parents after all

chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Into the Future

The clock struck ten. James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were engaged deeply in an exciting round of Exploding Snap. The Gryffindor Common Room was almost deserted except for the Marauders, and an irate Lily Evans who was fervently reading a book covered in dust while occasionally shooting daggers at the noisy boys.

'Look what I found!' a shriek came from the portrait hole so suddenly that Peter dropped his cards. With a loud 'BANG', Peter's cards exploded as Sirius Black swung open the portrait hole and sprinted towards the Marauders.

'What an entrance, Black,' James drawled lazily while brushing off soot and dust from his robes.

'Look what I found!' Sirius repeated. In his hands dangled a golden object: a palm-sized hourglass carved out of gold and silver, strung together with two rotating rings by a delicate necklace-like chain. The rings kept rotating around the hourglass, much like moons orbiting a planet. Sirius wore it on his neck, grinning from ear to ear. Light reflected from the shining hourglass onto Sirius's body, painting him in a faint shade of gold. The Marauders looked up at him in awe: with his aristocratic features, he looked like a Greek god with a halo, gracing them with his presence.

'Something you nicked from Dumbledore's office?' James smiled at his best friend.

'That,' Sirius nodded dramatically, 'is one of many good deeds Minnie has done for me. She probably thinks that I'm now having detention at Dumbledore's office, scrubbing his floor. I did scrub the floor though.'

'More like you scrubbed one tenth of the entire area in the office, saw the fancy hourglass and added it to your possessions,' snorted Remus.

Peter cast a sidelong glance at the hourglass, his hands rubbing his ashen face, 'so... you nicked an hourglass, what for? Gonna make it your new alarm?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Don't you think it's beautiful? I look godly in it.' He fidgeted with the dangling hourglass absent-mindedly, his index finger twirling one of the rings, 'I suppose I'll give it to Moony the being-punctual-all-the-time-holic...'

'Why is it glowing?' Remus gasped suddenly.

The hourglass in Sirius's hands was indeed glowing, and was becoming brighter each second. James and Peter stared at it half confusedly, half excitedly, as it rose slowly from Sirius's grasp into midair, revolving faster and faster...

'Y-you're going transparent!' Peter squeaked nervously.

'Put the damn thing down! Now!' roared James as he ran to Sirius and tried to yank the chain free from his neck. Remus rushed forward as well, the white hot light from the hourglass watered his eyes, but he put his hands around Sirius in an attempt to calm his now twitching, shrieking friend who grew white at the horror of his paling body.

'Will you four keep quiet?' Lily slammed her book shut angrily and strode towards the tangle of bodies by the fireplace. She clutched her book and smacked the back of James's big messy bespectacled head in front of her, 'honestly, it's almost curfew –'

Lily's voice was engulfed by the boys' deafening screams and shouts. A blinding beam shot from the centre of the mess, forcing Lily's eyes shut temporarily. With a great force Lily was pulled forward violently; she stumbled and lost her footing, falling into what felt like void, and then nothing but darkness remained.

                            

Lily's eyes shot open. Red velvet carpet, comfy sofas, the fireplace... As her eyes addressed the familiar environment, flashes of memories flooded back.

Beside her, four bodies were writhing to wrestle themselves free from the tangle of limbs.

'Get off me Moony, you're heavy....' someone groaned.

'My glasses, gimme my glasses...' a hand from the very bottom fumbled on the floor.

'Black, Potter,' Lily gritted her teeth. 'I can't tolerate this anymore. I'm going to McGonagall.' She got up and strode towards the Marauders, yanked Peter off the top and grabbed the tie of the still glasses-less James. 'Whatever you took from Dumbledore's office, you're going to return it this second. Go!'

Still groaning, James climbed up from the floor and put on his glasses. Sirius pulled Remus up and steadied him with an arm around his waist, who was still suffering from pangs of vertigo from the sudden blow. Lily tutted impatiently; having received an imperious glare from the fuming redhead, Peter slouched and walked slowly towards the door, leading the way to McGonagall's office.

'C'mon Evans, it's just a little blow -'

'"Little", did you say?' Lily's brows shot up to her hairline. 'Your fancy hourglass blew up all of a sudden, and Remus here is still green in the face. Move, Black, you're taking him to Madam Pomfrey's and reporting at McGonagall's office straight after.'

'You nosy bint...' Sirius cursed under his breath. 'Moony, are you alright?' He put his hand on Remus's forehead, which was cold and pale and soaked with sweat. Guilt and anger boiled up inside him; shooting a menacing glare at Lily, he pulled Remus against him, leading him out and away from the Common Room to the Hospital Wing.

Just as the five fourth-years rounded the dim-lit corner, Professor McGonagall's stern voice called from the back. 'Stop this instant, the five of you. Such intolerable behaviour! Sneaking out after curfew!'

'Professor McGonagall, we have a reason to be out, we were going to see you-' Lily turned round, facing McGonagall. She continued as she pointed an accusing finger towards James and Sirius, 'Black and Potter took an hourglass from Professor Dumbledore and it exploded...'

She stopped confusedly as McGonagall's face turned ashen white. Her eyes widened dangerously, her thin lips parted, forming an o-shape. But she flustered only for a millisecond; her composure returned as she took out her wand, her knuckles going very white.

'Really, Minnie,' said Sirius cheekily, flashing McGonagall his angelic smile, 'I'm honoured that you think you'd need wands to discipline us, but I'd appreciate it if you put it down.'

'Who are you?' demanded McGonagall coolly.

'Sirius Black, your potential date,' drawled Sirius. 'May I present you James Potter, our brilliant chaser on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team, and Lily Evans, the nosiest, most arrogant –'

'Who are you? What are you doing at Hogwarts?' repeated McGonagall in a distant, tuneless voice.

Lily ventured, a slight tremble passed through her voice almost unnoticeably. 'Erm, Professor, we're fourth-year Gryffindor students...We, we just had Transfiguration with you this morning...May we see Professor Dumbledore? The hourglass exploded and Remus is not feeling well.' She pointed at the sparkling golden chain on Sirius's neck, and at Remus who was still leaning against Sirius's side, his head perched on Sirius's shoulder. Under the firelight, he looked ghostly pale as if he was going to faint any moment.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed at the dangling hourglass, wand still pointing at them, 'what have you done with Professor Dumbledore's time turner?'

'Time... time turner?' Peter squeaked.

McGonagall sighed, 'follow me.' She turned briskly and led the way into the dark corridor.