Time Stream
Disclaimer: This author does not own anything pertaining to Harry Potter.
Chapter One: Gates
In the quiet night streets of London, Ben Allen walked purposefully up and down the lanes, brandishing his flashlight. Ben was a policeman, and like all self-respecting policemen he rather resented being put on night watch. After all, there were all sorts of strange people wandering the streets at night.
Ben sighed and tugged at his itchy cap and quite suddenly, his eye caught a shadow on one of the flickering street lamps. He squinted and peered curiously at the shadow; the shape looked suspiciously like a human figure, seated quite at ease on the nine and a half feet high lamppost.
As he approached, the distinct outline of a head, two arms, and a pair of swinging legs came into focus. Ben's eyebrows drifted dangerously towards his hairline. It was a child swinging its slipper-clad feet gently to the breeze.
"Oy, you there! What are you doing on a lamppost? That's government property it is!" The child's face, obscured by shadow, turned towards the somewhat perplexed policeman.
"My brother will be here soon, will you tell me if you can see him anywhere?" Ben frowned, the lilting, very obviously young voice wasn't the least bit frightened at being nearly ten feet off the ground or being questioned by a police officer.
Nevertheless, Ben dutifully peered around at the shadows, searching for another sign of human presence. When his search yielded nothing, he turned back towards the occupied lamppost, but the child had vanished.
"Eh? Hello? You still there?" When no one answered, Ben shrugged and walked away, muttering about lack of tea and funny hallucinations.
Fifty-five miles away, a slipper-clad child laughed her delight as she skipped up the steps to her home. On the top of the stairs a boy with black and gold eyes caught the child's hand. She stopped in mid-giggle and immediately arranged her face in what she knew to be a somber expression.
"Do you want to die?" The boy hissed, his disapproval emanating from him like a cloud. The child said nothing, her face downcast.
"Look at me!" Without delay, she raised her eyes to his. "I ordered you not to step out of the estate's wards, and now I find you have not only disobeyed my word, but also unnecessarily endangered your own life. And wandering the filthy and dangerous streets of London no less!"
The boy never once raised the volume of his voice but it was obvious he did not need to. To her credit, the child did not burst into tears or beg for forgiveness at the cold piercing gaze. The boy's eyes narrowed.
"Do you want André to follow your example? You may be able to protect yourself but he certainly cannot!" That did it, the child's shoulders dropped in defeat, and she whispered,
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put André in danger! I really didn't!" At the sound of his name, a tiny figure that had just stepped out of the house raced towards the pair.
The figure was a little boy, perhaps seven or eight years-old, with jet-black hair, emerald green almond-shaped eyes, and a fading, almost invisible lightning shaped cut on his forehead. He skidded to a halt and said,
"Seth told me to tell you 'Get your princely arse, as the English would say, here right now, Raine needs to go in two hours. And Lan? Punishment for stepping out of the estate boundaries: you are going to have etiquette review lessons for three months.'" The black and gold-eyed boy frowned at the use of the word "arse" while Lan let out a sound of despair at the mention of etiquette lessons.
The little boy André, oblivious to their reactions, grabbed the Lan's other hand and tugged the two towards the main house.
That night in Godric's Hollow, James and Lily Potter sat together on the red armchairs, mourning the sixth year anniversary of their son's absence or, they did not even want to think about it, death. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin sat opposite, their expressions of regret and sorrow were mirrored.
"If only we had not pushed the spell so hard… then maybe we would have found him..." Lily whispered, her face crumpled in misery. James put an arm around her shoulders in comfort as the silence outside resurrected memories better off forgotten.
The boy with black and gold eyes sat with a quiet smile on his face. It was difficult to tell his age, one could only assume, maybe in between seventeen and twenty-one? It was preposterously hard to come to a decision. His face was angular, androgynous, and unnaturally pale, almost paper-white. He was thin, delicate and looked ridiculously breakable, just like everyone else in the room.
The room itself was ostentatious enough with it's pale blue walls, blood-red furniture and carpets, black marble flooring and ornaments. It had a high ceiling with carvings adorning the edges.
Presently the boy was contemplating. André had heard his name all the way from the front door, which meant the transfusion was working more quickly than he had expected. All the better, the sooner it was complete, the sooner he would truly be in the family. His attention was drawn away by a snippet of a conversation from his left.
"We cannot stay out of it much longer."
"That madman is getting too bold."
"Must we enter an alliance though?"
"We might not have a choice, the treaty will be broken either way."
The whispered conversation of Seth and his younger brother Raine reached his ears. Seth caught his look; both his and his brother's faces were tense with annoyance.
"Prince Michaël, what do you propose we do?" Michaël brushed a strand of hair from his eyes as he replied calmly,
"I am also a bit wary about current situations, so I went to see Marie not long before the two of you arrived. She advised us not to take action for at least seven more years. However, she also mentioned the Gates of Babylon, she has seen that they will open and interfere at around the same time for the first time in over two millennia." Raine's usually perfectly calm face twisted angrily.
"Damn, and Marie is always right for events of this magnitude, and the Gates are completely out of our control. That also means things definitely aren't going to improve here, I propose we all move to France and stay together for the time being. Lan and André will be safer there." The three turned towards the Lan who was entertaining little André with baubles of light on the deep red carpet. Seth grimaced.
"When was the last time the Gates of Babylon interfered?"
"I believe it was even before Father's time, during the first Imperial Massacre. They Gates only open when things get completely out of hand, and since dear Marie has seen them open, I strongly advocate our immediate relocation."
"I agree, but we wait until André is better prepared." Michaël gave a nod of approval.
"Then it is decided, we will alert the Main Houses tonight." Raine said softly as he stood in one fluid motion.
"I take my leave." He inclined his head toward his brother and prince, ruffled André's hair, and kissed his sister's cheek before striding from the room.
Michaël leaned back in his chair.
The Gates are opening in seven years time, why have they chosen to interfere…?
Seven Years Later
In a different life, and time, Harry Potter and his best friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley had just gotten off the Hogwarts Express, and were preparing to begin their sixth year at the school. As the three were trudging towards the carriages through the stormy weather, all the students glanced up to see bolts of lightning that flashed across the sky.
Hermione and Ron were concerned for their friend, he was, understandably still gloomy and depressed looking following the death of Sirius. They tried their best to distract him, Ron telling him stories about his brothers, Hermione rattling on about the new books she had read. It seemed to be working at least a little bit.
Harry grinned a little at Ron's flailing gesture of "And his nose grew this big…" He was grateful that they weren't prying about Sirius and was just about to respond to Hermione's inquisitive "I do hope you have studied a bid this summer haven't you Harry?" When the bolts of lightning once again lit up the sky.
Two white hot blades cracked deafeningly right beside Harry, right where Ron and Hermione were, and just like that, his two best friends were gone.
Many many miles away, Remus Lupin had been taking a stroll around the neighborhood, lost in thought, when he heard a voice shouting at him to move. He jerked out of his stupor and glanced around, catching sight of lightning just as it struck and whisked him away.
It was dark and grey here, just like it was dark and grey on the other side over there, Sirius Black was drifting slowly through the darkness feeling completely miserable and bored when a similar flash of light enveloped his form and drew him away from the monotonous landscape.
Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley felt as though they were being siphoned through an endless tunnel as cold air whipped their faces and hands when suddenly, it all stopped. Hermione dropped onto the living room floor of her house just as Ron was deposited onto his bed in the Burrow. Unconsciousness for both was immediate.
Remus Lupin materialized on the kitchen floor of a cottage in a similar state, while Sirius Black fell in a garden of azaleas outside the cottage.
Somewhere, in a nameless, intangible place, there was the sound of gates creaking shut.
A/N: I hope you have enjoyed or are at least somewhat interested in Time Stream.
And of course, any reviews are much appreciated!
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