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Author: Sorting Hat Story: The Future's End Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 5 Words: 44,601
James was sitting by himself the next day when Neville returned to Gryffindor Tower. He went straight to James' table and stood there for several minutes before James noticed him. "Neville. Can I help you?" James asked. Neville looked so surprised at the question that it took a moment for him to find his voice. "You've done more for me and my family than we can ever pay you for. If there is ever anything- " Neville began. "There is one thing," James said. "Anything," Neville replied. James looked Neville dead in the eye for a full second before speaking. "The war is coming, Neville. No matter what happens, I want you to promise that you'll never give up. Never surrender until you're dead. Make them come and get you. You could be one of the most powerful wizards on our side, if you really try. Oh, and tell your father hello." Neville stood a little straighter before nodding. Before he could say anything though, Ron, Hermione, and Harry arrived. "Is it true you cured Neville's parents?" Harry asked without preamble. Neville nodded, before James could reply. "Wow, mate," Ron said, while Harry stared at James in awe. "You must have an amazing grasp of magic!" Hermione gushed. "Really, that's advanced magic!" James said nothing. When the others finally ran out of things to say, James addressed all four of them. "I didn't do anything special. I saw a chance to help someone, and I took it. Nothing more." Harry and Ron both gaped at James as though he'd gone nutters. "But that was- " Harry began. "Nothing special," James repeated firmly. "I'd do the same for any one of you." Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded. Neville still looked as though he were radiating joy. After a few seconds, James stood up and smiled. "I'm starved. Dinner?" The tension evaporated immediately, as a huge growl from James' stomach underscored his words. Hermione left for a moment to fetch Ginny, and the group set off. Before they could enter the Great Hall, however, they ran into Malfoy and his ever-present shadows Crabbe and Goyle. "So, they say you fixed Longbottom's parents. It's a bit of a pity I think. Two more Longbottoms without brains is three too many. I'd wager they've- ouch!" Malfoy said, before a fist slamming into his nose cut his tirade short. Neville drew back his fist, as though to hit Draco again, and Goyle cracked his knuckles. "You b-b-bastard," Malfoy said, holding his hand over his nose. "I'll- " Malfoy stopped speaking, as there were suddenly six wands pointed directly at his face. "You'll what?" Neville asked. "You'll pay for this, Longbottom," Malfoy said, before knocking Neville out of the way with his shoulder and continuing into the Great Hall. Silence reigned until Ron spoke up. "Wow, Neville. I didn't know you had it in you." "Your father would be proud of you for standing up for yourself," Harry said quietly. Neville nodded. "I know." There were no more altercations, and soon everyone was seated in the Great Hall, listening to Hermione badger Ron about his eating habits. "I'm a growin' boy 'Mione. I gotta eat food," Ron said around a mouth full of food, while Hermione looked at him with a scandalized look on her face. "Honestly! You'd think that after- " She stopped when James held up a hand. "Be quiet, both of you," James said, his face suddenly a mask of concentration. He raised his hand, as though waiting to be called upon to answer a question. A moment later, a thunderous crash echoed through the Great Hall, and a plume of green fire spewed forth from the floor. Two figures materialized out of nowhere, behind Harry and Ginny, and were gone, just as quickly. "GINNY!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs as his sister disappeared. "That looks like a floo- " Hermione began. James didn't bother to wait as he jumped out of his seat and called over his shoulder, "A temporal floo connection." Whatever Hermione may have said, James didn't catch. He jumped into the fire, heedless of his own safety, and vanished. *** After an indeterminate amount of time, James finally landed. He stared blankly up at the ceiling for a moment, cursing and rolling out of the way when one of the stones making up the roof fell, nearly crushing him. Rattled, he got up and looked around. He would later tell others that what he saw nearly stopped his heart. He was home. He looked around the ruin of the Great Hall, and up at the ceiling again, its magical properties depleted, its view of the sky lost. Gone were the four house tables and house tapestries. He sighed and cringed as the sound echoed through the once mighty school of witchcraft and wizardry. After another rumble shook the castle, James exited the Great Hall, heading for the main gates. His heart throbbed as he beheld the burnt shell of what was once the Forbidden Forrest. Nothing lived there, anymore. Likewise, the lake was gone. James listened for a moment, to the eerie silence. A moment later, he sternly shook himself. He'd seen all this before. He walked briskly back into the castle, stopping only for a moment at the display for house points. Slytherin: 1632 points. The others had none. As James watched, the points moved, and then vanished altogether. James shook his head, and set out for Headmaster Scarborough's office. The stone gargoyle moved aside slowly, as if it couldn't remember what it was supposed to do. When he reached to top of the staircase, James unwillingly let out a horrified yelp when he beheld what was inside. The Headmaster's head, along with the head of his mother, his father, and someone else he didn't recognize, were lined up in a row on the Headmaster's desk. He walked up to his father's head, and reached for it. His blood froze in his veins, when it winked silently at him. James shuddered, and whispered to himself, "What happened to everyone?" He glanced up at the old Sorting Hat. It said nothing. James glanced at the celestial calendar the Headmasters had always kept in the office, and another shocking fact made itself known to him. He was standing in a time almost fifty years after he'd left his own time. Slowly, he shook his head. There must be a reason whoever took his parents would choose to return here. James' heart skipped a beat as he realized he'd just seen their heads on the desk. His heat beating rapidly, he turned to look at them again, and breathed a sigh of relief. These were his parents as he had known them. Much older than those who had been taken. James turned and fled the office. The message was clear. His side truly had lost. Hogwarts had fallen to the Dark Arts, and then into disuse. James turned and walked slowly toward Gryffindor Tower, for lack of a better place to start looking. He walked past the suits of armour and beyond the moving stairs, to the picture of the Fat Lady. Or, where she used to be, James realized on second glance. Now there was nothing except a few shards of canvas hanging from the frame. "Everyone's gone," a voice said softly behind him. James jumped a foot and then whirled around, palms up. Horror warred with amazement for control of his face, as he recognized who it was. "Colin? Colin Creevey?" James asked. The man gave no reaction to his name, just lifted his arms as though he wanted to take a picture. He dropped them a moment later, when he realized he wasn't holding his camera. Colin stared at James blankly for a moment. "Your name is James Potter. Your father was a hero," Colin said. James waited patiently. "Everyone's gone," Colin said. "All of them." "Where?" James asked. "They brought some people here," Colin said, as though just realizing it. "They're down in the dungeons." James turned and ran, not even giving Colin a second glance. The older man yelled something after him, but James didn't catch it. Several minutes later, James crouched outside the door to the dungeons, listening. There were several people inside, but James couldn't make out who they were. Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the air, causing James to tense up. Sobs drifted up from inside, and the angry shouting accompanying it made James sick to his stomach. Silently, he charmed his stomach to settle it. James slipped to the side as footsteps approached. Someone threw to door to the dungeon open, nearly crushing him in the process. James watched silently as someone walked away, muttering angrily to themselves. Afterward, James listened for what seemed forever, straining his ears. Nothing but sobs came up from the room, and James slowly stole his way in. He looked around quickly, and saw Harry sprawled on the ground, in front of Snape's desk. Dad?" James whispered. Harry didn't respond. Frantically, James rushed to Harry's prone form and checked his pulse. It was faint, but there. James closed his eyes, drawing his magical core into focus. "Envenerus!" Harry stirred slowly, and moaned. He opened his eyes slowly. "Uhhhhhh." James nearly collapsed with relief but sternly reminded himself that time was a priority. "Dad, where's Mum?" He asked, softly. "They took her," Harry replied. James cursed softly. "Can you walk?" James asked. "I don't think I can do this by myself." "No," Harry replied. "Leg locker curse, and I can't reach my wand." James muttered the counter-curse and Harry slowly stood up James started to mutter a summoning charm, but then realized that magic of that strength would probably register to anyone who might be looking for it. He walked over to the other side of the room, and grabbed Harry's wand, tossing it to him. "Thanks," Harry said, catching it. Together, the two walked slowly and carefully out of the dungeon. "Keep to the shadows," James warned gently. " Where did they take her?" "The third floor corridor, where the Stone was," Harry replied. James wondered for a moment why they would bother to take her there, but then realized that the Mirror of Erised was still there, in his time. If Hogwarts really had been as perverted as he thought, the mirror might show Ginny her possession by Voldemort. Soon, they were walking up the stairs, and in the corridor. "Don't forget about the Devil's Snare," Harry began, but James cut him off. "That isn't here anymore. No telling what else might be, though." The rest of the trip passed in silence, except for one moment when a Death Eater passed so close to James he almost brushed the man's robes. Eventually, they arrived at the trap door. Harry moved to lift it, but James pushed him back. "What are you playing at?" Harry asked, more surprised than angry. "Levitus," James said, instead of answering. The door obediently swung open, revealing a number of odd looking marks. James glanced over them, and the blood drained from his face. Without warning, he tackled Harry and pushed him to the floor. Behind them, the trap door exploded. "Doors can easily be trapped," James finally explained. Harry nodded, his face as white as that of his son. "Let's go," Harry said, after collecting his wits. James nodded, and glanced down the hole the door had left. Nothing. James nodded, and slipped down the side, landing with a soft "oof," at the bottom. Harry was soon next to him. They walked cautiously toward the end of the tunnel. Without warning, a purple Runespoor suddenly appeared. "Wizard creatures," one of the heads said. "Yes, and warm too," replied another. The third head said nothing. The Runespoor slowly advanced on the two boys. "Ring them," the first head said. "Poison them," the other replied. "Squeeze them to death," the third replied. James opened his mouth, and began to speak. "Friend Runespore. We come in peace." The three headed snake looked as surprised as a reptile can look. For a moment, it said nothing, but the third head eventually spoke. "You Speak," it said. "Yes," James replied. "We do," Harry said, at the same time. The snake seemed to consider this. The three heads began to argue, until the third one eventually spoke to James, again. "We do not harm those who can Speak. You may pass." "Thank you," James replied. "Was anyone else here?" "Yes, two men with dark hoods, and a girl with bright hair," the snake replied. James nodded and then crouched down, casting a heating charm on several of the stones in front of them. The Runespoor tittered thankfully. "Why did you do that?" Harry asked, in English. "We may need its help again, and it did us a favour, telling us where Mum went. The least I could do was to help it shake the chill from its scales." Harry nodded. "Lets go find Ginny." It wasn't long before they found her. She was frozen in front of the mirror of Erised. James walked over, slowly. "Mum?" James asked. Ginny didn't answer. "She's been petrified," Harry said, having seen the signs before. James nodded. "Finite Incantatum!" Ginny started screaming the instant the charm was released. Harry snarled, and pointed his wand at the mirror. "Reducto!" Harry yelled. The mirror shattered into a thousand pieces. James looked at Harry in surprise. "So? It was upsetting her," Harry said simply. James nodded, slowly. "Harry, they're- " Ginny began. "Already here," a new voice said. James and Harry whirled around. Harry's lips curled into an expression of pure malice. "Wormtail." "Potter." "Still a filthy rat, I see" Harry said. "Quite so. Spoken to Sirius lately?" Peter replied. "Go to Hell," Harry snapped. "Look around, Potter. Where else could we be?" Peter said sarcastically. "I should have let them kill you," Harry said. "But you didn't," Wormtail replied. Harry opened his mouth to say something more, but someone else beat him to it. "I see you've finally managed to do something right, Wormtail," came the voice. Wormtail slumped down, and backed away, revealing someone stepping out of the shadows. The colour drained from James' face. Harry looked from him to the new arrival and back. "What's going on?" Harry asked. "What's going on?" the new arrival mimicked in a high pitched voice. "This is impossible," Harry replied. "Honestly, you should read more," the new arrival said. Harry's eyes narrowed. "Hermione?" Harry asked. "Harry," she replied. "Petrificus Totalus!" she snapped without warning, hitting both Ginny and James with the same spell. Both fell to the floor, and Ginny's eyes closed. "But...you...how?" Harry asked. Hermione smiled, evilly, raising her wand. "Much as I'd love to chat with you again after all these years, I'm going to kill you now." Hermione raised her wand, and Harry had no choice but to do the same. "Please Hermione, this is crazy," Harry said desperately. "Reducto!" she yelled in response. Harry dodged. "Immobulus!" Harry yelled, and Hermione jumped out of the way. "Crucio!" she screamed, barely missing him. "Tarentallegra!" Harry said. "Iverte Stati!" Hermione replied, as she jumped out of the way. "Give up, Harry. I know how you think," Hermione said seriously. "All those years in the D.A., you know. Harry said nothing, sweat pouring down his face as they continued to duel. The room fell to pieces around them, and James nearly passed out when a stone from the ceiling landed less than a foot from him. James tuned the sounds of the duel out, concentrating on nothing but his own innate ability. After several minutes, he whispered, "Finite Incantatum" inside his mind, and sighed as the spell negated its hold. He raised his arm, prepared to help Harry, but before he could do anything, there was a flash of green, and then silence. Hermione's look of surprise was etched forever into her face, as she fell, never to rise again. Wormtail lowered his silver hand. He sighed, as he looked at Harry. "A life for a life. Our debt is done." He stepped back slowly. "What?" Harry asked. "You saved my life over fifty years ago. Now I've done the same for you," Wormtail said. "Now go, quickly." Harry gathered Ginny into his arms, and glanced at Hermione one more time. "Goodbye," was all he said as he and James ran toward the exit, Ginny held securely in Harry's arms. The last thing they heard before exiting the corridor was the sound of Wormtail performing the Killing Curse on himself and the dull thud of his body hitting the floor. "Let's go home," Harry said breathlessly. James nodded, as they burst into the Great Hall. A thunderous crash ripped the air in two, and stones began to fall from the ceiling. "The castle's seen its end. We have to get out of here now!" James yelled, as he frantically focused the magic remnants of the connection used to bring them here. Several moments passed while James cast his incantation, but in the end, the plume of fire returned. They jumped through it and vanished again. *** The first thing James noticed when he landed, was that the landing was remarkably softer than it should have been. He was confused about this, until a muffled voice yelled, "Get off of me!" James moved, to see that his fall had been broken by none other than Draco Malfoy. "Thanks, Draco. You broke my fall perfectly," James said. After that, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were crowding around the three who had just returned. "Oh, Harry," Hermione said, "We've been so worried. Where have you been for the last month?" James' eyes nearly left his skull at that. "Yeah, mates. You've been gone forever," Ron added. "Everyone is to leave these three alone. We must get them to the infirmary," Dumbledore cut in, seeing Ginny was unconscious with her arm hanging at an odd angle, and both Harry and James looked fairly beaten up. Before the floo connection died away completely, a single scrap of parchment landed in James' lap. He picked it up and sighed. "The Dark Mark. It's begun." To be continued...
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