Thanks:
Harry/HermioneAlways, hazeleyedmarauder, RonRoxMySox13, Caity, Anonymous, Anonymous, DreamAngel, Deborah
Guess what? Incredibly lame as it may be…actually, I'm not gonna bother telling you. Read my review to the first Anonymous if you want to know.
I hope you like this…
R/R
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Chapter 6, Way Too Much Thinking Time
The gang started talking to Harry more and more after the confrontation. James had been left abandoned; even Sirius was disgusted with James's automatic presumption that Harry was evil.
James started walking about the school on his own, trying to get away from the hordes of girls who thought he needed a shoulder to cry on. Walking gave him plenty of time to think.
He realised that he had been a bit harsh to Potsworth. But then he consoled himself with the fact the boy had been keeping secrets from them, and the fact it was a huge secret didn't help much. The boy should have told them.
He also realised that not only had he got feelings for Lily…he was in love with her. He could think of at least fifty reasons why he liked her, and could think of many more if commanded. This was not good, as it was never good to love one's best friend. He had to work out how to make the feelings go away.
His last thought was that Potsworth looked so much like him. Maybe they were related? After all, he didn't really know much about the boy apart from the fact he was an orphan. It was quite possible that the boy's parents were some sort of cousins of his own. He decided to owl his parents, who worked in the Ministry and could at least get data on the family.
A week later the reply came with a rather shocking notice. Harry Potsworth didn't exist.
Well, then who was he?
---
James cornered him one day after lunch. "I want to know who you are and where you come from," he told the boy angrily. "I want you to tell me now."
Ron bit his lip nervously and looked into the eyes of the younger-yet-older boy in front of him. The boy who was his best friend's father. "We told you; Durmstrang."
James shook his head. "You're not. I talked to my parents, and they looked up in the records. My parents work for the Ministry," he added as explanation. "You don't exist. So tell me what your real names are and where you come from."
"I can't," Ron said softly, bowing his head. "It would spoil everything."
"So you admit it?"
Ron nodded. "Of course; we fell through a trapdoor. Did you not think that was weird? My brothers created the stupid serum that melted us, and someone wished for an escape route. And here we are, twenty bloody years in the past." His eyes widened as he said this, and his hands shot up to his mouth. He turned and hurried away quickly before James could open his mouth.
So they're from the future? My…my future? I wonder what happens. I wonder if that's what Potsworth was talking about, with me deserving Lily. It's possible…I'll talk to Hermione, maybe she'll know.
---
The chat with Hermione took place a few days later. He'd tricked her into coming to help him with his Charms, as Lily still wasn't talking to him.
"Hermione, I know."
The girl looked up from her Advanced Charms book and raised an eyebrow. "Know what? How to do this spell? Because I'd bloody well hope so; I haven't spent forty minutes going over it with you for nothing…"
He halted her with a raise of his hand. "No, no. I know where you're from. No, actually, I don't know that," he said thoughtfully, "but I do know when you're from."
Hermione started to look slightly anxious. "What do you mean?" she asked, all the while thinking, it's impossible! It's got to be!
"Dave told me."
Or not.
"Twenty years is a long time," James continued. "I'll be almost forty then. Do you know me, where you're from?"
Hermione shook her head gently, whilst thinking of ways to kill Ron. "Not really…"
"Well, do you know of me?" She nodded. "Do you know if I…who…?"
"Lily," Hermione replied softly, interpreting his question. She was shocked when he smiled cheerfully.
"Really? Merlin, that's interesting. That's a good thing, though…I've wanted…" He broke off and chewed his lip.
"Just ask her out, James," Hermione said with a sigh.
James shook his head. "I can't ask my best friend out on a date. She'd be horrified. Besides, she hates me anyway."
"She doesn't hate you," Hermione told him flatly. "She just doesn't like you very much at the moment. You shouldn't have been so overly distrustful of Harry. You'd known a fair bit about him in that period of time. We know enough about you and your friends to make up for that, though, I guess…we know about the Animagi and the purpose of it; Remus was a teacher for us a few years ago. We know about your infatuation with Lily…"
At this point, somebody shrieked and something fell on the floor heavily behind the next set of shelves in the library. The two frowned, and they got up to have a look.
Sirius appeared around the corner quickly. "Nothing to worry about," he said cheerfully, rubbing his arm.
"Padfoot, you squeal like a girl…Bye Hermione." James kept chatting to Sirius as they walked out, waving to Hermione as they left.
When they'd gone, Hermione hurried around the divide of books and held out a hand. She hoisted Lily up and off the floor speedily, in case the boys came back and James realised Lily had been eavesdropping.
"Well, that went differently to how we expected…" Hermione said, trying to be cheerful.
Lily didn't say anything, just stared wordlessly in front of her. She was…shocked.
"Come on…talk…"
Lily averted her eyes and looked into Hermione's brown ones. "Did that seriously happen? Did James…is he really…?"
"In love with you? Yes."
"Wow," whispered Lily. "I thought it was just me."
Hermione grinned. "You, too? I swear you two will end up married." She tried to keep the morbid truth out of her voice.
Lily smiled dreamily. "That would be so nice…"
"Well, ask him out!"
Lily shook her head hurriedly. "No way. If he really loves me, he'll ask me."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine. C'mon, let's go back to the dorm."
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Sorry it's so short…I wanted to write something.
ly,
J xx
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