Teddy lay exhausted on a sofa in the room of requirement, James mirroring his pose from across the room. It was now a few weeks since they arrived in the past, and the two were mostly adjusted. They knew their new schedules, had friends and study partners, and the loss of the life they knew was a little less. Most importantly, neither of them had ruined anything yet, which was a miracle in itself.

But, starting tomorrow, everything was about to get challenging, as tomorrow was Halloween, when Harry would be chosen as a champion. The two schools had arrived that evening, which meant James and Teddy had to plan what to do next.

"So let's go through this again. Harry's name is going to come out of the goblet, and no one is going to believe that he didn't put it in, and I am supposed to do what? I can't ignore him, that might change things, but I also can't defend him, in case that changes the timeline. Uhhg," James whined. Teddy knew James, and staying neutral was not a strong point of his; his sense of righteousness too strong.

"I guess you can support him, but just don't be too overt, or obvious about it. Don't go singing his praises or trying to convince others, just remain his friend. Is that fair?" Teddy hoped this compromise would appease James. Not changing the future was awful, in Teddy's opinion. There was no room for natural reactions or the spontaneity that comes from normal conversation. Everything had to be planned out in order to minimize their impact, and unfortunately the easiest way not to change anything was to be as bland and impartial as possible, something that was almost impossible for both boys to do. Teddy's only consolation was that everyone seemed to be happy in the future, but of course that always got him thinking about Cedric.

Teddy was getting pretty close to Cedric; they shared the same electives of runes and arithmancy, and often studied together. Their personalities complemented each other, both mild tempered and caring, but very different in terms of their interests and coping strategies, which made them work well together. Cedric was planning for a career in the ministry; hoping to make an impact in the inequalities in the wizarding world, (which was very Hermione like, in Teddy's opinion), and had so many goals, that Teddy couldn't even imagine what the wizarding world would have been like in the future if Cedric had lived. And knowing that Cedric could, and that he was the one responsible for that choice was tearing him up.

"Do you know how easier it would be if we just changed the future? This is exhausting." James was even more frustrated than Teddy had thought if he was suggesting they not return. And, at this moment, Teddy couldn't even think of a good counter argument, because he was thinking the same thing.

"I know how you feel. I just think we'll regret it if we decide right now. Give it a little longer and we'll see." Teddy yawned and then sat up. "Moving on, let's enjoy as much of the moment as we can. What did you think of the other schools?"

James was suddenly alert. "I thought Dad was exaggerating when he told us about their arrival, but he wasn't! That was insane. It was so weird to see Victor and Fleur, I mean, that's our aunt that everyone's drooling over, at least when they're not freaking out over Victor, who is SO famous. I guess I didn't realize the person who comes over once in a while to play quidditch with us was just that well known."

Teddy chuckled. "Yeah, we have to remember that his first world cup was only a few months ago. And, at least we are lucky that we don't get pulled into Fleur's allure because that would be disgusting." James nodded rapidly, before smiling wickedly.

"Well someone seemed pretty allured with you," said James winking. "Don't think I didn't notice that Durmstrang girl who smiled and waved at you when you were leaving the hall." Teddy groaned, his head in his hands.

"Not necessary, James. You above all know I can't be in a relationship right now." James's smile grew even bigger.

"But that doesn't stop me from teasing you about it. You may not of noticed but I certainly saw her looking over at you quite frequently during the feast. She's even good looking, you know; dark hair, a little tan, tall…"

"Believe me, I know," Teddy confessed, to James's amusement. "Yet, she's still a good twenty years older than me, and I am not going to crush some girl's heart by leaving suddenly and disappearing of the face of the planet."

"What makes you think she'd ever love you? As your brother, I must admit your current look is quite dashing-"

"I look like you," said Teddy dryly.

"Exactly. You look quite nice, but to already assume she would fall for you? Cocky." James looked like he was having the time of his life, and was nowhere near stopping, much to Teddy's dismay. "She's never even spoken to you and we both know your personality would certainly scare her off. I mean..."

"James. James, enough. You do remember there is plenty that I could tease you about too. What if I told you that I saw Hermione, or even Ginny looking at you lovingly?" Teddy's interruption worked, as James's enthusiasm was instantly replaced with disgust.

"Ugh, gross! I hadn't even thought of that…" He turned towards Teddy. "Tell me this is a joke! At least I was teasing you about someone we don't know in the future!"

Teddy laughed and shook his head. "I have noticed no signs of attraction to you from anyone, much less anyone in our family." James looked relieved, then insulted as he comprehended what Teddy had said. "That's the last one, I swear," said Teddy quickly, not wanting to get into another tizzy. "We really should head to bed. Curfew started a few minutes ago, and we probably shouldn't be caught…. Merlin, I miss having our own invisibility cloak. Everything was much simpler."

And with that comment the two boy snuck back to their dormitories, to sit and stare at their homework, quill down, reflecting on what the future held.

James woke up late that Saturday morning after sleeping restlessly, but he still was awake before Ron and Harry; who both tended to sleep in, but for very different reasons. It was interesting for James to compare the teenage versions of the two to their adult counterparts, and while they were very different, some things never changed. James could remember the antics he and his cousins would use to wake Uncle Ron when they all slept over at his house because he was such a deep sleeper. Harry on the other hand, was a restless sleeper even now, and often slept in simply because he had woken up several times throughout the night, though the nightmares that haunted his adult self did not seem to be as bad.

Getting out of bed, James took his time in getting ready for the day. His wavy hair was still mostly wet as he walked down to the common room. Hermoine was already up, of course, and was reading a book on a couch, so he waited for her to pick up her stuff and join him. They headed down to breakfast, Hermione rambling about the book on wards she was reading, and James half listening. Everything was still normal.

When they entered the hall, however, he was snapped back into the present, as the goblet of fire was set prominently at the front of the hall, a handful of upper year Ravenclaws gathered around watching members of their group enter their names. James turned to head to the Gryffindor table, but Hermione didn't follow, eyes fixed on the blue flames.

"Hermione," James groaned, pulling her over to the Gryffindor table. She went along with him, still looking at the cup, but once seated turned her gaze over to James.

"You really don't seem enthusiastic about this tournament do you?" James gulped and tried to thing of a response, but luckily Hermione kept on talking. "Everyone else seems to be full of the idea of glory and school pride; even Harry likes the idea of it, though he would never admit it. You however, have no interest in discussing it, especially as the tournament has gotten closer, and, forget indifference, I almost wonder if you hate it!" Hermione said all that very fast, but she didn't seem judgmental, only curious. And, she was addressing it away from the others, like Ron, who would have gotten angry at him for admitting it. So, instead of denying, James told something that sounded like the truth.

"I'm just a little worried about the danger," he confessed. "I know you know how high the death toll has been, and I just don't think the concept of eternal glory is worth that. And, I wonder how long the excitement around it will last after the tournament anyways, or will the winner just be another name in a history book no one reads." James could tell that Hermione wasn't satisfied with his answer yet, so he added the icing on the cake. "Personally too, there've been people I knew, or should have known who have gotten injured or died in similar ways, in things where people have promised them they'd be safe." Not one hundred percent true, but close enough James figured. If he felt bad everytime he lied or bended he truth, he would spend all day crying in a corner.

Hermione simply nodded in response, and changed the topic to a safer subject for the remainder of breakfast. As they left the great hall, James and Hermione split up, Hermione to the library, and James to go back to the tower. But, when turning a corner, James bumped into another person, and fell on the ground. He looked up, rubbing his head, to the cold dark eyes of Professor Snape.

James still hadn't gotten over the first time he had met Snape, in potions during his first week back in time, and he was pretty sure Snape hadn't forgot him. James was shocked when Snape first entered the room, and had thought, This is who my brother is named after? While they knew from the portraits and stories that Snape had been a real git for most of his life, nothing had prepared him from the absolute terror Snape commanded his classroom with, so very different from the calm of Professor Blythe. And James had instantly joined Harry in the ranks of most hated, due in part by his resemblance to Lily Evans, which he knew only Snape would pick up on, and because he dared to ask several questions about the clarity of his instruction and its relevance.

Unlike Harry and Ron however, James was good at potions; it wasn't his favorite subject, but after his Dad's rough experience, his dad had made sure he knew the importance of potion making and that he was still required to get good grades in the class. Having a decent professor had also helped. Being able to brew a good potion did not warm Snape up to him however; it only seemed to make the hatred more pronounced, like James was mocking Snape by being good at potions. James dealt with it fine, no matter the anger Snape felt for him, James still got good marks, because even Snape couldn't take too many points off a perfect potion or essay. He was only glad Teddy didn't have to take the class; the future version of Hogwarts was much more flexible in schedule, so Teddy had finished his potions NEWT in his sixth year, and Teddy would have been more offended by Snape's behavior as he had been quite friendly with the future Snape's portrait.

But, as James lay on the ground beneath a towering Snape, all he could think was how this was the perfect opportunity for Snape to give him the detention he'd been wanting to give James since he started.

"I'm so sorry Sir," James said quickly, while trying to stand up. "I know I should have looked where I was going." Snape paused for a second, words at the tip of his tongue, but then only snarled and walked past him, James sighing in relief. He headed back to Gryffindor tower as carefully as he could, and stayed there, not pushing his good luck.

James's good luck was destined to be short however, because that evening was the Halloween feast, when the triwizard champions were to be decided. He sat down in the great hall once again, this time between Harry and Dean, and tried to look as enthusiastic as everyone else in the hall. James ate very little, then questioned himself on why he was so nervous. He already knew the outcome, and already knew what he had to do, so why was he freaking out? But James wasn't logical, so despite the reasonableness of that argument, he still couldn't sit still throughout dinner.

But soon the plate were cleared, and the goblet unveiled, and, one by one, names were sent shooting out of the flames. First Krum, then Delacour, then Diggory. James saw his brother give Cedric a hug as he stood up and strode out of the hall to immense cheering. Then finally, Potter was drawn, the hall went silent, and all eyes were on the boy sitting next to him, a small boy with shaking hands and a shocked face. And he and Hermione had to lift Harry to his feet to send him to the door of the champions, and to yet another year of pain.

The rest of the school could not hold the silence of that moment, and Sprout quickly dismissed the students back to their rooms, all chatting with their friends about the unexpected champion. And James found Teddy's eyes, and they stood still, reassuring each other, before they were pushed into the crowd.

A/N: How do Hogwarts students, and for that matter, anyone before 2005 plan anything or communicate without texting? Trying to write communication without cell phones is annoying.

Hope you enjoyed, and feel free to review!