Disclaimer: HarryPotter belongs to J.K Rowling. Obviously.
Author's Note: Not your average Time-Travel fanfiction. I've read quite a few and I've not come across one like this. If you do know of one please let me know, I'd be interested to read it. Also, if you are interested in being my BETA for this fic, please leave a message to that effect in a review. Thank you.
Thank you weeksauce. Yes, I wonder if you'll recognize some more of Gödel's theory in this chapter. You're right about my little exposition problem. I've always struggled with that.
I'm excited to get to the heart of the story. I think Muggles and Squibs quite often get the shaft in HP fiction and I'm hopeful that I can make them appear a bit less pathetic. Your recommendation of Many Thanks by Madm05 was brilliant. It reminded me of a story (can't remember the name) where Harry has gone back in time, focusing on James's thoughts about his war torn, jaded son.
Seeing Double
She wondered if this is what Heaven would be like.
Harry had told her once about seeing Dumbledore at Platform 9 3/4 after getting killed in the forbidden forest. He'd said it was like stepping into a painting. Colors were more vivid but were fuzzy around the edges. White fog settled around the periphery filling in any dark corners.
She supposed she must be in a similar place, a limbo type of situation. Neither living nor dead.
Her magic sloshed around in the gourd. The pieces of the bridge she'd already built glittered like moonlight on ocean waves.
What had Flitwick said? Oh yes. Focus on the where and when.
Determinedly she began to picture Hogwarts. Her mind steered away from her most recent memories of the beloved school and instead settled on one of her favorite memories. Hogwarts was a castle meant to inspire and impress. She remembered how awed she'd been that night first year when she'd taken the boat across the lake with the other first years. Backset by the moon it almost appeared to be floating above the ground.
She allowed this image of Hogwarts, beautiful and terrifying, to take root in her mind.
1960. 1960. She repeated it like a mantra.
Satisfied, she started to draw her magic from the gourd. It rose up and twisted like braided rope then followed the movement of her right hand, coiling in the air. Carefully she added it to what she'd already built. The gold shifted, forming a row of stones. Hermione sighed and stepped forward. This was going to take a while.
Her movements had become mechanical. She felt like she'd entered auto-pilot shortly after she'd moved through the archway.
That had been a surprise. The archway was not something she had built. It had simply appeared in front of her, white marble corinthian columns stretching high as her eyes could see.
At first she had been apprehensive. But as she got closer and nothing nefarious happened she assumed it must be some type of gateway between her old reality and what would become her new reality.
Passing through it she'd been careful to continue focusing on Hogwarts and the year 1960.
She didn't know how far she'd gone since the arch but she knew she must have come rather far now because the gold liquid in her gourd was running low. A little less than 500 ml now.
As she moulded another row of stones she found herself thinking of Harry. Would he be very different? Growing up with a loving family rather than his abusive relatives.
James and Lily Potter. She couldn't wait to see them. It would have to be from a distance of course. It wouldn't do for her to get too involved and loose sight of her mission.
She set another line of crisscrossed wires.
The image of James Potter flitted through her mind. Could she bear it? Seeing the spitting image of her best friend but knowing it never was, never could be the person she'd left behind.
She raised her hand to set another row but stopped midway, startled. The gourd was empty, her magic all used up. Surprised, she lifted her eyes and then almost burst into tears. In front of her, albeit hazy looking was Hogwarts as she'd imagined it.
Stealing herself, not sure quite what to expect next, she took a deep breath and stepped off the bridge.
The pain was excruciating. There was no point of origin, after all she was at this point a collection of particles and gray matter.
When she had stepped off the edge, for a single second, she witnessed the vast spiral of time. A velvet blanket of black nothingness cradled a nautilus shell of stars. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Then she could see nothing and the pain began. She wasn't aware how long it lasted. She screamed and screamed but there was no sound. A great ripping sensation ran through her and she felt fear. She didn't know what it was that was being torn away but she knew it was important, knew she had to try to hold onto it.
She tried to visualize a vault like the one she and the boys had broken into at Gringotts. Quickly as should could she focused on gripping onto whatever it was that was ripping away. She thought of Voldemort, his sneering face when he'd thought he'd won. She thought of the dark mark hanging malevolent in the sky. She wouldn't let it happen again! With one great pull she had it back, warm and heavy in her arms and with the last of her strength she locked it within the vault.
Her mind buckled, it felt like everything was shutting down. Panicked she drew up the image of Hogwarts in her mind one last time. 19...19...what was the year? She knew it was important she remember. Damn it, what was it?
She was so tired, so very tired and there was so much pain.
The door of Hogwart's Hospital Wing flew open. A fourth year Ravenclaw, propped up in bed, looked up interested from that weeks copy of Witch Weekly. A distraught man was helping an exasperated looking woman into the room.
"Really I'm fine!" The woman cried, clearly having repeated this multiple times already.
The Ravenclaw girl observed them wondering who they were. They certainly weren't Professors she recognized. Obviously wealthy. The man's robes were clearing expertly tailored. He was an attractive fellow. Dark hair, tousled just so. The woman had lovely blond hair and eyes that appeared almost magically enhanced they were so blue.
"She fainted!" He said when Madam Pomfrey hustled over to them.
"Only for a moment!" The woman objected.
"Now what is this? Sit, sit! Let me have a look at you."
The woman looked as though she might argue, thought better of it and sat delicately on one of the hospital beds, her face a bit pale.
Madam Pomfrey took out her wand and began performing various standard diagnostic spells.
"I just fainted for a moment and ..."
"...and she's been sick all day." The man supplied helpfully.
"Has this ever happened before?" Asked the medi-witch as she finished checking the woman's eyes, ears, throat and nose.
"No." Said the woman before she took a deep breath at Pomfrey's request.
Madam Pomfrey took a step back for a moment, tapping the tip of her wand thoughtfully against her chin.
"Pectus Pulsum."
The medi-witch's wand flicked once over the woman's midsection and a blue light settled like a blanket over her front from shoulders to hips. One rather large red light appeared and was shortly followed by two more. All three lights thumping rhythmically.
A smile appeared on the Madam Pomfrey's normally stern face.
"It appears Mrs. Potter, that you are pregnant with twins. Congratulations."
Elizabeth Potter's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening and filling with tears. Edward had shot up from his place in the chair beside her bed with a loud whoop of joy and gathered his wife in a crushing hug. Laughing together, neither believing their miraculous situation, husband and wife shared happy kisses before remembering where they were.
Edward released his wife for a moment to hug the startled Ms. Pomfrey before turning back to wrap an arm lovingly around his wife.
"You can't know how happy we are. We've wanted children for so long and..."
"...and we were beginning to think it would never happen. Twins!" Elizabeth finished for him, unable to stop smiling.
Just then, Dumbledore whom the Potters had been meeting with entered the hospital wing. His wiry eyebrows rose slightly as he took in the scene and his lips twitched at the ends, the beginnings of a smile.
"It seems I have missed something."
Elizabeth Potter looked over at the Headmaster and for a second Albus thought he noticed a silvery bit of mist hovering about her like a cocoon but then it was gone and he was nearly knocked off his feat as Edward brought him into a bone crushing hug.
"We're pregnant!"
Dumbledore chuckled as Edward moved back to his wife, avoiding the playful swipe she directed at his head and ducking in for another kiss.
"Well then it seems celebrations are in order."
"No alcohol." Warned Madam Pomfrey.
"Of course my dear, I was thinking perhaps some pumpkin juice and cake. We can return to my office and I'll have one of the house elves bring it up. That is, if you've finished your exam Madam Pomfrey." Dumbledore said looking to the medi-witch for her approval.
"I'd like Mrs. Potter to take a pepper up first. Then perhaps some food would be alright. Though you'd be best stay away from anything too heavy if you've been having problems keeping meals down." Madam Pomfrey hustled over to the far wall where floor to ceiling glass paned cabinetry held an impressive collection of potions and various medical tools.
Elizabeth Potter dutifully swallowed the pepper up potion she was given and tearfully thanked Madam Pomfrey before taking her husbands hand and following him back to Dumbledore's office.
As the doors closed behind the headmaster and the happy couple the hospital wing settled back into it's usual quite. The moon illuminating the room, shinning through the long window panes.
"Still awake Ms. Quinn? I think it'd be best if I took that. You'll not heal that arm by staying up all evening and I know a certain keeper who'll be very disappointed if his star chaser isn't well enough for Friday's match."
Madam Pomfrey's stern expression had returned and she held out her hand for the magazine expectantly.
**In case you were curious why I've not used Dorea and Charlus Potter - I believe that had Dorea and Charlus Potter been the parents of James Potter and later the guardians of Sirius Black they would have been blasted off the Black family tree. Instead I've chosen Edward (meaning wealthy guardian) and Elizabeth, two very popular names in the UK during the 1920s.