Harry, for the next day, tried to avoid everyone at all costs. It was hard-he had to get up extremely early to eat breakfast before his father's friends did, and he sat in different places for each class, rushing out as soon as they were dismissed. This plan didn't work for long; Sirius and Lily caught up with him in the corridors on his way to dinner.

"Hey, Prongs," Sirius called out to Harry in a cheerful voice. Harry had turned to see both him and Lily, an unlikely pair, headed towards him. Thinking quickly, Harry realized there was nothing he could do about this. Instead he gave Sirius a small grin. "Haven't seen much of you all day, which is odd, you know, because I have all but one class with you."

"Why are you and Lily together?" Harry asked. "You two are never together."

"We both had similar interests," Sirius said.

"What?"

"You." Sirius glanced at Lily, who looked as though she was going to smile.

"Actually," she said, "I was reprimanding Sirius for his prank on Snape when the subject came up. We were both worried about you. So we decided to find you."

"It's classic, really," Sirius added. "The best friend and girlfriend work together to bring the oddly acting third person to his senses. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. When they looked as though they didn't believe him, he added, "Really. I've just been looking for something and haven't found it."

"You need something?" Sirius asked, looking curious. Harry nodded. "Well…maybe I can remedy that. I'll be back later, you two lovebirds!" And with that last sentiment, he rushed down the corridor, leaving the other two confused in his wake.

"What was that about?" Harry asked Lily.

"I honestly have no clue," Lily said. "But Sirius is just confusing in general." They had walked for awhile when Lily added, quietly, "Sirius and Remus, actually."

"What about them?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, they're both confusing," Lily answered. Harry still looked confused, though. "I mean, they both seem to have secrets. Like Remus' disappearing at certain times. And Sirius' family issues."

"I'm sure when they trust you enough they'll tell you," Harry said. He knew that Lily knew their secrets when she had died, and was sure that it had taken both of them time to trust her.

Lily nodded. "I can understand that." At this point, they entered the Great Hall and all other thoughts were forgotten as they focused on dinner.

Later, Harry was thinking in the dormitory when Sirius burst into the room like a whirlwind, stopping only when he saw Harry. He looked like a very overexcited puppy when he bounced onto the bed, waving the map.

"I think you have something to tell me?" Harry asked, looking Sirius up and down and repressing a laugh.

"Do not mock me," Sirius said, turning suddenly solemn. "This is the greatest event in the history of the world."

"You got Danielle to like you again?" Harry asked, then realized it probably wasn't something he should have brought up. Sirius, for his part, only laughed and shook his head and exhaled the words, "I wish."

"So you haven't talked to her then?" Harry concluded.

Sirius shook his head. "And not to my dolt of a brother, either," he added with a wry smile. "But that doesn't really matter now, because I have made a discovery of epic proportions." Harry had to admire Sirius' ability to bounce back-it was better than his own, at least. He gestured for Sirius to continue, which he did, "You see, I was running from Snape-he…er…decided to come after me during dinner, and I was looking for a place to hide. So I ran into this one hallway, and was pacing back and forth wanting so badly a place to hide, and suddenly a door appeared out of nowhere! It was amazing, and I opened it and there was a nice broom closet, and I stepped inside. And Snape didn't find me! Isn't that brilliant?"

Harry was staring at him in shock, as he worked out what had just been told to him. "Yeah, that is brilliant," he breathed.

"I can't believe we didn't mark it on the map," Sirius continued, "and the door disappeared as soon as I stepped out of the room. But I shall try and find it again."

"That might be hard, if it's a disappearing room," Harry told him. He then laughed loudly, for such a joy had filled his heart.

The reason for this joy was simple, though of course Sirius could have never guessed it. Harry knew where the room Sirius was talking about, which was the Room of Requirement, was located, and he also knew that there was a good possibility of finding the wardrobe in there, if he wanted it. And that was just what Harry wanted.

He waited patiently until Sirius had told Remus and Peter everything, and all had gone to sleep. Then, Harry placed the letter he had written carefully on James' pillow and took his wand and the Invisibility Cloak.

Luckily, no one was to be found in the hallway containing the Room of Requirement. Harry closed his eyes and started pacing in front of the blank space of wall, all the time thinking I want a room with the time traveling wardrobe that will take me to my own time so strongly it was a wonder he didn't actually say the words out loud. And then, as he rounded his third turn he stopped and opened his eyes-

-And his heart nearly burst, for a door had appeared. Cautiously, almost in fear, Harry pulled the handle and slowly opened the door.

The room was empty, save for the ancient and familiar looking wardrobe at the opposite end. Harry walked up to it, and suddenly hesitated-spending time with his father's friends, especially his mother and Sirius, who were dead, had been great. It had given him a lot of insight, and he was sorry to leave, especially so suddenly. But it was better that way, he reasoned, as no one would get too attached to anything. After all, people were put in a certain time for a reason.

The Cloak slipped off Harry, rendering him visible, and slid to the floor. Harry opened the wardrobe and with one last, long look, stepped inside.

The same light was there, but as Harry walked towards it as he had done the first time, another figure was standing in the light, looking past him, towards the door. It was just before Harry was pulled towards the back wall that he saw the figure for who it was-James Potter himself, and Harry wondered whether he had replaced Harry in his time or been trapped in the wardrobe. But then Harry was pulled away and an instant later slammed into a wall.

Hesitantly, almost afraid of looking to see where he was, Harry stood up. He was in a small room, and cautiously, he opened the door.

Light flooded in, and Harry recognized the hall-he stepped out and closed the door behind him, and the Room of Requirement disappeared behind him. Not that Harry noticed-in front of him stood his two best friends and his girlfriend, all looking just as shocked to see Harry as Harry was to see them.

"What-where you expecting me?" Harry asked in shock.

Ron was the first to recover himself. "No, we were trying to get you back and figured this room might be a sure thing," he explained.

"But apparently you beat us to it," Ginny said with a small grin. Then all three rushed forward to crush Harry in a group hug.

"We missed you!" Hermione cried, and Ginny and Ron nodded in agreement.

"You mean, I was completely gone?" Harry asked, surprised at this bit of information. That meant that James had been trapped in the wardrobe the whole time after all.

"Yes!" Hermione answered. "Dumbledore told us that you'd gone through a time-traveling wardrobe, and…and-"

"And I'm sure he's love to hear of your experience," Ginny finished. "He wasn't quite sure how that thing worked, apparently."

"We want to know as well," Ron added. "So, shall we go to the Headmaster's office?"

Harry grinned; he was so glad to be home. "We shall," he replied. "And trust me; it's quite the interesting story."

"I don't doubt it," Hermione said, and Harry spent the night telling them and Dumbledore exactly what happened.

James Potter was more than a bit confused-he had no clue how long he'd spent in the wardrobe, or how he'd gotten there, really. One moment he'd been hiding from…someone, he couldn't remember now…in a broom closet, and the next there was a bang and he was stuck in a wardrobe for a long time. He could only guess. And then suddenly a stranger had come in, and James was sent out. He had been deposited in an empty room with nothing left in it except for his invisibility cloak. Stunned, James had pulled it on and gotten himself back to his bed.

Now, as he made to get into bed, and perhaps dream of what he would tell Sirius, Remus, and Peter the next day, he noticed a letter on his pillow. Opening it, he sat on the edge of the bed and read,

Dear James,

I am afraid I can't tell you who I am-you wouldn't believe me. But I have been playing you the last few days and it's best that no one knows you were ever gone to begin with. So, here's what happened: Sirius found out his brother joined the Death Eaters, and his girlfriend Danielle broke up with him once she realized who his family was. Also, several pranks have been played on Snape, so watch out, though the last one is Sirius' fault-he dyed Snape's hair. As for you-well, Quidditch had suffered a bit but you can deal with that yourself. And Lily is your girlfriend and really feels you've matured and changed. She also almost kissed me…er, you…so I'd get on that if I were you. I think you two shall be very happy together. I suggest you burn this letter just in case someone reads it, because otherwise a lot of people would be upset, and I really only did this so that your disappearance wouldn't look so bad. You might be called forgetful because of details I haven't added, but just take it in stride. And I'm sorry for any confusion this may have caused-it's my fault.

James reread the letter several times before the shock wore off, and several times more before he memorized the details. Then, not wanting to disobey the letter, he burned it in the common room. "This has been strange," he said aloud, before heading back up to bed to get some much needed sleep.

The next morning Sirius woke him up bright and early talking about something that sounded like "exploring" and a "magic room".

"I hate to break it to you," James told him with a yawn, "but all the rooms here are magical, if you haven't noticed. This is a magical world."

"You are forgetful lately!" Sirius cried, sounding as though this was nothing new to him. "You know, the room I told you about last night? That appeared when I need it and disappeared as soon as I left? Remember?"

"I do now," James muttered, standing up. "I suppose I'll have to go find this room with you then."

"Exploring the castle, just you and I," Sirius answered with a grin. "Just like old times. Before we grew mature." Here he gave a small laugh, as he was well aware he had matured the least of his friends.

James smiled as he slipped the Invisibility Cloak over his and Sirius' shoulders, feeling at ease once again. Quietly, he echoed, "Just like old times."

And just like old times, they set out to explore the castle.