Harry Potter & Proper Nouns © J. K. Rowling
Summary: This is AU, and I mean way alternate. Rose Weasley mispronounces a spell, and the DADA teacher, who just happens to be her godfather, one Harry J. Potter, now 37 years old, jumps in front of the oncoming spell to save Scorpius. He's sent back to 1978, which just happens to be the Autumn the Marauders started their last year at Hogwarts.
Pairings: HPRL Est., SBRL Past, HGRW Est. Oh, and a little SMRW on the side. (Some mild DMHG one-sided)
Warnings: cursing and strong language. Male/Male romantic situations/ graphic adult scenes. (but not until later.)
Learn by Experience
Albus pressed his lips together to keep from smiling at the distraught girl about to take a trip into hysterics. Said Gryffindor was waving her hands about and stammering over her words while her curls were bouncing from the shaking in her shoulders. Quite understandably, the girl was panicking. He was very much reminded of the teen's mother, both in looks and mannerisms.
"It w-was an accident! I was trying t-to say Tempestas, b-but I said Tempus! Th-there was this light, and he just dis-disappeared! Mum is going to be s-so angry, I just know it."
The boy that stood faithfully at the girl's side held onto her hand, trying to lend his closest friend support. Once again, he was reminded of the teenagers' parents, though the boy was acting completely the opposite his father and grandfather. He turned to the young witch who was on the brink of tears.
"I can assure you that your professor is fine, Miss Weasley. Also, I have contacted your mother, and she is not cross. In fact, she might have chuckled a bit. Your godfather is a fully trained wizard, more than capable of taking care of himself, and quite resourceful. He will be perfectly fine, my dear. As I'm sure you have worked out for yourself, using tempus in the place of tempestas changed your weather charm into a time charm, and those are quite finicky. I would wager that your professor has been transported into another time. It is unlikely that he would have traveled more than fifty years in either direction."
The girl nodded shakily, not at all able to deny the fact that her godfather, who is also her professor, was plenty capable of handling any tough situation. However, whether the girl could handle a lecture from her mother just yet was undetermined.
"Now, Miss Weasley, you mother is going to arrive in my office with Mister Malfoy's father in just a moment. I imagine that you would prefer to be far from the room when that happens? Yes? Good. You have both been relieved from classes for the remainder of the day. You may want to let your brother know what has transpired. However, try not to worry overly. Harry will be just fine, take my word for it, please."
With that, young Scorpius led a docile Rose Weasley out of his office. Albus let go the urge to laugh; it had been tickling the back of the throat since he heard what had happened to Harry. The boy had been trying to give his goddaughter what little advantage he could before it became unfair to do as he was then officially her professor first, and required to forgo bias in his teaching. Young Rose had a desire to match her mother's high marks; however, unfortunately, it seemed the girl was much better in theory than in practice. Still, she had to be given credit. Not many soon-to-be fifth years would attempt a weather summoning charm, despite how badly it had ended.
His chuckling was punctuated by the roar of the Floo network. Draco Malfoy stepped out of the hearth gracefully, holding out a hand to assist Hermione Weasley, nèe Granger, as she came in right behind him. The blonde man smiled politely and nodded his head in greeting.
"Good Morning, Headmaster."
Hermione, who was understandably more comfortable around him (she hadn't tried to kill him, after all), grinned in a friendly, open manner. Her greeting was more personal, as friends tend to be.
"Hello Albus. Having an enjoyable morning?"
The woman's tone was teasing, having already heard about the events in the Defense room.
"I daresay a good sight more pleasant morning than dear Harry is having."
Draco dropped his composed façade for a moment to roll his eyes heavenward
"Only Potter."
Albus found himself agreeing, despite caring greatly for Harry. Or, perhaps he agreed because of his fondness for the boy.
"Your children were just here. Poor Rose was most distraught, certain she had doomed her godfather."
Hermione nodded.
"I'll talk to her later about the importance of proper pronunciation. How, exactly, did Harry get caught in that spell?"
Draco shifted to sit in one of the chairs before the desk.
"Oh, I have no doubt that Potter was, once again, playing the hero. Just like a Gryffindor."
Albus folded his hands.
"Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whose perspective you look at it from, you are quite correct."
Hermione joined Draco in front of the desk.
"For whom is the fact that Harry has, once again, gotten himself into incredible trouble a fortunate thing?"
Feeling like a fool for being the only one remaining standing, he rounded his desk, bestowing a pat on Fawkes' head, and took his seat.
"It is fortunate for Mister Malfoy the younger, who would be the one now somewhere unknown if not for Harry's intervention."
It amused him to see Hermione raise an eyebrow in Draco's direction. It was a clear as you were saying? gesture. It was nice to see the two getting along at last, as their children seemed to be joined at the hip these days. Certainly, it was the best relationship that had ever existed between a Malfoy and a Weasley. Rose and Scorpius were breaking ground at Hogwarts, as a Gryffindor/Slytherin romance was a rarity, even these many years later.
Curiously, Hermione began to fidget. It had been nearly twenty years since the girl had graduated, and yet, her nervous tells were exactly the same. Whatever was bothering the girl, she was most reticent to expose herself.
"I hope you don't mind, but I Floo-called Remus already. He would be even more upset if I had waited to tell him."
Albus nodded, understanding. Many years previous, Harry had gotten into trouble with Frenrir Greyback. There was an attack where the then 17 year old Harry Potter was taken hostage. When they found the boy, he had been scarred badly, and bitten several times out of spite. The bond that had been formed as mentor and pupil between Harry and Remus grew in the face of adjusting to that new life, becoming infinitely stronger and essential for both wizards. It wasn't long before their dependence in one another took a turn into romantic feelings. Of course, Harry was then 18, well beyond the age of consent, even in the Muggle world, but that did not lessen the scandal one bit.
Molly had fairly disowned Harry, her plans for her daughter gone up on smoke, though it had been known for quite a long time that Harry had no intentions of dating or marrying the youngest Weasley child. It would be many months, all of them full of tension and hurt feelings, when Remus approached his mate's once adoptive mother. They had met in this very office, a neutral territory for both, as the atmosphere at the Burrow had taken a hostile and unfriendly air.
Remus stood before the short woman, strong enough to hold her angry gaze where not many others could, including her own children. He shook his head sadly.
"If I could give Harry up so that this would end, I might. I hate seeing him so helpless and heartbroken. You are the only mother Harry's ever really known; you and Arthur were the first adults to care for him in that manner, and genuinely as a person. If my letting him go would mean that you both stopped hurting one another, I could do it. It would ruin me, but I could do it, for Harry.
"However, I'm not going to do that. For whatever reason, and your guess is as good as mine, Harry's chosen me, and I'm not daft enough to ignore that. You want me to leave him for his own good, but I respect him enough to never take away his right to make his own decisions. There are plenty of people who have done that in his life, and I will never be one of them. I'm here for however long he wants me. The fact that Harry is willing to quarrel with you, a woman he's viewed as his own mother for years, and risk having a fall out with his only family, tells me that he has not made this choice lightly.
Oh, and Harry wished me to tell you that he will stay away from the Burrow unless asked. He doesn't want his choices to make things harder for anyone else."
It hadn't taken long after that for Molly to come around. A few months later, the press stopped caring and things settled down. Remus, with Harry's encouragement and support had opened a bookstore nearby in Hogsmeade village. Harry realized early on that a life fighting dark wizards wasn't what he wanted. He took a few years traveling and studying Defense around the world, with Remus at his side. When the two returned, Remus had many rare magical tomes to add to his Special Texts section in his shop, and Albus offered Harry the Defense Against the Dark Arts position immediately. It seemed that Harry had a knack for breaking curses. Almost fifteen years had gone by, and Harry would still rather jump in front of a student than cast a shield charm.
Albus dragged himself back to the present. His two ex-students were watching the Headmasters' portraits. He cleared his throat to get their attention again.
"How did Remus respond?"
At times, the older werewolf could be excessively protective of his younger mate. Only some of that could be attributed to their lycanthropy. The fact that Remus was, at times, insecure, meant that he held on to his closest family and friends tightly. Losing his school-friends was a large blow to his confidence, but Harry was the best at encouraging Remus to meet new people and try new things.
"He took it quite well, actually. He rolled his eyes and sighed, muttering about ordering more Shielding Technique textbooks for the shop. I think he's come to expect chaos around Harry."
Hermione refrained from adding like the rest of us, though they were all thinking it. Draco spoke suddenly.
"Well, it's not as if we can do anything but wait. It is entirely up to Potter to reverse the spell. I do wonder, however, when he landed."
Albus was sure they had all thought the same thing at some point this morning. He felt a sudden pang of guilt, as he knew exactly when Harry landed in the timeline. His memory was fading in his old age, but he certainly could remember a stranger landing bottom-first on his carpet nearly 41 years ago.
"It's good that Severus made Potter memorize the Wolfsbane formula after he was turned."
Hermione nodded, though she grimaced.
"And even though we were sure Professor Snape was going to just kill Harry and be done with it, it is a boon that he made the idiot practice it until he could brew it with a blindfold."
They all grinned, remembering the shouting coming from the Potions classroom, which, if Harry was extremely unlucky, would precede an explosion, and then more shouting. Somehow, and it was still mostly unknown to everyone but Remus, that time of forced companionship forged a new friendship between the former enemies. It was strange, the way the two would trade banter and insults. The first time they had dared to do so around others ended in hilarity, as Minerva jumped in front of Harry, willing to defend him from whatever attack Severus could form. Severus claimed that the dumbfounded look on his old professor's face was worth the entire thing. Hermione stood suddenly and slapped her hands together, jolting them all from their reminiscing.
"Well, I'm going to find Rose and calm her down. If I know her, she's downright panicked that she's somehow hurt Harry. I sometimes worry that she's too much like me, worrying needlessly over small things, but then Hugo blows something up, and I thank the stars that she is."
They all waved goodbye to her as she breezed out of the door. Draco took that as his cue to stand as well; however, Albus stilled him with an extended hand.
"One moment, Mister Malfoy. I meant to inquire as to if you were aware how close your Scorpius is to the young Miss Weasley."
He was quite interested to see Draco flush.
"Quite. I believe his words were: "I love her, so you'd best get over your antiquated pureblood ideals and personal grudges." He has every intention of joining the Weasley and Malfoy lines."
Albus raised an eyebrow. Lucius would be most displeased, and that was putting it lightly. Merlin knew that Abraxas was rolling in his grave.
"Your thoughts?"
The younger man shrugged; it was a gesture that showed him ill-at-ease with the entire situation.
"If Potter and Severus can form a friendship, anything is possible. I find myself proud that it is my son that has the courage to go after what he wants, in the face of what everyone else thinks. I never did."
As the young man looks towards the doorway, Albus realizes that there still must be a good bit of unrequited feelings lingering in Draco, despite his marriage to Astoria. Lucius's hold over Draco had always been strong. He felt just as bad for this man as he did when Draco was a child, and had to accomplish impossible tasks to earn the love and approval of his father. Unfortunately, it had been a technique that Lucius learned from his own father, Abraxas Malfoy.
"That strength comes from you, dear boy. You are more alike than you realize."
Draco blinked.
"I dearly hope not."
When the younger man bids him good day, Albus stands. He walks over to one of the many cabinets in his office, pulling a pocket watch from a hidden drawer. It has only one hand, which reads: H. Potter.
It points to the word Traveling.
Well, that's a bit of an understatement, isn't it?
All in all, things could have gone a lot worse. When he'd jumped between Scorpius and Rose's spell, he'd envisioned mangled bloody body parts, fires, and utter destruction. What he got was a bit of light and a sudden arse-first landing on the garish carpet in Albus's office. He even had both eyebrows! It could have been disastrous.
Harry cringed when he thought of Remus's reaction. After all, it was well known that he had a talent for getting into trouble. It was a legacy that he never could shake, and had eventually given up trying to. He found it much easier to embrace the chaos of his life. That didn't mean that Remus wouldn't worry, or that he wouldn't get a good tongue lashing when Remus realized he was safe. Actually, "tongue lashing" could mean quite a few things...
Well, he'd think about that later. He gingerly stood, wincing when he was standing upright. That would be an embarrassing soreness to explain.
Spotting his flame-feathered friend, Harry walked up to the phoenix's perch. Fawkes tilted his head to the side in mid-groom and peered at him. He wasn't at all surprised when the magnificent bird lifted himself off the gilded perch and graced Harry's shoulder. A shark onyx beak nudged his ear, causing Harry to laugh. After rummaging around in his robe, he gave the impatient song-bird his treat. A clearing throat broke through their camaraderie. He turned to find Albus standing in the doorway.
"Come now, sir, I know you sneak the little devil Lemon Drops when nobody's looking."
Albus merely nodded, and continued to watch him silently. It was only a moment before he noticed something different about his mentor.
"Albus, did you cut your beard? I mean, it looks good and all, but I thought you were trying to reach your knees."
The Headmaster's eyes twinkled in mirth, yet he remained quiet. Officially, Harry was confused. As a rule, Albus was rarely that quiet.
"Did Minerva hit you with a Silencing sell again? I told you not to bother her before the feast. She's always nervous about the new first-years. Remember what she did last time? I still don't know how she transfigured your hair into a mane; she won't tell me."
Albus chuckled, which put his sense of unease to rest. The elder wizard walked around his desk, taking his seat. He watched as Fawkes tried to find Harry's stash of treats. Harry, batting the nosy bird away, threw a treat up into the air to grab the phoenix's attention. Once Fawkes was back on his perch, Albus motioned to one of the seats.
"I seem to be at a distinct disadvantage."
"How so?"
The older man inclined his head towards his familiar.
"You know Fawkes, and he knows you; however, I am sure we have not had the pleasure of meeting."
Harry's eyebrows met in confusion.
"We've never met? Are you serious?"
"Quite so."
When Albus passed over the house joke, Harry knew that something was amiss with his mentor.
"It's me, Albus; it's Harry. You've known me since before I was even born!"
The Headmaster folded his hands.
"Harry…"
He flung his arms up in the air, the oldest gesture of exasperation.
"Harry James Potter, who else? Boy Who Lived, Defeater of Voldemort, Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the last 15 years and Head of Slytherin for the last 10. Your own adoptive grandson! What's wrong, Albus? Are you ill?"
He watched the light of comprehension come on his those familiar blue eyes. Finally!
"Harry Potter. Harry James Potter. That's extraordinary."
Harry pinched his nose under the bridge of his glasses.
"What is?"
Instead of answering, Albus rummaged around on his desk, finally picking up the Daily Prophet and handing it to Harry. He wondered what was so interesting about that rag, as he'd stopped getting it years ago. The headline wasn't anything spectacular; it boasted a new model broom by the Comet Company. He searched the text for whatever Albus wanted him to see. His eyes lighted on the date only briefly, but snapped back in an instant.
"1978!"
He dropped the paper, pleading with the older wizard.
"Please tell me that you're joking, sir. Tell me that this is a horrible prank set up by Rose and Scorpius to mess with my head. Please tell me that I am not at Hogwarts in 1978."
"I am afraid it is worse than you know."
Harry laughed.
"I don't see how. I'm 37, and my 17 year old parents just arrived at the castle. And Remus! And Sirius! And Peter! Oh God, Severus! Voldemort is alive again. No sir, I am perfectly aware how disastrous this is. I think it is you who doesn't know how awful this is, but how could you? I left you 41 years into the future! Damn it, Rose!"
Albus just smiled, reminding him, annoyingly, of the future Headmaster.
"I'm sure it was an accident."
Harry snorted.
"Of course it was, but I tell you this, that's the last time I pair those two together. He refuses to attack his girlfriend. It's the first time a Malfoy has refused to harm a Weasley. I know Draco is frustrated beyond belief. And I bet Lucius is near spitting. He would say something, were he not afraid Draco would throw him to the wolves. Literally."
Albus just blinked in the face of Harry's rant. What a mess. He took a deep breath.
"Well, as I've got no money other than the few galleons in my pocket, I suppose I should ask if you have need for someone well versed in Defense and Warfare. This lot could do with a little extra combat training, what with Tom gaining more support each day. Say, has the Order been formed yet?"
Albus walked around his desk and leaned against the front of it.
"The Order, and I assume you are referring to the Order of the Phoenix, is just a conceptual idea at the moment, though it is fairly apparent that it will come to fruition as planned. As for the need of extra training, I shall have to defer to your knowledge. Taking all of this into consideration, it sounds as if a Dueling course could be beneficial."
Harry considered this.
"We're talking actual dueling, not customs and traditional protocol, correct? I can assure you that even the Death Eaters with blood as pure as Malfoy's will throw the etiquette book away in the face of possible bloodshed."
Albus mulled over this new information a moment before suggesting a compromise.
"I would like to keep the younger students' lessons age appropriate."
Harry had to shrug. In his time, there hadn't really been anything such as "age appropriate" training. With people dying all around them, any amount of defensive training was a necessary tool.
"Then I would limit the classes to fifth year and above. I fought Voldemort at 15 months, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. There's no such thing as being too prepared. Constant Vigilance!"
Albus grinned for what seemed the first time.
"You know Alastor in your time?"
Harry had to bow his head a moment. He wouldn't need to explain to the elder man that his friend died a week before Harry's 17th birthday.
"Ah, I suppose it's just as well that I don't know too much. Though, the fact that Voldemort will be defeated is a comfort. May I ask when that happened?"
"I was 18."
"Incredible."
That sort of attitude wasn't something that Harry was used to getting from Albus. He found himself a little disappointed that not even the great Albus Dumbledore could resist being impressed at the most terrible experience of Harry's life.
"So, have I got the job?"
His would-be mentor smiled genially.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Mister…"
Ah. That would be a problem.
"Damarchus."
It was sometimes useful to have such a literate lover. Remus, for reasons that were perfectly understandable, had a fascination with legends of werewolves and humans who turned into wolves. Damarchus was one of Remus's favorites, because he elected to turn into a wolf after Lykaios was sacrificed. Of course, actually using Lykaios would be taking a risk, especially with the younger version of Remus around. He wasn't completely surprised when Albus took great measure to look him square in the eyes.
He no doubt came up against Harry's Occlumency shields. It took him a little by surprise, as it had been many years since Albus had been in his head.
"Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Harry had heard that many times in his youth. Unfortunately, it had taken a lamentable amount of time for him to realize that it was just best to tell the truth.
"Yes. Firstly, as I'm sure you've noticed, Legilimizing me will get you nowhere. I had a strict teacher, and I've been blocking my mind exclusively for over 20 years. I will endeavor to be completely honest with you, always. I am a werewolf. I know that you are not prejudiced towards my kind, as Remus Lupin is currently somewhere in Gryffindor tower at this moment. However, Damocles Belby invented a potion called the Wolfsbane formula, which allows a lycan to keep his or her human mind during the transformation. Normally, I just lock the door to my quarters, no password, as it must be opened from the inside, and go to sleep, much like a regular dog. It's quite amazing. The first few times I transformed, I wasn't allowed to use it. It helps with the pain, as well. If I could have access to the potions lab, preferably one of the smaller ones that Slughorn doesn't frequently use, I can make the potion easily."
Harry hesitated a little bit before he made his next suggestion. It would be unwise to really twist the timelines.
"Also, and I would appreciate your input on this, I could administer an extremely diluted version to Remus. He would never know he was taking it, but his transformation would be that much easier, and he would be able to enjoy his time in the woods around Hogsmeade. I never asked Remus if he used it when he was younger, so I have no way of knowing whether that would skew the timeline too badly."
Albus stroked his beard for a moment.
"I would like Poppy to know your plans. She is much better versed in that area. She would no doubt wish to observe it's affect on you before she allows you to administer to a student, even one that you know. Include her in your processes, and I'm sure that by the next full moon, you both will have come to some agreement."
Harry nodded, though one thing caught his attention.
"Next full moon? Do you think I'll be here that long?"
Albus gave what equated to a shrug in his book.
"It is impossible to say. Time travel is peculiar, having very many precise requirements, and infinite possible outcomes. It will take time to understand what exactly happened. For instance, why did it send you to this time? Why did it send you to the past, and not the future? That sort of thing."
Harry could only nod again. He knew all of that. Still, it seemed like such a long time. And while Remus would be here, he wasn't the Remus that Harry loved. In fact, it would most likely be harder because of that fact. When he looked up, Albus was peering at him most curiously.
"Something you wanted to ask, sir?"
For probably the first time ever, Albus looked unsure of himself.
"Your scars? I assume that they are permanent."
At first, his scars had been a hard subject to talk about. He had always been looked at strangely, and had always been uncomfortable with that, first as the freaky nephew of the Dursley family, and then as the Boy Who Lived. He lamented for a good long time about the unfairness of it all until one afternoon Severus, tired of hearing his adolescent attitude, told him to get over himself. He reminded Harry, in gruesome detail, of the many children who were not lucky enough to survive Greyback's treatment. It was enough to snap him out of his juvenile funk. Besides, Remus seemed to like them, so he really couldn't complain.
Albus interrupted that train of thought, thankfully.
"I'm sorry to offend."
He blushed and waved his hand in dismissal.
"No worries. Poppy tried, of course, but cursed scars, as you know, cannot be healed with magic."
"I wasn't aware, actually, but that does raise questions about your other scar, the one that somehow stands out from the rest. It is a quite peculiar shape, isn't it?"
Oh.
"Yes, it is."
He still came upon children who stole their mother's makeup, or just reached for the felt-tips and drew lightning bolt shapes on their foreheads. It was annoying, and humbling.
"Might I ask how you came to gain that particular one?"
Harry chewed on his lip.
"I survived the Killing Curse, and that's all I can tell you about that."
Albus's eyes sparkled in his excitement and curiosity, but he nodded none the less.
"Understood."
Harry suddenly laughed, and the Headmaster gave him a questioning look.
"Besides, my scars are a good way to introduce the first-years to Defense."
"I imagine they are somewhat afraid."
More like terrified.
"Yes, until one of my older students, often my godson or goddaughter and her boyfriend, pranks my hair a different color and I fail to notice it in time. Pink seems to be the favorite color."
Albus chuckled good-naturedly.
"I daresay you'll fit right in here. I should warn you, though you most likely know better than I of our group of pranksters."
He had to rub his hands together conspiratorially.
"James Potter is the little ringleader, or so I've heard. Sirius Black will do anything for a laugh. Peter Pettigrew is a faithful lackey, and goes along with anything James says. And then there's Remus Lupin. He looks like the innocent one in the gang, but he's their master behind the pranks. He can time a Dung-bomb down to the second. The Marauders will be a legend for decades, inspiring new pranksters who will drive Filch crazy."
The headmaster nodded.
"Precisely, though I was under the impression that Mister Lupin merely tolerated his friends' pranks."
"He's got you by the beard, old man. Remus is the real wolf in sheep's clothing. Literally, no teenager should own that many wool sweaters."
Albus smiled again, seemingly finding something he liked.
"I admit to being a bit surprised that anyone with such a problem could hold such a prestigious position."
When Harry spoke, he could hear the pride in his own voice.
"The Marauders will pave the way for werewolf tolerance. Remus becomes the DADA professor in my third year, 1995. Then, after I graduate, there's an influx of children infected, due to Voldemort giving Greyback the opportunity to play. He's the one who bit me, repeatedly, just for fun. I have no guilt for putting that rabid dog down. Some of those children were quite young, younger than Remus was. The Wizarding world wanted his blood. Then they had no choice but to accept werewolves. It helped that their Savior was one himself. And when the bloody Savior of the Wizarding world demands that the Anti-Werewolf legislation be abolished, the Minister listens."
"Savior?"
Harry grinned, and it was dark and promised retribution.
"Me."
A nod is his only response. Albus motions towards the door, indicating that they are leaving. Fawkes trills his goodbye, making Harry smile and the elder man chuckle.
"He obviously dotes on you."
Harry can feel the wistful smile that crosses his face, remembering the fire-bird as he rescued Harry and his friends down in the Chamber. Speaking of which, there was a 50 ft Basilisk slumbering down there at the moment.
"He saved my life once."
Albus nods, trusting the truth of Harry's words.
"You're just in time for the Welcoming Feast. The elves will prepare your rooms and classroom tonight, and you can begin teaching in the morning. We'll adjust the student's schedules. This time tomorrow, you'll have met your parents, in all their 17 year-old glory."
Albus grinned like a fool, and Harry grimaced. I'll meet my parents, the person who betrayed them, my godfather, and my lover.
"I can't wait."
Save Russian Jews, Win Prizes… and Review!
(By the way: Astoria isn't a Mary-sue for Draco. She's actually the woman he married. She's Daphane Greengrass's younger sister. J. K. Rowling put her on the family tree on her website.)