HP-A New Future

I am 15 chapters ahead on my patreón, check it out if you are interested.

https://www.patréon.com/emperordragon

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Chapter 23: A Marauder's Welcome

The morning at the Potter estate started like any other—or as normal as it could be with a time-traveling son from the future living under their roof. Harry was in the sitting room, carefully reading through a thick tome on advanced magical theory when James sauntered in, his grin so wide it was almost suspicious. Lily followed close behind, her brow furrowed in curiosity.

"Harry," James began, clapping his hands together. "We're heading to see Sirius and Remus today. Thought it'd be good for you to meet them."

Harry set the book down, raising an eyebrow. "I'm guessing there's more to this than just introductions."

"Of course there is," James said, grinning mischievously. "We're Marauders, Harry. Fun is mandatory."

Lily groaned. "Here we go again. What are you plotting now, James?"

James turned to Harry, ignoring his wife. "So, here's the plan. When we get there, I want to pull a prank. You're going to pretend to be me."

Harry blinked, taken aback by the request. "Pretend to be you? How am I supposed to do that? We don't have any Polyjuice Potion lying around."

James smirked, as if daring Harry to think outside the box. But before anyone could say more, Harry's expression shifted. His vibrant green eyes darkened into James's hazel, his cheekbones shifted slightly, and his messy black hair became even more unruly—if that was possible. Within seconds, Harry stood before them, the spitting image of James Potter.

Lily gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "What in Merlin's name—"

James stepped back, his jaw slack. "Bloody hell, Harry. How did you do that?"

"Human transfiguration," Harry said casually, examining his reflection in the nearby mirror. "It's not difficult once you've practiced enough. Sneaking into dangerous places tends to teach you a thing or two."

"That wasn't just transfiguration," Lily said, her voice sharp with disbelief. "That was wandless human transfiguration! Do you have any idea how advanced that is?"

Harry shrugged. "I've had time to learn. Wandless magic is quieter and harder to trace."

James was still staring at Harry, his grin widening. "You're going to fit right in with Sirius and Remus. They'll love this."

"I hope so," Harry replied, adjusting his collar. "Let's go meet them."

The safe house in Godric's Hollow was a modest, unassuming place, hidden behind layers of protective wards. Inside, Sirius lounged on a worn armchair, tossing a small snitch up and down in his hand. Remus sat nearby, his face buried in a newspaper, sipping a cup of tea.

"Any sign of James?" Sirius asked lazily, his sharp grey eyes flicking toward the door.

"Not yet," Remus replied, not looking up. "Probably still recovering from whatever prank he and Lily pulled on each other last night."

The door creaked open, and James entered, his trademark grin plastered across his face. "Still talking about me, I see."

"Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, sitting up straighter. "About time you showed up. What took you so long?"

"Lily," James said simply, plopping down on the couch.

Sirius snorted. "She still keeping you on a leash?"

"Something like that," James replied with a chuckle.

Remus set the newspaper down and studied James. "You seem different today."

James leaned forward. "Just trying to be more involved, Moony. So, tell me, what's the latest with the Order?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest? You've been a bit distant lately."

Before James could answer, the door swung open again, and "James" walked in, arm-in-arm with Lily.

"Hey, lads," the second James said, his tone casual.

Sirius froze, his mouth hanging open, the snitch slipping from his fingers. Remus's teacup clattered to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere.

"What the—" Sirius began, his eyes darting between the two identical Jameses.

Remus stood slowly, his wand half-raised. "James... what's going on?"

The two Jameses looked at each other, and then Lily burst into laughter, her voice ringing through the room. The real James joined in, doubling over as tears streamed down his face.

Harry undid the transfiguration with a flick of his fingers, his features reverting back to normal. "Sorry about that," he said, shrugging apologetically. "Couldn't resist."

Sirius stared at him, then at James, then back at Harry. "Who—what—"

"Everyone, meet Harry," James said, still laughing as he clapped his son on the back. "He's my cousin—or at least that's the official story."

"Cousin?" Sirius repeated, his voice tinged with disbelief. "You don't have any cousins, James!"

"It's a long story," James said, his grin widening.

Harry extended a hand to Sirius. "It's good to meet you."

Sirius shook Harry's hand, still looking utterly baffled. "Cousin, huh? You've been hiding this one, Prongs."

"He's... unique," Remus said, stepping forward to shake Harry's hand as well. "Welcome to the madhouse, Harry."

Sirius finally found his voice again. "Unique? Moony, did you not see what he just did? He casually turned into James without a wand! That's... that's incredible!"

"Oi!" James protested, though he couldn't keep the pride out of his voice.

Harry smiled faintly. "Just a trick I picked up. Nothing too fancy."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Nothing fancy? That's the most impressive bit of magic I've seen in years!"

The four of them settled into the sitting room, Sirius and Remus firing off questions at Harry as they tried to piece together his story. James sat back, watching with a satisfied grin as his friends and son began to bond.

The meeting continues with all five of them laughing and joking, the bonds of family and friendship growing stronger with every passing moment.