Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

June 16, 1994
  Train ride home after Harry’s third year.

      The wooden carriage door flew open, revealing a sweet looking woman on the other side - a trolly full of sweets in hand,
      “Anything of the trolly, dears?” she asked, flashing a kind smile.
      “We’ll take a chocolate frog and a package of Bertie Botts Every Flavour, please,” a red haired boy perked up, hurrying to find the sickles he had stuffed into his pockets earlier that morning. Rummaging for the coins, he offered the woman a shy smile, wordlessly apologizing for the time he was taking up.
     “Oh honestly Ronald, do I have to do everything?”
The girl sitting beside the ginger boy sat up, offering the old witch two galleons and grabbing the sweets,
     “Here,” she sighed, dropping the candies into his lap, and returning to her seat opposite him.
Focusing her attention to the boy sitting next to Ron, the girl let out a silent exhale, “Harry, when will you finally teach Ron to keep better care of his money?”
     “Oh please, Hermione, I think he’s doing just fine on his own! I mean,” Harry chuckled, glancing over at his friend who was still rummaging through his pockets, “look at him! Seems pretty under control to me.”
     “Oi shut it, both of you! It’s not funny you know! I had loads of sickles in my trousers, and now they’re all bloody gone!”
     “Ron, did you maybe consider checking the pockets of your jumper?” Harry smirked, his glasses slightly sliding down the tip of his nose.
The ginger boy wearily eyed his friend, yet still lowered his hand into his chest pocket. Eyes widening, he pulled out a dozen silver coins, all reflecting off one another in his palm.
     “How do you always know everything, Harry?”
     “I guess I’m the ‘Chosen One’ for a reason, eh?” Harry joked, poking his tongue out at his friend.
Laughter filled the carriage, followed by a comfortable silence - which was soon broken by Ron’s voice,
     “Hey guys,”
     “Yeah?” both Hermione and Harry answered in unison.
     “I’ve been meaning to ask. You never did tell me how you saved Sirius that night. You know, when we were in Madam Pomfrey's? One minute you were standing in front of me, and the next you were gone. The second you reappeared, you said Sirius was safe. I never did understand what happened that day,” Ron frowned, recalling the confusion he had felt. The two friends exchanged glances, silently wondering whether to tell him about the time turner or not. Hermione spoke up first, hesitant,
     “Listen Ron. You can’t freak out, and you have to promise not to tell anyone. Alright?”
     “It can’t be that serious, what could possi-”
     “All right?” Hermione repeated, harsher this time.
     “Yeah, yeah. All right.”
Hermione pursed her lips, staring at Ron for a moment - then reached towards her neck, pulling a necklace out from under the rim of her shirt. A small, golden hourglass was attached to it, glowing brightly in the sunlight,
     “Ron, this is a time turner. McGonagall gave it to me first term. This is how I’ve been getting to my classes. And…. well - this is how we saved Sirius.”
Ron’s eyes widened, his mouth opening ever so slightly, but quickly shutting again. Rubbing his temple, he spoke up, “you mean, you time traveled? That thing lets you time travel?”
Hermione nodded, and Harry hummed in agreement.
     “Bloody hell,” Ron whispered, “it’s brilliant! Can I see it, Hermione? I’ve never actually seen one in person before. My mum’s mentioned them once or twice, but seeing one up close? Never.”
Cautiously, Hermione pulled the golden necklace off her neck, handing it to Ron so delicately, as if it might break at any moment. Placing it in his palms, she breathed in sharply,
      “Ron no!” her eyes widened, “don’t move it around too much, spinning it sends you back!”
The ginger boy stopped so suddenly, his movements halting. Fear filling his eyes, he breathed,
     “Hermione. Take. This. Back. Now.”
A grin on her face, Hermione snatched the time turner back - giggling to herself at the boy’s fear.
     “Stay here, I’m using the loo.” she smiled, stepping out of their carriage and into the long hall of the train.
     “Harry. Why didn't you tell me about that thing! I mean, blimey! You two are time travelers! My dad tells me about these things all the time,” Ron shrugged, “just this week some wizard got in loads of trouble with the Ministry for ‘meddling with time’”.
     “Sorry mate, Dumbledore told us not to mention it. In his words, ‘awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time.’ Thought it better not to mention the time turner - for everyone’s sake.”
Ron shrugged away the worry, his eyes traveling to the bench opposite them, now empty with Hermione’s absence.
     “Think she’ll get mad if I take a closer look at it again?”
      “Can’t get mad if she doesn’t know,” Harry smiled at his friend - reaching out to grab the turner.
      “Blimey - this really is cool! How exactly does it work?”
      “I think you spin these bits?” Harry guessed, pointing towards the small golden notches on the side of the device, “not sure though. All I know is that when it starts spinning - you’re pretty much done for.”
Ron frowned, trying to wrap his mind around the device. Grabbing it from Harry, he held it up to his eyes, examining every gear on it. Suddenly, the carriage door burst open - Hermione walking in.
      “Ronald Weasley!” she gasped, “Give that back! It’s dangerous, Ron!”
      “It wasn’t me! It was Harry that grabbed it,” Ron jumped in his seat, throwing the time turner over to Harry.
With a clang, the little golden device tumbled from Harry’s hands and onto the floor under him. Reaching down to retrieve the turner, he grabbed it from under the seat. Throwing it up in the air and catching it back in his palm, Harry smiled,
      “It’s all right Hermione! See? Look, we’re all still here aren’t we?” He wrapped the turner around his neck. Hermione’s eyes widened, shock and horror written on her face.
      “HARRY NO!” she yelled, reaching her hand out at the speed of light- in attempts of taking the turner off him.
Harry furrowed his brows, confused. Looking down at the time turner at his neck, his breath hitched. It was spinning - faster than he had ever seen.
     “HARRY! TAKE IT OFF NOW!” Hermione bellowed, her voice cracking.
Ron reached for the necklace around Harry’s neck, desperate to help his best friend. Harry’s hands moved before he could think, grabbing the chain around his neck and yanking it off him. He shut his eyes, clutching the turner in his hand and hoping for the best.
    Silence.
              Heartbeat.
    Silence.
              Heartbeat.
       Harry could feel the blood rushing through his veins. He was aware of everything around him. The clothes on his skin. The cold metal of the turner against his fingertips. His head was spinning - no. His body was spinning.
Finally opening his eyes, Harry breathed in a sigh of relief. Everything was okay.
       Everything. Was. Okay. 
                                                              

     Rubbing his temple, Harry slowly opened his eyes. Everything was normal. He could feel the uncomfortable train seat beneath him, the light breeze from the open carriage window, the metal time turner clutched tightly in his palm. Everything seemed normal. Until it didn’t.
        “HERMIONE! RON?” Harry yelped. He could feel his heart in his throat.
Harry stared at the empty seat beside him - where just moments ago his best friend was sitting, rummaging through his pockets desperately. Three short knocks snapped Harry from his train of thought.
        “Oi, can we sit here? Everywhere else is full,” a lanky boy peered into the carriage from outside the hall. He had a head full of untidy black hair, sticking up in every direction. A pair of glasses sat atop his nose - slowly sliding down his face.
Harry’s blood ran cold. His hands shaking and voice trembling - he choked out a quiet,
      “Yeah, go ahead.”
He smiled widely, and stepped into the carriage - sitting opposite Harry. A short, stubbly boy waddled in behind the dark-haired boy - sitting down anxiously beside him.
     “I’m James, by the way,” the brunette announced, reaching out a hand to Harry, “James Potter. And this is Peter,” he motioned towards the blonde boy on his right.
     “Hiya,” Peter smiled shyly.
Harry felt like he was about to cry. His breathing turned fast and manual - his stomach wrapping itself into a knot. Was this really happening? Was this really his dad - sitting right there in front of him? His attention snapped to Peter. ‘He doesn’t deserve to sit next to my dad’, Harry thought. He felt as if his blood was boiling, anger bubbling up inside him. ‘He killed my parents! He’s a traitor! He doesn’t deserve anything!’ Harry could feel all the emotions rising in him. He wanted to hit Peter - to curse him. Do anything that would cause him pain. ‘I could punch him,’ he thought.
      But deep inside he knew that if he did anything at all, then the two boys would think he’s utterly insane. He had no choice but to play along - just until he could figure out how to return back to Hermione and Ron. He would have to tolerate Peter - even if that seemed an impossible task.
    “What’s your name?” James asked, pulling out a package of Droobles from his coat pocket, “want a chuddy?”
    “Thanks” he whispered - accepting the blue piece of chewing gum from James, “I’m Harry,”
    “Well, nice to meet you then, Harry! Know what house you’ll be in?”
    “Gryffindor, I suppose,” Harry mumbled, chewing on the gum.
    “Oi! Me and Peter here are both hoping for Gryffindor too!”
    “I reckon I’ll be a Hufflepuff, though-” Peter muttered.
    “Oh come on, Petey! I’m sure you’ll bunk with me in Gryffindor, eh?” James snorted, grinning at Peter.
The three sat together chewing their gum, and listening to James explain the rules of quidditch - much to the distaste of Peter, who was now on the verge of falling asleep.

          It had only then occurred to Harry that the two boys sitting opposite him were getting sorted into their houses today - which meant they were both first years. Harry felt a pang in his side. Not only had he traveled back in time, but was now a first year again. Accepting his fate for the present moment, Harry rested his head on the headrest, and gazed out of the train. They were still at King’s Cross, and Harry could see hundreds of wizards running around the platform, hugging goodbye and wishing their kids a good school year. A stout woman was sobbing loudly, holding a crying child in her arms - while a younger woman blew her nose into a big, plum-colored handkerchief.
Suddenly, the carriage door slid open and a tall, homely looking boy peeked his head in.
       “Hi, could I sit in here? There’s no space anywhere else,” the boy asked, glancing around the half-empty carriage.
       “Go ahead mate!” James smiled, gesturing towards the empty seat near Harry, “I’m James, and this is Peter! That’s Harry,” James took turns pointing at everyone, introducing the new boy to the rest. Harry flashed a small smile, and Peter waved shyly in response.
        “Oh… well ‘ello. I’m Remus,” the boy said quietly, as he sat down next to Harry. He looked quite nervous, and his cheeks looked a little flushed. Harry couldn’t help but notice the scars on his face. Suddenly, the train jolted alive, and the compartment started shaking slightly. Before anyone could say another word, the door burst open once again. “I’m knackered! Budge up, will you?” a tall, thin boy with rather luscious hair stepped into the carriage, patting Remus’ shoulder. He pushed himself between Remus and the wall, laying his head on the headrest with a sigh.
        “Aren’t you just so excited to start school! If I had to spend another day at that bloody place my family calls home? Merlin, I think I'd lose my mind!”
James smiled up at the boy, holding back a laugh,
       “What’s your name, mate?”
       “Sirius Black. You?”
       “A Black? Hmm, my dad’s told me all about your lot,” James snickered, “I’m James. James Potter.”
       “Potter! Oh wonderful, my family talks about you all time. ‘What a load of Bloodtraitors!’ in the wise words of my mother,” Sirius stuck out his hand, offering James a handshake. With a grin, James accepted.
       “I - I’m Peter!” the short boy perked up, breaking the silence.
       “Cheers!” Sirius shook Peter’s hand too, then turned to his right to address Remus and Harry.
       “How about you lot? What’s up with you, then?”
       “Oh. I’m Remus.. and that’s,” he paused - recalling the name of the boy sitting beside him, “this is Harry.”
Sirius beamed, patting the two on their shoulders, “Brilliant! We’re all friends, then! Anyone fancy some sweets?”
      “Oh, I’ve got a package of Droobles, if you want some?” James held out the bag of gum, flashing Sirius a smile.
      “Droobles? We can do better than that, don’t you think? I’ll be right back, stay here,” Sirius winked - and slid out of the carriage.

 
     Harry was sitting impossibly still, trying to take in everything going on around him. His dad, his Dark Arts teacher, the man he saved from a group of dementors just weeks before, and the man who was responsible for his parents’ death - all sitting in front of him. Alive and well, and.. young. If he didn’t know any better, he would think he was going mad. Glancing back down at the golden turner clutched in his hand - Harry shut his eyes and leaned his head against the carriage wall. Shifting in his seat to carefully slide the time turner into his pocket, he began to feel his mind wander. Slowly drifting off to sleep - the world around him went quiet. The sounds of laughter in the carriage drowned out, and for the first - and perhaps last - time, Harry fell asleep peacefully.

Chapter Text

           “Wake up! Oi! Come on, I don’t wanna be the last one out,” Harry was violently awoken by the blaring voice of Sirius Black.
       “Relax, Sirius! You’ll give him a bloody heart attack if you keep that up!” James grinned, placing a steady hand on Sirius’ shoulder, guiding him away from Harry. Sliding off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, Harry sat up in his seat. His vision readjusting to the new-found light, he glanced out into the train halls - which were flooded with students, all chatting excitedly and carrying their trunks. So it wasn’t a dream. This is still happening. I really did time travel… Harry’s mind recalled the events which had occurred not so long ago, leaving him both scared and amazed.
      Peering curiously through the carriage door, Peter’s cheeks flushed a red hue. Hurriedly turning back to look at James, he whispered, “You know, maybe let’s let Harry wake up properly? There’s so many people out there, do you really want to get caught up in a crowd that bi—”
     “Silence, Petey! The real question is do you want to be the last one out of the train? Personally, I’d like to get to the Great Hall first - get a seat in the very front of the hall! First impressions are important, my dear Pete!” James responded, patting Peter’s back encouragingly, leading him out of their train compartment.
     Sirius reached up to retrieve his trunk from the shelves, and flashed Harry and Remus a warm smile, excitement plastered all over his face.
    “Let’s go, then! Hurry up,” he exclaimed, rushing out of the compartment to follow Peter and James. Remus glanced at Harry and let out a hearty sigh. A small smile playing on his lips, Remus reached for his bag as well.
Harry had only then realized that his trunk had most likely not traveled with him. Looking around worriedly, a lump began to form in his throat. How was he going to explain not having a trunk? More importantly, how was he going to figure out a way of getting back to his timeline without his trunk?      

       All his most prized possessions were locked away safely in his bag. His books, the singular photograph he had of his parents - although, Harry supposed, he was now technically friends with his dad (which to him, admittedly, was still severely mind-boggling) so that was arguably better than just an old photo - and perhaps most importantly, his wand. What was Harry without his wand? A wizard without his wand is like a heart without lungs. They just don’t work without one another. Without lungs, a heart won’t beat - yet without the heart, lungs won’t have a way to work. Without his wand, Harry isn’t the gifted, brave boy he is. Without Harry, his wand serves no purpose. He could feel his heart in his throat.Merlin, what am I going to do, Harry thought. There was no possible way to get home without his wand.
     “Are ya’ alright, mate?” Remus’ eyebrows knit together, worry visible on his face, “what’s got you’ frozen like that?”
     “My — trunk. Don’t know where it-”
     “Trunk? Isn’t it there?” Remus glanced up at the shelf above them, visibly confused, “that isn’t yours?”
      His eyes traveling to where Remus’ were, Harry’s whole body twitched. A brown trunk sat atop the shelf, with the initials H.P carved neatly on the side. His trunk. That wasn’t there before? Was it…? — he thought.
     “Yeah, yeah it is. Sorry,”
     “You sure you’re okay?”
     “Brilliant. I’m brilliant, thanks.”
     “Right. I’ll wait outside the compartment with the others, then,” Remus sighed, traipsing out the compartment.

     Mad. Harry was going mad.
    “Awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time,” Dumbledore’s voice echoed through Harry’s mind. Was this it? Was he a wizard gone mad?
Perhaps he was just tired. Time traveling, meeting your dead dad, and becoming a first year again couldn’t possibly be good for you. Right - Harry decided - I just need a nap. After that, I can get to the library and start figuring out how to get home.

        “Finally,” Sirius croaked, “took you guys long enough! Hurry up, everyone’s mostly out already!” Harry pulled his trunk from out of the compartment, dragging it tiredly at his side. James and Sirius led the group ahead, chatting among themselves excitedly.
       “When’s the first Quidditch game, do you know? I reckon sometime in November. Gives us enough time for try-outs and practice,” James speculated.
       “Gives us? You that confident in making the team? We’re first years, James. First years almost never make the team, surely you know that,” Sirius furrowed his brows, eyeing down his friend.
       “Confidence is key, Sirius! Watch - the second they see me on my broom, they’ll have no choice but to put me on the team. I’m sure of it,”
       “If you say so…” Sirius hummed, trying but failing to hide the growing smirk on his face, “what position are you going out for, at least?”
       “Chaser. My dad’s always told me I was fast on a broom - it’s been my dream to be chaser for as long as I can remember,” James recalled, remembering the way his broom felt under him - how he felt completely in his element whenever his broom was present.
      “Chaser, huh? Makes sense. Suppose I’ll be going out for beater, then. Maybe we’ll both get put on the team, play together?”
      “You’re trying out too?” James exclaimed, stopping in his tracks and turning to face Sirius, a grin growing on his face.
      “Oi! Watch it!” A voice came from behind James, who was just uncomfortably jabbed in his back rather harshly.
Quickly swiveling his head around, his eyes fell on a rather short boy, rubbing his forehead with his palm. His black, (and admittedly quite greasy looking hair - James thought) falling over his eyes.
      “What’s with you? Stopping like that in the middle of the hall? Surprised more people haven’t bumped into you,” The boy complained, finally looking up at James. His sunken eyes stared right back at James - his large, hooked nose slightly red from the impact.
      “Maybe watch where you’re going next time, yeah?” James ordered, eyeing the boy up and down.
      “Sev, come on let’s go,” another voice sounded behind the black-haired boy, higher-pitched and softer, “sorry, he didn’t mean to bump into you guys,” a girl emerged from behind the boy, dragging him away by the sleeve.
      “I — it’s alright! Don’t worry about it…” James stammered, running a hand through his curls - suddenly overly aware of the way his hair looked. His face flushed, eyes following the girl. Her flaming red hair flowed perfectly down her sides, tied together in the back with a single piece of green ribbon.

         “There you are,” Remus whispered, breaking James’ trance - appearing from inside the large crowd, “lost you in all these people,” he sighed, rubbing a hand along the side of his hip.
      “Sorry mate, some tosser rammed right into me,” James murmured, his back still aching from the impact.
      “You okay James?” Peter perked up, eyeing his friend worriedly.
      “Yeah, ‘course. Just an accident, I’ll be fine,” James flashed him a silly smile and threw up two thumbs up.
            Harry was standing right beside Remus, staring at the floor and picking at his fingernails anxiously. Surely, Harry realised, the boy who had run into his dad was none other than Professor Snape. Or - Harry wondered - would he have to call him Severus, now? A bit strange calling your teacher by his first name, but then again, he was referring to Professor Lupin as Remus.
       The thing that was truly on Harry’s mind, however, was not his old Potion’s professor, but his mother. The sweet looking girl who had just ushered Snape away from them, had to be the same who sacrificed her life for him. Her beautiful auburn hair, the way her eyes lit up when she talked - the pure energy of love radiating off her. It had to be his mother, Harry was sure of it.
        What Harry wasn’t sure of, though, was how to go about speaking to her. Would he even get a chance to? Hogwarts itself is an extremely large castle. With all the classes, events (and not to mention the severely inconvenient moving staircases,) Harry wasn’t even sure if he would see his mother again - or if that one small interaction was the first and last.
       “Are you gonna stand here and complain, or are we gonna get a move on? Come on, at this pace all the food’ll be gone by the time we get to the Great Hall,” Harry was snapped out of his train of thought by Sirius’ plea.
“Sirius is right, come on. We’re almost out of the train anyway,” James agreed, hurrying forward, beckoning for the others to follow him.

          “Merlin…” was the only thing that came out of Remus’ mouth, halting the chatting between Sirius and James.
        “You what, mate?” Sirius furrowed his brows, confused by Remus’ sudden astonishment. The confusion slowly faded from his face, however, as soon as he followed the path of Remus’ eyes.
Displayed right before them were rows and rows of boats - each adorned with paddles, Hogwarts’ ornate logo carved into them; and a large lantern, illuminating the water with a soft yellow glow. A rather large looking man stood on the edge of the dock, gesturing for the students to come closer, an excited smile plastered over his face.
       “Come up, come up. Don’t be scared, now. Dunno what’s got yer all frightened! ‘S just a great, cold, mysterious lookin’ lake!” The man stifled a laugh, when none of the students seemed to find the joke amusing. Clearing his throat he continued, “Leave yer trunks near that there wall,” he pointed towards a large brick panel, a dozen house elves shuffling around, hard at work.
      “Hagrid,” Harry whispered to himself so quietly, that nobody could hear. Nobody, except Remus - who had somehow managed to pick up Harry’s mumble.
      “What’d ya’ say?”
      “Huh? Nothing…”
      “Oh, a’right.” Remus muttered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, wincing slightly.
The five made their way over to the house elves, setting down their trunks neatly near the quickly forming pile of bags. As the students began traipsing forward towards the boats, Harry and the rest followed suit. Gripping onto the edge of the dock for balance, James lowered himself into the boat first, taking a seat towards its nose. Peter had managed to get one foot in, but was quickly taken aback by a sudden ‘BANG!’
The boat quaked, forcing James to grasp onto its sides like his life depended on it. Before anyone could say a word, the man standing near the docks marched over, a distressed expression painted on his face.
      “Crikey! Which one of yer managed to do that,” he questioned, staring at the shaking boat, which now not only held James, but also Sirius - whose face was adorned with a smug expression.
      “Guilty,” he confessed, looking not at all remorseful.
      “Well, erh —” the man paused, waiting for Sirius to reveal his name.
      “Sirius Black, sir.”
      “Right, well don’t be goin’ around jumpin’ into any more boats like that, Sirius. And don’t say I didn’t warn yer,” the man noted, and began trudging away.
      “Sick!” was James’ immediate reaction, “where’d you learn to jump so far?” He asked, eyes gleaming with interest - as the remaining three friends made their way into the boat.
Peter went first, stumbling slightly as he climbed in. Followed by Harry, who stepped in with ease, one foot after the other. Remus went last, left hand glued to his hip, steadily descending with a pained expression on his face.
     “You okay?” James asked, noticing the discomfort in Remus.
     “Huh?”
     “Your hip? What happened?”
     “Nothing,” Remus replied, eyes widening slightly, “just uhh - sat weirdly on the train. Just cramping up, I guess.”
“Ah, alright then mate,” James smiled in return.

      The five settled in, gazing out at the water and chatting about what’s to come, “Fucking hell, how much longer are we gonna wait?” Sirius complained, “isn’t the purpose of a boat to, you know, move? We’ve been sat here for ages!”
“I’m sure we’ll go soon, Sirius!” Peter remarked, glad to be included in conversation once more, “there doesn’t seem to be many people left on the docks.”
     “I’m just hungry. I wonder what food they’ll serve at the Great Hall. There better be mash, or else we’ll have a real problem,” James mentioned, imagining all the food - stomach rumbling just from the thought.
     “Forget the food, I wanna know what house I’m in,” Remus muttered from the other side of the boat.
     “Merlin! I forgot to ask you all! I asked Harry on the train, of course, but you or Sirius didn’t mention it at all,” James realized, “me and Peter are both hoping for Gryffindor, Harry too. What about yo—”
     “Again, James, me and you both know I’ll be a Hufflepuff,” Peter sighed.
     “For the last time, Pete! If we both want to be Gryffindor, we will! You know the hat takes your opinion into consideration, right? Just believe in yourself,”
     “If you say so…”
     “I do! Now, you better tell that bloody hat to put you in Gryffindor, alright? What am I gonna do without you?”
     “Okay, okay,” Peter gave in, his lips curling up to form a slight smile.
     “Great! Now, what about you two?” James asked once more, glancing towards Remus and Sirius, “Harry, you’re going for Gryffindor too, right? So that just leaves you guys.” Harry snapped his head up to look at James, once again stolen from the prison of his racing mind - this time preoccupied by the thought of Dumbledore. What if Dumbledore knew? What if he knew that Harry wasn’t supposed to be here? Was that a good thing, or perhaps the worst? Dumbledore could help him get back home, Harry thought. But then again, what happens if he doesn’t know? Harry would be left to fend for himself once more. Could he tell Dumbledore? How would that play out? ‘Hello professor. I’m Harry Potter, you don’t know me - well, actually you do. You know me very well, except in the future. You see that eleven year old boy over there? Yeah, I’m actually his son! There’s this super evil wizard who, surprise surprise, is one of your ex-students! He wants to kill me! Oh, also I traveled back in time and need to get back home. Care to help me?’
Yeah. That definitely won’t work.
     “Yeah, I’m a Gryffindor,” Harry finally replied, silencing his thoughts.
     “Great! And you?” James gestured towards Remus.
     “Dunno,” he shrugged, “my dad was a Hufflepuff, I think. My mum’s a muggle, though. I don’t see too much of them these days,” he picked at the skin near his fingernails, “live with my uncle - he’s a muggle. He doesn't even know magic exists… so, you know, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll go like my dad and be a Hufflepuff. Might join your lot in Gryffindor, I suppose,” he sighed, dropping his head down into his knees.
    “Well, brilliant! I’m sure you’ll do great either way,”
Remus lifted his head back up, glaring into James’ eyes.
    “Thanks.” he hummed, and once again dropped his head.
Shifting in his seat to face Sirius, now, James tilted his head - silently waiting for Sirius to speak.
    “Well, you know me. I’m a Black. The whole Black family is made of Slytherins, so that pretty much settles it,” Sirius groaned, annoyance clear in his voice.
    “You don’t sound so happy about that,” James gathered.
    “Obviously, I’m not happy. From the second I step into that school I’ll be forced to act like ‘the perfect heir to the Black Family’ in the wise words of my mother, and ‘set a good example of what our family is like’. As my dad says, ‘set a toe out of line and we’ll bring you right back home to train you up again!’”
    “Bloody hell…”
    “Don’t worry about it, I’m used to it. Suppose I’ll just get sorted into Slytherin and then become head of the Black Family. Just like my good old father.”
Nobody spoke, James just stared at Sirius in disbelief. Two loud claps rang through the air, breaking the silence. At once, all the boats came to life - the paddles moving themselves, guiding the boats like an organized flock of migrating birds. In mere seconds, the mountains which had been in view were left behind, replaced by a great castle - bathed in a soft, silver glow. A crescent moon hovering gracefully above the many towers of the castle, adorning the scene with a mesmerizing sparkle.
   “Oh wow…” Harry breathed. He hadn’t seen a view like this since his first year - the only time students got such a beautiful welcome to the Hogwarts grounds. In the last two years, Harry had arrived via the Hogwarts Express, which admittedly was not nearly as interesting as a boat ride in the moonlight.

        As everyone made their way out of the boats and onto land, they were promptly greeted by a new face. Hunched over and gripping a rusty lantern in his left hand, a dust-colored cat clutched tightly in his right, the man choked out, “Come on, come on. Get a move on.”
His eye twitched, along with his left eyebrow - which was raised noticeably higher than his right. His grey, stringy hair tangled from the wind, “Right, erh. Follow me,” he murmured, and began trekking up the hill, guiding the students ahead.
    Peter and James exchanged a look, silently agreeing on how menacing the man looked. They used to do that a lot as kids - speak to each other without saying a word. Eye contact was their best friend. They could tell each other a whole story, in a way others could not begin to understand. The two had known each other almost half their lives, seeing as James lived just down the street from Peter. Best friends. That’s what they had deemed each other, just after hanging out for a mere day. The first time they met, they had spent all afternoon in an empty field, playing with James’ new broom - which he had received as a gift for his sixth birthday. James was out-going. A loud, sure of himself, kid. Peter, on the other hand, was a complete opposite. Quiet, reserved - James’ contrary. Opposites attract, is what they say, and in their case the saying proved to be true. The two told each other everything. James would trust Peter with his life.

     As the last few students made their way up the hill, the man grumbled, “Welcome to Hogwarts.”
In front of the crowd stood two huge stone pillars, each adorned with stone gargoyles. Gazing further ahead, a large wooden door was stationed between another set of stone pillars. Menacing, yet oddly comforting in a way.
The doors swung open rather gracefully, revealing a tall, thin woman. Her eyes gleamed with kindness - strangely opposite to her appearance. Her hair tied back tightly in a bun, a pair of thin-rimmed glasses sitting properly atop her nose. She seemed rather strict, yet a quick glance into her eyes revealed a warm and caring demeanor.
      “Welcome, welcome! Make your way in, now, don’t stand around in the cold!” She urged, ushering the students inside.
      “She looks terrifying,” Sirius whispered, looking at James through hooded eyes.
      “Yeah well, she doesn’t scare me,” James whispered in reply.
      “Terrifying? Really Sirius, I think she looks rather nice,” Peter added.

     The woman continued, now leading the group of students up a large stairway, towards another set of wooden doors, “I am Professor McGonagall. I am the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I will also act as your Transfiguration Professor whilst you are here at Hogwarts,” she added, stopping in her tracks as she reached the doors, “and those of you who are sorted into Gryffindor will be pleased to know that I am head of the house.”
    “Oh, bloody hell,” Sirius muttered.
    “Really Sirius, I agree with Peter. She seems rather nice, dunno why you’re so against her,” Remus said.
    “Reminds me of my mother,” Sirius admitted finally, staring up at the professor, “she looks strict, and the way her hair is put up in that bun? Just like my mother, she is.”
    “Well, Sirius. You’re mum sounds like a right twat. But hey, she was a Slytherin wasn’t she? Good McGonagall here is Gryffindor. I’m sure we’ll be fine,” James confessed, Sirius slightly relaxing.
    “For those who aren’t aware,” the professor continued, “here at Hogwarts, students are sorted into four houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Whilst you attend Hogwarts, these houses will act as your family. For every good deed, you will gain house points. Any bad actions will lose you points. Understood?” All the students nodded, anticipation weighing heavy. Everyone in the room now had only one thing on their mind, what house will I be in?
       Suddenly, the wooden doors bolted open, revealing a vast hall. Hundreds of students, all dressed in black robes, sat neatly along four long tables. Each and every student wore a tie, four different colors - scarlet red, bright yellow, an ocean blue, and a deep green. Floating high above the tables, Remus noticed, were candles. Tilting his head back so far it hurt, he caught glimpse of the ceiling - or, Remus thought, lack thereof.
      “Uhh, so is there no roof..?”
      “What?” Sirius furrowed his brows, swiveling his head around to face Remus.
      “The ceiling, look. It’s just the night sky.”
      “Oh! You didn’t know?” Sirius asked, slightly shocked, “it’s not really the night sky. It’s just enchanted to look that way!”
      “Oh,” Remus realized, “how’d you know that, then?”
      “Well, pretty basic knowledge, isn’t it? My whole family’s gone to Hogwarts, and trust me when I say they don’t miss the chance to tell me all about it.”
      “Sounds nice”
      “Nice?” Sirius snickered, “it’s hell. Never stop talking, do they? Narcissistic bastards, they are. Hate the lot of them,”
      “Oh… sorry I - didn’t know,”
      “Don’t sweat it, mate,” Sirius hummed, as they continued walking - following McGonagall as she led them towards the front of the hall, “how come you didn’t know? About the ceiling, I mean. Didn't your dad ever tell you stories? He went here, didn’t he?”
       “He uhm.. He kept to himself a lot,” Remus fidgeted with his fingers, “didn’t tell me much…” he paused, wincing slightly, “don’t know much about magic at all, actually.”
The group had come to a halt, McGonagall leading them to a long row of wooden chairs, gesturing for everyone to have a seat.
       “Oh.. well not to worry! That’s why we’re here, I suppose! To learn magic,"Sirius finally replied, lowering himself down into the stool.
       “Guess you’re right,” Remus managed a smile, looking up at Sirius.
Before he could speak again, a loud voice boomed throughout the hall, “Hello, hello! Welcome! Congratulations on your arrival at Hogwarts!” an older looking wizard with an unusually large, white beard began, “My name is Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. It is absolutely thrilling to see all these new, and returning, faces! Before we start our feast, which I’m sure we are all very impatient to begin,” his gaze traveled towards James, who was glaring behind him at the four tables, wondering when the food would arrive, “we must first complete the sorting ceremony!” A blush crept across James’ cheeks, his body suddenly frozen in place,
      “Bloody hell! How’d he notice that…”
      “Cheer up, mate! Sure he’s just messing with you,” Sirius grinned, trying but failing to suppress a laugh.
Rolling his eyes, James redirected his gaze back at the front of the hall - which now held not only the headmaster, but also a large, dusty hat.
     “What’s that?” Remus whispered to his left, where Harry was sitting anxiously.
     “Oh, that’s the Sorting Hat. It picks what house we’ll be in,” Harry muttered. His gaze was fixed not on the hat, however, but on Dumbledore. ‘There he is,’ Harry thought, ‘did he notice me? Will he ever notice me?’ His mind sped through all the possibilities, wondering whether he had Dumbledore on his side to help him get back home.
    “Ah, thanks,”
Harry hummed in response, still too preoccupied with his racing thoughts to speak. Peter’s right leg bounced up and down anxiously, his hands sweaty from worry, “James… what if the hat does put me in Hufflepuff?”
    “I told you, Pete, it won’t! If you truly want to be in Gryffindor, you will!”
    “Okay, alright - fine”
Dumbledore’s voice echoed through the hall once more, “This is the Sorting Hat. Once placed on your head, it will determine your house for your entirety at Hogwarts. Now, shall we begin? Everyone, please give our first-years a warm welcome!”
       A round of deafening applause rang throughout the hall, startling some of the first-years.
       “First to get sorted, Lily Evans!” Professor McGonagall announced, gesturing for the girl to step up.
James suddenly straightened up in his seat, prodding Sirius in his side, “Oi, look! It’s that girl from the train!”
      “Oh, yeah. Right twats, she and her friend.”
      “What? No! No! Her friend, yea… but her..” James sighed, gazing up at the girl as she made her way towards the hat.
      “Oh, shut it! Don’t tell me you fancy her!”
      “Come on! Look at her!”
      “You’re mad, mate.”
      “Yeah, whatever. Now shut up, she’s about to be sorted, you toss pot!”
The professor silently smiled at the girl, inviting her to sit in the stool - which was directly in the middle of the hall. Carefully placing the old brown hat on Lily’s head. The girl shut her eyes, and took a visibly deep breath. At once, the hat screeched in an annoying high voice, “GRYFFINDOR!”
      The hall erupted into a roar of applause, and Lily grinned widely. Skipping away happily from the hat, Lily made her way towards one of the four tables - adorned with red and gold banners. A tall, brunette girl embraced her in a hug, welcoming her into the house. Lily sat down at the table, gazing expectedly at the hat.
      A girl named Cordelia Spring went next - sorted into Ravenclaw. Three boys in a row were sorted to Slytherin - Evan Rosier, Mulciber, and Avery. “James Potter!” called McGonagall, prompting James to scurry out of his seat and onto the stool. Bracing himself, James allowed the hat to be placed on his head. Only then, James realized that the hat was speaking directly to him - in his mind.
     “Brave, plenty of courage…” the hat spoke, as if picking at his brain, piece by piece, “better be..” the voice suddenly left James’ mind with a ‘pop!’ and was once again visible to the whole crowd, “GRYFFINDOR!”
James’ heart slowed, his body calming down. He did it. He had made it into the house he so desperately desired. Walking towards the Gryffindor table, he passed his group of four friends, throwing up a thumbs and sticking his tongue out.
      Right as Sirius was about to respond to James, his name was called from up ahead, “Sirius Black!” Preparing himself, he made his way up. Sitting down on the chair, he accepted his fate: Slytherin. After all, every member of the Black Family had been a Slytherin.
       The hat paused, studying the workings of Sirius’ mind. Without uttering another word, it yelled, “GRYFFINDOR!”

        Sirius’ mind blanked. He looked petrified. Surely, it was a mistake… surely the hat was wrong.
McGonagall slid the hat off his head, and offered him a smile. When Sirius didn’t move, she placed a steady hand on his back, and whispered into his ear, “congratulations, Sirius. You have been sorted into Gryffindor, you may proceed towards the Gryffindor table now.”
       “Right..” Sirius managed, as he hopped off the stool and slowly strolled towards the tables. He glanced towards the Slytherin tables, near which he caught the glimpse of a white-haired girl, shock visible across her face. She scowled at him, and then turned to look at the boy sitting on her right, his white hair matching the girl’s.
       “SIRIUS!” James exclaimed, as Sirius shoved himself between James and another Gryffindor, “You’re a Gryffidor! You’re with me!”
       “Uh-huh,” Sirius sighed, head in his hands.
       “What’s - what’s wrong? I thought you didn’t even want to be a Slytherin? Didn’t you say that’s what your parents wanted from you?”
       “Exactly, James. It’s what my parents wanted.”
       “From what you described, they sound like absolute tossers. Dunno why you’d want to give them anything. You don’t owe them shit, Sirius.”
       “James, if they find out I got sorted into Gryffindor… I don’t even know what’ll happen. I don’t even want to think about it.”
James didn’t speak. Nor did Sirius.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, James reached over and placed an arm around Sirius’ right shoulder, “you’ll get through it, alright? Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out!”
       “God, shut up,” Sirius smiled, and shrugged off James’ arm, “doesn’t matter now, anyway. Look, Peter’s going up to get sorted,”
The hat took slightly longer than usual, sliding down Peter’s head and onto the bridge of his nose. After a moment’s consideration, it screeched, “GRYFFINDOR!”
      “He did it… bloody hell!” James exclaimed excitedly.
A grin plastered on his face, Peter scurried away from the stool and waddled over to the Gryffindor table. As the older students congratulated him, he blushed slightly and tilted his head. Once he made his way over to James and Sirius, he plopped down near James.
      “Brilliant, Petey! You did it!”
Peter beamed, clearly proud of himself. As James patted him on the back, Sirius called out to James once more, “look, it’s the kid from the train,”
      “Severus Snape!” McGonagall called.
      “Sleazy git,” James complained, “what was he even doing with that girl..”
      “Oh forget her, will you! Come on, mate!”
      “What girl?” Peter asked.
      “James has got his eye out for that ginger girl from the train. The one that bumped into him,” Sirius snickered.
      “She did not bump into me! It was the bloke up there! Not her!”
Peter smiled, enjoying the light hearted bickering with his friends. The second the hat was placed atop Severus’ head, it screamed, “SLYTHERIN!” The boy looked pleased at first, but then glanced into the crowd at Lily. The girl looked heart-broken, her eyebrows knit together with worry. Gathering himself, the boy marched away and towards the Slytherin table - where he was greeted enthusiastically by the same white-haired girl Sirius had his eyes on earlier.
     “Look at the wanker, already making friends with Narcissa,” Sirius grumbled.
     “Narcissa?” Peter asked, unaware of the name.
     “My cousin. Loves our family, that one. Dunno why - they all hate her just as much as they hate me,”
     “Such a great family you have, Sirius!” James joked.
     “Shut up, James,” Sirius brushed the joke off, not finding it particularly amusing.
“Mary Macdonald!” McGonagall called, breaking the chattering between the boys. A sweet looking girl with curly brown hair walked up towards the stool, adjusting her skirt to sit properly. The hat was lowered onto her head, partly covering up her face. The hat paused once more, then announced, “GRYFFINDOR!”
      Once again, the girl walked towards the table, was welcomed with open arms, and took a seat. She sat next to Lily, flashing her a kind smile. The sorting ceremony continued - each student getting placed in their house accordingly, and welcomed warmly.
     When it was finally Remus’ turn, he turned to smile at Harry, and then looked around the hall for James and the others, longing to see a familiar face.
Harry returned the gesture, wishing Remus good luck.
     As he made his way up to the stool, he played with the hem of his sleeve, trying to take his mind off the ceremony. Having so many eyes at him all at once was not exactly Remus’ idea of ‘fun.’ The hat sat atop his head, once more picking through his past to sort him rightfully. To Remus’ surprise, the hat called, “GRYFFINDOR!”
          The hall erupted into applause once more, but Remus could hear cheering coming from the Gryffindor table specifically. Jumping off the stool and making his way towards it, he saw James, Sirius, and Peter all screaming wildly - applauding him happily. On his way towards the table, Remus caught Harry’s eye. Harry always seemed to be in his own world, Remus thought. He wondered what was bothering Harry so much that he couldn’t hear his own name being called.
       “Harry Potter!” McGonagall repeated, louder this time. Harry’s head snapped up, at the sound of his own name. Forcing himself up, he made his way up towards the hat.
James’ eyes widened, suddenly, “Hold on, what did she say?”
        “What?” Remus asked, settling down near his friends.
        “McGonagall, what did McGonagall say?”
        “She called Harry up!” Peter whispered, leaning towards James so he would hear.
        “Yeah, I know that. But… after that…”
        “Mate, I don’t know what you’re on about,” Sirius joined in.
James’ face contorted into a confused expression, “Potter. She said Potter. Harry.. Potter?”
        “Bloody hell…,” Peter and Sirius both realized, now equally as confused as James.
        “Still don’t get what the fuss is about,” Remus added.
        “Potter. Remus, my last name is Potter,”
         “Oh…”

               Harry climbed onto the stool, gazing up at McGonagall. ‘Does she know?” Harry wondered. But before he could think any longer, his vision went dark - and all he could see was old, brown, cloth. The Sorting Hat.
A sneaky voice whispered in Harry’s mind, “Interesting… very interesting… strange, in fact. I’ve sensed your presence before? No.. not possible… Nevertheless, you are brave. Plenty of ambition I sense, and more than enough determination…” Harry’s mind was racing. Did the Sorting Hat know he didn’t belong? Surely if an old hat knew, then Dumbledore did as well? His mind too preoccupied by Dumbledore and McGonagall, Harry didn’t even notice when light flooded his eyes once more. The hat was no longer on his head, now in the hands of McGonagall.
        Glancing around, Harry felt confused. Had the hat already called Gryffindor? Did he miss it? He stared at McGonagall, pleading for an answer.
She looked at him with worry, yet still offered him a smile. She nodded towards the table at the very right, and mouthed, “Go on, Slytherin is waiting,”
         No. No. No. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be.
        “Slytherin?” Harry repeated, bewildered.
McGonagall nodded. Noticing Harry’s lack of movement, she gripped him by his arm and led him away from the stool, “Go on then. What’s the matter?”
        “No- nothing. Professor,” Harry lied, staring up into her eyes. Did she really know nothing? Nothing at all?
Harry sauntered towards the Slytherin table, glancing towards the Gryffindors longingly. He caught sight of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter - all looking at him in astonishment.
What had just happened. What had he done?

         “Bloody hell..” he whispered to himself as he sat down at the Slytherin table, right across from none other than Severus Snape.

Chapter Text

The loud slam of a door startled Peter, a quiet yelp escaping his mouth.

“James, don’t you think we should maybe just.. ask him?” Sirius perked up from his spot on the sofa, unpacking the clothes from his trunk.

After the Sorting Ceremony, dorm arrangements had been announced. And to the boys’ surprise, the four of them had been placed in the same room - James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They had been shocked, but that excitement quickly died down as soon as James remembered the predicament he was currently in.

“Ask him what, Sirius? ‘ Oh, by the way Harry, why didn’t you bother telling me that we’re related? I told you my name on the train, and you didn’t care to mention that you have the same family name as me? ’ How’s that, hmm?” James glared at Sirius, hands glued to his side like a wooden soldier.

“Sirius is right, James. Maybe just because he is a Potter, doesn’t mean you have to be related. Y’know how many people have the same names? My uncle, his last name is Howell - I think about ten of his friends have the same last name,” Remus commented from the opposite side of the room, unpacking his trunk as well, “Quite annoying actually, when they all visit. Howell, pass the wine will you?’ ‘Sure Howell, if you pass me the TV remote!’ I think I’d get a headache if I had to listen to their conversations for longer than a minute,”

Sirius snorted loudly, laughing to himself.

“What’s a TV remote?” Peter asked, his brows stitching together in confusion.

“Do you people not have TVs?” Remus’ eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly in shock.

“You people? What the fuck does that mean?” Sirius joined into the banter, genuinely curious. 

“Wizards.”

“ You’re a wizard, Remus,” Sirius stared at him, confused.

“Well yeah, but I was raised by a muggle,”

“Oh.. right sorry I forgot..”

James dropped onto his bed, arms spread out in a starfish position. Staring straight up at the ceiling, he whispered just loud enough for the others to hear, “I don’t know how it works in the muggle world, Remus, but here there are families. Important families. The house of Potter is well known - so if his last name is actually Potter, then he is surely related to me.”

“Oh…”

Sirius jumped up from the couch, scurrying over towards James. Flopping down next to him on the bed, he propped himself up on his left elbow and laid on his side, staring down at him.

“Sulking won’t do you any good, James. Besides, who cares if he’s related to you? I'm related to practically half the school,”

“I don’t particularly care if he’s related to me..  I just—”

“You just threw a fit for that exact reason, James,” Remus commented, still unpacking his trunk. This time, pulling out a stack of shiny vinyls.

“I was saying,” James continued, glaring at Remus from across the room, “that I just care about why he lied to me. I told him on the train what my name was. My full name, James Potter . He didn’t even look up at me when I told him. He could have told me, but he didn’t,” James complained, now propping himself up as well, scooting himself towards the pillows on his bed.

“Well, maybe he thought you knew already? Maybe he’s your… cousin? Or something like that? He could’ve thought you knew him, so he didn’t bother mentioning it,” Peter said, sliding his trunk under the bed. He’d finished unpacking his belongings quickly, all his clothes and textbooks put away neatly in the closet.

“Y’know.. Pete’s got a point. He might be right,” Sirius admitted, rolling over to face Peter and offer him a silly smile. The rare attention Peter was receiving from Sirius was, however, cut short. From the corner of his eye, Sirius caught Remus unpacking his trunk, holding his vinyls.

“No way!” He screamed excitedly, his jaw dropping. Jumping off James’ bed, Sirius hurried over to Remus’, snatching one of the shiny black disks from his hands.

“Bowie?!” Sirius gawked, admiring the vinyls’ cover, pictured on which was a dimly lit street - a man leaning against one of the buildings. Printed neatly on the sleeve were the words, “ The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars ”.

“Yeah! You know him?” Remus’ eyes lit up.

“Obviously! My cousin loves him! Or… one of my cousins, her name’s Andromeda,” Sirius explained, still admiring the vinyl, rotating it in his hands.

“Huh, didn’t know wizards listen to muggle music,”

“Well.. they don’t. Not usually”

“Not usually?”

Sirius placed the vinyl back down on Remus’ bed, and sat down next to it - the bed dipping slightly under his weight, “My cousin, she… well she’s not exactly liked in our family. Actually, my mother completely banned me from keeping contact with her. Says she doesn’t want me to ‘get any ideas’.”

Remus stared at Sirius, prompting him wordlessly to keep talking.

“She married a muggle. Andromeda, I mean. His name’s Ted. I know mum said not to talk to her, but we found ways around it. She sends me letters in the post sometimes, that’s how I know about Bowie. Have to sneak them in, though, so my parents don’t find out. I think Ted’s a great guy, she’s told me all about him.  And she sounds so… happy with him,” Remus could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smile on Sirius’ face, but it quickly faded - leaving him with a scowl once more, “the family disowned her. Said she was a disgrace to the Black name; that marrying anyone besides a pure-blood wizard would bring ‘the utmost shame to our family.’ Complete bullshit, if you ask me.”

Remus didn’t speak. Nor did Sirius. The two just stared at the Bowie vinyl lying on the bed; eyeing it down so intently as if it held the answers to science’s biggest question, and they were scientists on the brink of discovery. 

Sirius spoke first, noticing the uncomfortable silence growing in the air.   

“Put it on, then.”                                   

“What?”

“The vinyl. Play it. You’ve got a record player, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. Right,” Remus sighed, and crouched down towards his trunk. Moving the books and clothes lying atop it out of the way, he hauled the record player out of his trunk.

Remus carefully lifted the vinyl from the bed, and placed it on the player.

A tune started up, the hypnotic sound of soft drums catching the attention of not only Sirius, but James and Peter as well.

‘ Pushing through the market square,’

The man sang, his soft and rich voice easing the tension between the two.

“What’s that song?” Peter asked, lifting himself from off his bed, and making his way over towards the music.

“David Bowie,” Remus said, quietly - trying not to talk over the melody.

“Who?”

“Bowie, Peter. David Bowie. One of the greatest musicians of our time!” Sirius shouted over the music, causing Remus to shush him, his pointer finger pressed over his mouth.

“Shut up and listen to the song,” he whispered.

Interested, James wandered over too, sitting down on the floor near Remus’ bed.

‘So many mothers sighing,’ the song continued.

“I like it,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah well, I’d consider you an idiot if you didn’t,” Sirius smirked.

The four of them sat close together for forty minutes - though, Sirius thought, it felt more like ten - listening to every song and chatting about anything and everything.

Eventually the vinyl ended and Remus placed it back in his trunk, much to the distaste of Sirius, who begged and begged him to play it once more. James and Peter, however, decided they had enough.

“I don’t know about you, but I need to finish putting up my quidditch posters,” he announced, and began walking over towards his side of the dorm.

“I uhh… guess I’ll go to bed then,” Peter added, heading to his bed as well. 

“Boring!” Sirius yelled, rolling his eyes and hopping off Remus’ bed, “what are you gonna do, Remus?”

“Uhm. I’ve got something to take care of,” he muttered under his breath.

“What? What could you possibly have to do, it’s not even the first day yet! You can’t possibly have work!”

“It’s not work… it’s just,” he paused, clearing his throat, “personal stuff.”

“Personal stuff?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” Remus tensed up.

“No, of course not, sorry,” Sirius replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “right, guess I’ll be off to bed too, then.”

Sirius wandered towards the bathroom, his emerald colored pajamas embellished with the emblem of a serpent, clenched tightly in his left hand. His mother packed them in his trunk before he left for Hogwarts, seemingly certain of the fact he would be placed in Slytherin house. 

Remus, catching sight of the green in Sirius’s arms, whispered ever so quietly, “you’ll need to get some new pajamas, Sirius.”

“Yeah, yeah - okay. I’ve got plain ones in my trunk, I’m just too lazy to look for ‘em,” Sirius smiled slightly, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

Remus stood alone, staring at their dorm - which now seemed completely empty with Peter and James in bed, and Sirius in an entirely different room. Taking one final look around, Remus opened the door quietly, and slipped out into the common room. Making his way towards the exit of the Gryffindor commons, which to Remus’ shock took the form of a large portrait - prompting students to recite a password in order to enter the dormitories, he was greeted by a figure waiting for him just near the portrait. 

“Hello, Mr. Lupin,” a woman greeted him, who Remus soon realized to be Professor McGonagall.

“Oh, ehm hello. I was told to meet Dumbldore in his office, Professor,”

“I am well aware of your situation, Mr. Lupin. However, Dumbledore has asked me to assist you - many first years get lost around the castle, especially this late in the evening,” the woman smiled down at Remus.

“A’right, I suppose,” Remus whispered, following McGonagall as she began walking up a flight of stairs.

The two didn’t speak until they arrived at a large statue of a gargoyle, wings spread out as if showcasing its power. Clearing her throat, the professor spoke, “Lemon Sherbert,” and clapped her hands twice - the sound reverberating throughout the empty halls.

To Remus’ complete shock, the statue began rotating around itself, revealing a hidden spiral staircase behind it.

“Just up these stairs, Mr. Lupin. You’ll find Professor Dumbledore’s office right at the top,” she patted his back, and ushered him in.

Remus starred up, craning his neck. ‘ Christ ,’ he thought, ‘ I’ll never get to the top of this.”

Harry’s eyes were fixed at the ceiling, he dared not look around the room. If he did, it would all feel too real. If he did, he would have to come to terms with being a Slytherin and being separated from the people he loved.

“Snape, turn that shit off,” a voice boomed, breaking Harry out of his trance.

“Shut it, Crouch. I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“Actually, yes, you very much are. I didn’t particularly want to listen to your bullshit…” he paused, trying to remember something, “ Black Sabbath songs. How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t want that in our dorm. If you’re gonna play music, at least play something we all know- and not that muggle crap,”

“It’s not muggle crap , it’s good music - Barty,” Snape snapped, jumping off from his bed and stomping towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. 

Harry couldn’t believe his luck - or, lack thereof. Being sorted into Slytherin was one thing, but being assigned a dorm with Severus Snape, Barty Crouch Jr., and Evan Rosier was his last straw. His face shoved deep into his pillow, Harry had both his hands around his ears - trying his best to block out the noise around him.

“Potter,” a tall, lanky boy with weirdly sharp cheekbones approached Harry, hitting the back of his head with a pillow, “why are you sulking? Me and Evan were gonna go to the common room, wanna come with?”

Harry’s eyes widened, what did he just hear? No way - no way was he about to hang out with Barty Crouch Jr and his slimy friend. Though, Harry thought, his friend seemed nice enough, his face adorned with a grin.

“I’m fine here,” Harry finally mumbled, waving Barty away with his hand.

“No, you’re not. Come on, don’t be so fucking boring!”

“Yeah, come on then,” Evan snuck into the conversation, his arms spread as if talking to a crowd.

“No. I said I’m fine here,” Harry persisted.

Sighing, Barty shoved both hands under Harry’s head, snatching the pillow from under him.

“What the hell!”

“I told you, you’re coming with us,”

“Yeah, well I said I’m not!”

“What’s your problem? Stop being so stupid and come with us!”

“Why?”

“Why? Because Severus is really fucking annoying, and loved playing dumb muggle music. Pissing me off, that one,”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Harry mumbled, finally lifting his head up to look at Barty and Evan - the two staring him down expectantly. 

“You seem interesting enough.” Evan grumbled, running a hand through his short, spikey blonde hair - clearly getting more annoyed as the conversation grew longer and longer.

Harry stared at them, contemplating his current situation. What alternative choice did he have, realistically, besides going with the pair? He could stay in his bed, rotting away in his own sadness. Or - he could become acquainted with his house members, as much as he didn’t want to, and perhaps make some friends. Friends that could potentially help him research time travel, and get him back home. Weighing his options, Harry sighed.

“Fine,” he grunted, propping himself up from the bed and jumping up to face his roommates, “let’s go.”

Barty grinned, and led the trio from out of their dorm and into the common room. Harry had to admit, the giant windows intimidated him. The constant view of the creatures in the Black Lake, no matter how beautiful they were, could get frightening. When the large squid swam past the windows, Harry’s heart skipped a beat. ‘ I guess that’s what you get for putting a dormitory under the Black Lake ’ Harry thought. An interesting concept - living underwater - but daunting nonetheless.

Barty set his eyes on a small sofa in the corner of the common room, and sprinted towards it - jumping atop it with a slight run. Landing atop it with a crash, his eyebrows knit together in attempts of hiding the aching pain in his leg. Landing right on your knee couldn’t possibly be good for anyone.

Evan sat on the floor, opposite Barty. Cautiously approaching, Harry sat next to Evan.

“So… what are we doing?” he asked, glancing around the room. Most people had gone up into their dorms, but there were a few students scattered around the room nonetheless.

“Wizards Chess?” Evan suggested.

“Fine,” Barty agreed, and got up to retrieve the game from a large wooden shelf.

Harry stared out into the distance, zoning out. This was his life for now, and maybe - just maybe - it wasn’t going to be so bad.

Chapter Text

“Peter, hurry up,” James rushed, tripping over a pile of clothes near his bed. Stumbling to get up, he grabbed his book bag - a dark ruby colored tote - and shoved his textbooks inside hurriedly.

“I’m ready, James. You’re the only one who’s not,” Peter laughed under his breath, standing near the door, leaning against the wall.

“We told you to get your things ready yesterday,” Sirius grumbled, itching his neck. He had awoken only minutes before, hungry from the second he opened his eyes, “James, come on! All the food will be gone by the time we get down to the Great Hall!”

James huffed, and draped the tote bag over his shoulder, running his hands through his hair to straighten it out, he gave in, “alright, alright fine. I’m done.”

James wandered over towards the door, looking around the room to make sure he got everything. Glancing at his friends, he eyed Remus up and down, “You good?”

“What? Oh yeah, fine.” Remus grumbled, covering his mouth as he let out a yawn.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Peter asked, noticing the tired look on his friend’s face.

“Yeah, the beds are rubbish.”

“You can say that again, mate,” James agreed, smiling slightly.

The four friends strolled out of their shared room, each one just as tired as the next. The first night at a new place is always the worst. Making their way through the common room, they were greeted by a large group of Gryffindors, all crowded around the main door - or technically, painting.

“What’s happening?” Remus asked, eyeing the lot warily.

“Dunno. Should we ask someone?” James looked around as well, just as confused as Remus.

Before anyone could answer, Sirius had shoved himself right into the center of the crowd, pushing through the bunch of people. His eyes falling on the person at the very front, he reached a hand out and grabbed onto their shoulder.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“The door’s blocked. It won’t budge,” the girl replied, her blonde hair tied back loosely with a red ribbon.

“How could the door be blocked?”

“You’re asking me? Why would I know,” she replied, exasperated.

“Well.. did you try pushing it?”

“Wow! I never thought of that!” she rolled her eyes, staring Sirius down, “obviously, we did. How stupid do you think we are?”

“Sorry,” Sirius pursed his lips, cheeks flaring red slightly.

“Excuse me, sorry!” a voice sounded behind them - and a red haired girl appeared from within the crowd. The girl from the train. “Marlene, let me try,” she said.

“Yeah, Lily, go ahead,” the blonde girl nodded.

Peter nudged James in the elbow, catching his attention, “is that the girl you fancy?”

“What?” James stared down at Peter horrified, then softened his eyes, “Oh, yeah. The one with the red hair. Lily, I guess,” he smiled.

“You gonna talk to her?”

“Well, Pete. I’ll sure as hell try!”

Lily pulled out her wand from the bag slouched over her shoulder, holding it in her hand firmly, “Alohomora!” she commanded - pointing the wand at the painting. 

Nothing happened, the painting stood still with no movement whatsoever. A choir of defeated sighs sounded from behind her. 

Suddenly, another girl appeared from behind Lily. Wrapping an arm around her, the girl suggested, “Do you think something is blocking it from the outside?” 

Lily’s eyes widened, “Mary! You’re totally right! Hold on, let me try again,” she took a deep breath and focused once more, her wand pointed directly at the painting, “Bombarda!” she exclaimed. 

Suddenly, the painting fell forward with a loud crash. The large crowd of Gryffindors behind Lily erupted into cheer and applause. Some ran over and patted her shoulder, ushering their thanks.  

As everyone began to file out of the common room and out into the halls, they had finally discovered the culprit. A large chair had been pushed up against the portrait - blocking the entrance and exit. Why was there a chair stationed outside the Gryffindor common room? No one was quite sure. Honestly, nobody paid much attention to it at all. The large group of students all began to flee downstairs towards the Great Hall. Breakfast was about to be over soon, afterall.

Suddenly, loud yelps began flowing from the painting, “Oh! Help me! Hello? Professor Dumbledore! Oh, oh, oh! I can’t see!” 

Mary, Marlene, and Lily exchanged glances and immediately pushed through the remaining file of people, crouching down near the painting. 

“Sorry! So sorry!” Marlene called out to the painting, urging the other two girls to help her prop it up. The three friends used all their strength, gripping it with all their might in attempts of getting it back up - all to no avail.

Letting out a groan, Lily suggested, “maybe we should get McGonagall? Lets just tell her what happened, I’m sure she’ll understand and hang it back up!”

“It?” the painting screeched, sounding offended, “I have a name, you know!”

“Oh! So sorry… uhhm” Lily paused, unsure of what to say.

“The Fat Lady. That’s my name,” the painting muttered, voice muffled.

“Okay, well then! So sorry… Dear Lady. We’ll get you back up soon, I promise!” Lily whispered, her face turning a shade of pink.

“Come on, Remus!” a voice came from inside the common room, as Peter, Sirius, and James stumbled out of the common room - followed by a (still) very tired looking Remus.

“Oh!” James exclaimed as he saw the three girls spread out on the floor, “uhm, do you guys want some help?”

“We’re okay thank—”

“What? Come on, Marlene! The more people, the more likely we are to get the painting back up!”

“Mary’s right, Marlene,” Lily agreed, nodding up at the four boys.

James could feel his ears turning hot, and once again he began running his hands through his hair in attempts of smoothing it out. He cursed himself in his mind. Why didn’t he gel his hair properly this morning? Such an idiot. 

“No. That guy thinks we’re stupid!” Marlene clenched her jaw, staring directly at Sirius.

“Who?” Lily turned to face her friend, her brows stitching together in confusion.

“Him,” she repeated - this time pointing at Sirius.

Throwing his hands up as if getting arrested, Sirius shook his head, “I do not! I didn’t mean it that way!” 

A smile grew on Marlene’s face, a chuckle escaping her lips, “I’m kidding! Yeah, you guys can help.”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Sirius crouched down towards the painting - motioning his remaining three friends to join in. With four new pairs of hands, the group of seven young Gryffinors began hauling the painting upright. Loud grunts and sighs of struggle sounded throughout the halls, until suddenly - they stopped.

“Thank Merlin! That was much heavier than I expected it to be!” Mary sighed, her chest rising up and down as she caught her breath.

“Yeah, well, now the question is how do we hang it back up?” Sirius asked, staring the painting down.

Just then, someone cleared their throat loudly beyond the group, catching their attention, “What do you all think you are doing? Shouldn’t you be down at the Great Hall? Don’t want to be late to your classes on the first day, do you?”

“Professor McGonagall! We uhh…” Lily paused, picking at her nails, “well it’s a long story. But the painting fell over, and we were trying to get it back up! We managed to lift it, but well - we can't really figure out how to hang it up again.”

“What? Oh, let me see,” McGonagall gestured for the group to move out of the way, revealing the Fat Lady sitting solemnly in her portrait - the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower just a gaping hole in the wall, “oh... I see. Well, you all hurry along to breakfast, I’ll get Dumbledore to fix this mess.”

The group of seven cheered up immediately, realizing they weren’t in trouble. Saying their thanks to the professor, they began making their way down to the Great Hall.

“Lily, come on,” Marlene ushered, and the three girls sauntered away from the boys.

James paused, staring as they walked away; then turned to look at Sirius, “I talked to her mate. Isn’t she wonderful? And smart too…”

“Whatever you say,” Sirius laughed, and grabbed James by the arm, dragging him away towards Remus and Peter - who were already a flight of stairs closer to the Great Hall.

Harry sat near Barty and Evan, picking at the bowl of oatmeal sitting before him. He wasn’t very hungry - staying up all night playing wizards chess didn’t exactly give him much of an appetite the next morning. Barty was shoving a piece of toast down his throat, and already buttering a second one while the other was still in his mouth. 

“Slow down, Crouch. There’s no way you’re that hungry,” Evan joked, staring at him with a grin. It seemed Evan was the only one eating normally, his scrambled eggs half-way finished on his plate. Finishing his second toast, Barty chugged a glass of squash to finish off his meal. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and looked up to face Harry.

“Why aren’t you eating, mate? Hurry up, class starts in a few.”

“You care about getting to class on time?” Harry asked through hooded eyes.

“When my first class is Defense Against the Dark Arts, yeah. Yeah I do,” Barty shrugged, and pushed out from the table. Grabbing his tote and swinging it around his shoulder, he waved to his two friends, “See you later, losers.”

Harry and Evan waved, and went back to picking at their food. Covering a yawn with his hand, Harry’s ears perked up - the conversation near him suddenly becoming intriguing.

“That was sick, how’d you pull it off?” a blonde boy gawked, his jaw hanging open.

“Not that hard, really. Sneaking out is easy if you do it right,” another replied, smirking proudly.

“Yeah, but how’d you manage to pull a whole ass chair out with you! And block the door so well?”

“I’m not revealing my secrets to you, Carl.”

The blonde boy, or Carl - as he was called, sighed in defeat, “I thought brothers were supposed to tell each other things, Oliver.”

Oliver chuckled, running a hand through his equally blonde hair. His icy blue eyes suddenly snapped to look at Harry, “What are you lookin’ at?”

Harry bolted straight up, his back straightening into the bench, “Nothing, sorry… what were you talking about? With the chair?”

“Oh.. just how I blocked the Gryffindor commons last night.” Oliver replied proudly, waving his left hand in the air as if dismissing the subject.

“That was you?” Harry asked. Last night he had heard cheering coming from the Slytherin common room as he was playing Wizards Chess with Barty and Evan. Assuming nothing of it, he ignored the chatter. Though later throughout the night, he picked up bits and pieces of the conversation - gathering that apparently the Gryffindor common was trashed (or something of the sort).

“You sound surprised? Why, got something against me?” Oliver smiled, raising a brow.

“No. I just don’t understand why you’d do that.”

“Why? ‘Cause Gryffindors are a bunch of morons. Don’t deserve nothing, do they?”

Harry stared at him, shocked. He was a Gryffindor. Well - not now he wasn’t. In this unfortunate timeline he had ended up a Slytherin; but under normal circumstances he was indeed, a Gryffindor. Hearing your own house talked down upon isn’t a particularly good feeling, Harry realized.

“Just ‘cause it didn’t work out last year with Vict—” Carl stopped talking suddenly, a 'SLAP!' reverberating throughout the hall. He placed a cold hand to his jaw, which was currently pulsing from the impact. Oliver snatched his fist away from Carl's face, staring knives into Carl’s eyes - a silent but deadly threat.

“Sorry Oli… I uhhh, I forgot you didn't want me to talk about hi-”

“Shut up. And yeah, you should be sorry,” Oliver grunted, and pushed out from his seat, “I’ll see you in potions.”

“Bye.” Carl hummed, and stared down at his now empty plate.

Turning back to face Evan, Harry tilted his head. Evan was staring at him with such shock, Harry was sure there was something hideous plastered over his face.

“What?” he asked, brushing a hand through his hair uncomfortably.

“Oliver? You talked to Oliver Paul on the second day?” Evan chuckled quietly, “you’ve got some balls, Harry.”

“What is he? Famous or something?” Harry tilted his head, confused.

“Is he famous? Fuckin’ hell, you don’t know nothin’ do you? Old Oli over there is as famous as it gets, apparently. Last year he got two professors sacked. Two! Can you believe it? An inspiration, that one!”

“What for?”

“Dunno, really. I heard he accused one of being a Werewolf, and planted illegal herbs in another’s. Crazy bloke, if you ask me. Super inspiring, though. Imagine pulling off some shit like that and getting away with it? Insane.”

“Right… inspiring,” Harry sighed, and finally got up from his seat, “I better get going, I have transfiguration in a few.”

“Alright, see ya’ mate.”

Chapter Text

Harry pushed his way through the thick crowd of students in the halls. He had just barely made it to his potions class on time, the bell ringing just a few minutes after he took his seat. The day had been long and tiring, and Harry was glad he had made it to his last class of the day. As everyone settled in, the silence in the room was quickly replaced by loud chatter. Kids were talking to each other left and right - complaining about their schedules, guessing what the day’s lesson would consist of, planning how to cheat off each other when exams rolled around.

Harry looked around the classroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone he may know. Yet, there was nobody. No Evan, no Barty, and definitely no sight of his dad. Would he ever see James again? And what about Sirius? Harry couldn’t help but hope he would, even though being sorted into different houses would definitely lower the chances.

The room suddenly turned quiet, and everyone’s head snapped towards the back of the room. Professor Slughorn had arrived, striding into the class - his emerald green robes glimmering from the sunlight creeping through the windows.

“Glad to know we all made it to class on time,” he announced, walking up towards his desk in the front of the classroom, “first time in years an entire class was present on the first day of term. Congratulations!”

Some kids clapped from the back of the class, and another whistled loudly. 

“Yes, yes. Thank you for that enthusiastic display, Mr. Paul.” Slughorn bowed his head, and turned to face the blackboard behind him.

Harry’s brows knit together, then released in realization, ‘Oh. Paul. Carl Paul.’ Was he really put in a class with the same boy who he had met in the Great Hall? Well, Harry supposed, at least he knows somebody in this class.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the back of the room, and the doors burst open.

“Sorry we’re late Professor! We got held up in transfiguration, and then the staircases began moving around, and then we... well we got lost…” a boy panted, bent over with his hands on his knees as he regained his breath. 

“Right, Mr. Black. And just a few seconds ago I was congratulating the class for arriving on time. Five points from Gryffindor,” Slughorn shook his head and all the Gryffindors groaned in disappointment, “take a seat near Mr. Potter, please. His row is empty enough.”

Sirius turned his head to face James, who was standing besides him - hands resting on his hips.

“No, not that Potter. Sit next to Harry, he looks like he needs some company,” he pointed towards Harry, who had done a full 360 and was now completely facing the back of the classroom - staring directly at James and Sirius with a smile plastered over his face. 

As James and Sirius began walking towards him, Harry’s excitement grew. With his friends present, maybe this class wouldn’t be so bad.

Sirius sat down to the right of Harry, with James sitting beside him. Harry waved, but was met with no response.

“Sirius! James! Hi!” He whispered. Still, to no avail. James was digging through his bag, searching for his quill. Sirius just stared forward at the blackboard.

Harry nudged him in the arm, yet Sirius’ only reply was a loud sigh. Embarrassed, Harry dug his nose into his book, the text suddenly becoming interesting.

“Today we will be learning the basics of potions,” Slughorn began, “most of you hopefully know the fascinating art of brewing and crafting potions - like so,” he pointed his wand towards a glass cabinet stationed on the left side of the classroom, displaying hundreds of vials, each containing a different coloured liquid.

The class ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ . The Professor smiled warmly, and turned to face the students once again. As he continued on with his lecture, Harry could feel his mind start to wander. Laying his head down into his hands, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

“Fine, yeah go ahead,” James whispered, grabbing his tote and swinging it over his shoulder. Sirius nodded, and kicked Harry in the foot lightly - waking him up.

Harry’s eyes peeled open, a warm tear rolling down his left cheek. He hummed, and took his glasses off. Rubbing his eyes, he finally looked up at Sirius, who was staring down at him with his arms crossed.

“Get up tosser, class is over.”

“Mhm. Thanks.”

Sirius let out a sigh, and turned to follow James - who was standing near the door. 

Harry’s eyes finally adjusted and he looked around the classroom. He wasn’t alone - there was a blonde girl standing awkwardly near the blackboard, talking to Slughorn. Quickly grabbing his bag, he tossed it over his shoulder loosely and stumbled out of his seat. Marching towards the door, he spotted the heads of Sirius and James, who were already a few feet ahead. Walking as quickly as he could, Harry snuck up behind the two.

“Hey,” he whispered.

Sirius swore and clutched his chest, regaining his breath.

“Shit, Harry. You can’t just creep up on people like that!”

“Sorry…” Harry mumbled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

“What do you want?” James asked, staring at him intently, cocking his head.

“I just… I just wanted to know what was wrong. Why are you ignoring me? I thought we were friends, James,” Harry cringed slightly - referring to his dad by his actual name still didn’t feel quite right, “and Sirius, too. I thought we were all friends.”

James turned slightly to face Sirius, then bowed his head, “Look mate, if you’re not going to explain it, then don’t even bother.”

“Explain what?” Harry shrugged, his hands raising at his side.

“Seriously? You’ve got to be joking,” James huffed.

Sirius laughed, his cheeks turning a shade of red. He glanced at James warily, and whispered, “Siriusly?”

“Not now, Sirius,” James grumbled, though Sirius could have sworn he saw a smile playing on his lips.

Harry just studied the two, confused. What could James possibly be talking about? What could Harry have done wrong in the last day that would cause such a problem?

“Come on, mate. Let’s go have a chat” James finally replied, his chest rising as he took a deep breath.

Harry followed the two up a long stairway, followed by what seemed like a millions twists and turns. Was the path to the Gryffindor commons always this long? Had Harry already gotten so used to living in the Slytherin dungeons, that the path to his old House seemed so far?

Nevermind that, the three had arrived at the entrance to the commons and were promptly greeted by the Fat Lady (who had been masterfully attached to the wall once more by Professor Dumbeldore). 

“Password?” She asked, eyeing the trio from inside her painting.

“Lion’s Mane” James exclaimed loudly, and the painting immediately swung open, revealing the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

James and Sirius led Harry ahead, making their way through the large living area. Harry couldn’t help but feel sad - after all, just a few days prior he had lived in this very room. He had been playing wizards’ chess with Hermione and Ron, smiling and laughing with no cares in the world.

Sirius waved at a group of girls in the corner of the room, and almost immediately the three of them came running over.

“Sirius, James, hi!” the blonde girl said, grinning widely, "We were wondering if you guys wanted to do something fun this weekend?”

“Fun? Marlene, you know that Hogsmeade is for third years and up, right?” Sirius laughed.

“So? We could still do something else,” another girl spoke up, her curly, chestnut colored hair shimmering from the sun rays shining through the large window behind her.

“Yeah, Mary’s right. We were thinking we could just hang out here, in the common room? I’ve got this record player and a few vinyls! Could be fun, don’t you think?” Lily suggested.

“Yes, yeah. Uhm, totally! We’re in,” James sputtered out, and cleared his throat awkwardly. He smiled up at Lily, then looked to Sirius for help.

“Sure, Lily, sounds fun. And Remus - he has a few vinyls too. I think we’ll have lots of music to go around,” Sirius offered.

Harry stared at the group, unsure of what to say. His whole body had frozen up as soon as he realized that he was looking directly at his mother. There she was, Lily Evans. The same woman who had saved his life, the same woman who had given up everything just for him.

“Hi…” Harry managed, glaring at Lily. Marlene turned to face him, and offered a smile.

“Hey,” turning to Sirius, she asked, “who’s your friend?”

“Oh, this is Harry,” Sirius motioned towards him, introducing Harry to the group.

“That’s a nice name,” Lily added, smiling up at him.

Harry waved, unable to hold back a smile. His whole face lit up, and he had to physically hold himself back from running over and engulfing Lily in a hug.

James coughed loudly, breaking the endearing moment, “If it’s okay with you, we’ve got to take Harry up for a quick chat.”

“Oh, of course! See you around,” the three girls replied in unison, as they watched the trio wave goodbye and make their way towards the dorm rooms.

Mary swiveled her head around quickly, facing her two friends, “Lily, can you still help me with that transfiguration problem?”

“Yeah, ‘course!” she nodded, and the three of them headed back to their spot on the large, red sofa near the window.

James slammed the door behind them as they finally made it to their dorm.

Peter’s head shot up, startled from the loud sound. Remus was sprawled out on his bed, humming quietly with his head buried into the pillow.

“Oh, hi guys,” Peter whispered, and pointed towards Remus, “he’s asleep so… you know maybe we should keep it down?”

“Pete, not the time,” James motioned towards Harry, who was standing awkwardly behind him.

“Oh! Hiya Harry!” Peter waved, and flashed Harry a smile.

Sirius’ brows stitched together and he shook his head disapprovingly, silently mouthing, “we don’t like him right now, remember?”

Peter raised his hands in surrender and mouthed back, “sorry.”

James walked over to his bed, and patted it so Harry would sit.

“So,” he said once everyone was seated, “do you want to tell me anything?”

“What?” Harry asked, still just as confused as before.

“Harry, is there anything about your family you want James to know?” Sirius pushed, staring daggers into his eyes.

Harry froze on the spot. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. This isn’t good, not at all. Did James know? How could he possibly know anything? Did Harry slip up as he was talking - reveal something he shouldn’t have? Even if he did, why would James’ first thought be time travel? Was it possible he truly knew what was going on?

Harry’s throat went completely dry, his voice suddenly quiet as he let out an almost silent, “no.”

“Right, Harry, I’ll just get to the point then,” James sighed, and shook his head.

Harry uttered a silent prayer. No. Please no. Anything but this.

“Your last name is Potter, correct?” James asked, a frown growing on his face.

Harry nodded, every breath becoming manual.

“Right, glad that’s out of the way. Harry, I think you know where I’m going with this. You are well aware that I am also a Potter. Care to explain why you didn’t mention you’re related to me?”

Harry didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He didn’t even breathe. Was this really happening?

“Harry?” Sirius urged.

“I uhh–” he had to think of something. Was he totally sure this was indeed about time travel? Was there a way to make sure? Taking a deep breath, Harry started, “my dad, he uhh”

“See, James! I told you!” Peter suddenly screamed from the other side of the room. Remus stirred, rolling over. 

“What?” James asked, growing annoyed.

“His dad! Remember, I told you that his dad was a part of your family! Harry just assumed you already knew him!”

Harry stared at Peter, shocked. Was he actually being useful? Peter betrayed Harry’s parents, he was the reason they were dead. He was a right asshole, and Harry had to fight the urge to punch him in the face everyday - yet right now, Harry couldn't be more grateful for him. Peter just gave Harry a way out of this mess. He could take this lie and run with it.

“Yeah, exactly,” Harry continued, growing more confident, “my dad - he’s a Potter. I’ve heard of you from my family, so I just assumed you knew me too. I remember my mom telling me you’re a very, very, very distant cousin. So honestly, I guess it isn’t shocking that you don’t know me.”

James’ mouth opened slightly, then closed shut once more. 

“Right… what’s your dad’s name, again?”

“Name? Oh…” Harry paused, thinking quickly of a fake name, “Alfred. Alfred Potter.” Harry cursed himself mentally. Shit. Why did you pick the least common name ever? You had all the options in the world and you went with Alfred?

To Harry’s surprise, Jamess nodded slowly.

“Oh, yeah, I remember someone named Alfred, I think. Saw him ‘round at Christmas a few years ago. Cool bloke,” James shrugged, “so does that make us cousins?”

“Guess so,” Harry breathed out, relieved. How did he manage to twist his way out of this? Running a hand through his hair, he sighed, “Right, I think I’ll get going. I’ve got work to do for potions.”

Sirius smiled, and hopped off the bed, “See ya’ mate.”

As Harry made his way towards the door, he was suddenly engulfed in the warm arms of James.

“Good to know I’ve got family at school. See you in potions tomorrow?”

Harry hugged him back so tightly, he felt as though he was being suffocated, “Yeah, ‘course.”

Pulling away, Harry waved goodbye to his three friends, and shut the door quietly in attempts of not waking up Remus.

Heaving a sigh of relief, he made his way down the stairs of the Gryffindor dormitories and back towards the Slytherin commons. After nearly revealing his secret, Harry was going to need a long nap.

Chapter Text

       The following week passed quietly. No secrets, no drama, and definitely no more fake family members. Harry had gotten used to his new life - as used as you could get when you travel back in time, that is - and everything seemed to be going great. He had started sneaking off during breaks to spend time at the library, researching time travel and time turners.

 If only Hermione were here, I would have found a way back by now , Harry thought. Other than that, life didn’t seem too bad. Harry had a few good friends in his own house, and after making up with James, they were hanging out practically every day.

The rest of Harry’s Slytherin friends didn’t exactly approve of his choice in company, but that didn’t bother him whatsoever. All that mattered was hanging out with his dad for the first time in his life. It doesn’t get much better than that.

By now, Harry had gotten used to waking up in the most chaotic, unconventional ways. Who needs to rely on the ring of the clock tower when you have three loud roommates at your disposal?

“Severus, how many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want to hear that fuckass music anymore!” Barty rubbed his temple, his hair sticking up in all directions. He reached under his neck, grabbing an emerald colored pillow and throwing it towards Snape in attempts of hitting him in the head.  

In Snape’s favor, the pillow completely missed him - instead hurling towards the bathroom door and hitting a half asleep Evan right in the skull. He groaned loudly, the toothbrush in his hand falling flat on the floor.

His head snapping up to look around the room, he locked eyes with Barty - guilt written all over his face. Barty’s jaw dropped, too shocked to speak. The corners of his mouth curved upward, a smile creeping up onto his face. Suddenly, he burst out laughing, clutching his sides as he rolled around on the bed.

Evan stared at him silently, and as if nothing had happened, began laughing too. 

“Oh, you little prick!” he shouted, mid laugh. Picking up the pillow near his feet and rolling his eyes, he ran towards Barty at full speed - hitting him in the head with it a few times.

Unable to hold in his laugh, Severus joined into the banter. Notably less than the other two, however he still managed a few chuckles from his side of the room. Shaking his head in disbelief, he hauled himself up off his bed and wandered towards the bathroom.

Hearing all the sudden commotion, Harry’s eyes peeled open. Blinking a few times to adjust his sight, he propped himself up on the bed. Seeing the unusual sight before him, he rubbed his eyes once more - harder, this time.

“What’s going on?” he grumbled, still half-asleep.

Barty and Evan paid no attention, still in their own world - howling from laughter. Not getting a response, Harry groaned in annoyance and fell back onto his sheets. This is gonna be a long day .

          By the end of the first week, James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius had learned their way around the castle. Mostly because of Sirius’ help, (turns out having an annoying family who never shuts up about their time at Hogwarts can come in handy when it comes to navigating the castle. From the thousands of conversations he had been forced to sit through, he did manage to pick up some interesting facts. Like, for example, there are countless hidden passageways in the castle. The most useful, Sirius had learned, was beneath the one-eyed witch statue. He made sure to take note of that one, as it led straight to Honeydukes cellar. Perfect for a fun night out, Sirius thought).

    With their routes to class all figured out, the four could focus less on not getting lost, and more on their studies. After a few lessons, Remus realized that he quite enjoyed Transfiguration. Though he hadn’t managed to successfully turn a teacup into a plate yet, Remus still found the process rather interesting. After classes had finished, he would sneak up into his dorm, and - if nobody was around - would practice the spells on his teacup. This was the first time in his life Remus found a subject so fascinating, and he wasn’t about to risk looking like a try hard in front of his friends. 

He had seen the way Lily would get laughed at for her ‘know-it-all’ nature. The way kids would snicker behind her every time she raised her hand to answer a question. Though, what Remus truly found inspiring, was the way she didn’t pay any mind to it. She would simply continue scribbling down notes on her parchment, ignoring the chatter behind her. 

Lily was the main reason he enjoyed the class so much, Remus realized. The way she would help him pronounce all the spells, and would wait patiently as he tried to perform them. Lily, of course, successfully turned the teacup on her first try - much to the pleasure of professor McGonagall, who used Lily’s ‘perfect execution’ as an example.

Unlike Remus, Sirius absolutely despised Transfiguration. His heart laid with Charms, instead. Mostly because every one of his friends got placed in the same period, so every charms class seemed less like a lesson and more a social gathering. Though, Sirius ended up being quite skilled in the practice as well. To James’ shock, Sirius managed to levitate a full-sized textbook on his second day. 

Peter, James, and Remus weren’t so lucky. The three of them barely managed to lift a feather by the end of class, all while Sirius and Lily spent the entire period competing with each other - who could levitate the heavier object? To Sirius’ disappointment, Lily won. Though, James didn’t have a doubt in his mind that she would. Sirius made sure to tell him off for it later, kicking him in the shin and muttering,

 “See, that’s why I lost! If you weren’t rooting for her, I’m telling you I would have won!”

James seemed to enjoy Potions the most. Maybe because he and Harry shared the period together, or because he somehow ended up being top of the class in just a few days. Harry wasn’t so bad either, in fact, he was just a few points behind James. Sirius didn’t seem to share their talent, though he didn’t mind all that much. Lily shared a period with the three of them, so while Harry and James spent the entire class actually brewing potions, Sirius and Lily sat behind them and talked their way through the period.

Peter, unlike everyone else, was deeply interested in History of Magic. Professor Binns didn’t bore him in the slightest, and he actually enjoyed listening to his lectures. Sirius didn’t understand how Peter could possibly sit through his class without falling asleep. Everytime the ghostly Professor Binns would float around the classroom and recite dates and names, Sirius got closer to completely dozing off. Peter’s constant quizzing on the subject didn’t seem to help either,

“What year did the Wizarding War begin?” 

“Peter, the first exam is three weeks away! Give it a rest, will you,” Sirius complained, groaning as he lowered his head onto his desk once more.

“Alright, but it’s not my fault if you fail.”

James and Sirius showed up to Potions on time, thanks to a little map they had made a few days prior. It wasn’t anything special, just a piece of parchment with the approximate location of all the classrooms scribbled on it. Nothing fancy, but it got the job done. 

As always, the classroom was filled with chatter - Professor Slughorn nowhere to be found. James and Sirius pushed their way through a crowd of Slytherins, squeezing by to get to their desks. Seeing Lily already in her seat, the two of them turned to face her, smiles plastered on their faces.

She laughed, waving to the pair as they leaned against her desk.

“You two ready to get crushed?” James smirked, “Harry and I have been working on making the perfect Forgetfulness Potion. You two are going down today!”

“James, when have we ever even tried to beat you two?” Lily giggled, rolling her eyes.

“Oh no, never. I just thought I’d remind you how great me and Harry are,” James shrugged playfully.

Just making his way in, Harry’s head spun as he heard his name,

“What’d you say?”

“Oh, Harry! You’re here!” James grinned, throwing an arm around Harry's shoulder and pulling him in towards the conversation, “I was just reminding everyone of our brilliant potion skills.”

Before anyone could reply, the booming voice of Professor Slughorn radiated throughout the classroom, 

“Hello, hello! Everyone take your seats, we’ve got a busy day ahead of us!”

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, jokingly brushing his arms against his forehead as if wiping away sweat. Laughing to himself, James turned around towards his desk, ushering Harry away with him.

“As promised, today you will all be brewing Forgetfulness Potions,” the Professor continued, despite the several groans of disappointment from the back of the class, “and as always, we will be working in pairs.”

James eyed Harry excitedly, then turned around to look at Sirius and Lily, sticking his tongue out at the two of them.

“However, I’ve decided to spice things up today! You will all be assigned pairs at random to work in.” 

The classroom erupted in protest,

“What! That’s not fair!”

“Awh, come on!”

“Professor, can’t we just pair up normally?”

“That’s rubbish!” 

Not having any of the banter, Slughorn shushed the class loudly,

“Silence! Now, if you can all calm down, I will read out your pairings,”

James threw his head back in annoyance, then turned towards Harry and mouthed ‘good luck’.

The Professor began listening off names, and every time a groan of complaint would sound from somewhere in the classroom - Slughorn would take off five points from their house. 

After about six “FIVE POINTS FROM SLYTHERIN!” and three “FIVE POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!” people had begun accepting their fate, and stopped hollering every time they got paired with someone of the opposite house.

James and Harry had gotten lucky, as they somehow managed to get paired together. Lily and Sirius, however, didn’t seem to share the same luck.

“Lily Evans,” Slughorn skimmed down his list of names, “and Severus Snape!”

Sirius’ head snapped towards Lily, disappointment written all over his face. To his surprise, Lily didn’t seem to share his sadness. Lily, on the other hand, was beaming from head to toe.

“What are you so giddy about? No way you actually want to be paired with that tosser!” Sirius whispered.

“Sirius! That’s so rude!” she retorted, the smile disappearing from her face.

“What, it’s true! He tripped James on the first day!”

“Did not! It was an accident! You can’t possibly be holding onto a grudge for such a stupid reaso–”

Slughorn voiced boomed once again, snapping the two away from their argument, 

“Sirius Black,” he paused, “and Carl Paul!”

“That’s rubbish! I’m not doing anything with that sod!” a voice sounded from the back of the class.

“Mr. Paul! Ten points from Slytherin!” Slughorn hollered, “you’re lucky I’m not giving you detention!”

Lily’s face immediately soften as she looked to Sirius, blatantly worried,

“What’s his problem! Oh my god, are you gonna be okay working with him?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Sirius grumbled, “he’s a right git, though. Big fan of my family, that one. Guess the news of my sorting being a  ‘family disappointment’ got to him already,”

Lily stared at him silently, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, Slughorn has just finished explaining the assignment and was now urging everyone to get started on their potions.

As Sirius made his way towards the cauldron, Carl was already laying out all the ingredients. Not bothering to speak, Sirius simply reached towards the textbook. Skimming through the needed ingredients, he retrieved the mistletoe berries and ducked under the station to grab the mortar. Just as Sirius was about to begin working on the potion, Carl snatched the tools away from him,

“What do you think you’re doing, moron? I’ll make everything, you just… don’t touch anything. Think I want you messing up the potion like you messed up your family?” he spat.

Not looking for a fight, Sirius shrugged off the remark, and backpedalled until he hit the wall behind him. Leaning against it, he let his eyes fall on Snape and Lily’s station. The two seemed to be working quite well, their potion halfway finished. As always, James and Harry were ahead of everyone, Sirius didn’t even have to check.

Sirius turned his attention back to Carl. So far, he had sliced the berries instead of crushing them, and used 5 drops of Lethe River Water. In other words, everything was going wrong. Sirius debated correcting Carl, but figured he would rather finish off the day without a black eye.

Taking his mind off his soon-to-fail potion, he instead turned his attention to Harry and James’ station. To his confusion, however, he was greeted by the sight of a lonesome James - Harry nowhere to be found. James was staring straight ahead, brows furrowed. Sirius wasn’t sure whether James looked shocked, impressed, or both.

Following James’ line of sight, his gaze landed, once again, on Lily and Severus’ station. Only this time, Harry was hovering over Severus, arms spread and an angry scowl plastered on his face.

“You can’t say stupid shit like that! She’s your friend, no?” he shouted.

“What are you on about! Just piss of, will you!” Severus yelled back, a smug look on his face, though Sirius could see a glimpse of fear in his eyes.

“You know exactly what I’m on about!”

“Stop it! Both of you!” Lily exclaimed, stepping between the two boys, “Harry, is it? I appreciate you sticking up for me, but I’m sure Sev didn’t mean it like that! Right, Sev?”

Severus stayed silent. 

“How else would he have meant it, Lily? Calling someone that name isn’t exactly what I would call an accident!” Harry protested.

Before anyone could utter another word, Slughorn marched over, his voice radiating throughout the classroom,

“Stop it! All of you!”

Lily bowed her head, suddenly aware of everyone’s eyes on her.

“Now, will any of you explain what in Merlin’s Beard is going on!” Slughorn pushed, eyeing the three of them down.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as he noticed the expression on Lily’s face. He’d already made enough of a scene - exposing that she had just been called a Mudblood was not exactly what Lily would want right now, Harry gathered.

“Very well,” the professor continued, “if nobody will explain, I suppose I’ll just have to give all three of you detention. One week, starting tonight.”

“It’s his fault, professor! I didn’t do anything!” Severus protested.

“Oh, shut it,” Harry grumbled under his breath, suppressing an eye roll.

“Enough of this nonsense! Back to your stations, all of you!” Slughorn ordered, sighing deeply as he made his way across the classroom.

Lily didn’t speak to Snape for the rest of the period. She worked quietly, making sure to keep a good few feet away from him. She’d wipe her eyes with her sleeve every once in a while, soaking them dry of tears.

Harry however, spent the rest of the period being bombarded with questions by James,

“That was brilliant, mate! Not sure why you did that exactly, but it was incredible,” he paused, staring Harry down for a second, “why did you do it exactly…? 

“He’s a slick git, that’s why. Called her a mudblood…”

James didn’t speak. Just stared. 

Nodding his head silently, he continued brewing the potion - a stern look on his face. The second they finished their batch, James’ head perked up to stare at Harry. Clearing his throat, he whispered,

“So, how are we gonna make that prick pay for what he did?”

Chapter Text

“So what, Harry just started yelling at him?” Remus mumbled, his mouth stuffed with porridge.

After the ruckus Harry had caused yesterday, Slughorn kicked everyone else besides him, Snape, and Lily out of class. The professor kept the trio for two hours worth of detention. Lily spent her time washing cauldrons and sniffling loudly every once in a while - while Harry sat a few feet away from her, organizing Slughorn’s parchment collection neatly. 

Snape was stationed across the room, wiping the chalkboard clean with an old rag. Every so often, he tried to weasel his way back to Lily, whispering half-assed apologies and pleading for forgiveness. She did give in, eventually, smiling softly as she hugged Severus tightly.

Bloody hell, Harry thought, how good of a friend does Lily think Snape is? He called her a Mudblood and she still thinks it was just a friendly accident?

The next morning at breakfast, James couldn’t stop fussing about what happened the night before. 

“Yeah, I mean, like full on - proper screaming. Dunno how Harry even heard what Severus said,” James nodded, too preoccupied with talking to eat, “he totally deserved it - Snape, I mean. What’s his deal anyway? Calling someone by that name?”

“Wait, isn’t she meant to be his best friend, or something?” Sirius added, chugging a juice, and wiping his mouth clean with his sleeve.

“Yeah… yeah you’re right. Wonder what got into him. Or maybe he’s a prick to everyone, even his best friend,” James shrugged.

“Isn’t he Harry’s dormmate?” Peter interrupted.

James’ eyes darted towards Peter, eyeing him down intently. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his mind - James’ jaw dropping as he realized,

“Peter! You genius! That’s it!”

Puzzled, Peter looked to Sirius and Remus for help. The two shrugged in response, just confused as Peter.

James sighed, smiling widely as he continued, 

“That’s how we get Severus back! We can’t let him act that way and just get away with it, right? So, let’s get Harry in on the plan. With Severus being Harry’s roommate - imagine how easy it would be to do something!”

“Do what, exactly?” Sirius raised a brow.

“Yeah, uhh James… we’re not doing anything dangerous right?” Peter pursed his lips, concerned.

“No, of course not. Maybe we just pull a prank? Like, I don't know… curse his robes or something?”

Sirius’ eyes lit up - thrilled with the idea,

“Merlin, James! You’re a genius! I second that notion. With Harry on our side, you’re totally right, the possibilities are endless!”

Peter side eyed the pair, not particularly enjoying where this was headed. Remus sat quietly beside him, finishing the rest of his porridge. 

“This all sounds like great fun,” he finally spoke up, “but I’ve got to get to History of Magic. Professor Bins already assigned a pile of work, and it’s only the second day,” Remus sighed, climbing out from the bench and dusting his trousers clean from crumbs.

“Class starts in 15 minutes, Remus. There’s no need to leave so early!” Sirius raised a brow, eyeing the tall boy up and down.

“Unlike some people,” Remus’ eyes narrowed as he stared down Sirius, “I don’t like being late to my classes. If you want extra work from Binns, then be my guest. But I’d prefer to start the day without any drama,” Remus finished, turning on his heels as he started for the door.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Sirius downed the rest of his pumpkin juice and whispered a rushed, “Later!” to his friends.

“Wait up!” He yelled across the hall, running faster than he knew possible to catch up with Remus. Catching up to him, Sirius grabbed his shoulder for support. He bent over, catching his breath.

“Oh so now you don’t want to be late?” Remus joked, cracking a slight smile.

“Oh, shut up,” Sirius huffed, trying to sound annoyed. Remus wasn’t fooled however. He could have sworn he saw a little grin on Sirius’ face. 

Across the hall, Barty was laughing manically as he banged his fist on the wooden table in front of him.

“You… oh Merlin, Harry! No way you actua-” he stopped laughing suddenly, and straightened up. Immediately, he began coughing like a barking dog, his voice cracking as he wheezed in attempts to breathe.

“For Heaven’s sake,” Evan muttered, and reached his arm over Barty, smacking him on the back a few times. Barty’s choking stopped, and immediately reached for the glass of water near his half-empty plate. Downing it in one swig, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and muttered an almost silent, 

“Thanks”

Evan nodded, and went back to buttering his toast.

“As I was saying,” Barty cleared his throat, face slightly pink from embarrassment, “you actually yelled at him? Just like that?”

“It wasn’t ‘just like that,’ Barty. He insulted my friend, so I just did something about it,” Harry mumbled, not particularly enjoying the current subject. 

“Okay, I get that,” Barty chewed through his words as he bit down on his toast, “but that’s still impressive. Did you get any points for us? Slytherin should get at least 10 for that!”

Harry rolled his eyes, gathering up his things as he got ready to leave, “No, Barty. No I didn’t. Quite the opposite actually. Slughorn gave me detention for two hours.”

“Detention!? But, that’s mad! You did the right thing, no?” 

“No, you know I didn’t”

“Barty, leave him alone,” Evan butted into the conversation from the other side of the table - also gathering his things, “Class starts in a few, we should get going.”

“Right,” Barty nodded, “yeah, yeah, you’re right.”

Severus’s eyes darted towards Barty, Evan, and Harry - their figures growing smaller and smaller as they inched closer to the exit. Snape sat alone, far from the rest of the Slytherins, and even further away from Lily. ‘Why did I say that to her?’ his mind replayed yesterday’s interaction over and over, ‘I should apologize,’ he thought.

 He did apologize. Numerous times, in fact. Once during detention, once when it was over, and another thousand times in his mind as he laid still for hours in attempts of falling asleep. Harry had a right to yell at him, Snape thought. ‘Harry wasn't wrong for keeping me in check, so why am I so mad at him?’

When detention was over, Harry hurried ahead to the Slytherin dorms before Snape could say another word. Severus stayed for a few minutes, offering to walk Lily to her dorm. She declined, politely, smiling softly as she left. Her hair was tied in two small braids, swaying side to side as she strolled the hallway - eventually turning a corner and slipping out of sight. Her hair did that a lot, Severus noticed. He wondered how long it took her to tie her hair every morning. How did it look so perfect all the time?

Swatting the thoughts from his mind, he grumbled under his breath and began walking down towards the Slytherins commons. Every once and a while he would turn around, hoping he’d find Lily behind him. Maybe she followed him. Maybe, just maybe, she’d show up and tell him she forgives him once again. But alas, the only thing he saw was a long, empty corridor. The tall pillars hovering over as if mocking how truly alone he was.

Once he got to his dorm, everyone was asleep. Harry, Barty, and Evan all lay perfectly still, the room dead silent. He wandered towards his bed, passing Harry’s on his way.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered so quietly, that not even he could hear it. He flopped down on his mattress, not bothering to take his shoes off. He slept stiff as a cardboard, his coat and shoes bothering him all night. But he deserved it. He knew he did. He didn’t deserve to sleep soundly after what he did.

One thought replayed in his mind as he dozed off, ‘I will fix this. I will do whatever I can. Tomorrow, I will apologize to Harry, and most importantly to Lily. I will fix this. I will, I will, I will…’