Unofficial Portkey Archive

Although I received many great suggestions on how to destroy this writer's block, there really aren't any that I can use to great effect. The wall that got erected in my mind isn't crumbling quickly, although, this chapter came to me fairly quickly once the idea appeared. Sorry to disappoint those who submitted suggestions. They were all great, just nothing that I'm particularly looking for right now.

As for news, I have finally, after much deliberation, consented to having a beta. Hopefully, this will make my writing better.

As a final note before you get to reading the chapter, you may or may not know that I'm not really a fan of mood music. However, there is a scene in the chapter which I think deserves it. The song is called Interrupted by Fireworks, and it's from the Final Fantasy 7 OST. It's song 16 on disc 3, for those of you who want to download it (or for those select few who may actually have the soundtrack). When you see the snitch, ~@~, press play.

Oh, and for those of you on Portkey, I would like to say a huge THANK YOU! The Path Ahead has just hit the 10,000 hit mark! Thanks so much to all of you who've taken the time to read my story.

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Chapter 11: Together in the Past

There was silence in the room for a few minutes, until Hermione spoke.

"Ummmm....what explains a lot?" Before anyone had a chance to answer, James walked past the three of them and out of the locker room.

"Harry I'm so sorry!" said Lily wide-eyed.

"Don't be," he replied sitting down on one of the benches. "It was an honest mistake."

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?" asked Hermione impatiently.

"Lily let slip that I'm James' son," Harry said running his hands through his hair. "It was an accident, though, I'm not mad at you Lily."

"I know," she said sitting down next to him. "But I feel like you should've been the one to tell him. Not me."

"Did he say anything before I came in?" asked Hermione.

"Nah, just stood there and stared at me," he replied. "I told him he'd think I was nutters."

"I don't believe that he thinks you're mad, Harry," said Lily. "He just received quite a shock."

"I'd be shocked too," Harry said. Hermione sat down on the other side of him and put her arm around his shoulders.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"Well, I'm guessing he'll either avoid me, or he'll start badgering me with questions."

"I think it's best if we sit him down and come clean with everything," said Lily. "He might be more receptive that way."

"Maybe it's better that he found out this way," Harry said. "I don't know how I'd have been able to sit him down and say, 'Guess what James, I'm your son from the future'."

"Well, if we're going to talk to him we should do it soon. We want to eliminate any confusion he might have quickly, so that rumors can't get started," Hermione said. The other two nodded.

"Let's get going then," said Harry as the three of them stood and trudged their way back up to the castle.

The three of them arrived in the common room and found James sitting in one of the chairs by the fire, surprisingly alone. Harry, Hermione, and Lily all shared a quick glance then made their way over to the couch to sit down.

"Hi James," Harry said.

"Hi," was all the response he got.

"Where's Sirius, Remus, and Peter," asked Hermione.

"Dinner," James replied. "It's the full moon so they're eating early. Of course you'd know all about why that matters, wouldn't you Harry?"

Looking around to make sure they were alone, Harry tentatively replied, "It's because Remus suffers from lycanthropy." James nodded.

"And what animagus forms are each of us?" James asked again. Harry got the distinct impression that he was being tested.

"You're a stag, Sirius is a dog, and Peter's a rat," he replied.

"And what -"

"James, if you want to make sure that I'm really your son, there's an easy way to tell," Harry said.

"Oh, and what might that be?" James asked. In response Harry pulled out his wand.

"Accio trunk!" Immediately a large crash was heard in the distance as Harry's trunk came thundering down the stairs and stopped in front of him. Opening it, he quickly found what he was looking for, and James' eyes grew wide.

"No....Filch took that a year ago...."

"That's correct," Harry said. "I have it because I'm your son from the future." Placing the tip of his wand on the parchment he was holding, he spoke in a very clear voice, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The Marauder's Map proceeded to reveal itself, just as it normally did. James' face was turning pale and his mouth was slightly agape.

"May I?" he asked holding out his hand hesitantly. Harry handed him the map and he opened to the section that held the Gryffindor common room, and the map showed Lily Evans, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter sitting on the couch by the fire. He handed the map back to Harry, his hand shaking slightly, and sank back into his chair.

"I can't believe it..." he whispered. Harry put the map on the floor, leaving it exposed, so that he could see if anyone was coming.

"If you need more convincing," Harry said reaching into his trunk once more. "You might want to look at this." Without hesitation he pulled out the photo album that Hagrid had given him as a present all those long years ago after his battle with Quirrell. Hermione gave a slight gasp as she realised what Harry had handed to James. "You might want to see the pictures in there too, Lily."

Lily stood up and walked over behind the chair that James was sitting in so she could get a better view of the photos. He opened the album to the first page (the one with him, Lily, and Harry as a baby all together) and hadn't been looking at it for a second when he let out a gasp and dropped the book to the floor. Without picking it up, he turned and looked at Lily, who had a tear running down her cheek.

"Lily, I...." James started, but couldn't find the words to finish his sentence.

"It's ok," she said with a small smile. "I already knew."

"But...but, you hate me," he said with a look of confusion.

"I don't hate you," Lily said. "I just think that you could do with some growing-up sometimes." James turned and looked at Harry and Hermione.

"My son...." he said. "And here I've treated you like scum since you arrived."

"Nah," said waving it off. "You acted like a Marauder. It was to be expected."

"Hermione, I'm sorry for how I treated you. How I treated both of you."

"It's ok," she said grasping Harry's hand. "Now you know the truth, and that's what counts." James nodded solemnly.

"I've been a bloody idiot," he said. "I'm sorry." Turning once more to Lily, he spoke in a soft voice, "And I've treated you the worst out of everyone." He stood up so that he could face her and grasped her hands. "Even worse than Snape. All this time I've just been harassing you to go out with me, I never stopped to consider your feelings. I didn't ever think for a second that you'd even want to be near me -" James was cut short at that point by Lily pressing her lips against James'.

Hermione put her head on Harry's shoulder as the two of them watched the scene before them unfold. Looking up at Harry, she noticed that he was crying silently. Lily apparently noticed this too, because she broke off the kiss with James.

"Harry?" she asked. He couldn't answer, only shake his head and wipe his tears away. "Come here," Lily said waving Harry over to them. He got up from the couch and walked over to his 17-year old parents, who embraced him in the first family hug he ever had. Noticing that he still had tears running down his face, James pulled away and spoke up.

"Harry's what's wrong?" Harry looked at his father.

"Maybe we should all sit down," he said. James nodded and Harry walked back over to Hermione and sat down next her; she immediately rested her head on Harry's shoulder. James sat on the floor with his back against one of the chairs, Lily sat down in between his legs. Harry was strongly reminded of the first days after he and Hermione finally admitted that they were in love.

"Harry why are you sad?" James asked. "I would've thought this would be a time to celebrate."

"James..." said Lily softly.

"No," said Harry firmly. "He deserves to know." And with that Harry told James everything. How Voldemort killed him and Lily, how he was destined to kill Voldemort, how he and Hermione ended up in 1977. The color drained more and more from James' face as the story wore on, and when at last Harry finished, he looked like one of the resident ghosts.

"My god," he breathed. "Harry, I...I had no idea."

"I know," Harry replied. "But you wanted the truth, so you got it." James nodded and Lily turned around so that she could face him.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Of course not!" James exclaimed. "I just found out that you and I are to die in, what, four and something years? I feel like I'm going to throw up!"

"I know," said Lily. "I felt the same way when they told me." She put her hand on James' cheek and rubbed it softly.

"We'll give you two some time to work out your feelings," said Harry standing up, motioning for Hermione to follow. They made their way to the Head Boy's room and collapsed on the bed.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked as she snuggled up next to Harry.

"Yeah," Harry replied letting out a sigh. "Just witnessing their first kiss, after not being around them my entire life..."

"I know," Hermione said. "Well, I don't know...but I understand." Harry smiled and turned to face her.

"That isn't saying that I'm not grateful for all the time I've been able to spend with you," he said. "Honestly, I don't know what would have become of me if you weren't here." He expected her to make some witty remark in response to this but instead she pressed her lips to his.

"If I weren't here with you," she said pulling away. "I'd be lost, alone, and depressed."

"We have something in common, then," Harry said with a smile wrapping her in his arms. They lay there for a while until Harry looked at his watch.

"We should go downstairs and check on them," he said. "They've been alone for nearly 20 minutes now."

"Afraid you might walk in on your parents engaged in hormonal-driven activities?" Hermione asked jokingly.

"After they're been together for about an hour?" Harry replied. "I doubt it." Hermione smiled and they walked down to the common room to find Lily and James in an emotional kiss in a chair by the fire.

"Glad to see we're all acquainted now," Harry said smiling. James and Lily broke apart, blushes creeping into their cheeks.

"Sorry," Lily said in an embarrassed tone.

"Not at all," said Harry sitting down. "Work everything out?"

"As much as we're going to work out for the time being," said James. Hermione tugged on the sleeve of Harry's robes.

"What?" he asked.

"Someone's coming," she said pointing at the still open map on the common room floor. Harry walked over and examined it, letting out a laugh when he saw who was coming.

"It's Sirius and the gang," he said. "James, what say we give them a true father and son welcome?"

"What have you got in mind?" he asked, his face lighting up. Harry walked over to him and whispered something in his ear, which earned a huge grin from James.

"You really are my son," he said getting up, making sure Lily didn't fall down as he stood. Harry quickly went over to his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak before banishing the trunk back to the dorm. Grabbing the map off the floor, he wiped it clean and pulled Hermione and Lily over to the stairs, hiding them under the cloak.

"Harry what's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Shhh..." Harry whispered. "You'll see." A few seconds later Sirius, Remus, and Peter walked through the portrait hole.

"Ah Prongs, there you are," said Sirius walking over to him and clapping him on the back. "We missed you at dinner."

"How was practice?" asked Remus.

"It was fine, but you guys have to hear this," said James hurriedly. "Harry's from the future," James said smiling. The other three laughed at this.

"Please, James, how could he be from the future?" At this, Harry took out his wand and hit himself hard over the head with it, and he slowly began to vanish as the Disillusionment Charm took effect.

"Wait here," he whispered to the girls before stepping out from under the cloak.

"I'm telling you he's from the future," said James. "I got it out of him at practice today." Harry inched his away around behind the three Marauders and removed the Disillusionment Charm.

"You're just saying that to try to get us riled up," said Sirius. Harry whispered, 'Sonorus'. "Why on earth would he come back in time?" James saw Harry standing behind the three of them and smiled.

"BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE THE GREAT MARAUDERS IN ACTION!" Harry's magically amplified voice roared. The Marauders jumped at least a foot in the air each and fell to the ground at the shock that Harry had given them.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Sirius. Harry and James were laughing hysterically, along with the girls who had come out from under the cloak. "You think that's funny, do you?"

"It was hilarious!" said James. "The look on your faces, oh I wish I had a camera!" James and Harry helped pick the Marauders up off the floor and they brushed themselves off before Sirius rounded on Harry.

"Lockheart, you insufferable bastard...." Harry guffawed at this

"My name isn't Lockheart, it's Potter," he said smirking as the jaws of the Marauders dropped. "James was telling the truth." There was a stunned silence as Hermione and Lily made their way over to Harry and James, when Remus spoke.

"Prove it," he said.

"Very well," Harry replied pulling the Marauder's Map from his robes. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The Marauder's eyes grew wide as the map revealed itself. "See for yourself," he said showing them the portion of the map that displayed the Gryffindor common room. Sure enough, right alongside the names of the Marauders, Hermione, and Lily, was 'Harry Potter'.

"Bloody hell," whispered Sirius. "Prongs....he...he's your son?"

"Well you have to admit, the resemblance is uncanny," said Remus. "So I'm curious, if James is your father, Harry, then who's your mother?" Harry smiled and looked at Lily whose face promptly turned the same color as her hair. The jaws of the Marauder's dropped and James walked over to Lily and put her arm around her.

"You must be joking," said Remus with a grin.

"Not at all," said James. "After Harry told me the truth, I finally realised what a prat I was being. Not to mention the fact that Lily felt I might actually have some potential."

"And knowing that you two would wind up together anyway had nothing to do with it?" asked Sirius with a smirk.

"Well, it did affect my decision a little," said a smiling Lily while looking at James. "But I think he'll turn out all right just the same."

"So how'd it happen?" asked Peter excitedly. At this, Harry cleared his throat.

"James, why don't you and Lily tell them what they want to know? I'd prefer not to have to retell this story again in the course of an hour." James nodded and turned back to face the rest of the Marauders, who proceeded to bombard him with questions. Harry faced Hermione and took her hand in his. "C'mon, let's go upstairs." She nodded and the pair of them walked back up to the Head Boy's room.

=====

The next day Lily told Harry and Hermione what she and James had shared with the rest of the Marauders. After swearing Sirius, Remus, and Peter to secrecy, she and James had told them everything with the exception of their deaths. Lily, Hermione, and Harry then agreed not to let any of the Marauders (including James) know of Sirius' death; they were all of the feeling that it might push the group apart. As a result of that night in the common room, the Marauders started being much warmer towards Harry and Hermione.

The classes, while difficult, were no worse than they had been any other year. Quidditch practice had been going very well after that one little mishap, and before they knew it the first two weeks of school had passed as normally as they could have while one was at Hogwarts. James had formally asked Lily out, and she had accepted, much to the delight of Harry, Hermione, and the other Marauders.

As September 19th drew nearer, Harry began to worry what he could do for Hermione's birthday. Giving her a simple present didn't seem enough anymore, it needed to be special. One night while they were all in the common room, Harry pulled all the Marauders together for a private chat regarding this matter while Lily and Hermione were engaged in a conversation.

"What's up?" asked James.

"Listen," Harry said quietly. "Hermione's birthday is in two days, and I want to do something really special for her, but I'm at a loss. Any ideas?"

"Ask her to marry you?" asked Sirius without hesitation. Everyone in the group except for Harry looked at him as if he was mad.

"No," Harry said simply shaking his head. "I've had that conversation with her already and we've both agreed we're not ready for that step yet."

"Why not throw her a party?" asked Remus.

"That idea's not half bad," Harry said. "But where could we have it?"

"You know, sometimes it's obvious you're my son, other times...." James said shaking his head. "Use the Room of Requirement." Harry laughed and shook his head.

"And other times I think as though I have no relation to a Marauder," he said finishing James' first sentence. "Well, I want it to be a good party, any ideas on what we should do?"

"You mean like a theme?" asked Sirius. Harry nodded. "I have no idea. We're men, we don't know how to plan a party. We should get Lily on our side for this. You do want it to be a surprise party, right?"

"If we can manage it," Harry said. "In all the years I've known her, I don't think Ron or I have ever given her anything more than a present for her birthday once. It'd be better to have it as a surprise."

"Well then we definitely need Lily," said James. "We want to help you Harry, but this will be impossible without a woman on our side." The group laughed at this and agreed. They made quiet conversation amongst themselves for the next hour or so, planning what to do for presents and food arrangements, when Hermione spoke up.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed," she said yawning. Harry stood up and walked over to her. "You staying up a while longer?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're having a deep conversation about mischief," Harry said grinning. "It's nice to be with my parents after all these years." Hermione smiled.

"Don't stay up too late," she said. "I don't want you falling asleep in class on me." Harry pulled her in for a quick kiss, then she departed up to the girls dorms.

"I think I'll join her," said Lily getting up.

"Actually," said James. "We were hoping you'd stay up a little longer and have a chat with us."

"About what?" she asked skeptically. Harry ushered her over to the group and sat down on the floor, Lily sat in James' lap.

"Hermione's birthday is in two days, and we've agreed to throw a party, but aside from that, we have no idea what we should do." Harry said pointedly. Lily gave him a smile.

"So..." she began. "The Marauders need my help." James laughed at this.

"No, your boyfriend and his son need your help. These other mugs are just tagging along." There were shouts of protest from the group, but they were quickly replaced with chuckles.

"All right, what do you need help with?" Lily asked.

"Well now that we've got the Marauder's Map back we can get food from the kitchens," said Sirius. "But we're not trying to throw some boring old party here. There needs to be life to it. That's why we need you."

"Obviously," said Lily sarcastically. "What's the point of having a party where all anyone does is sit around, eat cake, and open presents?" She gave a small laugh at her own joke and the continued on. "But I understand. You don't want the party to last thirty minutes," she said.

"Exactly," said Harry. "I want it to be special."

"Have you though about where you want to hold it?" she asked.

"The Room of Requirement," said James. "Although given for the length of time we're hoping to use it for, we may need permission from higher up."

"That shouldn't be a problem," she said. "Don't forget, we're Head Boy and Girl, not to mention that teachers love me." James smiled.

"Well that leaves us with what we should do then," he said. "Lily?"

"What?" she asked. "You mean to tell me that out of the collection of brilliant, diabolical minds assembled here, not one of you could think of an idea as to what to do during her party?" The group collectively shook their heads and Lily laughed. "I should've figured as much. Oh well. How about a dance?"

"Nah," said Sirius quickly. "It wouldn't be very interesting would it? I mean, Moony, Wormtail, and I don't have girlfriends, so it'd be pretty boring for us."

"True," said Lily. "Well Harry, what kinds of things does Hermione like?"

"Books," said Harry laughing. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. She and I almost never talk about her life outside of Hogwarts, come to think of it."

"Well can you remember anything that Hermione ever mentioned liking?" Harry thought hard for minute, then something came to him.

"Yeah, I think she mentioned once that her parents took her to see the Empire Day fireworks near her house when she was young," Harry said. "Although are fireworks really enough?" Lily grinned at him.

"Oh believe you and me, we can make it enough. It'll have to be after the main party though."

"No objections here," Harry said. Lily smiled at him.

"Wonderful. Now here's what we're going to do..."

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The next night, they all sat in the common room after Hermione had gone to bed and discussed their plans for the following day.

"Dumbledore gave us permission to use the Room of Requirement for as long as we need it," said Lily. "Did you guys get the fireworks?"

"You betcha," said Sirius, extracting a miniaturized box out of his robes and setting it on the ground. Pulling out his wand, he said, "Engorgio." The box swelled to the size of a small closet, and peering inside, they could see that it was packed to the brim with an assortment of fireworks, sparklers, roman candles, and such.

"Where did you get all these?" asked Harry afraid to know the answer.

"We asked the room for fireworks," said Remus. "And this is what it gave us."

"Good," said Lily. "What about the cake?"

"It's all taken care of," said James. "The house-elves were more than happy to help us. It'll be delivered to the room at quarter past seven tomorrow."

"Perfect," said Harry. "Now let's run over the plan one more time."

"At 4 o' clock, all of us, minus you Harry, will go to the Room of Requirement to set everything up," James said. "Sirius, you made sure that the room will become what we need it to be, right?"

"Mmhmm," Sirius replied. "Everything's in order."

"Right," James continued. "So we'll set everything up. Harry, you're going to bring Hermione around at 7:30 right?"

"Yep," said Harry. "I'm going to make her think I've forgotten her birthday, so it will be that much more of a surprise.

"Great," said Lily. "Now one last thing, who's going to light the fireworks?"

"All of us," said James. "Except for Harry, he's going to stay with Hermione. We don't want to interrupt anything that might happen," he said with an evil grin.

"Do we really need that many people?" asked Lily.

"Oh trust me," said Sirius. "With what we've got planned for the finale, we'll need all the help we can get."

=====

Harry woke the next day at noon, to find that the Marauders were already gone. It being a Sunday, they were probably already out on the grounds enjoying the sun before they got ready for Hermione's party. They had agreed that it was best for Hermione to be outside so there could be no chance of her catching them setting up in the Room of Requirement. Harry got out of bed, dressed, and made his way downstairs to the common room to find Hermione on sprawled out on the sofa reading a book.

"Hey there," Harry said crouching down next to her and kissing her on the cheek. "Now why are you inside reading on a gorgeous day like this?" Hermione smiled at him.

"Because I enjoy reading," she said.

"What's wrong with reading outside? The air would be good for you," he replied, trying to get her away from the castle.

"Well if you must know, I wanted to stay and wait for you," she said.

"How come?" Harry asked, knowing full well that Hermione had waited so she could spend her birthday with him.

"Because I love you," she said, after a slight hesitation.

"Well I love you too, but it's almost as beautiful as you outside, so let's get moving," he said scooping her up in his arms. Hermione shrieked but quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Flattery will not get you everywhere, Mr. Potter," she said smiling as Harry stepped out of the portrait hole.

"Maybe not everywhere, but it will certainly get me a lot of places," he said with a grin putting her down.

The afternoon was spent with the Marauders under their favorite tree by the lake. The boys chatted animatedly about quidditch, while Hermione and Lily discussed school. At last 4 o' clock rolled around, and James stood up.

"I could go for a quick trip to Hogsmeade," he said stretching. "Anyone else want in?" This was part of the plan. The Marauders were going to head over to Hogsmeade to avoid drawing suspicion from Hermione, then double back to the Shrieking Shack and use the secret passage to get back onto the other side of the grounds.

"I'm in the mood," said Sirius. "Moony, Wormtail?"

"Sure," Remus replied. Peter merely nodded. "Harry?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here," Harry said with a wink. They were about to head off when Hermione spoke up.

"Oh, could I come with you? I want to see if the bookstore has a book I need." There was a stunned silence at this. None of them had planned on Hermione wanting to tag along. Recovering first, Harry spoke up.

"Ah, what the hell, I'll go too. I could use a trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies anyway. I need new seeker's gloves."

"I thought you just said you didn't want to go," said Hermione narrowing her eyes.

"I changed my mind," replied Harry putting his arm around her waist. "Besides, with you going it makes it much more appealing." Hermione couldn't help but smile at this.

"What about you, Lily?" she asked.

"I have a meeting with McGonagal," Lily replied. "I was actually just about to head over to it anyway."

"Ok," said Hermione. "See you!" With that the six of them walked off towards Hogsmeade, while Lily went back up to the castle to start setting up.

When they got to Hogsmeade, Harry stopped. Nothing was out of the ordinary, everything was as it should've been. Hermione however, put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I...I haven't been here since last year," Harry said, his breath hitching.

"What's wrong?" asked James coming over.

"Nothing," said Hermione quickly. "Maybe you could just give us a few minutes?"

"Sure, we're heading over to the Shrieking Shack, we love to look at it from the outside. Most haunted building in Britain...what a load of posh." James strode off to the waiting Marauders laughing. When they were alone, Hermione led Harry to a nearby bench to sit down.

"Harry?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," he said shaking his head. "I just didn't expected all those memories to come rushing back to me like they did." He turned to face her. "My best friend and his girlfriend died right over there, and you were nearly killed too." Hermione pulled him into a hug.

"I know," she said. "I can hardly believe it either. But we need to move on so that we can avenge their deaths."

"We?" asked Harry.

"Harry, I don't give a damn about the prophecy, I'm going to be with you when you fight him, and nothing is going to change that."

"Hermione..." Harry began but she cut him off.

"No, Harry. I love you too much to let you go and face him alone. If you have to die, I'm going to be right alongside you when it happens." Harry choked back a sob and hugged her like he was holding onto her for dear life.

"You have no idea how much that means to me," he said.

"I do," Hermione replied. "And I love you too." Harry smiled at her.

"Well we should get going, we have some shopping to do," he said. Hermione nodded and they went about their business, first stopping in Quality Quidditch Supplies to get Harry's gloves, then into the bookstore where Hermione ended up browsing for about an hour and a half. Finally, Hermione finished looking, and they paid for everything. They headed back up towards the castle, and stopped once again at the tree they had been sitting under earlier.

"What happened to James and company?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno," replied Harry feigning ignorance. "They probably came back to the school if they couldn't find us."

Harry and Hermione sat down in the grass under the tree and gazed out over the pond, watching the giant squid make ripples in the water as it swam just under the surface.

"I miss them," Hermione said all of a sudden. "Not just Ron, but Luna too. I know she wasn't all there but she was as good a friend as she could be after our fifth year."

"I miss them too," Harry said. "If it weren't for Luna, you and I probably wouldn't even be together." Hermione turned and stared at him. "She was the one who convinced me that I was being a blundering idiot and to go and be with you." Hermione smiled at him.

"The last time we all got to sit together and be peaceful was under this same tree," she said. "It's so hard to believe that it was only 5 months ago..." The two of the sat there for a little more than an hour, when Harry realised that it was time to get going.

"Hmm...it's 7:20," he said looking at his watch. "Looks like we missed dinner."

"We can go to the kitchens and get something," said Hermione not getting up.

"What about the house-elves?" he asked.

"I gave up on S.P.E.W. awhile ago," she admitted. "It was just something to help me take my mind off you." Harry smiled.

"Well come on," he said standing up. "Let's go." With that Hermione stood and the two of them made their way into the castle. However, when Harry made to go up the stairs instead down towards the kitchens, Hermione spoke up.

"Harry, the kitchens are the other way," she said.

"I know," Harry replied not breaking stride. "I had an idea."

"What's that?" she asked.

"You'll see." The two of them reached the seventh floor corridor and found the door to the Room of Requirement already there.

"Come on," he said walking to the door. "After you." Hermione eyed him suspiciously.

"Harry, what's in there?" she asked.

"You'll see, just open the door." Reluctantly, Hermione opened the door and stepped in the room. Harry entered behind her and closed the door, engulfing them in darkness.

"Harry what's going-"

"SUPRISE!!!" yelled Lily and the Marauders together as the lights came on. Hermione nearly fell to the floor in shock at the scene before her. Even Harry had to admit - the Marauders seemed to have outdone themselves this time.

They were standing in a beautiful dining room, with streamers and balloons decking every inch of the walls and ceiling, which one of them (Harry guessed it was Lily) had charmed so that it mirrored the outside sky, just like in the Great Hall. A big banner with 'Happy Birthday Hermione!' painted on it in shining gold paint was hanging over a set of double doors on the far wall, and in the center of the room was a circular table on which a beautiful cake sat with the words, 'Happy 17th Birthday!' written on it in edible icing. Two gifts lay wrapped on the floor in front of the table.

"Did you all do this by yourselves?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"Well, we got the elves to make the cake for us," James said. "But the rest was us."

"Oh it's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed rushing over and giving Lily and each of the Marauders a bone-crushing hug in turn.

"I think you're forgetting someone," Lily said smiling as Hermione finished hugging Remus. She turned and saw that Lily was pointing at Harry, with a huge grin plastered on his face. "This whole thing was his idea, you know." Smiling, Hermione ran over to him and threw herself into his arms.

"Thank you," she whispered before pressing her lips to his. A few seconds later Harry broke away with a smile.

"Not in front of the kids, dear," he said. Hermione swatted at him and they walked over to the table. Following suit, the Lily and the Marauders also walked over and sat down in the chairs the room provided.

"The great thing about this place," began James. "Is that we never have to do any work." Instantly 18 candles ("Seventeen and one for good luck," commented Sirius) appeared on the cake and lit themselves. "Go on then, make a wish," James said as the lights dimmed. Hermione thought for a minute then took a deep breath and blew all the candles out. The room burst into applause as the lights came back on, and instantly the cake had carved itself into a slice for everybody and the separate portions flew onto newly conjured plates.

"Mmmm chocolate," said Hermione as she took a bite. "My favorite."

"We know," said Harry grinning.

"Harry, why did you have the elves make a cake when you could've just as easily had the room conjure one for you?" Hermione asked.

"Because the room could never make a cake as well as the house-elves could," interjected James. "No offense to the room, of course." As James finished saying this, Harry could've sworn that he felt a slight breeze come from some unknown part of the room. "They don't lie when they say that this place has its own mind."

"Apparently not," said Lily. The seven of them made small talk as they ate the cake, and after about half an hour Hermione pushed her plate away.

"Well I've had enough," she said. "I bet I'll have gained five pounds from eating so much sugar in one sitting."

"I doubt it," Harry said draping his arm around her. "Presents time then!" Hermione reached for one of the two presents at her feet an started to rip at the paper.

"That one's from me," said Lily. Hermione gave a squeal of delight as she saw a copy of 'Advanced Charms: Beyond the N.E.W.T.'s' in her hands.

"Oh thank you!" said Hermione. "I've wanted this for ages but it's quite pricey in 1997."

"It was nothing, I promise you," Lily said.

"Go on then, open ours!" said James excitedly. Hermione took the other present (which was fairly small) and tore away the wrapping paper to find a strangely shaped silver box inside.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Watch," said Sirius holding his wand to it. "Amorium Denovate." Instantly a projection of the Earth emanated from the box, creating a slight aura around it. "It's a map of the world," he said. "You can zoom in on specific regions by pressing those buttons there. I found it in my house, but we quickly decided that we had no real use for it, and agreed to give it to you as a group present."

"Oh my," said Hermione zooming in on Spain. "It's amazing! Thank you!" She gave each of the Marauders a hug in return before Harry cleared his throat.

"I think it's time for the festivities. Guys, if you would be so kind?"

"And girls," said Lily. They all laughed at this and Lily and the Marauders vanished with a small pop.

"Where'd they go?" asked Hermione.

"Come with me, and you'll see," said Harry standing up and offering his hand to her. She set the silver projector on the table stood up and let herself be led by Harry out through the double doors. They found themselves on a balcony overlooking a seemingly endless ocean, the only imperfection; in the water was a small island that looked to be about a mile away.

"Harry," Hermione breathed. "I didn't know the room could do something of this magnitude."

"Neither did I," he admitted. "But James said that the room will become whatever we need it to be, and so here we are." Harry closed the double doors and now they were standing out on the balcony under the stars, the only source of light coming from the pale moon.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. "What's going on?"

"You'll see,"he said. "Any second now." The words were just out of his mouth when a burst of green light went off in the distance, reflecting off of the smooth water. A few seconds later another firework went off, and after that a few went every few seconds, all different colors. Some even had the ability to change colors after exploding.

~@~

"Harry, it's amazing," Hermione whispered as more fireworks went off in the distance.

"You told me once that you liked the show your parents took you to when you were younger," he said. "I thought you might like this."

"Fireworks for my own birthday," she said. "What more could I ask for?"

"How about this?" Harry said taking out a small maroon-colored velvet box from his robes.

"Harry, you didn't have to get me anything!" she exclaimed. "You've done more than enough already."

"I didn't buy this, I found it in my vault before sixth year. I think it was my mother's," Harry said handing it to her. Hermione opened the box and gave a slight gasp. Inside was a silver heart-shaped pendant on a matching chain.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said with a tear running down her cheek. "But I can't take this, it was Lily's."

"Exactly why it should be yours," he said. "Remus told me that James gave it to her as a symbol of their love, and I plan to do the same." He took the pendant from the box and put it around her neck before leaning down and giving her a soft kiss. Turning back to watch the show, Harry stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Do you know what I wished for?" she asked softly.

"I have no clue," he said with a smile. She turned to face him.

"I wished that you would win against Voldemort, and that you and I could be married, have a family, and live happily ever after." This time, it was Harry's turn to shed a silent tear, as it rolled down his cheek.

"I love you so much," Harry said looking at her. The fireworks were reflecting off of her eyes, giving him the impression that they were sparkling. It made her look only more beautiful. "Someday, I promise you, that wish will come true." Hermione could only smile as he leaned down and kissed her again.

"Do you know how lost I was without you?" she asked. "Ever since fifth year...I had to sit next to you in class while I was madly in love with you, thinking that you would never feel the same way about me. It's the worst feeling in the world."

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," Harry said still holding her.

"I would wait forever for you," Hermione said. The two of them stood there for several minutes admiring the spectacular show that Lily and the Marauders were putting on. Finally Harry spoke up.

"Hermione?"

"Mmm?"

"I understand now what people meant when they said my parents were excellent people," he said. "A month ago they were as far apart as could be, and now they've come together simply because I turned up one day and told them that I was their son. They've done so much for me, and they don't even know me."

"It's nice to have a family, even if it's only for a little while, isn't it?" asked Hermione.

"Someday I hope to have a more permanent family," Harry said smiling. "I'll tell you though, I don't know how I'm going to be able to go back to a world where Lily, James, and Sirius are dead. It's going to be so hard leaving them all behind."

"At least we'll be together," Hermione said.

"And that's the only thing I want," replied Harry. There was an increase in the light from the fireworks and the two of them looked out over the water to see hundreds of flashes and bursts of light in the sky.

"Wow," said Harry. "Sirius wasn't kidding when he said they would need all the help they could get for the finale."

"And here I was thinking you'd forgotten my birthday," she said.

"I would never forget anything about you, Hermione," Harry said. "I only hope it's enough."

"Harry, this is more than I could've ever dreamed of," Hermione said.

"I'm glad," he said as a tremendous succession of green fireworks went off, spelling 'Happy Birthday!' in the air before fading into nothingness. "Happy birthday Hermione, I hope you liked it."

"Harry," she replied looking right into his eyes as the last explosions in the distance faded away. "This has been the best night of my life."

---------------

I know that there were some kinda cheesy parts in this chapter, but hey, I'm a hopeless romantic. Sorry if I put any of you off, but there's gonna be a TON of cheesy scenes in Part III, if any of you read that far ;) .

Well there it is folks. I had a much easier time writing this chapter. I got the idea for the birthday party and it just wouldn't go away. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next week, then!