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Quite A Lot Had Changed


Dumbledore’s office was silent when James lowered the time turner, and James was alone - no Dumbledore anywhere. Even Fawkes had his beak beneath his wing, asleep. Outside, the sun was rising. James pulled the chain from ‘round his neck and he lowered the golden trinket onto Dumbledore’s desk carefully. A couple of the portraits of old headmasters had woken and looked down suspiciously at James as he quietly turned for the door and pulled it opened. He hurried down the steps and out into the corridor, which was just as empty and still as Dumbledore’s office had been. It was eerie, running through the silence of the castle, and James kept wishing he’d run into someone. Anyone would do.

Well, aside from Filch, he hoped he wouldn’t run into Filch or his ugly cat.

The first person he ran into was Oliver Kent.

Ollie was sitting in the common room when James came through the portrait hole, in a pair of joggers and a way-too-big t-shirt that hung nearly to the tiny boy’s knees. He was on the floor before the fire, staring into the flames, his eyes taking in the fire’s glow.

“Alright, little seagull?” he asked.

Oliver looked up, “Oh… hullo, James.”

“Hullo.”

“Almost breakfast,” Oliver said.

“Almost,” James figured Oliver knew better than he did what time it was. James had no idea. He glanced toward the dorm stairs and he said, “I’ve gotta get something --”

“Yeah. See you about,” Ollie nodded and turned back to the fire hearth with a sigh.

James could tell there was something the matter, but he wasn’t very good at talking to children to breach the subject, so he decided to send Remus down for the job.

Remus - one of the lives I’ve saved, according to Dumbledore.

James ran for the stairs and hurried up them to the dormitory door and stepped inside. The three of them were asleep in their beds, and James ran to Sirius’s, leaping onto his mate with a shout. “SIRIUS!” he cried, and Sirius groaned as James excitedly shook him, wanting him to wake up so he could see Sirius Black alive and well again.

“Ferfuckssake Potter,” Sirius moaned as James shook him.

“Wake up, wake up,” James said, laughing with tears of joy in his eyes. Sirius was alive. He as okay. James had done it. He’d reversed the horrible things that happened at Malfoy Manor somehow - though he yet did not know exactly what had changed or when or why, he knew that things were okay - Sirius and Peter and Remus were all here, all alive. It didn’t matter how.

Sirius rolled onto his back so he was staring up at James, “What the fuck Potter?”

“I am sooo glad to see you.” James reached down and grabbed Sirius up by the head, mussing up his hair and hugging his face to his chest.

Sirius scrambled against him. “Oh gods, what are you doing? Are you still drunk? And I thought I was the knockered one last night!” Sirius got out of his grasp and stared at James warily. “Are you alright?”

“Better than alright. What’s today?”

“24 April,” came Remus’s voice from across the room, his voice a monotone, as though he’d said the words a hundred thousand times already.

“”It is?” James sounded surprised. So somehow he’d started the day over? A thrill of excitement went through him. Of course he’d started the day over - of course Dumbledore had made that happen somehow. He’d given James his date back! And James felt a thrill of excitement shimmey through him. “It’s Hogsmeade today, isn’t it?” He rolled off Sirius’s bed, his heart light as could be. This is my reward, he thought, I get to actually have my date with Lily Evans! And he rushed over to give Remus a hug. “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it.”

“What?” Remus asked as James enveloped him in a gigantic hug, squeezing him close.

Sirius said, “I think he’s still drunk.”

James laughed.

Peter murmured something and James shouted, “PETE WAKE UP AND JOIN US!” He grabbed Peter by the shoulders and rolled him over, “Wake up, Peter! Breakfast time soon! Then Hogsmeade.”

Sirius stretched and asked, “What in hell is so great about going to Hogsmeade, Prongs?”

“Oh - dunno --” James grinned playfully, “Perhaps a certain date I have.”

“Date?” Remus asked.

“Oh c’mon you lot, don’t be playing funny with me,” he laughed, “You know perfectly well that I have a date today. Been counting down all month, haven’t I?”

Sirius smirked at the other two. “And who do you have a date with, Potter?”

James rolled his eyes, “Lily Evans, of course, you nutter.”

At this, Sirius cracked up. “Had some good dreams again last night, Prongs?”

Remus got out of bed to get a glass of water and even Peter had snorted from beneath his blankets.

“Yeah,” James said, “We sat in the common room for over an hour last night reading a book, didn’t we? Nearly snogged then! Probably could’ve if I’d just been brave enough to make the first move of it.”

“Reading?” Remus looked at James with a laugh, “In the common room?? Last night? Are you mad? Lucky if you could hear yourself think in the common room last night.” He sounded annoyed.

“I told you already I’m sorry,” Sirius said.

“Sorry for what?” James asked. “Wait, there was a party last night?” He looked confused, “But we were looking for the invisibility cloak half the night and --”

“What?” Sirius laughed.

“Weren’t we?”

“Unless that’s code for dancing on the table and screaming song lyrics in magnified voices, then no,” Remus said.

James was confused.

“Maybe we keep you off the firewhiskey a while,” Remus said warily, and he patted James’s shoulder.




It seemed quite a lot had changed.

James stumbled along with the other three downstairs to the Great Hall, letting them talk amongst themselves and just listening, trying to get a fee for the context of everything he’d changed. He needed to talk to Dumbledore, but when they got to the Great Hall, Dumbledore wasn’t at the staff table.

More disturbing was the way that Lily walked by, carrying her books, and sat at the far end of the table with Annalee, McKenna, Meg, and a couple other girls. James had left space beside himself for her, between him and Frank, but her eyes flickered right past the Marauders on her way to the end furthest from them.

James glanced about. “What’s up with Evans?”

Sirius asked, “What do you mean what’s up with Evans?”

“Why’d she sit way down there?”

“What’d you expect? Her to sit on your lap?” Sirius snickered.

James stared down the table.

“Listen, so I was thinking, while we’re in Hogsmeade, we gotta knick some more firewhiskey, we’re running low,” Sirius said lowly, leaning closer.

“We are running low?” James asked. He turned back to look at Sirius and despite his worry over what was happening with Lily, James was relieved once more to see the light burning behind Sirius’s eyes, dancing in the grey flecks that filled them. Glad to see Sirius’s smile.

“You don’t expect me to drink it all alone, do you?” Sirius laughed.

“I’m sure you could,” James replied.

Sirius laughed, “Oh I’m sure I could, too.”

Down the table, Lily looked up and James saw her face break into a brilliant smile. He followed her gaze - and there came Jasper Odair, smiling back at her, and he came ‘round the able and wrapped his arms about her from behind, kissing the side of her face. She grinned and turned in her seat, wrapping her arms about his shoulders.

“What the hell?” James asked.

Sirius looked up. “Maybe they should find a room,” Sirius suggested with a snicker.

“But - but they’ve broken up, haven’t they?” James asked, looking about the other three.

“Broken up?” Peter looked at James like he had eight heads.

Sirius said, “They’re nearly as popular a couple as ---” he stopped mid-sentence, looking up. “Speak of the deviless.”

And Maryrose sat down beside James, in the empty space beside him. She was back-to the table, looking up at him with an expectant smile. “Good morning,” she said, and her eyes danced. She had her hair in a bright fuchsia colour, piled up on top of her head in a knot, long styling sticks poked through the bun.

Even though he’d been the one to reverse it, it still seemed quite impossible that she was there, that she was alive and beside him and moving, talking, seeing, touching his arm and --- and her lips pressed to his cheek and she ran a hand through his hair, messing it up like it usually was, and she ran her fingers along the skin of his neck a moment, lingering. “I was thinking maybe we could meet up in Hogsmeade, if you aren’t busy with the boys all day?” she suggested playfully.

James stammered, “I -- I mean --”

Down the table, Jasper Odair had his arm wrapped about Lily’s shoulders and she was laughing as he whispered something in her ear, a wide smile on her face.

Maryrose laughed, “It’s okay, James, I understand if you boys have something planned. I can take a raincheck… I just thought a spot of coffee would be a nice break from… whatever it is you lot get up to when nobody’s keeping an eye.” She looked at Sirius.

“Me? Get up to something?” Sirius’s eyes sparkled as he put his arm about James, “We never get up to no good. I solemnly swear it.”

Maryrose nodded, “Mmhm.” She turned back to James, “Well, if you get bored with the Crazy One, I’ll be about with my friends.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek again, and James felt like she had lingered again, like she wanted him to kiss her back, but it felt way too weird and although she looked a bit disappointed, she got up and left.

Remus looked concerned, “Are you two having a row?”

“Us two?”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “One soggy dream about Evans and the boy’s lost his mind.” He turned to his plate and picked up some bacon. “This is still your favorite food yeah?” He waved it at James.

James grabbed the bit of bacon and shoved it in his mouth, “I’ll never break up with bacon.”

“The wedding will be marvelous,” said Peter, laughing.

“Yes, the bride will be dressed in a pigfat gown,” Sirius said, “And instead of flowers it’ll be fried eggs on sticks.”

Remus said, “And a frying pan for a bridal bouquet.”

“The groom will wear a tux of catsup red,” Peter giggled.

“And I, the best fucking man, will give a……. Toast.”

They all groaned and Sirius threw his arm about James’s shoulders, grinning up at him.