Refraining from laughing, Lily sat down on a clean rock, as the grey-eyed man and James argued over who got to sit on what looked like a large mushroom.
"Get a grip, will you?" Lily barked.
James blushed and sat down as the other man sat on his lap.
"Ooh, Prongsie, Evans is angry!" The man said playfully.
"Sirius!" James said sharply. Then he added, "She's just finding a different way to express her feelings. I read about it. In a book."
"I can't believe I'll have to co-Head with you this year! I can't stand you!" Lily spat.
James grinned. "I like 'em feisty." Sirius giggled.
"Anyway," said Dumbledore, sliding down from the tree and looking very amused, "Lily, you have your locket, I presume?"
Lily looked at Dumbledore, her expression puzzled. "What? Oh," she said quickly, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out the brilliant chain and handed it to Dumbledore.
"What's that?" Sirius asked, eyeing it intently.
"The key to Harry Potter's future," Dumbledore said, reaching for something else in his pocket.
"Who's that? I don't know anyone in my family named Harry. Or wait-- my great-uncle's name was Harry. I loved that uncle. He bought me-- " James ranted.
Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him. "What? He bought me my first broomstick. I owe my life to that man, if only he hadn't died."
"No, James. By Harry Potter, I mean your son," Dumbledore said calmly, still searching in his pocket.
James yelped and jumped off the mushroom, Sirius tumbling off his lap. "My son? Who did I - I swear, I've never - what are you suggesting?"
Dumbledore pulled a piece of paper and a tiny jar out of his pocket. "Oh, no. No, your future son."
"How do you…?"
"I received a Patronus from myself from the future," Dumbledore said. "But let's not get into that now."
Sirius, Lily, and James looked very befuddled. Sirius sat back down and James squeezed next to him.
"Anyway," Dumbledore said. "Your son, Harry James Potter, son to Lily and James Potter - "
"I had a son with Potter? You've got to be joking!" Lily screamed.
Sirius nudged James with a wink and James suddenly looked very delighted.
"Yes, well, people change," Dumbledore said calmly. "In any case," he went on, flicking his wand at the three of them, "I am putting Silencing Charms on all of
you as to not be interrupted again."
Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Slumping back into the mushroom, he scowled at the professor.
Dumbledore folded his hands neatly. "Now, we do not have time for me to tell you the details of your future."
"However," he continued, "I will tell you all you need to know right now, which is all that my future self has told me."
"Lily and James, your son, Harry, is in grave danger. He needs his parents' and godfather's help --yes, Sirius, you are his godfather --to hunt down the clues
on defeating Voldemort.
"However," Dumbledore resumed, "you are all apparently deceased. I'm sorry to have to tell you all that the three of you die very young. Harry has no guidance, as I cannot help him on his mission, and he has no one else to assist him, other than his friends.
"So Harry needs your help," he said. "I have arranged simple way of transportation by means of this locket. If any of you cannot or will not go to the future to help Harry Potter, raise your hand," Dumbledore said.
No one stirred.
"Very well, then," Dumbledore said, a smile on his face. "I will give you false names and disguises in the future, as Harry knows what you all looked like.”
"Also, you will not remember any of this. I will take it out of your memories because it affects your entire future. So do not get too used to living in the
future. I will ask again, are you sure you are willing to do this?"
Everyone nodded.
"Excellent. Lily, put this necklace on," Dumbledore instructed. Lily took the chain back and placed it on her neck quickly.
"Sirius, take this vial." Sirius took the tiny bottle out of the professor's hand.
"And James, take this paper."
Dumbledore smiled. "James, take two sips of the potion. Lily, take three. Sirius take one. Make sure there is enough."
The three did as instructed. "Now, James, I have taken the Silencing Charm off of you. I want you to read that out loud.
James read a group of words that no one could understand off the piece of paper.
"Good. Lily, give the necklace to James. James, put it on. Now, take it off. Sirius, put it on. That's right. Now, it has expanded," Dumbledore instructed. He removed the silencing charm. "Place it around all of your necks. Now, I want you each to take one last sip of the potion and say 'one nine nine seven.'"
"One nine nine seven," the three chorused, very confused.
"Your things have already been transported. Good luck," Dumbledore said. "See you in twenty years."
Everything began swirling in front of Lily. For what seemed like hours, she swam through an orange tunnel. Finally, there was a flicker of blue flames, and they landed in a more up-to-date version of Dumbledore's office.
"Ah! James! Lily! Sirius! What a pleasure. I have missed you over the past few years."
In front of them was Dumbledore, however he was a bit older and had a kind expression on his face and looked a bit more wrinkled.
"Professor," Lily said, taking the necklace off.
"Mrs. Potter-- I mean, Miss Evans," Dumbledore said to Lily happily. "You are now in the year 1997, your son's seventh year here at Hogwarts. You have been moved nineteen years and three hundred sixty three days into the future. Harry and I have been searching for Horcruxes, which are fragments of Voldemort's soul hidden in objects.
"Harry and I have found and destroyed a few of them, however we are still searching for more. You are here to help his friends and him in their search.
"Harry is aware of what the four of you look like. A dear friend of mine, Nymphadora Lupin, has - "
"Nymphadora Lupin, did you say? Remus' wife?" James blurted.
"Yes, Nymphadora Tonks married Remus Lupin last--"
"Wait, Andromeda's daughter? Whoa, never saw that one coming!" Sirius blabbed.
"Yes, indeed. Anyway, Nymphadora is a Metamorphagus, and she willingly gave me three drops of blood to enable you three to change your appearances. I made a simple concoction for you three that very few are aware exist."
Dumbledore charmed three goblets to whiz over to each of them.
They each drank in turn. Sirius’s hair changed to a chestnut brown and his eyes to a light blue. James turned blonde with deep green eyes like Lily's, and Lily’s hair changed to black and her eyes to brown.
"Good. You have each been given false names. Lily, you are Vivian Taylor. James, you are Terrance Smith, and Sirius, you are Garrett White. Any problems?"
"Erm, I'm not too fond of Terrance," James admitted.
"And I don't fancy Vivian."
"Very well. Erin and Colin? No, wait, there is a Colin here. How about Conner?"
James shrugged. "I guess."
"Alright," Lily said.
"Good. You will be in Gryffindor, presumably. Do not tell anyone your real identities. Come up with false ones. Now, I have to get together with the Minister to tell him about a recent brand of candy I've found I'm rather fond of."
And with a wave, the trio walked down the stairs.
As they made way from Dumbledore's office, James saw a brown-haired girl and a redheaded boy about their age walking along the corridor, chatting softly.
"Oh, er, excuse me!" James called to them.
The redhead whipped around as the girl turned slowly.
"Er, hi, er, what're your names?" James asked the two of them slowly.
"Oh, I'm Ron. Ron Weasley," the boy said.
"I'm Hermione Granger."
"Do you know a Harry Potter?" Sirius asked roughly.
"I think you should be asking if we know the Harry Potter," Hermione said playfully.
James and Sirius exchanged glances.
"Do you happen to be friends of Harry Potter, then?" Lily asked carefully.
Hermione giggled as Ron clamped his hand over his mouth.
James frowned. "Oh, er, sorry, don't mean to put you on the spot or anything, it's just -"
"No, no. It's not that. We're not his friends. We're his best friends," Ron
boasted.
Hermione slapped him. "Sorry about him, he's quite thick," she apologized. "Did you need to see Harry about something? We were just on our way back to the Common Room...Wait, you don't look familiar. Are you lost? I'm Head Girl. Where do you need to be?" Hermione pointed at a shimmering badge on her chest.
"Oh, erm, we're transfer students," Lily lied. "We're seventh years. Dumbledore had a special, er relationship with our old Headm - "
"They had a thing, you know?" Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Er - right," Ron said. "Where are you coming from?"
"It's a very private school in Spain," James said quickly. "But it's a British school - although we did speak a bit of Spanish there, too."
"Si, Señor," added Sirius for a fuller effect.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I see, then. What house have you been sorted into?"
"Gryffindor," Lily said immediately. "We've been sorted into Gryffindor."
"I see. What are you doing out of bed?" Hermione prompted.
Sirius handed Hermione a sheet of paper. "We've got an excuse."
I, Albus Dumbledore, permit Conner Smith, Erin Taylor and Garrett White to be wandering the corridors on the 1st of September, 1997. If my Head Boy or Girl see this note, please take them to the Gryffindor Common Room and give them the password.
"Ah. Well, follow me, then," Hermione said. She walked quickly down the corridor. The four others practically ran to catch up.
"Password?" The Fat Lady asked, a cup full of brandy in her hand.
"Clabbert," Hermione said loudly.
With that, the portrait hole swung open to reveal a whole new side of the magical world that James, Sirius, and Lily had yet to discover.
_______________________
A/N: I did like this chapter, but it was slow writing. The next ones I'm going to run through really quickly.
But please check out my other fic, An Unclear Past! Perrrrty please?
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