Chapter 4
The low murmur of the Gryffindor common room abruptly died down, an uneasy silence settling over the students. Sirius, lounging comfortably near the fire, glanced up, wondering what had caused the sudden quiet. His eyes landed on the entrance, and his heart faltered.
There, standing in the doorway, was James.
But that couldn’t be right.
His gaze snapped to the sofa next to him, where the real James sat, staring in shock at his apparent doppelgänger. Sirius blinked, his brain trying to catch up with what he was seeing.
No. This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.
“Erm… what the hell is going on?” said James—and James 2.0—at the exact same moment, their voices overlapping in perfect confusion.
Sirius stared between them, then broke the tense silence with a half-laugh, half-disbelief. "James... and James 2.0? What in Merlin’s name is this?" he muttered, eyes wide but with a flicker of amusement in his tone, as if part of him found it absurd enough to be funny.
The two identical redheaded boys who had just entered the room looked as shocked as Sirius felt, frozen in place as they tried to process the impossible sight before them.
Peter, who had been leaning lazily against Sirius, sat bolt upright, his face a perfect picture of bewilderment. He gawked at the two James Potters, his eyes wide, mouth agape, as though he were trying to figure out if he’d somehow fallen asleep and started dreaming.
Sirius shook his head, still staring. “Alright, someone start explaining before I lose my goddamn mind,” he said, still glancing in between the two James’
—--
The common room was still frozen in shock, all eyes bouncing back and forth between the two James Potters standing just feet apart, luckily there were just a few extra people in the common room. Sirius shook his head, still processing, when the unfamiliar boy who had let them into the common room finally spoke.
"Alright, I think we need to get this sorted," the boy said, stepping forward. His voice was calm, but there was a trace of urgency behind it. “I’m Remus, by the way, Remus Lupin. And... I think we should go to Dumbledore."
Sirius turned to him, eyebrows raised. "Dumbledore? You think this is big enough for Dumbledore?" His tone was light, but there was a seriousness in his eyes. Even Sirius had to admit this was beyond their usual brand of trouble.
Remus nodded firmly. “There are two James Potters in the same room,” he said, as if stating the obvious. “I’d say that’s a bit above our pay grade.”
James—the real one—looked at Remus with wide eyes. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or terrified right now.”
“Both seem reasonable,” James 2.0 chimed in, mirroring his expression.
Sirius snorted, throwing his hands up. “Well, Dumbledore it is then. If anyone can figure out what’s going on, it’s him.”
Peter nodded along, still looking like he’d been hit with a Stunning Spell, and the redheaded twins whispered among themselves, trying to make sense of it.
“All in favor of heading to Dumbledore before we all lose it?” Sirius said, raising his hand dramatically. One by one, the others followed suit.
Remus stepped forward; his brow furrowed as he glanced between the two James'. “Let’s not waste any more time. This is... well, this is a bit beyond us.” He gestured towards the door, and the group slowly began moving as one, still glancing nervously at the two identical boys.
Sirius fell into step beside Remus, shaking his head with a smirk. “James and James 2.0. Honestly, this might be the best prank of all time. Shame it’s not one of ours.”
Remus shot him a look. “Let’s just hope it’s not something worse.”