Carry On

By: Teenlaunch

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be writing if I owned it.

a/n: Don't know when the rest will be coming. Hopefully soon but I've been finding this increasingly harder to write. Still here is some more for now.

Harry and the Marauders, minus Remus, continued on in their strained friendship for a few more days. Sirius, true to his word, dragged James and Peter to Myrtle's every time Remus and Harry were busy. Not that they didn't notice, but Harry and Remus had agreed to leave it alone. It would only lead to another interrogation.

It was Friday when everything went wrong. The Marauders perked up at breakfast. They kept glancing around the Hall, eyes landing on someone near the front of the room before flitting away again. It was nearly time for class when Sirius almost upended everyone's breakfast dancing in his seat and gave James a high-five.

Harry and Remus shared a look. That couldn't be good. Harry opened his mouth to say something but the others jumped up, exclaiming they were all going to be late for class. He followed quietly, watching them bounce down the corridor, silently wondering what they had done to put them in this mood. At lunch, they repeated the performance from breakfast.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

The others shook their heads. "You'll see, Moony. Come on, Defense!" Sirius shoved a biscuit into his mouth as he popped up to lead the way.

Harry fell back with Remus. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. If they aren't telling about a prank, they're afraid someone will reverse it."

"But who is it? They weren't looking at Severus."

Remus shook his head. "I don't know. Unfortunately, we'll just have to wait. Must be something they know I won't approve."

Harry nodded and sat down beside him. The Marauders had chosen seats near the front. That in itself was odd. They usually sat near the center, determined to be at the best angle to participate or prank.

Why would they suddenly change seats? His stomach flopped and he turned just enough to murmur. "It's this class."

Remus nodded. He'd gathered that just by their all-too-innocent faces. He was about to ask Peter, most loose-mouthed of the three, when Century walked in. The boys' attention snapped to him.

Harry moaned, leaning back into his seat. "Oh God." He glanced again to Remus, equally flustered. Both had expected it eventually. But this soon? Harry pursed his lips at Remus' questioning eyes. Harry shook his head slowly. "He'll handle it." He had to.

Century smiled softly, stopping behind his desk. "Today I would like to take some time to see what you still want to learn. Your NEWTs are coming soon. You only have a couple months. What would you like to do to prepare?"

The class was silent but for a little grumbling. Harry cleared his throat and Century nodded, moving to the board to write it himself unlike most teachers. "An obstacle course."

"Like your third year?" he asked as he wrote.

Harry shrugged a little. "More like fourth." Century paused but nodded slowly.

"Alright. What else?"

Lily's hand inched into the air. "Maybe more dueling, I mean, with more input from you, Professor. And could they be a bit more volatile? I'm sure Madam Pomfrey wouldn't mind being here."

Century nodded thoughtfully and jotted it down. No one else spoke. "Come now. I need more than that."

Severus sighed harshly, mouth pursed and looking elsewhere. "A battle scenario would be beneficial."

"You want me to describe possible strategies of your opponents?"

Severus nodded and Century looked around again. "No other suggestions?" Everyone blinked. "Well then, these are very good suggestions. The obstacle course would be a help to you. As for the duel, it's true they haven't been very vol-" Century paused, cleared his throat, and tried to speak but sank back against his desk.

Harry cursed, heart crashing between his ears and chest like it was trying to escape. Century was paling rapidly, his breathing labored. Severus interjected before Harry could get up. "Sit down." Harry whipped to face him. Severus sneered, eyes darting over the Professor as he held tight to the edge of his desk like Century. "Hurry or you'll make a fool of yourself collapsing on the floor."

Century nodded and groped his way into a chair. As Harry watched, Century's hands shook and his eyes closed. Harry jumped up, instantly relieved to be on his feet. "Everyone out!"

"But-the professor-" A student sputtered. The rest were staring in some fascinated horror.

"Will be fine. Go!" No one moved and he flapped his hands. "Would you want people gawking at you while you're sick? Now move or I'll curse you myself!"

The class surged to its feet, leaving in record time. Once everyone was gone, he turned to the Marauders, all of whom were watching Century in interest, even Remus though he seemed a tad worried.

"What did you do?" Harry growled, trying to ignore the heavy breathing behind him.

James shrugged with a smile. "You'll see."

The classroom door sprang open and Severus strode back inside, Lily following quickly. "What's wrong?" she asked, stopped in her approach by Remus grabbing the hem of her robes. Severus went to Century, blocking the Marauders' view.

"Oy, move!" Sirius snapped, reaching for his wand. James shook his head, reaching to stop him. Severus ignored them, slowly examining Century as Harry slid beside him. They conversed in mutters, Harry's posture stiffening. "A what?" he hissed. There was a sudden retching and two curses before a bucket was thrust into Century's hands.

Severus turned, eyes blazing. "How much did you give him?"

The pranksters glared, each reclining in their seats but Peter who was chewing his nails. "Why do you care?" Sirius asked.

"How much?" he grit out.

"Enough for twenty years," James answered.

"Prongs!" Sirius gaped, looking between them.

"He already knew, Padfoot," James sighed.

"So?" he sputtered.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Severus hissed, leaning over the desk, just short of jumping it to strangle them. "You're lucky his body is stronger than most. A Deaging Potion is supposed to be given to lose a year at most per dosage. It's a miracle he's only sick!"

Harry placed a hand on Severus's shoulder, squeezing harder than was warranted. "Leave it. There's nothing we can do now except make him more comfortable. How long will the symptoms last, and the potion itself? It will wear off, right?" Wouldn't that be a nightmare?

Severus crossed his arms and breathed out. "It's hard to say. The worst should lessen as he acclimates. Mild nausea, migraine, and aches are possible for a while. We'll see how he feels once he can look up. The potion could last up to 48 hours, maybe even longer, assuming they used the temporary version." James nodded wearily. "The problem is that no one has administered it in such a large dose and documented it. It could last longer, maybe less than normal, there could be side effects. We won't know until it has worn off."

"And taking him to Madam Pomfrey is out of the question," Harry sighed.

"Exactly."

Lily rounded on James, her face flushed. "Why did you deage him in the first place? I've seen a lot of your pranks but I never thought you would physically try to hurt someone!"

James' eyes widened and caught Harry's. "Lily, no, that's not-I mean…we just wanted to know…"

"James…this isn't a good idea."

James frowned at him, crossing his arms. "Just because you want to keep lying."

He sighed. "Fine! Why not? Everyone else seems to know!"

"Harry!" Sirius hissed, glancing at Severus where he still glowered at them from the desk.

Harry blinked. "Wha-oh, he knows, has for a while."

James and Sirius stilled. "What?"

Severus rolled his eyes and turned back to Century. "I figured it out. He didn't betray you."

"Actually, I did. I told you and you chose to believe I was lying."

He snorted, bodily forcing Century out of his outer robe. "And who in their right mind would believe such a story without evidence? You could offer Lupin evidence, but not me."

"What are you talking about?" Lily looked between them, color still high on her cheeks.

Harry turned to her, swallowing a few times before he caught words. How could he tell her? "Lily, I'm not who you think I am. My name is not Harry Times... It's Potter. I'm James' son. They deaged Century because they believe he is from the future too."

Lily's eyes grew wide in the silence, then she smiled weakly. "Don't try pranking me, Harry. It won't work. I told you James was a bad-"

"It's true, Lily," Harry interjected softly. "You see, I lied about where I went to school. I wasn't home schooled. I've never been to another country. I learned everything from Hogwarts, twenty years from now."

Lily frowned. "Harry, this isn't funny. There's-"

"Didn't you notice how I seemed to know too much, about Hogwarts, about the Marauders, about possible attacks? And what about you, Lily? I know about you too."

"Time travel is impossible. It's illegal." She shifted in her seat.

"And I repeat what I told James. For something to illegal, it must be possible." Was this so difficult?

"I-"

"Lily, your sister, Petunia, has been dating someone named Vernon Dursley, right? Big…buffoon with a moustache and a sister who looks just like him? They end up married, have a mammoth son, and live in a house so neat it looks like an advertisement."

Lily's back straightened. "How do you know that?"

"I've…met you," Harry lied smoothly. Severus scoffed somewhere behind him.

Lily continued to frown. "Does…does Professor Dumbledore know?"

"Yes. He was first to find out. He's trying to find a way back."

"I…I need to sit down." Lily sank into a seat near James. She was silent a moment, listening to Severus and Harry talk. "Harry? Can you give me more proof?"

He frowned. "What do you want?" What could he give that wouldn't ruin everything? Not that that was going very well.

She worried her lip, frowning at her hands. "I don't know. I don't know what you could show me."

"I do," a voice sighed.

The Marauders jumped, scrambling to their feet to see the professor. They had almost forgotten about him. The boys held their breath as he stood slowly, swaying but steadied by Severus and Harry. His head was hung but already they could see the difference. His hair, usually liberally streaked with gray, was solid again. Most of the gray blended in. The professor sighed and looked up.

"What the hell?" Sirius' mouth dropped open.

A carbon copy of Remus stared back at them, smiling softly. "Language, Mr. Black," he murmured.

"Oh my…R-Remus?"

Century-Lupin sighed. "Yes, Lily."

James whipped around to look at his young friend who was sinking down in his chair. He met James' eyes nervously, though a small smile was on his face. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Harry asked me not to." He shrugged, not meeting their eyes entirely.

"At least we know why you believed him," Peter said.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked over his father's starting rant.

"Like Buckbeak landed on my head."

Harry smiled slightly. "Anything else?"

He sighed. "I prefer being old? Just a bit sore."

Harry looked around Lupin to talk with Severus. "Will other potions react badly to the Deaging Potion?"

Severus shook his head. "For what he needs, no. He'll be fine. If you have ingredients in your rooms I can make them."

"Do you want my potions or Severus'?" he asked Lupin.

"Yours are wonderful, Harry," he patted his shoulder where his grip was hard, "but they knock me out."

"That's the point."

Lupin smiled slightly. "I would appreciate any help, Severus."

He nodded and they shuffled for the office, Lupin supporting himself after a few steps though he wobbled. They had disappeared before the others hurried after them, Lily being dragged as she tried to inspect the mirror. The boys paused, surprised to see Lupin lying on the couch, head resting nearly in Harry's lap.

The others sat down, Peter jumping when a knife slammed in the kitchen. James rubbed his eyes. "Why did you lie to us, Harry? You could have told us the other day who Century was…is."

"I still can't believe it! Why didn't we see it?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Because it wasn't expected, and you were too busy with me. But you should have figured it out after…the other night." Harry glanced at his mother. Wow this was awkward.

"Don't dance around the subject because of me," Lily snapped. "I know Remus is a werewolf."

Remus started. "You do?"

"Yes. I have for a while."

"And you don't mind?" She shook her head and he relaxed. "Thank you."

"Yes, yes. Can we get back to the fact that there are two Moony's now?" Sirius said impatiently.

"What about it?" Harry asked.

"Didn't you hear me? There are two of them." He looked at Harry like he was afraid he'd suffered an injury.

"So?"

"So! There are two of Remus."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You just deaged your friend, Sirius. For no reason."

"It was necessary," James cut in, Sirius huffing beside him.

"You could have asked."

James locked eyes with him. "You don't tell us anything. We do ask or hint and you brush us off."

"For good reason. No one has figured out time travel really. There are theories but…I really don't know." Harry rested one hand on Lupin's back, the other sweeping through the air as he tried to explain.

"Why?" Lily asked, staring in awe at Harry.

"I might have had a little run-in with a time-turner." Lupin snorted and Harry rapped his head lightly. "What are you laughing at?"

Lupin rolled his eyes. "Your ability to exaggerate astounds me."

"Okay, so it was a bit of a fiasco with the time-turner," Harry grumbled.

"Better."

He snorted. "Anyway, even though we think we can't change anything, we don't want to risk it. All the little things we do might not hurt, but what if we did something big? We could rewrite history."

"So, it's just caution?" James asked, a borderline hysterical laugh catching. "That's it? The only reason you're holding back on us is because there is a tiny chance you could mess something up, but an even bigger chance that you won't? That makes no sense!"

"Are you sure you're Prongs' son?" Sirius asked. "I mean, you should be all for causing mayhem. You could tell people you're a descendant of some great seer and spout off stuff. You could even tell us everything. I mean, how many people dream of knowing what they'll do when they get out of here?"

"That would be neat," Peter said, suddenly looking excited. "I always told Mum I'd own a shop in Diagon Alley. Can't you tell us? We won't tell."

Harry frowned. "No. I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Sirius exploded over the other protests. "It's not like anyone would believe us if we told them."

"I just can't! What do you not understand about that?"

Lily bit her lip. "I…I agree with you, Harry. You really shouldn't tell us anything." She paused. "But surely there are some small things you can tell. Like who we marry, how many children we have, what we look like when we're older."

"So you're on their side." Harry leaned against the arm of the sofa, closing his eyes and hoping he wouldn't break in to them.

"It's not really a side. We just want to know."

"Which is in opposition to our not wanting you to know," Lupin said. He glanced at the kitchen where Severus was cursing loudly.

"Why do you only have one table in this place? I can't even find the damn cloves I just cut!" he grumbled.

"Why don't you just enlarge it?" Harry asked.

"It would ruin the delicate chemistry of the potion, idiot!" Harry grinned at the glare he was surely getting.

"Be careful with that glare, Sev, or you'll melt your cauldron!"

"Shut up!" There was a finalizing crash and he went mostly silent.

Harry and Lupin snickered. Lily tried to hide her giggles as the Marauders stared. "What?" Harry asked.

"You lied. That's not Snivellus," Sirius said, pointing toward the kitchen.

Harry laughed. "It is. You've just never taken the time to talk to him properly."

"If that's what you call properly your people skills are severely limited." Severus dried his hands as he came in, numbers counting down floating by his shoulder.

Harry snorted. "So I've been told."

Severus rolled his eyes and sat on the couch arm, towel draped over his shoulder. "Really, this isn't getting you anywhere. What are you doing?"

"Avoiding a headache?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You are avoiding quite more than that."

"Must we discuss this now?" Lupin moaned, rubbing his forehead, face still pinched in that uncomfortable way.

Severus crossed his legs and let his head rest on his folded hands. "If you can get them to leave, I'll be impressed, and forever hound you for how you did it."

Lupin snorted. "Good luck."

They fell silent a moment. It was getting more and more awkward as time went on. Severus' eyes flitted to each person before standing. Harry blinked up at him. He wasn't leaving?

"You need to think about telling them," he said, moving back toward the kitchen.

Harry's face darkened as all eyes swung to him. "Thank you, Severus, thank you very much," he growled.

"Tell us what?" Remus asked, looking between Harry and his older self.

"I thought you said you couldn't tell us anything!" Sirius fixed betrayed eyes on him and pouted but Harry shook his head. What was Severus thinking getting them started like that?

"Wait a second." James leaned forward in his seat, brows drawn and eyes sharp. "You refused to tell us but you tell Snape?"

Harry winced as Sirius started to puff up as well. A lance of anger went through his chest though he knew it shouldn't. "Maybe I thought Severus could handle it, unlike some others."

There was a tense silence, even the sound of the knife and ladle were gone from the kitchen. That was the first thing to start back as well.

The glares foretold murder, or torture likely. Remus looked more put out than anything. "Fine!" Harry's attention snapped to James. "Fine, go tell the snake everything and leave your family out of it. I'll remember that later."

He stood and stalked out without a backward glance, the Marauders following almost mechanically.

Lupin sighed and covered his face with a hand. "Harry…"

"I can't believe you said that!" Harry glanced guiltily at his mother, unable to meet her eyes. She swept out of the room as well, face stormy. The door slammed after her and silence fell on the room.

"And I was starting to wonder if you had actually inherited your mother's brain."

Harry glared at Severus even as he gave Lupin the potion he'd thrown together. Lupin threw it back and coughed, blinking tears away. "Exactly how much did you tell him? What the hell is in this?"

Harry snorted and dropped his head to the couch. "He jumped to conclusions. I did nothing."

"But sit there and blink at me like I was the ghost of Edward Barby."

"Who?"

"Exactly."

"Haven't you done enough today?" he grumbled.

Severus shrugged and went back to the kitchen, the cauldron being dumped and cleaned with a couple spells. Harry bit his tongue. Severus knew he would rather it be scrubbed. "I have a couple potions that could help further if you wish them to be made. Unless I have outstayed my welcome."

Harry waved a hand at him at Lupin's veiled disappointment. "Fine, fine. Not like I have anywhere to be now."

The knife chopped calmly. The silence that descended was just to the side of uncomfortable. "If you are feeling guily-"

"Shut up, Sev."

"You should. At least so far as Lily is concerned. I don't give a damn about the others."

"Bloody hell, Sev, just shut up…"