Sacred is the Windswept Time

Five: Quidditch, the Marauders, and Lily Evans

Two weeks, two long weeks had passed, and Harry felt like he was repeating all of his classes, as so much of what was being taught were things he'd learned back in fifth and sixth year. He shocked McGonagall with his knowledge and abilities in Transfiguration, he awed Flitwick with his knowledge in Charms, and he even impressed the hardened Potions professor, Serrano Sorcebaine.

Harry was also exceptionally conscious of the fact that he was the talk of the whole school. People were eager to know where he came from, why he was so smart, where he'd gotten his strange scar from, the questions went on and on, and he managed to carefully avoid answering questions about his past. There were a couple of times he slipped to Lucius and Severus about Hermione and Ron, but those times became few and far between as Harry grew used to his new friends and even grew fond of them. Harry honestly could relate to Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape, and after having seen them dress for bed so often, he knew that Voldemort had yet to recruit them, for neither of them were marked.

It was in those weeks during classes, which were mostly paired with the Gryffindors, or in the library, corridors, and in Great Hall during meals, that Harry's eyes were drawn to the marauders. He couldn't help the small smile on his face as he saw the beginnings of the relationship between James and Lily, although what had brought it all about was a mystery to him. Harry couldn't help, but observe his parents and their friends, getting to know little things about them.

He'd tried to talk to Lily, but every time he approached her, James or Sirius would suddenly show up and anything beyond a simple greeting was hostile between them, although he did notice the strange looks he was receiving from James and Lily. It was almost like they wanted to know more about him, but were held back because he was a Slytherin. Sirius, of course, was just openly hostile toward him, and he began to understand how Severus could hate him, Black was after all extremely arrogant, and horribly immature, but at those thoughts Harry always winced as he remembered what Sirius would become, what twelve years of Azkaban would do to that carefree and winsome spirit.

It was in the third week of Harry being in the past that Slytherin suffered a terrible blow. Slytherin's star seeker, the only seeker who ever came close to beating James Potter, Roberto Zabini was hit with a hex that left him with chicken pox and a broken arm, and so he was put under quarantine in the infirmary, with the big game against Gryffindor only a week away.

Alexander Pucey, the captain of the Slytherin team was furious by the loss of his seeker, but Harry only saw it as an opportunity, to really see some of his dad's moves. So when Slytherin held tryouts for a new seeker, as their reserve seeker wasn't even worth the broom he rode on, Harry went to try outs along with Lucius and Severus, who were there only to give their support.

Harry along with the broom that Lucius had loaned him, a Thunder Jet XL, the top quality broom of the time, mounted up as Alexander released the bludgers and the snitch, the bludgers were to see how well Harry dodged them while going after the snitch. Harry had to pull the broom sharply to the left as one of the bludgers headed straight for him, the beaters on the team were swinging them at him mercilessly, but Harry dodged and maneuvered away from the bludgers with ease, doing dives and barrel rolls, and even a Wronski feint before he noticed the faint glint of gold from the corner of his eye and then took off like a shot, his hand outstretched as he did a loop the loop around the goal posts before pulling straight up and his fingers locked around the little gold ball, over two hundred feet above the ground. He leveled out and then did a heart stopping dive straight for the pitch, and only pulled back at the last moment before impact with the ground was inevitable, and held the snitch between his thumb and forefinger, before smirking and holding it out to the Slytherin team captain.

"So when will I be fitted for my Quidditch robes?" Harry asked, a wicked gleam in his eye.

Alexander Pucey, as well as the two beaters who had just landed, stared at the boy, their mouths hanging open stupidly, as they simply nodded, the decision to make Harry the new Seeker was a unanimous vote.

Upon turning to Lucius and Severus he smirked at their shocked expressions before he walked over, his smirk changing into a grin as he held the broom out to Lucius and said, "Thanks for the loan."

Lucius held up his hands and said, "No you keep it for the game. We actually have a shot at beating Gryffindor for once. Bloody hell, Granger? Where did you learn to fly like that? It was almost like Potter, but more refined."

Harry shrugged. "I'm a natural, I guess. I became a seeker at my old school when I was a first year, the youngest seeker in over a century at my school. I only ever lost once, in my third year, but that was because I was distracted, and then in fifth year I was banned from the pitch..."

"Banned? But why?" Severus asked.

"Oh," Harry blushed. "I beat the shit out of some little bastard who couldn't keep his mouth shut about my friends. Well actually I think I only hit him the one time, maybe a couple more times, I can't rightly recall."

"You got into a fight after the game? My, my Granger, and here I was beginning to think you were Slytherin's noble house member, the Gryffindor in Slytherin clothing. I may have been wrong with my first impression," Lucius said with a wicked glint in his grey eyes.

----------

Harry took a deep breath, feeling as though this were the first game of his life. He'd never been so nervous about anything before in his life, not even facing Voldemort. But then again he'd never played against his father in a game of Quidditch. Harry ran his hands down his green Quidditch robes and let out his breath slowly, mentally preparing himself for the game that was to come.

Once he stepped out onto the pitch he mounted his broom and took off into the sky like a shot, doing a few warm up laps around the pitch before going into a barrel roll, followed by a steep dive. The spectators in the stands were awed by the boy's flying, and watched him, but he wasn't doing it for show, he just felt free in the air. Finally, after a good warm up the players were called to take position and then the Quaffle, Bludgers, and Golden Snitch were released, and the game erupted into chaos.

Within moments Harry was dodging bludgers being pummeled his way by Sirius who was obviously a good, seasoned beater. Harry noticed James hovering by the Gryffindor goalposts and decided to fly over; perhaps he could get in a good chat with his dad before they both went tarrying off after the snitch.

Once he was hovering next to his father he felt nervousness creep up over him. What could he say to the man who meant so much to him, to the man he'd looked up to his whole life, to the man who was currently a seventeen year old boy content with trying to win a seventeen year old girl and masterminding pranks? Harry found that he was at a crossroads. He had years of maturity over his father, and it made him feel unusually old. At least with Lucius and Severus his wisdom could be understood, as they had been forced to maturity at a young age by their parents, but James had always been carefree, and winsome, a luxury that had never been afforded to Harry.

A bludger suddenly came out of nowhere, flying between them and both boys flipped on their brooms so that they were hanging upside down. When they righted themselves, James looked at Harry, and felt a chill run up his spine, but he ignored it as he said, "What are you doing over here, Granger? And have you been spying on me? That was my move."

"Oh really?" Harry shot back and then rolled his eyes, before a glimpse of gold shimmered in his peripheral vision. He turned into a dive, but the snitch was gone, still he continued to dive, James following him, when Harry suddenly pulled up at the last moment, James realizing that he'd fallen for the Wronski feint righted his broom quickly and both boys were zooming back up about fifty feet above the Gryffindor goalposts, watching the game below them, searching meticulously for a glimpse of gold.

Finally the snitch made its appearance dancing just in front of Harry before taking off, and both boys shot after it, but soon it was just Harry and the snitch, the rest of the world had fallen away as Harry reached out, his hand wrapping around the snitch, and then Harry noticed the hush of a few seconds before the horrified screams that immediately followed. Harry swung his broom around just in time to see a Slytherin beater, MacDougal hit a bludger toward James, and the bludger made impact with the back of James' broom, making the broom useless and sending James plummeting toward the earth over a hundred and fifty feet beneath them.

Not having time to think Harry dove, and spun his broom flying it upside down, before he shot out his hand, and grabbed the hand of his father, just twenty feet above the ground. James' hazel eyes widened as they met Harry's green, and Harry gasped, "Dammit, James, grab the handle of my broom and climb on behind me, I can't bloody hold you forever, and I can't fly with you dangling from my arm like this."

James complied, grabbed Harry's broom and hoisted himself behind the boy in green robes that looked almost exactly like him, and then Harry expertly maneuvered the broom to land on the ground. The Snitch had been forgotten, as right after Harry caught it he'd let it go to save James, but the fact remained that he had caught it and the game had ended, the score Slytherin 250 and Gryffindor 130.

James hopped off the back of Harry's broom, and Harry winced as he shifted his arm and dismounted his broom. Within a few moments, a hand clapped him on the back, but all Harry knew was the intense pain from his shoulder and he promptly blacked out.

----------

Harry groaned, wincing as he tried to bring his right hand to his head to rub his temples, and went with using his left hand instead. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he noticed a familiar fuzzy face hovering above him, a face he'd seen on many an occasion, she came into focus after placing his glasses on his nose for him. He grinned at her and then said, "Hello, Madam Pomfrey, looks like I'm in for another visit. You wouldn't believe the dream I had. I was playing a game of Quidditch, I was seeker on the Slytherin team, and we were playing against Gryffindor, and my dad was playing seeker and then he fell from his broom and I saved him. I still won the game though. I can't believe I won a game of Quidditch against my dad, and for the Slytherins..."

"Mr. Granger, what are you going on about? This is your first visit to me, and as far as I can tell your dislocated shoulder is fine, although that bump on your head from your faint and hitting your head on the ground when you landed has left its impression on you," the nurse replied briskly as she gave him a quick glance over and walked away, and then Harry's eyes widened as he shot up in bed, and noticed the funny glances he was getting from the people that were surrounding his bed.

His face drained of all color as he looked from a curious Lucius, an interested (and slightly annoyed) Severus, an oddly trembling Peter Pettigrew, a concerned (and curious) Remus, a skeptical (and somewhat grateful) Sirius Black, a worried Lily Evans, and finally to James Potter.

"So it wasn't a dream, and Neville really did muck up a potion," Harry sighed in defeat and then at the top of his lungs shouted, "BLOODY HELL!" before he allowed himself to fall back on the bed, a slight twinge in his right shoulder.

"Are you all right there, Harry?" Lucius finally asked, as he looked at the boy in genuine concern for his mental health, not only had he saved a Gryffindor, James Potter of all people, but he'd just ranted on about some sort of delusion.

Harry folded his arms across his chest and snorted. "Just peachy, Malferret, just peachy."

"No need for name calling," Lucius growled, "I was only asking out of concern."

Harry nearly burst into hysterical laughter at the thought of how ludicrous a situation this was turning out to be.

"Malferret?" Sirius piped up and then Harry turned his head so that he was facing Sirius Black.

"And what's it to you what I call him, Padfoot? Still got that map or did Filch take it?" Harry shot back.

"How the bloody hell do you know about that?" Sirius growled.

Harry smirked. "The same way I know about all of your secrets. I even know why you are all nicknamed the way you are. You should be careful in picking your friends though, what with a dog like you, and a wolf in the bunch you would think you could sniff out a rat when you come across one, but you stupid Gryffindors, you're all the same, so damn trusting. I used to be one of you. It's because of you that I became the way I am! I got sorted into Slytherin because of you! Merlin, I can't do this. You know what, fuck off Padfoot, and I'm glad Prongs has Lily, he's much better off. Stupid arrogant mutt, but you'll learn, twelve years can change a person a whole hell of lot!"

Harry then jerked out of the bed and stood stiffly, his body trembling in rage and the after effects of the healing potion that Madam Pomfrey had administered to him when he'd been unconscious. He looked from each of their stunned faces, and then his eyes narrowed on Wormtail, and he pulled back his right arm, not even noticing the pain, and threw his fist with all his strength, catching the boy firmly in the jaw. The boy landed on his rear, his eyes wide with fear, his lip split, looking up at the boy that looked so much like James, the boy that had just hit him.

Severus and Lucius got a hold of Harry before anymore damage could be done, and they looked toward the Gryffindors, seeing the angry looks of the three standing marauders as they glared at Harry, but oddly enough James and Remus were stepping in front of Sirius, prepared to hold him back, as Black looked murderous.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Sirius roared, as he glared at Harry. "What did he do to you?"

"It's what he's going to do to you!" Harry hissed back, his glare equally matched in heat as it locked with Sirius' blue eyes. "Why don't you tell them who you meet with behind their back, Wormtail! Tell them where you run off too using James' fucking cloak! Tell them, you little sniveling piece of shit! I've watched you. I've seen you go across the grounds and apparate away to wherever he's gathered his recent followers. What has he promised you? What has he promised you?!"

"You're mad," Peter Pettigrew squeaked, as he began to scuttle backwards across the floor as Harry began to struggle against the hold Lucius and Severus had on him. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh I don't? You little rat!" Harry hissed, and his anger took form in a way that it hadn't in a very long time, and his form began to shift and change until both Lucius and Severus were holding sections of a large, long, heavy Python that was squirming angrily in their hands. It must have been at least fifteen feet in length. The two stunned boys let the Snake go and it slithered after the terrified boy that was scuttling backwards across the infirmary floor.

Madam Pomfrey burst from her office and demanded to know what was going on before she began to shriek at the sight of the long black python with the green line markings on either side of it's spine and an odd white bolt of lighting just above its left bright green eye. The snake had caught up with the panicked boy, and began to coil up his leg and then his torso, twining around him, and then the snake lifted its head, its very angry human eyes locking with Peter Pettigrew's pale eyes, and then the snake lunged forward. Pettigrew fell into a dead faint, but the snake did not strike him.

The snake uncoiled itself from around the boy and then slithered back toward the two stunned Slytherins before it's form shifted and he was once again human, and to all those present, Harry Granger.

The mediwitch stared at the black haired, green-eyed boy and then rushed to the unconscious Gryffindor on the floor of her infirmary. She used her wand to levitate the boy onto one of the beds and her eyes widened at the boy's condition, he'd gone into mild shock from the confrontation with the snake. Harry then noticed the looks he was getting from the marauders and from Lily.

"Why are you three so surprised? She doesn't know does she? I'm not the only unregistered animagus around here, right Prongs and Padfoot?" Harry said.

James stepped toward Harry, and said quietly, "I don't know how you know all of this or what you have against Peter, but it's obvious that we have some things to talk about. Meet me, Padfoot, and Moony in the Transfiguration classroom tonight after dinner."

Harry chuckled. "Do you really think I'm that thick? You three can meet me in the dungeons, Potions classroom after dinner, and don't bring Lily or Pettigrew."

"Done," James said, before he turned and then tossed over his shoulder, "Oh and Granger, thanks for saving my life. Guess this means I owe you."

"You've already paid the debt," Harry called after him, as James ushered a very irate Sirius out of the infirmary with the help of Remus and Lily.

Harry then turned to his friends, noticing how Severus and Lucius were staring at him in awe. "What?" he asked with a shrug.

"Well, the obvious question is why did you do that, and secondly, you're an animagus. And your form is a snake?" Severus spoke in a rush.

Harry nodded, and then said, "I have my reasons not to like a rat when I smell it out, and what's so wrong with me being a snake? You know they're rather misunderstood creatures."

Here Lucius cut in with the answer. "Snakes are very rare forms among animagi."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. And being a parselmouth is rare among wizards."

"You're a parselmouth?" Severus asked, and then Harry noticed their surroundings and just how out in the open they were being with this particular conversation.

"Perhaps we should find somewhere a bit more discreet and secure to continue this discussion," Harry suggested, and the two Slytherins immediately agreed as they all left the infirmary and headed toward the dungeons, to discuss things in secret.

----------

"So your friends called you Forktongue?" Lucius said with a grin and shook his head.

Harry shrugged. "Yep, and Ron is Slyfoot, and Hermione is Bushtail."

"And why do they have such ridiculous names?" Severus asked, as he sneered at the nicknames of Harry's friends.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Because Ron is a fox in animagus form, and Hermione is a bushytailed cat."

"All right," Lucius said. "Now that the names have been explained to us, can you tell us how to become animagi? What's the secret?"

Harry's eyes sparkled, as he looked from one eager boy to the other and answered mysteriously, "All you have to do is surrender to your inner animal. Now it's almost time for dinner, and then we have a meeting scheduled with the Gryffindors, and they're going to be entering our territory. You would think that would worry them."

"They're Gryffindors," Snape snorted, and Lucius added with a smirk, "They always act first and regret later."

----------

Harry brought his goblet of pumpkin juice to his lips for one final sip as his eyes narrowed and followed the three Gryffindors as they got up and headed out of the Great Hall. Lucius snorted at the action and shook his head as he said, "Gryffindors. Don't they know anything of subtlety?"

"Oh," Harry replied with a grin. "Some of them would genuinely surprise you."

Severus was the first of them to leave and head toward the dungeons, and after a few minutes Lucius followed. Harry didn't leave the table until a majority of Slytherins got up and began heading toward the dungeons. He remained a part of the group until he descended the stairs and instead of heading toward the Slytherin common room, he turned to the opposite direction towards the Potions classroom.

Once he reached the thick wooden door, he took a deep breath to brace himself for what was to come. He closed his eyes, wondering what to say, when it finally became clear to him. All of the little things he'd noticed about his parents, the happiness they were only just embarking on, the little things he'd missed out on, getting to know them, the youth and vitality of Sirius and Remus. Could he simply allow it all to disappear in one night?

Harry threw open the door, and the shouting match that had been going on since Severus' arrival died out, as five faces turned to Harry, and then Sirius was rushing Harry and had him pinned to the Potions door that was now closed behind him. Harry swallowed thickly as his eyes met and locked with the swirling blue eyes of his godfather, and he felt a shock run up his spine, and he also felt something else. Sirius' hands were wrapped in his shirt and he'd just started shaking Harry demanding answers.

A few seconds later, hands were on Sirius pulling him away, and that disappointed Harry. Harry's eyes widened in horror as he realized that he was attracted to Sirius, while Sirius was attracted to James. Harry then ran a hand over his oxford shirt, smoothing it out, and then he shook his head, before he said quite calmly, "Sirius, regardless of the high esteem that I have held you in for as long as I've known you, I won't allow you to manhandle me like that again without my permission. If you, or any of your friends, try to attack me like that again, I won't hesitate with a full body bind."

Severus and Lucius exchanged a look and smirked at the Gryffindors, as all three of them eyed Harry up and down. James was the one that eventually spoke up.

"So Granger, tell us what you know and how you know it. Is it the Legimency?"

Harry couldn't contain the laughter as he looked at the three Gryffindors before him, and shook his head before he answered, "I'm not a Legimens. Dumbledore only said that to protect me. Look I know that you and Sirius are animagi, and I know why. It's actually smart considering how animagi are immune to certain things." At that Harry shot an apologetic look in Remus' direction and noticed the usually quiet boy wince and go pale, and then from the corner of Harry's eye, he noticed Severus' reaction of wanting to go to Remus.

"So have you been spying on us? That's it. You've been spying on us and telling your little Slytherin's all about us. So what are you planning? Going to tell on us? Are you going to embarrass someone that's never done anything intentionally harmful to anyone?!" Sirius snarled.

"Dammit! Sirius Black! I don't give a shit about your little secrets and this petty school rivalry. I got over it a long time ago. Sometimes you have to grow up and face things that are beyond yourself. There is a world out of these school walls and there is a madman waiting to destroy you. All of you, because you're good, and he's so twisted with anger and bitterness. He's going to use power and corruption to lure in followers and those he can't lure in he will kill. I know, I've lived through it all, and the aftermath is much worse to live through, especially when the crazy bastard keeps coming back. Wormtail is on his side! I've seen him going to their revels at night, and Wormtail will betray you all. I lived without knowing my parents because of a rat, a filthy traitorous rat. You three owe me more than you'll ever know. All the time I lost, the years of living with the stupid Dursleys. Ten years of my life in that bloody cupboard under the stairs. I'm not strong enough. I can't do it again, not when I know what you're like," Harry said, his entire body trembling as his knees gave out and he wrapped his arms around his stomach and began to rock his body back and forth.

The Gryffindors and the two Slytherins stared at the fallen boy, unsure of what to say or do. It was James that stepped forward and knelt before the boy that looked so much like him, and James was surprised when that boy looked up and their eyes locked, as Harry reached out his hand and touched James cheek. "I'm so scared that this is all a dream. That I'll wake up and be back in that stupid cupboard with the spiders. Or I'll wake up in the graveyard holding Cedric Diggory's body. He died because of me. My godfather died because of me. SO many people have died and will die because of me. My dad died for my mum and me, and she died to protect me from the killing curse. I just want it all to stop."

"How did you get your scars?" Lucius asked, the curiosity surfacing in him once again, as he knelt down next to James to look at one of the only genuine friends he'd ever known, actually feeling concern for the strange boy.

Harry swallowed thickly before meeting grey eyes. "The scar on my forehead is from surviving the killing curse. My mum died to protect me and she succeeded. The lashes on my back, those are from being taken by Death Eaters. They wanted me to join them. My power combined with Voldemort's would rival even Dumbledore's power. I was willing to allow them to kill me, but when they started talking about taking Ron and Hermione... I couldn't let that happen so I escaped for them."

"Oh come on James, you don't believe this do you? He's a Slytherin! They've probably had this little talk planned out long before we got here," Sirius spat, and that was when Harry suddenly got to his feet and strode over to his godfather.

"Are you really so thick? Gods, why did I ever look up to you? Maybe twelve years in Azkaban would do you good, but I'm not willing to pay the rest of that price!" Harry snapped and pulling back his fist let it fly until it had impact with Sirius' left eye and knocked the taller boy flat.

"What are you bloody talking about, Harry? You sound like a madman," Severus finally cut in, although he couldn't suppress the satisfied smirk at seeing Black on his arse, gingerly touching his left eye (which was already beginning to swell), and looking up in shock at the boy who was shaking his fist and glaring down at him.

"Nothing!" Harry snapped, "They aren't ready to listen yet. Let's just go. I can't take much more of this."

Then Harry was walking out of the door, Lucius and Severus following the boy's lead, leaving the three Gryffindors behind to sort themselves out. They were nearing the entrance to the Slytherin common room when a girl stepped out before them. Her red hair glimmering in the firelight from the torches on the wall.

"Why did you hit Peter?" she demanded, her eyes flickering angrily.

"He's a traitor, and the lot of you Gryffindors are too stupid and naïve to see it," Harry ground out, before he tried to brush past her and continue on to his common room, but she stepped in his path to block him.

Lucius rolled his eyes at the display and then snapped, "Stupid Gryffindor mudblood, run to Potter, you're obviously wanted there."

Harry's eyes went dark with anger, as he suddenly hauled up Lucius by his robes and shoved him against the wall, effectively pinning him there. Lucius' grey eyes widened as he stared into the green eyes of his friend, as Harry growled, "Don't you ever call her that again. Muggleborns are just as deserving of respect as you are Malfoy. If you ever call her or anyone a mudblood again, I will personally see to it that you remain a ferret for the rest of your existence. Besides, knowing the kind of kid you will have really tempts me to make sure that you are unable to breed, but we're friends now, so I'll give you this one chance to get over being a bigot. Don't fuck up."

Lily was staring wide eyed at Harry as he slowly let Lucius go and backed off, and Severus was chuckling at what he'd just witnessed.

"All right, Granger," Lucius said, a faint pink coloring his cheeks as he began to straighten his clothes.

"It's time to start thinking for yourself, instead of trying to become your father," Harry replied, and at this Lucius thoroughly paled, apparently Lucius' greatest fear was to become his father, and this was made plainly evident to those present by the look of horror on the boy's face.

Snape was thoroughly and grudgingly impressed with Harry Granger. It took a hell of person to stand up to a Malfoy, and Harry had done it twice. Harry then saw to walking Lily to the stairs that led out of the dungeon, before he rejoined Severus and a shaken Lucius and then the three of them headed toward the Slytherin common room.