by Austinwoods
Harry shuffled into the headmaster's office uncomfortably. A hundred sets of eyes locked on him as he came through the door. The portraits of the old headmasters seemed rather lively today, but he guessed that the recent activity in the castle would be enough to keep most people awake for a while. The current headmistress wasn't behind her desk. Instead she was across the room unpacking books onto the bottom shelf of the wall. Unlike most witches would have, she was doing the task by hand. Harry thought that might have been because of the destructive magic that the castle had seen of late. McGonagall had been insistent that they repair as much of the damage by hand as they could. According to her it would deepen their appreciation of the school.
Harry had enjoyed the handiwork as well, albeit for a different reason. He found that the hours he spent moving stone and putting portraits back where they belonged help to take his mind off the terrible toll that the battle had taken on the wizarding world. Although it seemed a miracle how many had survived, it didn't change the fact that people had died on his behalf. That was something that Harry was still struggling to come to terms with, even a full month after the defeat of Voldemort.
Harry cleared his throat slightly, and McGonagall glanced up at him. A small smile graced her usually-stern face as she stood and greeted him.
"Hello, Harry. You've come for the pensieve?"
It was strange to hear her call him anything other than "Mr. Potter," but he supposed that that was the least of the changes he was going to have to get used to in the coming months.
"Yeah," he acknowledged.
He clutched the vial of memories tightly in his hand and felt some trepidation building. The last time he had used this pensieve it had been to view a collection of memories that changed almost everything that he knew about a man. This time he hoped the change wasn't so radical.
"It was very thoughtful of Remus to leave them for you," McGonagall said. She spoke in a soft tone that Harry had only rarely heard her use. "I would offer you my own memories, but I don't think that they would add anything to what you already possess. After all, few people knew your parents better than Remus."
Harry wasn't sure what to say so he simply nodded. He had been surprised to find out that Remus had left a will in the event of his death. The few possessions he had were mostly Teddy's now, but he had left something for Harry as well.
To Harry James Potter, I leave my memories of his parents in hopes that he will come to know them as I did.
Harry still recalled the shock that he had felt upon hearing that part of the will. Ginny had squeezed his hand tightly and he had gone through much of the rest of the day in a daze. The last time he'd viewed a memory of his parents it shown a side of his father that he had never wanted to see. Although he had come to accept that his father was a good, but imperfect man, it still stung slightly to have the pure image he had constructed of his parents tarnished.
"I have to speak with Filius about the upcoming year. I'll go down to his office now and give you some privacy."
Harry nodded in response and McGonagall moved briskly out the door of the office. Harry found himself with only the portraits for company. He made to move towards the cabinet that he knew held the pensieve, but thought better of it and made a beeline towards a particular set of paintings behind the headmaster's desk.
"Hello, Harry."
Albus Dumbledore's eyes didn't twinkle as they had in reality, but the portrait captured his kindly smile perfectly. It might have been Harry's imagination, but he thought the old wizard looked more relaxed now than he ever had in life.
"Hello, sir," Harry replied.
"There's no need for such formality between us, Harry. After all, I'm hardly your teacher anymore."
"Yes, sir," Harry said.
Dumbledore chuckled at him. "Minerva tells me that Remus left you some memories of your parents. I believe he wished for you to have more to think of them by than a handful of pictures and the memory of your worst moment."
Harry nodded. "I'm not sure what I'm going to find though. The last time I saw a memory of one of them it didn't go exactly how I'd hoped."
"Ah, Harry, you must remember that your parents were once young as well. James and Lily both grew from their time in Hogwarts to become two of the finest people that I ever knew."
The man in the frame next to Dumbledore scoffed at that. Harry's eyes landed on the figure of Severus Snape. If Dumbledore looked better as a portrait then Snape looked like a new man. The wizard's normally sallow skin had a more natural hue, and he appeared immaculately groomed. Personally, Harry thought the look suited him better than his former one had.
"You may be disappointed, Potter. Your father was no saint." The potions master didn't bother to hide his disdain, but Harry had expected no less.
"Now, Severus, you didn't know James as a man. I daresay that your opinion of him might not be the most unbiased."
Snape scoffed again, but said nothing in response. Harry thanked the two headmasters and then moved across the room to the cabinet. It swung open as though it had been expecting him, and the pensieve slide smoothly out into view. The surface was shimmering as usual, but instead of a memory materializing it remained an opaque grey.
Harry withdrew a vial of silvery memories from the pocket of his robe. He held it up and studied it for a moment. Whatever it contained, Remus had felt it important enough that he had taken steps to ensure that Harry see it. He popped the stopper out of the vial and poured its contents into the stone basin. Immediately, images began swirling around the bowl. Harry saw young faces, but he couldn't concentrate on any one scene enough to tell what was happening.
With a deep breath, Harry reached out and dipped his fingers into the substance. Immediately the world began spinning around him as though he was traveling through the floo network. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly until the sensation ended. When he opened them he found himself not in McGonagall's office, but in the Gryffindor common room.
Seated alone, in the corner, was an eleven-year-old Remus Lupin. It was odd to see him looking young and somewhat less raggedy than normal, but there was an unmistakable strain in his eyes that Harry had come to associate with his father's friend. Remus was reading a book rather intently, only glancing up slightly at a pair of loud voices coming from the dormitories. Harry looked over the cover and found that it was a book on dark magical creatures. No doubt Remus could find plenty of interesting passages in there.
The voices from the dormitories grew louder, and soon their owners came into view as they descended the staircase into the common room. Harry started slightly as he recognized his father and Sirius. He chuckled slightly at Sirius's longer-than-practical hair—clearly an attempt at rebellion—before he noticed that James and Sirius had lowered the volume of their conversation considerably. Harry moved closer as he tried to hear them.
"—we should ask Lupin to come with us?"
"Lupin? Why's that?"
James cast a furtive look at the young boy in the corner, then lowered his tone even more.
"I don't think he has many friends. Most of the time he keeps to himself. Plus he always seems so serious. We ought to show him a good time. Us Gryffindors have to stick together." James puffed his chest out comically to punctuate his last statement.
Sirus tapped his foot for a moment in thought. "Alright, I guess you're right. He's pretty clever too, he may have some good ideas for pranking the snakes."
James nodded in agreement and then turned on a heel and marched up to Remus. The boy looked up at James's approach, but didn't put down his book.
"Hello, Lupin. Mind if I call you Remus?" James flashed a smile at the quiet boy, who simply nodded in response. "Sirius and I," James gestured to his friend, "were about to go out and have some fun. We were wondering if you might want to come with us."
Remus studied his housemate for a moment. When he spoke it was with a reserved tone that Harry was familiar with.
"What kind of fun?"
James's smile widened. "You know that crooked suit of armor on the second floor?"
Remus nodded.
"Well, we're going to charm it to swear at anyone who walks by."
Remus's eyes widened for a moment. "That could get house points taken," he pointed out.
"It could," James conceded. "But only if we get caught." There was a mischievous glint in his eye that Harry thought would have looked more at home on the face of one of the Weasley twins.
Remus glanced down at the book in his hands for a moment, and then up at James. There was a sort of longing there that Harry could fully understand. He too had grown up without any real friends. Meeting Ron and Hermione had been something he had only ever dreamed of. It seemed that Remus's affliction had taken a toll on more than just his physical health. With a firm snap, Remus closed the book in front of him.
"Alright," he said, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "We should really cast a sonorous too, that way everyone in the corridor will hear it anytime someone walks by."
James and Sirius began laughing as Remus rose to his feet to join them. The scene before Harry suddenly began to dissolve into darkness, and a new scene formed. This time, Harry was in the potions classroom, and Professor Slughorn seemed to be in the middle of a lecture.
"It is essential to use dung beetles instead of grasshoppers for this potion. Can anyone tell me why? Mr. Potter?"
James snapped his gaze away from Sirius, whom he had been in deep conversation with, and took on a quizzical look.
"Pardon, professor?"
"I was asking why dung beetles are an essential reagent in this draft," Slughorn said impatiently.
"For the scent?" James replied lightly.
Next to him, Sirius began trying to prevent a laugh from escaping while behind him, Remus and someone who had to be Peter began to smile.
Slughorn sighed. "No, Mr. Potter. Five points from Gryffindor. Do try to pay attention, please."
The professor continued his speech, and Sirius lost his battle with the laugh, letting out a prolonged snort that he tried to turn into a cough. The person seated at the next table over from James didn't look quite as amused however.
"Psst, James."
James turned his head around and flashed Lily Evans the same smile he'd given to Remus. She didn't seem very impressed.
"Stop losing us points," Lily complained in a tone that Harry would describe as "Hermione-esque."
"Or keep going, if you'd like." The stringy-haired Slytherin next to Lily said. Harry's heart jumped at the sight of Snape and his mother seated together. Despite his extensive experience with Snape's own memories, it was still a bit odd to think of the two being best friends.
"Stay out of this, Snivellus," James bit out.
From there the memory devolved into a name-calling battle before dissolving and reforming again, leaving Harry standing in a similar classroom. This time, however, there were only three occupants. Harry found himself standing behind Remus, who was faced with James and Sirius.
"Where's Peter?" Remus asked.
"Keeping watch," James replied. "We don't want anyone to barge in during this."
"During what?" Remus was clearly uncomfortable at his friends' behavior.
James shared a look with Sirius. Both of them sighed and then Sirius took the lead.
"We know about your little secret, Remus." The stern expression he wore looked strange on such a young face.
Remus laughed nervously. "Er—what little secret?"
Again James and Sirius shared a look.
"Let's just call it your little furry problem," Sirius responded.
Remus's eyes widened and he glanced between his friends rapidly. He began tapping the leg of his robes nervously, and when he spoke there was a slight wavering in his voice.
"You know?" he asked.
"You disappear during every full moon. When you come back you look like death and sometimes you've got a new scar. It didn't take a genius to figure out." James's tone was also serious.
"What are you going to do?" Remus spoke very softly, and Harry almost had to lean in to hear.
James squinted in confusion.
"Going to do? Are we supposed to do something?" He looked at Sirius, but the other boy just shrugged.
"You're not going to tell everyone?" Remus asked. A bit of confidence returned to his voice.
"Tell everyone? Bloody hell, why would we do that? You're our friend, Remus. And even if you weren't, you're a Gryffindor." Sirius seemed affronted that his friend would even suggest such a betrayal.
Remus almost seemed to collapse in relief. He was still for a moment, and then he suddenly lunged forward and grabbed both of the other boys in an embrace.
"Thank you," he said simply.
James and Sirius seemed a bit caught off-guard, but they both played it off well.
"Er—no problem mate. Don't go suffocating us with gratitude." James's voice was comically strained as he tapped Remus's arm that was wrapped around his ribs.
Remus stepped back and laughed nervously.
"Sorry, I just—" he stopped for a moment and collected himself. "I thought if you knew that you'd reject me."
"No way," James said adamantly. Sirius nodded in agreement.
"We were thinking though, that it would be nice if we could help you out with your transformations." Sirius had a crooked grin on his face.
"What do you mean?" Remus asked quizzically.
"We have some ideas," James said mysteriously.
The memory began to change, and the next thing Harry knew he was in a second-floor corridor. Remus was walking in step with his other friends, and it seemed that all of them had hit a growth spurt since Harry had last seen them. The four friends joked about class as they walked down the hall, when suddenly James's eyes lit up and he withdrew his wand.
"Watch this," he said to the others.
"Oh come on, James—" Remus began, but it was clear Harry's father wasn't paying attention.
With a quick flick of the wrist, the strap of the bag of a boy a few paces in front of James was transformed into a long snake. The snake hissed at the boy, causing him to shout in surprise and throw the bag away from him. When he jumped away from it, Harry caught a glimpse of a familiar hooked nose, and his heart sank. Why had Remus wanted to show him yet another memory of his father tormenting Snape?
"Potter!" Snape shouted, whirling around.
In a flash he had drawn his own wand and sent a spell flying in James's direction. The spell missed James, but struck Peter, whose front teeth rapidly began growing. Harry was stricken with the thought that the spell had made Wormtail resemble his animagus form, but the rest of that thought was interrupted by James's counter-attack.
"Stop it!" a voice shouted from beside Snape, who had blocked the incoming spell.
Both of the combatants ignored Lily's plea, seemingly hellbent on showing the other up. Before things could escalate any further, however, an older student with a prefects badge stepped into the middle of the fight and deftly disarmed the two. James and Snape began shouting at each other, but whatever they said was lost as the memory changed again.
Harry was on the grounds of Hogwarts. He couldn't tell, but from the dress of those around it seemed to be a particularly nice day. Harry was standing behind Remus, who was propped up against a tree, his nose in a book once again. In front of him, on a beach of the lake, Sirius and James were throwing a quaffle back and forth while Peter tried to hit it with a spell.
James caught the quaffle and held it for a moment, his attention captured by something further down the beach. Harry followed his gaze and saw his mother walking towards the group in deep conversation with a blonde Gryffindor. James tossed the quaffle back to Sirius and motioned for him to keep it. His face adopted a smirk and he called out in Lily's direction.
"Hey, Evans!"
Lily's eyes snapped to James, and her face immediately took on a look of annoyance.
"What do you want, James?"
"It's a nice day out," James swept an arm out across the landscape. "You want to take a walk around the lake with me? I'm sure we'd have a lot of fun." He flashed his dazzling smile and threw a wink at her.
Lily's face twisted in disgust.
"Why don't you and Sirius take a walk around the lake? You two seem to do everything else together. People are starting to talk." Lily whipped her head around and her and the other girl set off in the opposite direction.
James stared after her, color rising in his cheeks. Sirius guffawed at his friend, and Harry thought he saw a hint of a smile on Remus's face, despite the fact that he hadn't looked up from his book.
"Better luck next time, eh James?" Peter said.
James rolled his eyes and motioned for Sirius to toss the quaffle back his way. Before the scarlet ball had reached his father, Harry found himself in a new memory. Now he was standing in the Gryffindor common room. From the clothes everyone was wearing, Harry gathered that this memory was only a few hours after the previous one.
Remus was in a corner with his three other friends, and they all seemed deep in discussion. Harry didn't get the chance to make out quite what they were saying before James separated himself from the group and moved over to a group of girls in the corner, one of whom was a distinctive redhead.
"James, I thought I made myself clear." Lily actually turned up her nose at him physically, and Harry suppressed the urge to chuckle.
"What?" James said, with an air of confusion. "Oh, sorry Evans, I actually came over here to talk to Mary." James directed his attention to a pretty brunette at the edge of the group. "Mary, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend. He flashed the same smile he'd used on Lily earlier, but this time it seemed to achieve the desired effect. The brunette blushed fiercely.
"Of course, James. I'd love to." She smiled back.
"Great, I'll meet you by the front doors at ten." James walked away without any further word.
Mary turned to the girls and they all began chattering excitedly. All except for Lily, who stared daggers at James across the common room.
Harry blinked, and then found himself somewhere else yet again. Now he was inside of the shrieking shack. Remus was standing by himself on one side of the room while his three friends faced him. The sun was setting outside a boarded up window, and Remus glanced at it anxiously.
"Show me what you wanted to quick, then you need to get out of here."
"Alright, boys. Let's show Remus what we've been working on." James said to the others.
There was a whirl of motion, and suddenly a dog, stag, and rat were standing where just a moment earlier there had been three young Gryffindors. Remus's jaw dropped as he stared at his three closest friends. Sirius bounded up to him and nuzzled his hand with a snout. James struck a proud pose that showed off his long antlers. Peter quickly dashed under a loose board in the floor, then reappeared on top of a dilapidated table above.
The three boys transfigured back, and Remus gaped at them.
"Werewolf bites don't affect animals," James said simply. He smiled at Remus, but unlike the ones he had used on the girls, this one tugged at the corners of his eyes, and Harry knew that it was genuine.
"But I could still hurt you," Remus choked out, still not quite believing his eyes.
"James and I can handle it, mate. We're big enough that it shouldn't be a problem. Peter can just hide if the going gets rough." Sirius swept his long bangs out of his eyes.
"H-how?" Remus asked.
"Well we first thought about it back when we found out you were a werewolf in second year. We didn't want to tell you until we'd figured it out though. Turns out it took a while, but here we are." James walked over and put a hand on Remus's shoulder.
"I—I don't know what to say," Remus said. His eyes were watery as he regarded his friends.
"I think 'thanks' is what you're looking for," Sirius said sarcastically. "But we didn't just do it for you, Remus. Think of all the pranks we can pull now! James has already convinced three people that he's a seer by predicting that he sees a Grim in their future!"
Sirius continued, but Remus only seemed to be half listening. He was beaming at his friends, even as the sun sank over the horizon. Harry couldn't recall ever seeing Remus look as happy as he did in that moment.
The memory faded and Harry was back at Hogwarts. He was behind Remus and James who was having a heated argument with Lily. Remus seemed to be doing his best to stay out of it.
"It's because he's dark, Evans. He's going to be one of You-Know-Who's Death Eater's soon, if he isn't already!" James stomped along the hallway, and those going the other direction cleared a path as they saw the look on his face.
"I'm not saying he hasn't made mistakes, but you aren't helping things by hexing him every chance you get!" Lily's own volume exceeded James's, and the fierce look she had would give Ginny a run for her money.
"Why are you defending him? Didn't you stop talking to him because of what he said to you?!" The trio entered the Great Hall and stalked over to the Gryffindor table. Apparently they were early, as the Hall was nearly deserted.
"That has nothing to do with this, James! If you want to criticize someone for being disrespectful then maybe you should start with yourself!" She stalked off to the other end of the table, and James sat down next to Remus, who was doing his best to appear intently interested in the grain of the table.
There was a moment of awkward silence between them and then James broke it.
"I think she hates me."
Remus grabbed a sandwich off of the platter in the middle of the table. He took a bite and hmmed thoughtfully at his friend.
"I mean, did you hear the way she said my name? Practically sounded like a curse."
Remus nodded and rubbed his robe over the prefect's badge on his chest. He took another big bite from the sandwich and picked a piece of tomato off of it, tossing it casually onto his plate.
"What did I ever do to her, anyway?"
Remus choked a bit on his sandwich at that. He took a moment to wash the rogue bite down with some water before responding to James's question.
"Er—you mean other than constantly antagonizing her and attacking her best friend?" He asked.
James crossed his arms. "Well, I've never done anything to her," he said.
"When someone does something to me, Wormtail, or Padfoot, we all get in on the revenge prank. She's just as loyal as any of us." Remus grabbed a handful of chips and dropped them onto his plate.
"I know that." James said. He ran a hand through his hair, making it even more unruly than usual. "It's not like they're even friends anymore."
"Why do you even care so much? The half of the school that doesn't love you probably feels the same way she does, but you don't complain about that." Remus scarfed down the rest of the sandwich. He glanced around to see if anyone was watching and then shoved a larger-than-polite quantity of chips into his mouth.
"Well I like her," James said quietly.
"You like a lot of girls," Remus said with a laugh.
There was a moment of relative silence as Remus chewed his food and James shifted uncomfortably. He looked down the table at Lily, who was engrossed in a conversation with the same blonde from earlier, before turning back to Remus.
"I mean I actually like her," James said. "As more than just a pretty face."
Remus stared at his friend and allowed his—mercifully empty—mouth to drop open comically.
"Truly, Prongs. Have you gone soft?"
"Shut up," James said.
"Ready to find yourself a nice doe and settle down?"
"I said shut up," James complained. "This is the reason I didn't tell Sirius."
Remus apologized through a bout of laughter and then sobered up at James's disapproving look.
"Honestly, I think I might be proud of you. But of course you had to go and have a crush on the only girl that hates your guts."
"It's not a crush," James complained. Remus gave him a pointed look, but he ignored it. "And I know she hates me, that's why I'm telling you this."
"Why's that?"
"How do I make her like me? Or, at least, not hate me?" James asked in a pleading tone.
"Why do you think I'd know? I haven't had a steady girlfriend since... ever." Despite his self-deprecation, Remus seemed to be enjoying himself.
"But you're friends with her," James said.
"Hardly." Remus replied. "Sometimes we study together, but that's mostly because it seems like we're the only two students who care about grades outside of Ravenclaw."
"Well she likes you the most out of anyone I know. I need all the help I can get." James gave him an imploring look.
"You're really serious about impressing Lily Evans?" Remus asked.
"Yes," James said adamantly.
"Okay then, the first thing you should do is try to show her that you're mature and responsible. I'm not going to tell you to stop pulling pranks, but maybe you could balance things out if you helped people out now and then, and I don't mean just me, Wormtail, and Padfoot. Something you might want to do..."
Remus's voice faded away as the memory changed. Now Harry was standing in the library. Remus was seated at a table with Lily, and there was an open Transfiguration textbook between them.
"I get that, Remus, but I'm confused about the changes in size. I thought it was limited, but McGonagall made that galleon into a desk." Lily rapidly flipped through the pages of the book, searching for an answer while Remus rubbed his eyes and sighed. Suddenly, he looked up as though struck by an idea.
"You know, Lily. Transfiguration really isn't my best subject. I think I know someone who might be able to help you out with this though."
"Who?" Lily asked absently as she skimmed a paragraph with her finger.
"Well, James is practically a genius when it comes to this stuff."
Lily stiffened immediately at the mention of James. She gave Remus a harsh look.
"I don't think I'd like any help from that piece of dragon dung." She paused and lightened her tone slightly. "Sorry, Remus. I know he's your friend, but the two of us just don't get along." Lily let her sentence drop there.
"I know you two aren't on the best terms, and I know he can be a bit of a prat, but if you ask him for help I think he might surprise you. Plus he's seriously good at Transfiguration. He's actually been helping some of the younger students with it for the past couple of months. McGonagall's trying to convince him to research with her after next year." Remus laid out his case matter-of-factly, as though he knew that he was correct. Harry had to reflect that, in this case, he actually did.
"I don't know, Remus. I know he's good, and I've noticed him tutoring people in here sometimes, but I don't think it would work for me. Besides, I really don't want to ask him for help." Lily chewed at her bottom lip.
"I'll ask him," Remus assured her. "I promise he'll be happy to help. Look, what's the worst that can happen? You guys get into an argument and you can say that you told me so."
Lily sighed in defeat.
"Fine, but you have to stay close by so I can yell at you sooner when you're wrong."
Lily leaned back in her chair and Remus jumped to his feet. With a promise to return shortly with James, he dashed out of the library. There was a moment of disorientation as a haze dropped over Harry's vision and then lifted. When it did, he found himself standing in the same spot he had been in previously, but instead of Remus at the table with Lily, it was James. Remus was seated a few tables away, ostensibly looking over a charms book, but in reality eavesdropping on the other two.
"You're almost completely right," James was saying, "but you're thinking of the spell like a vanishment. It's actually a switching spell at its root. Here, you can see the similarities if I do it like this." James took out a piece of parchment and performed the spell being discussed. Lily watched his movements closely as he did so.
"Okay, I think I get it," she said. Harry could hear an eagerness to learn that Hermione often exhibited in her voice.
She tried the same spell, and this time achieved the desired effect. Her eyes lit up and she let out a small hah in victory.
"Thanks!" She said excitedly, clasping James's hand in her own. For a moment she held it, then she recoiled sharply when she realized what she'd done. "Er—sorry," she said.
"Oh, no, it's fine, don't mention it," James spluttered. His usual charm seemed to have been left back at the common room. Harry thought he saw Remus shaking softly with silent laughter at the two.
"I really appreciate your help, James." Lily said quietly.
"Anytime," James replied.
The scene around Harry changed again. He was outside the castle again, but this time in the courtyard instead of down by the lake like before. The Marauders were sitting together on a bench under the breezeway that surrounded the area. Sirius was doing some sort of impression while Remus and Peter laughed. James, on the other hand seemed to be lost in thought. He stared out across the courtyard, but his eyes didn't appear to be focused on anything, and when Harry followed his gaze he found nothing of particular interest.
Lily passed by the group. At first she ignored them, but when she was a few paces away she stopped suddenly as though she had just thought of something. Harry watched as a mental argument seemed to play out on her face. Within a few moments it appeared that one side had won. Lily heaved a sigh and turned towards the boys. By now her presence had attracted James's attention, and he observed her with interest.
"Hello," she said quietly. She addressed all of them, but her eyes were on James.
Sirius opened his mouth, and Harry could see the sarcastic reply forming in his eyes. But then he looked at James and his jaw snapped shut.
"Hi," James said back simply.
"James, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I heard about your parents." Lily shuffled her feet slightly.
"Oh," James said. He appeared caught off-guard, but grateful. "Thank you."
"How have they been doing?" she asked. The other three seemed to shrink away slightly, apparently unwilling to intrude upon such a personal conversation.
"Alright," James said. "The healers say they'll be mostly okay for a few months at least." He spoke quietly, without the usual gusto that Harry had seen him display.
"Okay."
Lily made to walk away for a moment, but then she stopped and turned back.
"If there's anything I can do..." she said.
"Thanks," James said with a nod.
Lily gave him a weak smile and then continued on her way.
The breezeway around him morphed into a corridor, and now the James that accompanied Remus had a shining Head Boy badge on his robes to match his friend's prefect pin. Ahead of them, two younger students were having an impromptu duel in the hallway. The spells they were throwing at each other weren't particularly harmful, but Harry could tell from their tone—and the red and green badges on their chest—that there was no love lost between them.
James rushed forward and planted himself firmly between them. He held out an arm to either side with his palms outward.
"Stop!" he said. His posture was at ease, but his tone brokered no argument. Both of the students started at his antics and lowered their wands.
"You two are making fools out of yourselves and your houses. Five points from each of you." James gave both of them a disappointed look.
"But, sir—" the Gryffindor started to complain. James gave him a look that silenced him immediately.
"You've done enough to take points away this afternoon, Warner. I'll be having a word with you tonight in the common room." He turned to the Slytherin. "I'm sure Professor Slughorn wouldn't be very impressed with your behavior. If I see you doing anything like this again, he's going to hear about it. Alright?"
The boy nodded, his eyes wide with fear.
"Now I think you two ought to be getting to classes right now. Go on."
The two departed in opposite directions. James looked over to Remus, who offered him a small round of applause. James rolled his eyes.
"Was I too hard on them?" he asked.
"Nah, fighting in the corridors isn't allowed. I think you of all people ought to know the kind of trouble it can get you in."
"Yes he would." Lily's voice came from behind Remus and made him jump comically. He whirled on her and shot a withering look in her direction, which she ignored. "That was well done, James. I was about to step in when you came dashing in heroically."
James coughed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, I do what I can."
Lily smiled at him and then made to set off down the corridor, but James called out and stopped her.
"Hey, Lily."
"Hmm?"
"If you don't have plans this weekend, I was wondering if you might go to the Three Broomsticks with me." There was no charming smile accompanying the request, simply an inquisitive look while he waited for her response.
Lily looked at him hard for a long moment, and Harry thought that she might say no. But then she gave a curt nod.
"Alright."
A huge grin split James's face, and he practically skipped off down the corridor with Remus in tow. Lily stood there for a moment, unsure what to make of it. Ultimately a smile began to crack on her face too, but the memory faded out before it had finished.
The next few memories seemed to come in a flurry. He saw his parents laughing and sharing a butter beer from across the Three Broomsticks. He saw his mother giving his father a quick kiss for luck as he prepared for a Quidditch match. He saw the two of them celebrating together in the common room as James hoisted the Quidditch cup into the air. Then he saw James clutch Lily's hand when he received a letter from a large black owl.
Harry was in a familiar graveyard. Around him stood a circle of mourners. James was there with Lily, and the other Marauders. Dumbledore and McGonagall were there next to Bathilda Bagshot, along with a series of people that Harry either didn't recognize or had only ever seen in pictures.
Next to Remus, Harry could see James holding Lily's hand in a death grip. His eyes were watery, but he seemed to be trying to hold back his tears. The mourners began to file out past James, offering him their condolences as they exited quietly. He received them all gracefully, until it was just Lily and his friends left.
"Thanks for being here, guys." James said weakly. Harry saw tears beginning to slip past his guard.
"Anytime," Sirius replied immediately. Remus and Peter echoed his sentiment.
He thanked them again, and the three of them began to leave the graveyard. Remus glance back one final time and found James and Lily sharing an embrace as he finally let his emotions come pouring out.
The next memory began, and at first Harry thought that it was later the same day. James was clad in dark dress robes as he had been before, but there was something different about the mood of the room that told Harry this wasn't a sad day.
"Ready, mate?" Sirius asked, clapping James on the shoulder.
Taking a closer look, Harry could see that James looked a few years older than he had before. The more mature look suited him, but it seemed like the past few years had not been without stress either. There was a weariness on the faces of the Marauders across the room that had not been present before, and Harry had fought Voldemort long enough to recognize the source.
"I don't know," James replied nervously.
"You don't know?" Sirius said incredulously.
"This is worse than the time I bet the entire Ravenclaw Quidditch team that I'd outscore their seeker." James said.
"You won that bet," Remus pointed out.
"Only because he didn't catch the snitch."
"James, I've known you and Lily for a decade. This is going to be the best thing that's ever happened to either of you. Trust me." Remus clasped his hands together, as though pleading with his friend. It took a few more minutes of cajoling, but finally James nodded slowly and left the room with his friends.
He looked more nervous than Harry had ever seen him at the altar. He kept bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, like a boxer about to enter the ring. But as soon as Lily entered, looking quite like her namesake in her wedding dress, James's face lit up and he didn't stop smiling until he walked back down the aisle and out of the memory.
Now Harry found himself standing next to Remus outside of a hauntingly familiar home in Godric's Hollow. Contrary to how Harry remembered it, the house was completely intact. Remus knocked on the door and waited, hands clasped behind his back. After a moment the door opened and a smiling Lily warmly invited him inside.
There was a surreal feeling as Harry entered his childhood home. The house was slightly cluttered, and it wasn't particularly large, but above all it permeated a feeling of comfort that Harry had only ever known at Hogwarts.
"James, it's Remus!" Lily shouted through the house.
"Alright," James called back.
There was a fit of childish giggling from the living room, and Harry felt his stomach do a flip as they walked in. It was an odd thing to see yourself in a memory, especially when you were too young to remember the event. The Harry in the memory didn't look like he was more than a few months old. He was currently giggling with fascination as James levitated a fuzzy golden snitch around his head.
When Remus entered, little Harry thrust a chubby fist in his direction and cooed. Remus smiled broadly and gave a little wave at the child, who blew a raspberry in response.
"Moony," James said. He came over and shook the other man's hand firmly.
"Prongs," Remus returned the greeting.
"What brings you our way, Remus?" Lily asked. "We're sitting down for dinner soon if you'd like to join us."
"I can't stay long, unfortunately. Dumbledore asked me to get something from Bathilda, and I thought I would stop in for a moment since I was in the area."
Remus reached into his robes and pulled out a small stuffed wolf. He held it up and with a wave of his wand the snout shortened slightly and the tail became tufted. Harry smiled as he realized that the animal now resembled Remus in his werewolf form, albeit with much softer features.
"I brought this for Harry."
He placed the wolf in front of the boy, who grabbed it with both arms and began shaking it violently. James and Lily both laughed happily at their son's behavior. And Harry felt a smile tugging at the corners of his own mouth, even as a tear rolled down his cheek.
Seeing his family together and happy was all that Harry had ever dreamed of. Seeing them now seemed to fill a hole that Harry had lived with his entire life. But at the same time, he knew the moment he left the pensieve he would have to go back to reality. Almost everyone he had seen was now gone, and although Harry had come to accept that they could never return, it didn't prevent him from missing them fiercely.
A memory of his own came to him then, not materializing in the pensieve, but in his mind. Dumbledore had once warned him about lingering on thoughts of those that have gone. In his first year, when Harry had stared into the Mirror of Erised for hours, he hadn't understood what the old headmaster had meant. Now, as an adult who had seen what that desire could do to people, he understood completely. Harry didn't think that there were any more memories to come, but even if there were, he felt that he had seen enough.
With a gasp, Harry withdrew himself from the pensieve. He was standing unsteadily next to the basin, the memories inside swirling wildly. Once again, Harry saw his mother and father. He saw the two of them growing together and coming to respect and love one another. He saw for the first time, the full picture of the people his parents had been: his father a confident, sometimes arrogant, but ultimately kind and caring man; his mother a clever, loving woman with a fierce sense of right and wrong.
Harry returned the memories to the vial and pocketed them. He made to leave the room, but took one last look back before he did. The shimmering surface of the pensieve faded from view as it returned to the cabinet. All around the portraits of the headmasters had returned to snoozing, all except from Dumbledore, who was studying Harry with his piercing blue eyes.
"Thank you, Remus," Harry whispered.
With that, he left the headmaster's office, taking the memory of his parents with him.