Summary: During the battle at the Ministry, Dumbledore hits Harry with an unknown spell that sends him back to 1941 – Riddle's fifth year at Hogwarts. While Harry adjusts to life under the tyranny of Grindlewald, a woman with ties to Voldemort and Dumbledore tells the story of how she and her friends met and befriended a mysterious young man by the name of Hadrian Verlack. But as the story progresses, Sirius begins to wonder – are Hadrian and Harry the same person? And if they are, what will that mean for when Harry returns?

Disclaimer: I do not (unfortunately) own Harry Potter, everything recognizable belongs to J.K. Rowling

Spells whizzed over his head as he cowered behind the statue. The tell-tale flashes of light momentarily ceased, and Harry made the mistake of locking gazes with Dumbledore. The last thing he sees before everything goes black is a woman with strawberry blonde hair running towards him, screaming his name. Then the floor beneath him disappeared and he felt the familiar jerk behind his naval.

The Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry, and the DA watched in stunned disbelief as the woman, who had earlier been so intent on saving Harry, now turned on Albus Dumbledore.

"What. Did. You. Do?" she demanded angrily. Voldemort attempted to apparate out while she was distracted, but she turned on him, her wand raised. "Don't. Move." she snarled. The Dark Lord froze and the woman rounded back on the Headmaster.

"Answer me old man!" she hissed, sparks from her wand dangerously close to igniting his ridiculously long beard. Dumbledore twinkled at her.

"Miss Marks, I have no idea what you mean –"

"Don't lie to me! Tom's focus was entirely on you! None of his spells strayed towards Harry! Not to mention your "shield" should have prevented him from hitting Harry! Tell. Me. What. You. Did!"

"I sent him to the past." he answered hurriedly. Snarling once again, she cursed him before turning on Voldemort, who stood stiffly, waiting for her to turn her rage on him. She didn't disappoint. She immediately began firing hexes at him.

"What – the – bleeding hell – were – you – thinking!" she punctuated each word with a spell, eventually hitting him with a stinging hex and gaining a shocking – to everyone else – yelp from the Dark Lord.

"Damn it woman! Why are you so bloody violent?"

"THOMAS MARVOLO RIDDLE!"

He cowered, but before he could speak, Bellatrix decided to interfere on her master's behalf.

"How dare you –"

"Bellatrix Alexandra Black Lestrange! I helped bring you into the world and I will have no problem taking you out. Stand down! Thomas!" she turned back to Voldemort, "Get out of my sight." she hissed, "I don't want to see you until you've pulled your head out of your bloody arse!"

Voldemort grabbed Bellatrix by the arm and disapperated. She turned on the crowd, which had grown significantly, watching her with their mouths open. Crossing her arms, she raised a brow.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" she snapped, "Don't you have jobs to do? And Cornelius," she added, seeing the Minister trying to slink out of the crowd. "a word." He paled, but gestured for her to follow him to his office. The Order watched, stunned, as she followed him. Then they remembered Sirius and hurried to the veil room to get him out of the Ministry. Now.

Several hours later, the front door of Number 12 Grimauld Place opened and the portrait of Lady Black was opened. Sirius, groaning, pulled himself from his firewhiskey and made his way towards the portrait of his deceased mother. Before he could reach the kitchen doors, however, he heard a familiar voice over the shrieking of the mad woman. A voice he hadn't heard since his godson was born.

"Wally, darling, I love you dearly, but please, do shut up. You sound like a banshee."

At the sound of the teasing drawl, a real smile – the first that wasn't reserved solely for Harry – spread across his face and he ran up the stairs, shouting,

"'Lexi!"

A husky chuckle greeted him as he slammed into the slender body of his father's best friend. Her arms wrapped around him to return the embrace.

"Siri. It's been way too long."

He pulled back to get a good look at her, keeping his hold on her. He grinned roguishly at her.

"It has been. You haven't aged a day!"

She laughed, shoving him gently.

"Sirius! You do brighten an old lady's day. You're a certainly a charmer, Sirius Black, just like your father."

He rolled his eyes, tucking the woman into his side and leading her to the kitchen, she sent an apologetic look to his mother over his shoulder.

"You're not old, 'Lexi."

She smirked.

"Then what would you call sixty-nine years of age, Sirius?"

His grin returned.

"Experienced, of course!"

She laughed at that.

"You really are remarkably like your father, Sirius." she sighed, leaning against the younger man, "At least, what he was like when were at school. Before Hadrian disappeared."

Sirius frowned.

"Who was Hadrian? You're always sad when you mention him."

She laughed softly.

"He'll kill me for that when he gets back." she told him, a strange light in her eyes, "And it's who is he, Sirius, not who was he. He's still alive, I'm sure of it. He just... disappeared one day and never came back. We all fell apart when he left. Tom, your parents, Abraxus, and I took it the hardest. We never could find him, no matter how hard we tried or how far we looked. That's where I've been, you know – looking for him. I didn't, of course, but I will eventually. He'll come back eventually."

"But who is he?" Sirius asked again as they entered the kitchen. Sirius was the only there, so the room was empty. She smiled suddenly, lighting up the dim, dingy room.

"He was our best friend. The glue that held our little group together. The one that kept Tom connected to reality... to his sanity. If you want, I can tell you about him."

Sirius studied her, then gestured to a chair with a nod of his head while he fetched her a drink. She grinned when he handed her an unopened bottle.

"Well, the way we met him wasn't exactly what you would call "normal"..." she began, a fond, amused expression on her face.

AN: This is my first "Harry goes back to Voldemort's time" fic, so please review.