Chapter Text
“James! Look, I found one more cabin that’s available!”
Sirius’s voice cut through the steam-filled chaos of the corridor, gesturing urgently for James, Remus, and Peter to follow. The three boys crowded behind him, peering through the glass pane of the compartment door. Inside sat a lone figure, staring out at the blurred landscape. James immediately noticed the tense slant of the boy's shoulders.
“What about him?” Remus murmured, his brow furrowing as he studied the solitary passenger. “He looks like he’d prefer to be left alone.”
“I don’t think he mind that we’re here, let’s go ask!” James opened the door loudly.
The boy inside jolted, his head snapping around at the sudden intrusion. the Marauders fell momentarily still, observing the boy—black messy hair, button nose, bright green eyes and most importantly, his lightning scar on his forehead. He looks exactly like—himself.
Sirius leaned in close, his voice a low, bewildered whisper in James’s ear. “James... he looks bloody identical to you. Except for the eyes, obviously.”
“Thank you for stating the obvious.” James bites back.
“Uhm-“ the boy fixed his posture closer to the window, clearly he was feeling awkward. “You guys can sit here if you want.” he gestured them to sit.
The marauders looked at each other and accepted the boy’s invitation and take a sit in the cabin. James sit beside the boy while Sirius, Remus and Peter sit in front of them. The boy was about to look out on the window when Sirius spoke.
“I’ve never seen you around Hogwarts before..” the boy startled by the sudden voice. He changed his position to face the four marauders.
“I—uh—I’m a new transfer student—“ the boy bite his lips, a nervous tremor underlying his posture.
“We never had a transfer student before, right?” Peter looked confused.
“Actually, there was one documented case of a student transferring in 1942, I’ve heard.” Remus stated. “But it was never completely recorded in Hogwarts list.”
James and Sirius offered vague, nodding acknowledgments, while Peter merely blinked, trying to process Remus’s statement. The boy look stiffed as if he doesn’t want to be near anyone.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” James faced the boy and accidentally locked eyes with him. The boy looked away.
A heavy silence stretched between them for a full minute before the boy finally answered.“Granger.” he paused. “Harry Granger.” the tone of the boy wasn’t very pleasant but James knew he tried to be friendly deep down.
“Are you a muggleborn?”
Granger turns to face Remus and pause for a bit again before answering.
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason why you transfer here?” Sirius interjected, his curiosity overriding his manners.
“Oh—My family used to lived in America, since my parents want to work closer to their hometown which is England, they decided that I should transfer to Hogwarts.” Granger answered carefully. “They didn't want to leave me behind at Ilvermorny on my own, so... they arranged the transfer.” he continued. The four Marauders nodded in unison, the explanation seemingly satisfying their collective interrogation
“Well Granger, Let me be the first to say— Welcome to Hogwarts!” James smacked the back of Granger’s back. The force of the sudden slap nearly launched Granger forward off the bench and James, Sirius and Remus laughed but Peter just stayed silent.
“Merlin, James! You gotta warn the innocent bloke before you smack him.” Sirius cackled, sliding across the seat to crowd in next to James.
“Right, sorry about that, Granger!” James said apologetically. Granger just waved his hand.
“You can call me Harry—“ Harry adjust his position and chuckled slightly.
The tension between the five of them decreased and James might decided bringing Harry into their inner circle but he noticed Peter going strangely stiff every now and then.
“Do you know which houses you’re gonna be in?” Remus questioned.
“I’m not sure—“
“I bet he will be in gryffindor! Trust!” James put his arm around Harry’s shoulder.
Harry tilted his head up, a single black eyebrow raised in mild amusement. “And what makes you so certain?”
“I can see it in your eyes, you have the pride in you.” James said jokingly. Harry chuckled, amused by the answer.
“Speaking of which.” Sirius chimed in, leaning forward to address Remus and Peter. “Don’t you guys see the resemblance between James and Harry?”
“Know that you mentioned it, you guys look exactly alike, like twins.” Peter said anxiously.
“Yeah, except the eyes.” Remus stated.
James can feel Harry’s body froze by the sudden statement. He wonders why.
“Your eyes are the same colour as Lily Evans.” Remus pointed out. James look at Harry’s eyes, directly locked eyes with him.
“Oh my—your eyes do match Lily flower’s green orbs.” He loosened his grip on Harry's shoulder, leaning in closer to get a better look. Sirius snorted.
“James, I think you’re making Harry uncomfortable.” He yanks James backward by the collar of his robes. Looking back at Harry, who was clearly uncomfortable.
“Ow—Bloody hell, Padfoot!” James barked, fumbling for his wand to hex his best friend, but Sirius was already faster, raising a shield charm.
“Not a chance, Prongs!” Sirius cackled.
The atmosphere in the cabin became more lively. James thought to himself that there might a new addition to his group of friends. Something about Harry draws James like there is some kind of phantom tug at his heartstrings that felt dangerously like a blood bond.
Maybe he was? Just because both of his parents were muggles, that doesn’t mean his ancestor doesn’t have wixen blood.
“Have you tried playing Quidditch?” Sirius asked.
Harry’s eyes instantly lit up, the shadows lifting from his face. “Oh, yeah. I played Seeker back at school.”
“Really? You need to try our quidditch try outs then, our seeker is a bit rubbish.” Remus and Peter snorted while James looked at Sirius in disbelief.
“How dare you insulted me to my face—“ James dramatically gasped, clutching his chest.
Sirius grinned. “Relax, you know I’m just joking around.” He paused. “Or not?” five of them burst out laughing.
This year might be interesting then, James thought.
.
.
Harry was at a loss. Literally loss.
After his mission in 1942, stopping Tom Riddle from fracturing his soul, altering the trajectory of the universe to prevent the rise of the world’s most terrifying Dark Lord, he decided that he would traveled back to his time without saying goodbye to the Knights of Walpurgis.
It ached terribly to not say goodbye to them, especially to Tom but he knew they won’t let him go so easily if he exchanges goodbye.
He had fallen in love with the man—the very boy he had been raised to hate, the boy who, in another timeline, had murdered his parents. After almost two years in 1942 to 1943, he grown to love this very time, his Tom and he would remembered their loved together.
Unfortunately, time was not on his side. He swore to himself that if he succeeded to change Tom’s future, he would return to his rightful place in the future. Their love was an anomaly, never meant to be.
Until, when he used the relic of time, it malfunctioned and as a result, it sucked Harry to the year of 1976–his parents Hogwart’s days.
Harry was baffled, he doesn’t know what to do, he couldn’t fixed the relic of time as he doesn’t understand the concept of the relic. The only person he can turned to was Professor Dumbledore.
Aside from Tom, Professor Dumbledore was the only soul who knew Harry's true identity as a time traveler. He meets up with Professor Dumbledore and explains his situation only to be met with profound shock that Professor Dumbledore actually remembered him as Harry Evans in 1942, the sixth-year transfer student. Professor Dumbledore explained his theory that by remaining in the past for so long, Harry's magical signature had become permanently woven into the tapestry of the timeline. Magic had accepted him as a living, conscious entity inherent to this alternate timeline.
Harry handed the relic of time to Professor Dumbledore and questioned him whether or not he can fix it the relic and luckily, Professor Dumbledore reassured him that the relic of time can be fix but it would take many months to secure the relic of time as it was one of the ancient relic from thousands of years ago.
Professor Dumbledore has decided to enrolled Harry at Hogwarts for safety precautions. Harry was hesitated at first, he doesn’t want to go to Hogwarts along side his perfectly alive parents and also teenagers but Professor Dumbledore insisted to enrolled Harry. After a few gently persuasion, he reluctantly agreed.
Professor Dumbledore sent Harry to a remote not-so village as his hideout and Harry began his preparations.
He used Hermione’s last name as his new identity because it will be kind of weird if he used his mother’s last name since his mother attended Hogwarts as well. He doesn’t think anyone bats an eye since Evans was pretty common name in a Muggle world but he doesn’t want any speculation.
He had about two weeks before going to Hogwarts as a ‘new’ transfer student. He needs to be prepared for the worst.
But as the days ticked down to the start of term, a realization had struck him—
If this timeline connects with the timeline where Harry traveled back in time, it means in this timeline, wizarding war never happened, there was no Voldemort—only Tom Riddle.
He hurriedly research about Tom Riddle in this era through wizarding newspaper until he found the specific headline. Tom Riddle was not a greatest terrorist hiding in the shadows, he was the Minister for Magic. Harry was speechless. To think his Tom changed his path, becoming Minister for Magic—shaping the Ministry instead of destroying it, all because a boy named Harry had loved him enough to show him a different way.
He was happy—indescribably happy that his Tom doesn’t turned into the darkness that he once knew. The man that turned the world upside down becomes the lovable and respectable Minister for Magic. Oh how in love he is towards Tom—
But, he knew he can’t meet the man face to face, like he said, it was not meant to be. How he wanted to throw himself into Tom’s arms, to feel the heat of his embrace and declare his love. Harry tried to held himself together, maybe—just maybe if this timeline changes his own timeline, perhaps that would grant them a crossroads in the future. He needs to have faith on fate.
After two weeks of preparing, he was ready to go to Hogwarts. He boards on to Hogwarts express, he slip past by the student in the hall of the train and enters an empty cabin. He thought that nobody would enter here.
Until, the door had burst open, and there he saw—his father, James Potter, and alongside him stood Sirius, Remus... and Peter Pettigrew.
A cold, venomous spike of hatred flared in Harry’s chest at the sight of the traitor, but he forced his face into a mask of polite awkwardness. He look at his young dad—that black hair, button nose and the almost shaped circle glasses. He looks exactly like his dad—except his eyes, of course. When those brown eyes met green. Harry had felt an overwhelming impulse to throw his arms around his father and weep.
Instead, he fixed his position and invited them in.
At first, the atmosphere was very—unpleasant—like he was being interrogated him but after a while, they became opened towards him, especially his dad. He felt like he belonged here. He wanted this—he wanted to be a part of their world, with his dad.
But his gaze kept drifting back to Pettigrew like trying to find a reason behind his betrayal towards his parents. He knew that Pettigrew clearly felt the weight of his stare, shrinking back into his seat but the others don’t so might as well used this opportunity to kill Pettigrew with his death glare.
But seriously, he needs to keep his composure because it will expose him. He doesn’t want to involve too much in this timeline—
He remembered about Snape.
Snape was an arsehole towards him in his timeline but after learning about tragic history behind that cruelty, maybe he can prevent that from happening.
He hated how his dad and his godfather was a reckless, arrogant bullies whose behaviour was utterly inexcusable—he knew they’re just teenagers but of course that doesn’t excuse their behaviour.
Preventing Snape’s bullying might change both of them’s future to become more civil towards each other and maybe—he and Snape can on good terms in the future. Harry let out a long, quiet exhale, waiting for their destination while hearing the marauders about their conversation or most likely—gossips.
He couldn’t wait to see his mother next.