Chapter 102: 3-4

Three days had passed since I woke up in this strange world. It was Sunday. I was having a late breakfast in the Room of Requirement with Lily, who had kindly brought me food from the Great Hall, plates and all.

"I think it'll be relatively easy to move around today. It's a Hogsmeade weekend."

"Oh... aren't you going, Lily?"

"I don't mind missing it today. How many times do I have to tell you? I'm taking care of you two. Come on, Harry, eat more. Draco, you can't just drink tea."

She efficiently divided up the salad into equal portions. She was in a great mood. According to her, it felt like she had gained younger brothers, and she couldn't be happier fussing over us. It wasn't exactly the right way to describe one's own mother, but it was heartwarming, seeing her like a youngest daughter trying her hardest to act like an older sister. Perhaps the reason my own beloved daughter, Lily, grew up so spoiled was because she inherited her name from Mum... No, it was probably because the whole family coddled her.

"What are we doing today? Shall we head to the library again?"

"Sounds good. We couldn't really do much research yesterday, after all."

After all, I had been practically kidnapped by Dad and his partners in crime.

"Don't forget the Invisibility Cloak."

While Lily packed the empty dishes back into the basket, I pulled out the Invisibility Cloak. Draping it over Draco and myself—over the past two days, I had gotten quite used to moving around under the Cloak pressed close to him—I tapped Lily on the shoulder to let her know where we were.

"Well then, shall we go—ick!"

The two of us under the Cloak almost groaned aloud at the exact same time Lily did. The moment she opened the door, James Potter and his friends—Lily Evans's arch-nemeses—were waiting out in the corridor. ...As their son, the fact that Mum's arch-nemesis was Dad was truly a poignant reality.

"Wow! To think a room like this was hidden here. And here I thought I already knew every single secret room inside out. Sirius, wouldn't you say this is a crushing oversight for us Marauders?"

"It just makes things more interesting, knowing there are still places left to explore."

"Mmm, you really have the best outlook on things, mate."

"James. Sirius. Look at Evans's face."

Thanks to Professor Lupin getting them back on track, everyone's attention shifted back to Lily, whose face was a mask of pure fury.

"Potter... I don't want to ask, but I will. Did you follow me?"

"No, no. I don't need to do something like that to know where you are. Yes, it's the power of love."

James ran a hand through his hair, trying to look cool. ...The power of love, right. More like the Marauder's Map. Since the Room of Requirement doesn't appear on the Marauder's Map, he must have wondered where Lily had suddenly vanished to and followed her. Even for my own father, his drive was completely channeled in the wrong direction. ...Seriously, how on earth did he manage to successfully marry her from this point? Well, Ginny and I took quite a roundabout path ourselves, so I shouldn't talk.

James peered past Lily's shoulder, scanning every corner of the Room of Requirement. He seemed to be looking for someone. ...I didn't even need to ask who.

"Harry isn't here."

Lily cut him off, answering bluntly.

"Oh, really? What a shame. Do you know where he went?"

"Do you honestly think I'd tell you? Just take your little friends and go to Hogsmeade already."

"—Hogsmeade!"

As Lily tried to step around James to walk away, he blocked her path once more. The rest of the Marauders had completely shifted into spectator mode.

"I thought it'd be a nice chance to treat cute little Harry to a Butterbeer or something."

"Cute little Harry? It's true that Harry is a good boy and very sweet, unlike you! But for you to call him—what?"

James was staring intently at Lily. He had an expression as if he had just noticed something completely unexpected.

"...You know, Evans, you really are cute."

"...Huh?"

Huh? Even my mouth fell wide open under the Cloak.

"No, just thinking about how things will turn out... it makes you look even cuter, Evans. Yeah. I definitely think I'm going to fall even harder for you from now on."

"H—Huh?!"

Lily's face turned a shade of crimson that rivaled her own hair. —Wait. This reaction... could it be that, surprisingly...?

"D-Don't mock me!"

"I'm not mocking you. I just said exactly what I thought. It's amazing what a shift in perspective can do... You look so much more radiant today than yesterday. Of course, you were shining yesterday too, but today you're even more so!"

True to his words, James was completely natural. He probably didn't even realize he was hitting on her. There was no exaggerated flair or dramatic gestures, but that seemed to be exactly what was striking a chord with Lily's inner schoolgirl. Good grief... so this was how he managed to charm Mum!

"Right... well, anyway, if Harry's not around, there's no point in going to Hogsmeade. Walking down there together, just the three of us with Evans, would've been ideal, though."

"...Why?"

"Because I'm certain it would become a happy memory for that kid. I'd do my best not to ruin your mood or pick fights, either. You wouldn't want to show him that side of us, right?"

"..."

Lily fixed her bright green eyes straight onto his hazel ones, searching for his true intentions. Eventually, the tension left her shoulders.

"—So he says, Harry. It's up to you to decide."

Following Lily's cue, I pulled back the Invisibility Cloak to reveal my face. James and the others, who had clearly anticipated this, didn't look surprised at all and just beamed at us.

"Morning, Harry."

"Morning, James. Try not to give Lily and Remus too much trouble."

When I gave him a mild glare, he looked delighted, exclaiming, "Wow, you look just like me!" He was completely immune to lectures. He didn't need to pass that particular trait down to James Sirius. ...No, actually, my second son was far more stubborn and worse at listening to lectures than my eldest. Then again, both Albus and Severus were stubborn men in their own right...

"So, Harry? You're coming to Hogsmeade, aren't you?"

Just like yesterday, James extended the invitation with an innocent grin, looking like the thought of being rejected hadn't even crossed his mind.

"I'll go, but... it's not just me. Draco is coming too."

When I checked to see his reaction—knowing how much he disliked Slytherins—James gave a magnanimous nod.

"Young Draco can just tag along under the Invisibility Cloak. Meanwhile, you can walk proudly right by my side."

"Huh?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter. Having two of you walking around would cause absolute chaos. And it would be a massive nuisance."

"Exactly. If another devastatingly handsome, humor-filled man like myself suddenly appeared, ah, joyous mass hysteria would be unavoidable... which is why I already laid the groundwork yesterday."

As James shot her a sharp wink, Professor Lupin, who looked like he had a massive headache, took over the explanation.

"A certain rumor has been spreading since yesterday. Apparently, James is eager to test a batch of Polyjuice Potion he secretly brewed on someone."

Lily was utterly speechless. I was probably making the exact same face. ...In other words...

"In other words—Harry, from this moment on, you are some random Gryffindor student who was forced to drink Polyjuice Potion by James Potter."

The playful wink he had just given Lily was now directed at me with equal mischief. Oh, man... I felt like burying my face in my hands right alongside Professor Lupin.

Leaving everyone else bewildered—except Sirius, who seemed to find absolutely everything James did highly entertaining—James pressed on.

"We can't let Draco show himself, though. I'm not trying to be mean. Lucius graduated last year, but... it'll be trouble if the Black from Slytherin spots him."

The Black from Slytherin—Narcissa Black, a seventh-year student. If we paraded Draco, who looked a spitting image of Lucius, right in front of Lucius's fiancée, it was painfully obvious it would cause a massive scene. ...Especially since Draco had no intention of introducing himself.

"Draco..."

"It's fine, Harry. As long as you can enjoy yourself, that's what matters most."

For the first time, Draco's face was revealed to the others besides Lily. While everyone showed uniform shock, Sirius in particular looked visibly disgusted, no doubt because he was Narcissa's cousin.

"Sirius."

When I called his name to reproach him, he clicked his tongue and looked away. It seemed he had no intention of picking a fight with Draco right here.

"You two really are close, aren't you? Hmm, it's a bit complicated, but... well, we can worry about that later. Come on, put the Cloak back on for now. We'll catch up with you later, Evans."

"Don't just decide things on your own!"

"You're coming with us, right?"

Loss for words, Lily turned away and began walking. Just before turning the corner of the corridor, she looked back, huffed, "This is entirely for Harry and Draco's sake!" and stormed off.

"Don't you just love that side of Evans?"

"I swear, I will never understand your taste in girls."

"But she's so cute."

Leaving the soul brothers to their ridiculous glass-shattering banter, I looked up at Professor Lupin, the most reliable person among them. Patting both Draco and me on the back with his hands, Professor Lupin pointed down the corridor with a gentle smile.

"Well then, shall we go? Let's make some memories."

Since we didn't belong to this era, we couldn't leave through the front gates, so we naturally used a secret passage. It was a method that had saved my skin countless times in the future. Passageways that had been caved in or sealed by the time Fred, George, and I were using the Map were easily passable now. After making our way through the dimly lit tunnel and emerging at the edge of the bustling village, I was finally freed from the Cloak. I felt bad for Draco, who still couldn't take the Invisibility Cloak off, but I took a deep breath, feeling like a Niffler coming up to the surface after a long time underground. Although the overall atmosphere of the village hadn't changed a bit, it felt surreal to see a few unfamiliar shops open here and there.

"Keep that passage a secret from Evans, alright?"

James held an index finger to his lips with a mischievous grin. So that was why we went separately. Seeing how my father's wits were sharp only when it came to mischief, I didn't know whether to be exasperated or to laugh.

Before long, we met up with Lily and strolled through Hogsmeade as a large group. James, walking proudly down the center of the street, looked like a king. While occasionally getting called out by random passersby ("Caught up in one of James's experiments, were you? Tough luck!"), I looked around at the streets and shops teeming with Hogwarts students.

"Come on, Harry! Let's go grab some Butterbeers. It's my treat today. Mind you, I'd treat Evans to absolutely anything, anytime."

"No thank you."

"How cold, my lovely Lily. I'm deeply wounded. Will you comfort me, Harry?"

"Potter, stop clinging to Harry. Unlike your thick-skinned self, this boy is shy! Come over here next to me, Harry. Move over, Potter. That's Draco's seat."

"Oh, so you'd rather have me sitting right in front of you? Brilliant, I'd love nothing more than to gaze at my two favorites at the exact same time."

"Can you not keep that silver tongue of yours shut for even a second?"

I chuckled at Lily and James's practiced (yet totally one-sided) bickering.

If only—if only my parents were alive, they might have had squabbles like this with me caught in the middle. Sirius would usually take James's side, and Professor Lupin would keep a slight distance, but if I or anyone else got genuinely overwhelmed, he'd come to the rescue... Perhaps a future like that could have existed.

Even though that reality was nowhere to be found.

I was happy. Immeasurably happy. We toasted with our Butterbeers. We all got foam mustaches and laughed merrily. Finding sweets at Honeydukes that weren't sold in our era, I shared them with Draco. Mum scolded Dad for trying to buy me absolutely everything. Professor Lupin scolded Sirius for constantly wandering off on his own. Pettigrew kept getting lost, forcing us all to search for him, and since I was mistaken for James, I kept getting stopped by groups of Gryffindors and a few Slytherins. Every single time, James tried to draw his wand, only to get smacked by Lily—it was a wonderfully chaotic, joyful, and happy time.