Chapter 12
The Gryffindor common room was...something by the end of the day. James, Jem, Regulus, Evan, Barty, Sirius, Remus, Dorcas, Alice, Peter, Marlene, Mary and Frank were all stretched out and a handful of them were smoking. Evan, Barty, Regulus and Jem had ditched their robes and rolled up their sleeves, no one cared, they were on their side after all. The four being "spies" just made them more cool in half of the group's eyes. Regulus was laying on Jem's lap and on the couch with his legs hanging over the edge. Jem and him sharing a join of "Moony's good weed" while laughing and drinking whatever it was Sirius had passed out in red cups.
Until a handful of what could've been first years tumbled through the door, all of them looking in the general direction as Sirius tumbled off Remus' lap in surprise. "Where's Hermione?" An overall confused and startled look painted the group's faces. The ginger one spoke up again, "Where's Hermione?"
"Easy lads," Remus' voice instantly settled the two canine animagus in the room. Sirius going pliant at Remus' feet and Jem going back to messing with Regulus' hair.
"I'm gonna ask you this one more time. Where's Hermione?"
James popped up from where he had landed under the coffee table, "I'll do you one better, who's Hermione?"
"I'll do you one better," they looked to a brown haired boy with glasses, could've been a photo copy of James, lacking in the hair department though, "Why do you look like me?"
"Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I'm gonna hex this one." The redhead's wand was pointed at Peter which got frowns from a good portion of the group.
"Lets do it." James said tossing Jem his wand. "You hex my guy and we'll stupefy those two." Jem pointed his wand at the ginger girl while James aimed at his photocopy. "Lets go!!"
"So much for taking it easy." Remus muttered looking rather put off.
"Do it Ron, I can take it."
"No, he can't take it!" The redheaded girl piped up.
"She's right, he can't." Remus agreed watching the scene play out along with the others.
"Oh yeah, you don't want to tell me where she is? That's fiiinne I'll kill all three of you and I'll beat it out of voldy myself. Starting with you!"
"Wait what...voldy?" Remus seemed honestly confused now, seeming to take over talking for the two Potters that were more than happy to start the fight. "Alright, let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?"
"What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? Dumbledore?"
Jem lowered his wand, "You're on our side?"
"I'm not on your side, I'm on the Order's side." A chuckle went through the group.
"Yeah that's our side Dipshit, stand down Bambi." James huffed but tucked away the wand. "What are you hassling us for?"
"So you're not...Death Eaters?" Peter asked slipping away from the wand under his chin.
"Death Eaters?! NOoo, we're here because we lost Hermione. Wait who are you guys?"
Jem chuckled before introducing the group, "We're the Marauders, mate."
"Ooh, I like that, I'm using that next time little brother." He rolled his eyes at James but took the joint Regulus was holding out to him.
"I'm Jem Potter, that's James, my brother." Both waved. "Sirius and Regulus Black. Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew." Everyone waved halfheartedly when their name was said, "Lily Evans, Marlene Mckinnon. Dorcas Meadows and Mary MacDonald. And Alice Fortescue and Frank Longbottom. Will someone turn the music back on? I think Pads let the record run too long and I've got a house cat on me." Lily got up to flip the disk before stretching out beside James, everyone relaxing back into their conversations.
"You said Jem Potter?"
"Yeah what's up mate-?"
"Wolfy!" Jem was pulled off the couch by Sirius and then they were up and running from James.
"Jem," he paused leaning over the couch to kiss Reggie before Sirius pulled him away and they were running up the stairs.
"Boys?!"
"Hide!" Everyone dove for hiding places except for Remus who picked back up his book.
"Evening Minnie, something wrong?" The three strangers watched with wide eyes as the younger version of their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher calmly sat in the chair that Sirius was hiding behind while looking at Professor McGonagall.
"Just thought I heard something, Mr.Lupin."
"Oh that could've been me, dropped me tea, just used a spell to clean it up. Apologies."
"All right...goodnight, Mr.Lupin."
"Goodnight, Minnie." There was two minutes of complete silence before, "Alright, out you come." Jem stumbled out of closet with Regulus, his lips kiss bitten and hair mused as he tried to pull it up into a burn, Regulus looked rather pleased with himself. Evan and Barty pushed a blanket off of them. Sirius popped up from behind the chair and the rest of the group filled out of their hiding places all settling down.
"Jem..." He looked up at his brother who moped out of his hiding place.
"What happened to your shirt?" He pointed to Lilly, who seemed very happy to wear it over her sweater. James' matching lion tattoo in the open along with a handful of others, all holding a different meaning much like Jem's. "You'll be alright."
"No, not happening Sirius." They all looked to Remus who was shaking his head.
"Oh, but it could be fun. Come on, Moony."
And almost as one, James, Jem, and Peter all piped up, "Yeah come on, Moony."
"You guys don't even know what he wants. And I hate it when you do that."
"Sorry Moony." Was the course of replies.
"Are you all just forgetting about those three?" The group looked towards the two redheads and the photocopy James before shrugging. "And besides Minnie will catch us."
"Bloody hell," Jem muttered grabbing Regulus and then they were on the couch, kissing as Jem flipped off the whistling James.
"Okay, Regulus gets a singer and a guitarist but I can't get you to do anything?"
"Sirius it is 3 in the morning, I am not sneaking into the kitchens with you." Sirius groaned rather dramatically getting a laugh from a few of the group.
"He said they were the Marauders."
"Sirius said my father had a brother. He didn't say anything about his own."
"He didn't say he was snogging Professor Lupin either." The three looked to the laughing group.
"Regulus how do you call your loverboy?"
Regulus glanced towards where Jem and Sirius were arguing over books. "Come here loverboy."
"And if he doesn't answer?"
"Oh loverboy."
"And if he still doesn't answer?"
"I simply say...baby." Jem immediately looked at Regulus.
"Yeah Reg?"
"That worked."
"Yes, yes it did." Regulus grinned laying against the couch while exhaling smoke. "So who are you three?" He held out a hand getting Jem to sit down beside him while he looked at the three wizards.
"Uh...I'm Harry."
"Harry...?"
"Harry Potter, Mr.Black."
He cringed, "Mr.Black is my father. I'm Regulus. Boys." James and Jem both looked at Regulus, "You guys have another brother?"
"Nope. I wasn't in Paris that long."
"Um, no sir." Jem's eyes widened at the title.
"You good kid? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"About 13 of them." Everyone in the room paused and the boy who had spoke swallowed.
"Moony?" Jem's voice was even but he moved ever so slightly in front of Regulus and Remus leaned forward so he was in front of Sirius, James doing the same with Lily. "You catch that too?"
"Yeah....who'd you say you were looking for again?"
"Hermione. Hermione Granger."
"Prongs, I led a third year upstairs earlier, think she said her name was Granger, you're gonna need Lily to get into the girls dorms, would you mind?" James nodded and headed for the stairs, Lily behind him. "Alright kids, spill."
"We came back using Hermione's time turner because Dumbledore said this was where she was gonna be."
"Moons?"
"Time turners allow the wearer to go either back or forwards in time." Remus explained to Sirius as Regulus threaded his fingers through Jem's.
"You said you were a Potter." Jem muttered as Regulus wrapped an arm around the other wizard. "What happens to James?"
"How do you know I'm not yours?"
"What happens to James, kid?"
"Nothing good." Ron answered for Harry. "But it happens to you guys too. You all die on the same night, Professor Lupin teaches at Hogwarts and Sirius went to Askaban."
Jem chuckled halfheartedly. "A teacher Moony?"
"Apparently things happen."
"Moons please tell me that this was just some really bad weed." Sirius muttered slumping into the chair behind Remus.
"Afraid not."
"How old are you guys?"
"Jem, Regulus, Evan and Barty are 16 and the rest of us are 17."
"Reg?"
"Yeah." Fingers intertwined they got up, Regulus catching the bar of chocolate Remus tossed him before they were walking for the door.
"Did we...?"
"No, he's had a rough few days." Evan reassured them while Barty laid his chin on his shoulder.
"You're going to tell me what that means." Remus said firmly and they both nodded. Knowing by now that the scarred Marauder was protective of his group and it was best to just explain rather than keep him in the dark. Just not right this second.
"So you're looking for a friend and somehow you end up in the era that your parents and their friends are teenagers themselves. Nice." Barty hummed slightly after the sentence.
"You're a Death Eater."
"The four of us are." Evan corrected nodding towards where Regulus and Jem had vanished. "We're spies for Dumbledore."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Extremely-"
"Alright found her Moony." James and Lilly walked down with Hermione behind them. "You have her and we can go back to our partying and cross our fingers this is just one really fucked up dream."