Elain had known that coming on this trip could result in several things. It could by some miracle and Potter luck work out the way they had planned, it could fail to work entirely or it could result in their deaths because meddling in time often did. What she hadn't counted on was a combination of the above.
Armand and Elain were peering out of the ritual room door when they caught sight of some familiar faces, but those faces were too young and they were panicked, sweaty, and in the middle of battling what appeared to be death eaters. Their Father's death eaters.
"Oh shit," Armand muttered, but not quiet enough. Three wands swung toward them, spells already lighting the tips of the wands before Hermione moved both Neville's and Harry's wand down toward the floor.
"Stop! They are kids." Hermione said, eyes still darting to the death eater with his head stuck in the bell jar, shrinking into a baby and then back into an adult on a cycle of time.
"What are kids doing down here?" Neville asked.
"I think someone could say the same about us." Harry chimed in helpfully, causing Hermione to punch him in the arm.
"It is not the time to be cracking jokes!" Hermione spoke harshly.
"Harry… they have your eyes," Neville commented warily causing both Hermione and Harry to focus on the two kids again. Before they could say anything else, three more even younger faces pushed open the door against the eldest's protest. The youngest little boy set eyes on Harry and Hermione and bolted out of the room before anyone could react and was hugging Harry tightly, crying.
Harry was both stunned and confused. Why was this kid hugging him? Why is he crying? Was he hurt by the death eaters? Why were the kids at the door looking at him with a deep sadness in their eyes as well? Before any of this could be answered a scream sounded from the hall of prophecy along with another crash making all of them tense. Harry was about to call out for the others when Hermione slapped a hand over his mouth.
"They are trying to draw us out and get us to give away our location Harry!" Hermione whispered harshly.
"But what about Ron and Luna and the others?" Harry asked urgently, feeling guilty for bringing everyone here and pulling them into this trap, it was all his fault.
"They can take care of themselves-" Before Hermione could finish there were sounds of more death eaters approaching. Hermione and Neville quickly hustled Harry and the small boy into the room where the other kids had been hiding, getting everyone inside and sealing the door.
"Now who are you?" Hermione asked practically facing the eldest of the group.
Armand felt like he was in a dream and nightmare. Here was their Dad, but he was very clearly fighting against Father's people. Nothing made sense. Also, how had they gone so far back in time? They were only supposed to go back a couple of weeks, not the two decades they apparently came back to. Hermione cleared her throat and pulled Armands attention away from his thoughts and she asked her question again. He looked to Elain who looked just as shell-shocked as him.
"I am unsure if you'll even believe me if I tell you," Armand said softly.
"We have seen some pretty weird stuff, I think there is little you could tell us and we wouldn't believe it," Harry said softly, petting the small boy's head who was still attached to his body.
"I am Armand, Armand Hadrian Malfoy-Potter-Slytherin and I am fourteen years old. These are my siblings Elain Anita Potter-Slytherin, age 11. The twins over there are Rhosyn Rani and Rhodri Raja Potter-Slytherin and they are 10 years old. The one imitating an octopus is Jai Emrys Potter-Slytherin and he is 8 years old." Armand spoke calmly, or he tried to as he pointed out his siblings to their future Dad. Both Harry and Neville's eyes were wide in disbelief and surprise, but Hermione just looked thoughtful.
"You've traveled in time then," Hermione said astutely.
"Yes we have, but we weren't supposed to come this far back…" Elain spoke up, voice wavering with uncertainty.
"You are my children? Wait you said Malfoy and Slytherin?" Harry asked a little alarmed.
"Harry I don't think now is really the time to be asking these questions, there are death eaters outside and our friends are probably still running for their lives. Let's survive this and then we can interrogate your children." Hermione said firmly. "Okay you five, I am assuming only two of you have a wand?"
"Actually we all have a wand Auntie Hermione," Jai said as he finally let go of Harry.
"…I will question that later, okay everyone wands at the ready. Youngest in the middle to be protected if you please. Hex anyone with a silver or white mask and robes, they are death eaters and they will try to kill you. We have to find the others quickly. Harry and I will take lead. Neville can you take them back with Elain and Armand." Hermione ordered quickly, everyone nodding and not fighting the organized instructions.
"Okay everyone, get ready, and please keep an eye on your siblings. It is going to get messy." Harry murmured as they opened the door and threw themselves back into the fray.
*PLTS*
Severus Snape knew that Potter was going to be the death of him, what he didn't expect was to run into Potter's offspring, especially as they were almost the same age as Potter.
He had been waiting in the headmaster's office, waiting for Dumbledore to return with the stupid and reckless Potter, and instead what showed up was not only a downtrodden Potter and a stern-looking Dumbledore but also five, he did have to stop and recount to make sure he got that right, five miniature Potters as well. Well, not quite miniature or even replicas, but standing next to Potter he could see the similarities.
The oldest after Potter was a boy with Harry's face, Lily's eyes, but a disturbing resemblance to the Malfoy shade of blonde hair. Next to the blonde version of Potter was a young girl who could've been Lily from behind. The red hair and green eyes made Severus' heart stop briefly, but the rest of the girl's face was sharp and aristocratic, very different from Lily's soft features. The next two that he spotted were identical and at first, he thought they were two girls but upon closer inspection one was actually male. They both had long black hair that held a slight curl to it, much tamer than Potter's hair at least. They had a paler shade of green to their eyes, more a shade of gentle jade rather than Lily's bold emerald color. They held the same aristocratic look of their sister, but mischief lurked there that reminded him of another set of trouble-making twins.
The youngest of the group clung to the twins and at first Severus didn't notice him buried in between the twins' arms, but when the child's face turned toward him, he definitely thought he would pass out ungracefully onto the floor. He was looking into a replica of Thomas Riddle, except for those damn green eyes that belonged to his Lily. What the fuck had happened at the department of mysteries.
Dumbledore walked up beside him, placing a hand on Severus' arm to steady him.
"So you see it too," Dumbledore said softly.
"It isn't possible." Severus breathed uncertainly.
"We will just have to ask the right questions."
Dumbledore moved away from Severus and sat in his chair looking at the children, he had a bad feeling that all his plans were going to go to hell with the arrival of these children. He focused his attention on Harry who had sunk in on himself, the death of Sirius hitting him harder than predicted but this would only aid in his later plans.
"Harry, look at me please." Dumbledore requested kindly, waiting until Harry's dark eyes looked up at him. "You will be pleased to hear that none of the students that came with you came to any irreparable harm and are all being healed before being sent back to their dorms." Before Dumbledore could continue and before Harry could form a response, Elain stepped forward with a frown on her face, hands-on-hips staring down Dumbledore as if he was no better than the dirt on her shoe.
"And who the hell are you to guilt him for the actions of his friends?" Elain snapped causing even the portraits to stop pretending to sleep to stare at this little girl and her nerve to say such things to the Albus Dumbledore.
"Now young lady…" Dumbledore began but was immediately cut off again.
"It is rude of you to try to stir up guilt when the blame for tonight rests on you," Armand said softly, sitting next to Harry and pulling him into a half hug.
The anger and guilt that Harry had felt rising in him were gone, all that laid left was curiosity and the lingering pain of Sirius' death.
"Here you sit on your pious throne, throwing his friend's lives, health, and safety in his face like he could have controlled their actions. Like they hadn't joined him going to the Ministry of their own free will. Why aren't you gathering a team to pull that man back out of the veil? Why aren't you getting a healer up here to check us out? Do you know what I think? That you don't actually care. You want him to agree to something so you are going to guilt him with his friend's lives and that man who went through the veil." Elain said firmly, standing her ground. Everyone blinked trying to take in all the information, but loyal Severus was willing to step up to the task to defend Dumbledore.
"Now see here you spoiled little brat-"
"Now Severus, everyone is in shock and the battle has left everyone a little confused and in pain. Now, who are you, young lady?" Dumbledore soothed Severus and turned back to Elain, keeping a tight grip on his annoyance at this little upstart.
"I am Elain Anita Potter-Slytherin, Heiress to the Slytherin line, Daughter of Tomos Marvolo Slytherin and Hari James Potter-Slytherin. I am a first-year Ravenclaw and I don't like your attitude, sir." Elain snapped back.
"I see," Dumbledore said seriously, not entirely wanting to believe her even though the proof was staring him in the face quite challengingly. "And if you are Harry Potter's child, who is sitting right there, then how are you here? I am sure Harry was not having children when he was a toddler."
"We are from the future of course!" The twins chimed in helpfully. Severus had a bad feeling where this was all going. Especially since he swore to protect Harry Potter, he must have failed that and the dark lord clearly didn't waste having Harry in his talons.
"All of you are the Dark Lord's and Potter's children?" Severus decided to ask delicately.
"Well except for Armand, but Father adopted him when he was three," Jai spoke up since Armand was remaining eerily silent on the matter.
"Who are your parents?" Severus asked, already doubting the plausibility of these children's stories. Why would the Dark Lord take in a child that wasn't his?
"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was my sire and Hari James Potter was my bearer, but Tomos Marvolo Slytherin did blood adopt me when I was three years old," Armand said with no shame in his voice, still half-hugging Harry to his body.
Harry thought his life couldn't get any weirder if he was being honest. Before Dumbledore or Snape could ask any more questions, Harry looked up at Armand who even at nearly two years younger than him was already several inches taller.
"Why did all of you come back in time? It had to be an accident or something truly horrible had happened." Harry asks with a shaky voice.
"That is a long story and if we have any hope of pulling that man back out of the veil we should do it now." Armand directed, looking back at Albus.
"Now I take the blame with Sirius death but his body cannot be brought back out of the veil young man." Dumbledore sternly remarked.
"It will be your fault that he is dead if we waste any more time. Of course, we can pull him back out of the veil, especially since we have Dad." Elain said looking to Harry who was even more confused now, but hope blossomed within his chest reluctantly at hearing Sirius might not actually be dead.
"Me? Because I'm Sirius godson?" Harry guessed, but the kids, his kids, were already shaking their heads.
"No, because you are a necromancer, so pulling Sirius out should be easy." Armand corrected.
"Wait, I'm a what?" Harry asked alarmed.
"The idiot boy can't be a necromancer, we would have seen that in his scans when he entered Hogwarts," Severus said dispassionately, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Albus shift guiltily and downturn his eyes to his desk. "We would have been informed if Harry bloody Potter's scans had shown Necromancy right, Albus?" Severus growled out through clenched teeth.
"Ah about that Severus, due to the nature of the unknown effects of the killing curse being cast on Harry, I had informed Poppy it wouldn't be necessary to perform any of the yearly scans…" Dumbledore tried to say confidently with his back straight and looking at Severus, but Severus hadn't worked for the dark lord for nothing.
"You did what?!" Harry's children exclaimed, Harry was very lost on what was happening right now. He wasn't even sure if Hermione had been here that she could make sense of what was happening.
"No wonder Dad had to live with the abusive muggle filth for so long! Those scans would have required you to remove him when he was eleven!" Armand said angrily, raising his voice. Harry felt his insides freeze at those words. They knew about the Dursley's. Panic started to claw up his throat making his breath come faster. He no longer could hear Snape yelling at Dumbledore for answers, or his kids yelling at Dumbledore in his defense. His vision was beginning to go spotty and the next thing he knew everything was dark and there was no need to panic anymore, the dark was safe.