A/N: Okay! So, the changes are starting now. I didn't change too too much on this first chapter, but you should still read through it. I will be posting the ext chapter in two weeks. Sorry again for going back and changing stuff, I just felt like it was a bit off kilter. Please R&R guys!
It was only a week after the war. Harry was back at Hogwarts, where he had come every day since, cleaning up the wreckage from the battle. He was blaming himself again. It always seemed as though he put the weight of every loss on his shoulders.
Professor McGonagall had been asking for help from anyone willing to help restore the castle to it's former glory. The next semester wouldn't start for a couple months, but the damages were immense and not lacking in number. They had only achieved the feat of removing the rubble from the interior two days ago.
Harry was walking through the gates when he heard someone calling his name. It wasn't unusual as of late, but he still wasn't used to being called out all the time. He had been on the run, cut off from everyone, for so long, that he sometimes forgot that people could see him. He had thought about wearing the cloak around, but it seemed pointless. Why should he hide away when he had more important things to worry over?
He turned towards the noise and was surprised to see Ron, Hermione, and Ginny coming towards him. He hadn't seen them a lot since the second, they never came to help with the reconstruction. Ron and Ginny were grieving over Fred and trying to help George through it all, and Hermione was trying to find where in Australia to look for her parents. The two Weasleys looked drawn out, but they wore smiles on their freckled cheeks. Hermione had bags under her eyes, but seemed to have more energy than the other two. She ran up and hugged Harry, glad to see him.
"Guys? What are you all doing here?" Harry directed his questions towards Hermione, who seemed the most fit for answering.
"We came to help with the school, Harry. You know, the Chosen One isn't the only person who's allowed to help." Harry grimaced at the reference and nodded.
"How have you guys been? I'm sorry I haven't been over more, I just. . ." Harry trailed off, not able to think of a proper excuse for avoiding the people who had done so much for him. He looked down at the ground, distracting himself with observing the pebbles.
Ginny seemed to understand what he was saying, and was about to say something to Harry, but Ron cut off her chance. "Well, we should probably get to work then, yeah? I heard that there's a lot to do. Good thing, too. I've been going mad staying in the house all day. I doubt that that's what Fred would've wanted us to be doing."
Hermione took Ron's hand as Harry and Ginny nodded, leading the way towards the old castle. She stopped in her tracks when she saw it, though. The three who hadn't been there for the past week gasped at how broken it looked. They all turned to Harry as if wanting an explanation.
"I was astounded when I first saw it, too. I think that with the adrenaline from the fighting coursing through us, we didn't really stop to look around at all of the damage. We all kind of ran out of here as fast as we could after, you know? No one really could tell how bad it was until we came back to see."
They all continued to stare at the destruction, until Ginny took a step forward. She turned to look at the Golden Trio, "Let's move on, shall we?"
Harry smiled at Ginny's readiness to face what she knew would be hard and took a couple steps toward her, Ron and Hermione in their wake. Harry grabbed onto her hand, offering support, as they approached the building, and she smiled at the simple gesture. In the months that he had been gone, she missed the feeling of knowing that he was an arms length away, ready to catch her in case she fell. It was nice to have it back.
If Professor McGonagall was surprised to see Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with Harry, she didn't show it. Instead, she led them to a section of the castle that could start repairing. When she strode away, Harry could've sworn that he saw a shadow of a smile on her lined face, but ignored it and got to work.
Hermione was the kind of person who hated silence unless, of course, she was reading. As they worked on the reconstruction, using a set of spells that McGonagall gave them. So as they worked, Hermione told them about the building's history. Harry and Ron smirked at each other as she started rattling off facts from Hogwarts a History. Ginny had the decency to pretend that she cared without taking it too far, but Ron was mocking her.
"Did the founders really build the castle, 'Mione? How did you know that?" Ron hid his smile behind an expression of interest and Hermione responded enthusiastically.
"Well, Ronald, if you had actually read Hogwarts a History, you would've known that it said it in there," Hermione seemed proud of her witticism until she caught sight of Harry's silent snickers.
"And what exactly, may I ask, is so funny, Harry?" Hermione turned to him, eyes narrowed so much that it was hard to believe that she could see out of them.
Ginny smirked smugly at the boys being caught in the act and almost laughed as Harry immediately changed his expression. It went from laughter to fear to innocence.
"I haven't the foggiest what you're on about, Hermione."
"Oh I think you do, Potter," Hermione advanced on him, her wand raised.
Harry let out a fake gasp, "Are you accusing me of lying, Granger?" He held up his left fist, "If you remember, I must not tell lies," he winked.
Hermione let out a growl and decided to go after her boyfriend instead. "Ronald, why was Harry laughing?"
Ron's amusement disappeared as soon as Hermione decided to get answers from him instead. "Umm, we should probably get back to work."
Ron turned around and started to say one of the repair spells that Professor McGonagall had given them, but had buggered it up in his nervousness.
Instead of the bricks in the wall reinforcing themselves, a hole formed that sucked the four teenagers into it. Harry heard Hermione and Ginny yell out in shock as they were pulled through the darkness. It was almost as if they were falling, but it seemed like something was yanking them through. Harry flung his arms around, trying to catch onto something or even someone, and they found Ginny. He pulled her into him and held tightly onto her as they continued to shoot through the darkness. The feel of her heartbeat, fast because of their closeness or because of the dark, he didn't know, calmed him slightly as the sensation continued.
When it finally ended and they could see light again, they hit stone flooring, and landed in a heap. The first one up was Hermione. The other three heard her gasp as they struggled to get up. When they all managed to stand on their own two feet, they found themselves looking into the curious eyes of none other than Albus Dumbledore. Thoroughly shocked at the presence of their deceased Headmaster, Ron didn't even register asking, "Merlin's socks, are we dead?"
Hermione shoved Ron and glared at him before speaking, "No you prat! We're in Hogwarts! How could we be dead?"
"Well Dumbledore's here, I think it's a perfectly reasonable question! And for all you know, this could be what Heaven looks like! I was happy in this place, weren't you?"
As the couple continued to bicker, Harry and Ginny continued to stare at Dumbledore. Neither one of them spoke until Ginny finally leaned slightly over and whispered without taking her eyes off the old man, "Doesn't he look younger?"
At that, the Headmaster started to chuckle merrily, interrupting Ron and Hermione's argument and making Ginny and Harry only more confused. Finally the man spoke.
"So, may I ask who all of you are, and why you think you're dead?"
Harry realized that everyone was looking to him to answer and sighed, "Well for lack of a better way to say this, umm, because you are. . ."
"Well, that certainly makes things a bit more exciting, wouldn't you say? How about we head along to my office and you can explain yourselves a bit better?" Dumbledore spun around on his heel, his magenta robes streaming behind him.
The group followed him up the the staircases and into his office. He conjured up chairs for them to sit on and took his own seat behind his desk. The teenagers didn't say anything so he gestured for them to start explaining with his right hand, not at all blackened or dead.
This time, Ginny took control of the situation and spoke for them, "I'll start with May 2nd?" she asked her companions and continued to speak after receiving a nod of the head from each of them, "So on May 2nd, 1998; I'm saying the year because I'm assuming that it's not the same as it is now; the battle of Hogwarts took place."
Dumbledore listened to Ginny's speech, not interrupting once, except for nodding his head or humming in understanding. When Ginny reached the end of her explanation, Hermione turned to Ron and glared, "If you weren't so busy mocking me Ronald, we probably wouldn't be in this mess."
"Oh come now, Hermione! It was all in good fun!" Ron groaned.
The girl only pursed her lips and turned her attention back to the Headmaster, "Professor, if you wouldn't mind, what is the date?"
"September 9th, 1977, Miss?"
"Granger, sir."
"Actually, if you all wouldn't mind telling me all of your names? And maybe your ages and Houses? Oh, and parents, too. I'm a bit curious on that last one, you see," Dumbledore had a sheepish grin playing at his lips as addressed them.
"I'm Hermione Jean Granger, Gryffindor, and I am eighteen. My parents are Hugh and Anne Granger, muggles," Hermione looked to Ginny to go next.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, Gryffindor, sixteen, and my parents are Molly and Arthur Weasley."
"Ronald Bilius Weasley, Gryffindor, eighteen, and my parents are the same as Ginny's."
"Harry James Potter, Gryffindor, seventeen, and my parents are James Potter and Lily Evans." Upon hearing the names of Harry's parents, the natural twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes increased to where they were almost glowing.
"Yeah, I know it sounds funny now, but everyone swears they were made for each other where we come from," Harry continued
"So are all of you in your seventh year of education? Or are you in your sixth or finished?"
"Well Harry, Ron and I skipped our seventh year to, uh, do something, er, important. And Ginny is meant to be starting hers."
"So all of you are comfortable taking seventh year courses? Until we understand how you got here and how to get you back, it's better if we keep you at the school until we can find a way to return you to your time."
"That's fine, I guess. But, um, what are you going to tell everyone, though?" Harry scratched at the hair on the back of his neck as he looked at Dumbledore. He felt uncomfortable with the idea that he would be in school with his parents.
"On Monday morning I'll mention at breakfast that we will be hosting four foreign exchange students. We will just play off the story that you are all from France and have decided to spend the year away from home. If anyone gets curious, simply tell them that you were all students at Beauxbatons. This way, we won't have forge any relationships between you all. We'll claim that we had you sorted in my office move you all into the Gryffindor dormitories tonight and if you could all write down the classes you would be interested in taking, I can have you enrolled by the morning. The password to the Gryffindor common room is asphodel. Oh and for Mr. Potter at least, probably all of you just to be safe, you should change your name and alter your appearance."
Before exiting into the hallway, Dumbledore altered the appearances of the four children. Harry's hair went from a raven black to a sandy brown color and grew it out to be a bit longer. With his hair longer, it was more shaggy than messy and it didn't look too similar to the original. He left the shape of his eyes alone, but changed the coloring to a duller green. His face was now spotted by freckles, and the frames of his glasses now square.
Hermione replaced her bushy hair with a sleek light brown and colored her eyes ice blue. She didn't have to change to much due to her muggle born status, but Ron and Ginny had both lost their many freckles, leaving them with pale white skin and now black hair.
All in all, the kid all looked completely different, and their new names suited them nicely. Hermione switched out her name for Hermione Brown, and since it was dark times, she decided to sell herself off as a half-blood. It was better that they didn't draw more attention to themselves by letting it drop that Hermione was muggleborn.
They all agreed that keeping their first names would be harmless and everyone changed their last name. Harry became Harry Synk. Ginny and Ron were now Ginny and Ron Lewis.
It was dark when they left Dumbledore's office, and the group of four trudged their way to Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore had told them that there was already a spare bed in both the Gryffindor boy's and girl's dorms because the Heads had their own dorms. He had told them, though, that there would be two more beds made up for the four before they went to bed.
Having been Hogwarts students for six years prior to this, all four of them knew where to go and how to get there easily. They parted ways in the common room, saying goodnight as they headed up the steps.
Harry and Ron weren't expecting the Marauders to be up when they entered the room. Harry now felt quite rude for just entering the dorm without any qualms. The boys were all looking at the door, surprised to see two boys that they never had before.
"Uh. . . hi?" Remus, looking healthier and happier than Harry had seen him, was sitting on his bed, looking at Harry and Ron, confused. "Can we help you?"
Harry's hand jumped up to his neck and he smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, uh, we didn't realize you all were awake. . ."
"Now, I might be scared to hear this reply, but what exactly were you planning on doing if we weren't awake?" Sirius had a single eyebrow raised.
Ron choked on his breath and turned a deep shade of red, "Nothing!"
Harry cheeks were also tinted pink as Sirius, Peter, and Remus all laughed.
"Er, well we were told that we would be staying here?" Harry looked over at Ron, unsure of how to handle the situation. The dorm looked exactly the same as when he and Ron had shared it with Neville, Dean, and Seamus. The biggest difference that Harry could see was that it was cleaner than he had kept his room, and there was a sixth bed. "I'm Harry and this is Ron."
Sirius laughed and turned to Peter, "And you thought the extra beds were here for lack of storage."
"Well it's not like your idea was any better! As if Dumbledore would really add extra beds for shagging!"
Harry and Ron both snickered when they heard Sirius' idea. Who knew that Sirius could be such an idiot?
Ron and Harry went to bed before Sirius, Remus, and Peter did. They felt awkward around the other boys and felt it best to just get some sleep. That being the case, Harry didn't think to put up silencing charms around his bed.
Ron woke up to Harry's screams and went to sit on the end of his bed like he always did when his friend was thrashing around. He knew from experience that Harry wouldn't wake up if you tried to rouse him, and that you would only accomplish hurting yourself in the process. All you could do was wait it out and make sure that he didn't hurt himself. Ron opened Harry's bed hangings and sat by his feet. He was wound pretty tightly in his sheets so he probably wouldn't hit anything, but Ron stayed to make sure.
Harry had a long history of night terrors. Ron was used to calming him down whenever they surfaced so he didn't see anything unusual in the occurrence. Since he had just woken up, he barely registered that they were in the Gryffindor dormitories. Their roommates had long since learned about the dreams and knew to cast a silencing charm around their own beds in order to drift back off. On occasion, Neville would stay up with Ron, but apparently not tonight.
Somewhere in his thought process, Ron heard someone mutter, "Fucking hell, what is that?" Only then did he realize that it wasn't sixth year, they no longer attended Hogwarts, and the voice that questioned the noise wasn't Seamus, Dean, or Neville. He looked at the other beds to realize that the three boys that they were now rooming with had woken up due to the noise and were now watching Harry with concern and confusion in their eyes.
"What's wrong with him?" Remus looked at Ron, obviously awaiting an answer to his reasonable question.
"Ummm," Ron looked at the boys and blanked on what to say. With the roommates from his time, they had known what Harry went through and they didn't ask questions, but this was the 1970s and Harry hadn't encountered Voldemort yet. "Well, see, umm, Harry gets nightmares sometimes."
Remus looked at Ron like he was dumb and spoke dryly, "I couldn't tell."
Ron chuckled awkwardly next to Harry's continuously thrashing, screaming form. Ron could hear a couple muttered names and pityingly looked down at his friend. He gulped when he turned back to the now suspicious looking Marauders, but was saved from having to talk more when the door to their room opened.
Ginny and Hermione both slipped in through the door and immediately, Hermione turned to Ron. Ginny stopped to place a silencing charm in the room so that Harry's yells wouldn't be heard throughout the castle.
"Ronald! Can't you get him to quiet down! We can hear him all the way over in the girl's dorms!"
Ron donned a look of indignation and stood from the bed, "You say that like I haven't tried! You know what he's like when he's having a nightmare! Nothing can calm him down until he wakes up!"
"Well can't you try anything?"
"I have tried things! How about you take a go at it!"
"I will!" Hermione pushed past Ron and started to reach a hand towards Harry.
"NO!" Hermione halted her motions and turned to look wide-eyed at Ron. "Don't touch him! It makes it worse!"
"How do you know?" Hermione crossed her arms.
"Because I've done this hundreds of times, 'Mione, and I know from experience," Ron spoke slowly, as if talking to a young child.
"I don't believe you," Hermione pursed her lips and raised a challenging eyebrow at Ron.
"Fine then. Go ahead and try it, but don't blame me when things don't go your way." Ginny and the Marauders continued to watch Ron and Hermione's spat in silence, waiting for the next move.
Hermione harumphed and leaned down to touch Harry's shoulder. The second her skin touched his body, his screams became more panicked and he shot forward in the bed. The names that were only muttered before were now being yelled, like Harry was pleading. Hermione jolted back in surprise and turned to Ron with wide eyes. Instead of the smug expression she expected, he looked disappointed. He had hoped that this time it would work, but like always, it didn't.
Ginny had started to move forward, now, deciding it was her turn. Ron noticed and immediately tried to pull her back.
"Get off of me, Ron!"
"No, Ginevra! You'll get hurt if you move any closer. He's worse now, and if he senses someone by him, he'll think that they're trying to hurt him."
"I don't care! We need to wake him before he hurts himself!"
"Ginny!" Ron still hadn't taken his hands off of Ginny, and she was getting angrier by the second.
"Ronald Bilius, I swear on Merlin's mother that if you do not take your hands off me this second, I will curse you so bad that our parents will feel it. You understand?" Ron grudgingly removed his hands and Ginny continued on her path to Harry.
"NO! STOP! LET HER GO! LET HER GO! GINNY! GINNY!" Ginny moved closer with each one of Harry's yells. When she got to the side of the bed, she started to speak softly.
"Harry? Harry, it's okay, love. I'm okay. Nothing bad is going to happen. We've been through enough already, yeah? Remember my first year? We got through that. And when we went to the Ministry, we made it out. It's okay, Harry, it'll be okay." With each word, Harry seemed to calm down more, his shouts were now low, regretful moans. Ron looked astounded at what she accomplished. After years of Harry's nightmares, he hadn't once been able to calm him down. Ginny continued to talk to him, even as her name stopped being spoken, and was now replaced by others. She spoke in a whisper so that the only the people from her time would hear her, "Teddy will be alright, Harry. He's got you to help him. You'll do such a good job, too, Harry. Tonks will be proud. I know she will. And Remus, too. He picked a good man for godfather." Small tears were now falling down her cheeks as she remembered those who died. "And don't you worry about Fred." She sniffled.
Ron grabbed on to Hermione's hand at the utterance of his brother's name, and she squeezed his in response. They listened to Ginny, as she continued to calm Harry down. His breaths were starting to even out and he didn't jolt again when Ginny started to stroke his hair.
"He's going to be alright, Harry. George is, too. You know what George told me? He told me that he and Fred were now the Holy Spirit. I asked him why, and do you know what he said?" Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear again. She couldn't keep her voice as low now that her tears were heavier, "He said they were the Holy Spirit because he was still holey, and that Fred was dead now, but he was still here in spirit. See Harry, we'll all be okay. We'll be okay," she lowered her voice again and whispered 'I love you' to his sleeping form.
Ginny leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Harry's forehead and stood back up. She walked over to Ron and looked him in the eye as she spoke to him. They both had tear tracks on their faces, but Ginny ignored them and held her head high, "You're not the only one who talks him down, Ron. I've done it plenty of times, too." With that, she left the room, everyone else left in a stunned silence.
After what felt like hours, Peter broke the silence, "So, uh, anyone care to explain what that was?"
Ron and Hermione snapped out of their reverie and Hermione wiped her eyes as she turned to the boys, "It's not our story to tell." She sniffled and looked away from the Marauders to Ron. She kissed him on the cheek, then pulled him into a hug, she whispered something in his ear, which consequently made him tighten their embrace. When they broke apart, Hermione bid everyone goodnight and went to make sure Ginny was okay. As soon as she left, Ron crawled into his own bed and went to sleep for the rest of the night. The Marauders stood confused and silently agreed to figure out what was going on.
So, what do you think? -Jules