"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER! IF YOU DON'T GET DOEN HERE WITH ALL OF THE PRANKS FROM YOUR UNCLES SHOP, I WILL GROUND YOU FOR SO LONG, YOU WILL GET MARRIED FROM YOUR BEDROOM!"
I stood at the bottom of the staircase leading up to my oldest son's room with my hands of my hips and a red face. My husband came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and chuckled in my ear, calming me down instantly. Then, he called up the stairs himself (in a much more relaxed manner),
"James, I'll tell Crystal what you said about her yesterday if you don't do what your mother asked you to."
There was a brief moment of silence, then a thundering down the stairs. James Sirius Potter ran down the final few steps, mock glared at his dad before he dropped an armful of pranks of the floor in front of us.
I turned to my husband. "Thank you Harry. I just can't take his pranks anymore." He just laughed and nodded his head toward the pile that was just deposited in front of me.
I sorted through the mountain of dangerous items warily. Fifteen Extendable Ears, 30 love potions, 23 Skiving Snackboxes, 32 Pygmy Puffs, 46 Boxing Telescopes, and 12 Anti Gravity Hats. Harry and I looked at each other, and then called upstairs in unison.
"James!"
He instantly reappeared at the top of the stairs, but before we could even say anything, he screamed out to us,
"Mom, Dad, help please! It's Al and Lily!"
Harry was up the stairs in a flash, and I was literally on his heels, both of us following James, who ran faster than the both of us. We knew that James didn't joke around with Albus' and Lily's safety, so it was obviously serious. I could also tell that James didn't do it. His face showed many emotions when he appeared on top of the stairs, but the most evident ones were panic, fear, and confusion. I knew it wasn't him, but if not, then who? I ran even faster. I got to the room, and I almost screamed. In the middle of the room was a golden ball of light. It was buzzing and both Lily and Albus had one of their arms in it. Yet, the way they kept pulling on their own arms, I could tell, it was sucking them in. Harry pointed his wand at it and muttered a complicated sounding spell, and the whole room glowed white. When it faded, nothing looked different, but Harry cursed. I turned to him in panic and he said, "It's a time portal. I can't get rid of it, and it already absorbed too much of their DNA to let them go. We have to let them go, and follow them after they go." I let out a sob, and then there was a scream. "JAMES, HELP US!" Lily was crying, and Albus was already fully absorbed. And before anyone could do anything, James jumped into the portal as soon as Lily disappeared from view completely. The last thing I heard was, "Mommy please-". The ball vanished as soon as they did. I collapsed sobbing into my husband's arms, all of my babies gone.
Ron's POV
"RON!" I dropped the chess set that I was putting away at my wife's scream. I ran down the long hallway to the kid's room, where I heard Hermione's yell. I burst into the room, wand out, searching for the threat. My instincts dropped my focus on…my kids? Then I saw the light. A ball of light, like a miniature sun, was sucking my kids into it. I waved my wand and a white light burst from it and filled the room. Yet, nothing was different, and I knew. It was a time portal. I ran toward my kids with my wife, but we were both thrown back. Someone had cast a shield up to block us from our kids, and I knew that this was an attack. I looked around the room and saw a tall figure at the back of the room. I stood and looked at him calculatingly. I tilted my head. The way he stood was familiar, as was the way his hands continually ran over the grooves in his wand. Then a strand of hair fell out of his hood. Blond hair. "Lucius Malfoy! What do you want?" He cackled and his hood fell back. He looked horrible. His cheeks were sagging, his eyes dull and surrounded by bags. His lips were cracked and bleeding, his hair stringy and falling out. But the scariest part about it all was that he looked like the happiest man in the world. That immediately brought my attention back to my kids. I knew they were too far into the portal to be saved, but I had to know. I choked out to him, in anger and barely concealed fear, "When are they going!?" He smirked at me. "Oh, no time special, just 1995, to your precious Order of Phoenix. Good luck getting your kids back, since you had so much fun convincing my son to leave me." With one last cackle, he apparated away in a cloud of black smoke. Then Hermione screamed, and I collapsed, because the time portal disappeared seconds after he did. I had to call Harry; he was not going to like this.
Harry's P.O.V
After Ginny stopped screaming and crying and I stopped trying to tell her to calm down, I showed her that I could follow them. She gasped, "How?!" I took a deep breath, but before I could explain, there was a crack upstairs, something that sounded like apparition. Only a few people could apparate into my house, and no one that I knew had planned on coming over. I drew my wand and stalked up the stairs. I heard something fall in my bedroom, and motioned for Ginny to stay downstairs. She shook her head and followed my upstairs. I wasn't even angry at her, I already knew that she would. Plus, her presence calmed me more than I care to admit. I gently pushed my door open and…dropped my wand. No one but a Weasely had that shade of red hair, and no one but Hermione could get their hair that bushy. I sighed, "What are you two doing?" They jumped and turned around. I almost panicked when I saw the tear tracks on faces, when I remembered my kids. I could see it in his face, Ron looked so broken. I took a step forward. "Where are Rose and Hugo?" I got no response except for a broken sob from Hermione, telling me all I needed to know. "Ok, look, I know it's scary, but I can get them back." Hermione rushed forward and grabbed me. "HOW? DO IT NOW! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?" I grabbed her by the shoulders and gently pushed her in to a chair. "I have the magical imprint of the portal to recreate it, but I only have enough to take one person." Ron gasped and said, "I have the imprint too. So we can take two people!" I looked at Ginny, and felt torn. I didn't want her back there, when Voldemort would do anything and hurt anyone to get to me. I don't want it, and so while I knew she would want to go, I just wouldn't be able to focus on making sure my kids are safe and worry about losing the love of my life also. No, no she can't go. I wouldn't be able to take it. The funny thing I knew Ron was thinking the exact same thing. I looked at everyone else and said, "We can't just go however, we need help from the Ministry." Hermione, now a bit calmer looked at me imploringly. "Why do we need help? You and Ron are the top two Aurors out there. Just create the portal and two of us will jump through…wait…who is jumping through? There's only enough for two?" Everyone looked at each other and suddenly Ron and I called out first, "I'm going!" We turned and looked at each other and we both grinned. I looked at Hermione again, "We need the Ministry's help because we and Ron can open the portal there, but not back. So, whoever goes will be stuck there for a while."
*An Hour later
We all dispersed, getting ready for tomorrow, but not before I caught the determined look on Ginny and Hermione's faces. This was going to end badly. I could already see.
Hermione's POV
Ginny and I snuck into Ron's room, after I decided that we should stay at their house to give Ginny 'emotional support', which was all part of my plan to follow them to the future. I touched the tip of my wand to Ron's and copied the magical imprint of the portal, Ginny having already finished with her husband's. I could see in Ron's face earlier today that he didn't want me there, but those were my kids, and I wasn't leaving them. I left the room with Ginny behind me, more purpose in my stride. I was getting my kids back.
Draco's POV
I watched with anger and fear as my son was sucked into the portal. I had worked so hard to change my ways, and I had been successful. I was an auror, and I was third only under Potter and tied with Weasely. I personally locked up my father and I was…friends with Harry and Ron…as much as I tried to deny it. But my past just kept coming back to haunt me. I can't believe that asshole escaped and took my son from me. My only son, the one person I love more than my wife. I need help I thought as I saw the portal disappear. I was getting Scorpius back if it was the last thing I did. My father had to die. I apparated to the Potter house and knocked on the door. Harry opened the door and said, "You too?" I took a step back in shock. "My father got your kids also? I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen to you. I wasn't even notified that he broke out." Harry just moved over to invite me over. I did, and just before Harry closed the door, there was a crack behind me, and I heard Astoria's voice cry out, "Harry, have you seen Draco?!" I moved from behind him, and her eyes landed on me. Harry moved again and she collapsed into my arms. "Draco, Scorp is gone, I can't find him anywhere, where is he?" By now, she was crying, and if I hadn't been holding her up, she would have fallen to the floor. I looked at Harry, and he nodded towards the living room, where I had spent most of my nights working cases with him and Ron. I half-carried my wife into the room, where she was immediately surrounded by Ginny and Hermione in comfort and support. I just shook my head and walked over to Harry and Ron, who looked up at me as I sat down. Ron looked over at my wife then back at me.
"Scorpius is gone?"
"Yeah."
"Your father escaped?"
"Yep"
"You got an imprint?"
"Of Course."
"Your wife isn't going, is she?"
"Not a chance."
Harry chuckled at my response to the last one, and I turned to him with a light smirk despite the somber situation.
"So, is Mrs. Potter accompanying us on this little trip to the past?"
He stopped laughing, which initiated me and Ron's laughter. We took our wands out and connected them at the points and a golden light burst from them. Instead of a ball, a door appeared and we stepped through. Harry closed the door behind us and with a freezing cold gust of air, everything was black.
Past, James POV
I landed in…our house! Only, it looked dirtier, and darker. We walked slowly toward the staircase and suddenly the picture of our great-godmother opened up and started screaming about dirty blood and how we weren't pure. I covered Lily's ears and told Albus to cover his. I just stood there and took in the words, but they made me cry. Suddenly, it was quiet. I looked up, and Albus uncovered his ears, and I did the same for Lily. In front of us, was a man I only recognized from the pictures in dad's office. Sirius Black. He smiled down at us, but his eyes were wary. He held his wand up, but I wasn't scared. Lily ran up at him and said, "Padfoot!" He put his wand down and gaped at her, then he shook his head and said, "You had better follow me. We might have a problem." The tone of his voice made me grab Lily and hold onto her as we climbed the stairs. We entered the drawing room and were met be a lot of people, but I recognized two of them: Mom and Dad. I stared at them until another person cleared their voice. I looked up to see Albus Dumbledore. His eyes glittered as he smiled and he spoke to me. "Since you look the oldest, why don't you tell us who you three are and where you came from." He looked nice and I knew that Dad had trusted him so I took a deep breath.
"My name is James Sirius Potter", out of the corner of my eye, I saw my Dad's head shoot around to look at me, "and these are my brother and sister, Albus Severus Potter, and Lily Luna Potter." I looked around at everyone, but no one spoke. Then Dumbledore asked me another question, "Who and where are your parents?" I looked at the two who looked like Mom and Dad again, just younger, and closed my eyes. I opened them again after a few seconds and sighed. "My dad is Harry James Potter, and my mom is Ginerva, or Ginny Potter." Everyone was looking at the two people now, who were red in the face. I spoke up again.
"I don't know where Daddy and Mommy are right now. Those two teenagers look like them, just younger. Before we left Daddy said something about a time portal and DNA. Can you tell them where we are? Mommy was crying when we left, I think she is going to want us to come back."
Everyone just looked at me, and Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but there was a crash from downstairs. After a second I heard my cousin Rose say, "Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, where are you? James?" I turned toward the stairs and called down, "Up here, Rose. We're in Lily's room." There was the sound of feet on the stairs and then Rose and Hugo appeared in the doorway. "James, why are we here, and why does the house look like-wow, who are they?" She stopped mid-sentence and looked around at the unfamiliar people in the room. Suddenly, Grams, I mean Molly Weasely stepped forward and said, "Sweetie why don't you tell us who you are?" Rose shuffled her feet and said, " But don't you already…ok I'll tell you. My name is Rose Jean Weasely and this is my little brother Hugo Weasely. He doesn't really talk much when he's nervous. Our parents are Ron Weasely and Hermione Weasely. Those two people look like them, she even has mom's bushy hair." Everyone was looking at Ron and Hermione, both of whom were blushing. Then Sirius stepped forward. "Is that everyone? Cuz' I can't take anymo-" There was a crash downstairs and Sirius cursed under his breath. "Albus?", called a voice, but only Rose responded.
"Scorpius?!", she gasped, and ran to the top of the stairs and called him up. A few seconds later, Rose reentered the room with a boy behind her and his arms around her waist.
Ron looked at them and said one word : "future". Hermione suddenly laughed and responded, "Oh my god you're right." Everyone looked at them questioningly and Dumbledore looked in his pockets for lemondrops.
Then everyone understood. Harry stood up and walked around the table. He looked me in the face.
"How old are you James?"
I tilted my head at him. "I'm twelve, thirteen in July. Did you know you look like my dad, you even have his scar."
Harry crouched down in front of me. "James, I am your dad, just in another time. Do you know what time travel is?"
I nodded my head enthusiastically, "Yeah, he even has a time turner. He doesn't let us touch it, and I swear this time I didn't. Sometimes Dad says that I act like both my namesakes put together-" Professor McGonagall paled to almost white at this sentence, "-but I didn't do anything, I promise."
Harry just looked at me. "I'm sure you didn't. Let's get you to sleep, but after we find out who this guy is," he said, pointing at Scorpius. I grunted in amusement and Albus laughed outright, muttering under his breath, "This is gonna be a riot." Scorpius stepped forward. "Umm, my name is Scorpius Hyperion…Malfoy," everyone gasped, "and I'm in Gryffindor, my dad is Draco Malfoy and Astoria Malfoy. I love pranking people, but only if it doesn't hurt anyone-"
"Is that it?" Ron cut his off with an eye roll.
Scorpius grinned, " and you and Uncle Harry are friends with my dad in the future, as he's an auror and they work every case together. Oh, and I'm dating your daughter." Scorpius finished that sentence with a malicious smirk and by kissing Rose on the lips lightly.
Harry stood up and tilted his head with a slight smile on his face, and I understood it. He always said that he was glad that Uncle Dray had come to his senses. I smiled too. Scorpius was Albus' best friend anyway, so we get along really well. Like he said, he likes to prank J.
Uncle Ron was…red. In the face. And everywhere else. Grams looked nervous and steered him from the kitchen. Dad took all of us kids to bed. It was Albus, Scorpius, and I in one room, and Rose and Lily in another. After we settle in, I laid there thinking, would we ever get back?.
We were stuck. There was no other way to explain it. We were stuck in the past, where we could DIE, and all I could focus on was the fact that James kept whining about his girlfriend.
"She's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me, she's gonna-"
I growled in annoyance, effectively cutting him off. "James, I'M gonna kill if you don't shut the hell up." He glared at me, and I just raised an eyebrow in response. He sighed and threw his head back against the wall, and Sirius winced as it collided with a sharp crack. James moved his head forward to do it again, and Sirius quickly pulled his wand and pointed it at the wall behind his head. When his head feel back again, it made the sound as though he had hit a pillow, and James whipped around to stare at the wall. The obsessive curiosity on his face as he prodded the wall was hilarious and I chuckled, causing everyone to stare at me. I felt awkward, especially with both my namesakes watching me, one with blatant distaste and the other with morbid fascination. I cleared my throat and turned to my father, who was watching James with a weird expression on his face.
"So Dad, how are we getting back? Because we can't stay here. It isn't safe, and we can destroy the entire time line, like if we tell you that uncle Sirius or uncle Fred die, then the entire time line would ripple and change... like it probably ...just...did...so...yeah." I finished lamely and cringed as Scorpius smacked the back of my head. Everyone else just stared at me, mouths gaping until Dad stood up abruptly, his chair falling with a clatter. His voice was low and tense. It filled the room and command our attention the way it always did. He glared at all of us, as if just realizing that our presence had personally offended him. "You mean to tell me, that Fred and Sir-" His voice cracked and he looked away, but not before I saw the tears glistening in his eyes. He took a shuddering breath and Lily grabbed my arm and pointed at the mantle above the fireplace. The picture frames were shaking and a few of them shattered completely. Dad's hands were glowing eerily with a black tint to the magic in his hands. I felt so bad, and then realized that he didn't have to be that sad. We could fix things, make them better. But we would have to be careful to not change what we already had. We would change the future.
