were dirty, covered in blood- some of it from their own untreated injuries, some from their attempts to heal their fallen friends, and some from the Death Eaters stupid or unlucky enough to cross their paths. Their clothes were wrecked, their emotions even more so, but time heals all wounds, in one way or another.

"It just- it feels so wrong… they should be here… they fought for this as well a-and… and they're gone. I-I wish…"

"I know, Mi. I wish they could be here too. They should be here… it's not fair…"

"What went wrong, Harry? How could we lose them? How could they just… so many of them, and for what? Sure, we won in the end but… but they're n-not here… why us? Why are we here, Harry? What right, or talent, or- or skill have we more than any of them? We don't deserve to live more than any of them! And… and here we are! Why us, Harry? Why not them!"

"I wish we could have fixed it. I need to fix it, Mi, we need to fix it! How can we fix it?"

"I wish we could fix it, too, Harry. I so desperately want to fix it… I wish I could… I wish I knew how… I wish…"

Hermione trailed off, her voice too thick with tears to speak properly any longer. She burrowed further into Harry's chest as her quiet tears turned to anguished sobs. Harry squeezed her tighter- if that was even possible- and buried his face in her unruly hair, which, despite the blood and dirt, still managed to be the same untamable mess of curls that it always was. His tears had yet to change in any direction. They did not speed up, and turn to sobs, nor did they stop. He wasn't sure they would ever stop. Slow- maybe, even disappear for some time, but they would always come back. They would never stop. Not completely.

"We had best get back out there," croaked Hermione, an immeasurable amount of time later. "They'll have noticed we're gone by now- we wouldn't want to worry them. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey could use some help with the injured and- and the… dead."

Harry nodded, and pretended not to notice when Hermione furiously wiped away more stubborn tears. Again, he didn't bother wiping his own. Rather, he pocketed the map and folded up his cloak, and then offered his hand to Hermione. She took it easily. Together they walked down the steps, away from the fireplace, and steeled themselves for what lay waiting on the other side of the door- outside their safe haven.

They felt it the minute they stepped through the doorway.

"Harry, something's not right."

"The halls, Mi… they're too… quiet, and… something else…"

With a shared look of agreement, Harry unfurled the cloak, encasing himself and Hermione within, and pulled out the map. At the same time, Hermione cast a silencing charm over the both of them, ensuring that they could talk freely. They could communicate with each other, but whatever was out there would not be able to hear them. She also cast a scent-canceling charm, just to be safe. She was still in battle mode, after all, and they knew of far too many people with enhanced senses. They were taking no risks. With wands drawn, they cautiously walked down the corridor. Harry looked at the map every few seconds, but Hermione kept her eyes up. Echoes of a conversation floated down the hallway, but they were unable to make out any words.

As they rounded a corner and the echoes became clearer, Harry looked down at the map, and Hermione gasped. Both stopped dead in their tracks.

"Harry-"

"Mi, I think something's wrong with the map…"

"They- they're on the map?"

"That's… that can't be right… Mi- the map…"

"Harry. Look up."

Slowly, Harry looked up. His jaw slackened and more tears ran down his face. He tightened his grip on his wand.

"Mi, that's not possible…"

"The s-stone… maybe?"

"Left it in the forest."

The answer came to them at the same time.

"The Rat."

"He must have told them about the map- found a way to trick it."

"That means they're stray Death Eaters, Harry. The aurors must not have found them yet, and they used some well-cast glamours."

"They're awfully confident, Mi, they're not even going anywhere- just talking… What are they getting out of this? Did they really think this would work?" His temper flared. More tears fell, but these were tears of anger. He had to restrain himself from hexing the group of four that stood in front of them as he processed what they were saying- they were even using the nicknames! No. He could not give away their position yet. It seemed Hermione was having the same issue he was, as they both listened in on the conversation.

"… see the looks on their faces! Merlin, Prongs! I think that was our best one yet!"

"I couldn't agree more, Padfoot! Even as alumni, the Marauders are still wreaking havoc at Hogwarts!"

"Hey! I helped too!"

"Something I'm surprised Prongs even got you to agree to- although I'm still in shock over the fact that he got you to marry him… or even date him…"

"Oh, shut it, Moony. And Lily-Flower, as the love of my life, you're automatically included in the Marauders, so, contrary to what you might think, I did include you in my previous sentence."

"You should be honored, Evans, not many people are so lucky as to have the grand title of Marauder bestowed upon them."

"I've told you before, Black, I will not be associated with your silly little boys' club."

"So says the Lovely Lily, even though she married a member of our 'silly little boys' club,' participated in a prank with the 'silly little boys' club,' and knows all the most guarded secrets of the 'silly little boys' club.'"

"Please! I figured out all your secrets years ago! The names are a dead giveaway, and I knew about Remus's furry problem before you did!"

"Admit it, Lily-Flower, you're mine, and a Marauder!"

Harry and Hermione could listen to no more. It was too painful, and the Death Eaters in disguise were mocking their grief.

"Let's take our chances, Harry," Hermione said, keeping her voice low, even though there was no need- the silencing charm had them covered. "We have the element of surprise. We'll take them back to the Room of Requirement- I still have some Veritaserum in my bag, we can figure out their plan, then take them to the aurors."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I'll take the left two, you take the right."

"Is anyone coming?"

He checked the map. "No."

"Good. On three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Stupefy!"

The disguised Death Eaters were knocked out before they even knew what had hit them. Stepping out from beneath the cloak, Harry and Hermione quickly levitated the four unconscious Death Eaters and headed back to the Room of Requirement. The room had supplied them with four chairs, which Harry and Hermione wasted little time in tying the Death Eaters to. After Hermione had taken their wands, warded them in place, silenced them, and dosed them with Veritaserum, she nodded to Harry. They both drew their wands, and aimed at the Death Eaters.

"Rennervate."

The four slowly came to, and as they realized their current situation, they began to struggle against the ropes.

"There's no point in trying to escape," said Hermione coldly. "I may be filth to you, but my wards are better than yours could ever be." Her voice caught the attention of the four, and they all turned to look at her. She was standing next to Harry, and they both noticed how the Death Eaters' eyes widened as they realized who had captured them. Tears were running down both Harry and Hermione's faces. It physically hurt to look at the four, but their voices remained strong, and their wand hands steady.

"Now, given who you four not-so-wisely decided to impersonate, I've also included anti-animagus wards. The Rat told you how to trick the map, and the animagus bit has been common knowledge to the rest of your fellow Death Eaters for years now. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of you got any ideas."

If the Death Eaters looked panicked before, it was nothing compared to how they looked now. She must have guessed right about the animagus part, then.

"Not only is it pointless for you to try and escape, but we've also dosed you with Veritaserum, and you're not going anywhere until you answer our questions. More specifically- who you are, who put you up to this, and why the hell you thought it would be a good idea to impersonate Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and James and Lily Potter!"

Her voice broke again, but she held her ground. Harry and Hermione refused to wipe away their tears- not because it was pointless, but because they would not give the Death Eaters the pleasure of seeing them break. The Death Eaters looked stunned.

Harry leveled his wand, and removed the silencing charm on the one that looked like James Potter. Of all of them, he was the one it hurt the least to look at. Harry could try to imagine he was looking into a mirror.

"Who are you," asked Harry with a stony expression.

"James Potter-" He was about to say more, but Harry angrily cut him off with a silencing charm, glaring viciously through his tears.

"Wrong answer. Mi? Can anything overpower Veritaserum?"

"He could be a fairly skilled Occlumens- I reckon Dumbledore and Snape could overpower a few doses of Veritaserum. Who does that narrow it down to?"

"Dolohov?"

"Dead. So are all three Lestranges- you already knew about Bellatrix though."

"I swear to Merlin, Mi, if Molly hadn't killed her, I would've, for what she did to you, and for Sirius, and Tonks, and Dobby, and the Longbottoms." Hermione smiled sadly and squeezed Harry's hand, but refocused the conversation.

"What about Lucius Malfoy? Is he an Occlumens, Harry?"

"If he was, he's not anymore. Azkaban and Voldemort would've shredded whatever mental barriers he had left. I thought the aurors caught him?"

"No, he's on the run. Draco and Narcissa turned themselves in though."

The sound of a chair screeching against the floor brought their attention back to the Death Eater who claimed that he was James Potter.

"We already told you escaping is pointless."

He tried to mouth a few words, but gave up and raised his eyebrow. Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded, before removing the silencing charm.

"What," growled Harry.

"We're not Death Eaters, and we're certainly not impersonating anybody!"

"Nice try," said Harry angrily, raising his wand to replace the silencing charm.

"Wait!" Harry lowered his wand slightly, allowing the Death Eater to speak. "I'm telling the truth! I really am James Potter, son of Charlus and Dorea. I'm not a Death Eater, and I have no idea why we're being held hostage, or why you're accusing us of working for Voldemort and impersonating ourselves, especially when you're the one with my face!"

Hermione's gasp cut off Harry's retort, and everyone turned to look at her.

"Mi?"

"H-Harry… I-I think he's telling the truth…"

"Mi, you know as well as I, that's not possible."

"No, Harry, just think about it for a second. First off, he just said 'Voldemort.' "

"So?"

"He said 'Voldemort,' Harry, not 'The Dark Lord.' That at least proves that he's not a Death Eater. When we were walking earlier, right before we saw them, the halls felt… off. It was because they looked as they usually do- the rubble from the battle wasn't there, but when we had originally entered the room, it was everywhere. That brings us to the room- Harry what room were we in before we saw them? What room are we in now?"

"The Room of… The Room of Requirement! You- you think it heard us?"

"Harry, that's its purpose! It gives the user what they need! We wished we could change things, fix it, we needed to- we said so as much earlier in the room!"

"How do we prove it?"

"Like this."

She silenced the one claiming to be James and removed the silencing charm on the one who looked like Sirius.

"What did you hide behind the blue motorbike poster in your room at Grimmauld?"

Although it was obvious he was struggling against the Veritaserum, the answer spilled out of his mouth against his will.

"P-Prongs's book of pictures that he took of Evans when she wasn't paying attention."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in excitement- that was the correct answer. Sirius had shown them the album one day over Christmas Break at Grimmauld. He really was Sirius- not their Sirius, a little younger perhaps, but still Sirius. They had to check the others.

"Really? Of all the questions you could have asked me, it had to be that one? How do you even know about-"

Hermione cut him off with a silencing charm, and tried to ignore the various looks on the faces of their hostages. Sirius was scowling and avoiding the deadly glare coming from the one who claimed to be James. The one who looked like Lily Potter had a scandalized expression on her face, and despite the fact that he was currently tied to a chair and silenced, the one who looked like a young version of Remus Lupin was laughing hysterically. Hermione un-silenced the Lily-look-alike next.

"What is the name and occupation of your brother in law?"

"Vernon Dursley," she said with distaste. "He works at a drill-making firm- James Charlus Potter, what is this I'm hearing about a photo album?"

James looked scared.

Harry, on the other hand, looked shocked and elated. He was standing in front of his mother. They could save her- her and Sirius. He tried not to get too excited. They still needed to confirm the identities of the ones who looked like Remus and his father.

Hermione silenced Lily, and moved on to Remus.

"Y-You never thought that you could have children." Her voice broke. She brushed away a tear. Teddy. "You liked to imagine though. You've always had a name picked out for your daughter. What is her name and why?"

"Hope- after my mother. She died when I was very young."

Hermione let out a single sob. "Remus." She had seen his dead body in the Great Hall but a few hours ago, and now he was here. It was almost too much. Her knees wobbled, but she slowly made her way over to James. Harry grabbed her hand, and a hopeful expression crossed his face for the first time in a long while. She took the silencing charm off of James.

"What happened when you transformed into Prongs for the first time?"

"I got my antlers stuck on the rails of my four-poster in Gryffindor Tower. That's how Sirius came up with my name. Speaking of- Sirius Black, you prat! How could you! I spent ages looking for my Lovely Lily Book! I thought it was gone forever!"

Hermione silenced James, and turned to look at Harry.

"Harry…" Her expression was one of shock and excitement- happiness.

"Mi." His expression was exactly the same.

"We can fix it!" She flung herself into his arms, and Harry caught her, laughing through his tears- tears of joy. After a few minutes, they broke apart. They paid no attention to their unwilling audience, rather they conversed between themselves, as if the Marauders did not exist, and could not hear every single word they were saying.

"First thing's first: we have to tell them."

"Do you think that'll work, Mi? I mean, what reason do they have to believe us? We basically kidnapped them, drugged them, and forced them to reveal their secrets against their will. Also, we look like we've just been through a war."

"We have just been through a war, Harry."

"I know, and that's exactly what we look like- Mi, you're still bleeding!"

"So are you. We'll fix it later. Let's take an oath on our magic, that way they know we're not lying. After that, I'll set up my pensieve, while you introduce us. We should keep them tied up though, just to make sure they don't run off."

"Sounds good. You ready, Mi?"

"Let's do this, Harry."

Slowly, they turned back around to face the Marauders.

"Erm… hello," said Hermione, feeling awkward. "Sorry for kidnapping you… and tying you up… and dosing you with Veritaserum… we sort of thought you were Death Eaters- for reasons that will be explained in a minute. Anyway, since you already heard our plan, we'll just jump right into it then."

Hermione cleared her throat and raised her wand, so it was sticking straight up in the air.

"I, Hermione Jean Potter, do hereby swear on my magic that what we are about to tell you is the truth, that the memories you are about to see are completely real, and have not been tampered with in any way. I further swear that we will not intentionally harm you, in any way, shape, or form, and that we are here to help. So mote it be."

A golden light surrounded her, growing brighter, then slowly fading away. To prove that the oath was legitimate, Hermione lit her wand with a Lumos, and then put out the light a few seconds later. If she had been lying about anything she said in the oath, it would have taken away her magic. Hermione noticed the shocked faces of the Marauders- most likely at her name reveal- and she smiled.

"If you were shocked at my name, wait until you hear his," she tipped her head towards Harry. "And Harry, I know you've heard this before, but you really do have your mother's eyes." Harry grinned, and like Hermione, raised his wand straight up in the air.

"I, Harry James Potter, do hereby swear on my magic that what we are about to tell you is the truth, that the memories you are about to see are completely real, and have not been tampered with in any way. I further swear that we will not intentionally harm you, in any way, shape, or form, and that we are here to help. So mote it be."

Once the light from the oath faded, he lit and put out his wand, proving that he was telling the truth, and then he noticed the Marauders' faces. All four of them had their jaws dropped, and they were staring at Harry and Hermione in astonishment. Harry ran his hand through his hair and uncomfortably cleared his throat.

"Mi? Could you cast a tempus charm please? I think we should probably figure out what day it is."

"Oh! I completely forgot! Good idea, Harry. Tempus!... It is currently half past five in the evening, and it is May 2, 1979… so… nineteen years then, minus a couple hours- it was morning when we left."

"Nineteen… okay then…"

Harry turned back to face the Marauders, and looked around awkwardly, before shaking his head and taking a deep breath.

"Um… hi. I'm Harry… Harry Potter. Mi, over there," he nodded towards Hermione, who had removed a pensieve from her beaded bag, "is my sister- don't call her Mi, though. Only I can call her Mi, because she's… well… my Mi. You can call her Hermione."

Hermione snorted and shook her head fondly, but didn't interrupt.

"Like Mi said earlier, sorry for kidnapping you and all… we weren't really expecting to see you. Er- it appears that we have time-traveled- well, again, nineteen years backwards, to be exact. Oh! And we know how to kill Voldemort- just did it a couple of hours ago, actually, so we're here to help." He turned to look at James. "You commented that I have- erm… your… face. Well, it is my face, I'm just not born yet, and, um, you're my… dad. Lily's my mum. Merlin, this is weird. Er- I-I'm going to un-silence you now."

Harry lifted the spell, but the Marauders stayed silent. James was the one to break the silence first.

"Do you play Quidditch?"

"Um… what?" That was the last question Harry had expected, but it broke everyone else out of their silence as well. Remus looked at James incredulously.

"Really, Prongs? Your future kids kidnap us, drug us, tie us up, accuse us of being Death Eaters while holding us at wand point, and then tell us that they know how to kill Voldemort, and your first question is 'Do you play Quidditch?' Were you dropped on the head as a baby?"

"Probably," replied Lily and Sirius in sync.

"Rude," said James, miffed. "In my defense, they already said that they would explain everything, so I was just asking the other important question-" he turned to look at Harry. "Do you play Quidditch?"

"Does he play Quidditch," Hermione scoffed, "He was only the youngest seeker in a century- made the Gryffindor team first year."

"Youngest seeker in a century? Hear that, Lily-Flower? Our son's a Quidditch prodigy!" Lily rolled her eyes and smiled at her husband, while James turned to Hermione. "What about you, Hermione, are you a Quidditch prodigy too?"

"Oh, no. I don't fly-"

"That doesn't mean she's not a prodigy, though! In our time, Mi is known as the Brightest Witch of Her Age," bragged Harry. "And for good reason, too. She brewed Polyjuice Potion in second year. I also probably would have died a long time ago without her."

"Polyjuice in second year? Wait… what do you mean you would have died without her?" James was suddenly concerned. That wasn't a sentence one would expect to hear from your future kids- that is, if one expected to talk to their future kids in the first place.

"Please," said Hermione, ignoring James, "if we're sticking to second year, I distinctly recall you doing just fine on your own."

"That was all luck!"

"You killed a sixty-foot basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor! I think that's a little more than just luck!"

"He what?" Screeched Lily, drawing the attention of the siblings.

Hermione looked sheepish. "Erm- Harry, how about we just start showing them the memories, rather than blurting out all the crazy things we've done over the years, without giving them any context whatsoever?"

"Oh, you mean like yesterday, when we broke into Gringotts and escaped on a dragon?" The Marauders gaped, unable to form words. "Uh, Mi? I think we broke them."
Hermione glared. "Harry James Potter, if you weren't injured, I'd hex you for that."

"That's never stopped you before," retorted Harry petulantly, wincing in pain as Hermione threw a light Stinging Hex at him. "Ouch! Okay- sorry!"

"Prongs, Evans…" said Sirius, dumbfounded, "your kids are insane…"

Lily and James were too caught up in what had just been revealed to acknowledge Sirius. Sixty-foot basilisks? The Sword of Gryffindor? Breaking into Gringotts and- and escaping on a dragon? What were their kids doing? They turned away from their thoughts as the sounds of their kids' conversation came floating back to them.

"Harry… I hate to ask this, but I think we should show them the memories chronologically and…"

"And you think we should start with… that night. It's okay, Mi, and I agree. We should give them the news straight-up. No sugar-coating. It never does anyone any good."

"Thanks, Harry, and I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Are we combining our memories together, or viewing just one of ours?"

"I thought we should do both of ours; more coverage that way. I also think we should add in the ones you collected a couple of hours ago, in the- in the Shrieking Shack."

"I think we should add those too. We may not have liked him, and vice-versa, but I feel like his story should be told. At least for… her sake."

Hermione nodded. "Those memories are in my bag, along with some of the others we were studying. I'll take the other memories now. Do you remember how it works?"

"Yep. Hold still and focus."

"Right. Start with- with that night, then go chronologically through first and second year. We should talk to them before starting third year, that way things don't get… out of hand."

The Marauders watched as Hermione gently held her wand against Harry's temple and removed a long, silvery strand of Harry's memories. When she had finished, she limped over to her pensive and deposited the memories. Now that the adrenaline rush from kidnapping and interrogating the Marauders had gone down, she once again felt the sharp, insistent aches of her numerous injuries. She sat down by the pensive, with her back against the wall, and tried to keep in the pained groan that she could feel trying to escape her lips, but to no avail.

"Mi?" Harry asked in concern, rushing over to his sister.

"I'm fine, Harry- just a little sore is all."

"Considering I'm as injured as you are, I'd say 'just a little sore' is an understatement."

"Memories first, Harry. I'll heal us after."

"Harry, Hermione," Lily interrupted, "you're forgetting I'm a trained healer. I'll do it. It's not like I haven't healed you before- what with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter for role-models, I'm sure you two are quite used to it by now."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in panic, ignoring the protests coming from the Marauders at Lily's comment. Lily furrowed her eyebrows at her children's reaction. What was wrong? Did she say something?

"Er… thank you," said Hermione hesitantly. "That would be much appreciated."

"Uh, Prongslets?" Harry and Hermione turned to look at Sirius, holding back their amusement at the plural name he had given them. "If the four of us solemnly swear not to do a runner, will you untie us? These chairs are very uncomfortable."

They pondered this for a second, before Hermione turned to Harry. "You untie them, and I'll have the room lock us in, until I specifically say otherwise."

Harry nodded and moved to untie their hostages, standing awkwardly after he had finished. He raised his arms, as if to reach out to the group, but seemingly thought better of it, as he dropped his arms lamely back to his side. He so desperately wanted to hug his parents, Sirius, Remus- his family, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He knew these people, he loved these people, but they didn't know him. To them, he was just a boy from the future who happened to be related to them. He was a stranger. To them, he was Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily- not Harry. That fact hurt more than he thought it would have. A glance at Hermione told him that she understood how he was feeling. She could always read him.

He headed back over to his sister and sat down next to her, gently pulling her into his arms, and missing the looks of mild hurt and confusion that passed around the group- especially from James and Lily. Why was their son afraid to hug them? They could tell he wanted to, but for some reason, he stopped himself. Was it them? Was it their future relationship with him?

It was clear Hermione was having trouble walking around- she hadn't really moved from her spot since she sat down, so it didn't draw too many questions that she hadn't hugged them. But Harry had tried, and then he didn't. Were they bad parents? Harry and Hermione thought they were Death Eaters… No, they thought that they were Death Eaters disguised as Lily and James Potter, not that they themselves were Death Eaters.

Why would they immediately jump to 'disguised Death Eaters' at the sight of them, instead of 'Mum and Dad'? Maybe it was the age difference? They had to look younger than their children were used to seeing them. That's it… that had to be it…

Despite coming to that conclusion, an uneasy feeling settled over them. Something was off– wrong– and in the back of their minds, they both knew what the true answer was, but they didn't want to believe it. They would ignore it. Looking over at Remus and Sirius, James and Lily could tell that their friends had the same train of thought.

Hermione spoke from her place nestled in her brother's arms, drawing all four of them out of their musings.

"You should all get comfortable, as we're going to be in here for a while."

The group nodded and began to situate themselves. Remus transfigured the chairs they had previously been using into a large couch, while Sirius conjured a few pillows and blankets. He held out a blanket to the siblings in offering, but Harry shook his head. They had sat on worse things than the floor of the Room of Requirement. Lily had curled up next to James in the corner of the couch, and Sirius and Remus both sprawled out across the couch, taking up the rest of it.

"I'm going to play the memories now, I've set it up so the pensive will project them, rather than us having to go inside. A fair warning before we start, many of these memories are hard to watch, especially the first one. I have effectively locked us in this room, and it won't let us out until I tell it to. This is as a precaution, because we know how you will react to some of the memories. You should also know that even though I've locked us in here, I have absolutely no qualms about restraining you."

"They're that bad?" Asked Sirius, a bit apprehensively.

Hermione had a dead look in her eyes, and a faraway expression on her face, but it did not lessen the hardness with which she spoke.

"We were fighting for our lives in a full-scale battle little more than three hours ago. Yes. They're that bad."

Sirius felt chills roll down his spine at Hermione's words, and Remus was unnerved when both Harry and Hermione's haunted looks fell upon him. James and Lily were sad and horrified. Just what had their kids been through?

"You can ask us questions at any time, but we might not answer if it's something significant that the memories cover later on. Is everyone ready?"

At the nods of the Marauders, Hermione flicked her wand towards the pensive, closing her eyes as the memory started to play. She felt Harry tighten his grip as they heard James's panicked voice coming from the memory.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

The Marauder's faces drained of blood as memory James shoved a baby Harry into Lily's arms and desperately kissed his wife. Something was very wrong.

"I love you," Lily sobbed as they broke apart.

James tearfully kissed Harry on the head, and stared into the eyes of his wife.

"I love you too, both of you, so much! Now go!"

Lily ran up the stairs of the cottage with Harry in her arms and tears streaming down her face. She flung open the door to the nursery and rushed to Harry's crib. Rather than set him down, she hugged him tightly to her chest.

"Harry, Mummy loves you."

A crash sounded from downstairs. Lily jumped.

"Daddy loves you."

More noises could be heard from below them. Then-

"Avada Kedavra!"

"No," whimpered Lily brokenly.

The thud of James's body hitting the ground echoed throughout the house.

Yells of panic and desperation and grief loudly sounded in the Room of Requirement. Remus was motionless, frozen still, and staring up in horror at the memory. His eyes had turned amber, signaling that Moony had come to the surface, but still, he did not move, not even to brush away his tears.

Sirius had sprung to his feet, tears freely rolling down his face. His mouth was open, as if he wanted to scream, but no sounds came out. He swayed in place for a second, before falling to his knees, unaware of everything else except for the fact that he had just heard the murder of his best friend, his brother.

"Prongs," he whispered in agony.

Lily was inconsolable, wrapped around James and sobbing into his chest, clinging to him in anguish and despair, terrified that the moment she let go of her husband, the memory would become reality and he would be gone forever.

James hugged his wife back tightly as he looked at the memory in sadness. He was devastated that he would not be able to watch his kids grow up, that he wouldn't be there for his Lily, however he was content in knowing that he had died trying to protect his family. He would give his life for theirs in an instant. He would gladly die a thousand deaths if it meant that his family would live.

Hermione's eyes watered and she felt her brother's hot tears land on her shoulder as Harry cried into her. His arms had tightened even further, almost to the point of pain, but Hermione said nothing. Instead, she gently rubbed Harry's arm in comfort, and let him cry.

The group was drawn back to the memory by the sound of footsteps walking up the stairs of the cottage. Memory Lily seemed to hear this as well.

Lily's voice broke more as she worked to speak through her tears. "We'll always be with you, my darling. We love you so much, Harry."

She pressed a kiss to a crying Harry's head and set him down gently in his crib, before turning around and facing the open door, shielding Harry with her body as Voldemort calmly stepped into the room.

"Stand aside," he spoke coldly, "I only want the boy."

"No!" More tears rolled down her face and her cries became hysterical. "Not Harry, not Harry! Please, not Harry!"

"Stand aside you silly girl! Stand aside now!"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead… Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy…"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Harry!"

"NO!" Cried James as he watched his wife's body hit the ground. Remus and Sirius could do nothing but stare on in horror. James and Lily were dead.

Voldemort stepped further into the nursery, carelessly pushing Lily's body aside with the bottom of his foot.

"Don't touch her!" Thundered James at the memory, incensed.

"Now…" spoke Voldemort as he raised his wand at baby Harry.

"DON'T TOUCH MY SON!" Lily yelled angrily, while at the same time, James bellowed: "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Their yells had no effect on the memory.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The nursery was flooded with bright green light.

Hermione paused the memory as it faded to black, letting the group take a moment to process everything they had just witnessed. She then turned around in her brother's arms so she could hug him properly.

When the group had finally calmed down enough to think clearly, they all turned to stare at Harry. Harry had been hit with the Killing Curse. Harry had survived the Killing Curse.

"How?" Asked Lily, her voice shaky and full of tears.

Harry, who had collected himself, but had yet to let go of his sister, looked up at his mother. "You and Dad. It's old magic- powerful magic. You two l-loved me and- and d-died to protect me. That acted as a barrier so when Voldemort cast the curse at me, it bounced off of me and hit him instead."

Lily nodded in understanding.

"I thought you said you just killed Voldemort a few hours ago?" Said Sirius, looking at Harry in confusion. "How is that possible if he got hit with his own killing curse when he tried to kill you?"

"He came back," replied Hermione.

"How?"

"Dark magic. Disgusting magic." Hermione shivered, remembering how evil the mere presence of the horcruxes felt. Harry squeezed her arm in sympathy. James drew Harry and Hemione's attention away from their thoughts.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Where were you when we- er… in the… memory?" James ran a hand through his hair anxiously. "You were safe right? Were you in a different room? I only noticed one crib…"

"Oh," Hermione looked down. "Um- well, I'm actually a muggleborn… Harry adopted me as his sister at the end of third year."

At this, Harry sat up further, his green eyes blazing fiercely, and pulled Hermione closer to him protectively. Staring at his parents with a stony expression, he added on to Hermione's response.

"And if either of you have a problem with that, then after we re-kill Voldemort, you'll never have to see us again."

Hermione spun on Harry. "What? Harry, no! I'm not going to make you choose between me and your parents! If they have a problem with me then I'll- I'll go."

"No, Mi. As much as I love them, and as much as it would hurt, I've lived without them my entire life. It's you I can't live without."

"But-"

"No, Mi-"

"Hey!" Snapped Lily. "Nobody is going anywhere." She directed her attention towards Hermione. "We don't give a damn if it's not biological. You are Harry's sister. That makes you our daughter." James nodded firmly in agreement with his wife. Both Harry and Hermione slumped slightly in relief.

"Thank you," said Hermione, ignoring the tears in her eyes that were threatening to spill.

"Sorry," said Harry, looking at his parents, "It's just that Petunia and Vernon weren't nearly as understanding." The memory of that particular conversation floated around in his mind, and-if his sister's almost imperceptible shudder was anything to go by- hers too.

"We didn't want you in the first place, Boy, and now you tell us we've got another entitled brat to look after?! No! I won't have it! We are not some sort of circus for orphaned freaks!" Harry had been content to just walk out the door of Number Four with Hermione and never look back, but Dumbledore wouldn't let them. After multiple hours filled with harsh words and many, many threats, Hermione was finally allowed to stay.

Harry had offered to move back to the cupboard under the stairs so that Hermione might have Dudley's second bedroom, but Hermione had come prepared and pulled out a suitcase she had recently bought- one with an impressive expansion charm on it. The suitcase was essentially a one-bedroom flat. When Harry asked her about it, Hermione said she went looking for something like it after reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them- apparently the author, Newt Scamander, had something similar. Lily's screech snapped Harry out of his musings.

"You were sent to live with my sister?!"

"Unfortunately," Harry seethed, still angry about all of Dumbledore's manipulations. Snape was right- a sentence he never thought he would be thinking- Dumbledore had raised him like a pig for slaughter.

"What about Sirius?" Asked James incredulously. "There's no way we wouldn't have named him godfather, so why weren't you with him?"

"Through no fault of his own, Sirius was unavailable. We'll go into more specifics about that later."

"What about Remus then? Why not Remus?" Asked Lily desperately. She knew what her sister was like. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, and certainly not her son.

Harry snorted bitterly. "I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. The Chosen One. The Savior of the Wizarding World. Even if old Twinkly-Eyes hadn't been manipulating my entire life practically since I first took breath, the Ministry would have stepped in. Merlin forbid their hero live with someone afflicted with lycanthropy."

Remus went chalk white.

"You- you- you know?"

"Of course we know, Moony. We have since third year."

"A-And… and you're not-"

"Remus John Lupin, finish that sentence, I dare you." Growled Hermione angrily. Lily, James, and Sirius looked at Harry and Hermione proudly, but Hermione wasn't finished. "You are not a monster, Remus Lupin. So what if you turn into an animal once a month? Your best friends turn into animals! Hell, they are more of an animal than you could ever be!"

"Hey!" James and Sirius protested.

Lily snorted. "She's not wrong…"

James and Sirius pouted. Hermione ignored them.

"Trust me, Remus, we know all too well what the true monsters are like. If you're a monster, then this world is doomed."

Remus still looked shocked, but some of his color was returning back to normal..

"Mi?" Said Harry, a pensive look on his face.

"Yes?"

"When was the Wolfsbane Potion invented?"

Hermione sat up a little straighter, her lips parted, and her eyes widened in excitement. "That's a brilliant idea, Harry! The Wolfsbane Potion isn't out yet- it was invented by Damocles Belby in 1984, but I'm positive one of my books has the recipe! I'll need more stewed Aconite sprigs, and a few other ingredients, but I should have enough to at least get started on it. Of course I'll need a place to brew it-"

"The tent, maybe?" Interrupted Harry. "Now that we won't need to apparate at a moment's notice we could probably brew it in there, and it'll be easier to-"

"-keep an eye on it, because we'll already be staying there. Thanks, Harry! Do you have any ideas on where we should set up camp? Of all the places we've apparated around, I think the Forest of Dean would be the best option."

"I agree, Mi. There are no Snatchers out and about right now, so we shouldn't have to worry about that, and it's far enough out of the way that we are unlikely to call attention to ourselves, which means we don't have to worry about our time-traveler status being found out by anyone. We should still be careful though- constant vigilance. I'll take first watch tonight."

"No, Harry, I'll take the first watch. You took it last time."

"Mi, you're injured. You need sleep. Let me take it."

"Harry, you're injured and need sleep too! It's only fair if I take it."

"But Mi-"

"Guys!" James said, drawing the siblings from their debate. "Slow down. Now, could one of you please explain what this potion is and what you're arguing about?"

Harry and Hermione nodded.

"Well," said Hermione, in a tone that Harry identified as her 'lecture voice.' "Wolfsbane Potion, like I said earlier, was created by Damocles Belby in 1984. Its purpose is to alleviate some of the symptoms of the werewolf transformation. Its most notable effect is that it allows werewolves to keep their human minds during the transformation. Essentially, Remus doesn't have to worry about hurting anyone because Remus would be in control, not Moony. If he so wished, he could curl up by a fireplace and sleep through the moon.

"I have most of the Black Family Library in my bag, as well as the entirety of Dumbledore's personal library, and quite a few books I… acquired from Professor Snape at the end of sixth year, so between those three I'm certain that at least one of them has the recipe. I have enough ingredients to start the potion at the very least, but I'll have to stock up on ingredients relatively soon. Depending on when the next full moon is, I might be able to have a batch ready, and if not, then definitely the moon after that. Going back to explaining our debate, Harry and I-"

"Hold up for a second, Mi. Give them a minute to process everything- they're not yet used to your lectures."

Harry had caught her hand in his, stopping her wild and excited gesturing, and she looked sheepishly at the Marauders upon realizing that they all seemed to be lost, lagging a couple seconds behind in her lecture as they tried to think through everything she had been saying.

"Oops."

Harry laughed at her.

"I-I could stay in control?" Remus looked to Harry and Hermione desperately. James, Sirius, and Lily were all sporting awed and hopeful expressions.

"You'll never have to worry about hurting anyone ever again," confirmed Hermione.

Remus smiled widely and tears started rolling down his face. "Thank you," he said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, "I-I… just… thank you…"

"No thanks needed, Remus," said Harry, before smiling mischievously. "Just promise us something, will you?" Hermione smiled as well, catching on to Harry's thought process in the way that only siblings could.

"Anything."

"When a pink-haired witch slaps you over the head and calls you a 'stupid, bloody, Merlin-be-damned, gormless, pig-headed, overgrown-puppy,' do us all a favor and ask her out."

Harry's request was met with silence, until James and Sirius both burst into uncontrollable laughter and Lily looked like she was trying hard to keep herself from doing the same. Remus just stood in shock with his jaw dropped— an expression nearly identical to the one he wore the night Tonks had actually done that. When Sirius and James had calmed down (more or less), Sirius clapped Remus on the back, grinning wildly.

"Good on you, Moony! Prongslets! Who's the witch that wins the heart of our dear… overgrown-puppy… was it?"

Both Harry and Hermione smiled at the bright-red blush that bloomed across Remus's face, before Harry looked back at Sirius.

"Sorry, Padfoot, I can't tell you— that's something that Moony should find out for himself. She'll pop up in the memories later on though." Sirius pouted, but Harry ignored him. "Now, back to our other conversation, Mi and I were arguing about who gets the first watch tonight, although it is no longer a problem, because I'm taking it."

"Harry-"

"No, Mi," he huffed, giving her a serious look.

James, sensing that the siblings were going to spiral back into their argument, butted in. "First watch? First watch for what?"

"We sleep in shifts. Usually we'd be on the lookout for Snatchers, but since there aren't any in this time, we'll mainly be keeping an eye out for Death Eaters and anyone who would wish us harm, or anyone who could find out about the whole time-travel thing. It should be much safer now, though, since nobody but you three even know we exist, and with how far out in the woods we'll be, we're unlikely to come across any people, especially once Mi puts up the wards– she's quite brilliant at them, you see."

"You sleep in shifts?"

"Yep. Have been for a year now– that's what happens when you're on the run."

"What?" James looked appalled. "You mean to tell me that the two of you have been on the run for the past year?" At the grim nods of the siblings, James's jaw dropped in shock. Lily furrowed her eyebrows in concern, a look that was copied by Sirius and Remus.

"Why have you been on the run?" Asked Lily, looking almost afraid of the answer.

"Death Eaters took over the Ministry," toned Hermione.

"Did we forget to mention that we're Undesirable Numbers One and Two?" Harry added nonchalantly, before saying in a voice that sounded much like a muggle game-show host: "Hand us over to the Ministry in nineteen years, and you could find yourself the lucky owner of four hundred thousand galleons!" Harry winced as Hermione rolled her eyes and swatted the arm that Harry had wrapped around her shoulders.

"You had… a collective total… of four hundred thousand galleons… hanging over your heads?" Lily's voice was deadly quiet, seething with anger.

"Yes, that's correct," said Harry, once again seeming unconcerned with the circumstances that he and his sister had been dealing with.

Lily appeared to be past the point of being able to form words, rather she glared and clenched her fists, letting out a few noises of anger in the process. How could the Ministry be so weak? So corrupt? And why in the name of bloody sanity did her children have to be the ones to fix it?! James comfortingly rubbed his wife's back, knowing exactly how she was feeling, even though she was unable to put her thoughts into words. He furrowed his eyebrows as something his son had said came back to him.

"Harry, did you say you'll be sleeping in the woods?"

"Yeah, our tent is still in Mi's bag– actually, most of our things are in Mi's bag, well, except for food, we ran out of that a while ago, but we do have some chocolate left I think… We were saving it for emergencies."

James sighed, but decided not to address the comment about running out of food. Instead he focused on the matter at hand. Looking around, James noticed a distinct lack of any possessions, and sent a questioning look to his children.

"What bag?"

Hermione flicked her wand, allowing a small purple beaded bag to appear into sight from where it had been disillusioned at her hip. Everyone, apart from the siblings, raised their eyebrows at the tiny bag.

"Uh, Hermione," said Remus hesitantly, "I know expansion charms are very handy, but there's no way that bag could hold all your things, even with an extension charm…"

Hermione lightly blushed and replied in a somewhat embarrassed manner. "That's because the extension charm I used wasn't quite what one might call… common."

"Or legal," Harry muttered, trying to hide a smirk. Hermione blushed harder, her cheeks flaming a bright red, and once again slapped Harry's arm with the back of her hand.

"Mi, might I request that you stop hitting me? Please?"

"No." Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, clearly trying her hardest not to smile, but ultimately she failed and rolled her eyes as one made its way onto her face.

"Prongslets?" Asked Sirius, drawing everybody's attention. "Is this a thing of yours? Breaking the law? You two seem to have quite the penchant for it."

At this, both siblings looked sheepish, and Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"We don't have a penchant for breaking the law, we just… do what's necessary," defended Harry awkwardly.

"Yeah," added Hermione, "it's not like we wake up planning to break the law, it's just usually the situations we find ourselves in involve breaking laws. Plus, some laws are so ridiculous and bigoted that the only right thing to do is to not follow them!"

Harry nodded in agreement before turning to Hermione with an exaggerated look of shock on his face.

"Hermione Potter! Defending rule breaking and criminal activity? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Hermione rolled her eyes, and Harry sniffed and dramatically threw his hand to his heart. "It seems like only yesterday you were lecturing me and Ron about us not coming up with more clever ideas to get us killed– or worse– expelled…"

"Really, Harry, be serious- Don't even think about it!" She shot a look at Sirius, who smirked, and winked at Hermione. Deciding that she didn't want to waste energy acknowledging Sirius, and ignoring the sniggers of James, Remus, and Lily, Hermione instead glared at her brother, who smiled and wrapped his arms back around her.

"Come on, Mi, I'm just teasing, you know you're my favorite sister."

"I'm your only sister, you numpty!"

"Ok, back on subject," said James, calming his laughter, "there's no need for you two to camp out somewhere; there's plenty of space at Potter Manor. If you're worried about being found, don't be. There are ancient blood wards that are nearly impossible to break through, and the only people queued to the wards are Potters– be it by blood, name, or magical adoption. Not even Remus or Peter can get through the wards without me, Pads, or Lily-Flower."

"Thank you, but we couldn't possibly impose," said Hermione.

"We're perfectly happy using our tent," agreed Harry. "And we need to use the tent anyway to brew Remus's potion."

"Nonsense," said Lily, waving off their concerns. "You're not imposing, you're family. Like James said, there's more than enough room and the wards are practically unbreakable. As for needing a place to brew Remus's potion, Potter Manor has a fully stocked and furnished potions lab."

"But-"

"Face it, Prongslets," interrupted Sirius, before they could protest more, "you're not going to win this. You're family. You're staying with us. End of discussion."

Harry and Hermione looked at James, Lily, and Sirius, seeing nearly identical looks of stubbornness on all three. The siblings sighed, realizing that, like Sirius said, they really weren't going to win this debate. Secretly, though, they were both happy they could spend more time with all four adults– their family.

"Thank you," said Hermione sincerely.

"Now," said Harry, smiling, "let's watch the rest of the memories, then– let's go home."