Turn Back Time

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, may change later. Will be slash later in the story: HP/?, JP/LE

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED The Order of the Phoenix.

Disclaimer: I don\'t own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren\'t connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright ingeingement is intended.
 
 

Chapter 4: Revelations
 
 
 

\"Thank Merlin!\" muttered James under his breath as he and Sirius finally found the compartment which held his other two best friends, Remus and Peter. Seeing Remus\' raised eyebrow at their harried appearance, James grimaced before explaining. \"There was a small umm … delay this morning on our way to the station. We only just got here as you can see. Hey Wormtail, move will you so I can store this?\" motioning to his trunk. As he struggled to secure his trunk, he heard Sirius snort behind him.

\"Moony mate, what James here isn\'t telling you is that we\'re so late because his mom shouted at him for absolutely ages this morning. Seems Mrs Potter didn\'t appreciate her breakfast this morning!\" revealed Sirius, whose handsome face was lit up with a grin.

\"Sirius! That wasn\'t even my fault, you were the one who changed the teacup! All I did was pour the tea in that blasted cup for her and she decided to blame me! It was not the way I wanted to say goodbye\" snapped James, a light blush forming on his cheeks.

\"Face it Prongs, you were laughing at that look on your mom\'s face as well! She looked hilarious, oh Moony, you should have seen it, the cup attached to her nose\" said Sirius between chuckles. \"I don\'t thi\'ve\'ve seen her turn so red so fast, and that\'s saying something, having to put up with James here for sixteen years\".

\"Yeah mate, and with you there this summer as well! I swear my mom\'s suddenly sprouted double the amount of grey hairs. It was all your fault Padfoot … well most of it\" retorted James with a grin, as he finally sat down opposite Sirius. He couldn\'t help feeling that tingling feeling. Finally, he would be back at Hogwarts with his best friends, and he\'d be seeing Lily Evans again, with pranks to pull, and full moons. He couldn\'t wait.

\"Sounds like you\'ve been behaving this summer then James\" Remus remarked with a wry smile. \"What with Sirius\' good influence and all\".

James snorted in response as Sirius pouted and affected a wounded look. He saw the \'puppy\' look aimed at both himself and the other two, but felt the effect was ruined by the glint in his bright sapphire eyes. \"Come now Padfoot, you know Moony is just saying it as it is. That look only works on first years now since they don\'t know what a devious devil you are\".

\"Ah, but I\'m a devastatingly handsome devil remember!\"

\"Yes, yes Padfoot. Careful now or we won\'t be able to fit your head in here, if it gets any bigger that is\", Remus teased. \"Mind you, I hope there won\'t be a repeat of that incident at last year\'s Sorting!\"

James, Remus, and Peter all laughed at the expression that formed on Sirius\' face. \"That wasn\'t my fault I tell you. How was I supposed to know that new first-year was going to faint when I grinned at her!\" he exclaimed.

\"Sirius\' grin. Beware Death Eaters! He\'ll stun you with a flash of his teeth\" said Peter, but there was no laughter for his comment. The situation regarding Voldemort and his followers were worrying everybody, especially James, who could not stop his eyes travelling to Sirius.

Obviously, Remus was following the same trail of thought for he asked rather hesitantly, \"Sirius? Well, we got your letters this summer, yours and James of course. I suppose, do you mind? What did happen this summer?\"

James felt Sirius gather his resolve, his blue eyes dimming as he remembered the events that bought him to James\' home. Sirius started the tale, \"Well…\"

**********

Albus Dumbledore hurried from his office towards the main entrance of the school. It was September 1st 1976, the first day of a new academic year at Hogwarts, and the students would be arriving through those very doors in just a few hours. He had just been alerted to a disturbance in the wards surrounding the school a few minutes before and thus had abandoned his work to immediately see to the matter, taking no risspecspecially with the increasing threat from the Dark. Not that Voldemort would dare attack Hogwarts at the moment, he hoped. Tom wasn\'t quite enough powerful yet, but then Albus wasn\'t one to pin his hopes on just that: hope. He knew that he would see Tom again, but not today, not today.

As he neared the corridor leading to the Entrance Hall, he could hear the hooting of a distressed owl. Frowning, he hurried his steps and as he entered the hall, he immediately saw the cause. There on the floor lay a young man, no, a teenager. He could see the trunk next to the boy and a white snowy owl, who had just landed and was now resting on the trunk by her master. He made his way to stand in front of the unconscious boy and ran his eyes over the figure. Bending over, he tilted the head so to gain a better look at the boy and his frown deepened.

He heard a gasp from behind him, \"Headmaster! Is that? What is he doing here? He should be on the Hogwarts Express with his friends, not here and unconscious\", said Minerva. \"How did he get here Albus? That Potter, he can\'t even wait for school to start before getting into some kind of mischief or trouble\".

\"I don\'t know Minerva\", sighed Albus in response. \"We\'ll have to ask young James when he wakes up. Would you terribly mind taking Mr Potter up to the Hospital Wing while I tend to his belongings?\"

\"Of course Headmaster\" replied the Deputy Headmistress and with a flick of her wand, she levitated the teenager and made her way towards Madam Pomfrey\'s domain.

\"Daisy\" the Headmaster called out. With a pop, a house-elf stood in front of the old wizard. \"Ah Daisy. Could you send this trunk to my office for the moment and take the owl to the Owlery please?\"

\"Yes Sir. Of course\" and with a pop the elf, trunk, and owl all disappeared, leaving the Headmaster to his thoughts in the empty Hall.

**********

\"Hey guys, have you heard about this new course they\'re offering this year?\" asked Sirius.

Remus looked at the taller boy and nodded. \"I did, it sounds interesting, but I can\'t take it. I\'ve already got a full schedule. I\'ve got the basics of course, Transfigurations, Charms, DADA, and Potions, though Merlin only knows how I got an Exceeds in the OWLs! Then, what with Magical Creatures and Runes, I doubt I\'d be able to fit anything else in!\"

\"Moony! I didn\'t know we were doing the same subjects, well, I should\'ve guessed you were going to choose Runes I suppose\" commented James. \"Looks like we\'ll have class together\",
\"Hey! No fair! What if we\'re separated? Oh no\", wailed Sirius, a hand at his head, \"how will we survive? We might not be able to prank the greasy git or … I\'ll … I\'ll actually have to behave?\"

Peter looked torn between sniggering at Sirius and worrying regarding his comments. James just rolled his eyes at his friend\'s behaviour while Remus looked thoughtful. \"You know Padfoot?\" he started, \"I doubt it. Most of our courses are the same, we\'ll probably be together for most of them. Mind you, why are you taking Runes James, I didn\'t think you enjoyed it that much? It\'s a pity you can\'t take Quidditch as a NEWT I suppose\".

James felt his face burn as Sirius turned bright eyes onto the werewolf. \"Come on Remus, isn\'t it obvious? Jamie-boy here is taking Runes so he can be closer to Evans!\"

\"Shut it\" growJameJames, but his friends took no notice, instead filling the compartment with their laughter. James snorted, \"Just you wait Black! You\'ll get your comeuppance, don\'t you worry\".

\"Oh no! Save me Remus!\" but Remus was in no state to do anything of the sort, he was too busy holding his sides, laughing at the faces his two friends were pulling at each other. Trying to distract his more hot-headed friends, he asked Peter, \"Say Wormtail, what are you taking? You\'re keeping awfully quiet about it\".

Peter blushed slightly as he saw all three heads turn to him. Twisting his fingers in his lap, he muttered, \"I\'m taking Transfigurations, DADA and Magical Creatures as well, but I\'m also taking History, Herbology, and Divination\".

\"Divination!\" exclaimed Sirius. \"That pile of tripe!\"

\"Don\'t worry Peter\", said James comfortingly. \"I\'m sure you\'ll have lots of fun making up predictions and all that. We\'ll help as well, excuses and whatnot. Won\'t we?\"

\"Thanks James\" squeaked Peter, a pleased smile on his lips.

Deciding to change the subject, Sirius opened his mouth in anticipation of discussing his plan for the pranks that he had thought of pulling at this evening\'s feast when the door to their compartment opened. Twisting around, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists when he saw who was at the door.

\"Ah, Black. Or perhaps I shouldn\'t call you that anymore, after all I hear you ran away from home\" sneered Snape, his two goons Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him. \"Just like a scared little boy\".

\"Shut it, you greasy git!\" spat Sirius. \"Shut up and get out or I\'ll hex you!\"

\"Can\'t handle the truth? Scared little Black. Can\'t cope at home so runs away like a scared cat\", laughed Snape at an increasingly angrier Sirius, who was reaching for his wand.

\"Go away Snape, you\'re outnumbered here. Crabbe and Goyle can\'t help you and you\'re no match for us, or perhaps you\'d like another example of my levitation l\",l\", shouted James, who had his wand in his hand, pointing it at the Slytherin.

\"Leave now Snape, and I won\'t report you\" ordered Remus.

\"Ha, I don\'t want to breathe the same air as traitors and mudblood lovers like you anyway. Just thought I\'d see how the arrogant homeless bastard was\" and with that he turned around and stalked away down the train, his two housemates following stupidly behind.

\"Damn it Remus! I wish you\'d let me hex him, he had no right at all, that snake!\" shouted Sirius.

\"Padfoot! You don\'t need any more opportunities to get into more trouble, it always seem to find you anyway\" chastised Remus. \"I\'m just trying to keep you out of trouble, besides, it\'s not like you weren\'t expecting something like this anyway\".

\"That\'s right Sirius. You know your dear brother and cousin will talk about it anyway, I\'m pretty sure everyone will know about it soon enough\" reasoned James as he guided his friend to his seat.

Remus sat down next to the angry teenager and added, \"you can\'t hex each and every person who makes a comment about you. You\'ll just have to put up with it, but you have us to help you out\".

\"Maybe I can\'t hex each person, I suppose I\'ll just have to prank the whole lot of them instead. It\'ll make me feel a damn sight better\" said Sirius, a red blush still staining his cheeks from his earlier anger. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door to their compartment sliding open again and reached for his wand in anticipation of another unwelcome encounter, but relaxed when he noticed it was only the witch with the food trolley.

\"Anything off the trolleys dear…\"

**********

Poppy Pomfrey had just examined the unconscious boy and had left to return to her office, leaving Minerva with the student. Potter looked different from the last time she had seen him, she mused, which had only been a few weeks ago at the Potters\' home. He looked to be paler and had a slightly pinched look about him. Although James had always been thin, this seemed more … pronounced she thought, as he lay on the bed.

A small cough alerted her to the presenf thf the Headmaster who had just entered the Hospital Wing. \"So how is Mr Potter\" he asked.

\"Poppy says she\'s not sure what\'s wrong with him. He\'s not got any broken bones nor is he sick. Hopefully he\'ll regain consciousness soon and we can ask him\" she replied, a small frown on her face.

\"Hmmm. Well, could you look out for his friends, young Mr Black or Mr Lupin may know about his conditions\", asked the old wizard. \"Perhaps also Mr Pettigrew? If you could ask them to see me just before the feast?\"

\"Of course Headmaster\" she replied. \"If you could excuse me, I still need to finish my preparations for tonight\"

\"Of course Professor McGonagall, of course\" he said, and so she left him staring at the only occupant of the Hospital Wing with his bright blue eyes,

**********

James, Sirius, and Remus were caught up in the large crowd of excited students as they neared the large doors, at the start of a new year at Hogwarts. Somehow, they had managed to lose Peter, who was shorter than the rest of the Marauders, after they stepped off the train.

Although they had looked around for a moment for the missing boy, they moved on knowing they would eventually find Peter at the Gryffindor table, as he wasn\'t one to miss a feasts ths they walked into the large Entrance Hall, they were stopped by the shouts of their Head of House, \"Lupin! Black!\"

Ignoring the curious looks and muted laughter from their fellow students, and wondering what trouble they were in, the trio waited for McGonagall to reach them. \"Have you already done something Sirius and not told us, your best friends?\" whispered James, who though not asked to wait, was not going to leave his friends side unless he was specifically told to.

\"No, at least not to my knowledge. Remus?\"

\"Me?\"

\"Oh yeah, I forgot!\"

Remus snorted but was stopped from making a reply by the appearance of Professor McGonagall, who stood in front of the three teenagers. \"Ah there you are, Mr Black, Mr Lupin, and Mr P-\".

The trio stared at their teacher in shock as she gasped and her face paled when she turned her eyes onto James. \"Ja- James? Mr Potter? How are you here?\" she asked, clearly shaken.

\"Yes\" said the boy, drawing out his answer as he looked at his teacher in confusion. \"Why? Has my name changed without my knowing? Or do I look that striking Professor, that you\'re awed by my good looks\" he asked, flashing a grin at McGonagall, though his hazel eyes betrayed his inner worry regarding her reaction to seeing him.

It seemed to bring her out of her daze. \"Please keep such comments to yourself Mr Potter\" chastised the Transfiguration teacher. \"Now, if you could follow me. The Headmaster would like a word with you before you join your fellow students\". The three just blinked and followed the Deputy Headmistress as she walked away, trailing her as she made for the Hospital Wing.

Confused at their destination, the three boys shot each other concerned looks as a strange foreboding feeling settled in their stomachs, hoping that no-one they knew or loved had been hurt. They entered the Hospital Wing and immediately saw the Headmaster standing at the foot of one of the beds, talking to Professor McGonagall, a perplexed look on his face. He bid McGonagall to return to see to the new first years and then turned his eyes on James, examining him before noticing the other two with him.

\"Ah, Mr Potter. I see Mr Black and Mr L hav have also accompanied you\" he said.

\"Yes sir. Professor McGonagall said you wanted a word with us? She seemed awfully shocked when she saw James here. There\'s nothing the matter sir, is there? We just followed Professor McGonagall like she asked us to\" replied Remus, shooting his two friends a concerned look at their teachers\' strange behaviour.

\"No dear boy, no. Well, lets see\" he muttered, once more shooting a concerned look at the bed. He beckoned the boys to come closer and asked James, \"Mr Potter. If I may, I was wondering, do you recognise this young man here?\"

James moved closer to the Headmaster, his friends a step behind and looked in the direction indicated and let out a small gasp. \'He looks like me, but not quite. It looks like he\'s got my messy black hair, though mine is a bit shorter\', thought James. \'He\'s also thinner than I am\' and his face is slightly different I suppose\'. James tried to remember whether any of his relatives were around his age and in similar appearance, but came up with no one. \"Sorry Professor. I can\'t think of anyone. I don\'t know who he is \".

The Headmaster turned his piercing gaze on him and seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before he came to a decision. He asked the three boys to return to the feast after making them promise not to mention the stranger to anyone else. He watched as the trio walked out of the Hospital Wing, shooting looks at the bed as they left before he turned his gaze back onto the young man.

\"Who are you and why are you here? I don\'t suppose I\'ll find out until you wake up\". With a final piercing look at the boy on the bed, he turned and went to join the rest of the castle\'s occupants in the Great Hall, to welcome in a new year.

**********
 
 


I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta\'d. Please review (long is good!) and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, read then disregarded. Thank you for reading!
SStar