Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor am I associated with her publishers. I make no profit from this writing. All OCs and plot belong to me.
reminder: this story is placed a month after the final battle in Deathly Hallows
Chapter 3: a Fortnight
A pattern was established: they all—time travelers and parental group— met in the common room to go to breakfast and since they had most of their classes together they walked to them too. Emma, Neville, and Harry, to their relief, got along well with their parents and the marauders, hanging out between classes and after supper. Lupin and Emily noticed Emma would occasionally disappear in the afternoons, but Neville and Harry wouldn't tell anyone why or where she went.
Emma also put up with Sirius' flirting. "It's because you are new and he hasn't worked his charm on you yet," Emily told her while they walked down from the dorms to meet with others to go to breakfast.
"Not to mention the fact you are pretty," Lily added. "Sirius is a sucker for a pretty face."
"Is it true you have an over-protective boyfriend back home?" Emily asked. Emma nodded. "What's he like?"
"Well, he is the everyone-thinks-I'm-a-bad-guy-but-I'm-really-multi-faceted-if-you-take-the-time-to-look," Emma said.
"Oh, everyone likes a bad boy," Lily said.
"Especially when the bad boy isn't really bad. Is he cute?" Emily asked.
"Dreamy," Emma said happily as they reached the common room to find the Marauders, Frank, Alice, Neville, and Harry.
"So how are you related, again?" James asked the trio curiously. The marauders couldn't rest until they pieced together this newest puzzle.
"Cousins," the three said quickly.
"All of you?" Lily wondered. The trio nodded. "So you and you," she pointed to Harry and Neville, "are cousins? And you and you are cousins to each other," she pointed to Harry and Emma, "and you and you are also cousins?" she pointed between Emma and Neville. It was like a triangle, she decided.
"Pure blood families are like that. Sirius and us are related distantly," Emily gestured between Sirius, James, and herself. Emily and James were first cousins, their dads were brothers; and the Potter and Black families were related somehow, making them fourth cousins.
"But you are all in the same family?" Peter asked, scrunching his nose up.
"Cousins," Harry and Neville said again.
Trying to take the focus off the trio, Emma decided to show some faux curiosity about the others. "You and James are also cousins, right? The Potters are related to the Blacks?" She walked out of the portrait first with Sirius nipping at her heels.
"Well, they disowned me, but yeah, the Blacks are like most pureblood families—intermarried so much we are all one big pool at this point," Sirius grinned, leaning closer to Emma.
"In that case, we are also probably distantly related," Emma shifted slightly so it wouldn't encourage Sirius. He seemed to take it as a challenge. Instead, she focused on Lily, who was uncomfortable with all the talk of purebloodness and family ties. She caught Lily sneaking a quick, sad glance towards the Slytherin table when they walked into the Great Hall where Snape was sitting with Nott.
"You're family must be real proud of you, Lily," Emma spoke softly. "It always comes as a surprise to muggles to discover magic is real."
"It was a shock," Lily nodded with a small smile.
"You wouldn't know she was muggle born, she's brilliant at practically everything," James praised, making Lily stare at him as if trying to figure out if he was sincere.
"We have a friend like that. Muggle born but there isn't a spell she can't do," Neville smiled, thinking of Hermione.
"Except the Patronus," Emma interjected making Harry laugh.
Several choked on their pumpkin juice. "Patronus? That's bloody difficult, though. Especially a fully corporeal one," Lupin said amazed. "You know someone—a student— who can?"
"I know a dozen of them," Harry shrugged, but Neville was quick to point out Harry's accomplishments: "he taught a lot of us, Harry could do them since third year."
"Emma too," Harry quickly pointed out, not wanting to be in the spotlight alone. This was supposed to be the year he wasn't in the spotlight.
Everyone stared at them in shock. "What do they look like?" Frank asked curiously.
"It isn't that difficult, not as difficult, say, as becoming an animagous," Harry hedged, looking at his father and godfather.
The marauders chuckled and brushed it off, clearly not thinking Harry had any clue what he was talking about. "Two different types of magic," Emily said, studying the trio. "Transfiguration versus defense. And you need a hell of a lot of concentration to pull off a patronus in the type of dire circumstances they're needed."
"So true," Emma sighed. She gathered up her books as she finished off the last of her pumpkin juice and stood.
"Wait, I'll walk with you," Lupin stood, getting his book bag. It made sense to him since he was also in theory with Emma.
"Okay," Emma nodded with a small smile. Emily studied the girl; it was as if Emma took a breath and started to build a wall around herself, her façade becoming more distant, more emotionally detached. She watched and wondered what it was that caused Emma to pull away like that. She did it occasionally, but most especially around Lupin.
And me Emily realized.
She grabbed an apple and followed Lupin and Emma up the grand staircase to class since her classroom was on the way to Lupin's and Emma's. Emily decided to try to draw the girl into conversation and break through the invisible barrier it seemed no one else had noticed. How could no one else in the school notice?
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Jane climbed the hill up to the castle, vowing next time she would make a portkey that took her directly to the headmaster's office. No, the scenery is lovely, enjoy it she told herself. A part of her would love to transfigure into her wolf and just run through the woods. Even just the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest would be amazing to run through.
Thinking of the forest, though, brought up the memory of the last time she had been in it. Diane had abused her on the forest's edge, and she had lost her sight inside thanks to Aoibheal. She couldn't shake the feeling, though, of what Diane had done.
So she continued on to the castle, thoughts of running through the forest forgotten. She had a plethora of forests in her own country, and countless more in other countries, to run through. She didn't need to run through and face those memories.
Jane unknowingly followed the same path to the headmaster's office so many others had made already that day. She had only been to Dumbledore's office once before and it had been in immaculate (if slightly disorganized) order, not smashed and crumbling as it was now.
Pushing open the door, Jane was startled to see Draco arguing with the portrait of Dumbledore. "Just sending her off like that?" Draco asked.
"I have every faith that Miss O'Neill is perfectly fine. Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom, too, if you have any deep hidden concern for them as well," Dumbledore smiled.
"How do you even know?" Luna asked serenely, not doubting him but immensely curious.
"Ah, Ms. Johnson," McGonagall said from behind the large oak desk. "We are all here at last, then," she inclined her head to indicate Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood.
"Uh…what is going on?" Jane asked deciding not to beat around the bush. "And hello to everyone, but I have no idea why a portrait would summon me half-way around the world."
"Emma is gone." Simply stated, a terse glance at the portrait, and a deep fear of what that meant all came from Draco.
"Gone how?" Jane worried.
"It is like when she would go off on her spell or talk to the fae. She just isn't here. But it only ever lasted a minute at the most. It's been longer."
"So where did she go? I mean, you're here," Jane quickly rationalized, "so she has to be alright…"
"Ask him," Draco nodded towards Dumbledore.
"Harry and Neville are also gone," Ginny spoke up.
"What about Ron and Hermione?" Jane asked. "And what has that to do with me?"
"Ron and Hermione are both here and fine. Well, not here, they were with mum."
Asking again seemed pointless, so Jane just stared at Dumbledore, willing him to answer what the hell she was doing there.
"I believed you would benefit from a little vacation as well. The same reward Harry, Neville, and Emma are on now," Dumbledore said.
"Reward?" Ginny wondered. "But the ministry has already awarded Harry and the others."
"My own reward, or thank you, for Harry because of the extremely burdensome and dangerous task I bestowed upon him. And to Emma and Neville for the work they did in the war. This reward was appropriate for all three of them, a unique opportunity. But, alas, it seems some bonds are too strong to be … spread out. So I will present you with two choices. The first is the simplest: wait for Harry, Emma, and Neville to return. It will only be a few minutes."
"Just wait?" Ginny repeated.
"Wait for what?" Draco asked. "We have been waiting to learn what has happened, and you have evaded telling us even that much."
"Have you thought that perhaps even just these few moments apart would be good for both of you?" Dumbledore asked.
"Probably. It doesn't tell me where she is and if she is okay, though," Draco pointed out.
Dumbledore nodded, as if satisfied with Draco's acknowledging that a break from their bond was a good thing. "I have gifted the three with the opportunity to meet their parents."
Jane, Luna, Ginny, and Draco looked at Dumbledore as if the portrait had gone senile. Even Luna seemed to find the idea a bit fanciful. "You didn't bring them back as Emma did Cedric," Ginny rationalized. "They are dead. How then can that happen? Especially with the resurrection stone gone?"
Jane was beginning to find all this too intriguing to worry about why she was called.
"I used a complex spell to send the three back in time to when their parents were seventh years. It will return them to this time after the school year. They will have plenty of quality time to learn of their parents, and return only missing a few moments in this time. So you can wait comfortably for your friends to return."
"And option two?" Draco asked.
"If you highly insist on joining your friends, arrangements can be made."
Draco looked to McGonagall, decision already made even before Dumbledore had given the option. "This decision is for all of you, it should not be made lightly because although only a short time here will be lost, you will have to live the entire year in the past. It will be real to you even if not to the people of the past," Dumbledore cautioned, getting ready to withdraw himself from the portrait.
"Wait," Jane practically yelled, jumping forward. "Why would you summon me here?"
"Why should the sacrifices you made be worth any less than those of your friends?" Dumbledore asked her.
"Read this, then make your decision," McGonagall said handing Luna the scroll. With a look to Dumbledore she walked outside.
"Even as a bloody portrait he is still manipulating everyone," Draco frowned.
Luna unscrolled and read a shorter version of what Harry, Neville, and Emma had read. This letter only contained detailed instructions on how to travel with the warning that no one from the past would remember what happens, only the time travelers.
"Be sure to think about the reasons you are going before you take a trip such as this," Dumbledore's last words to the quartet.
Just as the four reached a consensus and were about to tap their wands to the parchment, the door burst open and Cedric was there frowning at Jane. Smirking, she tapped her wand with the others, disappearing right before him.
Her smirk quickly disappeared—or would have, but had literally frozen in place in some macabre twist— as she was pulled backwards. When their wands had once been practically touching each other on the parchment, they were now pulled what felt like miles apart even if you could see each other clearly. It was the strangest sensation as the wind whipped like knives and the moisture in the air condensed on her skin. Jane looked up to see Luna, who had been on her right, Ginny across from her, and Draco on her left, each on separate sides of a giant plane.
The scroll still felt like parchment in her hand but looked so out of proportion. She wanted to grasp someone's hand just to reassure herself they were indeed still right there even as they looked miles apart.
I've fallen through the looking glass was all Jane could think.
After being dunked by ooze and feeling like she was part of the muggle game shows (Nickelodeon, was it? She wondered), she landed rather harshly on her backside.
"I think we're not in Kansas anymore," Jane coughed. "Although, if we are in Wonderland, I really want to meet the Mad Hatter."
"They should have painted dizible roses, they would change colors with the seasons," Luna provided dreamily. "And if you pollinate them using bettle bees they can develop spots resembling a cheetah."
Draco couldn't help but think he didn't need to be hearing about cheetah roses at the moment. Ginny seemed to share his thought as they quickly came to their feet.
As if the enormity of her decision finally hit her, Ginny paused for a moment. "No going back at this point, Weaslette," Draco drawled. He didn't think Ginny was the type for self-doubt, but some insults should get her to forget about them.
"I think it's about time for lunch," Luna decided as she walked towards the doors to the Great Hall. The clatter inside indicated a lot of students were already there eating the midday meal.
"Do we have anything too futuristic?" Jane asked, staring at her shoes.
"They won't remember it," Draco reminded her.
"And you want to risk it? What if some freak accident happens and the wrong person develops the next Cleansweep and the Firebolt never gets invented?" Jane questioned.
"Then Potter won't get the broom before me," Draco pointed out.
"He won't win the second task, then, and Cedric won't die, and who knows how that will change everything," Jane rationalized.
"Fine, we will find seventies era clothing as soon as we find Emma," Draco agreed. "Merlin help me."
The Great Hall was not filled to capacity, but enough students were there to ensure gossip would spread quickly. The largest group at the Gryffindor table was the Marauders, Frank, and Alice, Harry, Neville, and Emma.
Sirius seemed intent on getting Emma's attention but she sat up straight. A tickle of excitement akin to a shot of static electricity zapped Harry's and Neville's arms, who were sitting closest. They turned to see what was wrong, but saw Emma climbing out of her seat.
Everyone turned to see what had caught her attention at the door. For the others, it was a major curiosity since it was the most emotion Emma had shown since they had known her.
Emma met Draco halfway, wrapping her arms around his neck as his held her tightly. "Who the bloody hell is that?" Sirius wondered.
Harry and Neville both jumped at seeing the rather odd group. Harry took a step forward, then stopped not realizing what he should do upon seeing Ginny. They had confessed their feelings hadn't changed but he had no clue what their status was. Dating? Casual? He had already run up and kissed her in front of a crowd once.
Neville and Luna seemed slightly at odds, too. They had only just confessed their feelings for each other after the battle. But Neville used some of that new found courage and went up to hug her. "I can't believe you're here! Any of you!" he said happily.
"I don't think any of us believe it, either," Ginny said, looking between the two couples. She was beginning to think this was a bad idea coming. Harry probably would have preferred Ron and Hermione to come. Coming was a huge statement of her feelings (she wouldn't follow just anyone twenty years into the past, after all) and she wasn't afraid of taking chances. But with Harry just standing there gawking at her she was beginning to think this was a mistake.
"Hey, at least you came to go to someone. I came to get away from someone," Jane whispered to Ginny. Ginny did a double take, forgetting for a minute the yankee was also an empath.
Ginny decided not to point out Cedric was certainly the type to follow. Whether it was because he felt responsible for America's first daughter, or for other reasons, she didn't know.
"We…" Jane froze, her breathing stopped as she balled her hands into fists.
"Jane?" Ginny asked, reaching out, concerned.
Emma came up quickly, looking to what had distressed her friend. "She gives me the same…oh Morgana!" Emma realized, her own knees buckling.
"What?" Neville asked confused.
A short mental conversation later and Draco nodded. "We should talk to Dumbledore. He is probably curious who the rest of us are."
Linking her arm through Jane's, Emma led her out of the hall. "I can't do this. I don't even know why I am here," Jane shook her head.
"You were never one to run from anything."
"That was before her!" Jane gasped, hysterical.
Emma whispered to Jane as they walked up to the headmaster's office, a trek familiar to all of them at this point.
Dumbledore didn't seem surprised. "I have been most curious if my future self was settled upon just you three. I trust you understand the effects of the spell?"
"That the others from this time won't remember any of this, yes," Ginny nodded.
"Since it shouldn't disrupt the spell, should we introduce ourselves?" Jane wondered.
"I am most curious," Dumbledore admitted.
"Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, and Jane Johnson," Harry introduced the quartet. He couldn't help but think Dumbledore was expecting them.
"Well, I fear you are behind in your studies, unless you are all repeating the previous year?" Dumbledore asked.
"Behind?" Jane repeated.
"They have been here for a fortnight," Draco announced, a hint of annoyance belying his normal tone.
"We only left minutes after you," Luna wondered, amazed.
"The spell was set to transport people to a particular day and time. If you had followed immediately after, the four of you would have arrived at this particular moment still," Dumbledore calmly explained.
"Is there anything else we need to know?" Jane asked.
"Your friends have decided to change their names, although I will repeat what I told them: I believe it is unnecessary. They all reside in Gryffindor."
"Figures," Draco sighed.
"You have the option of being placed in your old houses, or resorted," Dumbledore rested his fingertips in a pyramid as he studied the eclectic group before him.
'So I have to decide to betray Slytherin by becoming a Gryffindor, and I have to become something other than a Malfoy or a Black' Draco thought.
"I don't need to change my last name, I have no relatives here," Jane decided. "But…" well, maybe she didn't want to be Jane Johnson here, victim of empathic rape and daughter of world leader extraordinaire. "I most definitely don't want to be placed into the house I was sorted into," Jane announced. She purposely avoided Emma's look, not wanting to have to explain to her friend when she had been sorted. Not yet, at least.
"I was also a Gryffindor, so I will stay," Ginny decided. She couldn't see herself as a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, and the fact she could see herself as a Slytherin was a bit frightening. "I don't know about my name, my parents are both graduated so I'm not related to anyone here."
"It is my understanding the Weasleys are an extended family, you could pass as a cousin, perhaps?" Dumbledore asked.
"I am the first girl in the family in a long time, no one would believe me," Ginny feared.
"I doubt anyone is carrying around the Pureblood Family Chronicles to double check that on you," Draco pointed out.
"Okay, I'll stay Ginny Weasley," Ginny decided. "I'll just say I am a very distant relative, surely my family isn't infamous as the redheaded Weasleys yet," she smiled. She had the evil thought of taking the name Potter just to see what Harry's reaction would be, but kept that thought to herself.
"My mother is in school, still. A sixth year I believe, so I need a new name," Luna thought happily.
"Nargle?" Draco suggested, smirking.
Luna pondered it for a moment. "Nargles are not a good omen," she decided, rejecting the idea. She turned to Jane. "If you are not using your last name, may I? It is a perfectly good surname and no one here will be any wiser. We could be cousins."
"It's all yours," Jane nodded.
"That was my idea," Draco sighed. "I can't be a Malfoy or a Black."
"You and Luna could pass as cousins more easily than I," Jane decided. With her raven black hair, high cheek bones, and a lack of aristocratic features, she had no features in common with Luna or Draco. "You can both be Johnsons. I'll be Jane Williams."
"So we have Draco and Luna Johnson, Ginny Weasley, and Jane Williams," Dumbledore smiled, enjoying the conversation. Since no one would remember this when the septuplet left, he found the thought process they were all putting into this amusing.
"What are your names?" Ginny asked Harry.
"Uh…we are all O'Neills," Harry laughed. "We are passing off as cousins."
"Not that farfetched, then," Ginny nodded.
They followed Dumbledore back down the stairs to the Great Hall, and since most of the student body were in attendance, Dumbledore announced their presence. At the last minute, Draco surprised everyone by telling Dumbledore he belonged in Slytherin. Not batting an eyelash, Dumbledore announced, and as the prefect for Slytherin came up the same time as Lily and James, Dumbledore said: "I hope that all of you will make our very special guests feel most welcome."
"So …" Peter asked trying to piece together all the names.
"Draco and Luna Johnson, Ginny Weasley, and Jane Williams," Lily introduced the new students.
"How are you two related?" Alice asked Luna kindly. Beyond the blonde hair she couldn't see a resemblance so she guessed they weren't siblings.
"Cousins," Draco and Luna said (Draco slightly tersely, Luna very dreamy).
"Of course," Sirius sighed.
"Wait, Weasley. Wasn't there an Arthur Weasley a few years ahead of us?" Frank remembered. "I was pretty sure he had all brothers, though."
"Cousin…" Ginny began but everyone groaned.
"Wizard genetics are totally bonkers," Lily declared. "Pretty soon, I'm going to find a cousin I'm related to here at Hogwarts."
"I am not related to anyone," Jane announced happily, her eyes dancing in merriment behind her rose tinted glasses.
"Is this your boyfriend, Emma?" Lily asked happily, studying Draco. He definitely fit the description: dreamy, athletic, bad-boy attitude.
Sirius was the only one surprised with the announcement, his forkful of food missed his mouth.
His reaction was greeted with feminine laughter as introductions were made and people took seats to each lunch. Emma watched Draco go off to the Slytherin table, confused. Jane felt sick to her stomach and looked everywhere except the Slytherin table. She ignored the blatant stares of her glasses—but realized that it was the 70s, she might be getting some envious stares for the first time in her life. She tried to focus on her friends and the entirely crazy situation they found themselves in.
Jane watched as Luna talked quietly, excitedly with Neville. Emma kept looking towards the Slytherin table, a small frown gracing her face. Jane felt nothing and wondered if Emma and Draco were having a mental conversation. Sitting between Ginny and Lily, Jane looked between the two redheads. Then at Harry and his father. Woah. Crazy! Jane laughed.
"Why is a yankee studying abroad?" Sirius asked curiously.
Jane smiled. "I've been everywhere, so why not come to Hogwarts?"
"Where have you been?" Lupin asked curiously.
"China, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Madagascar, Egypt, South Africa, France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Brazil…."
Sirius laughed. "And you chose to come to dreary Scotland to go to school?"
"Well, my first choice was California," Jane said honestly. "Things just happen sometimes. Que Sera, Sera," Jane shrugged happily.
"Your glasses are great," Alice said, jealousy tingeing her words. Jane nearly choked; it wasn't the usual reaction she got.
"You should see what she wears on New Years," Emma smirked.
"Do you have your timetables yet?" Frank asked as they got prepared to go to afternoon classes.
The newest timetravelers pulled out their time sheets. Their schedules were pretty much identical, Jane was the only one with an extra class as she took Theory with Emma. Lupin, Sirius, James, and Frank stayed behind as the girls took the exchange students on to class. "That makes four mages now; and I'm pretty sure I saw Order of Merlin, First Class on the two new girls' robes," Frank whispered.
"This is too weird. They are all too young, how the bloody hell did four of them get Order of Merlin, let alone Mage?" Sirius wondered.
"Nothing has happened, at least publicly, that would have earned someone either of those awards," Lupin decided. If someone had done something so marvelous to earn such a huge award it would have been in the papers.
"Is it just me, or is Lily finally warming up to you?" Sirius teased James as they caught up with their friends. It led to laughter and teasing of both James and Lily before entering their history class.
After an afternoon of classes, Jane was famished. Curiosity had always left her hungry. The group at the Gryffindor table was opening, she thought happily as she took a seat next to Emma. She wanted to be close to Emma for emotional support; this had to be such a huge, marvelous adventure for her.
The food had just arrived when a sweetly menacing presence fell over the group. Everyone turned to look at the Slytherin girl who stood behind Ginny and Luna. "Seriously, are there any more of you coming?" Diane asked. "I mean…wow. How did all of you manage to snatch a Mage robe?"
Emma felt Jane stiffen but didn't reach out to acknowledge or comfort her friend, not wanting Diane to realize Jane's discomfort. If they were lucky, really lucky, Diane wouldn't realize how uncomfortable Jane was. Make that, how nauseatingly frightened Jane was.
"Mage insignia is one of a dozen items that cannot be magically duplicated, Diane," Emily said haughtily. She had always found the Slytherin girl a right pain in the arse (despite the fact everyone else in the school seemed to fawn over her), but to come up and look for a fight?
"I didn't say duplicate, Potter, I said stole. I'll keep it simple for all of you," Diane smiled. "I'm just impressed, it doesn't seem like something Gryffindors would do. Most impressive," she waved, smirking, as she sauntered back to her table where her boyfriend of the week was waiting.
Jane let out a breath, Emma squeezing her hand. How am I suppose to get through a whole entire school year? Jane wondered.
As always, a HUGE thank you to everyone who reads and reviews! Hopefully once the semester ends next month I'll have more time to write!