Hello . . . I'm back?

I don't own it

/S/

When Harry awoke he found himself laying in a bed in the hospital wing with James, Sirius, Peter and a fourth boy whom he expected was Remus standing around him. James started speaking right when Harry first opened his eyes.

"Way to go Larry! I can't believe you got it on your first try! You must be either incredibly lucky or powerful. Or both. It took me and Sirius months to get it down!" James had his mouth open to say more but the nurse walked it.

"Okay boys, out you get. I told you you could all stay until he regained consciousness, and he has, so leave. Dumbledore wants to talk to this one." She nodded towards Harry. James looked back as he walked towards the door and looked like he was about to say something. "Out, Potter!" James ran out without another glance back. "Now," the nurse continued, turning to face Harry who had climbed out of the hospital bed, "If you'll just follow me."

Harry followed the nurse through the halls all the way to the headmaster's office. The nurse directed him to a seat and then took her leave back down the staircase. He had thought he was all alone, but then he spied Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, perching in the corner of the room. Harry got out of his seat and walked over to the magnificent bird.

"Hi there." He said. The bird cocked its head. "You don't know me yet, but you're going to save my life someday." Fawkes trilled and lowered his head, exposing the back of his neck to be scratched. Harry laughed and complied. (AN- I've seen birds do this, it's really cute, hats off to Benny the yellow shouldered amazon)

"He likes you."

Harry jumped and turned. Dumbledore stood in the doorway regarding him curiously.

"Now, what's all this business with 'don't know me yet' and 'going to save my life?' Mr. Potter said that your name was Larry; he had no last name to go with it. It also did not escape my attention that you are not registered as a student here. Could you possibly explain any of this to me?"

Harry looked uncomfortable. There was no turning back now. Harry explained to the younger Dumbledore about the corridor. He simply stated that he was from the future, leaving out any and all details which he thought would change the course of time. He also left out any condemning facts that would get the Marauders in trouble. When he was through, Dumbledore simply nodded, a twinkle in his eye that seemed to say that he knew more about what was going on than what Harry had said.

"So, you are from the future. I have heard tales of such corridors as yours. But there is one thing you left out. Why now? Why come back to this particular time? Assuredly there are more spectacular moments in history you could have chosen to visit."

Harry thought quickly on his feet. He couldn't tell the Headmaster that he was here to get to know his parents because they were dead in his own time. Dumbledore was observant and there was little question as to who his father was. If Dumbledore where to know that James died in the future, he might change things. And as much as Harry wanted things to change, it wasn't the right thing to do. So he told a half-truth.

"My parents are going to school at this time." Truth. "I thought it would be funny to get some blackmail on them from their younger days." Lie.

"Ah! A worthy reason for a trip to the past if ever I heard one. Especially if I have guessed correctly as to whom your father is. You wouldn't happen to be related to James Potter would you?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded, there was no use denying it. "But your eyes, those are not from Mr. Potter."

"I have been told I have my mother's eyes, Professor. Lily Evans." Harry said.

The Headmasters face lit up with a bright smile. "But of course! I shall have to tell Minerva that she owes me five galleons. Now, it is my duty as headmaster to suggest that you hurry back to your own time. Classes start in just under an hour."

"Of course professor, thank you." Said Harry, backing out the door. The voice of the headmaster floated down the stairs after him.

"Do try and stay out of trouble, Young Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled to himself and headed back through the school hallways towards the Corridor of time. Unfamiliar faces of students stared at him from all sides as the headed towards classes. Unconsciously, Harry patted down his bangs to cover the curse scar.

Luckily the hall with the golden door was devoid of students. Harry stared blankly at the empty wall for a second, trying to remember how to make the door appear. He had no trouble finding the correct stone to trace around. It was the matter of what pattern to trace around it that was the problem.

Twice clockwise, once counter, thrice again clockwise? Nothing happened. There was a half a turn in there somewhere, wasn't there? Three times clock wise, once counterclockwise, half clockwise, and twice counterclockwise? Nope, not hat either. How about three times clockwise, halfway around counterclockwise, twice more clockwise then a full counterclockwise? Eureka! The golden door appeared before him in all of its glory.

Harry opened the door and began searching for the door with the silver zero that would take him back home. It was nowhere to be found. Harry began to panic and returned to the door he had come in through. He didn't like what he saw. Shining brightly on the door through which he had entered was a zero.

Harry inhaled deeply. This could mean one of two things. Either this door led back to his own time, or the numbers had reset and the door would take him right back where he came from. Crossing his fingers, Harry stepped back though the door.

An audible sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw the red hair of Ginny Weasley disappear around a corner.

"Ginny!" Harry ran after her. She hadn't stopped when he called her name so he tapped her lightly on the shoulder when he caught up. Ginny turned around.

"Can I help you?" Harry's eyes widened. That wasn't Ginny.

"No, um, sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"I don't think we've met before, which is funny considering you're wearing Gryffindor robes and you're too old to be a first year. You know what? You look kind of like James Potter, are you related to him? If you are I feel sorry for you. He's a complete idiot. Oh God, I'm rambling aren't I? Sorry, I'm Lily Evans." Lily stuck out her hand to shake Harry's.

Harry took her hand and shook it briefly. "Uh, I'm Larry . . . Jamison." Yeah, 'cause that wasn't completely obvious.

"Well Larry, it was nice meeting you but I'm going to be late for class if I don't hurry. Perhaps I'll see you around? Bye!" Lily turned from the completely bewildered Harry and walked off down the hall.

After spending about five minutes staring blankly at the wall and pondering his lot in life, Harry ran back down the halls towards the headmaster's office. Obviously the door hadn't brought him back where he was supposed to be. Thoughts began to race through his head. What if he was stuck here? Would he ever see Ron and Hermione again? Could they still get back here, or were they locked in the future? What if he never got back? Could he learn to live a lie in the past?

He was so tied up in his thoughts that he didn't see Dumbledore until he collided into him just outside the gargoyle. The Headmaster caught Harry before he fell to the ground.

"Why! What are you still doing here?" Dumbledore asked.

"I . . . it . . . I mean, I couldn't, the doors! The doors reset. I couldn't get back. I tried! Honest."

"I believe you." Dumbledore said calmly.

"You, you do?" Harry asked, slightly relieved.

"Of course. Can you give me a reason not to? Things such as this sometimes happen for a reason. We shall simply have to wait and find out what the reason is. Now, until you are able to return home you shall simply have to stay here as a student. What year are you?"

"Fifth."

"A good year." Dumbledore pulled out his wand and conjured a piece of paper and handed it to Harry. "Here is a schedule. I took the liberty of putting you in all of your father's classes, as he is also presently a fifth year. If there is anything you would like to change, come see me later. For today, just sit in on the classes. I shall send our groundskeeper to Diagon Alley to purchase you the supplies you will need that you can't borrow from the school. And now, I have business to attend to. If you have trouble finding any of the classes, just ask someone. I doubt they have changed location from where you remember them to be, they have not changed in over fifty years. Good luck."

"Thank you Professor." Harry said, before turning to look at the schedule in his hand. It looked like Transfiguration was taking place currently. Stuffing the slip of paper in his pocket, Harry trotted off to the transfiguration classroom.

When he reached the class he opened the door slowly and poked his head inside. It appeared as if McGonagall had already lectured and had turned the class loose to practice. The Marauders spotted Harry and called him over.

"Larry! Where have you been? You and your friends certainly have a knack for disappearing." Sirius said. Harry was about to sit down in the empty seat next to the Marauders when McGonagall saw him and called him over.

"You must be Larry. Professor Dumbledore has explained your situation to all the other professors." When had Dumbledore had time to do that, Harry wondered? "Today's assignment is to take one of these colored balls and turn it into an owl. The incantation is strix aluco. If you need help, just ask. Oh dear." McGonagall hurried away as two students on the other side of the room decided to scrap the assignment and play catch instead.

"Larry, sit down. This is Remus, Remus, this is Larry." James made introductions.

"So you're the reason James. Sirius and Peter didn't come last night." Remus said, shaking Harry's hand.

"Sorry 'bout that." Harry muttered.

"Don't worry about it. It's nice to meet you." The werewolf smiled warmly. "Now, if you're going to hang out with us, you have to do things our way."

"Right," continued Sirius. "Anything that can be a competition is a competition. So in this class, we'll each take a turn at the spell. The losers have to buy the winner a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. Got it?"

"Sounds fun." Said Harry. "Who goes first?"

"I'll go." Offered James, pulling the red ball on the desk closer to him. "Strix aluco." A perfect brownish red owl appeared on the table in place of the ball.

"By the way, Larry," Peter said. "James always wins. You're up."

Harry grabbed a green ball from the center of the table and attempted the transfiguration. "Strix aluco." There was a flash of light and the green ball became a green ball of feathers. "Well, that didn't work so well." He said. He poked the ball with the tip of his wand and it exploded. Green feathers went shooting through the classroom. "Oops."

The others attempts were not as perfect as James's nor were they as spectacular failures as Harry's. Peter managed what looked like a rubber ducky, Sirius got what was essentially a large feathered snitch, and Remus who came closest to James, managed a complete owl that just couldn't fly.

"I dub thee Earl." James said, knighting his owl with his wand.

"Earl?" Sirius asked incredulously. "That's almost as bad as Harry."

"Just for that, Sirius, I will name my first born son Harry. I happen to like the name."

/E/

Ta Da.

I found my slinky yesterday. It made me happy and inspired me to dig my old notebook out from under my bed (it's scary down there) and continue typing this up. Yay me.

Strix aluco is the scientific name for the tawny owl