AN- I decided that if I were all of you, meaning the people that take the time to read this, I would be pretty angry right about now, and decided that I therefore had to put forward some time to work on this. I've been kind of sick, and I know that sounds like it's have been the perfect time to write, but I had writers block then. It's still there, but it's this or my third novel, and I'm getting nowhere on the novel, (Prongs, please don't kill me!) So instead I'm winging it at this. Please tell me how you like it. Also, the whole fic is in third person, but I like to switch POV's. If you have a problem with this…sorry, mate, tough luck.
Disclaimer- you know, one day, I'll be writing fanfics for my own story, and then I wont have to write one of these…
Familiar Faces, Familiar Places
Watching the two specks above him that represented his best friends, Remus Lupin shook his head. School had only begun yesterday, and already they were at it. The pranks had been pulled for the day, and Quidditch, as always, came before homework.
"Oi, Moony, catch!" Jolted out of his thoughts, werewolf instinct reacted before he could and caught the red Quaffle for him.
Tossing it back at the thrower, Remus Lupin called, "Prongs, don't you think it's time we head in? It's almost dark, and we've still got a Transfiguration assignment, and that Potions essay, and Padfoot has an Arithmancy make-up test from the last time he faked sick to get out of homework."
James, snickering, landed with ease beside Remus and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I still can't believe he got more homework than he would've if he'd went to the class, but at least it gave us some free time." When the black-haired boy grinned crookedly, shouldering his broom, Remus said,
"I really don't even want to know what you did with that spare time. Tell Padfoot to pack it up."
Obeying James's orders, Sirius Black stuffed the Quaffle in the wooden box and handed it to Remus, who protested until James pointed out that he had nothing else to carry. It looked, to them, like this year would be exactly the same. Their last year of Hogwarts would be normal.
Until a boy with dark green eyes and a lightning bolt scar fell from mid-air. Because Harry Potter and normal rarely are allowed to be put in the same sentence.
Harry Potter, meanwhile, was not having nearly as nice of a time of things. His rescue mission to find his godfather had been simple, and private. He had simply walked into the veil, confident in the logic Hermione had put forward; the veil was the rip between the living and dead. But as Sirius had been living when he'd fallen in, he had to be living in the realm of the dead.
So how had he ended up at Hogwarts? Was this some sort of parallel universe? But why were there students here, out on the grounds this late? They hadn't been allowed out since Voldemort's attacks had become so much more frequent. Did Voldemort even exist in this world?
Seeing the last of them start to head inside, Harry decided quickly that he had better follow. Shouldering the bag that contained his most treasured possessions, (he hadn't known how long he would have to be wherever it was he had ended up) Harry Potter swept out of the shadows and into the twilight. Easily catching up to the group of boys in front of him, he poked one of the black-haired ones in the back of the neck.
Well, that had been a mistake.
The boy turned around to look at him, surprise written on his features. Before Harry could say a word, he asked, "Did you know that it's way past curfew? I mean, we've never minded, but I've never seen anyone else out this late."
Harry, too shocked to say anything, merely stared up at the man he'd seen in all his photographs, but never seen in person. James Potter was standing in front of him, staring at him expectantly. (I could leave you here, but that would be too short and on a cliffhanger, and I'm nicer than that…plus, it's too predictable. I'd like to think I'm not.)
"Well?" James asked, staring down at him.
:"Uh…" Harry was too flabbergast to say anything for a moment, until he began to collect himself after James said,
"I know I'm good looking, aren't I?" It was only said to tease Harry for staring, but it brought him back to his senses fully. Snape had been right; his father was a bigheaded, arrogant, annoying…
" Can you show me to the Headmaster's office? I need to be sorted, I'm a transfer student." Remus's senses were already on alert. Something was extremely off about this boy. But how had he known that Hogwarts students were sorted? Every school dealt with things such as Houses differently. He waited for an explanation, but when none came, and it didn't look like any were coming, he said,
"Sure, follow me," probably saving the new boy from a good amount of hexing and pranking on Sirius and James's behalves.
Now that he was past staring at the emerald eyes, he knew why he had felt weird about this new boy. Nearly everything about him was similar to James. His hair, his face…
But now that Remus looked even harder, he noticed big differences too. He was quite a bit paler than James and much skinnier. `That would change at Hogwarts' Remus thought. If the boy hadn't been getting enough to eat before, he'd see to it personally that he stuffed his face every meal. His eyes, as said before were green, and were nearly so bright that Remus had to fight the impulse to dim the lights in the corridor and see if they would glow. They were shaped quite a bit differently from James's and held no laughter or joy, or anything other than sadness, and reserve, and grief, and something Remus couldn't even understand. As though sensing that Remus was trying to understand him, studying him, the shade of green became darker and glazed, successfully hiding anything he was thinking about or feeling.
But the most notable difference was the way he walked. This boy walked as though he were carrying much more than a small bag of meager possessions on his back. He walked as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
If only Remus Lupin knew.
As it was, Remus didn't know. He was leading Harry though the familiar passages of Hogwarts, stopping to explain himself to a few prefects and to simply say hi to the friendlier ones. Finally stopping in front of the gargoyle, he said, " Gummy Snakes," and walked onto the stairs, waiting for Harry to follow him.
As Remus was explaining to Dumbledore, Harry was looking around. Fawkes, the phoenix he had befriended in his own time, now came to him, landing on his shoulder gently. Dumbledore seemed surprised for a minute, until a look of understanding flashed across his features. Dismissing Remus, he waited until he knew the boy was out of earshot before he said, "So how did you happen to end up here?"
"Time-Travel." Harry replied simply, stroking Fawkes's head gently. "I'd tell you more, but I don't think it's a good idea. How'd you know?"
"A phoenix always trusts. You need only gain their trust once; it stays with them forever, no matter what the time. Speaking of, which time-period are you from?"
"1996."
"What year are you in?"
"What year are the Marauders in?" If Dumbledore thought for a moment that he would lose this one chance to get to know his parents, he was not only sadly mistaken, but a lot more off-his-rocker than anyone had ever thought. Not that this Dumbledore knew, Harry reasoned, that one of the Marauders was his parent.
Dumbledore chuckled, and said, "So I suppose you've already met them? They are quite the social bunch, I'm not surprised. They are in their seventh year."
It was a year above him, and to be honest, Harry couldn't have cared less. "Great. So am I. A Seventh year Gryffindor." Now, Harry thought, all he had to do was keep up with his classmates and hide his true identity. It should be easy.
Easy and Harry Potter shouldn't be put in the same sentence either.
AN-I'm leaving it there, for now. That's just the prequel. I know it's short, but bear with me. I needed to close it. I'm sick and need to get to bed.
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