Diagon Alley
August 12th, 1971
Rowan Celeste Potter was born to Charlus and Dorea Potter. While her twin was named James Charlus, Dorea wanted to use a family tradition for her name and gave her a star name - for her middle name, that was.
The twins were absolutely inseparable, and their parents loved it. Typically, lessons on the House would be given by the father to the son - only the son - but Charlus was more than happy to teach Rowan about important House matters as well.
Growing up, it was just them. Their parents were older, so their friends' kids were grown by the time they'd had the twins. The twins didn't mind, truthfully, though their parents did worry about what school would be like.
They'd arrived at Diagon Alley early that day, trying to avoid the rush. Unfortunately, that seemed to have been everyone's idea.
"Okay kids, we're heading to Gringott's. I want you to stay in here - no wandering. We'll be back in ten minutes. Got it?"
"Yes, Mum," James nodded, making a face as he was being measured for his robes. "Why's Rowan not getting poked, too?"
"Because I actually went to Lord Rosier's funeral last month, and I haven't grown since," Rowan told her brother. He made a face.
"I was sick!"
Charlus laughed. "It'll be over soon, James. Patience."
"We'll be back soon," Dorea told them as she pulled their father out of the shop.
Just as Charlus had said, the measurements finished up rather quickly, and James jumped down and bumped Rowan's shoulder with his own. "What d'you wanna do now?"
Rowan grinned at him. "I have an idea. C'mon."
James sighed as he followed his sister out of the store. "We're gonna get in trouble, Ro."
She rolled her eyes at him, leading him down the street. "Nah, we'll be back before they even knew we left."
"Where are we going?"
Rowan stopped in front of an open gate and grinned at him. "Down there."
James's eyes widened dramatically. "No way."
"Scared?"
He scoffed. "I'm not scared, but Mum will know!"
"No, she won't."
"Yes, she will, when we die down there!"
Rowan snorted. "We won't die. We'll take a stroll and come back. It'll be totally fine."
"I dunno," he said hesitantly. "We don't even have wands yet."
"It'll be fine, I promise."
James looked between her and the gate hesitantly before he nodded firmly. "Okay. Yeah, okay. Let's go."
Rowan grinned at him excitedly and hurried forward.
It was dark in the alley, and they tried to stick to the walls to stay near the lights and away from people. It wasn't long before someone bumped into James and they were pushed into a shop.
The shop looked to have a great deal of nicknacks, and they were looking around, both of them wanting a break from the busy alley.
"I wonder where we are," James whispered. Rowan shrugged.
It all happened quickly, too quickly for James to process.
Rowan reached out to touch something - a ring, it looked like - as she spoke. "Dunno," she said, her fingers touching the ring. The ring lit up a bright gold, and James watched as his sister's eyes lit up in fear and pain, and then, barely a moment later, she was gone.
She was gone.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Knockturn Alley
August 12th, 1991
Rowan fell to the ground with a painful thud. She rolled onto her back and held her wrist to her chest, groaning at the pain.
"Hello, Miss Potter."
She blinked, staring up at the old man above her. She already knew who he was - she'd seen him in the Daily Prophet. He just looked… "Why are you so old?"
Immediately, she knew her mum would scold her for asking and she grimaced.
Dumbledore chuckled and reached down to help her up. She accepted the help and wiped dust off of herself when she was on her feet. "Time passes fleetingly, my dear. Now, why don't we take a trip to my office so we can talk?"
She shook her head, looking around. "I have to find Jamie before Mum and Dad get back to Madame Malkin's or we're going to be in so much trouble."
Dumbledore looked down at her with a sadness she didn't understand. "Your parents wanted you to come with me. Something's happened."
Her eyes widened a little. "Are they okay?"
"Of course, but you need to come with me."
"Okay, Professor," she agreed nervously. "Is… Jamie okay?"
He didn't answer her that time. Instead, he held out his arm, and she took it, preparing herself for Apparition. He took them away, all the way to Hogwarts, and she resisted the urge to hurl.
When she got her bearings, she looked around. They were clearly in his office, and she looked at the trinkets spread all over the place, some of them even floating in the air. "What's happened?"
He took a seat, prompting her to do the same. She waited rather impatiently as he gathered his thoughts. "I have been waiting for this day for a very long time, and yet I find myself lost on how to handle it. I could be gentle, or I could be blunt."
"Please, be blunt," she requested. "If something's gone wrong, I want to know."
He nodded once. "Well, to be frank, Miss Potter, you've traveled twenty years into the future."
Rowan blinked. "No, I didn't."
"I assure you, you did," he insisted. He looked so serious that she hesitated. "You said I look old."
"No. No!" she shook her head quickly. "No, I didn't!"
"Miss Potter-,"
"James, I need James," she said. She closed her eyes, trying to pull on her twin bond. To her horror, she couldn't find it. Quickly, she reached for her bonds with her parents, but those were gone, too. "No!"
"Please, breathe," he requested, but he watched as she began to hyperventilate. "Rowan, you will be okay-,"
"They're dead!" she yelled, tears, spilling down her cheeks. "They- they're dead, they're gone! I can't feel them, I can't feel Jamie, I can't- I can't-,"
Dumbledore pulled his wand and pointed it at her. "Obliviate!"
She stilled as the spell hit her mind, and she was freed from the memories of her life as they were put under the oppressive blanket of the spell.
When the spell was finished, he quickly stunned her and set to work.
He knew what he had to do. He'd been planning it for years, and he was ready.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Grimmauld Place
April 19th, 1998
She was alone.
Hermione was alone, and she was busy.
Before her fourth year, she'd stayed for nearly the entire summer, and she'd read through a great deal of the library - under Sirius's supervision, that was.
She'd snuck out of Shell Cottage while everyone was sleeping. It was hard to do, with the wards on the place that told Bill when someone arrived or left. In the end, she'd had to hurry.
It was risky, going back to the dark home, but she needed to get into the library. She needed to research something, and she could only do it there.
Closing the book in front of her, she let out a breath. It would be hard, it would be painful, but she could cast the spell. The motion was pretty similar to the feather-light charm with an extra flick at the end. It would likely drain her, and it was meant to remove any disillusionment or spells to disguise her. She didn't mind it too much, considering the only spell she had on her was on her arm to hide the scar Bellatrix had given her after-
She shook herself. Taking a deep breath, she raised her wand. "Tergumin Tempus!"
The spell shot outward, slamming into her. She felt it in her core, a horrible pain tugging her backward that left her screaming. She felt like she was being thrown around, and all she wanted was to grab onto something to get her bearings. She couldn't, and she closed her eyes, trying to calm down.
When it ended, it felt like it had been an eternity. She was on the ground again, and she looked around, trying to figure out how safe she was.
To her complete and utter horror, she realized she was in Hogsmeade. In the Hog's Head.
"What the fuck?"
Hermione jumped back, scrambling to her feet. She reached for her wand, but it wasn't there. Instead, she raised her hands, hoping that she had enough power in her to cast wandlessly. "Let me go. Don't tell the Death Eaters."
"The what?" he asked, taking in the sight of her. "The hell happened to you?"
She winced slightly but kept her hand up. "There must be a way out of here that they won't see me. Tell me where it is."
Aberforth stared. "Who won't see you?"
"Death Eaters!"
"I don't know what they are, but there's none of 'em around," he assured her. He watched as her eyes widened.
"Did it… work?" she wondered, looking around. Everything looked generally the same. Her eyes settled on Aberforth. "What year is it?"
He narrowed his eyes. "1973," he said. "What year do you think it is?"
She breathed out in relief. "It worked! Circe, it worked."
Aberforth sighed. He waved his wand silently at the door, closing and locking it. "Your name?"
"Hermione Granger," she answered. "And you're Aberforth Dumbledore. Thank you, sir. And I'm sorry."
He put up a shield quickly when she tried to Obliviate him and stared at her. "Hey! My pub, no Obliviating anyone."
"Look, it's for the best. I can't let you know I'm from the future," she explained. "And you've clearly figured it out. It's not your fault, but I don't exactly trust you because your brother-,"
He scoffed, offended. "Do not judge me by the sins of my brother."
She looked at him hesitantly. "I'm sorry, I just assumed-,"
"That's your first problem," he said firmly. "Put your damn hand down and I'll help you."
Hesitantly, she lowered her hand. "Help me how?"
"Why did you come back in time?"
She sighed. "There's a war coming. I want to stop it before..."
"And are you a blood purist?" Instead of answering, she lifted her arm quietly. He stared down at it, his lips thin. "I see. In that case, I will help you. What is your plan?"
"To… come back and end it."
"How?"
"Get close to the Marauders," she continued, coming up with it on the spot. "Try and- try to change Peter. Protect Neville's parents. Destroy the- the items that need to be destroyed. Kill him."
"Marauders?" he questioned.
"A group of friends," she explained. "They'd be in their third year right now."
"There we go," he nodded firmly. "You will enter your third year at Hogwarts."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Have you seen me? I don't look like I'm thirteen or fourteen."
"We de-age you," he said like it was obvious. "Class starts in a couple of weeks. How far in the future are you from?"
"I'm from 1998," she answered.
"Then we will change your name, just in case. Do you need to change your look?"
She shook her head, looking down at her body. It was fine. The only thing that caught her attention was her hair - it was a deep black and rather unruly instead of the tight brown curls she'd had before. Her curls were out of control, and she stared at them in surprise. "What?"
"What?"
"My hair is brown," she said, confused. She touched her hair as if it would go back to what she was used to. "It's black now. The spell- maybe… the spell did it?"
"It may be possible," he answered slowly. "Would you like it to be brown again?"
"Yes, please," she answered. She held still as he waved his wand over her head. Soon, her hair was just as it always had been. Confused, she looked up at him. "How will I be de-aged?"
He accio'd a potion and handed it over. "Take all of that. You will end up fourteen."
"Okay," she said. She took a breath before she threw the potion back and grimaced at the taste of it.
It began working quickly, and she felt herself shrink a little. Her body changed, reverting back to how she was at fourteen. It was extremely uncomfortable, but exactly what she needed.
"Holy shit," she breathed. Her mind raced, but it settled on one thing. "I need a new wand."
"I can take you to Ollivander's," he said, pausing. He looked pained as he spoke. "I suppose I can… pose as your… guardian."
She tilted her head. "I suppose I'll need one."
"And you need a new name," he said firmly. "Ideas?"
"Not really," she admitted. "I didn't- I normally plan everything much better, but I- I wasn't…"
"Kyla Brooks," he suggested. At her shrug, he nodded. "That's it, then. We should leave for Ollivander's before it gets busy."
"Can you shrink my clothes some?" she requested. "They're too big, and I don't have a wand- oh, thank you," she said as he pointed his own wand at her and shrunk them. When they fit right again, she nodded and followed him out of the pub.
They had a lot to do.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
King's Cross
September 1st, 1971
"I've got it," Kyla said, annoyed. "Seriously, Abe, I'm not gonna fuck this up."
He scoffed. "Reckless as you are, I seriously doubt that."
"I resent that," she made a face at him. "Look, I'll write you tonight. Everything's gonna be fine."
Aberforth shook his head at her. "Write to me when you need me to clean up your mess again."
She resisted the urge to swear at him again and decided to ignore his words. She gripped her trunk tightly and swung her bag over her body. "I'll see you at Christmas, Abe."
"Good luck," he said as she began to walk away. "You're gonna need it, kid."
"Screw you, too," she called as she got on the train. She looked back and saw him laughing the tiniest bit and smiled at him.
He had, truly, been an invaluable help. He hadn't let her forget how poorly she'd planned everything, and she regretted it.
Still, he'd offered his help. He'd officially been assigned as her guardian, and he'd gotten her everything she'd need - her books for school, books for pleasure, school supplies, a wand, an entire wardrobe including school robes and casual clothes, plus dress robes for the Yule Ball.
She also still had everything she'd packed to bring on the run. It was in the cross-body bag she carried at all times.
She walked down the length of the train, looking for a compartment. It wasn't long before she found a familiar face - familiar, but younger. Her eyes lit up as she knocked on the door and it opened.
"Hello?"
"Hi! I'm Kyla Brooks," she introduced herself, the name feeling odd to her. "Um, I don't want to bother you, but there aren't really any other compartments, so-,"
"Oh! Of course, come in," the redhead said with a bright smile. "I'm Lily Evans. I'll be in my third year."
She returned the smile happily. "This'll be my third year, too. I've transferred from Beauxbaton's."
"Oh!" Lily's eyes widened. "I didn't know Hogwarts allowed transfers. What was Beauxbaton's like?"
"Strict," she laughed a little. "Very strict."
"Why're you transferring?"
Kyla shrugged, thinking to what she'd come up with with Aberforth. "My guardian, Abe, wants me closer to home with everything going on."
Lily looked a little guarded. "Everything going on, you mean-,"
"The bigots attacking people for no good reason," Kyla answered quickly. Lily nodded once.
"Are things bad there, too?"
Kyla shrugged. "Abe works in Hogsmeade. He just wants to be able to come help me immediately if something happens."
"Oh, he does?" Lily's eyes widened. "Maybe you could introduce me to him on a Hogsmeade weekend."
"I could," she agreed. They were silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Why're you alone?"
"Oh," Lily shrugged. "My friend, Severus, wanted to sit with his friends. My other friends are sitting with Marlene's Slytherin friends."
"They didn't invite you along?" Kyla frowned. Lily shrugged again, looking away.
"Don't really want to join them if I'm honest. I don't mind being alone."
"Well, you're not alone now," Kyla said with a smile. Lily returned it.
"I guess not."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Kyla was horrified to find out that she'd be sorted with the first years. The only thing that comforted her was the fact that she was so early in the alphabet.
"Brooks, Kyla!"
Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the stool, watching the hall break out in whispers. She sat and waited for the hat to touch her head. After a moment, it did.
"Ah, I've Sorted you before."
"How do you know?"
"I see into your mind," it explained. "Slytherin would fit you well, but there's only one answer… Gryffindor!"
She breathed out in relief and stood, hurrying over to the table she was already so familiar with. She took a seat by Lily and looked around as she heard the girl congratulate her.
She could see Sirius sitting with Remus and the rat, but she couldn't see James Potter anywhere. With a sigh, she sat back and watched the rest of the ceremony with Lily and her friends.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Gryffindor Common Room
September 2nd, 1973
Kyla woke up early and made her way down to the common room, dressed for class, to sit in front of the fire and write a letter to Aberforth. The man had gifted her an owl that she'd named Icarus, and she knew her letter would get to him quickly since he lived so close.
Abe,
I'm in Gryffindor. You owe me five Galleons, I knew I would be. Just because I tricked you that one time does not mean I'm a Slytherin.
I made friends with Lily Evans. She's brilliant. Her friends, Dorcas, Marlene, Alice, and Emmeline are pretty nice, too. They seemed weary of me, which I understand. Especially with the way things are going.
It feels ridiculous, being nervous. I know I'm here for a reason, and I can't go back, but a part of me wants to.
I don't think I'd ever admit that face to face.
Don't worry. I'm keeping an eye out. My wand is on me at all times. You do the same, okay?
Kyla
"'Here for a reason,'" a voice said from behind her, startling her into jumping.
"Gods, what the hell?" She exclaimed, grabbing her ink before it could spill. When she looked up, she saw Sirius looking down at her letter. She cursed silently and thanked the gods that she hadn't said anything too revealing. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on girls?"
"Just curious," he shrugged. "What d'you mean, you're here for a reason?"
She rolled her eyes as she rolled up the parchment and gave it to Icarus. The bird flew off toward Hogsmeade and toward the sunrise. "I mean, I'm here to be closer to- er, to my… dad."
"You don't seem sure about that," he raised an eyebrow. She scrunched up her nose at him.
"Who are you?"
"Sirius," he grinned at her. "Sirius Black. And you're Kyla Brooks, the new girl."
She looked him over closely. He was much the same, except he kept his long hair down and had no beard. There was a certain pain missing from his eyes as well. If she had anything to do with it, that pain would never come. "If you must know, my guardian isn't technically my dad. He took me in when my parents…"
Sirius's lighthearted smirk fell, and his eyes darkened. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."
"Thanks," she said quietly. "What're you doing up so early? I didn't think anyone would be awake."
"I always wake up before the guys," he answered, nodding toward his dorm. "Heard some noise down here and came to check it out."
"Mm," she hummed. They lapsed into silence as she put away her ink and quill.
"What happened to your parents?"
She looked up, startled. It was a question she and Aberforth hadn't actually considered yet, considering it was moderately rude. She paused to think before she answered slowly. "I don't… really know."
"Are they… dead?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper.
"They're gone," she answered carefully.
"I'm sorry, Kyla," he said sincerely.
She shrugged, thinking to Richard and Helen Granger. "They weren't exactly the best parents to begin with."
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Mine are just evil motherfuckers."
"Yeah, I've heard of your family," she admitted. "Abe gave me quick lessons on everyone. He said your family is…"
"Fucking mental?"
She laughed in surprise. "Not exactly those words, but yes."
"Yeah, they suck," he shrugged. "Nearly got disowned for being in Gryffindor."
Kyla shook her head. "That's ridiculous."
He smiled at her and pulled a chair over to sit down with her. "Do you have any siblings?"
She shook her head. "Just me. I had a friend that was like a brother but… I lost him. Do you?"
"Mm, I've got a brother by blood, Regulus. Aside from him, I've got a friend, James."
"Was he at the feast last night?" She wondered, mostly because she hadn't seen him. She'd seen pictures of him before, both from Harry and from his Quidditch achievements, and she knew he hadn't been there.
"Nah, his dad had a work trip he went on. He should get here sometime today, I think."
"Mm."
"Wanna sit with my friends and I in Defense?" he questioned. She smiled at him.
"I'd love to."
OoOoOoOoOoOo