"These children are not who they claim to be," – Rowena Ravenclaw

House Pride

The Past is the Future

The five could not help but watch in horror as the Bludger whammed into Harry's elbow, instantly breaking his arm. The fifteen-year-old Harry winced, remembering the pain and then watched himself make a spectacular, yet wild, move to catch the Golden Snitch.

Godric gasped as he watched Harry hit the muddy ground close to them with a thud. He couldn't quite believe it, what sort of dangerous (yet exciting) game was this? It looked slightly similar to a game people had been playing for a few years.

Rowena on the other hand was not focused on the boy with a broken arm; her attention was plastered solidly on the grand castle in the distance. She was not stupid, and recognised it instantly, Hogwarts was a great deal older, but its beauty hadn't faded with its youth. The four who were paying attention to the scene before them could hear a good deal of whistling and shouting in the distance. Little Harry was focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

"Aha," he said vaguely, "we've won." Then he fainted.

A crowd began to swarm around the boy like a moth to the flame, a tall man with a dazzling smile pushed to the center. Godric decided he didn't like this man, he looked almost girlish. He didn't seem real, like a human sized doll polished to perfection.

When little Harry came around, Lockhart was leaning over him; his glittering white teeth flashing over him.

"Oh no, not you," Harry moaned, and Godric almost laughed.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around them. Godric was quite sure that even though the boy had just fainted, he knew exactly what he was saying. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."

Godric didn't like the sound of that, and clearly little Harry hadn't either.

"No!" he said. "I'll keep it like this thanks…" Harry tried to sit up, but pain coursed though him. There was a clicking noise nearby, and Godric noticed an odd shaped instrument in a young lad's hands flashing wildly at Harry.

"What is that?" Godric asked, but no answer came.

"I don't want a photo of this, Colin," Harry said loudly.

"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly, "it's a simple charm that I've used countless times." Godric highly doubted it.

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor," said a muddy boy, who was grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say."

"Capture?" Godric asked, turning to the teens. "What is going on?" They ignored him, and Ron gave Harry a grin.

"Bloody hell Harry! Wood was right, that was great!" Harry smiled.

"It was pure luck," he replied softly.

"Stop being so modest, Harry," Hermione told him, "you're one of the best Seekers of the century!"

Godric knew he wasn't going to get any answers out of the trio any time soon, so he turned back to his friend in hopes of some support. However, he only saw her beautiful blue eyes twinkling at a large castle. He would have been blind to not recognise it.

"Hogwarts," he breathed out, and Rowena nodded.

"These children are not who they claim to be."

There was a sudden flash and many gasps arose from the scene. Little Harry's arm now looked like a bundle of rubber shaped to look like an arm. The two founders could not help but stare in horror at Lockhart's handiwork.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind." Harry stared at his arm in horror. "So, Harry, just toddle up to the Hospital Wing- ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you please escort him? – and Madam Pomfrey will be able to- er- tidy you up a bit."

It was quite clear that the man had not mended Harry's bones. He had removed them.

The room dissolved again, and then the five found themselves within an old and extremely dusty room. The atmosphere as tense, a rat-like man was on his knees and looked as though his death had been announced. He shuffled forwards on his knees, grovelling, towards a man who looked like he had been to hell and back. His face looked once handsome and his robes filthy and ripped.

"Sirius- it's me… it's Peter… your friend… you wouldn't…" The man, Sirius kicked out and Peter recoiled. Godric's gaze turned to the older Harry, who was looking at this pitiful excuse for a man, Pettigrew, venomously. Clearly he had done something terrible to make the boy hate him so.

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," snarled Sirius.

"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to the second man who also looked like hell, but not in the same way as Sirius. He had old and new scars on his face and surely there were more covering the rest of his body. "You don't believe this… wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?" This question confused the two founders greatly, but then again they were confused about every event they had seen so far.

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.

"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves, "and will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

"Of course," replied Sirius, also rolling us his sleeves with a grin. "Shall we kill him together?"

Godric gave the older trio an alarmed look, which didn't notice him; Hermione just watched the scene sadly and the boys watched in anger. Godric was yet to figure out where that anger was directed.

"Yes, I think so," said Lupin grimly.

"You wouldn't… you won't…" gasped Pettigrew. In desperation he scrambled to the thirteen year old Ron.

"Ron… haven't I been a good friend… a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you… you're on my side, aren't you?"

Ron stared at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion.

"I let you sleep in my bed!" he said. Godric would have found this funny had the situation not been so serious.

"Kind boy… kind master…" Pettigrew crawled towards Ron, "you won't let them do it… I was your rat… I was a good pet…"

"If you made a better rat than human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," said Sirius harshly. Little Ron was getting paler with pain, as he wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach. Godric could not help but wonder what events had led up to this. Pettigrew was now before Hermione, his hands clutched around the hem of Hermione's robes.

"Sweet girl… clever girl… you- you won't let them… help me…"

Hermione pulled her robes away and backed away against the wall, horrified. For the first time Godric studied their robes, the younger trio all wore the same colours; red and gold along with the symbol of a lion. His symbol.

Now Pettigrew was trembling uncontrollably, and he turned his head slowly towards Harry.

"Harry… Harry… you look just like your father… just like him…"

It was clear that Harry's father was a key element in this conversation.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" roared Sirius. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

A very, very key element indeed.

"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed… James would have understood, Harry… he would have shown me mercy…"

Both Sirius and Remus seized his shoulders and threw him backwards onto the floor. He just sat there, twitching with terror, staring straight up at them, a coward.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Sirius, who was also shaking. "Do you deny it?"

The two founders instantly presumed Lily and James were Harry's parents. But Voldemort? Their murderer perhaps?

Pettigrew burst into tears like an overgrown baby. Yes, defiantly a coward.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… you have no idea… he had weapons you can't imagine… I was scared, Sirius, I was never-"

Godric could not stand to listen to this poor excuse for a man babble on any more, however he could not help but jump as Sirius' loud voice rattled the shaking building.

"DON'T LIE! YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He- he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who ever existed?" said Sirius, a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand!" whined Peter. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black once again. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"I think," Rowena said quietly, but it was enough the grab the four's attention, "that we have seen enough." The room dissolved once again and they all found themselves in the room that the trio had been in before the shift.

Rowena sat down on the nearest chair and looked calmly at the glum-looking trio. Godric stood beside her, he was confused but did not show it.

"I am going to tell you what who I think you really are and then you will tell me if I am right," Rowena told the trio, her voice clear and it was clear that there was no room for argument. "I believe you are not from this time, that you are from a far distant future. I do not believe you came here on purpose, it was probably an accident of some kind and you are here, in your future home, hoping to find some way back."

It was extraordinary how she had got it dead on.

"You're from the future?" asked Godric, frowning. The trio nodded.

"You have been quite careless, barely a day in this castle and we have already discovered your secret." Rowena stated in a harsh voice. "It is not to be meddled with by those with no experience."

Ron snorted in laugher, and Hermione kicked him, hard.

"I do not understand," Godric frowned.

"We have gone back in time before," Harry answered, "and we would have kept it secret longer had you not used the Room of Requirement." Godric fell silent, but Rowena spoke up, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder.

"True enough," she said. "Now tell us the story, the whole story."

"I'm sorry but we can't." Hermione said sadly. "We have already meddled with time, allowing you to see the future; as small as those events are, they hold knowledge to the future; knowledge that no human from the past should know." She paused, "just us coming here could have affected the future, we don't need to twist it anymore."

"I see your point," said Godric. "But may I enquire what year you're from?"

"1996."

The two founders could not help but stare; it was quite a way they had travelled.

"Have you managed to find a way back yet?" Rowena asked quietly.

"No," Hermione replied sadly, "We tried making the objects through this room which brought us here, but they don't exist yet." Rowena nodded. "And we can't find a spell, but we haven't looked in the whole library yet."

"We shall help you," Godric said boldly, "I will not stand by and watch you struggle to find a way back by yourselves." He paused. "I shall tell Salazar and Helga, seven is better than five after all."

"No!" shouted Hermione. "We cannot get anyone involved, no one else must know." She shifted uncomfortably, Rowena did not miss it.

"Are you sure it is just that Miss Granger?" Rowena enquired. "Or is it due to lack of trust on our friends?"

"We know more about you than you realise," Harry put in, "we won't tell you what, but trust us on this; the less amount of people know, the better."

"All right…" Godric said slowly. "We'll carry on as though this never happened, but we'll meet up whenever possible and report on any progress we make individually."

They all nodded in agreement and Rowena took her leave, leaving Godric alone with the golden trio.

"May I ask something?"

"Sure. Shoot." Harry replied to Godric's request. This statement confused the founder slightly but brushed it off.

"When we were looking through your past, your robes all had my colours and my symbol," he stated. "You are in my house?" they nodded silently, "Then why have you all split up now?"

"For… personal reasons."

"Very well, now head back to your dorms before Salazar or Helga catch you." Doing as they were told, the trio left but Harry was called back.

"Yes, sir?" Harry said, door open ready to follow but his friends, but they had already gone.

"Why Slytherin?" He paused yet again. "Has it anything to do with this 'Voldemort'?" Harry remained silent for a moment, pondering on an answer.

"Voldermort murdered my parents," Harry explained. "I just want to know if Slytherin is the same man who the history books describe him as."

Silence.

"Is he?"

"Yes," Harry replied sourly. "Yes he is."


Now that was quick wasn't it? Well I got lots of reviews for the last chapter and as promised, a new chapter :D

A big cheer for my new beta, who speedily send this chapter back, if she hadn't would have been waiting a few days longer :P

Reviews make Adhar happy, lots of reviews makes Adhar drink red bull and that makes her write faster!

… Why am I talking about myself in third person? -shakes her head- I swear I've been hanging around the internet for far too long…

Yes! So! A cookie for everyone who reviews!

Please review!

Adhar x