Disclaimer: It's all J.K. Rowling's.
Author's Note: *Why* is it that I am unable to stick to writing one story? This plot bunny danced its way into my brain and I couldn't get rid of it until I wrote it. Yes, there will be subsequent installments, although I seriously hope they will not interfere with "Aftermath and Awakenings." As for the story itself: Yes, it's MWPP, but different than most. (I hope.) I always thought that this would be a cool way to tell a MWPP story. Please be aware that this starts sometime in Harry's fifth year, he is staying with Sirius and Remus over Christmas break, and that an asterisk (*) signifies a flashback, or an end of a flashback. And a huge thank you to Aria* for beta-reading. That said, enjoy.
Beyond the Sea of Time
Chapter One
A Harry Potter Fanfic by Aira
***
"Can you tell me about my parents' time at Hogwarts?"
Sirius Black shot a surprised glance towards his godson, whom was seated across the table. The green eyes Harry had inherited from his mother were fixated on Sirius and full of longing. Sirius himself frowned thoughtfully at the sudden question. Not that it was unexpected, exactly; he should have known that Harry would question him about Lily and James eventually. But still, the question came as a surprise due to its suddenness.
While Sirius considered how exactly the best way to answer this inquiry would be, memories and images of long ago already surfacing. Not the images that had haunted him in Azkaban, the images of lifeless James and Lily. No, he was recalling the glory days, the days when it seemed like the world was going for him.
Shooting the old mischievous grin at his godson, Sirius began with relish. "You want to know about our Hogwarts days, eh?"
Harry's eyes spoke volumes, and Sirius couldn't say he was sorrowed at the prospect of talking about the happier days of the past. It was certainly better than discussing the grim future, and Harry deserved to know more about his parents. So, somewhat rapidly, Sirius began to speak of brighter days not quite forgotten…
*
"BLACK, SIRIUS!" Called out a spectacled, rather severe looking woman.
Sirius stepped forwards to the stool, feeling both uncontrollably nervous and wildly excited at the same time. This was it. At long last, he'd made it to Hogwarts and had every intention of enjoying it to the maximum. Suppressing the nervousness and uncertainty that were threatening to surface, Sirius walked towards the hat with what he hoped seemed like confidence.
"Hmm…what have we here?" the hat said softly in his ear. "A good deal of courage and strength, I see…healthy ambition…fierce loyalty…and not a bad mind either. Dear me, where shall you go?"
'I do *not* care!' Sirius thought hotly. 'Just put me somewhere, please.'
He heard a deep chuckling sound from the brim of the hat. "Fiery one, aren't you? Well, I must start narrowing it down for you, I'm afraid. Let's see…you're loyal, certainly, but not really patient enough for Hufflepuff. You're quite intelligent, but studious enough for Ravenclaw you are not…dear, dear me. That leaves it between Gryffindor and Slytherin…"
The hat considered for some time, until it spoke again. "Well, you're ambitious and cunning to be sure, but what really defines you is your courage and sense of honor. I'm sure you'll do quite well in GRYFFINDOR!"
That last part was shouted out for the whole Hall to hear, and Sirius walked over to the applauding Gryffindor table, grinning with both joy and relief. He sank into a chair, and watched with interest as a young girl with fiery red hair and cool, sea green eyes was being Sorted.
The hat declared her a Gryffindor in a matter of seconds, and she calmly walked over to the table, her face revealing nothing. She took a seat near Sirius'. Glad to have the opportunity to make friends with a fellow Gryffindor, Sirius began to speak. "Hullo," he began in a warm tone. "Name's Sirius Black, future comedian, inventor of the next big broomstick series, and outlaw."
The girl-Lily Evans, was it?-shot him an extremely unimpressed look. "I have ears," she said in a tone dripping with forced patience.
"Right. Just thought I'd like to, you know, talk with other Gryffindors since, you know, we'll be having a lot of classes together and stuff."
It didn't take an alchemist to know that Sirius' statement had been completely babbly and ridiculous sounding. He cursed himself mentally. What was it about this girl that made him feel like a rambling toddler? Where was all that wit and sarcasm that he was always being reprimanded for? Yet somehow, in the face of this strange, cold girl, Sirius found himself at a loss for a droll comment.
The girl called Lily Evans didn't respond directly to Sirius' words; she only rolled her eyes.
*
"Was my mum really like that?"
"I'm afraid so," Sirius said with a chuckle. "At first, at any rate."
"So then what happened?" Harry asked eagerly.
*
Too embarrassed to risk speaking again, Sirius shifted his gaze to "LESTRANGE, DANIEL!", whom was now trying on the Sorting Hat.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The severe, beady-eyed Professor then called out another name: "LUPIN, REMUS!"
Sirius watched on as a frail boy with light brown hair, slate gray eyes, and skin as white as a ghost walked quietly up to the stool. Under his eyes were dark shadows that made a sharp contrast against his pale skin, and there where was just something about him that made him seem very old and worn.
After about ten seconds, the hat declared the boy a Gryffindor. He gave a small smile, and walked up to his new House. Though the way he carried himself was the epitome of calamity, he seemed almost weary in his walk. Sirius tried not to frown at this as he greeted his new classmate with his customary amiability.
His words were much better received than his previous attempt at making conversation. Sirius soon found him talking animatedly to this boy called Remus Lupin, who listened with both attentiveness and awkwardness, as if he weren't used to being treated so kindly. His gray eyes soon wandered up to the nearly full moon and Sirius wondered about the dark, loathing expression that briefly crossed his face.
Realizing he was being watched, the boy quickly tore his gaze from the sky, and the two commenced their conversation. They were soon joined by Peter Pettigrew, a small and rather nervous looking boy with dirty blonde hair and small black eyes, and James Potter, a tall, confident-looking fellow, with tossed black hair, round glasses, and a friendly smile that you couldn't help but like.
The four conversed quietly throughout the duration of the feast, and Sirius couldn't have been happier. He had made it to Hogwarts, and better yet, he had made friends. At that moment, Sirius Black felt like nothing in the world could ever hurt him.
The months that followed were among the most enjoyable of Sirius' (rather short) life. He made fast friends with James, Remus, and Peter, earned respectable grades without much effort, and had even gained the respect of several older students due to some more outrageous pranks. Sirius was on good terms with his fellow first years, with the exception of those in Slytherin. Truth be told, Sirius and his friends were quite at odds with the majority of Slytherin House. This was particularly true of Severus Snape, a greasy-haired boy with a hooked nose who was known for his knowledge of the Dark Arts and his skill in Potions. The boy had an arrogant, condescending manner of which Sirius took an immediate dislike to. Unfortunately, Professor Kerrington, the Potions Master, had picked up on this and forced the two to work together in hopes they would learn to "sort out their differences." This did nothing but heighten the animosity between the two, and they were well-known rivals. Many a detention had been served by both parties on account of the scuffles of which they were prone to.
But while bouts of fighting in the corridors were far from uncommon, Sirius preferred to descend to more creative ways of expressing his distaste with the Slytherins. There was a certain satisfaction received from turning Snape's boots into rabbits and like pranks of the like that could not be matched. James seemed to derive as much pleasure as Sirius from such pranks. Remus pretended not to, but Sirius recognized such as a pretense. Then there was Peter, who usually played along passively after objecting initially. Why he did so was a mystery to Sirius.
At any rate, we now find our heroes plotting revenge.
"I can't believe it! How dare he!"
It was with these words that Sirius stormed into the common room one night. James, who was playing chess with Remus at the moment, lazily turned his gaze towards Sirius. "What's Snape done this time?" he asked in an almost bored tone.
"He told Filch that I was dripping mud over the floors, and now I've got to clean the trophy room!" Sirius fumed.
"Tough," Remus remarked as he moved a piece. "But I think we really ought to keep a low profile since we've just spent a week polishing trophies over that, er, girls' dormitory incident…"
Sirius heard none of this. "I think we really should teach the stupid git his place!"
"And how exactly does the great Sirius Black plan to do that?"
"Oh…I've a few ideas."
"And those would be?"
"How d'you suppose Snape would cope with having to obey every order he gets for a day?"
*
Harry laughed. "Did you really do that?"
"Absolutely."
"How?"
"They're called Obedience Potions," Sirius replied with a devilish grin.
"So Snape had to obey everything?"
"For a whole day."
"Wow…what happened?"
Sirius chortled at that. "The question is not 'what happened?', the question is what didn't happen. People were practically forming lines to have their order obeyed by Severus Snape, and each was better than the last. He had to bow down to people who he normally didn't give a second glance, shout obscenities to teachers, and even dance in the middle of the Great Hall."
At that, the rapturous laughter that Harry and Sirius had barely been restraining broke out.
*
Amusing though their prank was, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James paid for their actions. Lily Evans had witnessed James pouring the potion into Snape's pumpkin juice, and reported such to Professor Dumbledore. At this, all four pleaded guilty and were assigned detention. It was upon returning from this detention, however, that they overheard an enigmatic conversation that would be a puzzle for months to come.
From inside an empty classroom came the voice of Professor Jones, the Herbology teacher. Her tone held none of her usual composure as she spoke. "We can't go on like this, Greg!"
"We do not have to," a deep male voice said in reply. "If you are ready…"
"*No*, Greg!" Jones' voice snapped sharply.
"Rather foolish, Joanna."
"I don't care if it is or not--*no*!"
"Dear, dear, Anna…please. *Think* about this! Think about the future!" the man's voice had a growing edge to it.
"I have," came the equally sharp reply. "Which is exactly why…no. I won't. I refuse. And you should too…"
"I'll do what I like, thank you."
"Then so will I."
There was a brief silence, and then the man's voice came again. "Don't think of it as cowardice, or betrayal. Think of it as protecting what really matters to you."
"Greg…I…please," Professor Jones said quite helplessly, her control breaking.
"I don't want to harm you, Joanna. Do what I have told you and I won't have to."
"I…wait…no…please, please…just…please. Listen."
Even from outside the classroom, Sirius could hear her ragged breaths. He shot a bewildered look at James, who was apparently as confused as he was. Before Sirius had the chance to say anything, however, a bitter laugh came from the classroom. "Dear, dear Joanna. Never knew what's best for you. Always out to protect your hopeless ideals, no matter what the cost. Give me the stone, I tell you. I would so hate to go to…ah…Unforgivable depths."
At this, the conversation seemed to cease, and Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter scurried back to Gryffindor Tower, minds full of wonder and confusion at the conversation they had just heard.
*
Author's Note: Well, how was this? Please review below; constructive criticism is much appreciated.
Author's Note: *Why* is it that I am unable to stick to writing one story? This plot bunny danced its way into my brain and I couldn't get rid of it until I wrote it. Yes, there will be subsequent installments, although I seriously hope they will not interfere with "Aftermath and Awakenings." As for the story itself: Yes, it's MWPP, but different than most. (I hope.) I always thought that this would be a cool way to tell a MWPP story. Please be aware that this starts sometime in Harry's fifth year, he is staying with Sirius and Remus over Christmas break, and that an asterisk (*) signifies a flashback, or an end of a flashback. And a huge thank you to Aria* for beta-reading. That said, enjoy.
Beyond the Sea of Time
Chapter One
A Harry Potter Fanfic by Aira
***
"Can you tell me about my parents' time at Hogwarts?"
Sirius Black shot a surprised glance towards his godson, whom was seated across the table. The green eyes Harry had inherited from his mother were fixated on Sirius and full of longing. Sirius himself frowned thoughtfully at the sudden question. Not that it was unexpected, exactly; he should have known that Harry would question him about Lily and James eventually. But still, the question came as a surprise due to its suddenness.
While Sirius considered how exactly the best way to answer this inquiry would be, memories and images of long ago already surfacing. Not the images that had haunted him in Azkaban, the images of lifeless James and Lily. No, he was recalling the glory days, the days when it seemed like the world was going for him.
Shooting the old mischievous grin at his godson, Sirius began with relish. "You want to know about our Hogwarts days, eh?"
Harry's eyes spoke volumes, and Sirius couldn't say he was sorrowed at the prospect of talking about the happier days of the past. It was certainly better than discussing the grim future, and Harry deserved to know more about his parents. So, somewhat rapidly, Sirius began to speak of brighter days not quite forgotten…
*
"BLACK, SIRIUS!" Called out a spectacled, rather severe looking woman.
Sirius stepped forwards to the stool, feeling both uncontrollably nervous and wildly excited at the same time. This was it. At long last, he'd made it to Hogwarts and had every intention of enjoying it to the maximum. Suppressing the nervousness and uncertainty that were threatening to surface, Sirius walked towards the hat with what he hoped seemed like confidence.
"Hmm…what have we here?" the hat said softly in his ear. "A good deal of courage and strength, I see…healthy ambition…fierce loyalty…and not a bad mind either. Dear me, where shall you go?"
'I do *not* care!' Sirius thought hotly. 'Just put me somewhere, please.'
He heard a deep chuckling sound from the brim of the hat. "Fiery one, aren't you? Well, I must start narrowing it down for you, I'm afraid. Let's see…you're loyal, certainly, but not really patient enough for Hufflepuff. You're quite intelligent, but studious enough for Ravenclaw you are not…dear, dear me. That leaves it between Gryffindor and Slytherin…"
The hat considered for some time, until it spoke again. "Well, you're ambitious and cunning to be sure, but what really defines you is your courage and sense of honor. I'm sure you'll do quite well in GRYFFINDOR!"
That last part was shouted out for the whole Hall to hear, and Sirius walked over to the applauding Gryffindor table, grinning with both joy and relief. He sank into a chair, and watched with interest as a young girl with fiery red hair and cool, sea green eyes was being Sorted.
The hat declared her a Gryffindor in a matter of seconds, and she calmly walked over to the table, her face revealing nothing. She took a seat near Sirius'. Glad to have the opportunity to make friends with a fellow Gryffindor, Sirius began to speak. "Hullo," he began in a warm tone. "Name's Sirius Black, future comedian, inventor of the next big broomstick series, and outlaw."
The girl-Lily Evans, was it?-shot him an extremely unimpressed look. "I have ears," she said in a tone dripping with forced patience.
"Right. Just thought I'd like to, you know, talk with other Gryffindors since, you know, we'll be having a lot of classes together and stuff."
It didn't take an alchemist to know that Sirius' statement had been completely babbly and ridiculous sounding. He cursed himself mentally. What was it about this girl that made him feel like a rambling toddler? Where was all that wit and sarcasm that he was always being reprimanded for? Yet somehow, in the face of this strange, cold girl, Sirius found himself at a loss for a droll comment.
The girl called Lily Evans didn't respond directly to Sirius' words; she only rolled her eyes.
*
"Was my mum really like that?"
"I'm afraid so," Sirius said with a chuckle. "At first, at any rate."
"So then what happened?" Harry asked eagerly.
*
Too embarrassed to risk speaking again, Sirius shifted his gaze to "LESTRANGE, DANIEL!", whom was now trying on the Sorting Hat.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The severe, beady-eyed Professor then called out another name: "LUPIN, REMUS!"
Sirius watched on as a frail boy with light brown hair, slate gray eyes, and skin as white as a ghost walked quietly up to the stool. Under his eyes were dark shadows that made a sharp contrast against his pale skin, and there where was just something about him that made him seem very old and worn.
After about ten seconds, the hat declared the boy a Gryffindor. He gave a small smile, and walked up to his new House. Though the way he carried himself was the epitome of calamity, he seemed almost weary in his walk. Sirius tried not to frown at this as he greeted his new classmate with his customary amiability.
His words were much better received than his previous attempt at making conversation. Sirius soon found him talking animatedly to this boy called Remus Lupin, who listened with both attentiveness and awkwardness, as if he weren't used to being treated so kindly. His gray eyes soon wandered up to the nearly full moon and Sirius wondered about the dark, loathing expression that briefly crossed his face.
Realizing he was being watched, the boy quickly tore his gaze from the sky, and the two commenced their conversation. They were soon joined by Peter Pettigrew, a small and rather nervous looking boy with dirty blonde hair and small black eyes, and James Potter, a tall, confident-looking fellow, with tossed black hair, round glasses, and a friendly smile that you couldn't help but like.
The four conversed quietly throughout the duration of the feast, and Sirius couldn't have been happier. He had made it to Hogwarts, and better yet, he had made friends. At that moment, Sirius Black felt like nothing in the world could ever hurt him.
The months that followed were among the most enjoyable of Sirius' (rather short) life. He made fast friends with James, Remus, and Peter, earned respectable grades without much effort, and had even gained the respect of several older students due to some more outrageous pranks. Sirius was on good terms with his fellow first years, with the exception of those in Slytherin. Truth be told, Sirius and his friends were quite at odds with the majority of Slytherin House. This was particularly true of Severus Snape, a greasy-haired boy with a hooked nose who was known for his knowledge of the Dark Arts and his skill in Potions. The boy had an arrogant, condescending manner of which Sirius took an immediate dislike to. Unfortunately, Professor Kerrington, the Potions Master, had picked up on this and forced the two to work together in hopes they would learn to "sort out their differences." This did nothing but heighten the animosity between the two, and they were well-known rivals. Many a detention had been served by both parties on account of the scuffles of which they were prone to.
But while bouts of fighting in the corridors were far from uncommon, Sirius preferred to descend to more creative ways of expressing his distaste with the Slytherins. There was a certain satisfaction received from turning Snape's boots into rabbits and like pranks of the like that could not be matched. James seemed to derive as much pleasure as Sirius from such pranks. Remus pretended not to, but Sirius recognized such as a pretense. Then there was Peter, who usually played along passively after objecting initially. Why he did so was a mystery to Sirius.
At any rate, we now find our heroes plotting revenge.
"I can't believe it! How dare he!"
It was with these words that Sirius stormed into the common room one night. James, who was playing chess with Remus at the moment, lazily turned his gaze towards Sirius. "What's Snape done this time?" he asked in an almost bored tone.
"He told Filch that I was dripping mud over the floors, and now I've got to clean the trophy room!" Sirius fumed.
"Tough," Remus remarked as he moved a piece. "But I think we really ought to keep a low profile since we've just spent a week polishing trophies over that, er, girls' dormitory incident…"
Sirius heard none of this. "I think we really should teach the stupid git his place!"
"And how exactly does the great Sirius Black plan to do that?"
"Oh…I've a few ideas."
"And those would be?"
"How d'you suppose Snape would cope with having to obey every order he gets for a day?"
*
Harry laughed. "Did you really do that?"
"Absolutely."
"How?"
"They're called Obedience Potions," Sirius replied with a devilish grin.
"So Snape had to obey everything?"
"For a whole day."
"Wow…what happened?"
Sirius chortled at that. "The question is not 'what happened?', the question is what didn't happen. People were practically forming lines to have their order obeyed by Severus Snape, and each was better than the last. He had to bow down to people who he normally didn't give a second glance, shout obscenities to teachers, and even dance in the middle of the Great Hall."
At that, the rapturous laughter that Harry and Sirius had barely been restraining broke out.
*
Amusing though their prank was, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James paid for their actions. Lily Evans had witnessed James pouring the potion into Snape's pumpkin juice, and reported such to Professor Dumbledore. At this, all four pleaded guilty and were assigned detention. It was upon returning from this detention, however, that they overheard an enigmatic conversation that would be a puzzle for months to come.
From inside an empty classroom came the voice of Professor Jones, the Herbology teacher. Her tone held none of her usual composure as she spoke. "We can't go on like this, Greg!"
"We do not have to," a deep male voice said in reply. "If you are ready…"
"*No*, Greg!" Jones' voice snapped sharply.
"Rather foolish, Joanna."
"I don't care if it is or not--*no*!"
"Dear, dear, Anna…please. *Think* about this! Think about the future!" the man's voice had a growing edge to it.
"I have," came the equally sharp reply. "Which is exactly why…no. I won't. I refuse. And you should too…"
"I'll do what I like, thank you."
"Then so will I."
There was a brief silence, and then the man's voice came again. "Don't think of it as cowardice, or betrayal. Think of it as protecting what really matters to you."
"Greg…I…please," Professor Jones said quite helplessly, her control breaking.
"I don't want to harm you, Joanna. Do what I have told you and I won't have to."
"I…wait…no…please, please…just…please. Listen."
Even from outside the classroom, Sirius could hear her ragged breaths. He shot a bewildered look at James, who was apparently as confused as he was. Before Sirius had the chance to say anything, however, a bitter laugh came from the classroom. "Dear, dear Joanna. Never knew what's best for you. Always out to protect your hopeless ideals, no matter what the cost. Give me the stone, I tell you. I would so hate to go to…ah…Unforgivable depths."
At this, the conversation seemed to cease, and Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter scurried back to Gryffindor Tower, minds full of wonder and confusion at the conversation they had just heard.
*
Author's Note: Well, how was this? Please review below; constructive criticism is much appreciated.