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Chapter Text

"James, stop complaining."

James Sirius Potter rolled his eyes behind his mother's back as he carefully kicked the door shut behind him.

"And don't you give me attitude, young man."

Ginevra Potter looked over her shoulder at her son, shrugging off her coat.

"How did you even—"

"I see everything," she interrupted. "Now stop lagging behind and catch up with everyone else." She shooed him up the creaky stairs.

James didn't anticipate spending his first summer out of school at the decrepit Grimmauld Place, but his father had the out-of-the-blue idea to finally utilize the building after it had gone uninhibited for so long.

But the first step to that was cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning.

And what's worse was that because of how magically unstable the house was due to years of neglect and exposure to Dark Magic, it was Muggle cleaning—the kind you do with your hands.

James' only weakness.

He slowly climbed the old stairs, trying to delay the tedious chore for as long as he could. It was their third day of cleaning, but it felt like they had made no progress. The house was massive, which meant the filth was nearly unfathomable. To James at least.

"James? That you?" someone called from down the hall.

One couldn't exactly be sneaky on the old wooden floors found at Grimmauld Place.

"Yeah! Where are you guys at?" James replied as he reached the landing of the third floor.

Albus Severus Potter, James' younger brother, popped his head out of a room from down the corridor.

"We're all in here," he said, before disappearing again.

James made his way towards him, and sure enough the rest of his siblings and cousins, plus Scorpius Malfoy—a family friend—were all inside. It was the only room with seating, that being in the form of a large bed and a loveseat.

No one was cleaning yet; they seemed to hate it as much as James did. The first day or so at Grimmauld Place was fun and exciting, being able to explore where the legendary Sirius Black grew up, but after a while, they began to dread making the trip out.

"Well," Edward Lupin sighed, "I guess we ought to start, or else Aunt Hermione or Harry will start hounding us for not doing anything productive."

Edward, or more commonly known as Teddy, didn't technically have to be there. He was twenty-three years old, far past the age of being ordered around, but he felt he owed it to Harry, him being his godfather and helping raise him and all.

The Malfoy boy, however, did have to be there, despite what one might originally think.

He got into trouble with his father for sneaking out to meet with Albus and Albus' cousin, Rose Granger-Weasley, one night. Draco Malfoy was not a fan of that, to say the least. So his punishment was to help the Potters and Weasleys with the restoration of Grimmauld Place, for however long that may take.

"Do you know how much left we have up here?" Victoire Weasley asked.

She, too, was old enough to not necessarily have to listen to her parents, but she didn't think it was fair that everyone else had to help out and not her—plus Teddy, who was her fiancé, was there and she enjoyed spending the time with him.

"Umm..." Teddy scratched his head. "I think just a few more rooms down the hall."

Everyone dispersed after that. They had agreed on specific jobs they would each do in order to make the work go by faster and easier.

The Potter children were assigned to sweeping, the Granger-Weasleys were in charge of dusting, Teddy and Victoire were tasked with cleaning the windows and mirrors, Bill Weasley's two other children plus Scorpius had volunteered to sort through all the various knick-knacks and paraphernalia, and finally, George Weasley's twins were assigned the tedious and unfavorable job of mopping (they had lost a game of rock-paper-scissors).

The Potters picked up their brooms and started sweeping all the dirt and debris into large piles. They each had a room to sweep, and after fifteen minutes of sweeping the same room, James was already bored out of his mind.

With a huff, he stopped and leaned on the broom. He was more than halfway done, but he felt like it would never end. After a thought, he poked his head out of the near-empty room. No one was in sight.

He quietly closed the door and rested the broom against the wall. If Teddy or Rose found out he wasn't doing his part, he knew he would get quite the scolding.

The room he was in was an odd one. There wasn't much in it aside from a desk, its accompanying chair, and a large bookcase (and a half-swept pile of dirt). But that was it—and it was a large room, surely too large to only have three things in it.

James rifled around through some of the old papers left on the desk, but nothing was intriguing enough to bother with reading. And the same with the bookcase. It was full of academic texts and dictionaries, definitely nothing that would hold James' interest for very long.

Something did catch his eye, however.

It was a clean book.

A clean book amongst dozens of dusty, tattered, moth-eaten ones. It was in near perfect condition.

James furrowed his eyebrows.

With an almost tentative hand, he reached up and pulled it out. More like tried to pull it out.

"What...?" he muttered.

Then with both hands, he towed hard at the book, using his whole weight to attempt to pry it from its place. But nothing worked. The damn thing wouldn't budge. He pulled on the book next to it, and it came out easily. So he removed more books from the shelf and carelessly dropped them to the floor at his feet.

The strange book was standing perfectly upright, like it was a part of the bookcase. Its cover was a brilliant blue and it had a tiny bit of gold boarding the edges.

"What the hell?" he said out loud in irritation.

Then, on a completely careless whim, he pushed it.

And it went in.

With a gaping mouth, he watched as the bookcase clicked and groaned, and eventually slid into the wall and to the right.

There was a hidden room.

Laughing at his luck, he carefully stepped inside, not bothering to call anyone else in. For all he knew he could be stepping into a trap (the room being in Grimmauld Place, and all), but James didn't care—this was the most interesting thing he'd seen all week.

The hidden room was much smaller than where he came from, and all that was inside were cobwebs, more dust, and, most peculiarly, a door. It, like the book, had bright blue paint with gold trimming and a golden knob.

"James?" a voice called from the outer room. "What the hell...?"

"Al?" James called.

"James?" His brother peaked his head into the hidden room and looked around in wonder. "What is this?" he breathed.

"I have no idea—brilliant, isn't it?" James replied with a broad grin.

"Um... Sure."

"What's going on in here?" Fred Weasley II then made an appearance along with his twin, Roxanne. They still had dripping mops in their hands.

"Wow, so you get to find hidden rooms and explore, but we have to mop?" Roxanne grumbled.

They both dropped their mops and stepped in with Albus and James.

"Hey—this was an accident, alright?" James defended.

"I somehow find that hard to believe," said Albus.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Scorpius and Rose of course had gone to see where Albus had gone off to.

"Alright everyone, this room isn't that big, I don't know why we all have to cram in here," James said hotly.

"What are you all doing, why aren't you cleaning?" Teddy and Victoire had heard the commotion from the next room and knew one of them, most likely James or Albus, was poking their nose where it probably shouldn't be.

Dominique and Louis, Victoire's siblings, along with Lily Potter and Hugo Granger-Weasley noticed everyone else heading into James' assigned room and decided to join in (they were hoping he was getting into trouble as that was always an amusing sight).

"Okay, everyone! Tiny room here!" James shouted.

"What the hell is this?"

"Why are there books all over the floor?"

"Someone needs to put on deodorant."

James had had enough of his irritating siblings and cousins (plus Scorpius) and then once again took notice of the strange door. Hoping it would lead to yet another room, or at least give them more space to spread out, he hastily threw it open.

That, however, was not a good idea.

Once James flung it open, a sudden force came from beyond the door, and like magnets, they all got pulled into the black doorway, James going in headfirst.

Everyone was panicking and trying to claw onto the walls to stop the unearthly strength of the doorway, but nothing worked.

And soon it was silent; the hidden room was empty; the door was shut. All twelve of them had vanished.

The bookcase began to creak and moan as it slid back into its place, sufficiently hiding the room from outside eyes once again.

No one downstairs noticed the abrupt silence. No one noticed the missing children—and if they did, no one would ever guess where they had gone.

Chapter Text

"Ow..." a muffled voice moaned.

"What just happened...?" a girl groaned.

"I don't know... James did something."

"Jaaames" someone whined.

"I did nothing!"

"You did something."

"Maybe I did, but I don't know what! That's got to count for something, now will whoever is on top of me please remove yourself? You're quite heavy."

A solid smack sounded.

"Ow! Dom?"

No one else could slap quite like Dominique Weasley.

"Don't imply that I'm fat, you fatass."

"Sorry, sorry!"

After a frustrating amount of time, everyone finally untangled themselves and rubbed at the various painful bruises they acquired from their rough landing.

"Seriously, what the hell happened?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure," Teddy murmured, rolling his shoulder which he landed funny on.

They were all in the same room, the one with the blue door, so there was no immediate panic quite yet.

"Can we get out of here please? I'd rather not go through that again," Scorpius queasily asked from somewhere in the back.

Victoire, who was nearest to the bookcase, turned to examine it.

"I don't know how to get out... James, you opened it, right?"

James pushed his way toward his cousin. "Yeah, there was a book."

Once he reached her, he could see that there was a bookcase even on this side of the wall, and there was the bright blue book. Magic could be a strange thing, even to a wizard sometimes.

James pushed once on it once again, and the bookcase seemed to come alive as it promptly shifted out of the way.

The main room was almost nothing like what it had been just a minute ago. Instead of barren floors, there was an ornate rug, and in place of the messy, unorganized desk was a tidy workspace with quills and parchment. There was a baroque couch with a low table in front of it, which hosted some decorative knick-knacks, and a floor lamp with a regal, green shade in the corner by the desk.

It was still dusty and clearly untouched, but nothing like the ruin it had been in before.

"What..." James whispered as he emerged from the hidden room, followed by the rest of his family.

"What's going on?" Lily worriedly asked, subconsciously moving closer to Teddy.

She was thirteen now, no longer a little girl, but she would still always seek comfort from Teddy in times of stress.

"I'm not sure, Lily," Teddy breathed.

"Wait—" Albus suddenly said, causing everyone to pause in their tracks. "...Do you hear that?"

And sure enough, heavy footsteps were coming up the stairs.

Under different circumstances, this would be no cause for concern. However, with what they had all just gone through (plus the strange change of the room), they were unsure of how to proceed.

Could this be the work of George Weasley? He was always a mischievous prankster, but even this was quite elaborate. And painful. It just didn't seem like his character, especially since Lily and Hugo were involved, the two youngest of the Potter-Weasley bunch. He had quite the soft spot for them.

Teddy swallowed thickly as he carefully listened to the footsteps. Everyone held their breaths as they neared the door, but much to their relief they bypassed the room completely and headed the other way down the hall.

"Okay," Teddy whispered. "I'm going to figure out what this is all about. And I'm sure it's just Uncle George pulling our leg, alright? So no need to worry."

Teddy quietly moved toward the door that led into the rest of the upper story of Grimmauld Place and put his hand on the handle.

"Stay here, alright?"

Everyone nodded, but Victoire bit her lip.

"Teddy—"

"Don't worry," Teddy said with a light tone and a smile. "I'm sure it's just one of them pulling a trick on us, and we can't let them know we're planning retaliation, right?"

It was an obvious lie to Victoire, but she swallowed and nodded hesitantly.

Teddy didn't believe what he said either. It wasn't new to get pranked by their Uncle George, or even their Uncle Ron, but there was no way they could create such a heavy and dark atmosphere in Grimmauld Place—one that certainly wasn't there before.

Teddy was training under his godfather, Harry Potter, to be an Auror, and one of the first things he learned was how to sense Dark Magic. And it was practically seeping through the walls of Grimmauld Place. However, that wasn't what set Teddy off.

Something about it was... muted—different from how it had been before. The feeling was hard for Teddy to put his finger on, but its sudden change alone was enough for Teddy to be on guard, and the most important thing to him right then was protecting his family.

He withdrew his wand and turned the doorknob. No one was in the hall, so Teddy snuck out and shut the door behind him.

The things he would do for Harry's invisibility cloak right about now.

He carefully crept down the hall toward the stairs, keeping in mind that there was definitely at least one other person, aside from his family, on the third floor with him.

He made it to the landing without a hitch and let out a silent breath of relief. Now the tricky part was getting downstairs without the steps creaking too loudly. A task much easier said than done.

It must've taken Teddy nearly fifteen minutes to creep down the three flights of stairs to reach the ground floor. Every time he stepped on a squeaky spot in the wood, he would immediately freeze and slowly withdraw his foot to try someplace else, or skip the step altogether. He was just thankful they hadn't been even higher in the house, like the fourth floor, or Merlin forbid, the attic. He surely would've gotten found out.

Once he made it all the way down, he could hear low murmurs coming from further in the house.

Grimmauld Place was nothing like it had been not even an hour ago. There were no longer cobwebs strewn across the walls and ceilings, and the rugs on the floor weren't completely in tatters. It was by no means as ornate or civilized as what it surely was in its prime, but it was leagues better than the dilapidated state it was in earlier that morning.

He couldn't recognize any of the voices as they were too hard to make out at such a low volume, which did nothing to ease the young man's nerves.

They led him to the kitchen, where he warily peaked in, but strangely enough, found no one inside. That was when he realized they were in the dining room which was just beyond where he was and through the kitchen.

"Pass the broccoli, would you?"

"Oh, sure—here."

"Thanks."

Teddy thought the voices sounded oddly familiar, but there was something off about them that confused him.

"I was thinking we could all go to Diagon Alley sometime this week. You all still need your supplies, right?" a deep voice asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" a boy responded. "Er, but..." He hesitated. "How will you...?"

"You seem to forget my most useful skill, kid!" the older voice said back with a laugh, which arose a few chuckles from within the room.

"Oh—right," the boy replied, sounding sheepish.

Teddy still couldn't see into the room as there was a swinging door dividing the kitchen from the dining room, but he wasn't about to go and open it—he was a brave man, but not that brave.

"Anyone care for another sandwich?" a woman said, and Teddy's heart jumped at the sound of her voice.

What...?

"Mm—yesh please, Mum!" another voice, who was clearly enjoying one of those sandwiches, quickly replied.

The woman grumbled something about manners, and Teddy could hear her chair move back as she got up and made her way to the kitchen.

Teddy gasped and ducked behind the wall next to the doorway of the kitchen just in time.

He heard the dining room door swing open as the woman came in. She paused, then began to hum casually as Teddy heard her hastily make up another sandwich and rejoin the rest in the adjacent room.

Teddy held his breath as he peaked around the corner into the kitchen again, and just as he expected, it was empty once more.

He heard hushed whispers from the dining room, and he craned his head in further to try to pick up what they were saying. It suddenly got silent, and as the silence stretched on, Teddy got a horrible feeling in his stomach.

And that feeling tripled in size when he felt the poke of a slim wand against the back of his neck.

"If you're as clever as you seem to think you are, I would recommend against moving."

That definitely wasn't his Uncle George.

Chapter Text

Teddy didn't dare move.

He almost wanted to think this was some huge mistake, like maybe they had all touched some portkey and wound up in someone else's house, but there was just no denying that where they were was Grimmauld Place—just a bit cleaner and more lived in.

"Look—" Teddy shakily began, but the stranger cut him off with another prod to his neck.

"Don't even speak," the man said threateningly. "I can put you down in a second if you so much as even think about drawing your wand."

Teddy bit his tongue to keep himself grounded. He was training to be an Auror, yes, but things still scared him, and to be put in a life-or-death situation such as this one wasn't easy on such a novice trainee.

Another man came from the dining room, and his demeanor alone frightened Teddy—not just for himself, but for everyone upstairs. They were under his charge, and he would do everything in his power to protect them—even if it meant dying in the process.

The man slowly stalked toward Teddy, eyes calm but full of menace and cold anger—he wasn't surprised at his appearance, and Teddy wondered if that woman somehow knew he was there. He has his wand drawn and held it up to point at Teddy's chest. Strands of the man's wild hair fell in his face, but he didn't seem to notice, or care, as he spoke.

"How did you find this place?"

Teddy recognized his voice as the one who was happily joking around from before, and the drastic change in his tone threw Teddy off for a moment.

"I—" Teddy stuttered. "I think what should be asked is who you are and what you're doing here," he demanded, trying to make his tone as level, yet assertive, as he could.

"Who am I?" The man chuckled dryly. "You can't play dumb with me."

Teddy furrowed his eyebrows at the insinuation, but before he could speak someone else came from the dining room.

As the door swung open, revealing a young woman, Teddy saw past her to many young faces who were trying to get a look as well.

Teddy nearly choked on his breath as he met a pair of green eyes.

"Har—" Was all he got out before the woman purposefully moved into Teddy's line of vision.

She too had her wand out and pointed at him, but that wasn't what made Teddy's breath escape him and stomach twist.

She was a beautiful woman. Teddy knew that—Teddy had known that. He'd known it for a long time because he'd spent hours poring over all the photographs he had of her.

"Answer his question; how did you find this place?" she enforced.

But Teddy didn't speak. He just stared at her with wide eyes, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"You..." he breathed.

The woman looked at him, confused and a little put-off. That was not the answer she was expecting.

Then his eyes drifted over to the man next to her, and he finally realized.

"And..." he said, then a thought popped into his head. "But then, you..." he whispered, slowly turning his head to try to see the man behind him.

"I said," the man roughly poked the back of Teddy's neck again, snapping him out of his daze, "to not move."

Teddy blinked furiously, then he became angry.

"Alright," he laughed sarcastically, "that's enough. This isn't funny anymore—in fact, it never was to begin with."

The man in front of Teddy raised his eyebrow.

"What the hell are you talking about now?—actually, forget it, just answer my damn question before you force my hand." He raised his wand again as it had drooped in his confusion.

Teddy shook his head.

"I can't believe you," he muttered. "Harry! I know you're in there, I saw you!" he suddenly shouted. "I don't know what the hell kind of trick you think you're pulling, but it's gone too far!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" the man behind him angrily yelled.

Teddy then stepped away from the wand pressed against him and spun around to shout some more. Before he could get a word out, or even fully turn, the man quickly stunned him and Teddy immediately fell onto the floor.

He wasn't kidding, Teddy thought dimly. He really could put me down in a second.

He heard someone shout something else and suddenly Teddy could no longer keep his eyes open.

Chapter Text

Teddy finally came to, after however many minutes, or possibly even hours, and found himself tied up in a dining room chair. He was no longer near the kitchen and instead was placed in the sitting room that was just off to the right.

There was a large fireplace full of soot, and various armchairs and a couch placed comfortably in the room. The tall windows had elegant, but outdated, drapes which hung all the way down until they pooled together on the floor.

It appeared Teddy was alone in the room, but the sound of voices from down the hall told him he wasn't entirely unguarded.

He had to take several long, deep breaths so as to not panic. He just hoped and prayed that the children upstairs were still safe.

And Victoire.

Teddy was back to believing that what happened was real—or maybe he wound up in some alternate dimension, he had no clue, because there was no plausible way that Harry or anyone else in his family would go to such extremes for a prank. They knew where to draw the line, and that line had long since come and gone.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid he's unavailable. He's currently on a mission that can't be postponed or interrupted, we'll just have to handle this without him or Veratiserum."

The voice was old, and yet again one that Teddy had never heard before, but it was calm and steady, and something about it relaxed the young man just a bit.

"Fine," someone grumbled, "we didn't need him and his stupid potion anyway."

"Sirius," someone else said exasperatedly.

"What?" Sirius answered haughtily.

The other man sighed and told him to forget it, then Teddy heard multiple pairs of footsteps coming closer to where he was kept.

The first person Teddy saw was the old Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

This day was just getting weirder and weirder for him.

"Ah, I see you're awake," Dumbledore said. "And how are you feeling?"

Teddy sniffed, a little dazed. "...Fine," he finally said.

"Good, good, now—"

"Excuse me," Teddy interrupted.

"Yes?"

Teddy blinked. "Um... What the hell is going on?"

Dumbledore looked at Teddy, almost like he couldn't believe he had asked that question, but he didn't show that on his face.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Sirius said as he stepped next to Dumbledore. "You're caught, and you're going to tell us everything you know."

Teddy stared at Sirius blankly, then his eyes flickered over to Dumbledore, then back to Sirius.

"Sirius Black."

Sirius scoffed and clapped his hands together. "Bravo! Good job, sport! Now then," he loomed over Teddy, "you need to start talking before I decide to do something about it."

"Mr. Black, I'm sure there's no need for such measures," Dumbledore said calmly, but Teddy had a feeling he and Sirius were trying to play "good cop, bad cop" with him.

"I—... Albus Dumbledore."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at Teddy inquisitively. "Yes."

"This kid's loony, I don't know why we should even bother," Sirius said before walking past Teddy to throw himself down on the couch behind him.

Teddy didn't like the fact that Sirius was no longer in his eyesight, but Teddy thought he had bigger things to worry about.

"Okay, seriously, I'm so confused right now," he sputtered.

"Join the club, kid," Sirius quipped from behind him.

"Tell us why you're confused," Dumbledore said, "and perhaps we can help sort things out."

Teddy nodded slowly, and was about to say something when Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin entered the room, and suddenly Teddy's mouth was dry and he could only gape at them once again.

Remus hesitated in his stride, seeing the odd reaction from the mysterious, moon-faced boy.

"So..." Remus said. "Anything?"

"Nope," Sirius answered. "The kid's not all there," he whispered, as if Teddy wasn't four feet away.

"Ah," Remus said before locking eyes with Teddy again.

His bold stare made Remus uncomfortable and as he was about to say something, Teddy then fixed his gaze on Tonks.

"You better tell us how you found this place and what you want with Harry right now," she threatened.

"I don't..." Teddy shook his head.

"What?" she bit. "Spit it out."

Teddy swallowed thickly. "I can't talk to you—I can't look at you."

Tonks was visibly taken aback. Before she could say anything more, however, another woman appeared from the kitchen.

"Molly?" Teddy gasped hopefully, and when she looked up, he laughed in relief. "Oh, Molly, thank Merlin! I knew it was all just a joke, I knew there was no way this was real," he cried breathily.

Despite his previous rage about the "prank" they were pulling, Teddy was incredibly relieved.

"What?" Molly said warily.

"Molly!" A man with red hair burst out from the kitchen and gently took her arm. "Don't go near him."

Molly shook him off. "Oh, stop that!" she scolded.

"Arthur?"

Arthur's head snapped back over to the captive. He didn't recognize the young man, so the fact that he knew his name uneased him.

"How do you know my name?" Arthur prodded.

Teddy laughed again. "What the hell are you talking about? How would I not at this point?"

Everyone looked confused, and Teddy's relieved and positive expression was getting more and more forced as panic quietly amalgamated at the base of his chest, rising up with every passing minute.

"Okay, for real, you can stop now," he said.

"I have no idea who this man is," Arthur said to Dumbledore.

"Really, stop," Teddy pleaded.

Arthur came closer to Teddy, and once he stepped directly into the natural sunlight, Teddy's stomach squeezed painfully.

He looked so young.

He was still much older than Teddy, but that was not the man he grew up with.

"I don't understand..." he whispered, fists clenching behind his back.

"Neither do we, young man. Please tell us your name," Dumbledore said quietly, drawing Teddy's attention back to the old headmaster.

Teddy made eye contact with Remus, then Tonks. They were really there, in the flesh. Along with Dumbledore and Sirius Black.

Molly and Arthur were years younger, their hair brilliant reds and their faces lighter.

Teddy finally admitted it to himself. It was no prank.

He went back in time.

Chapter Text

"He's taking a long time."

Victoire chewed nervously at her nail. She didn't respond to Lily, she wouldn't even know what to say.

He really was taking quite a long time.

Victoire checked her wristwatch. It had been nearly twenty-five minutes since Teddy left the room. She knew she shouldn't have let him go alone.

"Alright everyone," she said in a hushed tone, "just stay here."

As Victoire reached the door, everyone heard a faint thump from lower in the house.

"Vic..." James stopped her. The look of worry on his face was unfitting. He knew something was definitely wrong with Grimmauld Place, he just didn't know what yet.

James felt horrible. This whole thing was his fault.

"James, relax," she said with a smile. "I'll be right back."

So Victoire made her way slowly down the stairs, taking her time to not make too much noise; just like Teddy had done.

When she reached the ground floor she was further surprised at the pile of shoes by the front door, and the lingering smell of smoked meat and sauteed vegetables.

The last time Victoire checked, which was this morning, the old kitchen was definitely not in any shape to be cooked in. Not to mention the voices she heard were none she recognized.

When she crept down the hall, the sight at the end froze her in her tracks.

There was Teddy, tied to a wooden chair and surrounded by six threatening strangers.

His face was pale and his eyes were wide in disbelief.

Victoire gasped quietly and put a hand over her mouth. Her eyes stung with fear and her fingers trembled. She was no Auror. She wasn't as brave or quick on her feet as Teddy was in situations like these—and even Teddy still had much to learn about being a successful Auror.

But Victoire wasn't as quiet as she had hoped.

Everyone in the room heard her gasp and they all quickly turned to face her, wands raised.

She hastily put her hands up.

"Victoire!—no—wait, just listen, listen—!" Teddy cried, straining against his bonds, but Sirius and Remus were quick to disarm her and move her into the room next to her fiancé.

"Just listen, please, please, I can explain everything," he begged quickly, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I want to know what the hell is going on right now! Is there anyone else in my house?" Sirius demanded through a growl.

"Look, I'm just as confused as you are, alright? We're not supposed to be here," he said. Teddy purposefully didn't answer his question about anyone else in the house, and he hoped no one would pick up on that.

"No kidding!" Sirius scoffed angrily.

"Teddy, what's going on?" Victoire asked him shakily, quickly recognizing Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Albus Dumbledore—all who were supposed to be dead—not to mention her much younger-looking Weasley grandparents.

"I don't think..." He swallowed. "I don't think we're in 2021 anymore, Vic," Teddy whispered.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at Teddy introspectively, and Sirius laughed bitingly.

"Right, you're proposing you're time-travelers, then?" he asked mockingly. "And we're supposed to believe that?" He looked at Remus, who said nothing and stared down at the two.

"I know it sounds insane, but I have no other feasible explanation for this!" Teddy shouted desperately. "I don't want us to be here either."

He knew that his parents and Sirius were good people, Harry would never lie about that, but the longer they held him the more he grew to fear them.

They weren't just ordinary witches and wizards. They were soldiers in a war, and they were dangerous. Teddy knew they must've been sometime before 1996, seeing as Sirius was still alive, so that meant that Deatheaters were practically crawling all over the place. They couldn't trust Teddy's word, and he understood that.

"I can prove it! Alright?" Teddy said. "I can prove it."

Dumbledore became interested in this, while Sirius just rolled his eyes again.

"How about I—"

"Hold on, Sirius. I'd like to hear what he has to say," Remus said, interrupting his friend's coming threat.

Teddy's heart beat faster as he looked into his father's cold, yet curious, eyes. He noticed he was standing ever so slightly in front of his mother, and despite being the independent spitfire she (and everyone else) knew she was, she didn't seem to mind Remus' subconscious show of care.

"And remind me, what year do you claim you and your companion are from?" Dumbledore inquired.

Teddy knew Dumbledore heard him before, and he wondered if he was trying to catch Teddy in a lie. Which of course wouldn't happen, seeing as it wasn't a lie.

"From 2021—August second."

"I see," Dumbledore said. "And how do you propose you'll prove your claim?"

"Well, I know a lot about this time. Um—"

Teddy thought for a moment. Sirius' intense stare didn't help his nerves.

"Oh! I know about Moony and Padfoot," he offered.

Sirius scoffed. "You could've easily figured that out. And it's not like Moony is a secret anymore, and maybe you've done some spying to find out about Padfoot—after all, we did catch you listening in on our conversation."

Remus couldn't help but agree, even though it was rather unlikely for anyone to find out about Sirius' Animagus form.

"Fine, fine..." Teddy furrowed his brows as he tried to think of something no one else would know.

"The Chamber of Secrets? We know what happened inside with Harry and the Basilisk and Tom Ridd—"

"That information could've been spread around Hogwarts," Remus disputed. "They don't exactly keep secrets well hidden there."

"Can we just gather the rest of the Order already?" Sirius murmured to Dumbledore. "There's no way they're from the future, it's completely ridiculous."

"Wait—the mirror. The Mirror of Erised!" Teddy cried. "I know what Harry saw—"

"Yeah, and so does Dumbledore and Ron, I'm sure—" Sirius argued.

"But I also know about the nightmares it gave Harry."

This made them hesitate.

"Would anyone else have known about those?" Teddy hastily asked.

"Well..." Sirius pursed his lips. "Probably, I mean Harry tells nearly everything to Ron and Hermione—"

"Then ask him! Just ask him about them. And I know about the nightmares he had as a kid about a green light—the Killing Curse. I know about all the accidental magic he used to do as a kid! C'mon, I'm telling you the truth!" Teddy insisted.

No one had a reply to what Teddy had said.

"Sirius," Remus said, "get Harry. Bring him down here."

"Remus, you can't be serious," Sirius replied irately.

"No, that's you—which is why I asked you, otherwise I would've had him down here by now—"

"But, Moony—!" he complained.

"Padfoot!"

They both glared at each other for a while before Sirius broke away with a huff and stomped upstairs.

Teddy let out a relieved breath and shut his eyes for a second. He felt a delicate hand touch his shoulder before Remus curtly told Victoire not to touch him and keep her hands where they could be seen.

They heard Sirius marching back down the stairs with a lighter pair of feet behind him. Teddy figured that must be Harry, and that he and everyone else in the dining room had migrated upstairs when Teddy got caught.

And sure enough, Teddy saw a very young Harry Potter poke his head out from behind Sirius' large frame as they approached.

"Alright," Sirius said, "tell him what you told us and we'll see if you're telling the truth or not."

"Right, um, I know you had a few nightmares about your... your parents dying in a green light, and a voice laughing after you saw them for the first time in the Mirror of Erised," Teddy explained.

Harry stared at him with wide eyes, and Teddy continued to quickly ramble.

"And I know about the dreams you had about a green light as a kid—oh! And I know that the first time you saw Snape your scar hurt! But it wasn't really Snape doing that, it was the—the face of Voldemort on the back of... of... Merlin, what was his name..." Teddy scrunched his eyebrows together pensively.

"Quirrell?" Victoire proposed.

"Yes, him!" he exclaimed. "And the Time Turner, how could I forget! I know what you and Au— and Hermione," he corrected, "did when you went back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak." Teddy swallowed. "And you thought you saw your father, but it was really just you in the future."

Harry gaped at him. No one spoke, and Teddy realized he might've revealed a bit too much of Harry's business in front of everyone.

"...Sorry."

"How did you...?" Harry whispered. "Who even are you?"

Teddy hesitated.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, narrowing his eyes at Teddy and Victoire. "Who exactly are you two?"

"How did you know all that about me? Where did you come from?" Harry demanded.

"You didn't tell him anything?" Remus turned to Sirius, crossing his arms.

Sirius shrugged. "It may've slipped my mind, old friend, can you blame me?"

Remus sighed stressfully.

"Anyway," Remus turned back to Teddy and Victoire, "answer the question; who are you two? What are your names and how did you know all that? And how did you end up here?"

"Well, as I said—we're from the future, and in the future, we know Harry. And as for how we got here... I don't really know. There was a door and... it sucked us in—"

"Names?" Tonks emphasized.

Teddy hesitated a moment.

"Teddy. And this is Victoire," he complied.

He didn't think it wise to reveal their last names. He knew there could be horrible consequences in the future if he did that.

"Now, could you please untie me? I think I've more than proven myself as no threat."

Sirius, Remus, and Tonks didn't look convinced, but Dumbledore didn't seem too troubled at the request as he cheerfully asked, "Would you two care for a cup of tea?"

Chapter Text

"I thought as much," Teddy mumbled quietly to himself.

Dumbledore had just filled him in that it was the second of August in 1995.

Molly, who had returned after retreating into the kitchen with Arthur, warily handed Teddy a chipped teacup filled with some kind of black tea. None of them trusted him or Victoire, clearly, but at Dumbledore's insistence they untied him and allowed him to take a seat with his fiancée on the couch, but they hadn't given them back their wands quite yet.

Harry was still there, despite Molly's attempts to shoo him back upstairs, and he was staring intently at the time-travelers.

"So you say you came through a door?" Remus asked after they were settled.

Victoire nodded. "Yes, it was hidden behind a bookcase in one of the upstairs rooms."

She decided to take the liberty of answering any of Remus or Tonks' questions since both she and Teddy knew it would be difficult for him to even look at them, let alone converse with them.

Sirius looked at them skeptically. "I grew up here and I've never seen any door behind any bookcase."

"I've never seen it before either." Teddy shrugged pathetically.

"And what were you even doing in Grimmauld Place in 2021 to begin with?"

Teddy hesitated. "We were..." he trailed off, glancing at Victoire.

"You were what?" Sirius demanded. "You don't find that at all suspicious, Dumbledore?" He swung his head over to look at the old headmaster.

"I find many things quite strange, Mr. Black, but time-traveling is not one of those things."

"Are you serious?" Sirius said bluntly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Just ask young Harry, here."

Harry looked contemplative. "That's true, I did time travel. But Hermione said that you couldn't go back farther than just a few hours."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, if you have a Time Turner. But it seems like they did not—is that correct?" He looked at Teddy.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I think we should go look at this door, then," Remus suggested. "But don't think I won't still have my eye on you two." He waggled a finger at Teddy and Victoire, who nodded, understanding his threat.

Tonks still had their wands in her hands, and Teddy didn't think they would give them back anytime soon.

As Teddy started toward the stairs, he stopped.

Oh Merlin.

He completely forgot that there were all those damn Potters and Weasleys (and Malfoy) upstairs in the study. That could be troublesome, especially since he knew James wouldn't be able to keep his fat mouth shut once he caught sight of his fifteen-year-old father, Harry.

"Is there a problem?" Remus asked.

He and Victoire exchanged obvious looks, something Sirius and Remus were not too pleased to see.

"No..." Victoire replied hesitantly. "Just..."

"What?" Sirius snapped. "You know what?—this is my house, and I don't need to be led around like I don't live here."

He stormed past them and up the stairs.

They heard him stamp his way up, pause, then slink back down a few steps so he could look at Teddy once more.

"What room?"

"Sirius..."

"Pardon me, Moony, for not knowing where the secret time door is."

"Go ahead, Teddy," Dumbledore offered, but the look in his eyes told Teddy that it wasn't a request; it was an order. So Teddy reluctantly led them up the stairs to the third floor and down the hallway.

He stopped outside of the study, hearing a slight creak in the floorboards just inside. He knew the kids must be confused and worried. He and Victoire had been detained for quite a while.

"Is this the one?" Remus asked.

Neither Teddy nor Victoire answered, and instead Teddy slowly put his hand on the doorknob and twisted. When the door fully opened, Teddy and Victoire were shocked to find no one inside.

Had everyone gotten back to their own time?

Part of Teddy hoped this was true and that they were safe, but another more childlike part of him panicked at the thought of them leaving him and Victoire behind.

"My father's study, of course," Sirius scoffed as he stepped inside with everyone else.

Somewhere along the way, Ron and Hermione had met up with Harry and managed to tag along with the rest of the adults discreetly. Or maybe it wasn't discrete, and everyone just knew that they would find a way to get involved, whether they were permitted to or not.

Remus stepped in front of the bookcase and examined it.

"And how is this hidden room opened?" he asked.

"I think there's a book," Victoire said, going up to stand next to Remus.

The bookcase was full of various tomes, all regal and rather important-looking. Victoire wasn't sure which book it was James had messed with.

"Um..." Her hand hovered in front of one of the shelves.

Remus looked at her quizzically. "You don't know?"

Victoire swallowed nervously. "It's one of these that unlocks it. The whole bookcase moves."

Teddy approached them and started looking over all the books, trying to find one that was familiar.

"Oh... Vic, it was this one, wasn't it?" he said as he brushed his fingertips across the spine of the royal blue book.

Teddy curled his fingers around the top of the end and pulled, but of course, nothing happened and the book didn't move.

Remus' eyes flicked back and forth between the two.

"You didn't find the room, did you?" he challenged smartly.

Teddy hesitated. "Well, I—"

The bookcase suddenly creaked and moaned as it began to shift inward from its place along the wall. Sirius' mouth was agape as he watched it rattle and slide across the ground. He was entirely convinced they were just full of it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione gasped and looked on in excitement and awe as the bookcase opened to reveal a small, dark room.

"To answer your question, old man, no—neither Teddy nor Vic found the hidden room."

In a flash, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks all had their wands drawn at the newcomer's voice.

James Sirius Potter, ever-so coolly, strode out of the hidden room, probably thinking he looked like hot stuff.

"Because I did."

"Oh, get out of the way, you great twat." His bespectacled brother shoved him aside and took in a deep breath of air. "Merlin, it was getting stale in there."

"Teddy, who are they?" Lily Luna poked her head out from behind Albus.

That was when James and Albus noticed that wands were drawn and ready to fire.

"Woah." James popped his hands up.

"They're alright!" Teddy stepped in front of them. "They're my family. They got sucked up in all this mess with me."

When the three wizards seemed reluctant to lower their wands, Teddy once again tried to get them to understand.

"They're just kids. They're harmless unless you count a few childish pranks—"

"Grumpy—"

Teddy shot James a sharp look, sufficiently shutting his mouth.

"Lower your wands, you three," Dumbledore said calmly from his place next to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were staring intently at the three teenagers.

Sirius, Remus, and Tonks finally complied.

"How many of you are there?" Remus asked.

Upon hearing that, the rest of the Weasleys, plus Malfoy, each tried to exit the room at once, which ended up being rather chaotic.

"Good lord." It was then that Remus wished he just stayed in his room.

"Wow..." breathed Harry.

This drew attention to him, and everyone gasped at the very identifiable Harry Potter.

"Da—?!" James started to shout, but Teddy managed to slap a hand over his mouth before he could finish forming the word "dad."

"Vic..." Dominique quietly called her sister's name, staring at the three wizards and one witch who were definitely not supposed to be alive.

"After we went through the door, we ended up in 1995," Victoire explained quickly.

Many shouts of disbelief and confusion broke out among the young teenagers, and Teddy had to shout a few times before they paid attention.

"Listen!" Teddy finally got them to shut up. "We're going to be alright. We got here through the door, I'm sure we can get back the same way."

Lily held onto Teddy's hand.

"I'm sure Teddy here is right," Dumbledore said, approaching the rowdy bunch.

"Wow..." Albus whispered, taking in the sight of the great wizard he was named after.

"Who are you all anyway?" Ron blurted out after keeping his mouth shut for so long.

Teddy hesitated.

"This is so crazy," James breathed, positively beaming. He was enjoying this a bit too much for Teddy's liking.

"I'm afraid that if I give you all any more information about us it will mess things up in our time. Who knows what could happen?" Teddy explained. "As much as a pain in the backside these guys can be sometimes—"

"Hey!"

"—I couldn't imagine my life without them. So I'd rather not jeopardize that," Teddy finished quietly.

"Aw... Gross."

Harry and Ron looked disappointed, but Remus nodded.

"That makes sense, I suppose. Well, why don't you all come downstairs and I'm sure Molly would be glad to fix up another pot of tea for you all—"

"If you don't pick up right now, you're never going to see the outside world again, young lady—do you hear me?"

"That wasn't..." James said quietly.

"Oh, please don't tell me..." Albus continued.

"It's Mum," Lily whimpered.

Chapter Text

"Don't answer it!" shrieked several voices.

"I have to!" Lily cried, clutching onto a small fabric pouch she retrieved from her pocket. "It's gonna be so much worse if I don't!"

"I know you can hear me!"

"What's going on?" Sirius asked.

Teddy sighed. "It's her mother. She's... calling."

"Well, that's good news, isn't it?" Remus wondered.

Victoire nodded. "It would be, yes. But her mother is..."

"Hey now," James pointed a finger at her. "Careful what you say there, missy."

Victoire rolled her eyes and shoved his finger away. "I wasn't going to say anything bad. She's just... scary sometimes."

"I accept that."

"Anyway," Remus interrupted, "shouldn't you speak to her? Explain what's happened?"

All the time travelers looked at the small bag in Lily's hands. It had gone quiet, indicating that Ginny Potter was through with trying to contact them, but they knew she would be back, angrier than ever.

When no one answered, Dumbledore spoke up, "Let's take a look at this door first, then head downstairs where you can contact your mother."

Everyone got out of Dumbledore and Remus' way as they immediately entered the small room.

"So what exactly did you do when you got in here?" Remus asked.

"They all crammed in, so I opened that door there to try to make more space. And then it sucked us in," James said, popping his head in to look at Remus and the door.

Remus hesitated for a moment when he placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Everyone, step away please," Dumbledore said.

James backed out and everyone stood away from the room.

Dumbledore nodded at Remus, and they both braced themselves when Remus swung the door open.

Except nothing happened.

Behind the door was a tiny room, even smaller than the initial one. There was nothing inside.

Remus hummed curiously, though Dumbledore seemed to be giving this great thought.

"Wait if... Does that mean we're stuck here?" Albus asked.

Dumbledore left the hidden room.

"It appears so," he said gravely. "Though I'm sure it will be only temporary. Now then, you should all go downstairs and contact your parents. I'm sure they'll be able to find a way to reverse this in their time."

They all made the trip downstairs and found Molly scolding tall, twin redheads in the living room.

"How many times do I have to tell you two to stop popping out of nowhere like that!" she chided fiercely.

"But we didn't pop this time, Mum," one of them explained.

"That's right," said the other, "we hid and then came out regularly."

"Like that's any better," Molly huffed exasperatedly. "Now get back upstairs before they come back down."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Molly," Sirius cut in.

"Merlin, who are all these children?" Molly gasped when she saw the large group.

"Oh, so they get to be down here but we can't?" one of the twins complained.

"I call bollocks on that!" the other one said.

"Knock it off!" Molly growled, swatting at their tall bodies.

She stepped around the two and looked at all the Potters, Weasleys, and lone Malfoy.

"They all came with Teddy and Victoire?" Molly asked Dumbledore, who nodded.

"Wow..." James grinned, looking at Molly and the twins. "This may've been partly my doing, but you gotta admit that it's pretty damn cool."

"No, it definitely is not," Rose said.

"But look at Gran—!" Teddy suddenly cut James off by smacking his shoulder roughly. "Ow, Ted... You're so strong..." James rubbed pathetically at his arm.

"We can't just blurt stuff out, Ja—you," he stammered, nearly slipping up, himself.

"Ha! See even you're having a hard time," James taunted with a smirk.

"Mum? What's... going on here?"

Everyone turned around to find Ginny at the end of the hall by the stairs. She was looking at the large group of strangers with trepidation.

Molly sighed. Why couldn't they just listen to her when she tells them to stay upstairs?

The fireplace suddenly roared with a burst of flames and a tall man stepped out.

"I'm here!" the man announced frantically, wand drawn and poised. At the sight of everyone's calm, yet surprised, faces, he stumbled slightly. "There was an emergency, right?"

"You called Bill?" Remus turned on Sirius.

Sirius smiled sheepishly.

Remus shook his head, then addressed Bill. "I'm sorry, Bill, there was a bit of an emergency, but we've... sort of... handled it."

"'Sort of'?" Bill repeated.

"Well, they claim—" Remus began.

"We're from the future!" a tan boy exclaimed.

"They—what?" Bill stuttered in confusion, wand slack between his fingers.

Remus sighed. "Yes, it appears there was a door, or a curse—or something—that took them from their time, 2021, all the way back to now."

Bill nodded skeptically. "Okay..."

"It's true," yet another red-haired girl said, sounding rather affronted.

"It appears it is," Dumbledore said. "They had knowledge of things about Harry that no one else could've known."

"I see." Bill nodded slowly again, looking more interested now. "Who are they though?"

"Many of us are named after people you know, so I'm not so sure it would be wise to let that information be known, in case it might change things in our present," Teddy explained.

"Ahh," Bill mused, "so you're implying that most, if not all, of you are related to us?"

Teddy hesitated at his question, but the look on his face told Bill the answer.

James snorted. "And you call me an idiot."

"Shut up."

"Is that true?" Hermione spoke up.

"W-well—" Teddy stammered.

"You better answer me this time, young lady!"

"What the hell was that?" Ginny squawked.

"Ginevra Weasley, don't you use that language!" Molly scolded quietly.

Lily frantically pulled out the bag that held the shard of mirror.

"Everyone shut up!" she yelled when many of the future children began panicking. "I can't ignore her again, so be quiet!"

"Answer! Right. Now."

There was silence as Lily slowly opened the bag and pulled out the shard of mirror, ignoring the gasps from Harry and Sirius.

"...Mum?" she timidly said, holding the mirror up to her face, pointing away from everyone.

"Lily Luna Potter, where are you and your siblings?!"

"And your cousins!" someone else added in.

"And your cousins!" Lily's mother affirmed.

"Lily who?!" Ron shouted next to a dazed Harry.

"Lily, who was that?" a softer voice said. "Hugo, are you there?"

"I'm here, Mum," a gangly young boy answered.

"Oh, thank Merlin! And Rose?"

"Everyone is here Aunt Her—A-Auntie," Lily stuttered, nearly slipping up.

"Lily, what's going on? Where are you? Is Teddy there?"

"I'm here," Teddy answered, stepping forward when Lily handed him the mirror.

There was Ginevra Potter, looking frazzled and steaming. Hermione was crammed in next to Ginny, and Teddy thought he could see a glimpse of Angelina behind the two of them.

"Teddy, where are all of you?" the older Hermione asked.

"We're in Grimmauld Place, but..." he trailed off, trying to find a good way to explain when in Grimmauld Place.

"But what?" Ginny demanded.

"We're in... We're in 1995." It seemed that there was no good way to sugarcoat that.

They blinked at him.

"What? Teddy—now isn't the time to play jokes. We've turned the entire bloody house upside down, where the hell are all of you? If you wanted to go out to get some lunch or snacks, that's fine, just tell at least one of us—"

"We really are in the past, Mum," Lily piped up.

Ginny huffed stressfully. "Alright fine, don't tell us, but I expect that whole floor to be cleaned by the time—"

"Mrs. Potter, I assume?" Dumbledore amusedly chimed in, sliding into view next to Teddy. He couldn't contain a chuckle as he confirmed his suspicions about who Harry's wife would be.

So much for keeping identities a secret.

The older Ginny froze in shock and the older Hermione's jaw went slack.

"...Dumbledore?" Hermione finally said. "How are—... They really are in... Merlin no..."

Even in the small shard of mirror, Teddy could see how unwell Hermione suddenly looked.

"Not to worry, Mrs... Weasley, I take it?" Several red-heads perked up at the mention of a Mrs. Weasley. "The members of the Order and I will not let harm come to them."

"What's going on?" a man said. "Have you got a hold of them?"

"Harry..." Ginny whimpered.

The younger Harry paid close attention.

"Where are they?" the older Harry asked.

"They're in 1995." Ginny sniffled.

"What?"

"It's true, here—!"

The mirror was passed to an older-looking Harry, and he caught sight of a smiling Dumbledore and a worried Teddy.

"Dumble—... How did this happen?" Immediately his tone of disbelief switched to one of professionalism as he tried to separate himself from his frantic and horrified emotions at the knowledge of his children in tumultuous 1995.

Teddy explained everything, and ended his account with, "And everyone is fine, Harry. We're not hurt, none of us are missing—we're doing alright."

The older Harry appreciated Teddy easing his concerns about their welfare.

"And who exactly is there with you all?"

"Um, well, Dumbledore, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Sirius, Remus, Tonks—uh—Ginny, George, Fred, Ron, Hermione, and—well, you," Teddy answered while scanning the room.

The younger Harry tried to inch closer in order to peek at his future self in the mirror, but his view was blocked by Teddy's tall form.

"I see. And I'm assuming they can all hear this conversation?"

Teddy nodded reluctantly.

Older Harry sighed. "Okay. Well, I'll call for Draco, and in the meantime, Hermione, Bill, and I will head up to where you say this door is, and we'll try to see what's going on with it."

"Draco?" Ron muttered distastefully to Harry and Hermione.

Teddy nodded. "Hopefully it's something Bill can figure out."

"We'll try our best."

"And Harry? What are we supposed to do about... about all that they know now? Couldn't this all cause horrible repercussions in our time?"

"Yes, it could..." the older Harry mused pensively. "However," he suddenly said, "if that were the case, then those horrible repercussions would've already happened by now—so either telling them won't stop the way things were meant to play out or when we come get you guys their memories will be altered—because I certainly can't remember something like this happening when I was—how old am I there? Fourteen, fifteen? Or the only reason you all have the lives you have is because you went back in time and that set things in motion, which, if that were the case, then there's no other alternative and this was supposed to happen, because if it didn't then this all wouldn't exist and you—"

"Harry."

"Thanks, Ron. Anyway, Hermione's calling me over—we'll figure this all out soon, everyone!"

"Daddy?" Lily called softly.

"Oh, Lily, sweetheart," he cooed when Lily's face came into view. "Don't worry, you'll be home soon."

Lily felt incredibly homesick, stronger than she'd ever felt before—not even during her first year away at Hogwarts.

"Okay," she finally said, not wanting to draw it out.

She was thirteen now, and she often felt silly or embarrassed for acting like a child in front of her cousins. What she had yet to realize, however, is that she still is a child, and it's okay to miss your parents.

"You mind if I hop on real quick?" a deep voice politely asked.

"Sure thing. I love you all, and we'll talk again soon."

The mirror was passed again and a red-haired man with scars on his face appeared.

"Vic, Dom, Louis?"

"Papa!" they cried, cramming in to see their father.

"I'll be working hard to get you three home; your mother is completely beside herself. Just know we love you."

"We love you too," Victoire said sweetly, Dominique and Louis parroting her.

"Are my two troublemakers there?"

"Dad!" Roxanne and Fred II shouted before shoving their way to the front.

The older George chuckled. "I hope you know your mother nearly had my head—took a while for me to convince her I wasn't messing around this time."

Fred furrowed his eyebrows and eyed George next to him. Even though he couldn't see him, the man speaking through the mirror sounded very familiar.

"I wonder why that is?" a woman dryly replied. "If I hear one word from Teddy or Vic about you two getting up to no good, you'll be in for it, you hear me?"

"Yes, Mum," Roxanne and Fred II replied, rather cheerfully.

"Uh-huh. Anyway, I love you two." She then addressed someone out of the mirror's sight. "Here you go."

"James, Al, Lily!"

"Ohh..." James groaned painfully to himself.

He was hoping that with the shock of all that had happened, their mother would have forgotten about them.

"Hi, Mum, I'm innocent in all this," Albus immediately said.

"That's right, James was the one who found the door and opened it," Lily added.

"You guys!" James screeched.

They heard the older Ginny sigh. "That's no matter now. I know it was an accident, I just wish you weren't so curious sometimes, James—you're just like your father in that way."

The younger Harry listened intently. He didn't have a good view of James, "Al," or Lily, so he paid close attention to what they were saying.

"You say that like it's a bad thing" The older Harry chuckled.

"Just how much trouble did that get you into when we were in school?" she retorted. "Anyway, you three be good. Scorpius, dear?"

The blonde finally perked up and squeezed between Roxanne and Fred II to look into the mirror.

"There you are. Your father should be here soon, so I expect he and Astoria would like to see you."

"Alright, thanks, Mrs. Potter." Scorpius smiled. He had always rather liked Ginny, and she seemed to have quite the soft spot for him as well.

"Alright, everyone, please behave yourselves! We'll reach out again soon."

They all chorused their goodbyes, and Ginny had vanished from the shard of mirror. Teddy handed it back to Lily, who put it in its pouch.

Harry shuffled awkwardly.

"So... That was me, right?"

Chapter Text

Teddy sighed.

He supposed Harry was right. Either their memories would have to be erased or this was actually supposed to happen.

He still didn't like it though.

"Hell yeah, it was you!" James crowed.

Now that everyone had dispersed a bit after crowding around the mirror, Harry was able to get a better look at James. Harry was almost surprised at how much like his own father he looked, except he didn't wear glasses and his hair was a bit neater.

"Wow..." Harry murmured. "I sounded..."

"So old?" said James.

"So tired?" suggested Fred II.

"So less puny?" Albus finished.

"Um... Sure..." Harry replied unenthusiastically.

"Alright, it's long overdue," Fred I spoke up from his place next to his siblings.

"Who are you all actually?" George said.

"We can tell them, right Ted?" James asked coyly. "I heard Dad, he said it wouldn't matter, so we can then, yeah?"

"Jame—actually, you know what?" Teddy tossed his hands up and collapsed tiredly in the nearest armchair. "Have at it, sport."

Immediately all the Potters and Weasleys (but not Malfoy this time) erupted into chatter and whines, complaining about who would go first.

Teddy's already throbbing headache was slowly migrating from dull to sharp the longer he listened to them bicker.

"Since none of you can do this yourselves, I'm deciding who's going first!" he ordered over their arguing voices.

Everyone quieted themselves immediately, and those from 1995 were impressed at the level of respect they all had for the young man.

"Zip." Teddy pointed at James, who opened his mouth.

"And you." He then set his sights on Fred II, who was already ready to say something.

They both let out huffs.

"Alright, um—" Teddy began, then looked at the residents of the current time. "Perhaps you'd all like to make yourselves comfortable, this may take some time."

Molly brought up some more chairs, then occupied the loveseat with her husband and a mildly squished Remus; Sirius, Dumbledore, and Tonks took the couch. That left Fred, George, Bill, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione to tussle over who got the remaining three chairs (Fred, George, and Ginny) and who had to stand.

Victoire waved Teddy away as he offered her his seat when she perched on the arm of his chair, and said, "Are you all settled then?"

After getting confirmation that they were, Victoire gestured to her siblings to come next to her.

"We'll start then, my name is Victoire Weasley," she said with a content smile.

Molly and Arthur were listening with rapt eagerness, and the Weasley children were observing the three, trying to pick out any familiar features that might clue them in on which of the many Weasleys they could belong to.

"I'm twenty-one and I'm a healer-in-training at St. Mungo's, these two are my younger siblings." She looked at Dominique and Louis, who smiled (somewhat awkwardly) at everyone.

"What house were you in at Hogwarts, dear?" Molly asked.

"Oh, I was in Ravenclaw."

"A Ravenclaw?" Ron asked incredulously. "A Ravenclaw Weasley?"

Victoire chuckled. "It appears so Uncle Ron."

That shut him up right away.

Uncle Ron. It was so strange to him.

"I'm Dominique." Dominique took the liberty of continuing their introductions. "I'm nineteen and I just started a job at Gringotts—I'm a dragon-feeder!" she finished excitedly.

"A dra—so you're Charlie's then? Dunno who else would be crazy enough to be a dragon-feeder other than one of Charlie's kids," Ron muttered.

The three siblings laughed.

"No," said Dominique, "but he is quite the role model for me. And I was Gryffindor."

"There we go!" Fred I cheered.

"That makes more sense now!" George added.

Victoire rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Hush you two," Molly scolded. "And you, dear?" she said to Louis.

"Oh, I'm Louis. I'm seventeen—just graduated." He smiled proudly, showing off neat, white teeth. "I'm currently training to be... a curse-breaker," he said mischievously, his pleased smile turning into an impish grin as Fred I and George caught on to all their clues.

Bill looked quite interested and was about to ask Louis about his career goals when Fred and George interrupted him.

"Oh—"

"—Merlin."

They started laughing, and no one else understood what was so funny.

"What?" Arthur wondered.

"Victoire, Dominique, Louis?" stared Fred I, speaking through his chortling.

"Do you see the theme?" prodded George.

"Clearly not," Arthur huffed.

"It's French!" they shouted.

Bill suddenly turned red.

"What?" Molly asked. "Bill, are you alright?"

Bill cleared his throat. "Yeah, Mum, I'm fine." He shot a glare at Fred I and George.

"He's had three kids with Fleur Delacour!" George wheezed.

"Fleur?" Hermione couldn't help but repeat.

"What?" Victoire responded defensively.

Fred I and George immediately stopped teasing and blushing Bill at the tone of the blonde's voice.

"Nothing, nothing," Fred I said.

"Yeah, just having a bit of fun," George finished.

Victoire narrowed her eyes at them. "Right. Anyway, yes, you're correct—our parents are Bill and Fleur Weasley."

"Wow..." Bill breathed.

He had just barely begun seeing the blonde Veela, so to hear now that he was married to her and was the father of her children in the future was an odd thing to think about.

"Who's this Fleur?" Molly sharply asked, looking accusingly at Bill.

"Oh, c'mon, Molly," Arthur soothed. "He's a grown man, he doesn't have to share every bit of his private life with us—"

"I want to hear about the woman who's going to marry my son!" she carped to Arthur. "Why haven't you ever mentioned her before, Bill?" Her tone was noticeably softer now.

"Because—we've just started seeing each other!" Bill spluttered.

Victoire, Dominique, and Louis laughed at the red brush of color across his typically pale cheeks.

"Or because she just complains about everything," Hermione grumbled to Harry and Ron.

"What are you on about, Hermione?" Ron challenged, looking puzzled.

Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes. "All last year, she was—" At Ron and Harry's clueless, and somewhat doubtful, faces cut herself short. "Oh, just forget it."

"Alright," Teddy called, implying everyone should settle down, "let's move on from poor Uncle Bill, the man's face is about to explode."

"'Uncle'?" Bill repeated.

Teddy pursed his lips and blinked. "I didn't mean move onto me."

"And why ever not?" Sirius insisted, crossing his arms. He still didn't quite trust the young wizard.

"Well, I—" Teddy choked, then huffed. "Forget it. You two—" he pointed to Fred II and Roxanne. "Hurry up, now."

The twins beamed excitedly and stepped forward.

"Twins?" Fred and George grinned at each other.

"Oh dear," Molly complained, but her warm eyes and smile made it clear she was teasing.

"'Fraid so, Gran," Fred II said, accompanied by an unapologetic shrug from Roxanne.

"Roxanne—" began Fred II.

"—and Fred," added Roxanne.

"Weasley, of course," they finished.

"My, my, have my ears deceived me, Georgie?" Fred I playfully asked, cupping his right ear.

"No, Freddie, I don't think they have," George responded.

Fred II grinned. It was a true miracle that he was able to witness his father and his twin together and joking about like how they used to. He and Roxanne exchanged melancholic smiles.

Since Fred passed, George, according to their family, had never been the same. Some might blame it on him maturing and getting older, but those that knew him before the War could tell that he'd lost part of his soul—he would never be the same.

"Well, George, my dear brother, I'm very honored." Fred I bowed shortly at his waist, and George pretended to tip his hat to him.

"How do you know that Fred didn't just name his kid after himself?" Ron asked. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"Ron, Ron, Ron," Fred I tutted. "That's the rule amongst twins, you see—I'm afraid you'll just never understand." He sniffed sadly.

"Alright, enough now," Molly intervened. "Tell me more, darlings," she said, smiling at Fred II and Roxanne.

It was nice to see that their grandmother hadn't changed too much, it seemed, but there was an obvious lightness in her now that there wasn't in their time. Fred I might've been George's twin, but he was Molly's son. She would never recover from that loss.

"Well, we were in Gryffindor—" Fred II said.

"—of course—" Roxanne interjected.

"—and we're nineteen." Fred II concluded.

"I see you've gotten the hang of twin-speech, very good." Fred I nodded approvingly.

Molly rolled her eyes.

"I reckon you picked it up quick from your old man and his twin, eh?" George said.

Teddy fidgeted ever so slightly, looking at Fred II and Roxanne to make sure they could respond appropriately.

"Er—right!" Fred II stammered.

"Of course!" Roxanne confirmed more confidently.

"So who do I marry?" George probed curiously.

"Angelina Johnson," Roxanne responded proudly.

"Ange—George!" Fred I squawked. "You know I was gonna ask her out this year!"

George tried to quell his laughter. "Well, Freddie, guess we know who the handsomer twin is."

Fred I scowled at his brother petulantly, but he couldn't keep it up for too long because he broke into a smile and chuckled.

"Ah, whatever—poor girl probably decided to take pity on your ugly mug."

George raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, she clearly pitied me well enough to make twins—"

"That is enough!" Molly shouted, cheeks red. "You two, knock it off with that sort of talk!"

"Yes, Mum."

"No promises, Mum."

"George."

"I mean yes, Mum."

Fred II and Roxanne let out sounds of disgust, however the other Weasleys and Potters were all giggling quietly, trying not to further upset their fierce grandmother.

"Anyway," Roxanne got out, "we're working with Dad at the shop until we figure out what we want to do."

"I rather like the shop, actually," Fred II said to his sister.

"You know, Fred, so do I."

"Shop?" Fred I and George looked at the two with suppressed excitement.

"Yeah, your joke shop!" Hugo butt in. "It's amazing!"

Fred I and George smirked proudly at each other.

"We made it happen then."

"That we did."

"Alright, you two," Teddy said to Fred II and Roxanne who were about to start going on about the joke shop. "Let your cousins go now."

Roxanne pouted and Fred II tsked lightly, but they stepped aside.

After a brief hesitation, Rose came forward, pulling Hugo behind her.

"Hel—" She cleared her throat. "Hello. I'm Rose and this is Hugo." Hugo waved awkwardly. "I'm fifteen and in my fifth year as a Gryffindor."

Molly and Arthur smiled warmly at the girl, which eased some of her stiff awkwardness.

"Very lovely to meet you, Rose," Arthur said chipperly.

"And it's been lovely growing up with you, Grandpa," she responded with a chuckle.

Arthur beamed at her with a childlike excitement. "She called me 'Grandpa'!" he whispered, awfully loudly, to Molly.

"Alright, old man," Bill interjected, ceasing Arthur's hyper chatter with his wife. "And how about you?" he said to Hugo, who was looking just as awkward and lanky as Ron.

"Oh, I'm thirteen and going into my third year—and I'm a Hufflepuff," he stammered ungracefully.

It was so odd to see his Uncle Bill without his scars. And his children thought this too as they admired his clear, unblemished skin. It was almost uncomfortably unfamiliar from the man they knew and grew up with. They, of course, had seen pictures of him before the attack, but to see him in person, talking, moving, smiling, was something else entirely.

"And who are your parents, dears?" Arthur asked jovially.

Molly began giggling and Harry, who had miraculously made the connection, burst out laughing.

"What?" Arthur cluelessly questioned.

"Merlin, Arthur, you need to ask?" Molly said through a light chortle.

Rose bristled a bit, akin to how Hermione would, and it sent Harry into another fit of laughter.

"What?" Hermione asked when Harry caught a glimpse of her face and couldn't stop chuckling—and the combination of that and Ron's daft expression didn't help ease his giggles.

"It's so clear." Fred I smirked.

"You'd have to be blind to not notice." George crossed his arms, feeling rather pleased with how this was playing out.

"Well, I guess I'm bloody blind, then, aren't I?" Ron exclaimed. "What's so funny?"

He studied Hugo's gangly frame then Rose's unruly hair, then finally Hermione's slowly reddening face as she gradually became aware of the joke.

"Oh my Mer—" Ron choked. "You mean—?" He looked like someone had kicked his puppy.

Hermione huffed angrily. "No need to look so disgusted, Ronald."

Ron snapped his gaping mouth shut. "I'm not—"

"Just save it, Ron." Hermione crossed her arms.

Yes, it was very strange to learn that she would one day marry one of her best friends. Sure, her heart fluttered just a touch when he walked in the room, or when he looked into her eyes, or when he smiled, or when he—

But that's beside the point; yes, it was strange to learn she'd be marrying Ron, but was she really so unpleasant to him that the thought of them being together in the future was so appalling and dreadful?

"Look, Hermione, I didn't—it's just—surprising!" He floundered his arms about, face still blazing.

"Whatever," she said quietly, subtly inching behind Harry to distance herself from Ron.

The room was horribly awkward after that, and Fred I pathetically cleared his throat.

"Anyway..." Rose drawled uncomfortably. "Yeah, Ron and Hermione are... Uh... Okay!" She and Hugo melted back into her crowd of cousins (and the Malfoy), soon finding a place next to Scorpius and Albus.

Teddy clapped his hands lightly to fill the silence. "Alright then—uh, you three," he looked at James, Albus, and Lily, "come on up now."

Chapter Text

Finally, Harry thought. He wanted to know more about the three who were... apparently... supposedly... his—

Harry swallowed. It was so strange. And with who? With who?

He shook his head.

"Hell, nearly bored myself to death there," James carped, propping his hands on his hips once he got to the front.

"Too bad you didn't." Albus purposely knocked his shoulder into James' protruding elbow.

"Alright, you two, for once try to keep—...all that, to yourselves," Teddy tiredly chastised.

"You know, Teddy, I bet if you actually got a life—"

"James!" Lily glared at her brother. No one messed with her Teddy.

James. Every time he heard his name, Harry's chest squeezed. He stared, transfixed.

"Alright, alright," James yielded. "I was just joking."

"Hurry up already!" George yelled through cupped hands—which was entirely unnecessary being as he was about ten feet away from them.

"Keep your hat on, Uncle George, blimey." James unnecessarily cleared his throat.

And before anyone could even process that he had called George his uncle, James promptly dove into his introduction.

"James Sirius Potter's the name, and spittin's the game." James coolly revealed.

"Teddy, I want to go home."

"I know, Al. So do I."

"Why is he spitting?" Arthur dumbfoundedly asked his children, who were more focused on the fact that James was Harry's future son.

Harry, even though he knew James must be his, dropped his jaw at hearing his whole name strung together.

Sirius grinned brightly, and Teddy thought he saw his eyes mist over. "Oh, Harry," he happily croaked. "You've no idea how honored I am, my boy."

Harry blushed, bashful of Sirius' clear adoration and gratefulness towards him. "Of course, Sirius. You're the closest thing I have to..." he trailed off, suddenly very aware of his quiet audience. Harry cleared his throat lightly and said no more, but he smiled at Sirius, who had to refrain from really crying.

During all his twelve years in Azkaban, all he thought about was Harry—how was he doing?—was he liking Hogwarts?—did he look more like James or more like Lily?—was he happy?

He had so many regrets, so many that he nearly let death take him; but the thought of Harry kept him alive.

James watched his father with an uncharacteristically soft expression. He felt heartbroken for young Harry, who didn't know that Sirius would be ripped from him so soon.

"Ah, anyway," Sirius cleared his throat, appreciative of the friendly pat Remus gave him. "Continue, James." There was a new sort of softness in his voice as he said James' name.

"Well, was a Gryffindor—of course." He shot his brother a teasing look, to which he rolled his eyes at. "I'm nineteen, and was Quidditch captain for three years—probably the best captain Hogwarts has ever seen," he bragged thoughtfully.

Teddy rolled his eyes.

"What, you disagree?" James challenged.

"You know I do."

"Oh yeah? Then who was better?—and don't say—"

"Me." Teddy smirked. "But shut up about that and carry on, James, I don't wanna spend all day on the topic of Quidditch."

Sirius suddenly chuckled heartily to himself, like he just got told some secret joke.

"What?" Nymphadora asked.

"Remus," he breathed through a laugh. "They sound just like you and James. You used to wind him up so much," Sirius reminisced.

Teddy sucked in a sharp breath and nearly choked. Sirius and Remus didn't notice this, but it did raise suspicion in a few of the onlookers. Hermione, to name one.

Remus smiled nostalgically. "Boy, he used to go on and on about Quidditch." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "I mean, someone had to shut him up."

Sirius laughed happily.

"Oh, I miss him, Sirius," Remus said quietly, with a melancholic smile.

"I know, Moony, so do I."

James, sensing their reminiscing was done, spoke up again. "Glad to entertain—anyway, I'm looking to pursue Quidditch professionally, like Mum. Looked into being an Auror, but," James shrugged, "that didn't really work out. Quidditch is what I'm best at."

My wife is a Quidditch player? Harry thought. The only female Quidditch players he knew were those on the Gryffindor team. For some reason, the thought disappointed him.

"How exciting, James!" Molly kindly said.

"My thoughts exactly!" James grinned. "As a matter of fact, I—"

"Can we be done with you now?" Albus snarkily asked. He knew James would go on and on if someone didn't stop him.

"I'm not—"

"James, let your brother have his turn."

Teddy, ever the babysitter.

James huffed and let Albus take his place. However James' disappointment didn't last long once he remembered Albus' full name and house. That would surely rile up the 1995 Gryffindors. Plus Tonks—maybe.

Albus seemed to realize this rather quickly too.

"Uh..." he said dumbly.

Molly furrowed her eyebrows at him, still smiling however.

Albus blinked at them, then looked at Teddy.

Sensing how he was feeling, Teddy gave him an encouraging nod, and Scorpius, from his place in the back, loudly whispered, "You got this!" which truthfully didn't do much to ease Albus' anxiety—in fact it probably made it worse.

Those who lived in the present time were confused by his need for motivation.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked kindly.

Albus blinked again and was snapped out of his anxious daze. "Oh—yeah, I'm good. So, uh—erm, my name is Albus—Potter, that is. Obviously." He gave them a tight and uncomfortable smile.

Dumbledore smiled happily under his bushy beard and regarded Harry with a grateful look.

"Thank you, Harry," he said. "I'm very honored that you named one of your sons after me."

Harry smiled awkwardly. "No problem, Professor."

"Great," Albus said, clasping his hands together weakly. "Alrighty, Lils?"

"No, no, no." James stopped him from moving back into the crowd. "I don't think so, brother—what ever happened to your middle name?" he sarcastically pondered. "And your house, now that I think about it?"

"James," Teddy cautioned. "Don't push him—"

"What are you talking about?" Harry finally spoke up. "What's his middle name? And his house?"

Albus stared at him with a slack jaw, glasses askew.

"Wait..." said Fred I.

"Don't tell us you're in..." said George.

The twins looked at each other.

"Slyther—"

"Okay, yes—alright?" Albus admitted angrily.

Albus Severus Potter had two moods: shy and nervous, or fierce and snappy. None of his family had to think too hard about which mood he was in now.

James, sensing he finally reached Albus' limit, backed off. He wasn't stupid—he knew not to push his brother further than what his cut-off was. He wasn't that mean of a sibling, plus he was smarter than that—Albus would tear him apart.

Fred I and George recoiled slightly at Albus' sharp answer.

"Well, damn," Fred I blurted, apologizing to his mother who whacked him in the leg from her seat.

"Sorry there, mate," George finished, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

Sirius stared at the young Potter incredulously. "A Slytherin?" he finally said.

"Sirius," Remus quietly warned, which he ignored.

"I've never heard of a Potter in Slytherin before, how can that be?" he croaked.

Harry was thinking the same—sort of. More along the lines of; how did his future self handle his son being put in Slytherin? Harry was nearly sorted into the house of serpents, but he pleaded with the hat to put him anywhere else—did Albus have the same experience? Did Albus somehow inherit the part of Harry that belonged to Voldemort? Was that even possible?

"A Slytherin, Harry," Ron irately muttered to his friend. "Your bloody kid is a Slytherin—how'd you let that happen?"

"Ronald!" Molly hissed at him, overhearing her son's harsh words. "You stop that right now!"

"But he's a Slytherin!" Ron exclaimed louder—loud enough, in fact, for everyone in the room to hear.

"And?" Teddy asked him defensively. "What about it—Ronald?"

Ron swallowed, admittedly intimidated by the sandy-haired man—whose hair was somehow getting slightly darker. A trick of the light perhaps?

"Well, it's just... fishy, isn't it?" He sounded more and more unsure of himself, Teddy's fierce gaze making his words come out less confident than before.

Rose shook her head, disappointed. "Mum wasn't wrong, he really was a bit of a git in this time, wasn't he?"

"What?" Ron squawked. He whipped his head at Hermione. "What've you been tellin' them?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I haven't been tellin' them anything yet, Ron, honestly," she muttered.

Ron blushed. "Well, when you do, don't."

Teddy sighed. "Look, Uncle Ron, things are different in the future, that's something you need to understand—things have greatly changed—"

"Wait," Ron interrupted. "Uncle Ron?"

"That's right, you called me your uncle too," Bill curiously said.

Teddy paused.

"We're related?" Bill prodded.

Molly and Arthur looked at Teddy with hopeful eyes. They adored the idea of having loads of grandchildren.

"Um," he stumbled, "that's—let's finish up here, then—then we'll..." he trailed off. His eyes had drifted over to Remus and Nymphadora.

They were looking at him with unjudging eyes. They weren't making any assumptions about him, they were just listening. Giving him their attention. Something Teddy craved for as long as he could remember.

Sure, he never knew his parents, never got to know them or love their quirks—they were true strangers to Teddy, but their presence still affected him more than he'd ever been before.

He swallowed thickly.

Victoire gently rubbed her thumb up and down the back of his hand, bringing him back to the moment.

"Albus, please finish," Teddy said softly.

Albus gave him a concerned look, but listened regardless. "Right, uh... Slytherin. I'm fifteen and in my fifth year. And my middle name, by the way, is Severus. So..."

This flipped the mood from quiet and curious to disbelieving and outraged.

Ron was absolutely stunned, and Fred I and George were yelling something about "the audacity!"

"Severus?!" Harry shrieked, almost in a panic. "I named you after Snape?!"

Albus nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Why?!" Sirius desperately asked. "Was he on drugs?! Harry—!" he snapped, whipping his head over to Harry. "What have I told you about drugs?!—hm?!"

"To—"

"To not do them, so what the hell is this?!"

"I don't bloody know, Sirius!"

"Well, figure it out!"

"How am I—?!"

"Please shut up!" Albus shouted.

The raucous shouting stopped at his surprisingly strong voice and everyone gave him their confused attention.

"Let me explain," he said quieter. "Dad wasn't drunk, he wasn't bloody high," he gave Sirius a pointed look, "and he wasn't trying to be funny. He named me after two of the bravest men he'd ever met. You all need to respect that, and if I hear any of you talking poorly about Severus, the man who died for my dad, then we'll make damn sure you regret it."

The room was stunned into silence.

Harry just couldn't believe it. "Snape... died for me?" he whispered.

James nodded seriously. "He did."

No one knew what to say.

"I'm proud of my names," Albus said firmly. "And that's all I have to say."

With that, he stepped back and ushered Lily forward in order to fill the tense silence.

Chapter Text

After Albus' little outburst, the room was left tense and awkward. It was hard for anyone, aside from perhaps Dumbledore, to believe that Severus Snape died for Harry Potter.

Harry wanted to press more about it, but the stony looks from the future generation made him think twice, as frustrating as that was for him. He had so many questions; the most demanding being, why on earth would Snape die for him? But he irritably supposed that would have to wait.

Lily had shuffled forward nervously. The stale tension in the room wasn't exactly ideal in her opinion.

"Right..." she murmured with an awkward smile. "So—uh, my turn, then."

Molly seemed to snap out of whatever thought she had and smiled sweetly at her.

"Yes, dear," she said, "please go ahead."

Lily found some comfort in her grandmother's reassurance.

"Well, my name is Lily Luna Potter," she started.

"Luna? Like Luna Lovegood?" interrupted Hermione curiously, cutting Lily off from whatever she was going to say next. "Oh, sorry," she apologized.

Lily shook her head. "It's alright—and yeah, that Luna."

"Who's she?" Ron mumbled to Hermione, who gave him a half-shrug.

"She's in Ginny's year, I think, right?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Yeah," Ginny answered. "She's a Ravenclaw, she's really nice—a bit odd, but very sweet."

Hermione looked like she was about to say something about Luna, but hastily changed her mind. "Sorry," she directed at Lily again when she realized the young redhead was waiting for her to finish. "You can go on."

"Anyway, yeah, my parents named me after her because they all became really good friends—she helped Dad a lot out, too, but—um... we don't need to go into that," she finished with a nervous chuckle. "I'm a Gryffindor," she went on, "and I'm thirteen and um... yeah, that's kind of it." She concluded with a shrug.

"So..." Harry spoke up. "Um—what a-about—I mean, like, who—" He stopped. The words truly couldn't pass his lips. He'd never even had his first kiss and yet he was staring his children in the face.

Lily suddenly giggled, accompanied by chuckles and snickers from her bunch.

"What?" Harry asked dumbly. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Ted had an amused grin planted firmly on his face. "Not you, at least. It's just—oh, boy," he muttered humorously.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who seemed just as lost as he was.

"We're just getting laughs out now because we know shit's gonna hit the fan in a second—"

"Do you have to be so crude, James?" Rose complained.

"Well, it's the truth," James defended in a practiced manner, as if he and Rose often had similar conversations like that.

"Alright..." Harry drawled, voice heavy with uncertainly. "Just tell me, won't you?" He was beginning to get impatient.

"Alright, alright," Albus appeased. "I'll give you a big hint."

Fred I and George looked at him eagerly, while Harry was getting a bit annoyed. Albus then took Lily by the shoulders and moved her right in front of everyone again.

"There you go," Albus said cheekily.

"What?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Honestly it is a pretty big hint," Lily admitted.

There was silence for a moment before; "Oh..." Ginny murmured behind the hand that had clasped onto her mouth, face on fire.

Bill's jaw dropped first, then Fred I and George's.

"I—you—I cannot believe you—!" Bill stammered hotly, shaking his finger at a confused Harry.

"Oh, stop it," Ginny huffed, feeling the sticky warmth of embarrassed heat flush down her neck.

"What?" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry..." Ginny mumbled, daring to look at him.

Harry looked back at her, waiting for her to go on and ignoring the way Bill, Fred I, and George were stewing.

Hermione began to laugh then. "Of course it's her!" she cried through giggles. "Especially with how she—" She didn't continue with her sentence, however, as it would've ended with "—has liked him for years," because Hermione wasn't that cruel, of course.

Harry looked back at Lily, then to Ginny again and his jaw nearly fell off of his head.

"You—" he stuttered.

"Yes," James said, looking gleeful at his father's distress.

"I don't believe this," Ron suddenly seethed, coming to the same conclusion as Harry.

"Ron—" Harry said.

"My own sister?" Ron cried angrily.

"Yeah!" shouted Fred I and George.

"We like you Harry, but really—" Fred I started.

"We don't like you enough to let you knock—"

"Oh my Merlin, stop it!" Ginny yelled, face so red it was starting to blend in with her hair. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

"Yes, all of you, that's enough!" Molly demanded.

"Harry, son, you're not in trouble or anything, but after this you and I are going to have a little talk—" Arthur began.

"And you too, Arthur, you're not interrogating the boy," Molly snapped. She looked over at the poor Potter, who was red, sweating, and dazed. "Oh, Harry, dear, it's alright; we love you to bits, and I'm sure you and Ginny—have a—wonderful marriage—" she stammered.

She did love Harry and thought he was good for Ginny and vice versa, but it was a little uncomfortable for her to think about. Ginny was her youngest and only girl after all.

James snorted. "Alright this was funny for like a minute, but now it's a bit old," he said dryly, eyeing the way Bill and Fred I were glaring at his young father, while George was making the universal hand gesture for "you're dead."

"Yes, I think that's about enough," Teddy cut in. "Everyone, Harry treats Ginny very well and they are very happy together—and all of you are okay with it," he said pointedly at a fuming Ron.

"Wait a minute—" Ginny said, embarrassment forgotten for a moment. "Didn't you say... you wanted to play Quidditch like your mum?" she directed at James. "So I'm a professional Quidditch player?" She gave him an eager look.

"Wait, yeah, how's that make any sense?" George wondered.

"Ginny's never even played Quidditch!" Fred I said.

"Yeah, because none of you will let me play." Ginny looked at them bitterly. "I've been sneaking your brooms out, by the way," she said snortily, crossing her arms. "Have been since I was six."

"What?" Fred I and George cried incredulously.

"Yeah, I've wanted to try out for the Quidditch team," she went on, "but with you gits still on the team I didn't think I had a chance of joining."

"Wow," Harry murmured.

Somehow, for some strange reason, the thought of his wife being a Quidditch player didn't disappoint Harry so much anymore.

"Alright, that's all settled," Sirius then spoke up impatiently. "You still haven't said anything about yourself," he said to Teddy.

Teddy held back a sigh. "Right," he admitted, "but we're not entirely done with this lot." He nodded his head in the future generation's direction.

"Who else is left?" Tonks asked, peering at them, looking for an unfamiliar face. "Oh," she said once she caught sight of a thin, blonde boy.

"Come on up," Molly encouraged, hoping for another grandchild.

Scorpius shuffled through the pack to the front nervously.

"Awfully blonde for a Weasley," Bill joked.

It was true though, not even Bill's fair-haired children were as blonde as Scorpius Malfoy.

Scorpius let out a breath of a laugh. "Yeah," he said quietly. "That's true..."

"What's your name then?" Tonks asked with a friendly smile.

"My name is Scorpius," he answered.

"Ah," Sirius said. "Another space kid, I see." He chuckled.

Scorpius laughed a little uncomfortably. "Yep," he said. "Just like... my dad..." Might as well just get it out, he figured.

He patted his trousers awkwardly as everyone looked around or murmured about who was named after a star or constellation.

"Wait," Sirius suddenly blurted out hastily. "You don't mean... me, do you?" he asked warily, regarding Scorpius with wild eyes.

"No, no," Scorpius assured. "Not you."

Sirius let out a breath of relief. "Thank Merlin," he said. "I'd hate to subject a kid to me as their father; not to mention as some sorry woman's husband."

"You'd make a great father or husband, Sirius, don't say that," Remus argued softly.

"Ah," Sirius shook his head, "don't think so, Moony. I'm old, I'm ugly, I'm a felon—"

"That won't last forever, my friend," Remus assured. "And you're not old or ugly—honestly, Sirius, what does that say about me?"

Sirius chuckled. "At least you've got a clean record," Sirius teased back.

"Ah, but I'm a werewolf—I'd say the two aren't too far off from each other."

"Then I guess we'll both die single and childless," Sirius finished with a morose tone of humor.

"That may be," Remus said, not very jokingly this time.

He couldn't help but look at Nymphadora, who was already looking at him sadly. He looked away.

"Anyway," Sirius exclaimed. "Sorry to, uh, be a downer—carry on, kid."

"Um... Right, I'm in Slytherin with Al," Scorpius said, ignoring the way some faces twisted with disapproval, "and I'm also fifteen. That's about it." He tried to get back to Rose and Albus, but Arthur's voice stopped him.

"You never said who your parents are, Scorpius."

He looked back to see Arthur and Molly smiling kindly at him. No one was glaring at him (despite the little upset he caused at mentioning his house), but he knew that would change soon.

"My—my parents are good friends of Harry and Ginny and everyone," Scorpius explained, "but not so much now—you guys don't become friends until after the war, so does it really matter?" He hoped that would suffice, but of course it didn't.

"Okay, so who are they?" Fred I asked.

"You all probably wouldn't know my mother, she only started at Hogwarts in... I think 1993?" Scorpius said pensively. "Her name's Astoria."

"Oh," Harry said. "Yeah, I don't recognize her."

Scorpius shrugged. "Thought you wouldn't."

"But who'd you say your father was again?"

"Wait—" Hermione blurted suddenly. "Wait, wait, wait—your dad—oh my goodness, he's not Draco Malfoy?" she gasped.

Harry and Ron's heads whipped over to Scorpius, waiting for his answer, but his uneasy hesitation, not to mention brilliant blonde hair, told them everything.

"A Malfoy!" Ron's eyes went wide with angry shock. "What's a bloody Malfoy doing with you all?!" he directed at the others from the future.

"He's our friend, that's what," Albus answered hotly, glaring at his uncle and father.

"What d'you mean your friend?" Harry demanded. "Why would you be friends with Malfoy? And hang on—you said we were friends with your parents, but there's no way that's true!" he shouted. "I would never be friends with Malfoy!"

Scorpius frowned. "That wasn't a lie—" he tried to say, but his soft voice was drowned out by whatever stupid chant Fred I and George were saying about how rotten Malfoys were. "Guys—" Scorpius tried again, but no one could hear him.

"Can't believe this!" Ron exclaimed. "Us, friends with the bloody Malfoys!"

Teddy had had enough, it seemed. He snatched the closest wand he could see, which happened to belong to Bill's back pocket, and wordlessly jerked it sharply, creating a loud crack!

Everyone's attention had snapped over to him, and Bill quickly took his wand back.

"That is enough!" Teddy shot up. "I don't care whatever troubles you have with Draco Malfoy in this time; I truly do not, because the Malfoys I know are lovely people!" he defended strongly. "So I'm not about to listen to all of this. Scorpius is a great kid—he's never caused any trouble—"

"Which is more than can be said about us," James interjected.

"—so you can forget whatever stupid little grievances you have about him or his father—I don't want to hear it," Teddy finished strongly.

The silence was loud, so it took Scorpius a great amount of courage to speak.

"I know that my dad wasn't a good person in school," he admitted softly, "but after his father got arrested at the end of the war, he was finally able to think and act for himself without the threat of Lucius always on his back." He boldly met Harry's dubious stare. "He told me himself how horrible he feels for everything he's done or said to you three—and you know what? You all forgave him," he said with conviction. "And now he works with you, Mrs. Weasley" —he look to Hermione, who blushed at the name— "and he and you, Mr. Weasley, get drinks on Fridays" —Ron's glare softened in surprise— "and you two like to smoke cigars on Sundays, even though Mrs. Potter and my mum absolutely detest it," he concluded with Harry, who was a bit too stunned to think of being embarrassed at the mention of Mrs. Potter. "So please don't write us off," Scorpius requested.

"And honestly," Albus spoke up now, "it wouldn't even matter if you lot did, because there's really nothing you can do about it. Dad and Mr. Malfoy are friends, and Scorpius is my best mate, and everyone's okay with everyone in our time."

Molly and Arthur suddenly looked ashamed, though it was a little reluctant from Arthur.

"You're right, dear," Molly admitted. "Scorpius, I'm very sorry for how we all acted—I hope you can understand that it was just a bit of a shock to us." Molly gave him a very apologetic look, which Scorpius waved off.

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley, I completely understand."

"Thank you—"

"But—" Ron started.

"Apologize, Ron," Molly said quietly through gritted teeth.

Ron quickly decided that his mother's wrath was worse than apologizing to Malfoy at that moment and grunted out a sorry.

"No worries..." Scorpius murmured a bit awkwardly. "Um," he looked at Teddy, "can I be done now?"

"'Course," Teddy answered with a chuckle. "Alright then," he checked his watch, "I wonder how long it will take for them to get back to us."

"Hang on a minute," Sirius said. "Why are you so eager to not tell us who you are? You've been acting very strange this whole time you've been here."

Remus furrowed his eyebrows. "Right," he said. "Just who exactly are you?"

Teddy hesitantly met his curious gaze. "Is that a question?" Teddy asked calmly, despite what he was feeling internally. "Or a demand?"

There was another period of quiet as Remus and Teddy stared at each other before Remus finally said, "A demand."

Chapter Text

Something about the boy set Tonks off, but she couldn't tell if the feeling was ominous or just straight odd. Teddy almost reminded her of an uncanny valley sort of Remus, if there was such a thing, and she started to wonder if Teddy was somehow related to Remus.

The thought made her frown.

"So if..." Sirius began, looking over everyone in the room. "Ron... and Ginny... Bill..." he muttered to himself. "So that leaves Fred and—Molly you have another son, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes, I have two others, Charlie and Percy—what are you on about?" she wondered.

"Well, I'm trying to figure out who's left without kids here, because surely Teddy must come from one of them, right?"

"But aren't he and Victoire together? I certainly hope he isn't a Weasley," Tonks chimed in.

"Oh, that's right," Sirius mused. "So then—"

Teddy didn't say anything, and neither did anyone else.

"Enough, Sirius," Remus said, before turning to face Teddy again. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm not... I'm not hiding anything," he answered. "It's just not the most pleasant thing to talk about, especially with..." With you, is what he nearly said, but he couldn't push the words from his mouth.

"What's so unpleasant about it?" Remus questioned.

"It's kind of a downer, to be honest," James said bluntly, recoiling when Lily suddenly wheeled around to look at him. "What, it is, isn't it?" he defended hastily.

"Doesn't mean you have to be rude," Lily chastised.

"It's alright, Lily, I suppose he's right," Ted said. "It really isn't that pleasant to discuss—and I say that for your sakes, not mine."

Everyone looked warily at each other.

"My parents are dead," Teddy announced. "I didn't think you all needed to hear about that."

Molly and Arthur looked at each other in fear, then at the surrounding group. Everyone was casting wary looks at each other, as if expecting someone to drop dead right that instant.

"I won't be born for a few years yet, so everyone can try to relax," Teddy assured, though it wasn't entirely assuring.

"So, the only ones left are... Sirius, Remus, and Tonks..." Harry observed. "And since Sirius and Tonks are cousins, then..."

Remus felt his jaw drop and his heart seize. He looked at Tonks, who, despite her immense blushing, was slowly beginning to smile.

"Is that true?" she asked Teddy, who looked uncomfortable.

"I never said they were in the room," he tried to argue weakly.

"Then who are your parents?" Tonks pressed.

"That would mean Remus and Tonks are—" Harry began, cutting himself off. "There's no way..."

"Listen—" Teddy said.

"Just tell us," Sirius demanded tiredly. "I think we have a right to know."

"I—" Teddy stuttered, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"There's no way you're my son, that would mean that you're a—" Remus flusteredly said. "I would never want to subject someone to this."

"Just listen—" Teddy said again.

"There's no way Remus and Tonks are dead!" Harry exclaimed. "Just tell us the truth—!"

"Please, everyone!" Teddy yelled, having gotten fed up with being spoken over. He felt his scalp tingle slightly, the familiar sensation of his hair changing in some way, and in a panic, he forced it back to its original shade of sandy-brown. However, in his attempt, he went a bit too extreme and his hair flickered to the blue he typically wore it as, then to a blonde as he tried to correct his mistake, and then finally he managed to get the shade he wanted.

His attempts at discreetly fixing his hair, however, were entirely futile as his magic was a bit scattered, representing the way he felt. Gasps fluttered around the room as Teddy had all but revealed who his mother was.

Tonks covered her mouth.

"Easy there, Tedster," Fred II said, wincing when Teddy shot him a glare that plainly read shut up.

Teddy sighed.

"Oh," Tonks then murmured, dropping her hands. "So I'm... You had to grow up without me?" She frowned mournfully at Teddy, and it felt like there was a vice around his heart at the sight of her heartbroken face.

This was why he didn't want to tell anyone. Not necessarily for his sake, but for theirs.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No," Tonks breathed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you... I'm so sorry." She sniffed.

Remus felt stunned. Teddy was Tonks' son. But that meant that Tonks was... He looked at her; she was young and in her prime, but in a few years she'd be gone when she was supposed to be enjoying her adulthood. Remus couldn't help but feel a sense of bittersweetness about it all. Tonks had Teddy from some other man, surely. One who was stable and lovely; one who didn't have problems like he did. Despite everything, Remus hoped that she was at least happy—

"You are Remus' son, aren't you?" Tonks asked boldly, voice wavering ever so slightly.

Remus swallowed a gasp and stared at her in shock. There was no way he was Teddy's father, he'd made himself abundantly clear to Tonks that he wasn't a good man to have a relationship with, however persistent she was. So there was no way it was true—

"Yes," Teddy answered solemnly.

"What...?" Remus breathed, now pinning him with the same shocked expression.

"My name is Edward Remus Lupin, and my parents loved each other very much, up until the end," Teddy murmured.

Was it his fault? Did he cause their fate? Questions swirled around Remus' head, and he chastised himself for being so selfish; however every time he looked at Teddy, he couldn't help but acknowledge the part of himself that always longed for a family of his very own. A child to look after and a wife to love. Things Remus thought he'd only ever have in his dreams.

"Remus—" Harry got out.

"How did—" Remus stuttered. "How did it happen?" He hesitated. "Did I...?"

"No," Teddy answered. "You both died in a very honorable way—fighting for what was right."

Remus nodded, sucking on his teeth. Tonks suddenly put herself into his arms, and Remus finally gave in to the desire to hold her.

A family... For however long it may last.

Chapter Text

Mugs clattered as they floated out of the cabinets and lined the magically-extended dining table. A teapot went around, pouring hot chamomile into each mug as people slowly began to take their seats. The table was divided perfectly, with the members of 1995 on one side and those of 2021 on the other. Dumbledore left minutes prior, stating that he was no longer needed. Teddy tried feebly to stop him, seeing as his memory was still perfectly intact, but Dumbledore disapparated too quickly.

After the shock of learning that Teddy was Remus' son, Remus found it hard to look at the young man. Was he a werewolf? Did he hate his father? Quandaries of the like kept fogging up Remus' head, and he couldn't shake them.

"Awkward..." James muttered into his mug.

"James—" Rose sighed.

"I'm sorry," Remus suddenly blurted out. "I—I'm sorry." He looked hopelessly at Teddy, who was shocked.

"What are you sorry f—" Teddy slowly began, but Remus rose from his chair abruptly.

"This should've never happened," he muttered under his breath before swiftly leaving the room.

Teddy stared after him, feeling the rise of hurt well up in his chest. What should've never happened? he wondered. His existence? It was a painful thought. What were you supposed to do when the father you'd wanted to know all your life didn't want to know you?

"Remus!" Tonks cried after him, also leaving her seat and scurrying out of the dining room.

James sipped his tea.

"So..." Fred II said.

Teddy got up and left, leaving Victoire to stare sadly at his retreating figure. She knew he needed time alone with his family, despite how much she wanted to chase after him; to comfort him. He needed to do this on his own.

Hushed voices were coming from the living room as Teddy entered the kitchen. The sound of hissed whispers and choking words made him stop in his tracks.

"Nymphadora, I can't do that! I can't do that to him!"

"Remus—!"

"And I can't do that to you! A life with me?—a poor, decrepit wolf? You can do so much better!" Remus exclaimed as quietly as he could. "I must've lost my damn mind, letting you have my child."

The sudden clap of skin-against-skin reached Teddy's ears and Remus let out a gasp. Teddy nearly burst into the room then until, that is, he heard the pain in Tonks' voice as she began to speak.

"Don't you dare say such things, Remus Lupin," she growled, a quaver in her voice that she struggled to contain. "Not only is it insulting to me and your perception of my strength, but it's insulting to you and that boy in there. He lost both of us, Remus! Have you forgotten that? How dare you try to—to wallow in the pity you're forcing onto us? He doesn't deserve to have that as his only memory of us. So you better come to terms with it fast, because dammit, Remus, don't you dare take it out on him."

There was a long, heavy silence.

"You're right," Remus breathed at last. "You're completely right."

"I know." There was a softness in Tonks' tone now. "I'm sorry for slapping you, I just... got caught up in it all, I think."

"No, I deserved—I needed it. And I'm sorry for all the things I said, now just isn't the time. I can't even imagine how Teddy must be feeling."

"You should go talk to him," Tonks suggested.

Remus was quiet again, until he finally said, "I should, shouldn't I?"

Teddy took that as a sign to make his presence known and stepped into the living room.

"Teddy..." Tonks said. "Have you—how long were you—?"

"The whole time," Teddy answered. Remus immediately wore a guilty look on his face. "I understand," Teddy went on to say, "that this can't be easy for you—either of you—but, um..." He trailed off. He wished he were as eloquent as Victoire, or even as quick on his feet as James. "I just..." He struggled pathetically. "Um..."

Tonks finally took pity on him and pulled him into her arms. She felt Teddy tense up before utterly melting. Teddy had embraced several women over the course of his life—Ginny, Molly, Victoire, various girlfriends he'd had throughout the years—but none of them could ever compare to the warmth and comfort he felt deep in his chest from hugging his own mother. It was even better than he imagined. He felt Tonks reach out behind him, pulling Remus into the hug as well. Teddy felt safe and comforted and warm; despite how troublesome and stressful it had been to be stuck in a different time, Teddy felt suddenly thankful that it had happened.

The three of them picked up on whispering coming from the doorway to the kitchen, and they turned around to see a huddled bunch of redheads, dotted with the occasional brunette or blonde.

"Oh—" Molly said, embarrassed at being caught. "Sorry dears."

Remus cleared his throat and stepped away, prompting Tonks and Teddy to do the same.

"Oh, now, Moony," Sirius cawed, pushing his way into the living room. "Don't get all bashful on our account."

Remus snorted. "I'm not bashful, Sirius, I'm a grown man."

"But you'll always just be a Moony to me," Sirius teased, placing a hand over his skinny chest. "And Moonies get a bit bashful." Sirius' comments sparked a few chuckles, however Harry was still frowning, as he had been all this time.

"Teddy," he said suddenly. "I want to know what else happens."

Harry's demand had almost instantly silenced everyone, and Teddy stared at him in mild shock before sighing.

"Harry," Teddy began, sounding tired, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What else are you hiding?" Harry asked defensively. "What else went wrong?"

Teddy said nothing, and Harry tentatively added, "Who else died?" His voice had shrunk to nearly a whisper and he waited in agony as Teddy thought about how to reply. Who else would he have to lose? He'd already lost his parents, and would later lose Remus and Tonks—how much more suffering would he have to go through before he could finally have peace?

"Dad—er, Harry," James spoke up in place of Teddy, "I think we've already caused enough... upset."

Harry blinked at him, before a thought encroached on his mind. A terrible, dreadful, nasty thought. It wormed its way into Harry's heart and ate at all the strength he had left in him.

"You..." Harry breathed, and James stared at him with slowly widening eyes. "Why are you named after him?"

James gaped at his young father, unable to think of any decent excuse. He knew exactly who Harry was talking about, and it wasn't James' grandfather.

"Because..." James began slowly, his mind racing. "Because... Well, you love him—he's your godfather, why wouldn't I be named after him?"

Harry's glare turned more desperate. "But Albus is named after Severus, who died. Did Dumbledore die too? Is that why his name's 'Albus'?"

The future kids exchanged nervous glances. They knew that Harry wouldn't take the news well at all; and on top of that, it almost seemed far too cruel to even tell him.

"And how about you?" Harry turned on Lily. "Is Luna dead?" he demanded.

"No—!" Lily blurted out in panic, and Teddy winced.

"So you'll tell me that, but you won't tell me if Sirius is dead?" Harry nearly shouted now. He started breathing heavily, his glasses slipping down his nose as cold sweat began to bead on his face.

"Harry—" Sirius called, but Harry hardly heard him over the roaring in his ears. "Harry, kid—listen to me." Sirius bent to look him in his eyes.

Harry's green eyes were swimming in tears, and he let out a shuddering breath.

"Remus—" he choked. "And now you, too—Sirius, I don't think I can take much more—"

"No, Harry," Sirius cooed softly, pulling the young boy into his arms. "You're the strongest person I've ever met, but I know how hard that must be. It'll be alright, because you have so many people who love you and who you can turn to for help. It's not all on you, Harry."

Harry let out a wracking sob and lost the strength in his legs. Sirius held him up, keeping him close as Harry cried into the arms of the closest person he had to a father.

Remus had Tonks under his arm as quiet tears rolled down his scarred face. He really would be the last of them. First he lost James—no, Remus thought. First we lost Peter. He was gone the moment he turned over his friends. And Remus truly mourned for him. The sunny days spent by the Black Lake; the late nights skirting about the castle; the early morning sunrises in the Shrieking Shack, sharing tired words and breathy laughs. And then Peter was suddenly gone, and with him James and Lily. Soon Sirius would be gone as well, and Remus would be painfully alone.

Tonks reached an arm around Remus, rubbing his back with the sweet softness only a woman could wield. Teddy placed a comforting hand on his father's shoulder. Remus suddenly realized he was shaking.

You're wrong, he told himself. You won't be utterly alone; you have a loving woman who would move mountains for you, and a sweet boy who you'll be proud to call your son, you old fool.

Remus never knew he was so self-centered. He hated how sorry he always felt for himself, when it was Sirius who he should be crying for.

"Oh, Padfoot," he said in a breath. He separated from Tonks and Teddy and crossed the room in two strides; his arms fit finely around both Sirius and Harry, and they stayed there for a long time.

Chapter Text

Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack.

Hermione Granger-Weasley had been forever accused of having her nose stuck in a book, but it has never once failed her in times of crisis—just like now.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed when she burst into her office.

Harry and Ginny Potter were the first who crowded around her, followed by her husband, Ron, and his brother and sister-in-law—George and Angelina. Draco Malfoy and his wife, Astoria, got up from behind Hermione's desk; Bill and Fleur Weasley waited by the window, expecting Hermione to explain her findings.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"It" —Hermione pushed her way through and dropped the book on her desk— "is the answer we've been looking for. Listen to this, 'Seneca's Key has been lost since 1699 after the raid of his village. It is believed to have served as a gateway between the times, allowing its user to journey to the distant past or future and back again. It is unknown how the key alone can be used to accomplish this, but according to various texts by Seneca that were recovered centuries later, it has been confirmed that the key is a necessary component. It has been described to be made of solid gold—' and it just goes on a bit about its description." Hermione looked up eagerly only to meet blank stares. "Merlin, do I have to spell it out?" she asked in frustration.

"No," Draco answered. "But that's not good news. The key has been lost, and if this book is right, then it must be crucial to allow returning to the proper time. The door allows travel and the key provides stability."

"Yes, but if the Blacks had the door, then—"

"Then maybe they had the key..." Harry finished. He frowned and looked at Ginny.

"We have to at least try to look for it," she said; she knew that Harry was doubtful of it residing somewhere in Grimmauld Place.

"Of course," Harry agreed. "Let's go then."

They all journeyed back to Grimmauld Place. They split up, each pair searching a different part of the house. Grimmauld Place was large, with seven floors including the basement and attic, and everyone scoured all the nooks and crannies they could possibly find. It was then that Harry wished he had a magical map of Grimmauld Place like the one he had of Hogwarts.

"I think I've found something!"

Harry and Ginny shot out of the bedroom they were turning over and saw George running down the stairs, panting heavily. The others came quickly at his call, and George began to explain.

"I found this in the attic," he said, showing them a large tin. "I know it might be a reach, but maybe the key could be one of these." He pulled the lid off of the tin, and dozens of keys were inside.

"This may take a while," Angelina mused. "Let's go try them."

They all made their way to the study where the door was. The bookshelf was already moved away and they crammed in.

"You know," Ginny grunted uncomfortably, pushing a prodding elbow out of her ribs, "I think some people should check the keys and some should keep looking—we can't all fit in here!"

"I should stay," Bill announced immediately. "I have experience with cursed objects."

"Me as well," George said. "I was the one who found it."

"Right," Hermione said with a thoughtful sigh. "I think I should stay as well; I think I'd be able to pick it out best."

"I think that's fair enough," Ron said. "The rest of us should keep looking."

After disappointed mutters of agreement, those who weren't chosen to stay filed out and continued to search the house.

"Alright," Hermione breathed, stepping closer to look into the tin. "Let's see..."

Hermione was about to reach in when Bill stopped her.

"I think I should," he advised. "We don't know if something's happened to its magic after all this time."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but conceded and let Bill pull his wand out. He murmured a spell she wasn't familiar with, something for protection she correctly assumed, and then he tentatively began pulling keys out as George held the tin for him.

"No... No... Not that one..." Hermione continuously mumbled as Bill picked up each key and let her examine it.

This went on for nearly an hour, and as they were reaching the end of the tin; all three were losing hope. None of the keys fit the description in the book, nor did any of them match the gold of the door or were even large enough to fit into the keyhole.

"N—wait." Hermione's eyes widened as Bill held up a large golden key. It was clearly quite old and Hermione felt hopeful again. She reached out for it.

"Don't touch it!" Bill hissed, and Hermione flinched back. "I can feel its magic; I don't want you to touch it, it could be dangerous."

Hermione nodded and smiled in relief. "I think this is it!"

"Well, that's no good." The voice came from the doorway of the bookcase, and George, Bill, and Hermione looked over.

Ron was there, staring at the key in dismay.

"What?" Hermione dared to ask.

"If that's the key," he began slowly, "then what the hell is this?" He held up a large golden key, and Hermione's face fell at the sight of it.

They were completely identical.

When Bill realized this, he nearly dropped the key he was holding.

"Ron!" he gasped. "It could be cursed!"

Ron quickly shook his head. "It's not, Bill," he assured. "I checked it already, don't worry. But there is... a very faint magic, I think." His face screwed up in light confusion. "It's hard to feel, but I think when I concentrate... it's there."

"Let me see it," Bill said, holding out his other hand.

Ron gave him the key, and Bill gingerly took it. He was relieved to see that Ron was right and it wasn't cursed. He also could feel the faint lingering trace of magic, but it wasn't the terrible buzzing kind that was prevalent in the key Hermione claimed was the right one. It was softer, warmer, and hardly there. It was strange.

"Well?" George prodded.

Bill shook his head. "I've no idea which is the right one." He paused. "Hermione, are you sure there's supposed to be only one?"

Hermione nodded. "The manuscripts said that Seneca planned on creating a second, but was never able to. There should be only one."

"Damn," Bill breathed. "How do we tell which is the right one?"

"Maybe we should call everyone else up," Ron suggested, before doing exactly that.

The study quickly filled up, everyone eager to get their children back. Hermione swiftly explained the situation, and hopelessness could be seen on each face.

"So we have a fifty-percent chance of picking the right key?" Harry simplified. "Those are terrible odds."

"What I'm curious about is why is there a second key in the first place?" Draco mused. "If it's not made by Seneca, then who made it?"

The room went quiet at Draco's question.

"Harry," Ginny began, "would it be possible that the Blacks made one of the keys? Like out of paranoia in order to protect the real one?"

Harry thought quietly. "It's definitely within the realm of reason... I wouldn't be surprised. Ron," he faced his old friend, "where exactly did you find yours? And you, George?"

"I found mine in an old tin of keys in the attic," George answered first. "It was stashed away in the wall behind a loose panel."

"And I found mine in the master on the second floor, you know where Sirius used to keep Buckbeak," Ron said. "It was behind a brick in the fireplace... You think it's the right one? It was hidden quite well, and the magic in it doesn't feel dangerous at all."

"It sounds it," Angelina murmured. "We won't be able to tell for sure until we try it, though." She didn't seem too thrilled about that.

"Right..." Harry said quietly. He had a troubled look on his face. "Only a few of us should go, and whoever doesn't can keep the second key in case it's the right one."

Everyone could agree to that, and the groups split up. Harry, Hermione, Draco, George, and Bill crowded into the small room. Ginny, Ron, Astoria, Angelina, and Fleur stayed in the study.

"Are you alright to perform the Memory Charm on them when we get to the past, Draco?" Harry asked, which Draco easily agreed to. "Good." But something still bothered Harry.

Bill was about to pass the volatile key off to Ron, who'd made sure he took the proper precautions before touching it; however, Harry stopped him.

"No, wait. It's not right. I don't think this is the right key," he claimed, holding up the key Ron found in the fireplace.

"But Harry—" Hermione began, but Harry cut her off.

"I know the Blacks; they're clever and paranoid and they wouldn't make it so obvious. The magic in this one shouldn't be nearly strong enough to control time, you all know that."

"No we don't," George said flatly. "Harry, that key" —he jabbed a finger at the key still in Bill's tentative grasp— "just reeks of trouble."

"I think you're wrong," Harry challenged.

"Well, ditto," George shot back.

Harry knew he was right about this; he lunged for the key in Bill's hand, nearly dropping it in shock as magic sizzled through him. It wasn't bad, though, it was more—it was alive. Shocked yells of terror and protest didn't even meet Harry's ears, and he managed to quickly shove his way to the blue door at the back of the small room. He jammed the key in and twisted it sharply as desperate shouts of "no!" rose up.

But Harry flung the door open anyway.

Chapter Text

Several hours have passed since the discovery of Sirius' death. No one dared to ask when; Harry knew it would haunt him forever, Memory Charm or not. All that mattered to him was to spend as much time with his godfather and Remus as possible. Harry was still shaken, but he refused to let that waste the time he could be spending with Sirius and Remus.

The sun was nearing the horizon, and James felt a pang of homesickness he hadn't felt since his first night at Hogwarts. He missed his home in Godric Hollow, he missed hearing his parents tease each other—he even missed the days spent restoring Grimmauld Place with all of his aunts and uncles.

He knew he wasn't the only one who felt the same. On every face, there was a clear longing for home. Molly and Arthur did their best to cheer them up, and all of the kids from the future truly appreciated it, however it still couldn't entirely quell the sadness they felt.

Tonks had gone back upstairs with Bill to take a look at the door behind the bookcase again while everyone else stayed in the parlor. Sirius and Remus had taken to telling them stories of their time at Hogwarts, and Teddy especially had enjoyed hearing about it.

"Merlin Padfoot, do you remember the time that little fifth-year followed you around?" Remus asked with a fond laugh. "She was your shadow for nearly three months!"

"Oh, don't remind me of that!" Sirius groaned with a bright grin. "It was almost impossible to get away from her, and I swear James was egging her on! He'd trip me up in the hallway and I'd fall straight into her arms!"

Remus let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh you laugh now," Sirius goaded, "but I seem to recall a little Ravenclaw you were utterly smitten with, Lupin."

Remus' laughter stopped abruptly and he gaped at his friend. "What? How do you—"

"For goodness sake, Moony, you'd lose the use of your tongue around her," Sirius teased. "I remember once you'd stuttered so badly that it took all Prongs and I had to not burst out laughing. 'D-d-d-do you know wh-wh-wh-where—'" Sirius' mockery was interrupted as an irate Remus jabbed his fingers into Sirius' side, causing him to let out a puff of air and jerk away.

Laughter warmed the parlor, competing with the crackling fire, and Sirius and Remus smiled fondly at the memories.

"Oh Sirius," Remus heaved. "Those were such good days."

"They were, Moony," Sirius agreed. "And I'd suffer a thousand times over just to have them as memories; I wouldn't trade them for anything."

That meant a great deal coming from his weary friend, and Remus was reminded again that Sirius had never known anything better than his times at Hogwarts, and Remus didn't think he had either.

Harry watched fondly as the two old friends reminisced, but he was struck with a pang of jealousy. He wished he knew his father as well as they once did.

"Hey," Sirius suddenly said to the group from the future, "is that old map of ours still around?"

Very cunning and coy glances were shared amongst the most prominent troublemakers; Rose rolled her eyes, but she was no better than the rest of them.

"Yeah it is, actually," Teddy answered. "Harry let me take it when I started at Hogwarts."

Remus smiled at that. He was happy to see their legacy was still appreciated.

"And then when I left, he let James take it, which..." Teddy trailed off with an amused look. "Well, he's fully taken advantage of its perks."

"Well of course, what else am I supposed to do with it?" James questioned. "Use it to find my classes, oh please, Teddy."

Teddy snorted.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Took quite a talking to from Dad to make James cough it up when he graduated."

"Only James used it?" Sirius asked, the boy's name still feeling bittersweet on his tongue.

"No, we all used it, but James majorly hogged it," Fred II answered.

"Yeah, I'm sure McGonagall really appreciated that," Teddy teased.

"McGonagall is there still?" Remus asked happily.

"Oh yeah, she's the headmistress," Hugo answered.

No one asked the question of Dumbledore's whereabouts, and Harry's theory of him being dead gnawed at him again. But he didn't want to really confirm it.

Tonks and Bill had finally returned, but they reported no changes to the door. It was strange, James thought. How could the door only work in 2021? Maybe they would be stuck here forev—

Creak...

James' head whipped to the doorway of the parlor. The hall to the front door was empty and dark, but he could've sworn he heard something.

Crack!

This time the sound came louder, and it drew the others' attention. The conversations stopped, and all eyes were fixed on the hallway. Sirius and Remus got up first, followed quickly by Tonks, Bill, and Arthur. They drew their wands and stood in front of the children.

Creeeak.

"Who's there?" Sirius shouted firmly.

"I suggest you come out," Remus added.

At first, James couldn't see anything in the darkness. The sun had nearly finished dipping beneath the horizon, but through its last dying rays, James could see a glinting thing by the staircase. He rose slowly.

"I can see you!" Remus exclaimed. "Come here!—slowly."

Creak... creak... creak...

Slow and steady footsteps drew closer to the parlor, and James felt Lily grasp his hand. He looked over to see her other hand holding tightly to the velvet bag that held the mirror shard. There had been no word from their parents after the last interaction; who was this stranger?

The glinting light drew closer as the steps grew louder. Finally, as they were feet from the doorway, James could at last see.

"Dad!"

James pushed his way forward, tugging Lily along. The stranger took two more quick steps until he finally stood in the light of the fire. The glinting had been from his round glasses, and he let out a cry of relief at the sight of two of his children running up to him.

"Harry?" Sirius gasped.

"Dad?" Albus rushed forward as well, and the three Potter children threw themselves at their father.

The younger Harry craned his neck, eager to catch a glimpse of his future self, but was nearly knocked to the ground as more of the visiting children pushed their way forward.

"My goodness..." Remus breathed, taking in the sight of a fully grown Harry Potter.

"James, Albus, Lily!" the older Harry exclaimed. "You're here—you're alright!" He wrapped his children into a tight embrace.

Their greeting was interrupted by the sound of rushing footsteps as more people appeared in the doorway of the parlor.

"Merlin's beard—!" Arthur gasped. Stood among them were his sons, Bill, George, and Ron, who had gotten sucked into the doorway as well. They had all filled out, and Bill even had grown out his facial hair. Arthur's eyes were drawn to the deep scars on his eldest boy's face, and he nearly gasped again. The hair didn't do much to hide his old wounds—if anything, they made them even more pronounced as hair couldn't grow on the scars, thus creating deep rivets in his beard.

"Papa!"

"Dad!"

Voices rose in cries of relief and excited chattering as everyone pressed around the newcomers.

"I'm so glad you're here, Mum!" Rose exclaimed happily, launching herself at her mother.

"Oh Rose, my darling," Hermione cooed. "And Hugo!" She drew her son in. "I'm so glad you're both alright!"

"Hermione?"

The older Hermione looked up, meeting young Ron's flabbergasted expression. She chuckled at the dumbfounded look.

"Yes, Ron," she said simply.

Her husband rolled his eyes at his younger self. "Just ignore him," he muttered, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear, "the plonker."

Younger Ron's face went red and he glared at his older and taller self.

Both Hermiones laughed and exchanged some kind of secret look. The older Harry chuckled as well, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Oh go easy on him," the older Harry teased. "You know how he gets."

The older Ron snorted. "Like you were any better! Merlin, you'd get so moody sometimes."

The older Harry chuckled, but his younger self turned nearly as red as Ron.

"That's enough teasing," Molly chided lightly as she squeezed her way toward them. "Now let me look at you two." She smiled at them softly. "Oh my two youngest boys have grown up so much," she said fondly.

"Ah, Mum," the older Ron complained, but grabbed her hand affectionately regardless.

"And what are we?" the older George cried. "Merlin, I bloody knew she had favorites."

"Oh George!" Molly scolded, but moved forward to hug him and Bill as well. "And Hermione, dear!" She gave her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a warm embrace as well.

"Blimey," Fred I said, a grin on his face. "Look at you! You're old and wrinkly!"

"Am not!" the younger George argued. "I bet you're even wrinklier!"

The lighthearted mood fell away, and the older George's smile dropped at the harsh reminder. Fred I noticed, and frowned slightly.

"Sirius..." The older Harry finally caught sight of his father's old friend. "And Remus—Tonks," he breathed.

"Hey, kid," Sirius greeted fondly. "You've got quite the troublesome bunch of children, you know."

"Well, that's what he gets for naming one of them after you and James," Remus teased, giving Harry a warm look.

Future Harry finally let out a breathy laugh, his eyes shining. "I've miss—I—"

"It's alright, Harry," Remus said gently.

"We know," Sirius finished. "Now come here."

At once Harry moved forward and embraced his lost friends, feeling an old sense of warmth and comfort that he hadn't known for a long time. He never got to say goodbye.

From Teddy's place next to his father, he could see the look of anguish and longing on his godfather's face. Harry had missed Sirius and Remus more than he could imagine, and Teddy was afraid that he would soon learn what that felt like. Teddy had of course missed his parents, but he had never known them. And now that he finally did, Teddy knew that it would hurt to go back to the time where they weren't around anymore.

A warm hand slipped into his. The feel of a ring on a slender finger sent a rush of love through Teddy. Victoire's gaze told him that he'd never be alone.

"We need to get back, I'm afraid," a new voice said from the hallway. "I'm sure the others are out of their minds at your stunt, Harry."

The older Harry pulled away from Sirius and Remus, nodding. "You're right," he admitted, though everyone could hear the reluctance in his voice.

"Who's that?" Molly wondered, craning her neck to see.

In the dim light were two figures, one shorter than the other. One of them stepped forward, and everyone could see it was Scorpius. After a moment of hesitation, the taller figure followed.

"You!" the younger Ron hissed.

Draco Malfoy sighed. "Hello, Ron."

The older Ron snickered, and Draco sent him a glare.

"Should've known your lousy dad would come," the younger Ron grumbled, and flinched when Scorpius took a threatening step in his direction.

"I thought we've been over this?" he accused.

"Doesn't mean I like your dad all of a sudden," the younger Ron retaliated.

"Oi," his older self chided. "Be quiet, you little git."

"How are you friends with him?!"

"Because we've all grown up," the older Hermione answered. "Draco has as well."

Younger Ron rolled his eyes disbelievingly.

"I am sorry for everything I've done to you three." Draco met Harry's wary eyes. "And what I'll eventually do," he added sheepishly.

The older Harry snorted. "I don't think that's helping your case, mate."

Draco huffed. "Whatever," he grumbled.

Fred I chuckled, but his voice caught in his throat as he accidentally met the eyes of his twin's older self. George's eyes were empty, yet full of grief; a kind that Fred I had never before seen in his brother. He flicked his eyes away, feeling uncomfortable, but instead met with the older Bill's. It was that same look. Fred's eyes finally lingered on Fred II, and realization struck him, taking his breath away. He knew what it all must've meant. He looked back at the older George and saw a glimmer of tears. Fred I stared at him in horror for a second, then he softened and gave his brother a warm smile, trying to express how much he loved him. The older George lost his composure and ducked his head.

The older George wished he could run to his young twin and hold onto him forever, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't do that to himself. He glimpsed at his younger self. He was still happy. He didn't want to take that away, not even for a second. He could hardly handle it at twenty, he thought it would be too cruel to give him that knowledge at seventeen.

He cleared his throat. "I think we ought to go now," he said softly.

The older Harry drew back from Sirius and Remus and nodded stiffly.

James balked. "But wait, the door—"

"It's alright," the older Hermione interrupted. "The door needed a key to be able to take us back, and we found that key. We'll make it home."

There was silence, and no one moved. The air was bittersweet as everyone held off from the beginning of a sorrowful goodbye.

"We'll go with you upstairs," Remus softly offered, his arm around his son. Tonks moved in on Teddy's other side and took up his hand.

The older Harry nodded. "We'd all like that."

The large group began to move out of the parlor, but Fred I lingered. His older twin stayed behind as well, and finally he approached his long dead brother.

"Georgie," Fred I said with a warm smile.

George tried to muster up a smile.

"Love you," Fred I went on, and George's eyes filled with tears again. "Oh George, blimey. You great softie, come here." He pulled his brother in, and George held tightly onto Fred.

"I miss you," George croaked, his voice raw as a sob bubbled up within him.

"I know," Fred murmured. "But I won't be gone forever." He pulled back to meet George's eyes. "Only for now. I'll see you again one day."

George shook his head.

"I want you to take care of yourself," Fred went on, straightening his brother's rumpled sweater. "And I want you to keep up with the shop—Fred and Roxy told me all about it, and it sounds grand, mate."

"It's hard without you—"

"I know, Georgie, I know." Fred frowned, feeling himself get emotional at the sight of his blubbering brother. His death must've nearly broken him entirely. "But you've got such a lovely family, George. You'll never be alone. And I'll always be with you. Whenever you open up the store for the day, or when you think up a new idea." Fred smiled now. "Or when you trip—I'll bet that was me."

George chuckled weakly. "Wanker."

Fred laughed gently.

George stared at him a moment longer, not wanting to leave. "I don't want to go back," he finally whispered.

"But you've got Angelina, you lucky dog. And two terrific little brats to take care of."

George's breath caught in his throat. "But they're not you." His voice wavered, and Fred nearly cried then. His brother had been so damaged, to the point where it might be irreparable. Fred knew his death must've been tragic, and it was killing George slowly. Like a lingering sickness he couldn't shake, quietly gnawing away at his spirit until he finally gave up. Fred knew his brother loved his family dearly, but that was the harsh reality of loss. It's difficult to appreciate the things you have when the thing that's gone is all you crave.

"No, Georgie," Fred breathed shakily. "They're not. But that's alright, and they love you just as much as I do, if not more. So don't shut them out, okay?" he asked with teary eyes. "For me, Georgie, promise."

Tears silently ran down George's face, but he nodded. He put his arms back around his brother again, desperate for just a little more time with him.

"I love you, Freddie," he cried softly. "Please know I love you."

"I do," Fred answered. "And I love you too, Georgie."

Fred let him cry onto his shoulder. He knew George needed this—a proper goodbye.

"Daddy?" a timid voice rang out.

George pulled away and looked behind him. Roxanne was standing in the doorway, sorrow and sympathy muddling her face. George sniffed loudly and wiped his face.

"Are you going to stay here?" she hesitantly asked. She really didn't know what his answer would be, and she picked at her fingers as she met her father's broken stare. Her heart pounded as he didn't answer.

George turned back to his brother. Fred could see the answer to Roxanne's question in his eyes.

"Goodbye," Fred whispered.

"Goodbye," George breathed in return.

As though it hurt to do so, George stiffly turned around and walked toward his daughter. She looked up at him, uncertainty on her face. She hadn't heard, but she didn't need to as George reached down and took her hand.

She, Fred II, and Angelina were his world now. And George was happy.

"Let's go home, love."

The End