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The Perplexities of Parenthood by laurieisme1
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The Perplexities of Parenthood

laurieisme1

"Something's not right with that lot." James said as they waited for what seemed like hours.

"What do you mean? The part about your son getting a girl pregnant when they've just turned sixteen. I mean, way to go, but one would think you'd keep a tighter leash." Sirius said.

Lily sighed and took the small braid out of her fiery hair, "Did you notice how they were all covered in scars? Even more than Moony..."

"They said they didn't need any help with Defence Against the Dark Arts," Wormtail added nervously, "What if they use the dark arts?"

The quarter moon lighted Remus' face as he watched out the window of the room. He was always near a window when he was inside, he always felt like a caged animal trapped.

He watched as five figures made their way from the entrance of Hogwarts castle to the Forbidden Forrest.

"Look what we have here." He said motioning for them all to come to the window, "They're all going to the forbidden forest."

"Do they have a death wish!" Lily said getting in front of everyone else.

"Maybe we should go in after them..." James said looking over her shoulder.

"Maybe you'd like to go in there alone. We should go to Dumbledore."

"And tell him that within minutes of having them in our care not only did they run away, but to the highly dangerous death trap that is the forbidden forest? Good luck with that." Sirius said backing away from the window and plopping himself in a chair.

"And what do you suppose we do?" Her arms were crossed in front of her.

"Wait it out. If they don't come back before sunrise, then we'll tell the old coot. If they come back, we interrogate them." He put his feet up on another seat and sat back relaxing.

* * *

Just as the clock struck two, the five future students walked into the classroom.

The Marauders were strewn across the room, some lying on multiple chairs and some were on the floor.

"You must have been hungry." Lily sat up and looked to the group who seemed to be too clean to becoming from that forest.

"Starving really." Hermione said touching her stomach.

"Do you eat forest life?" Remus asked.

The five future students stopped dead in their tracks. As inconspicuous as they had been to everyone else in the castle, apparently they forgot which direction these windows faced.

"Why do you ask?" Hermione said.

"It must have been something very important to make you go into the Forbidden forest." Sirius said.

"That's none of your concern." Harry said.

His voice was not like anyone else's. While everyone else spoke seriously there was a playful quality behind it that lurked there, something that must have developed when becoming a marauder, but Harry's voice was nothing but serious and everyone could hear it.

"It is our concern, who do you think you are? We're here to take care of you. How are we supposed to do that when you go running off?"

"That's where you're wrong." Harry's voice was harsh now and none of the other future students did anything to try to calm him down, they just stood by, looking no one in the eyes, not even each other.

"You aren't here to protect us," Harry continued, "You're glorified babysitters. Dumbledore doesn't trust us, so he told you to watch us. He knows how much you hate the dark arts, and if we showed any signs that we delved in it, in front of you, you'd be telling him in a heartbeat what was going on; then he'd know to kill us. Actually, he already knows they aren't into the dark arts, it's just me he's worried about."

"So he *was* trying a form of Legilimens in his office." Hermione said.

"I blocked him from my mind... because he wasn't doing the proper Legilimens it was easy." Harry shrugged.

"And now he's worried because he thinks someone dark must have taught you." Ron shook his head.

Ginny snorted, "He's almost there, someone dark did, just under his orders."

"Someone in the dark arts... Under Dumbledore's orders, taught you something as advanced as Legilimens?" Remus asked.

"Well he's not in the dark arts anymore... he's still quite scary though..." Neville said meekly.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"We can't-"

"You know this bloody we're from the future so we can't tell you anything important crap is getting old very quickly." Sirius said.

"Deal with it." Harry said shortly.

"How about you show us to our rooms?" Hermione said trying to be the peacemaker, "It's too late to talk, and I need my rest."

The marauders mumbled compliance, then showed them to a room on the opposite side of Harry and Hermione's room in the future. It was much larger and had a large window to the outside, as well as three rooms. The first room had some robes on the bed that were Ginny's size, the second had the long robes needed for Ron and the wider ones needed for Neville, and the third room had Harry and Hermione's robes on the bed.

The marauders talked very little to them, then went on their way.

"Harry, what was up with you?" Ron asked.

Harry put his head in his hand, "I couldn't help it, I was just furious that I couldn't say what I really wanted to... it just sort of came out."

"I'd hate to sound like a right bitch," Ginny paused, "You know what, I don't actually, but that's not the point. The point is if Harry acts like a prat to them, then isn't that better than letting his true feelings show?"

"It is the lesser of two evils." Hermione said.

"So... how are we going to do the sleeping arrangements." Ron asked.

"Uhh I think they've already been made up for us..." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's not as if Harry and Hermione are a real married couple, you don't really expect them to share a bed, do you?" Ron said.

"Yeah, what about the Marauder's map?" Ginny asked him.

"I don't know, I'm just saying they'll want it to be changed around." Ron said.

"Ron, we'll be fine." Hermione said.

Ron looked at her surprised, "Really?"

"Really."

Ron seemed to be processing this, looking from Harry to Hermione, then just shrugging and mumbling an "All right," under his breath.

* * *

Neville entered Harry and Hermione's room and let the sun in behind him, on the bed the only person he saw sleeping was Hermione.

"Er- where's Harry?" Neville asked.

"Right here." Harry said as he got up from underneath the bed fully dressed.

Harry and Neville left the room and met up with the others, they all were speaking of how they could not sleep at all last night.

"Luna's all alone in the forbidden forest, she's too crazy to survive out there like that!" Ron said.

"Well Hermione's lie might get us into deep trouble, what if they have Madame Pomphrey give her 'help' then she learns she's not really pregnant?" Ginny said.

"What if Dumbledore already knows she's not?" Neville was trying to stand still at that moment, but was failing.

"We have a bigger problem than all of that," said Harry, "Why did Bella bring us back here, to this time? She was obviously sent by Voldemort, so why does he want us here?"

"To get us out of the way?" Ginny said.

"No, if we figure out how to get back, we'll get back the second we left." Harry said.

"So Bella could try and kill your parents, now before anything happens." Ron jumped in.

"That would still leave Neville, and Bella's not trying to escape." Hermione said as she joined the group.

"Than what is the answer?" Neville asked.

Hermione and Harry both shook their heads.

* * *

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