Chapter 3
James was woken rudely by Peter poking his face. "huhm, whasit?"
"We have to go meet the prefects for our schedules. And tell McGonagall what electives if she forgot" Peter climbed off his perch on James' knees. James then sat up, running a hand over his hair to try and get it to stop defying gravity. After ensuring he wasn't going to look like a lightning bolt hit him, he grabbed the freshly-cleaned clothes from yesterday.
"Morning Jam-head" Sirius called from where he was straightening out his boots. James gave him the finger. One time. He got jam in his hair one time as a five-year old. And Sirius would never let him live it down. James stomped out of the bathroom and automatically went to where he would leave his satchel. He stopped halfway there when he remembered it wasn't with him anymore. After standing aimlessly for a minute, he went down the stairs to the common room. He spotted Granger and Harry immediately and beelined over to them. They had their heads bent close to one another and were whispering furiously.
"Trying to decide if you two want to kiss?" James announced his presence by flopping a chair over from Harry. The boy jumped, a knife appearing out of nowhere in his hand, pointed straight at James.
"Patel. We'd prefer if you'd be a bit more respectful in your interactions with us" Granger's voice was glacier cold. She made a complicated hand gesture at her friend, who slipped the weapon back wherever it had come from. James was jealous, that'd be so helpful for prank supplies.
"I guess. But you have to admit it's funny" He shrugged carelessly.
"Already hate him" Harry hissed under his breath.
"You're also a Parselmouth?!" James hissed back.
"Wait, also?! I didn't know it was common in Purebloods" The boy looked confused.
"Nah, just the Potter family and sometimes the Patels. I'm glad it's popping elsewhere though! Since you may not be a Potter" James clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder. The boy flinched away, face draining of color. Meanwhile a knife drew a thin line across his hand as it was thrown from the girl Harry was now moving to hide behind.
"Do that again and I won't be so kind as to only lightly cut you" James had been wrong. This was glacier cold if not cold enough to stop Death in its tracks.
"OI! Granger, you're supposed to be a good influence for the firsties! Keep your knives in their sheathes!" An older student came over, giving back the weapon "Potter, you okay?"
"Mm-mm" Now-confirmed-Potter shook his head rapidly, keeping the entire room in sight.
"He'll likely be partially shut down for a while. Ron and I'll do what we can before Charms. And you know Angie, Fred, George, Katie, and Alicia all would have been just as bad if they had been here. Firsties learn quick that lions are more vicious than we present most of the time. If they haven't already, this'll be their first dose. And you" She whirled on James, her braids swinging violently "will stay as far away as possible. Let this be your sign that we are just as vicious if not more vicious compared to yours"
"What happened" A voice that James had only heard as neutral, nervous, and upbeat came from behind him in a low growl.
"He clapped Harry on the shoulder. Har's currently unable to speak so we'll be his voices for now. Luckily it's Charms first so we have some leeway. Professor Flitwick is understanding. Unfortunately we took responsibility for them, so we'll have to wait around" Granger wrapped an arm around Potter's shoulders.
"Har, normal answers. Do you feel up to staying with both of us and escorting this lot? Or do you want one of us to go with you while the other handles this" Ron crouched down in front of the shaky teen. He held up one finger before making some gestures that James couldn't follow. Apparently his friends could as they nodded, Ron standing and stepping in front of the other two with a cold expression. "We'll be waiting for your group"
"Well I'm here" Evans came over now that it was safe again. She got a small wave from Potter. James turned to look at the boy's staircase. Sirius started strutting down the staircase a minute later, Remus and Peter following closely.
"Howell, Jones, Black, glad you could join us. We will be meeting Professor McGonagall at breakfast. Let's go" Granger stood, waving the group onward after Ron who had started walking towards the portrait. The time travelers hurried to keep up. The red-head led them through several shortcuts, getting them to the Great Hall within six minutes (Remus had timed it out of curiosity).
"Go sit with Nev, we'll be there soon" He heard Granger whisper to Harry who nodded and went to a sandy-brown haired boy. The two nodded at each other, Harry making a quick gesture. Before James could puzzle more over it, they reached the high table.
"Here's the new students professor. We'll make sure to guide them to classes but I figured you'd want some privacy in discussing their schedules so we'll take our leave" Ron gave a nod before turning and heading for Harry and the other boy. McGonagall also dipped her head. And then the Marauders and Lily were left standing awkwardly on their own.
"Now. The soonest a professor can get away is this evening. Now, originally Professor Snape was slated to take you. Then Professor Umbridge, our DADA instructor graciously took over so Severus can start on brews for the Hospital Wing" Professor McGonagall's smile was forced towards the end "Until then, your professors will provide you parchment for notes. You will have Charms first, then Transfiguration, Care if you take it, and then Herbology. Now, remind me of your electives?"
"I took Runes and Arithmancy Professor" Evans immediately offered "As did Remus."
"Leo and I are Divination and Runes" James smiled charmingly.
"A-and I'm Care and Divination" Peter finished. The professor nodded, tapping five blank schedules and handing them over. Once they had their time tables in hand, all five retreated to the Gryffindor table. James glanced over to the trio of the prefects and Potter. Potter was nodding along to whatever the boy across from him was quietly discussing before one of the two boys on either side chimed in.
"It's as Neville said, we should be careful but can't act too different" James heard the very thick Irish accented voice say. Granger glanced over to the head table before responding too low to overhear.
"Jamie, I love you, but I will not deal with you being cranky" Sirius cut in before anymore of the conversation could be picked up. James gave a last glance over, briefly meeting the glowing green eyes of Potter before they darted away, before spooning some oatmeal for himself. He ate quickly after glancing at a Tempus spell and realizing Charms would be soon starting. He looked up to see the six students standing behind him, watching quietly.
"O-oh, is it time?" Peter asked, looking mournfully at his last pancake.
"Yes, come on, I want to talk to Flitwick about alternative uses for some of the spells" Another girl joined the crowd, closely followed by a third.
"Parvati, easy on the new students. After all, one may be long lost family to you and Padma" Ron teased lightly. Parvati scoffed.
"You and I both know that they aren't long lost. But whatever. Come on, Lav" And she left as quickly as she appeared.
"Me mam would kill me if I was late, so either you start moving or I leave" The Irish boy rolled his eyes.
"We're coming, we're coming. Don't get your knickers in a twist handsome" Sirius winked as he helped Remus straighten. The werewolf hit his boyfriend's arm. Harry made some gestures to the other three boys who James still didn't know the names of. They all rolled their eyes before waving and leaving with Harry in tow.
"Hm. They'll beat us" Granger shrugged before checking a watch on her wrist "let's go. We'll get there as quick as possible through some shortcuts we know, but Harry will definitely beat us because he never shares the good ones"
"Nah, the castle just likes him. Makes passages more efficient or just makes new ones" Ron shrugged easily. Another hand wave which had Granger snorting softly as she led them behind a tapestry. There were no real conversations until they reached the classroom.
"Here we are. There should be some open seats in the back" Granger waved at the back two rows before hurrying to one of the two seats left in the front row. Ron rolled his eyes while the five followed to speak with Flitwick. He took the second open seat.
"Professor?" Remus stepped forward when Parvati and Lav glanced back and noticed them before hurrying to seats that had bags placed on them.
"Ah! Mr. Howell and friends. Yes I believe I have five rolls here for you..." Flitwick opened a drawer and stuck his entire arm into it to rummage around "Aha! Here you are!"
"Thank you Professor" Evans gave him a soft smile before retreating up to an open seat in the nearest open row. James followed to sit just behind her, Sirius on his right. Remus took the other side of Sirius, leaving Peter to sit on the opposite side of the three-person row from Evans. The lesson began, and James watched as Evans joined the other students in jotting notes down as Professor Flitwick lectured. Then he turned to Sirius.
"A galleon that Evans gets the other fifth years to melt towards her first" He whispered.
"Sucker's bet. I bet you a galleon she does it by tomorrow instead" Sirius responded, glancing over at the red head to ensure she was still oblivious.
"Deal" They shook on it.
After dinner, James, his friends, and Evans hung around outside the Great Hall waiting for the DADA professor to be ready.
"Which of the others do you think it is? I mean, Sprout, Minnie, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Dumbledore all still occupy the same spots" Sirius asked, peeking back inside at the remaining teachers.
"Except Hagrid is a professor now! Of Care" Peter added.
"I bet it's the young pretty one" James pointed at the one speaking with Flitwick.
"No, no, it has to be the-"
"Hem, hem" A girly throat clearing interrupted the theorizing. A short woman in pink stood there with her hands folded in front of her and smile wide.
"Are you Professor Umbridge Ma'am?" Evans asked politely.
"I am. Now, I believe we should get going before the shops close?" She continued in a girly, sickly sweet way. They all nodded and followed her obediently to her office where the floo was ready to use. Sirius stepped through first at her prompting, closely followed by Remus and then Evans. James stepped through next, a hand on his glasses as he smoothly walked out. Then Peter stumbled out. James grabbed his arm to prevent the smaller boy from toppling as the professor followed him. They all trooped through the Leaky Cauldron and into the Alley proper.
"Ma'am, I hate to be rude but do you have permission to withdraw funds from the Hogwarts account?" Evans asked as they approached Gringotts.
"I do. I am, after all, the Hogwarts High Inquisitor. There's no need to worry dear, we'll get you all set" Another sickly sweet smile was aimed at Lily who returned a tentative one. James began to relax as he saw the Goblins guarding the bank doors. They stoically watched the group enter. The teenagers all cast glances around at the tellers doing their business, the familiar sight a soothing balm on all of their nerves. Umbridge approached one and tapped hard on the desk.
"Yes?" James winced at the first exchange, didn't the High Inquisitor know how to be respectful to their magic brethren?
"I'm here to withdraw money from the Hogwarts Student supply fund for these five" Apparently not as the woman continued with her rude behavior.
"Hm. I'll get a runner" The Teller turned, saying something in their language as a second and third Goblin appeared. The third one pointed at James and Sirius.
"You two. With me. You may have access elsewhere. Swiftrace, I will let you know if they will need their portion but for now three should suffice" The Manager of Accounts received a nod from his fellow.
"Understood. Madam, you and the other three will follow me" Swiftrace ushered the other four towards a cart. The Manager walked towards the winding hallway with James and Sirius following closely. They stopped in front of a door that read: Silvershield
"Sit" was barked when the door was pushed open. Both boys obeyed. "Now. I will cut to the chase so you can take that odious chaperone of yours out of our territory as soon as possible. Both of you would have access to vaults. Mr. Black for certain does, and I will have a pouch made up for him. Mr. Potter, it is more complicated for you"
"Complicated?" James asked, heart sinking.
"Indeed. Your original self is dead, and the Lordship and ownership of the vaults has passed to your son. He and I have been conversing by letter until the time comes that he can come in person. Now, I have received no communication about you so I do not know if he will allow anything to you. He has locked down the vaults fairly heavily just to be safe. I must wait until his go-ahead to provide you access. Gringotts has run into this problem only twice before, and I'm afraid policy dictates that the one who has lived the time between the points remains the authority on their vault" Silvershield glanced at a box that had a strange symbol on it as it glowed slightly. He grunted and opened it up, taking out a letter. He scanned it over before nodding. "You're in luck. Lord Potter has granted permission for you to withdraw from the Heir vault"
"That's wonderful. I will have to thank him when I see him" James bowed slightly in his chair.
"Yes, yes. Black, tell your older self to stop chickening and come here to reopen the vaults so we can invest the money properly. Gringotts knows he's innocent and don't give a flying hippogryph if he's a fugitive by the Ministry" Silvershield all but shoved them out the door, a young runner handing both boys a pouch each with their house crest on it as they hurried them back to the lobby.
"That went. Well?" Sirius said when they were left standing near the front doors. James could only nod slightly. Umbridge led the other three over a second later, smile fixed. They all wordlessly followed her from store to store to get the essentials. They all splurged a bit to get shrinkable trunks which they placed all their things in at the end. Umbridge helpfully shrank them down before ushering them back to school.
"Thank you Professor" Remus said quietly. The others echoed him.
"Of course children! Now, remember, there are some liars claiming You-Know-Who is back, and you can always come to me and tell me if they try and spread it around or get too pushy" She added onto the end, smile widening and eyes gleaming cruelly.
"We will Professor" Evans replied and the professor nodded and waved them onwards. They all remained silent until they were a floor up.
"She's certainly....strong-willed" Remus said diplomatically.
"That's one way to describe her" Sirius rolled his eyes, glancing around for others "I heard her called odious"
"I don't care how we describe her, I want to forget that entire trip with her" Peter was jittery and looked ready to run at the slightest threat.
"Alright Pete, let's just get back to the common room. Maybe some time as Wormy may help your anxiety" Remus soothed, putting a hand on the small boy's back to guide him faster.
"Didn't realize how badly she rattled Pete" James watched worriedly. Evans seemed shocked at the display of emotion, which James would have teased her at any other point about. But he was more worried about his friend. He hurried after the pair, Sirius glancing at Evans' pensive face. He caught up just as the guardian portrait swung open. He crawled in after Remus and Peter who started towards the stairs. James hesitated before following. He had promised Silvershield...so he turned his feet towards the corner where Potter sat with his friends.
"Excuse me" He stopped a few feet away, trying not to flinch when several pairs of eyes whipped to him "I'd like to speak to Potter about a delicate matter that he may not want spread around"
"What in general terms" Granger asked.
"Money matters" James dipped his head "and what Gringotts told me"
"Hermione, Ron, and Neville will stay with me. Come, we can go to our dorm room" Potter stood, gesturing for the three others to follow him. James let all four go first, remembering the warning from earlier. They all entered, and James watched out of the corner of his eye as Neville took a loose stance by the door. One that echoed a friend from before. Alice had always adopted a similar position when readying for a fight. Perhaps this boy was close to her. James shelved the thought and turned his attention to the black-haired boy who stood quietly between his closest two friends.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but you are my son. Or, my other self's son" James started, receiving three nods of confirmation. "Well. I wanted to thank you for telling Silvershield to allow me some money today. I know my initial introduction to you has been...rocky. So I must thank you for your kindness" James bowed at this.
"No need to bow. The money is technically yours as well, though I will closely monitor your withdrawals as I am told you are a...what was the word Hermione?" Potter half turned to the girl.
"Braggart, show-off, play boy, 15 year old boy raised with money and lots of parental coddling"
"Yes, those. So until you prove that I can trust you with more access, I will be keeping a close eye. I take the family values and legacy very seriously, and I will not allow someone under my household to treat it with disrespect"
"I...can respect that, my Lord. I'm glad to see that you've stepped up to the challenge. You remind me of my Uncle and Father actually" James gave a nostalgic half smile. He missed his family already. He noticed his son (and holy shit he went on to have the kid in front of him) clench his fists before relaxing them just as rapidly.
"Harry. You may call me Harry. In exchange.... can you tell me stories? Of our family?" James' heart broke at the desperation present in his kid's voice.
"James then, since it'd be weird to call a kid the same age as you Dad. And I'd love to. If you want we can even go do that down in the common room so the rest of your friends can hear? And you have space to leave at any time?"
"That would be nice. Maybe not tonight though, I'm tired from the day today" Harry gave him a tentative smile.
"Of course. Can you uh. At least tell me your friends' names?"
"Of course. So, you know me, 'Mione, Harry obviously. Heir Neville Longbottom is over by the door. You're the only Heir in our group other than Harry, right?" Ron started. Neville shook his head.
"Parvati is one too. Patil magic can go to daughters if they meet the requirements. So it's likely either her or Padma will inherit since they are the only ones of the British branch" Neville gave a smile when he saw the look of disbelief on James' face.
"The one who said it wasn't a long lost cousin. That was a Patil?"
"Mhm. She and Lavender Brown were the two who judged you immediately. Then there's Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas" Ron finished.
"Well, I look forward to meeting them. Tomorrow though, since I think today has been overwhelming enough and I want to put on new clothes" James looked down at the clothes he had technically worn two days in a row now, even if they were washed in between.
"You'll probably want sleep anyways. Professor Snape probably hates you if his treatment of Harry is any indication" Granger added out of nowhere.
"Wait, wait, wait I didn't mishear Minnie earlier when she referenced a Snape?" James suddenly made the connection, eyes wide.
"Nope. Severus Snape, Youngest Potion's Master on record, Professor of Potions, and head of Slytherin House".
"Well I should warn my friends cause uh. It's a mutual hatred last I knew!" James stared at the floor with wide eyes.
"Hmm. Wait until he hears that we have it with the Slytherins who regularly get away with throwing ingredients in our cauldrons. And Snape takes points for every little thing" Neville added in an off-hand way.
"They what?!?!"
"Yep. We independently study secretly in a nearby classroom with seventh-year supervision because it's really not conductive to proper learning. Two of the ones this year are my twin brothers actually. And they take it really seriously, which is weird 'cause they're major pranksters" Ron reassured the teenager who was internally freaking out.
"Glad to hear it. I will have to take the entire night to process this and prepare so I will be leaving now! Good day!" James sped walked to the door, opened it and immediately yanked open the other door to enter his dorm. "Lads I have bad news!"
"What James?" Remus sounded annoyed. Which would be a problem any other time but not now.
"The potions teacher is Severus Snape. Who lets his Slytherins throw ingredients in the Gryffindor's cauldrons and takes points randomly. It's so bad the students study secretly in a classroom nearby as a group. And we have him tomorrow"
"FUCK" Sirius summed it up best.