-hesitantly peeks out into the Harry Potter Universe, then quickly steps in-
Hello! I'm actually starting this story, man this feels weird. Anyway, if you check my other stories you'll see that they're all DBZ. This will probably be one of only a few HP fics I will write. Anyway, if you know a good time travel fic, tell me! I'm going to list good time travel fics at the bottom of each chapter, probably only one or two at a time with summaries.

Templa Otmena - this is for you.

Warning: this takes place right before Harry's sixth year. So Harry will be the exact same as he was at the end of fifth, except with having had the summer to grieve Sirius. Translation - Harry will have no spectacular powers, no Heir of Gryffindor stuff, no special magical pets, or crazy stories of being captured by Death eaters and then miraculously escaping.

I'll try not to focus too much on irony or foreshadowing (there's always so much temptation). No extensive Peter bashing either. But definite J/L fluff.

Disclaimer: -empties out empty pockets- Does it look like I'm getting book and movie and merchandise royalties?

So without further ado -

Hold me while I'm here –

The new arrival

So hold me when I'm here

Right me when I'm wrong

You can hold me when I'm scared

You won't always be there

So love me when I'm gone . . .

"When I'm gone" by 3 Doors Down

"Oh beloved Hogwarts," James breathed with a big smile. He looked over the bright decorations of the Great Hall and swarms of students and gave a contented sigh. "At last I have returned."

"We have returned," Sirius immediately corrected, pausing from his inspection of his dinner plate.

"To many more trips into the Forbidden Forest and sneaking around the school," continued the black-haired boy heedlessly.

"To many more pranks on that slimy git." There was only one, and there would only ever be one, slimy git in Sirius' mind.

"To many more visits to Hogsmeade and the kitchens." The candies of Honeydukes were already floating through Peter's mind.

"To many more nights cleaning the trophy room by hand and studying books at one in the morning." Immediately the boys swiveled their heads to their last companion in disbelief.

"Aww Moony, do you have to bring up studying?" Peter moaned while James and Sirius took on disgusted looks, as if being confronted by something truly rancid. Then again of the four seated, he was the one who always had to study just to pass.

"We are here to pull pranks, have fun, and get in loads of trouble," James said sternly.

"Not to study," Sirius finished, saying the last word like it was poison. Remus rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the corners of his mouth from turning upward. You'd never suspected that they managed to pass all their classes with flying colors. Jerks they were, but the truest friends a boy, especially a werewolf, could have.

"Then to many detentions and to even more that we should get, but never will," Remus declared. The other boys' faces immediately brightened.

"Here, here," cheered Sirius, thumping his hand on the table lustily.

"To the Marauders' sixth year," James toasted loudly, raising his glass and springing up. Each boy snatched up their glass at once and crashed them together, only the fact they were metal and not glass preventing their being shattered.

They raised the goblets to the mouths, but then paused.

"You know, this would probably be better if we actually had liquid in our cups," Remus finally said intelligently. The others nodded sagely.

Sirius eyed his plate mournfully. When would the sorting be done? It was taking an eternity. And he was starving!

"Must, have, food," he groaned like a man dying of thirst in a desert. James rolled his eyes.

"Shut it Padfoot," he muttered under his breath. "You're missing the introduction of all the new Gryffindors."

"But I'm hungry!"

James had to resist the urge to throttle his best friend, who was now doing a good impression of a whiny five-year-old. Remus pursed his lips together, holding in his laugh. Peter just shook his head.

"Look we're all hungry, but you whining about it isn't going to make it better." James' stomach rumbled in agreement.

Sirius pouted. "But I'm part dog! I need more food!"

James glanced at Remus. "If Moony can wait for food, and he's part wolf -no offense-"

"None taken," the other boy replied amicably.

"Then so can you." Sirius just slumped over his place despondently. Remus and Peter exchanged a look and couldn't help it - they burst out laughing. James simply raised his eyes to the enchanted ceiling.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he muttered dramatically. However the Headmaster chose that moment to disrupt their little show. He clinked his spoon against his goblet signaling for silence and the welcoming of new house members came to a gradual close. Sirius' head shot up.

"Food!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Due to unusual circumstances, I have the pleasure of making an unprecedented announcement this evening."

"The food can't be gone!" The now frantic boy was shrugged off by his fellow Marauders, who were all intrigued by what the announcement could be and highly doubted it was about house elves revolting.

"We have the honor of welcoming an exchange student into our midst." Immediately whispers broke out.

"An exchange student?" James echoed in confusion.

"Hogwarts doesn't have exchange students," Remus muttered suspiciously. Sirius frowned at this remark, finally becoming, well, serious.

"This happens to be a rather usual occurrence in the muggle world, and so I have decided that Hogwarts should take in a trial student. This student has been at a local wizard school nearby and will spend exactly one school year here. He is in his sixth year and will now be sorted."

"Sixth year?" The boys looked at each other.

"You don't think he'll be put in Gryffindor," Peter wondered, speaking the thought they were all thinking, "do you?"

Dumbledore gave a hand gesture that was evidently a sign. All eyes went to the grand door of the hall, which slowly opened. And there he was.

His height was indeterminable from where they were sitting, but best estimate was probably about James' height. His voluminous robes hid any details of his body, though they were loose enough for one to guess that he was rather lithe. His eyes were a brilliant green and partly obscured by the boy's bangs. His blond bangs. After a second, the boy's hand nervously lifted as if to brush them out of his eyes, but sank back down without doing so. Taking a deep breath the boy swept down between the house tables, igniting a roar of whispers. He ignored them, as if from much practice, and finally made his way to the Sorting seat. As he tentatively placed the hat on his head, the swell of murmurs died down and in that moment his eyes meet James'.

James couldn't put his finger on the emotions that played in the boy's eyes, for scarcely was one there then it disappeared for another to replace it. In the back of his head though he couldn't help wonder: why did the boy seem tantalizingly familiar? Just as James' head began to ache, the boy's eyes dropped.

After a moment he realized the boy's lips were moving and he was frowning. He cocked his head. "Is he arguing with the hat?" he muttered.

"If he is, I like him already." James jumped. He'd forgotten his friends were still there. Sirius didn't notice, his eyes intently trained on the boy on the hot seat. "Not letting the hat force him into a house he doesn't want," he muttered. "I did something like that to avoid Slytherin." Remus arched an eyebrow; so that's how Sirius had avoided the fate of the rest of the Black clan. Peter gaped. Argue with the hat? You didn't argue with objects with that much power!

James refocused his eyes on the boy and was surprised to find him clutching his wand and muttering darkly. Whatever the hat was saying, the boy was not agreeing. He leaned forward, rising slightly from his seat, to see if he could tell what the boy was saying. So what if he'd never learned how to read lips? Unfortunately, in his preoccupation, James neglected to remember that there were many plates on the table he was using to support him - plates that did not like being leaned on. And with just a little accidental nudge from his best friend, he fell sprawled face down into the middle of banquet table with a resounding crash.

Okay, his friends were never going to let him live this down.

Sirius was on the floor, rolling as his barking laugh propelled him back and forth. Remus was holding the table as he tried to control himself - and failing miserably one might add. Peter, after staring in shock for one second, was laughing so hard he was close to wetting himself.

None of them noticed the way the boy's eyes latched unto them, drinking in the sight of their carefree merriment with a desperate thirst. Or the way a sneaky smile crept unto his face, his hand loosening from his wand, as the hat seemed to finally tell him something he wanted. They however did notice the loud final pronouncement of the Sorting Hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius managed to drag himself off the floor and the others resumed their seats, James red-faced and the others still snickering, as Dumbledore, a smile tugging at his mouth, swept over to the boy and removed the hat. He then led the boy to where the Marauders were arranged.

"Boys, I'd like you to meet your new roommate - Harry Patterson."

And as they surveyed each other, all including Dumbledore had the exact same thought, a feat that would never happen again.

'This is going to be a very interesting year.'

Did I freak out anybody with the blond hair? It'll be explained next chapter, which will be Harry's side of the story. I was going to include it in this chapter, but I put in so much Marauder fluff, it wouldn't have fit.

Update in a week or less. About the song - I'll be putting up bits & pieces as I feel they fit. I was actually torn between naming this what I did or 'Love me when I'm gone.'

Toodles!

Nitte iz