A/N: thank you so much for the love on this story. And to the lovely person who's been reviewing, to answer your question, she used the bat boogey hex on Abe multiple times to stay out of the hospital. A little reminder of Ginny, because you know Ginny would do the same. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

St. Mungo's

September 5th, 1973

"You will be okay."

She laughed. "Did you hear her? The second I left James- left you guys, I wasn't okay. Ever. I was raised by an aggressive drunk and a passive narcissist. And once I got the chance to get away from them, I watched the man that was protecting me be murdered. After he died, I could never relax, just waiting for what came next. I lost my home, the people I thought were my parents, the only real father figure I had in that time, the person I loved, and my fucking will to live, and that scared me so bad I thought that abandoning everything I knew and going to the past would be best."

"And you never should've been put through that," Dorea told her daughter sincerely. "You should have been safe and happy and protected by everyone in your life. You deserved to be loved and cared for. You still do, and you will be now and forever."

"What d'you wanna be called?"

She looked at Sirius with wide eyes, confused. "What?"

"Well, you've had like a million names," he explained. "So which one do you want?"

"Rowan," she said without hesitation. "It's who I am. I was never Hermione Granger. Kyla Brooks was- was just Abe's idea."

"Kinda weird that you thought of me as your dad," Sirius grinned at her. "We met like, four days ago."

Rowan laughed shortly. "I was worried that when I met you… I don't know. Part of me wanted to cry. It's weird."

"Now you get to have him as your brother," James pointed out. "Still family."

"You think she needs to see Bertie," Dorea said to Charlus quietly. Her husband nodded.

"Bertie will want to make sure… I'll need to take her there immediately when we're finished here. The good news is, he can help us quietly declare her alive and keep it out of the Wizengamot."

"We should come up with a story, just in case," Rowan told her dad seriously. "Tell them that the ring blocked my memories and sent me to Germany or something. Not right away, just in case they find out."

"If we're careful-,"

"No one's ever careful enough."

There was a pause as they felt a weight behind her words.

"What happened, Ro?" James whispered.

"James Charlus," Dorea scolded. "You won't be asking questions like those."

"It's a long story I'll tell another time," Rowan promised. "Someone let something slip that…" she sighed and held out her hand for them to look at.

"'I will not plot against the ministry,'" Sirius read aloud.

"Oh, Circe," Charlus's eyes were wide as he stared down at the scar. "Who did that, lovebug?"

"Dolores Umbridge," she answered, dropping her hand again. "Again, long story, but Umbridge was actually my first Crucio. It was me or Harry, so… I made sure it wasn't Harry."

"And Harry was?" Dorea wondered.

"James's son."

"It's funny you went to the future and immediately befriended the closest person to James you could find," Sirius commented.

"She probably felt the ghost of a familial bond with him," Charlus explained.

The conversation died down as the door opened again and healers and mediwitches entered.

Rowan prepared herself. She knew that she was about to be in a lot of pain, but she also knew her mum would not let her continue walking around the way she had been for years.

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"I'm coming with."

Charlus sighed and put a hand on James's shoulder. "I know you don't want to leave her, but she has to do this without you."

"She's done the last seven years without me and her life went to shit!" James argued. "Please, Dad!"

"You don't… have the Veil of Death, do you?"

Both of them looked at her, James confused and Charlus slightly alarmed. "How on earth do you know about that?"

"We won't be going anywhere near it, right?"

"No, of course not, dear," he assured her. "We'll be going to the offices, not the experiment rooms."

"Then I can do this alone, Jamie," she promised her brother. "Besides, Dad's gonna be there. I'll be okay."

"What if you leave again?" he asked her in a near whisper.

Rowan looked at him sadly, feeling separation anxiety as well. James wasn't the only one that feared losing his twin again. "I'd find my way back again. And this time, I- I'd know how to stop someone from messing with my mind. I know how time travel works, I could get back."

"But nothing will happen," Charlus promised his kids. "Rowan will be perfectly safe. When we're done, I'll be returning her to Hogwarts."

Reluctantly, James backed off. He gave Rowan a tight hug, hugged Charlus, and let Dorea take him and Sirius back to Hogwarts - she planned to yell at Dumbledore, despite Rowan's reminders that the man hadn't actually done anything yet, and likely never would, as she was changing time.

Charlus escorted Rowan to the Ministry and through the halls, down the elevator, past the Wizengamot, and to a door. A much too familiar door that had her hesitating. "Rowan?"

"I'm fine," she replied quietly. He looked at her in concern but led her through the door and down the hall to the left. They entered the third door on the right and found an office with two desks. On the far side of the office was another door, and through there was a private office where a familiar man with wild grey hair sat.

"Oh, Charlus-," Bertie stopped short when his eyes fell on Rowan. "Rowan Potter, is that you?"

"Hello," she waved. She'd met the man before, of course. He ran the DOM with Charlus, and he'd been like an uncle to her and James.

"Well," Bertie waved for them to sit. "Explain."

So, they did. It took twenty minutes for them to get the story out, and he looked intrigued the entire time.

"We never recovered the ring," Bertie told Rowan. "Your father looked for it, I looked for it, but it was just gone. Do you have it?"

She shrugged. "If it came with me, Dumbledore took it or it's still in the shop in 1991."

"Then I suppose we'll just have to do some tests on you."

Charlus sighed. "When we were at St. Mungo's we were told that there was a binding on her core. I want to remove it."

"Of course," Bertie nodded. "But she was- Rowan, how old were you when you came back again?"

"Eighteen."

"She was eighteen, and went through hours of torture," Bertie reminded Charlus, as if the man needed reminding. "You know how her core may react to Merlin knows how much power flooding its top layers suddenly."

"You think we should bring her to an isolation chamber," Charlus said hesitantly. When she just looked at him, he sighed. "Rowan, our isolation chambers will keep you and everyone else safe, but they're down the same hall as the Veil."

"You told her about the Veil?" Bertie looked alarmed. Rowan shook her head once.

"I watched a friend fall into it and die when I was sixteen," she said shortly. "I saw Death Eaters throw a Bombarda at my friend, barely miss him, and blow up the Time-Turners. One of your damn tentacle monsters nearly killed another friend. This place- it isn't a place I'm comfortable in."

"Merlin's mustache, how in hell did all that happen?"

She didn't answer, so Charlus gave her a gentle smile. "I will be right outside the entire time if you need me. As soon as the unbinding is finished, I'll come in, okay?"

"Dad," she sighed. "I have shitty memories of this place, but I know how to handle myself now. I could probably hex my way out of the Ministry. I've done it before. I'll be fine."

Charlus looked hesitant and concerned, but he and Bertie led her to the room she'd need to be in. It was an empty room and at the front was a large shield that they moved to stand behind.

"This is likely going to hurt," Bertie warned her, his wand pointed at her. "You may experience some… unfortunate side effects. Physical memories of… past experiences. Trauma your magic, your core has gone through."

"You think I'm going to go through torture again," she guessed. The look on his face told her she was right. "Great."

"Bertie…" Charlus looked pained.

"Her core will be damaged more the longer it is bound," Bertie said, though Charlus didn't need the reminder.

"Just do it," Rowan told him. She stood up straight, tensing in preparation. "I've been through it before, I can handle it again."

"Dimittis," Bertie cast before Charlus could stop him. The orange spell hit her chest, and she felt something bright and hot bloom within her. It burned outward, through her entire body.

Rowan was vaguely aware of her screams, but it was certainly the least of her worries. She felt as if her skin were burning off, peeling back like the skin of an apple. Her veins stung and her mind screamed in pain, the familiar pain of a mental invasion overwhelming her.

She didn't know how long it lasted before she suddenly realized the pain had ended. It ended as quickly as it began, but she still felt the echoes of it shaking her.

"Take this," Bertie said, shoving a bottle into her hand. She blinked her eyes open and stared down at the potion bottle. "Pain potion."

"You first," she coughed out. The man laughed shortly and did as she asked, taking a quick sip of it before handing it back over. Confident that it was what he said, she tipped it back and drank it down quickly. Much of the pain disappeared and she found herself breathing out in relief.

"Bertie, look at these scans," Charlus requested. Both Rowan and Bertie looked up to find a scan of her body and her core within it - her core was pulsating out and in, like breathing or a heartbeat. "I've never seen…"

"Your daughter is a powerful witch," Bertie hummed. "Rowan, in the future, you fought a lot, yes?"

"I had to."

"And you were powerful?"

She shifted, sitting up with difficulty. "I don't know. I suppose somewhat."

Bertie nodded, looking back at Charlus. "And that was with her core bound. Now, it will take time to get used to the power jump. I'd wager wandless magic will come easy to you, Miss Potter."

"Can I go back to school now?" she asked after a moment of silence, looking at her father.

"We have a lot to talk about," he shook his head regretfully. "Come on, let's get back to the office and we can get some tea."

With a sigh, she let them guide her back to the offices. They did, indeed, call for tea. Once it arrived and she'd had some, she let herself relax a bit and resigned herself to the conversation she knew was coming.

"You are here to change time," Bertie frowned at her.

Before he could continue and tell her she couldn't do it, she raised her hand to silence him. "All due respect, Bertie, I'm going to do it no matter your opinion on the subject. I've withstood capture and torture, and I can withstand whatever hell comes at me next to change time and save my brother. I do respect you, but you're not getting in my way."

Bertie laughed despite the horror and disapproval on Charlus's face. "I'm not here to stop you, Rowan. I'm here to hire you."

"What?" Rowan and Charlus said together, equally confused.

"Of course!" Bertie grinned at them. "Rowan, you are an invaluable asset. You know the future, you survived a war and decided to prevent the war. I will help you accomplish that, and you will help us learn everything we can about Time Travel and whatever else you can teach us."

"Bertie, no," Charlus said firmly. "I told you, I never want my kids to work here."

"Ah, come, Charlus," Bertie shook his head. "You're retiring in two months, anyhow. Your daughter will be invaluable and you know you can trust me to look out for her."

Charlus looked upset. "You are asking me to put my daughter - whom I only just got back - at risk. And I won't be able to tell my wife."

"Would it help if I partnered her with Alphard?"

"Alphard Black?" Rowan sat forward a little. "Sirius told me about him. I can- I can help, I can help him."

"You know something about him?" Bertie wondered. She nodded quickly.

"I know he dies in 1976. He heard about Sirius…" she trailed off, glancing at her dad. "If I'm changing time, I'm changing it. I won't let anyone suffer needlessly."

"If you can show me a full, well thought out plan on how to end this war while also helping your friends, I would not be opposed to it," Bertie told her. She nodded. That was good news. She wouldn't be working against him.

"Then I'm changing this. It didn't have to happen. In 1976, at Christmas, Sirius was tortured nearly to death by his family. I know at least that Walburga and B- um… Bellatrix, they did it. In the middle of it, Alphard got word of it and showed up to save him, but he was killed."

"Stop them from hurting Sirius, save Alphard," Bertie understood. He nodded. "Christmas 1976, you said?"

"Yes."

"We can do that."

"Any others you want to talk about changing?" he wondered.

Rowan laughed shortly. "So many it's fucking depressing- er, sorry, Dad. Can we- can we remove the potion somehow? I know I'll have to take it again, but I'd like to be myself right now."

Bertie waved his wand silently, and she felt not only herself grow back to her normal size, but her clothes grew with her. She breathed out in relief when she looked down and realized her hair was black and messy again.

"Okay," she shook herself, thinking. "I don't really know where to start. I can list off names and years, and later we can go into detail on them. Obviously, the closest ones are most important."

"Shoot."

So, she set into it. It wasn't five minutes later that Alphard Black walked into the room and stopped short, and they were forced to catch him up on everything, including the fact that he had a new partner.

By the time they'd explained it all, it was nearly ten p.m., so Charlus sighed. "I need to get you back to the castle, lovebug."

"If you plan to stop the war entirely," Bertie said as she got to her feet. "I would suggest befriending some Death Eaters. Those you think you may be able to change, turn away from Riddle."

"I'll think about who that might be," she agreed.

Taking the potion again and getting back to the castle took another thirty minutes. When she got to Gryffindor, she sent James a Patronus, and he hurried down the stairs to meet her in the otherwise empty common room.

They sat together quietly for a couple of minutes before she spoke. "I'm going to be working in the DOM. Dad said he'll work with Abe to figure it out with Dumbledore, find some sort of excuse to get me out of the castle when I need to be. To change things."

"That's good."

She fell silent again. She knew what he was wondering, what he was worried about, and she just didn't know if she had anything comforting to say. "I'm… confused. I don't know… who I am, Jamie. I remember being eleven with you, then it's like suddenly I'm… this."

"What is this?" he wondered quietly.

"I don't really know anymore," she admitted. "I could tell you who I was a month ago. But… I'm not naive enough to think that what I went through didn't change me."

"Scared for you," he admitted softly. "I mean, I was worried before you… left. I always was. But then you were gone, and everything got… shit, Ro, I never thought about what I'd do without you before that day. We were us, always together, always figuring things out together. Then you were gone, and I was alone, and Mum and Dad were so fucking sad, and I come back to school and you're here, but you're not fully you, and you're- Merlin, Ro, I can feel the pain you're always in, and you don't even know who you are."

"Yeah," she said softly.

"I guess… I just wanna know what to do to help make things better," he said finally.

"Help me keep my secret," she requested immediately. He nodded quickly. "I'm going to make some sketchy friends, but I have to. I need to see if any of them are redeemable- if they could help me take down Riddle."

James frowned. "Okay… like who?"

She thought to the mental list she'd made. "Severus Snape, Regulus Black, Evan of course, and… Antonin Dolohov."

James frowned at the hesitation. "What happened with him?"

She shook her head. "I just need to see if he's… he was close to Riddle. He's the least evil option I can think of."

James was quiet for a beat before he frowned deeply. "Oh, shit. Did you say Snape?"

"Jamie," she grimaced. "I know Lily's friends with him, and I know you hate him. I just- I really need you to chill out on that and help with this."

"It's gonna be rough, befriending a bunch of Slytherins. How're you gonna do it?"

"Uh."

"You did have a plan for that, right?"

She blushed. "I've been busy, okay?"

"I know how." Both of them spun around to find Sirius leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. "Merlin, startled you both, huh?"

"Jesus, Sirius, keep doing that and I'm going to curse your head off," Rowan said in warning. "What's your idea?"

Sirius heaved a dramatic sigh and made his way over to sit on the table in front of them. "Well, one of the idiots you named is my brother."

"That you haven't spoken to in three years," James rolled his eyes. "And Regulus seems to hold a grudge the same way you do."

"I think I know how to get Regulus," Rowan waved them off. At their looks, she shrugged. "I went to school with someone that was in a similar position as Regulus. I never did get to help him…"

"Why?"

"My blood type," she answered softly. "He was also Harry's nemesis, barring Riddle, so that complicated things."

"It's a good thing you're changing time, because I'm so fucking stressed over my non-existent child," James told her seriously, making her laugh.

"No, Regulus isn't in the place I need and hopefully never will be," she told Sirius. "I need someone… in the thick of it. I'm going to have to do something I really don't want to."

"What's that?"

"Start at the top."

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