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"Hermione! Ron? Where were you?"
Hermione, Ron, James, Lily, and Sirius turned around when they heard someone's voice.
There stood a boy with black, messy hair and glasses who looked remarkably like James. He was within an inch of James’s height, and his eyes looked remarkably like Lily's.
"Harry," Lily muttered, gawking at her son.
Harry noticed the three standing there. "Er, hi."
"Hello," Lily greeted him.
"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," he introduced himself, shaking Lily, Sirius and James' hands in turn.
He has a nice, firm grip, James thought proudly, grinning.
"Sorry, er, who are you?" Harry asked politely, eyeing Ron and Hermione with confusion.
"I'm J - Conner. Conner Smith," James said. "And this is Erin Taylor, and that's Garrett White."
"They're transfer students from a private school in Spain," Ron told Harry.
Harry nodded slowly. "Pleasure meeting you all."
There was an awkward silence.
Harry said finally, "Well, Ron, Hermione, we have to talk about the....horses. You know. Horses," he said, raising his eyebrows. With a wave, he walked over to the fire and slumped into a chair.
"Right! Well, if you need anything, I'll be right over there. Your stuff should be up in the seventh year girls' and boys' dormitory which are right up the
stairs. You should be able to figure out which is which," Hermione said helpfully. With that, she departed to sit next to Harry by the dancing flames in the fireplace.
"Yeah, listen," Ron said. "You lot haven't eaten dinner, right?" The three shook their heads. "Erm, Hermione, Harry, and I can take you down to the kitchens," he offered.
"Thank you," Lily said.
Ron went to talk to Hermione and Harry. Harry and the two others started talking quickly, occasionally glancing at Lily, James, and Sirius.
"They were nice," Lily said.
"Uh-huh." James hadn't been listening.
Lily rolled her eyes. There was no point in talking to James.
The trio explored all around the room, seeing what had changed and stayed the same until Lily announced she had to use the toilet.
Watching Lily walk away, James went back to inspecting his son. Harry was looking upset. In anger, he grabbed his hair and pulled up his fringe, revealing his forehead.
And it was then that James noticed it.
"Sirius - look! Harry has a scar on his forehead," he whispered.
Sirius peeked over at the fireplace casually. There, on Harry's forehead was a clearly marked lightning-shaped scar.
"Wicked!" Sirius whispered, clearly in awe.
James was proud. "I know!"
"I wonder how he got that?"
"I dunno. We should ask," James said slyly.
"Po - Conner! Garrett!" Lily was rushing to them. "I found a bunch of writing in a cubicle in the bathroom. Some of it said things about Harry - and Voldemort!'"
"Well that's no surprise. Maybe he's as popular as I was," James said earnestly.
"He is a bit good-looking," Sirius said. “But not as much as me, of course.”
"You idiots! That's not the point! Voldemort, you idiots! That powerful dark wizard!"
"Oh yeah," James said stupidly.
Sirius frowned. "I still think he’s a bit of a looker."
"Oh, shut up! You're so conceited!" Lily snapped.
"What's wrong, Eva- Erin? Need to talk about it?" Sirius snarled.
"I'm not feeling well, that’s all!" Lily grunted. "I just went - " She realized she had raised her voice. "I just went about twenty years forward in time. You think I'd be in proper health?"
"Awwww, come on, Erin, you know you can talk about it with us," Sirius cooed.
Lily raised an eyebrow, becoming thoroughly annoyed. "What are you going on about?"
"You know - the time of the month thing. But it's okay! We're big boys, remember? We can talk about it if you need us to - "
"When it's Remus' 'time of the month', we're always quite supportive," James added.
"Excuse me?"
Sirius nudged James in the ribs.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, "We're here if you need to talk about your... er... bodily -"
"Shut UP!" Lily barked.
Slapping Sirius with all the strength she could muster, Lily turned and ran towards the girls' dormitories.
"Oi, er - Erin!"
Lily turned around to see Harry standing there. "Oh, hello, Harry!" she said.
"I was, er, just wondering what was wrong," he asked kindly.
Lily smiled. Her son was so sweet. "I'm fine dar - er, Harry," she said quickly. "Those guys - Conner and, er, Garrett - are insolent blokes."
"I figured," Harry teased. He laughed. "Listen, I dunno if Ron and Hermione told you, but we're getting hungry - we skipped dinner, and in about twenty minutes, my friends and I will take you down to the kitchens for dinner - if you want."
"Thank you! That'd be nice," Lily said, smiling at her son's offer.
Harry grinned. "I've got to go talk to those first years over there."
"Alright. I'll see you in a bit, then."
"Bye." Harry smiled warmly.
Lily sighed. Why couldn't Harry's father be more like that?
Twenty minutes later, Lily was ready to go to the kitchens in a some Muggle jeans and a pink top she hadn't been able to wear before due to her previously fiery red hair. She pulled on some black school robes and made her way down stairs.
"Hello, Erin."
Harry was looking at Lily with the same smile that he had flashed her earlier dancing on his lips.
"Harry," Lily said tenderly, tucking a strand of unfamiliar jet black hair behind her ear.
"Oh, this is Ginny," Harry said, gesturing to a pretty girl with red hair and light brown eyes. "She's Ron's sister, and she's also one of my best friends. Gin, this is Erin Taylor. She's an exchange student from... Spain, did you say?"
Lily nodded. "It's a pleasure, Ginny."
Ginny smiled. "You too."
"Hey Erin!"
Lily groaned. "What, Smith?"
"Merlin, I was just trying to be nice!" James exclaimed, very annoyed.
"For once," Lily snorted, grinning at the dismayed look on James' face. She stood nervously for a few minutes, waiting for the other three to come into the Common Room.
Hermione and Ron were holding hands as they came into the room, and Lily waved at them.
A few minutes later, Sirius walked into the room.
"Ready then?" The six others nodded as they made their way out of the portrait hole.
"So, er," Lily said nervously, "who's teaching each subject?"
"Well, we have McGonagall - she's that really stone-faced woman, Head of Gryffindor - for Transfiguration; Sprout, the short, fat, one - sorry, Hermione - on Herbology; Flitwick, that really tiny man, for Charms; Slughorn for Potions - " Ron said, counting on his fingers.
"Slughorn's still teaching?" Sirius asked.
Hermione looked questioned. "What do you mean? How did you know he taught here?"
"His dad was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of Slughorn's," James said quickly.
"Right..." Ron murmured, looking addled.
"Anyway," Hermione said, trying to change the subject, "Why were you transferred?"
"Well, our old school decided we were all too advanced for their classes," Sirius told them.
Ginny nodded. "So, er, how - "
"Ah! Miss Taylor! Mr. White! Mr. Smith! I'm glad to see that you can manage yourselves."
The seven students turned their heads in unison.
A bald man with whisps of blonde hair and rough skin was smiling at them, his papery face and sullen eyes contorted into a plastic smile.
"Sir," James acknowledged.
"Good, good. I'm Professor Horace Slughorn. I heard about your situation from Dumbledore. Welcome," the professor greeted.
"Thank you." Sirius' words were bitter.
Hermione was interested in why the professor was introducing himself if Garrett claimed he already knew him. She was going to say something when Slughorn said cheerily, "In with the prominent sort of crowd again then, eh?"
"Sorry?"
"I heard that at your old school, you were friends with Celestina Warbeck's niece, Sophia - " Slughorn started.
"Oh, er, yes?" James said bewilderedly.
"- and here you are with the famous Harry Potter! Must have a knack, like I do!"
"We try," Lily commented, not knowing what she was talking about.
Slughorn laughed. "Cheeky. Very cheeky, Miss Taylor. Two points to Gryffindor for your audacity."
"Why, thank you, Professor," Lily said uncertainly.
Hermione leaped at the chance to ask Garrett and Erin of their strange behavior, but once again was interrupted by Slughorn, who was changing subjects very quickly.
"Oh, I need some brilliant Potions students to help me. You see, my pet rat swallowed some poison. What should I give him?"
The youths were not surprised at the teacher's pretend situations to quiz the students on what they had learned.
"A bezoar," Lily blurted. "If he could digest it - a bezoar is about the same size as a rat, actually."
"Take five points."
Ron thought that Hermione would be very upset that Lily answered before her, yet Hermione was looking at the other girl admiringly.
"Well, I must be off to go feed my rat," Slughorn said, a twinkle of dishonesty in his eyes. The seven friends could have sworn they heard him mutter, "Cheeky, cheeky."
"This is it," Harry announced, pointing to a large portrait of a bowl of fruit.
"We know," Sirius said in a bored voice. Lily elbowed him in the stomach.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
Sirius coughed, massaging his rib cage. "Well, we figured. I mean, as we're standing in front of it." Lily sent Sirius a cold glare.
Harry laughed nervously. "Right." He ticked the pear and the door swung open.
"Harry Potter!"
There was a shriek from somewhere in the room, and, as if on cue, a vast amount of House Elves bowed their heads in unison.
"No - please! Stand up! Don't bow! It doesn't matter!" Hermione said, looking twitchy.
"What's up with her?" James asked Ron calmly.
"She's obsessed with House Elf rights. She even made a club called spew for the Society of something for the Elvish Warfare," Ron said dully.
"War - ?" Lily began, as Sirius said, "Spew?"
"What can we get you?" a house elf asked eagerly.
"I'll take three steaks and a plate of pork chops," Sirius told the surrounding creatures. "For that matter, just get a few plates. We'll order in bulk."
"Can you really eat that much food, P - Garrett?" James asked, grinning slyly.
Sirius smirked. "Oh, yes I can. I'll bet you ten galleons."
"Can I play?" Ron asked eagerly. "Though I don't have ten galleons. . ."
Lily looked pitifully at Ron. "It's okay. If you win, you can have the money, but if you lose you have to..."
"Spend the night in the Forbidden Forest?" Sirius suggested.
"Sirius!" Lily snapped. She was very upset with Sirius for suggesting such a thing.
That is, until she realized she had totally blown her cover.
Hermione stopped the round order of sautéed chicken breast abruptly and looked shocked. Ron was eyeing the House Elves and didn't even hear a thing, but Harry and Ginny looked at the three intently.
"I'm... er... serious. That's not a cool idea. Yeah. I'm serious!" Lily said nervously.
There was an awkward silence.
"What can I get you, miss?" a House Elf tugged on Lily's robes.
Lily sighed, grateful for the disturbance. "Oh, yes, well, seeing as we're ordering for all of us, I'll just say some mashed potatoes with the extra gravy the way you make them."
Lily clenched her fists. And I've done it again! Lily scolded herself mentally. We've barely been here an hour, and I've almost given us away twice!
Luckily, only Ron heard her, as Hermione, Ginny, and Harry were chatting with a house elf wearing a jumble of various articles of clothing, and James and Sirius were pouring each other tea. Ron frowned, looking at Lily in confusion.
"How did you - ?"
"Miss Buttercup, would you like some more tea?"
Lily and Ron whipped around to see James and Sirius dishing each other spoons of sugar.
James giggled. "Yes, Miss Daisy, I would! More sugar?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Will you two sodding grow up?"
"Oh, Miss Erin! Would you fancy some tea with cream and sugar?" Sirius asked, batting his eyelashes.
Lily couldn't keep a straight face. "Oh, alright."
"Tea, anyone?" James asked, motioning to the five empty teacups.
"Sure." Ron grabbed a cup and let Sirius pour him some tea. Harry and Ginny sat down, too.
Hermione sat down next to Ron. "I'll have some, please," she told the boys.
Ron stole the sugar and began putting little bits of sugar in his tea at a time.
"Harry? Ginny? Tea?" Lily asked. She sat down and laughed when James seized the kettle and became increasingly determined to pour Lily tea without spilling water everywhere.
Harry took the pot from James and politely poured Ginny a cup.
"Have enough tea with your sugar, Ron?" Hermione asked sharply, as Ron dumped a sixth tablespoon in his tea.
Ron shrugged. "It isn't tea without sugar," he said.
"I believe the phrase is -"
"Your food is ready!" a House Elf said.
Rows of ill-dressed creatures circled the table, laying out assortments of sweets and beverages. Shining silver platters greased with butter were lined with rich foods, consisting of assortments of vegetables and slabs of meat.
Sirius almost drooled.
"Look good?" Ginny asked, helping herself to some lemon garlic chicken.
All Sirius could do was nod. And I thought Mrs. Potter's food was good... the House Elves must have improved their cooking style...
"Thank you, elves," Hermione said graciously. She smiled at the nearest elf, and with a wave of dismissal, the crowd shuffled over to a desolate corner.
"Potatoes?" Ginny asked Lily, holding a bowl of mashed potatoes in front of the other girl.
"Yes, please!" Lily said graciously, loading heaps of fluffy potatoes onto her dish.
Sirius, Ron, and James were piling their plates with various foods. Ron beckoned over a House Elf and ordered thirty-two butterbeers.
The very confused elf, along with several others, brought back thirty-two drinks. Ron directed them to give one to Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Lily, and seven each to the three contestants.
"Ready?" James asked the other two, fork and knife in hand.
"Whenever you are, bro!" Sirius said loudly.
Ron licked his lips. "Go!"
And with that, the feasting began.
Sirius didn't bother cutting his food - he just shove it in his mouth. James chopped everything into squares, and ate them by the hundreds. Ron cut everything in half and chewed ravenously.
"Steak, Erin?" Harry asked, sending a plate with strips of crisp red meat on it her way.
Lily shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said. "I'm a vegetarian."
Hermione shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said plainly, serving herself some chicken and green beans.
Lily gripped her chair tight with one hand, and with the other, she ran her fingers through her black hair.
"So, Harry," Lily said, looking at the three boys with thorough disgust as they feasted away. ”How was your summer?"
"... So, that's about it. I wasn't planning on coming back, but Hermione and, er, certain other persons..." Harry said, shrugging.
"The Dursleys!" Ron burst, hysterical after his sixth butterbeer.
Lily nearly dropped her glass. "D-dursley, you say?"
"Yeah, Hawwy's aunt and uncle - ftupid Muggles - 'e lived with them 'is 'ole life. 'Pill 'e came to 'Ogwarts, of couwse," Ron blurted through a mouthful of food.
Lily's face contorted itself into horror. "You mean... Vernon and Petunia Dursley?"
"And Dudley!" Ron practically yelled. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and belched.
"Ron!" Hermione scolded sharply.
Harry grinned. "Oh no, Hermione, I think Ron was just demonstrating what my oaf of a cousin does best."
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A/N: And now - who will win the 10 galleons?
Also, the whole Sirius-and-the-PMS-thing was my idea, but my rad Beta, Schmergo, (who has willingly Beta'd this chapter) suggested the idea for James' comment.
I put "Got enough tea with your sugar?" in there, because my sister says that to me so frequently - I add WAY too much sugar in my tea - so I had to put that in here.
Oh, and I have decided - Snape will overall not be appearing in this story. I've come to face the fact that I can't write Snape for BEANS.
Please R & R - wait... you are reading! Haha. So just be a dear old chap and leave review, eh? I respond to all reviews. I swear. Well, I mean, we all swear anyways, but... okay, you get the point.