Prologue: In which Sand hits the fan, and Albus is confused

Albus Severus Potter, a third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was the first Slytherin Potter in several hundred years. He scored the highest in his class and was rather quiet, making him a teacher's pet. People often told him that he was exactly like his father, something that gave him mixed feelings. On one hand, his father was Harry James Potter and Albus was exactly like him! On the other, his father The Harry James Potter, and Albus was expected to be exactly like him. The worst part was? He couldn't break free from the shadow. If he did something great, then he would just be following in his father's footsteps. If he stayed small, he would never break free. He supposed that was one of the reasons he's accepted his sorting into Slytherin, it was a small way to break away. However, this all combined did make him one thing: a prime target for his brother. James Sirius Potter was a prankster, often in trouble, and often a receiver of howlers from their mother. He also enjoyed picking on Albus for being a Slytherin, calling him a Dark Lord in training and such.

For many years, Albus had been told by James that Slytherin was a terrible place where the upper years ate the younger children and everyone slept with snakes in their beds. The result? Albus had been terrified as a kid. However, with those words from his father, those few words, Albus knew that everything would be alright.

It did for me

His father had nearly been sorted into Slytherin, but chose to go to Gryffindor. It was more comforting than one might think, because it told Albus that no matter what, his father would truly accept him. Plus, he secretly believed that he was a truer Gryffindor than his brother because he had faced his fear and decided to let the hat choose where to go instead of asking just because he was scared. Really, that seemed counterproductive. Going to Gryffindor, the house of the brave, because he was too scared to go to Slytherin and wanted to be with family? His cousin, Rose, had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Surprisingly, he had ended up best friends with Scorpius Malfoy, though it was also really funny for the two of them to force their dads into the same room because both ended up making the weirdest faces and the most passive-aggressive statements.

He also got off topic. The point was that James liked to pick on him. A lot. He was the bane of Albus' existence and the most insensitive jerk on the face of the planet. He was cruel, he was vicious, and he was merciless. James Potter was his arch-enemy. And right now, there was no one in the world Albus hated more as he looked at the glowing sand on his hands.

It had been another of James' pranks. Somehow, he'd managed to get one of the new time turners, probably swiped it while visiting the ministry with Dad, and had intended to use it to surprise Albus with a trip an hour back in time. Albus hadn't appreciated the 'surprise scarf present' and before James had a chance to do more than get it over his head, Albus had shoved James, who then pulled on the hourglass, trying to catch his balance. The chain, already around Albus' neck, pulled in the opposite direction. The pin holding the necklace to the hourglass broke, the metal snapping harshly and the vibrations shattering the glass. Albus couldn't help but distantly think that James must have stolen one of the brand new turners that hadn't been reinforced with magic yet, but his mind was mostly overtaken by the horror of the golden dust covering him, his brother's gaudy 'scarf' settling around his shoulders even as he began to flicker out of view. He knew what was happening. He knew what happened to wizards who came into direct contact with Time Dust. They became displaced.

Albus looked up, eyes wide into the horrified eyes of his older brother. James' eyes were filling with tears as Albus stared at his flickering golden hands in shock.

"Albus!" James shouted, lifting himself up off the ground. Albus' eyes, slowly tearing up, looked up to see James moving towards him in a panic. However, next thing Albus knew, James was gone, replaced by a blank wall. To James, however, Albus vanished.

Albus fought the tears, he was a Slytherin dammit, he didn't wear emotions on his sleeve! But as he looked down at himself, he saw the gold dust had faded, and bitterly smiled. He had been displaced from the natural flow of time. The world around him flickered. Sometimes it stayed solid for a few minutes, sometimes it changed quickly. Sometimes Albus saw students, sometimes he didn't. He turned and began walking down the hall, still in shock. He reached up to grab the ruffled multi-colored scarf his brother had used to disguise the time turner when putting it on him. The chain was still around his neck, under the scarf. Albus felt the urge to rip the scarf off and throw it away, but he knew he would never see it again if he did. It still smelled like James. It could be the last gift he ever received from his family. Albus felt tears in his eyes. No one had died, but they might as well have. The hallway flickered.

Whole, bustling with students. A war zone. Empty, night time. A couple snogging. Students. Empty earth. Burning earth. Students laughing. Three familiar figures running. Empty. Albus collapsed on his knees, covering his eyes with his hands as he began to cry. He didn't want to see anymore. Various times flashed around him, happening simultaneously and in the wrong and in the right order at the same time. Students. Green fields. Smoking rubble. Decayed rubble. Students. Empty Halls. Day, Night, Day, Day, Night. Albus wrapped his arms around himself. Maybe if he was lucky, he could glimpse moments from their lives. But he would never be with his family again. Never. He sobbed, unable to stop the tears.

"Hey, are you alright?" A voice asked, a hand settling on his shoulder. Albus looked over his shoulder to see a redhaired woman looking at him with concern. She was older than him, probably a 7th year, and wore the head girl badge on her robes. Her brilliant green eyes gazed at him with concern. Suddenly, they widened.

"Albus?" She asked. Albus' own eyes widened in shock, how did she know who he was? He scrambled up and away from her, pulling himself up against the now solid brick wall. A moment later, there was a flash and the wall was gone. Albus tumbled to the ground, scared to move as he took in the empty expanse of grass.

"Salazar, don't be daft, it's the perfect place!" A woman's voice echoed across the ground. Albus clambered to his feet to see four people in different colored outfits walking towards him. The black-haired man wore long green robes, while the red-haired man wore a red jacket and tan pants. The two girls, one with long raven tresses and the other with golden hair, each wore blue and yellow respectively.

The blond woman spotted him staring and she turned to look, getting the attention of the other three. The raven-haired woman in blue walked forward, her hair a bit wild and her eyes seemed to be devouring him with curiosity.

"Hello, who are you?" She asked. Albus blinked, looking at her in shock.

"Um, I'm Albus, Albus Severus Potter," He said. The woman smiled.

"And what are you doing here, Albus?" she asked. Albus sucked in a breath, closing his eyes, and began speaking, it all coming forth in a rush, maybe the founders could help him.

"Well, there was an incident with a time turner. My brother, James, tried to play a prank on me but we broke the time turner he was using and I got covered in golden sand and now I'm popping back and forth across time and you have to help me!"

"What?" Albus opened his eyes in shock. He was no longer faced with Ravenclaw, he was faced with a mirror. Or, rather, someone who looked so similar they might as well be.

"You just appeared, out of nowhere!" Ron said, standing behind Harry. Harry's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the kid.

"Albus?" He asked quietly.

"You were saying something about 'popping back and forth across time'?" Hermione asked, looking at him curiously. Albus opened his mouth to reply, but the scene vanished once more as he found himself in the ruins of Hogwarts. Albus heard a shout and spun around, pulling his wand out of his pocket.

"Avada Kedavra!" Someone tackled Albus to the ground as he watched the green light soar overhead. Albus turned to his savior to see shocked green eyes widen then narrow.

"Of course you're here," Harry hissed, spinning around to shoot a red light over his shoulder. "Run, Albus!" Harry shouted as two more Death Eaters swarmed into the hallways. Albus couldn't, though. He was frozen, watching his father fight a historic battle. He had never seen anything like it, it was amazing and frightening. Albus wasn't sure if he could ever look at his father the same way again after watching him, with blazing eyes, cut down Death Eater after Death Eater. They fell and Harry spun once more, grabbing Albus to drag him down the hall and into an empty classroom.

"What are you doing here?!" Harry shouted. Albus opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Harry sighing and running his hand through his hair. "Nevermind, I know the answer to that already, but we need to find you a safe spot before you pop into a different time again. A long time ago, you told me that the more you traveled, the longer you stayed in a specific time, so do you have any guesses for how long you'll be here?" Albus blinked.

"The more I pop around, the longer I'll stay?" He asked. Harry smiled, almost painfully.

"So, you won't be here very long then, I take it," He asked. Albus shrugged.

"I dunno, I mean, it was only a couple minutes ago that James did that. Will I ever get back to my time?" Albus asked, looking up at his father. Harry's face looked at Albus sadly.

"I don't know," Albus felt the tears threatening again and reached up to wipe them away. A calloused hand gently, hesitantly, grabbed onto Albus' shoulder and pulled him. Harry wrapped his arms around his future son and past friend, whispering soothing words.

"I'll never see my family again," Albus whispered. Harry let out a breath.

"Albus, don't worry so much. You will see me again, and I will see you again. And, when I find out that James did this to you, I will do everything in my power to make sure you get home safely, alright? Do you understand me, Albus? You will make it home one day, and, in the meantime, be brave, my son. You're going to have a hard time, but you'll be alright, I promise," Albus hugged Harry tightly, never wanting to let go. He took in the smell, the feeling, and the sensation of being hugged and hugging his father. And, a moment later, it was gone. Albus found himself alone in the classroom. The desks looked cleaner though, and the desk at the front of the room was host to some messy papers. It was dark out the window. Albus stepped out into the hallway, looking around. It was completely empty. He wasn't quite sure of what to do, he didn't want to get into trouble but he also couldn't exactly go to his dorm room right now, he couldn't even crash his brother's dorm.

In the silence, Albus thought he heard a couple of whispers. He walked down the hall and peered around the corner, but didn't see anybody. This did not dissuade him, as he had been victim to his brother and his invisibility cloak often enough, but he didn't have his map with him to counteract his brother's cloak.

Luckily, he didn't need to go searching as, suddenly, there was a group of three boys in front of him all wearing Gryffindor robes. They looked about the same age as him, maybe even younger. 2nd or 3rd years.

"Who are you?" The boy in front asked. Albus blinked, he looked very familiar, but then, two of the three guys did. The third one Albus didn't recognize at all though.

"Um, I'm Albus, Albus Potter," The boy glared.

"That's impossible, there aren't any other Potters! They were all killed in the war against Grindelwald, my family is all that's left!"

"Well, that's my name," Albus protested. "And who are you, anyway?" The other boy sniffed.

"I'm James Potter, these are my friends, Sirius and Peter," Albus blinked a bit, trying to remember where he had heard the names. He realized James was his grandfather, but where had he heard the name Sirius before? Oh, right! He was the guy who had given them their house! He had died a while back, though there were a couple pictures around the house. Albus didn't recognize Peter at all though.

"Oh,"

"So, 'Albus', what is a Slytherin like you doing out and about so late at night with an obvious pseudonym?" Sirius asked, slinging an arm over Albus' shoulders. Albus froze, it was a movement he'd been subject to from his brother far too often. A moment later, Sirius had backed away with the scarf from James and had left a Gryffindor sticker covering his Slytherin crest.

"Hey guys, check me out," Sirius said, wrapping the scarf around his own neck with a superior look. Albus' eyes widened, no, he couldn't shift again before getting it back. How long had he been with his Dad? Fifteen minutes? A half hour? It had felt like a long time, but the fighting was quick and they hadn't been in the room that long. How long had he been here already?

"Give it back!" Albus shouted, jumping after Sirius. "Please, it was a present from my brother!" It was true it was from a prank, but it was also clearly handmade, either by James, their mother, or their grandmother. It was all he had left.

"Oh, is your brother a Slimy Slytherin too?" Sirius taunted. Albus glared and lunged, knocking Sirius to the floor and trying to grab for the scarf, but it was scooped up by James, who grinned at Albus. Albus' eyes were focused on the scarf, ignoring the small pricks of tears.

"Please, it's all I have left! If I disappear before you give it back, it'll be left here!" Albus shouted, trying to grab it. James frowned, but still held on to it.

"What do you mean, disappear?" James asked. Sirius snorted.

"There was an accident with a time turner and now I'm jumping around. Please, give me my scarf-"

"-back," Albus finished, letting out a sigh when he found himself facing a blank wall. He looked down, ignoring the lack of sunlight as he began to walk down the hall. He tried to ignore the emptiness from losing the scarf. Pausing, he noticed a very faint light seeping out of one of the doors. Opening it a crack, he noticed a faint light floating in a room, illuminating a dusty mirror and a figure on the ground. The small boy turned at the sound of the door creaking open, his eyes wide in shock. Albus blinked, the small boy had a lightening bolt scar on his forehead and glowing green eyes. He looked tiny, much younger than the 11 Albus knew he must be. Albus stepped in, closing the door and ignoring how the boy had tensed at being caught. He walked over to his father and sat down on the ground beside him, looking into the mirror. To his surprise, he saw his family waving back at him. His mother and father stood side by side, smiling at him proudly. His brother wore that dopey smile that he wore when he was actually being a good older sibling and not just a prick, and his sister looked at him with awe. Teddy stood there, waving energetically, his teal hair shifting into orange.

"What do you see?" the voice was quiet, and Albus looked over at his father, who was looking back at him with a look that was so familiar that it made Albus' chest ache.

"I see my family," Albus whispered. Harry nodded.

"Me too," Albus smiled, ironic.

"What's your name?" Harry asked.

"Albus Potter," Albus replied, glancing over at Harry's stunned face.

"Potter?" he asked hollowly. Albus nodded.

"Yeah, my Dad is uh, well, you. I-I've become displaced in time, I keep going to different time periods. The longer I pop around though, the longer I stay," Albus explained. It seemed to become easier each time he did so. Harry's face morphed into pity.

"Wow, that sucks. Not that you're my son, but the jumping across time thing," Albus chuckled a bit.

"Yeah. I just had a run in with Grandpa James. He tried to play a prank on me, but accidentally had my scarf when I jumped here, so I lost that. I'm hoping I'll get it back eventually,"

"...what was he like?"

"...I didn't really get to talk with him for very long, sorry," Albus said. Harry shook his head.

"No, it's fine," The room was quiet, Albus wasn't sure if Harry had actually absorbed that Albus was his son or not, but they sat together in companionable silence for an hour before the mirror suddenly vanished and Albus found himself in an empty classroom. Sighing, Albus laid back on the ground, wondering about taking a nap. The door opened, however, and a figure entered the room. Albus looked over at him and frowned, not recognizing the boy who wore Slytherin robes and the head boy badge.

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid students aren't supposed to be in here," The older boy said, smiling nicely at Albus. Albus nodded and got up to leave, trying not to make a big deal about it. As he walked past the older boy, however, the boy grabbed his arm. The boy looked at him closely, his eyes moving across Albus' face with concentration.

"Albus?" The boy asked. Albus nodded.

"Uh, yeah, who are you?" The boy looked at him blankly before an unidentifiable emotion flickered across his face. He shoved Albus back into the empty room and closed the door firmly behind them. Then the boy waved his wand at the door, locking it in place. Albus blinked, nervously shuffling from side to side as the older boy looked at him steadily.

"You're a bit earlier in your time stream, aren't you?" He asked. Albus blinked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess,"

"Speak up and speak properly, you're a Slytherin right? Act like it," The boy snapped, reaching over to tear off the sticker that had been left by James over his Slytherin crest. Albus straightened out of his slouch, the Slytherin aspect of his personality languidly rising to the surface through the emotional drama he had been through recently.

"Very good. Now then, Albus Pollock, the time-traveling wizard, what to do with you?"

"That's not my name," Albus said, frowning. The other boy sneered.

"Yes, I'm very aware. You were quite adament on not telling me your real name the last time we met, but perhaps you will indulge me this time,"

"Well, if I didn't tell you last time, I must have had a good reason for it. Who are you, anyway? You never said," Albus asked. The boy frowned.

"You really don't know?" Albus shook his head.

"Tom Riddle," The boy replied, "Though you sometimes called me-"

"-Voldemort," Albus finished with a breath.

"Yes. That. It's a name I never told you, but I assumed that you learned it during your travels across time. After all, I doubt it is unknown in the future,"

"Ah. You keep talking about the last time you saw me, does that mean I will be seeing you again?"

"Yes, I suppose it does. I met you two years ago when you stayed for a week. We were not...friends...but you did me a very large favor. Tell me, how long will you likely be here?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing a couple hours," Albus explained, shrugging his shoulders. Tom nodded, assuring himself of something.

"Very well, come with me and we shall head to dinner. After, I will show you something," Albus nodded and Tom turned to unlock the door and let them out.

"So this favor I did for you, what was it?" Albus asked. Tom looked back at Albus as the two Slytherins walked down towards the Great Hall, frowning.

"I do not believe I should tell you that, I do not think you had foreknowledge of my actions at the time. I will tell you this though, at the time I resented what you did. I regret to say that it took me longer than it should have to see that you were helping me," Albus kept silent after that, it sounded very ominous. Dinner was relatively quiet, Tom spoke with the other Slytherins, not explaining and not needing to explain Albus' presence. No one dared to question him. Albus didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he didn't speak. After dinner, Tom led Albus down into the dungeons.

"After you vanished, I realized that you had been a time-traveler. The clues all fit together, we once even had a conversation about the repercussions of coming into direct physical contact with time dust. In order to pay back my debt, I did some research on the dust and stored my notes and findings here," Tom said, finally stopping. They were a few hallways down from the Slytherin common room. "It's a storage space I found a while back, I've already emptied it in preparation for my graduation, but the notes I took on your troubles are still in here with preservation spells. I knew you were from the future, but I didn't know how far." Tom pulled out his wand and Albus tried to pay close attention to it, as Tom tapped on a single brick twice then once to a brick to the left. The bricks all drew back to reveal a cupboard sized storage space with shelves. A wooden box sat on the top shelf, already beginning to gather dust.

"That box has the notes from what I could find. I would recommend giving the location to someone you trust as soon, relative to normal time, as possible. The longer they are in there, the greater the chance a student will find them and throw them away or do something else equally foolish," Tom said, gesturing. Tapping on the left side of the cabinet, the bricks shifted back into place.

"I-thank you, Tom," Tom turned to look at Albus with narrow eyes.

"Don't thank me. Slytherin's repay their debts. I believe these notes are appropriate given what you did for me,"

"Still though, thank you very much, Tom," Albus said, looking back at the wall where the cabinet had been. He hoped he could remember it later. And he hoped he didn't actually help Voldemort too much. Tom sneered, turned, and walked away. At that moment, he vanished. Albus blinked, looking at where he had been. The rest of the dungeon looked the same, but he must have shifted again anyway. Albus looked back at the cabinet, curious. Pulling out his wand, he copied the motions that Tom had just shown him. The bricks pulled back and Albus looked in; the box was gone.

In it's place was a single letter, addressed to him.

Albus blinked and opened it up.

Dear Albus,

James went to the Headmistress right away and explained what had happened. Hermione says we are not supposed to say much, but I do want to say this. We will bring you home, son, one way or another. Hermione also asked to pass on the message that Tom's notes reference a book that was destroyed in 1982 that would help us. If you get a chance to get a copy of Mystere and The Vortex then Hermione would be very grateful. Oh, and put this note in the front of the book to explain why you are putting it in the cabinet.

Anyway, your mother and I love you very much and we will bring you back soon.

With love,

Your Father

Albus stared at the note in shock, tilting his head sideways to read over it again. The paper was yellow with age, how far in the future was he?

"Hello, who are you?" A voice asked. Albus jumped a bit and turned to see a red haired blue eyed boy looking at him and the open cabinet. Albus narrowed his eyes and tapped his wand twice on the right side of the cabinet, closing it.

"Isn't it good manners to introduce yourself first?" Albus asked, turning to face the redhead fully. The boy scowled.

"Rastaban Malfoy. And you?"

"Albus Potter," Albus responded. Rastaban blinked, eyebrows furrowing before his eyes widened in realization.

"The Albus Potter?" He asked, "Inventor of the-wait, why are you a kid?" Albus blinked. Was he famous in the future? And not for just being the son of the great Harry Potter? Cool.

"Er, I'm sort of stuck jumping across time,"

"Jumping across time?"

"Yeah, there was a time turner and it broke and I got a bunch of the dust all over me,"

"Oh. That sucks. Might explain some things, too," Rabastan said, thinking before he shook his head.

"Er, can I ask, are you related to Scorpius Malfoy by any chance?" Albus asked.

"Duh. He's my grandfather," Rabastan said, puffing himself up.

"Oh." So, he was pretty far in the future. Albus' eyes drifted to the wall where the opening had been, blinking. Without even realizing what was happening, he yawned. He quickly lifted a hand to cover his mouth and tried to force his jaw closed, Slytherins didn't yawn, but it was too late.

"Are you tired? It's only 10 though! I just got out of my first class!" Rabastan said. Albus frowned, thinking back.

"It's been a long day. I...I think I'll find somewhere to sleep," he said. Rabastan shrugged.

"You can sleep in my bed if you want since I'll be at class anyway."

"No thanks, I don't want to jump times and end up sharing a bed with someone by accident."

"Okay, though I'm not sure where you can go then," Rabastan said, thinking to himself.

"I have an idea. If you're Scorpius' grandson, I suppose I'll be seeing you later," Albus said.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. Well, have a nice life. It was fun to meet you when you were young and not, you know, a crotchety old man."

"I'm not crotchety!"

"But you will be."

"No I won't," Albus argued, sticking his tongue out. He pushed past Rabastan.

"Crotchety!" The red-head called after him. Albus ignored him, grumbling to himself as he climbed the stairs to the god-awful really far away 7th floor. He went straight to the Room of Requirement, knowing that he should be relatively safe there as long as he didn't jump into the time when the entire room went up in Fiendfyre. And, really, chances of that were smaller than randomly jumping so far in the past or future that there wasn't an earth anymore, so he was as safe as could be.

Pacing in front of it, the door slowly grew across the brick, spreading like vines. Opening it, he found a perfect recreation of the Slytherin common room. Green and silver silks covered the furniture, fake windows showed scenes under the lake of fish swimming by, a fireplace roared with green fire, casting the elegant decorations in a gentle light that didn't sear the eyes like the Gryffindor common room. Closing the door behind him, Albus walked in and collapsed on the couch. His eyes closed as the exhaustion of his recent endeavors overtook him, and he drifted off into his thoughts. Around him, the world changed.

A new story idea! I don't know when I'll update this, but it really depends on reader response. Give me some story ideas too, because I have a couple strands I want to follow, but I'm definitely open to more. Future chapters won't be as jumpy, only one or two time periods per chapter and, later on, a single time might cover multiple chapters. Review please!