THE ETERNITY of TIME

Chapter Five "A Learned Past"

DISCLAIMER: The characters and story plot of the Harry Potter franchise do NOT belong to me, I am just one of the many privileged enough to write on J.K Rowling's marvellous novel series.

"She's barmy, the woman is seriously barmy," joked James as he, Lily and his fellow Marauder's walked out of the Divination classroom. "Professor Trelawney, more like Professor Tre-Loony."

"I thought she was quite insightful," mused Peter aloud, he had kept a pinch of tea leafs in his palm that he couldn't help but continue to stare at as he walked. "Do you think I can tell the future with these?"

Remus laughed as he passed Peter by. "You're living in the future, Johnathon, look around you."

As Peter didn't immediately acknowledge what Remus said, James leaned into his stout friend and whispered close to his ear. "You're Johnathon, Pete'."

"Oh, right," Peter said, cluing in to McGonagall's name for him.

"So those leafs in your hand there, they're actually as useless as they actually are," James told Peter, a sly smirk stretching it's way across his face.

Peter gave a nod as he wiped his tea leafed palm along his trousers and a red tinge of embarrassment filling up the plump cheeks of his face as he realized how thick he must seem to his friends to think that tea leafs could tell the future he was currently living in.

As the Marauder's joked and laughed their way towards their next class, James Potter stopped short as he realized Lily Evans was dragging her feet several steps behind. Despite Lily making it quite clear just what kind of relationship he and her had this morning, James also knew how perplexing and troublesome it must be for her to have seen the older Severus Snape and be treated so coldly by someone who James grudgingly had to acknowledge was one of Lily's bestfriends back in their time line.

Waiting until she was just a few steps from him, James closed the gap so he was walking beside her, a moment of silence ensued between the two until James cleared his throat.

"Is there something I can do for you, Hardy?" Lily asked, she may have been lost within her thoughts but she still had a grasp to not be completely oblivious to her surroundings.

"No, nothing at all," rushed out James, a flowery scent of what he assumed was perfume wafted over from Lily and he felt his collar tighten around his neck with giddy nerves. "Um, is there anything I can do for you, I know it's been a ruddy day for you and all that."

"And all that?" questioned Lily.

James reached up behind his head and gave it a scratch. "Well you know, with how potions went this morning, I just figured you might want to talk about it?"

Lily pondered hard, sharing her thoughts and emotions with the likes of James Potter had never entered her mind before, however now that they had been thrust from the comforts of their own timeline, the selection of confidantes she once had was narrowed down to an exact nil.

"Evans?" asked James when he heard nothing.

"Milburn, Dorothy Milburn," Lily replied quickly.

James brows furrowed together as he looked over his shoulders to the near empty corridor they found themselves traversing through. "No one's even around us, are the aliases all that necessary?"

"Pretense is everything, it's best we keep using the names so we get into a habit of using them," Lily defended surely. "One slip up and who knows what kind of effect we might cause to the timeline."

"We really don't know anything about how us being here works, it may have no effect at all," replied James, just for good measure to show he was listening he added. "Milburn."

Lily let a half smile grace her mouth for a moment. "I can't argue with that."

James felt his heart skip a beat as he saw her smile. "So now that we have a free period, what do you say to grabbing some food with me in the Great Hall?"

Something in side of Lily wanted to say yes but another part of her was torn to try and figure out just why Severus had paid her no mind earlier, were they no longer friends in the future? Did her oldest friend really no recognize her? Pushing the questions aside, Lily came to a halt and met James eye to eye.

Having stopped when Lily did, James could feel feel his heart start to pick up pace as he awaited her reply.

Opening her mouth to finally accept Potter's offer, Lily was silenced by a loud roar from up ahead.

"Oi, Prong's what're you doing mate!? Come on, move those hoofs!" called Sirius, the dark curly haired teen waved his hand in the air gesturing for James to join him, Peter and Remus.

Ignoring the urge to give a rather obscene hand gesture back to Sirius for interrupting him, James looked to Lily expectantly. "Well, Lily will you join me?"

Lily bowed her head for a moment as she tucked a few loose strands of auburn hair behind her ear. "Not today, I think I may wander the grounds for a little bit to clear my head."

Even though he was dejected by her answer James did his best not to show it. "Another day then?"

"Prong's you old goblin, get your arse over here!" cut in a yelling Sirius once again.

Hesitantly, Lily nodded. "Sure, Potter, another day."

Despite the turn down, James grinned as she used his actual surname. "Perfect, I'll catch you later then."

With a simple nod, Lily watched as James jogged off to rejoin his friends near the end of the corridor before turning to walk a different route she knew would lead her out onto the grounds of Hogwarts castle. As the began her stroll, Lily took notice as other students began to empty out of their classes and head off towards their next. The bustling student body gave comfort to Lily to know that even though she was lost to a different era of time, some things never seemed to change.

Letting her mind drift back to Snape, Lily did an estimated calculation based off the age Snape looked to how old she would be in this time, the thought of an older version of herself running about the wizarding world the same time she her 17 year old self was walking about Hogwarts gave her a strange sense of bewilderment if she and her older self where to ever meet by chance. What could she possibly say or ask her future self?

So lost in the trance of her own mind Lily didn't take immediate notice she was not treading along neatly cut grass outside the confines of Hogwarts grand stone walls. Searching around her to identify just where her legs had lead her, Lily spotted what appeared to be a group of first years preparing to have their first flying lesson.

Taking a seat on an old stone bench beneath the shade of a thick trunked tree that had probably planted it's roots in the earth century's ago, Lily observed the first years begin to struggle with the command to have their brooms leap up from the ground and into their hands.

In the distance she could make out the shaggy black hair of James Potter's look-a-like son, the lesson appeared to be going quite well in Lily's opinion until a rather pudgy boy after mounting his broom started to lift up off the ground to the panic and dismay of the teaching Professor and other students.

Holding a hand to her mouth in near horror, Lily watched as the pudgy boy now a fair height up from the rest of his swayed uncontrollably on his broom, teetering from side to side, Lily closed her eyes as the boy lost his grip on his broom and toppled over. Opening her eyes a second later, Lily watched as the boy whimpered and whined on the ground, one hand clutching the wrist of his other.

Lily was tempted to go over and offer her assistance but the flying instructor was already hurrying over to check the pudgy boy over, the spiky grey haired witch then appeared to give the rest of the class some stern instructions before ushering the pudgy boy towards the nearest Hogwarts entrance.

Figuring the excitement was over Lily was set on returning to her thoughts until witnessing a blonde haired boy in Slytherin drab get into a verbal row with James Potter's potential offspring. Instinctively Lily's years as a prefect kicked in and she got up from the stone bench fully intent on intervening between the two boys, however just as she neared them the slick backed blonde boy kicked off from the ground with Potter's look-a-like following close after.

"Both of you get back down here right now!" shouted Lily in her sternest of tones.

Both boys seemed to completely disregard her as they continued their verbal altercation once Potter's boy had caught up to the Slytherin students, Lily knowing it was fruitless to keep yelling turned to look around her at the whispering Slytherin and Gryffindor first years that stood gazing intently up at the two boys, Lily felt powerless but to do the same. There was a churn in her stomach as the blonde boy then threw a round object that Potter's boy chased after.

The sickly churning sensation in Lily's stomach didn't seem to subside as Potter's look-a-like entered into a dangerously narrow dive towards the ground, within a matter of a feet from becoming well aquainted with the grounds of Hogwarts the boy did a sharp sweep to catch the round object and come to a skidding stop back to land.

As a crowd of cheering first year Gryffindor's ran towards the boy, Lily followed after in a stalking walk sure to let the boy hear of the reckless, life threatening dangers he had just partaken in.

"Stop that cheering at once," ordered Lily to the assembled Gryffindor's who were taking turns clapping and patting the Potter boy on the back. "Do you have any idea of how dangerous that was!?"

Cranking their necks to look at the fuming older student before them, most of the Gryffindor's choose to take a step away leaving a semi-circle around the Potter boy and a red haired kid she assumed was one of his closer mates.

"I didn't do anything wrong, it was Malfoy who took Neville's remembrall," defended the Potter boy, the now identifiable remembrall clasped tightly in his hand.

"That is besides the point, what you just did not only endangered yourself but your fellow classmates as well, you should think before you act! What would your parents say?" Lily chastised.

After the words left her mouth, Lily was met with several confused looks from the Gryffindor first years before her.

"You do know that's Harry Potter, don't you?" asked a girl whose identical twin who stood beside her nodding.

"Since when did fame exempt someone from hard truths," countered Lily, she figured the girl needed to point out Potter's name as some form of connection to his victory over an unnamed dark wizard.

Lily turned her eyes back onto the Potter boy to watch him drop his head to stare at the ground. Unsure if the boy was remorseful or just choosing to ignore her chastising, Lily prepared to unleash more words of wisdom upon the boy but a tug on the sleeve of her robes had her looking down to the bushy haired girl who had ran into her that very morning outside of Snape's classroom.

"Harry's parents are dead," whispered the bushy haired girl informatively.

"Dead?" scoffed Lily unexpectedly, James Potter was dead? No, that couldn't be she told herself, it wasn't even confirmed yet that James was in fact the boys father. "... What were their names?"

"Lily and James," answered Harry, his head was raised and looking quite fixed on Lily now.

Lily could feel the saliva in her mouth disappear as she met Harry's eyes, she needn't ask his mother's maiden name to know the answer as she founded herself looking into a pair of eyes she knew all to well, her own.

"Merlin," mumbled Lily, her body stood frozen in a state of shock as she continued to stare at Harry Potter, her son. "This... That... I, um."

"Are you alright, miss?" questioned the bushy haired girl, her voice and face filled with genuine concern. "I can fetch Madam Pomfrey."

Lily could only manage to wave the offer off as her voice seemed to have upped and left her voice-box. Thankfully for Lily she was saved from the situation at hand by Professor McGonagall storming out of the castle towards them.

"Mr. Potter, come with me please," order McGonagall as she drew close to the bundle of Gryffindor's. Her eyes passed over Lily and she had to do a double take of the Seventh Year girl just to ensure it wasn't one of Hogwarts ghosts with how pale Lily had become. "Miss. Milburn?"

Twisting her neck to look at McGonagall, Lily tried to answer her Head of House but found the words got tangled around her tongue.

Unable to decipher the garbled sentence that had left the usually eloquent Lily Evans, McGonagall knew then that the girl must have learned something quite distressing. "Miss. Milburn, if you would come with me as well, please."

Bobbing her head up and down to show she understood the transfiguration Professor, Lily while weak in the knees joined McGonagall at her side.

"Now, I expect all of you to remain here where you are until, Madam Hooch returns. If I hear so much as a whisper of trouble caused by any of you I will take points from Gryffindor House faster than you can Quidditch," Instructed McGonagall to the remaining herd of first years in front of her. "I also have no shortage of detentions to hand out as well."

With that said, McGonagall pivoted where she stood and advanced back towards the entrance she had exited from the castle, in tow behind her was a dazed Lily Evans and worried Harry Potter. As the three entered into Hogwarts, McGonagall came to a short stop.

"Mr. Potter, wait here. Miss. Milburn if you would come with me over here for a moment," requested McGonagall leading Lily away from Harry several feet away.

"Professor?" asked Lily slowly.

"I'm not quite certain what it is you may or may not know, Miss. Milburn, but I suggest you go and see the Headmaster, he may have answers you seek. I trust you know where his office is?" said McGonagall.

"Yes, Professor. The gargoyle." Lily answered.

"Excellent, the password is 'Pickled Prunes'. Now I must be tending to Mr. Potter here so you best be off Miss. Milburn," McGonagall replied, after a moment of Lily not moving she gave a gentle press to the girls back to assist in getting the younger witch's feet moving.

Stumbling her way in a daze towards the Headmaster's office, Lily could hardly believe that just an hour earlier her mind was preoccupied with how Severus had treated her that morning, twisting and turning about the castle's corridors Lily found herself looking up into the face of the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office entrance within a matter of a couple minutes.

Giving the password McGonagall had bequethed upon her, Lily watched and waited as the Headmaster's rotating staircase ascended it's way up. Slowly with uneasy steps she made her way up the coiled stairway that upon reaching the top she tumbled into an open chair across from where a relatively surprised Dumbledore sat at his desk.

"Ah, Miss. Evans, what a pleasant surprise," greeted Dumbledore, the elderly wizard wore a dark burgundy set of robes that highlighted his long grey beard. "For what reason do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"The boy... James' boy, the Potter boy," Lily managed to get out, her voice faintly quiet.

"I see," Dumbledore commented lightly, "I take it you've finally made the acquaintance of Harry Potter?"

Lily's gaunt face confirmed Dumbledore's question.

"To be quite honest, my dear, I'm surprised it took you this long," Dumbledore said, his voice sounded almost jovial. "He's a fine boy I hope you know."

"Is it true... Is he actually..." Lily began but fell quiet as she mustered the strength to bring herself to finish the sentence. "Is he my son, Professor?"

Reaching a finger up to his long, crooked nose, Dumbledore pushed his spectacles up and gave a nod. "He is."

Lily digested the news with a lump in her throat. "And... I'm dead?"

Dumbledore sighed. "You are."

"How?" gasped Lily.

Eyes downcast for a moment, Dumbledore stood from his chair and strode a short distance towards to a rather majestic looking Phoenix perched upon the ledge of one of the Headmaster's many office bookshelfs. "This is not a tale for the faint of heart, Miss. Evans. I request you think deeply for a moment if you truly wish to know the answer."

While she may have not been interested in what her future fate was a day or two ago, Lily was now keenly in rapt with whatever the Headmaster could potentially tell her. "I do... I have to know."

"Very well, my dear," Dumbledore replied gravely. "In your time, I take it you've heard word of witches and wizards disappearing?"

"The Ministry is investigating, no one knows where they've gone," Lily said.

"There's been whispers of a name in your time, I'm sure you've heard it before, haven't you, Miss. Evans?"

Despite the realizations she had faced today Lily thought back to her timeline and knew exactly what the Headmaster was referring to. "A dark wizard... Voldemort they call him."

"Yes, Voldemort," Dumbledore confirmed gravely. "It is then in your time that he worked in the shadows trying desperately to undermine the Ministry of Magic and the peaceful cohabitation between muggles and magic folk. In just a few short years, Voldemort and his followers will be a very real and present threat that will bring the wizarding world as we know it to the brink of destruction. Voldemort looked to create a new world power based on the ideals of pureblood supremacy and he would have succeeded too if it were not for you, James and your son, Harry."

Shaking her head, Lily brought a hand to rub one of her temples. "This is to much."

"It's a lot to absorb, I know, my dear," commented Dumbledore gently, his hand caressing the smooth feathers of his Phoenix. "While I cannot comfort you in a death you know you will have to face, I hope you can find comfort in the fact that your death helped bring peace to the wizarding world."

Not quite ready to accept her death, Lily shook her head. "It doesn't bring me comfort, nothing you've told me brings me comfort!"

Dumbledore turned from his majestic bird and fixed Lily with a look that showed his sympathy for the girl. "I'm sorry, Lily. But you and the family you make are the founding fixture of peace and security the wizarding world today now has because of the sacrifice you and James made."

"James," whispered Lily, she nearly forgot her future husband was the boy who had been a thorn in her side for nearly the entirety of her time at Hogwarts in her time.

Striding to where Lily sat, Dumbledore took a bended knee and placed a hand atop of Lily's in a gesture of support. "I must trust that you realize you mustn't tell James of this Lily, while he is of good intentions, James Potter is not the sort of wizard to learn something of this nature and retain his composure."

Lily slipped her hand out from under Dumbledore's. "You want me to keep this from him?"

"I only wish you to do what you believe to be right, I cannot forbid you from saying or doing anything, I can merely request you consider what news like this would do to Harry, a boy who has lived his entire life knowing his parents to be deceased," Dumbledore answered, he withdrew his hand back to his side and got slowly back to an upright position.

Lily stared at the man she had always been fond of and nodded. "I'll consider it... To be quite honest, I don't even know what I'd say to Potter... James, I mean..."

"A simple consideration is the most I can expect," replied Dumbledore while retaking the seat behind his desk.

Although Lily was loaded with tons of more questions, the gobsmacked Gryffindor had had enough knowledge of her future to last her what she now knew to be a short lifetime. "If it's fine with you, Headmaster, I'd like to go to Gryffindor Tower."

"Of course, my dear, I'll send word to the Professor's of your other classes excusing you for the day," Dumbledore said. "My office is open to you whenever you should seek council or assistance, Miss. Evans."

"Thank you, sir?" responded Lily unsure.

Even though she had been shake to her core and unknowing of what could possibly transpire while living in the present time, Lily felt unexplainable remorse not for herself but for the idea of a boy who had gone his entire life without knowing the love of his parents.

A/N: This chapter is a bit all over the place so I apologize before hand if it may be a bit hard to follow, I am going to be quite busy for the next little while and I wanted to get this one out a bit sooner than I planned. Either way, it's a step towards a bigger realization for our time traveller's but still many questions to be answered. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and if you have the time drop a review to let me know what you think. Thank you all for reading and I hope you all take care. Until next time dear readers, farewell!