The Marauders Year Five Part 2 #Wattys2017

Timelines

Remus blinked in surprise, "Blimey! No; why would she have?"

"Well, I had to run from Number 12, and I ran as a stag and I ended up in a department store and kept getting caught in displays in the store and there were death eaters chasing me and then there was McGonagall at the door and she caught me up and poof we were outside the gates here - me and Minnie and Lucy. I had purses and things all stuck up in my antlers, Rey."

Remus laughed, "No, that didn't happen and if it had, I'd be really sad I didn't get to see it!"

James said, "So how did we get back to Hogwarts, then?"

"Well, because Sirius was being so kind to him, Regulus told Sirius about where you and Maryrose had gone and why and we told Gideon Prewett and he and Dumbledore went to get you lot form the square at Grimmauld Place. So they brought you and Lucy here, and Pomfrey treated Lucy and gave you some potion to rest. Then Dumbledore came in with Maryrose, who couldn't remember much of what happened. So nobody really knew much of what happened..."

"I saved her," James said. "Me from the future."

"Right." Remus paused. "Dumbledore must've put a memory charm on her or something, maybe. I dunno. But anyway... She knew where the Minister was - apparently Rudolphus had said it or something and she told you, and the moment the two of you were out of the hospital wing you went off on another adventure - you and Sirius - and you rescued the Minister."

"What?" James looked perplexed, "Me and Sirius did?"

Remus nodded, "You lot snuck out through the Shrieking Shack to Hogmeade and took the floo to London and kidnapped the Minister for Magic back out of the basement at the Malfoy's. He rewarded you both for your efforts. A thousand galleons each, and big medals and your photos were in the Daily Prophet. It was incredible. Your mum and dad were really proud, James. Your dad sent you howlers everyday for a week just to shout about how fabulous you are - Saving the Minister for Magic! His son! A hero to the wizarding world!" Remus smiled.

James flushed and looked down with an embarrassed chuckle, "That sounds like him."

Remus laughed. "Well, you were quite proud of it. Plastered copies of the paper all over. Tried to get Lily Evans to go out with you. Kept pointing out what a hero you are. But she was already seeing Jasper by then. You made a big production one night in the common room that Jasper Odair is just the Hufflepuff James Potter and made a terrible scene of it. Lily started arguing with you, saying that Jasper was --" he paused and cringed.

"What?"

"....she said he was ten times the quidditch player - nay, man - than you are, and you got all worked up. Oh James, you were nearly as dramatic as Sirius over it. You decided you had to win the next quidditch match against Hufflepuff, it was just so bloody important to you. You'd think the prize was the hand of Lily Evans the way you acted. You were outside constantly practicing..."

"And?" James hoped maybe he was a bit more manly in this timeline than he'd been in his own, that maybe he'd managed to hold onto his own broomstick and not had the humiliation of being caught by Jasper Odair...

"...and you lost," Remus said gently, as though saying it gently made it any less horrible to hear!

James deflated. "Well that's bloody horrible."

"Yeah. You were quite upset about it. So, um... the next day, Lily made a big production of going over to the Hufflepuff table to congratulate Jasper... and you were going mad about it, so you decided to go over to the Hufflepuff table, too, just to annoy her - so you went over to talk to Maryrose and Lily got annoyed with you being over there and she made some comment about how you were only there because of her and Jasper and you said you weren't, you were there to talk to Maryrose... and she said you were a liar, and you said you weren't - that you loved Maryrose and for Lily to shut up on it and leave you alone and... When you came back from Hufflepuff you sort of unceremoniously informed us you had a new girlfriend - Maryrose." Remus pursed his lips.