A Step Into the Future: A Marauders Fanfiction (completed)

Twenty: Reminiscing is Fun Until Hermione Ruins it.

JAMES: The guys didn't return that night. I didn't even hear a word from Harry or Ron as well. How long had Hermione known my true identity? I couldn't help but wonder. She was practically a genius, I'll give her that. But still, how could she have known?

Hm, maybe the fact I look like Harry's long lost twin. Or maybe the fact that she knows Lupin and Sirius, and probably knew we were friends. Or the fact that Rose is also the name of a flower. Geez Evans, thought you could do better than that.

Okay, now that I put two and two together, it almost seemed like Dumbledore wanted them to find out. He did assign them to tour us around the castle. Dumbledore doesn't do anything without reason. She must've seen right through him. No offense to my son and Ron, but they could be quite oblivious. Harry must've gotten that from me.

So that leaves me where I am right now. Alone, worried, desperate--well, I guess I've always been pretty desperate--and pacing aimlessly along the empty walls of the shrieking shack. I had always gone here for privacy.

I was in a hopeless situation. I hadn't a clue who Harry's mother was, or why she was stupid enough to end up with me. I also didn't know why or how it all came to this. Harry was an orphan and I didn't even care about the fact that I died. I cared about the fact that Harry was alone and that hurt.

My father and mother are pretty awesome people. They treat all of my friends like family; they encourage me, support me, and even show up at a few of my Quidditch matches. My mother is the kind of mom who tucked me in every night as a child and read me old wizarding stories. My dad is the kind who even after a long and tiring day of working as an auror would still make time to talk with me and ask how my day was. It hurt me most of all that Harry would never grow up with that and all because I went and got myself killed.

It was my fault Harry's life was miserable. It was my fault he has that lightning scar. It's my fault that he can't walk down a bloody corridor without students whispering his name. It's all my fault.

"Damn it!" Looking back, maybe punching a hard and sturdy wooden structure wasn't the best idea. I regretted it the second I did it, being as my hand was now red and throbbing. I didn't know I had that hard of a punch, and I didn't know a human hand could bend that way. Ouch.

"Damn it..." I repeated to myself, now for a different reason. I mean seriously, ow! Remember kids, don't punch walls. No matter how good of an idea it may seem at the time, that wall hasn't done anything to you and now it's hurt your hand and has only made you more angry. Great job.

It had been about three hours since Hermione and I's little mishap in the common room and I hadn't done anything except pace, overthink, and feel sorry for myself. Why did she have to be such a brilliant witch and figure it out?

Ron and Harry needed someone like her though, they needed her to keep them in line. Much the same way the guys and I needed Remus. He was adventurous and far from innocent, but he was wise. He's probably gotten us out of forty detentions and he's always had our backs, no matter how much we've annoyed him.

Now that I knew my fate and knew how young I was to die, I realized something. Had I been taking the guys for granted? Had I undervalued the friendship that me and the guys had built? Have I overlooked the strong bond we had, our memories, our battles, even our pranks?

What have I even amounted to in these years? Pranking? Pestering Lily? Hexing Snape? And for what, entertainment? No wonder I was dead. I'm careless. I overlook everything. And I should've known it'd all end with me getting killed because of it.

And what about the mother? I didn't even know who she was, though I didn't want to find out. Anyone to end up with me must've been careless as well. Or patient. Either way, I think finding out wouldn't do any good. What would I do? What would I say? I'm in the future and all of this has already happened. I can't do or say anything to change my fate, or hers, or Harry's.