Round 6 of the Quidditch League Competition.

Team: Falmouth Falcons

Position: Chaser 2

Round Prompt: Time Bandits

Prompts:

7. (object) Thistle (Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae.)

9. (word) Incident

12. (poem) A Walking Song - J. R. R. Tolkien

Word Count: 1990

Beta's: Flye Autumne, Orcadarwin, Aima D. Duragon.

Summary: AU! I am taking a specific understanding of the canon characters, for example, Dumbledore's calm and helpful side which was shown.

Harry Potter was a curious soul. He had hundreds of questions swimming around his mind - though, they usually weren't to do with Hogwarts or education. His thoughts revolved more around families and homes. Especially during his first Christmas, he was away from the Dursley's, from the only home he remembered. Until now.

A lot had happened in the last few months; he found out that he was a wizard, and he found out that his parents were wizards. A whole new world had been introduced to him; one filled with so much wonder, possibilities, and potential for happiness. Hogwarts was the most magical place he had ever seen - he couldn't even imagine a place this amazing. It was quickly becoming his home. He could never even imagine the surprisingly amazing places and events that the Wizarding world could have.

Regardless of his general happiness with what he had already discovered about himself, questions filled the eleven-year-old's mind. What were his parents like? Did any professors here know them in the past? Would they tell him about that? Are there any photos of them in Hogwarts? He couldn't help but wonder what they looked like. Would he even recognise them if he saw a photo?

These thoughts had been spinning through his mind constantly, so much so, that when he looked into the Mirror of Erised, he saw them. His parents were standing by his side. There was only a little bit of doubt of 'what if they didn't really look like that', but at the same time he knew it was them.

Home is behind, the world ahead,

And there are many paths to tread

Through shadows to the edge of night,

Until the stars are all alight.

Then world behind and home ahead,

We'll wander back to home and bed.

Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,

Away shall fade! Away shall fade!

Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,

And then to bed! And then to bed!

"Back again, Harry?"

Harry quickly stood up and turned to face Dumbledore. He wasn't sure what to expect when he was discovered looking into the mirror. This had become one of his most treasured places in the school - any chance to be with his parents was worth it.

At first, when the Headmaster taught him more about the mirror, he wasn't sure of his feelings. He had known his whole life that he wanted his parents. That had been his main wish and pivoted around the majority of his dreams. However, this indifference turned to shock and sadness when he was informed the mirror would be moved. It felt as if he was losing his parents. Losing the largest thing that made him feel even remotely connected to them.

"It does not do well to dwell on dreams, Harry," Dumbledore finished. And just as he had lost most of his hope, he continued. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

Harry followed the Headmaster through the castle, his feet tapping against the ground as he walked. His allowed his eyes to wander around the hallways. Even though he knew his way around the school fairly well, he still got lost and didn't know every corridor. In fact, he ensured he kept up with Dumbledore when the surroundings became unfamiliar.

"Where are we going?"

"I have something to show you," Dumbledore repeated before stopping in front of a gargoyle statue. "Sherbert Lemon."

Harry watched in wonder as the gargoyle twirled to reveal a staircase. Following the headmaster's movements, he stepped onto the stairs as it took them to another floor. He couldn't help but be in awe when he discovered this was Dumbledore's office. Even after being in this new world and amazing school for a few months, he was still learning new things. He never wanted to stop finding out things about this world.

He was almost waiting for Dumbledore to repeat that he was going to be shown something, but instead, a metal disc floated towards him. Glancing into it, he saw a silvery water inside. "What's this?"

"This is a pensieve, it allows you to see somebody else's, or your own, memories."

"See somebody's memories?"

Dumbledore picked up a vial of silvery-white liquid. It didn't look like water, but that was the closest comparison Harry could make with his still limited knowledge of the Wizarding world. As the vial was poured into the disc, Harry watched with curiosity. "Put your head into the pensieve."

Though that was a strange request, Harry took in a deep breath and pressed his face into the water. He opened his eyes after the expected sensation of water surrounding his face and blocking his airways didn't come. 'Where was he?'.

"How did this incident begin?" Dumbledore questioned, his expression neutral.

"Incident? I don't underst-"

"James threw a spell at Sev unprovoked!" a girl's voice stated.

Harry twisted around in surprise. 'Where had they come from?'. He saw three boys and a girl. The resemblance between himself and one of the other boys was uncanny, as was the use of the name James. He looked around the same age as him, but a lot more healthy.

"That's not true!" A black-haired boy butted in. "Snape provoked us! He threw the first spell; James was defending himself!"

The messy-haired boy nodded in agreement. "Am I going to get in trouble for defending myself?"

"Snape? As in… Professor Snape?" Harry asked. Nobody answered his question. Nobody even paid him any attention - he was used to that, but this felt different.

"That's not true!" the ginger-haired girl shot back, her voice the most level out of the three that spoke.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked to the silent boy. "Severus, is there anything you wish to say?"

The boy looked up, glanced at the other three students, and shook his head. "No, Professor."

"Very well."

Harry stared at Dumbledore, waiting for what he was about to say, just like the other students. However, the voice became too quiet and the scene around his slowly disappeared, as if the page was being turned. He looked up at the headmaster in confusion. "What was that?"

"That was a memory, Harry. One of my memories."

"Why?"

Dumbledore smiled at him, his blue eyes twinkling. "It is easy to tell that you are troubled, my boy. You want to know more about your parents, and with that extension, yourself."

Harry looked down at the pensieve. "That was my father, James? The boy with the messy hair?"

A short chuckle left the old man. "Yes. And your mother."

His green eyes widened. He barely paid much attention to her, though, she had felt familiar. Why hadn't he paid more attention to them instead of trying to work out the situation. "Can I watch it again?" he asked, the need to see his parents once more almost overwhelming.

"How about I show you another memory?"

Harry nodded, though, when being denied to rewatch the one he had just seen, it left him with questions. "Professor Snape knew my parents?"

"He did."

"My Mother said…" he started but drifted off. He and Draco had almost had a duel, one he was sure Draco would have pinned on him - it was easy to see how that could have happened. That didn't stop him wondering, though. "What happened?"

"James and Severus received a detention for fighting." Dumbledore paused. "There is a lot of history between your parents and everybody who once knew them. So many small things that may benefit you. So many large things that may overwhelm you."

"I want to know. I want to know it all," Harry said. The opportunity to know anything about his parents was too tempting to give up. He knew they were gone - that they'd never come back - but that didn't mean he'd ever stop wondering or thinking about them. "Please, Headmaster."

Dumbledore tilted his head forward, offering him a smile before picking up a few vials. "It is best to not dwell on the past too much, Harry. These are some of my memories of your parents. I feel like you have a right to know a bit about where you come from."

Harry nodded, looking intently at the pensieve. He was going to see his parents again. He'd be able to properly visualise them in his head, know what they were like, who they were, and what they did. As the vials were emptied he didn't hesitate to submerge his face.

The first thing he noticed was the same ginger hair flowing in the air. His mother, still around his age, storming up to his father. He couldn't hear what they were saying and noted that Dumbledore was watching the two of them from the window. As he walked towards them, they disappeared, a different memory coming into place.

"You made the Quidditch team! That's incredible!" A black-haired boy congratulated James.

Harry realised it was the same boy from Dumbledore's office in the first memory but he was older. His Dad was older too, but he wasn't sure how old they were.

"Of course! I'm a natural at Quidditch. Just wait until Evans hears the news."

A sandy-haired boy leant in. "She's still going to hate you, James."

James waved off the comment.

"Congratulations on making Chaser, Potter," Dumbledore spoke as he passed.

"Thanks!" James brightly remarked, a cocky grin on his face. "There's no way she won't be impressed."

The time jump was immediately evident, as was the change of location; they were near the forbidden forest. He saw his mother was tears falling down her cheeks and rushed over to her. She was older than him by a few years; probably the same age as Ron's older brother Percy. As he reached out, he was saddened that he went straight through her; there was nothing she could do.

"Evans."

"Go away, Potter!"

He didn't. "Want me to hex him into oblivion?"

Lily scoffed as she rolled her eyes, though, her tears lessened slightly.

What had happened? Who made her cry? Harry stood as close as he could. He didn't want to fall through any of them; it only solidified the fact that he wasn't really here.

"What's the use?"

There was a long silence between them. James was staring at her, seemingly at a loss for words. Lily, on the other hand, was looking directly at the floor. After a few moments, when James tore his eyes from her, he stepped over onto the grass and pulled out a few flowers. "For you."

Lily raised her eyebrows at him. "Not Lilies?"

"No Lily compares to you."

The smile on Harry's face couldn't grow any bigger. This is exactly the connection he knew his parents would have.

"Ah, and thistles do?"

"Well, they have leaves with sharp prickly things… I think that matches your personality," James said with a cheeky grin.

Lily let out a small laugh, though, it was engulfed by a sob. "Thanks, James."

The scene faded and Harry tried to hold onto them. He looked around, wanting to place himself as quickly as possible, only to find himself back into Dumbledore's office. "What happened next?" he asked instantly.

Dumbledore smiled softly at him. "They finished Hogwarts, got married, and had you."

"And then they were killed by Voldemort," Harry added sadly. His eyes fell to the floor at that that thought. "Thank you, Headmaster."

"You're welcome, my boy."

After a few more words of conversation - one which Harry wasn't fully paying attention to - he walked back to Gryffindor common room. His little travel through time had been strange and emotional. He learnt more about his parents, but half of the things he had found out didn't make any sense. He had a thousand more questions and wasn't sure if he'd get the answers. As he laid down on his bed, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, not now.